Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Russia Reports More COVID Deaths; South Africa's Test Backlog Stretches To 100,000
The Associated Press: After Criticism, Russia Expands Stats On Virus-Linked Deaths
The Russian government on Friday presented more detailed mortality figures for last month that include more deaths linked with the coronavirus, in a bid to dispel suspicions from some Russian and Western experts that authorities were trying to lower the toll for political reasons. But officials also defended the way they register deaths, which only includes people confirmed to have died of COVID-19, and not those who succumbed to other causes — even if they also tested positive for the virus. (Isachenkov, 5/29)
The Associated Press: South Africa Has Virus Testing Backlog Of Nearly 100,000
South Africa says it has a backlog of nearly 100,000 unprocessed tests for the coronavirus, a striking example of the painful shortage of testing kits and reagents across Africa as cases steadily rise. “This challenge is caused by the limited availability of test kits globally,” the health ministry said in a statement overnight, putting the backlog at 96,480 as of Monday. Priority is given to processing tests from patients admitted to hospitals and health workers, it said. (Anna, 5/29)
Reuters: British Nursing Homes In Crisis As Deaths Mount In Coronavirus Pandemic
More than 43,000 people have suffered deaths linked to COVID-19 across the United Kingdom, underlining the country’s status as the worst-hit in Europe. At least 13,500 deaths linked to the novel coronavirus — nearly 1 in 3 — have occurred in British nursing and residential homes, known as care homes in the United Kingdom. Care homes are places where elderly or vulnerable people live for short or long periods of time and can receive nursing care. But that is only a part of the pandemic’s tragic impact inside care homes across the United Kingdom. (McNeill and Ovaska, 5/29)
The Associated Press: Disease That Began Among Rich Shifts To Latin America's Poor
The passenger from Spain that Sonia Sanchez picked up at the airport in Colombia’s capital in March did not seem well. He coughed during the Uber ride in her small, red Chevrolet Spark, as he sat next to her, a precaution many of the app’s drivers use to avoid attracting the attention — and harassment — of police. A few days later, the mother of two had a soaring fever, her relatives say. Within three weeks, she was dead — the first coronavirus patient to die in Bogota’s working-class Kennedy neighborhood, now a hot spot of infections. (Armario, 5/29)
Reuters: China Reports 16 New COVID-19 Cases, Highest In Nearly Three Weeks
China reported the highest daily increase in coronavirus cases in nearly three weeks with 16 new infections discovered on May 31, as the number of so-called imported cases jumped in southwestern Sichuan province. (5/31)
Reuters: Hong Kong Reports First Local COVID-19 Cases In Two Weeks
Hong Kong has confirmed its first locally transmitted coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, fuelling concerns over its spread as restrictions on movement are relaxed. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Sunday it was investigating two confirmed cases of coronavirus, taking the number of cases so far to 1,085. Four people have died of the disease in Hong Kong. (5/31)
The Wall Street Journal: Hong Kong Police Ban Tiananmen Massacre Vigil
Police denied an application by organizers of an annual candlelight vigil to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, amid concerns over civil liberties after China said it would impose national-security legislation on the city. Citing health concerns and social-distancing regulations to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, police said in their letter of objection Monday that they couldn’t allow the vigil to be held this year, and that anyone who violated their decision could be subject to imprisonment and fines. (Khan, 6/1)
The Associated Press: India's Cautious States Open Up Even As Virus Cases Rise
More states opened up and crowds of commuters trickled onto the roads in many of India’s cities on Monday as a three-phase plan to lift the nationwide coronavirus lockdown started despite an upward trend in new infections. Businesses and shops reopened in many states and the railways announced 200 more special passenger trains. Some states also opened their borders, allowing vehicular traffic. (6/1)
The Associated Press: Nepal Volunteers Become Local Heroes During Virus Pandemic
When the new mother died in the hospital last month — the first person to succumb to COVID-19 in Nepal — her days-old baby was moved to an isolation ward. But the woman’s body remained. Ambulance drivers and hospital workers, fearful of the contagion, refused to move the corpse from the hospital morgue to the crematorium, where it could be burned in keeping with Hindu tradition. (Gurubacharya, 6/1)
The Washington Post: From Peru To Ecuador To Bolivia To Tibet, Few Coronavirus Cases At High Altitudes
When tourists from Mexico, China and Britain became the first covid-19 fatalities in Cusco, Peru, it seemed as if the onetime capital of the Inca Empire might be headed for a significant outbreak. Nestled in a picturesque Andean valley, the high-altitude city of 420,000 residents, the gateway to the cloud forest citadel of Machu Picchu, receives more than 3 million international visitors per year — many from pandemic hot spots, including the United States, Italy and Spain. (Tegel, 5/31)
