Studies Warn We’ve Counted Only A Fraction Of Youth Covid Cases
March 5, 2021
Morning Briefing
New studies warn of big miscounts of children who caught coronavirus. Other news reports describe how farmworkers have been adversely infected and how we can learn from Brazil’s pandemic missteps.
Donald Trump Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Is In Isolation
October 2, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump announced in a late-night tweet the he and first lady Melanie Trump both have COVID-19. The news came hours after the president attended a campaign rally and the revelation that adviser Hope Hicks had also tested positive. The Trumps are now isolated at the White House.
Ultra-Cold Storage Of Pfizer Vaccine No Longer Required By FDA
February 26, 2021
Morning Briefing
The FDA approved Pfizer’s application for a change in policy that allows its coronavirus shot to be transported and stored in ordinary freezers. The move could make it easier to administer shots from more locations around the U.S.
Variant Detected In South Africa Now In The US
January 29, 2021
Morning Briefing
Two adults in South Carolina, who aren’t connected to one another and hadn’t traveled to South Africa, were identified as having the more contagious strain of coronavirus.
Landmark Day In West As UK Delivers Its First COVID Vaccine Shots
December 8, 2020
Morning Briefing
With the inoculation of 90-year-old Margaret Keenan, the United Kingdom kicked off its mass coronavirus vaccination program.
A Desperate Scramble As COVID-19 Families Vie For Access To Plasma Therapy
By JoNel Aleccia
April 15, 2020
KFF Health News Original
As efforts ramp up to collect blood plasma from the first survivors of COVID-19, families of critically ill patients are jockeying to obtain the still-unproven antibody treatment.
‘You’ve Been Served’: Wisconsin Hospitals Sued Patients Even During Pandemic
By Bram Sable-Smith, Wisconsin Public Radio
April 3, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Wisconsin hospitals had filed at least 104 lawsuits in small claims court since the state declared a public health emergency March 12. Most now say they are suspending the cases; one hospital has dismissed them after a reporter’s calls.
‘Entirely And Completely Incorrect’: Fauci, Paul Wrangle Again, This Time Over Covid Origins
May 12, 2021
Morning Briefing
In a verbal clash during a Senate hearing with the nation’s top public health officials, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky alleged an unproven theory that the NIH funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology that played a role in the coronavirus crisis. Dr. Anthony Fauci pushed back and said those claims are completely false.
‘A Catastrophic Moral Failure’: WHO Chief Slams Rich Nations For Hogging Covid Vaccine
January 19, 2021
Morning Briefing
The World Health Organization also criticized China for its slow response to the initial coronavirus outbreak. Other global news is from India, Pakistan, Israel, China and Slovakia.
Nearly 100K Died In January; Spread Of Variants Signal ‘Race Against Time’
February 1, 2021
Morning Briefing
On the good news front: Hospitalizations are dropping from their peak. But health officials warn that any progress may be reversed by the spread of mutant coronavirus strains and that the vaccination pace needs to pick up.
Biden: 90% Of Americans Eligible For Covid Vaccine By April 19
March 30, 2021
Morning Briefing
President Joe Biden confidently declared that at least 90% of U.S. adults will be eligible to receive coronavirus vaccines by April 19. States follow with expanded eligibility requirements. Meanwhile, all the “Operation Warp Speed” trappings have been jettisoned by the Biden administration.
EU Regulator Backs AstraZeneca Shot; France, Italy To Restart Vaccinations
March 17, 2021
Morning Briefing
After many European nations suspended use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, the European Union’s drug regulator joined other health authorities in saying there is “no indication” that it causes blood clots and that the benefits of inoculations outweigh a possible rare side effect.
Ray Of Hope: Models For Future Covid Deaths Revised More Optimistically
February 24, 2021
Morning Briefing
But a big variable is the impact of coronavirus variants on the trajectory of infections. Disease experts fear the U.S. may be just weeks away from cases spiking back up for a spring surge before falling again by summer.
Pfizer Vaccine Approved For Use In EU
December 22, 2020
Morning Briefing
Residents in the 27 nations that make up the European Union now have access to their first coronavirus vaccine. Shots are expected to begin next week.
Trump Absent From Coronavirus Fight At Emergency’s Worst Moment Yet
November 13, 2020
Morning Briefing
Since the election results he disputes, President Donald Trump has remained silent about the alarming virus surge and taken no new actions to combat it.
Merck Halts Work On Both Its Covid Vaccine Candidates
January 26, 2021
Morning Briefing
Merck says that neither of its experimental vaccines produced adequate immune responses against the coronavirus in its clinical trial testing. The drugmaker says it will focus its efforts on developing treatments.
Anti-Vaccine Groups Secured Over $1M In PPP Loans
January 19, 2021
Morning Briefing
Federal Paycheck Protection Program loans went to organizations that challenged the safety of vaccines and spread misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, according to data obtained after news organizations sued for it.
While Guarding The Capitol, Nearly 200 Infected By Covid
January 25, 2021
Morning Briefing
Scores of U.S. Capitol Police officers and National Guard members who protected the Capitol Hill complex during and since the Jan. 6 riot have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Mexico Set To Legalize Personal, Medical Marijuana Use
March 11, 2021
Morning Briefing
Mexico nears legalizing personal cannabis use, with strict limits, as the lower house of Congress approved a decriminalization bill. Around the globe, the EU approves Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, but Denmark pauses AstraZeneca vaccines over clotting worries.
Moderna Now Testing Updated Vaccine As UK Variant Proves More Deadly
March 11, 2021
Morning Briefing
A new study suggests the UK coronavirus variant is 64% more deadly than previous versions of the virus, at least for people over 30. Meanwhile, a worldwide hunt for adapted vaccines is underway as variants cause chaos in Brazil, New York and elsewhere.
