Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NY Deer Infected With Omicron; Wildlife May Be Future Threat
The New York Times: New York Deer Infected With Omicron, Study Finds
White-tailed deer on Staten Island have been found carrying the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, marking the first time the variant has been reported in wild animals. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that white-tailed deer are easily infected by the virus. The results are likely to intensify concerns that deer, which are widely distributed across the United States and live near humans, could become a reservoir for the virus and a potential source of new variants. (Anthes and Imbler, 2/7)
The New York Times: Is The Coronavirus In Your Backyard?
In late 2020, the coronavirus silently stalked Iowa’s white-tailed deer. The virus infected large bucks and leggy yearlings. It infiltrated a game preserve in the southeastern corner of the state and popped up in free-ranging deer from Sioux City to Dubuque. When scientists sifted through bits of frozen lymph node tissue — harvested from unlucky deer killed by hunters or cars — they found that more than 60 percent of the deer sampled in December 2020 were infected. (Anthes and Imbler, 2/7)
In other covid research —
CIDRAP: Omicron Strain Much Less Likely To Cause Severe Outcomes, Study Finds
The first peer-reviewed US study of COVID-19 outcomes in patients infected with the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant shows that, relative to patients infected with previous variants Delta (B1617.2) and Alpha (B117), Omicron patients were younger, had significantly higher vaccine breakthrough rates, and were significantly less likely to be hospitalized. The study, published late last week in the American Journal of Pathology, also found that, when hospitalized, Omicron patients needed less intense respiratory support and had shorter stays, consistent with early reports of the generally milder nature of cases caused by the highly transmissible strain. (2/7)
Stat: Some Long Covid Patients See Improvement, But Full Recovery Is Elusive
How long does long Covid last? And what does it mean to achieve full recovery? If you ask Joni White, she’ll tell you she just wants to feel like herself again — or something close to it. And she’s almost there. Retired from federal law enforcement, White now describes herself as a glass artist but she’s been out of her studio for more than a year. On New Year’s Eve 2020, Covid-19 hit her so hard she thought she might die. Her infected but asymptomatic sister cared for her for three weeks in a house on the Outer Banks in North Carolina until her crushing headaches, chest tightness, and brain fog eased. But back home in Hillsborough, N.C., White’s headaches and brain fog were still there in April, along with frustration and depression at not being able to carry out what had been ordinary tasks, much less fusing glass into art. (Cooney, 2/8)
And more pandemic news —
Oklahoman: Joe Exotic Tests Positive For COVID. Tiger King Star Still In Oklahoma
Joe Exotic has tested positive for COVID-19. His lead attorney, John M. Phillips, posted on Facebook Sunday that the former Oklahoma zookeeper is recovering. "I just spoke to Joseph A. Maldonado," the Jacksonville, Florida, attorney wrote. "Sounded better than he's sounded in days. He's still in Oklahoma. Should be transferred to North Carolina once he's out of COVID protocol." Joe Exotic was back in Oklahoma for his resentencing in his murder-for-hire case. His attorney last week described him in a social media post as "sick as hell." (Clay, 2/7)
Miami Herald: Closed Miami-Dade Jail Became COVID Ward As Omicron Surged
In early 2020, as COVID-19 ran rampant within South Florida jails, Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation wanted to evaluate how to curb the virus’ spread. One option — reopening the Miami-Dade Training and Treatment Center, a jail shuttered since 2016 — was quickly shot down by officials monitoring the county’s jail system for the federal government due to the facility’s inability to “meet the minimal constitutional standards for inmate confinement,” according to a memo from then-Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. But in January, as the omicron variant ripped through Miami, the county turned the jail into a COVID ward, sending at least 70 people into the facility to try and isolate contagious detainees. (Smalls II, 2/7)
Miami Herald: Recall: This COVID-19 Home Test Was Illegally Imported And Not Authorized By The FDA
South Korean diagnostics company SD Biosensor recalled its Standard Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test from the United States after “confirmed reports that the test kits were illegally imported into the United States.” That’s in the company-written, FDA-posted recall notice that says because the test hasn’t been “authorized, cleared or cleared or approved by the FDA” for U.S. use, consumers who have used it are “strongly encouraged to consider retesting with an FDA authorized or cleared test.” (Neal, 2/6)
Modern Healthcare: 5 Takeaways From New At-Home COVID-19 Test Coverage Guidelines
The federal government last month required private insurers to begin covering at-home COVID-19 tests for their enrollees. Officials on Friday released additional information on what insurers need to cover in response to stakeholder questions that came up since the initial policy was released. Here are five things to know about the updated guidelines: 1. Plans won't be penalized for temporarily failing to provide at-home tests at network pharmacies free of charge because of supply shortages. However, if an enrollee is able to buy eligible tests despite supply shortages, insurers need to reimburse them, according to federal policy. (Goldman, 2/7)
