Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Concerned Booster Supply May Soon Run Dry
Stat: White House Documents Detail A Looming Squeeze On Covid-19 Boosters
The White House could run out of Covid-19 vaccines if it moves forward with plans to encourage all adults to get a second Covid-19 vaccine booster dose by roughly Sept. 1, according to a tranche of budget documents sent to Congress that have not previously been made public. Although Food and Drug Administration officials have hinted that all American adults may be encouraged to get second boosters this fall, right now, second booster doses are only available to people over the age of 50. The budget documents make it clear that if the administration does want to push second boosters, it will need more money to make it happen: it needs at least 87 million more vaccines for adult boosters, and another 5 million more for first boosters for kids. (Cohrs, 5/6)
In related news about coverage and treatment —
AP: Hill Bargainers Seek Ukraine Aid Deal, COVID Aid In Question
Lawmakers are working toward compromise on President Joe Biden’s $33 billion Ukraine aid request, even as signs emerge that Democrats may need to swallow another COVID-19 setback and drop their goal of wrapping pandemic spending into the package. Bipartisan talks among House and Senate Appropriations committee leaders are underway in hopes of producing legislation Congress could vote on as soon as next week, members of both parties say. Changes in Biden’s proposal are likely — the price tag, particularly for military spending, could rise — but there’s wide agreement on the urgency of helping Kyiv and regional allies resist Russia’s 10-week-old onslaught. (Fram, 5/6)
AP: COVID Coverage For All Dries Up Even As Hospital Costs Rise
For the first time, the U.S. came close to providing health care for all during the coronavirus pandemic — but for just one condition, COVID-19. Now, things are reverting to the way they were as federal money for COVID care of the uninsured dries up, creating a potential barrier to timely access. ... “We haven’t turned anybody away yet,” said Dr. Mark Loafman, chair of family and community medicine at Cook County Health in Chicago. “But I think it’s just a matter of time ... People don’t get cancer treatment or blood pressure treatment every day in America because they can’t afford it.” (Hollingsworth and Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/6)
Stat: Prisons Didn’t Prescribe Many Covid Treatments, Even When They Had Them
Federal prisons used just a fraction of the antiviral drugs they were allocated to keep incarcerated people from getting seriously ill or dying of Covid-19, according to new internal records from the Bureau of Prisons. Prison officials have only prescribed 363 doses of antivirals since the first such drug proven to work, Gilead’s remdesivir, was authorized in May 2020. At least 55,000 of the roughly 137,000 people held in federal prisons have contracted Covid-19; roughly 300 have died. (Florko, 5/5)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
CIDRAP: Two Doses Of J&J, Pfizer Vaccines Effective Against Omicron Variant
A study of more than 160,000 COVID-19 tests of South African healthcare workers concludes that two doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are about 71% effective against hospitalization caused by Omicron 1 to 2 months after the second dose, with little waning at 5 months or longer. (5/5)
CIDRAP: Studies Show Promise For 2 New COVID Vaccine Platforms
Two studies based on phase 3 clinical trials published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine show promising results for two novel COVID-19 vaccine platforms—a plant-based coronavirus-like particle vaccine, and a receptor-binding domain (RBD)–dimer-based vaccine. And neither vaccine requires extreme cold chain storage, which makes them appealing candidates for low- and middle-income countries, a key component of global COVID-19 vaccination efforts. (Soucheray, 5/5)
AP: Bill Allowing Preteen Vaccines Without Parental OK Advances
A California measure that would allow children age 12 and up to be vaccinated without their parents’ consent, including against the coronavirus, cleared its first legislative hurdle Thursday. If the proposal becomes law, California would allow the youngest age group of any state to be vaccinated without parental permission. Minors age 12 to 17 in California currently cannot be vaccinated without permission from their parents or guardians, unless the vaccine is specifically to prevent a sexually transmitted disease. California state law already allows people 12 and older to consent to the Hepatitis B and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. (Thompson, 5/5)
WUSF Public Media: A Column By Florida's Former Surgeon General Contradicts The State’s Vaccine Guidance For Minors
Florida’s former surgeon general, Dr. Scott Rivkees, has issued a rebuke to the vaccine guidance for youth recommended by his replacement, Dr. Joseph Ladapo. In a column written for the March issue of Time, “Setting the Record Straight about COVID-19 Vaccines for Children,” Rivkees contradicts much of the evidence the Florida Department of Health offered in issuing its guidance. In Florida, the surgeon general leads the department. Following a March announcement from Ladapo, the department released guidance that says the risks of providing COVID-19 vaccines to healthy children may outweigh the benefits. In his column, Rivkees presents data and research that he says shows the opposite is true. (Bruner, 5/5)
On vaccine and mask mandates —
Axios: Travel Industry Urges White House To End COVID Testing For U.S. Entry
Over 260 travel industry and business organizations are calling on the Biden administration to end its COVID testing requirement for vaccinated international passengers entering the U.S. The travel industry has taken multiple blows over the last two years due to the pandemic and emerging variants. Companies are looking to rebound despite another rise in cases. (Chen, 5/5)
KHN: Sweeping, Limited, Or No Powers At All? What’s At Stake In The Mask Mandate Appeal
The definition of “sanitation.” An old court case that involves an underwear manufacturer. Whether people had a fair chance to express their opinions about wearing masks on planes. These disparate factors are in the spotlight as the Biden administration challenges a U.S. District Court ruling that overturned a federal mask mandate on public transportation. The outcome could determine the limits of federal public health officials’ power not only during the covid-19 crisis but also when the next pandemic hits. Sound complicated? It is. (Appleby, 5/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: Here’s How Many San Francisco Police Officers Have Been Fired For Refusing To Get COVID Vaccines
Ten San Francisco police officers have been fired to date for failing to receive COVID-19 vaccines, and 13 others may soon follow, according to records provided by the city’s Department of Human Resources. The potential 23 firings represents only about 1% of the department’s roughly 1,723 sworn members, but comes at a time when police officials say they’re facing staffing shortages. (Cassidy, 5/5)
