Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Any Mask Better Than No Mask'?: CDC Sticks With Current Guidance
The Hill: Walensky Says CDC Mask Recommendation Will Not Change
Rochelle Walensky, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Wednesday that it does not plan to change its mask guidance to advise Americans to wear higher quality masks amid the omicron surge. The CDC director said during a White House briefing that her agency currently recommends that “any mask is better than no mask" to battle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Coleman, 1/12)
Americans might still receive better masks —
CNBC: Biden Says U.S. To Provide High-Quality Masks For Free To Americans
President Joe Biden on Thursday said the U.S. will give high-quality masks to Americans for free, as new infections from the Covid-19 omicron variant soar across the country. Biden said the U.S. has more than tripled the national stockpile of highly protective N95 masks to make sure they are widely available to the general public. He said masks are a crucial tool to help control the spread of omicron. “I know that for some Americans, the mask is not always affordable or convenient to get,” Biden said in addressing the nation from the White House. “Next week we’ll announce how we’re making high-quality masks available to the American people for free.” (Kimball, 1/13)
Axios: Bernie Sanders Proposes "Masks For All"
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced a bill Tuesday that would provide every person in the U.S. with three free N95 masks, he announced in a statement Tuesday. The Masks for All Act, first introduced in 2020, aims to improve access to high-filtration face masks by sending them to every person in the country, including people who are homeless, and those living in congregate settings like prison shelters or college dorms, per the bill summary. (Garfinkel, 1/12)
Roll Call: White House Emphasizes Testing Over Mask Update
The White House COVID-19 Response Team stopped short of announcing major changes to anticipated guidance surrounding masks and instead focused on changes to testing strategy on Wednesday. Experts have been calling for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its mask guidance to recommend high-filtration masks such as N95s and KN95s in light of the surge of the omicron variant. “Right now, we are strongly considering options to make more high-quality masks available to all Americans, and we’ll continue to follow the science here. The CDC is in the lead. But this is an area that we’re actively exploring,” said White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients. (Raman, 1/12)
And more about masks —
AP: Soaring COVID-19 Cases Renew US Debate Over Mask Mandates
Officials across the U.S. are again weighing how and whether to impose mask mandates as COVID-19 infections soar and the American public grows ever wearier of pandemic-related restrictions. Much of the debate centers around the nation’s schools, some of which have closed due to infection-related staffing issues. In a variety of places, mask mandates are being lifted or voted down. (Kinnard, 1/12)
Salt Lake Tribune: Salt Lake County Restaurants Say They’re ‘Relieved’ Over Health Department’s Mask Order
Most Salt Lake County bar and restaurant owners are “very relieved” that county health officials ordered a new mask mandate to stall the spread of COVID-19, says the head of their trade group. “It makes [a mask rule] easier to enforce,” said Michele Corigliano, president of the Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association. “If it’s up to the restaurant or the bar to say, ‘I want to keep my employees safe, can you please put on a mask?’, I doubt it would go over very well at many of the restaurants around the valley.” (Russell, 1/12)
In related news about pandemic fatigue and misinformation —
The Hill: New Study Investigates Early Claims Of COVID-19 'Infodemic'
The “infodemic” many say has been sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic is actually a general feature of online health information, new research suggests. In a study of public social media posts shared in 2019 and 2020, at the outset of the pandemic, researchers found health misinformation had been spreading long before the first case of COVID-19 was detected. (Migdon, 1/12)
NPR: Americans Are Tuning Out As Omicron Rages. Experts Call For Health Messaging To Adapt
Access Health CEO Jeff Fortenbacher's nonprofit tries to provide better health care by offering l0wer-cost health insurance and offering counseling and care to low-income and minority patients around Muskegon, Mich., where the rate of full vaccination in that population is at a mere 14%. He says the challenges of reaching these communities has gotten even harder lately. "It just cuts across that whole issue of trust and suspicion and not getting the information," he says. After two years of recommendations on masking, isolation, travel and vaccines, many are just checked out. "I mean, it's almost like white noise." (Noguchi, 1/12)
The Washington Post: A Rochelle Walensky Interview Sparked Outrage. But The CDC Says ABC Omitted Crucial Context
Context is everything, as was demonstrated this week by ABC News and the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky. Walensky suffered a nasty case of backlash after ABC’s “Good Morning America” aired an edited clip of her interview on Friday, discussing the pandemic and the fast-spreading omicron variant. (Farhi, 1/12)
