Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
So You Say You Haven't Had Covid. You're Probably Mistaken, Study Finds.
CIDRAP: 42% Of US Adults Likely Have Had COVID, But Almost Half Of Them Say They Didn't
Serologic testing of US adults finds that nearly 42% have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies indicating previous infection, but about 44% of them said they never had COVID-19, according to a study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Van Beusekom, 12/2)
In other research —
CIDRAP: 11% Of COVID-19 Survivors Have Residual Lung Damage, Study Finds
A new study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reveals about an 11% incidence of residual lung damage—known as interstitial lung disease—after COVID-19 hospitalization. Interstitial lung disease is a broad category of lung damage and disease defined by fibrotic scarring. The damage is often irreversible. (12/2)
San Francisco Chronicle: Virus Can Live On Certain Groceries “For Several Days,” Report Finds
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 can live on some groceries for days, according to new laboratory tests by the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency. The research, conducted at the University of Southampton, was commissioned by the FSA as a follow-up to a 2020 study measuring the risk of surface transmission. (Vaziri and Kawahara, 12/2)
On covid variants —
Reuters: Drop In COVID Alertness Could Create Deadly New Variant, WHO Says
Lapses in strategies to tackle COVID-19 this year continue to create the perfect conditions for a deadly new variant to emerge, as parts of China witness a rise in infections, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday. The comments by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mark a change in tone just months after he said that the world has never been in a better position to end the pandemic. (Satija, 12/2)
Bloomberg: Omicron Covid Strain Likely Developed In West Africa, Study Shows
Omicron, the current dominant coronavirus strain, likely originated in West Africa even though it was first identified in the south of the continent, according to a study led by South Africa’s Stellenbosch University and Charite -Universitatsmedizin Berlin. (Sguazzin, 12/2)
On long covid —
CIDRAP: Almost Half Of COVID Patients Globally Had Symptoms At 4 Months
A meta-analysis led by University of Leicester researchers in the United Kingdom shows that nearly half of COVID-19 survivors around the world still had symptoms an average of 4 months later, regardless of whether they had been hospitalized. (12/2)
North Carolina Health News: A Glimmer Of Hope At UNC Clinic Re: Long COVID
Tony Marks in Pinehurst and Brooke Keaton in Charlotte both lived orderly, productive lives two years ago. That was clearly reflected in their steady jobs and close family ties. However, their experiences with the long-term effects of infection with the COVID-19 virus have touched and in many cases devastated nearly every other aspect of each of their days. (Goldsmith, 12/5)
On covid funding —
The Wall Street Journal: Billions In Covid Aid Went To Hospitals That Didn’t Need It
When Covid-19 struck, the U.S. government gave hospitals tens of billions of dollars to help them cope with the strains of the pandemic.Many of the hospitals didn’t need it.The aid enriched some well-off systems, while failing to meet the needs of many that were struggling, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of federal financial-disclosure reports. (Evans, Whyte and McGinty, 12/4)
