Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FEMA Announces Reimbursement Plan For Covid Victim Funerals
Axios: FEMA To Reimburse Funeral Costs For COVID Victims
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday it will reimburse the families of COVID-19 victims for funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020. The coronavirus has killed more than 537,000 people in the United States, inflicting emotional and financial pain on thousands of families across the country. (Knutson, 3/17)
In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —
CNN: US Could Be On The Cusp Of Covid-19 Infection Surge Officials Have Been Dreading, Expert Warns
The US may be on the cusp of another Covid-19 case surge, one expert says -- a surge that health officials have repeatedly warned about as state leaders eased restrictions and several lifted mask mandates. "I think we are going to see a surge in the number of infections," emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen told CNN on Wednesday night. "I think what helps this time though is that the most vulnerable -- particularly nursing home residents, people who are older -- are now vaccinated. And so we may prevent a spike in hospitalizations and deaths." (Maxouris, 3/18)
Axios: The Coronavirus Is Holding Steady As America Gets Vaccinated
The U.S. is now adding about 55,000 new cases per day. The pace of new infections got better over the past week in 13 states, got worse in another 13, and held steady everywhere else. Michigan saw the biggest jump in new cases, at 53%. The biggest improvements came in Alabama, Arizona, California and Georgia, each of which saw a decline of over 30% in new cases per day. Nationwide, that averaged out to a 5% drop from the week before. (Baker, 3/18)
Fox News: Daily Coronavirus Cases In Michigan Climbing Amid Vaccination Efforts
Coronavirus cases in Michigan are climbing amid the state’s recent vaccination efforts, data shows. On Tuesday, the state saw some 2,048 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, with the majority of counties in the state reporting new cases, according to official data. To date, Michigan has recorded more than 676,000 cases of the novel disease and some 16,805 deaths, with 27 new deaths recorded on Tuesday alone. The state’s positivity rate is around 8.6%, the highest since early January, data shows. (Farber, 3/14)
WUSF Public Media: Florida Surpasses 33,000 COVID-19 Deaths, Nears 2 Million Cases
As Florida inched closer to 2 million COVID-19 cases, the state's death toll related to the disease has surpassed 33,000. The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday reported 4,791 more people tested positive for the coronavirus since the previous day. (Colombini, 3/17)
CNBC: Covid Reinfection More Common For The Over-65s: Study Finds
Most people who have had Covid-19 are protected from catching it again for at least six months, but elderly patients are more prone to reinfection, according to peer-reviewed research published in The Lancet medical journal Wednesday evening. The first large-scale study on coronavirus reinfection rates was carried out in Denmark in 2020 with the findings confirming that only a small proportion of people (0.65%) returned a positive PCR test twice. PCR tests are seen as the gold standard and tell you if you currently have the virus. (Ellyatt, 3/17)
CIDRAP: Household Income Associated With COVID-19 Risk, Hospitalization
Household income was the most associated with COVID-19 risk and hospitalization when compared with population density and household size, according to a study published this week in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. While it has been well documented that the COVID-19 burden is higher in minorities, the researchers wanted to look at some of the socioeconomic factors that may be driving this. In two retrospective cohorts, the researchers looked at 15,473 adults tested for COVID-19 from Mar 1 through Jul 23, 2020, at University of Miami hospitals and clinics. Overall, 8.1% were positive, and 1.9% were hospitalized, leading to 47 deaths. While the researchers did not find any racial or ethnic associations with mortality or ventilation needs, they did find correlation with infection and hospitalization rates. (3/17)
Also —
Axios: Disneyland Set To Reopen April 30
After a more than yearlong closure, Disneyland's two California theme parks will reopen their doors to the general public on April 30, Disney announced in a statement Wednesday. As Axios' Sara Fischer previously noted, Disney said in February that it did not expect to reopen its California parks until the end of Q2 2021. The April 3o reopening reflects a growing confidence in safety due to dropping COVID-19 cases and increased vaccinations. (Saric, 3/17)
