Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
WHO Says Omicron Seems Less Severe, But Do Not Call It 'Mild'
Fox News: Omicron Should Not Be Categorized As Mild, WHO Says
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said Thursday that while the COVID-19 omicron variant seems to be less severe than delta, it should not be categorized as mild. "Just like previous variants, omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people," he said. "In fact, the tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world." (DeMarche, 1/6)
NPR: Is The Omicron Variant Less Severe? And What Are Its Symptoms?
With infections at all-time highs in the U.S., the clinical picture is now coming together and starting to confirm what other countries have found — a typical case of omicron not only presents slightly differently but also likely carries a lower chance of getting seriously ill. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have preliminary evidence that the risk of being admitted to the hospital or the intensive care unit during the omicron surge in the U.S. is about half of the risk observed during the delta surge. And this reflects what doctors across the country are now seeing firsthand with their patients. (Doucleff and Stone, 1/6)
USA Today: Vaccinated Americans Without Risk Factors Immune To Worst Of COVID
The skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and the increased frequency of breakthrough infections may be unsettling even for those who are vaccinated and boosted. The latest research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should offer some reassurance. A study of more than 1.2 million people who were fully vaccinated between December 2020 and October 2021 found only people with at least one risk factor had severe outcomes or death, and even among those the instances were rare, 1.5 per 10,000 participants. (Ortiz, Bacon and Thornton, 1/6)
NBC News: As Omicron Changes Infection Risk, Experts Share Their Approaches
NBC News asked four public health experts about their own personal behavior and risk calculus during this chapter of the pandemic. All of them advised vaccinated people to remain vigilant and conscientious — and not to return fully to pre-pandemic life — but there was no firm consensus around some activities like air travel. (Arkin, 1/6)
In more news about the spread of the coronavirus —
The New York Times: Global Coronavirus Cases Top 300 Million
It took more than a year for the world to record the first 100 million coronavirus cases, and half that time to tally the next 100 million. The third 100 million have come even faster, in barely five months, as large segments of countries, rich and poor alike, remain unvaccinated and a wily new variant has proved able to infect even those who are. (1/6)
Stat: Setbacks, Shortages Undercut Our Options For Treating Covid-19
On paper, the list of outpatient treatments for Covid-19 seems reassuring. Two oral antivirals have arrived, companies have churned out monoclonal antibody treatments, and all of them, to varying degrees, can help prevent patients from getting so sick they need to be hospitalized. But shortages and setbacks have undercut those options — at a time when more people than ever are getting sick. Supply of some of the treatments, particularly the prized new oral treatment Paxlovid, is extremely constrained. The ascendance of the Omicron variant has nullified the power of some of the monoclonal antibodies. (Joseph, 1/7)
Los Angeles Times: Orange County Reports Third COVID-19 Death Of A Child Under 5
Orange County officials confirmed Thursday night that a child under the age of 5 died in December of complications from COVID-19. The announcement comes as cases are climbing in Orange County and throughout California, driven by the Omicron variant. “We have lost another precious young life to this terrible virus; it is our third pediatric death in Orange County since the start of the pandemic,” said Dr. Clayton Chau, the county’s health officer. “This is yet another somber reminder that we must continue to do everything we can to protect our loved ones, especially our little ones under 5 years of age who are not able to be vaccinated.” (Yee, 1/6)
AP: Official: California COVID Surge Could Ease Next Month
The California surge in coronavirus cases has shut down schools and sidelined thousands of police, firefighters, teachers and health care workers but officials are hoping it will be short-lived. “My hope is that, you know, by the time we get to February, we’re on the downside of seeing that massive amount of community transmission,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. (Melley, 1/7)
The CT Mirror: As Omicron Spreads, CT's Prison System Isn't Spared
After a year and a half of the pandemic working its way through the state’s prisons and jails, COVID-19 had slowed down in the corrections system by the beginning of September. Fewer prisoners were being sent to the medical isolation unit at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, infection rates among the incarcerated population were falling and no one had died since Jan. 25. As fall transitioned to winter, four incarcerated people died from the virus. Infection rates ticked up as vaccinations remained low among the incarcerated and corrections staff. (Lyons, 1/7)
The Boston Globe: ‘True Definition Of Soul Mates’: A New Hampshire Couple Died Of COVID-19 Just Seconds Apart, Holding Hands As They Took Their Last Breaths
Bill and Carol Stewart were always inseparable, right until their final few breaths. On Dec. 30, after spending more than a week in the intensive care unit of a New Hampshire hospital battling COVID-19, the couple died hand-in-hand, their close family gathered around while dressed head-to-toe in protective gear. “As soon as they touched hands, Dad took his last breath, and seconds later, Mom took hers,” said Melissa Noke, one of the couple’s daughters. “They were happy to be next to each other.” (Annear, 1/6)
The New York Times: ‘Late Late Show’ Cancels Tapings After James Corden Tests Positive
James Corden joined the ranks of late-night TV hosts who have recently tested positive for the coronavirus, disclosing his diagnosis on Thursday as tapings of his CBS program, “The Late Late Show,” were halted for the next several days. (Itzkoff, 1/6)
