Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Solving The Challenge Of Global Vaccination; Killed-Virus Vaccine Not Effective Against Omicron
USA Today: COVID Vaccine Gap: Omicron Fight Calls For Need To Arm The World
Global health experts’ predictions are being realized. In the midst of tragically unequal vaccination access, a new variant of COVID-19 has emerged. As omicron cases are identified all over the world, no GDP is high enough and no health system strong enough to keep out the truth: Nobody is safe until we are all safe. What is standing in our way of making sure the whole planet gets the vaccines that will actually get this pandemic under control? (Priti Krishtel and Chelsea Clinton, 12/16)
Bloomberg: China's Sinovac Vaccine Won't Fully Protect Against Omicron
From the moment it became clear we’d have multiple vaccines for SARS-Cov-2, questions about pecking order arose. Which vaccines provided the best protection? The longest lasting? What were the best combinations? What about time between doses? ... According to a recent study, one particular type of jab — what’s called a killed-virus vaccine — does not offer sufficient protection from omicron. That would create a major challenge for countries that relied heavily on such inoculations, such as China. (Therese Raphael and Sam Fazeli, 12/16)
Scientific American: The Risk Of Vaccinated COVID Transmission Is Not Low
My two-year-old tested positive for COVID last month. My mind-numbing and costly project to keep him uninfected prior to his vaccinations had proven an abject failure. I was angry—and surprised. During the time he was likely infected, he had only been around vaccinated people when indoors. Although we know the absolute risk of serious illness in young children is low, there are many other causes for concern as a result of unvaccinated infection: multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C, long COVID, silent organ or brain damage, psychiatric or chronic disease later in life, and damage to smell.) While I’ll never know exactly who infected my son, his infection drove me to discover something that only came into focus in late October: the risk of vaccinated transmission is not low. (Jennifer Frazer, 12/16)
Los Angeles Times: Pandemic Fatigue Has Americans Glossing Over Omicron. But We Can't Give Up
The holidays should be a time for getting together with friends and family, but instead we have a double dose of coronavirus strains — Delta and Omicron. Whether we are exhausted from the pandemic or not, we still need to prevent the spread of infections. Fortunately, we know what works. For indoor gatherings, each person should be fully vaccinated with a booster shot, or, for someone with a confirmed prior COVID infection, at least one vaccine dose. They all should have frequent rapid antigen tests for the days prior to and time of gathering. These tests screen for whether a person is infectious, which is far more important than whether they have been infected but not capable of transmitting the virus. Ideally, all gatherings would be outdoors, but if that’s not possible, maximizing ventilation with windows open or HEPA air filtration with CO2 monitoring provides good air quality. (Eric J. Topol, 12/16)
CNN: Why My Covid Anxiety Is Spiking Now, All These Months Later
I remember the moment distinctly. It was Thanksgiving. We -- my wife, kids and mom -- were at my college friend's house with his family. Everyone was vaccinated and we had all taken rapid tests that morning to make sure it was safe to celebrate together. That was the last day I felt relatively unworried about Covid-19. (Looking back, I remember someone at that Thanksgiving dinner mentioning something about a "new variant," but the combination of turkey, mashed potatoes and, well, a few mixed drinks, made it easy to overlook.) Since the word "Omicron" entered our lexicon, every day has been filled with varying levels of stress. (Chris Cillizza, 12/17)
Stat: Emory And Other Universities' Licensing Deals Shouldn't Perpetuate Inequity
As billions of people in the Global South continue to confront Covid-19 unprotected because they cannot access vaccines, a recent announcement regarding a new, potentially effective therapy offered a glimmer of hope. In late-stage clinical trials, a new antiviral pill from Merck, called molnupiravir, cut hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19 by one-third. A federal advisory committee, in a narrow vote, recommended that the Food and Drug Administration authorize emergency use of the drug as the first oral treatment for Covid-19. If authorized, it could potentially become available for patients in the United States within weeks. (Merith Basey, 12/17)
