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What We're Reading: Efficacy of Moderna's Vaccine; FDA Clears $5 COVID-19 Rapid Test; DOJ Wants Nursing Home Data
Preliminary data find Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine effective in older adults; FDA authorizes use of $5 COVID-19 rapid test; the DOJ asks for nursing home data from 4 blue states.
Early COVID-19 Vaccine Data Show Promise in Older Adults
New preliminary data from an early trial of Moderna’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine show the candidate appears to be safe and produce a strong immune response in older adults, Politico reports. The study included 20 adults over the age of 55. Researchers found that almost 2 months after patients received the second of 2 vaccine doses, patients in this age group had antibody levels higher than those of individuals who had recovered from COVID-19. The European Union has already indicated it will buy 80 million doses of the vaccine.
FDA Grants Emergency Use Authorization to Abbott's Rapid COVID-19 Test
The FDA granted emergency use authorization to Abbott Laboratories’ portable COVID-19 antigen test that can deliver results in under 15 minutes, according to Reuters. The test will cost $5 and is about the size of a credit card. It also can be conducted using a less invasive nasal swab than common lab tests and requires no additional equipment to operate, making it ideal to check that individuals in large gatherings, like those in schools or workplaces, do not have COVID-19. The company said it plans to ship tens of millions of tests in September and increase to shipping 50 million tests a month at the beginning of October.
DOJ Seeks Nursing Home Data from 4 States
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking data on deaths in public nursing homes in 4 Democratic-run states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York. The letters were sent to governors asking for data to determine whether the states violated federal law by ordering public nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals, the Associated Press reports. The fact-finding letters come amid criticism that the actions may have fueled the spread of the virus. However, spokespeople from New Jersey, New York, and Michigan all said the fact the states are led by Democrats and the timing of the move point to the political nature of the inquiry.
Healing Wounds Through Peer Support
September 16th 2024September is National Recovery Month, and we are bringing you another limited-edition month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In this third episode, we speak with Kim MacDonald-Wilson, ScD, CPRP, and Tracy Carney, CPS, CPRP.
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Cost Savings From an mHealth Tool for Improving Medication Adherence
October 21st 2024The Wellth smartphone app significantly increased medication adherence and lowered unnecessary health care utilization and costs over 9 months among Medicaid beneficiaries who were self-managing chronic conditions.
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Combatting the Opioid Epidemic: Insights From the Front Lines
September 2nd 2024September is National Recovery Month, and we are bringing you another limited-edition month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In this first episode, we speak with Michael Lynch, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and an attending emergency physician and medical toxicologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
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