Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
WHO: This Year's Covid Boosters Should Include XBB Variant
Reuters: WHO Recommends New COVID Shots Should Target Only XBB Variants
A World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group on Thursday recommended that this year's COVID-19 booster shots be updated to target one of the currently dominant XBB variants. New formulations should aim to produce antibody responses to the XBB.1.5 or XBB.1.16 variants, the advisory group said, adding that other formulations or platforms that achieve neutralizing antibody responses against XBB lineages could also be considered. (5/18)
CIDRAP: Heart Transplants From COVID-Positive Donors May Increase Risk Of Death
Transplant patients who receive a heart from a COVID-19–infected donor may be at greater risk for death at 6 months and 1 year, finds a study published yesterday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. ... Donors were considered to have COVID-19 if they tested positive during hospitalization and then were subclassified as having active infection if they tested positive within 2 days of organ procurement or having recently resolved COVID-19 if they tested positive and then negative before procurement. There is no clear consensus on the evaluation and use of COVID-19 donor hearts for transplant, the authors said. (Van Beusekom, 5/18)
The Hill: Gorsuch Slams Pandemic Emergency Power As Intrusion On Civil Liberties
Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch on Thursday slammed the use of emergency power during the pandemic as a mass intrusion on civil liberties. The high court on Thursday dismissed as moot a case seeking to preserve Title 42 after the pandemic emergency expired last week. The public health authority had allowed for the swift expulsion of migrants without allowing them to seek asylum. (Schonfeld, 5/18)
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KFF Health News: Remote Work: An Underestimated Benefit For Family Caregivers
For Aida Beltré, working remotely during the pandemic came as a relief. She was taking care of her father, now 86, who has been in and out of hospitals and rehabs after a worsening series of strokes in recent years. Working from home for a rental property company, she could handle it. In fact, like most family caregivers during the early days of covid-19, she had to handle it. Community programs for the elderly had shut down. Even when Beltré switched to a hybrid work role — meaning some days in the office, others at home — caring for her father was manageable, though never easy. (Kenen, 5/19)
