Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
India Covid Surge Hits 412,000 New Cases Per Day; Nepal's Worsens Too
AP: India Hits Another Grim Virus Record As Oxygen Demand Jumps
Infections in India hit another grim daily record on Thursday as demand for medical oxygen jumped sevenfold and the government denied reports that it was slow in distributing life-saving supplies from abroad. The number of new confirmed cases breached 400,000 for the second time since the devastating surge began last month. The 412,262 new cases pushed India’s official tally to more than 21 million. The Health Ministry also reported 3,980 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 230,168. Experts believe both figures are an undercount. (Sharma, 5/6)
Fierce Healthcare: UnitedHealth Group Pledges $1M To India To Assist With Procuring Oxygen Concentrators Amid Worsening COVID Outbreak
UnitedHealth Group is donating $1 million to combat the growing COVID-19 outbreak crisis in India, building on $1.5 million sent previously to the country. The donation, made through the United Health Foundation, will back the purchase of 2,500 oxygen concentrators to help address India's nationwide shortage of oxygen, as well as other medical equipment necessary to combat novel coronavirus infections, UnitedHealth said. (Minemyer, 5/5)
Bloomberg: India’s Struggle To Track New Covid Variants Could Worsen Crisis
The good news is that the vaccines work against a new virus strain circulating in India that’s spread to several other countries. The bad news is it won’t be only the new version of the pathogen to emerge from an outbreak of this scale, underscoring the urgency of mapping other possible variants that may be currently racing through India’s tightly-packed population of 1.4 billion people. (Lauerman and Shrivastava, 5/5)
CNBC: India’s Worsening Covid Crisis Could Spiral Into A Problem For The World
India’s Covid-19 cases spiked in April to daily record highs, and experts warn the country’s worsening health crisis could scuttle efforts to end the global pandemic. The South Asian country — home to around 1.4 billion people or 18% of the world’s population — accounted for 46% of new Covid cases globally in the past week, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. One in every four deaths in the past week came from India, the UN health agency said. (Lee, 5/5)
In related news about Nepal and Mount Everest —
CNN: Nepal's Covid-19 Cases Skyrocket, Prompting Concern The Country's Outbreak Could Mimic India's
In Nepal, a situation is unfolding that looks chillingly familiar. Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing, hospitals are overwhelmed, and the country's Prime Minister is pleading for help from other nations. Nepal is now reporting about 20 daily Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people -- about the same number as India was reporting two weeks ago. (Hollingsworth, Jeong and Thapa, 5/6)
CNN: Mount Everest Covid Fears Are Spreading As Climbers Risk Infection To Reach The Top Of The World
Climbers rejoiced when Nepal decided to reopen its side of Mount Everest this year, but reports suggest even the world's highest peak isn't safe from the spread of coronavirus. Some climbers there have now reported testing positive, despite the Nepali government saying there are no infections on Everest. (Picheta, 5/6)
CBS News: After Overcoming Cancer, Daughter Climbs Mount Everest With Her Mom
For climbers, Mount Everest is the ultimate test. But not for a mother and daughter from Oklahoma, who have already conquered something much tougher. Valari and Jess Wedel hope to become the first American mother-daughter team to reach the world's highest peak. CBS News spoke with them via Zoom from Everest base camp, which has an elevation of 17,600 feet. ... It's a brutal undertaking for Valari Wedel, who's 61 and has asthma. But also for Jess Wedel, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016. She's had multiple surgeries and months of chemotherapy. She's now cancer-free. (Shamlian, 5/5)
