Welcome to Wednesday’s Overnight Healthcare, We are following up on the latest developments in policies and news that affect your health. Subscribe here: thehill.com/newsletter-signup.
It was the last day Justin spent with us on Hill and the last day she co-authored this newsletter. I miss her! And I hope she gets well with new attempts.
In today’s news, the CDC may have fine-tuned its “advice” on masks to realize that some masks are better than others, but the director. Rochelle Warrensky
Rochelle Walensky Overnight Health Care — CDC Doesn’t Change Mask Recommendations On the Money — Inflation reaches Highest Levels in Decades Sanders Announces Bill to Send N95 Masks to All Americans by 50 Democrats He said the authorities’ overall guidance would not change.
The Hill is Peter Sullivan (psullivan@thehill.com), Nathaniel Weixel (nweixel@thehill.com) and Justine Coleman (jcoleman@thehill.com). Write us with tips and feedback and follow us on Twitter: @ PeterSullivan4, @ NateWeixel and @ JustineColeman8..
let’s start.
Walensky: Mask guidance does not change
Rochelle Warrensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has no plans to change mask guidance on Wednesday to advise Americans to wear high-quality masks amid the surge in Omicron. Stated.
At the White House briefing, the CDC director said her agency recommended that “masks are better than no masks” to combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. rice field.
Guidance does not advise Americans to wear certain types of masks, such as medical grade KN95 or N95, instead of cloth masks, but the CDC is to help Americans choose a face cover. He said he plans to update the website.
“We encourage all Americans to wear proper masks to protect themselves and prevent the spread of COVID 19,” she said. “And the recommendations do not change.”
Walensky acknowledges that the CDC website “needs to be updated now” to include information about “various levels of protection offered by different masks”, including improved filtration for KN95 and N95 masks. I did.
Increase availability? There may still be other efforts regarding masks.At the same briefing, White House Coronavirus Coordinator Jeff Seienz
Jeff ZientsOvernight Health Care — CDC Doesn’t Change Mask Recommendations US Orders 500,000 Courses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Antibody Cocktail Sanders, 50 Democrats Send N95 Masks to All Americans announcement The White House said it was “strongly considering options” to give all Americans access to high-quality masks.
Please check this out for details.
Dems pushes bill to send N95 to all Americans
Democrats in Congress are calling for more action on testing, and now more on masks.
Sen. Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersOvernight Health Care — CDC Doesn’t Change Mask Recommendations BriahnaJoy Gray: Voting Advocates are “Dissatisfied” with Biden The Memo: Biden’s Excessive Problems (I-Vt.) And more than 50 Democrats sent high-quality masks to all Americans on Wednesday in a move to force the public to wear better masks following the surge in Omicron. Introduced.
The law sends a package of three N95 masks to everyone in the country. This provides much better protection than the cloth masks worn by many.
Promote the manufacture and distribution of masks and use the United States Postal Service to properly distribute $ 5 billion, along with pick-up locations at schools, public transport, and other locations.
Some major health professionals are also urging the Biden administration to do more to make high-quality masks available to the public. Omicron variants are so contagious that the effectiveness of regular cloth masks is significantly reduced.
Please check this out for details.
Omicron infects “only about everyone”
White House Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciOvernight Health Care — CDC Doesn’t Change Mask Recommendations Note: Biden’s Excessive Issues The Hill 12:30 Report: 2021 Ends with 40 Years of High Inflation MORE On Tuesday, “almost everyone” said they would eventually be infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
“Omicron will eventually find almost everyone with its extraordinary and unprecedented transmission efficiency,” Forch told the Center for Strategic and International Studies in a “fireside chat.”
“People who have been vaccinated, vaccinated and boosted will be exposed. Some, and perhaps many, will be infected, with a few exceptions, hospitalization and death. It’s very likely that it will work pretty well in the sense that it doesn’t, “he added.
Fauci said in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs Janet Woodcock said, “It’s hard to handle what’s really happening right now. Most people get infected with COVID. Let’s follow a similar statement after saying “Let’s do it.”
Important note: At the White House briefing on Wednesday, Fauci added a big warning. Low. ”
Fauci’s allegations underscore a call from health authorities to urge unvaccinated people to be vaccinated by choice. It does not mean that it is fatalistic, it is realistic. People who have been vaccinated or have previously been infected with COVID-19 may be infected with Omicron, but hospitalization and death for unvaccinated people are significantly higher.
Please check this out for details.
Schools to take more tests in the midst of a surge
On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced plans to increase the number of COVID-19 tests available at schools by 10 million times each month, leaving schools physically open in a wave of new incidents caused by Omicron variants. Did.
The White House said the government will send 5 million free quick tests every month to schools from kindergarten to high school. Additional tests are designed to help schools implement test screening and “test-to-stay” programs. This includes using regular tests instead of quarantining students who come into contact with students who have been tested positive for the virus.
In addition, the White House has announced that governments will be able to use 5 million lab-based PCR tests each month for schools to perform tests in the classroom. The test is funded by the $ 1.9 trillion Coronavirus Relief Act.
Call to keep open: President Biden
Joe Biden Obama supports Biden’s promotion to change the filibuster house to vote on the integrated election bill on Thursday, Pelosi says overnight defense and national security — NATO, Russia The difference remains between Schools can and should remain physically open in the United States during the current wave of COVID-19, saying they have the resources needed to keep their students safe last week. I have categorically insisted.
“Today, the Biden Harris administration says I will keep all schools safe and open for full-time face-to-face learning by taking new actions to increase access to COVID-19 testing in schools. We are doubling our commitment, “the White House fact sheet announced. Wednesday’s new step.
Despite Biden’s promotion to keep schools open, some districts have temporarily transitioned to distance learning amid a surge in incidents.
Under pressure: The Biden administration has been pressured to do more to make the COVID-19 test more available after experiencing a test shortage and rising demand during the holiday season.
Please check this out for details.
Study: Omicron patients “significantly reduced risk”
A preprint study published on Tuesday estimated that patients infected with the Omicron variant had a “substantially lower risk” of more severe outcomes than Delta patients, with Omicron cases having less serious disease. Consistent with previous studies suggesting that it can cause.
In this study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, modeling was used to determine that the Omicron strain was about half as likely to send patients to a California hospital as the Delta type. Patients hospitalized with the Omicron strain were more likely to have shorter hospital stays than Delta patients.
The study included more than 52,000 Omicron patients and approximately 17,000 Deltas between November 30 and January 1, when both variants were endemic within the Kaiser Permanente Southern California healthcare system. The patient was involved.
What Valensky said: Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the results of this study are “consistent with those seen by Omicrons in other countries, including South Africa and the United Kingdom.”
Nevertheless, Warensky warned that the high contagiousness of Omicron caused an exponential increase in cases of COVID-19, putting pressure on hospitals regardless of their severity.
“The sudden surge in cases caused by Omicron has led to unprecedented daily numbers of cases, illness, absenteeism, and a burden on our healthcare system,” she continued.
Please check this out for details.
What we are reading
- The surge in COVID-19 incident updates the US debate over mask obligations (Associated Press).
- The number of COVID hospitalizations is as bad as it looks (Atlantic).
- Omicron creates a “crisis, deficit situation” in healthcare (NBC News).
- On the cruise, a quarantine vessel is used to quarantine the coronavirus-positive crew (Washington post).
State by state
- Ohio prioritizes COVID inspection supplies for schools and universities as demand remains high (Dayton Daily News).
- Front-line health care workers in Maine were more nervous than ever during the Omicron surge (Portland Press Herald).
- California tells COVID-positive health care workers to continue working as hospitals sway (Los Angeles Times).
- Alaska reports daily COVID records as Anchorage Hospital feels a pinch of Omicron (Alaska Public Media).
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 on thursday.
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