Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccinations Working As US Covid Cases Fall, But Not Everywhere
NBC News: CDC Director Sees 'A Really Hopeful Decline' As Covid Cases In The U.S. Fall
After a worrisome uptick in Covid-19 cases in the United States in recent weeks, there are encouraging signs that the situation is beginning to stabilize, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a briefing Tuesday that there have been declines across the board, with new cases, hospitalizations and daily deaths all falling over the past seven days. (Chow, 4/27)
In covid updates from Maine, New Mexico, California and Hawaii —
Bangor Daily News: Vaccinations Are High, And So Are New COVID Cases. Here’s A Look At What’s Driving That
Even as Maine has weathered the pandemic better than many states and been a leader in vaccinations, a complicated set of factors has kept its new case counts steadily high in recent weeks. It is among 14 states that have seen rising case counts in the last two weeks, according to the New York Times. It is also seeing some of the biggest hospitalization increases, with the state averaging 29 percent more admittances now than it did two weeks ago, according to that tracker. These factors all present a challenge for state health officials in the days leading up to a major shift in Maine’s reopening plan. Starting Saturday, all Americans will be able to travel to Maine without having to quarantine. Businesses will soon be allowed to operate at a higher capacity as long as they follow certain public safety guidelines. (Andrews, 4/28)
Albuquerque Journal: Virus Patients In NM On The Rise
New Mexico reported upticks Tuesday in the number of daily COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations. In their daily report, state health officials said 130 virus patients are in New Mexico hospitals – a figure that’s climbed 35% since April 1, according to state data. It’s still well below the peak in November and December, when New Mexico routinely exceeded 900 COVID-19 patients in its hospitals. (4/27)
San Francisco Chronicle: California Has Recorded About 1,400 'Breakthrough' Coronavirus Cases In Fully Vaccinated People
This year, California has recorded 1,379 cases of coronavirus infection in people who were fully vaccinated, the state Department of Public Health said Tuesday. These so-called breakthrough cases — recorded from Jan. 1 to April 21 — make up about 0.1% of the roughly 1.4 million cases reported in California in that period. The state had not previously made this data available, though Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news briefing earlier this month that public health officials were tracking breakthrough reports and would release more information to the public. (Allday, 4/27)
AP: Young Boy Dies With COVID-19 After Family Travels To Hawaii
A child who traveled to Hawaii with his vaccinated parents has died after contracting COVID-19.The Hawaii Department of Health said Tuesday the boy is under 11 and had a known underlying condition. It was the first coronavirus-related death of a child in that age range in Hawaii. ... The child’s parents were fully vaccinated and were tested for COVID-19 before traveling to Hawaii. (Jones, 4/28)
