Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Says US Covid Infection Count Is Half Of Actual Infection Total
CIDRAP: Study: US COVID Infections May Have Been Twice The Number Reported
Roughly 15.9 million asymptomatic US COVID-19 cases may have gone undetected as of Sep 30, 2020, which would double the cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during that time, according to a research letter detailing a 6.6% nationwide SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rate. The letter, written by Clinical Reference Laboratory scientists in Kansas and published today in JAMA Network Open, describes a national convenience sample of 61,910 generally healthy adult life insurance applicants evaluated for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in September. (3/16)
The Washington Post: After Weeks Of Declining Cases, Coronavirus Hot Spots Emerge In Upper Midwest, New York City Area
After weeks of declining coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations, new hot spots of infection have emerged, and disease experts warn that the spread of a more dangerous variant and a too-rapid rush to return to normal life could prolong the historic health emergency. Caseloads are down nationally and tens of millions of people are fully loaded with antibodies to the virus, with more than 2 million people getting doses of vaccine every day. But the virus continues to pose a real and present threat, with about 55,000 new infections daily. (Achenbach, Cha and Dupree, 3/16)
Health News Florida: Florida Coronavirus Positivity Rate Over 6% Again
Another 2,826 people tested positive for coronavirus in Florida since Sunday, the state Department of Health reported Monday. The daily case count brought the statewide total of coronavirus cases to 1,979,634.The positivity rate for new cases was 6.13%, the highest it’s been since March 3. That was based on the results of 55,766 tests returned Sunday — about half the daily average for the last two weeks. (WUSF Public Media, 3/16)
In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —
CNN: Coronavirus Strains First Detected In California Are Officially Variants Of Concern,' CDC Says
Two coronavirus strains first detected in California are now officially "variants of concern," according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The variants may be about 20% more transmissible, the CDC said, citing early research. Some Covid-19 treatments may also be less effective against the strains. Still, the CDC didn't say that vaccines would stop working against them. (Azad, 3/17)
CNN: The Race Between Variants And Vaccines In US Will Be A Close Call, Expert Warns, And Eased Restrictions Aren't Helping
Experts say there's a tough race between Covid-19 vaccinations and a contagious variant that's rapidly spreading across the US, threatening another dangerous surge -- and the eased restrictions only further complicate things. "It's going to be a close call," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health told CNN on Tuesday. "We are vaccinating really well, that's the good news. These variants are spreading pretty quickly across the country, that's the bad news." (Maxouris, 3/17)
The Economist: See How Age And Illnesses Change The Risk Of Dying From Covid-19
Covid-19 threatens everyone, but its risk is concentrated among particular groups of people. To help readers understand how the disease interacts with demography and with other illnesses (“comorbidities”), we have built a statistical risk model, using records in the Covid-19 Research Database from 425,000 people in America who tested positive. For any group of unvaccinated people of a given age, sex and mix of comorbidities, our model estimates the share that would be hospitalised or die within 30 days of a covid-19 diagnosis. To learn more about which medical conditions most exacerbate covid-19, please see Graphic Detail; the model’s methodology is summarised here.The interactive below lets you explore the model’s output for any combination of variables. It assumes that comorbidities not selected are not present, even if they often appear together. For example, if you enter only Type 2 diabetes, you will receive an estimate for people with Type 2 diabetes but not hypertension. We do not store any records of which readers use the interactive, or of which medical conditions they select. (3/11)
In updates about states that are easing covid restrictions —
The Oregonian: Oregon Department Of Education Relaxes School Reopening Guidelines, Removes 100-Person Weekly Contact Limit
The Oregon Department of Education released new guidelines for the way districts must operate schools during the pandemic, erasing a limit on the number of people students may encounter during the week. The 100-person limit was one of two agency guidelines district leaders across the state said made reopening high schools nearly impossible. (Campuzano, 3/16)
Health News Florida: Miami-Dade Police Halt Mask, Curfew Citations After DeSantis Suspends Fine
Miami-Dade County police have stopped issuing mask and curfew citations, calling the tickets pointless after Gov. Ron DeSantis canceled fines for violating emergency COVID-19 orders. According to the Miami Herald, the county’s court system reported a sudden drop in emergency-order citations against businesses last weekend. During the weekend of March 5, courts reported 46 citations for violating emergency orders, all but one against businesses. (WLRN 91.3 FM, 3/16)
CBS News: FEMA Chief Says COVID-19 Positivity Rate Among Migrants Is Less Than 6%, Lower Than Texas Average
The acting head of the Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA) told lawmakers on Tuesday that less than 6% of COVID-19 tests for migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border have come back positive, a lower percentage than the overall positivity rate in the state of Texas. "There's testing happening," Acting Administrator Robert Fenton told lawmakers at a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. "What we're seeing is less than 6% positive right now, coming across the border." Fenton's comments come as Texas Governor Greg Abbott and GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns that migrants are spreading the virus to the general public. (Sganga, 3/16)
