Researchers are looking into a potential link between tinnitus and COVID-19 infection or vaccination, people of color had significantly higher rates of premature deaths during the pandemic, and more in this week's roundup of COVID-19 news.

• During the pandemic, people of color saw significantly higher rates of premature death compared to white people, accounting for 59% of the years of life lost in the last few years, according to a new KFF analysis. In the analysis, researchers used data from CDC and the World Health Organization to compare changes in excess mortality and premature deaths in the United States and peer countries in 2020 and 2021. Overall, the researchers found that the United States had the highest rate of excess mortality compared to peer nations, even after adjusting for population size. Between March 2020 and the end of 2022, the United States experienced almost 1.7 million excess deaths. The United States also had a higher rate of death among younger people and larger increase in premature deaths per capita. In particular, people of color saw higher rates of premature death compared to white people. During the pandemic, white people lost an average of 12.5 years of life. In comparison, American Indian or Alaskan Natives lost 22 years, Hispanic people lost 19.9 years, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders lost 18.8 years, Black people lost 18.3 years, and Asian people lost 14 years. According to Axios, some researchers believe that younger people of color may have had more exposure to the coronavirus due to their jobs or living conditions. Some groups of color may also have higher rates of certain underlying conditions that increased their risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. (Axios, 4/25; McGough et al., KFF, 4/24)
• Researchers are studying a potential link between tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, after either a COVID-19 infection or receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. As of April 14, 16,500 cases of tinnitus after COVID-19 vaccination have been reported to CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Separately, tinnitus has also been reported as a potential symptom of long COVID, which experts say may be caused by the immune system's inflammatory response damaging cells while fighting off an infection. Although CDC has said that it has found no association between tinnitus and COVID-19 infection or vaccination, some researchers are now investigating anecdotal reports. "Tinnitus is a prominent symptom in many people with long COVID and in those with vaccine-associated conditions," said Harlan Krumholz, director of Yale University's Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. Currently, Krumholz and other researchers are looking into tinnitus, as well as other symptoms, as part of the ongoing LISTEN study. "We are seeking to bring together many people with this symptom and hope we can learn together what might be the cause – on the path toward evidence-based strategies to help these people," he said. (Hassanein, USA Today, 4/25)
• Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo altered a state-sponsored study on COVID-19 vaccines to suggest that some doses could pose a higher health risk to young men than what had been established in other research, Politico reports. According to a new document released by the Florida Department of Health as part of a public records request, Lapado edited the study to add language saying the men ages 18 to 39 were at an increased risk of heart disease after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Throughout the pandemic, Lapado has been a sharp critic of COVID-19 vaccines and has made recommendations that go against CDC guidance. In a statement to Politico, Lapado said revisions were a standard part of assessing surveillance data and that he had the appropriate training to make these decisions. However, other health experts and researchers have criticized Lapado for making these changes, noting that he removed an analysis that contradicted his recommendation against the vaccines. "What's clear from the previous analysis, and even more clear from Dr. L[apado]'s edits, is that absolutely there was a political motivation behind the final analysis that was produced," said Matt Hitchings, an assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida. "Key information was withheld from the public that would have allowed them or other experts to interpret this in context." (Sarkissian, Politico, 4/24)
• As the COVID-19 public health emergency comes to an end, CDC has said it will adjust how it tracks COVID-19 data going forward. Already, some states have changed their data reporting requirements, and privately funded projects have either started minimizing their reporting or shut down. According to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, the agency's COVID-19 tracking will eventually shift to something similar to seasonal flu surveillance, which largely monitors trends from data samples. "The end of the PHE does not mean the end of CDC's emergency response to COVID-19. … CDC COVID-19 data activities are not necessarily affected by the PHE," said a CDC spokesperson. The agency, "along with jurisdictional partners, is assessing ongoing surveillance needs and potential revisions to surveillance systems to efficiently continue tracking COVID-19 after the PHE ends." (Hollowell, Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control, 4/24)
• In December 2020, Congress allocated roughly $1.2 billion to NIH to fund research into long COVID, including to test potential treatments for patients. However, a joint investigation from STAT and MuckRock has found that the agency spent most of the funding on observational research rather than clinical trials for treatments, and little to no findings have been published from any of its ongoing studies. In addition, while NIH has planned five clinical trials on potential long COVID treatments since at least early 2022, no patients have been recruited so far, and the timeline to do so continues to be delayed. According to Duke University, which is overseeing the clinical trial infrastructure, trials are expected to begin this summer. "So far, I don't think we've gotten anything for a billion dollars," said Ezekiel Emanuel, a physician, vice provost for global initiatives, and co-director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. "That is just unacceptable, and it's a serious dysfunction." In a statement, an HHS spokesperson said NIH has made progress with its long COVID research over the past year and that there are other research efforts into the condition underway. "The Administration remains committed to addressing the longer-term impacts of the worst public health crisis in a century," the spokesperson said. (Cohrs/Ladyzhets, STAT, 4/20)