Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts Try To Predict Unpredictable Future: 'October 2020 Won’t Look Nothing Like October 2019'
Stat: Three Potential Futures For Covid-19: Recurring Small Outbreaks, A Monster Wave, Or A Persistent Crisis
As epidemiologists attempt to scope out what Covid-19 has in store for the U.S. this summer and beyond, they see several potential futures, differing by how often and how severely the no-longer-new coronavirus continues to wallop humankind. But while these scenarios diverge on key details — how much transmission will decrease over the summer, for instance, and how many people have already been infected (and possibly acquired immunity) — they almost unanimously foresee a world that, even when the current outbreak temporarily abates, looks and feels nothing like the world of just three months ago. (Begley, 5/1)
Politico: Former FDA Commissioner Warns Of New Fall Epidemic Amid 'Persistent Spread'
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb warned on Sunday that if states allow schools, workplaces and other public areas to “let their guard down," an explosion of new coronavirus cases could bubble up into a “new epidemic” or “large outbreak.” “The concerning thing here is that we’re looking at the prospect that this may be a persistent spread,” Gottlieb said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” (Cammarata, 5/3)
NBC News: The New COVID Normal: Most See A Long Slog
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed America over the past seven weeks, changing everything from work life and school life to travel plans. But in that short time, it's become clear that the virus's impact has changed as well. After an initial period of serious concern, Americans have settled into their new coronavirus-driven reality, according to surveys from Dynata, the world's largest first-party survey insights company. And they seem to be looking ahead to a long fight. (Chinni, 5/3)
The New York Times: The Coronavirus Still Is A Global Health Emergency, W.H.O. Warns
The World Health Organization extended its declaration of a global health emergency on Friday amid increasing criticism from the Trump Administration about its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes exactly three months after the organization’s original decision to announce a “public health emergency of international concern” on Jan. 30. At the time, only 98 of the nearly 10,000 confirmed cases had occurred outside China’s borders. But the pandemic continues to grow. More than 3.2 million people around the world are known to have been infected, and nearly a quarter million have died, according to official counts. (Sheikh, 5/1)
