Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Biden Can Bring Science Back Home To America; Return To Lockdowns Would Be A Big Mistake
Los Angeles Times: The Biden Presidency Can Bring Science Back To Washington
President-elect Joe Biden has a lot of repair work to do on America, much of which will be difficult, if not impossible, if Senate Republicans are bent on obstructing him. There’s one area, though, where he could unravel a lot of Trump administration damage fairly quickly and easily: Biden can bring science back to Washington. (11/13)
The Wall Street Journal: Joe Biden’s Lockdown Lobby
Did you enjoy the days at home from mid-March to May? The 22 million lost jobs, the shuttered storefronts, the neighborhood shops out of business, the kids unable to attend school, and the near economic depression? Well, congratulations, a reprise may be coming your way if Joe Biden heeds his Covid-19 advisory team. We’ve told you about Ezekiel Emanuel, the advisory committee member who wanted new lockdowns during the summer flare-up in the Sunbelt states. Lucky for the country that his only power then was appearing on MSNBC. (11/12)
Dallas Morning News: Biden Must Focus On COVID-19, But Another Sweeping Shutdown Would Be Devastating
It appears that Biden will properly focus more directly on a better response. However, calls for sweeping shutdowns and other highly restrictive mandates should be approached with caution. The U.S. economy is recovering, but a major shutdown would be devastating, causing financial duress and wreaking havoc on mental health and wellness. While targeted restrictions may be essential in many places, a broad-based lockdown would cause immense harm. Greater encouragement of basic safety measures is already forthcoming from the president-elect, which experts agree can have major positive consequences. (Ray Perryman, 11/13)
The New York Post: Joe Biden’s Coronavirus Advisers Are Worse Than The Disease
Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board looks pretty . . . sick. One of his top guys wants a six-week national lockdown, with mass borrowing to pay all the sidelined workers. Another wanted the country to go on lockdown for 18 months — and doesn’t believe life is worth living after age 75. Biden adviser Michael Osterholm said Wednesday that locking down America for four to six weeks is needed while we wait for a vaccine to begin rolling out. He’s an epidemiologist by trade but seems to consider himself an economic expert, too. (11/12)
The Wall Street Journal: We Don’t Need Government Mandates For Covid Vaccination
Covid-19 vaccines are almost here. Pfizer announced Monday that its vaccine has proved more than 90% effective in clinical trials. But vaccines are useless unless people take them, and it’s likely many will refuse. The drumbeat is growing louder for the government to mandate vaccination. On Saturday the New York State Bar Association urged Albany to require Covid-19 vaccines for all New Yorkers regardless of religious objection. While courts have upheld state vaccine mandates in the past, a societywide mandate would be overbroad and unduly coercive. Private initiatives will work better. (Joel M. Zinberg, 11/12)
The Hill: Biden-Harris COVID-19 Advisory Board Should Be Met With Cautious Optimism
I intently studied the names of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 advisory board, and it was hard not to be impressed: a former FDA head and Surgeon General, infectious disease specialists, ethicists, epidemiologists, and a front-line ICU physician. Good, I thought, I can exhale. But what should be the public’s expectation of these 13 highly qualified men and women — nine of whom parenthetically are members of underrepresented minorities, a group hit especially hard by the pandemic? (Dr. David Weill, 11/12)
The Washington Post: Three Feet Of Social Distancing Should Be Enough In Schools
The requirement for six feet of distancing has forced many schools to limit the number of students attending in person due to space constraints and thus has become a key factor keeping millions of kids home. That’s a mistake. Six feet should be the default minimum for adults, but it’s past time we recognize that kids are different and the importance of schools is different, especially for the youngest learners. Three feet should be the default distance for schools. (Joseph G. Allen and Sara Bleich, 11/12)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Illinois, Missouri Approach Pandemic Differently, But The Results Are The Same
Although urban areas surrounding Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City are re-entering full crisis mode, with hospitals becoming overwhelmed and emergency rooms turning away patients, the real story is in the more rural parts of both states where precautionary measures are neither being observed nor enforced. In many places, such as Jefferson County, those precautionary measures were openly mocked just a few months ago with protest signs comparing mask mandates to Hitler’s Germany. (11/12)
Sacramento Bee: COVID-19 Cases Rising, Sacramento Must Enforce Indoor Rules
Some of us may be done with COVID-19, but COVID-19 is not done with us. Sacramento County’s spiking coronavirus case numbers have pushed our community back into the purple tier, meaning the infection threat has once again become severe. Now, after months of gradual reopening, Sacramento faces another round of restrictive closures. State rules require a shutdown of all indoor dining, fitness and religious services. Malls, movie theaters and museums must also halt indoor operations. Schools that have not yet reopened must now postpone in-person classes. (11/11)
