Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Use Of 2 Covid Treatments 'Strongly' Discouraged By WHO
Reuters: WHO 'Strongly Advises Against' Use Of Two COVID Treatments
Two COVID-19 antibody therapies are no longer recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), on the basis that Omicron and the variant's latest offshoots have likely rendered them obsolete. The two therapies - otrovimab as well as casirivimab-imdevimab, which are designed to work by binding to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 to neutralise the virus' ability to infect cells - were some of the first medicines developed early in the pandemic. (Grover, 9/15)
Bloomberg: GSK, Regeneron Covid Antibody Drugs Unlikely To Work For Omicron, WHO Says
The new guideline is a blow to Regeneron, GSK and its partner Vir Biotechnology, replacing a conditional endorsement of the treatments with a “strong recommendation” against their use. But it’s not entirely surprising: GSK and Vir’s sotrovimab had already lost its US authorization in April because the therapy was unlikely to work against the dominant omicron BA.2 subvariant. (Fourcade, 9/15)
On the covid vaccine rollout —
Salt Lake Tribune: Utah COVID-19 Vaccinations Skyrocketed After New Booster Release, State Reports
Department of Health and Human Services data also shows that tens of thousands more people got vaccinated against the virus in the last seven days. Nearly 29,000 Utahns received some form of COVID-19 vaccine, driven largely by the availability of the new omicron variant-specific vaccines, DHHS said. More than 12,000 people received a second booster. (Harkins, 9/15)
Fox News: Marine Corps Rescinds Penalties For Service Members Seeking COVID Vax Religious Accommodations
The U.S. Marine Corps is rolling back strict punishments for service members seeking religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine, including ending involuntary terminations and delays of promotions for those refusing the shot. According to a new "interim guidance," signed Sept. 14 and posted quietly online, the message "amends actions" directed toward unvaccinated Marines whose religious accommodation requests were denied and who appealed the decision. (Laco, 9/16)
Also —
NPR: Scientists Debate How Lethal COVID Is. Some Say It's Now Less Risky Than Flu
"We have all been questioning, 'When does COVID look like influenza?''' says Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. "And, I would say, 'Yes, we are there.'" Gandhi and other researchers argue that most people today have enough immunity — gained from vaccination, infection or both — to protect them against getting seriously ill from COVID. And this is especially so since the omicron variant doesn't appear to make people as sick as earlier strains, Gandhi says. (Stein, 9/16)
WISH-TV: New Study Finds Organ Recipients Rejecting Transplant After Receiving COVID Vaccine
Some transplant recipients are rejecting their new organ and scientists say the coronavirus vaccine may be to blame. According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, acute corneal allografts are being rejected by immunized patients who’ve undergone the procedure. Researchers say the underlying cause could be tied to a systemic inflammatory response elicited by the shot post-jab. The cornea is the outermost layer of a person’s eye. Corneal grafts are used to restore a damaged cornea. The surgery is known to be one of the most successful organ transplant procedures with low rejection rates. (Gillis, 9/13)
