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December 6th, 2021 The Out-of-Pocket Health News Digest

Below you will find briefs about recent health policy news stories. Our hope is for students to have an information outlet at their fingertips to keep up-to-date with the most pressing news stories in health policy. This compilation is produced by the HPSA Education Committee: Brynna Thigpen, Christopher Whitlock, Easheta Shah, Hannah Lane, Hassan Kourani, Jourdan Clements, and Lizzy Peppercorn

Omicron Emerges as New COVID-19 Variant by Christopher Whitlock

Tensions are rising among health officials worldwide following the recent emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. First identified in Botswana and then South Africa in early November, Omicron has been labeled a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization due to a unique mutation profile involving the Spike protein, which is the primary target COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems to recognize. This new variant has rapidly become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in South Africa, accounting for 76% of samples that were genetically sequenced in November. Though South African researchers were quick to share their findings of the new variant to the international community, Omicron has already been reported in several countries, including Belgium, Hong Kong, Israel, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Applying lessons learned from previous COVID-19 variants, the international scientific community’s response to Omicron has been rapid. Teams of researchers are already analyzing samples from infected patients and testing vaccine efficacy against Omicron. It remains unclear whether the Omicron variant is more transmissible than other variants or if it causes a more severe infection, but U.S. health officials report it will likely take up to two more weeks of research to gain a better understanding of this new variant.            In response to the growing threat of the new variant, the United States, along with at least 44 other countries, placed travel restrictions on visitors from southern Africa while Japan and Israel have completely closed their borders to foreign nationals.   Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the President of the United States, believes it is only a matter of time before Omicron is detected in the United States given its rapid international spread. Like the U.S. experience with the Delta variant, Fauci stressed that preparation with increased vaccinations and mask-wearing will be essential in curbing the effects of Omicron once it reaches the U.S. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, also emphasized the importance of vaccinations and booster shots in defense against the new variant. Sources:  CNN, NPR, New York Times, STAT, Washington Post, WHO

COVID-19's Impact on HIV/AIDS by Lizzy Peppercorn

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima was recently interviewed on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people with HIV or at higher risk of contracting HIV. HIV is an immunocompromising disease. Therefore, Byanyimaa explained that “we do expect that in the coming years, we might see more deaths, we might see more new infections as a result of [COVID-19] disruptions.” She also explained that one of the reasons variants arise is because people who are immunocompromised do not clear the virus as quickly and therefore the virus can mutate in their system.  While people with HIV are no more likely to become infected with COVID-19, they are at much higher risk of severe illness if they do get infected. The CDC had stated that 16.7% of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units across the country are immunocompromised and have low chances of recovery.  Furthermore, people with HIV or at high risk of HIV have been harmed by the pandemic due to challenges in managing HIV treatment and testing while maintaining protective measures like social distancing and access to personal protective equipment. There has also been decreases in social support which impacts medication adherence and puts people with HIV at higher risk of serious illness with a COVID-19 infection.  There is also an increased psychosocial burden on people with HIV because they are at risk of serious illness if they do get infected with COVID-19. The stigma associated with having HIV during the pandemic may increase psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, sleep disorder, schizophrenia and personality disorders.  While it has been essential that many health care workers were repurposed to the COVID-19 arena, people with HIV/AIDS or at higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS have suffered from closed clinics, limited health care visits, inability of support groups to meet, and a shortage of personal protective equipment for health providers. People with immunocompromised diseases must be prioritized and there must be increased health care access to these people, both to prevent serious illness and to mitigate the chances of virus mutation.  Sources: USNews, BMC

Will Booster shots and Omicron lead us to an Endemic? by Hassan Kourani

With the Omicron variant slowly making its away across the United States, the Center for Disease Control has strengthened its recommendation on booster shots. Earlier this fall, the CDC had said that anyone over the age of 18 may get a booster shot, but specifically urged those over 65 as well as those who are immunocompromised to consider their third dose. With what could be a darker than expected holiday season caused by the latest COVID surge, coupled with the lingering questions surrounding Omicron, the CDC is now recommending  that everyone over the age of 18 get their booster, regardless of underlying health conditions.  Earlier in the Fall, the CDC announced that a mix and match approach to booster shots is safe and effective, and that adults should get a booster six month after their second mRNA vaccine dose or two months following their one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Despite the uncertainty associated with Omicron, a third dose could be a ticket to moving from Pandemic to Endemic. According to (very) early trends in South Africa, Omicron appears more transmissible but not more deadly. If this holds, Omicron could become the dominant strain in The United States and lead to an endemic phase.  Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert and Chief Medical Adviser to President Biden, has reiterated that the vaccines remain our best defense, and that vaccinated groups of people can safely gather over the holidays. It is not yet known whether an endemic would require annual COVID shots, but Fauci has stated that the current definition of fully vaccinated, even in light of Omicron and boosters, remains two mRNA doses or one Johnson & Johnson dose.  Source: NBC, CDC, ABC, Newtown Daily News

One-Liners

Gender reassignment and Medicaid: An Iowa judge ruled that a 2019 Republican amendment allowing state entities to deny medically-necessary gender reassignment surgery violated state law and the state constitution. (Associated Press) Limiting mental health care wait times: California addresses growing mental health crisis by passing a bill to join six other states in requiring health insurers to limit wait times for mental health services to a maximum of 10 business days. (Kaiser Health News) People with mental illness at higher risk of COVID: The risk of death from COVID-19 has been found to increase by 50% for people with a history of mental illness. This is linked to multiple factors, including that people with mental illness may be less likely to be able to protect themselves and may have poorer overall health. (NPR)