- A new study found that school districts that required students and staff to wear masks reported, on average, 23% fewer COVID-19 cases than those districts that did not.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky predicts that COVID-19 will likely circulate yearly similar to diseases such as the flu, and that it may be prudent, or even advised by the CDC, to wear masks indoors during certain parts of the year.
- Hundreds of “Test to Treat” sites—where high-risk patients with COVID symptoms can leave with a course of antiviral COVID treatment pills after testing positive on-site—are set to open this week.
- The federal mask mandate for air travel and public transportation has been extended to April 18. (to cover spring-break travel?)
White House and Federal Agencies
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky predicts that COVID-19 will likely circulate yearly similar to diseases such as the flu, and that it may be prudent, or even advised by the CDC, to wear masks indoors during certain parts of the year.
- The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on whether it should undo a lower court’s decision to block the Biden Administration’s requirement for all federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
- The case is one of several challenges to vaccine-related mandates making their way through the courts.
Economy, Vaccines, Testing and Treatment
- Hundreds of “Test to Treat” sites—where high-risk patients with COVID symptoms can leave with a course of antiviral COVID treatment pills after testing positive on-site—are set to open this week.
- Pfizer will begin testing the effectiveness of its COVID-19 antiviral pill, Paxlovid, in children aged 6-11.
- The federal mask mandate for air travel and public transportation has been extended to April 18.
- A study analyzing data collected by the CDC found that patients with congenital heart defects (CHD) may be at higher risk of severe COVID-19. Patients with CHD were more likely to be admitted to an ICU, to be placed on a ventilator, and die than those without CHD.
- The National Institute of Health (NIH) sponsored a nationwide consortium of 15 hospitals, including six Boston hospitals, whose goal is to understand the causes of, and available treatment options for, long COVID. The project is expected to add up to 200 more sites across the country. The project is notable compared to other studies surrounding long COVID both for its large scale and strategy of enrolling subjects from the onset of symptoms.
- A study of self-reported data from 7 million recipients of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID vaccines found that side-effects were generally both mild and short-lived, with fewer than 1% of people who reported negative side-effects requiring medical care.
- A World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group stated support for broad access to booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, contrasting with its earlier position that boosters contribute to global vaccine access inequity.
- A new study found that school districts that required students and staff to wear masks reported, on average, 23% fewer COVID-19 cases than those districts that did not.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
- The CDC published the following reports and website updates:
- Cases in the U.S.
- COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States
- COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Access and Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 5–11 Years — United States, November 2021–January 2022
- Mask Use on Public Transportation
- Stay Up to Date with Your COVID-19 Vaccines
- Self-Testing At Home or Anywhere
