Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: 'Tripledemic' Is Cause To Mask Up Again; Why Are Viruses So Bad This Year?
NBC News: It's Not Just Covid. Flu And RSV Mean Masks Need To Come Back.
This “tripledemic” of flu, Covid and RSV is a reminder that even as the pandemic ends, the threat of seasonal respiratory viruses remains. Thankfully, our toolkit for tackling them is similar to what works to suppress Covid alone, starting with the most basic and flexible level of protection: masking. (Abdullah Shihipar, William Goedel and Abigail Cartus, 11/27)
The New York Times: This Winter It's The Battle Of The Viruses
Amid the holiday season, understanding the dynamics of how viruses surge and plunge helps explain why so many people, especially young children, are sick right now — or will be this winter. (Florian Krammer and Aubree Gordon, 11/28)
USA Today: RSV In Kids Is Serious Illness, Can Be Deadly. Don't Take It Lightly.
For three days, my 1-year-old grandson Monroe was treated for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in an empty infusion room in the emergency department of a large children’s hospital. (Coleen Hubbard, 11/24)
Chicago Tribune: ‘Tripledemic’? As If The Pandemic Isn’t Enough.
Have you ever been so sick you couldn’t get into bed? Yes, you read me right. I’ve had the experience of being too sick to get out of bed before. But when COVID-19 hit me, I was too sick to get into bed. (Clarence Page, 11/27)
Also —
USA Today: NYC Offers Reproductive Health Refuge For Those Seeking Abortion. Others Should Do The Same.
The NYC Abortion Access Hub continues our city’s legacy of serving as a reproductive health refuge. Abortion is an essential part of basic reproductive health care, and access to abortion care is a public health issue. (Ashwin Vasan, Leslie Hayes and Laura Louison, 11/27)
Stat: Minimizing Administrative Harm Will Improve Health Care
Late on a Friday, I sit reviewing some of my patients’ old medical records instead of heading home to be with my family. I’ll likely be doing it next Friday, and the one after that. This wasn’t my idea. The health system I work for discovered that some patients for whom CT scans were ordered never got them over the ensuing two to three years. (Walter J. O'Donnell, 11/28)
