Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: Boosters for all, Chinese herbs, drug overdoses & more
Each week, we offer you a roundup of our noteworthy coronavirus coverage.
More than 47.5 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Friday morning, Nov. 19, according to Johns Hopkins University. That includes more than 768,000 people who have died nationwide.
Globally, there have been more than 256 million confirmed cases of the highly infectious virus, with more than 5.1 million reported deaths.
More than 195.6 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Nov. 17 — about 59% of the total population, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker shows. More than 31.5 million people have received a booster dose.
Here’s what happened between Nov. 12 to Nov. 18.
Can states allow anyone 18 and up to get COVID-19 boosters?
Federal health officials authorized COVID-19 booster shots for adults in certain groups in recent months with the goal of prioritizing those at highest risk of infection and severe disease.
Now, states overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases are taking matters into their own hands.
California and Colorado health officials announced this week that any adult can receive a COVID-19 booster shot as long as they are at least six months past their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or at least two months past their Johnson & Johnson shot.
But can states override federal health guidance? Here’s what experts say.
Can ancient mushrooms and Chinese herbs treat COVID-19?
California researchers are running three clinical trials designed to test whether ancient mushrooms and Chinese herbs used to treat infectious diseases for centuries can help prevent moderately sick COVID-19 patients from progressing to more severe illness.
The trials, led by experts at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the University of California, Los Angeles, are “among the first” to study approaches to medicine that veer away from traditional Western techniques in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials — the gold standard for understanding the effectiveness of medical interventions.
Only until recently have some integrative medicine techniques been gaining popularity and acceptance among the medical community, such as acupuncture, researchers said, even though natural therapies have been used to fight epidemics for centuries.
Drug overdose deaths reached new high during COVID-19 pandemic
Over 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States during the 12 months following the initial lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic, according to new data from the CDC.
The number is a record high for drug-related deaths within a single year — the previous 12-month period, from April 2019 to April 2020, saw 78,056 deaths, the data shows. The number also surpasses the number of deaths from car crashes, guns, and flu and pneumonia.
Experts say the surge in deaths is likely a product of the challenges the coronavirus pandemic presented. People all over the country lost jobs, were cut off from their social networks and forced into limbo. In many cases, they had to watch — often from a distance — as their friends and family suffered from, and sometimes succumbed to, the deadly virus.
Doctor resigns after posting COVID-19 info ‘not based in science’
An ear, nose and throat doctor at Houston Methodist Hospital has resigned after she was suspended for posting what the hospital called “dangerous misinformation” regarding COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.
On Nov. 12, the hospital tweeted that Dr. Mary Bowden, a private practice doctor who had recently joined the medical team, was using social media to post “harmful” opinions that did not “reflect reliable medical evidence or the values of Houston Methodist.”
In a string of tweets, the hospital added that Bowden had told her superiors she was vaccinated, which is required of all doctors at the hospital.
Nearly 100 kids got ‘incorrect’ COVID-19 vaccine dose at Maryland school
Nearly 100 children received an “incorrect” COVID-19 vaccine dosage at an elementary school in Maryland, county officials said.
Parents of 98 students who attend South Lake Elementary School in Montgomery County, next to Washington, D.C., learned their children “received doses of the Pfizer vaccine that were diluted more than recommended” on Nov. 10, the county said in a Nov. 15 news release.
The students received the incorrect Pfizer doses at a pop-up clinic held at the school.
Kids got wrong doses of COVID-19 vaccine at California clinic
A California health clinic gave 14 pediatric patients incorrect doses of a COVID-19 vaccine over the weekend, Sutter Health officials reported.
A clinic in Antioch gave out vaccines with incorrect doses of diluent, which is used to dilute the concentrated form of the vaccine, to 14 children ages 5-11, the health system said in a statement.
“The safety of our patients is our top priority, and we immediately reviewed our processes to help make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said pediatrician Dr. Jimmy Hu, chair of the Sutter Health COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 7:06 AM.
