Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Covid Led To An Unexpected Increase In Babies; Pediatricians Are Burned Out
The Washington Post: Covid Gave America A Surprise Baby Boom
Covid-19 accomplished what would-be grandparents and government actuaries could not: It persuaded millennials to have kids. So. Many. Kids. (Catherine Rampell, 3/21)
The Washington Post: After The Winter Kids Just Had, Pediatricians Are Not Okay
For many parents with young children, this winter was a slog through the “tripledemic” of covid-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus and other resurgent infections. My own family’s tally: 13 doctors’ appointments since October, eight infected ears, two cases of strep throat, two different strains of pinkeye and one covid infection. (Alyssa Rosenberg, 3/22)
USA Today: Moderna Price Hike Questions Necessary, But Don't Destroy System That Made Covid Vaccines Possible
As a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, I witnessed the monumental challenges brought on by a historic pandemic. Three years ago, COVID-19 was decimating the country and the world ground to a halt. We were all hopeful science would deliver a vaccine, yet in March 2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted it would take 12 or 18 months at least – and even that would be incredibly fast given that vaccines often take as many as 15 years to come to market. (Dr. Jerome Adams, 3/22)
The Tennessean: Removing Nurse Regulations Would Benefit Tennessee's Health Care System
As nurses, we are compelled to speak out when the self-interests of one professional group trump the interests and well-being of Tennesseans. What if we told you there is a way to improve access to primary care and other needed health services and generate significant cost savings in Tennessee? The answer lies in allowing the state’s Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, APRN, to practice at the top of their licenses. (Tracy Stansberry and Carole R. Myers, 3/22)
Harvard Public Health: Tuberculosis, Not COVID-19, Is The Plague Of The Century
COVID-19, of course, has also affected nearly every family on the planet, with at least 758 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, and 6.8 million documented deaths. Some estimates count more than 20 million deaths. But in 2021, in the teeth of COVID-19, millions of people fell sick with TB, many of them uncounted because many TB treatment and services halted during pandemic lockdowns. It’s now clear that the two pathogens—novel virus and ancient bacterium—work as an efficient tag team, each amplifying the other. Plagues, after all, are shaped by other plagues. We are witnessing a moment of extraordinary vulnerability in global health as new plagues, far from supplanting old ones, are making them worse. (Vidya Krishnan, 3/21)
Scientific American: Health Research Is Needed Now Before Sending Civilians To Space
Within decades, hundreds and perhaps thousands of average civilians will travel, live and work in space. Along with their space suits, they will bring with them their illnesses, chronic health problems and disabilities. ... We need to go the extra mile to protect civilians if they are to travel, live and work in space. NASA’s reports on astronauts before, during and after extended space travel and habitation make this clear: astronauts face chronic motion sickness, neurological disorders, cardiovascular problems, increased risk for blood clotting and vision problems, as well as increased risks of cancer, muscle atrophy and bone loss. That’s despite their excellent health, physical and mental fitness, and years of training. As astronauts, they are fully aware of these risks and willing to take them. (Michael Marge, 3/22)
