Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Widely Used Hospital Gowns Show Signs Of Exposing Workers To Infection
Disposable gowns designed to deflect the splatter of bodily fluids, used in thousands of U.S. hospitals, have underperformed in recent and ongoing laboratory tests and may fall short of safety standards, leaving health care workers with a greater risk of infection than advertised. A peer-reviewed academic study, published to little notice amid the coronavirus pandemic, found that isolation gowns commonly worn in medical units or intensive care units ripped too easily and allowed about four to 14 times the expected amount of liquid to seep through when sprayed or splashed. (Kelman, 7/6)
KHN:
‘My Body, My Choice’: How Vaccine Foes Co-Opted The Abortion Rallying Cry
In the shadow of L.A.’s art deco City Hall, musicians jammed onstage, kids got their faces painted, and families picnicked on lawn chairs. Amid the festivity, people waved flags, sported T-shirts, and sold buttons — all emblazoned with a familiar slogan: “My Body, My Choice.” This wasn’t an abortion rights rally. It wasn’t a protest against the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gutted Roe v. Wade. It was the “Defeat the Mandates Rally,” a jubilant gathering of anti-vaccine activists in April to protest the few remaining covid-19 guidelines, such as mask mandates on mass transit and vaccination requirements for health care workers. (Bluth, 7/6)
KHN:
‘Free’ Screening? Know Your Rights To Get No-Cost Care
An ounce of prevention … well, you know the rest. In medicine, prevention aims to spot problems before they worsen, affecting both a patient’s health and finances. One of the more popular parts of the Affordable Care Act, which allows patients to get certain tests or treatments without forking out cash to cover copayments or deductibles, is based on that idea. (Appleby, 7/6)
AP:
Florida 15-Week Abortion Ban Reinstated After Legal Appeal
Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban was blocked and then quickly reinstated Tuesday after an appeal from the state attorney general in a lawsuit challenging the restriction. Judge John C. Cooper issued the order temporarily halting the law after reproductive health providers argued that the state constitution guarantees the right to the procedure. The state appealed his order, automatically putting the law back into effect. (Izaguirre, 7/5)
AP:
Judge Won’t Block Law Banning Most Mississippi Abortions
As attorneys argued about abortion laws across the South on Tuesday, a Mississippi judge rejected a request by the state’s only abortion clinic to temporarily block a law that would ban most abortions. Without other developments in the Mississippi lawsuit, the clinic will close at the end of business Wednesday and the state law will take effect Thursday. (Pettus, Izaguirre and McGill, 7/5)
The Boston Globe:
McKee Signs Executive Order To Protect Patients Traveling To Rhode Island For Abortion Care
Governor Dan McKee Tuesday signed an executive order that protects access to abortion care services in Rhode Island. The order, which he foreshadowed signing last week, ensures that individuals who come to Rhode Island seeking reproductive health care will be safeguarded from any potential legal liability in other states. The order was modeled after the one Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a pro-choice Republican, signed recently after the US Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion. (Gagosz, 7/5)
AP:
Gov: Maine Won’t Help Prosecute Abortion Seekers, Providers
Maine will not cooperate with other states’ investigations into people who seek abortions or health care providers that perform them, the state’s governor said Tuesday. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order that she said will protect access to abortion in her state. She said she made the order as a response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe V. Wade. (7/5)
AP:
WA Sheriff Won’t Cooperate With Out-Of-State Abortion Probes
The executive in the county surrounding Seattle said Tuesday its sheriff’s office and other executive branch departments will not cooperate with out-of-state prosecutions of abortion providers or patients. King County Executive Dow Constantine’s executive order signed Tuesday follows a similar one from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, The Seattle Times reported. (7/5)
The 19th:
Out-Of-State Patients At Risk As Montana Enacts Abortion Restrictions
A Montana abortion provider announced last week that it wouldn’t provide the most common type of abortion to people traveling from out of state. As states surrounding Montana ban abortion, the move exposes a major legal concern that could lead to clinics across the country implementing similar policies. (Luthra, 7/5)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Nevada Sees Influx Of Out-Of-State Patients Seeking Abortions
Las Vegas has seen a 200 percent increase in patients traveling from Texas compared to the same time last year, according to Dr. Kristina Tocce, medical director for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. (Longhi, 7/5)
NPR:
Harris Calls For Assault Weapons Ban After Highland Park Mass Shooting
Vice President Kamala Harris, in Chicago to speak to a teachers’ convention, addressed the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park, Ill., saying “We need to end this horror. We need to stop this violence.” Seven people were killed and dozens injured Monday when a shooter opened fire from a rooftop along a Fourth of July parade route in the suburban Chicago city. (7/5)
The Hill:
July 4th Violence Leaves Democrats Frustrated Biden Not Doing More On Gun Control
The less than two weeks’ time between President Biden signing a bipartisan bill aimed at curbing gun violence and another mass shooting taking place, this time during a Fourth of July parade, has left some Democrats and allies frustrated the administration isn’t doing enough to help prevent the next attack. From the White House, Biden is increasingly limited on what he’s able to do on the matter. And what is on the top of his list for Congress to act on — a reinstatement of a 2004 ban on assault weapons, which are often used in mass shootings — has no chance of advancing given the current makeup of the Senate. (Gangitano, 7/5)
The New York Times:
New Jersey Tightens Gun Laws After Latest Mass Shooting
Newly signed legislation will make it more difficult to obtain a handgun license and buy high-capacity rifles in New Jersey, the latest in a patchwork effort by states with strict gun laws to work around a sweeping Supreme Court ruling aimed at dismantling them. The measures, approved by Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday, signal a coming slog of piecemeal legislation as states grapple with last month’s decision, which overturned a New York state law that restricted how and where residents could carry handguns. (Watkins, 7/5)
The Boston Globe:
‘We’re All On High Alert’: Supreme Court Decision Means Mass. Police Chiefs Have Less Of A Say In Who Shouldn’t Get A Gun
In the first fallout from a Supreme Court ruling on gun permits, the top law enforcement officials in Massachusetts are advising police chiefs to abandon a plank of the state’s gun laws that allows them to deny or put limits on a license if a person fails to cite a “good reason” for carrying a weapon. (Stout, 7/5)
Politico:
Supreme Court Decision Prompts Maryland Governor To Lower Gun License Barriers
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday he has directed the State Police to suspend its “good and substantial reason” standards for the issuance of licenses to wear and carry firearms. Hogan said his decision was the result of a Supreme Court decision last month to strike down a century-old law in New York that gave the state broad authority to deny access to permits allowing residents to carry a gun outside the home. Hogan, a Republican, said the New York law was “virtually indistinguishable” from Maryland law. (Hawkins, 7/5)
The Washington Post:
Panic At July Fourth Celebrations Shows Americans Are Divided, Anxious
In deadly assaults and harmless bursts of celebratory explosives, a divided nation demonstrated this holiday weekend just how anxious and jittery it has become, as the perennial flare of fireworks saluting American freedom reminded all too many people instead of the anger, violence and social isolation of the past few years. (Fisher, 7/5)
AP:
FDA Temporarily Suspends Order Banning Juul Cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration issued an administrative stay Tuesday on the order it issued last month for vaping company Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the market. The agency said on Twitter that the stay temporarily suspends the marketing denial order while it conducts further review, but does not rescind it. (7/6)
AP:
New Haven Man Is 1st In State Diagnosed With Monkeypox
A New Haven man has become the first person in Connecticut diagnosed with monkeypox since an outbreak of the disease was identified in the United States this spring. The man, who is in his 40s, has not been hospitalized, but has been isolating, the state Department of Public Health announced Tuesday. His name has not been released. (7/5)
CIDRAP:
Study On Monkeypox Outbreak Shows Differing Symptoms
A new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found that the clinical profile in recent monkeypox cases is different than in past events, with fatigue and fever less common and genital skin lesions more likely. This is the first study to look at these differences among cases in the current outbreak, and points to the important role sexual transmission among mostly men who have sex with men (MSM) has played in spreading monkeypox in non-endemic countries, many of which had never seen a monkeypox case before. (Soucheray, 7/5)
The Hill:
COVID-19 Was Third-Leading US Cause Of Death Between March 2020 And October 2021
COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. between March 2020 and October 2021, according to an analysis of federal data released Tuesday. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, analyzed death certificate data and found that the coronavirus accounted for 350,000 deaths — 1 in every 8 — in the U.S. during that 20-month period. (Weixel, 7/5)
The Hill:
New Omicron Subvariant BA.5 Now A Majority Of US COVID-19 Cases
A new omicron subvariant known as BA.5 now comprises a majority of U.S. COVID-19 cases, according to data released Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The data is a sign of the rise of the highly transmissible subvariant, which has prompted concern about a new increase in cases. (Sullivan, 7/5)
The New York Times:
As BA.5 Becomes Dominant Among New U.S. Cases, Reduced State Reporting Is Blurring The Real-Time Look At The Virus.
At a glance, the pandemic picture in the United States may seem remarkably stable. The average number of new confirmed coronavirus cases per day has hardly budged for weeks, hovering between 95,000 and 115,000 a day each day in June. A closer look shows that as public testing sites run by state and local governments have winnowed, more states have also stopped giving daily data updates, creating a foggier look at the state of virus across the country. (Hassan and Cahalan, 7/6)
The Boston Globe:
Experts: Keep A Sharp Eye Out For COVID-19 Symptoms Now That Fourth Gatherings Have Passed
“After a holiday, we see increases in cases because people are more likely to gather in larger groups, spend more time indoors at larger gatherings. Those are conditions that increase the rates of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.” said Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and an attending physician in the section of infectious diseases at Boston Medical Center. (Finucane, 7/5)
Dallas Morning News:
UT Southwestern Researchers Design Rapid COVID Test That Identifies Variants
UT Southwestern researchers have created a rapid COVID-19 test that can identify different variants of the coronavirus in as little as four hours. The researchers hope doctors can use their test, called CoVarScan, to tailor COVID-19 treatments to patients based on which variant the patients have. CoVarScan could also be used to track which variants are cropping up in different communities, and even identify new ones. (Ramakrishnan, 7/5)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Health Risks Of Getting Covid-19 A Second (Or Third) Time
Covid-19 reinfections can bring some new risks of serious medical problems, hospitalization and death, a new study has found. Protection provided by vaccines and prior infection has greatly improved Covid outcomes since the pandemic’s early days, and reinfections are typically less severe than initial ones. Yet each new infection carries a risk of medical problems, including hospitalization, death and long Covid, according to preliminary data from a study of patients in the Veterans Affairs health system. (Reddy, 7/5)
CNN:
Covid-19 Reinfections May Increase The Likelihood Of New Health Problems
Repeatedly catching Covid-19 appears to increase the chances that a person will face new and sometimes lasting health problems after their infection, according to the first study on the health risks of reinfection. The study, which is based on the health records of more than 5.6 million people treated in the VA Health System, found that, compared with those with just one Covid-19 infection, those with two or more documented infections had more than twice the risk of dying and three times the risk of being hospitalized within six months of their last infection. They also had higher risks for lung and heart problems, fatigue, digestive and kidney disorders, diabetes and neurologic problems. (Goodman, 7/5)
CIDRAP:
Two Or 3 Vaccine Doses May Cut Risk Of Long COVID
An observational study of Italian healthcare workers infected with SARS-CoV-2 who didn’t require hospitalization suggests a link between two or three doses of vaccine and a lower prevalence of long COVID. … The number of vaccine doses was linked to lower prevalence of long COVID, at 41.8% of a reference group of unvaccinated participants, 30.0% after one dose, 17.4% after two doses, and 16.0% after the third dose. Risk factors for long COVID included older age, high body mass index, allergies, and obstructive lung disease. (Van Beusekom, 7/5)
Stat:
Long Covid Estimates Are Startlingly High. Here’s How To Understand Them
Think about the adults you know: Does 1 out of every 5 have long Covid, as the CDC estimates? Asking that question should in no way diminish the suffering of people who thought they were done with their infections, only to find their return to well-being still beyond reach. But knowing how many people are living with that bitter legacy of Covid-19, and who among working-age adults can’t work or care for their families, is critical to their care and to the health of our society. (Cooney, 7/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Vaccine Protects Against COVID Virus Family Members
A new type of vaccine developed at Caltech aims to ward off novel coronaviruses even before health officials are aware that they exist. When tested in mice and monkeys, it trained the animals’ immune systems to recognize eight viruses at once — and induced immunity to viruses they had never encountered. (Purtill and Healy, 7/5)
AP:
Germany’s CureVac Files Suit Against Vaccine Rival BioNTech
German biotech company CureVac said Tuesday it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against rival BioNTech for work that it says contributed to the development of the BioNTech-Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. BioNTech said its work is original and it would “vigorously” contest the claim. CureVac, which last year reported disappointing results from late-stage testing of its own first-generation COVID-19 shot, earlier this year started a clinical trial of a second-generation vaccine candidate developed with British pharmaceutical company GSK. (7/5)
AP:
COVID Nursing Home Deaths Claim Is Campaign Trail Mainstay
Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor, has made a campaign staple out of the allegation that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s policy of readmitting COVID-19 patients from hospitals to nursing homes caused thousands of deaths — a baseless claim for which no investigator or researcher has provided any evidence. In fact, layers of inspections by researchers have pointed to entirely something different — nursing home employees ushering in the virus every day — while investigators found administrators flouting staffing requirements or infection-control procedures. (Levy, 7/5)
Modern Healthcare:
Price Transparency Rule Leads To Insurer Confusion
The regulation is vague and underwent changes late in the process, which makes it difficult for insurers to understand just what it means to be in compliance, said Dan Kuperstein, a senior vice president of compliance at consultancy Corporate Synergies and an attorney who specializes in employee benefits law. That’s even more true for smaller carriers, employers and third-party administrators, he said. (Tepper, 7/5)
Modern Healthcare:
To Report Or Not To Report? CMS COVID Quality Plan Prompts Questions
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic battered Sanford Health, the health system rededicated itself to quality efforts, racing to address concerns and change processes in real time and to report patient safety data. “We believe that quality needs to be maintained, regardless of conditions and the situation,” said Dr. Jeremy Cauwels, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based health system’s chief physician. “It’s been a constant area of focus.”At other health systems, the pandemic derailed safety and quality programs as hospitals were beset by resource and staffing shortages, waves of high acuity patients, and overtaxed intensive care units. (Devereaux, 7/5)
Modern Healthcare:
Oncologists Turn To Telehealth For An Extra Layer Of Patient Care
Telehealth experienced explosive, unprecedented growth early in the pandemic. More than two years in, much of that uptick has slowed, hampered by reimbursement uncertainty and unknown returns on investment. Still, some health systems have found an enduring use case for virtual care: oncology. (Devereaux, 7/5)
Stat:
FDA To Convene Second Panel To Review Amylyx Pharma’s ALS Treatment
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration is bringing together a panel of outside experts for a second time to review new data on the company’s experimental treatment for ALS. (Feuerstein, 7/5)
Salt Lake Tribune:
After 33 Years Of Incinerating Medical Waste, Stericycle Shutters Its North Salt Lake Plant
After 33 years of burning Utah’s medical waste on the edge of growing Davis County subdivisions, Stericycle’s North Salt Lake incinerator closed for good on Friday, dropping the curtain on a drawn-out drama over the company’s alleged failure to control toxic emissions and efforts to cover it up. (Maffly, 7/6)
Bloomberg:
How A Shortage Of Plastic Is Impacting Health Care
“We’re definitely seeing some shortages on types of plastic components that go into medical devices, and that’s a big issue at the moment,” says Robert Handfield, a professor of supply chain management at the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University. (Swetlitz, 7/5)
The New York Times:
Funeral Home Operator Pleads Guilty In ‘Illegal Body Part Scheme’
The operator of a Colorado funeral home who was accused of stealing body parts and selling them to medical and scientific buyers, making hundreds of thousands of dollars in what the authorities called an “illegal body part scheme,” pleaded guilty to mail fraud on Tuesday, the Justice Department said. The woman, Megan Hess, 45, the principal figure in the scheme, was assisted by her mother, Shirley Koch, who is in her late 60s, prosecutors said. As part of a plea agreement, eight other criminal charges against Ms. Hess were dropped. She could face up to 20 years in prison. (Traub, 7/5)
AP:
After West Virginia Opioid Verdict, Another Case Postponed
A trial in a lawsuit accusing three major U.S. drug distributors of causing a health crisis throughout West Virginia was postponed Tuesday, a day after the companies prevailed in another case in the state. Attorneys who represented Cabell County and the city of Huntington on the losing end of a verdict announced in federal court Monday were granted a continuance of a trial a day later in Kanawha County Circuit Court. The trial involves more than 100 other cities and counties statewide against the same defendants: AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp. (Raby, 7/5)
Los Angeles Times:
Poor Air Quality Lingering In L.A. After July 4 Firework Shows
Air quality dropped considerably after hundreds of Fourth of July firework shows and smaller sets lighted up skies across the Los Angeles region Monday and remained at unhealthy levels into Tuesday morning for many areas. (Toohey, 7/5)
Fox News:
Florida Warns Residents Of Giant African Land Snail That May Cause Meningitis In Humans: Report
Did you know some snails can cause meningitis? The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is warning Pasco County to beware of the giant African land snail (GALS) that can carry a rare rat lungworm called Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which may cause meningitis in humans, according to the state’s recent “Pest Alert.” (Sudhakar, 7/5)
Fox News:
NY Elementary School Student, Age 7, Saves Choking Classmate With Heimlich Manuever
A 7-year-old elementary school student is being hailed a hero after he saved his classmate’s life during lunch by using the Heimlich maneuver. David Diaz Jr., a second-grader from Woodrow Wilson Elementary in Binghamton, New York, stepped into action when he noticed his friend had begun choking on pizza at school. He said he learned the life-saving move from “The Good Doctor,” a TV medical drama he’d been watching with his father, David Diaz Sr., during the last year. (Moore, 7/6)
The Washington Post:
Behavioral Issues, Absenteeism At Schools Increase, Federal Data Shows
More than 80 percent of public schools reported that the pandemic has taken a toll on student behavior and social-emotional development, while nearly as many schools say they need more mental health support, according to federal data released Wednesday. (St. George, 7/5)
The Washington Post:
Acupuncture Could Reduce Tension Headaches By Half
People who have chronic tension headaches might be able to reduce the frequency of those headaches by as much as 50 percent with acupuncture, according to research published in the journal Neurology. Tension headaches, which are the most common type, are sometimes described as feeling pressure as if you had a tight band around your head. They are considered chronic if they regularly occur at least 15 days a month. (Searing, 7/5)
The Washington Post:
Demaryius Thomas Diagnosed With Stage 2 CTE In Posthumous Brain Study
Former NFL star Demaryius Thomas was diagnosed with Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, his family said in a statement Tuesday, after doctors at Boston University’s CTE Center studied the former wide receiver’s brain. Thomas was found dead at 33 in December at his home in Roswell, Ga., and while the cause of death has not been determined by the coroner’s office in Fulton County, Ga., his family has attributed his death to seizures, which he suffered following a 2019 car crash. (Hill, 7/5)
AP:
Canada To Throw Out 13.6M Doses Of AstraZeneca Vaccine
Canada is going to throw out about 13.6 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine because it couldn’t find any takers for it either at home or abroad. Canada signed a contract with AstraZeneca in 2020 to get 20 million doses of its vaccine, and 2.3 million Canadians received at least one dose of it, mostly between March and June 2021. (7/6)
Politico:
World’s Covid Vaccine, Drugs Equity Program Set To Wind Down This Fall
The World Health Organization program for the fast-tracking and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics is likely to close in its current form in the fall, according to two individuals familiar with the matter. The program, known as the ACT-Accelerator, is a collaboration among the WHO, governments and global health organizations that works to ensure equitable access to Covid tools. It faced significant obstacles to get vaccines to low- and middle-income countries, but it eventually succeeded in shipping over one billion shots. (Banco and Furlong, 7/5)
CNN:
Vitamin D Supplements Sent A UK Man To The Hospital For A Week
A British man’s overdose on vitamin D is a cautionary tale for people who are considering adding supplements to their lives, according to a paper published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Case Reports. (LaMotte, 7/5)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
