Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Finds Half Of Hospitalized Covid Patients Developed Complications
Bloomberg: Half Of Covid Hospital Patients Develop Complication, Study Says
One in two people hospitalized with Covid-19 develop another health complication, a U.K. study showed, in the broadest look yet at what happens to those sick enough to need inpatient treatment. Though complications were most common in those over the age of 50, the study found a significant risk for younger people as well. Among 19- to 29-year-olds hospitalized with Covid, 27% experienced a further injury or attack in an organ system in the body, while 37% of 30- to 39-year-olds experienced a similar complication, the researchers said in The Lancet on Thursday. (Kresge, 7/15)
The New York Times: Covid Is Especially Risky For People With H.I.V., Large Study Finds
People living with H.I.V. are more likely to become severely ill with Covid-19 and more likely to die if hospitalized than others infected with the coronavirus, according to a large new study. Nearly half of H.I.V.-infected men older than 65 who are hospitalized for Covid-19 may die, the study found. The results, released ahead of an AIDS conference in Berlin, suggest that people with H.I.V. should be first in line for vaccines, along with older adults and others with weak immune systems, scientists said. (Mandavilli, 7/15)
CIDRAP: Learning Disabilities Tied To Higher Risk Of COVID-19 Hospitalization, Death
Adults with learning disabilities who were diagnosed as having COVID-19 were five times more likely to be hospitalized and eight times more likely to die during England's first COVID wave, according to a study in BMJ. The researchers noted that data from the second wave (September 2020 to early February 2021) showed similar results. (7/15)
Fox News: MRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Effective In Cirrhosis Patients, Study Finds
U.S. veterans experiencing cirrhosis, or damage to the liver, and who also received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine saw high levels of protection against virus-related hospitalization and death, a study found. The findings come as federal health authorities said the two groups of concern relating to potential use of booster shots include people 75 and older and those with a weakened immune system, or immunocompromised patients. The study authors at hand noted "patients with cirrhosis have immune dysregulation that is associated with vaccine hyporesponsiveness." Ongoing research by the FDA and a CDC panel is working to determine if, when and for whom booster shots could be necessary. However, for now, the FDA and CDC said "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time," citing highly effective vaccines. (Rivas, 7/14)
NBC News: Can Vaccinated People Get Long Covid? Doctors Say Risk Is 'Very, Very Small'
Coronavirus infections leading to long-haul Covid-19 in fully vaccinated people are probably very rare, experts say. The Covid-19 vaccines have been shown to significantly reduce infections, as well as the risk of severe consequences of the illness, including hospitalization and death. That means that if a fully vaccinated person does become infected, the illness is much more likely to be mild. (Edwawrds, 7/15)
In updates on remdesivir —
Axios: Gilead's Remdesivir May Not Shorten All COVID Hospital Stays
Veterans who had COVID-19 last year and were given Gilead's coronavirus drug remdesivir (marketed as Veklury) stayed in the hospital longer than other similar patients who did not receive it, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open. "Perhaps [patients] were being kept in the hospital to finish remdesivir," said Mike Ohl, one of the study's authors and an infectious disease physician at the VA Medical Center in Iowa City who has treated COVID patients. "We shouldn't be keeping people in the hospital just to complete remdesivir if they're otherwise ready to leave." (Herman, 7/15)
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Remdesivir Study Finds Long Hospital Stay, But Context Matters
Remdesivir, the only antiviral fully approved for COVID-19 treatment by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was associated with a longer hospital stay yet no improvement in survival rates, according to a real-world observational study of military veterans today in JAMA Network Open. The researchers suggest that the prescribed regimen (5 or 10 days) may have led to longer hospitalizations as patients finished the treatment course, and a related commentary agrees. (McLernon, 7/15)
Scientific American: There Are Few Good COVID Antivirals, But That Could Be Changing
In an interview with Scientific American, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he was cautiously optimistic that the new Antiviral Program for Pandemics (APP) would save lives and prevent surging hospitalizations. “It’s an ambitious program,” he said. “But if we can block the virus early on, then we can avoid the progression to advanced stages of the disease, which are so devastating to so many.” (Schmidt, 7/15)
