Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Over 150,000 Americans Dead With Rate Speeding Up To 1 Every Minute
Reuters: U.S. Records A Coronavirus Death Every Minute As Total Surpasses 150,000
One person in the United States died about every minute from COVID-19 on Wednesday as the national death toll surpassed 150,000, the highest in the world. The United States recorded 1,461 new deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to a Reuters tally.U.S. coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days. (Shumaker, 7/29)
The Washington Post: Covid-19’s Toll So Far: Nearly 150,000 Dead Americans
Of the nearly 150,000 Americans who have died of covid-19, more than 6,100 have died in Texas, and 302 of those deaths have occurred in Hidalgo County, along the country’s southern border. Forty-five of those bodies are in a refrigerated 18-wheeler that Aaron Rivera bought three weeks ago, when the phone was ringing off the hook at his Rivera Funeral Home in McAllen. The funeral director had no choice but to tell families that their loved ones could not be cremated, could not be buried, could not be put anywhere but in a truck in his back lot. There were so many bodies in his building that there was no place else for them to go. (Fisher and Dixon, 7/29)
The Wall Street Journal: New U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surpass 70,000
New coronavirus cases in the U.S. climbed back above 70,000 as some states reported record death tolls, while parts of Asia faced a resurgence in infections. Total confirmed coronavirus cases world-wide rose above 17 million Thursday, with the U.S. accounting for more than a quarter of that number, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. death toll neared 151,000. (Hall, 7/30)
CNN: Texas Surpasses New York In Number Of Coronavirus Cases
Coronavirus cases in Texas have risen to more than 418,00, putting the state at a higher case count than New York. Once the US epicenter of the pandemic, New York now ranks fourth in total case count behind California, Florida and Texas, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Medical teams on the frontlines in Texas said that spikes in the state have taken a toll. (Holcombe, 7/30)
Reuters: California, Florida And Texas See Record Rise In COVID-19 Deaths
California, Florida and Texas, the three largest U.S. states, all set one-day records for fatalities from COVID-19 on Wednesday, a Reuters tally showed, and the Miami-area school district said students would not return to classrooms when the new academic year begins as deaths from the virus spiked nationwide. The United States has registered 10,000 deaths over the last 11 days, the fastest surge since early June, prompting heated debates between the American public and its leaders over the best course forward. New infections do not appear to be rising at the same pace. (Shumaker and McKay, 7/29)
Also —
The New York Times: A Viral Epidemic Splintering Into Deadly Pieces
To assess where the country is heading now, The New York Times interviewed 20 public health experts — not just clinicians and epidemiologists, but also historians and sociologists, because the spread of the virus is now influenced as much by human behavior as it is by the pathogen itself. Not only are American cities in the South and West facing deadly outbreaks like those that struck Northeastern cities in the spring, but rural areas are being hurt, too. In every region, people of color will continue to suffer disproportionately, experts said. (McNeil Jr., 7/29)
