Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Yes, You Can Get Covid From Passengers In A Car, Studies Suggest
CIDRAP: Studies Detail Likely COVID-19 Aerosol Spread In Vans, Car
Two new studies suggest infectious COVID-19 aerosols can travel in passenger cars and vans. The first study, from Clinical Infectious Diseases, found that two Cleveland-area van drivers traveling to a hospital 2 hours away most likely spread COVID-19 to their passengers. SARS-CoV-2 strains between infected passengers and their respective drivers were closely related, and in a simulation using fluorescent microspheres, airflow transported both small and larger droplets greater than 3 meters from the front to the back of the van. (4/26)
CIDRAP: Higher Stroke Risk Linked To Asymptomatic COVID-19 In Younger Men
Men under 50 recovering from asymptomatic COVID have double the likelihood of acute ischemic strokes (AIS) compared with men of the same age without COVID infection, according to a study last week in JAMA Network Open. Eighteen South Asian men were treated in Singapore for AIS a median of 54.5 days after their initial COVID-19 diagnosis. Twelve (67.7%) had no known pre-existing risk factors. While AIS is a known neurologic complication from symptomatic COVID-19, none of these men experienced respiratory symptoms during their infection. (4/26)
Bloomberg: Israel Examines Heart Inflammation Cases After Pfizer Shot
Israel is examining dozens of cases where people experienced heart inflammation after receiving Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s coronavirus vaccine. Health officials are investigating whether the cases are connected with the shot which has been administered to more than 5 million people, Corona Commissioner Nachman Ash said Sunday in an interview with Radio 103FM. The government identified 62 incidents of inflammation of the heart muscle, or heart-muscle membrane, Channel 12 reported last week, citing a health ministry study. (Odenheimer, 4/26)
In other covid research news —
CNN: Is It Safe To Go To Playgrounds In A Pandemic? A Guide
Playgrounds seem like -- and in many cases are -- a relatively safe pandemic activity, but there are factors that can complicate the issue. Playgrounds are "a great opportunity to get families together and be outside and enjoy, but do so in a safe way," said Dr. Ada Stewart, a family physician with Cooperative Health in Columbia, South Carolina, and the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Safety precautions are also important because the Covid-19 vaccines currently aren't authorized for children under 16. (Rogers, 4/27)
CNN: Is It Safe To Go To Basketball Games And More In A Pandemic? A Guide
As more of the population gets Covid-19 vaccines, you may be wondering whether the time to trade your couch for a stadium seat is finally here. The factors that made pre-pandemic sporting events fun -- excited people crowding together, cheering, talking, eating, drinking and sometimes doing all of these things indoors -- make games potentially problematic now. (Rogers, 4/26)
Stat: The Lessons The World Can Learn From Epidemics That Were Contained
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage, a new report urges the world not to allow itself to be taken down this road again. The report, called Epidemics That Didn’t Happen, makes the case for improved pandemic preparedness by highlighting infectious diseases outbreaks that the world was able to contain. (Branswell, 4/27)
AP: COVID Treatment Has Improved, But Many Wish For An Easy Pill
If Priscila Medina had gotten COVID-19 a year ago, she would have had no treatments proven safe and effective to try. But when the 30-year-old nurse arrived at a Long Island hospital last month, so short of breath she could barely talk, doctors knew just what to do. They quickly arranged for her to get a novel drug that supplies virus-blocking antibodies, and “by the next day I was able to get up and move around,” she said. After two days, “I really started turning the corner. I was showering, eating, playing with my son.” (Marchione, 4/26)
Scientific American: COVID Has Created A Perfect Storm For Fringe Science
The explosion of disinformation about COVID has been a defining aspect of the pandemic. Alongside the virus itself, we’ve been shadowed by what the World Health Organization has called an infodemic. This is widely known, of course, but much less discussed is the role of ostensible “experts” in perpetuating dangerous fictions. Since the dawn of the crisis, a disconcerting number of eminently qualified scientists and physicians have propagated falsehoods across social media, elevating themselves to the status of gurus in order to lend a veneer of seeming scientific legitimacy to empty, dangerous claims. And these bogus claims, like their pathological namesake, have gone uncontrollably viral. (David Robert Grimes, 4/26)
