Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Issues Alert About Mexico's Hand Sanitizers
USA Today: FDA Issues Alert About Methanol-Contaminated Hand Sanitizer Imported From Mexico
U.S. regulators are warning that hand sanitizer imported from Mexico could be tainted with dangerous chemicals or not work effectively. The Food and Drug Administration issued the warning Tuesday amid a pandemic that has dramatically increased demand for hand-cleaning products. The FDA said it is applying an "import alert" to "all alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico" in an attempt to "stop products that appear to be in violation from entering the U.S. until the agency is able to review the products' safety." (Bomey, 1/26)
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Central Arkansas House Cat Tests Positive For Coronavirus
A nine-month-old house cat in Central Arkansas has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19 in humans, the Arkansas Department of Health confirmed. A neighborhood practice veterinarian chose to test the cat after finding "unusual signs of disease" and learning the cat's owner had tested positive for covid-19, according to Danyelle McNeill, Department of Health spokeswoman. (Kwasnik, 1/26)
Fox News: Harvard Health Expert Makes Case For Everyone To Wear N95 Masks
A health expert from Harvard made his case Tuesday that everyone in the U.S. should wear N95 face masks in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Joseph G. Allen, the director of the Healthy Buildings program at the university, penned an op-ed in the Washington Post and said there’s "no reason any essential worker—and really, everyone in the country – should go without masks that filter 95%." His pitch came a day after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top disease expert in the U.S., said in an interview that wearing two cloth masks "likely" offers more protection for the wearer. "So if you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective. That’s the reason why you see people either double masking or doing a version of an N95." (DeMarche, 1/27)
The Hill: The Coronavirus Pandemic Has (Not) Given Birth To The Baby 'Bust' Generation
If the United States was banking on another baby boom after the Great Recession, the coronavirus pandemic has set it even further back. After falling to a record low in May last year, the birth rate has continued dropping at a faster rate than the previous year, reported NBCLX. And research shows Americans aren't even thinking about having children as much as they used to, with drops in Google searches for pregnancy- and sex-related topics. (Srikanth, 1/26)
