Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Italy's Staggering Death Toll Is Dipping But Doctors Distraught Over Decisions To Send Sickest Patients Home
The New York Times: Dip In Italy’s Cases Does Not Come Fast Enough For Swamped Hospitals
The patient had won national swimming championships in his youth but now had a lot going against him. As he waited for a kidney transplant, doctors in the northern Italian town of Brescia discovered he had heart disease and had contracted the coronavirus. But what ultimately killed him this month was the decision to give his ventilator to a younger coronavirus patient who had a better shot at survival. “He died the next day,” said Dr. Marco Metra, the chief of cardiology at the University and City Hospitals in Brescia. “If a patient has a low likelihood to benefit from the hospital, we have to not accept them. You send them home.” He added, “This is also what I am seeing every day.” (Horowitz and Kirkpatrick, 3/23)
The Washington Post: Italy’s Coronavirus Deaths Are Staggering. They May Be More Preview Than Anomaly.
Italy has become the flash point of the coronavirus pandemic, with a death toll at 6,077 and counting — the highest in the world. More than 2,000 Italians have been killed by the virus in the past four days alone. The staggering toll stands for now as a worst-case scenario for what happens when a country is caught unprepared. Italy’s large elderly population has exacerbated the problem. (Harlan, Pitrelli and Cavaliere, 3/23)
The New York Times: How South Korea Flattened The Coronavirus Curve
No matter how you look at the numbers, one country stands out from the rest: South Korea. In late February and early March, the number of new coronavirus infections in the country exploded from a few dozen, to a few hundred, to several thousand. At the peak, medical workers identified 909 new cases in a single day, Feb. 29, and the country of 50 million people appeared on the verge of being overwhelmed. But less than a week later, the number of new cases halved. Within four days, it halved again — and again the next day. (Fisher and Sang-Hun, 3/23)
The Associated Press: China To Lift Lockdown In Most Of Virus-Hit Hubei Province
Chinese authorities said Tuesday they will end a two-month lockdown of most of coronavirus-hit Hubei province at midnight, as domestic cases of the virus continue to subside. People with a clean bill of health will be allowed to leave, the provincial government said. The city of Wuhan, where the outbreak started in late December, will remain locked down until April 8. (Moritsugu, 3/24)
The New York Times: Coronavirus In The U.K.: Boris Johnson Orders Virtual Lockdown
Facing a growing storm of criticism about his laissez-faire response to the fast-spreading coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that he would place Britain under a virtual lockdown, closing all nonessential shops, banning meetings of more than two people, and requiring people to stay in their homes, except for trips for food or medicine. People who flout the new restrictions, the prime minister said, will be fined by the police. (Landler and Castle, 3/23)
Politico: Intelligence Community Wrestles With A Security Threat: Coronavirus Hardship
As government work slows and non-essential workers are sent home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, money is getting tighter — and many in the national security community are wondering whether their security clearances could be on the line as a result. The U.S. national security apparatus has played a key role in the coronavirus response, monitoring how the disease has affected closed societies like China, Iran and North Korea while working to prevent the virus from spreading inside the nation’s intelligence and defense agencies themselves. (Bertrand, 3/23)
