Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Inexcusable': CDC Acknowledges Slow Pace Of Sequencing New Strains
Politico: Biden Admin Rushes To Close Virus-Sequencing Gap As Variants Spread
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in discussions with at least 13 labs to expand its efforts to sequence the genomes of coronavirus samples as the U.S. races against time to track new variants. More than 40 states have reported cases of the three major coronavirus strains, first spotted overseas; all are more contagious than older versions of the virus, and at least one is more virulent. By sequencing genetic material from virus samples collected around the country, health officials can track where and how these strains are spreading — and use the information to help contain hotspots and guide vaccination efforts. (Lim, 2/16)
AP: COVID-19 Bill Would Scale Up Ability To Spot Virus Mutations
U.S. scientists would gain vastly expanded capabilities to identify potentially deadlier mutations of the coronavirus under COVID-19 relief legislation advancing in Congress. The U.S. now maps only the genetic makeup of a minuscule fraction of positive virus samples, a situation some experts liken to flying blind. It means the true domestic spread of problematic mutations first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa remains a matter of guesswork. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/17)
In other updates about covid —
USA Today: COVID Variants Could Bring 'Staggering' Fourth Wave Of Pandemic
COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates are falling nationwide, but experts talk in dire terms about what will happen if variants of the virus are allowed to surge this spring. "I'm very worried we're letting our foot off the brakes," said Atul Gawande, a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The U.S. saw a spike in cases last spring, mainly in the Northeast, last summer in the South, and November through January pretty much everywhere. As the nation's death toll from COVID-19 approaches half a million people, public health experts said they dread the possibility of a fourth wave. (Weintraub, 2/16)
CNN: Lowering Covid-19 Cases Is The Best Thing US Can Do To Improve Chances That Vaccines Will Continue Working, Expert Says
Lowering Covid-19 cases across the US isn't only critical to helping prevent another surge fueled by variants -- it also makes vaccines more likely to continue working effectively against mutations, one expert says. "The best thing we could possibly do to improve the chances that the vaccine will continue working as we're hoping it will, is to reduce cases as much as possible without having those reductions occur as a result of vaccine-derived immunity," Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and immunologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said during a Tuesday event. (Maxouris, 2/17)
New Scientist: Exclusive: Two Variants Have Merged Into Heavily Mutated Coronavirus
Two variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes covid-19 have combined their genomes to form a heavily mutated hybrid version of the virus. The “recombination” event was discovered in a virus sample in California, provoking warnings that we may be poised to enter a new phase of the pandemic. The hybrid virus is the result of recombination of the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant discovered in the UK and the B.1.429 variant that originated in California and which may be responsible for a recent wave of cases in Los Angeles because it carries a mutation making it resistant to some antibodies. (Lawton, 2/16)
Detroit Free Press: 90 Cases Of B.1.1.7 COVID-19 Variant Found At Michigan Prison
The state health department has identified 90 cases of the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 at a prison in West Michigan. The cases were identified through daily testing of all prisoners and staff at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia. Of the 90 new cases, 88 are prisoners and two are employees, according to a news release issued Tuesday by Michigan State Police. The facility began daily testing last week after a case of the B.1.1.7 variant, known as the U.K. variant, was confirmed in a staff member on Feb. 8. (Jackson, 2/16)
Stat: Q&A: How The U.S. Can Respond To Coronavirus Variants
Coronavirus variants are here. Now what? A new report from infectious disease experts provides policy recommendations for how the United States can blunt the impact of the variants that have already emerged, as well as build a genomic surveillance system so the country can better identify, track, and assess other variants that might emerge as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to evolve. (Joseph, 2/16)
