Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: What Will Be The Lasting Effects Of Covid?; Are Mandatory Vaccines On The Horizon?
The New York Times: The Long Tail Of Covid-19
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made an abrupt change to its guidance on Thursday, stating that fully vaccinated people could stop wearing masks in most settings, it was welcomed, if not whiplash-inducing, news. Vaccination is going relatively well in this country, although the number of people who receive a dose each day is down from its peak. And new cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the virus are decreasing. (Charles M. Blow, 5/16)
Bloomberg: Compulsory Covid-19 Vaccinations May Be Unpalatable But Necessary
When much of the world is still desperate for Covid-19 vaccinations, a handful of wealthy places are beginning to have the opposite problem. Hong Kong is one. Despite a free and easily accessible program open to all adults since April, only just over 10% of the population of 7.5 million has had both injections, with low rates even among the oldest. Hesitancy is so high that only half of residents say they intend to get vaccinated. (Clara Ferreira Marques, 5/16)
The Boston Globe: Why Vaccine Equity Still Matters
The masks are coming off — tentatively. We’re seeing what people look like for the first time in over a year. Indeed, we’ve got COVID-19 on the run, especially in Massachusetts, which was recently named the third-safest state in the country. The Commonwealth hit a significant milestone on Tuesday, which marked the first day in nearly a year with zero new confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported. Meanwhile, the state ranks second in the nation — at 59.5 percent — for its high share of residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 3 million residents are fully vaccinated. (Marcela Garcia, 5/15)
CNN: For The Sake Of Children, Keep Wearing Your Mask
We are compounding an important public health policy mistake. As the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states and elected leaders declare an end to pandemic restrictions, paving the way back to "normal," there's a presumption that vaccinated adults can safely be around one another with neither masks nor social distancing. But, based on all we know, this behavior could put children at risk. (Lawrence C. Kleinman, 5/16)
CNN: On Kids And Masks, I'm Following My Gut
It's happening. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has liberated Americans who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from our masks. Indoors and out, in most situations, we can finally roam face out again. After a year of stuffy-face condensation, fogged-up glasses, smeared lipstick, "mascne" and "I can't tell who that is" polite nodding, won't it be spectacular to feel the sun on our cheeks and the wind on our teeth? (S.E. Cupp, 5/14)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: The CDC’s New Mask Rules Promise Freedom. But To Me They Mean Fear.
On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a surprise announcement: Anyone who is fully vaccinated can now stop masking and social distancing, including often indoors. Though many public health experts had said they thought we would need masks when indoors with strangers for at least another year, the nation’s health protection agency has declared that anyone who received the last dose of their COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks ago can start living life the way they did before this god-awful thing began. Soon after, Pennsylvania followed suit. (Alison McCook, 5/16
The Washington Post: The CDC’s Mask Guidance Is A Mess. Biden Needs To Clean It Up.
Last Thursday’s abruptly announced guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has devolved into a giant mess. Governors and mayors were caught by surprise, leading to a flurry of rapid changes and a patchwork of disparate regulations across the country. Businesses found themselves scrambling without the tools they need to relax restrictions for the vaccinated while protecting the unvaccinated. While many people happily shed their masks and celebrated the apparent end of the pandemic, others are concerned that with only 37 percent of the country fully vaccinated, this relaxation is premature and could lead to a resurgence of infections. (Leana S. Wen, 5/16)
