Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
BCBS Of Michigan Must Pay $12.7M For Firing Worker Who Refused Covid Vax
Jurors in U.S. District Court in Detroit punished Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for terminating an employee for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic, potentially setting a precedent for employers across the state. The jury awarded $12.7 million to former IT specialist Lisa Domski after the Detroit-based insurance giant denied her religious accommodation request to forgo vaccination, as the company required it as a condition of her employment. Domski claimed the vaccine mandate violated her Catholic beliefs. (Walsh, 11/11)
Shelley Luther, the former Dallas salon owner who was jailed after reopening her salon during the COVID-19 pandemic, is heading to the Texas state house. (11/5)
More on covid and flu —
A study of children exposed to maternal COVID-19 before birth found no adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes by 2 years and a slight increase in parent-reported infant self-regulatory behavior—a generally positive finding—at 6 months. (Van Beusekom, 11/8)
In its weekly flu season update today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said though activity remains low nationally, there are slight increases in children, along with the first confirmed pediatric flu death of the 2024-25 season. (Schnirring, 11/8)
In global news about mpox and bird flu —
A case of H5 bird flu is believed to be detected in a human in Canada for the first time, health officials said Saturday. A teenager from the province of British Columbia tested positive for the virus and has been hospitalized, according to health officials from the province. The test is being sent to another lab to be confirmed. (Archie, 11/11)
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the launch of a trial of the antiviral smallpox drug brincidofovir for the treatment of mpox. The trial will be conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in partnership with Emergent BioSolutions. The announcement comes after yesterday’s milestone of 50,000 mpox cases across the continent. Brincidofovir has not yet been tested in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies for mpox, and there are currently no approved therapeutics to treat mpox. (Soucheray, 11/8)
