Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|March 24, 2021

Iowa news

Get vaccinated to protect yourself and prevent variants that may kill others, says ER doc

If you’re avoiding a shot because you’re afraid of needles, contracting COVID-19 and landing in a hospital would be your worst nightmare. The Des Moines Register’s editorial writer, Andie Dominick, caught up again with Tom Benzoni, MD, a local emergency room physician. Dominick has interviewed Dr. Benzoni more than a dozen times since the novel coronavirus pandemic hit Iowa. This interview marks one year since their first interview. (Des Moines Register)

Finley marks anniversary of its first COVID-19 patient, reflects on lives saved, lost in Dubuque

Staff members at UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital marked a solemn anniversary Tuesday and reflected on the toll of COVID-19. Dozens of workers gathered in the Dubuque hospital’s auditorium to recognize the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 patient admitted to Finley. Since that date, 310 COVID-19 patients have been treated at and discharged from the hospital, while 52 have died. Attendees observed a 52-second moment of silence in the latter’s memory. (Telegraph Herald)

Iowa City parents waiting for COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized for children

Three COVID-19 vaccines have been emergency-approved by the Food and Drug Administration for adults. The vaccine from Pfizer is authorized for people ages 16 and older, and the Moderna and single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccines are authorized for people older than 18. Moderna launched a vaccine trial for children ages 12 to 17 in December 2020, while Pfizer announced it has finished enrolling participants for its trial on children ages 12 to 15. After undergoing a near-fatal experience with meningitis as an infant and listening to stories of her mother contracting polio and grandmother battling whooping cough and scarlet fever, Laura Crossett said receiving vaccinations has always been essential for her family. (The Daily Iowan)

National news

US officials and an independent panel accused AstraZeneca of essentially cherry-picking trial data on the effectiveness of its vaccine

Only hours after AstraZeneca announced encouraging news about the effectiveness of its Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, a group of medical experts charged with monitoring the company’s clinical trial made a highly unusual accusation: AstraZeneca had essentially cherry-picked data to make its vaccine look better. The accusation, in a two-page letter sent Monday to the company and federal officials, was a fresh blow to the credibility of a vaccine whose low price and relatively easy storage have made it critical to the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic. (The New York Times)

Pfizer begins human trials of new pill to treat coronavirus

Pfizer has begun human safety testing of a new pill to treat the coronavirus that could be used at the first sign of illness. If it succeeds in trials, the pill could be prescribed early in an infection to block viral replication before patients get very sick. The drug binds to an enzyme called a protease to keep the virus from replicating. Protease-inhibiting medicines have been successful in treating other types of viruses, include HIV and Hepatitis C. (Bloomberg)

Roughly one in four Americans has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 83.9 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including about 45.5 million people who have been fully vaccinated by Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose vaccine or the two-dose series made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The work to distribute the vaccine comes as more than 543,000 people in the US have died after contracting the virus. (The New York Times)

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