Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Surges, Variants Spread, But States Shrug At Shutdowns
AP: More COVID State Shutdowns Unlikely, Despite CDC Suggestion
When one of the nation’s top health officials this week suggested states dealing with a spring spike of coronavirus cases should “shut things down,” the remark landed with a thud. Even Democratic governors and lawmakers who supported tough stay-at-home orders and business closures to stem previous COVID-19 outbreaks say they’re done with that approach. It’s a remarkable turnaround for governors who have said from the beginning of the pandemic that they will follow the science in their decision-making, but it’s also a nod to reality: Another round of lockdown orders would likely just be ignored by a pandemic-weary public. (Lieb, 4/14)
AP: Michigan Expands Antibody Treatment To Cut Hospitalizations
Michigan will expand its use of a COVID-19 treatment in the hopes of substantially reducing its rising numbers of hospitalizations and deaths, state officials announced Wednesday amid their efforts to bring down the nation’s highest infection rate. Additional doses of monoclonal antibodies will be given to hospitals and other providers, which will be asked to expand the number of sites where patients can get infusions from the more than 70 that are operating in 37 of Michigan’s 83 counties. (Eggert, 4/14)
AP: Michigan Health Chief Traveled Out Of State Amid Virus Spike
Michigan health director Elizabeth Hertel traveled with family to Alabama for spring break last week despite her department’s guidance to avoid out-of-state travel while Michigan suffers a raging coronavirus outbreak. (Eggert, 4/15)
AP: North Dakota Officials Say Virus Trend Headed The Wrong Way
North Dakota health officials say the number of confirmed variant cases of the coronavirus has doubled this month and are warning about the possibility of another wave of infections. The state lab has identified 79 total cases of four variants, said Kirby Kruger, director of the Health Department’s Disease Control Division. The includes 50 of the one first identified in the United Kingdom, 28 of the two California variants and one of the South African variant. (4/14)
Bangor Daily News: Small Maine Towns Take Brunt Of Recent Rise In COVID-19 Cases
Maine’s recent rise in COVID-19 cases has disproportionately affected small towns outside of population centers in York and Androscoggin counties, challenging the state’s vaccine effort as well as assumptions about how the virus spreads. Maine has seen some of the highest reported new case numbers in the last two days since January. Although the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention often reports large blocks of new cases at a time, reported cases have been on a steady upward creep over the last month as cases have risen nationally. It is occurring despite more available vaccines and 35 percent of Maine residents being fully vaccinated. (Andrews and Piper, 4/15)
The New York Times: As Infections Surge In Puerto Rico, People Are Urged Not To Drop Their Guard
Puerto Rico is reporting a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations amid a lagging vaccine rollout, and officials are worried that a combination of new variants and people neglecting basic pandemic safety measures may be making things worse. (McDonnell Nieto del Rio and Ngo, 4/15)
Axios: Variants Drive More Coronavirus Cases, Despite Vaccines
The number of new coronavirus infections in the U.S continues to rise, making a quick, clean end to the pandemic less and less likely. Much of the U.S. is relying almost exclusively on vaccines to control the virus, abandoning social distancing and other safety measures. And that’s helping the virus to steadily gain ground even as vaccinations barrel ahead. (Baker and Witherspoon, 4/15)
The New York Times: What The Coronavirus Variants Mean For Testing
In January 2020, just weeks after the first Covid-19 cases emerged in China, the full genome of the new coronavirus was published online. Using this genomic sequence, scientists scrambled to design a large assortment of diagnostic tests for the virus. But the virus has mutated since then. And as the coronavirus has evolved, so has the landscape of testing. The emergence of new variants has sparked a flurry of interest in developing tests for specific viral mutations and prompted concerns about the accuracy of some existing tests. (Anthes, 4/14)
