Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Air Force Teams Deploy To El Paso; NYC Relies On Testing, Tracing
Axios: Defense Department Sends Medical Teams To El Paso As COVID-19 Cases Surge
The Department of Defense has deployed three U.S Air force Medical Specialty Teams to El Paso to help officials cope with a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday. Why it matters: El Paso currently has 23,702 active COVID-19 cases, including 1,300 new cases reported on Friday, per the city's health department. At least 1,049 coronavirus patients have been hospitalized, including 311 who are in the ICU. (11/7)
Fox News: Young People Driving Coronavirus Spike In Austin, Texas Officials Say
Younger people are behind a rise in coronavirus illnesses in the Austin area, Texas officials said, noting that the county now has the highest number of active cases since August. More than half of the 1,034 active cases in Austin-Travis County involve adults between 20 and 39 years old, according to Austin Public Health. (Hein, 11/7)
In news from New York, Maryland, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Utah—
The Washington Post: New York Quashes Coronavirus With Hyper-Local Lockdowns
New York officials have embraced a new strategy to quash coronavirus spikes — shutting down schools and businesses with almost surgical precision, using block-by-block infection data while also boosting testing and contact tracing in those communities. The idea is to stamp out virus sparks quickly, before adjacent areas catch flame, while avoiding the devastation of citywide lockdowns. (Guarino, 11/8)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Orders Restaurants To Close Early, Bars Without Food To Shut Down As Coronavirus Cases Rise
Baltimore became the first jurisdiction in the region to announce it would reinstate more strict coronavirus restrictions Friday, including tightening capacity restrictions, shutting down bars that don’t serve food, and requiring masks in all public spaces, indoors and out. The limits come as the region enters the so-called second wave of the virus, with leaders warning they would take further action in a few weeks if cases continue to rise. (Tkacik, 11/6)
The Hill: Top Wisconsin Health Official Resigns Amid Spike In Coronavirus Cases
The top public health official in Wisconsin resigned Thursday amid an alarming surge in coronavirus cases across the Badger State. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed to The Hill on Friday that interim Division of Public Health Administrator Stephanie Smiley resigned from her post and will officially leave on Nov. 11. (Axelrod, 11/6)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Bucking Latest Coronavirus Trends As New Wave Slams US; Experts Still 'Very Concerned'
There are no firm theories on why Louisiana, the only state with cases spiking at the same time as the national numbers in the spring and summer, has seen only a slow rise this time. Adherence to mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines, and the still-warm fall temperatures in the state, might be factors. Alternatively, some worry that small increases in new cases and hospitalizations might portend the state is moving toward another outbreak, one concealed by a reduction in testing. (Adelson, 11/8)
The Salt Lake Tribune: Promontory Point Landfill Again Seeks Permit To Take Out-Of-State Waste
A landfill facility on the tip of Promontory Point, and only a few hundred yards from the Great Salt Lake, has indicated it will again apply for a Class V permit that will allow it to receive waste from other states. The Promontory Point Resources, or PPR, landfill became controversial in 2017 after it submitted its first Class V permit application and associated documents which made clear its plans to take toxic coal ash from other states. (Larsen, 11/8)
In nursing home news —
AP: Nursing Home COVID-19 Cases Rise Four-Fold In Surge States
Despite Trump administration efforts to erect a protective shield around nursing homes, coronavirus cases are surging within facilities in states hard hit by the latest onslaught of COVID-19.An analysis of federal data from 20 states for The Associated Press finds that new weekly cases among residents rose nearly four-fold from the end of May to late October, from 1,083 to 4,274. Resident deaths more than doubled, from 318 a week to 699, according to the study by University of Chicago health researchers Rebecca Gorges and Tamara Konetzka. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/7)
Philadelphia Inquirer: After COVID-19, Nursing Homes Are In Need Of Long-Term Care
In the Philadelphia region and nationally, the coronavirus pandemic has sharply reduced the number of nursing home residents, both because so many elderly have died and because families are warier than ever of placing loved ones in the facilities. This dramatic drop has plunged the industry into an era of uncertainty over its future. Even before the pandemic, Medicare and Medicaid, which pay for the majority of nursing home care, were pushing more care into the patients’ homes to save money, but the pandemic is expected to hasten the reshaping of the industry, as some locations close and others get smaller or specialize. (Brubaker, 11/9)
The Oklahoman: Pandemic Deaths At Oklahoma Nursing Homes And Other Long-Term Care Facilities Hit 'Painful Milestone'
The COVID-19 death toll at Oklahoma nursing homes and other long-term care facilities has surpassed 500 as the second surge of the pandemic intensifies in the state. Health officials reported in the latest epidemiology report that 516 residents from such facilities and four staff have died so far due to the coronavirus. More than 100 of the resident deaths have been since Oct. 1. (Clay, 11/9)
