Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Let's Examine Omicron Subvariant BA.2; How To Allocate Limited Supply Of Covid Therapeutics
Bloomberg: Covid Omicron Subvariant BA.2: What Do We Know About Vaccines, Infections?
Viruses mutate. So it came as little surprise that the fast-spreading omicron variant (known as BA.1) has a faster-spreading subvariant, BA.2. The latter is becoming dominant in Denmark, increasing in the U.K. and quickly spreading elsewhere. New studies show that getting a mild omicron infection may not give a robust enough immune response to protect against another omicron infection, of either BA.1 or BA.2. (Therese Raphael and Sam Fazeli, 2/2)
The Boston Globe: We Can Help Many Of The 2,200 People Dying Of COVID Every Day
Again, Americans are facing the problem of medical rationing. First it was personal protective equipment, then ventilators, then vaccines, and now antibodies and antiviral therapeutics. Federal, state, and hospital officials are having to decide who gets first access to potentially lifesaving drugs like Pfizer’s Paxlovid. Unlike in March 2020, they have faced almost two years of managing scarcity. What can they learn from earlier shortages about how to fairly and effectively allocate these therapies? (Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Govind Persad, 2/1)
New England Journal of Medicine: Studying Long Covid
The continuing spread of SARS-CoV-2 remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. What physicians need to know about transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of Covid-19 is the subject of ongoing updates from infectious disease experts at the Journal. (Eric J. Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., Lindsey R. Baden, M.D., Clifford J. Rosen, M.D., and Stephen Morrissey, Ph.D., 2/3)
The Tennessean: Unvaccinated, Unmasked Present Unnecessary Danger For Cancer Patients
Each Friday in April last year, I climbed into the vinyl recliner at the cancer center to receive a monoclonal antibody infusion. The Rituxan, in combination with previous rounds of chemotherapy, tamped down the hairy cell leukemia, but it also left my body in an immunocompromised state, like 7 million other Americans. This, of course, is not ideal during a pandemic. (Catherine Berresheim, 2/2)
The Star Tribune: Our Best Shot: Addressing Hesitations About The Coronavirus Vaccines
The faster we vaccinate, the faster the COVID-19 pandemic ends. But the speed with which the shots were developed has led to understandable questions. The Editorial Board's #OurBestShot series enlists Minnesota health and community leaders to deliver timely, trustworthy answers. Here's a collection of articles, videos and other resources presented so far, with more planned: (2/2)
USA Today: End Mask Mandates For Children In Schools But Encourage Vaccine
As scientists and physicians, we are concerned that COVID-19 mitigation measures for children are doing more harm than good. Too many policymakers have viewed health as the mere absence of COVID-19, putting children into a loop of mitigation measures that are uncoupled from actual risk. After two years of living with one disruption after another, the evidence is clear: The pandemic and the loss of normalcy are taking a tremendous toll on students, with the data on mental health being particularly alarming. (Dr. Scott Balsitis, Dr. Lucy McBride, Dr. Kristen Walsh and Dr. Carol Vidal, 2/3)
