Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Virginia Reports First Child Death From MIS-C
The Washington Post: Virginia Reports Death In Prince William Area Child Of MIS-C Linked To Covid-19
A Northern Virginia child was the first in the state to die of an inflammatory syndrome associated with covid-19, state health officials said Friday. The child, who was between the ages of 10 to 19, lived in the Prince William health district, which includes Prince William County as well as the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. More than 5,526 cases of the rare but serious illness — which is known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) — had been reported nationwide as of Nov. 1. Just 48 of those patients have died. (Armus, 11/26)
AP: Virginia Will Test Sewage To Help Predict COVID-19 Outbreaks
The Virginia Department of Health will be monitoring sewage in various parts of the state in an effort to predict future outbreaks of COVID-19. The Danville Register & Bee reported Saturday that VDH is deploying up to 25 wastewater monitoring sites across the commonwealth. That’s according to a recent report from the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute, which collaborates with state health officials. The report does not state where those monitoring sites will be. But VDH has been polling utilities to assess their willingness to participate in a sampling program. (11/28)
Los Angeles Times: Amid Omicron Concerns, L.A. County Urges Mask Wearing, Testing, Vaccinations
Amid growing concerns about the new Omicron variant, Los Angeles County health officials are urging the public to wear masks in indoor public settings and at outdoor “mega events” and be vaccinated as the best way to protect against another winter surge. The variant, first identified in South Africa amid a spike in infections there, has more mutations than any scientists have seen, including some that may make the virus more resistant to immunity generated from previous infections or vaccines. But much isn’t known, including whether the variant is more transmissible, results in more severe illness or reduces the efficacy of vaccines. (Wigglesworth, Lin II and Parvini, 11/28)
Crain's Detroit Business: Feds Approve Military Personnel For Spectrum, Beaumont; Northern Michigan Hospitals Seeking Help
The state of Michigan this week asked the U.S. Department of Defense to supply medical staff to deal with the state's ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The Michigan Department of HHS said Wednesday the federal government accepted its request for 44 additional military personnel to be deployed at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn, and across Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. FEMA previously staffed military personnel across the state last year to manage and operate field hospitals in Novi and Detroit. (Walsh, 11/24)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia School District Teacher Vacancies, Absences Have Created A Staffing Crisis In Some Buildings
Three months into the school year, the Philadelphia School District has nearly 1,900 vacant positions. That’s so many that, beginning Monday, about 50 staffers from the district’s administrative offices will leave their posts to answer phones, teach classes, and monitor cafeterias in a handful of schools that Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. has deemed “in crisis with staffing.” (Graham, 11/28)
CIDRAP: Low-Path H5 Avian Flu Turns Up On Minnesota Turkey Farm
Routine testing in a Minnesota turkey flock turned up low-pathogenic H5 avian influenza, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) said yesterday in a statement. The affected farm is in Kandiyohi County, located about 90 miles west of Minneapolis. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the findings. The MBAH said the low-path H5 virus doesn't pose a health risk to the public and isn't the same one that caused highly pathogenic outbreaks in Midwestern poultry in 2015. (11/24)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Campus Housing Causing Health Concerns, Georgia Students, Parents Say
The University of Georgia student came to campus this semester with everything she was told she’d need for her first semester of college, including an air purifier. The student, who lives in Hill Hall, and many others say they’re often sick inside their dorms. They believe the illnesses — intense coughing, severe sore throat, congestion — are a result of substandard housing conditions from rooms that are improperly ventilated or old. (Stirgus, 11/29)
