Despite Concerns, Some Health Experts Support Idea Of Testing For Antibodies, Issuing ‘Immunity Cards’
The cards would prove people have antibodies to the disease, and while the measure might increase socio-economic and racial disparities, health experts argue they could be a short-term solution for reopening the economy and giving people a respite from social distancing. Public health news is on the health risks of living near heavily polluted air, hard-hit rural bus lines, the importance of ethnic and racial data and keeping wellness checks for children, as well.
Modern Healthcare:
Would 'COVID-19 Immunity Cards' Cause Greater Harm Or Benefit?
As the World Health Organization recently warned, there is still no empirical evidence that once a person contracts COVID-19, he or she is then actually immune and can walk around without fear of getting the virus again. However, all other respiratory viruses, including other coronaviruses, produce at least short-term immunity, making it likely that SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19) works the same way. This immunity mechanism is also how vaccines for all other viruses work. As such, no evidence of immunity is not the same as there being evidence of no immunity. But COVID-19 may be different. (Ira Bedzow and Daniel Grove, 4/29)
Boston Globe:
In Chelsea, The Deadly Consequences Of Dirty Air
It’s home to massive fuel tanks and mountains of road salt; to airport parking lots, industrial facilities, and a busy produce center that sends heavy traffic hurtling along its streets; planes fly low on their way in and out of Logan, and ships slide by on the Chelsea Creek; the city is cut in half by the car-choked Tobin Bridge; it has too much contaminated land and too little green space. All of that piles upon the socioeconomic factors that compromise the health of residents in places like Chelsea, predisposing them to higher rates of cardio-vascular disease and respiratory ailments. (Abraham, 4/29)
Stateline:
Rural, Intercity Bus Companies Hit Hard By Pandemic
Intercity bus company services are considered essential — part of the infrastructure that moves people across the country. Often, they operate in areas where there may be no alternative transportation. But Pantuso said the industry has been forgotten by Congress, which did little to help when it passed its $2 trillion CARES Act, the coronavirus relief bill that President Donald Trump signed into law in late March. (Bergal, 4/30)
ABC News:
States' Missing COVID-19 Racial And Ethnic Data Creates Incomplete View Of Virus' Impact
A hard look at COVID-19 racial data by the nation’s top public health experts and epidemiologists revealed a harrowing truth: the virus was devastating African-American communities. More than a month into the battle against the novel coronavirus, some states have yet to release racial and ethnic demographic data critical to understanding how COVID-19 is impacting communities of color as the Trump administration races to speed up testing in minority communities. (Vann and Kim, 4/30)
WBUR:
Don't Skip Your Child's Well Check: Delays In Vaccines Could Add Up To Big Problems
Pediatricians across the U.S. are seeing a steep drop in the number of children coming in for appointments right now — only about 20% to 30% of the volume they would normally see this time of year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Though telemedicine can make up part of the difference, doctors say the size of the drop-off in some routine well checks is a big problem — for those children and for the nation — though parents are understandably concerned about exposing their kids to the coronavirus. (Pao, 4/29)
ABC News:
The Impact Of COVID-19 On Infant And Child Health Care, Beyond Missed Vaccinations
Families are keeping children safe at home by heeding warnings to stay inside during the COVID-19 pandemic. But in spite of parents' best intentions, strict adherence to home quarantine has created a new problem that puts kids at risk: missed doctor's visits. (Nunneley, 4/29)
