Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Nations Struggle To Lift Restrictions, People Around The World Test Out 'New Normals'
The Wall Street Journal: As Coronavirus Cases Fall, Countries Struggle To Measure When It’s Safe To Reopen
As the pace of new coronavirus infections slows across Europe, governments are reconsidering how best to measure the progress of the disease and guide their decisions on loosening lockdowns. Some are finding that the gauges they used as new cases grew exponentially are becoming harder to interpret or just too volatile as new daily infections fall into the hundreds rather than the thousands. (Pancevski and Fidler, 5/13)
The Associated Press: Typhoon Hits Philippines As Some Places See Pandemic Relief
A typhoon that slammed into the Philippines on Thursday forced a risky evacuation for tens of thousands of people during the coronavirus pandemic, while New Zealand and Japan were among countries to relax restrictions as the virus is brought under control in some places. (Kurtenbach, 5/14)
The New York Times: Germany’s ‘R-Naught’: Are Three Days Over 1.0 Cause For Worry?
When Chancellor Angela Merkel explained “R-naught,” or the reproduction variable, for the coronavirus during a news conference last month, she identified 1.0 as a key threshold. If the R-naught in Germany remained below 1.0, she said, it would suggest that active cases were in decline. A number above 1.0 would indicate that cases were on the rise. So when Germany’s R-naught, or R0, number rose above 1.0 on Saturday and remained there for three days before dipping back down to 0.9 on Tuesday, many wondered about the implications. (Eddy, 5/12)
Reuters: UK In Talks With Roche On 'Game Changer' COVID-19 Antibody Tests
Britain is in talks with Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG on rolling out an accurate COVID-19 antibody test that it said could be a ‘game changer’ on getting the world’s fifth largest economy back to work. (Faulconbridge and Holton, 5/13)
Reuters: Panda Dolls Kick Pandemic Blues For Thai Diners
One restaurant in Thailand is ensuring it meets new social distancing guidelines, and providing lonely diners a bit of company, by seating stuffed pandas at its tables. Thailand earlier this month relaxed some restrictions on businesses as the number of coronavirus cases slowed, allowing restaurants to reopen but with strict rules in place to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. “Earlier we had only one chair for the tables where the customer came alone. But for me, it felt strange, so I thought I’d give them some company,” said Natthwut Rodchanapanthkul, the owner of Maison Saigon, a Vietnamese restaurant in Bangkok. (Kuhakan, 5/14)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: In Mexico, The Leftist President Cuts Spending
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is one of the world’s most powerful leftists — a longtime champion of the poor who delivers scathing indictments of neoliberalism and the global elite. Yet his approach to government spending — even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout — might best be compared to that of conservative icons Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. (Linthicum, 5/13)
CIDRAP: Russia, South America Emerge As Major COVID-19 Hot Spots
A surge of infections in Russia lifted the country's COVID-19 total to the world's second highest, as illness numbers and deaths continued to rise sharply in parts of South America. The global total today rose to 4,327,288 cases from 188 countries, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard. The number of deaths approached 300,000 and is at 295,540. (Schnirring, 5/13)
