Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: How Covid Is Affecting Pediatric Patients; Reasons US Handled Covid So Poorly
Houston Chronicle: I Operate On Children With COVID. Trust Me, Get Your Child Vaccinated
Imagine you’re a kid in a hospital and you’ve just been told that you need surgery. All the doctors and nurses who enter your room are covered in blue, head-to-toe protective gear: mask, goggles, hat and gown. You can’t see their faces or their reassuring smiles. I bet you would be scared. My patients are scared, too — this is the reality for children with COVID-19. I always knew I wanted to care for kids. So, when I fell in love with surgery during medical school, the decision to become a pediatric surgeon was an easy one. Still, I never thought I would be a pediatric surgeon during a raging pandemic, unable to comfort my patients with a smile they could see. (Bindi Naik-Mathuria, 10/2)
Stat: Why U.S. Pandemic Management Has Failed
Few U.S. journalists, politicians, or public health officials expressed any extraordinary concern when reports of a novel respiratory virus began to emerge out of China in late 2019 and early 2020. After all, the U.S. had just ranked number one among 195 countries in the 2019 Global Health Security Index — the first major comparative assessment of national capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. Experts believed the wealthiest large nation on earth to be well-prepared to weather whatever might come its way. (Eric Reinhart, 10/5)
The Washington Post: Montgomery County’s Vaccine-Or-Test Policy Has Run Its Course. A Real Mandate Is Needed
Montgomery County is Maryland’s largest jurisdiction, and the coronavirus pandemic’s toll there has been devastating: nearly 1,700 lives taken amid 80,000 cases. In its rampage through nursing homes, schools and businesses, covid-19 has disrupted practically everything, including the functioning of county government. Roughly a third of its 10,000 employees — including police officers, firefighters, health workers and others — have at some point missed work because of contracting the virus or being exposed to it. Five county employees have died, and about 140 are currently quarantined, having tested positive or awaiting test results. (10/4)
The Tennessean: COVID-19: Separate Politics And Healthcare To Protect Human Rights
Working in public health and witnessing death and the decline of communities have deepened my cynicism in my future and the future of this country. I discovered my own cruelty in processing my disdain for cigarette smokers being able to receive the vaccine well before myself and people I personally deemed more deserving. However, this is wrong, because health is not a prize for making perfect decisions. It is a human right. (Sydney Felder, 10/1)
Modern Healthcare: What The Pandemic Has Taught Us About Service And Value
Throughout this prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare leaders have been confronted with more systemic changes and challenges over a period of months than most had seen throughout their entire careers—all with little clear guidance, rampant misinformation and partisan squabbling, and no “playbook” to guide decision-making. (Mark Clement, 10/5)
Stat: Molnupiravir Was Made Possible By Government-Funded Innovation
Last week, Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced Phase 3 results of molnupiravir, an oral antiviral drug, in patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19. In a trial that included more than 750 patients, molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 50% compared with placebo. There were no deaths in the molnupiravir group compared to eight in the placebo group. Given these findings, this oral drug appears to offer a new way to treat patients with Covid-19 and is an easier option than intravenously administered antibodies or remdesivir. (Travis Whitfill, 10/5)
