Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Overlooked Info About Covid-19 Origin Is Troubling; Deleted Data At Wuhan Lab Cause For Concern
The New York Times: The Warnings About The Coronavirus That Were Ignored
There were curious characteristics about the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 1977-78, which emerged from northeastern Asia and killed an estimated 700,000 people around the world. For one, it almost exclusively affected people in their mid-20s or younger. Scientists discovered another oddity that could explain the first: It was virtually identical to a strain that circulated in the 1950s. People born before that had immunity that protected them, and younger people didn’t. But how on earth had it remained so steady genetically, since viruses continually mutate? Scientists guessed that it had been frozen in a lab. It was often found to be sensitive to temperature, something expected for viruses used in vaccine research. (Zeynep Tufekci, 6/25)
USA Today: COVID-19 Lab Leak Investigation: Deleted Data Adds To Origin Mystery
A respected U.S. scientist researching the evolution of the COVID-19 virus has uncovered an intriguing mystery with potentially troubling implications: Some of the virus’ earliest genetic fingerprints were quietly deleted last year from an important international database at the request of Chinese scientists. The deleted data raises questions about whether efforts have been made to “obscure” information in scientific databases that hold clues to knowing where the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated – and whether the pandemic started with a chance human encounter with an infected animal, or through a laboratory accident in Wuhan. (Alison Young, 6/24)
The Washington Post: Doubts About China’s Transparency On The Pandemic Origins Are Piling Up
To get closer to the spark that caused the pandemic, it is essential to find the earliest cases of people who became infected. Evidence from these patients could suggest whether the virus jumped from an animal host to a human, in a zoonotic spillover, or whether the infection came from an inadvertent accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which was actively studying bat coronaviruses and their potential to infect people. So far, the earliest cases have not been found. When a joint mission of the World Health Organization and China made its initial attempt to look into the origins of the pandemic, a working group focused on “unlocking the potential” of global genomic sequence databases. The scientists hoped they might find genetic blueprints that would hold clues about the evolution of the virus and its pathway to people. In its March 30 report, the joint mission listed the key global databases, including the Sequence Read Archive managed by the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. The archive says it is “the largest publicly available repository of high throughput sequencing data.” (6/24)
Stat: For Now, Stem Cells For Covid-19 Are Mostly A Shot In The Dark
The uncertainty over how to effectively treat Covid-19 is proving to be an opportunity for people interested in stem cells. It is such a hot area that there are dozens of clinical trials underway testing different kinds of stem cells and other cells against Covid-19. And many stem cell clinics have started pitching cell therapies for Covid-19 in the past year. As a stem cell researcher, I don’t think this approach will be a transformative way to treat Covid-19, but I worry that the buzz around it could do harm. (Paul Knoepfler, 6/25)
Newsweek: Vaccine Donations To Taiwan Strengthened Democratic Partnerships
The United States sent 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan on Sunday—more than triple its initial commitment—as Taiwan fights off an upswing in cases. The U.S. donation represents one of the largest batches of vaccines it has sent abroad, accounting for over a third of its announced donations to Asia. The U.S. donation followed a separate shipment of 1.24 million doses from Japan on June 4, the Suga administration's first donation of vaccines abroad. (Vincent Chao, 6/25)
The Los Angeles Times: Incentives For COVID Vaccines Work But Send Wrong Message
As we claw our way out of the pandemic, state governments across the country are offering all kinds of rewards for getting vaccinated against COVID-19. In return for getting your shot, you could take a thrilling lap around the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, win a free fishing and hunting license in Maine, or get your own custom shotgun in West Virginia. In California, residents who get vaccinated have a chance at $1.5 million as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vaccination lottery program, Vax for the Win. There’s some evidence that these incentives are working. Since California launched its lottery on May 27, more than 900,000 residents began their vaccination process. According to the California Department of Public Health, the state saw a 13% increase in vaccinations from the last week of May to the first week of June. (Caroline Petrow-Cohen, 6/25)
