First Edition: Sept. 7, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Telemedicine Abortions Offer Cheaper Options But May Also Undermine Critical Clinics
A change in FDA rules during the pandemic has let women receive the drugs needed for a medical abortion by mail after a telemedicine appointment. While some abortion rights advocates hail the move, others note that these services, which are often cheaper than going to a clinic, could siphon away patients needed to keep those brick-and-mortar facilities operating. (Littlefield, 9/3)
KHN:
Voters In Tight Recall Race Sound Off On California Gov. Newsom’s Covid Leadership
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic policies are effectively on California’s Sept. 14 recall ballot — and the electorate views them with a mix of resentment, gratitude and disillusionment. (Bluth, Young, de Marco and Hart, 9/2)
KHN:
How Rape Affects Memory, And Why Police Need To Know About That Brain Science
How a sexual assault survivor is questioned by police can greatly influence the ability to access memories of the traumatic incident. Better interview techniques might help solve more cases. (Caiola, 9/1)
KHN:
Lack Of A Vaccine Mandate Becomes Competitive Advantage In Hospital Staffing Wars
After months of burnout from the pandemic, hospitals are scrambling to fill nursing and other jobs. Some administrators, particularly in rural areas, are afraid to implement vaccine mandates that alienate their short-handed staffs. (Weber, 8/31)
KHN:
‘My Time To Live’: Through Novel Program, Kidney Patients Get Palliative Care, Dialysis ’Til The End
Seattle’s Northwest Kidney Centers, which pioneered kidney failure treatment 50 years ago, now pairs dying patients with hospice services, without forcing them to forgo the comfort dialysis can provide. (Aleccia, 8/30)
KHN:
Concert Venues Are Banking On Proof Of Vaccines Or Negative Tests To Woo Back Fans
Two days before hosting an outdoor Wilco concert, the St. Louis Music Park announced it would require proof of vaccination or a negative covid test for all ticket holders, sending some attendees scrambling and upending plans. Concertgoers, promoters and venues nationwide are all having to pivot quickly to find safer ways of enjoying live music amid the pandemic’s delta surge. (Berger, 8/30)
USA Today:
Texas Abortion Law: DOJ Vows To Protect People Seeing Abortions
The Department of Justice announced Monday it would protect people's access to abortion in Texas despite a new state law that bans the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement saying that the agency would "continue to protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services pursuant to our criminal and civil enforcement" of a law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act." The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack," Garland said. "We have reached out to U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI field offices in Texas and across the country to discuss our enforcement authorities." (Subramanian, 9/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Justice Department Looks For Ways To Challenge Texas Abortion Law
Officials have reached out to federal prosecutors and Federal Bureau of Investigation field offices across Texas to discuss how to enforce the federal law, known as the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, he said. “The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack,” Mr. Garland said. (Gurman and Collins, 9/6)
Politico:
Abortion Fight Adds To Biden's Growing Policy Backlog
Joe Biden wants to marshal the full power of the federal government to fight back against a ban on most abortions in Texas. But the president’s efforts may end the same way as so many other elements of his ambitious agenda: with success proving elusive. The White House is heavily reliant on Congress for action to preserve abortion rights, just as he is on voting protections, gun safety and virtually every other domestic policy goal. But with razor-thin Democratic majorities and the need for 60 votes to pass relevant legislation in the Senate, Biden’s opportunities for meaningful victories are dimming. (Kumar and Cadelago, 9/7)
The Washington Post:
The Texas Abortion Ban Shocked Many. It Shouldn’t Have, Advocates Say.
Once S.B. 8 took effect on Wednesday, the law dominated conversations on social media, as many finally seemed to realize that this is the strictest antiabortion law to take effect since Roe v. Wade. Major media organizations amped up their coverage; President Biden condemned the law, after saying little about abortion through the first eight months of his presidency. Big protests were expected in Austin, though those saw smaller crowds than anticipated. Still, [Dr. Joe] Nelson and other abortion advocates are happy to see the country focused on this law. Many are just wondering why it took so long.
AP:
Jobless Americans Will Have Few Options As Benefits Expire
Millions of jobless Americans lost their unemployment benefits on Monday, leaving only a handful of economic support programs for those who are still being hit financially by the year-and-a-half-old coronavirus pandemic. Two critical programs expired on Monday. One provided jobless aid to self-employed and gig workers and another provided benefits to those who have been unemployed more than six months. Further, the Biden administration’s $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit also ran out on Monday. It’s estimated that roughly 8.9 million Americans will lose all or some of these benefits. (9/7)
The New York Times:
From Cradle To Grave, Democrats Move To Expand Social Safety Net
When congressional committees meet this week to begin formally drafting Democrats’ ambitious social policy plan, they will be undertaking the most significant expansion of the nation’s safety net since the war on poverty in the 1960s, devising legislation that would touch virtually every American’s life, from conception to aged infirmity. Passage of the bill, which could spend as much as $3.5 trillion over the next decade, is anything but certain. President Biden, who has staked much of his domestic legacy on the measure’s enactment, will need the vote of every single Democrat in the Senate, and virtually every one in the House, to secure it. And with two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, saying they would not accept such a costly plan, it will challenge Democratic unity like nothing has since the Affordable Care Act. (Weisman, 9/6)
CIDRAP:
Study: Lifting State Eviction Bans Puts Residents At Risk For COVID
A study yesterday in JAMA Network Open reveals that adult residents of US states that lifted COVID-19 eviction moratoria were at increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection 5 to 12 weeks later, compared with residents of states where the bans were still in place. (Van Beusekom, 8/31)
The Hill:
Biden Under Pressure To Ratchet Up Vaccine Aid
Lawmakers are pushing for billions in federal funding to boost global COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in Democrats' coming $3.5 trillion package, arguing that the Biden administration needs to do more to fight the pandemic worldwide and prevent dangerous new variants from forming. A group of 116 Democratic lawmakers, including more than half of the House Democratic caucus, wrote to congressional leaders and President Biden last month, calling on them to back $34 billion to increase global manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines and to help distribute the vaccines around the world. (Sullivan, 9/7)
Stat:
Biden Wants $65 Billion For 'Apollo'-Style Pandemic Preparedness Program
The Biden administration on Friday unveiled a sweeping new biosecurity plan, outlining a $65 billion proposal to remake the nation’s pandemic preparedness infrastructure in the wake of Covid-19. The new spending would represent one of the largest investments in public health in American history: During a press briefing, Eric Lander, the White House science adviser, likened the proposal to the Apollo program of the late 1960s. (Facher, 9/3)
USA Today:
New Infections Are Up 316% From Last Labor Day
Daily coronavirus infections are more than four times what the U.S. was seeing on Labor Day last year, or a 316% increase, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And daily deaths are almost twice as high. Blame the highly contagious delta variant and a swath of Americans refusing easily accessible vaccines that most of the developing world is furiously scrambling to obtain. Hospitalizations are up 158% from a year ago, U.S. Health and Human Services data shows. The result: Some U.S. hospitals are getting so crowded with COVID-19 patients that physicians may soon be compelled to make life-or-death decisions on who gets an ICU bed. (Bacon, Ortiz and Hauck, 9/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Mu Coronavirus Variant Recorded In 167 People In L.A. County
A coronavirus variant recently determined to be a “variant of interest” has been detected in 167 people over the summer in Los Angeles County, officials said. The variant now known as Mu was mostly detected in July, according to analyses completed between June 19 and Aug. 21, the Department of Public Health said. Named after the 12th letter of the Greek alphabet, Mu was declared by the World Health Organization as a “variant of interest” on Aug. 30, and was first identified in January in Colombia, the department said. Mu, also known as B.1.621, has since been reported in 39 countries. (Lin II, 9/6)
AP:
More U.S. First Responders Are Dying Of COVID-19
The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the United States’ first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates. It’s a stark contrast from the beginning of the vaccine rollout when first responders were prioritized for shots. ... According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 132 members of law enforcement agencies are known to have died of COVID-19 in 2021. In Florida alone last month, six people affiliated with law enforcement died over a 10-day period. (9/6)
AP:
Hospitals In Crisis In Least Vaccinated State: Mississippi
As patients stream into Mississippi hospitals one after another, doctors and nurses have become all too accustomed to the rampant denial and misinformation about COVID-19 in the nation’s least vaccinated state. People in denial about the severity of their own illness or the virus itself, with visitors frequently trying to enter hospitals without masks. The painful look of recognition on patients’ faces when they realize they made a mistake not getting vaccinated. The constant misinformation about the coronavirus that they discuss with medical staff. (Willingham, 9/5)
The Hill:
Ohio Judge Reverses Decision Ordering Hospital To Treat Patient With Ivermectin
An Ohio judge on Monday ruled a hospital no longer had to give a COVID-19 patient ivermectin, reversing a previous decision from another judge. “While this court is sympathetic to the Plaintiff and understands the idea of wanting to do anything to help her loved one, public policy should not and does not support allowing a physician to try ‘any’ type of treatment on human beings,” Common Pleas Judge Michael Oster said in the court order. (Lonas, 9/6)
CIDRAP:
Child COVID Hospital Cases Up In Low-Vaccination States
Among persons aged 17 or younger, COVID-19–related emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions in the states with the lowest vaccination coverage were 3.4 and 3.7 times that in the states with the highest vaccination coverage during the most recent 2-week period (Aug 14 to 27). (Soucheray, 9/3)
Dallas Morning News:
North Texas School Districts Feel COVID-19 Surge, Report Thousands Of New Cases
Less than a month into the new school year, North Texas school districts are reporting thousands of new COVID-19 cases among students and staff as some are having to shutter campuses in response to the uptick. Some area districts have among the state’s highest number of total cases, according to an analysis of Texas’ most recent data released on Friday. More Texas students tested positive for coronavirus in the last week than did during the previous peak of the 2020-21 school year. (Donaldson and Garcia, 9/6)
Houston Chronicle:
They Survived COVID, But Unseen Brain Damage Is Leaving Them Foggy And Forgetful
A growing number of recovered COVID-19 patients are suffering from brain fog, a persistent lack of mental clarity associated with short-term memory loss and sleep deprivation. As many as one in three people who recover from coronavirus may feel foggy and forgetful for months, studies show, even if the initial infection was mild. The worrying phenomenon has been observed in breakthrough cases for fully vaccinated people, and could become even more common with the rise of the highly-infectious delta variant. But there is hope of improvement with the right treatment. (Mishanec, 9/5)
The Washington Post:
They’re Called Mild Cases. But People With Breakthrough Covid Can Still Feel Pretty Sick
Andrew Kinsey knew that even after being vaccinated against the coronavirus, there was a chance he could still fall ill with covid-19. He just never expected to feel this lousy from a case doctors call mild. For nearly a week, Kinsey felt like he had been “run over by a truck.” He struggled to walk a few steps and to stay awake through episodes of the TV show “Doomsday Preppers.” He returned to work last Monday as a corporate litigator but needs midday naps. (Nirappil, 8/31)
CIDRAP:
Loss Of Taste Or Smell Linked To Some COVID Symptoms More Than Others
Although loss of taste or smell has been linked to COVID-19 infection, a research letter in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery yesterday found that the condition may not be as absolute a marker as people think. ... Among people with negative COVID-19 test results, loss of taste or smell was more strongly associated with congestion or runny nose compared with those who had positive test results. ... Similarly, loss of taste or smell was more strongly associated with cough and fever if the COVID-19 test was negative, not positive. (9/3)
AP:
Statewide Moment Of Silence To Remember Lives Lost To Virus
Alabama hospital officials are planning a statewide moment of silence to remember those who have died with COVID-19. The Alabama Hospital Association is helping to organize the Tuesday vigil to remember the more than 12,000 Alabamians who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic and support those who are battling the virus, Al.com reported. The event is set for noon on Sept. 7. (9/6)
CNBC:
Pfizer Covid Booster Shots Will Likely Be Ready Sept. 20, But Moderna May Be Delayed, Fauci Says
The U.S. will likely start to widely distribute Pfizer Covid-19 booster shots during the week of Sept. 20, but the rollout for Moderna’s vaccine could be delayed, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday. The Biden administration has announced plans to offer third doses to people who received the Pfizer and Moderna shots, pending approval from public health officials. The U.S. recommends an additional shot eight months after the second dose. Only the Pfizer vaccine booster may get Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approval in time for a rollout the week of Sept. 20, Fauci said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” People who received Moderna shots may have to hold off for longer as the company waits for regulators to sign off on a third dose. (Pramuk, 9/5)
Stat:
How The Risk Of Side Effects Could Change With Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters
Additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines are likely rolling out in the United States later this year. It raises the question: What will the side effects from a booster shot look like? Is there a higher or lower risk of an adverse event, compared to the earlier regimens? (Joseph, 9/7)
Stat:
CEPI Warns Of Major Hurdle To Developing New Covid-19 Vaccines
The world still needs more — and better — Covid-19 vaccines. But a major hurdle stands in the way of the development of new vaccines, as well as the critical studies needed to determine the best way to use these important tools, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) warned in a letter published Tuesday in the journal Nature. Unless countries that have purchased vaccine doses and companies that have already brought vaccines into use agree to find ways to resolve the problem, manufacturers that trail the first wave of producers may not be able to prove that their vaccines work. (Branswell, 9/7)
AP:
Afghan Refugees At Fort McCoy Offered COVID-19 Vaccines
Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy are being offered free COVID-19 vaccines — one of many precautions being taken at the military base to prevent the spread of the virus. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said all Afghans and U.S. residents coming from Afghanistan are tested for COVID when they first arrive to the U.S. and have the option to get a COVID-19 vaccine either at the airport or at Department of Defense facilities. (9/6)
Indianapolis Star:
IU Health Suspends Fewer Than 300 People For Not Being Vaccinated
Indiana University Health has suspended potentially hundreds of employees for failing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, hospital officials said Thursday. In June, Indiana University Health became one of the first employers in the state to require that all of its approximately 36,000 employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, giving them until Sept. 1 to do so. A hospital spokesman did not have a specific number, but said fewer than 300 were suspended. The spokesman indicated the number was dwindling as employees updated their vaccination status. (Rudavsky, 9/2)
Politico:
Get Vaccinated Or Else: Colleges Roll Out New Punishments For Holdouts
Quinnipiac University students who aren’t vaccinated will be fined up to $200 per week and lose access to the campus’ Wi-Fi until they get the shot. The University of Virginia booted more than 200 unvaccinated people from its rolls before the semester began. And Rutgers University, the first university in the U.S. to mandate vaccination for students, is threatening to disconnect email access and deny campus housing for students who don’t comply. Some colleges used similar tactics last year to get students to follow testing procedures. (Payne, 9/7)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Gwinnett School District To Offer $500 Vaccine Incentive
Gwinnett County Public Schools is offering a one-time $500 incentive to eligible staff members who get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees who were vaccinated earlier this year are also eligible for the payments, according to a news release from the school district. The incentive is available to all full-time employees with benefits as well as contracted cafeteria staff and speech language pathologists. (Malik, 9/7)
Modern Healthcare:
Alabama Redirects $12.3 Million In CARES Funding To Mitigate Nursing Shortage
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey reallocated $12.3 million of CARES Act funding to help overwhelmed hospitals attract travel nurses, state authorities announced Friday. Hospitals across the country, particularly in the South, are struggling to keep up with COVID-19 surges among the unvaccinated. The latest influx of acute COVID-19 cases has exacerbated lingering staffing shortages, prompting calls for higher pay, better working conditions and more training programs. "I'm pleased to see more folks getting vaccinated, but we are still in the thick of COVID-19 and our hospitals are overwhelmed," Ivey said in a news release. "Until our vaccination rates rise and our COVID-19 hospitalization rates fall, we will need the extra support these nurses provide." (Kacik, 9/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Feds Sue UPMC And Its Leading Surgeon Under The False Claims Act
A senior University of Pittsburgh Medical Center surgeon allegedly billed the government for unnecessary surgeries and operations he didn't perform and directly harmed patients, according to a federal false claims lawsuit filed Thursday. The Justice Department brought the suit against UPMC, University of Pittsburgh Physicians and Dr. James Luketich, a top surgeon at UPMC Presbyterian-Shadyside. Luketich earned $2.4 million at UPMC in fiscal 2019, making him among the company's highest paid employees. (Devereaux, 9/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Employment Contracted In August, The Second Decline This Year
For the second time in 2021, healthcare hiring crossed into negative territory, the latest jobs report show. Healthcare employment contracted by an estimated 4,900 jobs in August, preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show. That's after a healthy rebound in July that saw 29,100 new hires. Home health saw the biggest losses last month, as an estimated 11,600 jobs disappeared. These providers have struggled even more than others to recover since employment plummeted early in the COVID-19 pandemic. (Bannow, 9/3)
Modern Healthcare:
UnitedHealthcare Pays Providers Below Standard Rates For COVID-19 Vaccines
Pediatricians across the country are claiming the nation's largest insurer is shortchanging them for administering COVID-19 vaccines, jeopardizing access to the main tool for stopping the virus' spread. The American Academy of Pediatrics has fielded complaints from providers nationwide who are frustrated that UnitedHealth Group is paying about 50% of the federal rate for vaccine administration, said Dr. Sue Kressly, who chairs the AAP's payment advocacy advisory committee and runs Pennsylvania-based Kressly Pediatrics. While UnitedHealthcare is not legally required to pay the federal rate, Kressly said the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based insurer is the only national carrier that has not agreed to pay at least $40 for vaccine administration. (Tepper, 9/3)
PolitiFact:
Fact Check: The Average Cost Of A COVID-19 Hospital Stay
The claim: “The average hospital stay for a case of COVID-19 costs about $17,064. The vaccine is free.” — U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. PolitiFact rating: Mostly true. It’s difficult to determine an average cost for a hospital stay for COVID-19. Many individual factors can cause estimates to swing widely. But Jayapal’s figure is in line with several credible estimates, and to her bigger point, the vaccine is much cheaper. (Valverde, 9/6)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Harvard Club Honors 5 Health System CEOS For Pandemic Prep, Response
Developing protocols for emergency departments, setting up COVID-19 units, finding personal protective equipment, moving to remote work for administrative staff, expanding intensive care units, shifting clinics to telehealth, redeploying and training staff, setting up testing sites — health systems’ checklists were long and complicated as they prepared for the pandemic last year. No one knew what to expect. “Everyone,” said Chris Woleske, CEO of Bellin Health Systems, “was facing the same uncertainty.” (Boulton, 9/2)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Should Collect Home Health Telehealth Data, Experts Say
The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services should collect data about telehealth use in home health to guide policymakers in setting reimbursement rates for providers, experts said during the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's September meeting on Friday. CMS adjusted how the Medicare program pays providers under the home health prospective payment system in 2020 after Congress mandated changes to those payments in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. Under the Patient-Driven Groupings Model, CMS moved from a 60- to 30-day payment unit and stopped basing payments on the number of therapy visits to curb their use. (Brady, 9/3)
CBS News:
Several Louisiana Nursing Home Evacuees Die In Warehouse Used As Storm Shelter
A nurse detailed horrifying conditions at a Louisiana warehouse where hundreds of nursing home patients were relocated before Hurricane Ida made landfall. At least seven nursing home residents have died after being moved to a warehouse facility in Tangipahoa Parish where more than 800 residents from seven nursing facilities were kept as Ida tore through Louisiana. (Mitchell, 9/6)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Four Dead, 141 Treated In Hospitals For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Since Ida, Health Department Says
The Louisiana Department of Health announced Monday afternoon that four people have died of carbon monoxide poisoning and 141 people have been treated for inhalation of the deadly, odorless gas since Hurricane Ida. When the storm left nearly 600,000 people without power, many looked to the portable generator — a tried and true way to get at least some power their homes. It's unclear how many of the carbon monoxide poisoning incidents are directly related to generator use, but there was a major spike in cases after the storm. (Pierce, 9/6)
AP:
West Nile Case In Shelby County Tennessee's 3rd This Year
A person who contracted West Nile virus in Shelby County is Tennessee’s third case of the illness this year, health officials said. In a news release Friday, the Shelby County Health Department did not identify the person who got the illness, which is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. (9/7)
AP:
Albuquerque Jail Offers Treatment For Opioid Addiction
The Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque has begun a program to give buprenorphine to people in jail who are already using it to treat their opioid addictions. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the buprenorphine maintenance program can provide an average of 22 inmates per day with the medication. (9/6)
Politico:
FDA Nears Day Of Reckoning On E-Cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration is nearing a pivotal deadline for deciding the fate of every e-cigarette on the market — and potentially reshaping the vaping industry. The agency is reviewing millions of applications from e-cigarette makers, and must decide by Sept. 9 whether their products are “appropriate for the protection of public health”: safe for current smokers and not appealing to non-smokers. FDA has already blocked the sale of 55,000 flavor (Foley, 9/7)
CNN:
Cannabis Consumers Under Age 45 Are Nearly Twice As Likely To Have A Heart Attack Compared To Non-Cannabis Users
Whether you smoke it, vape it or eat it as an edible, cannabis may be significantly increasing your risk of a heart attack. Adults under 45 years old who consumed cannabis within the last 30 days, suffered from nearly double the number of heart attacks than adults who didn't use the drug, according to research published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. (Marples, 9/7)
Stat:
Study: Never-Smokers' Lung Cancers Genetically Differ From Smokers' Tumors
Researchers have identified unique genetic signatures of lung cancer in people who never smoked cigarettes, using whole genome sequencing to analyze tumors from this under-studied population. The new study, published Monday in Nature Genetics, more than doubles the number of sequenced lung tumors from never-smokers and helps point the way toward developing personalized treatments distinct from those used for smokers’ cancers, the authors said. (Gaffney, 9/6)
Fox News:
Number Of People With Dementia Expected To Rise 40% Within Decade, WHO Says
The number of people worldwide suffering from dementia is expecting to rise to 78 million by 2030, according to a report published Thursday by the World Health Organization. That’s a 40% increase from the estimated number of people worldwide currently suffering from the neurological disorder. As populations age, the number of people with dementia is expected to rise to a whopping 139 million by 2050, the WHO said. Dementia can be caused by a variety of diseases or injuries that affect the brain like a stroke, brain injury or Alzheimer’s disease. It is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and a major cause of disability and dependency among older people. (Betz, 9/3)
Stateline:
States Have Money To Spend On Mental Health, But It May Not Last
Colorado’s known as a mecca for healthy, outdoorsy types. Yet a higher share of state residents than the national average struggle with mental illness, suicidal thoughts or heavy drug or alcohol use, according to federal surveys. The COVID-19 pandemic—with its accompanying job losses, school closures and bereavements—has made the situation worse. Now Colorado policymakers are gearing up to spend big on mental health and substance use disorder services, thanks to the March federal COVID-19 relief package, the mammoth American Rescue Plan Act. (Quinton, 9/2)
The Boston Globe:
Schools Are Increasing Mental Health Support This Year, But Experts Fear It’s Still Not Enough
Many students may be traumatized by the disruptions and losses of the past year and a half, battling anxiety after being out of school for so long, worried about COVID-19 and the risk of exposure. A record number of youths suffered crises during the pandemic, with Boston Children’s Hospital seeing more children with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders — and a 40 percent increase last summer in admissions for suicidal thoughts and attempts. Yet even before the pandemic, the educational system was not prepared for the mental health needs of young students. One analysis from 2020 showed Massachusetts schools had only half the number of social workers that they needed, with psychologists and counselors also in short supply. (Martin, 9/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Kids Anxious About Going Back To School? Here Are Some Signs
Students are facing more than standard back-to-school anxiety this fall. Returning to classrooms after a year of remote learning and a continuing pandemic, some children may have difficulties coping emotionally with all the changes. From separation anxiety to the need for support, health experts say parents should be on the lookout for behaviors that may signal anxiety and stress. Children are already starting the year with more challenging mental-health needs than in years past. (Dizik, 9/6)
AP:
Chile Authorizes Sinovac Vaccine For Kids Of 6 And Older
Chilean health authorities approved on Monday the use of the Sinovac vaccine against the coronavirus for 6-year-old children and older, the first Latin America’s country to take that step. Heriberto García, director of Chile’s Public Health Institute, said the institution approved the new measure by five votes in favor and one against. (9/6)
Fox News:
COVID-19 Vaccines: British Health Officials Refuse To Approve Shots For Healthy Children Ages 12-15
British health officials have refused to approve COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy children aged 12-15 years old. Ministers have asked the officials to review the guidance in light of possible issues that might arise as the school term gets under way. The current guidance would allow for teens with underlying conditions or vulnerable parents to get the shot. The decision on healthy children was based on concern over an extremely rare side effect of the Pfizer vaccine that causes heart inflammation, the BBC reported. (Aitken, 9/4)
The Washington Post:
Brazil Suspends Use Of Millions Of Doses Of China’s Sinovac Coronavirus Vaccine
Brazil’s health regulator suspended the use of just over 12.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine manufactured by China’s Sinovac after learning that vials containing the shots were filled at an unauthorized production base. The suspension is for 90 days as an investigation is carried out, said Anvisa, the regulator, which announced the decision in a statement Saturday. The Butantan Institute, a Sao Paulo biomedical center that has partnered with Sinovac to fill the vaccine for local usage, notified Anvisa about the irregularity the prior day, the agency said. (Jeong, 9/6)
Bloomberg:
U.K. Plans To Extend Storage Limit For Eggs, Sperm And Embryos
Storage limits for sperm, eggs and embryos in the U.K. are to be increased to a maximum of 55 years to give people greater choice over when to start a family. Under the proposals announced by Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Monday, prospective parents would be given the option to keep or dispose of frozen reproductive cells or embryos at 10-year intervals. The existing storage limit is 10 years. “The current storage arrangements can be severely restrictive for those making the important decision about when to start a family, and this new legislation will help turn off the ticking clock in the back of people’s minds,” Javid said in a statement. (Atkinson, 9/6)
AP:
Pelé Says Apparent Colon Tumor Removed But Feels Well
Pelé has had an apparent tumor on the right side of his colon removed in an operation. Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo said on Monday the 80-year-old soccer great is in an intensive care unit and will be transferred to a regular room on Tuesday. The operation was a “great victory,” Pelé said on his social media channels on Monday. (Savarese, 9/7)
CBS News:
Former Soccer Player Jean-Pierre Adams Dies After 39 Years In A Coma Following Botched Knee Surgery
Jean-Pierre Adams, the former France and Paris Saint-Germain defender who spent 39 years in a coma, has died. He was 73. ... Adams, cared for by his wife, Bernadette, had been lying in a coma at his home in the southern French city of Nimes since 1982. He was injured in a match and required knee surgery. During the operation at Lyon Hospital, an anaesthetic error saw him fall into a coma. (9/6)