Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Will Stop Community-Level Covid Tracking
NBC News: CDC To Stop Tracking Covid Levels In Communities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to stop tracking the spread of Covid in communities across the U.S., the agency said Friday. (Edwards, 4/28)
CIDRAP: XBB.1.16, XBB.1.9.1 Gain More Ground In The United States
Proportions of two new Omicron subvariants, XBB.1.16 and XBB.1.9.1, continued to rise this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest estimates. XBB.1.16, which is thought to have a growth advantage and immune escape properties, now makes up 11.7% of viruses, up from 7.4% the week before. Levels are greatest in the South Central, Middle Atlantic, and Northwestern parts of the country. (Schnirring, 4/28)
The Washington Post: Moderna’s Billionaire CEO Reaped Nearly $400 Million Last Year. He Also Got A Raise
Stéphane Bancel, chief executive of Moderna, had a good year in 2022, exercising stock options that netted him nearly $393 million. The company decided his pay wasn’t good enough. The Cambridge, Mass.-based biotech, known for its lifesaving coronavirus vaccine, raised his salary last year by 50 percent to $1.5 million and increased his target cash bonus, according to a March securities filing. Bancel, 50, says he is donating the proceeds of stock sales to charity. He owns stock worth at least $2.8 billion and, as of the end of last year, had additional stock-based compensation valued at $1.7 billion. (Gilbert, 4/29)
KFF Health News: Journalists Discuss Enduring Effects Of Long Covid And Handling Of Opioid Settlement Funds
KFF Health News former senior editor Andy Miller discussed long covid, telehealth, and health care worker shortages on WUGA’s “The Georgia Health Report” on April 21. He also discussed cancer treatment for the uninsured on WUGA’s “The Georgia Health Report” on April 14. (4/29)
Also —
Reuters: Pfizer Pledge For More Equal Access To RSV Shot Faces Hurdles
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) has pledged to deliver critical new medicines more quickly in low-income nations, but its first such vaccine effort faces hurdles likely to delay distribution in poorer countries by several years, global health officials told Reuters. Pfizer made a commitment on more equitable access last year, following criticism that it prioritized wealthy nations for doses of its COVID-19 shot early in the pandemic. The company says it wants to shorten a timeline in which poorer countries often get vaccines many years after they are available elsewhere. (Rigby and Fick, 4/29)
