The Biden administration is preparing to spend $1 million dollars on a study to find out if drug addicts can be trained to distribute COVID tests.
A million dollars is chump change by federal spending standards, but the subject of the study belongs in the ‘you couldn’t make this up’ category.
FOX News reports:
Biden administration funds study on how to train drug addicts to distribute COVID testsThe Biden administration will spend $1 million next year to fund a study on how to train drug addicts to distribute COVID-19 rapid tests to other drug addicts.The project summary emphasizes that “people who inject drugs” are especially vulnerable to the outbreak of COVID-19 due to “structural disadvantage, health vulnerabilities, and stigmatization that prevents adequate access to medical care.” This issue will be addressed through a “facilitation of rapid testing by people who inject drugs (PWID) via a supported employment program that trains PWID as peer health workers.”The study, funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and conducted by the University of Oregon, began on December 1 and will last roughly two years. Efforts to distribute COVID tests to drug-infested communities have been studied before, the summary notes, but more information on rapid test distribution is needed.”Rapid tests may offer an advantage over PCR tests for PWID experiencing structural vulnerabilities such as houselessness and lack of access to technology so that they can receive results in real-time and be quickly connected to needed resources,” the summary said.
At the same time, the drug Paxlovid, which has been used to treat COVID, is about to become much more expensive for Americans.
Kaiser Health News reports:
Paxlovid Has Been Free So Far. Next Year, Sticker Shock Awaits.Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people infected with covid-19 from being hospitalized or dying, and it may even reduce the risk of developing long covid. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk of severe illness and are least able to afford the drug — the uninsured and seniors — may have to pay the full price.And that means fewer people will get the potentially lifesaving treatments, experts said.“I think the numbers will go way down,” said Jill Rosenthal, director of public health policy at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. A bill for several hundred dollars or more would lead many people to decide the medication isn’t worth the price, she said.
Perhaps this is a more pressing issue.
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