Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Doctors Warn Nevada's Super-Heated Asphalt Could Cause Road Burns
AP: Doctors Warn Of Burns From Asphalt As Heat Wave Hits US West
Doctors who work in Arizona and Nevada burn centers are warning of injuries from contact with super-heated roadways and other surfaces as the first extreme heat wave of the year extends across the U.S. West. A high pressure system is expected to push temperatures above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 Celsius) this week in Las Vegas and Phoenix. Health officials advised people to be mindful of hot asphalt, sidewalks and even desert sand. (Christie, 6/15)
The Washington Post: 2020 Was The Deadliest Gun Violence Year In Decades. So Far, 2021 Is Worse
The shootings have come at a relentless pace. Gun violence this year has cut through celebrations and funerals, places of work and houses of worship. It has taken lives at a grocery store and in a fast-food drive-through lane. And most of all, it has unfolded on city streets and in family homes, away from the cameras and far from the national spotlight. By almost every measure, 2021 has already been a terrible year for gun violence. Many fear it will get worse. Last weekend alone, more than 120 people died in shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive, with three especially dangerous incidents in Austin, Chicago and Savannah, Ga., leaving two dead and at least 30 injured. (Thebault, Fox and Tran, 6/14)
USA Today: CNN Anchor Christiane Amanpour Reveals She Has Ovarian Cancer
CNN's chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour announced she has ovarian cancer. The Emmy Award-winning journalist shared her cancer diagnosis with viewers Monday during her CNN International program "Amanpour," which she's been absent from the last four weeks while undergoing treatment. "Like millions of women around the world, I’ve been diagnosed with ovarian cancer," Amanpour, 63, said. "I’ve had successful major surgery to remove it and I’m now undergoing several months of chemotherapy for the very best possible long-term prognosis and I’m confident." (Henderson, 6/14)
The New York Times: Stephen Colbert Returns To ‘Late Show’ Stage Before Vaccinated Fans
There was a hug for the bandleader, Jon Batiste, without any need for social distancing. There were chants of “Ste-phen! Ste-phen! Ste-phen!” And a standing ovation that lasted a minute and a half. “So how ya been?” Stephen Colbert said to a roar of laughter from a crowd of more than 420 people — all vaccinated, most of them maskless — at the Ed Sullivan Theater in Midtown Manhattan. The CBS late night host was back in his element on Monday, connecting with a capacity crowd 460 days after the coronavirus pandemic had emptied the theater where he has worked since 2015. He was reveling in the moment. (Koblin, 6/14)
LiveScience: New Discovery Could Help Take Down Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Scientists have found a new way to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The new approach disarms their natural defense mechanism, making existing antibiotics more lethal. The study, conducted in lab dishes and mice, offers a promising strategy for taking down so-called superbugs without needing to make brand-new antibiotics. "You want to make the already existing antibiotics with good safety profiles more potent," and with the help of a few newfound chemicals, the research team did just that, said senior author Evgeny Nudler, a professor of biochemistry at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. (Lanese, 6/12)
In updates on the opioid trial in West Virginia —
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Distributors Attempt To Disprove Gateway Theory At Opioid Trial
Opioid distributors spent a full day of trial in Charleston with a complex and thorough cross-examination of an epidemiologist in an attempt to disprove prescription opioids being a gateway to heroin abuse. Katherine Keyes, an epidemiologist whose career at Columbia University has focused on opioid use disorder, testified last week that the supply and oversupply of prescription pain pills is directly related to heroin abuse and the opioid crisis. But McKesson attorney Timothy Hester pointed Monday to a report that said 99.8% of heroin users had a history of abusing more than just prescription opioids, the most common being tobacco and alcohol. (Hessler, 6/14)
