Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Get Ready To Pull Up Your Sleeves For A Triple-Whammy Of Shots This Fall
The New York Times: Federal Officials Hatch A Three-Pronged Defense Against Another ‘Tripledemic’
To prevent a repeat of last winter’s “tripledemic” of respiratory illnesses, Americans will be encouraged to roll up their sleeves not just for flu shots but for two other vaccines, one of them entirely new. Federal health officials have already asked manufacturers to produce reformulated Covid vaccines to be distributed later this year. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took an additional step, endorsing two new vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus for older Americans. (Mandavilli, 7/5)
The New York Times: Three Vaccines For Fall: What You Need To Know
Here’s who should get the flu, Covid and R.S.V. vaccines, and when. (Mandavilli, 7/5)
Reuters: Moderna Starts Application Process For RSV Vaccine For Older Adults
Moderna Inc. said on Wednesday it had started the application process to get an approval for its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in older adults with regulators in the United States, Australia and Europe. The company said it had started rolling submission of data for the shot with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is aiming to be the third vaccine maker to get an approval in the country after GSK (GSK.L) and Pfizer Inc. (7/5)
In other covid news —
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Inflammatory Response Not Tied To Long COVID
A post-infection inflammatory response has been a popular hypothesis used to explain long COVID, a condition defined as significant lingering COVID-19 symptoms present weeks and months following the initial infection. A new UK study, however, suggests that those suffering from severe long COVID symptoms did not have signs of higher cellular immune activation or pro-inflammatory cytokines after adjusting for age, sex, and disease severity. The results are published in the journal eLife. (Soucheray, 7/5)
Salt Lake Tribune: SEC Fines Utah Company Co-Diagnostics Over COVID-19 Test Claims
A Salt Lake City-based company that provided Utah with COVID-19 tests in connection with a large no-bid contract during the pandemic was fined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday, in part because of how it promoted its tests to investors and others early in the crisis. The SEC has ordered Co-Diagnostics, which develops and sells disease testing technology, to pay a civil penalty of $250,000, and to cease and desist its violations of federal law, including misleading investors and failing to disclose hefty payments to top executives’ relatives. (Anderson Stern, 7/5)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF’s Bob Wachter Hosts Final COVID Forum, Taking Stock Of Pandemic
It’s the end of an era for Dr. Bob Wachter. Or, more accurately, a turning point. Wachter bid farewell to his COVID-specific Grand Rounds forum after a three-year run, leaving a lasting impact. Having amassed over 4 million YouTube views and 274,000 followers on Twitter with his diligent pandemic updates, the chair of medicine at UCSF said last week that he plans to revisit the subject as needed in the next academic year. However, he anticipates delving into other pressing medical topics as more Americans strive to resume their normal lives. (Vaziri, 7/3)
Also —
KFF Health News: CDC To Reduce Funding For States’ Child Vaccination Programs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing funding to states for child vaccination programs, according to an agency email obtained by KFF Health News. The funding cut “is a significant change to your budget,” said the email to immunization managers, dated June 27 and signed by two CDC officials. (Miller, 7/5)
