From the Omicron front, the Washington Post reports that breakthrough Omicron cases are becoming the new normal in the U.S.
Long-anticipated holiday plans fell apart as people — young and old, vaccinated and unvaccinated — tested positive right and left. Those with negative tests worried it was only a matter of time.
They are likely right, according to Robert Frenck, professor of pediatrics and director of the Vaccine Research Center at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. “You know what? You’re probably going to get covid,” he said, but if you have been vaccinated you are unlikely to become seriously ill.
Oddly, in the FEHBlog’s view, the article does not mention the additional natural immunity gained from a mild case of Omicron.
STAT News raises three “big” questions about the Biden administration’s Covid response in 2022 —
1. Will the government broaden its focus beyond vaccines? STAT News explains that
Even before there were Covid-19 vaccines, there were commonsense tools used to prevent the disease from spreading: Wearing masks, and avoiding indoor gatherings with large numbers of other people.
But two years into the pandemic, the U.S. is still laser-focused on vaccines, and has largely ignored other factors. In particular, federal regulators haven’t done much to incentivize Americans to wear higher-quality face coverings, or to maintain better filtration and cleaner air in indoor spaces.
On the bright side, the FDA approved two new rapid over the counter COVID tests today on an emergency use basis. The more the merrier.
2. Will people who feel sick have better options for tests and treatments? STAT News explains rapid COVID tests are short in supply and pricey and the Biden Administration’s government solutions won’t be implemented for weeks. Similarly we have two exciting COVID pills which won’t be widely available for months.
3. Forget a third vaccine dose — will Americans need a fourth, too? To the FEHBlog that seems like a foregone conclusion.
From our other epidemic front, MedPage Today reports that
The volume of opioids dispensed from retail pharmacies fell by about 21% from 2008-2009 to 2017-2018, but cuts were not uniform, national prescription records showed.
Changes in opioid prescribing varied substantially by county, patient, and prescriber, reported Bradley Stein, MD, PhD, of the RAND Corporation in Pittsburgh, and co-authors in Annals of Internal Medicine. * * *
Per-capita morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) fell by 22.6% in metropolitan counties and by 34.6% in counties with the highest rates of fatal opioid overdoses, the researchers found. In multiple counties, opioid prescribing increased over time. Some states had counties with both increases and substantial decreases, and these counties often were next to each other.
People 18 to 25 years old experienced the sharpest decrease in prescription opioids (66.6%) per capita, followed by those 26 to 35 (57%). Patients 56 to 65 had essentially no change (0.1% decline), while those 66 and older had a 12% drop.
People covered by commercial insurance had a 41.5% decline per capita. Those with Medicaid had a 27.7% reduction, and those with Medicare had a 17.5% drop.
MMEs plummeted by 70.5% among emergency physicians, even though these doctors are likely to prescribe opioids predominantly to people with acute pain, the researchers noted. The top two opioid prescribers, primary care physicians and pain specialists, also saw reductions in MMEs of 40% and 15.4%, respectively. MMEs fell by 49.3% among surgeons and by 59.5% among oncologists.
From the COVID vaccine mandate front, the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals which is hearing a challenge to a nationwide stay of the government contractor mandate (Case No. 21-14269), decided yesterday not to hear the case before the entire court rather than a three judge panel and today to decline the government’s request to accelerate the briefing and argument calendar. Consequently the stay will remain in effect at least through January 2022.
From the Federal Register front, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized its rescission of the Trump Administration’s most favored nation drug pricing rule. Smart move.