Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Deaths, Coronavirus Cases Climb In U.S., But Some Experts Push Back Against Waving White Flag Of Inevitability
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Hits Critical Moment In U.S.: More Deaths, But There’s Still Time To Contain It
The battle against the coronavirus was reaching a critical moment in the United States, with the number of deaths rising Tuesday as public health leaders said there was limited window to contain the virus. It was a day of grim milestones, with more deaths tied to a nursing home in Washington state, a new quarantine in the suburbs of New York City and warning that many more cases were coming. “I want them to be prepared for the reality that they, there are going to be more cases in the community,” said Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But I want them to continue their daily lives. I want them to be mindful of the opportunity again to prepare themselves and their families.” (Karlamangla, Read, Lin and Shalby, 3/4)
CNN: As US Coronavirus Death Toll Rises, CDC Says Communities Should Start Thinking About Ways To Stop Its Spread
As the US death toll from the coronavirus climbed to nine, the CDC said it has "heightened" concerns and urged local communities to begin thinking about ways to stop the virus from spreading. "As more areas see community spread, local communities may start employing tools that encourage social distancing," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a Tuesday news conference. "The goal of social distancing is to limit exposure by reducing face-to-face contact and preventing spread among people in community settings." (Maxouris, 3/4)
Boston Globe: Federal Official Says States Have Reported 60 Coronavirus Cases To CDC
Twelve states had reported 60 coronavirus cases to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Monday evening, the agency said Tuesday.Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, provided the tally during a Tuesday afternoon briefing. She said the CDC will be updating its tally on its website at noon on weekdays. (Andersen, 3/3)
The New York Times: Coronavirus In N.Y.: Second Case Sets Off Search For Others Exposed
The public health authorities descended on a hospital, telling some nurses and doctors they would need to be quarantined. They ordered a synagogue to halt all services, and told attendants at a recent bat mitzvah to stay at home for the rest of the week. Disease detectives were monitoring lawyers at a small midtown law firm for signs of illness, and scrutinizing the risk of contagion at a university. The discovery of a second case of the new coronavirus in New York on Tuesday — a man of about 50 who lives in Westchester County, just north of New York City — quickly touched off an intense search by health investigators across the region to determine whether he had infected others, and who might have infected him. (Goldstein and McKinley, 3/3)
NBC News: Coronavirus Forces New York City Subways, Trains To Clean Up Their Act
Every train, bus, car and station in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the nation's largest public transit system — was being disinfected Tuesday after a second person in New York tested positive for the coronavirus. MTA workers armed with disinfectant, wipes and high-pressure nozzles worked overnight to scrub down the 472 subway stations in New York City, along with nearly 2,000 subway cars and nearly 2,000 buses, MTA Chairman Patrick Foye said. (Siemaszko, 3/3)
The Associated Press: San Antonio: CDC Planned To Drop Cruise Passengers At Mall
Federal health officials planned to drop off some cruise ship passengers at a shopping mall after their release from a two-week quarantine at a Texas air base, one of several reasons the city of San Antonio declared a public health emergency over the new coronavirus, a city spokeswoman said Tuesday. The city filed a lawsuit Monday to halt the plan after a woman was mistakenly released from quarantine at a health care facility over the weekend despite testing positive. (Webber, 3/3)
The Hill: Texas Lawmakers Call For Investigation Into CDC's Handling Of Released Coronavirus Patient In San Antonio
Texas Democratic Reps. Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett are calling for a congressional investigation into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) handling of a coronavirus patient who was released in San Antonio while still carrying the disease. The two lawmakers sent the letter Monday, the same day the mayor of San Antonio announced a local state of disaster and public health emergency after a patient who tested “weakly positive” for the coronavirus following their release from quarantine visited a local mall before being requarantined. (Moreno, 3/3)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Now Testing Seven Patients For Coronavirus; Still No Confirmed Cases
Maryland health officials are now testing seven people for the new coronavirus this week amid concern about its spread to more states and deaths in Washington state. There continue to be no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maryland, as results for six others with serious respiratory symptoms have come back negative, state officials reported. (Cohn, 3/3)
The Baltimore Sun: Coronavirus: Here’s What You Need To Know To Prepare For A Possible Outbreak In Maryland
As countries around the world continue to monitor the spread of the coronavirus, Maryland health officials are beginning to put together response plans should the virus become a pandemic. Here’s what you need to know to prepare for a possible outbreak in the United States. (Reed, 3/4)
Los Angeles Times: New Coronavirus Case Confirmed In Los Angeles
Los Angeles recorded a new coronavirus case on Tuesday, with Kaiser Permanente announcing it was treating a patient. “Kaiser Permanente is overseeing the care of a coronavirus patient who is home in self-isolation and being treated on an outpatient basis. We are in touch with and monitoring the patient,” Kaiser said in a statement. No other details were available. (Lin, 3/3)
Los Angeles Times: Santa Clara Advises Seniors To Avoid Large Gatherings As Two New Coronavirus Cases Confirmed
Santa Clara County public health officials are advising seniors and those who are medically vulnerable to avoid large gatherings after two new cases of coronavirus were identified, raising its total to 11 — the most of any California county. The source of infection for the latest two cases, reported Tuesday, is still under investigation. Of the other confirmed cases in the county, two were transmitted in the community, four were travel-related and three stemmed from close contact with known cases, officials said. (Tchekmedyian, 3/3)
Los Angeles Times: Battling Coronavirus, California Distributing Millions Of Face Masks To Healthcare Providers
California announced that it is going to start distributing to healthcare providers struggling under the strain of the coronavirus millions of N95 face masks that had been stockpiled in emergency reserves. The move is considered a key step is getting needed equipment to California hospitals, which are already under strain as possible coronavirus cases increase. Health officials stressed that they are not recommending healthy people wear masks, which are in short supply. (Willon, Karlamangla and Shalby, 3/3)
Des Moines Register: Coronavirus: Iowans Already Feeling Virus' Effect In Business, Travel
The coronavirus outbreak hasn't reached Iowa, yet, but the novel virus has already begun to impact daily life. State and local officials are evaluating a range of considerations this week about Iowans' ability to do regular things like work, learn and congregate. Restrictions remain limited, but they have the potential, in some cases, to upend Iowans' routines and lives. (Rodriguez, 3/3)
NBC News: N.H. Coronavirus Patient Breaks Isolation, Potentially Exposing Others
The first coronavirus patient in New Hampshire — an employee of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center — defied instructions from public health officials to stay away from other people. In a statement, the state Department of Health and Human Services said the patient attended an invitation-only private event Friday "despite having been directed to self-isolate." (Edwards, 3/3)
New Hampshire Public Radio: 2nd Person Tests Positive For Novel Coronavirus In N.H.
State health officials have announced a second presumptive positive test result for the coronavirus disease in New Hampshire. The patient is an adult male from Grafton County who had close contact with the the first person to test positive in New Hampshire, who also lives in Grafton County. He is currently isolated at home. (Moon, 3/3)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Is Devastating The Conference Circuit
Leaders of Austin’s South by Southwest festival reassured the public this week that the Texas tech, film and music event would still kick off as planned March 13, despite concerns over the coronavirus epidemic. But behind the scenes, Austin politicians, public health officials and others were meeting with organizers to decide whether the show should go on—and if so, how—as more than 30,000 people signed an online petition calling for its cancellation and Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. said their employees wouldn’t attend. (Eaton, Elliott and Findell, 3/4)
North Carolina Health News: Coronavirus Confirmed In North Carolina
North Carolina has its first case of COVID-19, the new coronavirus that has spread around the globe since late last year, causing travel restrictions, quarantines, stock market plunges as well as public health scares and planning of epidemic proportions. State health officials reported on Tuesday afternoon that a person in Wake County had tested positive in a lab test, conducted by North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. (Blythe and Hoban, 3/3)
North Carolina Health News: A Look At How One Hospital Prepares For Coronavirus
As North Carolina contends with its first case of coronavirus, some in the state have been long preparing to support health care providers should an outbreak such as COVID-19 become widespread. One of those people is Dale Hill of WakeMed, the Raleigh-based health care system. Hill, operations manager for preparedness for the health system, is part of the Capital Regional Advisory Committee, or CapRAC, a unit that responds to disasters and hazards in Franklin, Wake, Johnston, Harnett and Lee Counties. (Engel-Smith and Hoban, 3/4)
The CT Mirror: With Chopsticks, Lamont And Tong Make A Point About COVID-19
Gov. Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong dined out Tuesday at Shu, a Szechuan restaurant that Tong calls one of his favorites. It’s an assessment shared by hundreds of Yelp reviewers who give it an average rating of four stars out of five... Behind the smiles are a concern. Business is down at some of their restaurants, and they fear it is a consequence of an irrational connection some Americans are making between the coronavirus and anything and anyone Chinese. (Pazniokas, 3/3)
The Baltimore Sun: Archdiocese Of Baltimore Orders Clergy To Suspend Sign Of Peace, Consecrated Wine During Services Due To Coronavirus
The Archdiocese of Baltimore on Tuesday ordered clergy to suspend the sign of peace and stop serving consecrated wine during Mass amid growing concerns about coronavirus. Archbishop William E. Lori said that instead of shaking hands during the sign of peace, parishioners can bow to their neighbor and say, “Peace be with you.” (Oxenden, 3/3)
CBS News: Coronavirus Fears Shadow This Year's March Madness Tournament
College basketball players in the U.S. want to hold this year's March Madness tournament in empty stadiums due to the coronavirus, a move that would cost cities hosting the annual competition tens of millions in tourism dollars. The National College Players Association (NCPA), a nonprofit group that advocates on behalf of college athletes, said in a statement on Saturday that "there should be a serious discussion about holding competitions without an audience present." The NCAA, which oversees college sports, isn't doing enough to protect young athletes from the disease, the group added. (Brooks, 3/3)
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Triggers Cancellations, Closures And Contingency Planning Across The Country
With daily reports of the deadly coronavirus spreading into communities across the country, schools, companies, religious organizations and local governments are grappling with whether to shut down facilities and cancel events or to proceed, cautiously, as planned. Increasingly, organizations are opting to cancel large gatherings, encourage remote work or take other steps reflecting an abundance of caution about the virus, according to interviews with officials in several states. Others are making contingency plans about more-significant steps they might take in the case of a wider outbreak. (Olorunnipa, Kelly, Natanson and Zauzmer, 3/3)
The Hill: Sports Leagues Take Cautious Approach With Coronavirus
Major U.S. sports leagues are taking precautions and considering contingencies as the coronavirus spreads across the country. Public health officials have urged Americans to go about their everyday lives, while also warning major disruptions could be coming as the virus becomes more widespread. One such change could see Americans avoid large gatherings where the virus is more likely to spread, such as sporting events at stadiums and arenas. (Samuels and Weixel, 3/3)
