Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/10/covid-19-scan-oct-29-2021
COVID-19 Scan for Oct 29, 2021
Cancer patients and COVID-19; COVID relief recommendations
Filed Under:
COVID-19
Patients with recent cancer therapy at higher risk of poor COVID outcomes
Cancer patients who received systemic treatment like chemotherapy or radiation in the 3 months before testing positive for COVID-19 were at increased risk of death, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and hospitalization, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Oncology.
Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center analyzed the clinical outcomes in the electronic health records of 507,307 US adults with and without a diagnosis of cancer who tested positive for COVID-19 from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2020.
Among the patients, 14,287 (2.8%) had cancer, while 493,020 (97.2%) did not. Of the cancer patients, 4,296 (30.1%) had received recent treatment and 9,991 (69%) had not. Average patient age was 48.4 years, and 55.4% were women. Cancer patients were significantly older than non-cancer patients (median age, 67 vs 48 years) and had higher Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity Index scores, an indicator of poorer survival.
Regardless of treatment status, cancer patients were more likely than non-cancer patients to die (7.8% of cancer patients with recent treatment, 5.0% of cancer patients without recent treatment, and 1.6% of non-cancer patients).
In an adjusted analysis, compared with non-cancer patients, cancer patients without recent treatment had similar or superior outcomes (odds ratio [OR] for death, 0.93; OR for mechanical ventilation, 0.61).
But cancer patients who received recent treatment were at higher risk for death (OR, 1.74) and hospitalization (OR, 1.19). And, relative to patients with nonmetastatic solid tumors, patients with metastatic tumors or hematologic (blood) cancers had an OR for death of 2.36 and an OR for mechanical ventilation of 0.87.
Rates of COVID-19 death, mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, and hospitalization all fell during 2020. In the first quarter of the year, patients with recent cancer treatment had a death rate of 11.5%, which fell to 8.4% in the last quarter.
Oct 28 JAMA Oncol study
GAO proposes 16 new recommendations on COVID-19 relief efforts
In its eighth report of COVID-19 relief under the CARES Act, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week made 16 new recommendations to strengthen the government’s pandemic response in the areas of healthcare worker relief, recovery funds, unemployment insurance fraud, and worker safety.
"The government must remain vigilant and agile to address the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and its cascading impacts," the GAO said in the report. "Furthermore, as the administration implements the provisions in the COVID-19 relief laws, the size and scope of these efforts—from distributing funding to implementing new programs—demand strong accountability and oversight."
Since June 2020, the GAO has made 209 recommendations in its COVID-19 reports, and, as of Sep 30, agencies have addressed 33 of them and partially addressed another 48.
As an example of 1 of the 16 new recommendations, the GAO recommends that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) assess various challenges related to resources, communication, and guidance that the agency has faced in its response to COVID-19 and take actions as warranted.
"The progress in vaccinating the country is heartening, but GAO's review makes clear how much remains to be done to help the nation fully rebound from the pandemic," said Gene L. Dodaro, US comptroller general and head of the GAO, in a GAO news release. "If swiftly and effectively implemented, GAO's new and previous suggestions can help support the recovery and put us in a stronger position to deal with future health emergencies."
Oct 27 GAO report
Oct 27 GAO news release
COVID-19 Scan for Oct 29, 2021
Cancer patients and COVID-19; COVID relief recommendations
Filed Under:
COVID-19
Patients with recent cancer therapy at higher risk of poor COVID outcomes
Cancer patients who received systemic treatment like chemotherapy or radiation in the 3 months before testing positive for COVID-19 were at increased risk of death, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and hospitalization, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Oncology.
Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center analyzed the clinical outcomes in the electronic health records of 507,307 US adults with and without a diagnosis of cancer who tested positive for COVID-19 from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2020.
Among the patients, 14,287 (2.8%) had cancer, while 493,020 (97.2%) did not. Of the cancer patients, 4,296 (30.1%) had received recent treatment and 9,991 (69%) had not. Average patient age was 48.4 years, and 55.4% were women. Cancer patients were significantly older than non-cancer patients (median age, 67 vs 48 years) and had higher Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity Index scores, an indicator of poorer survival.
Regardless of treatment status, cancer patients were more likely than non-cancer patients to die (7.8% of cancer patients with recent treatment, 5.0% of cancer patients without recent treatment, and 1.6% of non-cancer patients).
In an adjusted analysis, compared with non-cancer patients, cancer patients without recent treatment had similar or superior outcomes (odds ratio [OR] for death, 0.93; OR for mechanical ventilation, 0.61).
But cancer patients who received recent treatment were at higher risk for death (OR, 1.74) and hospitalization (OR, 1.19). And, relative to patients with nonmetastatic solid tumors, patients with metastatic tumors or hematologic (blood) cancers had an OR for death of 2.36 and an OR for mechanical ventilation of 0.87.
Rates of COVID-19 death, mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, and hospitalization all fell during 2020. In the first quarter of the year, patients with recent cancer treatment had a death rate of 11.5%, which fell to 8.4% in the last quarter.
Oct 28 JAMA Oncol study
GAO proposes 16 new recommendations on COVID-19 relief efforts
In its eighth report of COVID-19 relief under the CARES Act, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week made 16 new recommendations to strengthen the government’s pandemic response in the areas of healthcare worker relief, recovery funds, unemployment insurance fraud, and worker safety.
"The government must remain vigilant and agile to address the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and its cascading impacts," the GAO said in the report. "Furthermore, as the administration implements the provisions in the COVID-19 relief laws, the size and scope of these efforts—from distributing funding to implementing new programs—demand strong accountability and oversight."
Since June 2020, the GAO has made 209 recommendations in its COVID-19 reports, and, as of Sep 30, agencies have addressed 33 of them and partially addressed another 48.
As an example of 1 of the 16 new recommendations, the GAO recommends that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) assess various challenges related to resources, communication, and guidance that the agency has faced in its response to COVID-19 and take actions as warranted.
"The progress in vaccinating the country is heartening, but GAO's review makes clear how much remains to be done to help the nation fully rebound from the pandemic," said Gene L. Dodaro, US comptroller general and head of the GAO, in a GAO news release. "If swiftly and effectively implemented, GAO's new and previous suggestions can help support the recovery and put us in a stronger position to deal with future health emergencies."
Oct 27 GAO report
Oct 27 GAO news release