Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Lawmakers Infected By Coronavirus
An inconclusive coronavirus test for Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who had been self-isolating after testing positive, was retested overnight and came back negative, her campaign said Sunday. The Georgia Republican, who has been actively campaigning for the state鈥檚 Jan. 5 runoff against Democrat Raphael Warnock, took two Covid-19 tests on Friday morning before appearing with Vice President Mike Pence at a campaign rally. The rapid test came back negative, but Loeffler, 49, learned on Friday evening that her PCR test 鈥 a more accurate sampling 鈥 came back positive, according to Loeffler鈥檚 spokesman, Stephen Lawson. (Desiderio, 11/22)
A Wisconsin congressman on Sunday announced聽he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) said in a statement he tested positive Sunday after experiencing symptoms following his return to the state from Washington, D.C.聽He added that he would quarantine at home. (Bowden, 11/22)
A Democratic congressman from Connecticut tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement released through his office Sunday. In the statement, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) said that he was exposed to the virus聽by someone who did not know at the time they had contracted it. He said he was experiencing "mild" symptoms. (Bowden, 11/22)
In other news from Capitol Hill 鈥
A slew of expiring emergency programs are setting up an economic 鈥淐OVID cliff鈥 come 2021, which could see millions of people lose unemployment insurance and get evictions, while a growing wave of small businesses close shop. March's CARES Act set up myriad programs to give people economic relief in the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which are set to expire on Dec. 31. Unless a divided Congress can reach a deal to extend the programs, the country's economic suffering could skyrocket. (Elis, 11/22)