Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fixing COVID Testing System Could Cost $75M
Stat: $75 Billion Required To Fix Flawed U.S. Covid-19 Testing, Report Says
The U.S. should invest $75 billion in order to fix its badly flawed system of diagnostic testing for Covid-19, according to a bipartisan committee of industry experts, investors, scientists, and former federal health officials assembled by the Rockefeller Foundation. “America faces an impending disaster,” the foundation’s panel warns in a 55-page report released Thursday. “The extraordinary scale of the Covid-19 crisis is evident in the growing deaths and economic losses the pandemic has wrought in every state.” The report adds: “This terrifying tragedy was not and is not inevitable.” (Herper, 7/16)
CNN: Coronavirus Patient Tests Positive For A Second Time But That Doesn't Mean She Was Reinfected, Expert Cautions
Shelby Hedgecock thought a negative Covid-19 test meant she had recovered from her initial infection. But three months and another positive test later, she told CNN she is still feeling unwell. "I'm having neurological issues, cognitive issues, trouble putting words together," she told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday. "It's just all over the place, and I am insanely tired." (Holcombe, 7/16)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Is 2nd In U.S. For Coronavirus Testing After 1 Million+ Tests, John Bel Edwards Says
More than 1 million coronavirus tests have now been administered in Louisiana amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon after crossing that milestone, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state ranks second in the U.S. for coronavirus testing rates. (Discher, 7/15)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: In Louisiana, Soaring Demand For Coronavirus Testing Has Outstripped Supply: 'We're Back In March'
Shortages in coronavirus test supplies and delays in receiving results have made it harder for Louisiana residents to know if they have the virus, a troubling sign for public health officials amid rising infections in the state. In recent days, some Louisiana hospital systems have cut back on the number of tests available at community testing sites to preserve supplies. (Woodruff and Stole, 7/15)
And in news on contact tracing --
Stateline: Contact Tracing Hampered By Testing Delays, Unanswered Phone Calls — And Lack Of Trust
Contact tracing may be the last, best hope short of a vaccine to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. But the time-tested method of containing infectious diseases has been hobbled by testing delays, a lack of money and official support, and poor cooperation from a public wary of giving information to authorities. Those challenges are preventing public health professionals in many places from reaching enough newly infected people to reduce transmission, raising the specter that more states will be forced to close businesses again. (Ollove and Vestal, 7/16)
Sacramento Bee: California Counties Short On Coronavirus Contact Tracers
California communities are scrambling to track down people exposed to the coronavirus after the state let many accelerate reopening without meeting minimum standards for contact tracers, a review of county data shows. The state initially told counties they must have at least 15 contact tracers for every 100,000 people before they could speed up their economic reopening. (Bollag, Bizjak and Sheehan, 7/15)
