Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Panel Advises A Fresh Round Of Covid Shots For Those Over 65
Stat: CDC Panel: People 65 And Older Should Get A Covid Spring Booster Shot
An expert panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines on Wednesday recommended that people 65 and older should get an additional Covid-19 vaccine shot this spring. (Branswell, 2/28)
Stat: NEJM Study Measures Covid Brain Fog, Impact On IQ
Of all the lingering symptoms of long Covid, difficulty focusing and thinking, known as brain fog, may be the most frightening and baffling. A new study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, which looks at how much cognition is impaired in the months after a coronavirus infection, shows that Covid-19’s impact can be measured in the equivalent of IQ points. (Cooney, 2/28)
The Baltimore Sun: Many Children Hospitalized With COVID Continue To Face Challenges.
A new study by the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore and 11 other medical sites found that up to a third of children who were hospitalized because of COVID-19 experienced persistent symptoms one to two years after they were released. (Roberts, 2/28)
USA Today: Post-COVID, Depression, Anxiety-Related Prescriptions See Major Uptick
The COVID-19 pandemic was a breaking point for 43-year-old Tamalyn Paredes, an addiction counselor at a methadone clinic in Portland, Oregon. Living in California at the time, she worked at a group home for children with serious emotional disturbances – a job she described as taxing, especially when kids would lash out. Helping those with mental health conditions hit close to home for Paredes. She lived with depression and suicidal thoughts for years, but the hormonal side effects of ovary removal surgery in 2019 made things worse. (Garzella, 2/29)
Axios: Health Care Quality Took A Big Hit During COVID, Medicare Report Finds
Progress on many key health care quality measures was reversed during the first two years of the pandemic, according to a new comprehensive federal review. The report identified a "significant worsening" of patient safety measures and "persistent" health equity gaps for historically disadvantaged patients as COVID-19 overwhelmed the health care system. (Goldman, 2/29)
Also —
The Atlantic: Why Are We Still Flu-Ifying COVID?
Four years after what was once the “novel coronavirus” was declared a pandemic, COVID remains the most dangerous infectious respiratory illness regularly circulating in the U.S. But a glance at the United States’ most prominent COVID policies can give the impression that the disease is just another seasonal flu. ... These changes are a stark departure from the earliest days of the crisis. ... COVID might still carry a bigger burden than flu, but COVID policies are getting more flu-ified. (Wu, 2/28)
