Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More People Poisoning Themselves With Ivermectin To Beat Covid: Report
Bloomberg: Ivermectin Poisonings Rise As Unproven Use For Covid Soars
Poisonings from taking ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug that some people have used in an attempt to treat or prevent Covid-19, rose sharply in August, according to a report from the Oregon Poison Center. The center, which also serves Alaska and Guam, received 21 calls from people reporting ivermectin toxicity in August, up from a previous average of less than one per month, according to the report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Approved to treat parasitic worms in both people and livestock, ivermectin has surged in popularity recently as fringe groups, vaccine skeptics and social-media figures hype it as a cheap and accessible treatment for the coronavirus. (Langreth, 10/20)
In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —
The Hill: Navy Identifies 15th Sailor Killed By COVID-19
A Navy sailor who died of coronavirus-related complications earlier this month has been identified as Master-at-Arms Senior Chief Michael Haberstumpf. Haberstumpf, 42, of Whispering Pines, N.C., died Oct. 10 at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. due to COVID-19 related complications, the Navy said in a Wednesday statement. ... The release did not say whether he had received any COVID-19 vaccines, which active-duty Navy sailors are required to have done in full by Nov. 28. Reserve sailors, meanwhile, have until Dec. 28. (Mitchell, 10/20)
San Francisco Chronicle: Court Overturns Order For ICE To Consider Releasing Medically Vulnerable Detainees During Pandemic
A federal judge’s April 2020 order requiring immigration officials to reassess their COVID-19 detention policies, and consider releasing thousands of detainees who were medically vulnerable, was overturned Wednesday by a federal appeals court, which said the order intruded on government authority over immigration. The injunction by U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal of Los Angeles effectively placed the nation’s 250 immigrant detention facilities “under control of a single District Court,” the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a 2-1 ruling. Although the initial response of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the pandemic “may have been imperfect, even at times inadequate,” there was no evidence that ICE had been “deliberately indifferent” to the migrants’ health, the standard for judicial intervention, the court said. (Egelko, 10/20)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore To Use $80M In Federal Recovery Money To Battle COVID With Vaccines, Testing, Contact Tracing And Telehealth
Baltimore officials announced they will direct $80 million in American Rescue Plan funding to the city’s health department for the fight against the coronavirus — the city’s first allocation from the more than $640 million it received from the federal recovery package. The money, which will be spent over the course of four years, will help fund lab tests for COVID as well as at-home testing kits that health officials hope to distribute in areas of Baltimore where residents have more difficulty getting to a coronavirus testing site. (Opilo, 10/20)
Also —
NBC News: NBA Player Karl-Anthony Towns On Losing 8 Relatives From Covid-19
NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns opened up about the loss of his mother and seven other family members to Covid-19 during a candid episode of the Facebook Watch show “Peace of Mind with Taraji.” The series, hosted by actor Taraji P. Henson and her friend Tracie Jade Jenkins, the executive director of Henson’s mental health advocacy group, tackles mental health awareness. (Breen, 10/20)
KHN: The Yelp Of Covid: Vigilantes Crowdsource Pandemic Safety Tips For Consumers
Melissa Lee had more to deal with than funeral planning when her husband, Dan Lee, died by suicide in January. She also was faced with continuing Dan’s 1,400-member Facebook group, “Athens, GA Mask Grades 2.0,” designed to help residents of Athens protect themselves from covid-19 by grading local businesses on their safety measures. The group follows a strict template that Melissa Lee compares to a Yelp review. The review includes information about a company’s physical distancing provisions, the availability of outdoor services, vaccination requirements, and the percentages of masked employees and customers. (Gonzales, 10/21)
