Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Next Kink In Supply Chain: Mexico Shuts Down Factories That Provide Needed Medical Parts
Politico: Sweeping Mexican Factory Shutdown Strains U.S. Production Of Critical Supplies
American companies making crucial goods like ventilators, face masks and military equipment are unable to get parts and materials they need because the Mexican government has shuttered hundreds of factories and is refusing to reopen them during the pandemic. Canada and the United States have deemed many manufacturers of parts and materials essential and kept them open during the coronavirus outbreak. But Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is only allowing companies to operate if they’re directly involved in critical industries such as health care, food production or energy — and not if they supply materials to companies involved in those industries. (Rodriguez, 4/27)
The Wire: How Chinese Dominance Of Antibiotic Supplies Could Put The U.S. At Risk
A global pandemic had begun in a hospital in Oklahoma City. Doctors soon diagnosed smallpox, a virulent, deadly and disfiguring infection that had disappeared from the planet two decades before. What would the president do? This was the scenario that a cast of Washington power players sought to tackle over two days at Andrews Air Force Base in June 2001. The exercise, code-named Dark Winter, has passed into Washington lore as the first high-profile alarm of the dire consequences of a pandemic. (Harris and Palmer, 4/28)
The Wall Street Journal: Before Coronavirus, She Made Parts For Ford For 26 Years—Now She Makes Ventilators
Trina Bird has driven to the same Ford Motor Co. factory in Ypsilanti, Mich., for 26 years to work. Early on the morning of April 17, she sat in her compact car gripped by something she’d never experienced before. “When I pulled into the parking lot, I was like ‘oh no, I’m not doing it,’” she said. Ms. Bird was returning to the plant after a roughly four-week layoff to make machines for people suffering from Covid-19. A couple of friends had expressed concern about her safety, and those comments echoed as she spent time alone as the sun came up. (Stoll, 4/28)
The Hill: California Men Accused Of Trying To Sell Millions Of Nonexistent Medical Masks
Authorities on Monday accused two California men of trying to sell millions of nonexistent medical masks to buyers during the coronavirus pandemic. Donald Allen, 62, and Manuel Revolorio, 37, were arrested and charged with alleged conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The pair attempted to influence a buyer to send them more than $4 million to secure masks that they did not actually have, according to a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ). (Coleman, 4/27)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ventilator Alternatives Show Promise, Ease Shortage Fears
The nightmare of doctors in overwhelmed Italian hospitals being forced to ration ventilators, choosing who would live and who would die, has been an ever-present fear since before the coronavirus hit the United States. Avoiding that bleak scenario has made getting more ventilators a national priority. But as physicians have learned more about COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, they are finding that less-invasive and less-risky therapies may be as effective and can help some patients heal faster. As a result, doctors are becoming more conservative about putting severely ill patients on ventilators. (Shastri and Boulton, 4/27)
San Francisco Chronicle: Where Is California’s Coronavirus Equipment Going? Gavin Newsom Aides Give Details
After prodding from state lawmakers, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration debuted a website Monday to let people track the shipment of coronavirus-related personal protective equipment across California. The website shows how the state has distributed scarce supplies by county, such as face masks, gloves and gowns, to protect health care workers and others from the coronavirus pandemic. (Gardiner, 4/27)
