Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Coronavirus Cases Slide In Oregon, But Many States Are Battling Uphill
AP: Oregon Reports Decline In Weekly COVID-19 Cases, 5 Deaths
Oregon officials reported on Thursday the state’s first decline in weekly coronavirus cases since early May. During the week of July 20 through July 26, the number of cases in the state decreased by 7% from the previous week, the Oregon Health Authority said. (Cline, 7/30)
The Hill: Hawaii Registers A Record 124 New Coronavirus Cases In A Single Day
Hawaii posted on Thursday its highest-yet number of new COVID-19 cases as the rate of infections continues to surge. Hawaii News Now reports that the state saw 124 new cases on Thursday, a jump from 108 on Wednesday. That brought the state's seven-day average of new cases up to 71, a jump from where it sat at 61 on Wednesday. (Bowden, 7/30)
AP: New Mexico Extends Stay-At-Home Order As Coronavirus Surges
New Mexico has extended its stay-at-home health order with minor revisions through the end of August in response to a surge in coronavirus cases, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday. The governor credited the surge for scuttling plans to roll back restrictions on everything from visiting loved ones in special care facilities to reopening in-person classes in public schools. (Attanasio, 7/31)
AP: Oklahoma Coronavirus Cases Rise By 1,117, Deaths Up By 13
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday said he is allocating $10 million dollars from federal funding the state received to address the coronavirus to provide personal protective equipment to schools as he encourages them to reopen for in-person classes. “We will be providing 1.7 million resuable masks, that’s two per teacher and two per student, 42,000 clear face shields, 1.2 million pairs of disposable gloves and 1.2 million disposable gowns,” to public schools statewide by Aug. 14, Stitt said. (Miller, 7/30)
AP: Indiana Reports 13 More COVID-19 Deaths, 970 More Cases
Thirteen more people have died from COVID-19 in Indiana and 970 more cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state, health officials said Thursday. The new COVID-19 fatalities occurred since Monday and pushed Indiana’s total to 2,946, including confirmed and presumed cases, since the state’s first death was recorded in mid-March, the Indiana State Department of Health said. (7/30)
