Quick takes on stuff you need to know – and most of it is good news indeed.
Eli Lilly has what may be one of the more promising treatments, a cocktail of two unpronounceable drugs showed strong results in a recently-completed double-blind trial involving 769 patients. The bamlanivimab-etesevimab duo cut the risk of hospitalization and death by 87% versus placebo.
Unlike the hydoxycholoroquine “research” touted by the former occupant of the White House, this is real science by reputable scientists which shows the drug has a positive impact.
Other research indicates the Pfizer vaccine works to stop the Brazilian variant; since I’m getting my first shot – and it’s the Pfizer version – Monday, that’s good news indeed. Pfizer also believes its vaccine will work against the South African variant as well.
These are all good news, as economists believe an economic recovery is highly dependent on stopping COVID. One stated: “The vaccine is truly incredible…. It’s the best kind of stimulus we could want.” Excellent podcast for your morning walk or pm drive is here.
Terrific research out of CWCI last week; in their annual meeting, Alex Swedlow, Rena David and colleagues provided a lot of information on what’s happened with claim counts, costs, claim duration, and treatment timing. One very bright spot – February saw a huge drop in COVID workers’ comp claims. Rena also reported that “many workers with non-COVID claims got faster treatment than before the pandemic…” A big chunk was via telemedicine, which hit 25% of office visits in April and May, then dropped to about 18% in October. [thanks to WCC’s Mark Powell for his reporting]
I’m hoping to interview Alex and will provide more intel in a future post.
What does this mean for you?
Science, people.
