Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Wrong Direction': Increase In England's Cases Could Be Tipping Point
Reuters: UK At Critical Point In COVID Pandemic, Top Medical Adviser Says
Britain is at a critical point in the COVID-19 pandemic and faces a very challenging winter, one of the government’s top medical advisers will warn at a public briefing on Monday. Cases in Britain are on the increase in what Prime Minister Boris Johnson has labelled a second wave of the virus, with large areas of the country subject to restrictions on social freedom and London expected to be next in line. (9/20)
The Hill: As Virus Pummels US, Europe Sees Its Own Spike
Major European countries are seeing new spikes in coronavirus cases, illustrating how easily the virus can snap back after periods of relative calm. The U.S. is averaging about 40,000 new cases and 850 new deaths every day, among the worst numbers in the world. After declining for weeks, cases across the United States are now starting to tick back up. (Sullivan, 9/20)
AP: Virus Measures Targeted By Protesters Despite Case Spikes
Demonstrators took the streets of London, Tel Aviv and other cities on Saturday to protest coronavirus restrictions, decrying how the measures have affected daily life even with infection rates rising in many places and the global death toll approaching 1 million.In the U.K., the latest official estimates released Friday showed that new infections and coronavirus hospital admissions have been doubling every seven to eight days. Britain has Europe’s highest death toll since the start of the pandemic, with 41,821 confirmed virus-related deaths. (Hui and Ghirda, 9/19)
Reuters: Australia's Daily Coronavirus Tally Falls To Lowest In More Than Three Months
Australia reported on Monday its smallest daily increase in new coronavirus infections in more than three months, but authorities in the nation’s virus hotspot of Victoria said they could not hasten the easing of curbs. The 16 new infections are Australia’s smallest daily jump since June 14, while two additional deaths were reported. “This light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer every day,” Nick Coatsworth, the chief deputy medical officer told reporters in Canberra, the capital. (Packham, 9/21)
AP: Guatemalan President Tests Positive For New Coronavirus
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said Friday he has tested positive for the new coronavirus, but he told a local radio station he feels well. However, in a televised address to the nation, Giammattei looked a bit out of breath. “My symptoms are very mild. Up to now, I have body aches, it hurt more yesterday than today, like a bad cold,” the president said. “I don’t have a fever, I have a bit of a cough.” (9/18)
AP: Sweden Spared Surge Of Virus Cases But Many Questions Remain
A train pulls into the Odenplan subway station in central Stockholm, where morning commuters without masks get off or board before settling in to read their smartphones. Whether on trains or trams, in supermarkets or shopping malls — places where face masks are commonly worn in much of the world — Swedes go about their lives without them. When most of Europe locked down their populations early in the pandemic by closing schools, restaurants, gyms and even borders, Swedes kept enjoying many freedoms. (Keyton, 9/20)
