Community News

BETHESDA, MD – January 17, 2024 – According to an NIH study released on June 3, 2023, eligible at-risk patients treated with Paxlovid were associated with having less severe illness and a lower fatality rate than eligible patients who did not have this treatment; however, fewer than 10% were treated with Paxlovid. The study period was 15 months long, between December 2021 and February 2023. By the close of the study, the rate of treatment with Paxlovid increased to about 15%. The paper is online but has not been peer-reviewed or published.

More than one million patients were selected from the U.S. National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), a centralized national COVID-19 databank from more than 75 research institutions. Eligible patients were adults (greater or equal to 18 years old) who have tested positive for COVID-19 who are within 5 days of having COVID symptoms or a positive test if without any symptoms, at high risk with at least one risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness, with no contraindicated medical conditions or using any contraindicated medicine, and were not hospitalized within 3 days of having initial symptoms. At-risk people may be older or immunocompromised or with health conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

Paxlovid treatment consists of taking 2 medicines, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, over 5 days. Patients taking Paxlovid were 26% less likely to be admitted to the hospital and 73% less likely to die from COVID-19. The authors estimated that over 50 million COVID cases with over 300 thousand deaths and more than 2.5 million hospitalizations during the study period could have been prevented if 50% of the eligible persons in the U.S. had taken Paxlovid.

There were numerous treatment disparities identified in the study. A greater likelihood of Paxlovid treatment occurred for people with a higher education level, having a job, of higher socioeconomic status, and of the white race. The authors feel that improving access to COVID treatment with Paxlovid would save lives and reduce the number of people with severe illness.

The study did not evaluate the frequency of side-effects from taking Paxlovid. According to a recent article from AARP online, Paxlovid has very few side-effects. The most common side-effects are metallic taste and diarrhea. Others are nausea and muscle aches. The side-effects are temporary and go away when the treatment ends. Some of the patients treated wIth Paxlovid have reported a recurrence of COVID symptoms after beginning to feel better. Research by the CDC and the FDA has shown that the ‘COVID rebound phenomena’ can also occur just as frequently in patients who have not taken Paxlovid. However, health care providers and patients alike may not be aware of this finding.

Persons 12 years or older who test positive for COVID or have symptoms for less than 5 days and are at high risk to become severely ill with COVID should contact their doctor to find out if they are eligible for treatment with Paxlovid.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

RALEIGH, NC – January 12, 2024 – The latest update of the NC Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Dashboard was on January 12^th. Enrollment in NC increased by about 40 thousand to more than 310 thousand people. Buncombe County enrollment increased by about 1,300 to almost 7,500 people. The first Medicaid expansion (ME) enrollees lost their full-benefit Medicaid insurance when the COVID national emergency ended in April because they made too much money. However, NC HHS enrolled them in a limited Medicaid benefit plan that provides family planning benefits for people who make up to 195 percent of the federal poverty level. There were about 270 thousand North Carolinians, including more than 6 thousand people from Buncombe County, who became the first enrollees. It is estimated that a total of 600 thousand North Carolinians will be eligible for ME, including almost 17 thousand from Buncombe County.

On December 1^st, North Carolina officially became the 40^th state to expand Medicaid, the federal program for health insurance for low-resource individuals. ME increases health care access to eligible North Carolinians ages 19-64 and their families with earnings from 100 percent of the federal poverty level to 138 percent. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has a new dashboard at medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/reports to track new ME enrollment each month statewide and by each county.

There are many ways to apply for NC Medicaid. Applications can be taken by phone, email, fax, or in person. Buncombe County residents can apply for Medicaid online and at any time at ePASS.NC.gov. Applications can be done in-person at the HHS Building on 40 Coxe Avenue, by calling 828-250-5500, or by mail. A printable application can be obtained online at the NCDHHS website.

Kody Kinsley, the head of the NCDHHS, recently released a statement, “Hundreds of people each day are gaining health care coverage and getting the care they need. Our work continues with state and community partners to support enrollment efforts to ensure as many people as possible can get covered.”

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

ASHEVILLE, NC –  January 31, 2024 – There was a surge of Respiratory viral infections due to an increase in indoor gatherings and travel during the holidays; however, we are past the holiday season peak.

The COVID-19 metrics are on the CDC’s COVID Dashboard. For the week ending on January 20^th  

• Hospital admission levels are low in about 80% of the counties in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and high in 0%. They are low in more than 75% of the counties in the U.S. and high in about 2%. Admissions have decreased in the U.S. by more than 10%, decreased in North Carolina by about 20% and decreased in Buncombe County by about 50% from the previous week.
• About 3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3^rd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina. This represents about 2% of all ER visits and a moderate decrease from the previous week.

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data for the week ending on January 17^th is on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard.

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80^th and 100^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has decreased from the previous week, at -99% to -10%, the lowest level of 2 groups for a negative rate of change.

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending on January 20^th indicates that levels are either high or very high for most southern states from California to the East coast. North Carolina is at a high level.

The CDC reports that the 3-week average for the percent positivity for RSV PCR tests in North Carolina reached a peak of almost 15% around Thanksgiving. The most recent report for the week ending on January 13^th shows that percent positivity continues to decrease to almost 4%.

The North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard for the week ending on January 20^th shows that

• The percentage of emergency room visits for people with respiratory virus symptoms has decreased by 17%.
• Hospital admissions have decreased for COVID and the flu.
• There were more admissions for COVID than the flu.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]