Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Biden's 'Paxlovid Rebound,' Questions Over Length Of Treatment
Some experts have called for studies into extending Paxlovid treatments to be prioritized, as early research has suggested that Paxlovid rebound could occur due to insufficient exposure to the drug. Researchers from the聽University of California, San Diego School of Medicine聽said聽last month that the drug may not be reaching enough infected cells in the allotted time. (Choi, 8/4)
July marked the first month that more than 1 million courses of Pfizer's COVID antiviral Paxlovid were prescribed, according to Biden administration figures provided to Axios. (Gonzalez, 8/4)
In other news about covid 鈥
Three quarters of a group of nonhospitalized men and women newly diagnosed as having COVID-19 continued to have positive rapid antigen test (RAT) results鈥攁nd over one-third still had viable virus on culture鈥6 聽days later, according to a study led by Brigham and Women's researchers. (8/4)
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation鈥檚 top infectious disease expert, is urging people to stay up to date on their vaccines against COVID-19 as colder months approach. 鈥淭here are enough people who don鈥檛 fall into (high-risk) categories that if they don鈥檛 get vaccinated if they don鈥檛 get boosted, they鈥檙e going to get into trouble,鈥 Fauci told KNX鈥檚 鈥淚n Depth鈥 show this week. (Vaziri, 8/4)
The Transportation Department is proposing that airlines issue vouchers with no expiration date to passengers who catch the coronavirus or other communicable diseases and decide to cancel their travel plans, part of expansion of financial protections spurred by complaints from the pandemic鈥檚 early days. (Duncan, 8/3)
KHN: Cognitive Rehab May Help Older Adults Clear Covid-Related Brain Fog
Eight months after falling ill with covid-19, the 73-year-old woman couldn鈥檛 remember what her husband had told her a few hours before. She would forget to remove laundry from the dryer at the end of the cycle. She would turn on the tap at a sink and walk away. Before covid, the woman had been doing bookkeeping for a local business. Now, she couldn鈥檛 add single-digit numbers in her head. (Graham, 8/5)