Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Headed Toward Total Desperation': Southern Italians Brace For Spread Of Infection; UN Warns of Unfolding Widespread Hunger
The New York Times: For Southern Italy, The Coronavirus Becomes A War On 2 Fronts
The coronavirus was already a disaster for Meorina Mazza. In March, it sickened her brother, killed her cousin and prompted officials in Italy’s southern region of Calabria to quarantine her seaside town of San Lucido. But the lockdown also cut her off from her off-the-books shifts as a kitchen hand and made it harder to apply for welfare. Now she is relying on donations of flour to feed her daughters, but still has no money to pay her electricity bills. “We are really headed toward total desperation,” said Ms. Mazza, a 53-year-old mother of two. (Horowitz, 4/21)
CNN: Global Famines Of 'Biblical Proportions' Will Be Caused By Coronavirus Pandemic, UN Warns
The world is facing multiple famines of "biblical proportions" in just a matter of months, the UN has said, warning that the coronavirus pandemic will push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation. Famines could take hold in "about three dozen countries" in a worst-case scenario, the executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a stark address on Tuesday. Ten of those countries already have more than 1 million people on the verge of starvation, he said. (Picheta, 4/22)
The Hill: Mystery Swirls Around State Of North Korean Leader's Health
Questions are swirling about the health of North Korea’s leader after U.S. news reports indicated Kim Jong Un is in poor health following a recent surgery. The South Korean government, though, said Kim appears to be handling state affairs as usual and that it has no information about his health. Still, Kim’s health is on the radar of U.S. intelligence, with national security adviser Robert O'Brien saying the U.S. intelligence apparatus is closely monitoring reports about North Korea’s leader. (Kheel and Beavers, 4/21)
The Washington Post: U.S. Is Deporting Infected Migrants Back To Vulnerable Countries
They arrive 24 hours a day in the Mexican border city of Reynosa, groups of men, women and children deported by the United States. Each time, at the edge of the international bridge, Ricardo Calderón Macias and his team get ready. They put on masks and gloves. They prepare their thermometers and health forms. They wonder, sometimes aloud: Will anyone in this group test positive? (Sieff and Miroff, 4/21)
