Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Overcrowded Hospitals Linked To Excess Deaths In Pandemic Times
The Hill: Hospital Strain Linked To Thousands Of Excess Deaths Two Weeks Later: Research
A new analysis estimates that hospital strain during the pandemic is linked to thousands of ensuing excess deaths, signaling the significance of ensuring hospitals do not reach full capacity amid COVID-19 surges. The research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday predicted that when the nationwide intensive care unit (ICU) capacity hits 75 percent capacity, an additional 12,000 excess deaths could be expected within the next two weeks. When hospitals surpass 100 percent ICU bed capacity, the study suggests 80,000 excess deaths would be expected two weeks later. (Coleman, 11/18)
Gizmodo: Over A Million Americans May Have Permanently Lost Their Sense Of Smell To Covid-19
This new study, published Thursday in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, seems to be one of the first to try gauging the toll of chronic covid-related anosmia in the U.S. The authors were compelled to study the issue after seeing many of these patients in their clinics. “In the last couple of months, my colleagues and I noted a dramatic increase in the number of patients seeking medical attention for olfactory dysfunction.” study author Jay Piccirillo, a otolaryngologist at Washington University in St. Louis and an editor at JAMA Otolaryngology, told Gizmodo in an email. (Cara, 11/18)
On antibiotics —
Stat: Analysis: Pharma Is Failing Make New Antibiotics Available In Poor Countries
Although the pharmaceutical industry is making modest progress in countering resistance to superbugs, drug companies are not doing enough to ensure greater access to lifesaving antibiotics in low and middle-income countries, a new analysis finds. Just one-third of 166 treatments assessed have any kind of access strategy in place, such as price adjustments to make antibiotics more affordable or licensing agreements to boost supplies for these countries, according to the report by the Access to Medicines Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit research organization that evaluates drug makers on how they ensure access to medicines. (Silverman, 11/18)
CIDRAP: Report Highlights Lack Of Access To Antibiotics In Poor Countries
A new analysis of how the major players in the antibiotic market are responding to the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threat suggests that interest in antibiotic research and development is growing and that companies are making greater efforts to curb the environmental impact of antibiotic manufacturing. But efforts to make antibiotics more accessible to people in the countries where they are desperately needed are lagging. (Dall, 11/18)
Also —
Stat: ‘Growing A Chair Is Easy’ And Other Wisdom From George Church
George Church, the larger-than-life Harvard biologist who pioneered both DNA sequencing and gene editing, is known for making bold bets. He’s founded more than three dozen companies, including ones promising to curb climate change with cold-tolerant elephants, end inherited disease with a dating app, and keep your DNA out of the hands of hackers through, what else, the blockchain. What’s behind his audacity? An “open mind,” Church said in a conversation with STAT senior medical writer Matthew Herper during the 2021 STAT Summit. “One of the reasons people misestimate is because of exponentials.” (Molteni, 11/18)
