Good morning. We start the week with a glimpse of Omicron's sister variant, a view of the devil's bargain people with chronic conditions make, and a closer look at gene-sequencing giant Illumina's new(ish) technology.

Vaccines still protect against Omicron’s sister variant, early data indicate

New data show that vaccines still protect against a spinoff of the Omicron variant, a welcome sign as the world keeps a close eye on the latest coronavirus iteration. BA.2, as the sublineage is known, is part of the broader Omicron umbrella. Scientists are paying more attention to it as it begins to eat into the dominance of the more common Omicron strain, technically called BA.1. BA.1 has driven spikes in cases around the world, but in India, the Philippines, South Africa, and several countries in Europe, BA.2 has been dislaying a growth advantage over BA.1. Data last week from the U.K. Health Security Agency offered reassuring news: There does not appear to be any loss of vaccine effectiveness against BA.2 compared to BA.1. Still, there’s another question: what the spinoff’s snowballing means epidemiologically. STAT’s Andrew Joseph explains.

'Devil's choice': Take an immune-suppressant with Covid risk or watch his wrist disintegrate?

“Harebrained.” That’s what Larry Tye says is the best word to describe his starting to take an immunosuppressing drug like Humira in the midst of a pandemic where a counterattack by the immune system is the body’s best defense. The only thing more insane, he writes in a STAT First Opinion, would have been not doing that and letting rheumatoid arthritis eat away at the tissue in his wrists without trying the most promising treatment for arresting the disease’s progress. “A devil’s bargain,” he calls it, but one he shares with millions of others with chronic conditions. A former newspaper reporter now running a health journalism fellowship while also writing his ninth book, he spends 12 hours a day at a keyboard, which would tax even healthy hands and wrists. He tallied the pros and cons; you can read his calculus here.

Adults with disabilities hospitalized for Covid-19 fared worse

Adults with disabilities whose Covid infections sent them to the hospital did worse than other patients, staying longer and returning for more care at higher rates, a study at seven Ontario medical centers published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reports, echoing other studies in the U.S. and U.K. The researchers expected worse Covid-19 outcomes in patients with disabilities, given their higher rate of other underlying conditions and the health issues their disabilities cause. But their risks for longer stays and readmission were not explained by sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, or illness severity on arrival. Patients with traumatic brain injury, intellectual or developmental disabilities, and multiple disabilities fared the worst. “Our findings suggest disability-related needs should be included in plans for Covid-19 response, in particular to support patients in hospital and to plan postdischarge support,” the authors write.

Closer look: Illumina’s move into long-read technology marks a shift for DNA sequencing

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If DNA is the book of life, there’s a subplot around the race to read genetic information quickly, accurately, and cheaply. And the next chapter promises to be interesting. Gene-sequencing giant Illumina plans to roll out technology later this year, dubbed Infinity, that will read DNA in far larger chunks than the company has ever tackled before. It’s an approach that could help diagnose rare diseases and decipher parts of the human genome long a mystery to researchers. The news was striking because the new technology, known as long-read sequencing, isn’t so new. So why now? What are the implications for its competitors and academic labs, hospitals, and biotechs that rely on sequencing? Illumina declined to talk to STAT’s Jonathan Wosen, but Dawn Barry, once Illumina’s vice president of applied genomics, told him, “The race is on.” Read more.

At their first opioid prescription, patients who overdose have some things in common

The opioid epidemic grinds on, sometimes overshadowed by the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. A new paper in JAMA Network Open looks at people’s first opioid prescriptions to trace the path some of them traveled to overdose and death. The analysis of insurance claims data for more than 236,000 adults in Oregon picked up several factors that people who overdosed had in common. They were more likely to be men, over 75, insured by Medicaid or Medicare Advantage, and have substance use disorder or depression and underlying medical conditions. They were at higher risk if they were first prescribed oxycodone or tramadol, already taking benzodiazepines, and filling their prescriptions at three or more pharmacies. The authors suggest that flagging these factors might help doctors see which patients are most likely to be harmed when that first prescription is written.

How the hospital of the future may not be anything like what you expect

Close your eyes for a few seconds and imagine what a hospital will look like 10 years in the future. If medical robots, artificial intelligence, and other technologies come to mind, you are on the right track. But if you picture these innovations happening in a sprawling hospital campus, think again. “Radical changes afoot in health care philosophy, medical technology, and treatment capability will lead to hospital-quality care being administered outside of hospitals — in primary care and urgent care center and in people’s homes,” Rob Rohatsch of Solv Health and the University of Tennessee writes in a STAT First Opinion. “These changes will create more comfortable conditions for patients, yield better outcomes, and be more affordable.” Read how that may play out.

What to read around the web today

When Omicron isn’t so mild. New York Times
The coronavirus will surprise us again. The Atlantic
Roche looks to compete against a blockbuster with its newly approved vision drug. STAT
Drugmakers raised prices by 6.6% on average early this year. Wall Street Journal
RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine crusade deepens rift with family and friends. Boston Globe