Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Are Bribes For Vaccines Effective? More Work Needed On Covid Therapy Drugs
USA Today: Bribing Americans To Get The COVID Vaccine Is Not The Solution
When questioned about his impressive liquor intake, Winston Churchill once slyly remarked, “I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me. ”In 2021, Churchill’s boast has rang true for many Americans who have used alcohol as a key to unlock the world outside their homes. Communities around the country have begun offering spirits – brewed or distilled – as an incentive for people to receive their COVID-19 vaccination shots. (Christian Schneider, 5/19)
Scientific American: Why Monoclonal Antibody COVID Therapies Have Not Lived Up To Expectations
Over the past year, the successful development of highly effective vaccines to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection has moved forward at a rapid pace—but the use of treatments for patients sickened by the virus has lagged. A number of barriers have stood in the way of using the drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, including logistical challenges and the emergence of new viral variants that are resistant to some of these antibodies. Although they are not a cure for COVID, monoclonals can serve as an effective therapeutic option that can prevent a patient with mild or moderate disease from becoming sicker and ending up in the hospital. (Carlos del Rio, 5/18)
Stat: What's Needed To Turn The IP Waiver Into Covid-19 Vaccines
The Biden administration’s announcement to support an intellectual property (IP) waiver for Covid-19 vaccines was a monumental step toward improving the access to them in low- and middle-income countries. But without further action, it will be little more than a symbol. (Parsa Erfani, Lawrence O. Gostin and Vanessa Kerry, 5/19)
The Baltimore Sun: CDC Has Done Terrible Job In Its COVID Communications, The Latest When It Comes To Masks
You can’t blame the messenger for not being clear if the message is a mishmash. And last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered such a messed-up message about unmasking that its director still has not been able to clean it up. As a result, many of us are more confused than ever about masks, and we have a right to be angry about that. (David Zurawik, 5/18)
The Washington Post: Should We Keep Wearing Masks? Dr. Leana S. Wen Answers Your Questions About The Latest CDC Guidance.
What does the new CDC mask guidance mean for you? Washington Post contributing columnist Dr. Leana S. Wen answered reader questions on the coronavirus and masks on Tuesday, May 18. Read the chat transcript below. (Leana S. Wen, 5/18)
The New York Times: Pandemic Status: Almost ‘Normal,’ But Not OK
As soon as I see the name on my phone, it all comes back to me. I remember the nights we spent outside his hospital room, adjusting his ventilator settings. I remember the anxious call to his family when he started to bleed into his lungs, and we did not know if he would make it. I can still picture the guide to Islamic end-of-life rituals that his nurses passed from shift to shift, the way it grew dog-eared and tattered. Somehow, my patient survived Covid-19. He saw his son off to college. He was even able to return to work part-time as the manager of the liquor store near his home. In a way, his life is back to normal. But he is still haunted by the delirious hallucinations that make him feel as if he’s still in the intensive care unit. They’re his only memories of the experience. (Daniela J. Lamas, 5/19)
CNN: Why My Family Is Still Isolating
We thought they got off the island. When we launched into our 533-page copy of "The Swiss Family Robinson" with our then 5- and 7-year-olds at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, my husband and I assumed that the Robinsons, shipwrecked on a remote desert island, would eventually rejoin humanity. I'll save you a year's worth of reading -- they don't. Not in our edition, at least. (Apparently, there are happier versions of the much-altered 1812 novel in which some of the children do -- but not the one we spent 13 months reading to our children.) And it got me wondering -- will we? (Laurie Rich Salerno, 5/17)
CNN: Is Pandemic Purgatory Worse Than Lockdown? How To End The Languishing
I recently went to pick up a gift card for a friend at a restaurant and came across an unseemly sight. The joint was packed to the rim with people, unmasked, clinking glasses, exchanging friendly banter and acting like pandemic was a word reserved for horror or psychological thriller streaming movie recommendations. It was the first time that indoor capacity for dining and bars was lifted in my area following the low rates of Covid-19. "We've been busy now that everyone is getting vaccinated," the bartender told me, as I waited anxiously, still donning my apocalyptic space suit and double layer masks. (Allison Hope, 4/19)
