Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pandemic, Divided Congress Will Shape What Biden Can Get Done
USA Today: Joe Biden Will Walk Into The Oval Office Facing A Litany Of Weighty Issues. Here's What They Are.
Throughout the campaign, Biden has laid out some things he would do to combat COVID-19.He has said he would contact governors to help implement a mask mandate. If they refuse, the former vice president has said he would turn to local officials. Biden also said he would launch a national plan to expand testing for the virus, implement national guidelines for states to reopen at the guidance of scientists and said the coronavirus vaccine would be free once it’s available. (Morin, 11/8)
The New York Times: A ‘Terrifying’ Coronavirus Surge Will Land In Biden’s Lap
Hours after President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. declared the coronavirus a top priority, the magnitude of his task became starkly clear on Sunday as the nation surpassed 10 million cases and sank deeper into the grip of what could become the worst chapter of the pandemic yet. The rate of new cases is soaring, and for the first time is averaging more than 100,000 a day in the United States, which has reported more Covid-19 cases than any other country. An astonishing number — one in 441 Americans — have tested positive for the virus just in the last week. (Mervosh, Smith and McDonnell Nieto del Rio, 11/8)
Stat: Before Biden Takes Office, A Precarious 10 Weeks For Covid-19
Even many public health experts who celebrated President-elect Biden’s win this week turned their immediate focus to the crisis it might create: A 10-week transition period during which Covid-19 cases and deaths skyrocket, and the outgoing Trump administration doesn’t take additional action to stop the surge. From a public health standpoint, the presidential election could not have come at a worse time. (Facher, 11/7)
The Hill: Experts Warn Of Worsening Pandemic Unless Trump Takes Action
Health experts are warning that the current surge in coronavirus cases will get far worse unless the Trump administration takes aggressive action in the next few months. Significant time and money will need to be invested to ensure states are ready to widely distribute a vaccine as soon as one becomes available, and to build trust back into a public health system that's been scarred by politicization. (Weixel, 11/8)
The New York Times: Can Joe And Mitch Get It Done?
Unless Democrats pick off two Senate seats in Georgia to be decided in runoff elections on Jan. 5, Mr. Biden will have to navigate a Senate narrowly controlled by [Sen. Mitch] McConnell, who has happily turned the chamber into a graveyard for Democratic legislation. The likelihood of a Senate under Republican rule severely constrains Mr. Biden’s legislative and personnel agenda from the start, dashing the hopes of those anticipating a post-Trump opening for bold initiatives on health care, taxes and the environment and an administration populated by progressive icons. (Hulse, 11/8)
