Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Eighth Military Death: Army Reservist In Kentucky Dies
Fox News: Kentucky Army Reservist Dies Of Coronavirus; Military Fatalities Now At 8
A 48-year-old Army Reservist has become the eighth military service member to die of the coronavirus, the Pentagon said this week, according to reports. Sgt. 1st Class Mike A. Markins, of Kentucky, was a nearly 30-year military veteran, first having served as an active duty member of the Air Force from 1990-1997. He joined the Army Reserve in 2000. He also worked as a full-time civilian employee for the Army Reserve for nearly 20 years, according to the Courier-Journal of Louisville. (Stimson, 9/30)
In other news from the states —
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Parson's Office Doesn't Believe Governor Caught Virus At Veterans Home Facing Outbreak
The Mt. Vernon Veterans Home in southwest Missouri confirmed its first case of COVID-19 the day after Gov. Mike Parson visited the facility earlier this month. The veterans home, as of Tuesday, was grappling with 24 active infections among veterans and 12 among staff, said Jamie Melchert, spokesman for the Missouri Veterans Commission. (Suntrup, 9/29)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: EEOC Says Maryland Heights Company Refused To Hire Pregnant Woman
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued a Maryland Heights construction company Tuesday, claiming the company rescinded a woman's job offer when they found out she was pregnant. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, says Hollie Beck interviewed for a receptionist position at The Harlan Company on May 31, 2019, and was offered the job three days later. Beck then resigned from her job at Subway. But after the recruiter told the company that Beck was pregnant, they revoked her job offer out of the concern that she would miss work and have to be retrained, the suit says. (Patrick, 9/29)
AP: Oklahoma Highway Patrol Captain Dies From COVID-19
An Oklahoma Highway Patrol captain has become the first state trooper in Oklahoma to die of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Capt. Jeffery Sewell, 58, of Atoka died Saturday at a Denison, Texas, hospital where he had been treated for the virus for about three weeks, OHP spokesperson Sarah Stewart said Tuesday. (9/29)
Dallas Morning News: Bids Are In To Clean Up Shingle Mountain. Dallas City Council To Pick Best One
The city has received nine bids for the long-awaited task of hauling away a mountain of shingles dumped in southeastern Dallas, and it’s now up to the City Council to award the contract. After a roughly two-year stalemate between the city, the accused polluter, and the landowner who owns the Shingle Mountain site, Dallas officials issued a bid proposal earlier this month for the messy job of loading and hauling away about 175,000 yards of shingles and other debris. (Krause, 9/29)
The CT Mirror: Connecticut Has Its Worst Single-Day Bump In Coronavirus Cases In Months
Nearly 2% of Connecticut’s coronavirus test results came back positive Tuesday, the highest, single-day infection rate since the state left the worst days of the pandemic behind in late June. That number comes just nine days before Connecticut is set to enter its third phase of easing COVID-19 restrictions — one that will permit theaters and concert halls to reopen on a limited basis and increase the indoor capacity of restaurants and event venues. (Phaneuf, 9/29)
NPR: Florida's Miami-Dade Pushes Back On Loosening Of Coronavirus Restrictions
Miami-Dade County says it will not fully comply with a decision by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to lift most restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus, saying it's too soon to safely reverse the precautions. County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, speaking Tuesday with local medical advisors, and in a conference call with White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx and the nation's leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that the number of COVID-19 cases in the county has declined because it has reopened very slowly. (Allen, 9/29)
