Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Delta Takes 'Devastating' Toll On Rural Communities, Fills Up Hospitals
Stat: ‘Delta Has Been Brutal’: Covid-19 Variant Is Decimating Rural Areas Already Reeling From The Pandemic
Health inequities in rural communities across the South are continuing to determine who is most vulnerable to Covid-19 now that the Delta variant is bringing a new surge in deaths. Several states, including Florida and Georgia, have experienced the highest levels of hospitalizations to date in recent months, as the highly contagious variant sweeps through the country, and within those states, rural areas are especially hard-hit. (Goldhill, 9/21)
Star Tribune: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Reach 757 In Minnesota, Highest In 2021
COVID-19 hospitalizations reached 757 in Minnesota on Friday, underscoring the continued threat of the fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus. The hospitalizations are a new high for 2021, according to the latest state pandemic figures released Monday, and reflect the usual rise in admissions toward the end of the week that is often followed by a decline as patients are discharged on the weekend. The total includes 230 patients placed in intensive care, the highest total since Dec. 24. (Olson, 9/20)
Salt Lake Tribune: More Utahns Are Now In ICU Beds With COVID-19 Than Ever Before
There are now more COVID-19 patients hospitalized in intensive care units throughout Utah than ever previously recorded, according to the Utah Department of Health. The state Health Department on Monday reported that 233 people were being treated for COVID-19 in Utah ICUs as of Sunday, breaking the previous record of 232 set Friday. (The highest number of COVID-19 patients ever hospitalized in Utah was 606 on Dec. 9, but of those hospitalized at the time, 213 were in ICUs.) In the past three days, nearly 3,400 more Utahns tested positive for COVID-19. More than 650 of those new cases were reported in school-age children. (Pierce, 9/20)
Idaho Statesman: Idaho COVID ICU, Hospital Admissions Set Record; 36 Deaths
Idaho reported 36 more deaths related to COVID-19 from Saturday through Monday, and data from the Department of Health and Welfare show the state has again reached record numbers of patients hospitalized and in intensive care units with the disease. (Blanchard, 9/20)
The Spokesman-Review: Washington COVID Hospitalizations Down Slightly, As Deaths Increase
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Washington declined this week. Health officials said several factors are at play: More people are wearing masks and taking the disease seriously, and more people are dying.The number of people in the hospital with coronavirus fell to about 1,500 in Washington. A week ago is was 1,700. (Dreher, 9/20)
Nebraska Public Media: Ricketts Says COVID Dashboard Is Back, Will Track Hospitalizations, Cases And Deaths
Governor Pete Ricketts said Monday the state is bringing back part of its COVID-19 dashboard that will track hospitalizations and more county-level data. Ricketts announced he’s signed an executive order that waives an infectious disease statute that normally limits the sharing of medical data based on health privacy laws. Ricketts said the dashboard will keep track of hospital capacity, new cases and COVID deaths in counties across the state. (Williams, 9/20)
Also —
Axios: Chicago Has Highest COVID-19 Case Rates In City Worker Neighborhoods
COVID hot spots have moved all over Chicago in the past 18 months, but in recent weeks, the highest rates have emerged in two ZIP codes on the far Southwest and Northwest Sides, according to city data. 60655 covers parts of Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood. 60656 covers parts of Jefferson Park and Norwood Park. These two ZIP codes carry two more distinctions: They house the city's highest concentrations of municipal workers. And they were the only two Chicago ZIP codes to post strong showings for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, per a Tribune analysis. (Eng, 9/20)
AP: George Holliday, Who Filmed Rodney King Video, Dies Of COVID
George Holliday, the Los Angeles plumber who shot grainy video of four white police officers beating Black motorist Rodney King in 1991, has died of complications of COVID-19, a friend said Monday. Holliday, 61, died Sunday at a Los Angeles hospital, where he had been for more than a month, according to Robert Wollenweber, a longtime friend and former coworker. Holliday was not vaccinated and was on a ventilator in recent days after contracting pneumonia, Wollenweber said. (9/21)
USA Today: Florida Man Dies Of COVID Minutes Before His First Grandchild Is Born
A Florida man died from COVID-19 this month just 20 minutes before his first grandchild was born. Shane O’Neal, 40, died from COVID-19 at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 3. His daughter, Kylie Dean, gave birth to her son, Preston, at 3:49 a.m. the same morning. Dean, an ICU nurse, told USA TODAY that her father was “super excited” about the birth of his first grandchild. “Every time he’d go to the store, he’d pick up some baby clothes or baby toys,” she said. (Pitofsky, 9/20)
Axios: Rep. Tim Ryan Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said Monday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, and that his vaccination against the virus prevented a more severe infection. "Today, I tested positive for COVID-19," Ryan wrote on Twitter. "While I’m currently experiencing mild symptoms, I’m grateful to have the protection of a safe and effective vaccine — and I know without it, this illness could be much, much worse." (Reyes, 9/20)
AP: Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Tests Positive For COVID
Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor Rebecca Kleefisch tested positive for COVID-19 after being exposed at church earlier this month, her campaign said Monday. Kleefisch is a cancer survivor and a former two-term lieutenant governor. She is seeking to take on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers next year. Kleefisch launched her campaign on Sept. 9 and has been on the campaign trail since. (Bauer, 9/20)
CNN: An Idaho Nurse's Training Didn't Protect Her From Covid Vaccine Misinformation. Now, She's One Of The Victims In The State's Covid Crisis
Natalie Rise was a registered nurse in Idaho who loved her job as a home health care worker before she decided to stay at home with her special-needs twins, according to her brother, Daryl Rise. But her science-based training to become an RN was apparently no match for the disinformation about Covid-19 vaccines being shared across social media, according to her brother. (Simon and Waldrop, 9/21)
