Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: The Latest On How Covid May Have Originated; Why Are Covid Booster Rates So Low?
Bloomberg: How Did Covid Start? DOE Lab Leak Report Has A Key Caveat
The Department of Energy now finds a lab leak to be a likely cause of the Covid-19 pandemic. The truth remains unresolved, but the report got one thing right — it admitted to “low confidence” in its findings. (Faye Flam, 2/27)
The Washington Post: Where Did Covid Start? We're Asking The Wrong Question
The Energy Department, in a recent classified intelligence report, concluded with “low confidence” that the coronavirus originated from an accidental lab leak, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, Republicans have latched onto the news as confirmation of their beliefs and are clamoring to use it against perceived enemies, including China and scientists such as Anthony S. Fauci. (Leana S. Wen, 2/27)
USA Today: Lab Leak? COVID Origin Story Won't Solve China's Lack Of Transparency
With recent revelations about the Department of Energy now saying that COVID-19 most likely came from a lab leak, and Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and their own version of the COVID-19 select committee, the raging debate about COVID origins has come back to the forefront. (Dr. Jerome Adams, 2/28)
San Francisco Chronicle: People Aren’t Getting The COVID Booster. Employers Can Change That
We may be done with COVID, but COVID isn’t done with us. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest report, the XBB.1.5 omicron variant now accounts for 80% of all coronavirus cases in the United States and it is just as contagious as its predecessors. Hospitalizations are at least as high as with the omicron wave in March 2022. In the Bay Area, there are growing concerns about a new COVID wave as viral levels in wastewater soar. (Gleb Tsipursky, 2/27)
The Star Tribune: It's Still OK To Think Masks Were A Good Idea
The human mind is ill at ease with ambiguity, with imperfect solutions and, especially, with being told to think what it isn't inclined to think. (2/27)
