Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
At-Capacity Colorado Hospitals Can Turn Away Patients; N.Y. Reopens Emergency Hospital
The Denver Channel: Polis Issues Order Allowing At-Capacity Colorado Hospitals To Transfer Patients, Deny New Admissions
Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed an executive order allowing at-capacity hospitals to transfer patients, and stop admitting new ones, to help them respond to a surge in COVID-19 patients across the state. Hospitals will not have to receive a patient's consent for a transfer, if directed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, according to Polis' order. The order also applies to freestanding emergency room facilities. (Osborne, 11/23)
The New York Times: Emergency Hospital Reopening On Staten Island To Handle 2nd Wave
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday that New York would reopen an emergency hospital on Staten Island to address a new surge in coronavirus cases that is straining the capacity of the borough’s hospitals. The announcement is another sign that New York City is in the grip of a second coronavirus wave that has already led to the closing of public schools, the reversal of some reopenings and warnings to families to scale back their Thanksgiving plans. It also raises the specter of a return to the pandemic’s darkest days in March and April. “Staten Island is a problem,” Mr. Cuomo said at a daily news briefing. (Shanahan, 11/23)
The Hill: Hundreds Of Bodies From New York Virus Surge Still Stored In Freezer Trucks
Hundreds of bodies of people who died from COVID-19 in the spring remain in storage in freezer trucks in New York, The Wall Street Journal reported. City officials told the Journal that there are about 650 bodies in storage on the 39th Street Pier in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the bodies are largely those of people who could not afford a burial or whose next of kin could not be located. (Budryk, 11/23)
In related news from the states —
Los Angeles Times: After COVID-19 Exposures, Newsom Family Will Quarantine
Gov. Gavin Newsom and his family will spend Thanksgiving in quarantine after his children were exposed in two separate incidents to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, cases that the governor said Monday prompted an informal lockdown of his Fair Oaks estate over the weekend. During a midday news conference from his home office, Newsom said everyone in his family, including the children’s au pair, has tested negative for the virus. (Luna, 11/23)
San Francisco Chronicle: California Records More Than 20,000 New Cases Monday In Grim Milestone
California on Monday recorded more than 20,000 new cases of the coronavirus — smashing previous daily records and setting a grim milestone as the state and the rest of the country continues to see explosive spread of the virus. The state recorded 20,654 cases of the virus Monday, according to The Chronicle’s coronavirus tracker. The previous daily record, set one week ago, was 13,412. Monday’s tally could potentially be attributed to a lag in weekend reporting; only 5,842 new cases were reported Sunday. (Williams, 11/23)
The Seattle Times: Health Providers Strike At 20 MultiCare Urgent-Care Clinics In Puget Sound Area
More than 100 doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners who work at urgent-care facilities within the MultiCare health system went on strike Monday, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, to protest working conditions. ... The health providers contend they sometimes work excessive hours, care for too many patients, aren’t provided the protective equipment they want and are concerned about the clinics’ infection-control practices. (Bush, 11/23)
Courier-Journal: COVID-19 Toll Wearing On Kentucky Nursing Homes Amid Surge
As Kentucky posts record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases and rising deaths, the state's nursing homes and senior living sites are bracing for grim weeks ahead in facilities where residents and staff already have been hit hard by the virus. Last week, the state enlisted the Kentucky National Guard to help at nursing homes suffering acute staff shortages because of workers who have been infected with the virus or forced to quarantine because they have been exposed on the job or in the community to COVID-19. (Yetter, 11/23)
CNN: The Navajo Nation Is Struggling To Survive The Coronavirus
A thick cloud of dust kicks up behind cars as they meander down a rugged dirt road into town. The bone-shaking journey to Pinon, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation is a long one filled with sharp bumps and deep potholes. Much like the drive into Pinon, the Navajo Nation's struggles with the coronavirus have been far from easy. The community surpassed New York state for the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the United States in May. (Marples, 11/24)
