About the public’s health
Reopened Schools Find Health Risks in Water After Covid-19 Lockdowns: “A number of schools found the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease in their water, and experts say more should expect to see it.”
Pfizer, Moderna's coronavirus shot rollouts could freeze up, experts say, citing cold-storage needs:”A pair of frontrunner mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer could run into supply logistics issues over the ultra-cold storage needs for both shots, SVB Leerink analysts said in a pair of client notes Thursday.
Citing discussion at a CDC advisory committee meeting Wednesday, analysts pointed out that experts expressed concern that the temperatures required to store mRNA vaccines were ‘severely limiting’ to distributors' ability to ship the shots and to clinics' ability to administer them to a wide swath of patients.”
CDC director walks back testing guidance, but does not alter recommendations on website:”Disputed recommendations posted to the CDC website on Monday suggested people exposed to the coronavirus ‘do not necessarily need a test’ unless they're having symptoms, are older or are otherwise medically vulnerable.
In the new statement, the CDC's director, Dr. Robert Redfield, now says that ‘all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients’ may consider testing.”
US and UK are bottom of the pile in rankings of governments' handling of coronavirus pandemic:”A clear majority of people across the 14 countries said their own nation had handled Covid-19 well: 73% agreed, while 27% disagreed.
But in the United Kingdom and the United States, the figures were much lower: 46% and 47% respectively. They're the only two countries where a minority of people said the government had done well. In every other country polled, most people said their government had done well, from Japan with 55% up to Denmark with 95%.” Opinions did differ substantially along political lines in several countries, including the US.
Chemical experts question EPA’s approval of coronavirus disinfectant: “With great fanfare, the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday gave emergency approval to a disinfectant it said would kill the coronavirus on surfaces for up to a week. Calling it ‘a major game-changing announcement,’ EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the first to use the solution would be American Airlines and two sports clinics in Texas.
But health and chemical experts say the cleanser might actually harm passengers and flight attendants and do little to protect against the virus, which is mainly transmitted through the air in closed spaces…
The disinfectant is SurfaceWise2, made by Dallas-based Allied BioScience, whose main business is an earlier version of the cleanser.”
Asymptomatic Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on Evacuation Flight: “Our research provides evidence of asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 on an airplane. Further attention is warranted to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 on aircraft. Our results suggest that stringent global regulations for the prevention of COVID-19 transmission on aircraft can prevent public health emergencies.”
White House announces deal to provide 150 million rapid coronavirus tests: “The White House announced a deal Thursday with Abbott Laboratories to produce 150 million rapid coronavirus tests that will allow users to obtain results in 15 minutes from a small card.
The announcement of the $760 million agreement came just hours before President Trump was scheduled to deliver his nomination acceptance speech at the close of the Republican National Convention.”
Politics undermines COVID-19 vaccine confidence: “Health experts told National Journal they are concerned political pressure could influence the agency’s process to approve a COVID-19 vaccine. Trump has said he wants a vaccine by the end of this year…
More than 400 health experts, including many in public health and infectious disease, wrote to the FDA in early August urging the agency to wait until after Phase III trials to make vaccines widely available. The third phase of the trial provides most of the safety data while researchers also measure efficacy, according to the agency.”
Large U.S. covid-19 vaccine trials are halfway enrolled, but lag on participant diversity: “Moderna and Pfizer, the companies leading the U.S. race for a coronavirus vaccine, disclosed this week they have enrolled more than half the people needed for the 30,000-person trials that represent the final phase of testing. But only about a fifth of participants are from Black and Hispanic communities, which have been hit hardest by the virus — lagging what several experts said should be the bare minimum of diversity.”
About healthcare IT
9 health system malware, ransomware and phishing incidents this month:Read the summary for the types and scope of attacks.
About diagnostics
FDA Approves Foundation Medicine's FoundationOne®Liquid CDx, a Comprehensive Pan-Tumor Liquid Biopsy Test with Multiple Companion Diagnostic Indications for Patients with Advanced Cancer: This information is from the company but it provides the best description of the test’s capabilities. “Liquid biopsies” are a significant breakthrough in screening.
About health insurance
12 million people have likely lost employer-sponsored health insurance since February: “For each person who is covered under their own employer’s plan, roughly two people on average are covered through employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) once spouses and dependents are included. This means that closer to 12 million people have been cut off from ESI coverage due to job losses in recent months.”