Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
UK Researches Anti-Parasite Drug Ivermectin As Possible Covid Treatment
Bloomberg: Parasite Drug Analyzed As Possible Covid Treatment In U.K. Trial
A drug used to treat parasite infections in humans and livestock will be investigated as a possible treatment for Covid-19 in a large U.K. study at the University of Oxford. The medicine, known as ivermectin, has antiviral properties and initial preliminary studies have shown it can reduce viral load, the amount of virus in the respiratory tract, and the length of symptoms in those with a mild infection, according to a statement from the university. (Gemmell, 6/23)
In other news about covid research —
CIDRAP: Rare Cases Of Guillain-Barre Syndrome Detailed After COVID Vaccine
Two studies this month in the Annals of Neurology describe Guillain-Barre syndrome in seven Indian patients and four English patients, both within 22 days of receiving the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, which has already been linked to rare but severe clotting. The researchers described the seven cases in Kerala, India, where symptom onset occurred within 2 weeks after receiving the first dose of the vaccine. (6/22)
San Francisco Chronicle: CDC Panel To Examine Heart Inflammation Cases In Young People After COVID Vaccinations
Advisers for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are set to meet Wednesday to consider possible changes to COVID-19 vaccinations of adolescents and young adults as a result of reports of heart inflammation among a small number of younger vaccine recipients. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the CDC on vaccine policy, could recommend adjusting the dosing regimen for people in a certain age group, pausing administration of the shots to certain age groups, or adding a warning label. It could also opt not to recommend any changes. (Ho, 6/22)
CIDRAP: Racial Disparities Noted In Children With COVID-19
Non-White children may receive less COVID-19 testing and experience higher COVID-19 infections, COVID-19 severity, and hospitalization duration, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics. ... White children received the most COVID tests (17.1%), followed by Asians (13.6%), those of mixed or other races (12.9%), and Black children (8.3%). Minority children had significantly higher COVID-19 infections, ranging from 6.3% (mixed/other races) to 10.8% (Asian) versus the 5.8% identified in White children. (6/22)
San Francisco Chronicle: Can A Dog Smell COVID-19? Testing And Training Is Now Under Way To See
It can sniff out the location of a buried landmine. Get a whiff of a human armpit and find its owner a quarter mile away. It can even direct conservation researchers toward fresh killer whale poop floating in the ocean. Now the super nose of Canis lupus familiaris — your basic dog — is also detecting COVID-19 in people who may not know they have it. “It’s remarkable,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance (Los Angeles County), who introduced a bill in the House this month to create a pilot program at the Defense Department to see if using dogs to sniff out COVID can slow the spread of the disease. (Asimov, 6/22)
CNN: These People Suffer From Long Covid -- And They're Battling Survivor's Guilt
Lauren Nichols' battle with Covid-19 began early in the pandemic, when resources were scarce and experts debated whether the US would have to ration care. It was a burden she felt personally as she worried about what a trip to the doctor could mean for someone else. "The guilt came on very quickly. I felt like if I were to go get help for myself because I was still having worsening symptoms and wasn't getting better, that I was robbing someone else of their ability to get care," Nichols, 33, said. "And for me, that ended up developing further into me feeling like why am I even alive." (Kallingal, 6/23)
Roll Call: 3 Questions Experts Say Need To Be Asked About Pandemic’s Origin
Biosecurity experts are pushing Congress to investigate a theory that the virus that causes COVID-19 escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, saying important information could be uncovered even without the help of Chinese authorities. “Many threads of investigation are available in the U.S. and would be accessible to a congressional inquiry with subpoena power,” said Rutgers University molecular biologist Richard Ebright, who believes the pandemic resulted from a lab accident. (Kopp, 6/23)
