Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Cases Emerge On US Military Bases In Marshall Islands
NPR: Remote Marshall Islands Record First Coronavirus Confirmed Cases
The Marshall Islands, a group of volcanic islands and atolls in the Pacific, closed its borders in March to fend off the coronavirus. ... On Wednesday, the government announced that two workers arriving from the U.S. tested positive for the coronavirus at a U.S. military base on Kwajalein Atoll. The two cases ended the Marshall Islands' run as one of the few nations in the world with zero known coronavirus cases. (Oxner, 10/29)
The Washington Post: Jacinda Ardern Votes Yes As New Zealanders Back Euthanasia, But Not Marijuana
New Zealanders voted in a referendum to allow voluntary euthanasia for the terminally ill but were marginally opposed to legalizing marijuana, initial results showed Friday, putting the nation on course to become one of the few to permit assisted dying. With nearly all votes tallied, 65 percent voted in favor of euthanasia, a proposition that has only made the statute books in a handful of countries, including the Netherlands and Canada, and some U.S. states. The cannabis result was much closer, with 53 percent opposed and 46 percent in favor. (Stoakes, 10/29)
AP: Pope Ends Public Audiences, Eyes Christmas As Virus Surges
Pope Francis is halting his public general audiences and will limit participation at Christmas and other upcoming Masses amid a surge of coronavirus cases in Italy and the Vatican, officials said Thursday. Starting next week, Francis will resume livestreaming his weekly catechism lessons from his library in the Apostolic Palace, as he did during the Vatican’s COVID-19 lockdown during the spring and summer, the Vatican said. (wINFIELD, 10/29)
