Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Fatalities Dropped In 2022 But Still 4th Leading Cause Of Death In US
The New York Times: Covid Remained A Leading Cause Of Death Among Americans In 2022
Covid was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States last year, dropping from its place as the third leading cause in 2020 and 2021, when virus fatalities were superseded only by heart disease and cancer, the National Center for Health Statistics reported on Thursday. Unintentional injuries — a category that includes drug overdoses and car accidents — were responsible for more deaths than Covid last year and were the nation’s third leading cause of death. Deaths from heart disease and cancer both rose in 2022, compared with 2021. (Caryn Rabin, 5/4)
AP: COVID Dropped To 4th Leading Cause Of Death In US Last Year
The death rates for heart disease and cancer increased during the pandemic, the CDC said. The cancer death rate had been falling for 20 years before COVID-19 hit. The CDC report indicated a slight decline in the number of injury deaths last year, falling to about 218,000 from about 219,500 the year before. That would be a surprise, given recent trends in rising drug overdose and gun deaths.(Stobbe, 5/4)
Los Angeles Times: Deaths From COVID Plunged In 2022, But It's Still A Top Killer
The COVID-19 death toll — now 1.13 million in the U.S. and 6.9 million worldwide — is staggering, with a national death toll that exceeds the last global pandemic of this scale, although the global tally is far lower. The flu pandemic that began in 1918 resulted in an estimated 675,000 deaths in the U.S. and at least 50 million worldwide. (Lin II and Money, 5/4)
Also —
The New York Times: 900,000 New Yorkers Lost At Least 3 Loved Ones To Covid
An estimated two million New Yorkers — nearly one in four — lost at least one person close to them to Covid within the first 16 months of the virus’s arrival, according to the data, which was collected in mid-2021 by federal census workers on behalf of the city. Nearly 900,000 New Yorkers lost at least three people they said they were close to, an open-ended category that included relatives and friends, the survey found. (Otterman, 5/5)
The Boston Globe: Most Major Health Care And Hospital Systems In Mass. Will Lift Mask Requirements Next Week
Most major health care and hospital systems across Massachusetts will end or substantially modify their policies on wearing masks next week, on May 12, after the federal public health emergency for COVID-19 officially comes to a close. (Lazar and Bartlett, 5/4)
On the cost of future covid shots —
Politico: Moderna Expects Updated Covid-19 Vaccine To Cost $110-$130
Moderna anticipates its updated Covid-19 vaccine to have a list price in a range of $110 to $130 per shot, the company said Thursday. The price update comes more than a month after lawmakers on the Senate HELP Committee pressed Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel to justify a $130 price point given the $12 billion the government spent to speed the company’s clinical trials and purchase its vaccine. (Lim, 5/4)
