Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Red Cross Pleas For Recovered Patients To Donate Plasma
CBS News: Shortage Of Convalescent Plasma As Cases Of COVID-19 Surge
As COVID-19 cases surge across the country, the American Red Cross warns that one treatment that could help the sickest patients is now in short supply: convalescent plasma. Authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in coronavirus patients back in August 2020, convalescent plasma is antibody-rich blood plasma, collected from donors who have recovered from COVID-19, that is given, via a blood transfusion, to infected patients struggling to fight the virus. (1/19)
CIDRAP: Many US Immigration Detention Centers Rife With COVID-19 Cases
COVID-19 infection rates in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers are higher than those in the general population and eclipse those of surrounding communities, according to a research letter published today in JAMA Network Open. The authors, led by a researcher from the University of Miami in Florida, analyzed data from the COVID Prison Project, the New York Times, and the American Community Survey from May 5 to Sep 15, 2020. (1/19)
The Washington Post: United Offers $200 Travel Credit To Man Who Did CPR On Coronavirus-Infected Passenger
One of the passengers who tried to revive a man on a cross-country United flight in December said the airline emailed him a voucher for $200 for his “help/inconvenience on the flight” last week. Tony Aldapa, an intermediate medical technician at a Los Angeles hospital, said that was in addition to a $75 voucher that a flight attendant gave him on the plane. He said a customer service representative also called. (Sampson, 1/19)
The New York Times: Andrew Yang Is Quarantining After Aide Tests Positive For Virus
Less than a week after his vigorous launch into the New York City mayor’s race, Andrew Yang said on Tuesday that he was halting in-person events and quarantining because a campaign staff member had tested positive for the coronavirus. Mr. Yang, the former presidential candidate, had been seemingly everywhere in recent days, meeting with elected officials across the city and riding the subway and bus to campaign events. His whirlwind appearances have been in sharp contrast to the mostly virtual campaigns that his rivals have been conducting. (Fitzsimmons, 1/19)
The Washington Post: Covid-19 Destroyed A Young Man’s Lungs. Can His Foster Mom Let Him Go?
Covid-19 had destroyed Elenilson Orellana Garcia’s lungs. The 36-year-old teacher’s aide, known to friends and family as Nelson, was in his third month on life support and his condition had not improved. Doctors at MedStar Washington Hospital Center no longer believed he had the strength to get better. The machines, they said, were just prolonging his suffering. ... But this case was unusual. Many covid-19 patients, once on a ventilator, have come through. Countless others have died within days or weeks. Far fewer have been too weak to recover but too strong to entirely succumb. (Thompson, 1/19)
In other public health news —
Albuquerque Journal: City’s Emergency Shelters For Families Are Full
The city of Albuquerque’s COVID-19 emergency shelter system has run out of room for families, officials said Tuesday. Despite expanding capacity by adding a network of “wellness” hotels, Albuquerque Family and Community Services Director Carol Pierce said the city has maxed out the space it has available for families who are homeless. “We don’t have more rooms available,” she said Tuesday morning during a Homeless Coordinating Council meeting with city, Bernalillo County and University of New Mexico leaders. “As soon as one comes up, they are rapidly filled.” While there is still room for adult men and adult women, the family units are full with what Pierce called a “staggering” number of children. (Dyer, 1/19)
GMA: Black Mental Health Matters: How To Cope During A Time Of Social Injustice, According To Experts
Black mental health matters. To say this is an exponentially tough time for Black people in America would be an understatement -- and that's why protecting the mental health of this community is vital. (Yates, 1/19)
The Washington Post: Sex Education Is Transforming Thanks To The Pandemic, Educators Say
Last spring, Mary Jo Podgurski taught her usual sex education course to sixth-graders in Washington, Pa. — usual, except one thing: It was over Zoom. Because the kids took the class from home, many of their parents participated as well, so Podgurski decided to include exercises to help parents and children communicate about sex. “Mary Jo helped me build trust with my mom and classmates so if I have any questions in the future, I feel safe asking,” says 13-year-old Cicely Sunseri, one of the students. (Weiss, 1/16)
In celebrity news —
The Washington Post: Tiger Woods Undergoes Back Surgery, Sidelined For At Least Several Weeks
Tiger Woods announced Tuesday that he recently underwent back surgery and will miss two events on the PGA Tour. It was Woods’s fifth back operation, including a 2017 spinal fusion procedure that led to a remarkable comeback, capped by a triumph at the 2019 Masters. The recent surgery was a less drastic microdiscectomy procedure, which he also had done three times between 2014 and 2015. Woods, 45, said this one was aimed at removing “a pressurized disc fragment” that was pinching his nerve and causing “discomfort” at the PNC Championship. (Bieler, 1/19)
