Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Some Experts Predict Coronavirus Could 'Burn Out' By Summer, But That Doesn't Mean It Will Be Gone For Good
The Washington Post: How Is The Coronavirus Outbreak Going To End? Here’s How Similar Epidemics Played Out.
When severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) hit Asia in 2002, it was pretty scary — with a fatality rate of about 10 percent and no drugs shown to be effective against it. (The current coronavirus by comparison has an estimated fatality rate of 2.3 percent.) But within months, SARS was brought under control, and for the most part stamped out, by international cooperation and strict, old-school public health measures such as isolation, quarantine and contact tracing. This would be an ideal outcome. But the difference is that SARS had more severe symptoms than the current coronavirus, so people went to the hospital shortly after being infected. (Wan, 3/2)
CNN: Not Sure What The Future Holds For The Coronavirus? Here Is How 3 Other Infectious Outbreaks Ended
It has been more than a month since the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern. Since the outbreak began, there have been more than 90,000 cases of the virus worldwide and more than 3,100 deaths from it. As officials work to stop the virus's spread, it is hard not to wonder what will happen next. When and how will this end? Here's a look back at what happened during other infectious outbreaks. (Holcombe, 3/3)
CBS News: Coronavirus May Infect Up To 70% Of World's Population, Expert Warns
The coronavirus death toll now tops 3,000 worldwide, with nearly 90,000 cases. But even those numbers are nothing compared to what could happen in the months ahead. CBS News spoke to one of the country's top experts on viruses, Marc Lipsitch from Harvard University, who cautions that 40-70% of the world's population will become infected — and from that number, 1% of people who get symptoms from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, could die. The virus can spread rapidly and people can transmit it before they know they are infected. (Axelrod, 3/2)
Stat: Who Is Getting Sick, And How Sick? A Breakdown Of Coronavirus Risk By Demographic Factors
The new coronavirus is not an equal-opportunity killer: Being elderly and having other illnesses, for instance, greatly increases the risk of dying from the disease the virus causes, Covid-19. It’s also possible being male could put you at increased risk. For both medical and public health reasons, researchers want to figure out who’s most at risk of being infected and who’s most at risk of developing severe or even lethal illness. (Begley, 3/3)
Detroit Free Press: Coronavirus Outbreak: Seniors, The Sick Are Most Vulnerable
The outbreak in Washington state has killed six people, all older than 50, and at least some of whom had underlying conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or a weakened immune system. (Shamus, 3/2)
CNN: As Coronavirus Cases Worldwide Pass 90,000, WHO Chief Warns 'We Are In Uncharted Territory'
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that public health officials are operating in "uncharted territory" as they combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 90,000 people across 73 countries and territories as of Monday evening. The virus has spread to every continent except Antarctica since it was first identified in December last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Medical workers are now battling deadly outbreak clusters in South Korea, Iran and Italy, while other countries are working furiously to avoid a similar fate by readying public health authorities, alerting their citizens and enacting travel restrictions to affected areas. (Berlinger, 3/3)
The New York Times: Surfaces? Sneezes? Sex? How The Coronavirus Can And Cannot Spread
A delicate but highly contagious virus, roughly one-900th the width of a human hair, is spreading from person to person around the world. The coronavirus, as it’s known, has already infected people in at least 60 countries. Because this virus is so new, experts’ understanding of how it spreads is limited. They can, however, offer some guidance about how it does — and does not — seem to be transmitted. (Murphy, 3/2)
WBUR: Lessons From U.S. Hospitals Caring For COVID-19 Patients
As Americans begin to cope with the prospect that the novel coronavirus could spread more widely in the U.S., there are questions about how prepared and sufficiently funded most hospitals are to handle severe cases in a major outbreak. So far, several dozen people or so, across the country have been hospitalized with the virus, and at least six people in the U.S. have died. Government health officials now say they expect significantly more cases could arise, which means that hospitals need to be ready. (Neighmond, 3/2)
San Francisco Chronicle: What Should I Do If I Think Have Coronavirus Symptoms?
With the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. climbing each day, many are wondering: What should I do if I have coronavirus-like symptoms, such as fever, cough and trouble breathing? It’s likely a cold or the flu, but here are recommendations from public health officials and infectious disease experts on what to do if you are experiencing symptoms. (Ho, 3/2)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Prevention: How Planes Fight The Outbreak
The coronavirus outbreak has spurred Delta Air Lines to new heights of cabin cleaning: spritzing the interior of flights from Asia and Italy with a mist of “a highly effective, EPA-registered disinfectant.” The Atlanta-based carrier plans to expand the “fogging technique” to all inbound international flights from countries where coronavirus infections have been reported. Linen, dishes, headphones and food carts are also getting an extra round of disinfecting on those planes, the carrier said, adding that the jets’ high-efficiency air filters already are capable of removing coronavirus from cabin air. (Martin, 3/2)
PBS NewsHour: Will COVID-19 Will Ruin Your Travel Plans? Follow These 3 Tips
After top U.S. health officials warned last week that the spread of COVID-19 “might be bad,” many Americans began to ponder whether it was safe to take upcoming vacations and work trips. Since then, cases have cropped up in Washington state, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and California — some of which are linked to travel. Governments, companies and institutions have also taken new actions to limit the spread of the illness. (Santhanam, 3/2)
The New York Times: Worship In The Age Of Coronavirus: Prayer, Elbow Bumps, Hand Sanitizer
When it came time for the sign of peace ritual during Sunday Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church in southeastern Wisconsin, hundreds of parishioners did exactly what their pastor had asked. Instead of reaching across the pews to shake hands, they greeted each other with gentle bows. Fear of the coronavirus has rippled across the country and directly into places of worship. (Bosman and Smith, 3/3)
