Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Has Track Record Of Suggesting Unproven Cures, But His Disinfectant Comments Pushed Experts Too Far
The Associated Press: No, Don't Inject Disinfectant: Outcry Over Trump's Musing
President Donald Trump’s raising of unproven, even far-fetched ideas for fighting COVID-19 -- including his latest musing about injecting disinfectants into people -- triggered an outcry from health officials everywhere. It also highlighted his unconventional approach to the special responsibility that comes with speaking from the presidential pulpit. Trump readily admits he’s not a doctor. Yet with the reported U.S. death toll from the virus topping 50,000, he continues to use the White House podium to promote untested drugs and float his own ideas for treatment as he tries to project optimism. (Riechmann and Madhani, 4/26)
CNN: Trump Blames Press For Furor Over Disinfectant Comments As Birx Defends Him
The furor over President Donald Trump's toxic suggestion that the coronavirus might be treated with an injection of disinfectant mounted Sunday as the President avoided the briefing room and one of his top medical advisers insisted his remarks were misinterpreted. After several days in which state public health officials have rushed to issue urgent warnings to Americans about the dangers of ingesting disinfectants, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, sidestepped the opportunity to amplify that message Sunday. (Reston, 4/27)
The Hill: Calls To Poison Control Centers Spike After Trump Disinfectant Comments
Poison control centers in a number of states have reported a rise in calls about exposure to household cleaners since President Trump made remarks suggesting that disinfectants should be looked into as a possible treatment for the coronavirus. New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed to NPR that the poison control center saw a rise in calls specifically pertaining to exposure to household cleaners within 18 hours of Trump’s remarks on Thursday. (Folley, 4/26)
The Hill: Birx: 'It Bothers Me' Trump Comments On Injecting Disinfectant 'Still In The News Cycle'
Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday that news coverage of President Trump's comments about light, heat and disinfectants as potential treatments for the coronavirus is overshadowing important information the public needs. Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper if Trump’s comments from the Thursday White House briefing bothered her, Birx said, “I think it bothers me this is still in the news cycle.” “I think we're missing the bigger pieces of what we need to be doing as an American people to continue to protect one another,” Birx said. (Klar, 4/26)
CNN: Donald Trump Is Driving Debroah Birx's Balancing Act To The Limit
Dr. Deborah Birx's balancing act between science and President Donald Trump's disinformation may be reaching the point of no return.The coronavirus task force official has been caught in an unenviable spot, juggling her public health mission and reputation with the need to stay in the good graces of Trump, who has shown both a penchant for touting unproven therapies and a willingness to show his critics the exit. Birx, a physician and diplomat, came under scrutiny Thursday when she failed, in real time, to correct Trump's assertion at the White House briefing that injecting disinfectant into the body might combat the virus. (Collinson and Reston, 4/27)
The New York Times: How Do You Sign ‘Don’t Drink Bleach’?
“Coronavirus” is one fist nestled against and behind the other, then opened, fingers spread like a sunburst or a peacock tail. Rorri Burton demonstrates via FaceTime, her sturdy hands and bare nails even cleaner than she usually scrubs them. The gesture is almost pretty compared to, say, “serological testing,” which, as she translates it, goes: “Pricked finger, test, analyze, see. Person before had coronavirus inside body? Doesn’t matter. Feels sick? Not feels sick? Doesn’t matter.” (Hubler, 4/27)
