Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Vaccine People Already Get May Help Prevent COVID, Too
CIDRAP: MMR Vaccine May Help Prevent COVID-19
A small study today in mBio demonstrates that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine may protect against COVID-19, as researchers found that levels of mumps immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies are inversely correlated with COVID-19 severity in MMR-vaccinated patients. Epidemiologic data point to low COVID-19 death rates in populations with high MMR vaccination rates, but the mechanism of protection is still unclear. This study compared 50 MMR-vaccinated COVID-19 patients with a control group of 30 COVID-19 patients with no record of MMR vaccinations whose antibodies come primarily from previous measles, mumps, and rubella illness. (11/20)
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Most Contagious In First 5 Days Of Illness, Study Finds
A study published yesterday in The Lancet Microbe shows that COVID-19 is most contagious in the first 5 days after symptom onset, underscoring the importance of early case identification and quarantine. Led by researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, the systematic review and meta-analysis included 98 studies on 7,997 patients infected with coronaviruses that cause COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1), or Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). Seventy-nine of the studies (81%) involved COVID-19 patients. (Van Beusekom, 11/20)
Stat: Data Show Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients Surviving At Higher Rates
Patients hospitalized with Covid-19 are surviving at higher rates than in the early days of the pandemic, gains that data and interviews with experts suggest are driven by a more refined understanding of the disease and how to treat it — and, crucially, less strain on hospitals that had been inundated at times... But clinicians warn that this progress won’t withstand what happens when crushes of patients again overwhelm hospitals, as is now occurring in dozens of U.S. states. (Joseph, 11/23)
Bay Area News Group: What The Science Says About Coronavirus, Cold Weather, And Steps You Can Take To Stay Safe
As the weather cools, COVID-19 is only surging hotter across the country. With safer, outdoor gatherings less viable, people inevitably flock for warmth and shelter — and its more conducive environment for viral transmission. But there is new evidence of another factor driving the surge: This new coronavirus also thrives in colder conditions, as well as at extreme relative humidities. That can further guide public health measures, as well as your own personal actions through what has been billed as a long, dark winter. (Webeck, 11/21)
The New York Times: Coronavirus Antibodies Good. Machine-Made Molecules Better?
The coronavirus might be new, but nature long ago gave humans the tools to recognize it, at least on a microscopic scale: antibodies, Y-shaped immune proteins that can latch onto pathogens and block them from infiltrating cells. Millions of years of evolution have honed these proteins into the disease-fighting weapons they are today. But in a span of just months, a combination of human and machine intelligence may have beaten Mother Nature at her own game. (Wu, 11/21)
In other science and research news —
Stat: New Research Underscores Link Between Multiple Sclerosis And The Gut
Researchers have uncovered more evidence that there is a link between a person’s gut microbiome, their immune system, and multiple sclerosis, per a paper published Friday in Science Immunology. People with relapsing multiple sclerosis have elevated levels of immune cells in their brains that are typically associated with gut microbiota, the paper finds — suggesting those cells might be good future targets for new diagnostic techniques or treatments. (Sheridan, 11/20)
The New York Times: These Algorithms Could End The Scourge Of Tuberculosis
In some of the most remote and impoverished corners of the world, where respiratory illnesses abound and trained medical professionals fear to tread, diagnosis is increasingly powered by artificial intelligence and the internet. In less than a minute, a new app on a phone or a computer can scan an X-ray for signs of tuberculosis, Covid-19 and 27 other conditions. (Mandavilli, 11/20)
Stat: Genetics Entrepreneurs Call For More Racial Representation In Their Industry
As the Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the racial inequalities in the United States’ health care system, entrepreneurs in genetic research are speaking out about the importance of encouraging community outreach to combat those disparities and increasing diversity inside their own industry. (St. Fleur, 11/20)
The New York Times: Can We Make Our Robots Less Biased Than We Are?
On a summer night in Dallas in 2016, a bomb-handling robot made technological history. Police officers had attached roughly a pound of C-4 explosive to it, steered the device up to a wall near an active shooter and detonated the charge. In the explosion, the assailant, Micah Xavier Johnson, became the first person in the United States to be killed by a police robot. Afterward, then-Dallas Police Chief David Brown called the decision sound. Before the robot attacked, Mr. Johnson had shot five officers dead, wounded nine others and hit two civilians, and negotiations had stalled. Sending the machine was safer than sending in human officers, Mr. Brown said. (Berreby, 11/22)
