Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
It's Not Over Yet
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Pandemic Evolving, Task Force Chief Says, As Missouri Logs An Uptick In COVID-19 Cases
The head of the region’s pandemic task force said on Tuesday that COVID-19 infection patterns, with case numbers again rising some, suggest the pandemic is shifting into a new phase. “It’s all conjecture at this point,” Dr. Clay Dunagan, acting head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said during a briefing Tuesday. “But I think there’s a strong suggestion from … the pattern we’re seeing, that this upturn represents the continued evolution of COVID into an endemic virus that’s probably going to have periodic surges.” (Merrilees, 11/9)
Georgia Health News: Decline In Georgia’s Covid Numbers May Be Just A Lull
The recent news on Covid in Georgia appears quite good – cases, hospitalizations and deaths have all dropped to a low plateau, state health officials said Tuesday. But the number of vaccinations has also shown a recent decline, with the rate of Georgia residents fully vaccinated now hovering at about 50 percent. During October, vaccinations dropped 30 percent to 40 percent. That could change since recent approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Yet Cherie Drenzek, the state epidemiologist, told the Georgia Department of Public Health’s board that she remains cautious about what lies ahead. “This virus does nothing but surprise us,’’ she said. (Miller, 11/9)
Bloomberg: Idaho Confirms State’s First Covid-19 Child Death, An Infant
Health officials in Idaho confirmed the state’s first pediatric Covid-19 death -- an infant who succumbed in October, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced Tuesday. “To protect the privacy of the child’s grieving family, no further details will be released to the public,” according to the statement, noting about 900 children nationwide have died of Covid-19 since the pandemic erupted. (Del Giudice, 11/9)
The Boston Globe: Jamaica Plain School Shut Down After COVID Outbreak Swells To 46 Cases
A rapidly spreading outbreak of COVID-19 at a Boston school prompted city officials on Tuesday to close the Curley K-8 School for 10 days, marking the first time this school year they have taken such action. On the recommendation of the Boston Public Health Commission, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said she decided to close the 900-student school in Jamaica Plain, as the outbreak swelled over the past week to a total of 46 cases, spreading across multiple classrooms and grade levels. Both staff members and students have tested positive, including some who were vaccinated. (Vaznis, 11/9)
In news from California —
Los Angeles Times: 'Winter Is Coming,' Newsom Warns, As COVID Threat Persists
Gov. Gavin Newsom turned to a familiar phrase Tuesday to issue a warning about the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic in California. “Winter is coming,” he said during remarks at the California Economic Summit in Monterey. “COVID is not taking the winter off.” Newsom is far from the first official to cast a wary eye on winter’s approach and express concern about what it might mean for the state. California has yet to shake off the last vestiges of the months-long surge of the Delta variant, and there are indications that conditions are heading in the wrong direction in some parts of the state. (Money and Lin II, 11/9)
The New York Times: Saturday’s Cal-U.S.C. Game Has Been Delayed By Covid
The University of California, Berkeley postponed its Saturday football game because of positive coronavirus cases among players, the school announced Tuesday evening. The matchup against the University of Southern California became the first game of the 2021 season at the sport’s top level to be rescheduled because of the virus.Cal will instead host U.S.C. on Dec. 4, the school announced on Twitter. (Easterling, 11/9)
And from Texas —
Dallas Morning News: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Scolds Austin For Overly ‘Stringent’ COVID-19 Rules That Nix Veterans’ Parade
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday blasted Austin officials for imposing what he called overly restrictive COVID-19 testing and social distancing requirements on sponsors of Thursday’s Veterans Day parade in the capital city, and offered as a substitute to host a rally for them. The privately sponsored event was canceled after organizers said they couldn’t verify that an expected 30,000 participants and attendees each would meet the standards. (Garrett, 11/9)
As Thanksgiving, and the holiday season approaches —
Stat: What Would Health Experts Do? 28 Share Their Holiday Plans Amid Covid-19
It has been nearly two years since Covid-19 reared its ugly head, as best we know. We’re fast approaching the first anniversary of the deployment of highly effective vaccines that arm us against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. And you are asking yourself: When is it going to end? We at STAT have an unfortunate but truthful answer. We don’t know. But we do wonder: Surely, surely, things are getting a little bit better? With so many people having acquired some immune defenses, either through vaccination or infection, can’t we contemplate easing our way back, at least a little, toward pre-Covid normalcy? (Branswell, 11/10)
