Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Denmark, 214 People Were Infected With Mink-Related Versions Of COVID
Reuters: Denmark Has Found 214 People Infected With Mink-Related Coronavirus
Denmark’s State Serum Institute, which deals with infectious diseases, has found mink-related versions of coronavirus in 214 people since June, according to a report on its website updated on Nov. 5. One strain of the mutated coronavirus, which has prompted Denmark to cull its entire herd of mink, has however only been found in 12 people and on five mink farms so far. (11/6)
Stat: Spread Of Coronavirus In Mink Hits 'Scary Buttons' But Experts Urge Calm
Denmark set off alarm bells this week with its announcement that it is culling the nation’s entire mink herd — the largest in the world — to stop spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the prized fur species because of potentially dangerous mutations. Inter-species jumps of viruses make scientists nervous — as do suggestions of potentially significant mutations that result from those jumps. In this case, Danish authorities say they’ve found some genetic changes that might undermine the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines currently in development. (Branswell, 11/5)
Bloomberg: U.K. Hits Denmark With Quarantine After Covid Mink Mutation
The U.K. is imposing a two-week quarantine on travelers from Denmark, following an outbreak of a rare mutation of Covid-19 in the Nordic country’s mink farms. “I have taken the swift decision to urgently remove Denmark from the government’s travel corridor list as a precautionary measure given recent developments,” U.K. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement. (Buttler, 11/6)
In other global news —
The New York Times: A Lockdown With Loopholes: England Faces New Virus Restrictions
Chocolate shops and stationery stores were busy as usual. Universities held in-person lectures. And workers crowded into some offices and factories, often with nothing more than a bottle of communal hand sanitizer to protect them from the rampant spread of the coronavirus. In England on Thursday, the first hours of Lockdown 2.0, as local newspapers called it, looked very little like a lockdown at all. (Mueller, 11/5)
CNN: At Least 104 Arrested At Anti-Lockdown Protest In London
At least 104 people were arrested at an anti-lockdown protest in London on Thursday evening, according to authorities in the British capital. The protest in Trafalgar Square took place despite the coronavirus restrictions currently in place, and arrests were made after people refused to disperse, according to a statement by the London Metropolitan Police. (11/6)
AP: Greece Imposes Lockdown To Avoid Worst At Hospitals
With a surge in coronavirus cases straining health systems in many European countries, Greece announced a nationwide lockdown Thursday in the hopes of stemming a rising tide of patients before its hospitals come under “unbearable” pressure. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that he acted before infection rates reached the levels seen in many neighboring countries because, after years of financial crises that have damaged its health system, it couldn’t afford to wait as long to impose restrictions as others had. (Becatoros and Hadjicostis, 11/5)
NPR: Poor Countries Fall Behind In Race To Reserve COVID-19 Vaccine
Rich countries are rapidly claiming the world's lion's share of future doses of COVID-19 vaccine, creating deep inequalities in global distribution. Despite an international agreement to allocate the vaccine equitably around the world, billions of people in poor and middle-income countries might not be immunized until 2023 or even 2024, researchers at Duke University predict. (Doucleff, 11/5)
Also —
CIDRAP: H1N2v Flu Case Reported In Canada
Health Canada yesterday announced that a rare variant H1N2 (H1N2v) influenza case has been confirmed in Alberta, marking the province's only flu case reported so far this season. The virus was detected in the middle of October after the patient sought care for mild flulike symptoms and quickly recovered, the agency said in a statement. So far there's no evidence that the virus has spread, and agriculture officials are working with health investigators to identify the source of the virus and the possibility of further spread. At a news conference yesterday, officials said the virus is a swine variant and so far no links have been found to swine slaughterhouses, the CBC reported. (11/5)
