About Covid-19
US faces wave of omicron deaths in coming weeks, models say: “The fast-moving omicron variant may cause less severe disease on average, but COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are climbing and modelers forecast 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans could die by the time the wave subsides in mid-March.
The seven-day rolling average for daily new COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. has been trending upward since mid-November, reaching nearly 1,700 on Jan. 17 — still below the peak of 3,300 in January 2021. COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents started rising slightly two weeks ago, although still at a rate 10 times less than last year before most residents were vaccinated.”
And in a related story: At least 20 percent of Americans have been infected with COVID-19, data show
Walgreens rolls out new COVID-19 data tracker to trace the spread of omicron, emerging variants: “Data captured in the Walgreens COVID-19 Indexcan track the spread of the omicron variant within 24 to 48 hours, more quickly than other methods, according to the companies. In addition to a national view, data can be reviewed by state.
The Walgreens COVID-19 Index is generated through the combination of Walgreens nationally representative PCR testing services with the associated PCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS) laboratory test results generated by Aegis Sciences.”
Americans can now order free COVID-19 test kits; N95s to be shipped to pharmacies: “The federal government on Jan. 18 launched its website for Americans to request free rapid COVID-19 test kits be shipped to their homes.
‘Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests," the website — covidtests.gov — says. "The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in seven to 12 days. Order your tests now so you have them when you need them.’
There is a limit of one order per residential address. Each order includes four individual rapid test kits, and orders will start shipping later this month, the website says.”
Masks will be available in pharmacies starting next week with full program operation by early February.
Comment: If you live in an apartment/condo, make sure to include your unit # when ordering tests. Some people have been blocked because the site records registrants by address.
Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment shows efficacy against Omicron: “Findings from the Phase II/III EPIC-HR trial showed that Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalisations or death by 89% compared to placebo, when taken within three days of symptom onset, and by 88% when taken within five days.
Two of the studies in question were conducted by Pfizer.
Commentary: Good news. But try to get this medication, likely to be in short supply.
Frequency of Adverse Events [AE] in the Placebo Arms of COVID-19 Vaccine Trials: Systemic “AEs were experienced by 35% of placebo recipients after the first dose and 32% after the second. Significantly more AEs were reported in the vaccine groups, but AEs in placebo arms (‘nocebo responses’) accounted for 76% of systemic AEs after the first COVID-19 vaccine dose and 52% after the second dose…
This study found that the rate of nocebo responses in placebo arms of COVID-19 vaccine trials was substantial; this finding should be considered in public vaccination programs.”
About health insurance
Obamacare enrollment hits record high after Biden makes post-Trump tweaks to health insurance program: “The official final enrollment number has yet to be tallied. But federal health officials noted that even before the deadline, a whopping 14.2 million people nationally had signed up for coverage…
The big surge came amid boosted financial assistance for enrollments, a wider window for sign-ups, the continuing health effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 850,000 Americans, and the touting of the health-care reform law by the president.”
UnitedHealth Group reports $4.1B in profit for Q4, $17.3B for full-year 2021: “UnitedHealth Group earned $4.1 billion in profit for the fourth quarter of 2021, bringing its total profit for the year to $17.3 billion, according to the company's earnings report released Wednesday morning.
The results beat Wall Street expectations…
Total revenue for 2021 was $287.6 billion, according to the report.
For comparison, UnitedHealth Group reported $2.2 billion in profit and $65.5 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2020.
For the full year 2020, the company reported $15.4 billion in profit and $257.1 billion in revenue, according to the report.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Hospitals forced to delay patient discharges as nursing homes and rehab centers face major staff shortages: “With nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and other downstream care settings in a bind, acute care hospitals are having a harder time discharging patients and clearing beds for new arrivals.
The result is not only a capacity issue for facilities facing an influx of COVID-19 cases but unnecessarily longer stays that redouble the demand for costly staff and supplies.”
About pharma
US Insurer Spending on Ivermectin Prescriptions for COVID-19: “Findings suggest that insurers heavily subsidized the costs of ivermectin prescriptions for COVID-19, even though economic theory holds that insurers should not cover ineffective care. Wasteful insurer spending on these prescriptions, estimated at $2.5 million in the week of August 13, 2021, would extrapolate to $129.7 million annually.”
Comment: Prescriptions have much information associated with them. The one key factor not included is the reason the medication was ordered, i.e., the diagnosis. With all the data included in EMRs, the transition to including this item should not be difficult. It is important to track this information to accurately assess prescriptions ordered for non-FDA approved uses as well as conditions for which insurance coverage is not in force.
Endo to Settle With State of Florida for $65 Million for Role in Opioid Epidemic: “Endo International has agreed to pay up to $65 million to resolve claims by the state of Florida and local governments who claim that the company helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic which led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths over two decades.
The deal follows Endo’s $63 million settlement in December with Texas over the drugmaker’s role in the opioid crisis.”
Did BMS set up a subsidiary to avoid paying $1.4B in U.S. taxes? The Senate finance chairman is on the case: “In a letter to BMS CEO Giovanni Caforio, Sen. Ron Wyden wrote that he wants to learn more about how the company reduced its tax rate from about 25% in 2010 and 2011 to -6.9% in 2012. The Senator cites reporting from the New York Times to write that BMS used "offshore subsidiaries to allegedly avoid paying as much as $1.4 billion in U.S. taxes" with the help of advisors at PwC and White & Case. Last April, The New York Times reported that the IRS found BMS' tax setup in violation of anti-abuse provisions and was seeking up to $1.38 billion.”
Altos Labs launches with the goal to transform medicine through cellular rejuvenation programming: “Altos Labs™ (Altos™) launched today as a new biotechnology company dedicated to unraveling the deep biology of cellular rejuvenation programming. Altos' mission is to restore cell health and resilience to reverse disease, injury, and the disabilities that can occur throughout life.”
The company will initially be based in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and in Cambridge, UK, with significant collaborations in Japan. It starts with $3B fully committed from Hal Barron and other biotech veterans.
About the public’s health
Assessment of US Preventive Services Task Force Guideline–Concordant Cervical Cancer Screening Rates and Reasons for Underscreening by Age, Race and Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Rurality, and Insurance, 2005 to 2019: “In this cross-sectional study of 20 557 women (weighted, 113 million women) eligible for cervical cancer screening in the US, the proportion of women without up-to-date screening significantly increased from 14.4% in 2005 to 23.0% in 2019 among all sociodemographic groups, with disparities found across different sociodemographic groups and lack of knowledge reported as the biggest barrier to receiving screening...
This study found that guideline-concordant cervical cancer screening rates decreased between 2005 and 2019; campaigns addressing patient knowledge and practitioner communication may help to improve cervical cancer screening rates, and cultural adaptation of interventions is needed to reduce existing disparities.”
About healthcare IT
As TEFCA goes live, HHS hits major interoperability milestone: “Five years in the making, the nation's top health IT agency released Tuesday the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, a critical step in establishing a nationwide data-sharing network.
The long-awaited interoperability framework (PDF), called TEFCA, was mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act back in 2016 and was designed to improve data sharing between health information networks.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health, within HHS, released the first draft of the TEFCA back in January 2018. The framework provides the policies, procedures and technical standards necessary to exchange patient records and health information between providers, state and regional health information exchanges and federal agencies."
What types of mental health apps actually work? A sweeping new analysis finds the data is sparse: “The meta-review, published on Tuesday in PLOS Digital Health, examined 14 meta-analyses that focused specifically on randomized control trials for mental health interventions, including treatments for depression, anxiety, and smoking cessation. In total, the review included 145 trials that enrolled nearly 50,000 patients. The review found universal shortcomings in study design, leading the researchers to write that they ‘failed to find convincing evidence in support of any mobile phone-based intervention on any outcome.’”
Microsoft, Cleveland Clinic and Providence join coalition to innovate AI in healthcare: “The Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Coalition (AI3C) unites nine other big names alongside Microsoft: the Brookings Institution, Cleveland Clinic, Duke Health, Intermountain Healthcare, Novant Health, Plug and Play, Providence, the University of California, San Diego and the University of Virginia.
Senior executives from each organization on the AI3C board will help co-create new AI tools and follow AI use in the industry, aiming to address the business and socioeconomic barriers that block widespread adoption of the technologies.”
About health technology
Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2022: Annual ECRI report. Top 4:
1. Cybersecurity Attacks Can Disrupt Healthcare Delivery, Impacting Patient Safety
2.Supply Chain Shortfalls Pose Risks to Patient Care
3.Damaged Infusion Pumps Can Cause Medication Errors
4.Inadequate Emergency Stockpiles Could Disrupt Patient Care during a Public Health Emergency
Comment: The list changes every year. Notice 2. and 4. are particularly Covid-related problems.
FDA Reclassifies Apple’s ECG App into Lower-Risk Class II, Special Controls: “Apple’s electrocardiograph (ECG) software for over-the-counter use, available as an app, has received a risk downgrade from the FDA to class II (special controls) as opposed to the highest-risk class III category.”