Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Puerto Rico Releases Data Showing Higher Hurricane Maria Death Toll
The Wall Street Journal: Puerto Rico Data Suggests Hurricane Maria Death Toll Is Much Higher
Newly released data from Puerto Rico’s government bolsters a conclusion reached by several studies that the death toll from last September’s Hurricane Maria vastly exceeds the official figure of 64. The number of deaths on the island from September to December 2017 surpassed the average for the same period over the previous four years by more than 1,400, according to mortality data released by the government Tuesday. The figures show the numbers of fatalities in September and October last year—2,928 and 3,040, respectively—are greater than the tally for any month going back to January 2013. (Campo-Flores, 6/13)
Kaiser Health News: Puerto Rico’s Water System Stutters Back To Normal
Carmen Rodríguez Santiago counts herself lucky to have any water service at home. But eight months after Hurricane Maria, the 52-year-old security guard said the faucets in her cream-and-pink-colored house still run dry every two to three days, and the water, when it returns, is flecked with sediment. Puerto Rican officials claim that water service on the U.S. island has been restored to more than 96 percent of customers as of June 6, but the report of progress masks underlying problems. Outside of cities, service has been slower to be reconnect. Flow is often intermittent and the water quality is uncertain. (Heredia Rodriguez, 6/14)
