Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Surprising Lessons On COVID's Attack On Hearts; Sustaining Strategies Are Severely Lacking
The New York Times: Covid-19 Is Creating A Wave Of Heart Disease
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, was initially thought to primarily impact the lungs — SARS stands for “severe acute respiratory syndrome.” Now we know there is barely a part of the body this infection spares. And emerging data show that some of the virus’s most potent damage is inflicted on the heart. Eduardo Rodriguez was poised to start as the No. 1 pitcher for the Boston Red Sox this season. But in July the 27-year-old tested positive for Covid-19. Feeling “100 years old,” he told reporters: “I’ve never been that sick in my life, and I don’t want to get that sick again.” His symptoms abated, but a few weeks later he felt so tired after throwing about 20 pitches during practice that his team told him to stop and rest. Further investigation revealed that he had a condition many are still struggling to understand: Covid-19-associated myocarditis. Mr. Rodriguez won’t be playing baseball this season. (Haider Warraich, 8/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Prepare For Tendentious Covid ‘Lessons’
Ignore the Atlantic magazine headline that proclaims “How the Pandemic Defeated America.” You won’t be learning much except a paean to progressive policy prescriptions for social “inequities” that the author insists are the real root of our pandemic failings. Unfortunately, a society without inequities will never exist, so this is no help. Ignore even claims that seem to go directly at real pandemic-management failures, such as: “The federal government could have mitigated [shortages] by buying supplies at economies of scale and distributing them according to need.” (Holman W. Jenkins, 8/14)
NBC News: COVID-19 Spikes In South Africa, Melbourne Offer America Clues Ahead Of Winter 2020
Earlier this month, Africa passed the 1 million mark for the number of recorded cases of COVID-19. Australia has imposed its second lockdown in Melbourne as cases spiked in key urban areas. Besides the obvious humanitarian concerns, why should the U.S. be troubled by these events? Because the Southern Hemisphere is deep into its winter season, and the virus's progress in colder continents could be a precursor of horrors to come as America and the Northern Hemisphere head toward their first full fall and winter since this coronavirus was discovered. (David A. Andelman, 8/17)
The Washington Post: Don’t Just Look At Covid-19 Fatality Rates. Look At People Who Survive — But Don’t Entirely Recover.
During the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, the United States became a nation of novice hermits and amateur epidemiologists. The former battened down the hatches; the latter frantically tried to assess just how much danger we were hiding from. Between sourdough seminars and Zoom meetings, Twitter PhD theses were composed and defended seeking to pin down the “infection fatality rate”: the percentage of infected people, including the undiagnosed, who died from covid-19. In those early innings, good-faith estimates ranged as high as 3 percent and as low as 0.1 percent. As we got more information, however, the plausible estimates narrowed, and is probably in the range of 0.5 to 1.0 percent. But with more data, something else has become clear: We’re focusing too much on fatality rates and not enough on the people who don’t die, but don’t entirely recover, either. (Megan McArdle, 8/16)
The Wall Street Journal: Lifting Lockdowns Won’t Fully Restore The Economy
America is largely open for business, but consumers are still staying home. As long as Covid-19 is an epidemic, many will be cautious, and the economy will be weak. There is a direct link between the choices we make on issues such as wearing masks and the risk of a double-dip recession. Take Florida, where nonessential businesses have been allowed to open with reduced capacity. Bans on large gatherings have been lifted and restaurants can allow patrons inside with limits. Bans on large gatherings have been lifted or relaxed in 36 states. Every state has restarted at least some nonessential businesses. By our count, bars are open in 33 states. Consumers are limiting their activities anyway, and they may be right to do so. (Scott Gottlieb and Michael R. Strain, 8/16)
The New York Times: A Hospital Without Loved Ones Is The New Normal
One morning in early March, during what would be our last week of normalcy, my team gathered outside our patient’s room on morning rounds. The beleaguered overnight intern began to present the details of the case. Then stopped. We needed to wait. The patient’s wife was on the way — and we couldn’t start without her.It was a tenet of my critical care training. Family members were an integral part of the care that we delivered. They keep us accountable and remind us that our patients had rich lives outside the hospital. But more than that, it was often the relative who would clock a subtle change, alert us to a medication allergy, bring in the blanket from home or the food that would spark our patient to start eating again. When they were not present at the bedside, we felt their absence. All of that has changed. (Daniela J. Lamas, 8/17)
The Hill: We Can Make Air Travel Safer With A TSA Public Health Corps Staff
The coronavirus pandemic has emptied passengers from airplanes, shuttered several airlines and threatens many tourist and travel-dependent businesses. Increasing air travel undercuts public health efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. To reduce disease transmission as air travel increases, the U.S. federal government should establish a Public Health Corps within the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) to test all airline passengers and crew for the novel coronavirus, beginning with airports serving coronavirus hotspots. (Rey Koslowski, 8/16)
Stat: Telehealth And The New Choreography Of 'Anywhere Care'
Covid-19 has transformed the traditional doctor’s office visit as we know it, moving it away from physical offices by adding online connections. That doesn’t mean virtual care is the sole future of health care. Instead, I hope it will become part of a new balance that embraces the potential of anywhere care. (Roy Schoenberg, 8/17)
The Washington Post: Virginians Need Care — Not Cops — In A Mental-Health Crisis
Bryan Barks is director of strategic communications at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. I still remember the flashing blue lights, the deep voices outside the door, the fear shooting through my body. I regretted ever asking for help. I needed care, not cops. I am one of hundreds of thousands of Virginians who live with mental illness. Like many people with mental illness, I understand the need to reform our approach to mental health and policing. I understand because I’ve experienced the flaws of our current system firsthand.As the Virginia General Assembly convenes Tuesday for a special session on criminal justice and police reform, I will be watching to see if legislators act in the best interests of constituents like me. (Bryan Barks, 8/14)
