Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Covid Team Unseals 'Hidden' Reports Tracking State Covid Levels
The Hill: White House Releases 'Previously Hidden' State COVID-19 Data
The White House COVID-19 team on Wednesday released state coronavirus profile statistics that were "previously hidden," according to White House COVID-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar. In a tweet, Shahpar shared the state profile reports (SPR), which give week-by-week analyses of coronavirus changes per state. (Polus, 1/28)
Stat: For States, Tracking Covid-19 Vaccination Data Poses A Huge Challenge
After a long day of doling out Covid-19 vaccines, workers in Utah County toil late into the night entering data on every single dose. What they don’t finish, they come in early the next morning to finish before the state’s daily 7 a.m. reporting deadline. (Aguilar, 1/29)
In other news from the White House —
The Washington Post: Biden’s Sign Language Interpreter Has Translated Far-Right Misinformation
A gesture meant to bolster President Biden’s call for unity and inclusion instead inspired divisiveness, after news emerged that a White House American Sign Language interpreter was a Trump supporter who previously interpreted videos rife with misinformation. Heather Mewshaw, who appeared in the White House coronavirus briefing on Monday beside press secretary Jen Psaki, was identified by deaf and hard-of-hearing advocates and Time Magazine, fueling questions about the White House’s vetting process and what could have happened if Mewshaw misinterpreted Biden officials or inserted her own bias. No one has publicly disputed her interpretation, but many questioned why the White House would legitimize her by giving Mewshaw the national platform. (Kornfield, 1/28)
