Overnight Health Care — Presented by Indivior — Biden makes global COVID-19 push

View in your browser PRESENTED BY OVERNIGHT POLICY: Health Care Biden makes global COVID-19 push © Getty Images Welcome to Wednesday's Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. Subscribe here: thehill.com/newsletter-signup. Still have questions about how the COVID vaccines work? A new PSA from Seth MacFarlane's "Family Guy" will help answer them. It even impressed the former Surgeon General. President Biden convened a global COVID-19 summit to push for greater action to vaccinate the world, while some advocates said the effort is still coming up short. 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. Wealthy countries urged to 'step up' on vaccines © Getty Images President Biden called on other high-income countries to “step up” their efforts to vaccinate the world against the coronavirus during the White House’s COVID-19 summit Wednesday, pointing to new steps the U.S. is taking on the global vaccination push. What he said: “The United States is leading the world on vaccination donations,” Biden said as he opened the virtual summit. “As we're doing that, we need other high-income countries to deliver on their own ambitious vaccine donations and pledges.” “The only way to get this done is for everyone, everywhere, is for all of us, to step up, which I’m confident you will,” Biden told the group. New dose donation: The president pointed to a U.S. donation announced earlier Wednesday of 500 million more Pfizer vaccine doses to the world, coming next year, bringing the total U.S. pledged donation to more than 1.1 billion doses. Advocates push for more: Max Hadler, senior policy expert at Physicians for Human Rights, said in a statement Wednesday that vaccine “donations alone will be insufficient without high-income countries pushing pharmaceutical companies to share vaccine know-how.” Read more here.  US COMMITS $250 MILLION FOR NEW COVID FUND The White House also took action to focus on preparing for the next pandemic.  Vice President Harris called for a new global health security fund at the World Bank to focus on pandemic preparedness, with the Biden administration planning to contribute $250 million in seed funding, a White House official said. Harris, who made the announcement while leading a session of a global COVID-19 virtual summit, also revealed that the administration is requesting $850 million from Congress for the financial intermediary fund (FIF). The Biden administration is setting a goal of reaching $10 billion for the fund at the outset. “The truth is the work to end this pandemic and prepare for the next is a strategic imperative. It is essential to our security and our shared prosperity and it will save countless lives,” Harris said in prepared remarks at the outset of the meeting. The vice president described the goal of $10 billion for the financial intermediary fund as “ambitious” but “achievable” as she urged other nations and private organizations to contribute. “That is a fraction of a percent of global GDP,” she noted. Read more here.  A MESSAGE FROM INDIVIOR     It’s time to rethink opioid addiction. Let’s focus on ending the stigma around opioid use disorder and removing barriers to treatment for vulnerable populations.   Average daily COVID-19 deaths highest since early March © Getty Images The average number of daily COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. has increased to its highest level since early March, as the highly contagious delta variant infects individuals nationwide. The U.S. is seeing an average of more than 1,900 COVID-19 deaths a day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University cited by The Associated Press. The average number of deaths has risen 40 percent over the past two weeks, the AP noted, increasing from 1,387 to 1,947. The increased statistics come as the delta variant spreads throughout the U.S., posing a threat to communities nationwide — especially pockets of the country that are largely unvaccinated. Most of the recent COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have been among unvaccinated individuals, bolstering evidence that the shots are effective in protecting against serious illness. Read more here. GOOD NEWS? DELTA SURGE APPEARS TO BE PEAKING The delta surge appears to be peaking in the United States, meaning a decline in new infections and deaths may be on the way, according to a new analysis. The COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, a group made up of a team of researchers who produce short-term projections of various elements of the infectious disease, released its latest updated projections on the trajectory of the virus on Wednesday. As the surge peaks, some states may still see an influx in new cases and hospital admissions before the cases begin to taper off over the next few weeks. "Any of us who have been following this closely, given what happened with delta, are going to be really cautious about too much optimism," Justin Lessler, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, who helps run the hub, told NPR. "But I do think that the trajectory is towards improvement for most of the country."  According to the latest projection, of the four possible scenarios highlighted, the most likely indicates that children will be able to get vaccinated and another highly contagious variant will not emerge, leading to a decline in new cases and deaths. Read more here. OVERDOSE DEATHS SKYROCKET Methamphetamine-related overdose death rates in adults between ages 18 and 64 nearly tripled from 2015 to 2019.  A study published Wednesday in the journal "Jama Psychiatry" showed that mixing drugs and more frequent methamphetamine use were among the possible reasons for the rising death rates. The research was conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and found that the number of people using methamphetamine increased by only 43 percent in four years, according to an NIH press release. However, overdose deaths from psychostimulant drugs other than cocaine, most of which the researchers attributed to methamphetamine use, increased by 180 percent over the same time period. Historically, the drug is used by middle-aged white people, but recently groups of American Indians/Alaska Natives were using it most prevalently, the release reported.  Read more here. A MESSAGE FROM INDIVIOR     It’s time to rethink opioid addiction. Let’s focus on ending the stigma around opioid use disorder and removing barriers to treatment for vulnerable populations.   WHAT WE'RE READING Pfizer CEO rallies staff to fight Democrats’ drug price negotiation (Politico) Texas doctor fired for using leftover Covid-19 vaccine doses sues county for discrimination (CNN)  Most of $9.2 billion in questionable Medicare payments went to 20 insurers, investigators say (Wall Street Journal) Remdesivir reduces Covid hospitalizations when given early, study shows (Stat)  STATE BY STATE “An Unprecedented Event In Modern Medicine”: What Happens When A State Fails To Flatten The COVID Curve (BuzzFeed News) Alaska Gov. Dunleavy activates crisis standards of care for entire state to help COVID-overwhelmed hospitals (Anchorage Daily News) Massachusetts State Police Union fighting COVID-19 vaccine mandate ordered by Gov. Charlie Baker (WCVB) That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s healthcare page for the latest news and coverage. See you Thursday. 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 - 2021 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

Link