Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Quietly Fading Into Background, Covid Testing Roars Back
San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco To Reopen Mass Coronavirus Testing Site Amid Delta Surge
San Francisco will reopen a mass coronavirus testing site in SoMa on Wednesday amid a troubling rise in cases — mostly among the unvaccinated — and a surge in demand for tests. The site at Seventh and Brannan streets will be able to administer 500 tests per day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week by appointment only. That brings San Francisco’s total test capacity to about 5,000 a day, as schools reopen and people continue mingling indoors despite the surge in cases. (Thadani, 8/16)
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth: Fort Worth Reopens 8 Mobile COVID-19 Testing Sites
Fort Worth is reopening eight COVID-19 mobile testing sites due to a "concerning uptick in cases tied to the Delta variant in recent weeks," the city said Monday. The city also said it "anticipated" maintaining the mobile testing sites for the next few weeks. (8/16)
KHON: Aloha Stadium Coronavirus Testing Site Gates Close 2 Hours Early
The Aloha Stadium COVID-19 testing site closed its parking gates early on Saturday, Aug. 14, due to more people showing up than expected. The parking lot gates closed no later than 2 p.m. instead of the usual Saturday closing time of 4 p.m. (8/14)
Fox 13 Tampa Bay: City Of Tampa Adds Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Site
Due to a significant increase in cases because of the delta variant, the city of Tampa is opening an additional COVID-19 drive thru testing site at Al Barnes Park. PCR and rapid antigen tests are available at the site and appointments are not required. (8/16)
WPEC: Additional COVID-19 Testing Sites In Palm Beach County
If you're looking for more COVID-19 testing sites in Palm Beach County, you're in luck. According to an email from the Palm Beach County government, two additional COVID-19 testing sites have opened in the county over the weekend. These drive-through testing locations are open seven days a week from 9am until 7pm. (Siddiqi, 8/15)
WKYT: Some Lexington COVID-19 Testing Sites Seeing Highest Numbers In Months
COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Kentucky. In three days, the state has added more than 67,000 new cases. That’s driving up testing numbers. At the Kroger Field testing site, some folks are waiting more than an hour for a COVID-19 test. (Puente, 8/16)
In related news about covid tests —
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Saliva Testing Appears Less Sensitive Each Week Post-Infection
COVID-19 diagnosis via saliva samples was most sensitive during the first week of infection and was never higher than 60% in asymptomatic people, according to a research letter published late last week in JAMA. The researchers looked at nasopharyngeal and saliva samples collected every 3 to 7 days up to 4 weeks from people exposed to household members who had COVID-19. Of the 889 paired samples from 404 participants, 58.9% of nasopharyngeal swabs were positive for COVID-19, whereas 35.7% of saliva samples were. Both types of samples in the pair were positive 29.0% of the time. (8/16)
In other pharmaceutical and covid research updates —
Bloomberg: Covid Treatment: Antibody Cocktails Take Off As Delta Surges
Outside, in letters a foot tall, the wall of the trailer reads: “GET TESTED. GET TREATED. CRUSH COVID.” Inside, leathery recliners cradle patients as a freshly mixed concoction drips into their veins: a combination of two monoclonal antibodies once used so rarely that when President Donald Trump got it last October, it ignited accusations of special treatment. Now, amid the delta variant surge, the cocktail is rapidly becoming a more common, even routine medical response to a positive coronavirus test in a high-risk patient. Federal and state officials are promoting it, particularly in hard-hit areas, and demand has exploded from a trickle to more than 120,000 doses a week by the latest count from its maker, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Goldberg, 8/16)
KHN: ‘Tainted’ Blood: Covid Skeptics Request Blood Transfusions From Unvaccinated Donors
The nation’s roiling tensions over vaccination against covid-19 have spilled into an unexpected arena: lifesaving blood transfusions. With nearly 60% of the eligible U.S. population fully vaccinated, most of the nation’s blood supply is now coming from donors who have been inoculated, experts said. That’s led some patients who are skeptical of the shots to demand transfusions only from the unvaccinated, an option blood centers insist is neither medically sound nor operationally feasible. (Aleccia, 8/17)
The New York Times: Babies And Toddlers Spread Coronavirus In Homes More Easily Than Teens, Study Finds
Babies and toddlers are less likely to bring the coronavirus into their homes than teenagers are, but once they are infected, they are more likely to spread the virus to others in their households, according to a large new study by a Canadian public health agency. The findings can be explained, at least in part, by behavioral factors, experts said, including the fact that very young children require lots of hands-on care and cannot be isolated when they are sick. (Anbthes, 8/16)
