Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Across The World, COVID-19 Deaths Top 250,000 As UN Issues Dire Warning About Growing Risks Of Starvation
Reuters: Global Coronavirus Deaths Exceed Quarter Of A Million: Reuters Tally
Global coronavirus deaths rose past a quarter of a million on Monday after infections topped 3.5 million, a Reuters tally of official government data showed, even as several countries began easing lockdowns designed to contain the pandemic. (Wardell and Issa, 5/4)
NPR: U.N. Warns Number Of People Starving To Death Could Double Amid Pandemic
The U.N.'s humanitarian chief has warned that without global cooperation and financial assistance, the number of people dying from hunger or hunger-related diseases could double this year due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. "The effect of that is going to be, for the first time in probably in 30 years, a big increase in the number of people in extreme poverty, people living on less than $2 a day," said Mark Lowcock, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. (Mai, 5/5)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Sweeps Across Brazil, A Land Ill-Equipped To Fight It
In the tiny, stifling home she shared with seven relatives in the Amazon, Maria Portelo de Lima began coughing, started feeling weaker and, over a week, got sicker and sicker. Her family tried to get the 61-year-old to a hospital in Manaus, a city of 2.2 million in the heart of the rainforest. They were told no ambulances were available or hospital beds free because of a flood of coronavirus patients. (Magalhaes and Sciaudone, 5/4)
The Washington Post: Want To Exercise In Spain? You Have To Wait For Your Shift.
For the first time in seven weeks, millions in Spain — one of the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus — ventured outdoors this weekend as the government gingerly eased Europe's strictest nationwide lockdown. But there were rules — and plenty of them. People were allowed outside to exercise — no lounging — only during specific times designated by age group, to keep crowds relatively thin and to protect seniors from possible exposure. (Rolfe, 5/4)
The New York Times: Hope And Worry Mingle As Countries Relax Coronavirus Lockdowns
Wearing a Plexiglas visor, large white mask and blue rubber gloves, Catia Gabrielli looked ready for whatever could come her way on Monday as Italy tentatively loosened some of its strictest lockdown provisions against the coronavirus. “I see a lot more movement,” Ms. Gabrielli, a bookstore owner, said in the historic center of Rome as she worried about the people around her, out taking walks without masks. “It’s a lot of people.” (Horowitz, 5/4)
Reuters: Masked And Standing Apart, The World Tiptoes Out Of Lockdown
Italy, among the world’s hardest-hit countries, allowed about 4.5 million people to return to work after nearly two months at home. Construction work can resume and relatives can reunite. “I woke up at 5:30 a.m., I was so excited,” said Maria Antonietta Galluzzo, a grandmother taking her three-year-old grandson for a walk in Rome’s Villa Borghese park, the first time they had seen each other in eight weeks. (Balmer and Heavey, 5/4)
Reuters: Israel Isolates Coronavirus Antibody In 'Significant Breakthrough': Minister
Israel has isolated a key coronavirus antibody at its main biological research laboratory, the Israeli defence minister said on Monday, calling the step a “significant breakthrough” toward a possible treatment for the COVID-19 pandemic. The “monoclonal neutralising antibody” developed at the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) “can neutralise it (the disease-causing coronavirus) inside carriers’ bodies,” Defence Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. (5/4)
The Associated Press: 4 New Cases In South Korea, China Show Work On Containment
China and South Korea, which had early, intense outbreaks of the coronavirus, together reported only four new infections Tuesday and were slowly resuming public events after months of containment efforts. Meanwhile, the U.S. was taking halting steps to lift some restrictions even as thousands of new cases continue to be reported each day. (Perry, 5/5)
The Associated Press: Virus Deaths Hit Hard In Spain’s Shrinking Rural Villages
When someone dies in tightly knit Duruelo de la Sierra, the whole community walks from the church service to the cemetery, accompanying the deceased to their final resting place. In times of pandemic, just a few relatives are allowed. “You are used to seeing a funeral with lots of people,” said Alberto Abad, a 54-year-old carpenter who’s also the mayor and sees the virus as tearing at his town’s social fabric. “It touches you because you know all the people who live here.” (Dana and Wilson, 5/5)
Los Angeles Times: Mexico's Fragile Health System Running Out Of Room For Coronavirus Patients
They waited for hours outside Las Américas hospital for word about their loved ones. Then the small group ran out of patience and stormed inside. Upon discovering bodies on gurneys packed into the pathology ward, they accused the staff of murder. “I unzipped the bag of my son to confirm that it was him,” María Dolores Castillo later told a television interviewer, describing how she touched his head. “My son was still warm!” (McDonnell and Sanchez, 5/4)
