Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
COVID Is Top Cause Of Police Officer Deaths; Man Dies After Sturgis Rally
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Has Killed More Police Officers This Year Than All Other Causes Combined, Data Show
As of Sept. 2, on-the-job coronavirus infections were responsible for a least 100 officer deaths, more than gun violence, car accidents and all other causes combined, according to the Officer Down group. NLEOMF reported a nearly identical number of covid-related law enforcement deaths. (Ingraham, 9/2)
The Hill: COVID-19 Is Leading Cause Of Law Enforcement Deaths This Year: Analysis
Coronavirus infections possibly caught while on the job are now the leading cause of death among U.S. police officers, according to law enforcement groups. Officer Down, a nonprofit group tracking deaths among law enforcement agencies across the U.S., found that 101 officers have died from COVID-19 so far in 2020, more than twice as many that have died in shootings, the second-highest cause of deaths among law enforcement. The statistic was first reported in The Washington Post on Wednesday. (Bowden, 9/2)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post: First Coronavirus Death Linked To Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Reported In Minnesota
A Minnesota biker who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has died of covid-19 — the first fatality from the virus traced to the 10-day event that drew more than 400,000 to South Dakota. The man was in his 60s, had underlying conditions and was hospitalized in intensive care after returning from the rally, said Kris Ehresmann, infectious-disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health. The case is among at least 260 cases in 11 states tied directly to the event, according to a survey of health departments by The Washington Post. (Shammas and Sun, 9/2)
NPR: States Report Coronavirus Cases Linked To Sturgis, S.D., Motorcycle Rally
The greatest share of cases so far have emerged in the rally's home state, South Dakota, which has registered more than 100 cases so far. A Minnesota man in his 60s who went to the rally was later hospitalized for COVID-19 and died earlier this week, said Kris Ehresmann head of infectious disease for the Minnesota Department of Health. (Stone, 9/2)
NBC News: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson And Family Tested Positive For COVID-19
Actor and former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said Wednesday that his family recently tested positive for the coronavirus and are now implementing stricter rules on socializing amid the pandemic. Johnson, 48, posted a video to his Instagram and shared that he, wife Lauren and two young daughters all tested positive for COVID-19 about three weeks ago. The "Jumanji" and "Baywatch" actor said that his daughters had only mild symptoms, but that the illness was much harder on the adults. (Madani, 9/2)
NBC News: 134 Coronavirus Cases Now Linked To Maine Wedding As Outbreak Hits Jail And Nursing Home
The coronavirus outbreak linked to a Maine wedding that violated attendance limits has grown to have infected at least 134 people, state authorities said Tuesday. Just a week ago, officials reported that 53 positive coronavirus cases had been linked to the Aug. 7 wedding, but now the numbers have more than doubled after the outbreak has been traced to a jail and nursing care center. (Li, 9/2)
Kaiser Health News: Why Black Aging Matters, Too
Old. Chronically ill. Black. People who fit this description are more likely to die from COVID-19 than any other group in the country. They are perishing quietly, out of sight, in homes and apartment buildings, senior housing complexes, nursing homes and hospitals, disproportionately poor, frail and ill, after enduring a lifetime of racism and its attendant adverse health effects. (Graham, 9/3)
ABC News: COVID-19 Exacerbates An Already Fractured Opioid Addiction Treatment Framework: ANALYSIS
Opioid overdoses in the United States have spiked by about 18% during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program at the University of Baltimore. This, after the CDC reported 2019 opioid overdose deaths topped over 71,000, a record high at the time. (Mihalek, 9/3)
Kaiser Health News and USA Today: Cities And States Look To Crack Down On ‘Less-Lethal’ Weapons Used By Police
Following nationwide protests against police brutality in which law enforcement officers wounded or blinded protesters, state and local lawmakers and an international police association are taking steps to restrict the use of “less-lethal” weapons that caused the injuries. At least seven major U.S. cities and a few states have enacted or proposed tight limits on the use of rubber bullets and other projectiles, though some efforts for similar actions have stalled in the face of opposition from police agencies or other critics. (Hancock, McCoy and Slack, 9/3)
And researchers take a deeper dive into a superspreader event —
The New York Times: How A Bus Ride Turned Into A Coronavirus Superspreader Event
In late January, as the new coronavirus was beginning to spread from China’s Hubei Province, a group of lay Buddhists traveled by bus to a temple ceremony in the city of Ningbo — hundreds of miles from Wuhan, center of the epidemic.It was a sunny day with a gentle breeze, and the morning service was held al fresco, followed by a brief luncheon indoors. A passenger on one of the buses had recently dined with friends from Hubei. She apparently did not know she carried the coronavirus. Within days, 23 fellow passengers on her bus were also found to be infected. (Caryn Rabin, 9/1)
Read the full study from the JAMA Network —
Community Outbreak Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Bus Riders in Eastern China
