Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
17-Year-Old's Death Linked To Coronavirus, Emphasizing That The Young Aren't Immune To The Outbreak
The New York Times: Teenager’s Death In California Is Linked To Coronavirus
A California teenager whose death was linked to the coronavirus may be one of the youngest victims of the outbreak in the United States. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Tuesday said the death, of a 17-year-old boy from Lancaster, Calif., was from the coronavirus. Hours later, it walked back that statement, saying the death would be further evaluated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality,” the health department said in a statement. (Gross and Arango, 3/24)
Los Angeles Times: L.A.'s First Child Coronavirus Death: What We Know
Experts have long said older people are more susceptible to the virus and that young people in general are less likely to contract the illness. But health officials said Tuesday the death underscores the threat that coronavirus poses to the entire population. “This is a devastating reminder that COVID-19 affects people of all ages,” L.A. County Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said. (Shalby and Lin, 3/24)
The Associated Press: Boy, 17, With Coronavirus Dies As Cases Surge In California
Hours later, after Gov. Gavin Newsom had cited the death of the teenager as evidence the virus can strike anyone, the county issued a new statement. “Though early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19, the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality" and the case will need evaluation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the statement said. (Jablon, 3/25)
CNN: A Baby Is In Isolation After An Alabama NICU Nurse Tested Positive For Coronavirus, Family Says
When Brandon Waltman went to visit his newborn baby girl in the neonatal intensive care unit of an Alabama hospital Monday night, he was told she had been placed in isolation. His daughter Emmarie Grace Waltman has been in the NICU of the University of South Alabama Women's Hospital for the past month. After a nurse recently tested positive for Covid-19, Waltman said, he was told that as a precaution Emmarie was taken to another room and put in isolation. (Kirkland and Holcombe, 3/25)
