Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'I Was Absolutely Terrified': Young Health Aide Fights To Cope With Inability To Social Distance At Work
The Wall Street Journal: Under 25 And Working? Social Distancing Might Not Be Possible
In early April, Erin Payne drove to the group home in southwest Ohio where she cares for two men with serious disabilities. Normally, the 21-year-old would blare country music to keep her awake on her 40-minute commute. That day, she drove in silence. “I was absolutely terrified,” she said. She was returning to her position as a home health aide after six weeks of maternity leave, during which the coronavirus outbreak turned into a pandemic. Soon, she would be waking up her clients, dressing them, brushing their teeth, shaving them, and making their breakfast. Maintaining six feet, or even six inches, of distance would be impossible. (Chang, 6/30)
The Washington Post: Four Women On Being Pregnant In A Time Of Pandemic And Racial Turmoil
For women who are pregnant amid a pandemic, a recession and racial turmoil, the future is an anxiety-stirring unknown. They began their pregnancies in the “other world” that promised baby showers, gender-reveal parties, visits with grandparents and browsing stores for onesies. Now, they contemplate how they would handle a novel coronavirus diagnosis, prepare to give birth while wearing a mask and fight through old traumas that the virus has triggered. (Lam, 6/30)
CIDRAP: Study Finds Lung Impairment In Recovering COVID-19 Patients
A retrospective study of 57 adult COVID-19 patients published yesterday in Respiratory Research found significant lung impairment in the recovery phase, particularly in patients with severe disease. Researchers conducted serial assessments of patients 30 days after they were released from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Zhuhai, China. They found that, of the 40 non-severe and 17 severe cases, 31 patients (54.4%) still had abnormal findings on chest computed tomography (CT). The rate of abnormalities was much higher in severe (16 or 17, or 94.1%) than in mild illness (15/ 31, 37.5%). (Beusekom, 6/30)
CIDRAP: Survey Explores Trust, Self-Interest, And Teen Pandemic Practices
A study of 770 teens' attitudes conducted in the 7 days after the United States declared a national emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic found that 69% weren't practicing physical distancing but 89% were following the news, and 88% were disinfecting daily. In the study, published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers from Montana State University in Bozeman used social media to recruit adolescents 13 to 18 years old from Mar 20 to 22 to participate in the anonymous 31-question survey. (6/30)
CNN: After 53 Years Of Marriage, A Texas Couple Died Holding Hands From Covid-19
Betty and Curtis Tarpley were together for most of their lives -- they went to the same high school in Illinois, met and fell in love in California as adults, got married, and raised two kids. On June 18, after 53 years as a married couple, the two died from coronavirus within an hour of each other in a Texas hospital, spending their last moments together holding hands, their son told CNN. (Williams and Ebrahimji, 6/30)
CNN: US Army Quarantines Members Of Survival Training Course After One Tests Positive For Coronavirus
The US Army said Tuesday that it has quarantined 90 students and personnel with its Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape course at Fort Bragg in North Carolina after an individual in the course tested positive for coronavirus. The course trains military personnel in survival skills that include evading capture as well as other methods and techniques in order to escape from captivity if captured behind enemy lines. (Starr and Kelly, 6/30)
NPR: A Doctor Confronts Medical Errors — And Systemic Flaws That Create Mistakes
For more than two decades as an internist at New York City's Bellevue Hospital, Dr. Danielle Ofri has seen her share of medical errors. She warns that they are far more common than many people realize — especially as hospitals treat a rapid influx of COVID-19 patients. "I don't think we'll ever know what number, in terms of cause of death, is [due to] medical error — but it's not small," she says. (Davies, 6/30)
CNN: He Was An Athlete In The Best Shape Of His Life. Then Covid-19 Nearly Killed Him
When Ahmad Ayyad woke up, he was delirious. He didn't realize where he was, why there was a tube down his throat, or how long it had been since he last fed his dog. And when he looked down, he couldn't recognize himself. Once a 215-pound athlete with chiseled muscles and astounding strength, the 40-year-old looked like a completely different person. (Elassar, 6/30)
Reuters: NBA To Stop Season If Virus Spreads
Spread of the coronavirus would prompt the NBA to stop the 2019-20 season, commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday. Speaking on the TIME 100 Talks, Silver said the league is “reasonably confident” about its plan to restart the season in Orlando on the Disney World campus in July. But if the virus spreads among players and personnel in Florida, Silver said the league will have no choice but to pull the plug. (6/30)
The New York Times: Most People With Coronavirus Won’t Spread It. Why Do A Few Infect Many?
Following a birthday party in Texas on May 30, one man reportedly infected 17 members of his family with the coronavirus. Reading reports like these, you might think of the virus as a wildfire, instantly setting off epidemics wherever it goes. But other reports tell another story altogether. (Zimmer, 6/30)
The Wall Street Journal: Apple’s Virtual Event Gives Hope For Online-Only Conferences In Covid-19 Era
The reviews are in for Apple Inc.’s first-ever online-only software conference: Virtual tech conferences can work.Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference last week became a bellwether for the potential of corporate gatherings that take place exclusively online as the coronavirus pandemic makes physical conferences impossible. Developers said they missed the serendipitous social interactions of in-person conferences, but many praised the sharp production and easier access of this year’s event, which was streamed free for eligible participants. (Choi, 6/30)
CNN: Declining Eyesight Can Be Improved By Looking At Red Light, Pilot Study Says
It will be as easy as brushing your teeth or shaving, and as long as future studies support it, it just might save your eyesight. A few minutes of looking into a deep red light could have a dramatic effect on preventing eyesight decline as we age, according to a new study published this week in The Journals of Gerontology. (Prior, 6/30)
In airline industry news —
AP: Fauci, CDC Chief Raise Concerns About Full Airline Flights
The government’s top experts in infectious diseases on Tuesday criticized American Airlines’ decision to pack flights full while the coronavirus outbreak continues to grow across much of the United States. “Obviously that is something that is of concern. I’m not sure what went into that decision making,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told a Senate panel. “I think in the confines of an airplane that becomes even more problematic.” (Koenig and Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/1)
Politico: Airline Industry Flails Without Federal Requirements For Masks, Social Distancing
The Trump administration’s refusal to mandate masks, social distancing or temperature checks for air travel has led to a patchwork of industry efforts and mixed messages, the latest of which was on display Tuesday as a CDC official upbraided one U.S. airline for moving toward packed planes again. Last week, American Airlines announced that it would no longer hold off on filling its planes, garnering significant criticism even though social distancing isn't mandated for airlines and would be difficult to maintain under current conditions on any plane. (Mintz and Gurciullo, 6/30)
