Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Immigration Fight Entangles Covid Funding, Delays Vote
Roll Call: Vote On COVID-19 Spending Bill Indefinitely Delayed
A bipartisan $10 billion COVID-19 supplemental is stuck in the Senate amid a dispute over a tangential pandemic-related border control policy, with both parties at a loss on how the impasse will be resolved. “I don’t see a pathway,” Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions ranking member Richard M. Burr, R-N.C., who helped negotiate the bill, said Wednesday. The stalemate over the so-called Title 42 policy put the final nail in the coffin for action on the supplemental this week ahead of a scheduled two-week recess, absent a move from Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer to cancel the break and hold senators in town until they reach a deal. (McPherson and Weiss, 4/6)
AP: COVID Spending Bill Stalls In Senate As GOP, Dems Stalemate
A compromise $10 billion measure buttressing the government’s COVID-19 defenses has stalled in the Senate and seemed all but certainly sidetracked for weeks, victim of a campaign-season fight over the incendiary issue of immigration. There was abundant finger-pointing Wednesday but no signs the two parties were near resolving their stalemate over a bipartisan pandemic bill that President Joe Biden and top Democrats wanted Congress to approve this week. With Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., prioritizing the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson by week’s end — quite possibly Thursday — the COVID-19 bill seemed sure to slip at least until Congress returns after a two-week recess. (Fram, 4/7)
In related news about states running out of covid funds —
AP: Arizona Company Reduces COVID Testing, Cites Lack Of Funding
A leading Arizona provider of COVID-19 vaccinations and testing says a lack of federal funding has forced it to drop dozens of testing sites and is no longer providing free tests to uninsured people. People without insurance will have to pay a $100 fee for COVID-19 testing and testing has been suspended at 60 of Embry Health’s Arizona sites, the company said in recent announcements. (4/6)
And a fox that bit several people near the Capitol was found to have rabies —
Fox 5 DC: Fox That Bit 9 People Around Capitol Hill Tests Positive For Rabies
The wild fox that bit nine people, including a congressman and a reporter on Capitol Hill, has tested positive for rabies. D.C. health officials told FOX 5 in a statement it is "contacting all human victims who were bitten by the fox." Animal control will post informational flyers around Capitol Hill notifying people of the fox’s positive rabies status and encouraging those who might have been exposed to call DC Health. (Fox, 4/6)
Fox News: What To Do If A Rabies-Infected Animal Bites You?
The fox that bit Rep. Ami Bera, a reporter, and at least 7 other people in Washington, D.C. Tuesday was euthanized and tested positive for having the rabies virus, Fox News reported. Health experts told Fox News it is vital that a person who is bitten by an animal immediately seek medical treatment and try to get the animal tested for rabies, if possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated on its website that rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus. It affects the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The Federal Health Agency said once symptoms of rabies appear, the disease is "nearly always fatal." (McGorry, 4/6)
Slate: Capitol Hill Fox: Why Do Animals Have To Be Euthanized To Be Tested For Rabies?
Here’s how catching rabies works: After an animal or person is bitten, if no post-exposure measures are taken, the virus seeps in through the puncture wound and infects the nerves close to the bite. From there, it takes advantage of the communication system between neurons to hitch a ride to its final destination: the brain. There, it wreaks havoc on the brain cells. It also makes its way to the salivary glands, where it’s excreted in saliva, and ready to start the whole process over again. When it comes to testing, though, saliva samples are unreliable: a swab of saliva won’t always contain the virus. (In humans, you can do a skin biopsy, but this isn’t typically done for animals.) A test might return a negative result for the particular bit of saliva you tested, even if the animal is secreting saliva that does contain the virus. (Braner, 4/6)
