Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Experts Say Covid Now Acts Like An Endemic Disease, Akin To Flu
The Washington Post: Five Years Since The Pandemic Began, Covid May Now Be Endemic, Experts Say
Five years after the pandemic began, covid-19 is now more consistent with an endemic disease, U.S. health experts said. It has become similar to influenza — an endemic disease — in terms of the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death, experts said. The coronavirus, which causes covid, is now less deadly, though it is more transmissible and is expected to continue experiencing waves, some of which could be severe, they said. ... There is no clear threshold for when a disease transitions from pandemic to endemic, but the endemicity of covid is largely agreed upon in the medical community, said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases and preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University. (Bever and Gilbert, 3/13)
CIDRAP: Study: MIS-C May Be Triggered By Latent Epstein-Barr Virus
A new study suggests that kids who develop MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children), a severe complication following COVID-19 infections, may do so because COVID reactivates a latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in their bodies. The study appears in Nature. (Soucheray, 3/13)
Nature: Four Ways COVID Changed Virology: Lessons From The Most Sequenced Virus Of All Time
After 150,000 articles and 17 million genome sequences, what has science taught us about SARS-CoV-2? (Callaway, 3/12)
Wired: Covid Vaccines Have Paved The Way For Cancer Vaccines
The mRNA technology behind coronavirus vaccines is now being used to create bespoke vaccines for cancer patients. (Medeiros, 3/13)
In related news —
The Hill: Survey Shows Lowest Mental Health Perception In 25 Years
Americans’ views of their mental and physical health are at the lowest point in nearly 25 years, a downturn that accelerated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued since, according to a Gallup survey published Thursday. The poll found that some three-quarters of Americans said their mental health (at 75 percent) and physical health (at 76 percent) were “excellent” or “good.” (Timotija, 3/13)
