About Covid-19
Update on Covid-19 statistics from the Washington Post: Great overview of trends. The good news:
In the past week in the U.S.:
New daily reported cases fell 20.7%
New daily reported deaths fell 5.8%
Covid-related hospitalizations fell 9.2%
CDC Limits Review of Vaccinated but Infected; Draws Concern: “Federal health officials this month decided to limit how they monitor vaccinated people who have been infected with Covid-19, drawing concern from some scientists who say that may mean missing needed data showing why and how it happens…
Rare breakthrough cases are expected since no vaccines are 100% effective. But tracking and sequencing the cases helps in figuring out who may be more at risk, whether new variants evade the vaccines and when protection from the shots begins to wane. At the same time, those infected -- some of whom are suffering widespread medical issues, even if they’re not hospitalized -- say they feel lost as a result of the lack of information.”
CDC: Covid is airborne farther than 6 feet — here’s what that means for returning to the office: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention latest updated guidance about how Covid spreads, emphasizes that the virus can be spread through the air via “very fine droplets and aerosolized particles” from an infected person who is more than 6 feet away…
The CDC says that there have been instances when people were infected with Covid despite maintaining physical distance from others. For example, if people spend a prolonged period of time (from 15 minutes to hours) in a space, the virus can linger in the air and infect someone else who walks through. Or in situations where people are shouting, singing or breathing heavily, that can increase the risk of transmission.”
Effect of Covid19 on asthma exacerbation: “For Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latinx individuals with moderately severe asthma, there was nearly a halving of asthma exacerbations [AEX] following the COVID19 pandemic, a decrease most significant for individuals working outside of the home and in those without type 2 inflammation suggesting environmental or common viral triggers for asthma exacerbations…Potential explanations for the observed decreases in AEX may include decreased exposure to environmental and occupational factors, reduced respiratory infections , and/or changes in stress.”
Novavax pushes back COVID-19 vaccine approval plans to third quarter: “Novavax disclosed Monday that it is now looking at a third-quarter filing for authorisation of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate NVX–CoV2373 in the UK, US and Europe, as it works to gather data required for submission…
The company also indicated during its quarterly earnings report on Monday that it does not expect to reach its production goal of 150 million doses per month until the fourth quarter of this year, later than its previous third-quarter target. Instead, it now anticipates producing 100 million doses per month by the end of the third quarter. Novavax shares slipped as much as 9% on the news…
[T]he company has struggled with accessing raw materials needed to make its vaccine, including bags, filters and cell culture media…”
HHS PLANS TO OPEN UP BILLIONS IN HOSPITAL COVID-19 GRANTS IN COMING WEEKS: “The Biden administration plans to open applications for billions of dollars in grants for hospitals and other health care providers before the end of May after months of delay…
Currently, providers have only been reimbursed for a portion of their losses through June 2020. The next tranche of grant money will deplete most of the remaining cash in the $178 billion fund to help providers with expenses and losses related to the pandemic.”
HHS officials tells Congress COVID-19 booster vaccine shot could be needed: “‘The increased age, waning antibodies over time and new variants increase the probability that booster doses may be needed,’ said David Kessler, M.D., chief science officer of COVID response for the Department of Health and Human Services, during a Senate hearing Tuesday.
Kessler added that the federal government is planning to have doses available for the American people if a booster shot is necessary.”
About the public’s health
Efficacy of dietary supplements containing isolated organic compounds for weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials: “While some dietary supplements containing isolated organic compounds warrant further investigation to determine efficacy and safety, there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend any of these dietary supplements for weight loss.”
Associations of six adiposity-related markers with incidence and mortality from 24 cancers—findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study: “All adiposity markers had similar associations with overall cancer incidence. BMI was associated with a higher incidence of 10 cancers (stomach cardia (hazard ratio per 1 SD increment 1.35, (95% CI 1.23; 1.47)), gallbladder (1.33 (1.12; 1.58)), liver (1.27 (1.19; 1.36)), kidney (1.26 (1.20; 1.33)), pancreas (1.12 (1.06; 1.19)), bladder (1.09 (1.04; 1.14)), colorectal (1.10 (1.06; 1.13)), endometrial (1.73 (1.65; 1.82)), uterine (1.68 (1.60; 1.75)), and breast cancer (1.08 (1.05; 1.11))) and overall cancer (1.03 (1.02; 1.04)).”
Annual Screening Mammography Associated With Lower Stage Breast Cancer Compared With Biennial Screening: This article continues the ongoing debate about proper screening protocols for breast cancer. This research did not address the burden of false positives.
About health insurance
Health insurer shares hit all-time highs: “Several commercial health insurers recorded all-time high share prices on May 10, according to historical share price data.
UnitedHealth Group's shares closed at $420.89 on May 10, a new all-time high for the health insurance and services company. Cigna and Anthem shares also closed at all-time highs on May 10, $266.91 and $401.90, respectively, and Humana's shares hit an all-time high of $469.97 the same day.”
Colorado House advances Democrat-backed insurance plan: “A Democrat-backed bill designed to curb health insurance costs for individuals and small businesses hit hard by the pandemic has advanced in the Colorado House.
Lawmakers worked from Thursday evening to early Friday debating the bill, which would require insurers to lower premiums for people and small businesses buying their own insurance by 18% by 2025 in any county where they now offer coverage. Democrats say the bill would make health care more affordable for 18,000 residents.
Health care providers, including hospitals, could be fined under the bill if they don’t reach those goals in part by offering a standardized plan to be developed by the commissioner of insurance.”
The bill was dramatically revised following fierce opposition from the health care industry. The original version called for a so-called ‘public option’ asking private insurance companies to reduce current premium rates for individual plans by 20% by 2024.”
IRS raises limit on health savings account contributions: “The IRS raised the annual limit people with high-deductible health plans can contribute to their health savings accounts.
For 2022, a single person with a high-deductible health plan can put $3,650 into their HSA, and an individual person with family coverage can put $7,300 into their HSA. Those limitations are up $50 and $100, respectively…”
U of Miami to pay $22M, allegedly converted physician offices to run up bills: “The University of Miami agreed to pay $22 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by ordering medically unnecessary laboratory tests and submitting false claims through its laboratory and off-campus hospital-based facilities.
According to prosecutors, University of Miami converted several physician offices to hospital-based facilities to seek reimbursement at higher rates. While Medicare allows providers to convert offices to hospital-based facilities, they need to meet certain requirements and provide proper notice to CMS. Prosecutors claim University of Miami knowingly didn't provide the required notice and as a result submitted false claims related to its hospital facilities. “
About pharma
States Probe Business Practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers [PBMs]: “Several states are investigating pharmacy benefit managers, with some saying they are focused on whether the companies fully disclosed details about their business and potentially received overpayments under state contracts, according to state officials and documents.
States including Ohio, Oklahoma, Georgia, New Mexico, Kansas, Arkansas and Mississippi, as well as the District of Columbia, are scrutinizing PBMs, according to the offices of state attorneys general and auditors, as well as public documents including state contracts and securities filings.
Details about the investigations’ focus are typically not public. Officials with some states said they were looking at companies in their Medicaid programs and state-employee plans. Among the companies under scrutiny are units of Centene Corp. , UnitedHealth Group Inc. and CVS Health Corp.”