A Front-Runner Jumps Out Ahead In Race For A Vaccine–And It’s Not Moderna
April 28, 2020
Morning Briefing
An Oxford University laboratory had a head start with a vaccine for a different strain of the coronavirus. Where other trials have to start small, the Oxford vaccine has already been found to be harmless in humans. The Oxford scientists now say that with an emergency approval from regulators, the first few million doses of their vaccine could be available by September — if it proves effective.
Dems Ramp Up Mail-In-Voting Efforts After Wisconsin Primary Offered A Grim Preview Of What November Could Hold
April 13, 2020
Morning Briefing
Experts expect another surge of coronavirus cases in the fall, and Democrats worry that Wisconsin’s primary, where voters were forced to choose their safety or their civic duty, will play out at the national level during the general election voting. Meanwhile, there are some Republicans pushing for voting-by-mail despite President Donald Trump’s opposition to the practice.
Pandemic Is ‘A Dream Come True’ For Conspiracy Theorists, Far-Right Extremists Looking To Recruit
May 13, 2020
Morning Briefing
Civil rights advocates have been warning for months that the coronavirus crisis could aid recruiting for the most extreme white-supremacist and neo-Nazi groups — those actively rooting for society’s collapse. “Honestly, it’s a dream come true for any and every hate group, snake oil salesman and everything in between,” Tijana Cvjetićanin, a fact-checker, tells Politico.
State Officials Mobilize To Get U.S. Hospitals, Local Providers Ready To Handle Any Coronavirus Cases
January 24, 2020
Morning Briefing
Although there are only two possible cases in the United States so far, the health system has jumped into preparation mode to handle a possible outbreak. Meanwhile, U.S. senators are set to hear from top federal health officials Friday regarding the virus.
Powerful Propaganda Machine Intended To Sow Division Likely Responsible For Half Of Virus Tweets
May 21, 2020
Morning Briefing
Scientists can’t confirm if Russia or China are responsible for the bots on Twitter, but they say the strategy follows closely to the countries’ known playbooks on sowing division in America. Researchers identified more than 100 false narratives about COVID-19 that are proliferating on Twitter by accounts controlled by bots. In other public health news, car fatalities, “artifacts” of the coronavirus era, PTSD in health workers, air travel and more.
In Good Times Cost-Sharing Is Supposed To Encourage Smart Choices. During An Epidemic It Can Discourage Care.
March 9, 2020
Morning Briefing
When people have yet to meet their deductibles, the cost of getting tested during an epidemic could be discouraging. In other economic news linked to the coronavirus: how to keep calm when markets tumble; lost benefits for sick workers; the ripple effect of the outbreak; and more.
Hospitals Hit With One-Two Financial Punch Of High COVID-19 Costs And Canceled Procedures
April 24, 2020
Morning Briefing
“I think it’s fair to say that hospitals are facing perhaps the greatest challenge that they have ever faced in their history,” says Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. Federal aid is being distributed to help needy health system, but some wonder if it will be enough. Meanwhile, some hospitals start inching toward resuming non-coronavirus procedures.
Virus Detectives Posit That Early Washington Cases Weren’t Cause Of West Coast’s Later Outbreak
May 28, 2020
Morning Briefing
As scientists dig further into the mutations of the virus in those early days of the outbreak, they are having to quickly revise theories as they go. The latest development is that the early cases in the country weren’t part of the contact chain that led to the outbreak on the West Coast because the mutations are different. In other scientific news: novel coronavirus unlikely to go away; a look at where herd immunity stands; the risk of contacting it from surfaces; the virus’ origin; and more.
CMS Draft Guidelines For Reopening Nursing Homes Allowing Visitors Threaten Residents’ Health, Advocates Warn
May 11, 2020
Morning Briefing
A large share of coronavirus deaths have been in nursing homes. “There’s a risk and a liability when we reopen, no matter how we craft it,” said Kathryn Hyer, a professor at the University of South Florida. “It’s going to be very difficult.” Nursing home news is reported from New York, Maryland, Georgia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, as well.
HHS Had Planned To End Support For Community-Based Testing Programs, But Reversed Course Amid Criticism
April 10, 2020
Morning Briefing
Under the community-based coronavirus testing site program, the federal government supplies expertise, testing materials, protective equipment and lab contracts to local authorities in 41 sites. The federal government had wanted states to take over the programs. More regional testing news is reported out of California, Georgia and Colorado, as well.
China’s Coronavirus Scare: More Deaths, Airport Passenger Screenings, Human-To-Human Transmission, Stock Reactions, And More
January 21, 2020
Morning Briefing
Media outlets cover updates on the coronavius that has the global public health community on high alert during a busy travel season for Chinese residents.
Test Kits Flown Out To Quarantined Cruise Passengers As Some Wonder If Ship Will Be Doomed To Petri-Dish Status
March 6, 2020
Morning Briefing
The Grand Princess is being held off the coast of San Francisco after a previous passenger became California’s first coronavirus death. The situation brings back memories of the disaster that followed aboard another quarantined ship off the coast of Japan in the early days of the outbreak.
Despite Repeated Calls To Replenish Supplies, A Shortage Exists Of Specialized Masks To Protect Medical Personnel
March 11, 2020
Morning Briefing
Limited funding forced emergency preparedness officials to focus on other supplies needed for the Strategic National Stockpile. In response, the CDC loosens its recommendations on masks. Also, a union representing airport workers is requesting better masks and Amazon tries to battle counterfeit coronavirus products.
‘Our Sentences Have Turned Into Death Sentences’: A Look Inside A Louisiana Prison Offers Snapshot Of National Issue
April 7, 2020
Morning Briefing
Advocates across the country are worried that if the coronavirus outbreak spreads to the prisons, it could be a catastrophe for those inside, who are often kept in close quarters with sub-par health and hygiene services. The Wall Street Journal interviews inmates and their families at one Louisiana prison who say that the invisible enemy is well entrenched inside the gates.
Many Americans Recognizing Symptoms Of COVID In Mysteriously Bad Illnesses They Had In Fall
May 7, 2020
Morning Briefing
Americans share stories about bouts with flu that were worse than they’d ever experienced before. Now they’re wondering if it was really the novel coronavirus. In other public health news: the toll on people with disabilities, the gender gap in providing home-school lessons, churches plan to gather once more, providing alcohol for those quarantining and struggling with addictions and more.
GOP State Officials In Uncomfortable Position Of Implementing Mail-In Voting Amid Fraud Rhetoric
May 15, 2020
Morning Briefing
Republican state officials are taking a hard look at their own rhetoric around voter fraud in the midst of the pandemic. “It’s partly on me because I talked about it in my campaign,” said Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams. “But it’s my job now to calm people’s fears.” In other election news: the national conventions, an ad battle over relationships with China and in-person fundraisers in the coronavirus era.
Republican Strategists Worry GOP’s Stance Against Mail-In-Voting Gives Democrats A Head Start
April 28, 2020
Morning Briefing
After Wisconsin’s chaotic primary, Republicans see an appetite among Americans to avoid in-person voting. While the leaders of the party continue to fight against the mail-in-voting push, some in the GOP think it’s putting them behind as the country inevitably moves in that direction. Meanwhile, Democrats’ strategy heading toward November is going to focus on President Donald Trump’s coronavirus response.
Trump Has Track Record Of Suggesting Unproven Cures, But His Disinfectant Comments Pushed Experts Too Far
April 27, 2020
Morning Briefing
Public health experts and other leaders joined in a large, vocal outcry following President Donald Trump’s musings that injecting disinfectants might be a possible treatment for coronavirus, despite the fact that the idea is extremely dangerous. Poison control centers in a number of states have reported a rise in calls about exposure to household cleaners in the 18 hours directly following Trump’s comments.
Amid Grave Shortage Of Ventilators, Some Hospitals Start Sharing Between Patients, Searching For Alternatives
March 26, 2020
Morning Briefing
Public health experts are calling on the federal government to take responsibility for getting hospitals the necessary equipment. But in the meantime, desperate hospitals are trying to work with what they have. Meanwhile, there’s a heated and private debate among doctors on the front lines of the epidemic about a suggested do-not-resuscitate policy for all coronavirus patients.
