Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Why Non-Texans Should Care About Texas' New Rules; Trust Teachers On Reopening Schools
The Baltimore Sun: Here’s Why Maryland Should Care About Texas COVID-19 Restrictions (Or Lack Thereof)
Now, we all know how frustrated parents of willful children feel. They teach their kids. They model good behavior and make personal sacrifices on behalf of their families. They reinforce key life experiences whenever they can. And then, when it’s time to test that knowledge, to judge whether vital, even lifesaving, lessons have been learned, they discover that it was all for naught. They failed, not because of a lack of capacity to learn on the part of their children, but out of their offspring’s sheer obstinacy and hubris. Somewhere, the parents of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are surely weeping. (3/3)
Los Angeles Times: Texas And Mississippi Governors Are Recklessly Reopening
With more people vaccinated against COVID-19 every day and case numbers just a fraction of what they were at the beginning of the year, it seems as if — finally — we are are beating the pandemic. But remember what happened last time we thought that? It feels like a million years have passed since May, so I will refresh your memory. After a couple of terrible months huddling in our homes surrounded by cases of toilet paper, it seemed that the nasty little coronavirus was on retreat. Hooray! We flattened that ol’ curve but good. Pandemic restrictions were shucked off along with our pandemic PJs. But after a few short weeks of people crowding back into bars, having barbecues and going to protests, the virus came roaring back to life. After the summer surge had abated, people let down their guards once again, and I don’t have to tell you what happened. The horror of the holiday season is still playing out in death and despair even if the numbers of people fighting for their lives in the hospitals are down to pre-holiday levels. (Mariel Garza, 3/2)
Tampa Bay Times: ‘Another Success’ As Florida’s Vaccine Rollout Ramps Up
Wednesday’s opening of a new federally-run vaccination site in Tampa marked another success in the yearlong effort to fight the coronavirus. Coming in the wake of a deal brokered by the Biden administration to vastly increase supplies of a third vaccine, the development reflects what can happen with a White House engaged on stemming the pandemic. This is good news, but the effort in Florida needs more coordination. (3/4)
The New York Times: Trump Should Be A Celebrity Vaccine Ambassador
First, the good news for America: People are getting their Covid-19 vaccine shots — or jabs, as they’ve been dubbed. Daily vaccination numbers have topped 1.9 million, with more than 50 million Americans having received at least one dose. With Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine coming online this week, those numbers are set to grow even faster. On Tuesday, President Biden announced that there would be enough vaccine for every American adult by the end of May. Now, the bad news: There’s still too much vaccine hesitancy in the land. “We’re going to go from a supply problem to a demand problem,” Dr. David Kessler, the chief science officer for the federal government’s coronavirus response, said at a conference this week. “We need to make sure that all people can trust the safety of the vaccine.” (Michelle Cottle, 3/3)
Also —
Los Angeles Times: Trust Teachers On Opening Campuses. They Deal With Sick Kids
While the Times Editorial Board is correct that education has not been a priority for the state, it should not pit teachers against students and parents. While the current science has found that SARS-CoV-2 transmission in elementary schools is low when community transmission is also low, those findings change in middle and high school. Another distinction must be made: Science should be our guide to reopenings, but the science so far has not included meaningful studies of the actual conditions under which teachers, staff and children actually work. What teachers know firsthand is that many classrooms have poor ventilation. Protective equipment and sanitation mean little when air conditioning and ventilation systems are inadequate, when some classrooms have no actual windows for cross ventilation, or when students are crammed into rooms too small for them. (3/4)
The Washington Post: Remote Work Could Mean Fewer Women In The Office. Here’s How Companies Can Maintain Equity.
Before covid-19 shut my office, I didn’t pay much attention to one of my most important workplace benefits. But nearly a year later, it’s a perk I can’t stop daydreaming about. Eight precious hours, five days a week, when I could forget the unfolded laundry, unemptied dishwasher and kid-related clutter from one end of the apartment to the other. In short, the luxury of being able to focus on my work. With vaccination rates rising, many businesses are making plans to reopen. And in the wake of this mandatory nationwide experiment in working from home, there’s plenty of talk about the new normal of a post-covid workplace. Hybrid or all-remote schedules make powerful recruiting tools and look great on paper — carrying the promise of improved equity by giving employees the flexibility to better juggle work and life. But as the head of a women’s college and a cognitive scientist, I have some serious reservations. (Sian Beilock, 3/3)
