Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Questions On Coronavirus?: Only Listen To The Medical Experts; Pandemic Makes Borders Absolutely Meaningless
The New York Times: Please, Listen To Experts About The Coronavirus. Then Step Up.
The coronavirus is spreading faster than we can contain it, faster than municipalities can track it and here in the United States, much faster than our testing capacity can handle. By the time you read a statistic, chances are it’s outdated. It’s becoming increasingly clear that people in power can’t keep up. On Monday, Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, said he couldn’t provide accurate numbers of tested Americans because private labs don’t have to report results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Charlie Warzel, 3/11)
Boston Globe: Like It Or Not, Coronavirus Connects Us All
Like it or not, we’re all connected. It’s just getting started, but already, the coronavirus outbreak is teaching some of us a few pretty hard lessons. Will they stick? That’s another matter entirely. But, perhaps for now, we can agree on a few things: That facts and science are our friends; that competence and a steady hand are indispensable qualities in a president; that misinformation is an existential threat; that government does more than collect our taxes -- it performs vital functions, such as keeping us safe; and that, sooner or later, policies that harm some of us may hurt us all. (Yvonne Abraham, 3/11)
The Washington Post: The Coronavirus Is Testing Us All
As we wait for more and better tests to determine just how many people have contracted the novel coronavirus, understand this: All of us are already being tested. From the strength of our economy to the reliability of our political leadership to our individual resilience, we are all now in a crucible that will have profound consequences for how we work and how we act as citizens and neighbors. (Michele L. Norris, 3/11)
WBUR: Refugees Are Especially Vulnerable To COVID-19. Don't Ignore Their Needs
While there are no known cases yet of COVID-19 in refugee camps — which is likely due to a lack of testing — the disease is going to hit these communities hard. Despite global attention to the challenges posed by the coronavirus and increasing calls to support low- and middle-income countries, refugees are largely ignored and left to their own devices. A global approach is needed to avoid more tragic loss of life. (Muhammad Zaman, 3/11)
The Washington Post: Washington-Area Nonprofits Face Difficult Decisions Amid Coronavirus Uncertainties
Sara Gibson stood in a room filled with nonprofit leaders from the Washington region and let them know they needed a plan. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right then and there. Every moment matters, she explained to the people in that room on Tuesday and then again to me when we talked afterward. (Theresa Vargas, 3/11)
CNN: Michael Osterholm: The Disease Expert Who Warned Us
Michael Osterholm, the infectious disease expert who has been warning for a decade and a half that the world will face a pandemic, says the US is ill-prepared to combat the coronavirus due to a shortage of equipment and supplies. Michael Osterholm, of the University of Minnesota, wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine in 2005 that, "This is a critical point in our history. Time is running out to prepare for the next pandemic. We must act now with decisiveness and purpose." He reiterated this point in his 2017 book, "Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs." (Peter Bergen, 3/11)
Boston Globe: The Interventions We Must Take To Control The Coronavirus
The Biogen outbreak should help us realize that we are on the brink of experiencing a public health catastrophe. The examples of Wuhan, Italy, South Korea, Japan, and Iran should give us all a strong resolve to slow the epidemic before it is too late. Every intervention we try will be testing new waters, and evaluation is critical to make sure that, as we impose costs on society, we are getting the benefits of disease control. Just as important as when to act is when to let up on control measures. But we must act now. (Marc Lipsitch, 3/11)
The Baltimore Sun: Coronavirus: U.S. Must Shift From Containment To Aggressive Mitigation
The situation with coronavirus has changed dramatically over the last few weeks. We are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, and the U.S. will see an even more dramatic escalation in the weeks to come. As communities, institutions and individuals, we need to switch from reacting to what’s happened to taking bold action in anticipation of what’s coming. (Leana S. Wen, 3/11)
The New York Times: 12 Steps To Tackle The Coronavirus
At least Emperor Nero supposedly only fiddled while Rome burned; he didn’t tell the Romans that the fire was no big deal. President Trump squandered two precious months trying to downplay the new coronavirus while attempting to talk up the stock market. We still have no idea how many Americans are infected, because the administration bungled diagnostics. As of a few days ago, South Korea had conducted up to 700 times more tests per capita than the United States. (Nicholas Kristof, 3/11)
Houston Chronicle: COVID-19 Shows Need For Universal Health Care, Basic Income
The alarming spread of the new coronavirus across the United States clarifies the need for mass adoption of progressive policies. That people who might be infected with the new coronavirus may go without testing because of the cost of testing, while companies might profit from selling testing kits, shows the inhumane tendencies of for-profit health care. (Ben Lacy Hirsch, 3/11)
Houston Chronicle: Coronavirus Pandemic Points Out Holes In Social Safety Net, Need For Paid Leave
Stay home. Check with your doctor. That’s the advice for anyone exposed to the novel coronavirus or who shows symptoms, which include fever, cough and shortness of breath. But what if you can’t stay home? What if you have no doctor to check with? For millions of Americans who work with no paid sick days or health insurance, this is where they find themselves every day — balancing having to pay the bills and keep food on the table with putting their health and that of others at risk. (3/11)
The Hill: What We Can Learn From Past Pandemics
Epidemics, plagues, and pandemics have been around since the dawn of civilization. Indeed, they are an unintended consequence of civilization. Disease certainly afflicted our prehistoric ancestors, but since the earliest humans lived in small isolated bands, they had limited opportunity to share germs beyond their own community. That situation changed dramatically when the agricultural revolution replaced a nomadic with a sedentary lifestyle 10,000 years ago. (Tom Mockaitis, 3/11)
San Francisco Chronicle: If Coughs Were Contained, Viruses Could Be, Too
We are all doing the best we can to protect ourselves and also care for our patients. Our “Standard Precautions” remain the front line, including vigorous and frequent handwashing, donning gloves and masks when appropriate — and cough etiquette. (Cynthia He, 3/11)
Fox News: In Coronavirus Response, Progress Being Made
Should we look at this situation as a glass half empty or a glass half full? As a physician practicing medicine for more than 40 years, I look at this situation as a glass half full. The reason I say this is because I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. We know what coronavirus is. We know it as the cause of a disease and we certainly know its viral anatomy. We know it is infectious and we also know that it makes older folks extremely vulnerable to severe complications. (Manny Alvarez, 3/11)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Isn't Tanking Global Markets. It's Fear
Can we please stop blaming a microbe for things it can’t do? Coronavirus doesn’t make the stock market plunge or schools shut down or empty entire aisles of supermarkets. Despite headlines proclaiming “Coronavirus Roils Markets,” and “Coronavirus Tightens Grip on Daily Life Around the Globe,” the virus is incapable of such feats. Those are caused by fears — some rational, some irrational. (Barry Glassner, 3/11)
