Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
If The Pandemic Put You In The ICU, Data Say Your Family Likely Got PTSD
Stat: Majority Of Family Members Of Covid Patients Treated In The ICU Report PTSD Symptoms
A majority of family members of Covid-19 patients treated in ICUs reported significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in the following months, according to a study published Monday that sheds new light on the impact of hospital visitation restrictions during the pandemic. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was roughly twice the rate typically seen after a family member’s ICU stay before the pandemic, which the authors said was likely explained by the lack of access to loved ones during their ICU stay. “Those with higher scores reported more distrust of practitioners,” according to the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, and PTSD symptoms were especially prevalent among women and Hispanic family members. (Mulundika, 4/25)
CNN: Family Members Of Covid-19 ICU Patients May Emerge With A Different Condition, Study Says
In addition to the survey, the study also used narrative interviews to get more details on what made a difference for families. Some were able to experience staff going the extra mile to make them feel connected and involved even when they couldn’t be there. “What made it easier is the video visits, video calls and daily updates. I called and talked with the nurses every day, talked to the physician,” one family member said, according to the study. But other survey participants felt the communication they got was limited and reported feeling powerless and afraid. “They called us and said, ‘Do you want us to pull the plug?’ … I said how did it go from coming home to pulling the plug? … They say that her mouth was moving and her eyes was moving but they said she was dead … so, they went on and pulled the plug anyway,” another family member said. (Holcombe, 4/25)
In related news about the effects of PTSD —
ScienceDaily: Study: Economic Burden Of PTSD 'Staggering'
A new study finds that the national economic burden of PTSD goes beyond direct health care expenses and exceeds the costs of other common mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. The researchers estimated the cost of PTSD at $232.2 billion for 2018, the latest year for which data were available at the time of the study. (Veterans Affairs Research Communications, 4/25)
In other news about covid —
Bangor Daily News: Latest ‘Stealth Variant’ Offshoot Begins Driving COVID-19 Cases In Maine
An even more transmissible version of the highly contagious omicron subvariant is gaining a foothold in Maine, making up 12 percent of cases in April, according to the state’s latest COVID-19 variants report. The emergence of the BA.2.12.1 strain, an offshoot of the so-called BA.2 “stealth variant,” in Maine comes as wastewater levels have shown a sharp rise in COVID-19 concentration in recent weeks, signaling greater transmission of the virus here. Hospitalizations have also ticked up, with 130 patients hospitalized with the virus as of Monday, up from just 93 a week ago. (Piper, 4/25)
Bloomberg: Covid Case Metrics Fall Behind Omicron Variant
In early January the state of Massachusetts added a new set of figures to its Covid-19 dashboard. Two years into the pandemic, it began to draw a distinction between people who were hospitalized because of the virus and people who were there for other reasons but also happened to be infected. Nothing changed inside the hospitals’ walls—a Covid-positive patient there because of a car crash still had to be isolated. But the effect on the state’s numbers was dramatic. It cut them in half. (Armstrong, 4/26)
CBS News: Ruby Princess Cruise Ship Docked In San Francisco With 143 Cases Of COVID-19
For the third time this year, the same Princess Cruise Lines ship has docked in California with passengers who tested positive for COVID-19. The Ruby Princess arrived in San Francisco on April 11 after a trip to Hawaii in which 143 passengers on board testing positive with the virus, the city's health department told CBS MoneyWatch. (Brooks, 4/25)
Houston Chronicle: Beto O’Rourke, Candidate For Texas Governor, Tests Positive For COVID-19
Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate for Texas governor, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. The former congressman from El Paso is experiencing mild symptoms and “will be following public health guidelines,” he said in a statement. O’Rourke has been roadtripping across the state for more than a dozen town halls in recent weeks, as his campaign targets the young voters who propelled his 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate. (Harris, 4/25)
Also —
Fox News: Long COVID-19 May Be Caused By Abnormally Suppressed Immune System In Some People: UCLA-Led Study
A possible contributor of Long COVID -19 may actually be an abnormally suppressed immune system, and not a hyperactive one, according to a UCLA- led research group. The study, recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. It contradicts what scientists previously believed, which was that an overactive immune response to SARS-CoV-2, often referred to as a "cytokine storm," was the root cause of the perplexing syndrome. Health experts told Fox News this "cytokine storm" is an over-reactive inflammatory response in the infected person that can potentially cause damage to lungs and other organs, possibly creating severe illness or even death. (McGorry, 4/25)
