Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New York Gov. Cuomo Loses Some Of His Covid-Fighting Powers
CNBC: Cuomo Dismisses Calls For Resignation As ‘Anti-Democratic’ But Will Sign Law Stripping His Emergency Covid Powers
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo dismissed calls Sunday for his resignation in the wake of new allegations of inappropriate workplace conduct, but will sign a bill stripping his emergency powers to fight the Covid-19 pandemic as he faces growing political pressure from his own party. The Democratic governor, grappling with waves of criticism and calls for his resignation over dueling crises in his administration, also vowed he was “not going to be distracted” in the fight against Covid. (Breuninger, 3/7)
In other covid updates from the states —
Axios: Oregon Governor Orders All Public Schools To Reopen By Mid-April
All public K-12 schools in Oregon must offer in-person instruction by mid-April, Gov. Kate Brown (D) said Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month that K-12 schools could safely resume for in-person instruction and remain open if mitigation strategies are strictly adhered to and community transmission of the coronavirus remains low. (Gottbrath, 3/5)
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Patient-Rights Bill Advancing On To Senate
A bill to guarantee visits to lonely, pandemic-restricted patients has prompted more calls of support from constituents than any other, a Northwest Arkansas lawmaker said. Precautions against the yearlong covid-19 outbreak often keep family members from visiting patients in hospitals and nursing homes, said Rep. Gayla McKenzie, R-Gravette. "I've had phone calls from constituents about this where we're both crying by the end," she said. McKenzie co-sponsors House Bill 1061. The bill would guarantee limited visitation while also requiring precautions to prevent the spread of disease. The bill passed the House 91 to 0 Tuesday and is now before the Senate. (Thompson, 3/8)
CNN: NYC Deputies Shut Down An Unlicensed Warehouse Club With More Than 100 Partygoers Inside
New York City deputies shut down an illegal warehouse party in Queens overnight Saturday, clearing more than 100 people inside, the New York City Sheriff's Office says. The officers entered the building early Sunday morning where they found 142 patrons dancing and drinking alcohol without masks or social distancing, according to the release. (Law and Cullinane, 3/7)
Los Angeles Times: California COVID Paid Sick Leave Doesn't Sync With CDC Rules
Federal and state measures that required most businesses to offer two weeks of paid leave to recover from the coronavirus, or to quarantine in case of exposure, expired Jan. 1. Golden State employees have since been left with three days of mandated sick leave for any illness, the state minimum, although employers may choose to give more. With the virus continuing to infect thousands of Californians every week and dangerous variants spreading, the Legislature is set to vote in the coming weeks on whether to reinstate the two-week obligation. That follows weeks of debate in Sacramento that has drawn worker advocates and business groups into unusually broad coalitions, for and against. (Roosevelt, 3/7)
Bay Area News Group: After Rampant COVID Cases And Mass Vaccines, Is California’s Prison System Nearing ‘Herd Immunity’?
A precipitous decline of coronavirus cases in state prisons has transformed California’s correctional system from a cautionary tale of mass incarceration in the time of a plague to something more unexpected: an intensely monitored field study that could help scientists develop strategies to defeat the pandemic outside prison walls. Highly effective vaccines distributed in the prisons combined with the lack of reinfections among inmates and staff previously diagnosed with COVID-19 appear to have quelled the explosive viral outbreaks that have rocked state prisons during the past year. Active cases have dipped so low that some researchers are theorizing that California’s state prison populations, which suffered spectacularly high coronavirus infection rates through January and were among the first targets for ongoing mass vaccination campaigns, are manifesting collective resistance to the virus. (Moore, 3/7)
In other news —
Georgia Health News: Thousands Of Georgians Enrolling For Coverage As Exchange Reopens
More than 16,000 Georgians signed up for coverage on the state’s insurance exchange during the first two weeks of a special enrollment period ordered by President Biden. That’s the third-highest total of any state, behind Florida and Texas, among the 36 states that let the federal government run their exchanges. (The other states run their own exchanges.) (Miller, 3/5)
Albuquerque Journal: Medical Malpractice Overhaul Advances In Senate
A proposal to remove hospitals from the state’s Medical Malpractice Act — exposing them to greater damage awards in court — narrowly survived a tense, tearful committee hearing Saturday. The legislation, House Bill 75, now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where a competing measure backed by the New Mexico Hospital Association and doctor and nursing groups is also pending. The bill debated Saturday advanced on a 6-5 vote after family members testified about the anguish of seeing a child or parent harmed by hospital wrongdoing. “This is about the death and loss of loved ones, not by mistakes, but by gross negligence,” said Ezra Spitzer, whose daughter Effie died a few days after birth. “The current system has no accountability.” (McKay, 3/6)
AP: 3 Dead, Several Sickened In Suspected Kentucky Overdoses
Police in a southeastern Kentucky community are working with a federal drug enforcement agency to identify the source of suspected overdoses that resulted in three deaths and sickened several other people, including two officers. ... [The Hazard Police Department] urged residents to use caution if they see any substance that is not easily recognizable. “Whatever this is, it is deadly,” the statement said. Two Hazard police officers became ill while processing the suspected substance. (3/7)
