Last Monday Medicare started to pay for at-home coronavirus tests, marking the first time the federal insurance system for older and disabled Americans has picked up the bill for any type of over-the-counter medical test. Under the new rules, the program is covering as many as eight rapid tests a month for the 59 million people who have Medicare insurance for care outside hospitals – known as Part B. Customers will get the free tests at participating national pharmacy chains, including CVS and Walmart. The move comes after lawmakers and advocates for older Americans complained that Medicare recipients – some of whom are especially vulnerable to the virus – still had to pay for rapid tests even after the Biden administration required other insurers to cover the cost.  Washington Post 4/5/22

GlaxoSmithKline’s IV drug for COVID-19, sotrovimab, should no longer be used because it is likely ineffective against the omicron subvariant that now accounts for most U.S. cases, federal health regulators said last Tuesday. The FDA announced that  sotrovimab is no longer authorized to treat patients in any U.S. state or territory.

The antibody drugs are laboratory-made versions of virus-blocking proteins found in the human body. Each antibody is formulated to attack a specific invader — such as a virus or bacteria — but the medications need to be reformulated as the coronavirus repeatedly mutates. The CDC said Tuesday that BA.2 accounts for 72% of the COVID-19 cases sequenced by health authorities. The drugs are prescribed for early use in people with a recent COVID-19 infection who face increased risk of severe disease or death, including seniors or people with diabetes, heart disease and other common health problems.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Martinsville Bulletin 4/6/22

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Can this 19th-century health practice help with long COVID?

Doctors used to swear by the slow recovery period known as convalescence. Some experts say embracing it again could offer benefits for an array of long-term illnesses and injuries.  Read more. National Geographic  4/8/22

Epidemiology is the science at center of public health.

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DMV Expands Mobile Service Offerings to Include Vital Records

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has added another convenient service option to its extensive list of choices for customers: vital records through DMV Connect – the Department’s 14 mobile service centers. Customers can now apply for Virginia birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates at any DMV Connect mobile visit.

DMV Connect is DMV’s portable “office in a suitcase,” offering the full range of DMV service during visits to government centers, private businesses, libraries, and other convenient locations throughout the Commonwealth.

Since 2014, customers have been able to purchase vital records at all full-service DMV customer service centers (CSCs) through DMV’s partnership with the Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) Division of Vital Records. To date, more than 1.1 million Virginia vital records have been issued at DMV CSCs.

To obtain a vital record through DMV, customers complete an application, submit the required documentation, and pay a $14 fee. DMV is able to print vital records on the spot at CSCs. With DMV Connect, the certificates are mailed to customers by VDH. -- Independent-Messenger, 3/31/22