Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Zealand's Covid Outbreak Grows; China Again Hits Zero Cases
Bloomberg: Ardern Further Extends New Zealand Lockdown As Outbreak Grows
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern further extended a strict, nationwide lockdown as an outbreak of the delta strain of coronavirus continues to grow. The entire country will remain at Level 4 restrictions, the highest level of lockdown, until midnight Aug. 27. ... Ardern said her government still plans to “stamp out” the current outbreak, which on Monday grew by 35 cases to a total of 107. (Brockett, 8/23)
Axios: Australian Police Arrest Over 250 Anti-Lockdown Protesters
Australian police on Saturday arrested more than 250 protesters who were condemning coronavirus-related lockdown policies in the country, AP reports. Sydney issued strict COVID protocol for more than two months, with Melbourne and Canberra entering lockdown in early August. Australia is currently facing its worst COVID-19 resurgence to date, and on Saturday reported its highest ever single-day rise in cases since the start of the pandemic. (Gonzalez, 8/21)
Noticias Telemundo: Latin American Countries Begin Offering COVID Booster Shots
Chile, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic have begun vaccinating their citizens with a third dose of coronavirus immunizations as COVID-19 continues to ravage Latin America and the Caribbean. Their experience bears watching now that the U.S. has determined booster shots will be needed around eight months after the first immunization period. (Franco, 8/21)
Axios: COVID: Antibody Tests Surveillance Program Launched In U.K.
The British government announced Sunday that it's launching a national surveillance program to measure antibodies in people who test positive for COVID-19. The U.K. Health Security Agency said in a statement that its program would improve understanding of immunity and the protection provided by antibodies generated following coronavirus infection and vaccination. (Falconer, 8/22)
Bloomberg: U.K. Covid Testing Companies Face Removal Over Misleading Prices
Almost a fifth of companies advertising Covid-19 tests for travelers returning to the U.K. from abroad face removal from the government’s list of providers over misleading prices, the health department said. Some 82 private travel testing companies will be issued a two-strike warning and could be removed from the government’s website, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday in an emailed statement. (Marley, 8/23)
Bloomberg: China Hits Covid Zero Cases With Draconian Curbs
It’s been just over a month, and China has once again squelched Covid-19, bringing its local cases down to zero. It was more difficult this time, even though the leaders of the world’s most populous nation used the same playbook they followed to quell more than 30 previous flare-ups. The arrival of the more infectious delta variant has raised the stakes, as the pathogen refines its ability to escape curbs and flout vaccination. It’s unclear how long the victory will last. (8/23)
AP: Lebanese Hospitals At Breaking Point As Everything Runs Out
Drenched in sweat, doctors check patients lying on stretchers in the reception area of Lebanon’s largest public hospital. Air conditioners are turned off, except in operating rooms and storage units, to save on fuel. Medics scramble to find alternatives to saline solutions after the hospital ran out. The shortages are overwhelming, the medical staff exhausted. And with a new surge in coronavirus cases, Lebanon’s hospitals are at a breaking point. The country’s health sector is a casualty of the multiple crises that have plunged Lebanon into a downward spiral — a financial and economic meltdown, compounded by a complete failure of the government, runaway corruption and a pandemic that isn’t going away. (El Deeb, 8/23)
Axios: India Approves World's First DNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccine
India's drug regulator on Friday granted emergency approval to the world's first DNA-based coronavirus vaccine. The three-dose, needle-free vaccine was developed by pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila. The company added that it is also the first vaccine to be approved in the country for teens between the ages of 12 and 18. (Gonzalez, 8/21)
Also —
The Washington Post: Afghan Refugee Goes Into Labor On U.S. Evacuation Flight, Gives Birth At Ramstein Air Base
An Afghan woman gave birth just moments after landing on an evacuation flight, the U.S. Air Mobility Command said early Sunday. The unidentified woman delivered a baby girl in the cargo bay of a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft, shortly after landing at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Saturday. “The mother went into labor and began having complications. The aircraft commander decided to descend in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilize and save the mother’s life,” Air Mobility Command said. After landing in Germany, she was treated by medics who came aboard and delivered the child in the cargo bay of the aircraft. (Suliman, 8/22)
