Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Gyms May Not Be As Safe As Owners Say
The Washington Post: Experts Warn Coronavirus Gym Safety Study Promoted By Industry Trade Group Is Flawed
A top fitness industry trade association and some of its member gyms are promoting the message that health clubs nationwide are “safe and are not contributing to the spread of covid-19” based on the conclusions of a study that experts in public health and research methods say was methodologically flawed and open to conflicts of interest. (Chiu, 9/21)
In other public health news —
Tampa Bay Times: Florida’s Nursing Home Visitation Rules Leave Families Confused
By [last] Wednesday afternoon, Becky Terrell was tired of calling her dad’s nursing home. Her 93-year-old father lives in a facility in Hudson that wouldn’t allow her and her sister to visit him in his room. Terrell simply wanted to hug her dad for the first time in months. On Sept. 1, Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed long-term care facilities to reopen to controlled visitation after a months-long closure to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The state created two categories of visitors — general and caregivers. The former must stay 6 feet from residents and visit alongside others in a community room. The latter can have private visits and touch their loved ones, but their status must be approved by facilities. (LeFever, 9/20)
NBC News: For Nursing Home Residents And Their Families, The Pandemic Has Made The 2020 Election Personal
Rose Konecky has been able to see her 80-year-old father only once since March, when his assisted living facility near Fort Worth, Texas, stopped regular visits because of the coronavirus pandemic. Her father, who has Alzheimer’s disease, can’t understand why his family has stopped coming to see him. “He doesn’t remember — all he knows is that we really don’t come and visit. It’s really sad,” she said. (Khimm, 9/21)
AP: 'I Miss Mommy': Families Shattered By COVID Forge New Paths
Just four months had passed since Ramon Ramirez buried his wife and now, here he was, hospitalized himself with COVID-19. The prognosis was dire, and the fate of his younger children consumed him. Before ending his final video call with his oldest, a 29-year-old single mother of two, he had one final request: “Take care of your brothers.” Before long, he was added to the rolls of the pandemic’s dead, and his daughter, Marlene Torres, was handed the crushing task of making good on her promise. Overnight, her home ballooned, with her four siblings, ages 11 to 19, joining her own two children, 2 and 8. (Sedensky, Kennedy and Crary, 9/21)
USA Today: 'You Are Not Your Disease': COVID-19 Long Haulers Find Hope In Recovery Program
Jenny Berz was infected with the coronavirus in March after returning from a trip to Hawaii.The 50-year-old wife and mother from Boston never received a positive test for COVID-19, but she had all the standard symptoms: fever, chills, body aches and shortness of breath. ... Throughout her illness she experienced gastrointestinal, cognitive and pulmonary symptoms. She had asthma attacks, lost her sense of smell and had a burning sensation in her arms, also known as neuropathy. “Somewhere along the way, I had everything,” she said. Jenny Berz, 50, had to go to the emergency room while sick with COVID-19. Berz is one of the many so-called COVID-19 long haulers, who suffer through symptoms months after their initial diagnosis. Many fear they will never recover. A new treatment program originally intended for geriatric patients has showed promising results for these long-suffering COVID-19 patients. (Rodriguez, 9/21)
Tampa Bay Times: Stories Of Recovery From Hillsborough Latinos Sickened By Coronavirus
More than six months into the coronavirus pandemic, there’s no consensus on how to track the number of people who survive the disease. Florida is one state where health officials don’t even try. But there’s little argument over another trend in the spread of the virus: Latinos are hospitalized from the virus at nearly five times the rate of white Americans.Stories from Hillsborough County, where Latinos account for some 30 percent of the population, show how hospitalization and recovery can vary from victim to victim. (Chavez, 9/21)
The Washington Post: Sidewalks, Streets And Parks Provided A Respite From Coronavirus Closures. But Winter Is Coming.
Peer into a backyard in Columbia Heights and a quartet plays. Walk down the waterfront on the Wharf and a masked instructor stretches into downward-facing dog. Dine on 17th Street NW and massage chairs sprawl across turf grass. This was summer in the District — disease and desolation punctured by pockets of joyful commerce, spread across sidewalks, street corners and public parks. (Davies, 9/21)
The Wall Street Journal: How To Ventilate Your Home To Fight Coronavirus, Wildfire Smoke
Healthy air in homes is a bigger concern than ever. Evidence that Covid-19 spreads through the air means that those spending time indoors—even at home—might be at risk of exposure. The virus, along with added threats from wildfire emissions in the Western U.S., are prompting calls for new ventilation measures in dwellings. Using filters, fans, air purifiers and open windows can help. Here, experts weigh in on ways to improve your home’s ventilation to combat viruses as well as outdoor and indoor pollutants. (Dizik, 9/21)
