Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida Settles Over Withheld Covid Data, Will Release 3 Years' Worth
Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Department Of Health Agrees To Settlement, To Provide More Detailed COVID-19 Data
The Florida Department of Health has agreed to a lawsuit settlement requiring it to provide more detailed COVID-19 data, after initially refusing and saying it didn't exist. ... That COVID-19 data will detail vaccination counts, case counts and deaths. It'll be aggregated weekly for the next three years, grouped by county, age group, gender and race. The department provides more general data every two weeks. (Soule, 10/10)
WFLA: Florida Health Officials Must Release 3 Years Of COVID Data, Settlement Says
In July 2021, former Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith submitted a public records request for COVID data in Orange County while serving on the Pandemics and Public Emergencies Committee. This happened about a month after the Department of Health ended its practice of releasing COVID information online in daily reports, which included detailed information for each county. With a new surgeon general at the helm, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida stripped back its COVID reports as the deadly Delta variant surge ravaged the state. Florida led the country in cases per capita and pediatric hospitalizations at the time, according to a report from the Tallahassee Democrat. Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis insisted schools and businesses remain open and often downplayed the effectiveness of precautions like masking and vaccinations. (Tucker, 10/9)
On the spread of covid —
NBC News: People Who Got Covid At Least 5 Times Describe How Illness Changed
Reanna Sunford Clark is one of five people interviewed by NBC News who described what it has been like to get Covid at least five times. All five either tested positive at home, received a positive antibody test later or were diagnosed by a health care provider each time. They provided images of test results, medical records or correspondence with friends or family as verification. Overall, they said, the experiences have left them confused and curious about the reasons for their frequent illnesses. Three people said their later infections were all less severe than the first — though there wasn’t necessarily a clear pattern of milder symptoms with each new illness. Even so, having Covid was still mentally and emotionally exhausting each time, they said, since it disrupted their work and time with loved ones. (Bendix, 10/8)
Los Angeles Times: L.A. COVID-19 Cases Falling As Officials Brace For Winter
“We’re definitely seeing a decline,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in an interview. “The summer bump is over.” ... Ferrer said she anticipates L.A. County will remain at a lower level of coronavirus transmission “hopefully for a few more weeks, until the weather gets colder, more things are moved indoors and there’s a lot more celebrations and travel” that could help spread the virus. (Lin II, 10/10)
The Washington Post: Inmates Settle After Arkansas Jail Gave Them Ivermectin For Covid-19
When five detainees at the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Ark., got sick with covid-19 in August 2021, they were given a “cocktail” of drugs to treat the virus, a lawsuit alleged. The detainees were not told the contents of their medication, an assortment of pills administered twice daily, according to the lawsuit. They allegedly suffered side effects, including vision issues, stomach cramps and diarrhea. (Wu, 10/10)
On the vaccine rollout —
The Texas Tribune: Texas Lawmakers Again Target Private Businesses’ COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Conservative Texas lawmakers are taking another shot at prohibiting private businesses from requiring employees to get COVID-19 vaccines. The new legislation comes after years of Republican attempts to reign in COVID-related restrictions like mask mandates and vaccine requirements. (Harper, 10/10)
Fortune: CVS CEO: Unexpected Demand For COVID Shots Burned Out Pharmacists
Pandemic burnout and “unprecedented demand” for updated COVID-19 boosters led to the recent walkout of CVS pharmacists in the Kansas City area, CEO Karen Lynch said Monday. “I think you have to look at the entire environment,” she noted at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, referencing recent strikes by the United Auto Workers and Kaiser employees. “There’s just a lot of unrest in health care.” (Prater, 10/10)
In covid research —
Medical Xpress: COVID Might Raise Odds For Immune Disorders Like Crohn's, Alopecia
In rare cases, some patients may develop an autoimmune disease following a bout of COVID, Korean researchers report. Conditions such as alopecia (hair loss), psoriasis, vitiligo (white skin patches), vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, adult-onset Still's disease (painful skin rash), Sjogren's syndrome (autoimmune disease), ankylosing spondylitis (spinal arthritis) and sarcoidosis (enlarged lymph nodes) can all be triggered by COVID-19 infection, according to the new report. (Reinberg, 10/10)
Medscape: People With Long COVID Face Alarming Rates of Depression, Anxiety
As many as 2 out of 3 people with long COVID also have mental health challenges, including high rates of depression and anxiety, new research shows. It's a surprising finding that shows that those with long COVID may experience more mental distress than people with other chronic illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. (Novak, 10/10)
CIDRAP: Not 'Little Adults': Experts Say Long COVID Undercounted, Misdiagnosed In Kids
Research on long COVID in children is limited, and reported prevalences range widely, from less than 1% to 70%. And while it's a relatively new condition in an evolving field, experts say it could be better defined and measured through well-designed longitudinal studies that take children's unique presentations into account. (Van Beusekom, 10/10)
