Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Many State Leaders Balk At New Orders To Control Virus, While Pleading With Citizens To Do More
AP: Utah Governor 'Frustrated' With Record-Breaking Virus Cases
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said he is feeling “frustrated” with the state’s rising coronavirus numbers as new cases and hospitalizations continued a streak of new record highs on Thursday. State health experts are projecting that the numbers will continue to rise dramatically and overwhelm the state’s hospitals if people don’t modify their behavior, Herbert said. He said he’s concerned that people are feeling fatigued from the pandemic and continued his months-long plea for Utah residents to follow masking and social distancing requirements. (Eppolito, 11/5)
Des Moines Register: Gov. Reynolds, Doctors Plead With Iowans To Help Stop COVID-19 Spread
As infection rates and hospitalizations from COVID-19 set records in Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds and leaders of two of the state's largest hospitals pleaded with Iowans Thursday morning to "do their part" to stop the spread. Reynolds did not announce any new mitigation efforts, but said the state government would launch a public awareness campaign next week encouraging social distancing and hygiene. She made the announcement Thursday morning at her first formal, televised news conference since Oct. 7. (Coltrain, 11/5)
NPR: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Wishes Trump 'Had A More Happy Relationship With Masks'
As COVID-19 cases continue to increase in multiple states, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is encouraging Ohioans to wear masks, socially distance and wash hands just as he has for months in an effort to contain the pandemic. DeWine's approach hasn't been shared by President Trump. So how does he square his calls for masks and distance with a president who is not doing the same?" I certainly wish the president had a more happy relationship with masks," DeWine told NPR's All Things Considered. "We know so much more today than we knew in March. We now know that these masks really work." (Kelly, 11/4)
Hospitalizations continue to rise —
AP: Minnesota Hospitals Brace For Patient Growth As Virus Surges
Hospitals and healthcare systems across Minnesota are bracing for a wave of new patients as the state sees alarming growth in virus cases and hospitalizations are expected to follow. The state’s health department reported 3,956 new coronavirus cases and 25 deaths on Thursday, breaking the single-day record for new cases for the third straight day. (Ibrahim, 11/5)
The Oklahoman: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Push OKC To Next Tier In Surge Plan
As the number of Oklahomans hospitalized due to COVID-19 continues to hit record highs, the Oklahoma City metro area on Thursday entered Tier 3 of the state's hospital surge plan. Although the change indicates the situation for metro-area hospitals is getting worse, state officials have no immediate plans to implement additional measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 or free up hospital beds. (Kemp, 11/6)
In related news from the states —
Idaho Statesman: Idaho’s COVID-19 Positivity Rate Nears 15%; State Breaks Case Record For 3rd Day In A Row
All seven of Idaho’s public health districts reported a double-digit COVID-19 test positivity rate for the week of Oct. 25-31. The state saw its overall positivity rate increase for the seventh consecutive week to 14.7% on 28,509 tests from Oct. 25-31, according to the latest information from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The rate was 13.9% on 31,378 tests for Oct. 18-24. Idaho has not had a positivity rate below 5%, which demonstrates control over the spread of the virus, since mid-June. (Roberts, 11/5)
Lexington Herald Leader: Kentucky County Long Unscathed By Coronavirus Suffered Deadly Spike In October
Lee County, where the Kentucky River forms among the steep hills and an annual festival is named for the woolly worm, had been touched only lightly by the novel coronavirus much of the year even as it spread illness and death elsewhere around Kentucky. The county was one of the last in the state to have a documented case of COVID-19, and by early October had still seen only 15 cases since the pandemic surfaced in March, and no deaths. (Estep, 11/5)
Lexington Herald Leader: Contact Tracers Ignored As Lexington KY COVID-19 Cases Climb
As the number of new coronavirus cases in Fayette County continues to climb, more people are not cooperating with contact tracers tasked with tracking and preventing the highly contagious illness from spreading, Lexington health officials said. The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported 152 new COVID-19 cases Thursday morning, the third-most the city has ever reported in a single day. There was one new death, pushing the city’s fatalities to 101. Since March, Lexington has had 11,824 cases, 704 hospitalizations and 101 deaths. (Chisenhall and Musgrave, 11/5)
