A doctor shares what it's like to take part in a vaccine trial

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Today in healthcare news: A doctor shares her experience taking part in a COVID-19 trial, an inside look at Oscar Health's financials, and the role poor leadership plays in America's coronavirus death toll.

I'm a doctor who volunteered to get one of the first coronavirus shots. Here's why I got involved, and what the side effects have been like.

• Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, is an infectious diseases doctor and medical epidemiologist living in the Congress Heights area of Washington, DC.
• She's participating in the Phase 3 Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine trial, which she signed up for to demonstrate her confidence in vaccine science during a time when "fear and distrust are flourishing."
• It's been an easy process so far, though she did experience mild side effects like soreness in her arm and fatigue.

Read the full personal essay by Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick here>>

Here's a comprehensive look at the growth of Oscar Health since the hot health-insurance startup began signing up customers

• Founded in 2012, Oscar got its start on the individual exchanges implemented by the Affordable Care Act.
• It's grown to 420,000 members as of the start of 2020.
• Here's a look at Oscar's enrollment and financial performance from 2014 to 2020.

Read the full story here>>

A new study finds poor leadership is the reason for America's unrivaled coronavirus death toll

• In the spring, many countries had high death rates, as the coronavirus circulated around the world unchecked.
• But in the months since then, most countries took simple steps to prevent disease transmission, and death rates fell dramatically.
• Except the US: the country has been a consistent outlier in coronavirus deaths.
• A new study shows just how bad the US lagged behind other rich countries over the summer, in disease control and prevention.

Read the full story from Hilary Brueck here>>

More stories we're reading:

• Moderna's CEO is aiming for an emergency authorization of its vaccine by December should it work (The Wall Street Journal)
• AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine trial in the US could resume as soon as this week (Reuters)
• The DOJ just slammed Google with a landmark antitrust case, kicking off the largest legal challenge in the tech giant's history (Business Insider)
• 10 residents at a Kansas nursing home died after all 62 living there tested positive for COVID-19 (Insider)

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- Lydia