Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CMS May Quash Weekly Covid Reporting Rule For Nursing Homes
The New York Times: Trump Officials May Undo Nursing Home Mandates For Reporting Covid
Nursing homes would no longer be required to report each week how many residents were stricken by Covid and other respiratory diseases, under a Trump administration plan to repeal a key public health response to thousands of pandemic deaths. A draft summary of the proposed rule obtained by The New York Times outlines how the administration agrees with the industry’s objections to weekly reporting of viral caseloads, calling it burdensome. In its waning days, the Biden administration made Covid reporting rules permanent, adding influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (R.S.V.) to the list of threats that facilities also must track and record. The policy took effect in January 2025. (Rowland and Johnson, 9/23)
NBC News: Why The CDC Edited A Key Covid Metric, And What It Says About The State Of The Virus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month raised its benchmark for levels of the Covid virus in wastewater, adjusting a key metric for assessing the disease’s transmission. As a result, a level that would previously have been classified as high transmission may now register as moderate instead. (Gross, 9/23)
The Washington Post: States Can Now Access Covid Vaccines For Low-Income Children, After Delay
States are now able to access updated coronavirus vaccines through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program serving nearly half the nation’s children after it had been in limbo for nearly a month, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post. Earlier Wednesday, The Post reported that ordering was set to begin as early as Wednesday or Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Within a few hours, an email sent out shortly before 5 p.m. from a CDC official informed partners in the federal program that covid-19 vaccines were “now available for ordering.” (Sun and Roubein, 9/23)
CIDRAP: More Than 1 In 10 US Healthcare Workers Report Ongoing Long-COVID Symptoms, Study Finds
More than one in 10 US healthcare personnel (HCP) reported persistent moderate or severe long-COVID symptoms at both three and six months after infection, according to a study published this week in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. The study also found that older age, female sex, multiple underlying health conditions, and multiple COVID infections were associated with greater odds of persistent symptoms. (Bergeson, 9/23)
On measles —
NBC News: CDC Reports First Measles Death In 2026 Amid Confusion Over Pennsylvania Cases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged Wednesday that one measles death has occurred so far in 2026 but provided no clarity about who died or where. The agency previously declined to recognize four measles-associated deaths the Pennsylvania Health Department reported over the last month. On Wednesday, the CDC’s measles outbreak page was updated to show one death with a note that the number “is subject to change” and that the agency will “update its reporting as additional information becomes available.” (Edwards, 9/23)
CIDRAP: Measles Outbreak In Chicago Shelter Cost Nearly $9 Million, CDC Estimates
In JAMA Network Open yesterday, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Illinois public health agencies estimated the cost of a 2024 measles outbreak in two Chicago shelters for unhoused people newly arrived in the country at $8.7 million. The economic evaluation tallied the costs of the outbreak, which took place from March 7 to April 30, in terms of the public-health response, direct medical expenses, and productivity losses in patients in isolation or quarantine and those caring for children who missed school or daycare due to isolation. (Van Beusekom, 9/23)
On flu shots —
The Wall Street Journal: What To Know About A Flu Season Without A Flu-Shot Push
The Trump administration is curbing its efforts to encourage Americans to get the flu vaccine this fall despite the virus rising as a cause of death in the U.S. and killing a higher number of children in recent years. President Trump signed an executive order last month calling for most children to receive fewer vaccines. That will result in Americans seeing notably less federal support for the shots in the coming months. The nation’s top health agencies have halted multimillion-dollar campaigns urging Americans to get vaccinated against flu and other respiratory viruses. They have also scaled back efforts to send informational materials to clinicians and pharmacies ahead of respiratory-virus season. (Siddiqui, 9/23)
