Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid-Stressed Pennsylvania Hospitals Get Help From Overflow Facilities
AP: Pennsylvania Adding Long-Term Care Beds To Ease COVID Crunch
Pennsylvania is setting up four regional support sites with as many as 120 beds to help hospitals and nursing homes under strain from COVID-19, state officials said Monday. The temporary sites will be located in existing skilled nursing facilities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as in Blair and Clarion counties, and will allow hospitals to more rapidly discharge patients in need of long-term care. (1/31)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. Hospitals Strained By COVID Getting Help From Overflow Sites
Overflow units will open at four Pennsylvania nursing homes, including one in Philadelphia, in the state’s latest effort to ease the burden on hospitals pushed to the brink by an influx of patients infected with omicron, a nationwide staffing shortage, and workers out sick with the virus, the Department of Health announced Monday. Up to 30 additional beds for patients will open at Springs at the Watermark in Philadelphia, as well as at facilities in Pittsburgh, Blair County, and Clarion County, acting Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter said, to “allow for more rapid discharge of patients from hospitals.” (McCarthy and McDaniel, 1/31)
In related news about the spread of covid —
Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Reports More Than 10,000 New COVID-19 Cases Monday
As a statewide test shortage continues to obscure true case counts, Utah reported 10,272 new COVID-19 diagnoses Monday, as well a near-record number of patients hospitalized with the virus. Since Friday, daily diagnoses have reached their lowest point in recent weeks, but it’s not clear whether that’s due to lower transmission levels or Utahns following state officials’ recommendation not to get tested after an influx of patients overwhelmed the state’s testing sites in mid-January. (Alberty, 1/31)
Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi's COVID-19 Cases, Fueled By Omicron, Remain High
There were 9,752 COVID-19 cases in Mississippi from Friday to Sunday, according the Mississippi State Department of Health. The omicron variant’s high transmission rate, the state’s low vaccination rate and holiday gatherings served as a breeding ground for the rapidly spreading omicron variant, state health officials said. The single-day count record was set Jan. 13 with 9,300 new COVID-19 cases. (Haselhorst, 1/31)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia COVID Deaths Rising As U.S. Deaths From Omicron Surpass Delta
The highly contagious omicron variant has pushed the daily average U.S. COVID-19 death toll higher than last fall’s delta wave as the nation nears a chilling milestone of 900,000 coronavirus deaths. The average number of deaths reported each day in Georgia has been growing, too. But it remains unclear if Georgia will surpass the peak that followed the devastating surge of the earlier delta variant. Two health experts interviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday seemed divided on whether the state has yet to reach its peak number of deaths or if the death toll has already begun to wane. (Trubey and Oliviero, 2/1)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: More Contagious, Detectable Omicron Subvariant Found In Wisconsin
A subvariant of omicron that could spread more rapidly than the original omicron has been detected in Wisconsin. A case of the subvariant, known as BA.2, was detected the week of Jan. 16 in Wisconsin, according to an online dashboard maintained by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The subvariant has been found in more than half of U.S. states, with at least 194 known cases nationwide as of Sunday, according to a global database that tracks COVID-19 variants. (Volpenhein, 1/31)
Also —
American Homefront Project: In COVID-Weary New York, The National Guard Is Getting Medical Training To Help In Nursing Homes
Just a few weeks ago, Robert Coleman was working at his civilian job as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Freeport on Long Island. Now, he’s one of 80 New York National Guard members in a pilot program that will train him to become a certified Emergency Medical Technician. Coleman and the other troops — most with no health care background — were placed into a four-week course to prepare them for the state EMT exam. The plan is to deploy them to nursing homes. For Coleman, this is just his latest pandemic relief mission on a list that keeps growing longer. (D'lorio, 1/31)
Appleton Post-Crescent: COVID-19 Is Leading Cause Of Death For Wisconsin Police, Firefighters
Since the pandemic began, the virus has been cited in more line-of-duty deaths among police officers and firefighters in Wisconsin than any other cause. By the end of 2021, at least five police officers and 10 firefighters in the state had died of COVID-19 in the line of duty, according to their employers. Those left behind continue to face challenges every day. Many have been sick themselves, unable to avoid the virus at a job that requires frequent face-to-face contact with the public. As the pandemic enters a third calendar year, more than 1.3 million people in Wisconsin have had COVID-19. More than 10,000 people have died. Those numbers continue to climb daily. (Mueller, 1/31)
Politico: Navy Secretary Del Toro Tests Positive For Covid
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement released Monday. Del Toro returned from official travel on Friday afternoon, the statement said, and had received negative tests on Jan. 21 and the morning of Jan. 28. He was Pascagoula, Miss., last week, where he toured Ingalls Shipbuilding. Mississippi Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo and Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith also took part in the shipyard tour. (Ward, 1/31)
