Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: What Country Had The Best Covid Outcomes?; Comstock Act Is A Threat And Must Be Repealed
The New York Times: Who 'Won' Covid? It Depends How You Measure
Twenty months ago, in July 2022, I wrote a long essay sketching what I called the “pretty brutal” endemic future for Covid: probably about 100,000 deaths annually, at least for the next few years. The number was just a ballpark estimate, drawn from modeling by the epidemiologist Trevor Bedford. But as it is turning out, it looks to have been almost exactly right. (David Wallace-Wells, 4/3)
Chicago Tribune: The Grave Threats To Abortion Rights Are Sparking A Backlash
A Pew Research Center poll last year found that 53% of Americans think medication abortion should be legal in their state, with only 22% saying it should not be. Voters in seven states, including red ones such as Kansas and Ohio, have had the chance to vote on ballot initiatives involving abortion rights — and abortion rights have won every time. (Steve Chapman, 4/4)
Houston Chronicle: Texas Medical Board Abortion Guidance Can Only Go So Far
In December, the Texas Supreme Court threw up its hands when asked whether the case of Kate Cox qualified for an exception under the state’s near-total abortion ban. Cox argued in a lawsuit that her health and her ability to have children in the future were at risk if she was forced to continue her pregnancy after doctors diagnosed her fetus with full trisomy 18, a chromosomal abnormality that’s nearly always fatal. (4/2)
Newsweek: Five Compelling Ways To Approach Caring For People And Communities With Trauma
Trauma exposure is widespread, affecting 70 percent of Americans, but getting help is not easy. Eighty percent of consumers consider mental health care too costly and less than half of those who do seek help for trauma get well. (Adrienne Heinz and Karolina Komarnicka, 4/3)
USA Today: Harm Reduction, Needle Exchange Sites Can Help End Fentanyl Crisis
It can seem counterintuitive to provide clean syringes to individuals who inject drugs. After all, why make it easier to consume illicit substances that are increasingly resulting in overdoses? (Dr. Jerome Adams and Mazen Saleh, 4/3)
