Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Poll Workers Contract COVID But Hard To Know If Voters Were Source
AP: Poll Workers Contract Virus, But Election Day Link Unclear
Despite painstaking efforts to keep election sites safe, some poll workers who came in contact with voters on Election Day have tested positive for the coronavirus, including more than two dozen in Missouri and others in New York, Iowa, Indiana and Virginia. The infections cannot be tied definitively to polling places. Because COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the U.S., there is no way to determine yet whether in-person voting on Election Day contributed to the surge, public health experts said. (Izaguirre, 11/16)
The Hill: Election Day Link Uncertain After Poll Workers Across US Test Positive For COVID-19
The largest outbreak so far has been detected among election workers in the Kansas City suburbs of Jackson County, Mo., according to The Associated Press. Twenty-eight people who worked as poll workers there have tested positive in recent weeks, although Election Board head Tammy Brown said staffers urged anyone who felt sick to stay home. “We, as election officials, all knew we were at risk,” Brown said, according to the AP. “I don’t think this was shocking to any of us.” (Budryk, 11/15)
In related news about COVID and the election —
Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘A Feeling Of Dread’: How Burnout From COVID-19 And The Election Is Affecting Philadelphians
Burnout — a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress — is increasing across the country as Americans continue to endure the fallout of a particularly polarizing presidential election, civil unrest and a pandemic that just keeps getting worse. Burnout is a form of feeling exhausted from the work one has to do, said Theresa Nguyen, the chief program officer and vice president of research and innovation at Mental Health America. While most often associated with a person’s job, burnout, which can lead to symptoms such as insomnia and depression, can affect other areas of life as well. (Ao, 11/16)
