Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Before Outbreak, Not A Lot Of Scientists Were Studying Coronaviruses, Leaving Large Gaps In Knowledge
Stat: Fluctuating Funding And Flagging Interest Hurt Coronavirus Research
The waxing and waning interest in coronaviruses has perpetuated gaps in the scientific understanding of the pathogens. Scientists don’t know how long people remain immune to a coronavirus after being infected. There are still looming questions about transmission. There aren’t any drugs approved specifically to treat coronaviruses. Work begun to test existing drugs to see if they were effective against SARS was abandoned when that threat faded; having that information now would have given doctors in China help they badly need. “When this [new] epidemic began, I think there were three or four of us who answered the majority of the calls. Because there are very few of us who are really doing this,” said Dr. Stanley Perlman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa. “I’ve trained a lot of people. Most of them don’t go into coronavirology,” he added. (Branswell and Thielking, 2/10)
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Came From Bats Or Possibly Pangolins Amid ‘Acceleration’ Of New Zoonotic Infections
The outbreak of a new kind of coronavirus in central China is loaded with mysteries, and among the biggest is how the virus made the jump from an animal host into humans. This global health crisis is a reminder of the danger of zoonosis — the ability of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, to enter the human population from an animal host. The coronavirus is similar to two viruses that circulate in bats, but it might have skipped through another species before infecting humans. (Achenbach, 2/7)
Los Angeles Times: Misinformation About Coronavirus Abounds. Correcting It Can Backfire
Stamping out falsehoods about the coronavirus will require much more than blocking a Twitter account. Indeed, thanks to the way we are wired to process information about new and mysterious threats, it may be all but impossible, experts say. “Misinformation is a worrisome consequence of any emerging epidemic,” said Dartmouth College political scientist Brendan Nyhan, who studies conspiracy theories and those who believe them. “But the assumption that facts and science alone are going to be decisive in countering misinformation is wrong, because they often aren’t.” (Healy, 2/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Concerns Spread Faster And Further Than Pathogen
A deadly new coronavirus has spread to two dozen countries from China. So far, Iceland isn’t one of them. That hasn’t stopped the country of 363,000 people from preparing a building called “Place X” to quarantine hundreds of people, should the need arise. Iceland has also established a coordination center, where emergency and government officials meet for daily briefings. Local officials in many remote corners—from Iceland to Antarctica—are rushing to prepare for the possible arrival of the virus, a reflection of China’s global reach and how quickly fear is spreading. (MacDonald, 2/9)
Stat: Coronavirus Fears Trigger Run On Supplies, Shortages For Health Workers
Concern about the new coronavirus spreading in China has triggered a run on global supplies of equipment used to protect health workers from infection, the World Health Organization said Friday, with stockpiles depleted and producers reporting four- to six-month waits for new supplies. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said demand for personal protective equipment, or PPE as it is called, is 100 times higher than normal and prices have skyrocketed to 20 times usual rates. Tedros said “widespread, inappropriate use of PPE outside of patient care” is the cause, and he urged the public as well as all parties in the supply chain to adjust their practices to ensure fair and rational use of supplies. (Branswell, 2/7)
NPR: Will Coronavirus Quarantines Help Or Hurt? A Look Back At Leprosy
Hundreds of people returning to the U.S. from Wuhan, China face mandatory two-week quarantines. And in China, the government is rounding up those who show signs of the deadly coronavirus, to be confined in massive quarantine centers. Protecting public health is a delicate balance between the rights and freedom of individuals and the safety of society. But past efforts to isolate disease show that such moves — as well-intentioned as they might be — don't always go as planned. And perhaps offer a cautionary lesson. (Fessler, 2/7)
The New York Times: Lessons That Go Beyond The Coronavirus Outbreak
News of coronavirus infections is causing many people to panic. It’s unclear how widespread or deadly this illness is going to be, but for once, instead of telling you not to worry, I’m going to suggest riding that wave. Channel that fear into useful action — and find the lessons that go beyond this outbreak. There are absolutely things we can do to protect people from infection by this novel respiratory virus, which has caused hundreds of deaths in Wuhan, China, and has spread to other countries. Some involve a societal response, but others are very simple. (Carroll, 2/10)
Modern Healthcare: Coronavirus Should Taper Off By April, S&P Predicts
The novel coronavirus that threatens to hobble the global economy, causing travel restrictions and the closure of some U.S. retail stores in China, is expected to stabilize in April, according to a projection from S&P Global Ratings. S&P's analysts said a worst-case scenario would involve the virus spreading into late May, with an optimistic prediction calling for an end to transmissions in March. The firm said the impact on economic activity in Asia could peak around the middle of the year before an economic rebound in 2021. (Lamantia, 2/7)
