Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Milwaukee NBA Celebrations Linked To 500-Case Covid Surge
CBS News: Nearly 500 COVID-19 Cases Linked To Milwaukee Bucks' Deer District After NBA Finals Celebration
Nearly 500 positive cases of COVID-19 have been linked to Milwaukee's Deer District, the site of massive celebrations over the Bucks' NBA championship run last month, according to the Milwaukee Health Department. The department confirmed to CBS News that 491 people who had been to the Deer District in July tested positive for the virus. The district filled with fans in mid-July, as Giannis Antetokounmpo helped lead the Bucks to a 4-2 series victory over the Phoenix Suns and clinched the city's first NBA title in 50 years. CBS Milwaukee affiliate WDJT-TV captured residents partying into the night, as fans flooded the district to celebrate the win. (Jones, 8/5)
The Washington Examiner: Texas Border City Pitch Tents To Quarantine COVID-19-Positive Migrants
A south Texas city at the center of the border crisis pitched a series of emergency outdoor tents to house migrants who have tested positive for the coronavirus after being released from Border Patrol custody. City officials set up several beige tents on county property in Anzalduas Park in Mission, Texas, on Wednesday in response to the record-high number of coronavirus cases among migrants and the community’s inability to house people adequately. The park is closed to the public. (Giaritelli, 8/5)
The Washington Post: Provincetown Covid Outbreak: How A Resort Town Stress-Tested The Vaccine With Summer Partying
To Todd Eckstein, Provincetown, Mass., seemed like the safest possible place to party for the Fourth of July weekend. The Cape Cod vacation destination boasted not a single coronavirus case in June — and most importantly, a vaccination rate so high that people joked it had passed 100 percent. Immunization cards were checked at the waterfront hotel where people converged every evening for the town’s famous “Tea Dance.” With rain pouring down, Eckstein recalled, people left the venue’s pool and sun deck to squeeze inside “to the point you could hardly move.” Masks were a thing of the past as a town of about 3,000 swelled to more than 60,000 and the main drag buzzed like a carnival. (Knowles and Dotinga, 8/5)
Fox News: COVID-19 Breakthrough Patients In Massachusetts Cluster Talk Symptoms
Two New York state residents who were among the hundreds of breakthrough COVID-19 cases in a recent Massachusetts outbreak are detailing their symptoms. Mark MacBain, 53, and Skip Collins, 52, were part of a group who traveled last month to Provincetown, a popular vacation spot along Cape Cod. They were part of thousands drawn to the area between July 3-July 17 for multiple summer events and large public gatherings, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Rivas, 8/4)
In related news —
CBS News: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Ready To Roll Despite Delta Variant Surge
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally rumbles into South Dakota on Friday, with the gathering expected to draw as many as 700,000 visitors. Yet even as some states and cities around the U.S. reverse course in reopening amid a fearsome spike in COVID-19 cases linked to the so-called Delta variant, local business owners around Sturgis are revved up for an annual tradition that has become a mammoth tourism event. "I think it's great we're getting so many tourists. Seeing all the new faces and their wanting us to tell them about other local businesses to go to is super cool," said Taylor Whittle, owner of Sweet Secrets Bakery, located in Rapid City, South Dakota, about 20 minutes away from Sturgis. (Cerullo, 8/5)
Axios: Companies Delaying Plans To Reopen As Delta Variant Surges
As the contagious Delta variant continues to reach across the United States, more and more companies are delaying plans to reopen offices. A recent survey of 1,000 HR professionals by the Society for Human Resource Management and Lucid found that half of U.S. organizations are worried about Delta. Some corporate players have started mandating vaccines for employees in an attempt to combat the variant. (Chen, 8/5)
The New York Times: Amazon Pushes Its Return To Office To January
More large corporations, including Amazon, BlackRock and Wells Fargo, announced on Thursday that they would delay their return-to-office plans as the spread of the Delta variant causes the number of coronavirus cases to climb. Amazon took the biggest step, telling its corporate employees that they did not need to return to their offices until Jan. 3, pushing back a deadline that had been set for early September. (8/6)
