First Edition: November 29, 2021

KHN: Black Tech Founders Want To Change The Culture Of Health Care, One Click At A Time
When Ashlee Wisdom launched an early version of her health and wellness website, more than 34,000 users — most of them Black — visited the platform in the first two weeks. “It wasn’t the most fully functioning platform,” recalled Wisdom, 31. “It was not sexy.” But the launch was successful. Now, more than a year later, Wisdom’s company, Health in Her Hue, connects Black women and other women of color to culturally sensitive doctors, doulas, nurses and therapists nationally. (Anthony, 11/29)

KHN: California Joins States Trying To Shorten Wait Times For Mental Health Care
When Greta Christina fell into a deep depression five years ago, she called up her therapist in San Francisco. She’d had a great connection with the provider when she needed therapy in the past. She was delighted to learn that he was now “in network” with her insurance company, meaning she wouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket anymore to see him. But her excitement was short-lived. Over time, Christina’s appointments with the therapist went from every two weeks, to every four weeks, to every five or six. “To tell somebody with serious, chronic, disabling depression that they can only see their therapist every five or six weeks is like telling somebody with a broken leg that they can only see their physical therapist every five or six weeks,” she said. “It’s not enough. It’s not even close to enough.” (Dembosky, 11/29)

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: How To Avoid The Worst Health Insurance
This episode kicks off with a wild ride: How one journalist nearly got roped into a scam. While hunting for a new health insurance plan, award-winning journalist Mitra Kaboli got an offer that seemed too good to be true — and seemed to be coming from her current insurer. She was skeptical and, it turns out, had every reason to be. Dania Palanker of Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms unpacks this sketchy scheme and gives us the key to avoiding it: When you’re searching for health insurance, skip Google. Seriously. (Weissmann, 11/29)

The New York Times: U.S. Health Officials Urge Vaccinations As Omicron Spreads
Top federal health officials in the United States urged unvaccinated Americans on Sunday to get their shots and for eligible adults to seek out boosters, as the discovery of a new variant sparked a new wave of travel restrictions and alarmed scientists. Appearing on several morning talk shows on Sunday, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, cautioned Americans that the emergence of Omicron and the uncertainty that surrounds it is a reminder that the pandemic is far from over. While the variant has yet to be detected in the United States, maintaining vigilance and safeguarding public health through inoculations, masking indoors and distancing, remains critical, he said. (Petri, 11/28)

The Washington Post: Biden Administration Focuses On Booster Shots As Best Strategy Against New Coronavirus Variant
The Biden administration is focusing on booster shots as a key weapon in efforts to protect the nation against a potentially dangerous coronavirus variant even as the extent of the threat remains unclear, the White House said Sunday. A group of senior health officials had a call with South African scientists Sunday to review the latest on the new variant and to help inform next steps, according to two senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions. (Abutaleb, Nirappil, Roubein and Pannett, 11/28)

The Hill: Biden To Provide Update Monday On US Response To Omicron Variant
President Biden will provide an update on his administration's response to the new COVID-19 omicron variant on Monday, according to the White House, after Dr. Anthony Fauci said it will take roughly two weeks to gather more information on the new strain. Biden met with Fauci and members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team on Sunday, two days after the World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting to discuss the new COVID-19 strain, which it labeled a variant of concern. (Schnell, 11/28)

Reuters: Biden Told It Will Take Two Weeks To Have Definitive Data On Omicron Variant
The top U.S. infectious disease official, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told President Joe Biden on Sunday it will take about two weeks to have definitive information on the new coronavirus variant Omicron that has sparked new travel restrictions and shaken financial markets. Biden, returning to Washington following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, was briefed in person by his coronavirus response team on Sunday afternoon as officials expect the new variant to reach the United States despite an impending ban on travelers from Southern Africa, where it was first detected. (Heavey, 11/29)

The New York Times: Governors Urge Caution In The United States On The Omicron Variant
Governors across the United States tried to reassure Americans on Sunday that their administrations were closely monitoring the latest developments after the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus. Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut issued a statement on Sunday reminding his constituents to remain vigilant even though the new variant, known as Omicron, had yet to be detected in the United States. “Given the number of countries where Omicron has already been detected, it may already be present in the U.S.,” he said in the statement. (Delkic and Heyward, 11/28)

Reuters: U.S. Does Not Impose New Omicron Testing For Passengers From Southern Africa
U.S. health officials have not imposed any new screening or tracing requirements in response to the newly discovered Omicron COVID-19 variant that prompted the Biden administration to restrict travel from southern Africa. Starting Monday, the United States will bar most foreign travelers from South Africa and seven other southern African countries in an attempt to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, which was first identified in South Africa on Friday. However, the travel restrictions do not ban flights or apply to U.S. citizens and lawful U.S. permanent residents. Until the ban starts at 12:01 ET Monday, flights from South Africa have continued to carry foreign nationals. (Szekely and Shepardson, 11/29)

The New York Times: The W.H.O. Skips Forward Two Greek Letters, Avoiding A Xi Variant
When the World Health Organization began to name the emerging variants of the coronavirus, officials turned to the Greek alphabet to make it easier for the public to understand the evolution: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and so on. Now the alphabet has created its own political headache. When it came time to name the potentially dangerous new variant that has emerged in southern Africa, the next letter in alphabetical order was Nu, which officials thought would be too easily confused with “new.” (Lee Myers, 11/27)

The New York Times: Scientists Are Studying Whether Omicron Leads To Severe Illness
The early findings are a mixed picture. The variant may be more transmissible and better able to evade the body’s immune responses, both to vaccination and to natural infection, than prior versions of the virus, experts said in interviews. The vaccines may well continue to ward off severe illness and death, although booster doses may be needed to protect most people. Still, the makers of the two most effective vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are preparing to reformulate their shots if necessary. (Mandavilli, 11/28)

Reuters: Thermo Fisher Says Its COVID-19 Tests Accurately Detects Omicron Variant
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc said on Monday its COVID-19 diagnostic tests can accurately detect the new coronavirus variant Omicron that has made several countries to shut their borders. The World Health Organisation (WHO) last week classified the Omicron variant as a SARS-CoV-2 "variant of concern," saying it may spread more quickly than other forms. Thermo Fisher's TaqPath COVID-19 assays can report accurate results even in the case where one of the gene targets is impacted by a mutation, the company said in a statement. (11/29)

The Washington Post: Omicron Variant Symptom Of Vaccine Inequities, Says South African Health Official
Across a world of vaccine haves and have-nots, the omicron variant sends a warning on how the virus can evolve and spread without more aggressive measures to expand vaccinations, a top South African scientist said Saturday. “Until we vaccinate enough people we’re going to have this happen over and over again,” said Glenda Gray, head the South African Medical Research Council, as global health agencies rushed to understand more about the new variant just days after it was first identified in South Africa. (Wroughton, 11/28)

Reuters: S.African Doctor Says Patients With Omicron Variant Have "Very Mild" Symptoms
A South African doctor who was one of the first to suspect a different coronavirus strain among patients said on Sunday that symptoms of the Omicron variant were so far mild and could be treated at home. Dr. Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and chair of South African Medical Association, told Reuters that on Nov. 18 she noticed seven patients at her clinic who had symptoms different from the dominant Delta variant, albeit "very mild". Now designated Omicron by the World Health Organization, the variant was detected and announced by South Africa's National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Nov. 25 from samples taken from a laboratory from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16. (Mukherjee, 11/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Makers Assess Omicron Response
At Moderna Inc.’s offices in Cambridge, Mass., alarm bells went off last Tuesday. The company’s team that tracks variants noticed unusual activity in a global database run by the nonprofit Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, or GISAID, as scientists around the world began uploading information about a new strain, says Moderna President Stephen Hoge. The Moderna team saw roughly 50 mutations on the new variant, which could potentially render it more transmissible and allow it to evade immune responses generated by vaccination and previous infection. “Everyone’s blood pressure went through the roof,” says Dr. Hoge. “It was all the mutations we didn’t want to see together in one variant.” (Zuckerman, 11/28)

The Washington Post: Omicron Covid Variant Fears Prompt New York Gov. Hochul To Declare Emergency
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) declared a state of emergency Friday in response to a cold-weather surge of coronavirus infections and the threat of the newly detected omicron variant, making her state one of the first in the country to impose measures against the mutation that was recently sequenced in southern Africa. As part of the emergency, the state’s health department will be allowed to protect hospital capacity by limiting nonessential and non-urgent care until at least Jan. 15. Hospitals with less than 10 percent staffed bed capacity, or those designated by the state, will be authorized to screen patients and restrict admissions to keep beds open for the most urgent cases. (Jeong, 11/27)

The New York Times: Britain Announces A Third Case Of The Omicron Variant As The Health Secretary Defends Decision On Restrictions
British health officials said Sunday that a third case of the new Omicron coronavirus variant had been discovered in the country, in an individual who had spent time in central London. The announcement came just hours after the health secretary, Sajid Javid, rejected calls for tougher restrictions on daily life. The health security agency said the individual had spent time in the Westminster section of London, but was no longer in the country, and that contact tracing was being performed. It said the case was linked to travel in southern Africa. Dr. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the agency, said it was “very likely’’ there would be more cases in the coming days. (Castle, 11/28)

The Hill: Canada Reports North America's First Cases Of Omicron COVID-19 Variant
Canadian health officials reported two cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant on Sunday, confirming for the first time that the variant has spread to North America. The cases were found in two people who had recently been to Nigeria, according to a statement from health officials in Ontario, where the cases were detected. “As the monitoring continues, it is expected that other cases of this variant will be found in Canada and other countries,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement. (Meyn, 11/28)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Live Updates: Omicron Variant Detected In Ontario, Canada
The omicron coronavirus variant has been detected in Canada, the country’s health minister said on Sunday, marking the first identification of the variant in North America as cases continue to emerge around the globe. Two cases in Ontario were confirmed to have been of the omicron variant, which has been noted as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada’s health minister, said. Omicron has also been found in Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Botswana, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, France and South Africa, where it was first identified. Israel moved to block the entry of noncitizens for two weeks in an effort to curb further spread of the variant within its borders. (Pietsch, 11/28)

The Washington Post: South Africa, Which Found The Omicron Variant First, Sequences Less Than 1 Percent Of Coronavirus Samples
South Africa’s announcement Thursday that it had identified a new, possibly highly contagious coronavirus variant sent shock waves worldwide. Stock markets fell as the United States, among other countries, imposed a travel ban on southern Africa. Much remains unknown about the mutations that make up the new omicron variant. But what scientists do know is that 20 months and several variants into the coronavirus pandemic, one tool to stem the spread of infection — sequencing the virus to catch significant genetic changes — remains used only patchily. (Berger, 11/28)

The New York Times: Japan, Israel And Morocco Impose Bans On All Foreign Travelers
Japan on Monday joined Israel and Morocco in sealing its borders to all foreign travelers in response to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said that Japan would reverse a move earlier this month to reopen its borders to short-term business travelers and international students. Japan has been closed to tourists since early in the pandemic, a policy it has maintained even as other wealthy nations reopened to vaccinated visitors. (Kershner, 11/28)

AP: More Omicron Cases Pop Up As World Rushes To Learn More
Cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday and many governments rushed to close their borders even as scientists cautioned that it’s not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus. The variant was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and much is still not known about it, including whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade the protection of vaccines. But many countries rushed to act, reflecting anxiety about anything that could prolong the pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people. (Corder, Moulson and Collins, 11/29)

The New York Times: Omicron Cases Are Discovered On Amsterdam Flights As Scientists Race To Evaluate The Threat
Dutch health officials said on Sunday that they had found cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant among passengers who had arrived from South Africa on Friday, a clear sign that the virus was crossing borders. Additional cases could emerge, as health officials were still examining test samples, said Hugo de Jonge, the country’s health minister. The 61 people who tested positive, 13 with the new variant, were isolating. The passengers were among more than 500 who arrived on two separate flights. (Breeden, Moses and Chutel, 11/28)

CBS News: Fauci Warns Of "Potential" For New COVID-19 Wave, Stressing Vaccines And Boosters
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, warned the U.S. could potentially experience a fifth wave of coronavirus infections, but said increasing the number of Americans who are vaccinated against the virus and receive their booster shots could blunt its severity. "We certainly have the potential to go into a fifth wave," Fauci told "Face the Nation" in a wide-ranging interview about the U.S. response to the pandemic that aired Sunday. "And the fifth wave, or the magnitude of any increase, if you want to call it that it will turn into a wave, will really be dependent upon what we do in the next few weeks to a couple of months. (Quinn, 11/28)

Bloomberg: New York City May Be At Start Of Winter Surge Of Covid-19
New York City may already be seeing signs of a winter spike in Covid-19 even though holiday travel, gatherings and colder weather are just getting started. The city’s positive test rate rose to a two-month high as hospitals admitted more than 100 new virus patients on Friday, contributing to a 25% jump in hospitalizations in just two weeks. The city has 463 people in the hospital for Covid-19, up from 370 on Nov. 12. The seven-day average of residents testing positive for the virus -- the lowest in the state of New York -- has climbed above 2% for the first time since the end of September. That metric doesn’t include rapid antigen test results. (Sherman and Chua, 11/28)

The Washington Post: Some Organ Donors And Recipients Are Fighting Vaccination Requirements
When hospital officials canceled his kidney transplant, Mike Ganim’s surgery date was just five days away. He had already undergone a preoperative appointment and taken medical leave from work for the long-awaited, lifesaving operation. His close-knit family had created videos for him and for the woman who was giving him her kidney, stitching together tearful well-wishes and thank-yous from dozens of loved ones. But on Oct. 8, the Cleveland Clinic phoned Ganim to say a newly enacted policy required organ transplant donors and recipients be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Eastlake, Ohio, man had gotten the vaccine — as a transplant patient, he is at risk of developing severe covid-19. But his donor hadn’t. Although she was willing to give up an organ, she did not want to get the shot. (Shammas, 11/28)

CBS News: Military Service Members Face Deadline To Get COVID-19 Vaccine Or Face Disciplinary Action
Thousands of American service members are facing disciplinary action — up to dismissal —  if they are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Monday. With vaccination deadlines looming, the two top Marines pleaded with the troops. (Martin, 11/28)

The Washington Post: Southern States Fall Behind In Vaccinating Kids As Pediatric Infections Climb
Many Southern states, especially Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, have fallen behind the rest of the nation in vaccinating children as the threat of a winter surge casts a pall over the holiday season. Those states also rank near the bottom for vaccinating adolescents and adults, and have among the nation’s highest overall covid-19 death rates, according to a review of state vaccination and death data by The Washington Post. Their slow uptake of children’s — as well as adults’ — vaccines have heightened fears that another pandemic wave could hit hard as families gather for the holidays and spend more time indoors. (Shepherd and Keating, 11/26)

AP: Essex County Sheriff To Require Employee Vaccinations
A Massachusetts sheriff is requiring proof of coronavirus vaccination for all employees, vendors and contractors at the jail his office oversees. Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger, who oversees the Middleton House of Correction, told The Salem News that he expects the mandate to survive legal challenges. The mandate takes effect Jan 4. The union representing Essex County correctional officers has already filed a prohibited practice complaint with the state’s Division of Labor Relations, alleging that Coppinger’s order was made unilaterally and that the sheriff failed to bargain in good faith. (11/28)

AP: Baltimore City Schools Not Ready To Enforce Vaccine Mandate
School officials in the city of Baltimore say they’re not ready to enforce a requirement that school employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday that the school system had set a Nov. 1 deadline. But school officials have not started enforcing penalties that can include terminating employees who fail to comply. School officials say they want to work with staff members who have concerns. About 90% of Baltimore school’s10,000 employees are either vaccinated or have a religious or medical exemption. The rate for teachers is 95%. For principals, it’s 98%. (11/28)

AP: Merriam-Webster Chooses Vaccine As The 2021 Word Of The Year
With an expanded definition to reflect the times, Merriam-Webster has declared an omnipresent truth as its 2021 word of the year: vaccine. “This was a word that was extremely high in our data every single day in 2021,” Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor-at-large, told The Associated Press ahead of Monday’s announcement. “It really represents two different stories. One is the science story, which is this remarkable speed with which the vaccines were developed. But there’s also the debates regarding policy, politics and political affiliation. It’s one word that carries these two huge stories,” he said. (Italie, 11/29)

AP: Supreme Court Set To Take Up All-Or-Nothing Abortion Fight
Both sides are telling the Supreme Court there’s no middle ground in Wednesday’s showdown over abortion. The justices can either reaffirm the constitutional right to an abortion or wipe it away altogether. Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that declared a nationwide right to abortion, is facing its most serious challenge in 30 years in front of a court with a 6-3 conservative majority that has been remade by three appointees of President Donald Trump. “There are no half measures here,” said Sherif Girgis, a Notre Dame law professor who once served as a law clerk for Justice Samuel Alito. (Sherman, 11/29)

Bloomberg: Ex-FDA Head Scott Gottlieb Says Covid Travel Restrictions Are Counterproductive
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner, took to Twitter to express his disapproval of the travel restrictions being imposed due to the latest Covid-19 variant, saying they hurt current containment efforts and discourage future sharing. (McHale, 11/26)

Politico: Too Early To Know Answers On Omicron Variant, NIH Director Says
“Initial cases are mostly young people, who tend to have mild infections anyway,“ Collins said. “We need more data there before we can say confidently that this is not a severe version of the virus. But we should find that out in the next couple weeks.“ Collins said he hoped the new variant would be “one more wake-up call” for those who have yet to be vaccinated. “It’s clear that in all the previous examples of variants, the vaccines have worked to provide protection,” Collins said. He added: “The vaccines are your seat belt. Use them.” (Cohen, 11/28)

AP: Fauci Fires Back At Cruz Over COVID Claims About Chinese Lab
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases expert, blasted Sen. Ted Cruz for suggesting that Fauci be investigated for statements he made about COVID-19 and said the criticism by the Texas Republican was an attack on science. “I should be prosecuted? What happened on Jan. 6, senator?” Fauci, who is President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” It was a reference to the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump that was stoked as Cruz helped lead GOP objections to Congress’ certifying the 2020 election results. (Yen, 11/28)

Modern Healthcare: Supreme Court To Hear 340B Case That Could Impact All Hospitals
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case seeking to reverse cuts to the 340B Drug Program next week, and the outcome could have consequences for all providers, even those who don't access the discounted medicines. Plaintiffs including the American Hospital Association and providers that participate in the program are asking the high court to reverse a nearly 30% cut in 340B reimbursements the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initiated during President Donald Trump's administration and continued under President Joe Biden. Oral arguments are scheduled for Nov. 30. (Hellman, 11/24)

NPR: WHO Is Seeking a New Treaty to Handle Future Pandemics. It Could Be a Hard Sell
The World Health Organization is convening a special session of its governing body, the World Health Assembly, to start talks on a new global treaty covering pandemics. Representatives of WHO's 194 member states will meet virtually for three days starting on Monday to consider new international rules for handling future outbreaks. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the world has not worked well together to confront the current COVID-19 pandemic. (Beaubien, 11/28)

Reuters: WHO Reaches Draft Consensus On Future Pandemic Treaty
Member states of the World Health Organization have reached a tentative consensus to negotiate a future agreement on preventing pandemics, bridging the gap between sides led by the European Union and United States, diplomats said on Sunday. The draft resolution, hammered out in negotiations over the weekend, will be presented for adoption to health ministers at the WHO's three-day special assembly that opens on Monday, they said. (Nebehay, 11/28)

CIDRAP: Pre-Pandemic Travel Numbers Return To US As Cases Climb
Northern and Midwestern states report brisk disease activity as the nation returned to pre-pandemic holiday travel levels ahead of Thanksgiving. Despite rising case counts across the country, this past weekend the number of people flying in the United States was double what it was for the same days last year, and only 8% lower than the same days in 2019, the Associated Press reports. As the holiday season begins tomorrow, experts say Americans are planning pre-pandemic levels of travel. (Soucheray, 11/24)

The Washington Post: Worldwide, 22 Million Children Didn’t Get Their Measles Shots Last Year
More than 22 million children worldwide missed getting their first measles vaccination last year, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Health officials fear that the drop in vaccinations will spark global outbreaks and deaths from the highly contagious disease, which primarily strikes children but can affect people of any age. In the past 20 years, the number of measles cases around the globe has declined dramatically — from roughly 36.8 million in 2000 to 7.5 million in 2020, according to the report. (Searing, 11/28)

AP: More Black Infant Deaths Push Up Indiana Newborn Death Rate
An increased infant mortality rate among Black newborn children contributed to what Indiana health officials found was a slightly higher overall infant mortality rate in the state during 2020. The state health department reported this month that after Indiana recorded its lowest infant death rate during 2019, those deaths increased from 6.5 per 1,000 live births to 6.6 last year. The 2020 death rate is the second lowest that Indiana officials have recorded. Indiana’s mortality rate among white and Hispanic newborns improved last year, but deaths among Black infants jumped from 11.0 deaths per 1,000 live births during 2019 to 13.2 deaths in 2020, The Indianapolis Star reported. (11/28)

Politico: FDA Seeks Advice On Whether To Limit Covid-19 Pill In Pregnant People
The Food and Drug Administration will ask independent advisers Tuesday whether to limit the use of a Covid-19 antiviral pill in pregnant people due to potential risks, according to agency documents posted Friday. Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics manufacture the drug, molnupiravir, which they say cuts in half the risk of hospitalization or death from Covid for patients with mild to moderate disease and has boosted hopes of finding a simple at-home treatment for the virus. Regulators are considering whether to authorize the pill's emergency use in adults who have been experiencing symptoms for less than five days and, if so, how to define who's considered high risk. (Gardner, 11/26)

AP: FDA: Merck COVID Pill Effective, Experts Will Review Safety
Federal health regulators say an experimental COVID-19 pill from Merck is effective against the virus, but they will seek input from outside experts on risks of birth defects and other potential problems during pregnancy. The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of the pill ahead of a public meeting next week where academic and other experts will weigh in on its safety and effectiveness. The agency isn’t required to follow the group’s advice. (Perrone, 11/26)

Stat: New Data, Analyses Take Some Of The Shine Off Merck’s Covid Pill
New data, in addition to analyses by scientists at the Food and Drug Administration, may take some of the shine off Merck’s experimental Covid-19 pill, molnupiravir. On Friday, the drug maker released full results from its study of the pill, molnupiravir, showing it reduced the risk of hospitalization by 30%, down from a decrease of 50% seen in an earlier analysis. In the 1,433-patient study, fewer patients died when they received the treatment. There were nine deaths in the placebo group in the final analysis, and one in the molnupiravir group. (Herper, 11/26)

NPR: Once Rare, Lung Transplants for COVID-19 Patients Are Rising Quickly
About one in 10 lung transplants in the United States now go to COVID-19 patients, according to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS. The trend is raising questions about the ethics of allocating a scarce resource to people who have chosen not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. (Sheridan, 11/28)

CIDRAP: SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Levels Predict COVID Vaccine Efficacy, Study Finds
SARS-CoV-2 antibody concentrations predict COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, with higher levels correlating with greater protection, according to an ongoing US phase 3 clinical trial yesterday in Science. A team led by researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle evaluated 30,420 adult recipients of the Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at 99 centers for neutralizing and binding antibodies as correlates of risk for, and protection against, infection. (11/24)

CIDRAP: Emotional Toll Of COVID-19 On Health Workers Is Vast, Varied
Two studies today in JAMA Network Open describe the emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers (HCWs), one showing that US HCWs experienced a range of negative emotions as the pandemic progressed, and the other concluding that mental distress eased 14 months into the pandemic in Italian clinicians. In the US study, a team led by Duke University researchers surveyed 1,344 HCWs in 2020 about their emotional state before the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. They recruited HCWs via email and social media from Apr 24 to May 30 (phase 1) and Oct 24 to Nov 30 (phase 2). (Van Beusekom, 11/24)

The New York Times: A Cure For Type 1 Diabetes? For One Man, It Seems To Have Worked
Brian Shelton’s life was ruled by Type 1 diabetes. When his blood sugar plummeted, he would lose consciousness without warning. He crashed his motorcycle into a wall. He passed out in a customer’s yard while delivering mail. Following that episode, his supervisor told him to retire, after a quarter century in the Postal Service. He was 57. His ex-wife, Cindy Shelton, took him into her home in Elyria, Ohio. “I was afraid to leave him alone all day,” she said. Early this year, she spotted a call for people with Type 1 diabetes to participate in a clinical trial by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The company was testing a treatment developed over decades by a scientist who vowed to find a cure after his baby son and then his teenage daughter got the devastating disease. (Kolata, 11/27)

Fox News: Exercise Impacts Appetite In Unexpected Ways, Study Finds
A new study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise addressed the age-old question: does exercise make us eat more afterwards or decrease our appetite for the next meal? The research studied physically inactive men and women, finding that among those who worked out, when given a mouth-watering buffet lunch afterward, they did not overeat, but they didn’t skip dessert or take smaller portions either, suggesting that exercise during the holidays will likely not help us eat less or lose weight. (Sudhakar, 11/28)

CIDRAP: Low-Path H5 Avian Flu Turns Up On Minnesota Turkey Farm
Routine testing in a Minnesota turkey flock turned up low-pathogenic H5 avian influenza, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) said yesterday in a statement. The affected farm is in Kandiyohi County, located about 90 miles west of Minneapolis. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the findings. The MBAH said the low-path H5 virus doesn't pose a health risk to the public and isn't the same one that caused highly pathogenic outbreaks in Midwestern poultry in 2015. (11/24)

Fox News: Digital Multitasking Can Be Detrimental To A Child’s Mental Health, Study Warns
Children face a deluge of electronic information from traditional television and computers to tablets, smartphones and video games, but prior studies examining the impact of electronic media on children and adults have yield mixed results. The team of researchers from the University of Luxembourg and Université de Genève studied 118 Swiss boys and girls, ranging from age eight to 12, asking them to fill out surveys with questions crafted to examine their electronic media use as well as their attention spans, sleep, grades, and mental health, according to the report. (Sudhakar, 11/28)

Stat: New Research Casts Further Doubt On A Common Procedure Used With IVF
A common in vitro fertilization procedure offered to patients with the promise of increasing their likelihood of successful pregnancy actually does not improve healthy patients’ chances of going home with a baby, according to new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week. The study focuses on preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, or PGT-A, which screens embryos for chromosomal abnormalities that could keep them from implanting. The diagnostic tool has been controversial for decades, since no rigorous studies have conclusively proven the test improves the odds of having a baby. Studies as far back as 2007 showed an earlier, more invasive version of the test, called PGS, harmed patients’ chances of having a child. Nonetheless, PGT-A has been sold to prospective parents across the world, bolstering the multibillion-dollar industry of reproductive medicine. (Cueto, 11/26)

The Boston Globe: Budding Technology Should Be Adapted For Eldercare
Most older Americans would prefer to stay in their homes as long as possible. Unfortunately, biology sometimes gets in the way. More than 85 percent of older adults live with at least one chronic illness, and 10 percent live with Alzheimer’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD). The development and progression of such illnesses creates significant barriers to successful aging at home. However, thanks to developments in multiple technical fields, including artificial intelligence and hardware design, it may be possible to equip tomorrow’s older adults to face this challenge more effectively. (Ganesan, Choudhry, and Marlin, 11/29)

Stat: With Winter Ahead, Cancer Patients And Doctors Seek More Covid Protection
Michele Nadeem-Baker is steeling herself for another winter. Diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2012, she lives with an impaired immune system that even a third dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine may not be able to rouse. Living in Boston in November now that the weather has turned cold means an end to backyard dinners and a return to a world narrowed by fear of infection. “I am not alone in that feeling,” said Nadeem-Baker, a patient advocate who also spoke to STAT in June. “Everyone is dreading yet another winter in lockdown. Just because there are these third vaccinations, it doesn’t mean everyone is protected. There is still a part of the population that is not.” (Cooney, 11/29)

Stat: Pfizer Sues Former Employee For Allegedly Stealing Covid Vaccine Files
Amid the intense race to develop Covid-19 products, Pfizer (PFE) accused a former employee of stealing more than 12,000 files — including scores of confidential documents — that contained information about its coronavirus vaccine as well as two cancer drugs. In its lawsuit, the drug maker alleged Chun Xiao (Sherry) Li uploaded the material from a company laptop in October onto a personal Google drive account and other personal devices shortly before she planned to accept a job with Xencor (XNCR), a small company developing monoclonal antibodies for various cancers. Pfizer sells one such treatment for bladder cancer and is working on another for blood cancer. (Silverman, 11/28)

Stat: 'Start At The Top': Women In Biotech On How To Break Down Barriers
Agnieszka Czechowicz remembers what the Magenta Therapeutics website looked like before the biotech startup went public: She, as a scientific co-founder, was featured on the website along with other, more junior co-founders. Then, as the company prepared for its IPO in 2018, she said, “suddenly the founders on the website were older, Caucasian men, even though some of those individuals were not part of the founding of the company during the early stages.” (Osman, 11/26)

AP: Virginia Will Test Sewage To Help Predict COVID-19 Outbreaks
The Virginia Department of Health will be monitoring sewage in various parts of the state in an effort to predict future outbreaks of COVID-19. The Danville Register & Bee reported Saturday that VDH is deploying up to 25 wastewater monitoring sites across the commonwealth. That’s according to a recent report from the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute, which collaborates with state health officials. The report does not state where those monitoring sites will be. But VDH has been polling utilities to assess their willingness to participate in a sampling program. (11/28)

The Washington Post: Virginia Reports Death In Prince William Area Child Of MIS-C Linked To Covid-19
A Northern Virginia child was the first in the state to die of an inflammatory syndrome associated with covid-19, state health officials said Friday. The child, who was between the ages of 10 to 19, lived in the Prince William health district, which includes Prince William County as well as the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. More than 5,526 cases of the rare but serious illness — which is known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) — had been reported nationwide as of Nov. 1. Just 48 of those patients have died. (Armus, 11/26)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Has Spent $7B In Federal Money To Pay Temporary Health Care Workers During COVID Pandemic
The state is trying to wind down an expensive, federally paid program of hiring nurses and other health care professionals to keep its hospitals from buckling under staffing pressures and burnout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the plan could be upended by any spike in COVID-19 cases prompted by gatherings over the holidays. Already, the state decided to keep up surge staffing at hospitals in El Paso and the Panhandle because of recent outbreaks. (Garrett, 11/26)

Los Angeles Times: Amid Omicron Concerns, L.A. County Urges Mask Wearing, Testing, Vaccinations
Amid growing concerns about the new Omicron variant, Los Angeles County health officials are urging the public to wear masks in indoor public settings and at outdoor “mega events” and be vaccinated as the best way to protect against another winter surge. The variant, first identified in South Africa amid a spike in infections there, has more mutations than any scientists have seen, including some that may make the virus more resistant to immunity generated from previous infections or vaccines. But much isn’t known, including whether the variant is more transmissible, results in more severe illness or reduces the efficacy of vaccines. (Wigglesworth, Lin II and Parvini, 11/28)