If you find yourself dealing with an airline cancellation or delay, the Department of Transportation has now launched a file dashboard To help you better understand the policies of the major airlines.
Updated booster snapshots for COVID-19 got the go-ahead from the CDC panel ahead of the fall campaign of snapshots.
Welcome to Overnight Health Care, where we keep track of the latest political moves and news affecting your health. For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan and Joseph Choi. Subscribe here.
CDC votes 13-1 for updated boosters
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) committee on Thursday recommended a boost to the updated COVID-19 vaccine, helping pave the way for the fall campaign to get the shots.
- The vote passed 13-1, with one member, Pablo Sanchez of Ohio State University, voting against concerns about a lack of sufficient human data in the updated footage.
- Once CDC Director Rochelle Walinsky gives the final signature, which is expected soon, the shots can begin.
The updated snapshots were designed to target the currently circulating omicron sub-variants, known as BA.4 and BA.5, as well as the original virus.
By updating with the latest developments in the virus, vaccines aim to be more effective than current vaccines, although current vaccines still provide important protection against severe disease.
As long as subjects have received their first two doses, at least 2 months have passed since the last dose, and are 12 years of age or older, they are eligible for the new updated booster dose.
Release schedule: The Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that the new Picks Management campaign, from both Pfizer and Moderna, is expected to begin “in earnest for eligible people shortly after Labor Day.”
In an effort to keep pace with changes in the virus, the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved updated vaccines without waiting for full clinical trials to be completed, which sparked some discussion at the CDC meeting.
But the US Food and Drug Administration and some members of the Committee for Disease Control and Prevention note that there is a strong safety record from the millions of doses of the original vaccine that have already been administered, as well as data from a slightly differently modified vaccine, and preliminary data for that vaccine.
The FDA has indicated that updates to this vaccine are similar to the process that occurs each year to update the influenza vaccine to the latest strains.
Read more here.
Fauci warns of ‘very bad flu season’
Outgoing White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said the United States should prepare for a “very bad flu season” later this year.
talk with Bloomberg LawFauci noted that a more severe flu season has already been observed in the Southern Hemisphere, which experiences new annual influenza strains sooner than in the Northern Hemisphere.
“We have to be prepared for that on what I hope is the remainder and not another spike for Covid,” Fauci told Bloomberg.
- Despite reports of a more severe flu season from the Southern Hemisphere, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated in its guidance that recommendations for this year’s flu vaccination are similar to those issued last year.
- The majority of people who need only one vaccine should plan to get vaccinated in September or October, according to the CDC.
Two types of viruses: Fauci said he hopes the updated shot will help impede the simultaneous viral spread of both the coronavirus and influenza.
Fauci added that he hopes the United States will continue to improve existing vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.
“One of the mistakes we’ve made is that we focus on the problem right in front of you, and put off focusing on what might be a problem in the future,” Fauci said.
Read more here.
Unpaid work takes a tax on working women’s mental health
Working women around the world spend unpaid hours disproportionately compared to men - and unrecognized work takes a toll on their mental health.
That’s according to a new review published this month in The Lancet Public Health. The report comes as unpaid work such as providing care and domestic work increasingly decreased On women during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Analyzing more than a dozen studies of thousands of participants from around the world, researchers found that women reported poorer mental health when demands for unpaid work increased.
- Meanwhile, researchers found only three studies on men detailing any negative association.
The authors wrote that the review “also confirms persistent inequality in the division of unpaid work,” adding that the findings suggest that these inequalities “put women at greater risk of poor mental health than men.”
The authors explained that while there is no universally recognized definition of unpaid work, it usually includes “all the responsibilities and tasks undertaken to maintain a family and its family members without any express monetary compensation.”
This can include cooking, cleaning, and caring for children and the elderly.
Read more here.
Ultra-processed foods linked to more colon cancer in men
American men who consume higher rates of ultra-processed foods have a 29% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, according to the results of a new study published in BMJ. However, no association was observed among the women in the study.
Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in the country and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide.
Furthermore, “Ultra-processed foods (i.e., industrial ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat formulations made with little or no whole foods) now contribute 57 percent of the total daily calories consumed by American adults, which is constantly increasing in the over the past two decades,” the authors wrote.
in Last few yearsConsumption of ultra-processed foods has been linked to a range of poor health outcomes including coronary heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome, to name a few.
“Processed meat, most of which fall into the category of ultra-processed foods, is a strong risk factor for colorectal cancer,” explained lead study author Lu Wang of Tufts University. in the current situation.
Read more here.
Watchdog calls for more cyber oversight on member network
The Office of the Inspector General that oversees the federal agency said this week that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should improve its oversight of cybersecurity on the Mission’s Member Engagement Network service and the nonprofit organization that oversees it.
- The report serves as a warning that data about organ donors and recipients may not be adequately protected in the event of a security breach.
- The report reads, referring to the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN): “Given the critical role of OPTN and the sensitive data it contains, a security breach could have severe consequences for vulnerable patients.”
IGO said in new report that the Department of Health Resources and Services should develop additional oversight controls for OPTN, which administers organ transplants and testing in the United States
Congressional Audit: Earlier this month, the Senate Finance Committee released a report Connecting 70 deaths And more than 200 organ diseases due to lack of control of OPTN.
The commission’s report provided details of errors in the organ network, including patients who received organs with the wrong blood type or organs that were discarded due to a transfer failure.
Read more here.
what we read
- The third fall of the Covid virus is upon us. Here’s a look at our position (stat)
- Biden administration moves to simplify enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP (USA Today)
- Enhanced coverage is lowest among black Americans and Hispanic Americans: CDC (News letters)
Country by state
- Judge Rules for Strict Restrictions on Certain Oregon Hospital Stays (Oregonian)
- Florida health officials set medical marijuana dosage and supply limits (ClickOrlando.com)
- North Dakota Department of Health Unveils Tobacco Dashboard (Bismarck Tribune)
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s health care page For the latest news and coverage. see you tomorrow.