Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Brain Injury Recovery Treatments Used Against Long Covid Effects
The Wall Street Journal: New Long Covid Treatments Borrow From Brain Rehab Tactics
The newest patients in cognitive rehabilitation programs didn’t suffer concussions, traumatic brain injuries or strokes. They got Covid-19. Cognitive problems are some of the most persistent and common long-term symptoms that people struggle with months after getting Covid. Patients report short-term memory problems, slow processing speeds, poor word recall and difficulty multitasking. To help them, doctors at medical centers including Mayo Clinic, Yale and Johns Hopkins are starting to refer some patients to cognitive rehabilitation more typically used for patients with concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. (Reddy, 4/5)
KHN: What Covid Means For The Athlete’s Heart
For sports fans across the country, the resumption of the regular sports calendar has signaled another step toward post-pandemic normality. But for the athletes participating in professional, collegiate, high school or even recreational sports, significant unanswered questions remain about the aftereffects of a covid infection. Chief among those is whether the coronavirus can damage their hearts, putting them at risk for lifelong complications and death. Preliminary data from early in the pandemic suggested that as many as 1 in 5 people with covid-19 could end up with heart inflammation, known as myocarditis, which has been linked to abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death. (Hawryluk, 4/6)
NH Times Union: Pembroke Track And Field Coach Fired For Not Allowing Team To Wear Masks
Brad Keyes said he was fired from his position as Pembroke Academy’s track and field coach Monday after he informed school Athletic Director Fred Vezina that he would not allow any member of his team to compete this spring while wearing a mask. Keyes said Vezina told him last week that Pembroke Academy would require its athletes to wear masks as a COVID-19 protocol while competing in all running events plus the long jump, triple jump and the high jump. (Roger Brown, 4/5)
NBC News: Office Buildings Are Opening Back Up. Not All Employees Want To Return.
On the morning Alexia Layne-Lomon returned to her office for the first time since the pandemic began, she woke up anxious. Her stomach felt queasy. Commuting into work, once a mindless daily routine, now felt foreign and risky. Layne-Lomon, 38, of Roslindale, Massachusetts, is one of millions of employees across the country who hastily made the transition to remote work last spring. A couple of weeks ago, she went back to her building to train a new employee at the anti-poverty agency where she is the director of development and grants. (Chuck, 4/5)
KHN: Colleges And Universities Plan For Normal-Ish Campus Life In The Fall
Dr. Sarah Van Orman treads carefully around the word “normal” when she describes what the fall 2021 term will look like at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and other colleges nationwide. In the era of covid, the word conjures up images of campus life that university administrators know won’t exist again for quite some time. As much as they want to move in that direction, Van Orman said, these first steps may be halting. (Kreidler, 4/6)
KHN: An Indie Artist’s Plea To Look Beyond Algorithms And Curated Playlists
When the pandemic hit, Debórah Bond, like many artists, was caught off guard. “I thought I’d be juggling gigs and touring,” said the independent R&B/soul musician. A full-time artist, Bond, 44, made a living through a patchwork of vocal gigs — performing live at weddings, bars and theaters, recording jingles, teaching vocal lessons and hosting events. But the coronavirus pandemic found her burning through her savings and struggling to make ends meet in a tiny rental accessory dwelling unit above the tree-lined garage of a home in Hyattsville, Maryland. (Giles, 4/6)
In other public health news —
AP: Doctor’s Testimony Details Floyd’s Heart Activity
George Floyd had “pulseless electrical activity” and his heart wasn’t beating when he arrived at a Minneapolis hospital, a doctor testified Monday. Dr. Bradford Langenfeld was on duty at Hennepin County Medical Center the night Floyd was brought in after being restrained by police last May, and testified Monday at the trial of one of the officers. (Marchione, 4/5)
The Washington Post: For Pregnant Women, Gestational Hypertension Increases Risk Of Later-Life Heart Disease
Women who have high blood pressure during pregnancy are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease later in life — 67 percent more likely if they have what is known as gestational hypertension, according to the American Heart Association’s new analysis of existing research. This type of hypertension, which develops during pregnancy in women who had normal blood pressure before becoming pregnant, also raises a woman’s risk for stroke by 83 percent later in life, compared with the risk facing women who do not have high blood pressure during pregnancy. (Searing, 4/5)
CIDRAP: Campylobacter In Raw Milk Sickens 5 In Washington State
Health officials in Washington state said they have identified five campylobacteriosis infections in people who recently drank raw milk from a creamery in Sequim, according to an Apr 2 Washington State Department of Health (WSDH) statement. The raw milk from Dungeness Valley Creamery was bought in four different counties, and the company has voluntarily recalled all of its raw milk with a "best buy" date of Apr 13 or earlier, due to potential contamination with Campylobacter. (4/5)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Study Shows Weight Loss Reduces Responsiveness To Food Marketing
In the U.S. over 35% of U.S. adults are obese, and more than 34% are overweight, according to the National Institutes of Health. Studies have examined the role food marketing plays in making us gain weight, and a new one from the University of British Columbia and French researchers shows that it has an impact, but it can change. UBC Sauder School of Business Assistant Professor Dr. Yann Cornil and a team of researchers have found that people with obesity tend to be more responsive to food marketing. When they lose a notable number of pounds, however, their responsiveness decreases. (Willis, 4/2)
