Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Warning For The US? Canadians Are Seeing Thanksgiving-Related Spike
The Washington Post: Canadian Thanksgiving Could Be A Cautionary Tale For Americans Amid Coronavirus Surge
As the holiday season approaches amid a surge in novel coronavirus cases across the United States, a Thanksgiving-related spike in Canada could serve as a cautionary tale. Case counts in much of Canada are climbing, even in parts of the country that imposed new autumn restrictions. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, and both provincial and federal officials have pointed to the holiday as a culprit in the spike. (Coletta and Taylor, 10/27)
Reuters: Canada's Trudeau Predicts 'Tough Winter,' Deaths Top 10,000
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday predicted a “tough winter” in the face of a second wave of COVID-19 infections engulfing much of the country, and called it a horrific national tragedy as deaths topped the 10,000 mark. Canada’s case numbers have been rising, triggering new restrictions on public gatherings and indoor activities in several provinces. On Tuesday, Canada recorded 2,674 new cases, while there are now 10,001 deaths and a total of 222,887 cases. “This sucks. It really, really does,” Trudeau told a news conference when asked about the fatigue Canadians feel after living amid the pandemic for more than seven months. (Scherer, 10/28)
In other global developments —
The Wall Street Journal: France Emerges As Covid-19 Epicenter As Cases Surge Across Europe
France has emerged as the epicenter of the second wave of coronavirus infections now sweeping much of Europe, causing hospitals to brace for a surge of new patients and pushing the government to consider tough new restrictions in some places. The country saw daily cases top 50,000 over the weekend, while the seven-day average of new daily cases has increased by more than 50% over the past week, reaching 38,278 on Tuesday. That compares with a seven-day average of 69,967 cases in the U.S., whose population is around five times as big. (Bisserbe, 10/27)
The New York Times: Britain’s Health Workers Face 2nd Virus Wave, But This Time With Less Support
The weekly clapping in support of health workers by Britons during the first part of the pandemic has petered out. The government has mostly stopped asking people to stay home and avoid the virus to keep the National Health Service from being overwhelmed. Campaigns to feed and house exhausted health workers have dwindled. As Britain becomes subsumed by a second wave of coronavirus infections and deaths, the country’s doctors and nurses are bracing for what is expected to be a deluge of new patients over the next six months. But unlike in the spring, they say they are now facing the pandemic without the same sense of caution among a coronavirus-weary public, or a clear government strategy to contain the virus and deal with rapidly filling intensive care units. (Mueller, 10/27)
Reuters: Sanofi, GSK To Supply Vaccine Doses To WHO-Backed Alliance
French drugmaker Sanofi SASY.PA and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline GSK.L will supply 200 million doses of their COVID-19 candidate vaccine to a global inoculation scheme backed by the World Health Organization. There is no internationally-approved treatment against COVID-19, which has killed more than 1.16 million people, and the two companies’ vaccine is still undergoing phase 1 and 2 trials, from which first results are expected by late November or early December. (10/28)
CBS News: Russia Orders National Mask Mandate As Coronavirus Cases Spike
Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration is taking its most drastic measures yet to curb the second wave of COVID-19. The Russian government on Tuesday implemented a nationwide mask mandate, as coronavirus cases spike worldwide. (Lewis, 10/27)
Reuters: Grave-Counting Satellite Images Seek To Track Yemen's COVID Death Toll
A first-of-its-kind study using satellite images to count fresh graves and analyse burial activity in Yemen has estimated the death toll there from COVID-19 or COVID-related causes is far higher than official government figures suggest. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) analysed burial activity at all identifiable cemeteries in Yemen’s Aden region and calculated an estimated 2,100 “excess deaths” during the COVID-19 outbreak between April and September. (Kelland, 10/27)
