Brazil’s Bolsonaro tested after feeling unwell; Novavax gets U.S. funds for vaccine

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been tested for the coronavirus, shortly after the presidential palace confirmed to NBC News that he had been feeling unwell and was running a high temperature. 

An affiliate to CNN in Brazil had reported that the right-wing leader tested positive for the virus, but this has not been verified by CNBC or officially confirmed.

The results of Bolsonaro’s test for Covid-19 are expected at around 11 a.m. ET. —Sam Meredith

Biotech company Novavax announced it was awarded $1.6 billion from the U.S. government to help accelerate the late-stage development and manufacturing of its coronavirus vaccine candidate, Reuters reported.

It is the largest investment made so far through Operation Warp Speed, the Trump Administration’s effort to expedite the development and production of drugs and vaccines to help combat the virus. Novavax stock soared more than 35{3c4481f38fc19dde56b7b1f4329b509c88239ba5565146922180ec5012de023f} in premarket trading on the news.

The federal government has also made investments through Operation Warp Speed in Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine candidate, Moderna’s and AstraZeneca’s potential vaccine, which is being developed with Oxford University.

Novavax said the award will help fund its phase three trial, expected to begin in the fall, and help it to ready 100 million doses for distribution as early as the end of the year if the potential vaccine proves safe and effective in humans. —Will Feuer

Read CNBC’s previous coronavirus live coverage here: Australia closes interstate border; California asks indoor businesses to close