Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Party Outside Even When It's Cold; Worry Less About Reinfection
The New York Times: Avoid The Coronavirus, Forget Winter Weather: Socialize Outside
I don’t have any new solutions for the pandemic or for the politics, I’m afraid, but take it from someone who grew up in northern England: Terrible weather does not mean you don’t get to socialize outdoors. (Oliver Burkeman, 11/7)
Bloomberg: Covid-19 Reinfection Is Extremely Rare As Are Other Outlier Cases
The most attention-grabbing scare stories about the pandemic often revolve around individual cases — someone who got the disease twice; a young, fit person who died; an older person who was likely infectious for more than two months. The fear is that these phenomena could be widespread, but scientists who study infectious disease say it’s normal to see extreme variability in the human reaction to any virus. (Faye Flam, 11/8)
Stat: Covid-19 Will Boost Inappropriately Prescribed Antibiotics This Winter
Winter is coming. With the end of Covid-19 nowhere in sight, the U.S. must brace for the annual surge of influenza, bronchitis, sinusitis, bronchiolitis, and other acute respiratory illnesses. Last winter, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there were 38 million cases of influenza alone. (Jowa (Zhou) Shi and Ateev Mehrotra, 11/9)
Bloomberg: Covid-19 Is Whipping Up A Cold Russian Winter Far From Moscow
Coronavirus infections are hitting records again in Russia, the world’s fifth hardest-hit nation in absolute terms. This time, the provinces are bearing the brunt, with nearly three-quarters of new cases registered outside of Moscow. Worrying reports suggest some areas are running out of beds, doctors and even oxygen.Even going by official numbers that may understate the toll, this latest wave is turning into a serious test for President Vladimir Putin’s administration. The Kremlin delegated the handling of the pandemic to local authorities ill-equipped for it and now the caseload is straining a system that has centralized power and resources for much of the past two decades. At the same time, Russia’s first approved Covid-19 vaccine, a public relations coup, has hit production hiccups. (Clara Ferreira Marques, 11/9)
The New York Times: Republicans And Democrats Agree: End The War On Drugs
One of America’s greatest mistakes over the last century was the war on drugs, so it’s thrilling to see voters in red and blue states alike moving to unwind it. The most important step is coming in Oregon, where voters easily passed a referendum that will decriminalize possession of even hard drugs like cocaine and heroin, while helping users get treatment for addiction. The idea is to address drug use as a public health crisis more than as a criminal justice issue. (Nicholas Kristof, 11/7)
Stat: Survey Sets A Baseline For Diversity In Digital Health Companies
"You’re a unicorn,” the investor said. The first time she called me that, I responded with a nervous laugh and downplayed her comment. But that didn’t stop her. She went on to explain that she called me a unicorn because I’m a physician, I’ve had a successful academic career, and I’ve been in the C-suite of a venture-backed digital health company that scaled and recently had an IPO. She didn’t even add the obvious: I am also a Black woman. (Ivor Horn, 11/9)
USA Today: Alex Trebek: Jeopardy Host Remembered By First Blind Contestant
As the first totally blind contestant in the show’s history, I neither wanted nor needed much in the way of special treatment. But Alex did have to be told that I’d need a verbal review of the scores when a daily double was uncovered. Also, I might not pick a specific dollar amount from the board every time but might just say, “Next in the category,” or words to that effect. (Eddie Timanus, 11/8)
