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☆ Cold, Cough Drugs in Short Supply in Some Areas as Families Fight Flu, RSV, Covid-19
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sharon Terlep | Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. households are stepping up spending on cough and cold medicines and children’s pain relievers amid a rise in reports of respiratory infections, leading to sporadic shortages of some drugs online and at stores. Flu infections and hospitalizations are surging across the country, federal data suggests, on top of an already busy season for other respiratory viruses including respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. These viruses are common in the fall and winter months, but the sharp, early increases have roiled families and put pressure on children’s hospitals.

☆ Cold, Cough Drugs in Short Supply in Some Areas as Families Fight Flu, RSV and Covid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sharon Terlep | Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Why You Might Be Having Trouble Buying Children’s Flu and Cold Medicine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sharon Terlep | Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ White House announces steps to counter winter wave of Covid infections
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — White House officials on Thursday announced steps to provide more Covid testing, vaccinations and supplies as case numbers tick up in another winter wave of coronavirus infections. The Biden administration says it will offer more free at-home Covid tests, boost efforts to vaccinate nursing home residents and prepare supplies that can be sent to states in need. Starting Thursday, the White House will make another round of free Covid tests available by allowing households to order up to four at-home tests from Covidtest.gov. The administration official said the White House expects infections to continue to rise as more people gather indoors for holiday celebrations in the coming weeks. The senior administration official said the administration has distributed 6 million courses of Paxlovid to local communities and indicated that it is confident there will be enough supply to meet demand.

☆ U.S. Offers Free At-Home Covid-19 Tests Again as Cases Rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Stephanie Armour | Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration will resume providing free Covid-19 tests to Americans, part of a wider effort to combat the virus during the holiday season as the number of reported cases and hospitalizations is on the rise. Senior administration officials said the plan includes offering governors help with mobile and pop-up vaccination sites and releasing a pandemic playbook for nursing homes.

☆ Philadelphia schools will require masks as U.S. COVID cases spike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Philadelphia is among state and local agencies around the United States rolling out mask mandates or recommendations this month to fight a new surge in virus cases, which is expected to grow as Americans travel and socialize around the winter holidays. Health experts say the U.S. healthcare system is under strain because of a "tridemic" caused by COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). There is debate over the mandates' efficacy, as months of stringent public health rules early in the pandemic exacerbated the public's COVID fatigue and stoked political controversy. California's public health department on Thursday told Reuters it was urging people to wear masks, but stopping short of requiring them. While the political will to impose mask mandates may have waned, covering one's face remains the best way to avoid getting sick - and infecting others.

☆ Less than 50% of nursing home residents have received omicron booster ahead of expected winter Covid wave
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, December 15, 2022. Less than 50% of nursing home residents, one of the country's most vulnerable populations to severe illness from Covid-19, have received an omicron booster ahead of an expected wave of infection this winter. The administration is working with nursing homes to make sure vaccines and treatments are available on site, Jha said. The federal government is also increasing the pool of staff that can administer vaccines at nursing homes. Covid deaths in nursing homes increased 25% from 256 during the week ending Nov. 20 to 321 for the week ending Dec. 11.

☆ Most nursing home residents haven't had omicron booster ahead of expected winter Covid wave
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

☆ White House warns of possible Covid-19 winter surge: ‘This is not one disease in isolation’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —For Americans across the country preparing to gather and socialize with family and friends during the end-of-year holiday season, the White House has a clear warning: Covid-19 is not over, and you had better protect yourself. “This is not one disease in isolation,” Jha said, referring to the ongoing wave of Covid-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza. “The stress on hospitals and stress on health care workers is because of all the respiratory pathogens. As a part of its new push, the administration is restarting the free at-home Covid-19 test program, permitting each American household to order up to four free tests this winter from COVIDTests.gov. But it’s not like Christmas Day is the last day people socialize over winter,” Jha said.

Covid-19 hospitalizations are declining again after a surge in December and January, followed by a smaller summer uptick. Track hospitalizations in states with this NBC News analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Covid hospitalizations data. This article will be updated daily.

☆ Morgan Stanley upgrades its 2023 growth outlook for China, expects stronger and earlier rebound
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Visual China Group | Getty ImagesMorgan Stanley raised its outlook for China's economy in 2023, predicting a rebound in activity will come earlier and be sharper than expected. China's government is also shifting to prioritizing economic growth, another pillar behind Morgan Stanley's revised forecast for the country's economic outlook. The onshore Chinese yuan stood at 6.9590 against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday morning – below the key 7.0 level against the greenback, which Morgan Stanley said makes it more attractive for exporters to buy more Chinese yuan with U.S. dollars. 'Number of risks'One of the risks that Morgan Stanley acknowledged is a potential withdrawal of policy support. Another area of uncertainty for Morgan Stanley's growth outlook is geopolitics.

☆ DeSantis' latest anti-COVID-19 vaccine push puts him on a collision course with Trump over the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ron DeSantis intensified his attacks on the COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, in a move that positions the Republican governor to contrast his pandemic record with that of former President Donald Trump. It's not clear whether Trump will lean into his success on the COVID-19 vaccine through his Operation Warp Speed program. Then-President Donald Trump with then-Florida governor candidate Ron DeSantis at a July 2018 “Make America Great Again” rally in Tampa, Florida. For instance, the FDA and CDC have cleared the bivalent booster for those as young as 6 months of age depending on what COVID-19 vaccine a person has previously had. The committee will issue guidance about COVID vaccines and other healthcare matters.

With the busy holiday travel season approaching and a comparatively low percentage of adults vaccinated for the flu, that leaves millions at potential risk for severe complications. Bacterial pneumonia may develop when the flu virus spreads to the lower respiratory tract, leading to breathing difficulties that may require supplemental oxygen. "Unfortunately, we do sometimes see young healthy people presenting with really severe pneumonia as well," Grein said. A recent CDC survey found that only half of all pregnant women got their flu vaccines as recommended, leaving many at risk for severe disease from the flu. The current vaccine protects against four strains: two influenza A strains and two influenza B strains.

DeSantis has made Covid-19 vaccine skepticism his calling card ahead of a potential run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The announcements Tuesday came at a roundtable focused on vaccines that DeSantis led. The risk of heart inflammation is far greater from Covid-19 than from vaccination. DeSantis last year moved to block cruise lines departing from Florida from requiring their customers to be vaccinated, and to block municipalities from imposing vaccine mandates. In June, DeSantis touted Florida’s status as the only state not to preorder vaccines for children younger than 5.

Just because rural areas are less populated doesn’t mean it’s cheaper to provide health services there. She recommends that rural counties explore lower-cost, evidence-based options like distributing naloxone, funding syringe service programs, or connecting people to housing or employment. “We couldn’t function if we didn’t partner for lots of different services.”In Colorado, pooling funds is built into the state’s model for managing opioid settlement money. “Nobody has paid any attention to our rural areas and this problem for years,” Laske said. They cross-referenced the results with a list of allowable uses for the $9 million in settlement funds they’ll receive over 18 years to create a priority grid.

☆ Dr. Fauci denounces 'lowlife' trolls for harassing his wife and daughters and says disagreeing with Trump 'triggered a lot of hostility'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Anthony Fauci has denounced the "lowlife" trolls that harass his wife and children, in a BBC interview. Speaking on the Americast podcast about the abuse he faces, Fauci said his wife and children were harassed after people found where they lived and their phone numbers. He told Americast that disagreeing with Trump's stance on COVID-19 "generated an extraordinary amount of hostility" from "far-right" activists. "I would not under any circumstances adopt the Swedish model because if you look at the deaths and hospitalizations in Sweden compared to other Scandinavian countries, it's much, much worse," Fauci told Americast. Fauci, 81, is set to step down as the White House's chief medical advisor at the end of Biden's first time.

☆ Flu surged in the United States after Thanksgiving, data shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Flu surged in the United States after Thanksgiving, bringing the most severe week yet in a season that hit the county extra early. The latest update captures data through December 3 and is the first full week of data post-Thanksgiving. Nearly 26,000 people were admitted to the hospital for flu last week, filling about 6,000 more beds than the week before. Data from Walgreens that tracks prescriptions for Tamiflu and other flu treatments suggests that flu hotspots spread from El Paso to southwest Virginia. But now, only about 6% of beds are in use for Covid-19 patients, according to the HHS data.

☆ Covid and flu hospitalizations increase as holidays approach, while RSV retreats in some states
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Covid and flu hospitalizations are increasing, while respiratory syncytial virus appears to be retreating in some states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. As millions of people prepare to travel and gather for the holidays, public health officials are concerned that the worst is still ahead. Hospitals this winter are facing the simultaneous threat of Covid, flu and RSV for the first time. Circulation of flu and RSV was very low during the pandemic due to widespread masking and social distancing implemented in response to Covid. Public health officials have said many people are probably more vulnerable to flu and RSV this year because they weren't infected the past two years, which means their immunity is lower.

☆ Here's what health insurance providers are doing to lower the cost of prescription drugs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Unitedhealthcare | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Americans pay up to three times more for prescription drugs than people in other countries. In the US, people pay up to three times more for prescription drugs than people in other countries, and one in four Americans who take prescription drugs have trouble affording their medications. Because of the high cost of the drug, many diabetes patients cannot afford to pay for the treatment they need. Fast Facts: In the US, people pay 3X more for prescription drugs than people in other countries. The company is eliminating out-of-pocket costs for insulin and four other commonly used prescription drugs: epinephrine, glucagon, naloxone, and albuterol.

☆ Fact Check-A video of news headlines over time is not proof COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective or a ‘scam’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Users on social media are sharing a video of news headlines and portions of articles on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness over time without context to question whether the vaccines ever worked. Initial clinical trials for Pfizer’s vaccine showed 95% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 (here) while Moderna trials showed 94% efficacy (here). CONTEXT COUNTSEarly in the viral video, headlines touting 100% efficacy refer to small trials or specific outcomes. He added that these results are not indicative of vaccine effectiveness for all groups of people, which can vary. A video of news headlines is not proof the vaccines are ineffective or a scam.

☆ Home delivery of medications can help improve access, especially when time is tight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

As the supply of Paxlovid has grown, efforts have been made to improve timely, equitable access to the treatment. Transportation is one significant barrier to health care access for many people, experts say, but creating equitable outcomes will involve a much more comprehensive approach. The initiative is meant to increase access to Covid-19 treatment, particularly for those in socially vulnerable or medically underserved communities. “It’s a combination of things that prevent access to care,” said Werner, whose research has focused on health equity. And those may be the ones that I think would be ripe for this kind of home-based delivery system,” Werner said.

☆ The flu can be a big deal for children. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The culprit behind her illness: influenza A, the most common strain of the influenza virus currently circulating across the country. “Young children are at higher risk of hospitalization and serious complications of flu,” she added. “I don’t wish this on anyone.”The best way to protect your familyMost children with influenza will recover well at home, Lockwood explains. “Getting a flu shot is the single best way to prevent the flu,” Stockwell said. Children 6 months through 8 years who are receiving the flu vaccine for the first time should receive two doses one month apart.

☆ Face masks come back to forefront amid triple threat of Covid-19, flu, RSV
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Local officials mulling over masksThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers specific guidance on when masking is recommended based on its Covid-19 community levels. The agency says that people may choose to wear masks at any time but that a “high-quality mask or respirator” is recommended for everyone when a county has a “high” Covid-19 community level. As of Thursday, about 5.66% of US counties have high community levels, including some places in Arizona, Wyoming, Oregon and the Dakotas. Even without a mandate, she emphasized community efforts like wearing masks inside when possible and getting Covid-19 vaccines or boosters. “We do know that 5% of the population is living in places with a high Covid-19 community level.

☆ FDA authorizes Covid omicron vaccines for children as young as 6 months old
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Shannon StapletonThe Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized updated Covid shots that target the omicron variant for children as young as 6 months old. The eligibility rules vary depending on whether children received Moderna's or Pfizer's original vaccines as their primary series. The new shots target the omicron BA.5 subvariant and the original Covid strain. U.S. health officials expect the new shots to provide superior protection compared to the original vaccines, which only target the original Covid strain. The FDA authorized the shots based on adult immune response data for similar vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna that target the original omicron BA.1 variant.

☆ Children as young as 6 months can now receive an updated Covid-19 vaccine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jamie Gumbrecht | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Children as young as 6 months are now eligible to receive an updated Covid-19 vaccine. The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized updated Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech for use in children from ages 6 months through 5 years. Not all young children are eligible to receive an updated vaccine:Children age 6 months through age 5 who received the original, two-dose Moderna vaccine are eligible to receive a single booster of the updated bivalent Moderna vaccine two months after completing the primary vaccine series. Children age 6 months through 4 years who haven’t started their three-dose primary series of the Pfizer vaccine or received the third dose will receive the updated Pfizer vaccine as the third dose of the primary series. The data to support giving an updated bivalent booster dose for these children are expected in January.

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