Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viral Infections Drastically Raise Risk Of Heart Disease And Stroke: Study
The New York Times: Covid And Flu Can Triple Your Risk Of Heart Attack
A number of viral infections, including flu, Covid-19 and shingles, are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study affirmed. The risk of a heart attack triples within the first few weeks after a Covid-19 infection, the study suggested, and quadruples in the month after a flu infection. The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, was a large review and analysis of existing research. (Agrawal, 10/29)
CIDRAP: International Air Travel—Especially Packed Flights—Fueled Flu, COVID-19 Spread During Pandemic, Researchers Say
A new study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases links higher intercontinental airline passenger flight volumes to both influenza activity and COVID-19 case and death rates, suggesting that short-term travel restrictions and in-flight interventions could slow disease transmission when coupled with public health measures. Flights from Asia played a larger role in disease spread, the study found. (Van Beusekom, 10/29)
CIDRAP: Meta-Analysis Of COVID, RSV, Flu Vaccines For Fall Provides 'Sea Of Data' Showing Efficacy, Safety
A meta-analysis of 511 studies on US COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza vaccines find meaningful protection against severe disease and hospitalization, evidence that can help fill the void in vaccine guidance formerly provided by independent federal review. The large-scale project, conducted by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy's (CIDRAP's) Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP), was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. CIDRAP, which publishes CIDRAP News, started the VIP to provide science-based information to help people, communities, policymakers, and clinicians make informed vaccine choices. (Van Beusekom, 10/29)
Stat: How Moderna, The Company That Helped Save The World, Unraveled
An in-depth analysis of Moderna's dramatic rise and fall, from mRNA triumph to existential crisis, and what its uncertain future means for biotech. (Mast, 10/30)
Also —
The New York Times: Deputies Put Down 5 Escaped Monkeys They Were Wrongly Told Had Covid
Sheriff’s deputies euthanized five monkeys that got loose when the truck carrying them overturned on a Mississippi highway on Tuesday after the driver mistakenly told them that the primates were infected with Covid-19, hepatitis C and herpes when they were not, the authorities said. Three other monkeys that escaped were still loose as of Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff Randy Johnson of Jasper County, Miss., said in a phone interview, lamenting the sequence of events that had led to several of the monkeys being put down. (Vigdor, 10/29)
On vaccine policy —
Politico: RFK Jr.’s Top Vaccine Adviser Says He Answers To No One
Martin Kulldorff wants to rebuild Americans’ declining trust in vaccines even if that means limiting access to some shots in the process. Kulldorff, who leads the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel, spoke exclusively to POLITICO about how he sees his role and the task Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime skeptic of vaccine safety, has given him. (Gardner and Gardner, 10/29)
