Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Issues Hand Sanitizer Warnings; Google Workers Can Stay Home Until Summer 2021
USA Today: Hand Sanitizer Warning: FDA Issues Alert Of Sanitizers With Methanol
The Food and Drug Administration issued another warning Monday to not use certain hand sanitizers that may contain methanol or wood alcohol, a toxic substance when absorbed through skin or ingested. The FDA is continuing to update its "do-not-use list of dangerous hand sanitizer products," which included 87 varieties of hand sanitizer that should be avoided, some which have already been recalled, and other products being recommended for recalls as they may contain the potentially fatal ingredient. (Tyko, 7/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Google To Keep Employees Home Until Summer 2021 Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Google will keep its employees home until at least next July, making the search-engine giant the first major U.S. corporation to formalize such an extended timetable in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The move will affect nearly all of the roughly 200,000 full-time and contract employees across Google parent Alphabet Inc. and adds pressure to other technology giants that have slated staff to return as soon as January. (Copeland and Grant, 7/27)
AP: Sinclair Says It Won't Air Fauci Conspiracy Theory Segment
The Sinclair Broadcast Group says it will not air a segment on its “America This Week” program in which a conspiracy theorist speculates about Dr. Anthony Fauci and the coronavirus. Over the weekend, Sinclair said it was delaying the story for a week after it attracted media attention. But in a tweet late Monday, Sinclair said that given the nature of Judy Mikovits’ claims to correspondent Eric Bolling, the segment was “not appropriate” to air. (Bauder, 7/28)
Politico: National Guard Officer Calls Treatment Of Lafayette Square Protesters 'Deeply Disturbing'
A District of Columbia National Guard officer claimed law enforcement used excessive force on peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square last month, directly disputing the White House’s account of events that led to a photo-op during the height of demonstrations against racial injustice. Adam DeMarco, a major in the D.C. National Guard and Iraq War veteran, will testify on Tuesday in front of the House Natural Resources Committee that he observed a brutal law enforcement reaction against protesters exercising their First Amendment rights. DeMarco was among the D.C. National Guardsmen stationed at Lafayette Square on June 1 when federal authorities used tear gas and flash-bang grenades to clear peaceful demonstrators. (Cohen, 7/27)
Houston Chronicle: WHO Introduces Alternatives To Handshakes, Hugs And High Fives In The Wake Of COVID-19
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently shared alternatives to handshakes, hugs and high fives for individuals to consider during COVID-19. The novel coronavirus has changed many facets of our daily routines from the way we introduce ourselves with a welcoming handshake to the celebratory high fives seen in Major League Baseball. Some of the suggestions the WHO shared include the wave, the namaste greeting and a "what's up" nod. (Ramirez, 7/27)
The Atlantic: You Can Stop Cleaning Your Mail Now
As a covid-19 summer surge sweeps the country, deep cleans are all the rage. National restaurants such as Applebee’s are deputizing sanitation czars to oversee the constant scrubbing of window ledges, menus, and high chairs. The gym chain Planet Fitness is boasting in ads that “there’s no surface we won’t sanitize, no machine we won’t scrub.” New York City is shutting down its subway system every night, for the first time in its 116-year history, to blast the seats, walls, and poles with a variety of antiseptic weaponry, including electrostatic disinfectant sprays. And in Wauchula, Florida, the local government gave one resident permission to spray the town with hydrogen peroxide as he saw fit. “I think every city in the damn United States needs to be doing it," he said. (Thompson, 7/27)
Also —
AP: Virus Exacts A Heavy Toll In Queens Neighborhood Of Corona
Damiana Reyes is back at work at a busy Manhattan hair salon, making highlights, blowouts and extensions. But her mind often drifts to her father, with whom she lived in Queens, before he succumbed to the coronavirus at age 76. “All my clients ask about him and then, when I return home, people ask me in the street where he is. It’s a constant reminder that he is not around anymore,” said Reyes, who thinks her father got sick while playing dominoes at a day care center for elders. The pandemic has changed Reyes’ life and those of many in Corona, a Latino neighborhood in Queens that was among the hardest hit places in the world. (Torrens, 7/28)
Los Angeles Times: Poll: Latinos In California Worry More About Coronavirus
Latinos are much more anxious that they will become sick or affected financially by the novel coronavirus than their fellow Californians, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. The poll, released Monday, found that 61% of Latinos respondents were worried that they or their family members would get sick with the virus, compared with just 28% of Black and white Californians and 37% of Asian American residents. (Reyes-Velarde, 7/27)
