Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Whether Outbreak Is Receding Or Surging Depends On What State You're Standing In
The New York Times: Is America’s Pandemic Waning Or Raging? Yes
In the weeks since America began reopening on a large scale, the coronavirus has persisted on a stubborn but uneven path, with meaningful progress in some cities and alarming new outbreaks in others. A snapshot of the country on a single day last week revealed sharply divergent realities. As the United States marked the tragic milestone of 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, the contrasting picture was unmistakable — a murky, jumbled outlook depending on one’s location. Around Chicago, Wednesday was one of the most lethal days of the pandemic, with more than 100 deaths. Among the dead: a woman in her 30s, and four men past their 90th birthdays. (Bosman and Smith, 6/1)
Reuters: U.S. CDC Reports Total Of 1,761,503 Coronavirus Cases, 103,700 Deaths
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday reported a total 1,761,503 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 23,553 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 915 to 103,700. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. EDT on May 30 versus its previous report released on Saturday. The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states. (5/31)
ABC News: Doctor Warns There Could Be 100,000 More American COVID-19 Deaths By Labor Day, But Models Vary Widely
Infectious disease experts from the Emory University School of Medicine are warning that given the current rate of deaths per day, it is possible the U.S. death toll from the novel coronavirus could double by September as restrictions are lifted throughout the summer, and Americans begin to congregate again. "Yesterday we passed over 100,000 deaths in this country. We are currently at a rate of about 1,500 deaths per day in the U.S. That means that by Labor Day, there will be another hundred thousand deaths in our country. That is a very sobering number," said Dr. Carlos del Rio, a professor of medicine and global health at Emory, during a virtual video briefing conducted on Thursday, as he urged people to be careful and practice social distancing. (Mitropoulos, 5/29)
The Associated Press: Navajo Nation Reports 105 New COVID-19 Cases, 10 More Deaths
The Navajo Department of Health has reported 105 new cases of coronavirus on the Navajo Nation and 10 more known deaths. That pushes the numbers to 5,250 positive COVID-19 cases and 241 known deaths as of Saturday night. (5/31)
CIDRAP: Global COVID-19 Total Passes 6 Million
The global COVID-19 total topped 6 million cases today, as Brazil's cases hit new daily highs and as large numbers continue to be reported in other large countries such as the United States, Russia, and India. It took only 9 days for illnesses to rise from 5 million to 6 million, which is 3 days less than it took for totals to rise from 3 million to 4 million, and from 4 million to 5 million. The global total is at 6,014,117, and 367,627 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard. (Schnirring, 5/30)
