Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dentists Faced Less Danger In Pandemic
CIDRAP: Dentists May Have Fewer COVID-19 Infections Than Other Health Workers
Monthly dentist surveys showed a cumulative infection rate of 2.6%, according to a study yesterday in the Journal of the American Dental Association (ADA). The researchers say these rates are lower than those in other health workers, such as physicians or emergency medical service professionals. While 2,196 participants responded at least once from June to November 2020, only 785 answered all six surveys. Of the total cohort, most were male (59.2%), White (76.1%), in private practice (94.8%), or were general dentists (82.1%). Almost one in four (24.4%) had at least one medical condition associated with higher COVID-related risk, with the most common being obesity (7.6%) and asthma (7.3%). The median age was 52.6 years. (5/25)
Stat: Rural Black Communities Lose A Lifeline In The Covid-19 Pandemic
In every corner of Latasha Taylor’s home are plants she knows nothing about. After years spent shirking her mother’s calls to join her in the yard at sunrise, Taylor now waters them out of duty. When her mom, Kat, was dying of Covid-19, she would ask about her flowers whenever she was conscious. Taylor promised she’d look after them. Her mother keeps a watchful eye from framed photos on the wall, dressed like the Queen of England in wide-brimmed hats and matching dresses. (Goldhill, 5/26)
CIDRAP: Tocilizumab Associated With Less Death In Moderate-To-Severe COVID-19
Tocilizumab was associated with a lower risk of death 90 days after treatment in COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe infection or pneumonia at the time of enrollment, particularly those with high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, according to a JAMA Internal Medicine research letter yesterday. CRP is a marker of inflammation. In the continuation of a previous JAMA Internal Medicine study that found an association between tocilizumab and reduced ventilation or death by day 14 (but not mortality by day 28), the researchers followed up with the 63 patients who received tocilizumab and the 67 in the control group. By day 90, 7 in the intervention group (11.1%) and 11 in the control group (16.4%) died (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25 to 0.65). (5/25)
KHN: Pandemic Leads Doctors To Rethink Unnecessary Treatment
Covid-19 is opening the door for researchers to address a problem that has vexed the medical community for decades: the overtreatment and unnecessary treatment of patients. On one hand, the pandemic caused major health setbacks for non-covid patients who were forced to, or chose to, avoid tests and treatments for various illnesses. On the other hand, in cases in which no harm was done by delays or cancellations, medical experts can now reevaluate whether those procedures are truly necessary. (Alpert, 5/25)
