Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kim Jong Un: North Korean Covid Outbreak Is Officials' Fault
Bloomberg: North Korea Leader Kim Jong Un Blames Officials For Covid Outbreak
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held an emergency meeting over a Covid-19 outbreak sweeping the unvaccinated country and causing one of the biggest crises under his rule, reprimanding cadres for failing to execute his public health orders. At the meeting, North Korea reported 392,920 new “fever cases” and eight new deaths nationwide in a 24-hour period ending 6 p.m. Sunday, the state’s official Korean Central News Agency reported. Since late April, 50 people have died and the total number of people reportedly infected topped 1.2 million, of which at least 564,860 are under medical treatment, it said in a Monday report. (Lee, 5/16)
AP: Shanghai Says Lockdown To Ease As Virus Spread Mostly Ends
Most of Shanghai has stopped the spread of the coronavirus in the community and fewer than 1 million people remain under strict lockdown, authorities said Monday, as the city moves toward reopening and economic data showed the gloomy impact of China’s “zero-COVID” policy. Vice Mayor Zong Ming said 15 out of Shanghai’s 16 districts had eliminated virus transmission among those not already in quarantine. (5/16)
AP: New Zealand Leader Jacinda Ardern Tests Positive For COVID
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has tested positive for COVID-19 but said she still plans to travel to the U.S. later this month for a trade trip and to give the commencement speech at Harvard University. Ardern on Saturday posted a photo of her positive test result on Instagram and said she was disappointed to miss several important political announcements over the coming week, including the release of the government’s annual budget and a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Perry, 5/13)
Press Association: Number Seeking Help For Long Covid Doubles, Charity Says
A charity has seen a doubling in the number of people seeking help for long Covid as it warned that NHS services are failing to meet demand. Asthma and Lung UK said around half a million people have visited its long Covid advice web pages or called its helpline for support in the last six months. The number of people viewing the web pages nearly doubled from September to March, as cases of Omicron rose across the UK, it said. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that an estimated 1.8 million people in UK households (2.8% of the population) were experiencing long Covid as of April 3 - the most recent data available. (Kirby, 5/15)
The New York Times: How Australia Saved Thousands Of Lives While Covid Killed A Million Americans
If the United States had the same Covid death rate as Australia, about 900,000 lives would have been saved. The Texas grandmother who made the perfect pumpkin pie might still be baking. The Red Sox-loving husband who ran marathons before Covid might still be cheering at Fenway Park. For many Americans, imagining what might have been will be painful. But especially now, at the milestone of one million deaths in the United States, the nations that did a better job of keeping people alive show what Americans could have done differently and what might still need to change. (Cave, 5/15)
