Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Reopening Texas Too Soon Will Only Cause More Suffering; Bold Steps Needed Now To Help Our Kids
The Washington Post: Greg Abbott Is Endangering The Health Of Texas And Beyond
The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott (R), is gambling with the health of his state and beyond. He announced plans on Tuesday to completely open establishments next week and lift a face mask mandate for public areas, retreating from the vital measures needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic. While everyone is eager for a break from restrictions, Mr. Abbott’s decision is premature and reckless. On Monday, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky, warned that the recent declines in daily new infections and deaths had stalled, a worrisome sign just as new virus variants are spreading. The number of new cases per day has been stuck nationwide at about 70,000 on a rolling average for a week, she noted, expressing concern that “more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from covid-19.” (3/2)
Houston Chronicle: Ending COVID Restrictions, Abbott Plays Politics With Texans' Lives
The governor says it, so it must be true. Texans, in the words of Gov. Greg Abbott Tuesday, have “mastered” the safe daily habits that prevent the contraction and spread of COVID-19. Through Texans’ tireless efforts to obey public health guidelines and follow the governor’s statewide mask mandate, the pandemic is abating in the state, saving not only lives, but also allowing Abbott to slip the onerous bonds of responsibility and leave the fate of millions of our fellow Texans in the capable hands of the vigilant citizens of Texas. “Texans have wrestled with COVID, and they have learned best how to conduct their own lives,” Abbott said in a press conference in Lubbock. “State mandates are no longer needed.” (3/2)
The New York Times: How To Protect Yourself Against Coronavirus Variants
The hospital where I work is now treating fewer people with Covid-19, after enduring a deadly resurgence of the coronavirus this year. In the United States, the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 has dropped 29 percent in the past two weeks, most likely thanks to rising immunity resulting from vaccinations and prior infections, as well as the success of government-imposed restrictions. It feels as if we can begin to exhale. But the situation remains delicate. The number of new Covid-19 cases reported each day has declined substantially since the peak in early January, but more recently the rate has stabilized as new variants of the virus threaten to reverse our modest progress. Some of these new variants are more transmissible and may be more virulent. They may also be less susceptible to some vaccines than the previously dominant lineages of the coronavirus. A variant discovered in Brazil infected people who already had some immunity to Covid-19 because of previous infections. (Abraar Karan, 3/3)
CNN: Pediatrician: The Pandemic Is Taking An Alarming Toll On Children
Almost a year into the pandemic, what began as a public health emergency is turning into a mental health crisis among our nation's children and adolescents as they struggle with social isolation, grief, and the switch to remote learning. It is becoming increasingly clear that this crisis will endure well beyond the pandemic. (Lee Savio Beers, 3/2)
Stat: Using A Collective 'Virtuous Cycle' To Break The Pandemic
Medical schools teach students a four-part “virtuous cycle” in which one step positively reinforces the next: Assess the patient. Implement a therapeutic plan. Assess the patient’s response. Revise the therapeutic plan as needed. (Isaac S. Kohane and Jonathan Zittrain, 3/2)
Stat: Biden's Pandemic Plan Mustn't Ignore Antimicrobial Resistance
What if another devastating pandemic came on the heels of Covid-19? Unfortunately, that looks increasingly possible. For years, the antibiotics used to fight various bacterial infections have grown gradually less effective. If current trends continue, these antibiotics could stop working altogether in the near future, leaving humanity vulnerable to deadly, drug-resistant “superbugs. ”Preventing this public health threat will require an aggressive, federally backed effort to develop new and more potent antibiotics. As the Biden administration begins thinking about pandemic preparedness, it should focus on jump-starting innovation in developing new antimicrobial drugs. (Michelle McMurry-Heath, 3/3)
Chicago Tribune: Gov. Pritzker, Protect ‘Health Care Heroes’ From Excess Litigation Over COVID-19
When the coronavirus hit U.S. shores in January 2020, few people, including President Donald Trump and top health officials in the federal government, began to prepare for a worst-case scenario — or any scenario. Even as the second U.S. infection of a Chicago woman returning from Wuhan, China, was confirmed in late January, Chicago health officials said risk to the general public “remains low. ”We now know how wrong those early assessments were. We now know that nursing homes would be hit especially hard by the virus, accounting for roughly 40% of deaths nationwide. And we now know that nursing homes and their employees are dealing with an additional complication due to the pandemic — the threat of mass litigation. (3/2)
