A brave Philadelphia man achieved greatness this weekend after he successfully ate 40 rotisserie chickens in 40 days. And Alexander wept.
Today in health, we’ll be looking at what actions lawmakers are taking to deal with the looming cyber threats against the U.S. health sector.
Welcome to Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. For The Hill, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Someone forward you this newsletter?
How officials are tackling cyber threats in health care
Congress is increasingly sounding the alarm over cyber threats targeting the health care sector.
Several congressional lawmakers have stepped up their efforts to protect the industry amid a rise in cyberattacks by introducing policies and recommendations aimed at addressing and mitigating such threats.
“Over the past decade, the American public has witnessed increasingly brazen and disruptive attacks on its health care sector that jeopardize sensitive personal information, delay treatment, and ultimately lead to increased suffering and death,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, noted in a report published this week, before outlining recommendations on ways the federal government can improve security standards in the sector to combat those attacks.
The report, which is divided into three sections, recommends that the federal government improve the country’s cybersecurity risk posture in the health care sector, help the private sector mitigate cyber threats and assist health care providers in responding to and recovering from cyberattacks.
- “The senator’s report addresses areas of weakness that hospitals have worked tirelessly to mitigate for a long time,” said Christopher Plummer, a senior cybersecurity architect at Dartmouth Health.
- “Just seeing an acknowledgement of this in writing, and from this level of the government, gives a lot of hope,” Plummer added.
Plummer said that the rising challenges of cybersecurity insurance and the labor shortage of cyber workers across industries were among a few topics in the report that resonated with him. He added that the resources hospitals need to combat threats will vary greatly based on the size and cyber capabilities of the company.
Paxlovid effective in reducing long COVID symptoms
A recent preprint study found that Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid may be effective in reducing the risk of developing long COVID in patients recovering from coronavirus infections.
The study, funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), looked through the VA’s health care databases and identified individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 between March and June 2022.
Methodology: Overall, 56,340 participants were included in the study, among whom 9,217 were given Paxlovid within five days of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, while the remaining 47,123 did not receive any form of COVID-19 antiviral or antibody treatment in the 30 days after their diagnosis.
The findings:
- Among the group that received no treatments, 9.43 per 100 persons reported developing long COVID at 90 days after diagnosis. People who received Paxlovid had an occurrence rate of 7.11 per 100 persons, indicating a
25 percent risk reduction for developing long COVID. - Researchers noted that this reduced risk was observed across multiple subgroups, including those separated by age, race, sex, whether they were smokers, whether they were vaccinated or whether they had chronic health conditions.
Long COVID is still not well understood as a condition more than two years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic. It presents through numerous, wide-ranging symptoms, and experts are not in agreement about how to define the condition.
Anywhere between 15 and 50 percent of people who contract COVID-19 may have long COVID depending on which definition is used.
There is no way to test for long COVID, so much of the reporting on the disease is dependent on self-reported information. While the specifics are still being debated, many COVID long-haulers, as they have come to be known, struggle with the lingering symptoms.
HALF OF DENTISTS SAY PATIENTS COME TO APPOINTMENTS HIGH
Fifty-two percent of dentists say patients have arrived to appointments high on marijuana or another drug, according to a new survey from the American Dental Association (ADA).
The findings come as more states permit recreational use of marijuana and several weigh decriminalizing psychedelic substances like psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms.
However, dentists are raising concerns and suggest patients refrain from marijuana use prior to an appointment, as the drug could affect oral health and treatment.
- Because marijuana can increase anxiety, paranoia and hyperactivity, it can make visits to the dentist’s office more stressful, ADA spokesperson Tricia Quartey said.
- “Unfortunately, sometimes having marijuana in your system results in needing an additional visit,” said Quartey.
Research has shown cannabis use is associated with poor oral health, with one study finding the drug’s use was linked with gum bleeding, loose teeth and gum disease.
TEEN E-CIG ADDICTION MORE INTENSE, STARTING YOUNGER: REPORT
Between 2014 and 2021, the age at which adolescents first began using e-cigarettes dropped by nearly 2 months per calendar year while the age of initiation for other tobacco products remained the same.
At the same time, intensity of e-cigarette use and addiction increased so that by 2019, more e-cigarette users were using a tobacco product within five minutes of waking up compared with cigarette smokers and all other tobacco product users combined.
Tenfold: Between 2014 and 2017, less than 1 percent of e-cigarette users reported using the devices within five minutes of waking up, while by 2021 the total grew to 10.3 percent.
- Overall, between 2014 and 2021, adolescent e-cigarette addiction surpassed that for all other forms of tobacco products combined.
- The results are based on a survey of 151,000 students in grades six to 12 with an average age of 15. Findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
- However, despite the current findings, trends show fewer teens overall are using e-cigarettes. In 2019, it was estimated around 5.3 million middle and high-schoolers used the products; that total fell to 2.1 million in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Agency pauses travel to Antarctica due to COVID
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a two-week pause on travel to Antarctica after more than 70 COVID-19 cases were detected at its research outpost on the continent.
In a statement released on Friday, NSF said it would be moving to reduce the “density” of the population at the McMurdo research station in Antarctica, where nearly 1,000 researchers are deployed.
- “The U.S. National Science Foundation’s priority is always the health and safety of our communities while ensuring the overall science mission can be achieved. Following the confirmation of more than 70 positive cases at McMurdo station, NSF is reviewing the existing protocols implemented at the start of the season in September to reduce the transmission rates,” the agency said.
- In a second update over the weekend, the NSF said it would be “implementing a pause on all travel to [Antarctica] for the next two weeks, effective immediately, while we reassess the situation.”
This pause excludes essential travel needed for health and safety reasons.
The NSF said 10 percent of the deployed population at Antarctica is currently testing positive for COVID-19. Due to this infection rate, those at McMurdo has been advised to wear KN-95 masks at all times.
WHAT WE’RE READING
- Hospitalizations for eating disorders grew in the pandemic. The problem isn’t over, experts say (CNN)
- Race question in Supreme Court adoption case unnerves tribes (The New York Times)
- The outcome of state legislative races will shape the future of abortion (The 19th News)
STATE BY STATE
- ‘We’re sick of watching women die’: In Michigan, doctors rally to protect abortion access (Stat)
- Election canvassers want Latinos to know voting is good for their health (Kaiser Health News)
- Michigan health system restricts visitors under 5 due to spike in RSV, flu cases (ABC News)
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Health Care page for the latest news and coverage. See you tomorrow.