Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Singapore And India Emerging As New COVID-19 Hot Spots; Iceland's Early Vigilance Pays Off
NPR: Singapore Was Praised For Controlling Coronavirus. Now It Has The Most Cases In Southeast Asia
Early on in the coronavirus pandemic, Singapore was praised as a shining example of how to handle the new virus. The World Health Organization pointed out that Singapore's aggressive contact tracing allowed the city-state to quickly identify and isolate any new cases. It quickly shut down clusters of cases and kept most of its economy — and its schools — open. Through the beginning of April, Singapore had recorded fewer than 600 cases. (Beaubien, 5/3)
The Associated Press: Pandemic Eases In Parts Of Europe But Worsens In India
There were signs Monday that the coronavirus pandemic was easing significantly in some parts of Europe but getting worse in India and Russia. Meanwhile, pressure to reopen kept building in the U.S. — which has only seen a slight drop in reported daily new cases — as tens of millions have lost their jobs in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. While people around the world started taking advantage of an easing in lockdowns to enjoy the outdoors, health experts warned of a potential second wave of infections unless testing is expanded dramatically. (Perry and D'Emilio, 5/4)
The Associated Press: With Testing, Iceland Claims Major Success Against COVID-19
Winter storms isolated the northern village of Hvammstangi from the rest of Iceland. Then spring brought the coronavirus, isolating villagers from each other. Now, as summer approaches, residents hope life is getting back to some kind of normal. High schools, hair salons, dentists and other businesses across Iceland are reopening Monday after six weeks of lockdown, after this North Atlantic nation managed to tame its coronavirus outbreak. (Bjarnason, 5/4)
Reuters: 'Once Upon A Virus': China Mocks U.S. In Lego-Like Animation
Washington and Beijing are locked in a war of words over the origins of the disease which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has spread to become a global pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was confident the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology lab, but declined to describe the evidence. In the animation posted online by China’s official Xinhua news agency, red curtains open to reveal a stage featuring Lego-like figures in the form of a terracotta warrior wearing a face mask and the Statue of Liberty. (5/2)
The Associated Press: Freedom! In France, A Nursing Home Takes On COVID And Wins
As the coronavirus scythed through nursing homes, cutting a deadly path, Valerie Martin vowed to herself that the story would be different in the home she runs in France. The action she took to keep COVID-19 at bay, to stop it from infecting and killing the vulnerable older adults in her care, was both drastic and effective: Martin and her staff locked themselves in with the 106 residents. For 47 days and nights, staff and residents of the Vilanova nursing home on the outskirts of the east-central city of Lyon waited out the coronavirus storm together, while the illness killed more than 9,000 people in other homes in France. (5/4)
Reuters: Global Coronavirus Cases Surpass 3.5 Million Amid Underreporting Fears
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 3.5 million on Monday and deaths neared a quarter of a million, according to a Reuters tally, concerning experts who fear substantial underreporting even as the rate of fatalities and new cases slows. (Wardell, 5/3)
