Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Many Lawmakers Possibly Exposed To Covid During Riot Lockdown
Politico: Lawmakers Warned Of Possible Coronavirus Exposure During Riot
Lawmakers who huddled together for safety last week — as a deadly siege overtook the U.S. Capitol — were potentially exposed to someone infected with the coronavirus, the Office of the Attending Physician warned Sunday. On Jan. 6, House lawmakers "were in protective isolation" in a room located in a large committee hearing space, according to an email from attending physician Brian Monahan that was sent to all lawmakers and their staff on Sunday. (Tamborrino, 1/10)
The Washington Post: Lawmakers May Have Been Exposed To The Coronavirus In Capitol Lockdown, Attending Physician Says
Two House aides confirmed to The Washington Post that [Brian] Monahan was referring to a room where scores of House members were taken to during the riot. Video first published by Punchbowl News on Friday showed maskless Republicans — including Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Michael Cloud (Tex.), Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) and Scott Perry (Pa.) — refusing masks offered by Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.) while in the room. (Firozi, Wang and DeBonis, 1/10)
AP: Possible Virus Exposure For Lawmakers Sheltering During Riot
Some lawmakers and staff were furious after video surfaced of Republican lawmakers not wearing their masks in the room during lockdown. Newly elected Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a presidential ally aligned with a pro-Trump conspiracy group, was among those Republicans not wearing masks. (Mascaro, 1/10)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
AP: Congress, LA Take Divergent Paths After COVID Test Warning
Los Angeles will continue using a coronavirus test that federal regulators warned may produce false results while Congress, which has used the same test, is seeking an alternative. The different responses Thursday followed a Food and Drug Administration alert to patients and health care providers that Curative’s test, which is used in at least three of the nation’s largest cities, could particularly produce false negatives. Those faulty results pose the biggest risk from a health perspective because people who are erroneously told they don’t have the virus can unknowingly spread it. (Melley and Perrone, 1/8)
KHN: Even With Senate Control, Democrats Will Need Buy-In From GOP On Key Health Priorities
Democrats have argued for more generous pandemic relief, more pressure on drugmakers to lower prices and more attention to systemic racism in health care. On Jan. 20, with control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, they’ll have the power to choose which health care proposals get a vote in Congress. The victories of the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia last week gave Democrats two more Senate seats and the upper hand in the Senate’s now 50-50 split. After Vice President-elect Kamala Harris takes the oath of office, she will serve as the tiebreaker as needed — in effect, Democrats’ 51st vote. (Huetteman, 1/11)
