Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Task Force Freezes Aid To Foreign Countries After American States' Requests For PPE Were Severely Underestimated
Politico: Pence Task Force Freezes Coronavirus Aid Amid Backlash
Last week, a Trump administration official working to secure much-needed protective gear for doctors and nurses in the United States had a startling encounter with counterparts in Thailand. The official asked the Thais for help—only to be informed by the puzzled voices on the other side of the line that a U.S. shipment of the same supplies, the second of two so far, was already on its way to Bangkok. (Bertrand, Orr, Lippman and Toosi, 3/31)
ABC News: Despite Calls For Global Cooperation, US And China Fight Over Leading Coronavirus Response
The U.S. and Chinese governments have increasingly turned the novel coronavirus pandemic into a contest over their primacy as the world's leading humanitarian force, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo highlighting U.S. contributions to global aid agencies Tuesday and pushing back on Chinese propaganda about its overseas assistance. But as the pandemic spreads to the developing world and kills more people in nearly every region, experts say a lack of global coordination has cost the world time, money, and lives, with some saying U.S. leadership has been missing. (Finnegan, 3/31)
The New York Times: Why Asia’s New Coronavirus Controls Should Worry The World
In China, international flights have been cut back so severely that Chinese students abroad wonder when they will be able to get home. In Singapore, recently returned citizens must share their phones’ location data with the authorities each day to prove they are sticking to government-ordered quarantines. In Taiwan, a man who had traveled to Southeast Asia was fined $33,000 for sneaking out to a club when he was supposed to be on lockdown in his home. In Hong Kong, a 13-year-old girl, who was spotted out at a restaurant wearing a tracking bracelet to monitor those in quarantine, was followed, filmed and subsequently shamed online. (Rich, 3/31)
Reuters: China Reports Fewer New Coronavirus Cases, Starts Posting Asymptomatic Cases Daily
Mainland China, where the global coronavirus pandemic began in December, reported dwindling new infections on Wednesday, but it also published the daily change in asymptomatic cases for the first time, creating a murkier picture of the trends. (4/1)
Politico: Rick Scott Calls For Congressional Inquiry Into WHO's Coronavirus Response
Sen. Rick Scott on Tuesday called for a congressional investigation into the World Health Organization, suggesting the U.S. should cut off its funding for “helping Communist China cover up” the full extent of the coronavirus pandemic. The Florida Republican, a noted China hawk, has long raised concerns about the WHO’s relationship with Beijing, which has undercounted the number of coronavirus cases in the country. (Desiderio, 3/31)
Reuters: With Japan On Brink Of Coronavirus Emergency, Tokyo Could Keep Schools Closed Until May
Japan remains on the brink of a state of emergency as the rate of new coronavirus cases accelerates across the country, its top government spokesman said on Wednesday, amid reports the capital may order public schools to stay closed for a second month. (3/31)
The Associated Press: Mass Testing, Empty ICUs: Germany Scores Early Against Virus
Late last year — long before most people had heard of the new coronavirus now sweeping the globe — scientists in Germany sprang into action to develop a test for the virus causing an unusual respiratory disease in central China. They had one by mid-January — and labs around the country were ready to start using it just weeks later, around the same time that Europe’s most populous country registered its first case. (Jordans, 4/1)
The Associated Press: Fake News Or The Truth? Russia Cracks Down On Virus Postings
Two weeks ago, an opposition-leaning radio station in Russia interviewed political analyst Valery Solovei, who alleged the government was lying when it said no one had died in the country from the coronavirus. Solovei told radio station Echo Moskvy at least 1,600 people might have died since mid-January. Russia’s media and internet watchdog, Roscomnadzor, quickly pressured the station to delete the interview from its website. (Litvinova, 4/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Italy Hopeful That Coronavirus Pandemic Is Slowing Down
Italian authorities believe the country’s coronavirus epidemic, the world’s deadliest, is slowing down appreciably after three weeks of national lockdown, a hopeful sign for other Western countries that are following approaches similar to Italy’s with a time lag. But Italian officials and health experts said it will take until after Easter to cut new infections enough to begin loosening the lockdown and reopen parts of Italy’s economy. (Walker, 3/31)
