Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Humanity's Endless War Against Epidemics: If Coronavirus Is Beaten, There's Always Another Pathogen Waiting In The Wings
Bloomberg: Man Vs. Microbe: We’re Not Ready For The Next Global Virus Outbreak
In the evolutionary arms race between humanity and the microbes, the bugs are making a comeback. Yes, we’ve conquered diseases such as smallpox and polio, and deaths from communicable diseases have been falling worldwide. But since 1970, more than 1,500 new pathogens have been discovered, according to the World Health Organization, and “epidemics in the 21st century are spreading faster and farther than ever. Outbreaks that were previously localized can now become global very rapidly.” (Bremner, Langreth, and Paton, 2/6)
WBUR: New Coronavirus 'Won't Be The Last' Outbreak To Move From Animal To Human
The new strain of coronavirus that has killed hundreds of people in China and caused a travel lockdown of some 56 million people has been classified as a "zoonosis" because of the way it spreads from animals to humans. Science writer David Quammen says the virus, which the World Health Organization last week declared a global health emergency, is just the latest example of how pathogens that start in animals are migrating to humans with increasing frequency — and with deadly consequences. (Davies, 2/5)
The New York Times: Why The New Coronavirus (Mostly) Spares Children
The new coronavirus has infected more than 28,000 people, and at least 563 have died. But relatively few children appear to have developed severe symptoms so far, according to the available data. “The median age of patients is between 49 and 56 years,” according to a report published on Wednesday in JAMA. “Cases in children have been rare.” So why aren’t more children getting sick? (Mandavilli, 2/5)
Reuters: Mothers May Pass Coronavirus To Unborn Children, Say Chinese Doctors: State TV
Pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus may be able to pass it to their unborn children, doctors at the Wuhan Children Hospital said on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The doctors said it was possible after an infected coronavirus patient gave birth to a baby on Feb. 2. The newborn was given a test 30 hours later and confirmed to have the virus, the doctors said. (2/5)
CBS News: Baby Tests Positive For Coronavirus Just 30 Hours After Birth
The coronavirus has infected at least 27,000 people worldwide, and officials in China now say the youngest person with the illness is a newborn baby who was infected just 30 hours after being born. The state-run news site XinhuaNet says the infant was born on February 2 at a hospital in Wuhan, China — the city where the coronavirus outbreak originated. The baby's mother also tested positive for the virus before she gave birth, according to Union Hospital, affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. (O'Kane, 2/5)
Bloomberg: Hong Kong Fund Manager’s Quant Model Sees Virus Peaking In March
The coronavirus outbreak is on track to peak in early March, according to a quantitative analysis by Hong Kong-based investment firm Gavekal Research Ltd. Fund manager Didier Darcet, who has a background in mathematical modeling for financial markets, suggested investors focus on the rate of acceleration of the spread of the virus, in a note Wednesday. The number of new infections is now accelerating at a lower rate than last week, he said. (Mullen, 2/5)
NPR: Is Coronavirus Spread By People Without Symptoms?
Public health officials attempting to contain the new coronavirus are trying to figure out how easily it spreads. One key question is whether people who are infected but show no symptoms can infect other people. "If you have a lot of people who [have mild disease or are] asymptomatic and not seeking medical care for respiratory illness but are still contagious, you're going to have a very difficult time," says Jeffrey Shaman, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University. (Harris, 2/5)
Los Angeles Times: What Happens If The Coronavirus Outbreak Becomes A Pandemic?
Roughly 50 million people are under quarantine in China. Thousands of travelers are being screened at airports every day. Armies of disease detectives are knocking on doors around the world in hopes of halting the new coronavirus in its tracks. Despite all the colossal efforts to contain the virus, scientists are quietly preparing for a grim — and increasingly likely — outcome: A full-blown global pandemic. (Baumgaertner, 2/5)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Outbreak Strains Global Medical-Mask Market
Chinese officials are buying up medical masks in the virus-wracked country from factories that typically supply hospitals around the world, forcing manufacturers to boost output globally and hospitals to ration supplies. Masks are essential protective gear for medical workers treating patients potentially infected with the newly identified coronavirus, which has spread across China and beyond. China is one of the world’s top producers of medical masks and other gear. Now officials there are directing much of that supply to the front lines of the outbreak, leaving customers in the U.S. and other countries to look elsewhere for masks as global supplies tighten. (Hufford and Evans, 2/6)
Los Angeles Times: How To Prevent Coronavirus: Wash Your Hands And Ditch The Mask
Drugstores have reported skyrocketing demand, and several of Amazon’s top sellers are indefinitely out of stock. Shortages of surgical face masks are a visible sign that the novel coronavirus from China has reached the United States. But health experts warn that stocking up on the disposable masks could do more harm than good by limiting their availability to doctors and nurses. If the coronavirus outbreak should cause a run on anything, they say, it should be soap and water instead. (Baumgaertner, 2/5)
Bloomberg: Forget Masks To Avoid Coronavirus On Flights Says Airline Doctor
Forget face masks and rubber gloves. The best way to avoid the coronavirus is frequent hand washing, according to a medical adviser to the world’s airlines. The virus can’t survive long on seats or armrests, so physical contact with another person carries the greatest risk of infection on a flight, said David Powell, a physician and medical adviser to the International Air Transport Association. Masks and gloves do a better job of spreading bugs than stopping them, he said. (Park, 2/5)
Reuters: China Lab Seeks Patent On Use Of Gilead's Coronavirus Treatment
A state-run Chinese research institute has applied for a patent on the use of Gilead Sciences' experimental U.S. antiviral drug, which scientists think could provide treatment for the coronavirus that has killed hundreds and infected thousands. The Wuhan Institute of Virology of the China Academy of Sciences, based in the city where the outbreak is believed to have originated, said in a statement on Tuesday it applied to patent the use of Remdesivir, an antiviral drug developed by Gilead, to treat the virus. (2/5)
The Associated Press: Chinese Scientists Ask For Patent On US Drug To Fight Virus
Granting its own scientists a patent might give the Chinese government leverage in negotiations over paying for the drug. But it also might fuel complaints Beijing abuses its regulatory system to pressure foreign companies to hand over valuable technology. On Thursday, the official Xinhua News Agency said clinical trials of the drug, remdesivir, were due to start. (2/6)
