U.S. sees 500,000 new COVID-19 cases over seven days

Leading the News

U.S. sets record for COVID-19 cases over seven days with more than 500,000 infections

USA Today (10/28, Bacon) reports the U.S. “set a record this week for new coronavirus cases over a seven-day period with more than 500,000 infections.” Daily deaths “are also climbing – one of us is dying every 107 seconds, according to Johns Hopkins data.” And daily hospitalizations “have been rising steadily for more than a month, from 28,608 on Sept. 20 to more than 44,000 on Tuesday.”

 GOVERNMENT AND MEDICINE

Administration rule seeks to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are free for Medicare beneficiaries, people with private insurance

The Wall Street Journal (10/28, Armour, Subscription Publication) reports on Wednesday, the administration unveiled a rule which aims to encourage Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine once it is available. Under the rule, the vaccine would be free for seniors and those with private health insurance.

The Hill (10/28, Weixel) reports that CMS’ rule “means any vaccine that receives Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization will be covered under Medicare as a preventive vaccine at no cost to beneficiaries, which is a change from current policy.”

 HEALTH COVERAGE AND ACCESS

Researchers say patients are receptive to the notion of using telehealth for patient-provider communication outside of traditional office hours

PatientEngagementHIT (10/28, Heath) reports researchers found “patients are receptive to the idea of using telehealth for patient-provider communication outside of traditional office hours, with about one-fifth saying it would likely get them answers to their health-related questions more quickly.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

 QUALITY AND SAFETY

FBI warns of ransomware assault against U.S. health care system

The AP (10/28, Bajak) reports “the FBI and two federal agencies” warned Wednesday “that cybercriminals are unleashing a major ransomware assault against the U.S. health care system.” In a joint alert they said they have “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and health care providers.” According to the alert, “malicious cyber actors” are targeting the sector with ransomware that could result in “data theft and disruption of health care services.”

Health care organizations report hacks to medical devices

HealthIT Security (10/28, Davis) reports, “Health care delivery organizations are increasingly deploying medical devices, IoT, and other medical platforms to improve connectivity and support patient care. But failed network segmentation, legacy devices, and other network failures continue to heighten risks to the enterprise, according to Forescout.” This month alone “has seen a number of hospital organizations reverting to EHR downtime after falling victim to security incidents and ransomware attacks, while ransomware hacking groups have posted data exfiltrated for more than a dozen providers.” In response, Forescout “analyzed data from its Device Cloud, an internal repository that contains data from about 3.3 million devices on hundreds of health care networks, combined with a detailed analysis of network traffic from a range of large health care delivery organizations, for its 2020 Connected Medical Device Security report.”

 PUBLIC HEALTH

Some women may continue to experience depressive symptoms up to three years postpartum, data indicate

Fox News (10/28, Rivas) reports, “Intense sadness, hopelessness and anxiety among new mothers may last up to three years after childbirth,” researchers concluded. For the study, investigators “examined data on 5,000 women from the Upstate KIDS study in New York and found that about one in four moms experienced high levels of depression up to three years after birth.” The findings were published online in Pediatrics.

Decline in STD rates may be due to COVID-19 pandemic disrupting testing

The New York Times (10/28, Hoffman) reports STD infection rates “had been on track in 2020 to hit record highs in the” U.S., but they are now decreasing. However, experts suspect that the falling rates may reflect a decline in testing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than a decline in actual infections or transmission. For example, 80% “of sexual health screening clinics reported having to reduce hours or shut down altogether sometime during the pandemic, according to a survey by the National Coalition of STD Directors.”

Long-term noise exposure may be tied to increased risk for dementia, study indicates

The New York Times (10/28, Bakalar) reports, “Long-term exposure to noise may be linked to an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” investigators concluded after conducting “periodic interviews with 5,227 people 65 and older participating in a study on aging.” After controlling for confounding factors, researchers “found that each 10 decibel increase in community noise level was associated with a 36% higher likelihood of mild cognitive impairment, and a 29% increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.” The findings were published online in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

 PHARMA & DEVICE UPDATE

U.S. reaches deal with Eli Lilly for experimental SARS-CoV-2 antibody treatment

Reuters (10/28) reports the U.S. “will pay as much as $1.19 billion to Eli Lilly and Co to secure nearly 1 million doses of its experimental [SARS-CoV-2] antibody treatment.” The company “will start delivering 300,000 doses of the treatment, for which it is being paid $375 million, within two months of receiving an emergency use authorization.” According to HHS, the federal government then “has an option to buy an additional 650,000 vials for $812.5 million.”

The Hill (10/28, Weixel) reports the deal was announced “a day after Lilly said the drug had no clinical benefit for helping hospitalized patients.” However, “the company said it is confident the drug is helpful to those earlier in the course of a [SARS-CoV-2] infection.”

CDC pushes back deadline for states to be ready to deliver coronavirus vaccine

McClatchy (10/28, Wilner) reports the CDC “sent a letter to governors this week pushing back a Nov. 1 deadline for states to be ready to receive and distribute coronavirus vaccines.” The letter, “obtained by McClatchy, sets a new date of Nov. 15, updating a request made weeks ago from CDC Director Robert Redfield.” Since then, “the companies that are producing the leading vaccine candidates currently in clinical trials – Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca – have all stated that they do not anticipate submitting clinical trial data for review by the Food and Drug Administration until mid-November at the earliest.”

 ALSO IN THE NEWS

Female primary care physicians may spend more time with patients than male counterparts, study indicates

NPR (10/28, Gordon) reports a special article published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that “female primary care physicians spend more time with their patients than male doctors – an average of 2.4 minutes per visit,” but “female physicians still make less money.” The study’s “authors argue that the extra time female physicians spend with their patients adds up quickly and has profound implications for the pay gap between women and men.”

 WEDNESDAY'S LEAD STORIES

 • Adults should start screening for colorectal cancer routinely at age 45, USPSTF draft recommendation statement says
 • HHS guidance authorizes pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns to administer vaccines and coronavirus tests
 • Medicare to cover coronavirus vaccines for seniors
 • Report says health literacy may improve health outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries
 • Older Americans better at following COVID-19 health recommendations than younger adults, survey indicates