Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Governors Order Fresh Restrictions, Mandates To Curb All-Time-High Cases
Reuters: COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Surge, Governors Crack Down
Nearly half a million people have contracted COVID-19 in the United States over the last seven days, according to a Reuters tally, as new cases and hospitalizations set records in the Midwest. Coronavirus hot spots include Illinois, which reported 31,000 new infections over the past week, and two states expected to be key in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3: Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. (Shumaker and Caspani, 10/25)
The New York Times: U.S. Reports A Record 500,000-Plus Coronavirus Cases Over The Past Week
The United States reported a record of more than 500,000 new cases over the past week, as states and cities resorted to stricter new measures to contain the virus that is raging across the country, especially the American heartland. The record was broken Tuesday, even as the Trump administration announced what it called its first-term scientific accomplishments, in a press release that included “ENDING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC” written in bold, capital letters. (10/28)
CNN: More Than Half Of US States Reported Their Highest Day Of Coronavirus Cases This Month
The fall surge has ushered in daunting rates of Covid-19 spread, with 29 states reporting at least one record high day of new cases since October began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The record spread has brought the national total to more than 8.7 million infections and 226,723 deaths. And with this spike holding the potential to be the worst yet, experts warn that the impact of the virus will likely get worse. (Holcombe, 10/28)
NPR: U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surpass Summer Peak And Are Climbing Higher Fast
Coronavirus cases are rising precipitously in the U.S., and have now surpassed the high levels logged in the summer when daily new cases hovered above 65,000 on average for nearly two weeks. After a dip in new cases in September, the country now is logging an average of nearly 70,000 new cases a day, and health experts worry this surge could last longer and grip more of the country than in the spring or summer. And the average daily case count has climbed 41% over the past two weeks, according to an NPR analysis. (Stone, 10/27)
The New York Times: Hospitals Are Reeling Under A 46 Percent Spike In Covid-19 Patients
The patient who died on Tuesday morning at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center was rolled out of her room under a white sheet. One nurse, fighting back tears, stood silently in the hall as the outline of the body passed by — one more death in an eight-month-old pandemic that has no end in sight. “Those moments, they hit the soul,” said Jodie Gord, a nurse manager who oversees a team of about 120 people at the hospital in Milwaukee. (McDonnell Nieto del Rio, Romero and Baker, 10/27)
AP: Virus Pushes Twin Cities El Paso And Juarez To The Brink
A record surge in coronavirus cases is pushing hospitals to the brink in the border cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, confronting health officials in Texas and Mexico with twin disasters in the tightly knit metropolitan area of 3 million people. Health officials are blaming the spike on family gatherings, multiple generations living in the same household and younger people going out to shop or conduct business. (Pane and Coronado, 10/27)
