Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Mulls Next Round Of Covid Shots As Americans Wonder What To Do Next
The Wall Street Journal: FDA May Authorize Additional Covid-19 Booster Shots
Federal health regulators are nearing a decision on whether to authorize a second round of the Omicron-targeted booster shots for the elderly and other people at high-risk of severe Covid-19, people familiar with the agency’s deliberations said. Food and Drug Administration officials could make the decision within a few weeks, the people said. (Armour and Whyte, 3/21)
CNN: Health Officials Consider Another Round Of Bivalent Boosters For The Most Vulnerable Americans
US officials are weighing whether to offer people who are at high risk of severe Covid-19 the chance to get another bivalent booster, according to a source familiar with the deliberations, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to share the details of ongoing discussions. (Goodman, 3/21)
On fading immunity —
CNBC: If You Had Covid Before You Were Vaccinated, You Might Have Less Immunity Than You Think, Study Says
People who caught Covid-19 before they were vaccinated had a weaker immune response to the shots than those who never had the virus, potentially leaving them less protected against reinfection, new research shows. Co-funded by the National Institutes of Health, the study released Monday challenges older research that suggested a prior Covid infection enhanced a vaccinated individual’s immune response — a phenomenon known as hybrid immunity, which some scientists believe provides the best protection against reinfection. (Constantino, 3/21)
Missouri and North Carolina advance anti-vax measures —
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri House Advances Measure Limiting Vaccines
The Missouri House approved an anti-vaccination measure Tuesday that could tie the hands of health professionals to address future pandemics. The proposal, sponsored by Republican Rep. Bill Hardwick of Waynesville, would bar governments from being able to mandate a COVID-19 vaccine or future potential medical technologies like microchips placed under someone’s skin. (Erickson, 3/21)
AP: North Carolina House Advances Ban On COVID Vaccine Mandates
North Carolina’s public schools, colleges and universities would be prohibited from requiring a student to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 under a bill that advanced Tuesday in the state House. (Schoenbaum, 3/21)
Also —
Axios: Republicans' Vaccine Oversight Risks Spreading Misinformation
Republicans itching to probe the pandemic response are already struggling to separate vaccine-related questions that could yield lessons learned from ones that echo theories experts say are debunked by reams of data. (Owens, 3/22)
Vanity Fair: Inside Ron DeSantis’s Plan To Ride Anti-Vaxxism To The White House
While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s strategy may be rooted in politics, it is likely to have far-reaching public health repercussions, says Dr. Jonathan Howard, an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at NYU Langone Health. “You’re going to continue to see Republicans dying [from COVID-19] at a higher rate, and a return of measles and whooping cough and God knows what else,” says Howard, who has studied the anti-vax movement for a decade. (Eban, 3/21)
KHN: End Of Covid Emergency Will Usher In Changes Across The US Health System
The Biden administration’s decision to end the covid-19 public health emergency in May will institute sweeping changes across the health care system that go far beyond many people having to pay more for covid tests. In response to the pandemic, the federal government in 2020 suspended many of its rules on how care is delivered. That transformed essentially every corner of American health care — from hospitals and nursing homes to public health and treatment for people recovering from addiction. (Pradhan, 3/22)
