What We’re Reading: FDA Rejects Some e-Cigarette Products; Oregon, Idaho Struggle With COVID-19 Surges; Drop in Breast Cancer Screenings

e-Cigarette Product Marketing Applications Rejected

The FDA has denied marketing applications to around 55,000 flavored e-cigarette products claiming they failed to show the products protect public health. This is the first time the agency has issued marketing denial orders for e-cigarettes and prompts all items to be removed from the market or risk enforcement. Specifically, the agency found products from JD Nova Group LLC, Great American Vapes, and Vapor Salon lacked sufficient evidence showing they benefit adult smokers that is sufficient to overcome the public health threat posed by youth use of the products.

Oregon, Idaho Hospitals Struggle With COVID-19 Cases

Hospitalizations in Oregon for COVID-19 have hit record highs this week, while intensive care unit (ICU) beds are at 93% capacity, CBS News reports. Many health systems have canceled elective surgeries and the National Guard has been deployed to keep up with the flood of critically ill patients. Meanwhile in Idaho, COVID-19 has forced hospitals past capacity and to the brink of crisis, according to the Associated Press. Since July 24, COVID-19–related hospital admissions have doubled every 2 weeks in the state, and health systems report getting calls from overwhelmed facilities in neighboring states, including Oregon.

Decreases in Breast Cancer Screenings

New data show that across 32 community health centers in the United States, rates of breast cancer screenings dropped by 8% between 2019 and 2020, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reports. All sites included in the analysis were part of an American Cancer Society grant program working to address disparities, but the figures show that minorities and uninsured individuals were disproportionately affected by this decrease. Projections estimated that had prepandemic increases in rates continued, more than 63% of eligible patients may have completed a mammogram in 2020.