Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Paxlovid, Other Antivirals Work On Omicron Subvariants, Study Finds
CIDRAP: Antivirals—Not Monoclonal Antibodies—Neutralize Omicron BQ.1.1, XBB
The Omicron BQ.1.1 and XBB SARS-CoV-2 subvariants evade the monoclonal antibodies imdevimab, casirivimab, tixagevimab, cilgavimab, bebtelovimab, and S309—but not the antiviral drugs remdesivir, molnupiravir, and nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid), according to a research letter published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 12/8)
More on the spread of covid, flu, and RSV —
CNN: Hospitals In The US Are The Fullest They've Been Throughout The Pandemic -- But It's Not Just Covid
Hospitals are more full than they’ve been throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a CNN analysis of data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. But as respiratory virus season surges across the US, it’s much more than Covid that’s filling beds this year. More than 80% of hospital beds are in use nationwide, jumping 8 percentage points in the past two weeks. (McPhillips, 12/9)
KHN: Hospital Financial Decisions Play A Role In The Critical Shortage Of Pediatric Beds For RSV Patients
The dire shortage of pediatric hospital beds plaguing the nation this fall is a byproduct of financial decisions made by hospitals over the past decade, as they shuttered children’s wards, which often operate in the red, and expanded the number of beds available for more profitable endeavors like joint replacements and cancer care. To cope with the flood of young patients sickened by a sweeping convergence of nasty bugs — especially respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and coronavirus — medical centers nationwide have deployed triage tents, delayed elective surgeries, and transferred critically ill children out of state. (Szabo, 12/9)
The New York Times: The Covid Pandemic’s Hidden Casualties: Pregnant Women
Of all the groups still threatened by Covid-19 — including the elderly and the immunocompromised — it is pregnant women who seem the most unaware of the risks. Covid can kill pregnant women and can result in miscarriage, preterm births and stillbirths even when the women have asymptomatic or mild illness. The infection may also affect the baby’s brain development. (Mandavilli, 12/8)
CIDRAP: Study Shows Prone Position Limited Breathing Tubes For COVID-19 Patients
Patients admitted to hospital with severe breathing difficulties due to COVID-19 are less likely to need a breathing tube (endotracheal intubation) if they lie face down in a prone position, but the position's effect on mortality or other outcomes is inconclusive, suggests an in-depth analysis of the latest evidence published by The BMJ. (Soucheray, 12/8)
Also —
Bloomberg: CDC Director: US Must Fix Its Public Health Data Infrastructure
The emergence of Covid-19 exposed the limitations of the American public health system — particularly its ability to collect and share data quickly. As daily cases rose to hundreds of thousands nationwide, information about who was being hit hardest — and later, who was getting vaccinated — was scattered across local health systems, causing confusion and hampering efforts for a swift, equitable national response. (Poon, 12/8)
CNBC: Long Covid Is Distorting The Labor Market, Hurting The U.S. Economy
Weeks after Charlotte Hultquist got Covid-19 in November 2020, she developed a severe pain in her right ear. “It felt like someone was sticking a knife in [it],” said Hultquist, a single mother of five who lives in Hartford, Vermont. For about a year, Hultquist was among those long Covid patients sidelined from the workforce. (Iacurci, 12/8)
