COVID-19 News,
Reports, and Reflections
August 26, 2020
News:
Florida COVID-19 deaths spike Tuesday
The number of COVID-19 related deaths in Florida spiked Tuesday even as the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus continues to decline. Read more.
State's appeal in school reopen legal battle means districts still under DOE's order, for now
After a Leon County judge sided with the statewide teachers union in the legal battle over reopening brick-and-mortar-schools yesterday, the state has filed an appeal. That means an automatic stay has been applied to the case by the First District Court of Appeals. As a result of the state’s appeal, school districts for the time being are still under the DOE’s order. Read more.
FDA authorizes use of convalescent plasma for treatment of patients with severe COVID-19
The New York Times (August 23, 2020) reports, “No randomized trials of the sort researchers consider most robust have yet shown benefit from convalescent plasma.” However, the FDA “said the data it had so far, including more than a dozen published studies, showed that ‘it is reasonable to believe’ that the treatment ‘may be effective in lessening the severity or shortening the length of COVID-19 illness in some hospitalized patients,’ in particular those who receive it early.”
USF students need to get their masks on
As students stream back to the University of South Florida campuses on Monday, uncertainty will reign over how safe it is to physically go back to class. But one thing is for sure: everyone on campus will be required to wear a mask. Read more.
CDC director warns of major public health complications if public doesn't take flu and COVID-19 seriously
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is scrambling to ensure there are enough supplies of—and public confidence in—the flu vaccine as fall approaches and COVID-19 is still spreading in the U.S. “This fall and winter could be one of the most complicated public health times we have with the two coming at the same time,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield, M.D., referring to COVID-19 and the flu. Read more. |
|
Reports:
Report: COVID-19 cases popping up on campuses
More than 700 coronavirus cases have been linked to K-12 schools and higher-education institutions over the course of two weeks as students and employees began returning to campuses across the state, according to a Florida Department of Health report released Monday. The cases reflect a two-week period in which thousands of students throughout the state returned to classrooms or began moving into dorm rooms at colleges and universities. Read more.
Rather than give away its COVID vaccine, Oxford makes a deal with drugmaker
In a business driven by profit, vaccines have a problem. They’re not very profitable — at least not without government subsidies. Pharma companies favor expensive medicines that must be taken repeatedly and generate revenue for years or decades. Vaccines are often given only once or twice. In many parts of the world, established vaccines cost a few dollars per dose or less. Read more.
AMA Letter to FDA on Vaccines
On August 25th, the American Medical Association wrote to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging them to work more closely with the physician community starting now to develop a plan for further education and transparency surrounding COVID-19 vaccine candidates. The AMA wants physicians fully informed as the vaccine development process evolves. This is particularly important to address vaccine hesitancy by patients.
Is COVID-19 more dangerous because SARS-CoV-2 reduces specific microRNAs?
A team of researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and various institutions in Poland proposes that the SARS-CoV-2 virus acts as a microRNA “sponge” to reduce microRNA levels in ways that assist viral replication and block the host immune response. Read more.
Some children have higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 in their airways than the most severely ill adults, study indicates
The Washington Post (August 20, 2020) reports a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics “found that some children have significantly higher levels of virus in their airways than the most severely ill adults – suggesting their role in community spread may be larger than previously believed.” The study’s findings suggest that children “may have been acting as silent spreaders” throughout the pandemic.
|
|
Reflections:
WLRN Connects: stories of caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic
Jennifer Mackinday is one of nearly 3 millions caregivers in Florida, according to a 2019 AARP report. They assume the role when loved ones are unable to take care of themselves. This responsibility has become more challenging during the coronavirus pandemic. The extended networks that would provide caregivers support are more tenuous under social distancing. Many seniors, who are at greater risk from COVID-19, are facing extended periods of time without physically connecting with their families and friends. Here are several stories of caregiving during the pandemic.
What is an evidence-based, logic driven scientist supposed to do in this pandemic?
Everyone has a direct wormhole connection to Google in their pocket. Which means everyone has a direct pipeline to your patient's amygdala and is pumping fear, deliberate misinformation, conspiracy theories, fake news and partisan politics into their synapses 24/7/365. In a recent blog post, Dr. Dike Drummond shares two articles that reveal the scope of this disinformation and the unhealthy beliefs it spawns in our patients, friends, fellow citizens and sometimes our family members. Read more.
COVID-19: Making sense of the statistics
Dr. Bruce Shephard, HCMA Past President, interviewed Dr. Jason Salemi, a local epidemiology and data expert from USF. Dr. Salemi is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at USF’s College of Public Health, with over 150 scientific publications and expertise in visualizing and analyzing data. His comprehensive dashboard tracking COVID-19 in Florida has received national attention as a guide to better understand this disease. Read the five takeaways Dr. Shephard compiled from his conversation with Dr. Salemi.
Moment of Wellness: The Gift of Gratitude
It is no secret that physicians have been emotionally overwhelmed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this week’s Moment of Wellness, FMA member and physician coach Amaryllis Sánchez Wohlever, MD, shares how meaningful it is for physicians to find the gift of gratitude in the midst of the crisis. Read more. |
|
The HCMA Foundation Physician Wellness Program provides a safe harbor for members to address life difficulties, especially during this time of uncertainty and challenges due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
Click below for additional
HCMA COVID-19 Resources:
|
|
DOH call center, available 24/7
1 (866) 779-6121
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
