Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From Alaska To Idaho And Beyond, Covid Surges Stress Hospital Systems
USA Today: Idaho Allows Hospitals To Ration Care Amid COVID Case Surge
Idaho is allowing healthcare facilities to ration care due to the surge of COVID-19 cases that has more people needing care than institutions can handle. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare quietly enacted the move Monday and publicly announced it in a statement Tuesday — warning residents that they may not get the care they would normally expect if they need to be hospitalized. The move came as the state’s confirmed coronavirus cases skyrocketed in recent weeks. Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S. with 744,460 of its 1.78 million residents — or about 42% of its total population — fully vaccinated. (Hayes, 9/8)
Anchorage Daily News: ‘So Hard To Watch’: Weekend Spike Brings Alaska’s COVID-19 Hospitalization Numbers To Another Record
Alaska’s COVID-19 hospitalizations hit a dramatic new high this week as health care facilities struggle with a surge of mostly unvaccinated patients who providers say are stretching the system to its limits. The state reported 186 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday as well as two deaths in people with the virus, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services dashboard. The deaths were in a man in his 50s from the Fairbanks North Star Borough and a woman in her 60s from the Kusilvak Census Area in Western Alaska. (Hollander, 9/7)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Reports More Than 1,000 COVID-19 Hospital Patients For The First Time Since January
The Wisconsin Hospital Association reported Tuesday more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals for the first time since January 9. The state reported that 315 of those patients are receiving intensive care. Tuesday's COVID-19 case numbers were lower than recent trends, which was likely due to a data collection lag from the long holiday weekend. At the local level, Mayor Tom Barrett is still very concerned. "Unfortunately, the numbers continue to trend in the wrong direction," he said at a Tuesday press conference. "We don't want this to go any higher,” the mayor added. (Bentley and Swales, 9/7)
Houston Chronicle: Texas Pediatric COVID Hospitalizations Hit Record High Over The Weekend
The number of Texas children hospitalized with COVID-19 hit an all-time high over the weekend, with 345 on Saturday and 307 on Sunday, the highest two-day stretch recorded during the pandemic, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. The data follows a national trend of rising pediatric COVID hospitalization rates. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday shows the highest rate of increase among teenagers and children 0-4 years old. The study also found unvaccinated adolescents were 10 times more likely to need hospitalization compared to their vaccinated peers. (Gill, 9/7)
The Baltimore Sun: They’ve Treated Tens Of Thousands Of COVID-19 Patients And Fear More Are Coming. Hospitals Urge Marylanders To Get Vaccinated
After treating more than 45,500 COVID patients during the pandemic, most of them unvaccinated, Maryland’s hospital staffs are “tired” but fear more cases are on the way. Officials from 60 hospitals and health systems in and around the state penned an open letter urging Marylanders to help by getting vaccinated. (Cohn, 9/8)
KHN: Delta Cutting ‘Like A Buzzsaw’ Through Oregon-California Border Counties
If you live in one of the rural communities tucked into the forested hillsides along the Oregon-California border and need serious medical care, you’ll probably wind up at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. It serves about nine counties on either side of the border. It is one of three hospitals Asante owns in the region. All three ICUs are 100% full of covid patients, according to staff members. “We’ve had two deaths today. So, it’s a very grim, difficult time,” Dr. Michael Blumhardt, medical director of the hospital’s intensive care unit, said on a recent Tuesday in August. “The delta virus is passing through the region like a buzzsaw.” Unlike earlier covid waves, he said, patients are in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. (Neumann, 8/31)
Also —
Axios: Humana Says Pandemic Is Slowing Routine Care Again
Humana has recorded more COVID-19 hospitalizations among its Medicare Advantage members in the past few weeks due to rising coronavirus cases. But non-COVID inpatient and outpatient care also appears to be declining as a result, the health insurance company said late Tuesday. Health insurers profited heavily last year when hospitals and doctors delayed routine medical care, and that dynamic appears to be happening again. (Herman, 9/8)
Philadelphia Inquirer: For Long COVID-19 Patients With Brain Fog And Other Neurological Symptoms, A Penn Program Seeks Answers
Many hospitals and health systems now have special programs for people with long COVID. Penn is among a smaller number, including Yale University, that have specialized clinics just for people with neurological symptoms, doctors said. Matthew Schindler, another neurologist with the Penn program, said that no matter which of the clinic’s four neurologists patients see, they are asked the same questions and receive a standardized exam that includes cognitive testing and a full neurological work-up. This helps doctors detect patterns and conduct research. (Burling, 9/7)
