A mask rollout
Today, the Biden administration announced that it would make 400 million nonsurgical N95 Masks free of cost at community pharmacies and retail pharmacies across America.
This move comes just days following the C.D.C. The C.D.C. updated its mask guidance to recognize that cloth masks are not as effective in protecting against the virus than respirators or surgical masks. The C.D.C. identifies N95 respirators as the best protection because they can filter 95 percent of all airborne particles.
The White House stated that N95 masks would be shipped to pharmacies and other health centers by the end of the week. They were also expected to be available to the general public by the end next week. The program should be up and running by February 1.
The masks will come from the Strategic National Stockpile, the nation’s emergency reserve. The stockpile was severely depleted in the initial stages of the pandemic, leaving health workers without the necessary protective gear to fight the coronavirus. The U.S. faced alarming shortages in personal protective gear as of December 2020.
These deficiencies were addressed by the Biden administration. According to officials, the stockpile currently contains 737 million N95 Masks. The government is seeking proposals from companies that can increase production to 141 millions N95 Masks per month in an emergency. Officials said they would also continue to manufacture at a lower rate if demand is lower so that the nation never again finds itself in a shortage in a public emergency.
The maddening search for treatment
Rebecca Robbins, my colleague, has been writing about Covid-19 vaccines for the past year. So when her vaccinated, 73-year-old mother tested positive for the virus last week, she set out to find one of two treatments: GlaxoSmithKline’s antibody infusion or Pfizer’s antiviral pills, known as Paxlovid.
What followed, Rebecca wrote, was a frustrating “seven-hour odyssey that would show me there was a lot I didn’t grasp.”
Omicron cases are increasing, and the demand for the drugs is rising. However, supplies have been limited. Rebecca was also racing against time — the treatments work best when taken soon after contracting the virus.
Many of the pharmacies near Rebecca’s mother in Santa Barbara, Calif., didn’t have the pills or had run out of them. Rebecca had to go to the doctor twice before she could get her mother a prescription for Paxlovid. Her mother’s doctor’s office didn’t prescribe the pill, and besides, they said, they would need to see her in person.
Surprisingly, many telemedicine providers, urgent care clinics, and doctors of other health systems told her that her mother would need a physical exam. That was an issue because her mother doesn’t drive and she would not consider taking a taxi or a bus and risk exposing others to the virus. “Other medical facilities I called that afternoon provided me with information that was just plain wrong,” Rebecca wrote.
Finally, her mother received a call from a doctor who was not her primary care provider and gave her a prescription. Her mother started the treatment and felt better within a few days.
“But the fact that the process was so hard for a journalist whose job it is to understand how Paxlovid gets delivered is not encouraging,” Rebecca wrote. “I worry that many patients or their family would give up when told ‘no’ as many times as I was.”
“I was also reminded that even a ‘free” treatment can come with significant costs,” she added. Between telemedicine visits, and Uber driver to deliver the pills, she spent $256.54 for the pills. This is a price many patients and their families might not be able to afford.
“President Biden recently called the Pfizer pills a ‘game changer,’” Rebecca wrote. “My experience suggests it won’t be quite so simple.”
Read Rebecca’s full story about her ordeal.
Tracking Omicrons in wastewater
Viral levels in local wastewater provide a strong, independent signal of how much virus is circulating in a given community, and sewage data is giving us fresh insights into Omicron’s spread, my colleagues Emily Anthes and Sabrina Imbler report.
The Coronavirus Pandemic – Key Facts to Know
BioBot Analytics data, which tracks the coronavirus levels in wastewater in 25 states shows that the Omicron wave may be cresting at different times and places. While viral levels are declining in large cities, they are still rising in smaller communities.
New York City and Boston, for example, have seen viral loads drop. This is consistent data suggesting that the virus may be at its peak in these cities. In San Diego, Denver, and St. Paul, viral levels in wastewater are also starting to drop.
The latest data suggests that the virus may still be in its early stages in areas of Ohio and Utah, Florida, as well as large parts of rural Missouri. The virus could be peaking in Houston.
Tracking the virus in sewage is helping some cities and hospitals respond to the Omicron wave, but it’s not perfect. Experts say there are delays between the time wastewater samples are collected and when results are made public. This is why a coordinated national effort is necessary.
What else we’re following
What you’re doing
I am 70 years old, vaxxed, and boosted. I am driving south from the Adirondacks area to southern Arizona. I took a diagonal road across the states and I was shocked at the lack masks. I was in an Indiana hotel when I met a young lady with a luggage cart stuffed with boxes of take-out food. I asked her if she knew of any conventions. She replied that these were meals for people in this hotel who are sick with Covid and can’t travel any farther. This was just one of eight hotels she had been delivering meals. I continue to wear my mask and wash my hands.
— Patricia Purtell, Northville, N.Y.
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Source: NY Times
