7 days in healthcare (22-28 November, 2021)

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ABSTRACT

From the international point of view, the most outstanding thing is the great impact produced by the new variant of COVID called “omicron” and which originated in South Africa. Both the stock markets and the price of oil have collapsed and countries have established measures on flights from those countries, which does not prevent cases of the new strain having already been detected in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic and possibly Holland and Denmark. Globally, there is the impression that there has been a major failure of global vaccination, especially in low-income countries, which is providing a breeding ground for the emergence of new strains. As for the contagiousness and lethality of the new strain, it is not yet known.

At the national level, the growth of the pandemic continues (the figure of 171 cases per 100,000 inhabitants has been reached). Some communities have imposed COVID passports. but that is a legal chaos, in the absence of common guidelines.

As for companies, vaccine manufacturers have started a race to test their vaccine against the new strain. If a new vaccine is required, it is said that it would be ready in 100 days.

INTERNATIONAL

  • The stock market and the price of oil sink, in the face of the new variant of the coronavirus (FT, 26 Nov 21)
  • The new variant “omicron”, “of concern”, says the WHO (FT, Nov 26, 21)
  • Scientists warn of the new “omicron” variant of the coronavirus, with a large number of mutations (The Guardian, 24 Nov 21)
  • With three out of every 100 people vaccinated in some poor countries, the world situation is considered to be a powder keg and a breeding ground for new variants (El País, 28 Nov 21)
  • Rich countries could have avoided the crisis of the new variant, experts say (The Guardian, 26 Nov 21)
  • The WHO warns that before March 1, 700,000 more people could die in Europe from COVID (ABC, 23 Nov 21)
  • The growing phenomenon of “Virtual First” Primary Care grows in the USA. United Health, Humana, Aetna and many other insurers have already introduced it (JAMA, Nov 22 21)
  • Following the case of Belgium, new cases with the new “omicron” variant have been detected in the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic and possibly the Netherlands and Denmark (The Guardian, Nov 28, 21)
  • Portugal will impose a confinement after Christmas (El Mundo, 25 Nov 21)
  • The EMA approves the COVID vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years old (El Confidencial, 25 Nov 21)
  • German army planes transport COVID patients to decongest the ICUs (El País, 26 Nov 21)
  • Merkel warns that the crisis is “dramatic” and that current measures “will not be enough” (El País, 22 Nov 21)
  • The European Parliament requires countries to donate more vaccines to COVAX (La Vanguardia, 25 Nov 21)
  • Tobacco control works slowly globally. In 2021 there were an estimated 1.3 billion smokers worldwide, compared to 1.320 in 2015. Only a fraction of countries adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) (Lancet, 27 Nov 21)
  • An international treaty on pandemics is proposed at the next WHO World Assembly, which will take place between Nov 29 and Dec 1, 21. It is estimated that the current mechanisms are not sufficient to control the pandemic. A framework agreement is wanted, such as the tobacco one (Lancet, Nov 27 21)
  • The vaccination of children, necessary. In the USA when the pandemic began in 2020, infected children were 3% of cases, now they are in 25% (Science, 18 Nov 21)
  • Green light from the European Parliament to the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe (daily newspaper, Nov 24 21)

NATIONAL

  • The new variant of COVID puts the economic recovery in check (CincoDías, 27 Nov 21)
  • The new variant scares the Spanish Stock Market, which falls 5% and loses 28,000 million (CincoDías, Expansión 27 Nov 21)
  • In Spain, COVID is growing rapidly and reaches 171 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (La Razón, Nov 26, 21)
  • Three indicators anticipate an explosion of infections in Spain (Rt or contagion rate, the incidence of cases diagnosed in the last 7 days, positive diagnostic tests) (La Razón, Nov 22, 21)
  • Health challenges communities to vaccinate with booster doses before Christmas to 16 million people, those over 60 years old (ABC, 24 Nov 21)
  • Galicia, Aragon, Balearic Islands, Murcia, Catalonia and Navarra already have the judicial endorsement to impose the COVID passport (eldiario.es, Nov 26 21)
  • Legal chaos with COVID passports due to the lack of common guidelines (El Mundo, 23 Nov 21)
  • Those not vaccinated against COVID have a 25 times higher risk of death in Spain (La Razón 24 Nov 21)
  • Vaccination is encouraged in Spain, after the increase in incidence and the possible imposition of the COVID passport (El País, 25 Nov 21)
  • The communities pressure Sánchez to address the covid fund in the next President’s conference (January, La Palma), which the government rejects (El Mundo, Nov 26, 21)
  • Health will approve the Mental Health Strategy on December 2 (ConSalud, Nov 26, 21)

COMPANIES, EMPLOYERS AND MAIN ACTORS IN HEALTH

  • Vaccine manufacturers start a race to test their vaccine against the new variant (FT, Nov 26 21)
  • The vaccine against the new variant “omicron” will be ready in 100 days (ABC, 26 Nov 21)
  • An American jury finds that the pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart triggered the serious opioid crisis (NYT, 23 Nov 21)
  • Novavax expects to be approved as the fourth vaccine in the UK (The Guardian, 24 Nov 21)
  • Merck recognizes that its antiviral against COVID is less effective than it first thought (FT, 26 Nov 21)
  • Rise of private healthcare, policy record (El Debate, Nov 24 21)
  • The pandemic precipitates a “low cost” health insurance race with policies of up to 8 euros for young people (infolibre, 22 Nov 21)
  • The Swiss Vifor buys the Balearic Sanifit in the largest operation of a Spanish “biotech” (CincoDías, 22 Nov 21)
  • KKR wants to bypass the IVI auction and acquire the company for 1.8 billion (El Periódico de España, 23 Nov 21)
  • Almirall wants to be the new European leader in medical dermatology (Expansión, 27 Nov 21)
  • Fresenius grows in Latin America with the purchase of two centers in Colombia (PlantaDoce, 22 Nov 21)