Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lessons From China's Response: Aggressive Measures Work, Move Medical Care Online, Isolate Infected Quickly
The New York Times: Inside China’s All-Out War On The Coronavirus
As the leader of the World Health Organization team that visited China, Dr. Bruce Aylward feels he has been to the mountaintop — and has seen what’s possible. During a two-week visit in early February, Dr. Aylward saw how China rapidly suppressed the coronavirus outbreak that had engulfed Wuhan, and was threatening the rest of the country. New cases in China have dropped to about 200 a day, from more than 3,000 in early February. The numbers may rise again as China’s economy begins to revive. But for now, far more new cases are appearing elsewhere in the world. (McNeil, 3/4)
The New York Times: China’s Battle Against Coronavirus: 7 Takeaways
In an extensive interview with The New York Times, Dr. Bruce Aylward, of the World Health Organization, described what he learned from close observation of China’s efforts to contain the coronavirus. Here are seven important lessons. (McNeil, 3/4)
Reuters: China Coronavirus Infections Spike In Central City Of Wuhan
Mainland China reported a rise in new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday, reversing three straight days of declines, because of a spike in new infections in Wuhan, the city at the center of the outbreak. Mainland China had 139 new confirmed cases as of Wednesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said, bringing the total accumulated number of cases to 80,409. Authorities reported 119 new cases the previous day and 125 the day before that. (3/5)
CIDRAP: Study Reveals Sharp Increase In COVID-19 In Kids In Shenzhen
COVID-19 has become endemic to the Chinese city of Shenzhen, and a sharp increase in pediatric infections may indicate that community and intra-family transmissions have become the new mode of spreading the virus, according to a study published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Also, in a research letter published yesterday in the Journal of Infection, researchers described and compared the wide range and changing characteristics of COVID-19 infection on computed tomographic (CT) imaging with clinical manifestations to improve diagnosis. (Van Beusekom, 3/4)
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Spread From China. Now, China Doesn't Want The World Spreading It Back.
Health authorities in the prosperous province of Zhejiang had finally lowered the alert level from one to two after six weeks, satisfied their draconian measures to contain the novel coronavirus had worked. Once the hardest-hit Chinese province beyond Hubei, coastal Zhejiang had placed 30 million people under lockdown, but there were no new cases reported in nine days in the key export and manufacturing base. Then Wang, a 31-year-old waitress who had been working in the northern Italian city of Bergamo, came home to Qingtian county, west of the city of Wenzhou. (Fifield, 3/4)
The Wall Street Journal: One Doctor’s Life On The Coronavirus Front Lines. ‘If We Fail, What Happens To You All?’
Driving one evening in Wuhan, China, last month, Zhang Xiaochun pulled her car to the side of the road. She was on the verge of a breakdown. She’d been working nonstop for days at the center of China’s coronavirus outbreak, where she is a doctor. Both of her parents had Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, as did many of her colleagues. The number of sick and dying was climbing. And on this day, Dr. Zhang had forgotten about her 9-year-old daughter, who was home alone and scared—and who, at that moment, wasn’t picking up the phone. (3/4)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Epidemic Draws Scrutiny To Labs Handling Deadly Pathogens
Scientists at a specialized Wuhan laboratory have been at the forefront of China’s response to its continuing coronavirus epidemic but are drawing attention to risks associated with the expanding global study of deadly pathogens. The Wuhan Institute of Virology contributed to China’s fast identification earlier this year of the outbreak’s source as a novel, or previously unknown, coronavirus. It was a monumental achievement for a government that aims to rival the West in high-technology, including bioscience. (Areddy, 3/5)
Reuters: Robotic Arm Designed In China Could Help Save Lives On Medical Frontline
Researchers at one of China's top universities have designed a robot they say could help save lives on the frontline during the coronavirus outbreak. The machine consists of a robotic arm on wheels that can perform ultrasounds, take mouth swabs and listen to sounds made by a patient's organs, usually done with a stethoscope. (3/5)
