Coronavirus Flips 2020 Election Script: Battleground Politics Narrow Down To How States Are Handling Crisis
April 20, 2020
Morning Briefing
Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin helped President Donald Trumps secure the presidency in 2016. How will outbreaks in those states change political dynamics as November creeps closer? In other election news: voting rights, third parties and fundraising totals.
N.J. ICE Detainees Are Only Allotted One Bar Of Soap A Week. If They Want More, They Have To Buy It.
March 24, 2020
Morning Briefing
As fears of the coronavirus spreading like wildfire inside detention facilities mount, inmates are demanding more supplies like soap and toilet paper.
White House To Meet With Big Tech To Discuss Best Ways To Fight Coronavirus
March 11, 2020
Morning Briefing
Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Twitter are expected to participate in the meeting. Meanwhile, hospitals and doctors are being urged to fast-track their telemedicine plans.
Not A Question Of If But When: CDC Warns Americans To Prepare For Disruptive Coronavirus Outbreak
February 26, 2020
Morning Briefing
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said cities and towns should plan to take measures to brace for and then contain the spread of the virus, while everyday Americans should begin thinking about working from home. “We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare, in the expectation that this could be bad,” Messonnier said. The messaging seems at odds with WHO, which has continued to emphasize that countries can curb an outbreak. In other news from the United States: San Francisco declares a state of emergency, a U.S. soldier tests positive for the virus, racism continues to persist, and more.
‘Seriously People, Stop Buying Masks!’: The Shoulds And Shouldn’ts Of Preparing For Coronavirus Outbreak
March 2, 2020
Morning Briefing
Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams was the latest public health official to warn Americans not to buy masks to protect themselves against the coronavirus. But what should you be doing? Experts weigh in on that and other technical aspects of the virus–like how exactly it’s killing its victims.
Novel Coronavirus Is Mutating More Slowly Than Some Of Its Peers, So What Does That Really Mean?
April 30, 2020
Morning Briefing
The New York Times offers an in-depth look at the way this virus has mutated throughout the pandemic, and looks ahead to what that can mean for vaccines and other research. In other science news: airborne studies, gender disparities, rare symptoms found in children and more.
Medicare Data Offers Public Incomplete Count Of Nursing Homes That Experienced COVID-19 Cases, Deaths
July 7, 2020
Morning Briefing
As nursing homes report coronavirus cases and deaths, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website is supposed to release the data. But there are gaps in the stats. “The biggest thing that needs to be taken away … is in its current form, it is really leaving consumers in the dark,” Sam Brooks, project manager for Consumer Voice, said of the website.
Trump’s Xenophobic Label For Coronavirus Has Experts Worried About Hate Crimes, Escalated Tensions With China
March 18, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump continues to use the term “Chinese virus” for the novel coronavirus that emerged out of China, despite criticism that it is offensive and could worsen hate crimes at an already dangerous time.
FDA Alerts Doctors After Preliminary Data Reveals Rapid COVID Test Can Miss Nearly 50% Of Cases
May 15, 2020
Morning Briefing
The agency is launching an investigation into Abbott’s 15-minute test, which has been touted and used by the White House. A preliminary study released this week found that it can miss nearly half of positive coronavirus cases.
With Fate Of Coronavirus Vaccine Hanging In Balance, Trump Adopts Friendly Tone Toward Pharma
March 3, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump met with pharma executives in a meeting that had once been billed as a scolding over high prices. But now that the industry is needed to help develop a vaccine for the emerging pandemic, Trump has taken a more congenial tone with the executives. Meanwhile, Stat takes a closer look at where everyone stands on developing coronavirus-related drugs and vaccines.
Wear A Mask Or Get Banned From Flying, Airlines Warn
June 16, 2020
Morning Briefing
U.S. airlines are threatening to put passengers on the no-fly list if they continue to ignore mask requirements. In other news: How to shop for a cloth face mask and how it can help your respiratory health; and how business travel is changing amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Cruise Ship Quarantined After 10 Passengers Test Positive For Coronavirus
February 5, 2020
Morning Briefing
The ship, carrying about 3,500 people, is quarantined off the coast of Japan. Princess Cruises said a guest who later tested positive for coronavirus sailed from Yokohama on Jan. 20 and disembarked at Hong Kong on Jan. 25. The confirmation set off a round of testing for 273 people, including a U.S. guest who then tested positive for the illness.
‘Emotions Are Filters Through Which We See Facts’: Coronavirus Outbreak Pushes All Our Fear-Based Hot Buttons
March 5, 2020
Morning Briefing
For example, the coronavirus is new and unfamiliar, unlike the usual seasonal flu that kills a lot more people every year than coronavirus has, and seems hard to contain by the government health experts whose job it is to do just that. On top of that there’s no current vaccine or drug used to treat it. In other news: mortality rates, how to prepare, the 2 strains of COVID-19, face masks, fighting misinformation, and more.
CMS To Step Up Inspections, Increase Fines As Report Confirms At Least 26,000 Nursing Home COVID Deaths
June 2, 2020
Morning Briefing
The number is likely to be an undercount because only 80% of nursing homes submitted their reports. The numbers demonstrate a sobering toll among nursing home staffers, as well, with more than 34,400 getting sick and nearly 450 dying from the coronavirus.
Nursing Home Staffers Helped Spread Coronavirus In Seattle When Working At Multiple Facilities
March 19, 2020
Morning Briefing
The CDC determines that Seattle-area nursing facility staff members who worked at more than one home likely transferred the virus to other elder care homes. In other news on how the industry is coping with the COVID-19 outbreak: nursing homes run low on protective equipment and Florida and Illinois facilities report more cases.
Testing Equipment Troubles: Early Kits Were Likely Contaminated; Trump Administration Bought Unsterile Tubes
June 22, 2020
Morning Briefing
The Washington Post and ProPublica report on stories of how U.S. efforts to test for the coronavirus have been hampered by bad equipment that yielded false results. Meanwhile, other testing questions persist, such as, who pays? News outlets report on other tracking and test developments.
Italy Closes Most Restaurants, Shops Except For Groceries In An Effort To Halt Devastating Toll Of Coronavirus
March 12, 2020
Morning Briefing
Coronavirus infections climbed by more than 2,000 on Wednesday to surpass the 10,000 mark, with an additional 170 deaths in one day. Italy has been particularly hard hit by the virus, with the outbreak overwhelming its hospital system to the point that doctors are having to decide who to treat and who to let die. Experts have predicted that currently the United States is on the same trajectory as the country in terms of number of expected cases.
China Shut Itself Down To Contain Coronavirus Outbreak. Now Business Leaders Are Saying Enough Is Enough.
February 21, 2020
Morning Briefing
“Strike a balance that is conducive to protecting lives,” urged James Liang, the executive chairman of Trip.com, China’s dominant online travel agency. Meanwhile, public health experts are losing faith in the accuracy of China’s coronavirus count as the method continues to change. In other news from China: the overstretched medical system, the coronavirus in prison, re-hospitalized patients, the politics of an outbreak, and more.
CDC Fumbled Early Communication With Public Health Officials, Underestimated Coronavirus Threat, Emails Reveal
March 30, 2020
Morning Briefing
ProPublica and KHN have obtained emails that show missteps from the CDC and other agencies in the early, crucial days of the outbreak. What comes through clearly is confusion, as the CDC underestimated the threat from the virus and stumbled in communicating to local public health officials about what should be done.
The Navy’s Response To Detecting A Sailor On Board With Coronavirus: Shove Everyone Into One Room Together
March 17, 2020
Morning Briefing
Dozens of officers on the ship were called into tight quarters to be briefed on the situation, even as health experts have emphasized the need for social distancing to stop the spread of the virus.
