For the first time, we’ll take a peek at Ryan Gosling’s role as Ken in the new Barbie movie coming out next year.
In today’s healthcare, parents of children under the age of five are one step closer to the vaccine (may be available next week). And Anthony Fauci has a COVID.
Welcome to overnight health care, We are following up on the latest developments in policies and news that affect your health. The Hill is Peter Sullivan, Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Does anyone forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.
FDA Advisor Supports COVIDvax for Children Under 5
The long-awaited COVID-19 shots for the youngest children are one step closer to availability after authorities recommend granting emergency permits for vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna on Wednesday’s Food and Drug Administration advisory board. increase.
- The authorities’ vaccine adviser recommended that the shot should be unanimously approved on Wednesday.
- The Moderna vaccine is for children 6 months to 5 years old, and the Pfizer vaccine is for children 6 months to 4 years old.
next: The FDA must follow the recommendations.
So The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Board will meet this weekend to publish its own recommendations. Children may be vaccinated next week if the panel votes in favor and the CDC director approves.
Main differences: The vaccine is mostly compatible with adults, but the pediatric version is very different. The shots haven’t been tested on each other either, so there’s no way to tell the parents which is better.
Moderna’s double-dose mRNA vaccine is intended to be given at 4-week intervals and is one-fourth the intensity of adult doses. Pfizer’s vaccine is given three times and spreads far away.
- The FDA has previously stated that vaccines are safe and effective, but neither has been very effective in preventing symptomatic infections, primarily against Omicron variants.
- Moderna found that the vaccine was 51% effective in preventing symptomatic infections in children aged 6 months to 2 years and 37% in children aged 2 to 5 years. Pfizer was only about 28% effective.
Please check this out for details.
Fauci is COVID-19 positive
Anthony Fauci, the government’s premier infectious disease expert, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, but is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the National Institutes of Health said.
“He has been fully vaccinated and has been boosted twice,” the agency said. “He is currently experiencing mild symptoms. Dr. Fauci is isolated from his home and continues to work. He has not been in close contact with President Biden and other government officials lately.”
Fauci has been the face of the government’s response to COVID-19 for over two years and has previously avoided a positive virus test.
- Although the White House admits he was able to do so, Biden is one of the few high-ranking government officials to avoid getting it so far.
- Health and Welfare Secretary Xavier Becerra has shown a second positive response in less than a month this week.
Older but newer tools: Fauci, 81, is much less worried about today’s cases than in the early days of the pandemic before vaccines and booster shots were available, but the risks remain.
Pfizer’s treatment, called Paxlovid, also reduces the risk for high-risk people who test positive.
Fauci’s positive cases show how the infection has spread, and many have been positive at least once.
Please check this out for details.
Most Older Americans See Health Care As A Financial Burden
At least two-thirds of older Americans consider health care costs to be a financial burden, according to a new West Health-Gallup survey released Wednesday.
- According to a survey, about 24% of Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 (also known as “baby boomers”) say that medical costs are a major financial burden, while 48% are costly. It states that it is a small burden.
- Impact on the future: About 10,000 boomers a day exceed the age threshold. By 2030, all baby boomers (about 77 million) will be at least 65 years old, according to the US Census Bureau.
At the same time, medical expenses are expected to increase. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, out-of-pocket costs for older Americans in 2019 averaged $ 6,883, an increase of 41% from 2009.
Most older Americans are eligible for Medicare, but Medicare does not cover all costs of dentistry, vision, hearing services, etc., so it pays an average of $ 1,000 or more over the average population. Increasing demand due to the increase in the elderly is also pushing up costs.
Please check this out for details.
The association states that the abortion ban is “human rights violations”
The country’s largest medical association has declared that it will take the necessary legal steps to protect patients and doctors who seek and manage assisted reproductive technology services, such as abortion and contraception.
The American Medical Association (AMA) announced on Tuesday that it will implement a new policy to extend the legal protection of patients and physicians against government control and punishment systems that criminalize reproductive health services.
We are directly targeting several states that have strict abortion bans, such as Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Mississippi. Many do not include the exception of rape or incest and allow abortion providers to be sued or prosecuted.
The AMA described the government’s invasion of health care and obstruction of access to assisted reproductive technology services as a “human rights violation.”
Please check this out for details.
Why are US COVID-19 cases peaking out?
Coronavirus cases in the United States reach a plateau of about 100,000 new cases per day, with little indication of whether they will increase or decrease in the coming weeks and months of the summer.
- The current wave of incidents began in April with the spread of the BA.2 “stealth” variant. Cases began hovering at the 100,000 mark per day in mid-May.
- Previous waves in the United States usually declined within a few days of peaking, but the current plateau now lasts for more than a month.
Possible views on what’s coming: Over the past few weeks, cases have wavy slightly up and down. Public health experts say this trend may indicate what we can expect in the future.
“I think there are ups and downs, but I don’t think it’s going to be that dramatic,” said Eric Toner, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Health and Security Center at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The whole world: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 cases and deaths are on the decline worldwide.
“The global decline in reported COVID-19 cases and deaths continues. Both reported cases and deaths have fallen by more than 90% from their peak earlier this year. This is very significant. This is a welcome trend, “WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyes said Wednesday.
Please check this out for details.
What we are reading
- Many Blue Cross Blue Shield projects do not pay taxes — instead swim with refunds (statistics)
- Supreme Court supports hospitals for Medicare reimbursement (Bloomberg)
- When Covid came to Provincetown (wired)
State by state
Editorial in the hill
That’s it for today. Thank you for reading. Check out Hill’s Healthcare page for the latest news and coverage. see you tomorrow.
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