Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: The Reality Of Rationed Care In The ER; The Public Is Confused About Booster Shots
Chicago Tribune: As Unvaccinated COVID-19 Patients Overwhelm ERs, Hospitals Ration Care
Dear “Personal Choicers,” As long as unvaccinated people provide a significant breeding ground for COVID-19 virus variants, medical care for those seriously ill with coronavirus will be diminished. Rationing hospital patient admissions has become urgently necessary because of depleted staff and limitations of space and equipment. (Diana C. Schramm, 9/28)
Newsweek: On Boosters, It's The White House Vs FDA Vs CDC Vs Fauci Vs 'The Science'
In a virtually unprecedented move, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky announced at 1:00 a.m. last Friday that she was very broadly approving booster shots for people under 65 whose occupations may put them at heightened risk from the coronavirus. While the announcement aligned with a September 17 recommendation by experts at the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), it directly contradicted a key CDC advisory panel, which had advised against approving boosters for people under 65. The panel in turn contradicted President Joe Biden. On August 18, he declared to all Americans, "Get a booster shot.... It will make you safer, and for longer. And it will help us end the pandemic faster." (David Gortler, 9/29)
The Baltimore Sun: To Boost Or Not To Boost, Is Not The Question
At first, nobody openly mentioned the B-words: breakthroughs and boosters. In the spring, the CDC encouraged, cajoled and, finally, pleaded with Americans to get the first COVID-19 vaccine available to them. Get your first shot. Don’t forget your second shot. (Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, 9/28)
Bloomberg: World Can Have Covid Boosters And Its First Doses, Too
As the U.S. and other developed countries start rolling out Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, many are expressing concern that this will slow down the global vaccination campaign — prolonging the pandemic and causing significant harm along the way. But there is a way to deliver boosters and speed up the next phase of vaccination at the same time. It’s the difference between pushing and pulling. (Scott Duke Kominers, 9/28)
The Washington Post: Covid Booster Shot Debate Shows Public Health Is About Values
The controversy over how the Biden administration decided who should get coronavirus booster shots underscores an important but seldom discussed point: Public health is not only about science; it’s also about societal values. “Follow the science” is a noble-sounding mantra that’s insufficient to account for the complexity of health policy decisions. (Leana S. Wen, 9/28)
Los Angeles Times: Think Vaccine Mandates Are Controversial? What If Police Held You Down And Injected You?
At the end of August, police in China’s Hunan province came to the home of Zhang Jianping. They questioned him about why he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, and took him by car to a hospital. In a social media post that included photos and videos to back up his story, Zhang said he was very clear that he did not want to be immunized. “I am not informed. I do not consent,” he says he told the authorities. But they held down his arms and legs and forcibly injected him. (Nicholas Goldberg, 9/29)
NBC News: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Has No Time For NBA's Covid Vaccine Selfishness
NBA games don’t begin until Oct. 19, but an unhealthy number of the league’s players are already refusing to get a Covid-19 vaccination. And their refusal could sabotage the 2021-22 season. Surprisingly, a small minority of anti-vax players has convinced the players' union that a vaccine mandate during a pandemic should be a “non-starter” for the league. The league cannot give in to this demand. It must instead insist that players be vaccinated, just as it has with referees and other people who will be near the players, such as security guards, bus drivers and massage therapists. (Cecil Harris, 9/28)
