First Edition: Aug. 5, 2022
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Skin Cancer Is A Risk No Matter The Skin Tone. But It May Be Overlooked In People With Dark Skin.
Brykyta Shelton found herself standing in a checkout line of a big-box retailer, uncomfortably aware as a woman ahead of her stared at her sandaled feet. Shelton had been taking medication for months for what her doctor said was toenail fungus, but one nail still looked gross. After Shelton completed her purchase, the woman pulled her aside and said that, while she wasn’t a doctor, she thought Shelton was dealing with something more serious than fungus. (West, 8/5)
KHN:
In California, Abortion Could Become A Constitutional Right. So Could Birth Control.
Californians will decide in November whether to lock the right to abortion into the state constitution. If they vote “yes” on Proposition 1, they will also lock in a right that has gotten less attention: the right to birth control. Should the measure succeed, California would become one of the first states — if not the first — to create explicit constitutional rights to both abortion and contraception. (Bluth, 8/5)
KHN:
Cognitive Rehab May Help Older Adults Clear Covid-Related Brain Fog
Eight months after falling ill with covid-19, the 73-year-old woman couldn’t remember what her husband had told her a few hours before. She would forget to remove laundry from the dryer at the end of the cycle. She would turn on the tap at a sink and walk away. Before covid, the woman had been doing bookkeeping for a local business. Now, she couldn’t add single-digit numbers in her head. (Graham, 8/5)
KHN:
A GOP Talking Point Suggests Birth Control Is Not At Risk. Evidence Suggests Otherwise.
Republicans who oppose abortion have new talking points — birth control will remain easily available in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning the federal right to abortion, and when Democrats say otherwise, they are just trying to scare voters. Variations on this claim were made by a series of Republicans on the House floor July 21 during debate on a bill that would add a right to contraception to federal law. Democrats advanced the bill as a way to ensure the availability of birth control before some abortion opponents have a chance to see whether the Supreme Court will overturn that right, too. (Rovner, 8/5)
KHN:
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Kansas Makes A Statement
Voters in Kansas told the rest of the country this week that they don’t want their state to ban abortion. In a nearly 60%-40% split, voters turned back an effort by anti-abortion activists to amend the state constitution to remove its right to abortion, which would have allowed the legislature to ban the procedure. (8/4)
The New York Times:
As Monkeypox Spreads, U.S. Declares A Health Emergency
The Biden administration on Thursday declared the growing monkeypox outbreak a national health emergency, a rare designation signaling that the virus now represents a significant risk to Americans and setting in motion new measures aimed at containing the threat. The declaration by Xavier Becerra, President Biden’s health secretary, marks just the fifth such national emergency since 2001. (Stolberg and Mandavilli, 8/4)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden Officials Declare Monkeypox A Public-Health Emergency
The public-health emergency would ramp up coordination across federal agencies, increase communication with states and localities and help the administration develop new strategies to distribute vaccines and treatments, said Robert Fenton, the White House’s national monkeypox response coordinator. It will also make it easier for public-health agencies to get information from various jurisdictions. Mr. Fenton said testing capacity has expanded from 6,000 tests a week to 80,000 tests a week. (Mosbergen, Armour and Whyte, 8/4)
The Hill:
FDA Considering Dividing Jynneos Doses Into Fifths To Increase Vaccine Supply
The Biden administration is considering splitting doses of the smallpox vaccine, which are being used to prevent monkeypox amid the current outbreak, into five smaller doses, the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday. (Choi, 8/4)
The Washington Post:
Monkeypox Spreads To D.C. Homeless
Monkeypox has spread to D.C.’s homeless population, with two confirmed cases, as the city launches weekly walk-up vaccination clinics in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. (Portnoy, 8/4)
The Washington Post:
As Monkeypox Strikes Gay Men, Officials Debate Warnings To Limit Partners
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weighs whether to recommend limiting sex partners, health officials in San Francisco, Chicago, New York and other U.S. cities battling surges disproportionately sickening gay men are avoiding calls for sexual restraint, wary of further stigmatizing same-sex intimacy. (Nirappil and Jayakumar, 8/4)
Houston Chronicle:
Houston To Test For Monkeypox Through Wastewater
Houston will begin monitoring its wastewater for monkeypox in late August as cases of the blister-causing contagion continue to climb, health officials said. Scientists will begin testing for the monkeypox virus in city sewage samples “starting in about three weeks,” Houston Health Department spokesperson Porfirio Villarreal said Thursday morning. (Mishanec, 8/4)
AP:
Polio Fears Rise In New York Amid Possible Community Spread
New York state health officials issued a more urgent call Thursday for unvaccinated children and adults to get inoculated against polio, citing new evidence of possible “community spread” of the dangerous virus. The polio virus has now been found in seven different wastewater samples in two adjacent counties north of New York City, health officials said. (8/4)
The New York Times:
Health Chief Warns Polio Case Could Be ‘Tip Of The Iceberg’
New York State health officials on Thursday intensified their push for people who have not been immunized against polio to get vaccinated “right away,” saying the one confirmed case of the disease found in the state may be “the tip of the iceberg” of a much wider threat. (Shanahan, 8/4)
NPR:
Sinema Will Move Forward With Senate Democrats' Climate, Health And Tax Bill
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced late Thursday she will "move forward" with Democrats' massive climate, prescription drug and spending bill, after Democrats appeared to reach an agreement about Sinema's concerns with the legislation. Sinema's announcement all but locks in the bill for Democrats, who need all 50 Democratic votes on board in order for the bill to pass, with a tie-breaker vote from Vice President Kamala Harris. The legislation solidifies key portions of President Biden's domestic agenda. (Shivaram, 8/4)
Politico:
Sinema Signs Onto Dems' Party-Line Bill Ahead Of Momentous Saturday Vote
Earlier in the day, Schumer said the chamber would take Friday off as he works to clarify a murky timeline for passing Democrats’ bill, which still faces multiple outstanding issues. Schumer also warned on Thursday of “some late nights and extended debates” as he vowed to pass the legislation in the “coming days.” There’s still more uncertainty to button up in those days. Democrats and Republicans will continue arguing into Friday about what can be included in the bill. But Sinema’s commitment to the package removes a major question mark ahead of an unlimited “vote-a-rama” on amendments. (Everett and Levine, 8/4)
Politico:
Pharma Group Leader Says Dems Who Vote For Reconciliation Bill 'Won't Get A Free Pass'
Steve Ubl, who leads the nation’s top industry group for drugmakers, is offering a final salvo to Congress as Democratic lawmakers inch closer to passing their sweeping reconciliation package that includes drug pricing measures — and threatening swift retaliation if they don’t listen, he told POLITICO. Ubl’s group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, and its 31 board members sent a letter to every member of Congress on Thursday afternoon, urging them to vote against the package. (Wilson, 8/4)
Axios:
Democrats' Drug Pricing Bill Could Lead To Higher Launch Prices
Democrats' party-line drug pricing legislation will likely cause manufacturers to raise the launch prices of new drugs, the Congressional Budget Office projected yesterday. (Owens, 8/5)
NBC News:
Heart Medications Can Be A Huge Financial Strain, But The Reconciliation Bill Could Help
A key provision in the Senate Democrats’ budget reconciliation bill that caps out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs for Medicare recipients at $2,000 per year could be a lifeline for millions of older adults struggling to pay for heart medications. (Lovelace Jr., 8/5)
AP:
Indiana Lawmakers Vote To Keep Exceptions From Abortion Ban
A deeply divided Indiana House voted Thursday to keep exceptions in cases of rape or incest in a bill that would ban nearly all abortions in the state. The Republican-dominated House voted 61-39 to defeat an amendment that would have removed those exceptions, with a majority of GOP members wanting their removal. (Rodgers and Davies, 8/4)
AP:
Louisiana Abortion Providers File Appeal, Hope To Block Ban
Abortion-rights advocates hope Louisiana’s near-total ban of the procedure will soon be blocked again, after plaintiffs in an ongoing legal challenge filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court Thursday. Access to abortion in Louisiana has been back-and-forth for weeks, with the state’s three clinics relying on court rulings and temporary restraining orders to continue operations. (Cline, 8/4)
AP:
Missouri Dems Turn To Illinois, Kansas For Abortion Help
A top Democratic state lawmaker from Republican-led Missouri on Wednesday wrote to the Democratic Illinois and Kansas governors asking for help paying for abortions for out-of-state Medicaid patients. Missouri House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade called on Illinois and Kansas to apply for Medicaid waivers to cover abortions for out-of-state patients. (Ballentine, 8/4)
The Washington Post:
DeSantis Suspends Elected Democratic Prosecutor Who Signed Pledge On Abortion Cases
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) suspended the Tampa Bay area’s top state prosecutor Thursday after he vowed not to prosecute potential crimes related to abortion restrictions or gender-affirming care for minors. Legal experts described the decision to suspend Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren (D) as alarming because it appears to be punishing an elected official exercising prosecutorial discretion on issues the governor disagrees with. (Rozsa, 8/4)
The Boston Globe:
With Baker By Her Side, Kamala Harris Makes Case That Abortion Is Not A Partisan Issue
Harris hailed Massachusetts as a “model” for the nation on the issue as Governor Charlie Baker, a pro-abortion rights Republican who later echoed her talking points, sat to her left. “Governor, I appreciate the role, the national leadership that you have provided on this issue,” Harris said to Baker as a phalanx of Democratic lawmakers and other officials flanked her at the IBEW Local 103 headquarters in Dorchester. (Kopan, 8/4)
AP:
Will Abortion Be On More State Ballots After Kansas Vote?
In Ohio, the Democratic nominee for governor, Nan Whaley, has called for putting an abortion rights measure on the ballot as early as next year, and efforts have started in Colorado and South Dakota for 2024. In Iowa, GOP lawmakers have taken the first step toward putting an anti-abortion measure on the ballot in 2024. (Hanna and Hollingsworth, 8/4)
Politico:
Clinton-Era FDA Commissioner To Lead External Review Of Key Agency Offices
Jane Henney, a former commissioner of the FDA, has been tapped by the Reagan-Udall Foundation to lead a FDA-requested external review of key agency offices on human food safety and tobacco regulation, two sources with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO. There are few details public about the foundation’s upcoming review, which is already being met with some skepticism about its independence because of the foundation’s close ties to the FDA and the industries the agency regulates. Henney’s appointment has not been formally announced, but she would oversee the reviews of each regulatory area and the relevant parts of the Office of Regulatory affairs, which conducts inspections. (Foley and Cancryn, 8/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Fauci Says Vaccinate And Boost Or You’ll ‘Get Into Trouble’
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is urging people to stay up to date on their vaccines against COVID-19 as colder months approach. “There are enough people who don’t fall into (high-risk) categories that if they don’t get vaccinated if they don’t get boosted, they’re going to get into trouble,” Fauci told KNX’s “In Depth” show this week. (Vaziri, 8/4)
The New York Times:
Man Who Threatened To Kill Fauci Is Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a West Virginia man to more than three years in prison for sending threatening emails to Anthony Fauci, including one in which he said the immunologist and his family would be beaten to death and set on fire, prosecutors said. The man, Thomas Patrick Connally Jr., 56, had pleaded guilty in May to making threats against a federal official and also admitted to sending threatening messages to other health officials, including Francis Collins, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland. (Patel, 8/4)
Axios:
1 Million Courses Of Paxlovid Prescribed In One Month For First Time
July marked the first month that more than 1 million courses of Pfizer's COVID antiviral Paxlovid were prescribed, according to Biden administration figures provided to Axios. (Gonzalez, 8/4)
The Hill:
‘Paxlovid Rebound’ Raises Questions Over How Long Antiviral COVID Treatment Should Last
Some experts have called for studies into extending Paxlovid treatments to be prioritized, as early research has suggested that Paxlovid rebound could occur due to insufficient exposure to the drug. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine said last month that the drug may not be reaching enough infected cells in the allotted time. (Choi, 8/4)
CIDRAP:
75% Of COVID Patients Tested Positive, 35% Had Positive Cultures, On Day 6
Three quarters of a group of nonhospitalized men and women newly diagnosed as having COVID-19 continued to have positive rapid antigen test (RAT) results—and over one-third still had viable virus on culture—6 days later, according to a study led by Brigham and Women's researchers. (8/4)
CIDRAP:
Emergency Medical Services Facing Critical Dextrose Shortage
Amid shortages going back months to over a year of dextrose syringes and intravenous fluid bags to treat a wide variety of emergency conditions, US emergency medical services (EMS) are scrambling to adapt treatment protocols and conduct trainings on how to use them. Dextrose is a critical drug used to treat conditions such as low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), dehydration, acute alcohol poisoning, and high potassium levels, or as a carbohydrate in parenteral nutrition. ( Van Beusekom, 8/4)
Modern Healthcare:
Cigna Quarterly Report Highlighted By Low Medical Spending
Cigna saw net income rise 6.2% to $1.5 billion in the second quarter because of less emergency department and surgery utilization and lower direct costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the company reported Thursday. The decline in spending on care for fully insured customers, along with repricing in the insurer’s government-sponsored business, drove Cigna’s medical loss ratio down to 80.7%. The company reported an 84.4% medical loss ratio during the same period a year ago. (Tepper, 8/4)
The Baltimore Sun:
Johns Hopkins-Led Consortium Gets $200 Million To Fight Top Global Health Threat: Tuberculosis
Johns Hopkins Medicine has received $200 million in federal funding to head up a consortium aimed at treating and stemming the spread of one of the world’s oldest and deadliest scourges: tuberculosis. (Cohn, 8/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco Sues Federal Government Over Laguna Honda Closure
San Francisco’s current and former city attorneys have filed a pair of lawsuits that they hope will bring the federal government’s effort to shutter Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center next month to a screeching halt. (Asimov, 8/4)
The Boston Globe:
A Reprieve For The Last Birth Center In Eastern Massachusetts
Reproductive rights advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after learning Thursday that a planned early September closing has been postponed for the North Shore Birth Center in Beverly, the last operating, free-standing center in Eastern Massachusetts. The potential loss had raised concerns about dwindling access to maternity services, particularly for low-income families and women of color. (Lazar, 8/4)
Dallas Morning News:
Feds Reject Texas Medicaid Expansion For New Moms, Calling It Too Restrictive
Last year, the GOP-led Legislature voted to extend the safety net coverage from two to six months post-pregnancy. But the federal government, which helps foot the bill and has final say over the change, has taken issue with the eligibility restrictions Texas imposed, the Texas House Women’s Health Caucus said. (Morris, 8/4)
WUSF Public Media:
State Leaders Roll Out A 'Massive' Public-Private Program To Stem The Opioid Epidemic
As Florida grapples with nearly 2,000 overdose deaths so far this year, state leaders on Wednesday announced a “massive” effort to address opioid addiction in counties that need it most. (Dailey, 8/4)
Fortune:
Eating Disorders Increasingly Affect Kids As Young As 9. How Parents Talk About Food Matters
Eating disorders already affect 28 million Americans—those aged 12 through 25 make up 95% of cases. A new study, published this week in JAMA Pediatrics, shows how those even younger than 10 are affected by eating disorders. The research studied roughly 12,000 nine and ten-year-olds between 2016 and 2018 and found that 5% took part in binge eating behaviors and 2.5% took measures to avoid gaining weight, including self-induced vomiting, which experts say many parents don’t know children are capable of doing. (Mikhail, 8/4)
The Hill:
Climate Change Causing Poorer Fitness In Children: Study
Warming global temperatures — fueled by climate change — are making children less physically fit and more obese than ever before, a new study has found. And it’s a two-way street: physical fitness is also key to tolerating higher temperatures. A less active lifestyle caused by higher temperatures is putting kids at greater risk of suffering from heat-related health problems, including dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, according to the study, published in the journal Temperature on Friday. (Udasin, 8/5)
The New York Times:
Just 2 Minutes Of Walking After A Meal Is Surprisingly Good For You
Walking after a meal, conventional wisdom says, helps clear your mind and aids in digestion. Scientists have also found that going for a 15-minute walk after a meal can reduce blood sugar levels, which can help ward off complications such as Type 2 diabetes. But, as it turns out, even just a few minutes of walking can activate these benefits. (Fairbank, 8/4)
Stat:
New Research Digs Into The Genetic Drivers Of Heart Failure
When coronary arteries are blocked, starving the heart of blood, there are good medications and treatments to deploy, from statins to stents. Not so for heart failure, the leading factor involved in heart disease, the top cause of death worldwide. (Cooney, 8/4)
The Washington Post:
Surgeons Use Virtual Reality Techniques To Separate Conjoined Twins
After emerging from a final risky surgery, Brazilian twin brothers Arthur and Bernardo Lima were met with an emotional outpouring of applause, cheers and tears from medical staff and family members. For the first time, the boys lay separated, face-to-face and holding hands in a shared hospital bed in Rio de Janeiro, after doctors there and almost 6,000 miles away in London worked together using virtual reality techniques to operate on the conjoined 3-year-olds. (Suliman, 8/3)
NBC News:
One In 5 People Waiting For A Transplant Are Latino. There's A Call For More Donors
There are over 100 million people waiting for transplants in the U.S., and 60% are minorities, according to One Legacy Foundation, a group created in 2011 that advocates for organ donations. Kidneys are the organ in highest demand. Although the Hispanic population is among the groups that most need transplants, they are among the most reluctant to register to become donors. (Flores, Telemundo and Sesin, 8/4)