Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Most States Becoming Engulfed In A Triple Whammy Of Delta, Omicron, Flu
CNN: Flu And Covid-19 Cases Rising In Much Of The US
US health officials are bracing for a trio of public health concerns this winter: more infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, surging infections with the Delta variant, and a "slow but steady" comeback of the flu. There is growing concern that a rise in Omicron cases, paired with climbing Delta cases and an increase in flu cases, could overwhelm health systems this winter, as well as possibly leading to a need to ramp up Covid-19 testing capacities, Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), told CNN on Wednesday. (Howard, 12/15)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Flu Cases In Pennsylvania And New Jersey Are Also Rising
Omicron and delta may be hogging the headlines, but flu is spreading, too, raising the possibility that the “twindemic” of flu and COVID-19 that public health leaders wrongly predicted last year might actually happen this year. In its latest weekly report on flu, the Pennsylvania Department of Health characterized flu activity during the week ending Dec. 11 as high and increasing. A total of 8,583 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases have been reported so far in all but two of the state’s 67 counties. That includes 2,466 cases in Philadelphia and the four suburban counties. It is surely an underestimate, the state said, because most people with flu do not see a doctor or seek testing. (Burling, 12/15)
In other news about the coronavirus —
NPR: COVID Patients Overwhelm Hospitals In Colorado Yet Again
Harold Burch lives in a home with a spectacular view in Paonia, a rural part of Colorado's Western Slope. But that's been little consolation to Burch, 60, as he's battled a cascade of health problems during the pandemic. "It's been a real rodeo," Burch says. "It's been a lot of ups and downs and lately it's been mostly just downers." Burch has battled chronic osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and had two major intestinal surgeries. One specialist he was seeing left her practice last year. Another wouldn't accept his insurance. Then, Nov. 1, he started experiencing major stomach pain. (Daley, 12/15)
The Washington Post: Hospitals Are Still Limiting Visitors Due To Covid. Here’s What You Need To Know.
Nearly two years into the pandemic, keeping up with visitor restrictions is one more stressor for already anxious friends and family of hospital patients. In addition to limiting visitors, some hospitals have shortened visiting hours, restricted visitors to one for a patient’s entire stay, and closed lobbies and other public places. (Some loosen certain restrictions if a patient is in hospice care.) Some hospitals also require all visitors to be vaccinated. (Haupt, 12/15)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Non-Vaccinated In Wisconsin Dying At Rate 12x Greater Than Vaccinated
On Wednesday, the state Department of Health Services released data surrounding illness after vaccination compared to illness in those not yet fully vaccinated and it showed, again, the strong protection provided by the vaccines. Throughout November, people not fully vaccinated died from COVID-19 at a rate 12 times higher than people who were fully vaccinated, according to the DHS. (Bentley, 12/15)
AP: AP Source: NFL Plans Changes To COVID-19 Protocols
The NFL is planning “significant changes” to its COVID-19 protocols amid the worst three-day stretch for the league during the pandemic, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details haven’t been finalized, said the league and the NFL Players Association are discussing three main areas: testing protocols; return to play guidelines to allow asymptomatic players who’ve tested positive to return sooner; and encouraging booster shots. (Maaddi and Dixon, 12/16)
The New York Times: Broadway Is Canceling Shows Due To Positive Covid Tests
Theater actors have long prided themselves on performing despite infections and injuries — singing through strain and dancing through pain. No more. The coronavirus pandemic has upended the theater industry’s longstanding “show must go on” philosophy, supplanting it with a safety-first strategy. The result: a raft of cancellations unlike any in history. (Paulson, 12/15)
CIDRAP: Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infections Common, Finds Global Review Of Studies
asymptomatic (symptom-free) COVID-19 among nearly 30 million people was 0.25% among those undergoing screening and 40.50% among those with a confirmed case. On Feb 4, 2021, researchers from Peking University in Beijing reviewed 95 studies from around the world involving 29,776,306 people, 11,516 of whom had asymptomatic infections at screening. Of 19,884 patients with confirmed infections; 11,069 were asymptomatic. Twenty-one studies were published in June 2020 or before, and 74 were published after. (12/15)
In news about health care workers —
CNN: 'Like Drinking From A Fire Hose': Health Care Workers Traumatized By Pandemic
Hospitals are struggling to hold on to nurses and other professionals, staff are traumatized and the influx of patients feels like it's coming out of a fire hose, doctors say. The Covid-19 pandemic, entering its third year with 800,000 people dead in the US alone, could damage the health industry for years to come, they predict. "It feels like you are drinking from a fire hose with no way to control that flow," Dr. John Hick, an emergency physician at Hennepin Healthcare in Minnesota, told reporters Tuesday. "I have been practicing for 25 years in the emergency department and every shift I am working these days is like the worst shift in my career." (Fox, 12/15)
KHN: Nurses In Crisis Over Covid Dig In For Better Work Conditions
Nurses and health care workers across the country are finding strength in numbers and with labor actions not seen in years. In California, which has a strong union tradition, Kaiser Permanente management misjudged workplace tensions during the covid-19 crisis and risked a walkout of thousands when union nurses balked at signing a four-year contract that would have slashed pay for new hires. In Colorado, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Massachusetts, nurses have been embroiled in union battles over staffing and work conditions. (Spolar, Kreidler and Bichell, 12/16)
KHN: After ‘Truly Appalling’ Death Toll In Nursing Homes, California Rethinks Their Funding
About 1 in 8 Californians who have died of covid lived in a nursing home. They were among the state’s most frail residents: nearly 9,400 mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles whom Californians entrusted to a nursing home’s care. An additional 56,275 confirmed covid cases among nursing home residents weren’t fatal. (Young, 12/16)
