Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Infections Spike, Japan Extends Emergency Measures
AP: Japan Expands Virus Emergency After Record Spikes Amid Games
Japan expanded a coronavirus state of emergency to four more areas in addition to Tokyo on Friday following record spikes in infections as the capital hosts the Olympics. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared an emergency in Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba, near Tokyo, as well as in the western city of Osaka, effective Monday until Aug. 31. Emergency measures already in place in Tokyo and the southern island of Okinawa will be extended until the end of August, after the Olympics and well into the Paralympics which start Aug. 24. (Yamaguchi, 7/30 )
AP: Detailing Japan's New COVID State Of Emergency
It doesn’t mean a lockdown. In fact, Japan has never had a lockdown. Its “emergency” measures are centered around having bars and restaurants close early. Under the latest emergency, extended through the end of August, serving alcohol is restricted. The measures have been widely criticized as arbitrarily targeting a sector without scientific foundation. Some establishments are ignoring requests and staying open. Theaters and clubs limit crowd size. (Kageyama, 7/30)
AP: In Effort To Curb COVID, Tokyo Olympics Collect Lots Of Spit
They spit. They wait. They hope. About 30,000 people from scores of nations are spitting into tiny plastic vials at the Olympics in a daily routine that’s grown crucial in going ahead with the pandemic-era Games, according to organizers. If you do the math for the two-week duration of the Olympics, that adds up to a half million saliva samples collected for athletes, who get tested daily, as well as other venues, in an extraordinary effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections. At about 1 milliliter per sample, that would be ... well, a lot of spit. (Kageyama, 7/30)
Reuters: A Tale Of Two Cities: In The 'Bubble' And The Tokyo Outside
The Tokyo Olympics is running a village for athletes and coaches where more than 80% are vaccinated against the coronavirus, testing is compulsory and movement is stringently curtailed. None of that is true for the giant Japanese capital that surrounds the Olympic "bubble". The athletes’ village and Olympic press centre represent a huge, strict COVID-19 control zone for the more than 50,000 competitors, coaches, staff and journalists. Meanwhile, outside the fence, host city Tokyo - despite labouring through its fourth coronavirus lockdown as infections spike to record highs - is leading something like life as pandemic-normal. (Slodkowski and Takenaka, 7/29)
In other updates from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games —
NBC News: U.S. BMX Racer Connor Fields Carried Off On Stretcher After Crash
U.S. BMX racer and defending Olympic gold medalist Connor Fields was carried off the course on a stretcher after crashing Friday at the Tokyo Games. "We can confirm that Connor Fields is awake and awaiting further medical evaluation," a Team USA doctor said in a statement. "We will share additional updates as they become available." Fields, 28, of Las Vegas, was racing in the semifinals when he landed hard off a jump heading into the first turn in the third run. (Helsel, 7/30)
Reuters: Biles Spells Out Struggles, No Clear Word On Further Participation
Star U.S. gymnast Simone Biles on Friday spelled out her struggles to perform, days after pulling out of the team and women's all-around competitions in Tokyo, but shed no clear light on whether she would take part in further individual events. ... "It's honestly petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind & body in sync," she wrote on Instagram, in what appeared to be a series of answers to questions from followers, noting that she'd had similar periods before. (Lies, Tetrault-farber, 7/30)
The Wall Street Journal: How An Athlete’s Covid Rollercoaster Shows Testing’s Limits For Preventing Contagion
Argentinian pole vaulter German Chiaraviglio described his days in the Olympic village as a sleep-robbing, emotional Covid rollercoaster. First, he tested positive, setting off a mandatory isolation. Several hours and a negative test later, he was set free, allowed to resume normal life, he posted on Instagram. That freedom was short-lived. The next day, the same sequence of events played out. And the day after that too, until finally on July 28, both tests came back positive. He knew then that his Olympic dreams were over. He would have to go into quarantine. “It’s really hard to process something like this. It’s likely going to take me a long time,” he said. (Hernandez, 7/30)
