Vaccine allocation plan changing
Older adults to get higher priority, although details remain to be worked out. New research adds to proof that masks and other public health measures save lives.
With only a week before the new administration takes over, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the Trump Administration is changing its guidance to states for vaccine distribution.
He said doses will be distributed to states based on their population of people over 65 and that shots for those people should be prioritized.
The change also directs states to use all available vaccine doses instead of holding back doses to give as the second shot that is needed 3-4 weeks after the initial injection.
Editorial comment: Changing the guidelines this way may be appropriate but implementing them will be challenging, since states have scrambled to comply with the initial distribution plan that they only fully learned of last month.
An evaluation of data from 37 European countries in the first six months of 2020 concludes that the places that put restrictive “lockdowns” in place early kept their total number of cases lower than other places and likely saved thousands of lives. The researchers say even just a few weeks made a big difference. (See Friday’s newsletter for a chart showing how European nations kept their total case load much lower than the United States.
Air travelers now must prove they’ve tested negative for COVID-19 before being admitted to the USA.
At the annual JP Morgan Health Conference, the CEO of testing equipment maker PerkinElmer said COVID-19 has generated $1 billion in additional revenue for the company. Other companies in the testing and laboratory sector also shared their financial windfall from the pandemic, according to STATNews.
At another major conference this week, CES (which used to be known as the Consumer Electronics Show,) tech companies are showing off their answers to the pandemic - from touchless doorbells to disinfecting robots and various wearable health sensors.
What’s the best way each of us can protect ourselves now? One of my clinician friends wishes that supplies of N95 masks were sufficient so that everyone who must be indoors with other people can wear one. Experts point to now overwhelming evidence on the effectiveness of masks - both to protect the wearer and people who are nearby.
The New York Times looks at the question of whether we should wear two masks instead of one. (If I am going into a store, I wear a fashionable cloth mask on top of a multi-layer surgical style paper mask.)
The CDC just updated its mask advice page, including tips on cold weather mask use and guidance on how to handle masks safely. Key tip: avoid touching the front of your mask and wash your hands thoroughly before and after putting a mask on or taking it off.
At least three members of Congress have now tested positive since the assault on the Capitol last week.
That’s it for today. Stay safe!