Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Olympic Athletes To Get Daily Covid Tests; Tokyo Suffers Variant Surge
NPR: Athletes At Tokyo Olympics To Be Tested Daily For Coronavirus
The organizers of Japan's Summer Olympics, due to start just weeks from now, say they will administer daily coronavirus tests to athletes and will decide in June on what is a safe number of spectators. At a virtual meeting on Wednesday, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and representatives of the other organizers discussed measures to keep the coronavirus in check during the games, which begin July 23. "The IOC is fully committed to the successful and safe delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020," Bach said in his opening remarks. (Neuman, 4/28)
The Wall Street Journal: Japan’s Top Covid Adviser Urges Caution About Proceeding With Tokyo Games
The Japanese government’s top medical adviser on Covid-19 urged caution about going ahead with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo as highly contagious variants of the coronavirus drive a surge in new infections in Japan. “It’s time for the organizers and other related parties to thoroughly consider the level of infection and the strain on the medical system,” Shigeru Omi, the head of the government’s advisory panel on the coronavirus, said in a parliamentary committee. (Gale and Radnofsky, 4/28)
In other global developments —
Bloomberg: BioNTech Weighs Making Covid Shots In Africa To Expand Reach
BioNTech SE is discussing the possibility of Covid-19 vaccine production sites in Africa to expand the company’s supply network in regions around the world, Chief Executive Officer Ugur Sahin said. “I can imagine a production network in South America and for Africa,” Sahin said at a briefing with members of Germany’s foreign press association. “We are also talking about African production sites.” (Kresge and Sguazzin, 4/28)
CBS News: Scientists Back Brazil's Move To Ban Import Of Russian "Sputnik V" COVID Vaccine
Scientists have backed the Brazilian drug regulator's decision to stop the import of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, on the basis that batches they tested carried a live version of a common cold-causing virus. Top virologist Angela Rasmussen told AFP the finding "raises questions about the integrity of the manufacturing processes" and could be a safety issue for people with weaker immune systems if the problem were found to be widespread. (4/29)
The New York Times: German Intelligence To Surveil Coronavirus Deniers
Germany’s domestic intelligence service said on Wednesday that it would surveil members of the increasingly aggressive coronavirus denier movement because they posed a risk of undermining the state. The movement — fueled in part by wild conspiracy theories — has grown from criticizing coronavirus lockdown measures and hygiene rules to targeting the state itself, its leaders, businesses, the press and globalism, to name a few. Over the past year, demonstrators have attacked police officers, defied civil authorities and in one widely publicized episode scaled the steps of Parliament. (Schuetze, 4/28)
Bloomberg: Brazil Hunts For Vaccines In World Of New Outbreaks, Shortages
Brazil is struggling to find vaccines to tackle one of the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks as resurgent outbreaks and supply shortages among top providers slow the pace of deliveries. Foreign Minister Carlos Franca told lawmakers Wednesday he’s seeking vaccines from a variety of partners, including 30 million doses from China’s Sinopharm, plus 8 million doses of the India-produced AstraZeneca shot as well as any U.S. surplus. The problem, he added, is the pandemic’s upsurge in India and tight supplies globally have left Brazil scrambling for doses. (Adghirni, 4/29)
Also —
NBC News: Canadian Diplomats Say Their Government Is Withholding Info On More 'Havana Syndrome' Brain Injury Cases
A group of Canadian diplomats is accusing Canada's government of withholding information about what the diplomats say are three new cases of brain injury resulting from "Havana Syndrome" that have been identified in the past two years. In a letter obtained by NBC News, the diplomats said "at least three additional cases were identified in 2019 and 2020" of the mysterious illness that also affected U.S. personnel in Cuba. In its most recent public update about new cases, in January 2019, Canada's government said "the last confirmed case of unusual health symptoms" had been in 2018. (Lederman, 4/28)
NPR: An Unexpected Pandemic Side Effect In Peru: A Comeback For TB
COVID-19 has overwhelmed health-care systems and disrupted TB care all over the world. Peru in particular has struggled to secure sufficient personal protective equipment and continue medical services during the pandemic. "Public health systems in most countries have not made adequate adjustments to care for people with TB in the context of COVID," says Carole Mitnick, a professor of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School. Unless major changes occur, she adds, "we're going to see the effects of this pandemic for generations." (Blades, 4/28)
