Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Most Recent Covid Booster Offers 54% Protection: Study
Stat: Updated Covid Vaccine Has 54% Effectiveness, New Study Suggests
New data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that the most recent Covid-19 booster offers about 54% percent protection against infection with the virus. (Branswell, 2/1)
CIDRAP: Among SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Beta Had Highest Death Rate, Meta-Analysis Suggests
A global meta-analysis published yesterday in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases estimates that the deadliest SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) was Beta, followed by Gamma, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron, with variant-specific case-fatality rates (CFRs) ranging from 0.7% to 4.2%.While the CFR for Omicron was lowest, a French study late last year revealed that it was still four time higher than for seasonal flu. (Van Beusekom, 2/1)
Also —
Roll Call: Vaccine Skepticism, Equity Issues Hinder Cervical Cancer Fight
Cervical cancer is the only cancer that is vaccine-preventable and curable, but the United States is lagging in its efforts to meet the World Health Organization’s 2030 targets to effectively eliminate the disease. A mix of low vaccination uptake — just 61.7 percent of U.S. teenage girls were up to date on their HPV vaccine doses in 2022, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey — combined with health equity issues have hobbled U.S. efforts to end the disease. (Cohen, 2/1)
In other outbreaks —
CIDRAP: RSV Studies Show Risk Factors For Pregnant Women, Infants
A new study of pregnant women before and during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that few had severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections during pregnancy, and pregnancy was not a risk factor for severe outcomes, while a second study notes that the highest disease risk is in newborns. The first study was published yesterday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. While the risk of RSV has been well-understood for infants and the elderly, the risk to pregnant women has been less studied. (Soucheray, 2/1)
Bloomberg: What To Know About Candida Auris, Deadly Fungus Spreading Globally
Candida auris is a type of yeast that can cause severe illness and spreads easily in health care facilities. Cases proliferated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Widespead infections in the US led the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to label it an “urgent threat.” More recently, scientists in China called for closer monitoring of the potentially fatal fungus after a study showed found that almost all of the cases recorded there in 2023 exhibited resistance to drugs. (De Wei and Ganatra, 2/1)
