Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arkansas Senator Stokes Debunked Conspiracy That Coronavirus Was Manufactured By Chinese Government
The New York Times: Senator Tom Cotton Repeats Fringe Theory Of Coronavirus Origins
The rumor appeared shortly after the new coronavirus struck China and spread almost as quickly: that the outbreak now afflicting people around the world had been manufactured by the Chinese government. The conspiracy theory lacks evidence and has been dismissed by scientists. But it has gained an audience with the help of well-connected critics of the Chinese government such as Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist. And on Sunday, it got its biggest public boost yet. (Stevenson, 2/17)
The Washington Post: Tom Cotton Repeats Debunked Conspiracy Theory About Coronavirus
Cotton referenced a laboratory in the city, the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, in an interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” He said the lab was near a market some scientists initially thought was a starting point for the virus’s spread. “We don’t know where it originated, and we have to get to the bottom of that,” Cotton said. “We also know that just a few miles away from that food market is China’s only biosafety level 4 super laboratory that researches human infectious diseases.” (Firozi, 2/17)
NBC News: 5 U.S. Cities To Start Testing Patients With Flu-Like Symptoms For Coronavirus
Doctors in five U.S. cities will begin testing patients with flu-like symptoms for the new coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The coronavirus test will only be given to patients who test negative for the flu. So far, the testing protocol will be implemented in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, though more cities will be added. It's a sign that the U.S. is broadening its surveillance of the illness. (Edwards, 2/14)
The New York Times: ‘Are You Sick?’ For Asian-Americans, A Sneeze Brings Suspicion
Most Americans have gone about their lives, confident that they have little to fear from an epidemic that has mostly been felt abroad. But for small pockets of people — those who come from China, or travel there frequently, and health workers who are charged with battling the virus — life has been upended. Hundreds of Americans who were in China are now marooned in anxious quarantine on military bases. And many Asian-Americans in the United States have felt an unnerving public scrutiny, noticing that a simple cough or sneeze can send people around them scattering. (Bosman, Stockman and Fuller, 2/16)
The Associated Press: Home Quarantine For Travelers Buys Time As New Virus Spreads
On his return from China last week, Dr. Ian Lipkin quarantined himself in his basement. His wife now puts his food on the stairs. He’s run out of things to watch on Netflix. At odd hours, he walks in New York's Central Park, keeping 10 feet away from others. Lipkin is among hundreds of people in the U.S. and thousands around the world who, although not sick, live in semi-voluntary quarantine at home. With attention focused on quarantined cruise ships and evacuees housed on U.S. military bases, those in their own homes have largely escaped notice. (2/16)
San Francisco Chronicle: Coronavirus Shows Why You Must Read Travel Insurance Policy Before You Buy
People who purchased travel insurance may be surprised to learn that it might not cover claims arising from the coronavirus. Some plans exclude coverage for losses arising from epidemics. Even if it’s not excluded, no standard policy will cover claims from events — be it a hurricane or epidemic — if the policy was purchased after it became known or foreseen. (Pender, 2/15)
KQED: Wuhan Natives Living In The Bay Area Organize Long-Distance Coronavirus Relief
There are 15 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the United States, compared with more than 40,000 in China, where the virus first surfaced in Wuhan City. There are also thousands of graduates from Wuhan-based universities who call the Bay Area home. So on January 23, when Chinese officials locked down the city in an effort to contain the COVID-19 virus, Tom Gong sprung into action in the South Bay. Gong, who attended university in Wuhan and now lives in San Jose, connected online with fellow alumni and others with ties to the city of 11 million people to figure out how to help. (Arcuni and Dillon, 2/14)
Modern Healthcare: Covid-19 Shares Name With Arizona Company
When the coronavirus outbreak surfaced in China in late 2019, the World Health Organization got a chance to test-drive its new naming guidelines for infectious diseases. The rules are fairly simple. Some do’s: Keep it short and easy to pronounce using generic descriptions of symptoms, physiology affected, severity or seasonality. (2/15)
The Associated Press: Amid Coronavirus Fears, A Second Wave Of Flu Hits U.S. Kids
A second wave of flu is hitting the U.S., turning this into one of the nastiest seasons for children in a decade. The number of child deaths and the hospitalization rate for youngsters are the highest seen at this point in any season since the severe flu outbreak of 2009-10, health officials said Friday. And the wave is expected to keep going for weeks. Experts say it is potentially a bad time for an extended flu season, given concerns about the new coronavirus out of China, which can cause symptoms that can be difficult to distinguish from flu without testing. (2/14)
