Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Federalism Has Wreaked Havoc On Public Health; Lab-Created Covid Requires Strict Safety Measures
Scientific American: Fights Between U.S. States And The National Government Are Endangering Public Health
Unfortunately, the cry for “states’ rights” today often ends up endangering health, just as it did by perpetuating the systematic racial oppression that underlies so many of today’s health inequities. (Wendy E. Parmet, 10/19)
Bloomberg: Labs Creating New Viruses And Covid Variants Need More Oversight
Researchers at Boston University sparked alarming headlines this week by creating a more lethal version of the omicron Covid variant. (Faye Flam, 10/19)
The New York Times: We Advised Biden On The Pandemic. Much Work Remains To Face The Next Crisis
We are nearly three years into the Covid-19 pandemic, a health crisis so long, disruptive and deadly, it should have transformed the country’s preparation for the next public health emergency. Sadly, it has not. We say this as members of President Biden’s Covid advisory board in the weeks before he took office. We have since followed and been part of the public health response to the pandemic. We are deeply dismayed by what has been left undone. (Ezekiel J. Emanuel, David Michaels, Rick Bright and Michael T. Osterholm, 10/19)
Los Angeles Times: COVID Precautions Are Fading Just As Virus Is Strengthening
Winter is coming, and so are new COVID-19 variants. Based on the last two years, expect a botched national response when, not if, the winter surge comes. (Dipti S. Barot, 10/20)
New York Daily News: Long COVID's Terrible Toll
It's becoming clearer that, even in the unlikely event that we somehow, someday manage to eradicate COVID-19 and its many variants, we can't wipe clean the enormous toll the virus has taken. (10/19)
