Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
U.S. 'Not Nearly As Prepared As We Need To Be' For Big Pandemic, Experts Say As Coronavirus Looms On Horizon
The Washington Post: U.S. Readiness For A Viral Outbreak Has Improved, But There’s A Long Way To Go
A Liberian man walked into a Dallas emergency room in September 2014, at the height of the West African Ebola epidemic, complaining of high fever, abdominal pain and other symptoms of the fearsome virus. He was sent home with acetaminophen and a diagnosis of a sinus infection. Two weeks later, Thomas Eric Duncan was dead, two nurses who attended him were infected with Ebola and the shortcomings of U.S. preparations for a viral epidemic were vividly exposed. (Bernstein and Sun, 1/22)
CNN: Wuhan Coronavirus 'Super Spreader' Alarms Disease Detectives
Of all the alarming aspects of the rapidly spreading new virus out Wuhan, China, this is perhaps the most alarming: A single patient has infected 14 health care workers. That's what's called a "super spreader," and disease detectives are hot on that patient's trail. It's one element to stopping the spread of this coronavirus that's killed 17 people and infected more than 500 in five different countries, including the United States. (Cohen, 1/23)
The New York Times: A Scramble To Retrace The Steps Of The First Wuhan Coronavirus Case In The U.S.
Health officials scrambled on Wednesday to contact more than a dozen people who may have been exposed to the United States’ first case of the Wuhan coronavirus, even as regulators sought to assure the public there was little risk from an illness that has rapidly spread across Asia, killing at least 17 people. The patient, a man in his 30s who fell ill after traveling to China, has cooperated in helping public health workers trace his path from the Wuhan region of China to his home in Snohomish County, Wash., north of Seattle, health officials said. (Baker, 1/22)
The Associated Press: People Who Had Contact With Man With Virus To Be Monitored
Health officials said Wednesday they are actively monitoring 16 people who came into close contact with the traveler to China who became the first U.S. resident with a new and potentially deadly virus. The man, identified as a Snohomish County, Washington, resident is in his 30s, was in good condition and wasn't considered a threat to the public. (1/22)
Seattle Times: Snohomish County Man With Wuhan Coronavirus Had Close Contact With At Least 16 People, Health Officials Say
A Snohomish County man who was diagnosed Monday with the newly discovered Wuhan coronavirus after a trip to China had close contact with at least 16 people after arriving at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan. 15, health officials said Wednesday afternoon. The man has the United States’ first confirmed case of the mysterious respiratory infection, which has killed at least 17 people and infected at least 500 since December. In addition to Wuhan, China, patients have been identified in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and South Korea. The patient, a man in his 30s who lives alone, had been traveling solo in Wuhan since November. (Blethen, 1/22)
Politico: 4 Things To Know About The China Coronavirus
Health workers are being told to be on the lookout for new cases and to ask patients whether they’ve traveled to China recently — or come into contact with someone who has. Advisories are being sent through electronic medical records, internal hospital newsletters and daily huddles before shifts begin, according to Nancy Foster, the American Hospital Association’s vice president of quality and patient safety. (Ehley, Roubein and Owermohle, 1/22)
Reuters: Explainer: Global Airlines On High Alert As Virus Outbreak Spreads
Airlines and passengers are on guard against a new flu-like virus that originated in Wuhan, China. Here's an explainer on the airline industry's response to the outbreak so far and its potential financial exposure compared to SARS in 2003, which killed nearly 800 people. (Freed, 1/23)
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Concerns Lead Virginia Middle School To Cancel Visit By Chinese Exchange Students
A Northern Virginia middle school canceled a seven-day visit by 21 Chinese students and their chaperones on the day they arrived in the United States because of fears over a new coronavirus circulating in China, according to a school letter emailed to parents Wednesday afternoon. (Heim, 1/22)
Stat: The New Pneumonia-Causing Virus Needs A Name. It May Be Tricky
The pneumonia-causing virus, which is spreading rapidly in China and beyond, is currently being identified as 2019-nCoV, shorthand for a novel or new (i.e. “n”) coronavirus (CoV) that was first detected in 2019. The disease it causes doesn’t yet have a name, either, though Wuhan SARS or Wu Flu are among of the options being thrown around on the internet. None of these is likely to be the virus’ or the disease’s permanent name. They almost certainly would be unacceptable to the Chinese, and to the World Health Organization, which discourages the use of place names in the naming of diseases. As for the virus, the longer it spreads the less novel it becomes. 2019-nCoV is a bit like calling a daughter “the girl born in 2019.” Given that another daughter might be born in 2021, a name that might more easily distinguish between the two is probably in order. (Branswell, 1/23)
The Hill: Coronavirus Vaccine Could Begin Human Trials In Three Months
A top official at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said Wednesday that human trials for a vaccine to counter a new strain of coronavirus behind an outbreak of viral pneumonia in China could begin within three months. In an interview with Bloomberg Law, the director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that his agency is working with Cambridge, Mass.-based biotech company Moderna Inc. to develop a vaccine for the disease. “We’re already working on it," Anthony Fauci told Bloomberg. "And hopefully in a period of about three months, we’ll be able to start a phase one trial in humans." (Bowden, 1/22)
Bloomberg: Stocks Slip, Bonds Gain on Virus Fears
U.S. equity futures fluctuated while European stocks edged lower and Asian shares slumped on Thursday amid lingering concerns that a virus spreading from China to other countries could become a drag on global growth. Treasuries climbed and crude oil fell. (White, 1/22)
