US President Donald Trump announces emergency authorization to treat coronavirus patients with convalescent plasma. The announcement came after White House officials complained there were politically motivated delays by the Food and Drug Administration in approving a vaccine and therapeutics for the disease that has upended Trump’s reelection chances. The authorization makes it easier for some patients to obtain the treatment but is not the same as full FDA approval. He and aides billed it as a “major” development and used the White House briefing room to make the announcement. The White House had grown agitated with the pace of the plasma approval.

Source: The Standard August 24, 2020 05:26 UTC