Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Minnesota's First RSV Death Of The Season Was A 1-Year-Old
CBS News: 1-Year-Old Minnesota Boy Dies After RSV Infection
Respiratory viruses are back with a vengeance. Tragically, the health department is reporting Minnesota's first RSV death of the season. It hits older folks and young kids the hardest. The number of people going to the hospital for RSV is rising rapidly. (Ali, 12/8)
Los Angeles Times: Riverside County Confirms 2 Flu-Related Deaths; L.A. County Reports 1
With flu season in full swing, Riverside County public health officials are urging residents to get their vaccines and to take other precautions against respiratory viruses after reporting the county’s first two flu-related deaths this winter. The deaths include a 73-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman from mid- and western Riverside County, respectively. Both had underlying health issues and died at local hospitals, according to county officials. No further information was immediately provided. (Vega, 12/9)
San Francisco Chronicle: California Hospitalizations Rise With COVID, Flu And RSV Increase
California hospitals are seeing increased strain heading into the winter holiday season, with more than three-quarters of inpatient beds occupied and nearly 67% of intensive care beds in use, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But for the first time in three years, the surge is not solely attributed to COVID-19, as various viral and bacterial infections, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, contribute to the burden on the state’s health care system. (Vaziri, 12/8)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: BJC Reinstates Employee Mask Requirement In Response To Uptick In Virus Cases
BJC HealthCare will reinstate a mask requirement for employees, effective Wednesday, in response to rising virus cases in the community. The health system said in a statement Saturday that it will institute temporary, heightened mask requirements from time to time, when infection rates are particularly high, and will loosen the requirements when appropriate. Beginning Wednesday, employees will be required to wear masks in patient care areas. (Merrilees, 12/9)
On the RSV and covid vaccine rollout —
The New York Times: R.S.V. Vaccine Is Slow To Reach Its Target: Older Americans
So far, only about 15 percent of Americans over 60 have received one of the two new R.S.V. shots, which the Food and Drug Administration approved in May and are the first-ever vaccines against the disease. Just 16 percent more said they definitely planned to, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By contrast, more than 62 percent of adults over 65 have received the recommended flu shot this fall, and a third have gotten the updated Covid-19 vaccine. (Span, 12/9)
PBS NewsHour: How Uninsured Adults Can Still Get Vaccinated Against COVID
One in six Americans have received their updated COVID vaccine so far this year, and federal data show people with little to no health insurance are far less likely to have that level of protection against severe COVID illness or death. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of U.S. adults overall had received the updated COVID vaccine as of Nov. 25. ... To address that gap, in September the CDC launched the Bridge Access Program, a $1 billion effort to deliver free COVID vaccine doses to adults who are uninsured or underinsured. (Santhanam, 12/8)
In long covid research —
CIDRAP: Experimental Drug That Alters Gut Microbiome Shows Promise For Long-COVID Relief
A randomized controlled trial in Hong Kong finds that the synbiotic drug SIM01 relieves multiple symptoms of long COVID, or post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS). SIM01 contains strains of anaerobic Bifidobacterium bacteria (which are probiotics) and soluble fibers (prebiotics) to alter the gut microbiome and possibly modify immune response. (Van Beusekom, 12/8)
