First Edition: Feb. 14, 2022
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Why Millions On Medicaid Are At Risk Of Losing Coverage In The Months Ahead
The Biden administration and state officials are bracing for a great unwinding: millions of people losing their Medicaid benefits when the pandemic health emergency ends. Some might sign up for different insurance. Many others are bound to get lost in the transition. State Medicaid agencies for months have been preparing for the end of a federal mandate that anyone enrolled in Medicaid cannot lose coverage during the pandemic. (Pradhan, 2/14)
KHN:
Health Policy Valentines Too Sweet Not To Tweet
Nothing brightens our Twitter feeds like a few good health policy valentines ― except maybe a haiku or two. Tweeters showered us with love this season, writing poetic valentines about covid-19 testing and booster shots, the No Surprises Act, and more. Here are some of our favorites, starting with the winning tweet from @AlanJCard. (2/14)
KHN:
Covid Precautions Are Part Of Hispanic Community’s Efforts To Tend To Community Good
On a snowy January morning, Luis Portillo stood in line on the side of a busy road in Silver Spring, Maryland — a suburb just north of Washington, D.C. — with about 200 other people, waiting for his turn to get tested for covid-19 at Mary’s Center, a federally qualified health center. Portillo, a 65-year-old bakery worker originally from El Salvador, jammed his hands in his coat pockets and shivered in the 25-degree weather. Though Portillo is not particularly concerned about covid — he is vaccinated and boosted and had a mild case last year — he came out because it’s necessary to “look after yourself as much as you can” to prevent infecting others who may be more vulnerable, he said in Spanish. After he developed symptoms following a holiday party and found out another partygoer had tested positive, Portillo decided he needed a test. He was concerned about exposing co-workers or his four housemates, who have remained symptom-free. (True, 2/14)
KHN:
Journalists Discuss Cracks In The Health Care System And Roadblocks To Covid Booster Shots
KHN senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble discussed her reporting for the podcast “Where It Hurts” on the “Too Long Didn’t Listen” podcast Feb. 3. ... KHN senior correspondent and enterprise reporter Liz Szabo discussed the problems immunocompromised people face in accessing a fourth covid-19 vaccine shot on Newsy on Jan. 28. (2/12)
AP:
In Reversal, FDA Puts Brakes On COVID Shots For Kids Under 5
COVID-19 vaccinations for children under 5 hit another monthslong delay Friday as U.S. regulators abruptly put the brakes on their efforts to speed review of the shots that Pfizer is testing for youngsters. The Food and Drug Administration, worried about the omicron variant’s toll on kids, had taken the extraordinary step of urging Pfizer to apply for OK of the extra-low dose vaccine before it’s clear if tots will need two shots or three. The agency’s plan could have allowed vaccinations to begin within weeks. (Neergaard and Perrone, 2/11)
Stat:
Pfizer Pulls Back From Plan To Expedite Review Of Covid Shots In Young Kids
Plans to attempt to authorize the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine for children under 5 before full data are available appear to have run aground. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday canceled a key meeting of its vaccines advisory committee that had been slated for next Tuesday to discuss the submission, saying that the delay “will give the agency time to consider … additional data.” Both the FDA and the companies suggested the application for authorization won’t proceed until there are data showing how well the vaccine works after a third dose. Those data should be available in early April, the companies said. (Herper, Florko and Branswell, 2/11)
Roll Call:
FDA Seeks More Data Before Reviewing COVID-19 Vaccine For Toddlers
The Food and Drug Administration postponed an upcoming and long-awaited review of COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5 years old because it needs more data, and now the review may not take place until at least April. The FDA had planned to meet on Feb. 15 to review a two-dose regimen of the Pfizer shots for young children ages 6 months to 4 years old, but officials on Friday said the agency needs more time to evaluate a three-dose regimen instead. Pfizer said it would probably have additional data on the third shot by April. (Cohen, 2/11)
USA Today:
Immunocompromised Can Get Boosters Sooner, Another J&J Shot
Immunocompromised people who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and then a second shot can now get a third two months later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The agency also changed its guidance on the timing of a fourth dose for people with compromised immune systems, such as after a transplant or during cancer treatment. Immunocompromised adults can now get a fourth shot just three months after their initial vaccinations, rather than five months later. (Tebor, Miller and Weintraub, 2/11)
The Washington Post:
CDC Recommends People With Weakened Immune Systems Get Booster Doses After Three Months Instead Of Five
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on Friday for some people with weakened immune systems, recommending they get a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine three months after completing the initial series of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shots, rather than the current interval of five months. The guidance also said immunocompromised people who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get an additional dose. That means two doses, at least 28 days apart, followed by a booster dose of one of the mRNA vaccines. (Sun, 2/11)
AP:
Study: COVID Booster Effectiveness Wanes But Remains Strong
An early look at the performance of COVID-19 booster shots during the recent omicron wave in the U.S. hinted at a decline in effectiveness, though the shots still offered strong protection against severe illness. The report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, is considered an early and limited look at the durability of booster protection during the omicron surge that exploded in December and January but has been fading in recent weeks. (Stobbe, 2/11)
AP:
Q&A: Surgeon General On Omicron, Masks And Mental Health
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says he can imagine a future where Americans don’t have to contend with mask requirements. But pulling back safeguards too quickly, Murthy warns, risks more avoidable suffering, especially for people with weakened immune systems or other vulnerabilities. In an interview this week with The Associated Press, Murthy also shared his concerns about the pandemic’s impact on the mental wellbeing of youth. He’s the father of two young children. Growing up, he witnessed the toll of unresolved mental health problems. (Powell, 2/11)
NPR:
Republicans Call On Biden To End COVID's Public Health Emergency Designation
Republicans in Congress have asked President Biden to end the designation of COVID-19 as a public health emergency (PHE), citing the accessibility of vaccines and effective treatments as well as the harms of long-term isolation on public health. Their request for the president to undo the designation comes as calls grow — including from former Biden advisers — for the federal government to chart a course for the next stage of the pandemic. Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have plunged after the dramatic omicron-driven surge, and deaths have begun falling as well, though the seven-day average was still 2,300 deaths per day, as of Thursday. (Wise, 2/14)
The Washington Post:
Biden’s Free Covid Tests Plan Shortchanges Americans Of Color And Hardest-Hit Communities, Say Health Workers And Activists
When President Biden first announced plans to ship 500 million free coronavirus tests to Americans, the move was largely lauded. But some public health experts and community activists say the plan’s limit of four tests per household will force the tens of millions of Americans who live in multigenerational homes to make difficult — and risky — decisions about who gets to use them. An estimated 64 million Americans live in multigenerational households, according to the most recent data available, a disproportionate number of them people of color and many of them working in essential jobs in cities and communities where the pandemic has hit hardest. (Foster-Frau, 2/12)
The New York Times:
Covid Funeral Assistance Is An Underused Program
Maybe it was because Kerri Raissian’s father had spent time in two hospitals and a nursing facility during the last 12 days of his life. Or maybe it was because he had been in the emergency room for only a few hours before he died. Either way, Covid-19 was not listed on his death certificate. Ms. Raissian has spent the last month trying to change that. At stake are thousands of dollars from a program run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency meant to ease the financial burden on grieving families that lost loved ones to the pandemic. The government will reimburse up to $9,000 in funeral expenses for people who die from the coronavirus — as long as there is proper documentation. (Bernard, 2/11)
CIDRAP:
With Low COVID Vaccine Uptake, Rural US Bore Brunt Of Delta Surge
Rural US counties with low COVID-19 vaccination rates had 2.4 times more infections per 100,000 people than urban counties amid the summer 2021 Delta surge, according to a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. A team led by University of Cincinnati researchers conducted an ecological data visualization analysis using Johns Hopkins University and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data to investigate the link between rates of COVID-19 vaccination and Delta COVID-19 infections from Jul 1 to Aug 31. Colorado, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia were excluded from the study because their vaccination data were incomplete or unreliable. (Van Beusekom, 2/11)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Ohio National Guard Departs From Local Hospitals
Ohio National Guard members who spent weeks aiding health workers at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and the Christ Hospital during the winter COVID-19 surge departed the area Friday as the virus's impact continues to wane in the area. Nearly 90 guard members assisted health workers at UCMC in Corryville while another 50 were deployed to Christ's Mount Auburn location. As hospitals were pushed to the brink during the rapid community spread of the omicron variant, the guard was heralded by executives for its assistance in ancillary tasks that took some stress off of health workers. Most guard members served in nonclinical capacities except for 10 medics assigned to aid the emergency department at UCMC and 10 more medics at the Christ Hospital. (Sutherland, 2/11)
Politico:
Newsom Wants To End School Masks, But Teachers Say Not Yet
Blue states are ditching their school mask mandates, but California is stuck as powerful teachers unions push back. The classroom was always going to be the last stand for the mask wars in California. Schools stayed closed longer here than anywhere else in the country as teachers unions made access to vaccines a condition of their return. More recently, teachers have demanded better masks and more testing to guard against the Omicron variant. (Luthi and Colliver, 2/13)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Legislators Push To Mandate Vaccines For Employees Of All Businesses
California legislators are trying to succeed where the federal government couldn’t by mandating that all businesses require their employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, introduced a bill Friday that would mandate vaccines for workplaces and require employers to verify that their workers are immunized. New hires would need to have at least one shot by their first day — and the second within 45 days. The measure, AB1993, would include exemptions for people who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons or those who oppose vaccines on religious grounds. (Gardiner, 2/11)
CIDRAP:
Eagerly Awaited COVID Lifesavers Molnupiravir, Paxlovid Now Wait For Patients
Supplies of the eagerly awaited oral COVID-19 antiviral prescription medications are slowly arriving at US pharmacies, but despite strong evidence that they can help reduce symptoms and prevent severe illness, federal data and experts suggest that many patients don't know about them or don't want to take them. Two oral COVID-19 antiviral medications, molnupiravir (Merck) and Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, Pfizer), have been proven to be safe, effective, and convenient treatments to take at home. (Van Beusekom, 2/11)
Stat:
New Monoclonal Expands Arsenal Of Options Against Omicron And Sister
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized another Covid-19 monoclonal antibody treatment, which will expand the supply of such treatments that work against the Omicron variant and its sister viruses. The therapy, bebtelovimab, was developed by Eli Lilly. Like other monoclonals, it’s given intravenously and is meant to keep high-risk patients with Covid-19 from getting so sick they need to be hospitalized. The federal government on Thursday announced it had struck a deal with Lilly to purchase 600,000 courses of the treatment for at least $720 million. Shipments were expected to start imminently, with 300,000 courses arriving this month and another 300,000 next month. The contract includes an option for another 500,000 courses. (Joseph, 2/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
The Greatest Danger Of COVID During Pregnancy Is Not To Baby But To Mom
Studies show the womb of a mother infected with the coronavirus is generally safe for the fetus because the placenta usually stops the pathogen from entering. That’s different from some other viruses, including zika and rubella, that can cross the barrier and attack the baby in utero. Catching the virus does increase the chance that a woman will deliver a stillborn baby, a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed in November. Although the stillborn rate was higher for women who were infected than for those who were not, it was still low, at less than 1%. The study also identified a jump in the rate of stillborns, to 2.7%, during the period when the delta variant emerged last summer. But such risks remain rare. (Asimov, 2/13
Modern Healthcare:
Kaiser Permanente Broke Its Own Profit Record In 2021
Kaiser Permanente had its most profitable year yet in 2021, drawing $8.1 billion in net income. Oakland, California-based Kaiser once again benefited from strong investment returns last year, beefing up its nonoperating income even as its operating income grew slimmer. The integrated health system's net income grew 27.2% year-over-year, from an already strong $6.4 billion in 2020. (Bannow, 2/11)
Stat:
FTC Will Vote On Whether To Examine How PBM Practices
In a move hailed by pharmacies, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission plans to vote later this month on whether to examine pharmacy benefits managers and how their controversial practices affect independent and specialty pharmacy operations. The agency disclosed the planned Feb. 17 vote in a brief notice that specified interest in the “competitive impact of contractual provisions and reimbursement adjustments, and other practices affecting drug prices,” but did not provide any further detail. An FTC spokesperson wrote us that additional information will not be released until the upcoming meeting. (Silverman, 2/11)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Claws Back Medicare Payments From Hospitals That Own Nursing Schools
For nearly a decade, the federal government has overpaid hospitals that own nursing schools an estimated $310 million, and now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services want that money back. CMS posted a notice online in late 2020 stating that due to an agency error, nursing schools were overpaid by Medicare from 2008 through 2018 and needed to return that money. For many of the providers, that money will come due this summer unless a congressional effort to forgive the debts is successful. (Hellmann, 2/11)
CIDRAP:
Medicare Study Puts Spotlight On High-Volume Antibiotic Prescribers
A review of data on outpatient prescriptions for Medicare patients shows that high-volume antibiotic prescribers are responsible for a disproportionate number of antibiotic prescriptions in this group, researchers reported today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports. The study, led by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, found that, among more than 59 million antibiotic prescriptions written for Medicare Part D beneficiaries in 2019, 41% came from the top 10% of prescribers, who prescribed antibiotics at a rate 60% higher than that of lower-volume prescribers. Nearly half of those prescribers were located in southern states. (Dall, 2/11)
Stat:
Drug Company Payments For Consulting, Food, And Drinks Influence Rheumatologists’ Prescribing
In the latest attempt to examine financial ties between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry, a new study finds that payments to rheumatologists by drug makers are associated with an increased likelihood of prescribing and Medicare spending. Between 2013 and 2015, more than 3,700 – or two-thirds – of all rheumatologists in the U.S. received some type of payment from a pharmaceutical company. Depending upon the drug, payments for food and beverages likely increased prescribing anywhere from 1.5% to 4.5%, while such payments boosted annual Medicare spending from 3% to 23%. (Silverman, 2/11)
AP:
Georgia Bill Would Expand Medicaid Coverage For New Moms
A Georgia bill aimed at reducing the state’s high death rate for new mothers is advancing. The state Senate this week unanimously approved legislation that would extend Medicaid coverage for low-income moms in Georgia from six months to a year after they give birth. “Extending Medicaid coverage to new mothers to a full year after birth is a solid step towards improving the lives and health of mothers and babies in Georgia,” Senate Democratic Leader Gloria Butler said Monday. “It will address our shameful maternal mortality rate. We cannot claim to care about women’s health, maternal health and babies without passing this legislation.” (2/12)
The Washington Post:
Formaldehyde Exposure Increases By 17 Percent The Risk Of Memory, Thinking Woes
Health-care workers and others who are exposed on the job to formaldehyde, even in low amounts, face a 17 percent increased likelihood of developing memory and thinking problems later on, according to research published in the journal Neurology. The finding adds cognitive impairment to already established health risks associated with formaldehyde. (Searing, 2/13)
ABC News:
Wife Of Rams' Van Jefferson Goes Into Labor During Super Bowl LVI
The wife of the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson left SoFi on a stretcher Sunday after going into labor during the Super Bowl LVI, a team spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. (Sanchez, 2/14)
The Washington Post:
Experts Offer Guidelines For Safely Reviving Drowning Victims During Pandemic
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation can save a life. But in the era of covid-19, it can also put lives at risk. That’s the odd dilemma faced by people who respond to drownings. Giving the air that is so necessary to drowning victims could also result in the transmission of the coronavirus. Now, an international group of resuscitation and drowning experts has weighed in on how to safely revive a drowned person. (Blakemore, 2/13)
Politico:
Senate Ad Slams Transgender Athletes ‘Pretending To Be Women’
A new ad in the Missouri Republican Senate primary criticizes the collegiate swimmer at the center of a debate over policies for transgender athletes, marking the first time the lightning-rod issue has appeared in a Senate campaign spot. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), one of several contenders vying to replace retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt, is out with a new ad slamming Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer on the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s team. (Allison, 2/13)
Bloomberg:
Covid Death Rates Are Declining Around The World
The pandemic looks a whole lot different in 2022. Vaccines are working, treatments are advancing and—at least for now—the virus itself seems less intent on killing. The likelihood of surviving Covid-19 is improving around the world. In the U.S., there were nearly four times as many positive cases for each death this year when compared to last winter's peak, according to a new analysis from Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker. In the European Union, where more people have been vaccinated, this survival ratio was 11 times higher than last winter. Even in countries with lower vaccination rates, Covid patients were increasingly likely to recover. (Randall, 2/13)
Fox News:
WHO Tracking 4 Omicron Sub-Variants, Says Preventing All COVID Transmissions 'Not The Goal'
World Health Organization (WHO) official Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said earlier this week that the agency is tracking four omicron sub-variants, including BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3. The infectious disease epidemiologist explained in a video clip she tweeted on Thursday that the agency is "watching [the] virus evolve in real-time," tracking proportions of the sub-variants. "Now, we already know that omicron has a growth advantage; it's more transmissible compared to other variants of concern and also has properties of immune escape," she said. "But, we know some of the sub-lineages, BA.2, has a growth advantage even over BA.1." (Musto, 2/11)
AP:
Paris Police Fire Tear Gas To Disperse Banned Virus Protest
Paris police fired tear gas Saturday against a handful of demonstrators on the Champs-Elysees Avenue who defied a police order by taking part in a vehicle protest against virus restrictions inspired by Canada’s horn-honking truckers. In the Netherlands, dozens of trucks and other vehicles — ranging from tractors to a car towing a camping van — arrived in The Hague for a similar virus-related protest Saturday, blocking an entrance to the historic Dutch parliamentary complex. (Adamson, 2/12)
USA Today:
Border Blockade COVID Protest Continues As Trucks Leave
Trucks cleared out of a pandemic restrictions protest on Saturday that for days has disrupted trade between the U.S. and Canada. But protesters on foot are continuing to demonstrate, despite an increased police presence.vDozens of police officers moved into position Saturday morning near protesters on the Canadian side of the crossing. For six days, demonstrators have been blocking the crossing at the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor.vPickup trucks and semis rolled out Saturday morning, leaving a crowd of protesters on foot.vBy noon, new protesters began to join. Their numbers grew to several hundred, despite a large police presence pushing them back. (Schnell and Fernando, 2/12)
AP:
Many Faith Leaders Wary Of Religious Exemptions For Vaccine
By the thousands, Americans have been seeking religious exemptions in order to circumvent COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but generally they are doing so without the encouragement of major denominations and prominent religious leaders. From the Vatican, Pope Francis has defended the vaccines as “the most reasonable solution to the pandemic.” The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America declared categorically that its followers would not be offered religious exemptions. Robert Jeffress, the conservative pastor of a Baptist megachurch in Dallas, voiced similar sentiments. (Crary and Smith, 2/12)
Press Association:
What Is Lassa Fever And Its Symptoms? Is It Transmissible?
A hospital patient in Bedfordshire has died from a confirmed case of Lassa fever – the third case to be identified in the UK in the last few days. All three cases of the potentially fatal disease are understood to be linked to recent travel to West Africa. Here, the PA news agency looks at where the virus originated from, what its symptoms are and how transmissible it is. ... Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness, belonging to the virus family Arenaviridae, that lasts between two and 21 days, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). (2/12)
AP:
US Suspends Mexican Avocado Imports On Eve Of Super Bowl
The U.S. government suspended all imports of Mexican avocados “until further notice” after a U.S. plant safety inspector in Mexico received a threatening message, Mexico’s Agriculture Department said in a statement. “U.S. health authorities ... made the decision after one of their officials, who was carrying out inspections in Uruapan, Michoacan, received a threatening message on his official cellphone,” the department wrote. (Stevenson, 2/14)