Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
WHO Adviser: Rich Nations Must Help Poorer Beat Incoming Covid Waves
Reuters: 'Blood On Your Hands' If World Steps Back On Tackling COVID Now, WHO Official Says
If rich nations think the pandemic is over, they should help lower-income countries reach that point too, a senior World Health Organization official told Reuters. In an interview, WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward warned that richer nations must not step back from tackling COVID-19 as a global problem now, ahead of future potential waves of infection. (Rigby, 9/23)
KHN and PolitiFact: Is Covid ‘Under Control’ In The US? Experts Say Yes
President Joe Biden caused a stir in a “60 Minutes” interview on Sept. 18 when he declared that the covid-19 pandemic is over. “We still have a problem with covid — we’re still doing a lot of work on it,” Biden said. “But the pandemic is over.” Critics countered that the U.S. is still averaging about 400 deaths daily from the virus, that nearly 30,000 Americans remain hospitalized, and that many others are suffering from “long covid” symptoms stemming from previous infections. (Jacobson and Cercone, 9/26)
The Washington Post: Is The Pandemic Over? Pre-Covid Activities Americans Are (And Are Not) Resuming
Americans are coming out of the pandemic in the same kind of dynamic disarray that marked its beginning, with a crazyquilt of contradictory decisions about how to spend their discretionary time and money: Americans are flying again, but they’re not too keen on getting back aboard buses, subways and other public transit. Concert tickets are being snapped up, but theater tickets, not so much. In-person visits to medical doctors have returned to pre-pandemic levels, but mental health counseling remains overwhelmingly virtual. (Fisher and Telford, 9/24)
The Washington Post: 10 Tips For Co-Existing With Covid And Living A Normal-Ish Life
Whether you agree with President Biden that the pandemic is over or you agree with most scientists who say it’s definitely not over, it doesn’t really matter. The reality is that all around us, pandemic precautions have disappeared. But getting on with life doesn’t have to mean throwing caution to the wind. ... Living with covid can be easy if you take simple, regular precautions. (Parker-Pope, 9/22)
San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Is In A Lull, Again. Experts Say It’s Still A Time Of ‘Trade-Offs’
What many people are struggling with now is a sort of pandemic doldrums — a moment in time when COVID is no longer a threat that overshadows all other life priorities but still can’t be ignored. “We’re in this middle ground, which is difficult,” said Dr. Susan Philip, the San Francisco health officer. “We’re not at the full end, but we’re not in the throes of having to be worried and be mindful every day about what the virus is doing.” (Allday, 9/24)
KHN: Journalists Dissect Medical Coding And Parse The President’s Words
KHN freelancer Helen Santoro discussed insurance coverage for transgender medical care on KCRW’s “Press Play with Madeleine Brand” on Sept. 21. ... KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed President Joe Biden’s statement that the covid-19 “pandemic is over” on Axios’ “Axios Today” podcast on Sept. 19. ... KHN senior editor Andy Miller discussed the plan to restore the reputation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on WUGA’s “The Health Report” on Sept. 18. (9/24)
In other covid updates —
CIDRAP: European Countries See Early Signs Of Autumn COVID-19 Rise
Health officials in the United Kingdom and the European region as a whole are seeing early signs of rising COVID activity, patterns that US experts closely watch as a harbinger of how the next months might unfold. Disease modeling experts have warned of a rise in infections in Northern Hemisphere countries as cooler weather brings more people indoors, as schools resume, and as vaccine protection wanes. (Schnirring, 9/23)
Reuters: Pfizer CEO Tests Positive For COVID For A Second Time
Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said on Saturday he had tested positive for COVID-19."I’m feeling well and symptom free," Bourla said in a statement. Bourla, 60, back in August had contacted COVID and had started a course of the company's oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment, Paxlovid. (9/24)
CIDRAP: Study Shows Previous Omicron Infection Most Protective Against BA.2
A study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases demonstrates that previous Omicron BA.1 infection was the most protective factor against BA.2 infection (associated with a risk reduction of 72%) and gave greater protection than primary infection with pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 (38%) or three doses of an mRNA vaccine in people with no previous infection (46%). (9/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Has Changed Funeral Business Forever
Brian Myers spent many nights during the pandemic embalming one person after another—some of them close friends—until morning dawned. His business, Myers Mortuary & Cremation Services in Columbia, S.C., was booming. Yet Mr. Myers, 45, said the additional work was marked by stretches of exhaustion and sorrow. (Mosbergen, 9/25)
In related news —
CIDRAP: COVID-Like Virus In Bats Resistant To SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies
A sarbecovirus found in Russian bats evades SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a study yesterday in PLOS Pathogens. The virus, Khosta-2, belongs to the same category of coronaviruses as the virus that causes COVID-19. It was identified in bats sampled near Sochi National Park in October 2020. Researchers at the University of Washington, who conducted the study, said Khosta-2 would likely be able to infect humans, based on experiments using human cells from people vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. (9/23)
Stat: 'Disaster To Disaster': Walensky Decries Underinvestment In Public Health
For the record, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would take the job again. (Cueto, 9/23)
