Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Vaccine Maker Novavax Warns It May Go Out Of Business
Reuters: Novavax Raises Doubts About Ability To Remain In Business, Shares Fall
COVID-19 vaccine maker Novavax Inc on Tuesday raised doubts about its ability to remain in business and announced plans to slash spending as it works to prepare for a fall vaccination campaign, and its shares plunged more than 25%. The company said there is significant uncertainty around its 2023 revenue, funding from the U.S. government, and pending arbitration with global vaccine alliance Gavi. But its cash flow forecast indicates it has sufficient capital to fund operations over the next year. (Erman, 2/28)
In other covid vaccine news —
AP: Troops Who Refused COVID Vaccine Still May Face Discipline
The military services are still reviewing possible discipline of troops who refused the order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, defense officials told Congress on Tuesday, and they provided few details on how many of those who were forced out of the military would like to return. Lawmakers expressed frustration with the news, questioning why service members should still face discipline since the vaccine requirement had been rescinded. (Baldor, 2/28)
Billings Gazette: Bill To Prevent MRNA Vaccine Recipients From Donating Blood Is Killed
The House Human Services committee has killed a bill that would have made it illegal to donate blood or tissue if the donor had received any mRNA vaccines or treatments. The bill called for perpetrators who knowingly collect and distribute blood or tissue “containing gene-altering proteins” or other “isolates introduced by mRNA or DNA vaccines” or chemotherapies, to face a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine up to $500. (Schabacker, 2/28)
More on the spread of covid —
CIDRAP: 81% Of Toilet Samples From US-Bound Planes Had Omicron RNA
Two new studies from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlight new findings about air travel amid COVID-19, with one showing that 81% of wastewater samples from airplane restrooms had SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant genetic material in fall 2022, and the other suggesting that predeparture testing of international travelers was tied to a 52% lower positivity rate at arrival in the United States. (Van Beusekom, 2/28)
Stat: Covid Monitoring Gave Essential Workers Little Data To Protect Health
At the peak of the pandemic, essential workers faced rampant tech-based surveillance, from overhead infrared thermometers to wearables that tracked their proximity to one another. These technologies forced employees to adjust the way they worked and sometimes made their workplaces less safe. They also didn’t offer workers clear and accurate information that would help them protect their health, according to a new report by the nonprofit Data & Society. (Castillo, 3/1)
The Atlantic: The Rules Of Asymptomatic COVID Have Changed
In the early days of the pandemic, one of the scariest and most surprising features of SARS-CoV-2 was its stealth. Initially assumed to transmit only from people who were actively sick—as its predecessor SARS-CoV did—the new coronavirus turned out to be a silent spreader, also spewing from the airways of people who were feeling just fine. After months of insisting that only the symptomatic had to mask, test, and isolate, officials scrambled to retool their guidance; singing, talking, laughing, even breathing in tight quarters were abruptly categorized as threats. (Wu, 2/28)
Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Will End Its COVID-19 Emergency March 31
Los Angeles County will end its COVID-19 emergency declaration at the end of March, becoming the latest region to take that step amid improving pandemic conditions. The move, approved unanimously Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors, came the same day Gov. Gavin Newsom formally rescinded the statewide emergency declaration issued three years ago during the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. (Money and Lin II, 2/28)
On long covid —
CIDRAP: COVID-Related Brain Changes May Lead To Long-Term Fatigue
Structural changes in the brain may explain the persistent fatigue and neuropsychiatric complications associated with long COVID, finds an observational study published yesterday in eClinicalMedicine. (Van Beusekom, 2/28)
