Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Six States Set Out To Track COVID Infections From Sturgis Motorcyle Rally
The Associated Press: Revved By Sturgis Rally, COVID-19 Infections Move Fast, Far
The hundreds of thousands of bikers who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have departed western South Dakota, but public health departments in multiple states are trying to measure how much and how quickly the coronavirus spread in bars, tattoo shops and gatherings before people traveled home to nearly every state in the country. From the city of Sturgis, which is conducting mass testing for its roughly 7,000 residents, to health departments in at least six states, health officials are trying to track outbreaks from the 10-day rally which ended on Aug. 16. They face the task of tracking an invisible virus that spread among bar-hoppers and rallygoers, who then traveled to over half of the counties in the United States. (Groves, 8/24)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Low-Category Storms Can Still Be Life-Threatening, Louisiana Medical Experts Say
Categories that classify storms and trigger evacuations take into account wind, but what emergency medicine veterans in Louisiana’s coastal cities worry about is the prolonged conditions a storm leaves in its wake: flooded roads and vulnerable people without power. (Woodruff, 8/24)
Dallas Morning News: Blacks And Latinos More Likely Than Whites To Think Texas Opened Up Too Soon For COVID-19, Poll Says
Texans are widely divided over whether the state opened up too quickly during COVID-19, but Blacks and Latinos are more likely to think the restrictions were relaxed too early compared to whites, according to a new poll. The poll by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation found that 44% of registered voters in Texas thought the state opened up too quickly, compared to 28% who thought it opened at the right pace and another 28% who thought it opened too slowly. (Barragan, 8/24)
The Washington Post: Kenosha Police Shooting: Hundreds Protest Jacob Blake's Shooting In Wisconsin
What started as a peaceful demonstration on Monday evening in Kenosha, Wis., over the police shooting of Jacob Blake swiftly evolved into chaos. Officers shot the 29-year-old Black man multiple times in the back on Sunday as he entered a car with his children inside, a videotaped incident that has sparked national protests. Kenosha police on Monday used tear gas and fired small beanbags at a crowd that threw firecrackers, tore down street signs, smashed storefronts and set fires around the city. By early Tuesday morning, the National Guard rolled through the streets as multiple buildings burned to the ground and looters ransacked stores. (Peiser and Guarino, 8/25)
Detroit Free Press: Report: Coronavirus Has Not Hurt Michigan Revenues As Much As Feared
Michigan tax revenues have been significantly stronger than what officials projected in May, when the state was still in the relatively early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, according to revised estimates agreed to Monday by state financial officials. As a result, the budget shortfall for the 2021 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 is expected to be less than $1 billion, down from the $3.1 billion shortfall forecast in May, said Budget Director Chris Kolb. (Egan, 8/24)
The Oklahoman: Public Frustrated After Oklahoma County Jail Trust Approves Hazard Pay
The Oklahoma County Jail Trust on Monday approved giving $3 million in “hero pay” to county jail employees who continue to go to work during the pandemic.The money will allow eligible employees to receive $1,000 bonuses in the coming weeks. The jail is experiencing a staffing shortage because of employees that need to quarantine due to COVID-19, and jail administrator Greg Williams said the bonus will be an incentive for employees to stay healthy and cautious. (Branch, 8/24)
NBC News: A Michigan Woman Was Declared Dead By Paramedics. The Funeral Home Found She Was Alive.
Paramedics declared a Michigan woman dead before her remains were taken to a funeral home — where staff found she was very much alive, authorities said Monday. The bizarre mishap unfolded on Sunday morning in Southfield, when local paramedics rushed to the aid of an unresponsive 20-year-old woman, officials said. (Li, 8/24)
Houston Chronicle: ‘My Whole Life Flashed Before Me’: Fitness Instructor Recounts COVID Experience
The 2020 SilverSneakers Instructor of the Year can barely complete one pushup now. Known for his shapely calves and strong build, Eliot Perez has lost 20 pounds — mostly muscles — since he contracted COVID-19 in early July and spent nearly four weeks, over two separate stays, in the hospital. When he was first admitted, his symptoms were flu-like and he couldn’t catch a breath. His second hospital stay was because of blood clots that formed quickly during his illness. (Garcia, 8/24)
Boston Globe: Lynn Emerges As A New Center Of Coronavirus In The State
As COVID-19 ravaged Massachusetts in the spring and summer, a blue-collar city north of Boston emerged as the state’s worst outbreak. Today, Chelsea continues to contend with high rates of infection. But state statistics suggest another diverse, working class city to the north has surpassed it. By some measure, the city held most tightly in the clutches of COVID-19 is now Lynn. (Moore, 8/24)
NBC News: 1 Death Among 53 Coronavirus Cases Linked To Maine Wedding Reception
At least 53 cases of the coronavirus have been traced back to an Aug. 7 wedding and reception in Maine that violated attendance limits, state health officials said. A local hospital said Friday one person whose infection has been linked to the event has died. (Griffith, 8/24)
Billings Gazette: 36th COVID-19 Death Reported In Yellowstone County
A 36th person has died in Yellowstone County as a result of COVID-19, RiverStone Health announced Monday. The county also reported a 35th death over the weekend. Additional information about that death was included in a press release issued Monday morning about the two deaths. One of the people was a woman in her 70s who died Aug. 6 at a Yellowstone County hospital. The other death was a woman in her 60s who died at an area hospital. (Kordenbrock, 8/24)
