Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC: Don't Panic — Your Body's Covid Defenses Can Battle New Variant
Reuters: US CDC Says Existing Antibodies Can Work Against New COVID Variant
Early research data has shown that antibodies produced by prior infection or existing vaccines against the coronavirus were sufficient to protect against the new BA.2.86 variant, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday. (9/8)
The New York Times: Covid Vaccines May Roll Out Within Days
The latest Covid boosters are expected to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration as early as Monday, arriving alongside the seasonal flu vaccine and shots to protect infants and older adults from R.S.V., a potentially lethal respiratory virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to follow up on Tuesday with an advisory meeting to discuss who should get the new shots, by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. After a final decision by the C.D.C.’s director, millions of doses will be shipped to pharmacies, clinics and health systems nationwide within days. (Jewett, 9/11)
KFF Health News: CDC Faces Dilemma Over Recommending New Covid Booster For All
A small percentage of Americans got the most recent covid-19 booster shot, and even fewer probably realize the federal government is preparing to recommend yet another shot as early as Tuesday. Until a week or two ago, William Schaffner read that indifference as a sign the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should advocate vaccinating only those most at risk from the virus. (Allen, 9/11)
CIDRAP: Smart People First In Line For COVID-19 Vaccines, Study Suggests
Intelligent people get their COVID-19 vaccines much faster, suggests a study of more than 750,000 people in Sweden published in the Journal of Health Economics. ... A total of 80% of the most intelligent people were vaccinated within 40 days of vaccine availability, while it took 180 days for those with the lowest cognitive ability to reach that level. The results, the researchers said, suggest that the complexity of the vaccination decision may make it difficult for people with lower cognitive abilities to understand the benefits of vaccination. (Van Beusekom, 9/8)
USA Today: No, CDC Didn't Remove COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Events From Its Website
An Aug. 28 Facebook post shared by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro claims the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed an adverse reaction reporting system from its website. The CDC ended enrollment in its v-safe program, not its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Adverse reactions can still be reported, and data from v-safe is still available to the public, according to a spokesperson for the organization. (Hudnall, 9/8)
On covid and flu —
CIDRAP: Given Together, COVID And Flu Vaccines Appear Safe, Immune-Boosting
COVID-19 and influenza vaccines can be safety administered together, with no significant drop in antibody response, according to a study led by Sheba Medical Center researchers in Israel. The research, published today in JAMA Network Open, involved healthcare workers (HCWs) who received Abbott's Influvac Tetra (four-strain) flu vaccine, the bivalent (two-strain) COVID-19 booster from Pfizer/BioNTech, or both (one in each arm), from September 2022 to January 2023. (Van Beusekom, 9/8)
Bloomberg: Early Flu Shot Data Shows Effectiveness Against Hospitalization, CDC Says
Flu shots reduced people’s risk of being hospitalized for the disease by about half, according to early data from countries south of the equator, a positive sign for the US and Europe where the upcoming season is still on the horizon. Influenza vaccines formulated to target circulating flu strains were 52% effective at preventing hospitalizations in young children and older adults in the Southern Hemisphere, according the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly in line with how the shots usually perform. (Muller, 9/8)
In other vaccine news —
KFF Health News: Journalists Recap How Smallpox Was Wiped Out And How Opioid Settlement Cash Is Being Paid Out
Céline Gounder, KFF Health News’ senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health, discussed the podcast “Epidemic: Eradicating Smallpox” podcast on NPR’s “Shortwave” on Aug. 30. Gounder also discussed new covid variants, vaccines, and the new season of the “Epidemic: Eradicating Smallpox” podcast on Lemonada Media’s “In the Bubble With Andy Slavitt” on Aug. 23. ... KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed the latest developments in opioid settlement funds being distributed across the country on WFAE’s “Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins” on Aug. 30. (9/9)
