Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Will Covid Follow In Footsteps Of 1918 Influenza?; How Linked Is Race To Covid Outcomes?
The New York Times: What We Can Learn From How The 1918 Pandemic Ended
Most histories of the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed at least 50 million people worldwide say it ended in the summer of 1919 when a third wave of the respiratory contagion finally subsided. Yet the virus continued to kill. A variant that emerged in 1920 was lethal enough that it should have counted as a fourth wave. In some cities, among them Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Kansas City, Mo., deaths exceeded even those in the second wave, responsible for most of the pandemic’s deaths in the United States. This occurred despite the fact that the U.S. population had plenty of natural immunity from the influenza virus after two years of several waves of infection and after viral lethality in the third wave had already decreased. (John M. Barry, 1/30)
The Atlantic: Race-Based Rationing Of COVID Treatment Is Real—And Dangerous
In a series of articles this month, The Washington Free Beacon’s Aaron Sibarium reported that hospitals in Minnesota, Utah, New York, Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin have been using race as a factor in which COVID-19 patients receive scarce monoclonal-antibody treatments first. Last year, SSM Health, a network of 23 hospitals, began using a points system to ration access to Regeneron. The drug would be given to patients only if they netted 20 points or higher. Being “non-White or Hispanic” counted for seven points, while obesity got you only one point—even though, according to the CDC, “obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to a COVID-19 infection.” Based on this scoring system, a 40-year-old Hispanic male in perfect health would receive priority over an obese, diabetic 40-year-old white woman with asthma and hypertension. (Shadi Hamid, 1/30)
NBC News: Covid-19 Omicron Variant Might Be Weaker, But 'Letting It Rip' Is Not A Smart Idea
Have you reached your breaking point with the pandemic? Are you ready to throw up your hands, let down your guard and accept that you’ll probably get Covid-19? Many Americans are openly wondering if this is the way to go. The U.K., Netherlands, France and several other E.U. countries are rolling back most of their Covid restrictions, and Australia, until now a global model for Covid mitigation, has flipped its approach from a “zero Covid” strategy to just “let it rip.” Many pundits, politicians and others are publicly saying that they are “over” Covid. You know who else is over Covid? The nearly 16,000 people who died from the virus between Jan. 19 and Jan. 25. (Brian Castrucci and Beth S. Linas, 1/28)
