Different Takes: Coronavirus Alerted World To The Value Of Whistleblowers; A Look Behind All Those Masks
February 13, 2020
Morning Briefing
Editorial pages focus on public health issues triggered by the coronavirus.
Gilead Reports ‘Positive Data’ From Drug Trial Of Experimental Coronavirus Treatment
April 29, 2020
Morning Briefing
Gilead announced Wednesday that its closely watched drug trial of remdesivir, conducted by NIH, shows that at least 50% of patients treated with a 5-day dosage improved, and more than half were discharged from the hospital within two weeks.
High Hopes For Vaccine Could Cause People To Slack Off On Protections
August 3, 2020
Morning Briefing
Scientists and public health officials worry that people have unrealistic views of how a coronavirus vaccine would roll out. Others wrestle with the question of who gets inoculated first. Other vaccine news covers income disparity, clinical trials and more.
Rep. Grijalva Blasts Maskless House Colleagues After His Positive Test
August 3, 2020
Morning Briefing
After finding out about the positive coronavirus test, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona) called out Republican members who “routinely strut around the Capitol without a mask to selfishly make a political statement at the expense of their colleagues, staff, and their families.”
COVID Death Rate In America Back Up To Over 1,000 In A Day
July 22, 2020
Morning Briefing
For the first time since early June, the United States reported Tuesday more than 1,000 deaths in a single day due to the coronavirus. The alarming climb in death rates and hospitalizations undercut arguments about the severity of the current surge.
‘Dangerous’ Virus Surge In LA, San Francisco Drive New Restrictions
July 16, 2020
Morning Briefing
With coronavirus cases escalating in California’s two largest cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco leaders take steps to freeze or reverse reopening efforts. And Rose Parade organizers announce the Jan. 1, 2021 event will not take place.
White House ‘Filling The Stockpile’ In Anticipation Of Another Virus Wave In The Fall
June 22, 2020
Morning Briefing
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro says the Trump administration is preparing for an additional wave of coronavirus infections. Meanwhile public health experts warn that the nation is still in the “first wave” of the pandemic.
Birx Tells Local Officials In 9 Cities To ‘Get On Top’ Of Virus Surge Risk
August 6, 2020
Morning Briefing
Task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx cites coronavirus numbers ticking up in 9 cities and California’s Central Valley as areas for concern. Meanwhile, comments by Dr. Anthony Fauci and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro also make headlines.
Kids, Teens Who Died Of COVID Fell In Similar Risk Patterns As Adults
September 16, 2020
Morning Briefing
Just like adults, an underlying health condition can leave young people more vulnerable to a severe case of COVID-19, according to a CDC report looking into 121 fatal coronavirus cases in people below the age of 21. Racial disparities were found as well, with two-thirds of the cases among Black and Hispanic youth.
Leading Medical Journals Express Concerns Over Flaws In Studies On Malaria Drugs, Heart Medicine
June 3, 2020
Morning Briefing
The medical research community’s unease with the studies highlights a broader issue at the heart of the race to find a treatment for the coronavirus, in which speed is taking precedence over rigorous scientific process.
Relief Funds Flowed To Nursing Home Providers Accused Of Fraud, Misdeeds
August 5, 2020
Morning Briefing
A Washington Post analysis of coronavirus relief money distribution finds that hundreds of millions of dollars went to dozens of nursing home companies that settled recent lawsuits with the Justice Department over alleged improper Medicare billing, forged documents, substandard care and other abuses.
‘Single Dumbest Decision’: Thousands Of Recovering Coronavirus Patients Sent To New York Nursing Homes
May 22, 2020
Morning Briefing
The Associated Press reports on troublesome efforts undertaken for a while in New York where recovering patients were sent to nursing homes, places that even Gov. Andrew Cuomo called “optimum feeding grounds for the virus.” Other nursing home developments include CMS’ new policy for recording deaths as well as reporting from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Massachusetts.
Lungs Might Be The Main Battlefield, But Coronavirus Attacks The Body Like Its A World War
May 8, 2020
Morning Briefing
As more research continues to emerge on how patients are affected by the virus, the scope of the damage that’s done on the body is crystallizing. The virus goes after not only the lungs, but the heart, kidneys, skin and other organs. In other scientific news: virus found in semen, blood thinners show promise in treating severe patients, racial disparities found outside the U.S., and more.
Coronavirus Outbreak Hits Close To Home For Trump After Military Aide Tests Positive
May 8, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump announced that the White House staff would be tested daily after he found out that an aide who has had contact with him has COVID-19.
Which Nursing Homes Have Coronavirus Outbreaks? That Data Is Still Not Being Consistently Tracked
May 8, 2020
Morning Briefing
The Trump administration announced in April that it would start collecting data on outbreaks and deaths at long-term care facilities. But there is still no federal count and the information is not expected to be made public for weeks. “There’s no way to actually get ahead of this if we don’t have any data — it tells us where we have a problem. We know nothing about these facilities in terms of their personal protective equipment or in terms of their staffing or their infection control capability,” David Grabowski, a professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School, told NBC News. The lag in data collection is just one of a number of bottlenecks in federal effort to slow the virus’ deadly spread in nursing homes across the U.S. News from senior facilities in New York, New Jersey, Louisiana and Maine is also reported.
Almost Every Coronavirus Patient Hospitalized In NYC Had An Underlying Medical Condition
April 24, 2020
Morning Briefing
Hypertension and obesity were common risk factors found in the patients. The study also found that one in five of the hospital stays ended with the patient dying–though more than half of the patients studied were still hospitalized when the study ended. In other scientific news about the virus: smoking in the time of COVID-19, convalescent plasma, reinfection threat, and more.
Trump’s ‘Deep State’ Claim Puts More Pressure On FDA; Experts Call It ‘Baseless’
August 24, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump accused the FDA of delaying coronavirus vaccine approval until after the election. His unsubstantiated charge, delivered via Twitter on Saturday, even took some of his own administration officials by surprise and drew outrage and criticism from Democrats, drug companies and fact checkers.
