Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dozens Who Went To Church's Christmas Eve Services Test Positive
Fox News: Dozens Of Coronavirus Cases Linked To Christmas Eve Services At Boston-Area Church
Dozens of people who attended Christmas Eve services at a church in Woburn, Mass., a Boston suburb, have tested positive for COVID-19. At least 44 cases of the virus are linked to the services at Genesis Community Church, which held four services on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24. "Every individual who attended Christmas Eve at Genesis has been contacted and made aware of the situation as well as being encouraged, whether symptomatic or not, to get tested for COVID-19," the church said in a statement, per the Boston Globe, which reported that each service was attended by roughly 105 people. The outbreak occurred despite the fact that every attendee was required to wear a mask during the service. Social distancing between church-goers who were not part of the same household was also required, and attendees had to register in advance for the service. (Farber, 1/6)
Manchester Ink Link: Report Finds A ‘Tidal Wave’ Of Homelessness
The number of homeless people was already growing fast before the pandemic, and now the problem has grown larger than we know, experts say. In Manchester alone, the count of unsheltered homeless has more than doubled from July 1, with about 170, to over 480 as of Nov. 30. (Lessard, 1/6)
Barron's: Here’s The Overlooked Demographic Problem Caused By The Covid-19 Pandemic, Says HSBC Economist
There is a looming demographic problem being created by the coronavirus pandemic. As unfortunate as they are, it isn’t the deaths—some 361,000 in the U.S. and 1.9 million globally, according to the tracker from Johns Hopkins University. Rather, it is the declining birthrate. (Goldstein, 1/7)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post: Dr. Dre Says He’s ‘Doing Great’ After Suffering A Reported Brain Aneurysm
Following reports that he had suffered a possible brain aneurysm, rapper and producer Dr. Dre said late Tuesday he was “doing great” and recovering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “I’m doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team,” the 55-year-old said in a statement posted to his Instagram account. “I will be out of the hospital and back home soon. Shout out to all the great medical professionals at Cedars. One Love!!” (Bella, 1/6)
KHN: San Francisco Wrestles With Drug Approach As Death And Chaos Engulf Tenderloin
In early 2019, Tom Wolf posted a thank-you on Twitter to the cop who had arrested him the previous spring, when he was homeless and strung out in a doorway with 103 tiny bindles of heroin and cocaine in a plastic baggie at his feet. “You saved my life,” wrote Wolf, who had finally gotten clean after that bust and 90 days in jail, ending six months of sleeping on scraps of cardboard on the sidewalk. (Scheier, 1/7)
