Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Pandemic Record: More Than 61,000 Kids Diagnosed With COVID Last Week
NBC News: More Than 61,000 Children Got Covid-19 Last Week, A Record
More than 61,000 children in the U.S. were diagnosed with Covid-19 last week — more than in any other week during the pandemic, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association reported Monday. In all, 853,635 children have been diagnosed with the virus this year, representing 11.1 percent of all U.S. cases. The percentage of pediatric cases has risen steadily since mid-April, when children accounted for just 2 percent of Covid-19 cases in the country. (Edwards, 11/2)
Several states weigh their next steps to curb the rise in cases —
NPR: Mass. Governor Implements New Coronavirus Restrictions
Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker announced a series of new coronavirus restrictions Monday--including requiring face coverings for all residents over the age of five, in an attempt to curb the rising cases of Covid-19 in the state. Baker announced Massachusetts would revise current public health emergency rules to require everyone to wear face coverings in all public places, indoors or outdoors, even where they are able to maintain six feet of distance from others, according to the executive order released today. This still allows for an exception for residents who can't wear masks due to a medical or disabling condition. (Diaz, 11/2)
ABC News: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Tries To Rally State To Fight 'Common Enemy' As COVID Cases Surge
Facing an alarming increase in new COVID-19 cases in his state, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine pleaded in an open letter for residents to come together, regardless of political affiliation, to fight a "common enemy" that has claimed nearly 230,000 lives in America. DeWine released a video Sunday reading a letter he penned to Ohioans stressing the urgency of joining forces to keep the virus at bay until there is a vaccine. (Hutchinson, 11/2)
The Hill: North Dakota COVID-19 Infections Have Increased 167 Percent In One Month
As one of the states leading the fall surge in COVID-19 infections, North Dakota has experienced record-breaking daily new cases, reportedly leading the spread of deaths per capita in the U.S. Data comparison indicates that over the course of one month, the North Dakota Department of Health saw a 167 percent increase in active COVID-19 cases from the prior month. (Kelley, 11/2)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Rising Percentages Of People Testing Positive In Philly, Pa., And N.J., But Amid COVID-19 Surge, ‘It Is Safe To Vote’ In Person
As Pennsylvania continues to see climbing coronavirus case numbers, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said voters should feel safe going to the polls for Tuesday’s presidential election. “If you are voting in person, it is safe to vote,” Levine said Monday. She urged voters to wear masks, bring their own pens, bring hand sanitizer, and download the state’s contact tracing app, COVID Alert PA, before heading to the polls. (McDaniel and McCarthy and Silverman, 11/3)
Also —
The Hill: Pelosi At Ceremony Marking Number Of US Coronavirus Deaths: 'It's Almost Incomprehensible'
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday called the U.S. coronavirus death toll “almost incomprehensible” while speaking at an art installation paying tribute to the dead. “It’s almost incomprehensible that here in America this would happen,” Pelosi said Monday at the ceremony, where celebrity chef José Andrés and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) also made remarks at the DC Armory Parade Ground in front of RFK Stadium in the nation's capital. (Budryk, 11/2)
CNN: A 13-Year-Old Missouri Boy's Last Day Of School Was In Late October. He Died From Covid-19 Days Later
An eighth grade student from Missouri passed away from complications related to Covid-19, officials in his school district said. Peyton Baumgarth, 13, died over the weekend, Dr. Lori VanLeer, the superintendent of his school system in Washington, said in a statement sent to families in the district. Peyton is the youngest person to pass away from Covid-19 in the state of Missouri according to state records. (Johnson, 11/2)
The Washington Post: In Arizona, The Coronavirus Raged. With Masks And Other Measures, It Subsided. What Can It Teach America?
As temperatures in Arizona shot toward their summer peaks, so did the state’s coronavirus crisis. Lines for drive-up testing snaked for blocks in June. Hospitals were running out of beds, bodies were being stored in coolers, and the state’s per capita caseload topped global charts. But by mid-August, the Southwest hot spot made a remarkable reversal. Cases plummeted 75 percent. (Brulliard and Duda, 11/2)
