- KFF Health News Original Stories 5
- Facing Headwinds on New Alzheimer’s Drug, Biogen Launches Controversial Campaign
- After 18 Months, Sutter Antitrust Settlement Finally Poised for Formal Approval
- Contraception Is Free to Women, Except When It’s Not
- Readers and Tweeters Connect the Dots on Topics From Vaccine Development to Long Covid
- KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Delta Changes the Covid Conversation
- Political Cartoon: 'At the Salon?'
- Covid-19 2
- Covid Testing Effort Gets More Than $1.6 Billion Boost From White House
- CDC Warns Of 'Pivotal Moment' As Delta's Rise Threatens More Deaths
- From The States 3
- Delta Ravages States Like Florida That Emphasized Freedom Over Safety
- Coronavirus Skyrockets In California
- School Districts Around The Country Are Opting For Mask Requirements
- Vaccines 2
- CDC Advisers Support J&J Shot, Boosters For Immunocompromised
- Vaccination Rate Inches Upward In States Where Covid Is Surging
- Pharmaceuticals 2
- Alzheimer's Drugmaker Assails Critics For 'Misinformation' About Aduhelm
- Medical Debt Soars To $140B; States Without Medicaid Expansion Hit Hard
- Public Health 2
- For First Time, Drug-Resistant Fungus Has Spread In Health Care Facilities
- Deadly Heat Wave Causes Outbreak Of Vibriosis In Oysters, Other Shellfish
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Facing Headwinds on New Alzheimer’s Drug, Biogen Launches Controversial Campaign
The makers of Aduhelm, a drug approved last month despite concerns raised by experts about its effectiveness, have launched a website and ads designed to urge people who are worried about their memory to ask doctors about testing. But some health advocates say it is misleading because some memory loss with aging is normal. (Julie Appleby, 7/23)
After 18 Months, Sutter Antitrust Settlement Finally Poised for Formal Approval
A year and a half after Sutter Health agreed to a tentative settlement in a closely watched antitrust case, the San Francisco judge presiding over the case indicated she would sign off on the terms, pending agreement on another contentious issue: attorney fees. (Jenny Gold, 7/22)
Contraception Is Free to Women, Except When It’s Not
The landmark federal health law required most commercial health plans to cover a comprehensive list of birth control methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration free of charge to female patients. But health plans don’t have to cover every option, and newer methods are not included in the federal list of covered services. (Michelle Andrews, 7/23)
Readers and Tweeters Connect the Dots on Topics From Vaccine Development to Long Covid
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (7/23)
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Delta Changes the Covid Conversation
With covid cases on the upswing again around the country, partisan division remains over how to address the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Biden administration proposes bigger penalties for hospitals that fail to make their prices public as required. Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Tami Luhby of CNN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest their favorite stories of the week they think you should read, too. (7/22)
Political Cartoon: 'At the Salon?'
KFF Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Political Cartoon: 'At the Salon?'" by Dave Coverly.
Here's today's health policy haiku:
MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE
Herd immunity
can turn to herd extinction —
choose your herd wisely
- Vijay Manghirmalani
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.
Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
Summaries Of The News:
Roe V. Wade 'Egregiously Wrong,' Must Go, Mississippi Urges Supreme Court
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a brief that the Supreme Court must overturn the case, which has protected a woman's right to an abortion since 1973. Fitch cited changing social situations, including modern maternity and paternity leave, as reasons why.
The New York Times:
Mississippi Asks Supreme Court To Overrule Roe V. Wade
Calling Roe v. Wade “egregiously wrong,” Mississippi’s attorney general urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to do away with the constitutional right to abortion and to sustain a state law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The court will hear arguments in the case in the fall, giving its newly expanded conservative majority a chance to confront what may be the most divisive issue in American law: whether the Constitution protects the right to end pregnancies. (Liptak, 7/22)
Politico:
Mississippi Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Roe V. Wade
“The national fever on abortion can break only when this Court returns abortion policy to the states,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch writes in the brief, arguing that the country has changed so much since Roe was decided that the court needs to reopen the issue. “In 1973, there was little support for women who wanted a full family life and a successful career,” she wrote. “Maternity leave was rare. Paternity leave was unheard of. The gold standard for professional success was a 9-to-5 with a corner office. The flexibility of the gig economy was a fairy tale.” (Ollstein and Gerstein, 7/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Mississippi Asks Supreme Court To End Roe V. Wade Abortion Rights
In May, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Mississippi’s appeal of a 2019 appeals court decision striking down a state law prohibiting abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is to be argued after the court’s new term begins in October, with a decision expected by next summer. (Bravin, 7/22)
USA Today:
Abortion: Mississippi Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Roe V. Wade
Mississippi officials pressed the Supreme Court to overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade decision as an expected flurry of written arguments got underway Thursday in one of the most closely watched abortion cases in years. The high court agreed in May to hear a challenge to Mississippi's ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, giving its new, six-member conservative majority a chance to roll back the 1973 ruling that women have a constitutional right to abortion. In their sharpest framing of the blockbuster dispute since the appeal was filed at the Supreme Court more than a year ago, Mississippi noted the text of the Constitution does not mention abortion and argued that adherence to Roe was "dangerously corrosive to our constitutional system." (Fritze, 7/22)
The Washington Post:
Mississippi Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Roe V. Wade In Upcoming Case
The state’s bold request is in a brief filed Thursday that seeks to persuade the court it should approve a law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, far earlier than now allowed. The court will hear arguments in the case this fall, and both sides in the divisive fight see it as a crucial moment in determining whether and how the court’s 6-to-3 conservative majority might constrain abortion rights. (Barnes, 7/22)
Covid Testing Effort Gets More Than $1.6 Billion Boost From White House
The Biden administration has announced new funding to boost covid testing, in an effort to combat a large fourth wave of infections mainly affecting states with lower vaccination levels. $100 million will also go to boost rural-area vaccine education efforts.
NBC News:
White House Boosts Funding For Covid Tests As Infections Continue To Surge
The Biden administration is accelerating investments in Covid-19 testing to combat a fourth wave of infections washing over states and regions with low vaccination rates as those rates stall and some people resist a return to mask mandates, three administration officials said. The administration said Thursday that it is directing $1.6 billion in Covid testing to high-risk settings like prisons and homeless and domestic violence shelters, the officials said. The administration announced a $398 million boost in funding for small rural hospitals last week for testing and reducing infection. (Przybyla, 7/22)
CIDRAP:
White House Announces New COVID-19 Funds
Today the Biden administration announced sweeping new funding aimed at beating back COVID-19 in vulnerable communities, including congregate living settings, and infusing rural health clinics with resources to help spread vaccination education. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest more than $1.6 billion from the American Rescue Plan into testing materials for homeless shelters, treatment and recovery facilities, domestic violence shelters, and federal, state and local correctional facilities, the administration said today. Early detection of cases in these communities can stem outbreaks. (Soucheray, 7/22)
The Hill:
White House Announces New Funds For COVID-19 Testing And Vaccination Amid Delta Surge
The administration announced the release of about $100 million for rural health clinics to do vaccine outreach, given that many rural areas have lower vaccination rates and local health clinics can be a trusted source of information about vaccines. “This funding will give trusted messengers in rural communities the tools they need to counsel patients on how COVID-19 vaccines can help protect them and their loved ones," said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. (Sullivan, 7/22)
Politico:
Biden Administration Sends More Cash To Hard-Hit Areas As Delta Variant Surges
Officials see local outreach as essential to increasing immunizations. The $100 million funding influx announced Thursday will give nearly 2,000 rural health clinics more resources to reach unvaccinated communities, Biden administration Covid-19 czar Jeff Zients said. The funding was originally allotted in the American Rescue Plan and will amount to nearly $50,000 for each clinic. Zients said the administration is also now providing CDC assistance to Missouri, Illinois and Colorado, while FEMA will be setting up mobile vaccination clinics in North Carolina. (Owermohle, 7/22)
In other news from the Biden administration —
NBC News:
Biden Administration Officials Fear Lifting Covid Restrictions At Border Could Trigger Migrant Surge
Biden administration officials are worried that lifting the Covid-19 restrictions blocking undocumented immigrants from crossing into the U.S. from Mexico would trigger a surge in migration that could overwhelm the system, according to two U.S. officials familiar with internal discussions about the issue. The public health order barring border migration, known as Title 42, has expelled back to Mexico almost 1 million immigrants trying to cross the southern border since the Trump administration put it in place in March 2020. (Ainsley, 7/22)
CDC Warns Of 'Pivotal Moment' As Delta's Rise Threatens More Deaths
News outlets cover the rise in delta variant covid across the U.S., including CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky calling it the one of the most infectious respiratory viruses she's seen. Separately, reports say people hospitalized with covid are begging for vaccines.
The Washington Post:
CDC Warns This Is ‘Pivotal Moment’ In Fight Against Delta Variant
Top Biden administration officials on Thursday said that a hyper-transmissible variant of the coronavirus is posing new challenges for the nation’s health system, urging millions of unvaccinated Americans to get shots to protect themselves and their communities. The delta variant, first detected in India, now represents more than 83 percent of cases circulating in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People infected with the variant appear to carry a viral load that is more than 1,000 times that of those infected with earlier forms of the virus, allowing the virus to spread rapidly among unvaccinated people, scientists have found. (Diamond, 7/22)
NPR:
Delta Variant Will Drive A Steep Rise In U.S. COVID Deaths, Model Shows
The current COVID-19 surge in the U.S. — fueled by the highly contagious delta variant — will steadily accelerate through the summer and fall, peaking in mid-October, with daily deaths more than triple what they are now. That's according to new projections released Wednesday from the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, a consortium of researchers working in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help the agency track the course of the pandemic. (Stein and Simmons-Duffin, 7/22)
Fox News:
Delta Variant One Of The Most Infectious Respiratory Viruses I’ve Seen: Walensky
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters on Thursday that the COVID-19 Delta variant is one of the most infectious respiratory viruses that she has seen in her 20-year career. She called the variant more "aggressive" and transmissible than earlier strains of the virus. The Biden administration has used the threat of the variant to underscore the importance of Americans getting vaccinated. (DeMarche, 7/23)
Stat:
Burning Questions About Delta And The Next Phase Of The Covid Pandemic
The rise of the Delta variant has driven new Covid-19 outbreaks, rattled markets, and reminded us that — for all the progress made in the fight against the pandemic — vulnerabilities persist. In the United States, where the variant is estimated to be causing more than 4 out of 5 new infections, largely among the unvaccinated, the outbreaks in places like Arkansas and Missouri have once again placed health systems under stress. They’ve also led to more questions about whether Delta even poses a threat to people who are vaccinated and complicated the discussion about what precautions schools need to reopen fully in the fall. (Joseph, 7/23)
KHN:
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Delta Changes The Covid Conversation
The resurgence of covid cases in the U.S. — largely attributable to the much more contagious delta variant — has given policymakers the jitters. The Biden administration is redoubling efforts to get people vaccinated, and even some Republicans who had been silent or skeptical of the vaccines are encouraging the unvaccinated to change their status. Meanwhile, it’s not just covid that’s shortening U.S. life expectancy. Nearly 100,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This week a multibillion-dollar settlement among states, drugmakers and distributors could funnel funding to fight the opioid scourge. (7/22)
And in more coverage of the covid surge —
CNN:
Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients Are Asking For The Vaccine -- When It's Too Late, Two Health Care Workers Say
As the Delta variant helps fuel a surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations in the US, unvaccinated patients are regretting their inoculation status, two health care workers say. "When they come into the (hospital) system, they say, 'Can I get vaccinated?' And at that point, you can't," Alix Zacharski, an intensive care clinical nurse manager at Miami's Jackson Health System, told CNN's "Newsroom" Thursday. "We have to let the virus run its course, and then hopefully" the vaccine can be given, she said. Not all of these patients live to get the chance, an Alabama doctor says. (Hanna, 7/22)
Health News Florida:
AdventHealth Moves Mid-Florida Hospitals To 'Yellow' COVID Status
AdventHealth Central Florida has transitioned into "yellow status" as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the greater Orlando region with the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. Under this status, elective surgeries requiring inpatient says will be deferred and each campus’s chief medical officer will review all cases that require a stay in intensive care. Previously schedule surgeries, pediatric surgeries and procedures at outpatient surgery centers are not affected. (Mayer, 7/22)
The New York Times:
31 Children Test Positive For Coronavirus At Summer Camp In NY
The outbreak at Camp Pontiac, a sleep-away camp in upstate New York, started in the girls’ dormitories. Nurses, worried that young campers were showing symptoms of Covid-19, began administering tests. Last Saturday, one came back positive. More would quickly follow: As of Thursday morning, 31 of the camp’s 550 campers had tested positive for the coronavirus, said Jack Mabb, the health director of Columbia County, where the camp is located. (Gold, 7/22)
CNBC:
Nightclubs Are The New Covid Battleground
Nightclubs and bars are fast becoming the new battleground in the fight against Covid-19 as the nocturnal economy re-opens in some countries and coronavirus cases soar, particularly among the young. Covid is seeing a resurgence in Europe as the highly infectious delta variant spreads among the unvaccinated and partially-immunized population, which is predominantly young as they were the last in line to receive a vaccine. At the same time, a number of European countries decided to revive their night time economies, allowing bars and clubs to reopen to the public again, some after 16 months of closure which put many out of business. (Ellyatt, 7/23)
CNBC:
Quest Diagnostics Is Seeing A Rise In Covid Tests As Delta Variant Spreads, CEO Says
Quest Diagnostics CEO Steve Rusckowski told CNBC on Thursday the company is seeing an increase in Covid-19 tests as the more contagious delta variant spreads across the country. “We said our Covid-19 testing business would go down as we saw the recovery, if you will, from the pandemic and it has gone down throughout the first half,” Rusckowski said on “Closing Bell.” “In the last couple of weeks, and we think it’s related to the delta variant, we started to see a slight increase actually in that Covid testing volume as well.” (Singh, 7/22)
Delta Ravages States Like Florida That Emphasized Freedom Over Safety
Despite the surge in the Sunshine State, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will continue to refuse mask mandates or other restrictions, including at schools.
Politico:
Delta Variant Sweeps Through States That Dialed Back Health Powers
The Delta strain of the coronavirus is racing across the country, driving a surge of new cases and hospitalizations. But local and state officials this time have fewer options to slow the spread. In Texas, where Covid hospitalizations are up 30 percent and deaths up 10 percent over the past week, Gov. Greg Abbott recently barred counties, cities and school districts from requiring masks. Montana did the same for vaccine and mask mandates, while letting local officials overrule health department orders. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose state accounts for one in five of new U.S. infections, asserted power to nix local health orders if he concludes they infringe on individual rights. (Ollstein and Goldberg, 7/22)
USA Today:
Three States Have Contributed To Over 40% Of New COVID Cases
As the number of COVID-19 cases across the country is rising, three states have contributed to over 40% of all recent positive cases, according to the White House on Thursday. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said Florida, Texas and Missouri were contributing the highest number of cases, with Florida accounting for one in five positive cases for the second week in a row. Those states also have some of the lowest rates of vaccination, Zients said, adding that "within communities, these cases are primarily among unvaccinated people." (Santucci, 7/23)
In more covid news from Florida —
The Hill:
Florida Reports Highest Daily COVID-19 Cases Since January
Florida on Wednesday reported 12,647 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily number of cases since late January, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The last time that Florida topped this number was Jan. 30, when it logged 14,654 cases. The U.S. registered 55,132 cases on Wednesday, meaning that Florida’s daily count made up about 23 percent of new cases reported by the CDC for that day. (Vakil, 7/22)
The Hill:
Florida AG Tests Positive For COVID-19
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) announced Wednesday that she had tested positive for COVID-19, following a trip she made with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and others to the southern border of Texas last weekend. Moody said in a tweet on Wednesday that she had already received the vaccine. (Vakil, 7/22)
WMFE:
DeSantis Says Florida Won't Enforce Masks, Lockdowns As Cases Surge
Gov. Ron DeSantis says there won’t be another round of mask mandates at public schools in Florida this fall, even as cases surge in the state. DeSantis’ comments came Thursday at a news conference at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, where he introduced a program that will send free books home to elementary school children. The governor says some schools used face masks during the previous school year while others didn’t with similar results, which is why most districts in the state won’t require them this August. (Prieur, 7/22)
The Hill:
Psaki: Florida Schools Not Having Mask Mandate 'Would Be Greatly Concerning'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki pushed back on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) comments that there will be no mask mandates in Florida schools, saying it's "concerning" because no one under the age of 12 is vaccinated. “If I were a parent in Florida, that would be greatly concerning to me because kids under the age of 12 are not vaccinated. They’re not eligible yet,” Psaki said. (Gangitano, 7/22)
WUSF Public Media:
Physicians Blast DeSantis Over Handling Of COVID-19
Gov. Ron DeSantis has drawn national attention for bucking federal health-care officials over the handling of the coronavirus, but a group of Florida physicians said Thursday the governor’s push to reopen the state and block precautions are a main reason for a sharp increase in the number of residents suffering from COVID-19. Dr. Bernard Ashby, a Miami cardiologist and leader of the Florida chapter of the Committee to Protect Health Care, said DeSantis should spend more time talking to people about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and less time attacking federal infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci in hopes of scoring political points. (Sexton, 7/22)
Health News Florida:
Falling Immunization Numbers Amid Pandemic May Threaten Children’s School Year
When it was time for Carolina Alborada to take her two children to their annual check-up in May of last year, she opted to stay home. “My fear was that my husband and my children would contract the virus,” Alborada said. “That’s why I decided to skip the other vaccines.” The Volusia County resident preferred to keep her 2- and 4-year-old kids at home, reasoning she’d rather protect her family from an unknown virus than give them preventive vaccinations. (Angel, 7/22)
Coronavirus Skyrockets In California
On Thursday, the state reported nearly 5,600 new cases, and the average positive-test rate over seven days was 4.9% — a nearly five-fold increase over last week. Despite the spike, two parents' groups are suing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom over a mask mandate in public schools.
AP:
California's Rising COVID-19 Rate Sparks Pleas To Vaccinate
California health officials pleaded with people to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as infections and hospitalizations continued a worrying rise and three Bay Area counties urged employers to enforce mask-wearing among those who haven’t had the shots. California on Thursday reported nearly 5,600 new cases and the average positive-test rate over seven days was 4.9% — a nearly five-fold increase over last week. (Dazio and Weber, 7/23)
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F.'s Coronavirus Case Rate Has Spiked Above California's. What's Going On?
Coronavirus cases rose faster in San Francisco in the past week than in the Bay Area and California as a whole, and the city’s case rate on several days exceeded both the region’s and state’s. It was a rare occurrence for the city, which has had among the lowest virus rates among major U.S. metropolitan areas throughout the pandemic. Experts say that more than a month after the state — and the city — reopened, the super contagious delta variant is spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated. (Echeverria and Allday, 7/22)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. COVID Cases Accelerate Amid Delta Variant Transmission
With coronavirus cases reaching levels in Los Angeles County not seen since the waning days of the winter surge, public health officials said Thursday that even those who have been vaccinated should take precautions, given how widely the virus is now circulating. This surge is predominantly hitting people who have not been vaccinated. But with the highly infectious Delta variant racing through the region, additional measures — like wearing masks inside crowded public places — can further armor everyone against transmission. (Money and Lin II, 7/22)
Newsweek:
20% Of New Los Angeles COVID Cases Are In Vaccinated People As Delta Variant Spikes
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced on Thursday that 20 percent of new COVID-19 cases identified in Los Angeles County were in vaccinated individuals. "The Delta variant is a game-changer," Ferrer said. With the Delta variant driving community spread and positive case numbers up in LA County, the percentage of breakthrough cases in fully-vaccinated people has gone up as well. The daily average case rate was 7.1 per 100,000 people on July 15 and shot up to 12.9 on Thursday. (Pedroja, 7/22)
In news about mask mandates in California —
Newsweek:
Gavin Newsom Sued Over School Mask Mandate As COVID Spikes In California
Two parents' groups are suing Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom over a mask mandate in public schools. Their lawsuit comes as the state experiences a spike in new COVID-19 infections. The groups—Let Them Breathe and Reopen California Schools—have filed a lawsuit against Newsom and the state's top health officials. The lawsuit says that the statewide mandate requiring schoolchildren to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status will harm the "mental and physical health" of children, especially after a year of isolation and distance learning. (Villarreal, 7/22)
The Washington Post:
Southern California Cities Rebel Against New Mask Mandate, Hinting At Delta Variant Drama To Come
Los Angeles County’s new mask mandate is infuriating officials in the sprawling region, leading to angry denunciations as some irate local leaders demand resignations and threaten to cut ties and form their own public health departments. “The county cannot handle our current situation,” said Councilman Tony Wu of West Covina, a town of about 110,000 in the eastern part of the county. “We are absolutely not going to enforce nothing about this BS.” (Werner, 7/22)
School Districts Around The Country Are Opting For Mask Requirements
Atlanta, Chicago and Boston are the latest cities to announce that students will need to wear masks in schools this fall. That comes as health officials around the country -- and even in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. -- are weighing renewing mask mandates.
AP:
Atlanta Schools To Require Masks For All Students, Staff
Atlanta Public Schools will implement a “universal mask wearing” policy in all of its school buildings when the new school year starts Aug. 5, the district announced Thursday. In a statement, the school system cited the dangers of the Delta variant of the coronavirus and guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. (7/22)
AP:
Chicago Schools Requiring Masks When Schools Reopen In Fall
Chicago Public Schools announced Thursday its students, teachers and staff will be required to wear masks indoors when they return to classrooms in August. In a letter to parents, Chief Executive Officer José Torres said the policy is based on feedback from local, state and federal public health experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Visitors to school buildings will be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status. Masks can be removed while eating or drinking and while students are engaged in outdoor activities, Torres told parents. (7/23)
The Boston Globe:
Janey Says BPS Students Must Wear Masks As Baker Says He Plans No Changes To COVID-19 Policies
In one of the first signs the resurgence of COVID infections is causing concern among officials, Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey on Thursday said all public school students in the city will be required to wear face masks when they return to classes in September. Already this week, officials in Cambridge, Provincetown, and Nantucket urged residents and visitors to wear masks in indoor public spaces as new outbreaks have been reported; Cambridge, for example, said that 42 percent of the 83 confirmed and probable infections in July so far are “breakthrough” cases involving people who are fully vaccinated. (Fox, Platoff and McDonald, 7/22)
AP:
Big Ten Says Schools Will Decide On COVID-19 Protocols
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said the conference will take take a “decentralized” approach to COVID-19 protocols [for athletics] by allowing each school to put in place its own plan. “Our schools are finalizing their proposed policies and procedures for the fall,” Warren said at Big Ten football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium. “We’ll get that information in early August, we’ll combine it, and then we’ll get together with our chancellors and presidents and other key constituents to make the determination as far as how we handle the fall.” (Russo, 7/23)
In related news about masks and covid restrictions —
AP:
Juneau Imposing COVID-19 Restrictions Amid Rising Cases
Officials in Juneau on Thursday announced restrictions aimed at curbing rising COVID-19 cases in Alaska’s capital city, including limiting capacity at gyms and indoor service at bars to 50%. Under the measures, set to take effect Friday, indoor gatherings will be limited to 50 people with masks required, unless a COVID-19 mitigation plan has been approved by emergency operations leaders or everyone is fully vaccinated, according to the city’s announcement. (7/23)
Anchorage Daily News:
‘This Is Not The Same Virus’: A New Resurgence Of COVID-19 Shutters Cordova Seafood Plant
A COVID-19 outbreak in the Prince William Sound community of Cordova among dozens of seafood workers and community members has shuttered a processing plant and triggered a mask mandate for city workers. The city with just over 2,800 residents is reporting almost 60 active cases, including workers at the Camtu’s Alaska Wild Seafoods plant, temporarily shut down during a lucrative salmon fishing opener this week.
City leaders say Cordova’s example is an unfortunate lesson in the latest chapter of coronavirus, in which an infectious new variant is preying on people who choose not to get vaccinated. (Hollander, 7/22)
Houston Chronicle:
Hidalgo Raises Harris County COVID Threat Level As Delta Variant Rages, Hospitalizations Double
Harris County’s emergency threat level was raised to orange — or “significant” — on Thursday, and County Judge Lina Hidalgo called for resumed mask wearing amid a fourth wave of COVID-19 that has already caused hospitalizations to spike across the region. “It’s not too late,” Hidalgo said. “But if we don’t act now, it will be too late for many people.... We are at the beginning of a potentially very dangerous fourth wave of this pandemic.” The decision to raise the threat level was based on recent increases in cases, and hospitalization and positivity rates. (Downen and Wu, 7/22)
Politico:
Capitol Physician Considers Recommending Masks Again Due To Delta Variant
The Capitol's chief physician is considering reimposing a mask recommendation in the Capitol after two months of mostly face-covering-free business in the House and Senate, according to three sources familiar with the matter. An imminent announcement is not expected, but the Office of the Attending Physician is weighing whether to suggest that people don masks again inside the Capitol complex as the Delta variant surges nationwide. (Caygle, Tully-McManus and Everett, 7/22)
CDC Advisers Support J&J Shot, Boosters For Immunocompromised
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a CDC advisory body, said people who are severely immune-compromised should consider getting a third covid shot. The ACIP separately noted that the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine "far outweigh" its risks.
USA Today:
COVID Booster Shot Benefits Immunocompromised People, Experts Say
People who are severely immune-compromised should consider getting a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, several members of a federal advisory committee said Thursday, and should definitely take other precautions like wearing masks and making sure those around them are vaccinated. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which doesn't have the regulatory authority to officially recommend a third shot, presented data at its meeting Thursday that suggested a booster shot was unlikely to cause harm and might benefit someone who is significantly immunocompromised because of cancer or on powerful medication to prevent autoimmune reactions or organ rejection. (Weintraub, 7/23)
Fox News:
J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Benefits ‘Far Outweigh’ Risks, CDC Panel Says After Reports Of Guillain-Barré Syndrome
An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines "far outweigh" potential risks amid an ongoing review of reports of a rare nerve disorder in a small fraction of J&J jab recipients. However, given the possible link, a new update will advise patients with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome to seek mRNA vaccines. CDC's Dr. Hannah Rosenblum, who presented during the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting Thursday, said "this assessment demonstrates that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh the potential risks." (Rivas, 7/22)
Fox News:
Fully Vaccinated, Immunocompromised Patients Should Keep Masking Up As Experts Probe Booster Shots: CDC Panel
Immunocompromised patients fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should continue to wear face masks, maintain 6 feet of distance and take preventive steps as researchers continue to weigh booster doses in the fragile population. Dr. Sara Oliver, member of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), presented slides during the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting Thursday, which read, "now, immunocompromised people should continue to follow infection prevention measures: wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart from others, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces." (Rivas, 7/23)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Vaccine Panel Signals Preliminary Support For Covid-19 Booster Shots
A panel of health experts advising the U.S. government on vaccines expressed preliminary support for giving Covid-19 boosters to immunocompromised people, but said they were waiting for regulatory action before making a formal recommendation. A work group of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel also on Thursday endorsed the continued use of J&J’s vaccine, despite a recent warning about a low risk of a rare neurological disorder among people taking the shot. (Hopkins and Schwartz, 7/22)
Vaccination Rate Inches Upward In States Where Covid Is Surging
White House officials reported that vaccine hesitancy is being overcome by a dramatic rise in covid, leading to some southern state hospitals being overrun with cases. Separately, the NFL warns teams they could forfeit games and be fined if they cause a covid outbreak.
AP:
Vaccinations Rise In Some States With Soaring Infections
Vaccinations are beginning to rise in some states where COVID-19 cases are soaring, White House officials said Thursday in a sign that the summer surge is getting the attention of vaccine-hesitant Americans as hospitals in the South are being overrun with patients. Coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters that several states with the highest proportions of new infections have seen residents get vaccinated at higher rates than the nation as a whole. Officials cited Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada as examples. (Hollingsworth and Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/23)
Modern Healthcare:
Atrium Health Mandates COVID-19 Vaccines For All Workers
Atrium Health became the latest health system to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees, the health system announced Thursday. The day before, the American Hospital Association threw its support behind vaccine mandates for hospital and health system workers, as did America's Essential Hospitals. A 200% increase in coronavirus-related hospitalizations—99% were for unvaccinated patients—at Atrium facilities drove the decision, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Atrium Health said. (Brady, 7/22)
Detroit Free Press:
American Indian Health's Vaccines Ruined In Flood; Clinic Reopens
Detroit's June flooding overtook highways, hurt small businesses and seeped into every nook and cranny of residential basements. It also ruined COVID-19 vaccine doses at the American Indian Health and Family Services clinic in southwest Detroit. Three weeks later, it's back up and running. As of Monday, the clinic had a full stock of Pfizer vaccine and is open for walk-ins and appointments. No one will be turned away, said Jennifer Oprisiu, director of development at AIHFS. (Stein, 7/22)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
CBS News:
After Son Dies Of COVID, Mother Holds Vaccine Drive At His Funeral
Betty Antoine's 46-year-old son Brandon became a COVID statistic—despite her pleading with him to get a COVID-19 vaccine."I begged him, I said, 'You need to take the vaccine, Brandon.' 'Oh, no, mom, I'm not going to take it. And you better not take the vaccine either,' Antoine recalled in a conversation with CBS News' David Begnaud. ... Antoine offered COVID-19 vaccines during his funeral. Three people stepped up that day to take the vaccine and 10 others followed later. "I just wanted them to see Brandon's ashes. I wanted them to know, look, Brandon is dead because he did not take the vaccine," she said. (7/22)
The Washington Post:
People Who Have Lost Their Loved Ones To Covid-19 Are Getting Vaccinated, Alabama Doctor Says
A doctor in Alabama had a harrowing message for those still unwilling to get vaccinated. Sharing how she has “made a LOT of progress encouraging people to get vaccinated,” Brytney Cobia, a physician at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, detailed in a Facebook post how numerous “young healthy people” have been admitted to the hospital “with very serious COVID infections.” (Paul, 7/23)
CNBC:
NFL Warns Teams Could Forfeit Games If Covid Outbreaks Occur Among Unvaccinated Players
The National Football League plans to operate as normal as possible for the upcoming 2021 season and told teams they would forfeit games and lose money if Covid outbreaks occur due to unvaccinated players. In a memo obtained by CNBC, the NFL informed team executives and head coaches that it doesn’t plan to reschedule games as it did during the 2020 season due to outbreaks. Instead, the league wrote, “postponements will only occur if required by government authorities, medical experts, or at the [NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s] discretion.” (Young, 7/22)
The Atlantic:
Unvaccinated Is Different From Anti-Vax
Last week, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that COVID-19 is “becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” President Joe Biden said much the same shortly after. They are technically correct. Even against the fast-spreading Delta variant, the vaccines remain highly effective, and people who haven’t received them are falling sick far more often than those who have. But their vulnerability to COVID-19 is the only thing that unvaccinated people universally share. They are disparate in almost every way that matters, including why they haven’t yet been vaccinated and what it might take to persuade them. “‘The unvaccinated’ are not a monolith of defectors,” Rhea Boyd, a pediatrician and public-health advocate in the San Francisco Bay Area, tweeted on Saturday. (Yong, 7/22)
In vaccine-development news —
CIDRAP:
Study: 2 COVID Vaccine Doses Much More Effective Than 1 Against Delta
COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness for one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine against the Delta variant (B1617.2) was much lower compared with one-dose effectiveness against the Alpha variant (B117), according to a UK study yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Two doses, however, narrowed the gap. People are generally considered fully vaccinated with the Pfizer and the AstraZeneca vaccines 14 and 15 days after the second dose, respectively. (Van Beusekom, 7/22)
Reuters:
Spacing Pfizer COVID Shots Boosts Antibody Levels After Initial Drop - Study
A longer gap between doses of Pfizer's (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine leads to higher overall antibody levels than a shorter gap, a British study found on Friday, but there is a sharp drop in antibody levels after the first dose. The study might help inform vaccination strategies against the Delta variant, which reduces the effectiveness of a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine even though two doses are still protective. (7/22)
To Battle Health Misinformation, Bill Targets Online Platforms' Protections
Sen. Amy Klobuchar introduced new legislation aimed at Section 230, which prevents platforms like Facebook from legal impacts of content their users post. Separately, Dr. Anthony Fauci praised the actions of some Republican lawmakers who've swung to promote vaccines.
Politico:
Klobuchar Targets Vaccine Misinformation With Section 230 Bill
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced legislation Thursday to fight bogus medical claims online during health crises like the coronavirus pandemic. Her target: Section 230. Klobuchar's bill would carve out an exception to Section 230, the 1996 law that protects internet platforms from liability for content that users post, for health misinformation proliferating during public health emergencies — like the misinformation that has been running rampant about vaccines for Covid-19. (Levine, 7/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Bill Would Strip Social Media Of Protections For Health Misinformation
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) introduced a bill Thursday that would strip online platforms such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. of their liability protections if their technologies spread misinformation related to public-health emergencies, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The bill, which Ms. Klobuchar previously telegraphed was in the works, would create an exception to the law known as Section 230, which shields internet platforms from lawsuits for content generated by their users and other third parties. (Hughes, 7/22)
And Dr. Anthony Fauci praises Republicans for supporting vaccination —
The Hill:
Fauci Praises GOP Encouraging Vaccines: 'A Very Good Thing'
Anthony Fauci said Republicans who are now encouraging Americans to get vaccinated are doing “a very good thing” to help stop the spread of COVID-19 as well as misinformation about vaccines. In an interview with The Hill, the president's chief medical adviser said he was glad to hear some top GOP leaders be more outspoken in recent days about the importance of receiving the life-saving vaccine. (Trudo, 7/22)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
Politico:
Dems Are 'Not Particularly Pleased' With The Senate Infrastructure Deal. They'll Back It Anyway.
Ben Cardin is “not particularly pleased” with parts of the bipartisan infrastructure package. Kirsten Gillibrand has “no reason to be against it.” And Elizabeth Warren said she’ll support it if “it makes some people happier.” Those are Democratic senators' scintillating reviews for a plan billed as a major goal of President Joe Biden. As negotiators rush to finish their package by Monday, they're signaling they’ll go along with it, even if it’s through gritted teeth. (Levine, Everett and Barron-Lopez, 7/22)
The Washington Post:
Paul Gosar Was A Mild-Mannered Dentist. His Patients Are Horrified At His Embrace Of Trump's Election Falsehoods.
Paul Gosar’s evolution from the Arizona Dental Association’s 2001 Dentist of the Year to a conspiracy-minded, race-baiting congressman isn’t exactly surprising to anyone paying attention to today’s GOP and its associated right-wing media personalities, whose adoption of Trump’s personal bugbears has made conspiracy theorists of many rank-and-file Republicans. (Terris, 7/21)
Missouri Supreme Court Orders State To Begin Medicaid Expansion
State voters approved expanding coverage of Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income residents, but the governor refused to implement the program because lawmakers did not appropriate funding. The court rejected his arguments.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
In A Unanimous Ruling, Missouri High Court Says Medicaid Expansion ‘Valid’
The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously reversed a lower court decision that found the state’s Medicaid expansion unconstitutional. Moving with uncharacteristic speed, the high court overruled Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem’s decision that upended the long-running push to add as many as 275,000 low-income Missourians to the government-run health insurance program. (Erickson, 7/22)
NPR:
State Supreme Court Rules Missouri Must Expand Medicaid
Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that an additional 275,000 low-income individuals in the state are again eligible for publicly-funded health care. Missouri voters successfully pushed through a state constitutional amendment on the ballot last August to adopt Medicaid expansion, but the Republican-dominated legislature refused to implement it, prompting Gov. Mike Parson, also a Republican, to pull the plug on plans to bolster the health care program. (Thirty-eight states, including red ones, have either expanded Medicaid or are in the process of expanding it.) (Rosenbaum and Lippmann, 7/22)
CNN:
Missouri Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Medicaid Expansion
The Medicaid expansion, which was supposed to take effect on July 1, was blocked by Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who said in May that the state could not proceed because lawmakers had not appropriated funding. More than 275,000 low-income Missourians could gain coverage under expansion. However, the state Supreme Court found that the appropriation bills do not distinguish between benefits provided to those who qualified previously and those eligible under expansion. (Luhby, 7/22)
And in other state news about health insurance —
Stateline:
3 States Pursue Public Option For Health Coverage As Feds Balk
President Joe Biden has not yet delivered on his campaign promise to create a national public health insurance option, but three states have moved forward with plans of their own. Colorado and Nevada this year passed public option plans—government-run health insurance plans—that are set to launch in 2023 and 2026, respectively. They join Washington state, which enacted its law in 2019 and went live with its public option in January. Proponents hope a more affordable alternative will attract residents without health insurance. (Ollove, 7/22)
Philadelphia District Attorney Calls Opioid Settlement A 'Sellout'
District Attorney Larry Krasner has filed a lawsuit to try to prevent the city from being bound by the terms of the recent $26 billion opioid settlement, worried Philadelphia would get just a fraction of the damages. Separately, the American Medical Association is asking for changes to opioid prescribing guidelines.
The Hill:
Philadelphia Pushes Back Against National Opioid Settlement: 'This Is A Sellout'
Philadelphia is pushing back against the $26 billion national opioid settlement with three major drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) filed a lawsuit in a Pennsylvania state court on Thursday asking a court to declare that Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) lacks the authority to bind the city to the settlement. Krasner called the settlement a “sellout” in a news conference. (Williams, 7/22)
Health News Florida:
Opioid Settlement Will Bring Up To $1.6 Billion To Florida
Florida is slated to receive as much as $1.6 billion in multistate legal settlements with three pharmaceutical distributors and one drug manufacturer stemming from the opioid epidemic, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Wednesday. Florida was one of 14 states that negotiated the agreements with distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. In all, the companies could pay up to $26 billion over a series of years. (7/22)
Axios:
How Johnson & Johnson Could Use The "Texas Two-Step" To Cap Its Baby Powder Liabilities
Johnson & Johnson just managed to release itself from all legal liability for distributing opioids by paying $5 billion as part of a bigger $26 billion settlement with state attorneys general. Now, per Reuters, it's looking to Texas to help it cap its liabilities with respect to distributing asbestos in its baby powder. If J&J successfully attempts what's known as the Texas two-step, that would effectively allow it to declare bankruptcy just for the purposes of its talc liabilities and nothing else. The rest of the company could sail on with no further risk of talc-related lawsuits down the road. (Salmon, 7/22)
In other news about opioids and drug use —
Modern Healthcare:
AMA Seeks Overhaul Of CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
The American Medical Association is calling for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to overhaul its 2016 opioid prescribing guidelines. The organization says the guidelines limit patients access to pain management treatments. In a letter sent to the CDC on Thursday, the AMA argued the agency's landmark, prescribing guidelines issued in response to the opioid crisis were failing to address how the epidemic has evolved. Drug overdose deaths rose by 30% from 2019 to 2020 to a record 93,000 despite prescribing restrictions becoming a widely adopted practice among most healthcare providers since the release of the guidelines. (Ross Johnson, 7/22)
Carroll County Times:
Nonprofit HOFFA Foundation Opening New Recovery Residence In Carroll County For Men Struggling With Addiction
The HOFFA Foundation is hosting a community support event this weekend to celebrate the opening of their new multidisciplinary recovery house for men and to educate the community about their mission. The HOFFA Foundation is a family-based organization dedicated to providing resources that will enable residents of Carroll County and beyond who are struggling with addiction to make forward progress in their recovery from substance abuse. Their primary program for recovery support is a “safe recovery residence where individuals can live while seeking long-term freedom from active addiction to drugs and alcohol,” according to the foundation’s website. (Bateman, 7/23)
Alzheimer's Drugmaker Assails Critics For 'Misinformation' About Aduhelm
In a letter to the Alzheimer's disease community and a call with investors, Biogen officials decried the controversy over the drug's approval, saying the company believes in the integrity of the review process. The drug, Aduhelm, has already brought in $1.6 million, the company announced.
Stat:
Biogen Says 'Misinformation' Is Fueling Controversy Over Alzheimer's Drug
Biogen on Thursday mounted a vigorous defense of its controversial Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm, with the company’s head of research and development releasing an open letter to the Alzheimer’s community that took direct aim at critics of approval. Al Sandrock, the R&D chief and an architect of many of Biogen’s successes, wrote that the purpose of the letter was to correct “misinformation” about the drug. (Herper, 7/22)
Axios:
Biogen Unleashes On Critics Over Its Alzheimer's Drug Aduhelm
Biogen executives used their earnings day to take aim at critics and the media, saying the federal approval of the company's new Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, "has been the subject of extensive misinformation and misunderstanding." Biogen has billions of dollars on the line with this drug, and uptake has been very slow so far due in part to the blowback. But the company's grievances don't change the fact that Aduhelm failed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's in late-stage clinical trials. (Herman, 7/23)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biogen Sees Heavy Patient Interest In New Alzheimer’s Drug
Biogen, which has listed Aduhelm for $56,000 a year, reported second-quarter sales for the drug of $1.6 million. The drug was commercially available for only a few weeks in the quarter. Mr. Vounatsos said it was safe to assume “a big chunk” of those sales came from pharmacies stocking up on the drug. (Walker, 7/22)
KHN:
Facing Headwinds On New Alzheimer’s Drug, Biogen Launches Controversial Campaign
Do you sometimes lose your train of thought or feel a bit more anxious than is typical for you? Those are two of the six questions in a quiz on a website co-sponsored by the makers of Aduhelm, a controversial new Alzheimer’s drug. But even when all responses to the frequency of those experiences are “never,” the quiz issues a “talk to your doctor” recommendation about the potential need for additional cognitive testing. (Appleby, 7/23)
Medical Debt Soars To $140B; States Without Medicaid Expansion Hit Hard
The debt estimate, from a study in JAMA, was up from $81 billion in 2016. Other reports look at the cost of prescription medicine and contraception.
Axios:
Americans' Medical Debt Reached About $140 Billion In 2020
Americans' medical debt added up to about $140 billion last year, according to new research published Tuesday in JAMA. Americans owe debt collectors more medical debt than any other source of debt. Looking at 10% of all credit reports from credit rating agency TransUnion, researchers said they found nearly one in five Americans had medical debt in collections in June 2020. (Reed, 7/21)
The New York Times:
Americans’ Medical Debts Are Bigger Than Was Known, Totaling $140 Billion
Americans owe nearly twice as much medical debt as was previously known, and the amount owed has become increasingly concentrated in states that do not participate in the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion program. ... Mr. Mahoney said he was shocked to see the widening inequality in medical debt that disparate state decisions appear to have caused. The states that have declined to expand Medicaid — particularly in the South — started out having more medical debt before Obamacare passed, and since other states have expanded Medicaid, the chasm has grown wider. In 2020, Americans living in states that did not expand Medicaid owed an average of $375 more than those in states that participated in the program, roughly a 30 percent increase from the gap that existed the year before enactment. (Kliff and Sanger-Katz, 7/20)
CNN:
Prescription Drugs Are Too Expensive For Many Americans. These Companies Are Trying To Change That
It's an experience millions of Americans have had: you go to the doctor, get a prescription, take it to the pharmacy and get hit with a staggering bill, sometimes running into hundreds of dollars even if insurance covers a part of the cost. "In the US, we're unique in letting drug companies basically set their own prices," Andrew Mulcahy, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation who focuses on prescription drugs, told CNN Business. Americans spend around $1,200 a year on average for prescription drugs — more than any other country — according to the latest available OECD data. (Iyengar and Gonzalez, 7/22)
KHN:
Contraception Is Free To Women, Except When It’s Not
For Stephanie Force, finding a birth control method that she likes and can get without paying out-of-pocket has been a struggle, despite the Affordable Care Act’s promise of free contraceptives for women and adolescent girls in most health plans. The 27-year-old physician recruiter in Roanoke, Virginia, was perfectly happy with the NuvaRing, a flexible vaginal ring that women insert monthly to release hormones to prevent pregnancy. But her insurer, Anthem, stopped covering the branded product and switched her to a generic version in early 2020. Force said the new product left her with headaches and feeling irritable and short-tempered. (Andrews, 7/23)
In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —
Stat:
Most Clinical Trials Failed To Meet U.S. Transparency Requirements For Recently Approved Drugs
In the latest look at clinical trial transparency, a new analysis found that only 26% of drug makers made results publicly available for all studies used to win approval for their medicines during a recent two-year period. The total rose to 67% when examining trials that were conducted in patients for indications approved by the Food and Drug Administration. But just 58% of the trials met legal requirements for registering and disclosing results for drugs that were approved in 2016 and 2017. And 11% of the drugs did not have any trials for which results were legally required to be reported at the time of their approval. (Silverman, 7/22)
Stat:
Seres Therapeutics Ulcerative Colitis Therapy Falls Short In Key Trial
Seres Therapeutics’ highly anticipated clinical trial in ulcerative colitis failed to meet its primary endpoint, the company announced Thursday. Seres, which is focused on microbiome therapeutics, is also shutting down two ongoing open label and maintenance studies of the therapy. Just 10% of the people who received Seres’ treatment went into remission; about the same proportion of people in the study’s placebo arm went into remission, too. (Sheridan, 7/22)
Axios:
Synthetic Biology And AI Drug Discovery Platform Absci Goes Public
Absci — a company that uses synthetic biology and machine learning to help pharmaceutical companies rapidly identify new drugs — went public Thursday. Discovering a new drug usually takes years of trial and error and huge amounts of investment. Also, more often than not, a candidate will never make it to market. (Walsh, 7/23)
Stat:
DeepMind Releases Massive Database Of 3D Protein Structures
With the advent of cheap genetic sequencing, the world of biology has been flooded with 2D data. Now, artificial intelligence is pushing the field into three dimensions. On Thursday, Alphabet-owned AI outfit DeepMind announced it has used its highly accurate deep learning model AlphaFold2 to predict the 3D structure of 350,000 proteins — including nearly every protein expressed in the human body — from their amino acid sequences. Those predictions, reported in Nature and released to the public in the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, are a powerful tool to unravel the molecular mechanisms of the human body and deploy them in medical innovations. (Palmer, 7/22)
Telemedicine Use, Popular During Height Of Pandemic, Is Tapering Off
Nearly one-quarter of American adults had a virtual doctor appointment within the past month, according to the latest Census Bureau survey. But that's down dramatically from 69% in April 2020. Also in industry news, insurers are complaining about covid testing lab fees and Turquoise Health gets new funding to expand its work on hospital price transparency.
Axios:
Virtual Doctor Visits Shrivel
One pandemic-era phenomenon that may have peaked: virtual doctor visits. Nearly one-quarter of American adults had a virtual doctor appointment within the past month, according to the latest Census Bureau survey. The share has steadily eased — slightly, by a total of 1 percentage point — since the Census Bureau began asking the question in April. (Brown, 7/22)
Modern Healthcare:
BCBS Kansas City Claims National COVID-19 Testing Lab Is 'Disaster Profiteering'
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City has sued a national COVID-19 testing facility, alleging GS Labs intentionally inflated its cash prices and performed unnecessary coronavirus tests in an attempt to fleece the not-for-profit insurer out of $9.2 million. The AHIP insurance lobbying group said BCBS Kansas City's suit represents the nation's first payer complaint against a coronavirus testing provider. (Tepper, 7/22)
KHN:
After 18 Months, Sutter Antitrust Settlement Finally Poised For Formal Approval
More than 18 months after Sutter Health agreed to a tentative settlement in a closely watched antitrust case joined by the California Attorney General’s Office, the judge presiding over the case indicated she would sign off on the terms, pending agreement on attorney fees. The nonprofit health care giant, based in Sacramento, stood accused of violating California’s antitrust laws by using its market dominance to drive up prices. The settlement is expected to have nationwide implications on how hospital systems negotiate prices with insurers. (Gold, 7/22)
Axios:
Turquoise Health Gets Seed Funding To Dig More Into Hospital Prices
Turquoise Health has raised $5 million in a seed funding round that will expand operations at the health care price transparency startup. Federal law requires hospitals to publish all of their various prices, but many hospitals don't comply or barely comply. Turquoise brings the data together and makes it easier to digest for patients, researchers and others in health care. (Herman, 7/22)
Modern Healthcare:
Congress Eyes Bigger Incentives For Medicare ACO Participants
New bipartisan legislation aims to boost participation in Medicare's Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program by enabling healthcare providers to recoup a greater share of cost savings—and bear a smaller share of risk—resulting from their efforts. The bill aims to reverse modifications President Donald Trump's administration made the Medicare ACO program, which allowed providers to keep a smaller portion of cost savings and exposed them to a greater proportion of risk if savings weren't achieved. Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) unveiled the legislation Wednesday. (Hellmann, 7/21)
In local health industry news --
Oklahoman:
Work-Based Degree Program Aimed At Helping Oklahoma's Nursing Shortage
Two hospitals are partnering with Oklahoma Christian University to offer work-based degrees to their employees as part of a continued effort to address the state’s nursing shortage. The school announced the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center and Mercy Oklahoma would begin the flexible degree programs once the Board of Nursing approved them. The programs are similar to a previous model from Oklahoma Christian and Integris Health called Integris University, in which students earn college credit online toward a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree while concurrently providing part-time or full-time patient care for the hospital. (Christopher Smith, 7/22)
Modern Healthcare:
CommonSpirit Mired In Another Contract Dispute With Blues Plan
A dispute between CommonSpirit Health's CHI Memorial Health Care System and Blue Cross and Blue Shield Tennessee could leave at least 38,000 patients left to foot the bill for services at the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based provider group. The disagreement marks at least the third CommonSpirit Health system-owned facility to publicly dispute a Blues contract so far this year. "Memorial has been a partner with Blue Cross for many years, and we're disappointed, and quite frankly, surprised to be at this point," a BCBS Tennessee spokesperson wrote in an email. (Tepper, 7/22)
For First Time, Drug-Resistant Fungus Has Spread In Health Care Facilities
The CDC has reported on five cases of the dangerous Candida auris fungus that were resistant to all drugs. Three cases were found in Washington, D.C., and two were in Texas. In both locations, the cases were clustered within facilities, which were not identified.
Stat:
US Sees First Candida Auris Cases Resistant To All Drugs In Untreated People
For the first time ever, researchers have reported cases of people carrying or infected with strains of the dangerous fungus Candida auris that were resistant to all classes of antifungal drugs before any treatment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The agency also reported evidence of some transmission of the strains within health facilities. Candida auris, or C. auris, which was first seen in 2009, has been highly resistant to the few available treatment options for several years, leaving people who treat and study fungal diseases concerned about the toll this superbug could take, particularly on severely ill patients. That there are now so-called pan-resistant cases in people who had never been treated with antifungal drugs is particularly unnerving, experts said. (Branswell, 7/22)
Axios:
Dangerous Fungus Found Spreading In U.S. Care Facilities For 1st Time
CDC officials are concerned about a strain of the Candida auris fungus that's resistant to all drugs and appears to have spread in small clusters in health care settings, rather than in individuals who had taken antifungals. "The concern is that it could spread to any of the patients who are at high risk, not just the ones who've been treated before — and that the population who could acquire these potentially untreatable infections could be much larger," Meghan Lyman, medical officer in the CDC's Mycotic Diseases Branch, tells Axios. (O'Reilly, 7/23)
In other public health news —
North Carolina Health News:
Study Finds Link Between Air Pollution And Alzheimer’s Disease In Charlotte Area
Airborne particulate pollution in the Charlotte area causes a significantly increased risk of hospitalization and death from Alzheimer’s disease, a new study by Duke University shows. The study, published July 9 in the online journal PLOS One, also found an elevated risk of non-Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease in the Southern Piedmont, but at a lower level than for Alzheimer’s disease. The study found that Alzheimer’s disease in the Charlotte area caused 323 deaths per 100,000 residents. That is significantly higher than the study’s control subjects, who lived in ZIP codes that reported lower airborne particle pollution. In the control group, 257 deaths from Alzheimer’s per 100,000 residents were recorded. (Barnes, 7/23)
CBS News:
Regulators Warn Of A Deadly Danger To Kids In Airbnb Vacation Rentals
Federal safety regulators are calling on Airbnb and other vacation rental platforms to take steps to protect young children from a potentially deadly gap involving residential elevators after the death of another child between the product's inner and outer doors. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging the platforms to require the "hosts" using their services to disable residential elevators or provide proof of an inspection certifying hazardous gaps don't exist. (Gibson, 7/22)
Stat:
Prostate Cancer Surgeries Fell Sharply For Black Men When Covid First Hit
Last year’s lockdown during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic erased cancer surgery from many hospitals’ calendars as they diverted resources to meet the mounting surge in Covid-19 patients. A new study reports a wide racial disparity in which men with prostate cancer during the pandemic’s first wave underwent a prostatectomy, a gap that was tightly tied to where they received cancer care. (Cooney, 7/22)
Fox News:
Monkeypox In US: CDC Monitoring 200 People In 27 States, Other Countries
While the delta variant and other issues have the coronavirus gaining renewed attention, U.S. health officials are also watching for signs of a possible outbreak of monkeypox, according to a report. Following an initial report of a patient being treated for monkeypox in Texas after arriving there from Nigeria earlier this month, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now monitoring more than 200 individuals who may have had contact with the traveler, WVLA-TV of Baton Rouge, Louisiana reported. (Calicchio, 7/23)
CIDRAP:
Historic Low For Non-COVID Respiratory Viruses During Pandemic
Likely because of COVID-related disruptions (eg, reduced travel, physical distancing, masking), non–COVID-19 respiratory viruses such as the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) saw low prevalence from 2020 to 2021, according to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) study today. The researchers looked at flu activity from Oct 3, 2020, to May 22, 2021, and other virus activity from Jan 4, 2020, to May 22, 2021. (7/22)
KHN:
Readers And Tweeters Connect The Dots On Topics From Vaccine Development To Long Covid
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (7/23)
Deadly Heat Wave Causes Outbreak Of Vibriosis In Oysters, Other Shellfish
Meanwhile, another heat wave will hit most of the contiguous United States next week, with highs running 10 to 15 degrees above average. When combined with humidity, it will feel like it’s in the triple digits for millions.
The New York Times:
Washington Issues Warning Not To Eat Raw Shellfish After 'Heat Dome'
Washington State health officials have urged consumers not to eat locally harvested raw oysters and other shellfish after an outbreak of intestinal disease caused by bacteria that multiplied rapidly after a recent “heat dome” baked the Pacific Northwest. State health officials said that recent high temperatures and low tides were most likely to blame for the outbreak of the disease, vibriosis, which has sickened at least 52 people this month, the most ever recorded in July. (Levenson, 7/22)
Axios:
Wildfire Smoke Can Cause Slew Of Health Problems And COVID-19 Risk
New studies show the smoke from some wildfires like the 2018 Camp fire could be even more harmful than previously believed because its noxious fumes include elevated levels of chemicals such as lead, zinc and iron, Los Angeles Times reports. Hazardous chemicals in the air are linked with serious health implications for blood pressure, reproductive systems and even cancer and neurological disorders, especially in children. (Fernandez, 7/23)
The Washington Post:
Coast To Coast Heat Dome To Deliver Sweltering Weather Next Week
Another heat wave is set to park over the Lower 48 next week, bringing anomalous summertime heat to parts of the central and eastern United States that may have missed out on previous events. Early estimates indicate that most of the contiguous United States will see highs running 10 to 15 degrees above average. When combined with climbing humidity, it’ll feel like it’s well into the triple digits for millions. The pattern could also spark severe thunderstorms, perhaps packing strong winds, that could roll through the northern Great Lakes and New England during late July and August. (Cappucci, 7/22)
The New York Times:
High Temperatures In Montana And The Dakotas Are Heading East
Unseasonably hot weather is projected to move eastward from the Northern Rockies to the Upper Midwest in the coming days, while one of the largest fires in modern Oregon history continues to burn and the Southwest prepares for possible flash flooding from thunderstorms. Temperatures on Thursday are projected to reach the upper 90s or low 100s in eastern Montana and the western Dakotas, the National Weather Service said, before the heat heads toward Minnesota on Friday. More seasonable conditions were found along the West Coast, which is battling a drought. (7/22)
The Washington Post:
In America’s Least Air-Conditioned Cities, Brutal Heat Changes Some People’s Minds
In Boise, Idaho, where the temperature topped 97 for a stretch of 14 out of 15 days this month, Sarah O’Keefe refuses to give in. With the mercury repeatedly soaring into triple digits, she started waking up hours earlier, added afternoon siestas to her routine and installed a sprinkler to cool her hot metal roof. The AC stays off. In Edmonton, Alberta — nobody’s idea of a sweltering summer spot — Ellen Campbell no longer mocks neighbors who own air conditioners, but she’s not about to buy one herself. When highs topped 90 degrees for a few days before returning to the more ordinary 60s, she checked her grandkids and herself into a local hotel for the AC and the pool. But she will not buy her own AC unit. That’s not the kind of place where she lives. (Fisher, Wolf and Hingston, 7/22)
Florida, DC and Georgia Lead US In New HIV Infections
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Florida is the state with the most new cases of HIV from 2015-2019, but the District of Columbia and Georgia have a higher infection rate. Child marriages, covid relief fund spending, food access and more are also in the news.
WUSF Public Media:
Florida Leads Nation In New HIV Cases
The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that Florida is leading the nation in the number of new HIV infections, and has the third highest rate of infection, behind the District of Columbia and Georgia. Florida identified 4,584 new HIV diagnoses, according to the most recent data available from the federal agency’s HIV surveillance report, which collected data from 2015 to 2019. The CDC estimates that this accounts for only 86.5% of all people with HIV in Florida. (Miller, 7/22)
In other public health news —
AP:
DOJ Won't Investigate How Pennsylvania Handled Nursing Homes
The Justice Department told Gov. Tom Wolf’s office on Thursday that it has decided not to open an investigation into whether Pennsylvania violated federal law by ordering nursing homes to accept residents who had been treated for COVID-19 in a hospital. The letter comes 11 months after the department told the governors of Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey and New York that it wanted information to determine whether orders there “may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents.” (Levy, 7/23)
AP:
Michigan County Officials Used Federal Coronavirus Relief Money For Bonuses
Elected officials in a Michigan county gave themselves $65,000 in bonuses with federal relief money related to the coronavirus pandemic. The money, described as “hazard pay,” included $25,000 for Jeremy Root, chairman of the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners. The mostly rural county, between Lansing and Flint, has a population of 68,000. (7/22)
The Washington Post:
New York Becomes Sixth State In U.S. To Ban Child Marriages
New York on Thursday became the sixth state in the country to ban marriages involving a minor, which disproportionately involve girls being married to adult men. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) signed into a law a bill raising the age of consent to be married in the state to 18. The legislation will “further protect vulnerable children from exploitation,” he said in a statement. “Children should be allowed to live their childhood.” (Pietsch, 7/23)
Capital & Main:
California Expands Access To Health Insurance For Undocumented Immigrants
California is set to become the first state to offer government-funded health insurance to low-income undocumented immigrants ages 50 and above — the latest historic expansion of safety net supports for Golden State residents no matter their citizenship status. Governor Gavin Newsom recently unveiled this year’s $263 billion state budget, which expands social services for undocumented Californians. The state is paying for the equity-boosting measures with a surplus of tax dollars from the state’s richest residents and federal aid meant to help states recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Albaladejo, 7/22)
Indianapolis Star:
LGBTQ Protections Get Support From More Than 100 Indiana Businesses
More than 100 Indiana businesses have signed onto a letter urging Congress to pass the Equality Act, federal legislation that would extend existing civil rights laws to protect LGBTQ Americans. The letter included prominent businesses such as Eli Lilly and Co., Cummins Inc, Roche Diagnostics and Salesforce. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Indy Chamber both signed on, as well as other small business such as Tinker Street Restaurant and Silver in the City. (Lange, 7/22)
Oklahoman:
Food Access Improves In One OKC Food Desert, Some Areas Still Struggle
When a food desert extends into a lower income area, the effects are especially devastating. These areas are deemed low income by the Department of Agriculture if they have high poverty rates or low median family incomes. Using the most recent data from the department’s food desert map and census population estimates, 119,000 residents live in food deserts in Oklahoma County, while nearly 51,000 residents live in “very low food security.” But the absence of grocery stores in close proximity can affect even more affluent communities, such as the high-end properties south of the Oklahoma River. And while residents in some food deserts have seen their fortunes improve recently, others have seen their prospects dim. (Christopher Smith, 7/23)
Houston Chronicle:
Nonprofit Shines Light On Children's Skin Conditions At Richmond Premiere
Houston-area children and teens with skin conditions dressed to the nines to premiere videos they starred in that urge people to be comfortable in their own skin and better understand others. Nonprofit A Children’s House for the Soul and skincare brand CeraVe joined forces Saturday, July 17, at Star Cinema Grill in Richmond to celebrate young people with conditions like eczema, psoriasis, birthmarks and vitiligo. The event launched a campaign of teaching others about skin conditions and broadcasting how people are all made as “masterpieces.” (Maness, 7/21)
In mental health news from Georgia, Florida and New York —
11alive.com:
Georgia Mother Fights Dept. Of Community Health For Help With Son
In the past five years, 1,268 children in Georgia were abandoned or surrendered to the state due to a parent's inability to cope or the child's behavioral issues. More than half of those children were abandoned more than once, generally in relation to a mental or developmental disability. A series by 11Alive's investigative team, The Reveal, looked into the numbers, but more importantly, spoke to families who said their only option was to give up custody of their children. (Lindstrom and Basye, 7/22)
WUSF Public Media:
Mental Health Events In Pinellas Promote 'Healing While Black'
This weekend, health professionals and members of the public are gathering in St. Petersburg to talk about mental wellness in the Black community. It's part of a three-day summit called Healing While Black. Black counselors, state and county health officials, and other experts trying to improve health equity in the community are leading the three-day summit. Guest speakers include Florida Deputy Secretary for Health Shamarial Roberson and Kent Butler, president of the American Counseling Association and chief equity, inclusion and diversity officer at the University of Central Florida. (Colombini, 7/22)
Bloomberg:
NYC Mental Health Emergency Pilot Shows Promise As Policing Alternative
Police officers are the chief problem solvers in most American cities -- they do traffic enforcement, respond to mental health crises, watch over parks, deal with neighborhood disputes and handle violent crime. But, in the year since George Floyd’s murder, governments have been searching for ways to scale back their reliance on the force. One such experiment happening in cities across the U.S. is an attempt to replace the traditional police response to mental health crises with social workers and emergency medical services personnel. The goal of these programs, which are currently being piloted in New York City, Denver, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles, is to reduce deadly and costly interactions with police, while getting people the care they need. (Akinnibi, 7/22)
Olympics Covid Surge Hits Highest Daily Case Total As Games Open
Officials said Friday that 19 new cases of covid hit Games athletes, support staff and media -- the largest one-day case total yet. Meanwhile, at least 100 U.S. athletes attending the Olympics remain unvaccinated, and a charter flight may have caused a surge on the Czech team.
USA Today:
Olympic Organizers Report Highest Single-Day Total Of COVID Cases
Olympic organizers reported their largest single-day total of COVID-19 cases on Friday, just as the Games were set to officially begin with the opening ceremony Friday evening (morning in U.S.). Tokyo organizers announced 19 new cases, including three athletes and three residents of the Olympic Village. Among the cases, four are residents of Japan while the remaining 15 are non-residents. The total included three contractors, 10 games-concerned personnel and three media. All of the non-residents are under a 14-day quarantine. The latest update brings the total cases to 106 since July 1. (Axon, 7/22)
Bloomberg:
Tokyo Olympics Cases Jump As Games Start, Athletes Infected
Japan’s Olympics organizers reported a record number of new daily coronavirus infections linked to the Games, including three athletes, bringing the total to 110 just hours before the opening ceremony is scheduled to start in a nearly empty stadium in Tokyo. Nineteen new Covid-19 cases connected to the event were reported on Friday, the highest daily figure since organizers started disclosing the data this month. One of the infected athletes is residing in the Olympic Village. (Suga, 7/23)
AP:
At Least 100 US Athletes Unvaccinated As Olympics Begin
About 100 of the 613 U.S. athletes descending on Tokyo for the Olympics are unvaccinated, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s medical chief said hours before Friday night’s opening ceremony. Medical director Jonathan Finnoff said 567 of the American athletes had filled out their health histories as they prepared for the trip, and estimated 83% had replied they were vaccinated. “Eighty-three percent is actually a substantial number and we’re quite happy with it,” Finnoff said. (Pells, 7/23)
And among the Czech Olympic team —
NPR:
Czech Olympic Team Investigates Charter Flight After 4 Athletes Test Positive
Czech Olympic officials are looking into a cluster of coronavirus cases that are linked to a charter flight that brought a contingent of athletes and staff to Japan. The country's team has six coronavirus cases in total. A doctor who was on the flight was reportedly among the first to test positive. As of late Thursday, four athletes had also tested positive for the coronavirus. Road cyclist Michal Schlegel is the latest athlete to test positive, joining a list that includes two beach volleyball players and a table tennis player. Schlegel will not be able to compete in Saturday's Olympic road race, the Czech Olympic Committee said. (Chappell, 7/22)
Unlocked UK's Return To 'Normal' Marred As Covid Exposure Alerts Soar
Hundreds of thousands of U.K. citizens are receiving alerts from the official covid app recommending they socially isolate after a covid exposure -- a "pingdemic" that's affecting business and services. Italy, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia and Chile are also in the news.
The New York Times:
U.K. Leaders Hail a Return to Normal; Their Phone App Disagrees
Gas stations closed, garbage collection canceled and supermarket shelves stripped bare of food, water and other essential goods. In a week when Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised England a return to normality after the end of months of lockdown rules, a coronavirus-weary nation has instead been battered by a new crisis. This one is being called the “pingdemic.” (Castle, 7/22)
Axios:
Italy To Require Vaccine Proof And Negative COVID-19 Test For Social Activities
Italy will require people to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status or a recent negative coronavirus test to participate in select social activities, the New York Times reports. Italy has seen a spike in infections driven by the Delta variant, reporting 5,057 new coronavirus infections Thursday, compared to the 4,259 the day before. The country's latest requirement follows a similar move in France which newly demands visitors obtain COVID-19 passes to visit tourist venues. (Frazier, 7/22)
The Washington Post:
Surging Coronavirus Cases Prompt New Restrictions, Travel Bans In Asia Region
Growing coronavirus outbreaks in Asia and the Western Pacific prompted several nations there Friday to reimpose restrictions or suspend travel between neighbors to stem the spread of the virus. The surging cases — in places such as Australia, Malaysia and Thailand — have been blamed on the more contagious delta variant now sweeping across the globe. (Cunningham, 7/23)
The Washington Post:
Australia-New Zealand Travel Bubble Popped By Delta Outbreak
New Zealand has suspended a travel bubble with Australia for two months as an outbreak of a hyper-transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus threatens the nation’s earlier success in containing the pandemic. (Pannett, 7/23)
AP:
Pakistan Is Latest Nation To Pass 1M Virus Cases
Pakistan has passed the grim milestone of 1 million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began last year. Pakistan reported another 11 deaths Friday and 1,425 new cases of infection, bringing the country’s tally to 1,000,034 people infected. The nation has confirmed 22,939 deaths.
ABC News:
Russia Battered By Deadly COVID 3rd Wave
Russia is enduring a devastating third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, registering record numbers of daily virus deaths many days for the past month as the virus rages in the country where there are few quarantine restrictions in place and much of the population is reluctant to get vaccinated. In many parts of the country doctors have said hospitals have been overflowing for almost a month, placing huge strain on medical workers already battered by a year and a half of the pandemic. (Reevell, 7/22)
Bloomberg:
Covid Vaccines For Children: Chile To Give Shots To Under 12s By September
Chile expects to start offering Covid-19 vaccinations to children under the age of 12 by September, as the nation presses ahead with one of the world’s fastest inoculation campaigns. The government’s procurement plans include shots for youth in that age range, Vice Minister of Trade Rodrigo Yanez said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Jabs from Sinovac Biotech Ltd. are a candidate for when the inoculation drive expands, given their efficacy against the virus and safety record, he said. (Malinowski and Ahn, 7/22)
In other global news —
CNBC:
UK College Offers Medical Students $13,700 To Defer Their Degree
The U.K.’s University of Exeter is offering students who want to study medicine a £10,000 ($13,735) bursary and free first-year accommodation to defer their place, due to increased demand to study at the medical school. In addition to offering students a financial incentive to defer their spot to study medicine at the university, located in southwest England, the college is also giving them the option to study a post-graduate program prior to the starting their medical studies in 2022. (McKeever, 7/23)
Bloomberg:
Generic Drugs Could Be Pulled From Northern Ireland Post-Brexit
More than 2,000 generic medicines made in Great Britain could be withdrawn from the Northern Irish market as a result of Brexit red tape, depriving consumers there of vital drugs. The British Generic Manufacturers Association, an industry trade body, said different regulations in the province post-Brexit could make it too costly and complex to supply medicines. Four out of five drugs used by the National Health Service are generic. (Hipwell, 7/23)
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week's picks include stories on covid, diabetes, the drug epidemic, mental illness, gut microbes, a 101-year-old pediatrician and more.
The New York Times:
It’s Time To Talk About Survivor’s Guilt
For many Americans, the post-vaccine transition to activities paused during the pandemic has brought a sense of joy and relief, even as they keep wary eyes on reports of rising case counts and the spread of the Delta variant. But this new phase of the pandemic for many people has also unleashed uncomfortable and unexpected feelings of survivor’s guilt. Survivor’s guilt — those feelings of shame or regret experienced by someone who lived through a crisis — can take many forms: discomfort with feeling joy or positive emotions, regret for actions taken or not taken, a nagging voice that wonders “why me?” when others didn’t make it. It’s common after natural disasters or mass tragedies, even when the survivor isn’t directly responsible for the event in question. (Purtill, 7/20)
The Washington Post:
For Some Women Giving Birth In The Pandemic, The Trauma Led To Personal Growth
Corie Hess gave birth to her second child during the pandemic. Like many pandemic mothers, Hess’s experience was tinged with isolation and anguish. “My baby was born six weeks too soon, and he couldn’t breathe on his own,” said Hess, 37, of Muncie, Ind. Evan, her tiny infant, spent nearly two weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit. “The whole experience was somewhat terrifying and traumatic,” Hess said. Hess isn’t alone. (Fraga, 7/18)
Bloomberg:
US Isn’t Prepared To Track Covid Variants As Delta Mutation Spreads
There’s no good place to stand inside the Pandemic Response Lab’s sequencing facility in Queens, N.Y. Take a wrong step, and you’re blocking a gowned-up lab tech as she ferries a plate with the RNA from 384 Covid-19 test samples to a machine that runs a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, identifies positives, and extracts them with a robotic arm. A data scientist hurries by, bringing more RNA samples to a device that will convert them into DNA. In the corner are genomic sequencing machines that piece together chopped-up bits of that DNA to identify what form of SARS-CoV-2 a patient has. Name a mutation you’ve heard of, and this lab has seen it, as it takes part in the national and global efforts to sequence virus genomes, spot new and dangerous variations, and stem their spread. (Koons, 7/21)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal:
Diabetes And The Miracle Of Insulin
The human body runs on glucose, a type of sugar that travels through the bloodstream to the cells where it converts into energy. Some 34.2 million Americans are diabetic; their bodies are unable to produce the hormone insulin, which regulates how glucose is processed and stored in the cells. Without treatment the condition is terminal. The discovery of insulin a century ago this year was one of the great medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. Diabetes was first recognized some 4,000 years ago. The Ebers Papryus, an Egyptian medical text written around 1550 B.C., refers to patients suffering from thirst, frequent urination and weight loss. An ancient Indian text, the Sushruta Samhita, composed after the 7th century B.C., advised testing for diabetes by seeing whether ants were attracted to the sugar in the urine. (Foreman, 7/22)
AP:
50-Year War On Drugs Imprisoned Millions Of Black Americans
Fifty years ago this summer, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Today, with the U.S. mired in a deadly opioid epidemic that did not abate during the coronavirus pandemic’s worst days, it is questionable whether anyone won the war. Yet the loser is clear: Black and Latino Americans, their families and their communities. A key weapon of the war was the imposition of mandatory minimums in prison sentencing. Decades later those harsh penalties at the federal level and the accompanying changes at the state level led to an increase in the prison industrial complex that saw millions of people, primarily of color, locked up and shut out of the American dream. (Morrison, 7/21)
The Washington Post:
Boredom’s Link To Mental Illnesses, Brain Injuries And Dysfunctional Behaviors
In 2014, psychologists at the University of Virginia conducted a simple experiment to showcase the power of the human mind. They placed subjects in a room by themselves with no distractions for roughly 10 minutes, letting them be alone with their thoughts. Given the infinite possibilities that our imaginations hold, it aimed to promote the sheer pleasures we can derive from just thinking .“We thought this would be great. People are so busy that it would give them a chance to slow down, sit quietly and daydream for a few minutes,” said Erin Westgate, a young graduate student at the time. “So we started running these studies, and they were complete failures.” (Kim, 7/17)
Newsweek:
We Are All At Risk Of Being 'Evil', Says Violent Offenders' Therapist
What drives people to commit terrible acts of violence, such as murder and sexual assault?This question is the subject of a new book, written by internationally renowned forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr. Gwen Adshead and co-author Eileen Horne, which aims to explore the true nature of evil. The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion is based on Adshead's 30 years of experience working with people convicted of violent crimes. (Georgiou, 7/18)
The New York Times:
You’re Missing Microbes. But Is ‘Rewilding’ The Way To Get Them Back?
As the sun set in Tanzania on a September evening in 2014, Jeff Leach inserted a turkey baster filled with another man’s feces into his rectum and squeezed the bulb. The feces, he said, came from a hunter-gatherer who was a member of the Hadza people and lived nearby. Mr. Leach said he was trying to “rewild” his microbiome, giving himself microbes that can protect against chronic and autoimmune diseases that plague people in Western societies — including obesity, diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome. The theory relies on the idea that people like the Hadza have diets and lifestyles that are more like those of ancient populations, and harbor such microbes. Channeling tropes that could have come from colonial era literature, Mr. Leach said the man he got the feces from “had only recently dined on zebra and monkey.” (Kolata, 7/19)
CBS News:
Recruiting For Talent On The Autism Spectrum
Autism is a developmental disorder that can affect how the brain processes information. People with autism have a spectrum of abilities and disabilities. Some are unable to speak, or care for themselves, while others can live on their own and have unique skills like excellent memory or attention to detail. No matter where they are on the spectrum, many adults with autism have a difficult time finding a job. Even making it past a first interview can be challenging. But that may be starting to change. As we first reported last October, more companies are discovering the potential of people with autism, and some are now actively recruiting for talent on the spectrum. ... Last year, before the pandemic, five adults on the autism spectrum agreed to talk with us about their struggles finding work. (Cooper, 7/18)
NBC News:
How The Media Has Traditionally Covered Asian Olympians’ Bodies
In 2010, the figure skating coach Frank Carroll, who has coached Asian American Olympians such as Michelle Kwan and Mirai Nagasu, said that skaters of Asian descent had found success on the ice because their bodies are “often small and willowy.” “They have bodies that are quick and light; they’re able to do things very fast,” Carroll told The New York Times. “It’s like Chinese divers. If you look at those bodies, there’s nothing there. They’re just like nymphs.” (Namkung, 7/19)
CBS News:
"Helping People, That's What It's All About": 101-Year-Old Pediatrician Pushes Off Retirement
Dr. Andy Margileth shows no sign of slowing down. The longtime pediatrician turned 101 years old on Saturday and he doesn't have plans to retire. "It's a feel-good job. It's not even a job. It's just fun," he said. "What is more important than helping other people?" Margileth has defied the actuaries. He's one of a dozen century-old doctors in the United States who are still practicing medicine. (O'donnell, 7/19)
Perspectives: New Relief For Migraines; Cosmetic Surgery Increases During Covid
Editorial writers explore these public health issues.
The New York Times:
Headache Research Advances Though Cures Are Elusive
I have headaches. Not the low-grade, annoying, “I’ve got a headache” sort of headaches. I get those, too. Most everyone does, and they are a drag. No, when I say that I get headaches, I mean that at intervals that are largely unpredictable, a knot of pain rises deep inside my head, invariably sensed behind my right eyeball. It then swiftly clicks up through the intensity scale, racing past that dull ache you might get from staring at the screen too long, leapfrogging over that doozy you had the morning after your brother’s wedding, skipping past the agonizing-but-fleeting stab of an ice-cream headache, and arriving, within a matter of minutes, at a pain so piercing and sustained that I can only grip something sturdy, rock back and forth, and grunt until it subsides. (Tom Zeller Jr., 7/23)
Newsweek:
The Pandemic Won Many Over To The Cosmetic Surgery Knife
Many of us spent the pandemic months obsessing over how our mug looked on Zoom and other video-chatting services. Poor lighting was a torment, and the lack of sunshine and exercise produced what's been dubbed "lockdown face." At in-person meetings, we see only the people we're talking to. Video calls—be it via Zoom, Skype, Google Meet or some other platform—confront us with a square on the screen reserved for our own kisser. This is typically a close-up showing fine lines and droopy eyelids. Many of us didn't like what we saw, and something had to be done. Often, that something was cosmetic surgery. (Froma Harrop, 7/22)
Modern Healthcare:
Want To Prevent The Next Public Health Crisis? Ensure A Strong Preventive Medicine Workforce
Face the facts: Our healthcare system was not prepared for COVID-19. From skyrocketing emergency department and intensive-care unit admission rates, to plummeting levels of critical supplies, consistent misinformation, and inconsistent testing—we were caught off guard. Prior to COVID-19, our healthcare system was already bowing under the weight of the epidemic of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other chronic conditions that were common indicators for higher mortality with COVID-19. These diseases impact more than 129 million Americans and take more than 1.7 million lives every year–more than double the lives the pandemic claimed in the U.S. (Dr. M. "Tonette" Krousel-Wood, 7/22)
Stat:
Medicine Needs To See What Disability Means, Looks Like, And Feels Like
Licensers, employers, and others have asked about my status: disabled or not disabled? The first time I read this question in my new job’s onboarding forms, I was struck by the implied permanence and the dichotomy of the two choices. At the same time, I also appreciated that the impetus for this query was the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which had protected me throughout my internal medicine residency. This landmark legislation prohibits discrimination and promises reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals who have medical, physical, and/or psychological limitations. (Maggie Salinger, 7/23)
Bloomberg:
Delta, Covid, RSV, Flu: What's Worse Than A Pandemic? A Twindemic
On the list of things to worry about in the age of SARS-CoV-2, boring, old winter flu probably doesn’t rank highly. Especially not in the middle of a summer heat wave. And yet it should. Humanity has grown so accustomed to annual waves of influenza that it was the baseline comparison when Covid first arrived. (It’ll be just another flu, we said.) The implication was that levels of influenza sickness, hospitalization and death were acceptable, even inevitable. (Therese Raphael, 7/23)
Kansas City Star:
Lower-Income Missourians Deserve Medicaid Expansion Coverage
Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court — with a clear, unanimous voice — said expanded Medicaid is constitutional. That means 275,000 people now eligible for Medicaid must soon be enrolled in the program if they apply. It was a good day for the rule of law. It was a great day for the working poor, who will be able to get someone to take a look at that nagging cough or skin infection. All Missourians should celebrate. They won their case. (7/22)
Stat:
Some Patient Advocacy Organizations Need A Paradigm Shift
In the wake of last month’s controversial Food and Drug Administration approval of Biogen’s Aduhelm, Alzheimer’s Association CEO Harry Johns condemned the “negative voices” concentrating on the flaws in the FDA’s approval as “not pro-patient.” The Alzheimer’s Association wasn’t the only patient advocacy organization applauding the FDA’s questionable decision, which was based on changes in a surrogate endpoint for Alzheimer’s disease — reduction of amyloid in the brain, an outcome the FDA had previously rejected and that dozens of previous studies had failed to associate with better dementia outcomes. (Michael S. Sinha and Stephen Latham, 7/23)
Viewpoints: Antiviral Pills Being Tested To Treat Covid; Should Religious Exemptions Be Eliminated?
Opinion writers investigate these covid and vaccine topics.
Bloomberg:
Is The Next Covid Game Changer A Pill?
Vaccines have been game changers in the fight against Covid-19, offering effective protection against even highly contagious and pathogenic strains such as the delta variant. But with many in the world still unvaccinated and cases on the rise – including among the vaccinated – it’s becoming clear we’ll need more than shots to keep the virus at bay. Here, Sam Fazeli, a Bloomberg Opinion contributor who covers the pharmaceutical industry for Bloomberg Intelligence, answers questions on the next big potential breakthrough in Covid treatments: anti-viral pills under development by Merck & Co. and other drugmakers. The conversation has been edited and condensed. (Sam Fazeli, 7/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Don't Exempt Religious Objectors From Vaccination Mandates
Policies requiring vaccination against COVID-19 need not include, and should not include, exceptions for those who have religious objections to vaccinations. Many universities, including the University of California, are requiring vaccination for all students, staff and faculty returning to campus. Many employers, public and private, are doing so as well. These policies are essential to protect public health. The virulent Delta variant of the coronavirus has made it imperative to ensure vaccination of as many people as possible. (Erwin Chemerinsky, 7/23)
The New York Times:
Mask And Lockdown Mandates Can’t Beat Covid-19. Only Vaccines Can
It’s not often that I say this as a conservative, but Mayor Bill de Blasio is absolutely correct to reject calls for a renewed indoor mask mandate and to refuse to consider renewed lockdowns in New York City in light of the emergence of the Delta variant. “A mask doesn’t arrest the progress of the variant,” Mr. de Blasio said, explaining how following the science led him to be reluctant to reinstitute the mandate this week. “Vaccination does.” This doesn’t hold true just for New York City: reinstituting mask mandates and lockdowns is a mistake nationwide as well. (Bethany Mandel, 7/23)
The Atlantic:
Are Anti-Vaxxers To Blame For The Pandemic's Resurgence?
In the United States, this pandemic could’ve been over by now, and certainly would’ve been by Labor Day. If the pace of vaccination through the summer had been anything like the pace in April and May, the country would be nearing herd immunity. With most adults immunized, new and more infectious coronavirus variants would have nowhere to spread. Life could return nearly to normal. (David Frum, 7/23)
The Star Tribune:
A Welcome Vaccine Push From GOP, Fox
Nearly a year and a half into the most serious pandemic in modern times, a growing number of conservative leaders are at long last urging followers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Among the most notable is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who startled many with his open endorsement of the vaccines at a news conference this week. "Those shots need to get in everybody's arm as rapidly as possible, or we're going to be back in the situation in the fall that we don't yearn for, that we went through last year," he told reporters. "I want to encourage everybody to do that and to ignore all of these other voices that are giving demonstrably bad advice." (7/22)
USA Today:
Require Vaccination Proof For Air Travel To Curb COVID, Boost Immunity
America is at a COVID-19 crossroads. For the first time since the highly effective vaccines became widely available in the spring, the new case rate is back on the rise due to the spread of the more contagious delta variant and the stalled effort to vaccinate people in many parts of the country. According to medical experts, reaching herd immunity will require that 70% to 90% of the U.S. population be fully vaccinated. But despite having enough vaccines available to inoculate every eligible American age 12 and up, just under 50% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. (Paul Weinstein Jr. and Will Marshall, 7/23)
The Washington Post:
We Have The Tools To End This Pandemic. Instead, We’re Choosing To Live With It
There is one striking thing that distinguishes this pandemic from all previous ones in history — the speed with which humankind came up with a vaccine. It is unprecedented and still breathtaking that, within months of the arrival of a novel coronavirus, scientists were able to develop and test several vaccines that proved to be highly effective at preventing serious illness. But what science has given, politics seems to be taking away. Despite having ample supplies of the vaccine, the United States is stuck with roughly 60 percent of the adult population fully vaccinated, ensuring that the pandemic will linger, perhaps forever. Given the tools to end this tragedy, we are choosing to live with it. (Fareed Zakaria, 7/22)
The Baltimore Sun:
Extreme Right Meets The Virus, And A Death In The Family Results
It can be jarring the first time you see it — an angry, sexist meme about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posted on the Facebook page of one of your favorite relatives, an affable and kindhearted soul you always considered politically moderate with a slight lean to the right. Even more jarring: Discovering that a cousin you once admired hates and rejects the COVID-19 vaccinations championed by President Joe Biden. (Dan Rodricks, 7/22)