Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Human Trials Of Moderna's MRNA HIV Vaccine To Begin
Axios: Moderna To Start First Human Trials Of MRNA HIV Vaccine
Moderna is set to start human trials for its experimental mRNA HIV vaccine as early as Thursday, the first time such a trial has ever been conducted. "There's a pressing need for new ways to prevent infection from viruses like HIV and influenza that conventional vaccines have struggled to address and to treat rare genetic diseases and cancers that kill millions each year," Axios' Alison Snyder writes. "Vaccines and therapies based on messenger RNA (mRNA) hold promise as a solution." (Gonzalez, 8/19)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post: What Is The Pelvic Floor And How Pandemic Life Could Be Harming Yours
Long stretches spent sitting in front of computers at makeshift workstations and less movement throughout the day can shorten the pelvic floor muscles and cause them to become tight, which can lead to pain, experts said. And people who are feeling stress may unknowingly tense their pelvic floor muscles — similar to people who clench their teeth in response to stress. (Chiu, 8/19)
The New York Times: Brazilian Butt Lifts Surge, Despite Risks
In 2020 alone, there were 40,320 buttock augmentations, which include both implants and fat grafting, reports the Aesthetic Society. According to Google keyword data, “BBL” was searched roughly 200,000 times per month between January and May 2021.It’s also one of the deadliest. A July 2017 report by the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation in Aesthetic Surgery Journal noted that one to two out of 6,000 BBLs resulted in death, the highest mortality rate for any cosmetic surgery. (Ellin, 8/19)
North Carolina Health News: These Black Farmers Provide More Than Healthy Food
Dawn Henderson just had a fruitful shopping trip to the Black Farmers’ Market in Durham. Her bag was packed with meat and vegetables. Often on her trips to the Durham site, which is open once a month, she picks up one of the many types of honey and desserts available there. (Huang, 8/20)
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Facebook Ads May Have Deterred Holiday Travel
Facebook videos of healthcare providers encouraging people to stay home for the 2020 holidays were associated with a 3.5% decrease in county-level cases, according to a study today in Nature Medicine. The researchers had physicians and nurses create 20-second videos on their smartphones and presented them as sponsored content to 75% of Facebook users in high-intensity COVID-19 counties and 25% of low-intensity COVID-19 counties before Thanksgiving and before Christmas last year. Recipients were randomized by zip code, and, on average, each user in a treatment zip code received 2.6 videos at Thanksgiving and 3.5 at Christmas. (8/19)
Fox Business: Apple Pushes Back Return To Office Until At Least January: Report
Apple is pushing back the return to corporate offices until January at the earliest because of surging Covid-19 cases and new variants, according to a memo sent to employees on Thursday and reported by Bloomberg. The company will confirm a re-opening timeline with employees a month before they are required to return. (Martin, 8/20)
