Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: For The Good Of The Country, Can Partisan Politics About Coronavirus Stop?; Pence Is The Right Person To Oversee Response
Los Angeles Times: Stop Playing Politics And Protect Us From Coronavirus
For the good of the country, Congress and the White House need to rise above their usual partisan sniping and name-calling and show a little unified leadership as the United States readies itself for the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19. We know it will be hard, given the level of bitter polarization in Washington, but Democrats and Republicans owe it to the American people to swallow their differences. That’s what rational, responsible governments do in cases of war, natural disaster and, yes, a mass outbreak of infectious disease. (2/28)
The Wall Street Journal: The Coronavirus Isn’t Partisan
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer opened a joint statement Thursday on federal coronavirus policy with this line: “Lives are at stake—this is not the time for name-calling or playing politics.” As the saying goes, interesting if true. The evidence so far of bipartisan cooperation in response to the virus isn’t promising. Actually, it’s depressing. In the 48 hours before the Pelosi-Schumer call for an end to name-calling, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocked Vice President Mike Pence, named by President Trump to lead the government’s response, as a science denier. (2/27)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Put Public Health Over Politics With Coronavirus Outbreak
Experts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now say it’s not a question of whether the coronavirus (COVID-19) is coming to the United States, it’s a question of when. And we need to be ready. Unfortunately, President Trump gutted the United States’ pandemic response capability by cutting the CDC budget by 9% and eliminating key positions that manage our coordinated global response to pandemic outbreaks. (Kate Schroder, 2/27)
Fox News: Desperate Democrats Hope Coronavirus Will Undermine Trump
Could the coronavirus be the magic bullet to kill off the Trump presidency? Desperate Democrats certainly hope so; they imagine the spreading disease will knock confidence and our robust economy for a loop, undermining President Trump’s best argument for reelection. Who can be surprised? The Democratic primary season has launched Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the aging socialist from Vermont, to a position where he is likely to lead the party in a chorus of "The Internationale" while leaping off a cliff in November. Toppling the economy could save them from political oblivion. (Liz Peek, 2/27)
Fox News: Pence Is Right Choice To Lead Coronavirus Response – Democrats Wrong To Launch Political Attack
The Democrats just can’t seem to help themselves. Even in the midst of a bona fide public health crisis involving the coronavirus, all they’re doing is second-guessing President Trump and trying to stoke hysteria in order to score political points.The entire country should have found it reassuring when the president appointed Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday to coordinate the Trump administration's coronavirus response efforts. (Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, 2/27)
USA Today: Conspiracy Theories Are Spreading Faster Than The Coronavirus On Fox
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Tuesday that Americans should prepare for a “significant disruption” to everyday life as the spread of COVID-19 (known colloquially as the coronavirus) into the United States becomes “not so much a question of if,” according to one official, “but rather more a question of exactly when.” Despite steady warnings from health organizations worldwide, right-wing media are clogging the airwaves with conspiracy theories and inaccurate reporting. Outlets like Fox News are broadcasting sensationalistic, poorly sourced talking points, obfuscating the realities of the outbreak and the United States' own readiness to deal with it, leaving Americans more vulnerable and less informed. ...Though it was repeatedly debunked, the claim is now ubiquitous in right-wing media: The Daily Wire, The Federalist, Steve Bannon and Rush Limbaugh have all uncritically pushed the conspiracy theory that the virus may have leaked from a Chinese research lab. (Nikki McCann Ramírez, 2/27)
The New York Times: When A Pandemic Meets A Personality Cult
So, here’s the response of the Trump team and its allies to the coronavirus, at least so far: It’s actually good for America. Also, it’s a hoax perpetrated by the news media and the Democrats. Besides, it’s no big deal, and people should buy stocks. Anyway, we’ll get it all under control under the leadership of a man who doesn’t believe in science. From the day Donald Trump was elected, some of us worried how his administration would deal with a crisis not of its own making. Remarkably, we’ve gone three years without finding out: Until now, every serious problem facing the Trump administration, from trade wars to confrontation with Iran, has been self-created. But the coronavirus is looking as if it might be the test we’ve been fearing. And the results aren’t looking good. (Paul Krugman, 2/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Isn’t Easing Coronavirus Forebodings
In a public-health crisis the role of government is key. The question will be—the question is—are the president and his administration up to it? Our scientists and health professionals are. (I think people see Tony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health as the de facto president on this.) Is Donald Trump? Or has he finally met a problem he can’t talk his way out of? I have written in the past questioning whether he can lead and reassure the nation in a time of crisis. We are about to find out. (Peggy Noonan, 2/27)
The Washington Post: President Trump’s Coronavirus Response Highlights A Flawed Drug Pricing System
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar testified Wednesday that he couldn’t promise a coronavirus vaccine would be made available to Americans who couldn’t afford the medicine. Azar’s remarks outraged Democrats, including presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) who demanded he, “should stop putting profits ahead of people’s lives.” But Azar’s comments reflected less his priorities than our broader system, which dictates that, even in the face of a public health threat, the cost of drugs could well be prohibitive for many who need them because of runaway pricing. (Robin Feldman, 2/27)
Stat: Quarantine For Coronavirus? Let's Make That Unnecessary
Do you trust the government to protect you and your family from the novel coronavirus called Covid-19? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials say more cases are inevitable in the United States, although they can’t predict how many and when they will appear. President Trump says the risk is low and “We’re very, very ready for this.” But what does it mean to be ready? (Wendy K. Mariner, 2/28)
The New York Times: How Bad Will The Coronavirus Outbreak Get?
“If things don’t change, a lot of us might die.” That’s what Donald G. McNeil Jr., a science and health reporter for The Times, told “The Daily” on Thursday morning about the coronavirus sweeping across the world. When I last wrote about the new pathogen, officially known as 2019-nCoV, it had killed 106 people in China, and whether we were on the precipice of a global health emergency was still an open question. (Spencer Bokat-Lindell, 2/27)
