Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
MLB Takes Issue With Dodgers' Infected Player Joining World Series Celebration
The joy of the Dodgers鈥 long coveted World Series title was overshadowed when Justin Turner, the team鈥檚 veteran third baseman, joined his teammates in celebration on the field shortly after learning he had tested positive for the coronavirus. ... .M.L.B. said on Wednesday that the Dodgers鈥 entire traveling party had been tested after Tuesday鈥檚 game and that both they and the Tampa Bay Rays were tested again in the morning. It said 鈥渁ppropriate authorities鈥 would determine whether the teams could travel or not, but did not specify which ones. The Dodgers flew home Wednesday evening, but it was unclear how many members of the team were on the flight. (Waldstein, Brassil and Wagner, 10/28)
On Wednesday afternoon, MLB said it was investigating the matter with the players鈥 union 鈥渨ithin the parameters of their joint 2020 operations manual.鈥 鈥淔ollowing the Dodgers鈥 victory, it is clear that Turner chose to disregard the agreed-upon joint protocols and the instructions he was given regarding the safety and protection of others,鈥 MLB said in a statement. 鈥淲hile a desire to celebrate is understandable, Turner鈥檚 decision to leave isolation and enter the field was wrong and put everyone he came in contact with at risk. When MLB Security raised the matter of being on the field with Turner, he emphatically refused to comply.鈥 (Sheinin and Dougherty, 10/28)
In other public health news 鈥
For the first time in years, rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, which had been on track in 2020 to hit record highs in the United States, have taken an abrupt downturn. This should be good news. ... But the drop is more likely a harbinger of bad news, experts in reproductive and sexual health believe. They say the pandemic has seriously hindered efforts to mitigate sexually transmitted infections, [and] the upbeat numbers likely signal instead that they are now going largely undetected. (Hoffman, 10/28)
Over the past seven months, the coronavirus has upended life, prompting widespread shifts in how people spend their days. What was hard to comprehend in March 鈥 virtual schooling, isolation, meetings through videoconference, plexiglass and masks 鈥 is now the norm. But according to a聽new study from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, some of those disruptions have turned into habits. And they might have long-lasting effects on health. (Woodruff, 10/28)
The Oaks Park Haunted Drive-Thru offers five frightening options to choose from, including one called 鈥淭he Condemned.鈥 鈥淔ake blood and guts get smeared and strewn all over your car,鈥 said Emily MacKay, marketing and events director. 鈥淏ut you get a carwash at the end of the drive. From a value standpoint, you could come just for that.鈥 Or for the killer clowns or nuclear-disaster mutants featured in the other options at this mobile Portland, Ore.-based creep-show. This year, lots of haunted houses are closed. Yet there is a detour some haunt promoters are taking: drive-through attractions. (Garbarino, 10/28)
San Francisco moved into the state鈥檚 yellow tier for reopening on Oct. 20, and Tuesday was the first day in seven months that some nonessential personal services 鈥 including those that require the removal of masks, such as facials by estheticians 鈥 were allowed in the city. At spas across town, it became clear that while the serenity of soothing new age music and burbling fountains was the same as ever, treatments now included shades of science 鈥 and science fiction. (Zinko, 10/28)
COVID-19 cases are spiking and the positive-test percentage remains high in the state of Utah. That said, there is no indication that the University of Utah鈥檚 Nov. 7 season opener vs. Arizona is in danger of being canceled or relocated. However, the language inside a key Pac-12 document at least deems the topic worth exploring. (Newman, 10/28)