Because there is no CDC interpretative summary of Covid stats on a holiday weekend, here is a link to the CDC’s Covid data tracker, which updates on Thursday. The FEHBlog sees more of the same which would be expected when a disease reaches the endemic phase.

In other Omicron news

• MedPage Today reports, “An early signal of stroke risk was detected in older adults who received Pfizer-BioNTech’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA and CDC announced in a joint statement late on Friday, yet the agencies found no link in further analyses and are not recommending a change in COVID-19 vaccination practice.” Agency experts will discuss this data “an already-scheduled January 26 meeting of FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.”

• Because the FEHBlog is in that Pfizer cohort, he will keep an eye on this meeting. Attending the meeting is Dr. Paul Offit who explains in Medscape his expert opinion that the bivalent booster’s administration should be limited to older and immunocompromised people. It’s an interesting read for a concerned layperson.

• WebMD tells us, “The evidence is piling up that physical activity can lower the risk of getting very sick from COVID. The CDC, based on a systematic review of the evidence, has reported that “physical activity is associated with a decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, while inactivity increases that risk.” Other research has linked regular physical activity with a lower risk of infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID. The latest such study from Kaiser Permanente suggests that exercise in almost any amount [e.g., a 10-minute weekly walk] can cut the risk of severe or fatal COVID even among high-risk patients like those with hypertension or cardiovascular disease.

• Not surprisingly, the Wall Street Journal reports that “Johnson & Johnson has vastly scaled back its efforts in producing the shots as it faces slumping demand.”

Here’s the CDC’s Fluview ,which is updated for today. “Seasonal influenza activity continues but is declining in most areas.” Good news.

In OPM News

• The Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee that oversees OPM who requested this week’s report GAO report on family member eligibility are not happy with its conclusions.

• Federal News Network reports on OPM’s long-term efforts to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility for the federal workforce.

In other agency news

• Politico discusses efforts to help the CDC reform itself.

• STAT News reports, “The Democrats leading the Federal Trade Commission are hoping to expand the agency’s authority to crack down on unfair business practices — and the shift could have major implications for its ongoing scrutiny of pharmacy benefit managers.”

• HR Dive notes that the EEOC’s “draft Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) for 2023-2027 appeared in the Federal Register and stakeholders may comment through Feb. 9.”

• Govexec reports, “The federal government is expecting to run up against its borrowing limit as soon as June, Treasury Department Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress on Friday, kicking off a legislative fight that could result in significant disruptions to government operations and the U.S. economy.”

In U.S. healthcare business news, Healthcare Dive informs us

Healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group beat analyst expectations for the fourth quarter of 2022 with revenue of $82.8 billion, up more than 12% year over year, according to results released premarket Friday.

Industry experts have expressed concern about potential recessionary pressures and upset care utilization patterns headed into 2023. But UnitedHealth’s earnings, which are considered a bellwether for the health insurance sector’s performance, may prove to be a positive sign for payers.