Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mothers Who Rented Bus For Huge Maskless Birthday Party Face Charges
CNN: Two Mothers Face Charges After Renting Party Bus And Cramming 60 Maskless Kids Inside For Child's Birthday
Parents from Ohio face charges after they rented a party bus for their child's 14th birthday and had 60 mask-less kids packed inside, Ohio police said. On Saturday, the Mount Healthy police saw an unmarked bus drop 60 kids off at the Hilltop Shopping Center, which is located approximately 11 miles north of Cincinnati. The kids exiting the vehicle were not wearing masks or social distancing, and several fights broke out after the children exited the bus, the police said in a statement. (Kim, 12/16)
CNN: Fitness Video Games Can Break Your Covid Pandemic Exercise Slump
Some discover their preferred method of exercise early on and have the self-discipline to stick with it for decades. The rest of us, well, we get a little bored. Among the many challenges brought on by the pandemic, some far more urgent than others, is the inability to spice up our workout routines. (Strauss, 12/17)
Houston Chronicle: No, The COVID-19 Vaccine Will Not Alter Your DNA, And Other Myths Debunked By The CDC
The first doses of the coronavirus vaccine were administered to frontline healthcare workers in Houston this week, marking a huge step forward in the fight against the pandemic. The arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines created by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna has raised questions on safety and re-invigorated the very present anti-vaccine movement in Texas. Despite the 95 percent efficacy rate of the vaccine, about 40 percent of Americans have said they don’t plan to receive it, while only 42 percent of Texans say they will. (Hennes, 12/16)
The Washington Post: Can You Travel If You Have Covid-19 Antibodies?
As Americans grapple with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s strong warning to stay at home this winter to stop the spread of the coronavirus, some are wondering if they are exempt from the recommendation if they have already recovered from the illness. People who had the coronavirus can develop antibodies that circulate in the blood and can neutralize the pathogen. But questions around immunity still linger. The CDC says cases of reinfection have been reported but “are rare.” (Compton, 12/16)
CIDRAP: Survey: 2 Of 10 School Districts Mulling Keeping E-Learning After COVID-19
About 2 in 10 US school districts have said they will continue, or are considering continuing, distance learning after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, citing student and parent demand, according to a Rand Corporation study released yesterday. In the fall, administrators on the new American School District Panel (ASDP) said that the biggest challenges facing them in the 2020-21 school year were disparities in students' access to learning opportunities during the pandemic. Rand, the Center on Reinventing Public Education, Chiefs for Change, and Kitamba developed the ASDP, a nationally representative panel of US traditional school districts and charter management organizations, to help inform school policy and practice. (12/16)
In other public health news —
KHN: Alzheimer’s Inc.: Colleagues Question Scientist’s Pricey Recipe Against Memory Loss
When her husband was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease in 2015, Elizabeth Pan was devastated by the lack of options to slow his inevitable decline. But she was encouraged when she discovered the work of a UCLA neurologist, Dr. Dale Bredesen, who offered a comprehensive lifestyle management program to halt or even reverse cognitive decline in patients like her husband. After decades of research, Bredesen had concluded that more than 36 drivers of Alzheimer’s cumulatively contribute to the loss of mental acuity. They range from chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes to vitamin and hormonal deficiencies, undiagnosed infections and even long-term exposures to toxic substances. Bredesen’s impressive academic credentials lent legitimacy to his approach. (Marsa, 12/17)
Los Angeles Times: Have You Been Exposed To Toxic Chemicals While Flying?
If you’ve flown on an airplane, chances are you’ve wondered about mystery smells in the cabin. They can be harmless — for example, food in the galley oven. But you could be smelling toxic chemicals contaminating the plane’s air supply. A Times investigation found that hundreds of people were sickened after exposure to toxic fumes on airplanes in recent years. Inside the cockpit, pilots have used emergency oxygen to escape fumes and made emergency landings, federal aviation records show. (Feldman, 12/17)
