Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Blood-Shortage Aid: Group Of Doctors Pushes For FDA To Let Gay Men Donate Blood
The New York Times: Doctors Press F.D.A. To Let More Gay Men Donate Blood
More than 500 doctors, researchers and public health specialists are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to eliminate constraints on blood donations by gay and bisexual men, saying the agency did not go far enough when it relaxed its restrictions earlier this month. The demand was made in a letter dated Thursday that was written by two doctors at the University of California, San Francisco, and signed by hundreds of medical professionals at places like Emory University, Harvard Medical School and the University of Florida. Dispensing with the rules, the letter said, would help to address a drastic drop in the blood supply during the coronavirus pandemic. (Zaveri, 4/16)
The New York Times: Why A Drop In Domestic Violence Reports Might Not Be A Good Sign
One Queens man, angry that his children were crying, slapped his 2-year-old daughter and shoved his wife, prosecutors say. Another threw a glass baby bottle at his wife, enraged that she had left the house against his wishes during the shutdown. A third beat his girlfriend so badly that he broke a bone in her face after she took a long time to run an errand, prosecutors said. The attacks, described in Queens court documents, offer a glimpse of how social distancing and stay-at-home orders have fueled incidents of domestic violence in New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic, even though police have recorded fewer crimes. (Southall, 4/17)
The Associated Press: Facebook To Warn Users Who 'Liked' Coronavirus Hoaxes
Facebook will soon let you know if you shared or interacted with dangerous coronavirus misinformation on the site, the latest in a string of aggressive efforts the social media giant is taking to contain an outbreak of viral falsehoods. The new notice will be sent to users who have clicked on, reacted to, or commented on posts featuring harmful or false claims about COVID-19 after they have been removed by moderators. The alert, which will start appearing on Facebook in the coming weeks, will direct users to a site where the World Health Organization lists and debunks virus myths and rumors. (Ortutay and Seitz, 4/16)
ABC News: Surge In Divorces Anticipated In Wake Of COVID-19 Quarantine
A wave of divorce filings is expected to break across the country when COVID-19 confinement ends, according to several divorce attorneys. While access to courts is now limited, “when those restrictions are lifted, I have no doubt that there will be an overwhelming number of filings,” said New York divorce attorney Marcy Katz. In Chicago, family law attorney Robert Segal expects a “deluge” of divorce cases. (Fies, 4/17)
WBUR: 'A Perfect Storm': Extremists Look For Ways To Exploit Coronavirus Pandemic
A March FBI assessment predicted "hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States, due to the spread of coronavirus disease," according to an intelligence report obtained by ABC News. The report, prepared by the FBI's Houston office and issued to law enforcement agencies nationwide, warned that "a portion of the U.S. public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations." That idea has been reinforced by political leaders including President Trump, who has referred to the "Chinese virus" and variations that reference China or Wuhan rather than the clinical terms used by health officials. (Allam, 4/16)
Kaiser Health News: Big Brother Wants To Track Your Location And Health Data. And That’s Not All Bad.
A growing mix of health and technology experts are convinced that if the United States is to ever effectively track the coronavirus and slow its spread, then both self-reported and more surreptitiously gathered personal data — a mix of information about location, travel, symptoms and health conditions ― must be gathered from millions of Americans. (Appleby and Knight, 4/16)
