Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Case Numbers Fall, Experts Start To Consider The End Of The Pandemic
Stat: How The Covid Pandemic Ends: Scientists Look To The Past To See The Future
We’re approaching the year-and-a-half mark of the globe’s collective experience with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Covid-19 pandemic it has triggered. At this point, it’s fair to assume people the world over are asking themselves the same two questions: How will this end? And when? (Branswell, 5/19)
NBC News: Back To Normal? Psychologists Warn The Pandemic Could Have Lasting Effects
“I’m very concerned about the effects being long-term,” said Luana Marques, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. “Given that — consistently, globally — you’ve seen the levels of depression and anxiety high since last March, that tells me that we’re going to see an increasing prevalence of mental health [problems] globally.” Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, conversations surrounding public health have primarily focused on protecting people’s physical health. As a deadly virus spread across the globe, strategies were developed to contain its spread. (Benson, 5/18)
AP: 'City In Transition': New York Vies To Turn Page On Pandemic
More than a year after coronavirus shutdowns sent “the city that never sleeps” into a fitful slumber, New York could be wide awake again this summer. Starting Wednesday, vaccinated New Yorkers can shed their masks in most situations, and restaurants, stores, gyms and many other businesses can go back to full capacity if they check vaccination cards or apps for proof that all patrons have been inoculated. (Peltz, 5/19)
On the latest U.S. covid stats —
USA Today: Hospitals May Be Overcounting How Many Kids Are Admitted For COVID-19 In The US, Study Finds
A new study found health care providers may be overcounting the number of kids hospitalized for COVID-19, overestimating the small impact the disease has on children. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine analyzed COVID-19 data from Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford from May 10, 2020, to Feb. 10. During the nine-month period, 117 patients under the age of 18 either tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at the hospital or were hospitalized for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. (Rodriguez, 5/19)
CNN: Average Covid-19 Cases Are Lowest They've Been In Nearly A Year. Vaccines Can Push Them Even Lower, Officials Say
Covid-19 vaccines have proven a tremendous ally in America's battle against the virus. "For the first time since the pandemic began, Covid cases are down in all 50 states," White House senior Covid-19 adviser Andy Slavitt said in a Tuesday briefing. "We are winning the war on the virus, and we need you to help us finish the job." His comments come as state leaders and public health officials express optimism about the country's Covid-19 trends and where we could be by summertime. (Maxouris, 5/19)
Axios: Several States Report Zero COVID Deaths For The First Time In Months
Over the weekend, Texas reported reaching the milestone of zero deaths from COVID-19 for the first time since March 2020. Arizona, Minnesota, and Massachusetts also recently reported COVID death-free days for the first time in months. Other states also posted positive COVID metrics at the top of the week while COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. fell to their lowest in nearly 14 months, Reuters reported. (Reed, 5/18)
And where did it all begin? —
KHN: To The Bat Cave: In Search Of Covid’s Origins, Scientists Reignite Polarizing Debate On Wuhan ‘Lab Leak’
Once dismissed as a conspiracy theory, the idea that the covid virus escaped from a Chinese lab is gaining high-profile attention. As it does, reputations of renowned scientists are at risk — and so is their personal safety. At the center of the storm is Peter Daszak, whose EcoHealth Alliance has worked directly with Chinese coronavirus scientists for years. The scientist has been pilloried by Republicans and lost National Institutes of Health funding for his work. He gets floods of threats, including hate mail with suspicious powders. In a rare interview, he conceded that he can’t disprove that the deadly covid-19 virus resulted from a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology — though he doesn’t believe it. (Allen, 5/19)
