Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
COVID Surge Hits Record Levels; Task Force Alarmed By 'Deterioration'
NBC News: Coronavirus Case Increase Sets New U.S. Record, Rising To Over 77K In One Day
The U.S. set a record Thursday as the number of new coronavirus cases rose to over 77,000, topping the previous record in July. Nationwide, 77,640 new cases were reported for the day, up from the previous record of 75,723 on July 29, according to the latest tally compiled by NBC News. (Wong and Sheeley, 10/23)
CNN: Task Force Warns Several US Regions Show Signs Of 'Deterioration' Amid Covid-19 Surges
With more than two dozen states reporting rising Covid-19 infections, new reports from leading health officials show a worsening of the pandemic across several US regions. In White House coronavirus task force reports obtained by CNN this week, officials say there are "early signs of deterioration in the Sun Belt and continued deterioration in the Midwest and across the Northern States." (Maxouris, 10/23)
The Atlantic: The Coronavirus Surge That Will Define the Next 4 Years
The United States is sleepwalking into what could become the largest coronavirus outbreak of the pandemic so far. In the past week alone, as voters prepare to go to the ballot box, about one in every 1,000 Americans has tested positive for the virus, and about two in every 100,000 Americans have died of it. Today, the United States reported 73,103 new cases, the third-highest single-day total since the pandemic began, according to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic. ... This third surge is far more geographically dispersed than what the country saw in the spring or summer: The virus can now be found in every kind of American community, from tiny farm towns to affluent suburbs to bustling border cities. This is the first of the American surges with no clear epicenter: From North Carolina to North Dakota, and Colorado to Connecticut, more Americans are contracting COVID-19. (Meyer, 10/22)
The Hill: On The Trail: A Third Coronavirus Wave Builds Just Before Election Day
A new wave of viral infections is washing over the nation just weeks before Election Day, putting a new spotlight on a crisis that has come to define President Trump’s struggle for reelection. For months, public health experts have warned of an increase in the number of cases that would accompany lower temperatures in the fall and winter. As people move inside more, they said, the coronavirus was likely to spread. Those predictions have come true — earlier and more significantly than expected. (Wilson, 10/22)
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The Washington Post: This Rippling Field Of Flags On A D.C. Hillside Shows Covid-19's Grim Toll
As you approach, it looks like a blanket of fresh snow — a startling expanse of white. But closer, the snow melts into little white flags. One for each of the more than 220,000 Americans who have died of covid-19. ... “Like souls,” said Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, 61, the artist behind the growing, powerful commemoration she’s building outside RFK Stadium, at the edge of D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. (Dvorak, 10/22)
Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Will Likely Worsen Mortality Gap Between U.S. And Peer Nations
Deaths from COVID-19 will likely be the third leading causing of death this year in the U.S. and will contribute to a worse mortality gap between the U.S. and peer countries, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. More Americans have died from COVID-19 in 2020 than died in accidents in 2017, the third leading cause of death that year. By comparison, Belgium is the only one of 12 similarly wealthy nations that's seeing COVID-19 rank as a top three cause of death so far this year, according to the analysis. (Castellucci, 10/22)
KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: A Little Good News And Some Bad On COVID-19
For the first time in a long time, there is some good news about the coronavirus pandemic: Although cases continue to climb, fewer people seem to be dying. And there are fewer cases than expected among younger pupils in schools with in-person learning. But the bad news continues as well — including a push for “herd immunity” that could result in the deaths of millions of Americans. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is doubling down on efforts to allow states to require certain people with low incomes to prove they work, go to school or perform community service in order to keep their Medicaid health benefits. The administration is appealing a federal appeals court ruling to the Supreme Court and just granted Georgia the right to impose a work requirement. (10/22)
