Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Honduras President Has Pneumonia After COVID Diagnosis; Kremlin Installs Antiseptic Tunnels For Putin
NBC News: Honduras' President Hospitalized With COVID-19 As Latin America Becomes Virus 'Epicenter'
The president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, was hospitalized for pneumonia on Wednesday, after revealing the previous day that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19. Doctors determined he had pneumonia after reviewing lab work and x-rays and recommended he be hospitalized, according to a spokesperson for the Honduran health agency SINAGER. The spokesperson said during a news conference that Hernández was receiving intravenous medicine that had to be administered at the military hospital and is in good condition. (Sesin, 6/17)
The Associated Press: Honduras President Hospitalized With Pneumonia, COVID-19
The hospitalization of Honduras’ president with COVID-19 and pneumonia Wednesday has drawn attention to another country struggling under the pandemic’s strain as cases rise sharply in the capital. President Juan Orlando Hernández announced late Tuesday that he and his wife had tested positive for the virus. Just hours later he was hospitalized after doctors determined he had pneumonia. (Gonzalez and Sherman, 6/18)
The Associated Press: Kremlin Installs Special Antiseptic Tunnels To Protect Putin
The Russian government built special tunnels to protect President Vladimir Putin from the coronavirus at home and at work, Putin’s spokesman said Wednesday. Reports about tunnels where anyone passing through gets sprayed with germ-killing antiseptics appeared in Russian media on Tuesday night. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that one tunnel was installed at the president’s home outside Moscow and two at the Kremlin. (6/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Germany Sees Largest Local Covid-19 Outbreak Since Lifting Lockdown
Germany has recorded its largest local Covid-19 outbreak since it started reopening its economy in early May, with more than 600 employees of a slaughterhouse testing positive for coronavirus this week, authorities said on Wednesday. The announcement highlighted the risk of a new spike in infections even as the pace of the coronavirus pandemic is slowing across Europe. The outbreak was by far the largest in a string of similar so-called superspreading events at meat-processing plants across the country. New infections in Germany have fallen to around 300 a day in recent weeks. (Pancevski, 6/17)
The Associated Press: China's New Outbreak Wanes As US Calls For Answers On Virus
A new coronavirus outbreak in Beijing saw a decline in daily cases Thursday while the United States increased pressure on China’s leaders to reveal what they know about the pandemic. The outbreak first detected at a wholesale market in the capital last week has infected at least 158 people in China’s biggest resurgence since the initial outbreak was brought under control in March. The city reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, down from 31 on Wednesday. City officials said close contacts of market workers, visitors and other connections were being traced to locate all possible cases as quickly as possible, with testing and prevention measures being taken. (Moritsugu and McGuirk, 6/18)
Reuters: Beijing Residents Rush Coronavirus Test Clinics As Emergency Rules Expand
China’s capital has mandated coronavirus tests for hundreds of thousands of people as it widens measures against a new outbreak of the disease that has sent anxious residents flooding to clinics for voluntary tests, putting a strain on the system. (Cadell and Tian, 6/18)
The Washington Post: Video Evidence Of Anti-Black Discrimination In China Over Coronavirus Fears
In the face of an invisible and deadly enemy, fears and deep-rooted biases often take over. This bore out in the reaction of some communities to the coronavirus, a swift and highly contagious disease. In the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, the African population — one of the largest in Asia — and black residents said that they became the targets of a crackdown from local officials over unfounded fears that Africans were a high-risk population for the spread of the disease. (Cahlan and Lee, 6/18)
The New York Times: Contact Tracing To Tackle Coronavirus In England Off To A Slow Start
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain unveiled last month a “world beating” operation to track down people who had been exposed to the coronavirus, giving the country a chance to climb out of lockdown without losing sight of where infections were spreading. As with much of the government’s response to the pandemic, however, the results have fallen short of the promises, jeopardizing the reopening of Britain’s hobbled economy and risking a second wave of death in one of the countries most debilitated by the virus. (Mueller and Bradley, 6/17)
Reuters: From Asia To Africa, 'Sesame Street' Special Tackles Coronavirus Pandemic
Elmo, Cookie Monster and Muppets from Asia and the Middle East are joining forces for a special episode of “Sesame Street” aimed at helping kids cope with a world turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. (6/18)
Los Angeles Times: These Countries Tamed Coronavirus. Why They're Keeping Social Distancing In Place
It was 91 degrees, and Hans Hsu, clad in shorts, sat on a bench waiting to catch the bus home, a surgical mask dangling from his arm. The face covering made him sweat, but without it he wouldn’t be allowed to board. “Of course, it’s kind of hot, but it’s necessary,” said Hsu, a 51-year-old interior designer. “We have no control over how long the outbreak itself will last.” In Taiwan, masks are required in order to ride public buses and trains. People in Hong Kong still have their temperatures scanned as they enter buildings. (Jennings and Bengali, 6/17)
Reuters: Amazon Forest Fires Could Increase Risk Of Serious Coronavirus Infections
An intense season of fires in the Amazon rainforest this year could overwhelm health systems and lead to unnecessary deaths, including of coronavirus, as pollution worsens respiratory conditions, public health experts said on Wednesday. Forest fires destroy many thousands of hectares of Amazon rainforest across Latin America each year. As peak burning season approaches, experts say intense fires and the particles they give off could exacerbate coronavirus infections. (6/17)
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Files Charges Against Chinese Mask Manufacturer
Federal prosecutors accused a Chinese manufacturer of selling 140,000 defective masks to a U.S. distributor, the latest case brought against a company for allegedly selling substandard products that could put wearers at risk amid the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents stopped the masks for inspection at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in early May, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of New Jersey. (Hufford, 6/17)
