Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Director Says Updated Covid Shots Will Come This Fall
Americans should expect yet another update of the Covid-19 vaccine this fall at about the same time as flu shots are available, the top US public health official said Monday. Researchers are working on selecting a strain for the upcoming version, and will probably wait until May to pick one to target with vaccines, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen said in an interview at Bloomberg鈥檚 offices in Washington. (Denham and Griffin, 3/4)
A community of "long COVID" patients and activists are planning a march in Washington, D.C., to protest a recent announcement from the CDC. A community called LC/DC, which describes itself as non-partisan, is planning a protest at the Lincoln Memorial on March 15. (Rudy, 3/4)
The federal government鈥檚 free at-home COVID-19 test program will be suspended beginning Friday in response to a drop in respiratory diseases. The Biden administration brought back the free test program last year ahead of the respiratory viral season. By going to COVIDtests.gov, households could order a free pack of four at-home COVID-19 tests. This most recent batch of free tests was the sixth round made available. (Choi, 3/4)
Scientists examining SARS-CoV-2 wastewater samples in Southeast Asia have detected a few samples containing the BA.2.87.1 variant, the first known detection outside of South Africa. In mid February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is closely monitoring BA.2.87.1 because it has more than 30 changes in the spike protein compared to XBB.1.5, the variant covered by the current monovalent (single-strain) vaccines. (Schnirring, 3/4)
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. renewed calls on Monday for a national day to honor the lives taken by COVID-19. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Warren urged Congress to pass a resolution to designate the first Monday of March as "COVID-19 Victims Memorial Day." "Over a million Americans have died due to COVID-19鈥攊ncluding many family members & loved ones," she wrote. "We must honor & remember the lives lost." (Casiano, 3/4)
