Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hunger Crisis Swells Across America
AP: Millions Of Hungry Americans Turn To Food Banks For 1st Time
The deadly pandemic that tore through the nation’s heartland struck just as Aaron Crawford was in a moment of crisis. He was looking for work, his wife needed surgery, then the virus began eating away at her work hours and her paycheck. The Crawfords had no savings, mounting bills and a growing dread: What if they ran out of food? The couple had two boys, 5 and 10, and boxes of macaroni and cheese from the dollar store could go only so far. (Cohen, 12/7)
Indianapolis Star: Hunger In Indiana: Pandemic Doubled Available Food Assistance And Need
The results of two surveys conducted by Indy Hunger Network in February and June reveal how significantly the COVID-19 pandemic has affected hunger across Marion County. The report, published in late October, found that, while nonprofits and federal aid nearly doubled the number of meals being distributed to food-insecure Hoosiers, the need also doubled. Between February and June, the total number of meals provided by area nonprofits and federal nutrition programs rose from 11,850,916 to 22,587,724. (Hays, 12/7)
In other public health news —
AP: Religious High Schools Sue To Reopen For In-Person Classes
Nonpublic schools sued Monday after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration extended a coronavirus order that prevents in-person instruction at Michigan high schools, saying it violates the First Amendment right to practice religion. The federal lawsuit, filed in Michigan’s Western District, was brought by a group representing more than 400 nonpublic schools across the state, as well as three Catholic high schools and 11 parents. The state health department lengthened the restriction by 12 days, through Dec. 20. It took effect Nov. 18 and also applies to public high schools and all colleges and universities. (Eggert, 12/8)
CNN: A Gospel-Singing Family Performed A Virtual Concert At A Recording Studio. Then, Five Of Them Got Covid-19
Ernestine Ray was driving home from work on July 3 when her vision turned blurry. A few hours later, she was in a Houston hospital, where she was diagnosed with Covid-19 and failing kidneys. She started crying. (Lavandera, 12/7)
The Wall Street Journal: Exposed To Covid-19 During The Holidays? Here Are Safe Tests And Practices
The desserts were delicious, the reunions were warm, but you’ve just learned that someone at the holiday gathering you attended had Covid-19. What next? Today’s shorter quarantine guidelines, a variety of tests and newly available therapies call for updated protocols. So what should you do if you feel sick or if you spent time near the fellow guest who has been diagnosed? And is it safer to get tested if you’re considering meeting with family within the next several weeks? (Dizik, 12/7)
KHN: Tracking COVID’s Spread Inside A Tight-Knit Latino Community
Early in the pandemic, Ximena Rebolledo León, a registered nurse at Telluride Regional Medical Center in southwestern Colorado, needed to find everyone who’d been in contact with a sick Latino worker whose boss had told him he would lose his job if he didn’t show up. The man had gone to work and infected four co-workers, all Latinos, with COVID-19 — so Rebolledo León then had to track down their movements to determine who else had been exposed to the coronavirus in the wealthy ski resort community. (Hawryluk, 12/8)
KHN: A Child’s Death In The Heartland Changes Community Views About COVID
In August, local officials in this small city an hour west of St. Louis voted against requiring residents to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. On Nov. 23, with COVID cases surging and the local hospital overflowing, the City Council brought a mask order back for another vote. As protesters marched outside, Councilman Nick Obermark, an electrician, was the sole member of the nonpartisan council to change his vote, causing the mandate to pass. (Shipley Hiles, 12/8)
Also —
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Stricter Controls On Soot Pollution Rejected By EPA
The Trump administration Monday rejected setting tougher standards on soot, the nation's most widespread deadly air pollutant, saying the existing regulations remain sufficient even though some public health experts and environmental justice organizations had pleaded for stricter limits. The agency retained the current thresholds for fine particle pollution for another five years, despite mounting evidence linking air pollution to lethal outcomes from respiratory illnesses, including covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Documents obtained by The Washington Post show the Environmental Protection Agency has disregarded concerns, raised by other administration officials, that several of its air policy rollbacks would disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities. (12/7)
Stat: Stigma, Weaponized In Many Forms, Helps Fuel The Addiction Crisis
Although the disease of addiction is now obscured by the dark cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic, it continues to tear America apart. It’s a relentless killer, fed by anxiety and uncertainty, and enabled by the attitudes of the health care providers who are supposed to be caring for people with it. (Sean Fogler, 12/8)
