Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Global Health Watch: Boris Johnson In ICU; As Wuhan Lockdown Eases, Residents Cope With Fallout
The New York Times: With Coronavirus Symptoms, Boris Johnson Is Moved To Intensive Care In Hospital
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved into intensive care on Monday, a worrisome turn in his 10-day battle with the coronavirus and the starkest evidence yet of how the virus has threatened the British political establishment and thrown its new government into upheaval. The government said the decision was a precaution and that he had been in good spirits earlier in the day. But with Mr. Johnson’s aides releasing few details about his condition, the nation kept a tense vigil on Monday night, hoping for the best and experiencing, together, the frightening mysteries of this disease. (Castle and Landler, 4/6)
The Associated Press: Virus Puts UK PM In Intensive Care; Hopes Rise In US, Europe
The 55-year-old Johnson, the world’s first known head of government to fall ill with the virus, was conscious and needed oxygen overnight but not a ventilator, Cabinet minister Michael Gove said Tuesday. Britain’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has been designated to take over should Johnson become incapacitated by an illness that can be debilitating even for those with access to the world’s best medical care. (Hinnant and Kirka, 4/7)
Reuters: UK PM Johnson In Intensive Care, Needed Oxygen After COVID-19 Symptoms Worsened
While Britain has no formal succession plan should a prime minister become incapacitated, Johnson had asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise for him “where necessary,” Downing Street said. Raab entered Downing Street on Tuesday to chair the government’s COVID-19 emergency response meeting. (Faulconbridge, Piper and Holton, 4/6)
Reuters: A City Traumatized: Lockdown Easing, Wuhan Residents Fret Over Future
Li Xiaoli has been hard at work in recent days at the car dealership she owns in Wuhan, making sure she has enough sanitizer and protective gear for the company’s long-awaited reopening. The 49-year-old’s home city will on Wednesday finally start to lift a lockdown that has trapped millions for more than two months after the Chinese industrial powerhouse became the epicentre of a global coronavirus pandemic. (Goh, 4/7)
The New York Times: Spain’s Coronavirus Crisis Accelerated As Warnings Went Unheeded
At the end of January, a German tourist became Spain’s first coronavirus patient. At the time, the health threat seemed for the nation as remote as the tiny Spanish island of La Gomera, where he was treated. Two weeks later, the German walked out of hospital, and Spain celebrated being again “virus free.” It proved a very brief respite. But even as more cases surfaced, Spanish officials continued to stress that the coronavirus was being imported, notably onto another island by tourists from Italy, where hospitals were already under siege. The story line was that Spain faced an external threat, but did not risk a domestic epidemic. (Minder, 4/7)
