Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
If Pandemic Is A Marathon, How Many Miles Are Left To Go? Experts Weigh In
The Hill: BioNTech Founders Predict Pandemic Will Spread For At Least Another Year
The founders of BioNTech, the German biotechnology company that developed a prominent coronavirus vaccine with Pfizer, are predicting that the pandemic likely will continue into 2022 as new waves of the infection surge in countries with limited vaccine supplies. During The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit on Tuesday, BioNTech CEO Uğur Şahin warned that COVID-19 will continue to spread unless countries do more to ramp up vaccine distribution in countries such as India, which on Tuesday became the second country to record 20 million coronavirus infections. (Castronuovo, 5/4)
Fox News: Fauci Says US Is In 'Bottom Of The Sixth' In COVID-19 Timeline
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the county’s top disease expert, said in an interview Tuesday that he believes the U.S. is in "the bottom of the sixth" when it comes to the likely COVID-19 timeline. Fauci told CNN that he is under the impression the President Biden’s goal of administering 100 million jabs over the next 60 days is achievable. Biden on Tuesday set a new vaccination goal to deliver at least one shot to 70% of adult Americans by July Fourth. Fauci's comments were first reported by Mediaite. (DeMarche, 5/5)
In other news about the coronavirus —
Des Moines Register: COVID In Iowa: 'India Variant' In State, Joining U.K. And Brazil
The "India variant" of the coronavirus has been confirmed in Iowa, although state health officials said they don't believe it's as much of a threat as the "U.K. variant," which has predominated here lately. The new strain of the virus, formally known as the B.1.617 variant, was reported Tuesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Lab tests found it in samples from two unidentified adults in Jefferson County, the department said in a news release. Two other variants of the coronavirus were confirmed in Iowa earlier this spring. (Leys, 5/4)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Reports Sixth Straight Day Of Dropping COVID Cases
Maryland reported fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the sixth straight day Tuesday as the number of hospitalizations continued a weeklong slide. The number of new daily cases also has declined for six days straight, according to Maryland Department of Health data. (Campbell, 5/4)
Bloomberg: Two Pandemics Clash As Doctors Find That Covid Spurs Diabetes
When Ziyad Al-Aly’s research team told him how often diabetes appeared to strike Covid-19 survivors, he thought the data must be wrong, so he asked his five colleagues to crunch the numbers again. Weeks later, they returned the same findings after sifting through millions of patient records. By then Al-Aly had also gone digging into the scientific literature and was starting to come to terms with an alarming reality: Covid-19 isn’t just deadlier for people with diabetes, it’s also triggering the metabolic disease in many who didn’t previously have it. (Gale, 5/5)
CBS News: At-Home COVID-19 Rapid Tests Could Play Critical Role During Pandemic
For Americans, getting tested for the coronavirus just got a little easier. The Food and Drug Administration authorized five over-the-counter COVID-19 tests that can give you results at home in just minutes. In San Francisco, before watching Steph Curry lead the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, unvaccinated fans at home games are required to score a negative COVID test either at the arena or before leaving home. The Warriors are offering ticket-holders the Lucira Test. It's one of the five over-the-counter COVID-19 tests authorized. (5/4)
