Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Covid; Children Hurt By Firearms; TB; Gut Bacteria
ScienceDaily: Study Shows Benefits Of Early Anticlotting Therapy In Moderate COVID-19
New research shows that administering a full dose of a standard blood thinner early to moderately ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 could halt the thrombo-inflammation process and reduce the risk of severe disease and death. (Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, 7/13)
JAMA Network: Association Of BNT162b2 MRNA And MRNA-1273 Vaccines With COVID-19 Infection And Hospitalization Among Patients With Cirrhosis
Are COVID-19 mRNA vaccines associated with decrease in COVID-19 infections and death in a real-world setting among patients with cirrhosis of the liver? In this retrospective cohort study of US veterans with cirrhosis that compared 20 037 patients who received either a Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA or a Moderna mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine with 20 037 propensity score matched controls, receipt of 1 dose of either vaccine was associated with a 64.8% reduction in COVID-19 infections and 100% reduction in hospitalization or death due to COVID-19 infection after 28 days. (John et al, 7/13)
CIDRAP: Bacterial Infections Found In Higher-Risk, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Half of 399 hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed bacterial infections 48 or more hours after hospitalization, according to a PLOS One study yesterday. The bacterial superinfections were associated most strongly with lung disease, encephalopathy, mechanical ventilation, hospital stay of 8 or more days, and steroid treatment. From March to August 2020, the researchers looked at hospitalized COVID-19 patients at two clinics in Medellín, Colombia, who had at least one of the following risk factors: age over 60 years, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, immunosuppression, or poor prognostic factors (eg, low white blood cells). The cohort consisted of 58.9% men, and 41.9% of the total was over 59 years. The most common comorbidities were high blood pressure (41.6%), diabetes (23.8%), obesity (15.0%), and hypothyroidism (13%). (7/14)
American Academy Of Pediatrics: Pediatric Vaccination During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Pediatric vaccine uptake decreased dramatically during the pandemic, resulting in decreased vaccination coverage that persisted or worsened among several age cohorts during the reopening period. Additional strategies, including immunization tracking, reminders, and recall for needed vaccinations, particularly during virtual visits, will be required to increase vaccine uptake and vaccination coverage and reduce the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. (Ackerson et al, 7/1)
CIDRAP: Study Finds Well-Being Gap Between Remote, In-Person High School Learning
High school students taking remote classes had lower social, emotional, and academic well-being survey scores compared with high schoolers who attended in person during the pandemic, according to an Educational Researcher study yesterday. The researchers had given a 10-question survey to 6,576 high schoolers enrolled at Orange County public schools in Florida. Students first took the survey in February 2020 when they were in grades 8 through 11, and later the same students, then in 9th to 12th grade, took the survey in October 2020. The second survey occurred 1 to 2 months after 63.9% had chosen to continue remote learning for the 2020-21 school year and the remainder had chosen to attend in person. (7/14)
American Academy Of Pediatrics: Firearms Injuries Involving Young Children In The United States During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Increased rates of firearm ownership, school closures, and a suspected decrease in supervision during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic place young children at increased risk of firearm injuries. We measured trends in firearm injuries in children and inflicted by children discharging a firearm during the pandemic and correlated these changes with a rise in firearm acquisition. (Cohen, 7/1)
ScienceDaily: Progress Towards New Treatments For Tuberculosis
A new study has uncovered how cells infected with tuberculosis bacteria can die, and that using new medicines to enhance particular forms of cell death decreased the severity of the disease in a preclinical model. (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, 7/13)
ScienceDaily: Our Genes Shape Our Gut Bacteria, New Research Shows
Researchers discovered that most bacteria in the gut microbiome are heritable after looking at more than 16,000 gut microbiome profiles collected over 14 years from a long-studied population of baboons in Kenya's Amboseli National Park. The team also found that several of the microbiome traits heritable in baboons are also heritable in humans. (University of Notre Dame, 7/8)
