Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Some Who Lost Sense Of Smell From Covid May Never Get It Fully Back
The Boston Globe: Millions Who Got COVID-19 May Not Fully Recover Sense Of Smell, Study Says
Millions of Americans stricken with COVID-19 in 2021 may not have fully recovered their senses of smell and taste after contracting the virus, according to a study from researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. The study, published recently in The Laryngoscope, a peer-reviewed medical journal, culled data from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey, which included information on nearly 30,000 adults who were diagnosed with the infectious disease, the hospital said in a statement. (Andersen, 6/13)
Also —
Roll Call: Republicans Grill Outgoing CDC Director As She Prepares To Exit
During what’s likely to be her last appearance before skeptical congressional Republicans on Tuesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky once again asked for more data and workforce authorities — and, once again, she was sharply dismissed. (Cohen, 6/13)
Stat: CDC’s Walensky Parries GOP Criticism Over Covid Response
One of the very last duties of one of President Biden’s very first pandemic response officials was to spend two hours deflecting Republican criticisms of how she did her job. (Cohrs, 6/13)
More on the spread of covid —
The Washington Post: This Skin Rash Is Back After Almost Vanishing During The Pandemic
Before the pandemic began, D.C. dermatologist Adam Friedman routinely treated patients with pityriasis rosea, a temporary but often unbearably itchy skin rash that can last several months. There are 170 cases of pityriasis rosea per 100,000 people each year, according to one study. It can affect people of all ages and races but predominantly afflicts those between the ages of 10 and 35, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. But as the pandemic worsened, curiously, the condition “all but disappeared” from his practice, said Friedman, chair of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. (Cimons, 6/13)
CIDRAP: US Data Show Rise In Hospitalizations For Fungal Infections During COVID-19
New data from a US hospital database show a significant increase in hospitalizations involving fungal infections from 2019 through 2021, driven primarily by COVID-19–associated infections, US researchers reported yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. ... Among the specific fungal pathogens that saw increases were Candida, Aspergillus, Coccidioides, and Histoplasma. (Dall, 6/13)
CIDRAP: Researchers Identify Type Of Long COVID With Persistent Inflammation
US researchers say they have discovered a subtype of long COVID characterized by persistent inflammation, a finding that could help identify dominant disease pathways of diagnostic or therapeutic value. ... The study authors noted that long COVID may be caused by persistent inflammation, unresolved tissue damage, or detailed clearance of viral protein or RNA but that the biologic differences these factors represent are not well understood. (Van Beusekom, 6/13)
