What We’re Reading: Disparities in Overdose Deaths; CDC Endorses Novavax; Fauci Clarifies Retirement News

Racial, Income Inequalities Linked to Drug Overdose Disparities

Between 2019 and 2020, drug overdose deaths in the United States rose by 30%, with death rates increasing most among Black (44%) and American Indian/Alaskan Native (39%) persons, according to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the CDC. The report found the overdose death rate among older Black males was nearly 7 times greater vs older While males, and that Black individuals aged 15 to 24 years had the largest rate increase at 86%. For individuals aged 25 to 44 years, overdose death rates among American Indian/Alaskan Native women were nearly twice that of White women. According to the report, these disparities in overdose rates are linked to worsening county-level income inequality and treatment access and warrant the implementation of evidence-based, culturally responsive overdose prevention and response approaches.

Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Backed by the CDC

The CDC announced its recommendation for the Novavax protein-based COVID-19 vaccine for adults who have not yet been vaccinated, The Associated Press reported. This news follows last week’s announcement that Novavax received emergency use authorization for adults from the FDA. According to the CDC, 26 to 37 million American adults remain unvaccinated, and the protein-based vaccine may be a more popular option than mRNA vaccines among this group. This vaccine is administered via a 2-dose primary series, and multiple CDC advisers have expressed the need for a booster to be approved as well.

Fauci to Step Down as Chief Medical Adviser

In an update to Monday’s news, Anthony Fauci, MD, clarified he does not plan to fully retire, The Hill reported. Instead, Fauci said he is considering when he will step down from his current government position as chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, which will likely be prior to January 2025 regardless of election results. “What happens between now and then I have not decided, but the one thing I do know is that I have other things that I want to do in a professional way that I want to have the capability—while I still have the energy and the passion to do them,” Fauci said.