Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Confirms Race, Age, Gender Play Big Roles In Dying From COVID-19
The New York Times: Study Of 17 Million Identifies Crucial Risk Factors For Coronavirus Deaths
An analysis of more than 17 million people in England — the largest study of its kind, according to its authors — has pinpointed a bevy of factors that can raise a person’s chances of dying from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The paper, published Wednesday in Nature, echoes reports from other countries that identify older people, men, racial and ethnic minorities, and those with underlying health conditions among the more vulnerable populations. (Wu, 7/8)
ABC News: Asymptomatic And Presymptomatic People Transmit Most COVID-19 Infections: Study
Silent transmission of the novel coronavirus could account for more than half of infections, according to one new mathematical model by U.S. and Canadian researchers. The researchers utilized data on asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission from two different epidemiological studies and estimated that more than 50% of infections were attributable to people not exhibiting symptoms. (Schumaker, 7/8)
CIDRAP: Symptoms Not Enough For 911 COVID-19 Screening, Study Finds
Screening based on conventional COVID-19 symptoms may not be sensitive enough to identify which 911 patients should be tested for infection, a retrospective cohort study published today in JAMA Network Open found. In the study, researchers in Seattle evaluated data from surveillance systems and the electronic medical records of 124 patients with COVID-19 seeking 911 emergency medical services (EMS) in King County, Washington, from Feb 1 to Mar 18. (Beusekom, 7/8)
WBUR: How Generation Z Is Handling Pandemic, Protests Against Racial Injustice
Americans of all ages are grappling with the emergence of a deadly pandemic and a nationwide protest movement against racial injustice. But how does Generation Z — those born after 1996 — feel about it all? Here & Now checked in with three teenagers to hear their thoughts on COVID-19, anti-racism protests and the 2020 presidential election. (Hobson, 7/8)
CNN: Anxiety Makes Us Bad Decision-Makers. Here's How To Do Better
Just before the lockdown began, London-based writer Valentina Valentini made the choice of a lifetime: She agreed to marry her partner. She didn't think twice about it. A few weeks later, Valentini was struggling with pandemic-related anxiety that made even the most basic decisions seem daunting. "It was just sort of this anxiety around everything," she said. "Sometimes it can manifest itself in the smallest ways, like 'I don't know what to eat right now.' I can't choose the simplest thing." (Smith, 7/9)
Kaiser Health News: Behind The Byline: ‘Everybody Hit Record’
Although the coronavirus pandemic shut down many organizations and businesses across the nation, KHN has never been busier ― and health coverage has never been more vital. We’ve revamped our Behind The Byline YouTube series and brought it to Instagram TV. Journalists and producers from across KHN’s newsrooms take you behind the scenes in these bite-size videos to show the ways they are following the story, connecting with sources and sorting through facts — all while staying safe. (7/9)
Boston Globe: Contact Tracing For Coronavirus In Mass. Significantly Downscaled As Leaders Report Chronic Problems
Massachusetts is significantly scaling back its first-in-the-nation partnership with Partners in Health to track down people infected by the coronavirus, as the rate of positive cases in the state has held steady at or below 2 percent since mid-June. Hundreds of contact tracers hired since the program was launched in April were recently laid off, and leaders in several cities and towns that collaborate with the Boston-based global health organization have expressed frustrations about problems with the initiative. Some have dropped out. (Lazar, 7/8)
Modern Healthcare: Some States Cement COVID-19 Telehealth Expansions
Some states that expanded telehealth access and coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic are moving to make those changes permanent.Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill on Monday that expands telehealth access by barring insurers from requiring that patients have a pre-established relationship with a virtual care provider or imposing additional location, certification or licensure requirements on providers as a condition for telehealth reimbursement. The new law, which applies to state-regulated health plans and Medicaid, adds remote patient monitoring as a covered service and does away with restrictions on the technology used for telehealth visits. (Livingston, 7/8)
CNN: Prisons Have Higher Coronavirus Infection And Death Rates, Analysis From JHU Says
The coronavirus pandemic is having a significant impact on the nation's prison system, causing higher rates of infection and death compared to the general population. "The number of US prison residents who tested positive for Covid-19 was 5.5 times higher than the general US population," according to an analysis led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (Watts and Erdman, 7/8)
AP: Feds Charge Florida Man, Sons With Selling Fake Virus Cure
A Florida man and his three sons are facing federal charges that they illegally sold a bleachlike chemical mixture as a miracle cure for the new coronavirus and other diseases, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The substance marketed as Miracle Mineral Solution was sold nationwide through an entity called the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing in Bradenton, Florida, according to a criminal complaint. (Anderson, 7/9)
The Washington Post: Senator Merkley Wants To Ban Middle Seats After Packed American Airlines Flight
One day after American Airlines resumed booking flights to capacity, ending its effort to cap the number of passengers on board in response to the pandemic, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) experienced the policy change firsthand.Instead of finding his connecting flight to Texas mostly empty, as he had flying American recently, Merkley saw passengers shoulder to shoulder. (Compton, 7/8)
NPR: Starting A COVID-19 'Social Bubble'? How Safe Sex Communication Skills Can Help
Ina Park has been in a monogamous marriage for more than 15 years, but she feels like she has been having one safe sex conversation after another these days. There was the time she and some close friends spent a few hours together without wearing masks, and she later realized she needed to ask: "Are you seeing other people?" (Dembosky, 7/8)
Boston Globe: Say ‘Ahhh’ To The Smartphone: A New Tool For Detecting COVID-19
Sonde Health is one of several companies pioneering a new kind of diagnostic tool called “vocal biomarkers.” These are subtle changes in a person’s voice that can be identified by a computer. These changes could indicate the presence of illness —not just COVID, but also other lung and heart ailments, and even anxiety and depression. (Bray, 7/9)
In other news —
The New York Times: A Shot To Protect Against H.I.V.
A single shot every two months prevents H.I.V. better than the most commonly used daily pill, Truvada, researchers reported on Tuesday. At the moment, Truvada and Descovy, made by Gilead Sciences, are the only drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for prevention of H.I.V. infection, a strategy called PrEP. Gilead has heavily been criticized for setting a high price for the pills. (Mandavilli, 7/7)
AP: Safe Injection Sites May Curb Opioid Deaths, Report Suggests
A safe haven in the U.S. where people can give themselves heroin and other drugs has observed more than 10,500 injections over five years and treated 33 overdoses with none proving fatal, researchers reported Wednesday. The injection site is unsanctioned and its location hasn’t been revealed. The researchers say the results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, show the potential for such places to curb deaths from the opioid epidemic. (Marchione, 7/8)
