Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Spikes In Young People In Schools And Hospitals
San Francisco Chronicle: First-Grader Dies Of COVID-19 Complications In Minnesota
A first-grader with no underlying health conditions has died from complications due to COVID-19, according to a statement from the Minnesota Department of Health. “It is simply heartbreaking to hear that COVID-19 has taken the life of someone so young,” Gov. Tim Walz said in the statement Monday afternoon. The child was a first-grader at Park Side Elementary School, Marshall Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Williams told CNN in an email. “I recognize this is scary and concerning for many,” he wrote in a letter to parents, urging them to observe their children for signs of infection. “This sadly reinforces that the pandemic is not over and the precautions that we are taking are not just for our own safety, but for all Minnesotans — including our youngest students who are not yet eligible for the vaccine,” Heather Mueller, the state’s education commissioner, said in a statement. (Vaziri, Beamish and Fracassa, 4/26)
CBS News: COVID-19 Outbreak Hits Pennsylvania School As Kids Fuel New Cases
A suburb of Philadelphia has seen an alarming coronavirus outbreak among children and several fully vaccinated adults. Eight second-graders and two fully vaccinated family members from Penn Valley Elementary School are in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 — all are connected to a single classroom. "Since we've been open in September, this is the first time we saw this many cases in a single classroom," said Amy Buckman, the director of school and community relations for the Lower Merion School District. (Battiste, 4/26)
Bangor Daily News: COVID-19 Outbreaks Are Spiking Again At Maine Nursing Homes
COVID-19 outbreaks at Maine long-term care facilities are on the rise again this month after declining through much of the winter. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has opened 12 outbreak investigations at long-term care facilities across the state this month, from York to Aroostook counties. That’s more than the number it opened in February and March combined. Those April outbreaks — 10 of which are ongoing — have infected more than 90 residents and staff members, with staff members making up a majority of cases. Nobody in those outbreaks has died. (Marino Jr., 4/27)
The Oregonian: Gov. Kate Brown Expected To Move 14 Counties To ‘Extreme Risk,’ Shutter Indoor Dining In Multnomah And Clackamas Counties
Oregon’s fourth surge in COVID-19 infections reached new levels Monday, with the number of hospitalized patients soaring past 300 statewide -- a threshold that’s expected to move 14 of 36 counties into the state’s “extreme risk” category and trigger a list of more restrictive measures on business, social and religious life. Multnomah and Clackamas likely will be among the counties Gov. Kate Brown will say must by Friday shutter indoor dining at restaurants and bars, as well as limit gyms, movie theaters, bowling alleys and swimming pools to a maximum of six patrons indoors. Religious institutions will be asked to set an indoor capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is smaller, although those restrictions are not mandatory. (Green, 4/26)
Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s Coronavirus Percentage Rate Continues To Climb Slightly
The percentage rate of coronavirus cases continues to see a slight uptick throughout the state, as reported by health officials on Sunday. On Wednesday, the state saw a surge in COVID-19 cases, with 590 tallied — the most in a single day since April 6, when 611 were reported. A week ago, the seven-day average was 3.6%. For the past week, which ended Sunday, the seven-day average was 6.1%. While only 281 new cases were reported on Sunday, the percentage rate is 6.86% — higher than the seven-day average. (Gonzalez, 4/25)
Detroit Free Press: Inside The Third Surge At Sparrow: A Lansing Hospital In Overflow
Jeanne Bishop and Kathleen Marble are huddled together over their laptop and notes, quietly trying to figure out where they’re going to put all the kids and infants coming into Sparrow Hospital with COVID-19. It’s Tuesday, April 20, and the 8 a.m. incident command meeting has just wrapped. Now the real work begins. “We haven't really seen it in the population until last week,” says Marble, the nursing director for pediatric services at the Lansing hospital. Her eyes are tired, and she’s pushed her glasses on top of her head. “And now, our numbers are going up now in both (pediatric) ICU and pediatrics.” The youngest infant they’ve admitted is just 2 months old. (Wells, 4/26)
AP: Rural Humboldt County Sees COVID-19 Spike Linked To Church
Humboldt County in rural Northern California is seeing a spike in COVID-19 infections that health officials say is linked to superspreader events, including one linked to a Pentecostal church.COVID-19 infections in the county, known for its beautiful landscapes and booming marijuana fields, had been declining for weeks but last week officials recorded 130 cases. In comparison, the county recorded 45 cases in the week of April 5. (4/27)
In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —
CNN: Handwashing Falls To Pre-Covid Levels Despite Pandemic, Study Finds
It's the pandemic mantra: Wash your hands -- often. Do it with lots of soapy bubbles, scrubbing for a full 20 seconds (or the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice). Rinse, dry and repeat as often as possible. And we did. A June 2020 study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found Americans said they were lathering up twice as often as they did in 2019. (LaMotte, 4/26)
STAT: Could Enhanced COVID Tests Help U.S. Track Virus Variants?
Genomic sequencing is one of the best defenses against potentially deadlier or more transmissible variants of the coronavirus. It’s also expensive, slow, and currently almost nonexistent in the United States. So some epidemiologists are advocating for an easier, cheaper, and faster way to help track variants’ paths through the country: a souped-up version of widely available COVID-19 diagnostic tests that can flag samples with any problematic genetic tweaks. (Renault, 4/26)
Stat: What's Next For Diagnostic Labs, A 'Bright Spot" During Covid-19?
As U.S. diagnostic labs began confronting the Covid-19 pandemic in early March 2020, they faced monumental challenges to quickly build laboratory capacity. That included ramping up staffing and finding sources for the equipment and supplies needed to handle an unpredictable surge in the volume of Covid-19 testing. (White, 4/26)
