Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Lay Low' And Avoid Super Bowl Superspreaders, Experts Urge
AP: Fauci Warns Against Super Bowl Parties To Avoid Virus Spread
The nation’s top infectious disease expert doesn’t want the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader. Dr. Anthony Fauci, says when it comes to Super Bowl parties during the pandemic, people should “just lay low and cool it.” He said during TV interviews Wednesday that now isn’t the time to invite people over for watch parties because of the possibility that they’re infected with the coronavirus and could sicken others. (2/3)
NBC News: Experts Warn Against Super Bowl Parties, Urge People To Enjoy The Game At Home
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued specific Super Bowl guidance this year as the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "The safest way to celebrate events is at home with the people who live with you," the CDC said. "We could have kind of mini superspreader events or little hot spots all around the country starting with those indoor gatherings or even potentially outdoor gatherings if we don’t follow the recommendations," health policy expert Dr. Kavita Patel said Wednesday. (Fieldstadt, 2/3)
CIDRAP: CDC: COVID-19 Cases Drop To Pre-Thanksgiving Levels
After 2 months of record-setting case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today the United States has finally returned to pre-Thanksgiving levels of COVID-19 transmission. "We are now averaging 144,000 cases per day, and though deaths continue to increase, a recent decline in hospitalizations gives us hope those will also soon fall," said Rochelle Walensky, MD, during today's White House coronavirus press briefing. (Soucheray, 2/3)
And speaking of the Super Bowl ...
ESPN: Kansas City Chiefs' Barber Tests Positive Amid Haircuts, Sources Say
The Chiefs had 20 people, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, other players and staff members, in line for a haircut Sunday with a barber who tested positive for COVID-19, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Backup center Daniel Kilgore was in the chair when the Chiefs pulled the barber once his COVID-19 test results came in, Schefter reported. Kilgore and the barber both were wearing masks and because Kilgore was deemed a close contact, he told the barber to finish. A source initially had told ESPN that Kilgore was mid-haircut when the barber was pulled. The Chiefs on Monday placed Kilgore and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson on the reserve/COVID-19 list after they were considered to be close contacts. (Teicher, 2/3)
In other news about covid infections —
CIDRAP: Adults 20 To 49 May Have Driven 72% Of US COVID-19 Surges
Adults 20 to 49 years old may have kindled 72.2% of US COVID-19 resurgences starting in late summer 2020, with those 35 to 49 especially contributing, a study published yesterday in Science suggests. A team led by researchers from Imperial College London analyzed age-specific cell phone mobility data of more than 10 million Americans and linked them to age-specific COVID-19 death data starting on Mar 15, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 2/3)
The Washington Examiner: Two More National Guard Members Die Of COVID-19: Pentagon
Two National Guard members died after contracting COVID-19, bringing the total virus-related death toll since the onset of the pandemic to 19 in the military, according to Department of Defense data. The two service members were an Alabama Air National Guard member and an Army National Guard member from California, a Pentagon spokesperson said, according to the Hill. Their identities have not yet been revealed. (Dima, 2/3)
