Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Almost 2 Years, Australia Will Reopen To All Vaxxed Travelers
AP: Australia To Open Borders To Vaccinated Travelers On Feb. 21
Australia will open its borders to all vaccinated tourists and business travelers from Feb. 21 in a further relaxation of pandemic restrictions announced Monday. Australia imposed some of the world’s toughest travel restrictions on its citizens and permanent residents in March 2020 to prevent them from bringing COVID-19 home. (McGuirk, 2/7)
In covid updates from China and the Olympic Games —
Axios: U.S. Figure Skater Vincent Zhou Tests Positive For COVID At Olympics
Team USA men's figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for COVID-19 following regular screening at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, officials announced Monday. "Under the guidance of the [U.S. Olympic Committee] medical staff, Zhou is undergoing additional testing to confirm his status," per a statement from U.S. Figure skating officials. "If the results are negative, Zhou will be able to compete in the men's short program, which begins Tuesday," the statement added. (Falconer, 2/7)
CNBC: China's Zero-Covid Policy 'Won't Work' With Omicron: Epidemiologist
China’s strict zero-Covid approach won’t be able to limit the spread of the highly infectious omicron variant, according to a U.S. epidemiologist. Beijing may not be able to use the same “authoritarian approaches” against omicron because the variant is unlike the others, Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said on Friday. “Trying to stop omicron is kind of like trying to stop the wind,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.” China is “uniquely at risk” to omicron, Osterholm said, for a combination of reasons: Early studies suggest its Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines are “not very effective” against the variant, and at the same time China’s success at preventing the spread of Covid so far means it has a very large population that remains vulnerable. (Bala, 2/6)
In news from Canada and Russia —
USA Today: US Closely Tied To Protests Against COVID Mandates In Canada
A former American diplomat says U.S. anti-vaccination groups must stop efforts to fuel protests in Canada – and GoFundMe shut down a funding page set up by U.S. groups in support of Canadian truckers and others protesting COVID-19 measures there. “Under no circumstances should any group in the USA fund disruptive activities in Canada. Period. Full stop,” said Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada under President Barack Obama, on Twitter. "How is it many Republicans are publicly more 'concerned' about events in Canada than Russia?" (Bacon, Ortiz and Thornton, 2/6)
Fox News: Unvaccinated Dad Loses Custody Of Kids; Judge Waves Away Dad's Research On Jabs
An unvaccinated father in New Brunswick, Canada, lost custody of his children, including an immunocompromised 10-year-old, after a judge ruled in favor of the mother late last month, according to reports. The parents, who were not identified in the court ruling, had separated in 2019 but shared custody of their three kids. Last year, the mother asked to have the custody agreement changed because the father and his new wife refuse to be vaccinated and in light of their daughter’s ongoing treatment for non-cancerous tumors in her blood vessels, according to CBC News. Justice Nathalie Godbout said she made the decision with a "heavy heart" but it was necessary for the child’s health amid the coronavirus pandemic and the recent effects of the omicron variant. (Stimson, 2/5)
AP: Russia Hits New COVID-19 Record; 10x More Than A Month Ago
Russia is reporting a record daily count of new coronavirus infections, a tenfold spike from a month ago as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads through the country. The figure of 189,071 new infections released by the state coronavirus task force on Sunday was about 2,800 cases more than the previous day and continued a surge that began in mid-January, when daily new cases were around 17,000. (Heintz, 2/6)
In other global developments —
ABC News: Pope Decries Genital Mutilation, Sex Trafficking Of Women
Pope Francis on Sunday decried the genital mutilation of millions of girls and the trafficking of women for sex, including openly on city streets, so others can make money off of them. In remarks to the public in St. Peter’s Square, the pope noted that the day was dedicated worldwide to ending the ritual mutilation, and he told the crowd that some 3 million girls each year undergo the practice, “often in conditions very dangerous for the health.” (D'Emilio, 2/6)
The Washington Post: Urban Air Pollution Affects 2.5 Billion People Worldwide, Study Says
About 86 percent of people living in urban areas worldwide — 2.5 billion people — are being exposed to air pollution levels roughly seven times greater than World Health Organization guidelines, according to new research, led by George Washington University researchers and published in the Lancet Planetary Health journal. (Searing, 2/6)
