Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Boris Johnson Self-Isolates; Music Festival Jammed In Case-Free Taiwan
The Hill: Boris Johnson Isolating After Potential Coronavirus Exposure
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday that he had been instructed to self-isolate after coming in contact with someone who had contracted COVID-19. In a tweet, Johnson, who tested positive for the coronavirus and was hospitalized with serious symptoms earlier this year, said that he was feeling fine but would follow protocols and self-isolate in his offices at No. 10 Downing St. (Bowden, 11/15)
The Washington Post: Thousands Pack Music Festival In Taiwan, Where No Local Cases Have Been Reported In Over 200 Days
Over the weekend, while Americans were contemplating the very real possibility that they wouldn’t get to see their families at Thanksgiving or Christmas, thousands of electronic music fans in Taiwan were dancing frenetically to thumping music as fireworks lit up overhead. The island of more than 23 million people has gone more than 200 days without reporting a single locally transmitted coronavirus infection, making it possible for the massive crowd at Ultra Taiwan to pack the makeshift arena like it was 2019. (Farzan, 11/16)
The New York Times: China’s New Testing Policy For Travelers Is Problematic, Experts Say
As cases of the coronavirus continue to climb worldwide, many countries are doubling down on testing policies that can grant or bar entry to travelers attempting to move across international borders. But an unusual new testing policy, announced by China at the end of October, has health experts baffled. It requires inbound travelers to present negative results from an antibody test — which can neither reliably rule out infections nor prove that a person is not transmitting the virus to others. (Wu, 11/13)
AP: German Government Ad Hails Couch Potatoes As Virus Heroes
The German government has released a tongue-in-cheek ad hailing an unlikely hero in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic: the humble couch potato. The 90-second video posted online Saturday begins with an elderly man recalling his ‘service’ to the nation back when he was just a young student “in the winter of 2020, when the whole country’s eyes were on us.” (11/14)
AP: Bach Says Tokyo Olympic "Participants" May Need Vaccinations
Olympic participants and fans arriving for next year’s postponed Tokyo Olympics are likely to face requirements to be vaccinated to protect the Japanese public, IOC President Thomas Bach said Monday after meeting with new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. It was Bach’s first meeting with Suga and his first trip to Japan since the Olympics were postponed almost eight months ago. (Wade, 11/16)
