Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Protein Subunit Shots Could Vaccinate The World; Should We All Expect To Catch Covid?
Bloomberg: To Vaccinate World Against Covid-19, We Need More Than MRNA Shots
Early on in the pandemic, many of us hoped that India would help vaccinate the world. India’s pharmaceutical sector, dominated by companies capable of churning out generic medicines in vast quantities, looked like the obvious location for vaccine production at the scale needed to inoculate the developing world. That hasn’t worked out, partly because the Indian government restricted vaccine exports after the Delta variant emerged here — but also because of the unexpected and early success of the mRNA-based shots from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. (Mihir Sharma, 1/10)
Los Angeles Times: It's Looking Like We All Might Get COVID Someday
With the Omicron variant of COVID-19 ripping its way around the world, it’s just a matter of time before we all are exposed to COVID. On Wednesday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the number of new cases has exploded, as have hospitalizations, and the surge has yet to peak. The good news is that the new variant seems to cause less severe illness and does not appear to attack the lungs as viciously as earlier variants did. (Robin Abcarian, 1/9)
CNN: Why Covid-19 Tests Are In Short Supply
The US has been on a troubling course in its fight to end the pandemic: Since the first cases of Covid-19 caused by the Omicron variant were identified in the US, case numbers have been on the rise, with hundreds of thousands of new patients diagnosed per day. Given the latest Covid spike, demand for testing is surging along with misperceptions of what it takes to perform a test, from collecting the sample to delivering a diagnosis. It is important for the public to know Covid tests, like many other products facing delays and shortages, have been limited by supply chain shortages. Understanding this helps put in perspective the lack of availability that can arise when demand for tests peaks. It is understandable people are frustrated by resource shortages, but there is something the public can do to help right the ship: be responsible about testing correctly (which includes reporting positive at-home test results to your physician), vaccinating and taking additional safety measure like quarantining when infected with or exposed to Covid-19. (Emily E. Volk, 1/10)
USA Today: COVID Has Wrecked Kids' Mental Health. Here's How To Help Them Cope
Being a clinical psychologist who treats children and teenagers has given me a unique vantage point during this nearly two-year pandemic. I have seen firsthand the psychological toll this national crisis has taken on our youth. The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health shows that 46% of parents have noticed a new or worsening mental health condition in their teens since the start of the pandemic. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital noticed up to a 75% increase in children who have shown up for emergency mental health evaluations. Pediatricians at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., have noted a sharp increase in kids coming in with mental health issues. (Alan D. Blotcky, 1/11)
The Baltimore Sun: We All Have Pandemic Fatigue, But We Can’t Give Up Now
With the holiday travels and gatherings behind us, we can expect that the next few weeks will see an unprecedented surge in COVID infections and hospitalizations. As an immunologist with a Ph.D. and over 40 years’ experience, it has been extremely frustrating to see high levels of noncompliance with common-sense COVID safety precautions that are recommended by many health organizations. I’ve been called stupid, an idiot, or worse many times for advocating wearing masks and getting vaccinated. Nevertheless, I persist. (John F. Krowka, 1/11)
The Star Tribune: We Must Prepare For A Post-Pandemic (But Not Post-COVID) World
For the last 40 years, I have been studying sufferers' experiences of ill-health, health care, and disease prevention — issues associated with what I call health culture. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a kind of participant observation in the most significant health-related development of my lifetime. We can't predict the future with any certainty. But history can help. (Lucinda Myles McCray, 1/8)
Los Angeles Times: Omicron Makes Case For California's Single-Payer Plan
There has never been a more urgent moment to reimagine healthcare. Two long years into the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are getting sick (thanks to Omicron) and staying sick (thanks to long COVID). A piece of legislation up for debate in the California Assembly on Tuesday, aiming to create single-payer healthcare in the state, couldn’t be more timely. (Rupa Marya, 1/10)
