Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Multiple Jobs: Workers From Nursing Homes Likely To Be Spreaders
The New York Times: The Nursing Home Workers Who May Spread The Coronavirus
Health policy analysts say that poorly paid staff members working two or more nursing home jobs may be significant contributors — usually unwittingly — to the spread of the virus. Several nursing home employees in Florida have been terminated after being accused of coming to work sick. “Unfortunately, staff have been the largest vector towards bringing Covid into nursing homes around the country,” David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, said. (de Freytas-Tamura, 9/10)
Kaiser Health News: Making Gyms Safer: Why The Virus Is Less Likely To Spread There Than In A Bar
After shutting down in the spring, America’s empty gyms are beckoning a cautious public back for a workout. To reassure wary customers, owners have put in place — and now advertise — a variety of coronavirus control measures. At the same time, the fitness industry is trying to rehabilitate itself by pushing back against what it sees as a misleading narrative that gyms have no place during a pandemic. In the first months of the coronavirus outbreak, most public health leaders advised closing gyms, erring on the side of caution. As infections exploded across the country, states ordered gyms and fitness centers closed, along with restaurants, movie theaters and bars. State and local officials consistently branded gyms as high-risk venues for infection, akin to bars and nightclubs. (Stone, 9 /11)
The New York Times: Why Coronavirus Tests Come With Surprise Bills
For months, Americans have been told not to worry about the costs of coronavirus tests, which are crucial to stopping the pandemic’s spread. ... Patients, whether with or without insurance, are beginning to find holes in those new coverage programs. Nationwide, people have been hit with unexpected fees and denied claims related to coronavirus tests, according to dozens of bills that The New York Times has reviewed. Insurers have told these patients they could owe from a few dollars to thousands. (Kliff, 9/9)
Kaiser Health News: Kids Are Missing Critical Windows For Lead Testing Due To Pandemic
Families skipping or delaying pediatric appointments for their young children because of the pandemic are missing out on more than vaccines. Critical testing for lead poisoning has plummeted in many parts of the country. In the Upper Midwest, Northeast and parts of the West Coast — areas with historically high rates of lead poisoning — the slide has been the most dramatic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In states such as Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota, testing for the brain-damaging heavy metal fell by 50% or more this spring compared with 2019, health officials report. (Zeltner, 9/11)
In other public health news —
The Hill: Zuckerberg Says Facebook Won't Remove Anti-Vaccine Posts Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in a new interview that the social media giant has no intention of removing anti-vaccination posts. Zuckerberg's remarks come as several companies, such as Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer, are in the late stages of clinical trials for their COVID-19 vaccine candidates. (Kelley, 9/10)
The Hill: Poll: Most Americans Wouldn't Take A COVID-19 Vaccine Before The Election
A majority of Americans are concerned that a COVID-19 vaccine will be rushed to the market before it's ready because of political pressure from the Trump administration, according to a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Even if a vaccine is available before Election Day, 54 percent of respondents said they wouldn't take it. (Weixel, 9/10)
