About healthcare professionals
Where Is the ID in COVID-19?: “Among the 785 counties with the highest quartile of COVID-19 disease burden… 521 (66.4%) have no ID [Infectious Disease] physician coverage.” This finding highlights shortages must not only be measured in sheer numbers but in geographic distribution, especially in areas of need.
About the public’s health
For your amusement:
Isaac Newton proposed curing plague with toad vomit, unseen papers show: The headline speaks for itself but the story is interesting.
HHS updates COVID-19 lab test data reporting requirements: 6 details:”HHS updated its guidance on the data that should be reported by laboratories as part of the COVID-19 test results…’The requirement to include demographic data like race, ethnicity, age, and sex will enable us to ensure that all groups have equitable access to testing, and allow us to accurately determine the burden of infection on vulnerable groups,’ said ADM Brett P. Giroir, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health..’” The requirements start August 1.
Singapore plans wearable virus-tracing device for all: “Singapore plans to give a wearable device that will identify people who had interacted with carriers of coronavirus to each of its 5.7 million residents, in what could become one of the most comprehensive contact-tracing efforts globally.
Testing of the small devices, which can be worn on the end of a lanyard or carried in a handbag, follows limited take-up of an earlier smartphone-based system and has further fuelled privacy concerns about contact tracing technology.”
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Publicly Shares Antibody Test Performance Data From Kits as Part of Validation Study: The FDA updated its approved test list. The list started last month; now two have been voluntarily removed.
Is Cardiovascular Disease Slowing Improvements in Life Expectancy?: From the King’s Fund and the OECD:
“Improvements in life expectancy at birth observed before the COVID-19 epidemic had slowed considerably in most OECD countries in recent years. Longevity gains fell on average 25%, when comparing the period between 2012 and 2017 to a decade earlier. One reason behind this is that cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality improvements are now substantially lower than what they used to be in some countries. CVD is a major killer in OECD societies, causing many preventable deaths and large social inequalities…
Several reasons underpin this trend. For a start, the prevalence of underlying lifestyle risk factors that cause CVD is rising. Rising trends in obesity and diabetes are estimated to offset the mortality reductions attributed to favourable changes in smoking. OECD estimates that overweight-related diseases will reduce life expectancy by nearly three years by 2050, without further policy action. Furthermore, newly emerging risk factors are contributing to higher CVD mortality, like drug overdose and air pollution. Severe influenza outbreaks in some recent winters, as in 2014-15, could also have impacted on CVD mortality, as influenza and pneumonia can trigger cardiovascular events like heart attacks, and in turn, individuals with CVD may be more susceptible to dying from influenza or pneumonia.”
About health insurers
Anthem offering $2.5B in financial assistance to members, providers impacted by COVID-19: “Anthem will make premium credits of between 10% and 15% available to select individual market plans and fully insured commercial plans. Members enrolled in standalone and group dental plans will receive a 50% credit, Anthem announced Thursday.
The credits will be provided in July, Anthem said.”
UnitedHealth invests $100M in building affordable housing: “UnitedHealth Group is investing $100 million in building affordable housing units that will also include on-site health services.
The funding will build 1,000 homes for families and seniors in partnership with Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future and the National Affordable Housing Trust. The initial batch of units will include 100 apartments in Washington, D.C., 40 apartments in Wharton, Texas, and 30 apartments in Choctaw, Oklahoma.
UnitedHealth will also put $1 million toward on-site health and wellness services and tracking how access is impacting residents’ health.”
About pharma
Mylan and Lupin Receive European Clearance for Etanercept Biosimilar: “The approval was based on a biosimilarity assessment that demonstrated bioequivalence to Enbrel. In addition, a phase 3 trial in patients with moderate-to-severe active rheumatoid arthritis confirmed equivalence of Nepexto to Enbrel for safety, efficacy and immunogenicity.” A continued trend toward biosimilars will bring costs down.