Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Apple Watch Can Monitor Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease
Stat: Apple Watch Can Help Track Parkinson's Disease Symptoms, Study Shows
Researchers at Apple, working with specialists who treat Parkinson’s, designed a system that uses the Apple Watch to detect the motor symptoms that are a hallmark of the neurological disease. By monitoring resting tremors and other involuntary movements, the researchers were able to identify the characteristic “on” and “off” patterns of medication’s effects. Their findings were published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine. The research could be a boon to both clinical trials and care for the millions living globally with Parkinson’s. If further developed, the researchers’ system could be used to capture round-the-clock objective measurements of symptoms with the Apple Watch. Specialists often rely on infrequent clinical visits and self-reporting to monitor the disease’s progression and the impacts of medicine. While there are specialized devices in the market that can do such monitoring, there are advantages to using a gadget people recognize and feel comfortable around. (Aguilar, 2/3)
In food-safety news —
CIDRAP: Source Unknown In E Coli Outbreak Linked Infections In 5 States
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday that an investigation is under way into the source of an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak that has so far sickened 16 people in five states, 1 of them fatally. Affected states are Washington, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia, and New York. The first illness was reported on Dec 23, and the most recent symptom onset was Jan 7. Patient ages range from 10 to 95 years, and 88% are female. ... State and local health officials are interviewing people to see what they ate the week before they got sick.
AP: USDA Warns Illinois Consumers About Potentially Tainted Beef
Health officials are warning consumers in Illinois that they may have bought beef tainted with E. coli bacteria that was produced at a Nebraska plant last month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said the affected meat was sold by Art’s Food Market in Sandwich, Illinois, which is about 60 miles west of Chicago. The affected ground beef is no longer available for purchase, but officials said consumers could still have it in their refrigerators or freezers. (2/3)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post: Kroger Is Closing Stores Rather Than Giving Workers An Extra $4 In Pandemic ‘Hero Pay’
Two grocery stores in Southern California will shutter in April in response to a local “hero pay” measure requiring a $4-an-hour increase for grocery workers during the pandemic. Kroger, which owns more than a dozen grocery chains, announced this week that it would close a pair of Long Beach stores — a Ralphs and a Food 4 Less — specifically citing the ordinance the city’s mayor signed into law late last month. The city was the first in the state to introduce a measure requiring some grocery retailers to give workers a temporary hourly pay bump during the pandemic. (Firozi, 2/3)
The Washington Post: Mother Of 9-Year-Old Rochester, N.Y. Girl Said Police Rebuffed Her Pleas For Mental Health Help For Her Daughter
The mother of the 9-year-old Rochester, N.Y., girl who was handcuffed and pepper-sprayed by police said Wednesday that she repeatedly told an officer that her daughter was having a mental health breakdown and she pleaded with them to call a specialist instead of trying to detain her. The officer said “no,” Elba Pope said. Pope, 30, said the incident, which sparked nationwide outrage and prompted fresh scrutiny of how law enforcement agencies deal with people in emotional distress, has left her rattled and fearful that her daughter could suffer long-term emotional trauma. “I was saying, ‘We need mental health out there,’ ” Pope said in an interview. “He ignored me.” (Craig and Edelman, 2/3)
AP: Family: Keyontae Johnson's Collapse Unrelated To COVID-19
Florida forward Keyontae Johnson’s collapse during a game nearly two months ago was not related to a positive COVID-19 test, his family said Wednesday. University of Florida Health physicians consulted with other local and national experts who reviewed the relevant imaging and testing related to this case, and Johnson’s family said: “The unanimous conclusion of all experts is that Keyontae’s medical emergency was not related to or a result of a previous or current Covid diagnosis.” (Long, 2/3)
AP: Wisconsin Mother Meets Baby Delivered During COVID-19 Coma
Nearly three months after Kelsey Townsend gave birth to her fourth child, the 32-year-old Wisconsin woman was finally face to face with her. Lucy, now bright-eyed and alert, flashed her a smile. “Hi. I love you. I love you so much. Yeah, I’ve missed you,” Kelsey Townsend told her. Townsend was in a medically-induced coma with COVID-19 when she gave birth to Lucy via via cesarean section on Nov. 4, not long after getting to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison. She ended up spending 75 days on life and lung support. She finally met Lucy on Jan. 27 — the day Kelsey was discharged from University Hospital in Madison. (Antlfinger, 2/3)
ABC News: 20-Year-Old GameStop Investor Donates Part Of Windfall To Children's Hospital
Hunter Kahn could have bought the 1990s Corvette he's always wanted with the Wall Street windfall he and a group of amateur day traders earned by joining forces to turn the failing video-game seller GameStop into an overnight stock market darling. But the 20-year-old Cornell University mechanical engineering student from Minnesota said he saw the bonanza as a chance to do something good. (Hutchinson, 2/3)
KHN: Covid-Certified Businesses Try To Woo Leery Patrons
On a sunny Saturday this month, Ruth Hatfield was sitting with a friend’s dog on a sidewalk bench in downtown Grand Junction. Back home in Snowmass Village, 120 miles away through winding Rocky Mountain roadways, local officials had just shut down indoor restaurant dining as covid cases reached some of the highest levels in Colorado. Here in Grand Junction, though, restaurants were open, and Hatfield had sought out those with the local health department’s “5-star certifications,” a designation meant to reassure people it is safe to patronize businesses during the pandemic. Those 5-star restaurants are part of an innovative program that allows businesses that agree to follow certain public health protocols to be open with less stringent rules than would ordinarily apply. (Aschwanden, 2/4)
