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In other sobering covid research news, scientists have found infections can cause long-term impacts to the brain. But AstraZeneca announced a lab study of its antibody drug Evusheld worked against the omicron variant of covid, and a separate study suggests shark antibodies may be useful in the battle against the virus.
In rural Arizona, the strain on hospital staff has caused a plea for federal help. Axios reports on how some medical staff are at "breaking point." And a KHN report covers how some paramedics are being pressed into transferring patients between overstretched hospitals instead of tackling emergencies.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to lift a lower court block on the vaccine mandate that impacts health workers in about half of the states. And members of the military are dismissed for refusing to get the shot.
Winter is bringing the threat of "severe illness and death," President Joe Biden warns. Dr. Anthony Fauci forecasts that it would only be a matter of weeks until omicron is the dominant covid variant in the U.S. And a small study in South Africa indicates that omicron covid can break through booster shot protections.
It's bad news for the vaccine, said Scott Hensley, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania who led the study. Flu vaccines protect against four strains: H3N2, H1N1 and two strains of influenza B. The study covers just H3N2, but that happens to be the main circulating strain.
Ongoing concerns over rare blood clots prompts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to narrow the use of Johnson & Johnson's covid vaccine in adults.
Negotiations between party leaders and Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, bogged down over the cost of the package. President Joe Biden signaled that getting the bill out of the Senate will have to wait until senators return in January. The Hill reports on worries the whole package will have to be reworked. But Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, says he thinks the bill is "dead."
The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it will relax restrictions on medication that induces abortions, allowing doctors to prescribe it online or deliver it by the mail or directly to a pharmacy. The move is expected to open a new front in the political fights over abortion.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages tackle these public health concerns.
Opinion writers weigh in on these covid issues.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Wednesday's new confirmed case numbers in the U.K. were the highest since the pandemic began. Moderna, meanwhile, is set to begin trials of its covid shot in Africa on an as-yet-untested population: people with HIV.
The Houston Methodist team found triple negative breast cancer tumors regressed, and were prevented from spreading when treated with chemotherapy and a drug normally used against heart failure. Also, lead in drinking water, stuttering treatment, medical malpractice and more are in the news.
Politico's figures place the medical system as accounting for just less than a fifth of the economy at the end of 2020. Modern Healthcare says overall U.S. healthcare spending jumped 9.1% in 2020, with covid relief money as the primary driver — the biggest jump since 2002.
Reports suggest the Food and Drug Administration is poised to make it permanently easier to access abortion medication by mail. Separately, the Houston Chronicle says Harris County will be allowed to spend public money to counter Texas' strict anti-abortion laws, including direct funding of care.
The ancient Romans knew lead was poisonous. Over 2,000 years later, Vice President Kamala Harris will detail the plan to replace every lead water pipe in the U.S. Meanwhile, the White House's social spending agenda may be delayed again by Sen. Joe Manchin, who reportedly still wants to a lower price tag on the bill.
News outlets report shuttering of in-person classes across the U.S. as covid outbreaks affect the student body. Meanwhile, a lawsuit is trying to prevent an employee vaccine and test mandate in schools in Las Vegas, and lawmakers in Louisiana are pushing against vaccine mandates for students.
And a case over the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for large private companies has been punted to a smaller three judge panel. Meanwhile, the Navy is now dismissing sailors who refused to get shots, with about 5,700 active-duty service members currently unvaxxed.
Advisers will meet today to review updated data from the Johnson & Johnson single-dose covid vaccine. The panel is expected to vote on whether to update its recommendation for the vaccine’s use, which could mean continuing to administer it to anyone 18 or older or even to “get rid of it, or only use it in certain populations,” said one clinician familiar with the agenda.
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