Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Missouri In Need Of Ventilators As Covid Hospitalizations Jump About 27%
AP: Ventilator Shortage As Missouri Virus Hospitalizations Spike
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients jumped by nearly 27% over the Fourth of July weekend in a hard-hit area of Missouri where immunization rates are low, leading to a temporary ventilator shortfall and a public call for help from respiratory therapists. The Delta variant, first identified in India, is spreading rapidly, straining hospitals in Springfield and raising fresh fears that the situation could soon grow worse as holiday gatherings seed fresh cases. Missouri leads the nation with the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days. (Hollingsworth, 7/5)
AP: About One-Third Of Alabama Counties At Great Risk For Virus
About one-third of Alabama’s counties, including most of the state’s heavily populated areas, are at very high risk for COVID-19 as vaccination rates continue to lag, state statistics showed Monday. While overall caseloads and hospitalizations remain far below levels when the pandemic was at its worst early this year, the potential for infection remains elevated in areas including Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery and much of two regions, the Wiregrass of southeast Alabama and the Tennessee Valley in the north. (7/5)
San Francisco Chronicle: Delta Variant Now The Dominant Coronavirus Strain In California. Here's What That Means
For weeks, experts have warned that the highly infectious delta variant would become the dominant coronavirus strain in California. Now the latest data show their prediction has come true. According to the state’s variant tracker, the delta variant, first identified in India, has gained momentum and accounted for 35.6% of cases sequenced in June. That’s a big jump from May, when it accounted for only 5.6% of cases sequenced, and April, at 2.1%. Until now, the alpha variant, which originated in the United Kingdom, was the dominant variant. It accounted for 34.3% of cases sequenced in June, down from 58% in May and 50.1% in April. (Hwang, 7/4)
Los Angeles Times: COVID Hospitalizations Worsen For L.A.'s Black Residents
Coronavirus case and hospitalization rates are worsening for Los Angeles County’s Black residents, a troubling sign less than a month after California fully reopened its economy. Between mid-May and mid-June, the COVID-19 case rate over a two-week-period rose 18% among Black residents but declined 4% for Latino residents, 6% for white residents and 25% for Asian Americans. And the hospitalization rate for Black residents — who are less likely than other racial and ethnic groups to be vaccinated — grew by 11% while declining for Asian American residents by 12%, Latino residents by 29% and white residents by 37%. (Lin II and Money, 7/5)
In more news about the spread of covid —
Houston Chronicle: COVID Outbreak At Houston-Area Church Camp Infects More Than 125, Church Says
In-person services were canceled this week at Clear Creek Community Church after more than 125 kids and adults tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning from a five-day camp, church officials said. More than 450 people, including 6th through 12th graders, participated in Camp Creek from June 23 to June 27 in Giddings, about 100 miles west of downtown Houston, according to the Galveston County Health District. The church fears that “hundreds more” were exposed to the virus at the camp and when campers returned home. Dr. Philip Keiser, Galveston County’s local health authority, said the health district has confirmed 42 Galveston County residents who tested positive for the virus after the camp, including at least two who were fully vaccinated. He said he was not aware of any hospitalizations from the outbreak. (Gill, 7/5)
CIDRAP: Dog, Cat Owners With COVID-19 Often Pass It To Pets
Two new unpublished studies suggest that people who have COVID-19 often spread it to their dogs and cats—particularly if they share a bed with their cats—although the pets usually have no or mild symptoms but in a few cases might have severe disease. The studies will be presented at the virtual European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) from Jul 9 to 12. (Van Beusekom, 7/2)
Fox News: Lambda Variant Raises Concern Due To ‘Unusual’ Mutations
The Lambda variant, which is believed to have been first detected in Peru about a year ago, is a new concern to scientists who say mutations could potentially be resistant to COVID-19 vaccines. The World Health Organization said the variant’s mutations could increase its transmissibility or possibly increase its resistance to "neutralizing antibodies." The health body called Lambda, or C.37, a "variant of interest." "So far we have seen no indication that the lambda variant is more aggressive," Jairo Mendez-Rico, a WHO virologist, told DW. "It is possible that it may exhibit higher infection rates, but we don't yet have enough reliable data to compare it to gamma or delta." (DeMarche, 7/5)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: A Unique Partnership Helped Austin Outperform The Rest Of Texas On COVID-19
Hospitals, local officials and academics united to create a novel system to monitor hospital capacity in Austin, Texas, that helped the capital city keep COVID-19 deaths lower than in other Texas cities. The initiative also limited disruptions caused by pandemic restrictions on the local economy. Rising COVID-19 admissions led to longer hospital stays and mounting fatalities in Austin last winter, as it did in regions across Texas and the nation. But insiders say collaborations between the public and private sectors set Austin apart, and the numbers seem to support that contention. (Gellman, 7/6)
AP: Records: Doctor Used Wrong Test To Clear Patients Of COVID
A Tennessee doctor used the wrong test to clear at least two patients of the coronavirus, according to discipline allegations before the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Michael LaPaglia, 49, used rapid blood test kits that can detect antibodies from a previous infection but aren’t reliable in checking for a current infection, according to the allegations brought by the Department of Health and reported by The Tennessean from information obtained in a public records request. (7/5)
KHN: Journalists Discuss Long Covid, Delta Variant, Clinic For Migrants
California Healthline producer Lydia Zuraw told of her experience with long covid and how singing helped her shortness of breath on Newsy’s “Morning Rush” on Thursday. ... California Healthline reporter and producer Heidi de Marco discussed a clinic treating migrants at the Mexican border on KCET’s “SoCal Update” on Wednesday. (7/3)
