Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Still Testing Negative For Covid, And Now So Is First Lady
The New York Times: Jill Biden Tests Negative For Coronavirus
Jill Biden, the first lady, tested negative for the coronavirus on Thursday, the White House said, putting an apparent end to a minor health scare that had threatened to upend President Biden’s trip to a Group of 20 summit in India. The announcement came shortly before Mr. Biden departed the White House for his trip to New Delhi, where he plans to lobby world leaders on matters that include condemning Russia’s war with Ukraine and curbing China’s financial influence over poorer countries. The president also tested negative for the virus on Thursday, as he had throughout the week. (Cameron, 9/7)
Reuters: Biden Tests Negative Again For COVID-19 - White House
President Joe Biden has tested negative again for COVID-19, the White House said on Thursday, following his wife Jill's positive diagnosis earlier in the week. Biden is due to travel to India later on Thursday for a summit of the Group of 20 nations, followed by a trip to Vietnam. (9/7)
'We keep making the same mistakes,' says former surgeon general —
Stat: Trump Surgeon General Acknowledges Mistakes During Covid
The Trump administration made some serious missteps during the coronavirus pandemic, Trump’s top doctor Jerome Adams admits. But he says we still haven’t learned from them. (Owermohle, 9/7)
More on the covid surge —
Los Angeles Times: COVID Outbreaks Hit Workplaces, Schools Across California
While health officials continue to say the numbers are no cause for alarm, the infections are beginning to bring more disruptions to everyday life. In Los Angeles County, the number of new COVID-19 outbreak investigations at work sites tripled in the last month, reaching 73 for the 30-day period that ended Sept. 1. An outbreak is defined as a number of cases in which there is confirmed viral transmission at a work site and not just a cluster of cases where people were infected elsewhere. (Lin II and Alpert Reyes, 9/7)
The Washington Post: How Covid Experts Are Approaching This Fall’s Expected Rise In Infections
The Washington Post has interviewed numerous medical experts several times over the past three years to learn what precautions they were taking as the coronavirus circulated. With so much news swirling about, we’ve done this once again, and here’s what they have to say today. Responses have been edited for space and clarity. (Cimons, 9/7)
The New York Times: Should You Get Another Covid Booster Now, Or Wait Until The Fall?
Dr. David Boulware, a professor of medicine specializing in infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota Medical School, added that because the new vaccine is a better match for the current variants, he is “somewhat optimistic” that it will help prevent not only severe disease but also infection. “Once you’re boosting with the variant that is closest to what’s actually circulating,” you will most likely regain some protection against infection, he said. (Smith, 9/7)
ABC News: Why You May Want To Think Twice Before Throwing Out Those Old At-Home COVID Tests
Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic, told ABC News that earlier in the pandemic, expiration dates were conservatively set due to unknowns about how long they would be effective for. "Now that we have been in the pandemic for over three years, the manufacturers have had a better opportunity to determine the true expiration dates of those kits," he said. (Kekatos and Benadjaoud, 9/7)
