Overnight Health Care — Presented by AstraZeneca and Friends of Cancer Research — Biden seeks to alleviate omicron concerns

View in your browser PRESENTED BY OVERNIGHT POLICY: Health Care Biden seeks to alleviate omicron concerns © Associated Press/Andrew Harnik Welcome to Tuesday’s Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. Subscribe here: thehill.com/newsletter-signup.  An untreated, frozen road trapped drivers overnight on I-95 in Virginia, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who arrived at the Capitol nearly 27 hours after he left home.   President Biden addressed the nation on Tuesday attempting to alleviate concerns about the omicron variant as cases have spiked nationwide.   For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan (psullivan@thehill.com), Nathaniel Weixel (nweixel@thehill.com) and Justine Coleman (jcoleman@thehill.com). Write to us with tips and feedback, and follow us on Twitter: @PeterSullivan4, @NateWeixel and @JustineColeman8.  Let’s get started.  Biden eases omicron alarm, urges vaccinations © AP-Carolyn Kaster President Biden on Tuesday sought to tamp down worries about the omicron coronavirus variant, underscoring that COVID-19 vaccines protect against severe illness from the virus.  Speaking before a briefing with his COVID-19 advisers at the White House, Biden said that the U.S. has the tools to protect Americans from severe illness from the virus.   “If you are vaccinated and boosted you are highly protected,” Biden said, noting that those who are vaccinated can still contract COVID-19 but are unlikely to become seriously ill.  “Be concerned about omicron but don’t be alarmed. But if you’re unvaccinated, you have some reason to be alarmed,” he said.  Read more here.   A MESSAGE FROM ASTRAZENECA AND FRIENDS OF CANCER RESEARCH The Battle Against Cancer: Setting the Next Agenda To mark 50 years since the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971, a select group of thought leaders working at the intersection of public health and oncology participated in a roundtable discussion, hosted by The Hill in partnership with Friends of Cancer Research and AstraZeneca’s YOUR Cancer Program, on expanding access to oncology precision medicine. Learn more. BIDEN CALLS FOR SCHOOLS TO STAY OPEN President Biden on Tuesday reiterated his belief that schools in the United States should remain physically open despite the wave of coronavirus cases driven largely by the omicron variant.  Biden noted during remarks at the White House that his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan included billions of dollars to help support school reopenings during the coronavirus pandemic.  “We have no reason to think at this point that omicron is worse for children than previous variants. We know that our kids can be safe when in school by the way. That’s why I believe schools should remain open. They have what they need,” Biden said before a briefing with his COVID-19 response team.  Political issue: Republicans have tried to make school reopenings a political issue, arguing that Democrats are siding with teachers unions and support closing schools during the pandemic.   Some schools have decided to revert to remote learning for periods of time as cases surge around the country, including districts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.  Read more here.   More Pfizer pills on the way...but is it enough? © Pfizer Media Relations via AP The United States is purchasing an additional 10 million courses of Pfizer's COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid, the company said Tuesday, bringing the total U.S. order to 20 million.   The move comes as the Biden administration seeks to ramp up the treatments available as another tool to battle the virus.  Pfizer also said Tuesday that the delivery of the first 10 million courses has been accelerated to June, with the following 10 million coming by September.  Calls for more: Experts have been pushing the White House to do more to ramp up production of the treatment given that it can play a major role in defanging the virus, but it is expected to be in shortage in the near term.  The White House previously said that just 265,000 courses of the treatment would be available in January, amid a major surge of COVID-19.  Officials have pointed to a complex manufacturing process as posing hurdles to getting doses sooner.   "It’s still way too small and too late to meet the anticipated needs," Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, wrote in an email after the announcement of the new order.    Read more here.   CDC: Omicron now 95 percent of all cases © Hill Illustration/Madeline Monroe/iStock The omicron variant accounted for 95.4 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases diagnosed during the week ending on Jan. 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   The new data shows how quickly the highly transmissible variant has taken over, displacing the previously dominant delta variant. Just two weeks earlier, in the week ending Dec. 18, omicron accounted for only 38 percent of U.S. cases, the CDC said.   The omicron variant has fueled a massive spike in cases, to over 400,000 per day nationwide, but there is mounting evidence that the variant, on average, causes less severe disease than previous variants.  Key is hospitalizations: Still, while most people will have mild cases, even a small percentage getting hospitalized poses a risk to the hospital system given the massive number of total infections.    About 100,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a New York Times tracker, about the same as the peak from the delta wave over the summer, and the number is climbing quickly.   The CDC last month significantly revised down its estimates for omicron's prevalence. But the range of the latest estimate is smaller, indicating a higher level of confidence.   Read more here.  CDC RECOMMENDS PFIZER RECIPIENTS GET BOOSTER AFTER 5 MONTHS The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended on Tuesday that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine recipients get a booster dose five months after their second shot instead of the previously approved six months.  The agency endorsed the shorter period after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the reduced timeline on Monday for those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.  The CDC also suggested moderately and severely immunocompromised 5- to 11-year-olds get an additional dose about a month after their second shot, aligning their recommendations for the age group with immunocompromised adults.  The CDC’s advisory panel is slated to meet Wednesday to discuss whether to recommend boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds after the FDA expanded access to the extra doses among young teens.  For other vaccines: The CDC still suggests that Johnson & Johnson and Moderna recipients receive their boosters two months and six months, respectively, after completing the primary series.  Read more here.   WHAT WE’RE READING Governors demand schools stay open but districts may lack enough teachers (Politico)  Some drug makers quietly resumed donations to lawmakers who denied Biden’s election victory (Stat)  Walmart, Kroger raise prices of Covid-19 test kits (The Wall Street Journal) A MESSAGE FROM ASTRAZENECA AND FRIENDS OF CANCER RESEARCH The Battle Against Cancer: Setting the Next Agenda To mark 50 years since the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971, a select group of thought leaders working at the intersection of public health and oncology participated in a roundtable discussion, hosted by The Hill in partnership with Friends of Cancer Research and AstraZeneca’s YOUR Cancer Program, on expanding access to oncology precision medicine. Learn more. STATE BY STATE Indiana limits rapid COVID tests due to supply shortage (The Associated Press)  FEMA will open six new COVID testing sites in Texas as state awaits antibody treatments (Houston Chronicle)  As COVID patients strain N.J. hospitals, staff shortages force state to call in help (NJ.com)    OP-EDS IN THE HILL A year of hospital price transparency offers hope for affordable care  Republicans are putting COVID vaccine politics ahead of national security 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. Sign Up for Health Care Forward Health Care Privacy Policy  |   Manage Subscriptions  |   Unsubscribe Email to a friend  |   Sign Up for Other Newsletters The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 © 1998 - 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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