A cancer patient reconsiders her end-of-life wishes amid Covid-19

ROBIN HODGES OUTSIDE OF HER HOME IN LITTLETON, MASS. (KAYANA SZYMCZAK FOR STAT)

Talk of rationing lifesaving drugs and machines for coronavirus patients has spurred many conversations about end-of-life wishes. Some people have told their doctors they don't want to be resuscitated if they're stricken with Covid-19. But because of their lower chance of survival, many cancer patients are wondering whether the very medical centers that have helped them live longer might now decide against providing care such as ventilators. This worry has led some, including lung cancer patient Robin Hodges, to revoke previous do-not-resuscitate orders. STAT's Eric Boodman has more here.

Here's what else is happening with the pandemic:

The FDA yesterday announced that it would be requiring those manufacturing antibody tests for Covid-19 to provide data proving accuracy in the next 10 days or risk removal from market. The move comes after reports that only a minority of the currently available tests could reliably detect antibodies in those who had recovered from Covid-19.
Fewer Covid-19 patients from public health officials reining in outbreaks also means fewer available participants for trials testing drugs and vaccines for the infection. Two different trials in recent weeks had to end early because of insufficient enrollment, and experts are concerned that other trials may suffer the same fate.
Just weeks before the NIH announced results from its trial testing remdesivir, the agency changed the primary endpoint of the trial, from measuring how well patients were faring on the drug to how quickly those on the drug recovered compared to controls. And this change, though made without knowing what the data were going to say, may have led to the positive results that were shared, STAT's Matthew Herper writes.
In a new First Opinion for STAT, scientists caution that intubation boxes — file-crate-sized boxes that physicians can place on patients’ shoulders while they are intubated — may seem like they could protect against potential infections, but this invention may do more harm than good.