Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rush To Return To 'Normal' May Have Outpaced Anti-Covid Air Safety Device
Bloomberg: Anti-Covid Gadget Creates Air Shield In Plane Cabins, But Coming Too Late
A Covid-era invention that protects plane passengers from the virus with a curtain of fast-flowing air is proving redundant, underscoring how little travelers care about the risk of infection in the rush back to the skies. (Whitley, 1/18)
In other pandemic news —
CNN: When Young Children Test Positive For Covid-19 And Another Respiratory Virus, Their Illness Is Much More Severe, A New Study Suggests
When Covid-19 patients younger than 5 also test positive for another respiratory virus, they tend to become sicker and develop more severe disease, a new study suggests. Among hospitalized children younger than 5, testing positive for both Covid-19 and another respiratory virus at the same time is associated with about twice the odds of severe respiratory illness than those who tested negative for other viruses, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics. (Howard and Chavez, 1/18)
NPR: Can You Get COVID And The Flu At The Same Time?
If you're like most Americans, someone in your family or social circle is sick right now with COVID, flu, a cold or RSV. With the rolling waves of sickness hitting many households, some people are wondering: Could I have caught more than one of these germs at the same time? The answer is: Yes, it can happen. There's plenty of evidence of people testing positive for, say, COVID and the flu or flu and RSV simultaneously. (Stein, 1/18)
Politico: DeSantis Pushes To Make Covid-19 Changes Permanent
At an event that featured a dermatologist who spreads Covid-19 vaccine conspiracy theories, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said he will push Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature to make permanent many of his pandemic-era policies that have made him a star with many in the GOP and a potential 2024 presidential candidate. The proposal, announced during a press conference in Panama City, would put into state law many of the policies DeSantis implemented through executive order or were temporarily passed during a 2021 special legislative session. (Dixon, 1/17)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Elko County Health Board To Consider Banning COVID, Flu Vaccines
The Elko County Board of Health is scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss and consider placing a moratorium on COVID-19 and flu vaccines in the county. The board also will consider discontinuing local advertising for COVID-19 and flu vaccines, pending “further investigation and results of the Florida Supreme Court case to investigate the wrong doing related to COVID-19 vaccines,” the agenda says. (Hill, 1/17)
On vaccines and covid treatments —
Stat: Pfizer To Widen Access To Off-Patent Products In Low-Income Nations
In another bid to widen access to its medical products, Pfizer plans to provide roughly 500 medicines and vaccines — many of which are no longer protected by patents — at not-for-profit prices to 45 mostly low-income countries. The goal is to make it possible for the countries to purchase the drugs and vaccines at substantially lower prices than they might otherwise. (Silverman, 1/18)
Reuters: Moderna CEO Says He Wants To Have MRNA Factory On Every Continent
Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel said he would like to have factories making vaccines based on its messenger RNA technology on every continent as the U.S. company prepares to build four facilities. ... The company is building or planning to build factories in Canada, Australia, Britain and Kenya, he said. (1/18)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Supreme Court To Rule On Court-Ordered Ivermectin For COVID
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is deciding whether a hospital should have been forced to give a patient ivermectin to treat COVID-19, a ruling that will have implications on how far the court can intervene in the decisions of healthcare providers. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Gahl v. Aurora Health Tuesday. (Hess, 1/17)
KHN: What Older Americans Need To Know About Taking Paxlovid
A new coronavirus variant is circulating, the most transmissible one yet. Hospitalizations of infected patients are rising. And older adults represent nearly 90% of U.S. deaths from covid-19 in recent months, the largest portion since the start of the pandemic. What does that mean for people 65 and older catching covid for the first time or those experiencing a repeat infection? (Graham, 1/18)
In related news —
Bloomberg: China’s Covid Deaths Expected To Hit 36,000 A Day Over Lunar New Year
China is likely to see 36,000 Covid deaths a day during the Lunar New Year holidays, making it one of the most deadly periods of the pandemic, according to an updated analysis of the largest outbreak the world has yet experienced. (Hong, 1/18)
Axios: Looming Pandemic Deadline Threatens Access To Some Prescription Drugs Via Telehealth
The anticipated end of the COVID public health emergency will bring a massive change in how patients receive prescriptions for drugs like Adderall, Xanax and hormone therapies, by requiring them to see a doctor in person. (Owens, 1/18)
