Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lack Of Transparency Surrounds COVID Data Gathering In Pennsylvania; Washington Corrects Errors In Counting Of Deaths
Philadelphia Inquirer: Health Officials Failed To Safeguard Trust In Pa.’s Coronavirus Data, Sowing Confusion
Since March, data about the coronavirus has played a profound role in Pennsylvania, underpinning sweeping decisions to close schools, restrict businesses, and separate loved ones. Now, in the early days of the state’s reopening, accurate data is critical to detecting a resurgence. (Simon, 6/17)
The Associated Press: Washington Removes Homicides, Suicides From COVID-19 Deaths
Washington health officials on Wednesday removed seven deaths from the state’s official COVID-19 mortality count, including three homicides. The Department of Health said it had been counting as coronavirus deaths all people who died and tested positive for the disease. Authorities say they have now removed deaths from the count that weren’t caused specifically by COVID-19. (6/18)
Boston Globe: Governor Wants Some Rhode Islanders Without Symptoms To Get Tested For The Coronavirus
Governor Gina M. Raimondo on Wednesday urged Rhode Islanders who don’t have COVID-19 symptoms to get tested for the coronavirus if they have attended protests or work in “close contact” businesses such as barbershops and gyms. As part of an “early warning” system, health officials are trying to get a handle on how widespread the virus is in Rhode Island. (Fitzpatrick, 6/17)
Billings Gazette: Montana Continuing To Test For COVID-19, Offering Loan Deferment For Businesses
Montana businesses affected by COVID-19 will be able to defer loans for up to a year, and counties and cities will continue to host snapshot testing sites in the upcoming weeks. Gov. Steve Bullock made these announcements Wednesday during a press conference in which he also addressed a recent uptick in cases within Montana’s more rural counties and the state’s testing goals. Despite Montana maintaining its comparably low number of recorded cases of COVID-19 compared to the rest of the country, Bullock said that was no excuse for complacency. (Hamby and Sukut, 6/17)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Homeless In New Parkway Encampment In Danger Of Coronavirus, And Being Used Like ‘Pawns’ By Activists, Advocate Charges
Declaring an encampment of more than 100 homeless people on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway “a pandemic waiting to happen,” a leading advocate for the homeless in Philadelphia condemned the formation of the tent city by local activists last week as an “irresponsible” and “stupid” act in the time of COVID-19. (Lubrano and Rushing, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle: Amid $1.7 Billion City Deficit, SF Health Department May Face ‘Hard Choices’
San Francisco’s Department of Public Health says it may be able to make it through the upcoming fiscal year without making cuts to core services — like treatment programs for mental health and drug addiction — despite the 10% budget reduction it had to propose to Mayor London Breed this week. But if the economy continues spiraling downward amid the coronavirus pandemic, Greg Wagner, the department’s chief financial officer, said public health officials likely will have to make some “hard choices.” (Thadani, 6/17)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Consumers May Have To Pick Up Tab For Infection Control
As Georgia businesses attempt to recover from the financial shock of the pandemic and cover the skyrocketing prices of infection-control measures, consumers may be hit with additional fees or higher charges. So far, the separate infection-control charges tend to be concentrated among health care providers. (Berard, 6/17)
NBC News: Hampered By The Pandemic, The Movement To Recall Alaska's Governor Adapts
Last summer, Alaska's famous bright nights had dimmed for many residents. The state's governor, Mike Dunleavy, a Republican and a Trump ally in office a little more than six months, had campaigned on restoring the state's annual oil wealth dividend, a decades-old stipend given to Alaskans off the state's oil and gas surplus that had been cut back in recent years as oil prices declined. But to do so, Dunleavy maintained that he had to veto 182 line-items from the state budget, totaling more than $440 million. Residents of the state were aghast: The suggested cuts would gouge primary and university education, Medicaid, services for the homeless, addiction treatment and public transportation, including a ferry that connects Alaskans in remote areas to essential services. (Kesslen, 6/17)
The New York Times: ‘There Is No Work Here’: Migrants, Some Sick, Move North
Inside her tidy house, a modest patio apartment wedged in a neighborhood of itinerant farmworkers, Angelina Velásquez packed. A half-filled travel bag lay on the couch, surrounded by clothes to be folded. The annual harvest was over in Immokalee, the country’s winter tomato capital, and it was time to head north. Ms. Velásquez, a 52-year-old single mother of two, did not want to go. Not on the long ride in a loaded van up eight states to New Jersey. Not into the crammed living quarters she will share with her daughters, 11 and 15, and other laborers like herself who will spend the summer picking blueberries. Not on a journey whose every step puts them at risk of contracting the coronavirus. (Mazzei, 6/18)
