Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bolivian President Contracts COVID-19; Seoul Mayor Found Dead
Days after Brazil's president said he had contracted COVID-19, another South American leader, Bolivia's interim president, Jeanine 脕帽ez, said she too had tested positive for the coronavirus. "I feel good, I feel strong, I will continue to work virtually from my isolation," 脕帽ez said in a video posted to her Twitter account. (Neuman, 7/9)
The mayor of Seoul, the country鈥檚 second-most powerful official and a potential presidential candidate, was found dead just days after a secretary in his office told the police that he had sexually harassed her since 2017, the authorities said on Friday. (Sang-Hun, 7/9)
Americans account for roughly a quarter of the more than 551,000 global deaths from COVID-19 so far 鈥 far more than any other country, according to the latest global data from Johns Hopkins University. A number of states, as well as the country as a whole, have begun breaking daily records repeatedly for newly confirmed cases, and Florida reported on July 9 that more than 80 percent of its hospital ICU beds are filled. (Santhanam, 7/9)
Asian and European officials pleaded with their citizens Thursday to respect modest precautions as several countries saw coronavirus outbreaks accelerate or sought to prevent new flare-ups, while the virus showed no signs of slowing its initial advance in Africa and the Americas. (Gec and Moulson, 7/9)
With just over a year to go until the Tokyo Olympics, medical experts say the event could pose a grave health risk to the Japanese public, predicting that few people will have coronavirus antibodies and that vaccines will not be widely available. (Takenaka, 7/9)
In just three weeks, India went from the world鈥檚 sixth to the third-worst hit country by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. India鈥檚 fragile health system was bolstered during a stringent monthslong lockdown but could still be overwhelmed by an exponential rise in infections. (Schmall and Ghosal, 7/10)
The Fuji-Q Highland amusement park near Tokyo has an unorthodox request for its roller coaster riders. "Please scream inside your heart," and not out loud, the park is asking. The unusual ask is meant to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. (Horn, 7/9)
