First Edition: Dec. 13, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
How LA, Calling The Shots On School Vaccine Mandates, Can Lead The Way On Covid Rules
On March 31, 1977, as a measles epidemic swept through Los Angeles, the county health department issued an ultimatum to the parents of the county’s 1.6 million schoolchildren: Get your kids vaccinated within a month or keep them home. The “no shots, no school” warning was a novel threat at the time. Since the 1920s — and smallpox — no major city in the United States had locked the unvaccinated out of school. (Allen, 12/13)
KHN:
Wartime Trauma Hits Close To Home For Scholar Of Dementia
Oanh Meyer was a postdoctoral fellow studying the experiences of caregivers for those with dementia in 2012 when her research took a very personal turn. That year, her mother, a Vietnamese immigrant, began to show signs of dementia and paranoia that seemed to be linked to the trauma she had suffered during the long war in Vietnam, when bombing raids often drove her to hide underground and she lived in fear of Communist troops. (Galletti, 12/13)
KHN:
Split Supreme Court Leaves Texas Abortion Law In Effect, But Says Providers May Sue
In the second-most anticipated abortion case of the year, eight justices on the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that abortion providers can challenge a Texas law that has effectively banned most abortions in the state since it was allowed to take effect in September. But the court also ruled that the federal Justice Department could not intervene in the dispute, and it refused to block the law for now. Nonetheless, the justices were sharply divided in their opinions on the case. The majority opinion in the Texas decision, Whole Woman’s Health et al. v. Jackson et al., did not directly address the fate of abortion rights in the United States. Rather, the conservative, anti-abortion majority on the court is expected to take on that larger question in a separate case out of Mississippi that was argued Dec. 1. (Rovner, 12/10)
KHN:
Journalists Discuss Omicron, Public Health, Culturally Competent Care
KHN Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony discussed how Black tech entrepreneurs are trying to solve neglected health care issues on the America’s Heroes Group podcast Dec. 4. She talked about health technology and culturally competent care on KTVU on Dec. 1. ... KHN interim Southern Bureau Editor Andy Miller spoke about the omicron variant of the covid-19 virus on WUGA’s “Georgia Health Report” and Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Political Rewind” Dec. 3. ... KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed the covid pandemic and Missouri’s public health infrastructure on the “Healthy You: Surviving a Pandemic” podcast Dec. 2. (12/11)
Bloomberg:
Supreme Court Leaves Texas Abortion Providers With Few Remedies
Texas abortion providers have few good options for challenging a state law that prohibits the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that left the law in place, while allowing the underlying case to proceed. The law—known as S.B. 8—has virtually shut down abortions in Texas and is the most restrictive in the country. The legal challenge now presumably goes back to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, where it originated. (Pazanowski, 12/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Pfizer Booster Shots Are Effective Against Omicron Variant, Israeli Study Says
A booster shot of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine provides good protection against severe illness from the Omicron variant, while those without a third shot are highly vulnerable, according to a new Israeli study. The findings, similar to those announced last week by Pfizer, suggest countries worried about Omicron’s rapid spread will be able to defend their populations with continued inoculation. ... The study’s bad news, said Dr. Regev-Yochay, director of the infectious-disease epidemiology unit at Sheba Medical Center, is that people who got a “second dose of the vaccine five to six months ago don’t have any neutralizing ability.” (Lieber, 12/12)
Politico:
Fauci: Booster Shots For Americans Won’t Deprive Unvaccinated People Around The Globe
Anthony Fauci said Sunday that pushing Americans to get booster shots won’t deprive others around the globe of the opportunity to get vaccinated. “We can do both,” Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week." “We are, right now, vaccinating our own country,” President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser said. “We're going to be boosting as many people as we possibly can. But you can also simultaneously make doses available to the developing world. And the United States, quite frankly, has done more than all of the other countries combined. We've given over 300 million doses to over 100 countries, and we will either have given or pledging 1.1 billion doses and an expansion of even more.“ (Cohen, 12/12)
Bloomberg:
Pfizer Omicron Efficacy At 22.5% In South Africa Lab Experiments
A two-shot course of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine may have just 22.5% efficacy against symptomatic infection with the omicron variant, but can thwart severe disease, according to laboratory experiments in South Africa. Researchers at the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban issued additional data on a small study released earlier this week from which they made an estimate of the efficacy of the vaccine using modeling. (Sguazzin, 12/11)
AP:
South African Doctors See Signs Omicron Is Milder Than Delta
As the omicron variant sweeps through South Africa, Dr. Unben Pillay is seeing dozens of sick patients a day. Yet he hasn’t had to send anyone to the hospital. That’s one of the reasons why he, along with other doctors and medical experts, suspect that the omicron version really is causing milder COVID-19 than delta, even if it seems to be spreading faster. “They are able to manage the disease at home,” Pillay said of his patients. “Most have recovered within the 10 to 14-day isolation period.” said Pillay. (Meldrum, 12/11)
AP:
South African President Tests Positive For COVID, Mildly Ill
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the disease Sunday, his office said. Ramaphosa started feeling unwell and a test confirmed COVID-19, a statement from the presidency announced. He is self-isolating in Cape Town and is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service, the statement said. He has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week. (Meldrum, 12/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
How Sequencing Covid-19’s Viral Genome Helps Hunt For Variants
To keep up with changes to the virus that causes Covid-19, scientists are using a technology called genomic sequencing. The process starts with a Covid-19 test. Some samples that test positive for the coronavirus in a laboratory are pulled aside and sent off for sequencing, a review of the virus’s genetic material that can take as little as a day or more than a week. The SARS-CoV-2 genome has about 30,000 individual building blocks to decode, compared with about three billion in the human genome. (Abbott and Cervantes, 12/12)
The Boston Globe:
‘This Is Confusing The Hell Out Of Us.’ No One Knows How Omicron Originated, But Scientists Have Theories
When the Omicron variant emerged last month, scientists were shocked to find it had 50 genetic changes, many of which pose a threat to human health. Where did this strange and menacing viral beast come from? Just as no one knows whether Omicron will overpower vaccines or how quickly it will spread in the United States, its origins remain a mystery. But experts have theories. The most popular holds that Omicron evolved within a single individual with a weak immune system. Another theory suggests it took shape unnoticed in a population where there was little vaccination or testing. A third hypothesis posits that the virus, after originally leaping from animals to humans, jumped back into animals and formed mutations that went on to infect people. (Freyer, 12/11)
CBS News:
One Year After FDA Authorized Pfizer's COVID Vaccine, Cases Are On The Rise
Saturday marks one year since the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine — the first of three COVID-19 vaccines now in use in the United States. During that time, more than 480 million shots have been administered, and just over 60% of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated. But even with those protections, case numbers have gone up 22% in the past two weeks. Confirmed COVID cases showed up this week at an average rate of 120,000 per day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ninety-nine percent of those new cases are from Delta variant, not Omicron. (12/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Covid-19 Cases Rise In Many States After Thanksgiving
Covid-19 is surging in many parts of the country in the wake of Thanksgiving, with Christmastime gatherings on the horizon. Health authorities in some hard-hit states, like Vermont, New Jersey and Maine, say people who became infected after traveling or gathering indoors for Thanksgiving are likely adding to the Covid-19 numbers. By Saturday, some 34 states had higher seven-day averages for new cases than they did before Thanksgiving, according to Johns Hopkins University data, with some of the biggest increases in the Northeast. (Kamp and Lovett, 12/12)
AP:
Health Care Workers Arrive In New Hampshire To Help An ICU
More health care workers arrived in New Hampshire this weekend to help relieve pressure at a hospital with an overwhelmed intensive care unit. WMUR-TV reports that about two dozen health care workers arrived at Elliot Hospital in Manchester Saturday and began helping shortly after. They’re from the National Disaster Medical System, with the work funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (12/12)
AP:
Nurses From Downstate Headed To Western NY Amid COVID Surge
Nurses employed by Long Island-based Northwell Health have been sent to western New York to help at two hospitals dealing with a surge in coronavirus infections, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday. The 16 clinical professionals and two team leads are from the downstate region including the New York City and Long Island areas. They include intensive care, emergency and medical-surgical nurses. They were sent to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo and the University of Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for two weeks, the governor said in a statement. (12/11)
Crain's Detroit Business:
No More Federal Help Available As Michigan Hospitals Grapple With Latest COVID Surge
Michigan hospitals are overwhelmed in the fourth surge of COVID-19 and federal staffing help is tapped out. Three teams of 22 physicians and nurses from the U.S. Department of Defense are deployed at Beaumont Hospital-Dearborn, Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids and Covenant Healthcare in Saginaw. But for other hospitals across the state, including War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie and Munson in Traverse City, that are requesting federal assistance, there are no bodies to offer, Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of HHS, told reporters in a call Friday. (Walsh, 12/10)
The Washington Post:
Vaccine Holdouts In U.S. Military Approach 40,000 Even As Omicron Variant Fuels Call For Boosters
The number of active-duty U.S. military personnel declining to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by their prescribed deadlines is as high as 40,000, with new Army data showing that, days ahead of its cutoff, 3 percent of soldiers either have rejected President Biden’s mandate or sought a long-shot exemption. While overall the vast majority of service members are fully vaccinated, military analysts have characterized the number of refusals and holdouts as a troubling indicator in a rigid, top-down culture where decision-making often is predicated on the understanding that the troops will do as they are told. It also suggests the nation’s divisive politics have influenced a small but significant segment of the Defense Department, historically an apolitical institution. (Horton, 12/11)
AP:
Rhode Island Governor Extends Pandemic Executive Orders
Rhode Island’s governor has extended his executive orders requiring masks in schools and declaring a disaster emergency due to new COVID-19 variants. Both orders were due to expire Saturday. Gov. Dan McKee signed an extension through Jan. 8. McKee reported on Saturday the state’s first case of the omicron variant of coronavirus in an adult who recently had traveled out-of-state. (12/12)
AP:
Connecticut Will Have Proof-Of-Vaccination Cellphone App
Connecticut residents soon will be able to show their vaccination status using a cellphone app, though whether it’s required will be up to businesses, restaurants and other establishments. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday the app will be available by the end of the year. Lamont hasn’t followed the example of Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has reinstituted a statewide mask mandate beginning Monday. (12/12)
USA Today:
New York Brings Back Mask Mandate As Cases Spike
Masks will be required starting Monday in all indoor public places across New York unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement for entry. The mandates come as COVID-19 cases spiked statewide more than 43% since Thanksgiving, straining the health care system amid staffing shortages, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. New cases have been rising steadily across most of the nation in recent weeks. New York's requirements extend to both patrons and staff, with businesses facing a maximum $1,000 fine per violation. The measure will remain in place until Jan. 15, after which the state will re-evaluate. (Santucci and Bacon, 12/12)
Politico:
De Blasio Defends Vaccine Mandates, Points To Effectiveness In NYC
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wants everyone watching his newly imposed vaccine mandate to know one thing: they work. In a move not yet seen anywhere else in the nation, de Blasio is requiring all New Yorkers who work in the city’s private sector to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by Dec. 27. (Crummy, 12/12)
USA Today:
Some Missouri Health Departments Halt Public COVID-19 Work After Letter From GOP Politician
Multiple local health departments in rural Missouri have halted most or all of their COVID-19 tracking and prevention work after the state's Republican attorney general ordered agencies to comply with a recent court ruling. The Laclede County Health Department, located northeast of Springfield, said it received a letter from Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt that demanded it halt some COVID measures after a court ruling last month. The ruling by a Cole County circuit judge said local health authorities did not have the power to impose COVID-19 public health orders. It rendered certain Missouri regulations, including language on notifying people exposed to the virus and providing information for residents to respond, null and void. (Hayes and Yancey-Bragg, 12/11)
The Boston Globe:
Without Statewide Mask Mandate Against COVID-19, Mass. Will ‘Fight This War With One Arm Tied Behind Our Backs’
As numbers of coronavirus cases climb in Massachusetts, a growing chorus of local, state, and federal officials is sounding the call for mask mandates in indoor public places to stanch the spread of the pandemic this winter. The urging comes amid threats posed by the virus’s Delta and Omicron variants, and as the weather grows colder, gatherings move indoors, and the holiday season approaches. The US Centers for Disease Control reported Sunday that every Massachusetts county faces high community transmission and recommends residents wear masks in indoor public settings. Local health officials, including Julia Raifman, an assistant professor of health law, policy, and management at the Boston University School of Public Health, said Sunday that a statewide indoor mask rule would play an important role in limiting transmission of the virus. (Hilliard, 12/12)
WBUR:
Mass. Hospitals See Significant Number Of COVID Breakthrough Cases
If you’re vaccinated and you get COVID-19, the chance you’ll need hospital care is still very rare. In Massachusetts, the rate is 0.05%. But as COVID cases surge, hospitals are reporting a significant portion of patients who’ve had their initial vaccine shot — or shots — and a few who’ve received a booster as well. At major hospitals around the state, anywhere from 25% to 43% of patients tested positive this week for the coronavirus, according to daily numbers provided by the hospitals. In a few cases, the main reason for hospitalization was something other than COVID-19. It is also worth noting that the vast majority — in some cases 75% of COVID patients — reported that they are unvaccinated. (Bebinger, 12/10)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Metro Atlanta City With Strictest Mask Mandate Reports No Fines, Police Calls
Decatur remains metro Atlanta’s strictest city when it comes to requiring face masks, even if its mandate is mostly ceremonial at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic. City leaders said the detection of the Omicron variant in Georgia coupled with DeKalb County’s low vaccination rate prompted them to extend the city’s mask mandate through mid-January. The historic DeKalb city was among a handful of cities to bring back mask requirements in August in response to the surge of new cases brought by the Delta variant. Decatur’s policy allows for private business owners to opt-out of enforcement by posting signs if they wish, effectively making the mandate optional. While the policy carries a potential $50 fine for violators, City Manager Andrea Arnold told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that police have not been called once — let alone issued any fines or citations. (Hansen, 12/10)
Houston Chronicle:
Rice Keeps Employee Vaccine Requirement Despite Judge’s Ruling Against Biden Mandate For Contractors
Rice University is continuing its employee vaccination requirement despite a court decision that temporarily halts President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors. U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker on Tuesday blocked Biden’s directive nationwide, forcing leaders of colleges and universities that partner with the federal government to rethink any existing vaccination policies. By the end of a weekly meeting Friday of Rice administrators overseeing the campus’ COVID-19 response, the university’s rule requiring vaccinations for all employees remained unchanged, a Rice spokesman said. (Ketterer, 12/10)
The Washington Examiner:
Democrats Push For More Home COVID-19 Tests On Shelves To Counter Omicron
Democrats have ramped up pressure on the Biden administration to invest more in at-home COVID-19 testing to address supply shortages, arguing that people are missing a key public health tool as a threatening variant emerges. “Now that we have omicron, people are getting scared, and we know vaccines take a while to kick in and people want to see their families for the holidays. Everybody wants to test and be responsible, and now you can’t find tests again,” said Rep. Kim Schrier, a Washington Democrat. (Morrison, 12/12)
Axios:
Facebook Exec Blames Society For COVID Misinformation
Longtime Facebook veteran Andrew Bosworth insists that political and COVID-19 misinformation are societal problems rather than issues that have been magnified by social networks. Critics say Facebook and other social networks have played a significant role in vaccine hesitancy and the spread of political misinformation. "Individual humans are the ones who choose to believe or not believe a thing. They are the ones who choose to share or not share a thing," Bosworth said in an interview with "Axios on HBO." "I don't feel comfortable at all saying they don't have a voice because I don't like what they said." (Fried, 12/12)
USA Today:
Omicron Variant Fuels COVID Misinformation: How To Spot False Claims
As scientists continue to learn more about the new strain, public health experts say the dearth of instant data is prompting some to seek out whatever scant information they can find. Others are seizing the opportunity to spread disinformation. ... The latest claim stemmed from a social media post of an apparent movie poster with the title, “The Omicron Variant,” and a caption reading “An Italian film from 1963.” The Facebook post was shared 300 times in a day, and the same image was retweeted more than 1,700 times. While some user comments claimed the poster predicted the appearance of the omicron variant, others said they believed it was proof global organizations invented the new strain to control the narrative of the pandemic. ... The image turned out to be a movie poster from 1974 digitally edited as a joke, the image’s creator Becky Cheatle told USA TODAY in a Twitter message. (Rodriguez, 12/11)
CIDRAP:
Study Suggests Heart Damage May Last Up To 1 Year In COVID-19 Patients
A small study of 66 COVID-19 patients suggests that those who continue to be short of breath during physical activity 1 year after recovery may have suffered heart damage, according to new data presented at EuroEcho 2021, a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology. The 66 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 in March and April of 2020 at the University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. None had previous heart or lung disease. The average patient age was 50 years, and 67% were men. (12/10)
CIDRAP:
COVID Vaccine Lotteries Tied To Increased Uptake In Most, Not All, States
Programs that reward the newly vaccinated with an entry in a lottery were associated with an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations in most—but not all—US states offering the incentive and may have spurred almost 2 million people to get immunized, according to research published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. From Mar 17 to Jul 5, 2021, researchers from Drexel University and the University of Georgia polled 403,714 adult participants in the Household Pulse Survey and analyzed daily vaccination rates for the 11 states with a vaccine lottery and 28 states without such a program. Of all survey participants, 71.9% were vaccinated against COVID-19 and 28.1% were not. (12/10)
CIDRAP:
Face Mask, Other PPE Litter Skyrockets Amid Pandemic
The proliferation of face coverings to protect against COVID-19 has had a devastating, lasting effect on the environment, with a 9,000% increase in mask litter over 14 months in 11 countries, finds an observational study led by UK researchers yesterday in Nature Sustainability. Discarded gloves and used disinfectant wipes have also added to the refuse, the increase of which was likely driven by national COVID-19 policy responses—particularly face mask mandates—and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, the researchers said. (Van Beusekom, 12/10)
CIDRAP:
US flu continues slow rise, affecting wider age range
US flu activity continued its slow rise last week, and though outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) reached the national baseline of 2.5%, circulation of other respiratory viruses is likely playing a contributing role, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update. Clinical and public health labs continue to report increased numbers of positive flu tests, almost all of them the H3N2 strain. Though most of the early activity was focused on those ages 5 to 24, the proportion of illnesses in older age-groups has risen in recent weeks. (12/10)
The Washington Post:
Anger, Emotional Upset Could Trigger A Stroke
Researchers in a global study devoted to figuring out stroke triggers found that about 1 in 11 stroke patients experience anger or emotional upset in the hour before their stroke symptoms begin. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, looked at data from 13,462 patients in 32 countries who had strokes. The patients completed extensive questionnaires during the first three days after they were hospitalized, answering questions about their medical history and what they had been doing and feeling before their stroke. (Blakemore, 12/12)
Stat:
Mutations Tied To Blood Cancers May Protect Against Alzheimer's
When key mutations strike bone marrow stem cells, known as hematopoietic stem cells, your risk for a litany of diseases go up. “Heart attacks, strokes, more recently COPD, osteoporosis,” Siddhartha Jaiswal, a pathology researcher at Stanford University, rattled off. “And you’re at higher risk of blood cancers in the future. They’re the first hit on the path to cancer.” These mutations are almost universally bad, Jaiswal said in an interview with STAT. But in a new study, Jaiswal found that these same genetic changes might actually protect against Alzheimer’s disease, startling researchers who reviewed the work and raising questions as to how such pathological mutations could prevent the devastating neurodegenerative disorder. (Chen, 12/12)
Houston Chronicle:
Feds Extend Deadline For Terminating UMMC's Medicare Contract Until January
An 11th hour agreement between federal health officials and United Memorial Medical Center has delayed the termination of the hospital system’s Medicare contract, pending another inspection of the hospital’s facilities to ensure that health and safety issues uncovered previously have been fixed. A spokeswoman for United Memorial Medical Center, which has four locations in the Houston area, expressed confidence that the next inspection would show that the hospital has corrected all deficiencies cited in previous inspections and it will keep its federal contracts. (Carballo, 12/10)
Stat:
Roche Antibody Posts Strong Tumor Responses In Lymphoma Study
An off-the-shelf bispecific antibody developed by Roche induced high and durable response rates in patients with a slow-growing type of lymphoma — study results that are likely to secure the treatment’s approval and help it rival a custom-made CAR-T therapy. The study enrolled 90 patients, all of whom were given intravenous infusions of the Roche drug, called mosunetuzumab. Complete remissions were reported in 54 patients, or 60%, meaning their disease was undetectable. The overall response rate was 80% with median duration of response lasting nearly 23 months. (Feuerstein, 12/12)
Stat:
Patients With Beta-Thalassemia Benefit From Bluebird Gene Therapy
People with severe beta-thalassemia who live in Europe have been denied access to Bluebird Bio’s approved gene therapy after the company withdrew it from the market last April. European health systems balked at the nearly $2 million price tag for the gene therapy called Zynteglo, and when negotiations broke down, Bluebird walked away. But Saturday, Bluebird relied largely on European patients enrolled in its beta-thalassemia clinical trials to demonstrate the successful, long-term durability of Zynteglo. The juxtaposition is awkward for Bluebird, showing business priorities don’t always align with the biotech’s “patients first” mantra. (Feuerstein, 12/11)
Stat:
Gilead, Bristol Jaw Over Superiority Of CAR-T Treatments For Blood Cancer
Competing, bespoke CAR-T cell therapies from Gilead Sciences and Bristol Myers Squibb have each demonstrated additional benefit for patients with B-cell lymphoma at an earlier stage of treatment than they’re used for currently. But is one better than the other? Results from the successful clinical trials, dubbed ZUMA-7 and TRANSFORM by Gilead and Bristol, respectively, are being presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Collectively, the data are likely to expand the use of these CAR-T therapies — Gilead’s Yescarta and Bristol’s Breyanzi — and deliver larger sales for both companies. (Feuerstein, 12/11)
Stat:
J&J's New CAR-T Therapy, Cilta-Cel, Shows Long-Term Success, Data Show
By the time patients with multiple myeloma have gone through four or five different therapies, the outlook for any new treatment is dim. Most interventions offer these patients only a scant few more months of life. But new data on a Janssen CAR-T therapy called cilta-cel suggests the treatment might help halt progression of the disease for nearly two years. “That, for our patients, is something that we’ve never seen before from any other single agent,” said Krina Patel, an oncologist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center who has served on an advisory board for Janssen but did not work on cilta-cel. “We might get a few months for most patients with a new agent, but 21.8 months without any therapy is fantastic.” (Chen, 12/12)
Stat:
The Whitest Specialty: As Medicine Strives To Close Its Diversity Gaps, One Field Remains A Stubborn Outlier
While medicine as a whole, and even other elite specialties like dermatology, thoracic surgery, and otolaryngology, has begun to increase the number of people of color in its ranks, orthopedics’ numbers have barely budged. Less than 2% of those practicing in the field are Black, just 2.2% are Hispanic, and 0.4% are Native American. Even Asian American physicians, a group considered overrepresented in medicine, are much scarcer in orthopedics, making up just 6.7% of these specialists. The numbers in orthopedics are woefully low in part because there are few candidates of color to begin with: Black, Hispanic, and Native American students are underrepresented in medical school. But an investigation by STAT shows the shallow pool of potential orthopedic surgeons from communities of color gets further winnowed at almost every stage: Aspiring orthopedists from these groups are less likely to apply to the specialty, less likely to be accepted into residency programs, and if they are, less likely to finish their training. The pipeline is not only narrow, it’s full of leaks.(McFarling, 12/13)
CNBC:
What Apple, Google Smartwatches Are Learning About Our Health
Fitness trackers from companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google are making a significant shift from being low-tech devices that counted steps to now becoming what’s fashionable in personal health.Tracking fitness and workout data for personal use or sharing with friends can be useful and fun. But there’s an increasing interest in incorporating a wider range of medical data into the digital health ecosystem — piggybacking on the dramatic rise in remote telehealth services necessitated during the Covid-19 pandemic — making individuals’ information accessible to physicians and hospitals as part of electronic medical health records. (Woods, 12/12)
Reuters:
First Person Dies From Omicron Variant In United Kingdom
At least one person has died in the United Kingdom after contracting the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, warning that the variant now accounted for 40% of infections in the British capital. Since the first Omicron cases were detected on Nov. 27 in the United Kingdom, Johnson has imposed tougher restrictions and on Sunday he urged people to get booster shots to prevent the health service from being overwhelmed. (McKay and Faulconbridge, 12/13)
Bloomberg:
U.K. Says Can’t Rule Out Shutting Schools As Omicron Spreads
U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said there’s no certainty the government will be able to keep schools in England open, as the government battles to contain the spread of the omicron Covid-19 variant. “When it comes to our fight against the pandemic there are no guarantees,” Javid told LBC radio on Monday, as he detailed plans to offer all adults in England a booster vaccination by the end of December. “We are once again in a race between the vaccine and the virus.” (Donaldson, 12/13)
NBC News:
New U.S. Covid Travel Warnings Hit European Hot Spots
U.S. travel warnings are hitting longtime American tourist hot spots where it hurts, with some who depend on the dollar describing their situation as desperate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week advised Americans to avoid traveling to France, Portugal and several other European destinations, as well as to Jordan and Tanzania, citing concern over high rates of Covid-19. These destinations now join more than 70 other countries on the “Level 4: Very High” list, which also includes Germany, the United Kingdom and Denmark. (Elbaum and Ing, 12/9)
CNN:
China Vaccines: Why The Government Is Reluctant To Approve Western MRNA Shots
When the highly infectious Delta variant hit China in the summer, some public health experts were hopeful that the country could soon receive an immunity boost from BioNTech's highly effective mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. In July, the shot was reported to have passed an expert review by Chinese regulators and was in the administration review stage, according to Fosun Pharma, the Chinese partner of BioNTech licensed to produce and distribute the vaccine in the Greater China region. Fosun was even planning to start domestic trial production by the end of August. However, five months later there is still no word from Chinese officials on when -- or whether -- the vaccine will ever be approved, even as the newly emerged Omicron variant poses a fresh challenge to China's zero-Covid strategy -- and its less effective domestic vaccines. (Gan and George, 12/13)