Raising the caution flags about COVID-19 treatments and vaccines
The FDA reversed course on expanded access to convalescent plasma and the White House overstated what the data shows; and, COVID-19 really may infect people more than once.
With the presidential campaign in full swing, the caution flags must fly high. My strong recommendation is to get your information from at least three different news outlets and never rely on a single story by itself. These are good rules in normal practice, but even more important now. Over the past several weeks, partisan blogs and other media have elevated misinformation — frequently taking snippets of truth and stretching them to fit a narrative. For example, there is plenty of evidence that the COVID-19 case and death counts are at best imprecise. However, the evidence is overwhelming that the actual deaths related to COVID-19 are higher than reported. You would not know this if you read publications that want you to think that COVID-19 is exaggerated or a “hoax.”
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Here are some of the important stories circulating today:
Apparently, COVID-19 can ring twice: A methodical study by Hong Kong University researchers documents that one person was infected with COVID-19 in March and then infected by a different strain of COVID-19 in August after returning from Spain in August.
Plenty of controversy and agitation over Sunday’s White House announcement of a “breakthrough” treatment for COVID-19. Unfortunately, convalescent plasma is important but not a breakthrough — not yet, at least. In addition to widespread misreporting of the actual FDA action on convalescent plasma, the decision actually muddies the waters for the kind of rigorous science needed in order to determine how best to use this treatment. For a discussion of how the facts about this have been twisted, read Gary Schwitzer’s informative blog post on HealthNewsReview.org.
Watch for this: If scientists can determine the parameters for effective use of convalescent plasma, there is reason to be optimistic that one or more biotechnology companies could develop new drugs based on that knowledge. Numerous companies are chasing this now.
Now that the president has used his power to push the FDA on convalescent plasma, get ready for more: The Financial Times reports that the White House may bypass normal regulatory steps in order to get a COVID-19 vaccine into use before the Nov. 3 presidential election. The newspaper says the administration is considering clearance of a vaccine being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca based on a study of 10,000 people, not the 30,000 subjects minimum that has been considered for COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
For a discussion on the media’s role in communicating about a COVID-19 vaccine, check out this article on the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism website (in which I am quoted, among others.)
The COVID-19 tracker at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that India tops the list of countries with the largest number of new cases, tallying 65,526 new cases and an accelerating rate. The USA is down to 42,763 new cases, representing a sustained downward trend since August 1. Brazil has started a decline, too, although more gradual. Here’s a chart from Our World in Data.
The CDC no longer says you must isolate for 14 days after returning from travel, but your state or local health department might.
Cover more than just your face? French authorities report that more than 100 people were infected with COVID-19 after staying at a nudist resort in southern France.
What are your thoughts or questions?