Most US COVID markers show declines Deaths were up a bit, but hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and test positivity trended downward. CIDRAP

COVID metrics showed more declines last week, though deaths from the virus—one of its severity indicators—rose 4.2% compared to the previous week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest data update. Deaths were up a bit in a number of states but were up more sharply in Oregon.

As winter nears, some parents are still searching for the new pediatric COVID shot In LA and elsewhere, some parents are having trouble finding the new pediatric COVID shot, especially for those under 5. Not all pediatricians or pharmacies have it, even if vaccines.gov says they do. LAist 89.3

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COVID-19 vaccine uptake in pregnancy linked to previous vaccine acceptance Advanced maternal age, obesity, Asian race, and private insurance were all correlated to COVID-19 vaccine uptake. CIDRAP

Pregnant patients who accepted recommended tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) and flu vaccines in pregnancy were more likely to also get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new study in the Journal of Infection.

Vaccine refusal linked to mistrust in health authorities Chinnapong/iStock CIDRAP

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In a new study in JAMA Network Open, authors review 28,000 interviews on vaccine uptake and hesitancy conducted in Hong Kong and Singapore from February 2020 through January 2022 to determine what was driving vaccine refusal.

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With virus season looming and awareness campaign funding slashed, experts see a scattered Covid-19 vaccine rollout ahead

Older adults are vulnerable in a warming climate. Better buildings could help protect them Older adults are living in a world that wasn’t built for them. STAT Wunderkind Amir Baniassadi is working to change that. Sarah Todd STAT

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Health Care ‘Game-Changer’? Feds Boost Care for Homeless Americans - KFF Health News This month, the federal government started paying for treatments delivered outside hospitals and clinics, expanding funding for “street medicine” teams that treat homeless patients. California led the way on the change, which could help sick and vulnerable patients get healthy, sober, and, in some cases, into housing. khnkytjaw KFF Health News

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A New Way to Inspire People to Get a COVID Vaccine Research on what makes people willing to donate organs shows how to motivate many of the unvaccinated this fall Benjamin Rosenberg,Jason Siegel,Katelyn Jetelina Scientific American

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Pfizer more than doubles price of lifesaving Covid-19 medication Paxlovid as US transitions out of pandemic phase | CNN The price of the lifesaving Covid-19 antiviral medication Paxlovid will more than double as the United States transitions out of the emergency phase of the pandemic, drugmaker Pfizer said Wednesday. Meg Tirrell CNN

The list price, before insurance, will be $1,390 for a five-day course, Pfizer said in a statement. That’s 2.6 times higher than the $530-per-course price paid by the US government, which provided Paxlovid free to patients during the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal first reported the new price.

U.S. income inequality grew through pandemic years, Fed survey shows American families on average saw large gains in income and wealth from 2019 to 2022 and households became less fragile during a period marked by the severe disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and massive subsequent government spending, a Federal Reserve survey published Wednesday showed. Ann Saphir Reuters

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Covid Relief Payments Triggered Feds to Demand Money Back From Social Security Recipients - KFF Health News Some Social Security beneficiaries say the government is clawing back benefits after they received covid stimulus payments that were supposed to be exempt from asset limits. khngabeb KFF Health News

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“The government gave this money to them with one hand. They should not be trying to take it back with the other,” said Jen Burdick, an attorney at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia who has helped many people contest repayment demands.

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Prepandemic ICU performance related to lower COVID mortality rates Caiaimage/Martin Barraud/iStock CIDRAP

... in Chest, a review of intensive care units (ICUs) across 10 Brazilian states shows that those with lower mortality rates pre-pandemic saw lower COVID-19 death rates.

Moreover, efficiently managed ICUs also saw lower mortality from the novel coronavirus, suggesting that hospital management is directly linked to patient outcomes.

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