Axios PM: New standard for COVID-19 treatment — Biden's blowout fundraising month

Presented By Pearson

Axios PM

By Mike Allen ·Sep 02, 2020

Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 424 words, a 2-minute read.

⚡️Former VP Joe Biden will visit Kenosha tomorrow, and his campaign announced it raised a record-breaking $364.5 million in August.

📺 The moderators for the general election debates:

First presidential debate on Sept. 29: Fox News' Chris Wallace
Vice presidential debate on Oct. 7: USA Today's Susan Page
Second presidential debate on Oct. 15: C-SPAN's Steve Scully
Third presidential debate on Oct. 22: NBC News' Kristen Welker

1 big thing: New standard for treating severe COVID-19 patients

Health workers treat a patient with Covid-19 in Bogota, Colombia. Photo: Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images

Promising news: Low-cost, easily accessible corticosteroid drugs reduce mortality by about one-third in seriously ill coronavirus patients, according to an analysis in JAMA, a leading medical journal.

Now the World Health Organization is recommending the anti-inflammatory drugs for those suffering from severe cases, writes Axios' Marisa Fernandez.

The big picture: "Corticosteroids should now be the first-line treatment for critically ill patients. ... The only other drug shown to be effective in seriously ill patients, and only modestly at that, is remdesivir," the N.Y. Times reports.

"'Clearly, now steroids are the standard of care,' said Dr. Howard C. Bauchner, the editor-in-chief of JAMA, which published five papers about the treatment."

Between the lines: This type of treatment is not recommended for those with a mild case of COVID-19.

The JAMA authors also note it's too soon to know how the corticosteroids work to treat the illness. The data shows, however, that they appear to hinder a fatal immune response doctors refer to as "cytokine storm."

The bottom line: For every 12 patients treated with corticosteroids, one life is saved, Jonathan Sterne said in a JAMA interview.

Go deeper: The CDC last week "urgently" requested governors to speed up their permit applications so vaccine distribution sites are operational by early November.

2. Time capsule: Glam masks

Photo: MTV via AP

Face masks are now a fashion accessory:

Lady Gaga appeared in these outfits, with corresponding masks — including one with pointy tusks and one with an electronic display — during Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards in New York. Details.

A message from Pearson

Education has to get tech right

Over 80% of people in the U.S. and U.K. want education systems to take better advantage of technology to help students of all ages learn.

The reason: Over half of those surveyed believe education is less effective at using technology than other industries, Pearson's Global Learner Survey reports.

3. Catch up quick

Pope Francis arrives for the first weekly general audience to readmit the public since the start of the pandemic. Photo: Gugliemlmo Mangiapane/Reuters

Germany's government said Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was attacked with the nerve agent Novichok — a calling card of the Russian security services. Go deeper.
United Airlines expects to cut 16,370 jobs on Oct. 1, far fewer than the 36,000 it warned of two months ago. Go deeper.
Joe Biden said the police officers in Jacob Blake's shooting and Breonna Taylor's murder "need to be charged," and he called for an investigation into the individual who shot and killed a Trump supporter in Portland last weekend. Go deeper.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, signed a production deal with Netflix. Go deeper.

4. 1 fun thing

Screenshot: YouTube

David Blaine had an eventful day, floating 24,900 feet into the air over Arizona in an "Up"-esque stunt before parachuting safely to the ground.

The magician "partnered with YouTube Originals for the feat dubbed 'Ascension,' which Blaine said was inspired by a desire to do something beautiful for his young daughter," USA Today reports.
"The latex, helium-filled balloons ... were tricked out and could be deflated or popped remotely, as needed."
"One 'balloon' made of fiberglass held a parachute and oxygen. The apparatus also allowed for the stunt to be filmed."

Full video.

A message from Pearson

Americans are demanding more equality in education

The vast majority of people in the U.S. and U.K. worry that the pandemic will deepen inequality for students, reports Pearson's Global Learner Survey.

The result: Those surveyed agreed – 87% in the U.S. and 88% in the U.K. – that it's up to schools to do more to address inequality.

Get the details.

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