Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'City Of Wuhan Is Safe': China Says It Tests 10 Million, Finds Little Infection; Brazil Sets Record For Daily Deaths
The Associated Press: Wuhan Tests 10 Million People, Finds Few Virus Infections
The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected late last year, has tested nearly 10 million people in an unprecedented 19-day campaign to check an entire city. It identified just 300 positive cases, all of whom had no symptoms. The city found no infections among 1,174 close contacts of the people who tested positive, suggesting they were not spreading the virus easily to others. (6/4)
Reuters: Brazil Sets Record For Daily Coronavirus Deaths, Beating Tuesday
Brazil registered a record number of daily deaths from the coronavirus for the second consecutive day, according to Health Ministry data released on Wednesday. The nation recorded 1,349 new coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, and 28,633 additional confirmed cases, the data showed. Brazil has now registered 32,548 deaths and 584,016 total confirmed cases. (6/3)
Politico: ‘The Wrong Answer’: Norway’s Prime Minister Rebukes Trump On Leaving WHO
The prime minister of Norway rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that the World Health Organization (WHO) is controlled by China and criticized Trump’s May 29 decision to withdraw the United States from the organization. Prime Minister Erna Solberg is the first world leader to publicly rebuke Trump on the move, which has drawn a muted global political reaction. While more than 65 international health organizations today criticized the move, Trump's fellow leaders have until now publicly ignored his dramatic Rose Garden announcement. (Heath, 6/3)
Reuters: Coronavirus Frustrates Saudi Women's Push For Financial Independence
Abeer al-Howayan despaired of ever working after spending eight years trying to find a job that would put her chemistry degree to use in the Saudi Arabian town of Al Ula. She eventually abandoned her scientific ambitions and turned to selling homemade cakes, before she was chosen last year for a government training programme to support a $20 billion flagship tourism project in the kingdom’s northwestern region. (Rashad, 6/4)
Reuters: Uganda Health Workers Say They Lack Vital Equipment To Fight COVID-19
Ugandan medical workers say they lack adequate supplies of personal protective equipment for tackling COVID-19 and the risk of infection is making some reluctant to treat patients. The complaints follow revelations on Sunday that seven health workers including two doctors and two nurses had contracted the virus. (Biryabarema, 6/3)
Reuters: Mortality Spiked 155% In Spain In Worst Week Of Epidemic
New official data in Spain showed on Wednesday that many more people have died than usual this year than the recorded number of coronavirus fatalities and revealed a shocking 155% spike in mortality at the epidemic’s peak in early April. Experts believe the additional deaths include cases where the cause is hard to establish due to underlying conditions, and fatalities among people who avoided hospital treatment for other problems due to the fear of contracting COVID-19. (Pinedo, 6/3)
The Washington Post: Yemen Coronavirus: Outbreak's Toll Is Being Covered Up
As the coronavirus epidemic sweeps through Yemen, rebels who control the north of the country have been threatening medical workers to keep them quiet, part of an effort to cover up the true toll of the outbreak, humanitarian officials say. In southern Yemen, ill-equipped hospitals are turning away patients with coronavirus symptoms, leaving them uncounted and at risk of dying at home, say international aid workers, local health officials and postings on social media. (Raghavan, 6/3)
Reuters: COVID-19 Death Toll Among Nurses Doubled In Past Month, Says Nurses Group
More than 600 nurses worldwide are known to have died from COVID-19, which has infected an estimated 450,000 healthcare workers, the International Council of Nurses said on Wednesday. (Mantovani, 6/3)
Reuters: Mexico Overtakes U.S. Coronavirus Daily Deaths, Sets Records
Mexico overtook the United States in daily reported deaths from the novel coronavirus for the first time on Wednesday, with the health ministry registering a record 1,092 fatalities it attributed to improved documenting of the pandemic. (6/3)
The Washington Post: Latin America Is New Global Hot Spot For Coronavirus Epidemic
For a time, early in the pandemic, when Latin America was mostly a spectator watching outbreaks in China, then Europe, then the United States, there was hope that when the coronavirus arrived here, things would be different. The climate was warmer. The people were younger. The governments had more time to study the mistakes made elsewhere, and to prepare. Weeks later, more than a million people have been infected, tens of thousands are dead, and those hopes are gone. (McCoy, 6/3)
