Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Long Covid Begins To Be Understood; Covid Shots Safe For Cancer Patients
NPR: New Clues To The Biology Of Long COVID Are Starting To Emerge
Kelly LaDue thought she was done with COVID-19 in the fall of 2020 after being tormented by the virus for a miserable couple of weeks. "And then I started with really bad heart-racing with any exertion. It was weird," says LaDue, 54, of Ontario, N.Y. "Walking up the stairs, I'd have to sit down and rest. And I was short of breath. I had to rest after everything I did." (Stein, 11/12)
CIDRAP: Study Shows Cancer Patients Can Safely Receive COVID-19 Vaccines
A study yesterday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows COVID-19 vaccines are safe in people undergoing treatment for cancer and produce modestly impaired immune responses. Booster vaccine doses, however, enhance immunity. The study was based on 762 active oncology patients at Massachusetts General Hospital, who were compared to 1,638 healthy controls. The patients were currently receiving cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, corticosteroids, and radiation. All three vaccines currently used in the United States were included in the study. (11/11)
Also —
CIDRAP: Tests Reveal Much Higher COVID Rate In Unvaccinated Nursing Home Staff
Positive COVID-19 test results were more than 10 times more common among unvaccinated, asymptomatic healthcare professionals (HCP) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) long-term care facilities than among their fully vaccinated counterparts, according to a research letter yesterday in JAMA Network Open. Researchers at the VA Boston Healthcare System tracked mandatory weekly COVID-19 test results among 1,269 HCP and twice-weekly antigen testing among 704 more from Jan 15 to Jun 8, 2021. (11/11)
On how diabetes complicates covid risks —
Reuters: Diabetes Problem Makes Africa More Vulnerable To COVID-19 Death, Says WHO
Death rates from COVID-19 infections are much higher in patients with diabetes in Africa, where the number of people with diabetes is growing rapidly, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. A WHO analysis of data from 13 African countries found a 10.2% case fatality rate in COVID-19 patients with diabetes, compared with 2.5% for COVID-19 patients overall. (Obulutsa, 11/11)
