First Edition: April 1, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
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Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
In covid news from around the world, only 20% of covid sufferers with symptoms took tests in the U.K.; Poland unexpectedly rolls out widespread covid vaccines for the over 40s; and India opens vaccine eligibility to over 45s, which will impact global vaccine exports.
Bat or pangolin? Yunnan or somewhere in Southeast Asia? The initial source of the coronavirus remains a mystery as China tries to deflect the focus to other places.
Worries rise that the more contagious B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant first identified in the U.K. will cause another surge, as the CDC notes it's the most prevalent strain found in five states. Meanwhile an uptick in infection numbers is reported.
U.S. Deaths in 2020: 3.3 million. Covid was the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. "Continued messaging and training for professionals who complete death certificates remains important as the pandemic progresses," researchers said.
Opinion writers weigh in on vaccines, long haulers, covid-19 and vaccine passports.
Editorial pages tackle these public health issues.
In other news of covid, pandemic research, Cleveland Clinic partners with IBM, T cells fight covid variants, and socio-economic disparities made clearer.
In other public health news, retailers are pressured on toxic chemicals in products and will mask wearing never go away?
In other news from across the states, a report highlights dangerous lead in a Florida factory; lines are reportedly short at Florida's covid vaccination sites; Colorado battles vaccine hesitancy; and the Baltimore Sun reports on Maryland's efforts to assure vaccine equity.
A report highlights Lenox Hill Hospital charging health insurers nearly 30 times the typical cost of covid tests. Elsewhere the FCC plans to update its telehealth program, and Blue Cross North Carolina is set to be one of the first insurers to end covid cost-sharing protections.
The World Health Organization warned that doctors, nurses and medical staff report higher levels of anxiety and depression. Meanwhile health care workers deaths reach 3,605, according to a KHN and Guardian investigation.
Medicaid reimbursement reductions loom in many states which could endanger safety-net hospitals that did not fare well during the pandemic. News on Medicaid is also reported from Missouri, Arkansas, South Carolina and Mississippi.
In other reproductive health news, Texas lawmakers approve six anti-abortion bills; Kentucky passes a constitutional amendment denying the right to abortion in the state; and Delaware begins to erase its 19th-Century law making abortion a felony.
The Democrats may try to use the Congressional Review Act to overturn Trump-era Department of Health and Human Services rules. And proposed Medicare changes are also in the works.
As the Biden Administration tries to build up confidence in the covid shots, a survey shows that more Americans are willing to get vaccinated. The Wall Street Journal notes that the U.S. has no central database for immunizations. And the vaccine passport issue is getting more tangled.
The media spotlight is focused on the Biden administration's immigrant policies as journalists enter an overcrowded government facility in Texas. Meanwhile, over 10% of roughly 750 unaccompanied minors have tested positive for coronavirus at a San Diego facility.
President Joe Biden and his administration must now cope with a dangerous spike in covid cases while many governors ignore his pleas for continued vigilance. Also, inside the White House pandemic briefings.
After days of leaks, the World Health Organization officially released its report Tuesday on the source of the covid-19 pandemic. Limited access to data from China is a key source of the dissatisfaction voiced by many countries, including the U.S.
New data suggest covid vaccine demand varies significantly from place to place, with rural areas showing more reluctance. But all 50 states are planning to open vaccine eligibility to anyone aged 16 and over soon.
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