Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Heat Roasts Northeast Prompting Health Alerts
The Washington Post: Heat Wave Scorches Northeast, New York, Boston As Temperatures Skyrocket
Officials up and down the Interstate 95 corridor urged residents to hydrate and watch for signs of heat-related illness as people flocked to pools and cooling centers for relief in cities stretching from Boston to D.C. (Venkataramanan, Iati and Shammas, 7/23)
The New York Times: Rare Case Of Polio Prompts Alarm And An Urgent Investigation In New York
Bryon Backenson, the director of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control at the state Health Department, said that there was no indication yet of additional cases, though he noted that the state was trying to acquire as many samples as possible to test and was checking wastewater for signs of the virus. (McKinley and Schweber, 7/22)
AP: Tennessee Drops Medicaid Drug Change Over Federal Concerns
TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid program, said it will abandon a proposal to impose limits on some prescription drugs following pressure from the federal government. The state last year received approval from former President Donald Trump’s administration for a TennCare overhaul that included the change. Officials argued the overhaul could produce flexibility and savings that would then fuel additional health coverage offerings, including prescription drug limits aimed at rising costs. (Matisse, 7/22)
AP: Mask Wearing Required In Kentucky's Largest School District
Kentucky’s largest school district will require universal masking on school property as Jefferson County moves into the highest level of COVID-19 community spread. The change begins Monday and lasts until Jefferson County comes out of the red, media outlets reported. It comes a little more than two weeks before classes resume in Jefferson County Public Schools. (7/24)
The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Hits 1 Millionth Coronavirus Case During Highly Contagious BA.5 Surge
With more than 6,800 new coronavirus cases reported in the last week, Utah has officially surpassed 1 million cases since the start of the pandemic — but it’s likely that the state met this milestone “months ago” because of a “dramatic undercount” of positive tests amid a surge of the virus’s most transmissible strain yet. (Harkins and Hufham, 7/21)
San Diego Union-Tribune: Wastewater Data Shows Big Coronavirus Spike In San Diego
San Diego’s latest wastewater numbers show that the region is experiencing a massive increase in coronavirus transmission driven by BA.5, the subvariant now causing concern worldwide. (Sisson, 7/23)
AP: Texas Lieutenant Guv Tests Positive A Second Time For COVID
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time in the last seven months, his campaign said Sunday. Patrick, 72, tested positive on Saturday and was experiencing mild symptoms, according to a campaign statement. (7/24)
Politico: 'Dead Bodies' And Dump Sites Draw DOJ Civil Rights Probe Of Houston
The northeast Houston area in question has suffered for years from the dumping of dead bodies, animals, medical waste, mattresses and other trash that pose health and quality of life risks into Houston’s “Super Neighborhood 48,” known as Trinity/Houston Gardens, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke said in a call with reporters. (Colman, 7/22)
