Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
DeSantis Won't Order Surge Precautions, Says Florida's Record Hospitalizations Will Drop Soon
AP: DeSantis Won't Move On Masks As Florida COVID Wards Swell
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday downplayed a spike in COVID-19 cases that’s shattered state hospitalization records and strongly reiterated his vow not to impose a mask mandate or any business restrictions. With the much more contagious delta variant now spreading exponentially, Florida hit 11,515 hospitalized patients Tuesday, breaking last year’s record for the third straight day and up from just 1,000 in mid-June. (Spencer, Gomez Licon and Kennedy, 8/3)
CBS News: Florida Governor Insists State Won't Shut Down Amid Record-Breaking COVID Cases And Hospitalizations
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that his state will not shut down again despite a record-breaking influx of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, making the Sunshine State the nation's new virus epicenter. "We're not shutting down," DeSantis said Tuesday at a press conference. "These interventions have failed time and time again throughout this pandemic, not just in the United States but abroad. They have not stopped the spread. And particularly with Delta, which is even more transmissible, if it didn't stop it before, it definitely ain't going to stop it now." (Powell, 8/3)
Axios: Florida Counties Hold Off On Adding More COVID Testing Despite Delta Surge
As COVID cases continue to rise in Florida, commercial care centers are busier than ever with an influx of patients seeking tests, WFLA reports. TGH Urgent Care medical director Dr. Nicole Frommann told the station that clinics like hers are seeing a record number of patients who want tests, and she believes larger government testing sites need to open back up. (San Felice, 8/4)
NPR: Louisiana's Current COVID-19 Surge Is Its Worst Yet
The state's top medical official says Louisiana went from its lowest to highest number of cases and hospitalizations in just four weeks, and the surge doesn't show signs of slowing. (Treisman, 8/3)
Houston Chronicle: 'Dark Times': Houston's Fourth COVID-19 Wave To Be The Largest Yet, Medical Leaders Predict
Fueled by the delta variant, a surge in Houston COVID-19 hospitalizations is growing as fast as at any time during the pandemic so far, and is projected to pass previous records by mid-August — even though roughly half of all eligible Houstonians are fully vaccinated. “We’re heading into dark times,” said Texas Medical Center CEO Bill McKeon. Already, he said, “our ICUs are filled with unvaccinated people.” (Gray, 8/3)
Bloomberg: Idaho Sees Surge In Covid-19 Infections In Babies And Toddlers
Idaho is suffering a surge in Covid-19 infections among babies and toddlers, prompting an urgent call for un-vaccinated adults to get jabs and “cocoon these kids. ”The current pace is 53 per 100,000 children from newborn to age 4, up from 16 per 100,000 two weeks ago, Kathryn Turner, deputy state epidemiologist at the Idaho Division of Public Health, said during an online briefing Tuesday. (Del Giudice, 8/3)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Gov. Hogan Not Considering Reinstating Statewide Mask Mandate As Some Counties Tighten Guidance
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday that reinstating a statewide mask mandate is not on the table. But with coronavirus infections and hospitalizations on the rise again, some schools, local governments and businesses are requiring Marylanders to mask up again — leading to a fractured set of rules and confusion about when and where masks should be worn. (Miller, Wood and Cohn, 8/3)
North Carolina Health News: Delta Compels Local Health Departments To Pivot - Again
The heat and humidity were oppressive last Saturday afternoon in Northwest, population 785, in rural Brunswick County. Nonetheless, Alexis Grainger-Clemmons was certain that her fellow congregants from Spring Grove Missionary Baptist Church would turn out for a family fun day, the first since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020... The day wasn’t just for the kids though. Grainger-Clemmons had also called the county health department to bring out their mobile vaccination van. (Hoban, 8/4)
NBC News: Virginia Covid Patient Goes From 'Invincible' To Hospital-Bed Vaccine Advocate
An unvaccinated Virginia man who’s been hospitalized with Covid-19 is using social media to urge others to go out and get the shot.Travis Campbell, 43, has been in the hospital for more than a week with complications from the virus, which also infected his wife and two of their children. (Ciechalski, 8/3)
