Thanks to Omicron, nearly 60% in U.S. have been infected with Covid-19

Nearly 6 in 10 people in the U.S. — including 3 in 4 children — have now been infected with Omicron or another coronavirus variant, CDC data analyzed through February and released yesterday show. The new findings highlight just how widely Omicron has spread in the country. (Also yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris reported she had tested positive, although she has no symptoms.) Before Omicron took off in the U.S. in December, about 1 in 3 people had been infected. The updated figures come from a study measuring seroprevalence of the coronavirus, testing blood samples for antibodies generated only by an infection — different from the antibodies that Covid-19 vaccines elicit. A caveat: “We know that the reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg,” CDC’s Kristie Clarke said. STAT’s Andrew Joseph and I have more.

Global coalition seeks $4.8 billion to 'finish the fight' against polio

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is seeking $4.8 billion to fund operations over the next five years aimed at finally ridding the world of polio. The partners in the effort announced the funding request yesterday, laying out an investment case for the program. The world would save $33.1 billion this century by eradicating polio, they said, compared to the cost of continually battling to contain it. “Despite enormous progress, polio still paralyzes far too many children around the world — and even one child is too many,” said Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF. “We must do whatever it takes to finish the fight.” The request comes at a difficult time, with war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, and other crises competing for aid dollars. Read more from STAT’s Helen Branswell.

Daily aspirin offers little to no benefit for most adults trying to prevent heart disease

Taking low-dose aspirin every day to prevent a heart attack or stroke provides little to no benefit to people without cardiovascular disease but could instead increase the risk of dangerous bleeding, a new report from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says. For adults ages 60 and up with no cardiovascular disease or high risk of developing it, the task force determined there was no benefit to starting aspirin if not already on it. Among adults 40 to 59 years old, the task force concluded “with moderate certainty” that there was a small net benefit among those who have a 10% or higher risk of developing heart disease in a 10-year period. In the last several years, new evidence has “cast doubt over ‘aspirin for all,’” Carlos G. Santos-Gallego of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City told STAT’s Isabella Cueto. Read more.

Closer look: This doctor wants to bring back surprise billing

(mike reddy for stat)

If Daniel Haller gets his way, surprise medical bills will be back in full force. Haller, an acute-care surgeon on Long Island in New York, is suing the federal government over the No Surprises Act, a new law that protects people from receiving unexpected bills from out-of-network doctors. He argues the entire law should be thrown out because it violates his constitutional rights to bill patients directly for any “balance of the fair value” of his services, according to his complaint. Haller doesn’t present himself as a ruthless businessman. He was on the frontlines of New York’s initial Covid-19 surge. He gives his cell number to patients and encourages them to call at any hour. But like many emergency surgeons, Haller shuns most health insurance contracts and puts the onus on patients to pick up the tab. STAT’s Bob Herman has more in STAT+ on the long shot lawsuit.

Antibiotic use tied to lower vaccine response

In the first two years of life, infants and toddlers are vaccinated against many common childhood diseases, requiring shots every few months to build up immunity. These early years are also when they develop ear infections or other illnesses treated with antibiotics. A small new study in Pediatrics reports that children given antibiotics before age 2 had lower levels of antibodies induced by vaccination. Among 560 children in the study, having broad-spectrum antibiotics, longer prescriptions, and more antibiotic courses during the first year of life were more often linked to antibodies in blood samples that were below protective levels. The findings echo — but don’t prove — research in adults that connects antibiotic use to disruption of immune function in the gut microbiome. The authors recommend both further research and judicious prescribing of antibiotics for these young children.

Black patients less likely to get proton-beam radiation therapy for cancer

Proton beam therapy is a form of radiation treatment that deploys protons to send beams of high energy that destroy tumor cells, unlike much more common photon-based radiation treatment. Because proton beam therapy can more precisely target tumors, it can limit damage to healthy tissue surrounding the tumor, making it potentially more helpful for tumors with complex anatomy in adults or in children’s cancers. But the therapy comes at a heftier price, double the cost of traditional radiation therapy. A new study in JAMA Network Open finds that it also comes with a disparity. Even though a growing number of facilities offer it, Black patients were less likely than white patients to receive it, in particular for the specific cancers for which it is better suited than traditional radiation. The disparity remained after the researchers accounted for socioeconomic status or health insurance coverage, highlighting differences in who benefits from advances in medical treatment.

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On this week's episode of the "First Opinion Podcast," First Opinion editor Patrick Skerrett talks with Benjamin Miller about 988, the new mental health crisis hotline for the entire U.S., scheduled to roll out July 16. Listen here.

What to read around the web today

Pfizer asks FDA to authorize booster shots for kids ages 5 through 11. NPR
Can virtual reality help ease chronic pain? New York Times
Manchin won’t support new health policy unless Congress rolls back Trump tax cuts. STAT+
California inmate overdoses plummet under drug program. Associated Press
Biofourmis raises $300 million as it looks to drive adoption of remote care. STAT+