Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts Worry Falling Covid Numbers Mask Ongoing State Of Pandemic
CNN: US Coronavirus: Here's Why Experts Say The US May Be Fooled By Improving Covid-19 Numbers And What That Means For The Summer
Covid-19 numbers may be on the decline in the United States after a year of collective grief. But with tens of thousands of deaths expected over the next few months, experts are warning Americans not to drop their guard just yet. (Holcombe, 3/12)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Adds Highest One-Day Total Of New COVID Cases In Nearly A Month
Nevada registered its highest one-day total of new COVID-19 cases in nearly a month, with 618 recorded over the preceding day, according to state data posted Thursday. The figure was the largest since the state reported 813 new cases on Feb. 13, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services posted on the state’s coronavirus website. It also was well above the 14-day moving average of 234 new cases per day, the state data showed. The state also reported 13 new deaths from the disease caused by the new coronavirus, which also was well above the 14-day moving average of five fatalities per day. (Brunker, 3/11)
AP: First Case Of Brazil COVID-19 Variant Found In Washington
A COVID-19 variant first identified in Brazil has been detected in Washington state, health officials said Thursday. Public Health – Seattle & King County said the UW Medicine Virology Lab detected the presence of the P.1 variant in a COVID-19 King County test sample. Three COVID-19 variants, including the variant first identified in the UK and the variant first identified in South Africa, have now been detected in Washington state. (3/12)
In related news about the spread of the coronavirus —
Roll Call: One-Tenth Of Congress Had COVID-19, Cases Halted Soon After Vaccination
Roughly 1 in 10 members of Congress contracted COVID-19 in the past year since the pandemic significantly changed daily life in the United States and on Capitol Hill. At least 71 lawmakers had COVID-19 at some point in 2020 or 2021, based on public statements they made about testing or being presumed positive for the virus or testing positive for antibodies, according to a GovTrack database. (McPherson and Cioffi, 3/11)
The Baltimore Sun: Two Dorms At Baltimore Jail Placed On Quarantine After Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Cases, Department Says
Two dorms at the Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore have been quarantined after a confirmation of coronavirus cases there, Maryland’s prison system confirmed Thursday. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services quarantined inmates in the two dorms, a spokeswoman said, based on guidance from the state health department, prison system protocol and the particular site’s “layout.” (Jackson and Davis, 3/12)
Also —
Axios: Fauci Says COVID Death Toll Would Have "Shocked" Him A Year Ago
Speaking on the one-year anniversary of the pandemic declaration, White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said Thursday he would have been "shocked" to hear a year ago that the U.S. coronavirus death toll would surpass 500,000. It's a higher death toll than the number of U.S. soldiers killed in action in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined. The White House projected on March 31 that the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans — even with strict social distancing guidelines in place. (Allassan, 3/11)
Axios: Fauci "Very Much" Concerned About Post-COVID Mental Health Pandemic
NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CBS News Thursday that he's "very much" concerned about a post-COVID mental health pandemic. Three in four adults in the U.S. reported a high stress level related to the pandemic, while one in four essential workers have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder since the start of the public health crisis, according to a survey from the American Psychological Association (APA) conducted in late February. (Chen, 3/11)
Salt Lake Tribune: Mental Health Has Been ‘A Second Pandemic’ During A Year Of COVID-19, Utah Doctors Say
A year of the COVID-19 pandemic — which has caused more than half a million deaths nationwide, and more than 2,000 in Utah — also has done damage to our mental wellbeing, the head of the Huntsman Mental Health Institute said. Mental health has become “a second pandemic within that pandemic right now,” Dr. Mark Rapaport, the institute’s CEO and chair of the University of Utah’s department of psychiatry, said Thursday, on the first anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaration that the COVID-19 spread was a global pandemic. (Means, 3/11)
