Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
India Has Third Day In A Row With Over 4,000 Covid Deaths
CNBC: India Covid Crisis: Cases Rise But Remain Below May 7 Peak
India’s total Covid-19 cases crossed 24 million as the country fights a devastating second wave of infections that has overwhelmed its health-care system. Government data released Friday showed there were 343,144 new reported cases over a 24-hour period, where at least 4,000 people died. It was the third consecutive day where the official death toll was 4,000 or higher. (Choudhury, 5/14)
Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Send COVID-19 Relief To Hard-Hit India
Several U.S. hospitals have stepped up to provide India's frontl-ine healthcare personnel with much-needed protective equipment during the current COVID-19 outbreak. Last week, suburban Chicago-based Edward-Elmhurst Health partnered with local social support organization India Hub to donate five pallets of personal protective equipment, including 3,500 isolation gowns, 6,000 N95 masks and 72,000 exam gloves to emergency relief groups in India like the Red Cross. (Ross Johnson and Kacik, 5/13)
CIDRAP: India And Its States Seek To Fill COVID-19 Vaccine Gaps
Amid a continued surge in cases and deaths, India's government and individual states are pursuing ways to boost vaccine supplies and make the most of the doses the country currently has. India, the world's second most populous country, has administered 176 million doses, with only 2.8% of the population fully vaccinated. Though global health officials have said vaccination isn't a tool to quickly drive cases down, it is part of a key middle- and longer-range strategy for bringing it to an end. Demand for vaccine amid the country's massive outbreak has led to shortages, with some states having to postpone immunization campaigns or modify groups eligible to receive it, targeting doses to higher-risk groups. (Schnirring, 5/13)
Axios: Modi Humbled By India's Coronavirus Crisis
After mishandling the worst domestic crisis India has faced in decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approval ratings have plummeted … to 63%. While that’s down from 74% before India’s second wave struck, per Morning Consult’s tracker, it still makes him perhaps the most popular leader of any major democracy. But despite his enduring popularity, Modi no longer appears invulnerable. (Lawler, 5/13)
AP: Misinformation Surges Amid India's COVID-19 Calamity
The man in the WhatsApp video says he has seen it work himself: A few drops of lemon juice in the nose will cure COVID-19. “If you practice what I am about to say with faith, you will be free of corona in five seconds,” says the man, dressed in traditional religious clothing. “This one lemon will protect you from the virus like a vaccine.” False cures. Terrifying stories of vaccine side effects. Baseless claims that Muslims spread the virus. Fueled by anguish, desperation and distrust of the government, rumors and hoaxes are spreading by word of mouth and on social media in India, compounding the country’s humanitarian crisis. (Klepper and Mehrotra, 5/14)
In related news —
The Washington Post: Next Door To Hard-Hit India, Coronavirus Cases Surge In Nepal
Just one month ago, after dropping steadily since a spike in the fall, the rate of coronavirus infections across Nepal plateaued at around 100 cases per day. Many hoped the worst was behind them. But with vaccine programs languishing and thousands of workers returning from neighboring, hard-hit India, cases shot up to more than 2,000 a day in late April. By last week, that figure had soared to more than 8,000. (Constable, 5/14)
