Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Study Confirms Patients With Cancer Or In Remission Have Higher Death Risk From COVID-19
The Wall Street Journal: Higher Death Rates Found Among Cancer Patients With Covid-19
Cancer patients infected with the new coronavirus are dying at significantly higher rates than Covid-19 patients in the general population, a new study suggests. In the study, conducted by an international group of researchers and published online by the Lancet, researchers looked at data on 928 Covid-19 patients in the U.S., Canada and Spain who had cancer that was either active or in remission. Thirteen percent of those patients died within 30 days of their Covid-19 diagnosis, according to the study. In contrast, the case fatality of Covid-19 patients in the U.S. is 5.9%, according to global coronavirus data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Toy, 5/28)
ABC News: 13% Of Cancer Patients Who Contract Coronavirus Likely To Die, Study Suggests
As doctors and scientists continue to learn more about the novel coronavirus, researchers are laboring to figure out exactly who is the most susceptible to the virus. One vulnerable group that has not yet been extensively researched is people with cancer -- but a new study is helping to change that. Cancer patients face specific circumstances that may place them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms. Their immune systems may be weakened by anti-cancer treatment, additional supportive medications like steroids, and by cancer itself. (Baldwin, 5/28)
WBUR: Obesity Is America's 'Achilles Heel' When It Comes To COVID-19
Published in The Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal, the observational research looks at the risk of hospitalization according to body mass index, or BMI. Researchers found obese adults under age 60 had a higher risk of admission to the hospital and the Intensive Care Unit compared to people who have a healthy weight, says lead author of the study Dr. Jennifer Lighter. (Hobson and Hagan, 5/28)
