Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nearly 100K Died In January; Spread Of Variants Signal 'Race Against Time'
CNN: Covid-19 Hospitalizations Drop, But January Has Been The Deadliest Month Of The Pandemic. Here's What To Expect Next
For the first time in almost two months, less than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized for Covid-19. Sunday, the United States reported 95,013 Covid-19 hospitalizations, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. And 97,561 patients were hospitalized Saturday. The last time the number was below 100,000 was December 1. (Maxouris and Yan, 2/1)
The New York Times: Daily Covid Toll In U.S. Remains Enormous, But Cases Are Falling
The past few weeks in the United States have been the deadliest of the coronavirus pandemic, and residents in a majority of counties remain at an extremely high risk of contracting the virus. At the same time, transmission seems to be slowing throughout the country, with the number of new average cases 40 percent lower on Jan. 29 than at the U.S. peak three weeks earlier. Other indicators reinforce the current downward trend in cases. Hospitalizations are down significantly from record highs in early January. The number of tests per day has also decreased, which can obscure the virus’s true toll, but the positivity rate of those tests has also gone down, indicating the slowed spread is real. Still, the average reported daily death rate over the past seven days remains above 3,000, compared with less than 1,000 per day in September and October. (Leatherby and Gamio, 1/31)
In updates on the coronavirus mutations —
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Variant First Found In South Africa Has Now Arrived In Maryland
The new variant of the coronavirus first found in South Africa has emerged in a Maryland resident, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Saturday, confirming the arrival of a highly transmissible mutation as the region struggles to meet demand for the vaccine. (Schmidt and Flynn, 1/30)
San Francisco Chronicle: U.K., Brazil Coronavirus Variants Found In Bay Area
Two additional coronavirus variants have been discovered in the Bay Area, making even more urgent California’s commitment to a faster and more efficient distribution of vaccinations across the state. The variants, which originated in Brazil and the United Kingdom and have spread to numerous countries, were identified in the Bay Area by scientists at Stanford University’s Clinical Virology Lab, spokeswoman Lisa Kim confirmed Sunday. She provided no information on the location of the infections but said they were reported to public health authorities on Thursday from samples “collected less than two weeks prior to reporting.” (Sanchez, 1/31)
The Hill: Top FDA Official: Agency Working On 'Streamlined' Process For Updating Vaccines If Needed
A top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official said Friday that the agency will try to have a "streamlined" process for authorizing any updates that are required for COVID-19 vaccines to adapt to the threat of new variants. "We would intend to try to be pretty nimble with this," said Peter Marks, the head of the FDA center that reviews vaccines, during a webinar hosted by the American Medical Association. (Sullivan, 1/29)
Experts stress the need for quick action to fight the mutations —
The Hill: Fauci: Virus Mutations Are A 'Wake-Up Call'
The emergence of new coronavirus variants should be a "wake-up call" for the country, Anthony Fauci said Friday. During a White House coronavirus briefing, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the different mutations have "clinical consequences" that will need to be addressed. (Weixel, 1/29)
The Hill: Biden Coronavirus Adviser Says We 'Have To Call An Audible' On Vaccine Distribution
Michael Osterholm, a Biden transition team adviser on the coronavirus, said on Sunday the country has to “call an audible,” in regards to COVID-19 vaccine distribution, warning a new surge caused by the U.K. variant is likely to occur in the next few months. (Choi, 1/31)
CNN: US Coronavirus: America Is In An 'Absolute Race Against Time' With New Coronavirus Variants, Expert Says
The US is in an "absolute race against time" to vaccinate as many people as possible before new Covid-19 variants take hold of the country, one expert said Sunday. "We have a little breathing room right now, but if these new variants become dominant in our country, we are going to be right back where we were in November and December and perhaps even worse," emergency physician Dr. Megan Ranney told CNN. (Maxouris, 2/1)
