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There’s good news and bad news on covid-19 this week. And the Biden administration has actually brokered an offer with rival manufacturer Merck to produce even more doses of the J&J vaccine, which can be transported and administered more easily than the covid vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
But at the very same time, the covid-19 caseload is starting to rise again, and public health specialists stress that increase might be accelerated by the spread of more transmissible infection variations that might not be covered by the available vaccines. Nevertheless, Republican governors in numerous states, including Texas, are rolling back some public health precautions, consisting of mask mandates, over the objections of federal health authorities.
Today’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.
Amongst the takeaways from today’s podcast:
- The Food and Drug Administration’s permission last week of a covid vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson could be a game changer for public health outreach efforts in some areas. In addition to being much easier to keep and transport, the J&J vaccine needs only one shot, instead of the 2 doses required by the two older varieties.
- Some customers have been put off by the effectiveness numbers for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because they are not as high as the ones made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. those numbers might be tricking The J&J variation was checked later on, when more covid variations were being transferred, which might have impacted the efficacy in the trials. Still, the J&J shot prevented 100%of hospitalizations and deaths, which are the major markers scientists are trying to find.
- President Joe Biden guaranteed this week that by the end of May there would suffice vaccine for every adult in the United States. However he didn’t say each of those grownups would be immunized. Public health officials will still likely be handling some hesitancy in certain groups of people already. A significant publicity campaign about the advantages of getting vaccinated is prepared by the government once supply suffices.
- Federal efforts versus the coronavirus could be hampered by decisions in some states to begin reopening without keeping safety procedures such as mandatory masking and limitations on indoor capacities. One way to encourage states to keep such public health preventative measures in location might be to economically reward those that meet the suggestions from federal health authorities.
- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Biden’s candidate to be the secretary of Health and Human Solutions, got a tied, party-line vote in the Financing Committee this week. That does not necessarily mean he won’t get some Republican assistance when the nomination goes to the Senate floor for confirmation.
- The Senate is poised to try to press out the president’s covid relief strategy with an arduous procedure that would allow passage with just 51 votes. Already Democrats have been required to give up provisions that would raise the minimum wage and have downsized the stimulus checks to higher-income employees. Up until now, no Democrats have deserted the bill, but it is still a work in progress.
- As the covid pandemic took hold in the nation, one issue that has actually gotten short shrift is mental health. There was a 20%increase in overdose deaths in 2020 and lots of health professionals are worried that kids have actually suffered mental health consequences from being home so long. The concern is likely to generate brand-new concerns and methods as the immediate threat from covid reduces.
Also today, Rovner interviews KHN’s Jordan Rau, who wrote the current KHN-NPR “ Costs of the Month” feature– about a global university student whose mental health crisis was not assisted by an unforeseen hospital bill. If you have an outrageous medical costs you want to share with us, you can do that here
Plus, for additional credit, the panelists advise their preferred health policy stories of the week they think you ought to check out too:
Julie Rovner: Reveal/KHN’s “ Into the COVID ICU,” by Jenny Gold
Joanne Kenen: Politico’s “ A Complicating Factor in Combating Covid Hot Spots: Heat,” by Victoria Colliver and Nolan D. McCaskill
Mary Ellen McIntire: Stat’s “ The Trump Administration Quietly Invested Billions in Medical Facility Funds on Operation Lightning Speed,” by Rachel Cohrs
Sarah Karlin-Smith: The Atlantic’s “ 5 Pandemic Errors We Keep Duplicating,” by Zeynep Tufekci
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