Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Working Long Covid Sufferers Too Hard Is A Bad Idea; Vaccine Experts Question Second Booster
The New York Times: Pushing ‘Long Covid’ Sufferers Too Hard Could Cause Them To Crash
Most of us were brought up with the folk wisdom that exercise is the best medicine, and often it’s true. But not for people who are suffering from long Covid and other post-viral syndromes. For them, overexertion can severely aggravate their conditions, whose symptoms may include fatigue and brain fog. There’s even a term for it: “push and crash. ”The problem is that push and crash — which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns about in a bulletin to health care providers — is precisely what the American employment system is geared to cause. (Peter Coy, 4/18)
Los Angeles Times: Confused About The Second COVID Booster? So Are Some Experts
Vaccine resisters have accused the federal government of pushing COVID-19 shots without ensuring that the benefits outweigh the risks. But what about when one of the people raising questions about the latest round of jabs is Paul A. Offit, arguably the most prominent supporter of vaccines in the nation, a vocal force against people who spread silly myths about vaccination and himself the developer of a vaccine against rotavirus. (Karin Klein, 4/19)
CNN: Air Passengers, Keep Your Masks On
Once again, the shifting winds of the Covid-19 pandemic have placed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a pickle. Last month, in the (very brief) good old days after the original Omicron variant had settled, the agency had indicated that, on April 18, it would reevaluate the mask-wearing mandate on airplanes, trains and other "transportation conveyances." (Kent Sepkowitz, 4/18)
