Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pharmacists Allowed To Give Covid, Flu Shots After Covid Emergency Ends
Stat: Biden's HHS Will Hold On To Some Covid Emergency Powers
Even though the Biden administration is ending its highest-profile Covid-19 emergency declaration next month, it’s still going to hold on to some pandemic-era powers. The Department of Health and Human Services gave governors a heads-up on Friday that it is planning to keep pharmacists’ ability to administer Covid-19 and flu vaccines past the end of the public health emergency. (Cohrs, 4/14)
More on the spread of covid —
The Washington Post: Covid Is Still A Leading Cause Of Death As The Virus Recedes
Federal health officials say that covid remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States, tied to about 250 deaths daily, on average, mostly among the old and immunocompromised. Few Americans are treating it as a leading killer, however — in part because they are not hearing about those numbers, don’t trust them or don’t see them as relevant to their own lives. (Diamond, 4/16)
CIDRAP: XBB.1.16 Picks Up Speed In US As WHO Experts Weigh COVID Vaccine Composition
The Omicron XBB.1.16 SARS-CoV-2 subvariant fueling India's surge is gaining traction in the United States, but so far the nation isn't seeing increases in cases, deaths, or hospitalizations, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest updates. (Schnirring, 4/14)
CIDRAP: Studies Show Real-World Usefulness Of Bivalent COVID Boosters
Authors writing this week in the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet Infectious Diseases shared new evidence on the durability and efficacy of bivalent (two-strain) COVID-19 boosters. The vaccines offer strong protection against hospitalization and death during the post-Omicron era, but protection wanes relatively quickly. (Soucheray, 4/14)
CIDRAP: In-Person School Reopenings Tied To Modest Rise In Community COVID Spread
A study of US counties suggests that communities with schools that switched from remote to in-person instruction in fall 2020 had slightly higher COVID-19 case rates 4 to 8 weeks later than those that remained virtual. The research was published today in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 4/14)
On bird flu —
The New York Times: Bird Flu Sample From Chilean Man Showed Some Signs Of Adaptation To Mammals
A sample of avian influenza isolated from a Chilean man who fell ill last month contains two genetic mutations that are signs of adaptation to mammals, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. In experimental animal studies, the mutations, both of which are in what is known as the PB2 gene, have previously been shown to help the virus replicate better in mammalian cells. The risk to the public remains low, health officials said, and no additional human cases have been linked to the Chilean man, who remains hospitalized. (Anthes, 4/14)
