Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Pros, Cons Of Not Fearing COVID; Lessons On Deciding Not To Protect Others
The Wall Street Journal: Trump, Covid And Reason
President Trump’s tweet Monday “Don’t be afraid of Covid” has invited more criticism that he’s again downplaying the virus. Mr. Trump doesn’t do nuance, and he and his team have often acted recklessly, most prominently at the Rose Garden ceremony announcing Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination. But scientists generally agree with his fundamental point that Americans need to learn to live with the virus. (10/6)
Boston Globe: The Unmasking Of Donald Trump
President Donald Trump is frantically trying to recast callousness as courage — and in doing so, he’s sending a life-threatening message to America. This cynical move insults not just the intelligence of the American people, but also the memory of the more than 210,000 Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19. The president’s return to the White House Monday evening was a tinny spectacle of the sort that appeals to strongmen and fanatic followers everywhere: a helicopter flight from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to the White House lawn, with the Washington Monument as a photographic accent point. A walk up the South Portico staircase to the Truman Balcony. A tearing off of his mask before a long salute for the cameras. (Scot Lehigh, 10/6)
Bloomberg: Tracing The Source Of Trump's Covid Infection
One of the bizarre subplots of President Donald Trump’s illness has been the White House’s unwillingness to explore exactly how he contracted Covid-19. Offers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the outbreak have been rebuffed, leaving open pressing questions. Who gave the virus to the president, and where did that happen? To whom did he give it, and in what circumstances? Is the disease now sweeping through the White House all from a single source, and if so, who is the source? Twenty years ago it would have been all but impossible to answer those questions, but they can now be answered quickly and cheaply — so quickly and cheaply that I can’t help but wonder why we don’t already have the answers. (Michael Lewis, 10/6)
Los Angeles Times: Trump Is No Churchill, No FDR. Try Typhoid Mary Instead
Sean Hannity was on TV the other night lavishing praise on President Trump for his “leadership” during the pandemic, comparing him to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, towering figures who steered their countries through times of war. Laughable stuff, of course. In Trump, we have a president who lied to the country about the dangers of the novel coronavirus, flouted the advice of public health experts, imperiled his credulous supporters by dispensing crackpot medical advice and congratulated himself repeatedly as much of the country morphed into a petri dish of disease. (Robin Abcarian, 10/6)
The Washington Post: Chris Wallace Blasts Trump Family, Guests For Not Wearing Masks At Debate
Inside a Cleveland auditorium on Tuesday, everyone watching President Trump debate former vice president Joe Biden wore a mask, with a notable exception: Trump’s guests, including the first family. On Sunday, the debate’s moderator, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, demanded answers from the Trump campaign for flouting the debate host’s rules — especially in light of Friday’s news that both the president and first lady Melania Trump later tested positive for the novel coronavirus. “The rules from the Cleveland Clinic could not have been more clear. Everyone, everyone in the audience was to wear a mask,” Wallace said on “Fox News Sunday.” (Tim Elfrink, 10/5)
The New York Times: Trump’s Not Superman. He’s Superspreader.
The most important question today is not what President Trump has learned from his bout with Covid-19. Trump is one of those leaders who never learns and never forgets, as the saying goes. The most important question is what have we as citizens learned — and, in particular, what have Trump’s supporters learned? Because the debate over Trump himself is over. The verdict is in: He cast himself as Superman, but he turns out to have been Superspreader — not only of a virus but of a whole way of looking at the world in a pandemic that was dangerously wrong for himself and our nation. To re-elect him would be an act of collective madness. (Thomas L. Friedman, 10/6)
Bloomberg: Coronavirus: Are Hospitals Ready For The Second Wave?
The brutal experience of Covid-19’s first wave humbled many rich countries where even generous health care systems were overwhelmed by an unfamiliar virus. Just as past outbreaks taught Asia hard truths about how to deal with pandemics, lessons from this novel coronavirus abound in the West: Italy has ramped up intensive-care capacity, France is paying health workers better and Spain is building a new pandemic hospital. Thanks to these and other efforts, national lockdowns are being portrayed as a one-off. Yet as cases surge again in Europe, strains on critical-care resources are leading to economic shutdowns on local and regional levels. (Lionel Laurent, 10/7)
Stat: Covid-19 Long-Haulers And The Experience Of 'Hidden' Disabilities
I vividly recall standing with one of my college mentors in front of an iron lung in the lobby of Boston Children’s Hospital. He told me how polio had led to the last disability revolution because people with the disease made the public aware of disabilities and fought for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. (Harry T. Paul, 10/7)
Stat: Digital Health Companies Must Commit To The Highest Standards
The digital health gold rush is on. Teledoc’s $18.5 billion acquisition of Livongo reflects the valuation and consumer demand for virtual care. The capital, talent, utilization — and, let’s face it, speculation — driving the boom are creating a historic opportunity to reimagine how health care works and who it works for. (Jenna Carl, 10/7)
Stat: Cutting Off H-1B Visas Will Hurt The Biopharma Industry
I’ve traveled the world because of science. My undergraduate and doctoral studies were in Boston. I’ve done stem cell research in Singapore. I worked in Belgium to learn about camelid antibodies, studied chemistry in England, and given talks around the world. This type of freedom to study and work across countries made it possible for me to learn from the best, expanded my scientific horizons, and instilled in me a deep passion to make the world a better place. (Elizabeth O'Day, 10/6)
Dallas Morning News: What Texas Stands To Lose By Failing To Require LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex Education
The Texas State Board of Education is revising the health and sex education standards for Texas students, and we have a real opportunity to take a much-needed step forward for all youth across our state. The last time the board revised the standards was 1997, a generation ago. Bill Clinton was in the White House, fewer than 20% of American households had internet access and the world was mourning the death of Princess Diana. (Cece Cox, 10/6)
