Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Long Covid May Be Caused By Viral Persistence; Should We Be More Worried About Monkeypox?
Bloomberg: Faster Progress Is Needed On Treatments For Long Covid
Long Covid is making it hard for millions of Americans to return to normal life, pushing some out of the workforce altogether, sometimes permanently. Yet medical efforts to figure out how best to help these patients are proceeding only slowly. (Lisa Jarvis, 6/23)
The Atlantic: The U.S. Is Underreacting To Monkeypox
Yesterday, a CDC panel discussed whether smallpox vaccines should be offered more widely as a preventive measure against monkeypox. The panel made no decision. But getting those shots into patients’ arms—and particularly gay and bisexual men’s arms—is an urgent matter. Since May 13, more than 3,300 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 58 countries, including the United States, where the disease was not previously thought to be endemic. (Monica Gandhi, 6/24)
Scientific American: We Can't Let Monkeypox Turn Into A Repeat Of COVID
Monkeypox is spreading: there have been more than 3,000 confirmed cases of this virus in over 40 countries, and the actual number is likely much higher. Although the monkeypox virus is not normally as contagious or transmissible as coronavirus, this peculiar spread of cases worldwide is worrisome, because there are still so many unknowns. (Muhammad Jawad Noon, 6/23)
The New York Times: How To Make Abortion Pills More Available Post-Roe
Before Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, millions of Americans found ways around state laws so that they could get abortions. Too many were forced to rely on unsafe methods — whether that was a “back alley” provider or a knitting needle at home — resulting in injury, infertility and even death. (Greer Donley, Rachel Rebouche and David S. Cohen, 6/23)
San Francisco Chronicle: Supreme Court Abortion Ban Would Violate Muslim Religious Freedom
As the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade continues to cause alarm across the country, religious minority groups are gearing up for a legal battle to protect their religious freedoms. On June 10, a Florida synagogue filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks saying it prevents Jews from having a procedure that, in some cases, Jewish law would require them to have. They’re not alone. (Asifa Quraishi-Landes, 6/23)
