Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Las Vegas, A City Of Tourism And Leisure, The Economic Toll Has Been Devastating
The New York Times: How Las Vegas Became Ground Zero For The American Jobs Crisis
When Valicia Anderson starts to count the people she knows in Las Vegas who have lost their jobs, she runs out of fingers fast. Her husband, the breadwinner of her family and a restaurant worker in the Rio casino. All 25 of his co-workers. Her grown son, in a temp agency. The technician who does her nails. The barber who cuts her husband’s hair. Her best friend, a waitress. The three servers and a manager at the TGI Friday’s that is her family’s favorite treat. (Tavernise, 4/26)
The Associated Press: AP-NORC Poll: Most Losing Jobs To Virus Think They’ll Return
One out of every four American adults say someone in their household has lost a job to the coronavirus pandemic, but the vast majority expect those former jobs will return once the crisis passes, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The economic devastation writ by COVID-19 is clear: 26.4 million people have lost their job in the past five weeks, millions of homeowners are delaying mortgage payments and food banks are seeing lines of cars that stretch for miles. (Boak and Swanson, 4/24)
The Hill: Coronavirus Exposes Scars Of Great Recession
The coronavirus and the desperate economic measures used to fight it are exposing some of the wounds inflicted during the Great Recession. While some Americans may be able to recover quickly when the pandemic subsides, the outbreak poses bigger threats to vulnerable communities that didn’t benefit as much as others from the past 10 years of economic growth. (Lane, 4/26)
The New York Times: A Survey Of Essential Workers Shows A Political Divide
Democrats and Republicans differ on attitudes toward coronavirus risks and in workplace behaviors meant to reduce them, according to a new survey. This partisanship has the potential to hurt efforts to stop the spread of the virus. The data from Gallup’s Covid-19 tracking panel shows that people deemed essential workers are generating large numbers of close contacts with other people, putting themselves and those they live with at risk. Recognizing this, most workers have changed how they do their jobs to reduce the risk of viral transmission. (Rothwell, 4/27)
The New York Times: ‘Risking My Life’ To Truck In Milk, Wine And Hand Sanitizer
Joseph Morales puts on a mask and gloves whenever he is delivering truckloads of wine, vodka and gin to a thirsty city. But he can do nothing about the person who coughs or comes too close in cramped stores. “I’m basically risking my life,” said Mr. Morales, 41, a truck driver for a liquor distributor. “If that person has it, I’m doomed because I’m right there.” (Hu, 4/27)
The New York Times: Needing At-Home Workers, Call Centers Turn To People With Disabilities
A workplace injury two decades ago when she was newly pregnant left Robin Irvin with neuropathy in her left leg and without a functioning bowel or bladder. She has been living on disability benefits since. Now as the coronavirus pandemic upends the economy, Ms. Irvin, 48, has found a way to get back into the work force: She is answering customer service calls for a regional retail chain. (Peiser, 4/26)
