Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Loosening Covid Restrictions Hand Biden His First Surge
Politico: Biden Faces First Covid Surge As Allies Brush Off Warnings
The Biden administration is confronting its first surge of Covid-19 with few public health options and even some of its Democratic allies ignoring pleas to slow down reopening their states. New infections are up 20 percent in the past two weeks, spurred by more contagious strains of the virus, increased travel and a loosening of public health restrictions across the country. That’s left President Joe Biden fighting two battles: speeding up the vaccine rollout while pushing crisis-weary states to tamp down infections through mask mandates, social distancing and other measures in the meantime. (Goldberg, 3/30)
AP: GOP Governors Ignore Biden's Latest Plea On Mask Mandates
President Joe Biden’s pleas for states to stick with mask mandates to slow the spread of the coronavirus were being largely ignored Tuesday as several Republican governors stayed on track to drop the requirement in their states. Biden and the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a day earlier that this is no time to relax safety measures. In a call with governors on Tuesday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky buttressed that message by citing “concerning” national trends: The seven-day average of 61,000 new COVID-19 cases per day is up 13%, and the seven-day average of deaths is up 6%. (Selsky, 3/30)
The Hill: Louisiana Lifts Most Coronavirus Capacity Limits, Keeps Mask Mandate
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) on Tuesday announced plans to lift some capacity limits on businesses and other coronavirus restrictions, though the statewide mask mandate will remain in place. Tuesday’s order, which will take effect Wednesday and last through April 28, includes loosened capacity restrictions for bars and restaurants. (Castronuovo, 3/30)
AP: Next Slide, Please: Inside Wonky White House Virus Briefings
No matter how encouraging Andy Slavitt’s news is at the government’s coronavirus briefings, he can always count on next-up Dr. Rochelle Walensky to deliver a downbeat. After the tumultuous briefings of the Trump era — when top doctors would troop to the podium in the White House press room only to be upstaged by spurious pronouncements from Donald Trump himself — the thrice-weekly virtual sessions of 2021 have taken on a more restrained and predictable rhythm.President Joe Biden stays away. The core players stick to their expertise. Data rules. (Benac and Miller, 3/31)
In other Biden administration news —
AP: Beyond Bridges: Biden Redefines Infrastructure To Add People
Beyond roads and bridges, President Joe Biden is trying to redefine infrastructure not just as an investment in America the place, but in its workers, families and people. The first phase of his “Build Back Better” package to be unveiled Wednesday in Pittsburgh would unleash $2 trillion in new spending on four main hard infrastructure categories — transportation; public water, health and broadband systems; community care for seniors; and innovation research and development, according to people familiar with the proposal. (Mascaro, Boak and Lemire, 3/31)
Modern Healthcare: CDC Data Modernization Lead Outlines 4 Challenges To Tracking COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's acting deputy director for public health science and surveillance on Monday said the U.S. is handicapped when collecting COVID-19 data and tracking the outbreak. Here are the four challenges Dr. Dan Jernigan shared during a panel discussion at HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's virtual annual meeting: (Cohen, 3/29)
Politico: More Potential Biden Hires Penalized For Marijuana Use
The Biden administration reiterated today that it wants to end criminal penalties for marijuana use nationally. That hasn't stopped it from penalizing people who want to join the administration for past pot use, however. Responding to a Daily Beast story earlier this month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that, “of the hundreds of people hired” by the White House “only five people who had started working...are no longer employed as a result of this policy." But that’s an incomplete picture of the situation. Other staffers have been told they had White House positions — including at least one that was publicly announced — only to have the offers withdrawn before they officially began working, according to people familiar with the matter. (Thompson, Fertig, Barrón-López and Meyer, 3/30)
