Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Death Prompts Brazilian States To Stop AstraZeneca Shots During Pregnancy
Fox News: Brazilian States Halt AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine For Pregnant Women After Death
Several Brazilian states halted AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations among pregnant women Tuesday after the national regulator, Anvisa, recommended an immediate suspension following a death in Rio de Janeiro. Anvisa issued a statement late Tuesday, citing "constant monitoring of adverse events on Covid vaccines in use in the country." Sao Paulo state halted COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women with comorbidities and Rio state suspended inoculations of all women, citing the Anvisa guidance, Reuters reported. (Rivas, 5/11)
New York Post: New Mutation Of Brazilian Coronavirus Variant Found In Florida
A new mutation of the highly contagious Brazilian COVID-19 variant has emerged in Florida, health officials said. The newest variant, dubbed P2 or P.1.1, has a slightly different sequence than Brazil’s P1 strain, which has been found to be more likely to reinfect people who have already had the virus, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. The variant has been detected in a 74-year-old man in Broward County and a 51-year-old woman in Duval County, according to the state Department of Health. (Salo, 5/11)
In other global news —
Bloomberg: China Sinovac Shot Seen Highly Effective In Real World Study
Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s vaccine is wiping out Covid-19 among health workers in Indonesia, an encouraging sign for the dozens of developing countries reliant on the controversial Chinese shot, which performed far worse than western vaccines in clinical trials. Indonesia tracked 128,290 health workers in capital city Jakarta from January to March and found that the vaccine protected 98% of them from death and 96% from hospitalization as soon as seven days after the second dose, Pandji Dhewantara, a Health Ministry official who oversaw the study, said in a Wednesday press conference. (5/11)
Bloomberg: Covid-19 In Canada: Trudeau’s ‘One-Dose Summer’ Pitch Raises Hope For Reopening
Justin Trudeau began to set the stage for looser public-health restrictions, but cautioned that Canada must first focus on getting past a third wave of Covid-19. With the country’s most populous province under a stay-home order, the prime minister said keeping tougher rules in place now is necessary to lower case counts. Offering everyone a first dose of vaccine by summer, however, should allow Canadians to enjoy more social interactions and set the stage for a return to schools and offices in the fall after second shots are administered. (Bolongaro, 5/11)
Bloomberg: U.K. Unveils Junk Food Ad Ban Online To Help Curb Obesity
Junk food commercials will be banned on British television before 9 p.m. and outlawed completely online, under new government proposals to curb rising obesity levels. Boris Johnson’s administration will also force firms with more than 250 employees -- including restaurant and pub chains -- to list calories on food. Promotions like “buy one get one free” on high fat, salt and sugar food and drinks will be restricted in supermarkets from next April. (Ashton, 5/11)
