Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Not In A Good Place': 41 States Report 10% More Cases
CNN: More Than 40 States Are Reporting An Increase In Covid-19 Cases And Many In The Midwest Are Seeing Record Hospitalizations
The US is adding an average of more than 74,000 new Covid-19 cases to the national total every day -- a record high in a pandemic that experts say is likely to worsen. The seven-day average is part of a fall surge that has brought the national case count to more than 8.8 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. (Holcombe, 10/29)
The Hill: Wisconsin Reports Record Number Of COVID-19 Deaths, Hospitalizations And Cases
Wisconsin on Tuesday reported record numbers of single-day COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations and cases. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 64 new coronavirus deaths, 220 new hospitalizations and 5,262 new cases since announcing Monday’s numbers. Ryan Westergaard, the chief medical officer for the department's Bureau of Communicable Diseases, labeled the record increases as a “nightmare” during a press conference, NBC affiliate TMJ4 in Milwaukee reported. (Coleman, 10/28)
Bangor Daily News: COVID-19 Is Spiking Like It Did In The Spring, But This Time It’s Hitting Most Of Maine
The coronavirus is again spiking in Maine as it did at the height of the pandemic in the spring, breaking a one-day record with 87 new cases on Wednesday and raising increasing alarm among state officials. Yet this new uptick has some key differences from last spring’s. That first surge was concentrated in three of Maine’s more populous and urban southern counties — especially Cumberland County, in Portland and its suburbs — and largely driven by deadly outbreaks in elder care facilities. (Eichacker, 10/28)
WBUR: Concerned About COVID-19 Resurgence, Boston Officials Urge All Residents To Get Tested
There are four sites across Boston where residents can get free coronavirus tests even if they have no symptoms, and Mayor Marty Walsh wants as many people as possible to take advantage of them. In particular, he says, people who have been traveling or socializing in groups. (Chen, 10/28)
In other news from New York and California —
CNN: A Long Island Country Club Was Fined $17,000 For Hosting A Wedding Where 30 Guests Contracted Covid-19
Officials in one New York county have fined a Long Island country club $17,000 for hosting a wedding in which a third of guests later tested positive for Covid-19. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced the county would fine North Fork Country Club for violating Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order that limits nonessential gatherings to 50 attendees. (Andrew, 10/28)
KHN: App-Based Companies Pushing Prop. 22 Say Drivers Will Get Health Benefits. Will They?
App-based driving services such as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart are bankrolling California’s Proposition 22, which would keep their drivers classified as independent contractors, not employees. Leading into the Nov. 3 election, the ballot measure — which has become the most expensive in state history — is mired in controversy and the subject of a lawsuit from Uber drivers alleging that the company inappropriately pressured them to vote for the initiative. (Bluth, 10/29)
