Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
All 50 States Have Confirmed Cases; U.S. Death Toll Surpasses 100
The Associated Press: All 50 States Now Have Virus Cases: West Virginia The Last
All 50 U.S. states now have confirmed cases of the new coronavirus as West Virginia’s governor announced the first positive test in his state on Tuesday evening. Gov. Jim Justice said the person with the virus is in the state’s Eastern Panhandle, a region close to Washington, D.C., though he didn’t disclose the county where it was reported.Justice used a televised address to announce new restrictions, ordering bars, restaurants and casinos to close with the except of carry-out food services. He did not address delivery services. (Raby, 3/17)
The New York Times: U.S. Coronavirus Map: Cases Now Reported In All 50 States
Those known deaths, all from the past three weeks, come as the number of diagnoses has surged into the thousands as the virus has spread and as testing has expanded significantly. On Tuesday evening, West Virginia became the 50th state to report its first case. (Yourish, Harmon, Collins, McCann and Wu, 3/18)
The Washington Post: U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses 100
Coronavirus has killed from coast to coast. It devastated a nursing home in Washington state and crept into the heartland. Across the United States, more than 100 people infected with the highly contagious new virus have now died — a toll that experts expect to rise quickly. This country’s first fatal cases offer a preview of the challenges ahead, as Americans battle a disease that has killed thousands of people worldwide. The Washington Post has tracked every known U.S. death and has analyzed data provided by state and local health officials, families of the victims, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Thebault, Hauslohner and Dupree, 3/17)
Politico: Reported Coronavirus Death Toll In U.S. Tops 100
Public health experts believe the initial and ongoing testing problems mean that unknown numbers of cases have gone undetected, and they say the death toll will only continue to rise. The virus has only tightened its grip on the country and its economy since it first arrived on America’s shores — with local officials closing schools, bars and restaurants, postponing elections and in extreme cases ordering citywide lockdowns in an effort to prevent transmission despite warnings from public health experts that social distancing measures alone are not enough to slow the rate of infection. (Oprysko, 3/17)
CNN: Here's What We Know About The 100 Coronavirus Deaths In The US
Dozens of people from their 50s to their 90s have died in the United States after contracting the novel coronavirus and the death toll continues rising. At least 112 people have died since the first US case of the coronavirus was reported in January and the virus has spread to all states, the District of Columbia and some territories. While the majority were treated at hospitals, a woman in Washington died at home. (Chavez, Watts and Mack, 3/18)
The Wall Street Journal: Scientists Crunch Data To Predict How Many People Will Get Coronavirus
Epidemiologists are teaming up with data scientists to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus by tapping big data, machine learning and other digital tools. The goal is to get real-time forecasts and other critical information to front-line health-care workers and public policy makers as the outbreak unfolds. Known as outbreak analytics, the approach attempts to go beyond confirmed cases and fatalities to gauge the total number of people who are likely to be infected by a virus—whether or not they show any symptoms. (Loten, 3/17)
The Washington Post: British Coronavirus Study Helped Upend Epidemic Strategies In U.S. And U.K.
Immediately after Boris Johnson completed his Monday evening news conference, which saw a somber prime minister encourage his fellow citizens to avoid "all nonessential contact with others," his aides hustled reporters into a second, off-camera briefing. That session presented jaw-dropping numbers from some of Britain’s top modelers of infectious disease, who predicted the deadly course of the coronavirus could quickly kill hundreds of thousands in both the United Kingdom and the United States, as surges of sick and dying patients overwhelmed hospitals and critical care units. (Booth, 3/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Infections Approach 200,000 Globally
The number of confirmed coronavirus infections shot toward 200,000, more than doubling in a span of two weeks, despite an escalation in global travel restrictions and the imposition of home quarantines in many parts of the world. There were 198,152 confirmed cases of the disease known as Covid-19 early on Wednesday, with infections outside of mainland China—where the epidemic began—now above 117,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Deaths globally also more than doubled over the past two weeks to 7,954. (Craymer, 3/18)
