Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitalizations Climb For 14th Straight Day. Peak Is Still Weeks Away.
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Live Updates: More Than 85,700 Covid-19 Patients Hospitalized Nationwide, Shattering Records
The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized across the United States shattered records on Monday, topping 85,700. Although some of the hardest-hit states are beginning to report fewer new infections, Thanksgiving travel and gatherings could reverse that positive trend. Even after cases peak, deaths will continue rising for several weeks. (Noori Farzan, 11/24)
The New York Times: The Virus Surge, Once Centered In The Midwest, Is Accelerating In 45 U.S. States
When infections began rising sharply in the U.S. in September, the growth was driven largely by outbreaks in the Upper Midwest. States like North Dakota and Wisconsin soon became the hardest hit in the nation, relative to their size, and the region continues to struggle. Now, though, with the whole country’s daily average of new cases is as high as it has ever been — over 171,000 — the most rapid growth is happening elsewhere. Nine states are reporting more than twice as many new cases a day as they did two weeks ago, and none of them are in the Midwest. (11/24)
Reuters: ‘We’re Drowning’: COVID Cases Flood Hospitals In America’s Heartland
After pounding big U.S. cities in the spring, COVID-19 now has engulfed rural and small-town America, seeming to seep into the country’s every nook and cranny. According to Reuters’ interviews with more than a dozen medical care providers and public health officials in the nation’s heartland, many hospitals are severely lacking in beds, equipment and - most critically - clinical staff, including specialists and nurses. (Brown, 11/24)
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The Hill: Peak Of Third COVID-19 Wave Still Weeks Away
The skyrocketing number of new coronavirus infections in the United States is likely to climb further over the next several weeks, even in the hardest-hit areas where soaring case loads are starting to overwhelm hospitals and medical facilities. New cases appear to be reaching a peak in the Dakotas and Iowa, where infections are at their highest levels since the pandemic began. But most states experiencing a COVID-19 surge are weeks behind those epicenters as tens of thousands of people test positive every week. (Wilson, 11/23)
The Washington Post: The True Toll Of The Third Coronavirus Wave Won’t Be Clear Until Weeks After It’s Over
The United States is heading into the holiday season as coronavirus cases rise at their fastest rate ever. More than 150,000 new cases were reported each day last week, and experts worry that indoor gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday will cause case counts to surge even higher. But even once numbers in this “third wave” finally peak, deaths will continue to rise for several weeks. A third wave of coronavirus cases in the county took off in September, and cases have been rising faster ever since. The second wave, which peaked in July, was significantly smaller, but followed the same pattern: Cases rose first, then hospitalizations, then deaths. (Fox, 11/23)
CNN: A New Model Projects Covid-19 Cases In The US Will Nearly Double Over The Next Two Months
Covid-19 is running unabated across almost every American community, and one model projects it will take the country just under two months to reach a staggering 20 million cases. The US could nearly double its current numbers -- about 12.4 million reported infections -- by January 20, according to the Washington University in St. Louis forecasting model. (Maxouris, 11/24)
The Hill: Fauci: US Could See 'Well Over 300,000' COVID-19 Deaths
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, warned Monday that COVID-19 deaths could easily top 300,000 if the trajectory of the pandemic does not change. The number of coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations have been rising for weeks with no signs of slowing as the U.S. deals with another wave of the pandemic. (Hellmann, 11/23)
