Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: COVID's Ties To Cannabis, PFAS Pollution And Pregnancy; Respiratory Syncytial Virus; And More
Forbes: Cannabis May Reduce Deadly COVID-19 Lung Inflammation: Researchers Explain Why
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, researchers have started to look for solutions in an unlikely place - the cannabis plant. Cannabis’ active compounds have a number of properties that make it appealing as a potential adjunct treatment for infections from the novel coronavirus, and recently scientists have begun looking at its potential for reducing susceptibility to the disease, and even discussed whether it could be used as an antiviral medication. (Earlenbaugh, 7/6)
North Carolina Health News: Research Suggests Link Between PFAS Pollution, COVID
Late last month, the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a report saying studies suggest that exposure to high levels of fluorinated compounds — commonly referred to as PFAS or “forever chemicals” — could suppress the immune system and increase the risk of getting COVID-19 and the severity of infection. Studies have also shown that exposure to PFAS could reduce the effectiveness of childhood vaccines and adult flu vaccines. (Barnes, 7/13)
Boston Globe: Here’s What Comes Next For Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine — If Everything Goes Right
Moderna was the first drug maker to start testing an experimental COVID-19 vaccine on humans. It’s also poised to be the first to enter the final stage of a clinical trial in the United States, on July 27. But if you’re hoping to soon get the Cambridge biotech’s closely watched vaccine ― or any of nearly two dozen rival vaccine candidates being tested in clinical trials around the world ― don’t roll up your sleeve yet. (Saltzman, 7/15)
Medium: What To Make Of Research Suggesting Immunity To Covid-19 Is Short-Lived
Yesterday, a preprint that was recently posted to the server medRxiv (meaning the study has not undergone peer review, an important step for accurate science research) generated a flurry of excitement — and criticism — for its implication that immunity to the coronavirus might only last a few months. The paper suggested that the levels of antibodies people produce in response to Covid-19 infection rapidly decline after they hit their peak. The paper’s findings, which were covered by large news outlets like The Guardian, CNBC, and CNN, suggest that people’s immunity after a Covid-19 infection wanes over time. And that doesn’t seem to bode well for hopes of herd immunity or a vaccine. A couple days earlier, Vox published a story written by a doctor suggesting that a patient who recovered from Covid-19 got reinfected, raising similar concerns about immunity to the coronavirus. (Tayag, 7/14)
Undark: CDC Revises Covid-19 Risks During Pregnancy As Research Lags
The CDC acknowledged that crucial health information was missing for about three-quarters of pregnant women with the virus, including whether they had preexisting conditions or required an ICU stay or mechanical ventilation. For the vast majority of U.S. women of reproductive age who tested positive — about 326,000 women through June 7 — there was no information about pregnancy status at all. (Martin, 7/14)
American Acadamy of Pediatrics: Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Hospitalizations Among Young Children: 2015–2016
During the 2015–2016 season, RSV infection was associated with one-third of ARI hospitalizations in our study population of young children. Hospitalization rates were highest in infants <6 months. Most children who were RSV-positive had no history of prematurity or underlying medical conditions, suggesting that all young children could benefit from targeted interventions against RSV. (Rha et al, 7/1)
American Academy Of Pediatrics: Parental Hesitancy About Routine Childhood And Influenza Vaccinations: A National Survey
Among a nationally representative sample of US parents, we aimed to (1) assess and compare prevalence of hesitancy and factors driving hesitancy for routine childhood and influenza vaccination and (2) examine associations between sociodemographic characteristics and hesitancy for routine childhood or influenza vaccination. (Kempe et al, 7/1)
JAMA: Association Between Universal Masking In A Health Care System And SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Among Health Care Workers
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has severely affected health care workers (HCWs). As a result, hospital systems began testing HCWs and implementing infection control measures to mitigate workforce depletion and prevent disease spread. Mass General Brigham (MGB) is the largest health care system in Massachusetts, with 12 hospitals and more than 75 000 employees. In March 2020, MGB implemented a multipronged infection reduction strategy involving systematic testing of symptomatic HCWs and universal masking of all HCWs and patients with surgical masks. This study assessed the association of hospital masking policies with the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate among HCWs. (Wang, MD, et al, 7/14)
GeekWire: Benaroya Research Institute Awarded $5.8M From NIH For Immunology-Related COVID Research
As part of the scientific community trying to understand the varied and curious symptoms caused by COVID-19, the Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) at Virginia Mason announced Tuesday that it has received more than $5.8 million dollars from the National Institutes of Health to fund four studies. The nonprofit Seattle institute for decades has focused on studying autoimmune and immune system diseases, including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and allergies, and its COVID-related research investigates the body’s response to the virus. (Stiffler, 7/14)
