Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Prepares For Overflow Of Morgues As Daily Case Record Reported
Bloomberg: Texas Readies Morgue Trucks In Preparation For Virus Surge
Along the Texas coast outside Corpus Christi, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales surveyed the sandy Gulf of Mexico beaches packed with swimmers and sunbathers, just the way they are every summer. Then she went back to her office to order another morgue truck. Officials across Texas are rushing to mobilize overflow mortuary space as communities brace for a surge in coronavirus deaths following Fourth of July festivities. (Warren, Adams-Heard and Flatley, 7/15)
The Hill: Texas Reports Record Highs For Daily Coronavirus Cases, Deaths
Texas has set grim records for single-day deaths and new COVID-19 cases as the Lone Star State continues to get rocked by a resurgence of the pandemic. The state reported 110 deaths and 10,791 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, bringing its total number of cases during the pandemic to 282,365. It was the second consecutive day that Texas broke its record for daily number of new cases. (Johnson, 7/15)
AP: Nebraska Sees Spike In Number Of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
Nebraska’s daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 300 for the first time since late May, according to data released Wednesday. The state’s online virus tracker shows 318 cases were confirmed Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to more than 21,700 since the outbreak began. The last time Nebraska recorded so many cases in a day was May 29, when 393 were confirmed. (7/15)
The Hill: Pennsylvania Tightens Coronavirus Restrictions On Businesses As Cases Climb
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) tightened restrictions on businesses Wednesday as the number of new coronavirus cases climbs in the state. Wolf’s new orders, which will take effect Thursday, reduced capacity for indoor dining to 25 percent. Bars can be open for sit-down meals at tables, also at 25 percent capacity, but bar service will be prohibited. Indoor gatherings are also capped at 25 people, and outdoor gatherings are capped at 250 people under the new order. The governor is also requiring all businesses to operate by teleworking if possible. (Klar, 7/15)
The Wall Street Journal: Why Arizona Wasn’t Ready For Its Coronavirus Surge
In the state with the highest per-capita rate of Covid-19 cases in America over the past week, Arizonans are waiting up to eight hours in the broiling hot sun to get tested. A metropolitan area of a million people was down to 17 free ICU beds Tuesday. A top health official in the largest county said the coronavirus is now so widespread that contact tracing is almost ineffective. Local officials and public health experts coping with the coronavirus pandemic in Arizona say the state was lucky to avoid a large outbreak in the spring, but that instead of using the time to prepare for a future wave, political leaders assumed the situation was already well in hand. (Frosch and Findell, 7/15)
AP: Parson Tries To Reassure As COVID-19 Cases Continue To Climb
Gov. Mike Parson sought to reassure Missourians about the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday as the state reported 888 new confirmed cases, its second largest single-day increase.“WE ARE NOT DEFENSELESS AGAINST COVID-19,” Parson, a Republican, said in a tweet. “We are much better prepared now to deal with the virus than we were in March. We know more about the virus. We know how to box-in outbreaks. We have accelerated testing and our health care system is stable.” (7/15)
In good news from the states —
CNN: These US States Have Tamed Coronavirus, Even After Reopening. Here's How They're Doing It, And Why They Can't Let Up
When Covid-19 suddenly ravaged New York, hospitals looked "apocalyptic." Refrigerated trucks turned into morgues because there wasn't enough space for all the victims. That was March. Three months later, the state had "done a full 180, from worst to first," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Now, the rates of infection, hospitalizations or deaths have plummeted in New York and several other states -- paving the way for full economic reopenings. (Yan, 7/15)
NPR: This City's Coronavirus Safety Measures Could Become Best Practices
When the meatpacking industry in the U.S. started seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, local officials in New Bedford, Mass., worried that their city was next. But the city took action, issuing emergency orders that safety experts say should be a model for workplaces across the U.S., if those orders can be properly enforced. Jon Mitchell, the city's mayor, issued two COVID-19 orders on May 6 in a city where nearly 15% of the population works in manufacturing and 20% is Latino. (Sebai, 7/16)
