As each state develops plans to reopen its economies, testing is in the spotlight.
Abbott Laboratories' ID Now, a quick-result diagnostic test which has reportedly been used in the White House, came under scrutiny earlier this month for the accuracy of its testing, specifically the rate of false negatives. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would work with Abbott to investigate.
On Wednesday, the company released interim results. Phil Ginsburg, Abbott's Head of Infectious Disease, told Cheddar, "We found remarkable results."
Interim results revealed that, when used as intended, test sensitivity was around 94 percent, which means that 94 percent of the time the test will correctly identify those patients who have the virus. As for patients who do not have COVID-19, 99 percent of the time the test reportedly identifies them correctly.
"The test works very well where it is meant to be, and the setting that we use it in is in the earliest stages of the disease when the patient is infected and likely to spread the disease," said Ginsburg. If the tests are able to produce such quick results, the early-stage patients are able to be taken care of quickly and the ability to slow the spread of the virus to other people can be greatly increased.
"I would like to put this in perspective," Ginsburg said. "As a physician, I remain so confident in the performance of ID Now. When it's used in the way that its meant to be used, it's working as intended."
Testing has greatly increased in the United States from the beginning of the pandemic. The CDC says that over 15 million tests have been performed thus far, which will be key for reopening, but people still need to do their part in keeping each other safe.
"I think its negligent of people who take the attitude of its all passed us," Ginsburg warned. "What's dangerous is it could come back — we don't know yet."
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
U.S. sports betting is booming as NFL and college football fuel massive activity. BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt breaks down trends, growth, and what’s next.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
