Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Paxlovid Lowers Covid Hospitalization And Death Rates Among Seniors
Reuters: Pfizer's Paxlovid Reduces COVID Risk In Seniors Regardless Of Vaccine Status -Study
Pfizer Inc's antiviral treatment Paxlovid reduces COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients 65 years and older, according to a new study in Israel conducted during the rise of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The treatment, however, was not found to prevent severe illness among younger adults, according to research from Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest healthcare provider. (Rabinovitch, 6/2)
Axios: America Still Needs More COVID Treatments As The Virus Evolves
America's COVID treatment arsenal is still dangerously understocked, experts warn, and more government funding may be required to bring new drugs to market quickly enough. Having one reliable antiviral and one effective monoclonal antibody is far from ideal heading into the fall, but the federal government says it doesn't have enough money to buy more of the existing therapeutics, let alone invest in new ones. (Owens, 6/3)
On the vaccine rollout —
CBS News: Why Boosted Americans Seem To Be Getting More COVID-19 Infections
As COVID-19 cases began to accelerate again this spring, federal data suggests the rate of breakthrough COVID infections in April was worse in boosted Americans compared to unboosted Americans — though rates of deaths and hospitalizations remained the lowest among the boosted. The new data do not mean booster shots are somehow increasing the risk. Ongoing studies continue to provide strong evidence of additional protection offered by booster shots against infection, severe disease, and death. Instead, the shift underscores the growing complexity of measuring vaccine effectiveness at this stage of the pandemic. (Tin, 6/2)
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy May Protect Infants
COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy protects babies from SARS-CoV-2 infection in their first 4 months of life, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine. In the cohort study, which included all infants born in Norway late last year and early this year, COVID-19 incidence was lower in babies born to women who received either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. (Wappes, 6/2)
AP: Novavax Hopes Its COVID Shot Wins Over FDA, Vaccine Holdouts
Americans may soon get a new COVID-19 vaccine option -- shots made with a more tried-and-true technology than today’s versions. The big question: Why should they care? After long delays, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide within weeks whether to authorize Novavax’s vaccine. It’s late in the pandemic for a new choice, with about three-quarters of U.S. adults already vaccinated. (Neergaard, 6/2)
The Boston Globe: CDC Has Recommended Booster Shots For Those 50 And Over. But Only 17.5 Percent Of Those Eligible In Mass. Have Gone Ahead And Done It
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that people 50 and older get a second COVID-19 booster shot, but so far Massachusetts residents have not jumped at the opportunity. Only about 471,000 people 50 and older in Massachusetts have gotten a second booster shot, or about 17.5 percent of the 2.7 million people in that age group, according to data from the state’s Department of Public Health. The data come from the state’s weekly vaccination report, which is updated every Thursday. (Finucane and Prignano, 6/2)
