Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Faculty Group Pushes Governor To Cancel In-Person Graduations
Houston Chronicle: As Texas Colleges Plan In-Person Graduations, Faculty Push Back
A growing number of Texas colleges will have commencements this fall, with many offering multiple in-person ceremonies following enforced safety protocols and social distancing guidelines. The Texas Faculty Association, a group of more than 500 faculty from around the state, urged Gov. Greg Abbott in a release Wednesday to instruct state colleges and their boards to cancel or postpone fall in-person graduation ceremonies. The letter has also asked private colleges and universities to refrain from in-person commencements. (Britto, 11/4)
In news from Maine —
Bangor Daily News: Maine CDC Closes Its Augusta Office After Employee Tests Positive For COVID-19
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has closed its Augusta office to the public after a worker tested positive for the coronavirus, the agency said Wednesday. The state Department of Health and Human Services, the Maine CDC’s umbrella agency, learned of the positive test result on Tuesday afternoon and notified other workers at the office on 286 Water St. in downtown Augusta. The employee is now self-isolating, and workers from four of the building’s floors are now working remotely. (Eichacker, 11/4)
Bangor Daily News: ‘Staggering’ Criminal Case Backlog Means Maine Courts Won’t Take Up Civil Matters Until 2021
Maine courts have pushed many non-criminal matters into next year or later so they can start clearing a backlog of 8,800 felony criminal cases that the state’s acting chief justice called “staggering.” The delay in holding civil trials could help the court system chip away at the criminal case backlog that has grown 240 percent in less than a year. But some lawyers say delaying civil cases because they’re not considered emergency matters risks depriving Maine people of a legal forum for settling disputes. (Harrison, 11/4)
In news from Kentucky, Missouri and Iowa —
Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Extends Mask Mandate, Reports 1,635 New Cases, 11 Deaths
Gov. Andy Beshear reported 1,635 new cases of the coronavirus and 11 more related deaths in Kentucky on Wednesday. The state has now seen 113,009 COVID-19 cases and 1,514 deaths caused by the disease. The rate for positive tests is at 6.3%.In the wake of Election Day, with votes still being counted across the country, Beshear reminded Kentuckians "the virus is still here." (Austin, 11/4)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: October Deadliest Month In Missouri For Virus; Hospitalizations Hit Record
October became the deadliest month for Missouri in the coronavirus pandemic as fatalities statewide rose to 618 for the month, surpassing September, with the toll still likely to climb. At the same time Wednesday, Missouri reported another grim record: The state’s seven-day total hospitalization average rose to 1,604, marking the first time that number has surpassed 1,600. Missouri hospitalization data lags three days, and not every hospital reports every day. (Merrilees, 11/4)
Des Moines Register: Iowa Nursing Homes With Dozens Of Infections Were Cleared By Inspectors Weeks Before
Of the 20 Iowa nursing homes with the biggest, active COVID-19 outbreaks, 14 were cleared by state inspectors of any infection-control violations earlier this year. In some cases, facilities with as many as seven dozen confirmed COVID-19 infections have undergone two, three or even four infection-control inspections since the pandemic began and been cleared by state inspectors each time. (Kauffman, 11/5)
The Washington Post: An Iowa Airport Has A Plan To Screen Passengers For The Coronavirus. It’s Being Held Up By The FAA.
The Federal Aviation Administration has for months been weighing whether to allow the nation’s more than 500 federally subsidized airports to spend their money on screening passengers for the coronavirus, an issue teed up by a plan developed by a fairly small airport in Iowa. Marty Lenss, director of Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, began working on the plan in the spring, when the spread of the virus and lockdown orders brought air travel to a near standstill. Lenss worked with a local hospital to craft a plan to quickly screen travelers before they passed through security. He figured he could cover the $800,000 cost by using some of the $23 million the airport received under the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package known as the Cares Act. (Duncan, 11/4)
