Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Is A Variant-Specific Vaccine Worth Making? How Culture Can Affect Vaccination Status
Bloomberg: Covid Omicron Variant Poses A Puzzle For Booster And Vaccine Makers
As Covid restrictions come down throughout most of the advanced world — even Australia is preparing to welcome international visitors again — public health authorities will need to make decisions on future vaccine protocols. One possibility would be a booster shot formulated specifically for the fast-spreading omicron variant, which is behind the recent growth in infections in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere. (Therese Raphael and Sam Fazeli, 2/8)
Newsweek: Increasing Vaccinations Requires Understanding How Culture Shapes Thinking
In the mid 2000s, I was working with local researchers on the Swahili coast of Kenya studying a health care puzzle: Why were so many kids with kifafa (Swahili for epilepsy) forgoing life-saving medicine? And why were public health campaigns and efforts so ineffective? The answer: culture. What families viewed as the cause of seizures, and how providers talked about these causes, were better predictors of the treatments they sought than distance to a health facility, cost of treatment, or their awareness that were anti-epilepsy drugs. (Nat Kendall-Taylor, 2/8)
Bloomberg: Pfizer’s Covid Windfall Creates New MRNA Opportunities
One area where Pfizer will focus its scientific prowess is in expanding the use of mRNA beyond Covid. The company believes that the Comirnaty vaccine is only a first act for the technology. During the pandemic, Pfizer amassed a great deal of practical knowledge about mRNA — about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and also about scaling up vaccine manufacturing to supply the world. Now it is assembling the pieces of a larger mRNA enterprise that will include both vaccines and treatments. (Lisa Jarvis, 2/8)
The Baltimore Sun: Why Some Rally Against COVID Vaccination: A Lack Of Understanding And Trust
Ever since the vaccines for COVID-19 became available, the public health data has been very clear. Vaccines prevent serious disease and death, while the unvaccinated suffer more serious disease, higher rates of hospitalization and higher mortality. Nearly a year has passed since vaccines have been available and nearly 64% of the population has been fully vaccinated. From those who’ve chosen to remain unvaccinated — not counting those who are too young to be eligible — you will hear a number of different reasons for their decision, including personal choice or concerns about the vaccines not being well tested. But underlying all of these reasons is most likely a lack of understanding about public health, and a breakdown in the chain of trust in our society. (George Delahunty, 2/8)
The Washington Post: In This Next Phase Of The Pandemic, Beware Of The Extremes
Once again, the United States is at a turning point in the covid-19 pandemic. As infections fall, local and state officials are lifting mask mandates, and a bipartisan group of governors is calling on President Biden to “move away” from the pandemic by providing an off-ramp for remaining restrictions. These sensible actions have been met with anger, derision and opposition from both sides. Some claim that these actions are proof that mandates were never needed and question the effectiveness of masking, vaccination and other evidence-based mitigation measures. Others offer no reasonable endpoint for restrictions and make continued masking a symbol of their belief in science. (Leana S. Wen, 2/8)
