Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Now Is Not The Time For Governors To Be Hemming, Hawing About Health Data; Let's See That US Crosses Vaccine Finish Line First
The Washington Post: Governors Need More Than Hopes And Dreams To Reopen States
The daily increase in reported U.S. coronavirus cases — now approaching 1 million all told, with more than 54,000 fatalities — has not begun to fall, but some states’ governors are already trying to reopen businesses and relax restrictions. In making this life-or-death decision, these governors are running ahead of the science and just hoping for the best. On “Fox News Sunday,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) defended his new plan to reopen the state, beginning with personal care businesses such as salons and expanding soon to restaurants and sports venues. In making his case, Stitt leaned heavily on the fact that covid-19 hospitalizations in the state peaked on March 30. But he left out that on Tuesday the state’s health department reported the largest one-day total of cases since early April. “Even without widespread testing,” the president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association told the Oklahoman newspaper last week, “Oklahoma has seen an ongoing growth in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the past week alone” — contrary to White House guidelines for reopening. When host Chris Wallace showed Stitt that quote, though, the governor replied, “I don’t know exactly who that is” — an incredible dismissal. (James Downie, 4/26)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Gov.’s Reopening Plan May Compound Georgia's Pandemic Risk
Last Monday, April 20, Gov. Brian Kemp announced the limited reopening of sectors of Georgia’s economy, effective April 24. The rationale includes the fact that documented cases of COVID-19 appear to have flattened, leading people to wonder: has the danger passed? The answer is simple: no. Georgia is familiar with the risk associated with natural disasters. About two weeks ago, a string of tornadoes passed through the state causing multiple fatalities and significant property damage. We understand that when a tornado has passed on in a fast-moving storm front, the danger has passed. But this is not how it works for a respiratory virus spreading in an immunologically naive population. (Joshua S. Weitz, 4/25)
The New York Times: There’s Really Only One Way To Reopen The Economy
The way forward in the coronavirus crisis keeps getting framed as a choice between saving lives or saving the economy. It’s a false choice. The only way to save the economy is to take the steps that will also save lives. A number of states are declaring that their economies are open for business. What they’re really doing is saying that it is permissible for many businesses that were closed by regulation to achieve adequate social distancing to open once again. It’s likely that many will. Small businesses have been devastated by this lockdown, and they’re eager to get going once again. (Aaron E. Carroll, 4/26)
The Wall Street Journal: America Needs To Win The Coronavirus Vaccine Race
The first nation to develop a vaccine for Covid-19 could have an economic advantage as well as a tremendous public-health achievement. Doses will be limited initially as suppliers ramp up, and a country will focus on inoculating most of its own population first. Even with extraordinary international collaboration among multiple companies, it could be years before a vaccine is produced at a scale sufficient to help the entire world. The first country to the finish line will be first to restore its economy and global influence. America risks being second. (Scott Gottlieb, 4/26)
Stat: The Covid-19 Pandemic Could Be The Start Of The 'Biotech Century'
If you had infinite foresight and knew a pathogen like Covid-19 was coming, what would you do to prepare? You’d certainly stockpile N95 masks and ventilators. But you’d also invest billions of dollars, or perhaps even trillions, in biopharma research and development to get ready to fight back. (Michael Mandel, 4/27)
The Washington Post: Nursing Homes During Coronavirus Deserve Our Prayers — And Serious Reforms
In the aftermath of the pandemic, aging in America may never be the same. The spiraling death toll in the nation’s patchwork of nursing home facilities has revealed just how broken the system already was — understaffed, unevenly regulated and economically challenged. And it has underscored the urgency of reexamining and improving the prevailing model of senior care. More than 10,000 residents and staff have died from covid-19 infections in long-term care facilities across the United States, according to an analysis of state data by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The actual death toll among nursing home residents is certainly higher because not all states release data. We will soon get a clearer picture with new federal rules that require weekly disclosure of coronavirus cases and a commitment to alert patients and families within 12 hours if a resident in a facility has tested positive. (Michele L. Norris, 4/27)
ABC News: More Than A Disease, COVID-19 Exposes Health Risk Of Food Insecurity
Maria suffers from diabetes, asthma, hypertension and depression. She needs to eat healthy to keep her glucose level stable and enhance her immune system. But she doesn't want to venture out to the grocery store. She lives alone, her husband passed away several years ago. Her son lives thousands of miles away and talks to her on FaceTime, fearful to visit and endanger her. (Jay Bhatt, 4/26)
Los Angeles Times: Discrimination Soon May Be Based On Coronavirus Immunity
Antibody tests that aim to show whether a person has been exposed to the coronavirus and presumably has immunity are expected to flood the market very soon. Such tests, if accurate, could help us understand the spread of the virus and the extent of immunity in the society as well as determine who can safely go back to work. Much is still unknown about the level of antibodies needed to make a person immune and most blood tests have not been reviewed by the government for accuracy. (Turley, 4/24)
CNN: Covid-19: Researchers Should Study How It Affects Women
As the Covid-19 pandemic overwhelms communities across the US, many of us in the scientific and medical fields can't help but remember the early days of the AIDS epidemic. In the 1980s, HIV was a mysterious, deadly new virus spreading quickly across our country. Fear and misinformation fueled outbreaks. Hotspots cropped up in New York City and California. (Susan Blumenthal, 4/26)
The New York Times: Trump’s Contempt For The Ex-Presidents Is Costing Us Right Now
About a year ago, in an interview in the Oval Office, I asked President Trump if his years behind the storied Resolute desk had made him empathize with his predecessors. In the very room where most of them had called on one another in times of crisis for years — and well before the novel coronavirus pandemic changed the country, and the world — Mr. Trump was dismissive of the men who came before him. He answered my question without hesitation: “No, no.” His attitude toward his predecessors has apparently only hardened over time. The chaos of the pandemic has shined a spotlight on his contempt for the living presidents. (Kate Andersen Brower, 4/27)
