Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Pros, Cons Of Faster Vaccine Approval; Lessons On Living During Pandemic
Stat: In Addition To A Covid-19 Vaccine, We Also Need A Trusted Plan For It
Safe and effective vaccines represent the most effective way to restore the health and economic security disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. To help achieve that goal, the U.S. government launched Operation Warp Speed in May to accelerate development and manufacturing of several Covid-19 vaccines, with a goal of having 300 million doses available to the U.S. population by January 2021. (Luciana Borio and Jesse L. Goodman, 9/17)
Bloomberg: Faster Vaccine Approval Could Mean Better International Relations
When it comes to vaccines, the best decision for any single nation will depend on the decisions and actions of other nations. So vaccine policies cannot, and should not, be made in isolation — which means, as the internet likes to say, that it’s time for some game theory.Consider the United Arab Emirates’ recent approval of the new China-based Sinopharm vaccine. The vaccine was tested in the UAE for six weeks, and now there is an emergency-use authorization. By approving a vaccine early, the UAE government appears hands-on and efficient to its citizens. It might also improve its standing in the region, holding some bartering chips in the form of vaccine doses. (Tyler Cowan, 9/16)
The New York Times: Should We Fast-Track A Vaccine For The Coronavirus?
The Food and Drug Administration is about to make the most momentous decision in its history: whether to authorize the early use of a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus without the normal safety and effectiveness protocols.This is happening against the backdrop of the presidential election season, in which the pandemic has become a fraught political issue for the Trump administration. The wrong decision could seriously undermine efforts to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. (William B. Schultz, 9/17)
Fox News: Coronavirus Vaccine: We'll Get One And Here's Why We Trust The Science
As physicians and members of Congress, we know the surest and safest way to defeat coronavirus and return life to a state of normal is by developing a safe, effective vaccine. When the coronavirus pandemic began, the Trump administration had the foresight to launch Operation Warp Speed (OWS), a multi-agency wide effort to develop and deliver a vaccine, therapeutics, and diagnostic tests that could identify and treat the virus in record time. This public-private partnership, which uses federal research dollars to supplement and accelerate private companies’ vaccine development efforts, could now be mere months away from having a COVID-19 vaccine approved and ready to save lives. (Rep. Phil Roe, Rep. Brad Wenstrup, Rep. Andy Harris, Rep. Larry Bucshon, 9/16)
The Wall Street Journal: How To Live With Covid, Not For It
The battle against Covid-19 is entering a new phase, and the choice for society is whether to live with the virus or to live for it. This new phase has been marked by four developments: Many states have weathered post-shutdown outbreaks and case counts are falling; the percentage of Americans saying the pandemic is worsening peaked in July and is trending down, according to Gallup polling; the culture wars over lockdowns and distancing mandates are cooling; and inexpensive rapid testing and a vaccine will soon be available widely. These developments create an atmosphere of possibility—and an opportunity to pivot away from the fear-fueled policy-making that has characterized the pandemic. (Joseph A. Ladapo, 9/16)
The New York Times: I Am The Joan Of Arc Of Coronavirus Vaccine Trials
I’ve never been in a medical trial before and I never wanted to be. As someone who suffers from pretty significant anxiety about my health, I am, in theory, the last person who should ever do any medical trial at all, and, on the way, up to the hospital, this thought occurred to me numerous times. But on Tuesday, Sept. 8, I did it anyway. I drove up to Yale New Haven Hospital to get my first of two doses of the experimental Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. (Molly Jong-Fast, 9/17)
Bloomberg: Coronavirus Resurgence: The U.K.'s Testing Meltdown Was Preventable
The scary thing about the U.K.’s much-publicized problems with Covid-19 testing is not that the system is encountering difficulties — those were inevitable. It’s that the government failed to anticipate them, it has not been transparent about what went wrong or convincing on the question of when the problems will be resolved.Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock have been getting an earful from lawmakers from all parties as stories mounted of a meltdown in the country’s testing system. Many people with Covid symptoms have been instructed to travel hundreds of miles for tests and those were the lucky ones. Others seeking to book a test spent hours in a front a screen hitting the refresh button with no joy. (Therese Raphael, 9/17)
