Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Latest On Vaccines: Global Trials, Concerns For Patients Who Are Obese
San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Kaiser Sites To Join One Of First Global Coronavirus Vaccine Trials
Kaiser Permanente in California and Oregon, including sites in Santa Clara and Sacramento counties, has joined a global trial of one of the first coronavirus vaccines to begin large-scale testing in humans, the health care provider announced Wednesday. (Allday, 8/12)
In other vaccine news —
ABC News: COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Less Effective In Obese People, Experts Warn
As the world waits for a COVID-19 vaccine, concerns are already rising that it may not work in obese patients, arguably one of the groups that needs it most. More than 1 in 3 Americans is obese, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that obese people are among the groups more likely to get sick and die of COVID-19. (Wood, 8/12)
USA Today: COVID Concerns: Doctors Worry As Kids Miss Scheduled Vaccinations
A recent survey serves as a small snapshot of a national problem that some fear may be exacerbated in the fall as children return to school for in-person instruction. The national survey, released Wednesday and conducted by Orlando Health, found the vast majority of parents believe vaccines are the best way to protect their children from infectious diseases, but two-thirds are still nervous to take their kids to their pediatrician’s office due to COVID-19. (Rodriguez, 8/12)
CNN: US Government Slow To Act As Anti-Vaxxers Spread Lies On Social Media About Coronavirus Vaccine
While anti-vaxxers flood social media with lies about the upcoming coronavirus vaccine -- that it contains monkey brains, that it's a CIA plot to take over the world -- the government's multi-billion-dollar vaccine effort has yet to come up with a public education campaign to counteract that propaganda. "We are behind here," said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health. "We haven't done a good job of getting [coronavirus vaccine] information out there." (Cohen and Vigue, 8/12)
In global developments —
The Hill: Russia Says Coronavirus Vaccine Will Be Ready For Doctors In Two Weeks
Russia said the first batch of its COVID-19 vaccine will be ready for some medics within two weeks, with Kremlin officials on Wednesday rejecting “groundless” concerns from global health experts about the drug’s speedy approval. “It seems our foreign colleagues are sensing the specific competitive advantages of the Russian drug and are trying to express opinions that in our opinion are completely groundless,” Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said, according to Reuters. (Gstalter, 8/12)
