Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Emergencies Remain In Only 5 States With California's Ending Today
AP: Final State Emergencies Winding Down 3 Years Into Pandemic
California’s coronavirus emergency officially ends Tuesday, nearly three years after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order and just days after the state reached the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths related to the virus. As California’s emergency winds down, such declarations continue in just five other states — including Texas and Illinois — signaling an end to the expanded legal powers of governors to suspend laws in response to the once mysterious disease. President Joe Biden announced last month the federal government will end its own version May 11. (Beam, 2/28)
San Francisco Chronicle: California’s COVID Emergency Ends This Week. What Happens Next?
California will lift its sweeping COVID-19 state of emergency on Tuesday — nearly three years to the day after it was put in place, giving Gov. Gavin Newsom broad power to impose strict mandates and lockdown restrictions to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Vaziri, 2/27)
More on the spread of covid —
San Francisco Chronicle: CDC Death Certificate Guidance Now Includes Long COVID
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded in its guidance for certifying deaths due to the coronavirus to include complications of long COVID. “Emerging evidence suggests that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, can have lasting effects on nearly every organ and organ system of the body weeks, months, and potentially years after infection,” the new guidance says. (Vaziri, 2/27)
The Boston Globe: Lawsuit Filed In Chelsea Soldiers’ Home Deaths From COVID
Army Staff Sergeant Joseph “Red” Terenzio helped rescue more than two dozen fellow soldiers from enemy territory while serving in the South Pacific during World II, despite being wounded. Maurice “Master Chief” Poulin served in the Coast Guard for 24 years, participating in nine invasions during World War II. And John Sullivan enlisted in the Navy after graduating high school and served as a second class machinist mate during the Vietnam War. (Murphy, 2/27)
CIDRAP: COVID May Be More Likely To Spread In And Beyond Bars, Clubs Than Other Settings
A case-series investigation of more than 44,000 COVID-19 patients in Tokyo in 2020 reveals that SARS-CoV-2 transmission events in healthcare and nightlife settings (eg, bars and nightclubs) were most likely to involve at least five infections, with nightlife cases more likely to generate further spread. (Van Beusekom, 2/27)
Detroit Free Press: Report: Michigan Closed The Gap On COVID-19 Racial Disparities
Early in the coronavirus pandemic, it became clear that Michigan had a problem: Black residents were getting infected by the virus and dying at far higher rate than white Michiganders — representing more than 40% of deaths from COVID-19 in March and April of 2020, while making up just 13.6% of the state's population. (Jordan Shamus, 2/27)
The Washington Post: A Condition Called POTS Rose After Covid, But Patients Can’t Find Care
A life-changing condition called POTS, which can cause fainting, irregular heartbeats and dizziness, particularly among young women, appears to be on the rise as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. But the condition isn’t well understood, and many patients are dismissed as having anxiety, delaying diagnosis. Once diagnosed, many patients face waiting lists as long as two years to get treatment from specialists. (Morris, 2/27)
