Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Startling Number Of Young People Without Any COVID Symptoms Seek Care For Strokes
The New York Times: Coronavirus May Pose A New Risk To Younger Patients: Strokes
Ravi Sharma was doubled over on his bed when his father found him. He’d had a bad cough for a week and had self-quarantined in his bedroom. As an emergency medical technician, he knew he was probably infected with the coronavirus. Now, Mr. Sharma, 27, could not move the right side of his body, and could only grunt in his father’s direction. His sister, Bina Yamin, on the phone from her home in Fort Wayne, Ind., could hear the sounds. “Call 911,” she told her father. “I think Ravi’s having a stroke.” She was right. (Rabin, 5/14)
The New York Times: Coronavirus Infections: Talking Can Generate Droplets That Linger Up To 14 Minutes
Coughs or sneezes may not be the only way people transmit infectious pathogens like the novel coronavirus to one another. Talking can also launch thousands of droplets so small they can remain suspended in the air for eight to 14 minutes, according to a new study. The research, published Wednesday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help explain how people with mild or no symptoms may infect others in close quarters such as offices, nursing homes, cruise ships and other confined spaces. (Sheikh, 5/14)
Roll Call: Plasma Donation Emerges As Recovery Ritual For Lawmakers With COVID-19
Mike Kelly was back home in his district at the end of St. Patrick’s Day week when he started to experience “flu-like” symptoms that included headache, upset stomach and chills. “My wife said, ‘You know what? I don’t like the way things are going here.’” His doctor recommended a drive-thru coronavirus test, a six-inch cotton swab shoved up his nose for 30 seconds. It was “uncomfortable,” says the Pennsylvania Republican, euphemistically. “They go way past anything I ever thought they could do. I thought honestly it was going right up into my sinuses.” (McGrady, 5/14)
The Hill: CDC Issues Advisory About Severe Coronavirus-Related Illness In Children
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an emergency advisory about a mysterious inflammatory illness believed to be connected to the coronavirus in children. The CDC asked that health care providers report instances of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a condition health officials say is similar to Kawasaki Disease — a rare illness that causes inflamed blood vessels, typically in young children. Patients who have MIS-C exhibit fever, laboratory evidence of inflammation, and evidence of current or past COVID-19 infection, among other attributes, according to the case definition laid out by the CDC in the advisory. (Moreno, 5/14)
CIDRAP: Kawasaki-Like COVID-19 Complication Found In Italian Kids
Doctors in Bergamo, Italy, have described a series of 10 young children hospitalized with symptoms similar to those of the rare inflammatory Kawasaki-like disease emerging amid the COVID-19 pandemic, adding to reports of similar cases in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and the United Kingdom. According to the observational cohort study, published yesterday in The Lancet, 8 of the 10 children diagnosed as developing symptoms of Kawasaki-like disease from Mar 17 to Apr 14 at the Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII also tested positive for COVID-19. In contrast, the study included 19 children who had been diagnosed as having Kawasaki disease in the previous 5 years (on average, 1 every 3 months). This represents a 30-fold increase. (Van Veusekom, 5/14)
The Wall Street Journal: The Numerical Language Of Covid-19: A Primer
As Covid-19 has swept the globe, a confusing array of numbers has been unleashed along with the virus. The figures are related, but differ in meaning and magnitude. R0 isn’t the same as R. Herd immunity differs from final epidemic size. And not all death rates are created equal. Understanding the difference helps policy makers appreciate how to calculate risk and allocate resources as a pandemic unfolds. Mixing them up distorts reality. (McGinty, 5/15)
NPR: What We Can Learn From The 1918 Flu Pandemic
Just over a century ago, a virulent flu outbreak was wreaking havoc on the world. We know it now as the 1918 influenza pandemic, and its tremors were felt far-and-wide. By the end of its spread, tens of millions were dead. The field of public health has taken a giant leap from the days of 1918, when virology was still in its infancy. Today, information is instantaneous and vaccines are in widespread use. (Baskar and Kwong, 5/15)
New England Journal of Medicine: Finding Reliable Information About Covid-19
The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus that emerged in late 2019, and the resulting Covid-19 disease has been labeled a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. What physicians need to know about transmission, diagnosis, and treatment is the subject of ongoing updates from infectious disease experts at the Journal. In this audio interview conducted on May 13, 2020, the editors discuss trustworthy sources of Covid-19 information and the role of medical journals. (Eric J. Rubin, Lindsey R. Baden, and Stephen Morrissey, 5/14)
