COVID in California: You can still use your expired at-home COVID test, FDA says

Paxlovid of no benefit to younger adults, study shows

Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk seniors, according to a large study published Wednesday. The results from a 109,000-patient Israeli study showed that Paxlovid cut hospitalizations among people 65 and older by roughly 75% when given shortly after infection. That’s consistent with earlier results used to authorize the drug in the U.S. and other nations. But people between the ages of 40 and 65 saw no measurable benefit, according to the analysis of medical records. “Paxlovid will remain important for people at the highest risk of severe COVID-19, such as seniors and those with compromised immune systems,” said Dr. David Boulware, a University of Minnesota researcher and physician, who was not involved in the study. “But for the vast majority of Americans who are now eligible, this really doesn’t have a lot of benefit.” A spokesman for Pfizer declined to comment on the results, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Should you wait for new vaccines that target omicron?

The Chronicle’s Pandemic Problems advice column today fields two inquiries about the new “bivalent” COVID vaccines and boosters expected to roll out in the coming weeks that target both earlier strains of the virus and later variants in the omicron family. If you’ve never had a booster, or you’re due for one, should you go ahead and have the “old” shots from Pfizer or Moderna — or wait a while longer for new ones that should protect better against newer coronavirus strains? It could depend on how old you are, as our columnist explains.

Contra Costa County rescinds vaccine mandate for first responders

First responders and other emergency personnel in Contra Costa County will no longer be required to be vaccinated or boosted against COVID-19 after Contra Costa Health Services on Tuesday rescinded the health order originally issued in August 2021. The change goes into effect immediately, according to Bay City News via KRON. The rule applied to law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. “While the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters remain excellent tools for substantially reducing the risk of severe disease and death, as a result of the mutations, the protection against infection and transmission offered by the current COVID-19 vaccines has diminished,” Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the county’s health officer said. “As a result, both vaccinated and unvaccinated people are becoming infected with current circulating strains of the virus.” About 84% of Contra Costa County residents have completed their primary vaccination series, and 54% have received at least one booster dose of the vaccine.

Long COVID keeping as many as 4 million Americans out of work, report suggests

Of the 16 million working-age Americans who have reported experiencing long COVID, between 2 to 4 million are out of work due to the symptoms of the persistent condition, according to a new report from the non-partisan Brookings Institution research group. Those still experiencing three or more symptoms 12 weeks after the onset of the disease make up 1.5% to 2% of the entire civilian labor force, based on census data, with the annual cost of lost wages being around $170 billion a year and potentially as high as $230 billion. The report suggests some government interventions can help prevent the crisis from growing worse, such as doubling down on prevention strategies (vaccines, masks, ventilation), improved working accommodations, and better data collection.

You can still use your expired at-home COVID test, FDA says

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently extended the shelf life of several at-home over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic tests, saying many can be safely used for six months beyond the expiration date listed on the packaging. That includes the free tests distributed by the federal government. For a list of authorized tests and their updated expiration dates, consumers can visit the FDA website.

COVID deaths in U.S. forecast to decline for first time since April

Figures show the number of newly reported COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. is likely to see a moderate decrease over the next four weeks, with 1,900 to 4,800 new deaths likely reported in the week ending Sept. 17, according to the national ensemble forecast used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This marks the first time that virus-related fatalities have been projected to decrease since April. Data show California may record between 200 to 300 additional COVID-19 deaths in that time. About 34% of counties, districts, or territories remain in the “high” COVID-19 community level, according to the public health agency, while 41% of counties are in “medium” and 25% are at “low.” The national seven-day average of new cases has dropped about 10% compared to last week, while COVID-19 hospitalizations have decreased by about 6%.

Type 2 diabetes in youth increased 77% during COVID pandemic

Newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes among youth in the U.S. increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in enormous strain on pediatric diabetes health care providers, patients, and families, according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center reviewed patient records from 24 hospitals, analyzing data from 3,113 COVID-19 individuals between the ages of 8 to 21 years who had a new type 2 diabetes diagnosis and in the 85th percentile body-mass index from March 2018 to February 2021. They found that the rate increased by 77.3% in the first year of the pandemic compared with the average in the 2 prior years, with the average age of the patients was 14.4-years-old. Few patients were also diagnosed as having COVID-19 at hospitalization. “Whether the increase was caused by COVID-19 infection, or just associated with environmental changes and stressors during the pandemic is unclear,” the researchers said. “Further studies are needed to determine whether this rise is limited to the United States and whether it will persist over time.”

Jill Biden has ‘rebound’ COVID-19 case, president still negative

First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 again in an apparent “rebound” case, after she initially tested negative for the virus over the weekend, the Associated Press reports. President Joe Biden, three days with his wife at their Rehoboth Beach, Del. vacation home, continues to test negative, the White House said. He also suffered a rebound case earlier this month after an initial recovery from the virus. Jill Biden first tested positive for the virus on Aug. 15, when she and her husband were vacationing in Kiawah Island, S.C. She isolated in the beach town until she received two negative tests and was cleared to meet the president in Delaware on Sunday. Biden’s deputy communications director Kelsey Donohue said she “has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and will remain in Delaware where she has reinitiated isolation procedures.” She added: “The White House Medical Unit has conducted contact tracing and close contacts have been notified.”

Trump administration pressured FDA on unproven COVID treatments

Officials in the Trump White House tried to pressure U.S. health experts into reauthorizing a discredited COVID-19 treatment, according to a congressional investigation that provides new evidence of that administration’s efforts to override Food and Drug Administration decisions early in the pandemic. The report Wednesday by the Democratic-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis also sheds new light on the role that television personalities played in bringing hydroxychloroquine to the attention of top White House officials, the Associated Press reports. Investigators highlighted an email from Fox News’ Laura Ingraham and others from Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon who had a daytime TV show and is now the Republican Senate nominee in Pennsylvania. FDA commissioners said they felt “persistent” pressure from Trump aide Peter Navarro to reauthorize hydroxychloroquine after the FDA’s decision to pull its emergency use. The White House also objected to an FDA requirement that vaccine makers gather two months of safety data before filing their applications, contending that condition would delay the launch of the shots.