Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Analysis Shows Doctors Who Pushed Covid Misinfo Mostly Unpunished
The Washington Post: Doctors Who Put Lives At Risk With Covid Misinformation Rarely Punished
Across the country, doctors who jeopardized patients’ lives by pushing medical misinformation during the pandemic and its aftermath have faced few repercussions, according to a Washington Post analysis of disciplinary records from medical boards in all 50 states. (Sun, Weber and Godfrey, 7/26)
The Wall Street Journal: Facebook Bowed To White House Pressure, Removed Covid Posts
Facebook removed content related to Covid-19 in response to pressure from the Biden administration, including posts claiming the virus was man-made, according to internal company communications viewed by The Wall Street Journal. The emails show Facebook executives discussing how they managed users’ posts about the origins of a pandemic that the administration was seeking to control. “Can someone quickly remind me why we were removing—rather than demoting/labeling—claims that Covid is man made,” asked Nick Clegg, the company’s president of global affairs, in a July 2021 email to colleagues. (Tracy, 7/28)
More about covid —
San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Numbers Are Ticking Up In California. Here’s What To Know
According to the state’s health department, as of Thursday, California reported an average of 858 COVID-related hospitalizations per day over 14 days, up by 7.4% since the beginning of the month, with an average of nine deaths per day over seven days, compared to five on July 1. (Vaziri, 7/27)
NBC News: CDC Detects Coronavirus, HIV, Hepatitis And Herpes At Unlicensed California Lab
Local and federal authorities spent months investigating a warehouse in Fresno County, California, that they suspect was home to an illegal, unlicensed laboratory full of lab mice, medical waste and hazardous materials. The Fresno County Public Health Department has been "evaluating and assessing the activities of an unlicensed laboratory" in Reedley, the health department's assistant director, Joe Prado, said in a statement Thursday. All of the biological agents were destroyed by July 7 following a legal abatement process by the agency. (Madani, 7/28)
AP: South Dakota Attorney General Calls On Lawmaker To Repay More Than $600K In COVID-19 Relief Funds
South Dakota’s attorney general called on a state lawmaker Thursday to repay more than $600,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funding she received for her preschool business. Attorney General Marty Jackley gave fellow Republican state Sen. Jessica Castleberry, of Rapid City, 10 days to return the money she accepted for Little Nest Preschool, which she owns. (Ballentine, 7/27)
AP: Doctor Who Led COVID-19 Response For Navajo Nation In Arizona To Become Maine CDC Director
A doctor who led the successful COVID-19 response in the Navajo Nation in Arizona is returning to Maine to serve as director of the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention, officials said Thursday. Dr. Puthiery Va earned her medical degree at the University of New England in Maine. She has extensive experience in primary clinical care, epidemiology and public health emergency response, making her well-equipped to deal with Maine’s public health challenges, said Jeanne Lambrew, commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. (7/27)
The Atlantic: Fatigue Is So Much More Than Being Tired
Alexis Misko’s health has improved enough that, once a month, she can leave her house for a few hours. First, she needs to build up her energy by lying in a dark room for the better part of two days, doing little more than listening to audiobooks. Then she needs a driver, a quiet destination where she can lie down, and days of rest to recover afterward. The brief outdoor joy “never quite feels like enough,” she told me, but it’s so much more than what she managed in her first year of long COVID, when she couldn’t sit upright for more than an hour or stand for more than 10 minutes. Now, at least, she can watch TV on the same day she takes a shower. (Yong, 7/27)
