Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Officials Crack Down On Partiers In Ohio, California
CNN: Ohio Covid: 500 People Showed Up For A Concert That Defied Local Virus Restrictions, Authorities Say
A nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, was temporarily shut down and is accused of public health violations because up to 500 people attended a concert headlined by R&B singer Trey Songz over the weekend, authorities said. Plainclothes officers with the Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU), a division of Ohio's Department of Public Safety, went to Aftermath nightclub on Saturday and found large numbers of non-socially distanced and maskless people on the dance floor and stage area, according to a statement released on Sunday by the agency. (Moshtaghian and Jackson, 12/8)
AP: Underground Southern California Party Ends In 158 Arrests
An empty house in the high desert. An Instagram ad touting exotic dancers. A stay-at-home order. It proved to be a dangerous combination in the city of Palmdale on Saturday night, as sheriff’s deputies swarmed the home and busted the illegal party there, arresting nearly 160 people — between the ages of 16 and 22 and many not wearing masks — who could ultimately be part of a coronavirus “super-spreader event” amid surging cases statewide. (12/9)
In other news from Nevada, Colorado, Mississippi and New York —
Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID Disease Investigators Changing Tracing As Cases Overwhelm
Overwhelmed disease investigators should curtail the information they collect from Nevadans with COVID-19, state officials recommended Tuesday. Identifying an infected person’s close contacts and where they believe they caught the disease should be done only “if time and case volume permits,” according to a new Nevada Department of Health and Human Services memo sent to local health authorities. (Scott Davidson, 12/8)
AP: Colorado First Gentleman Discharged From COVID Hospital Stay
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ longtime partner, first gentleman Marlon Reis, was discharged from a hospital Tuesday after undergoing treatment for the coronavirus. Reis was hospitalized over the weekend as a precaution after experiencing shortness of breath and a worsening cough after he was diagnosed on Nov. 28. The governor also was diagnosed with COVID-19 but has not experienced severe symptoms. He has been working from home in quarantine. (12/8)
The Washington Post: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves Planned Several Holiday Parties Despite His Own Executive Orders
On Monday, Gov. Tate Reeves (R) warned Mississippians that they will soon face stricter guidelines to help curb surging coronavirus infections and urged them to skip large gatherings. “Please be extra cautious and mindful during this time,” Reeves said on Twitter, adding that his executive order would be amended later in the week. ... But state lawmakers received a different message. Mississippi Today reported on Monday that the governor’s office has sent state and district officials invitations to at least three different holiday parties at the governor’s mansion in the coming days, despite widespread bans on large get-togethers in the state. (Peiser, 12/9)
The New York Times: What New York City’s Sewers Reveal About The Virus
New York City’s sewers, whose lore has spawned films, children’s books and fantastical tales of alligator infestation, have now seized a role in the pandemic: Scientists are tracking outbreaks by monitoring the smelly, gray effluent that flows through underground pipes in hopes of identifying coronavirus clusters days before they appear through patient testing. The undertaking, which has ramped up in recent weeks, has mirrored efforts across the country to surveil waterways for viral components, flushed down toilets by infected Americans who are excreting it in feces, even when asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. (Kilgannon, 12/8)
In other news about abortion and marijuana use —
Anchorage Daily News: After Ruling Dunleavy’s Abortion-Related Court Veto Illegal, Judge Orders State To Pay Up By Jan. 1
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Jennifer Henderson has ordered Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration to pay the Alaska Court System $334,700 before Jan. 1, a consequence of Henderson’s October ruling that it was illegal for Gov. Mike Dunleavy to veto some court system funding in response to judges’ rulings on abortion. The state may appeal Henderson’s payment order. In 2019 and again this year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed $334,700 from the Alaska Court System’s budget. The governor opposes abortion, and state courts have repeatedly ruled against laws that attempt to restrict state Medicaid payments for abortion services. In both vetoes, the governor said the amount equaled the cost paid by the state for abortion services required by those rulings. (Brooks, 12/8)
KHN: As More Red States Legalize Marijuana, Some Officials Try To Nip It In The Bud
With his state reeling amid one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the nation, the last thing South Dakota Speaker of the House Steven Haugaard wants to be dealing with during the upcoming legislative session is marijuana. But the state’s voters haven’t left the Republican much choice. This fall, South Dakota became the first state in the U.S. to legalize both medical marijuana and recreational marijuana in the same election. Haugaard, who long opposed any form of marijuana legalization, now must participate in the creation of a medical marijuana program. (Franz, 12/9)
