Top news stories from AMA Morning Rounds®: Week of July 15, 2024

Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of July 15, 2024–July 19, 2024.

CNN (7/14, Davis) reports that experts say the COVID-19 pandemic was “marked by a significant and concerning drop in the rate of routine vaccinations,” and “new data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund” show “the world has yet to recover.” The new report “analyzed estimates from 185 countries and used a third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) vaccine—which is recommended for 1-year-olds—as the global marker for immunization coverage.” The report (PDF) showed “that previous progress in reaching pre-pandemic immunization levels has stalled,” with the data indicating that “worldwide DTP3 coverage was 84% in 2023, the same as in 2022 but below 86% recorded in 2019.”

The Washington Post (7/15, McMahan) says, “About 7% of U.S. adults—nearly 18 million people—had suffered from long COVID as of early last year, according to a recent report.” The survey also found “just 6% of the vaccinated and boosted respondents reported long COVID symptoms vs. 8% of those who weren’t vaccinated.” The findings were published in JAMA.

You may also be interested in: Is COVID on the rise again? The latest COVID news, FLiRT variant symptoms and bird flu outbreak 2024.

The Hill (7/16, Sforza) reports, “Most of Generation Z is turning to TikTok to seek health advice, citing quick responses and free advice, a recent survey found.” The poll, which was “conducted by Zing Coach, found 56% of Gen Z respondents use TikTok for wellness, diet and fitness advice and that a large share of them use the platform as their main form of health advice.” According to The Hill, “among those surveyed, 34% said they use TikTok to get most of their health advice, making it more than twice as popular as the other options listed.” The poll found “14% said they got their advice from friends, 13% said Google and 11% said qualified doctors or trainers.”

The Washington Post (7/17, Chesler) reports, “If you want to increase your odds of living a long and healthy life, watch less television and become more physically active, because even a small amount of physical activity can improve overall health, according to an observational study.” Researchers “found that replacing a sedentary behavior such as watching TV with even low-intensity activity—such as standing or walking around while cooking or washing clothes—increased one’s odds of healthy aging.” Furthermore, “at work, replacing some of the time spent sitting with simple movements such as standing or walking around the office can improve health.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

You may also be interested in: How much exercise is needed to live longer? Data tells the tale.

The Washington Post (7/18, Gilbert, Amenabar) reports that the rising popularity of compounded GLP-1 drugs, imitations of costly and scarce medications like Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide), has sparked safety debates. These drugs are produced by compounding pharmacies, which legally create copies when FDA-approved drugs are in shortage. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, the original manufacturers, claim compounded versions are unsafe. The FDA has received reports of adverse reactions to these compounded drugs. Despite the risks, demand persists due to lower costs. The shortage, which could last into next year, has led to a temporary increase in compounded drug availability.

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