Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Death Rate At A 10-Month Low, But About 600 Still Die Each Day
AP: Covid Deaths In U.S. Hit Lowest Level In 10 Months
Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. have tumbled to an average of around 600 per day — the lowest level in 10 months — with the number of lives lost dropping to single digits in well over half the states and hitting zero on some days. Confirmed infections, meanwhile, have fallen to about 38,000 day on average, their lowest mark since mid-September. While that is still cause for concern, they have plummeted 85 percent from a peak of more than a quarter-million cases per day in early January. (5/12 )
The New York Times: Many U.S. States With Bad Recent Outbreaks Show Case And Hospitalization Drops
Many of the states that have suffered the worst recent coronavirus outbreaks have seen notable declines both in new cases and in hospitalizations over the last two weeks, according to a New York Times database. For example, in Michigan, which has had one of the country’s steepest drops, the average number of daily cases sank 44 percent and hospitalizations tumbled 33 percent over that time period, as of Tuesday. (5/13)
In related news about the spread of the coronavirus —
The New York Times: Yankees’ Covid Case Count Rises To Seven
The Yankees’ coronavirus outbreak increased to seven confirmed cases on Wednesday. Three of the team’s coaches and four of its support staff members — all seven people are fully vaccinated, and thus considered breakthrough cases — have tested positive and are in quarantine. All but one of them are asymptomatic, Manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 1-0, on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Wagner, 5/12)
Bangor Daily News: High COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Aren’t Tamping Down Hospitalizations In Maine
Younger, unvaccinated Mainers are being hospitalized with COVID-19 in greater numbers as widespread vaccinations have yet to put a dent in statewide hospitalizations, the state’s top health official said Wednesday. The number of patients hospitalized with the virus was mostly flat over the past week, sitting at 122 as of Wednesday, but the seven-day average is still up nearly 70 percent compared to a month ago, when the number of people hospitalized on a given day dropped as low as 68. Deaths have yet to show a similar increase, likely reflecting lower infection rates among older Mainers most likely to be vaccinated. (Piper, 5/13)
WUSF Public Media: Florida Ranks High For COVID Hospital Admissions, Especially Among Young Adults
The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is going down in Florida, but new admissions are still higher than in most parts of the country, especially for younger and middle-aged adults. An analysis of federal data conducted by Jason Salemi, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida, found Florida ranks fifth in the nation for confirmed COVID-19 hospital admissions for the week predating May 8. (Colombini, 5/12)
Los Angeles Times: As California COVID-19 Cases Drop, Who Is Still Dying?
Despite a statewide mood of optimism as more people get vaccinated and case rates improve, an average of 57 Californians a day are still succumbing to COVID-19. An average of about 12 of those daily deaths are in Los Angeles County, according to data from the past seven days. On the one hand, that’s a huge cause for celebration. During the worst days of the pandemic, California was seeing an average of nearly 600 people per day dying. But the sharp drop in deaths also raises a question: Who is still dying and why? And for families losing loved ones today, the usual pain of loss is compounded by its arrival at a time when the death rate is plummeting. (Smith and Karlamangla, 5/12)
Also —
CIDRAP: Study: 80% Of Hospital COVID-19 Patients Have Neurologic Complications
Eight of 10 hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed neurologic complications and were six times more likely than their peers to die, according to early results from a global study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. Many of the conditions were mild to moderate, but half of the patients had altered brain function or structure, and almost one in five were in a coma. (Van Beusekom, 5/12)
CIDRAP: Blood Analysis Shows Cats Contact COVID-19 At Higher Rates Than Dogs
COVID-19 seroprevalence—or the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood—is higher in cats than in dogs and higher in general in pets living with people who have the disease, according to a study yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Italian scientists analyzed 198 serum samples, 130 from dogs and 68 from cats, collected during March through June of 2020, as well as 100 serum samples, 65 from dogs and from 35 cats, collected in different regions of Italy before 2019 to use as prepandemic controls. (5/12)
