Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biggest Culprits In Virus Spread? Developing Nations And The US
The Washington Post: Global Surge In Coronavirus Cases Is Being Fed By The Developing World — And The U.S.
When the United States began shutting down this spring, a virus that emerged months earlier as a mysterious outbreak in a Chinese provincial capital had infected a total of fewer than 200,000 people worldwide. So far this week, the planet has added an average of more than 200,000 cases every day. The novel coronavirus — once concentrated in specific cities or countries — has now crept into virtually every corner of the globe and is wreaking havoc in multiple major regions at once. (Witte, Sheridan, Slater and Sly, 7/14)
Stat: We're The Accidental Sweden, Raising Fears Covid-19 Will Get Worse
In early May, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said at a committee hearing that the U.S. “ought to look at the Swedish approach.” The Swedish approach was to largely allow businesses to remain open. And at first, it seemed to work, with a death count nowhere near what it was in countries such as Italy, Spain, and the U.K. But even as Sweden was being hailed as a model, its cases were steadily rising, and its death rate now exceeds that of the U.S. Sweden also did not seem to stave off the economic damage it was aiming to avoid. (Begley and Joseph, 7/15)
The New York Times: Ireland Has A New Coronavirus Fear: Americans Who Flout Quarantine
Janet Cavanagh, whose electric bike tour company offers a guided glimpse of western Ireland’s windswept landscape, saw her business come to a swift halt — along with nearly everything else — as the coronavirus pandemic forced the country into lockdown. She recently reopened her doors, eager to restart business and make up for lost time as restrictions eased. (Specia, 7/14)
AP: South Africa Surpasses The UK In Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
South Africa on Tuesday surpassed the U.K. in its number of confirmed coronavirus cases as the country’s president warns of “the gravest crisis in the history of our democracy.” South Africa now has the world’s eighth-highest number of cases at 298,292, which represents nearly half of all the confirmed cases on the African continent. That’s according to a Health Ministry statement and data compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers, which showed the U.K. with 292,931 confirmed cases. (Anna, 7/15)
The Washington Post: Brits Remain Reluctant To Wear Face Masks, Despite Having The Highest Coronavirus Death Toll In Europe
On Sunday, a top cabinet minister in charge of pandemic response said wearing masks was "good manners" but completely optional. On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said face coverings were just a bit of "extra insurance." On Tuesday, the British government announced that masks would be mandatory in all shops — and shirkers could be fined $125. That sort of no-maybe-yes messaging has been typical of the Johnson government’s pandemic response. Johnson and his ministers say they follow their science advisers and take each step as necessary. But critics say the waffling may have been especially unhelpful in the case of face coverings — which have been supported by numerous studies on controlling spread of the novel coronavirus. (Adam and Booth, 7/14)
Reuters: Health Experts Put Tokyo On Highest Coronavirus Alert
Health experts put Tokyo on the highest alert for coronavirus infections on Wednesday, alarmed by a recent spike in cases to record levels, while the governor of the Japanese capital said the situation was “rather severe." The resurgence of the virus in Tokyo could add to the growing pressure on policymakers to shore up the world’s No.3 economy, which analysts say is set to shrink at its fastest pace in decades this fiscal year due to the pandemic. (Park and Kim, 7/14)
Reuters: Tokyo Olympics At Risk If Coronavirus Mutates, Gets Stronger: Japan Adviser
However, a recent spike in cases in Tokyo is due to a failure to stick to guidelines to prevent contagion, he said. A physician who served as a science adviser to the Japanese cabinet from 2006-2008, Kurokawa also headed an independent probe into the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Currently, he is advising the government on the coronavirus pandemic. “I think the virus is mutating all the time ... it may be a much stronger virus that triggers a second wave,” Kurokawa told Reuters. “The Olympics may be postponed again, but I can’t predict.” (Sieg and Swift, 7/15)
Reuters: Congo Gives Mines Month To End COVID Restrictions
The Democratic Republic of Congo has given copper and cobalt mining companies a month to stop confining workers on site away from their families as part of COVID-19 restrictions and return to normal operations, the labour minister said in an open letter. Workers have been told by managers to either stay and work or lose their jobs, civil society organisations said last month, citing miners and union representatives and demanding an end to the approach. (7/14)
Reuters: Indonesia Sees Biggest Daily Jump Of COVID-19 Deaths
Indonesia reported 87 new coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, its biggest daily jump, bringing the total number of fatalities to 3,797, its health ministry said. Indonesia also reported 1,522 new coronavirus infections, taking the overall tally to 80,094 cases, ministry official Achmad Yurianto told a televised news briefing. (7/15)
AP: Lebanon Looks To China As US, Arabs Refuse To Help In Crisis
Facing a worsening economic crisis and with little chance of Western or oil-rich Arab countries providing assistance without substantial reforms, Lebanon’s cash-strapped government is looking east, hoping to secure investments from China that could bring relief. But help from Beijing risks alienating the United States, which has suggested such a move could come at the cost of Lebanese-U.S. ties. (Mroue, 7/15)
Also —
AP: Report: Mongolian Teenager Dies Of Bubonic Plague
A 15-year-old boy has died in western Mongolia of bubonic plague, the country’s national news agency reported. The Health Ministry said laboratory tests confirmed the teenager died of plague that he contracted from an infected marmot, according to the Montsame News Agency. The case prompted the government to impose a quarantine on a portion of the province of Gobi-Altai. Montsame said 15 people who had contact with the boy were isolated. (7/15)
