Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Cancels Security Detail For Former Covid Task Force Adviser Fauci
AP: Trump Ends Fauci's Security Detail And Says He'd Feel No Responsibility If Harm Befell Him
President Donald Trump has ended the federal security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who advised him on the COVID-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. Speaking to reporters in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said he wouldn’t feel any responsibility if harm befell the former government officials. A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, said that Fauci’s federal security detail was ended on Thursday and that he has since hired private security. (Weissert and Miller, 1/24)
On the covid pandemic —
NBC News: CIA Shifts Assessment On Covid Origins, Saying Lab Leak Likely Caused Outbreak
The CIA said Saturday it has shifted its previous assessments and has concluded that it’s likely the Covid-19 virus was leaked from a Chinese lab before it became a global pandemic but added that the agency had “low confidence” in its judgment. “CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin based on the available body of reporting,” a CIA spokesperson said in a statement. “CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible.” (De Luce, 1/25)
CNN: NIH Interim Director Comes From Its Research Ranks But Is Known For Questioning Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates
Dr. Matthew Memoli, a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases researcher focused on flu and other respiratory viruses, has been named acting director of the nearly $50 billion agency. A confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, hasn’t been scheduled yet. (Tirrell and Goodman, 1/24)
On flu and bird flu —
NBC News: Flu Is Rising Nationwide, CDC Reports, With Spikes In ER Visits
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released some new flu data to the public on Friday, despite the Trump administration’s halt of nearly all scientific communication coming from federal health agencies. The information was not reported as it usually is by the CDC, in a weekly breakdown of flu activity called FluView, but was added to a section that focuses on respiratory illnesses in general. (Edwards, 1/24)
The New York Times: ‘This Is A Dangerous Virus’
A bird flu pandemic is not inevitable even now, more than a dozen experts said in interviews. But a series of developments over the past few weeks indicates that the possibility is no longer remote. Toothless guidelines, inadequate testing and long delays in releasing data — echoes of the missteps during the Covid-19 pandemic — have squandered opportunities for containing the outbreak, the experts said. (Mandavilli, 1/27)
NBC News: FDA Recommends Pet Food Companies Revisit Safety Plans Amid Bird Flu Outbreak
As a growing number of cats have gotten sick or died after consuming raw pet food or raw milk contaminated with the H5N1 virus, health officials have advised pet food companies to take extra precautions to protect against bird flu. In recent guidance, the Food and Drug Administration suggested that pet food manufacturers take precautions in their food safety plans, such as “seeking ingredients from flocks or herds that are healthy” and “taking processing steps, such as heat treatment, that are capable of inactivating viruses.” (Carroll, 1/26)
