Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Swollen Or Discolored Tongue Might Be Another Symptom Of Covid
USA Today: COVID Tongue May Be A Rare Symptom Of The Coronavirus
"COVID tongue" and mouth ulcers may need to be included in what could become a vast list of symptoms of the coronavirus, a British researcher says. Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London, says one in five people with COVID are presenting with less common symptoms such as skin rashes not on lists published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health entities. Spector, an investigator of the ZOE COVID Symptom Study that encourages Britons to report symptoms via an app, says a swollen or discolored tongue is another manifestation he has been seeing. (Bacon, 2/7)
CIDRAP: Small Study Finds Colchicine Improves Outcomes In COVID-19 Patients
Colchicine appeared to be safe and effective in treating moderate to severe COVID-19 infections in hospitalized patients, according to a randomized, double-blind clinical trial published yesterday in RMD Open. Patients who took the inexpensive drug, which is commonly used to treat gout, required supplemental oxygen and hospitalization for less time. (2/5)
The New York Times: The Coronavirus Is A Master Of Mixing Its Genome, Worrying Scientists
In recent weeks, scientists have sounded the alarm about new variants of the coronavirus that carry a handful of tiny mutations, some of which seem to make vaccines less effective. But it is not just these small genetic changes that are raising concerns. The novel coronavirus has a propensity to mix large chunks of its genome when it makes copies of itself. Unlike small mutations, which are like typos in the sequence, a phenomenon called recombination resembles a major copy-and-paste error in which the second half of a sentence is completely overwritten with a slightly different version. (Khamsi, 2/5)
Modern Healthcare: NYC To Fund COVID-19 Surveillance Sequencing
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Congress are launching separate efforts to boost next-generation sequencing-based surveillance of COVID. On Wednesday, the NYC health department issued an emergency procurement request for contractors to perform whole-genome sequencing of samples that have tested positive. According to the request, which expires Feb. 5, 2021, preference would be given to contractors who can "perform at least 96 sequences of positive COVID-19 tests per week upon contract notification, with the capability to ramp up to at least approximately 150 to 350 sequences per week after four weeks" and who can generate and analyze data in less than seven days. (Han, 2/5)
In other news related to covid research —
The Hill: Immunization Expert Accuses CDC Of Stealing COVID-19 Tracking Idea
An immunization expert is accusing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with a company called Deloitte for stealing her ideas for a mass vaccination tracker. A cease-and-desist letter from August obtained by The New York Times shows Tiffany Tate, creator of vaccination tracker PrepMod, is seeking $15 million in damages after she believes the CDC and Deloitte took the ideas from her vaccination tracker and implemented them in their own Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS). (Lonas, 2/6)
Stat: Wife Of CytoDyn’s Chairman Files Intent To Sell $2.6 Million In Company Stock
The wife of CytoDyn’s chairman disclosed an intent to sell company stock worth $2.6 million as CytoDyn prepares to disclose results of a long-delayed clinical trial involving a treatment for patients with severe Covid-19. (Feuerstein, 2/5)
