Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Britain, Still Ravaged By Covid, Worries About A Difficult Winter
The U.K. Parliament tightened coronavirus rules amid a surge in cases, with tours and banquets canceled for two weeks and MPs urged to wear masks. Face coverings were made compulsory for staff, contractors and journalists last week, but members of Parliament cannot be ordered to do so because they’re not employed by House of Commons authorities. They were told Tuesday, however, that they are now expected to wear them across the estate. While most opposition MPs have worn masks in the Commons chamber in recent weeks, many Conservatives have not. (Ashton, 11/2)
The COVID-19 pandemic is not over in Britain and there are hard months to come as winter nears, England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said on Wednesday. "Too many people believe that this pandemic is now over. I personally feel there are some hard months to come in the winter and it is not over," Van-Tam told BBC TV. (11/3)
In other covid updates from around the globe —
More provinces in China are fighting Covid-19 than at any time since the deadly pathogen first emerged in Wuhan in 2019. The highly-infectious delta variant is hurtling across the country despite the increasingly aggressive measures that officials have enacted in a bid to thwart it. More than 600 locally-transmitted infections have been found in 19 of 31 provinces in the latest outbreak in the world’s second-largest economy. (11/3)
Greece announced new Covid-19 measures targeting the unvaccinated as daily infections hit their highest level since the pandemic began. From Nov. 6, those who haven’t been jabbed but want to attend their place of work must undergo two rapid tests a week instead of one -- paid for themselves. To enter most stores, banks and restaurants, they’ll need to present a negative rapid or PCR test. Fines for businesses that don’t comply will double, starting at 5,000 euros ($5,791) and a 15-day suspension of operations. Tests won’t be needed for supermarkets and pharmacies. (Nikas, 11/2)
Brazil’s seven-day total for deaths from COVID-19 has fallen to its lowest level since the start of the pandemic, according to online research website Our World in Data.In the seven days through Nov. 1 the nation recorded 2,188 deaths -- a level unseen since April 2020 -- amid increasingly widespread vaccination. (Biller and Jeantet, 11/2)
The leader of the Puerto Rico National Guard was still dealing with the aftermath of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that displaced thousands of residents in January 2020 when island officials began hearing reports of people falling ill from the new coronavirus. Once again, they turned to Guard Adjutant General José J. Reyes. Much of Reyes’ 37-year career has been in emergency response mode — from 9/11 to the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017 to the earthquake — but he sees all of those events as preparation for this one: helping to plan the island’s vaccination strategy and oversee its rollout. (Cueto, 11/3)
