Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Report Warns 'War Has Changed' Due To Highly Contagious Delta
The Washington Post: ‘The War Has Changed’: Internal CDC Document Urges New Messaging, Warns Delta Infections Likely More Severe
The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal federal health document that argues officials must “acknowledge the war has changed.” The document is an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slide presentation, shared within the CDC and obtained by The Washington Post. It captures the struggle of the nation’s top public health agency to persuade the public to embrace vaccination and prevention measures, including mask-wearing, as cases surge across the United States and new research suggests vaccinated people can spread the virus. (Abutaleb, Johnson and Achenbach, 7/29)
The New York Times: C.D.C. Internal Report Calls Delta Variant As Contagious As Chickenpox
Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the agency, acknowledged on Tuesday that vaccinated people with so-called breakthrough infections of the Delta variant carry just as much virus in the nose and throat as unvaccinated people, and may spread it just as readily, if less often. But the internal document lays out a broader and even grimmer view of the variant. The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox, according to the document, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. (Mandavilli, 7/30)
CNN: CDC Document Warns Delta Variant Appears To Spread As Easily As Chicken Pox And Cause More Severe Infection
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky confirmed the authenticity of the document, which was first reported by The Washington Post. "I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious," she told CNN. "It's one of the most transmissible viruses we know about. Measles, chickenpox, this -- they're all up there." The CDC is scheduled to publish data Friday that will back Walensky's controversial decision to change guidance for fully vaccinated people. She said Tuesday the CDC was recommending that even fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in places where transmission of the virus is sustained or high. (LeBlanc, Fox and Cohen, 7/29)
Newsweek: How Contagious Is Ebola? CDC Documents Compare Virus To COVID Delta Variant
Concerns over the threat of the Delta variant were raised after an internal document from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed further details about the variant, including how it compares to Ebola. According to the confidential CDC document published Thursday, which was obtained by The Washington Post, the Delta variant is more contagious than the virus that causes Ebola as well as viruses that cause MERS, SARS, smallpox, seasonal flu and the common cold. (Kim, 7/30)
In related news about the delta variant —
CNBC: Delta Variant ‘Absolutely’ Driving Covid Breakthrough Cases, Says Doctor
Professional sports leagues are uniquely positioned to track breakthrough Covid cases because they test thousands of athletes consistently, according to Dr. Robby Sikka, a physician who has worked with numerous NBA and NFL teams. Sikka told CNBC that the highly transmissible delta variant is “absolutely” driving most of the Covid breakthrough cases he’s studied. (DeCiccio, 7/29)
The New York Times: Map: Where People In The U.S. Are Most Vulnerable To The Delta Variant
The patchwork nature of the coronavirus vaccination campaign in the United States has left people in many parts of the country still vulnerable to the virus and the fast-spreading Delta variant. Even areas with high vaccine uptake or those that were hit hard in previous waves of the pandemic could see new outbreaks if vaccination rates do not increase, an analysis conducted for The New York Times shows. (Smart, 7/29)
The New York Times: How Often Do The Vaccinated Spread Covid-19?
The recommendation that vaccinated people in some parts of the country dust off their masks was based largely on one troublesome finding, according to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New research showed that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant carry tremendous amounts of the virus in the nose and throat, she said in an email responding to questions from The New York Times. (Mandavilli, 7/29)
AP: Do I Need To Get Tested For COVID-19 If I'm Vaccinated?
Do I need to get tested for COVID-19 if I’m vaccinated? Yes, if you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19. The latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people who are fully vaccinated should get tested three to five days after a potential exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms. (Perrone, 7/30)
