Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Congress Must Fund Global VAX Initiative; We Should Mask On Public Transit From Now On
The Washington Post: Failing To Fund The U.S. Covid Response Bodes Trouble For The Entire World
Nearly a year ago, President Biden announced that the United States would be the “arsenal of vaccines for the world,” just as America served as an arsenal for democracies during World War II. With the president’s leadership and the consistent bipartisan support of Congress, the United States has delivered more than half a billion coronavirus vaccines to 114 lower-income countries free of charge, a historic accomplishment. This example spurred contributions from other wealthy nations and contributed to vaccination of almost 60 percent of the world. (Atul Gawande, 3/30)
Bloomberg: Mask-Wearing On Trains And Subways Should Be A Forever Thing
One morning last week a young man in a light-blue sport coat with AirPods in his ears and no mask on his face boarded my bus in Los Angeles and sat down. Then he looked around at all the masked faces, got up, walked to the front of the bus to grab a free mask from the dispenser, put it on and returned to his seat. It made my day. (Justin Fox, 3/30)
CNN: We Want Our Kids Vaccinated -- But We Can't Rush The Process
Last week's announcement that Moderna plans to seek authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine for young children 6 months through 5 years of age brought us a feeling that's been fleeting for parents during the pandemic: hope. We immediately texted one another, excited. "Moderna! For our kids!" As mothers who are also public health professionals, we follow the data. We've read extensively about the safety and efficacy of the adult Covid-19 mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. And now we are reading Moderna's news releases carefully, trying to piece together how quickly the company might submit a request to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for young kids. ("In the coming weeks," said Moderna.) (Rosa Baier and Vanessa Lamers, 3/30)
Bloomberg: Is Covid Over? Probably Not — Just Ask Australian Rabbits
There’s a lot scientists can learn from Australian rabbits about the long-term future of Covid-19. That future depends on how the virus evolves. And while evolutionary biology can’t predict precisely how it will evolve, it can lay out some possibilities. Viruses can not only change in transmissibility and virulence, they can alter the way they get into cells, start infecting different parts of the body, or find new ways to evade an animal’s immune system. (Faye Flam, 3/30)
