Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Turning Over Covid Case-Counting To Cruise Line Operators
The Washington Post: CDC Stops Reporting Covid Cases On Cruise Ships
“CDC has determined that the cruise industry has access to the necessary tools (e.g., cruise-specific recommendations and guidance, vaccinations, testing instruments, treatment modalities, and non-pharmaceutical interventions) to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 on board,” CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said in an email. (Finnegan and Hiatt, 7/18)
The New York Times: Covid Rises Across U.S. Amid Muted Warnings And Murky Data
“I feel strongly that you can’t just kind of cry wolf all the time,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago health department, who said she would wait to see whether hospitals become strained before considering another citywide mask mandate. “I want to save the requirements around masks or updating vaccine requirements for when there’s a significant change.” (Bosman, Fuller and Sandoval, 7/18)
AP: Scars Of COVID Persist For Sickest Survivors, Their Families
While more than 1 million died from COVID in the U.S., many more survived ICU stays that have left them with anxiety, PTSD and a host of health issues. Research has shown that intensive therapy starting in the ICU can help, but it was often hard to provide as hospitals teemed with patients. (Hollingsworth, 7/19)
The Boston Globe: ‘Oh My God, Not Again’: COVID Variant Making Reinfections More Common
Omicron is “antigenically very distinct,” said Lemieux — meaning the structures on the virus’s surface are different from those of previous variants, making them harder for the immune system to recognize. Subvariants like BA.4 and BA.5 have also been “distinguished by a progressive ability to escape the immune system,” he said. The United States hasn’t systematically tracked reinfections. But data from countries that have reveals the impact of Omicron. In July 2021, reinfections comprised less than 2 percent of cases in the United Kingdom, according to its data. By June 2022, reinfections comprised over 25 percent of the country’s cases each day. (Caldera, 7/19)
On covid vaccines and treatments —
The New York Times: The Novavax Vaccine Could Clear Its Final Hurdle In The United States This Week
Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet this week to discuss the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax, whose latecomer shot would offer unvaccinated Americans another choice as the vaccination rate has leveled off. (Olson, 7/18)
CNN: New Covid-19 Vaccines Aim To Put The Brakes On Virus Spread
Injected vaccines against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 have been hugely successful, saving nearly 20 million lives globally in their first year of use and slashing the pandemic's death toll by an estimated 63%, according to a recent study. (Goodman, 7/18)
NPR: COVID Patients Find Dangerous Advice And Pills Online
When Stephanie caught COVID-19 just before Thanksgiving of last year, her daughter Laurie suggested that she get help. "She was really not feeling well, and I was like, 'Just go to the doctor,'" Laurie recalls. (Brumfiel, 7/19)
Meanwhile, omicron subvariants continue to surge —
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Cases Soar In L.A. County, But This Is Different
Super-contagious Omicron subvariants that can reinfect people within weeks are fueling a new wave of the pandemic across California. Hospitalizations are rising, and Los Angeles County is moving toward an indoor mask mandate, perhaps by the end of the month. (Lin II, Money and Reyes, 7/18)
The Washington Post: The BA.4 And BA.5 Subvariants Now Dominate Worldwide
In the past year, the rapid mutation of the coronavirus has triggered new variants, which have swept across the world: Delta last summer, then omicron in winter and more recently omicron’s subvariants BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5. The last pair have quickly become the world’s dominant forms of the coronavirus, as recorded in the GISAID international repository of coronavirus genetic sequences analyzed by The Washington Post. (Keating, Dong and Shin, 7/18)
