Here’s today’s update:

• The Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration has released detailed, updated data about the success of the Paycheck Protection Program.  The release includes loan-level data for each of the 4.9 million PPP loans that have been made, and includes names and addresses for companies receiving loans of more than $150,000. 
• The data shows that the PPP has supported more than 51 million jobs and more than 80 percent of all small businesses employees, with an average loan size of approximately $100,000.
• The data also shows that the program has supported about 1.7 million jobs right here in North Carolina, with $12.4 billion in loans issued to North Carolina small businesses.
• An overview of the data release from the SBA, with some key points, is here.
• The full data disclosure can be found here.
• The latest PPP report with state-by-state and national data through 6/30 is available here.
• Following last month’s strong jobs report, it’s clear that the PPP has played a big role in keeping our economy afloat through the crisis and helping millions of Americans despite the partial shutdown of our economy.
  
  
• Despite the surge in cases in states around the country, it’s important to remember a few key facts:
• No state has reached or exceeded its hospital capacity.
• Our doctors have a far better understanding now of how to treat patients with the virus than when the outbreak began.
• We’ve taken steps to protect our most vulnerable populations: the elderly, those with underlying conditions and those living in nursing homes and other communal settings.
• We make more and more progress every day on treatments and vaccine candidates.
• We know more about the preventative steps individuals can take to protect their loved ones and others from the virus.
  
  
• The Department of Health and Human Services announced this week it was awarding $2 billion to two pharmaceutical companies to support the development and manufacturing of an experimental drug and a potential vaccine against COVID-19.  Novavax, Inc., in Maryland, has been awarded $1.6 billion for the commercial-scale manufacturing of its investigational vaccine.  Depending on the success of clinical trials, this $1.6 billion will support this vaccine candidate through the remainder of the clinical trials and the manufacturing of 100 million doses.  And Regeneron, a New York company, will receive $450 million for a large-scale manufacturing demonstration project of the company’s therapeutic COVID-19 treatment should clinical trials be successful.  As many as 300,000 doses will be available from this project.
  
  
• A peer-reviewed study recently found that COVID-19 patients treated with the drug hydroxychloroquine within the first two days of hospital admission were more likely to survive than patients who received other treatments, according to the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.  The study, conducted by the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan, can be found here.
  
  

For today’s good news story, I’m highlighting the staff of Catholic Charities Cape Fear Regional, which has continued to distribute food to those in need despite the outbreak.  The food pantry was quick to adapt to the unique challenges of the COVID-19 epidemic, shifting to a more mobile food distribution model that helps them reach remote communities facing food shortages.  Thanks for all you do!

As always, stay tuned to Coronavirus.gov and the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ website for the latest on the outbreak.  And please feel free to send good news stories our way to highlight in this newsletter by replying to this e-mail.