Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Since Masks Save Lives, Why Is There A Debate On Them?; US Lessons On Embracing Preventive Measures
Baltimore Sun: Looking Out For The Common Good
Look around the world and it’s those nations where people accepted not just personal responsibility but a broader societal responsibility that have done best during the pandemic. The United States surely flattened the curve, if belatedly, but relaxed that approach too soon and now leads the planet in confirmed cases and deaths. More than 162,000 Americans have died and the number could rise to 300,000 by year’s end — unless people take additional precautionary steps. Just having everyone wear a mask consistently could save 70,000 lives, according to computer modeling by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. Slip on a mask and prevent tens of thousands of funerals between now and Christmas? Why is that even any debate about that? (8/14)
Boston Globe: Response To COVID-19 Reflects The Nation’s Upside-Down Health Care System
The coronavirus pandemic has revealed the United States to be a country heedless of its own founding axioms: “A stitch in time saves nine.” “Haste makes waste.” And especially, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Benjamin Franklin penned this timeless wisdom in 1735 as a warning to his fellow Philadelphians about the dangers of fire. Now the COVID-19 conflagration is roaring through the population, and we are experiencing the folly of ignoring this advice — as of Thursday, more than 166,000 Americans are confirmed dead of the virus. Many Americans continue to shrug off prevention (masks, social distancing, hygiene) to instead focus their hopes on a cure, whether that be a vaccine, new treatments, or the distant promise of herd immunity. (Renée Loth, 8/14)
Des Moines Register: To Save Lives, Act As If Everyone Has COVID
One type of diagnostic test determined Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was positive for the novel coronavirus. The same day, another type of test determined he was negative. Ultimately he was able to secure at least four tests over a few days. Not many Americans have such easy access to initial testing, let alone quick follow-up testing to confirm or dispute results. And while a variety of factors can affect the accuracy of tests, all of DeWine's were allowed by federal regulators. The positive-then-negative results are a troubling reminder that, more than five months into an infectious disease pandemic, the country still doesn’t have a handle on something as basic as definitive tests. That raises serious questions. (8/14)
The Wall Street Journal: The Treatment That Could Crush Covid
More than 500 clinical trials are under way world-wide in the race to find an effective treatment for Covid-19. Everybody wants it; nobody has it—yet. But one of the most promising therapies for Covid-19 patients uses “medicinal signaling cells,” or MSCs, which are found on blood vessels throughout the body.In preliminary studies, these cells cut the death rate significantly, particularly in the sickest patients. With a powerful 1-2-3 punch, these cells eliminate the virus, calm the immune overreaction known as a cytokine storm, and repair damaged lung tissue—a combination offered by no other drug. This type of regenerative medicine could be as revolutionary as Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine. (Kevin Kimberlin, 8/13)
Bloomberg: Covid Spread Is Forcing Scientists To Rethink Herd Immunity
There are some weird things going on in the coronavirus data. It’s curious that cases dropped so fast, and have stayed pretty low, in the spring hot zones — New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. And why did cases remain so low in Idaho and Hawaii until recently? The mainstream narrative is that it’s all about good behavior when cases go down — mask wearing and giving up our social lives for the greater good. And conversely, bad behavior must be what makes them go up. We talk about certain regions having the virus “under control,” as if falling cases are purely a matter of will-power. A sort of moral reasoning is filling in for evidence. (Faye Flam, 8/13)
Stat: What Covid-19-Related Smell Loss Reveals About How The Mind Works
A few months ago, a friend called me from New York in the middle of the day. “I just came out of the shower and thought of you,” she said. That exceeded our usual level of familiarity. “I cannot smell anything,” she continued. “I noticed I couldn’t sense my shower gel, so I ran into the kitchen and began to open and sniff all my spice jars. Nothing. This is spooky.” (Ann-Sophie Barwich, 8/14)
Los Angeles Times: Why Is Science Letting Us Down When We Need It Most?
Science is suffering from a replication crisis. Too many landmark studies can’t be repeated in independent labs, a process crucial to separating flukes and errors from solid results. The consequences are hard to overstate: Public policy, medical treatments and the way we see the world may have been built on the shakiest of foundations. In June, the latest chapter in the replication saga featured a highly influential study on memory. In 2010, in a blockbuster article in the journal Nature, New York University researchers found that it was possible — without the use of drugs, brain stimulation or anything invasive — to “rewrite” a person’s memory so they’re less afraid when shown a reminder of something that had scared them in the past. (Stuart Ritchie, 8/14)
The Hill: 'Health Vs Economy' Is COVID-19 Dejà Vu All Over Again With Tobacco
Over a hundred years ago, a new strain of human-manufactured “virus” was introduced: the cigarette. It took 50 years to establish that mass-produced and mass-marketed cigarettes were killing people. The public health response was sluggish, hobbled by the well-funded and ruthless efforts of the tobacco industry. But eventually, effective approaches were developed and over the past 50 years have been gradually implemented, with smoking rates cut by more than half. (Tim McAfee and Chris Bostic, 8/13)
