Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Hope': Survival Rates Of COVID Patients Improve Dramatically
The New York Times: Death Rates Have Dropped For Seriously Ill Covid Patients
The coronavirus struck the United States earlier this year with devastating force. In April, it killed more than 10,000 people in New York City. By early May, nearly 50,000 nursing home residents and their caregivers across the country had died. But as the virus continued its rampage over the summer and fall, infecting nearly 8.5 million Americans, survival rates, even of seriously ill patients, appeared to be improving. At one New York hospital system where 30 percent of coronavirus patients died in March, the death rate had dropped to 3 percent by the end of June. (Rabin, 10/29)
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Antibodies Last At Least 5 Months In Mild-To-Moderate Cases
A study yesterday in Science reports that the vast majority of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 have stable levels of antibodies for at least 5 months. Of 30,082 COVID-19 patients in New York City's Mount Sinai Health System, 27,849 (92.6%) had moderate-to-high antibody titer levels (1:320 and up), which an assay test showed would cause at least 90% of the sera to exhibit neutralizing activity for the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Researchers conducted approximate 3-month and 5-month follow-ups with 121 people, where they saw a drop of 764 geometric mean titer to 690 and then to 404 at the last time of testing. (10/29)
In other developments —
The Washington Post: States Say They Lack Federal Funds To Distribute Coronavirus Vaccine As CDC Tells Them To Be Ready By Nov. 15
State health officials are expressing frustration about a lack of federal financial support as they face orders to prepare to receive and distribute the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine by Nov. 15, even though one is not likely to be approved until later this year. The officials say they don’t have enough money to pay for the enormous and complicated undertaking. State officials have been planning in earnest in recent weeks to get shots into arms even though no one knows which vaccine will be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, what special storage and handling may be required and how many doses each state will receive. (Sun, 10/29)
USA Today: Black Americans Are The Most Hesitant To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine
Black Americans distrust the government so much they're not participating in large numbers in COVID-19 clinical trials, and many say they won't get a COVID-19 vaccine – at least not until many others get it. Although the first two large clinical trials of candidate vaccines have managed to include about 3,000 Black participants each, it hasn't been easy. And later trials might have even more trouble. (Weintraub, 10/29)
The Hill: Moderna Says It's On Track To Report Initial COVID-19 Vaccine Results Next Month
Moderna is on track to report initial results from its coronavirus vaccine trial next month, company executives said Thursday. The company is one of the front-runners to produce a vaccine for COVID-19. During an earnings call, Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks said the trial is operating as planned, and an independent data-monitoring committee is expected to conduct an interim review in November. (Weixel, 10/29)
The New York Times: Gilead’s Covid-19 Drug Is Mediocre. It Will Be A Blockbuster Anyway.
The United States reached a milestone, of sorts, when last week the Food and Drug Administration approved the first treatment for Covid-19. The drug is called Veklury, although most people know it by its scientific name, remdesivir. ... But the F.D.A.’s decision to grant the drug full approval — which means the company can now begin broadly marketing it to doctors and patients — has puzzled several outside experts, who say that it may not deserve the agency’s stamp of approval because it is, at best, a mediocre treatment for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. (Thomas, 10/29)
