Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Reports: People Of Color More Likely To Die From COVID
Mandy Rong was terrified her 12-year-old daughter had COVID-19. It was 2 a.m. and the young girl was hours into a fierce fever and a racking cough. She was weak and didn鈥檛 want to eat. What few medications were on hand had expired. She sipped warm water instead. 鈥淢ommy, why are my eyes on fire?鈥 asked Amy Rong. The mother and daughter, along with Rong鈥檚 parents, live in an 80-square-foot windowless single-room-occupancy Chinatown building that is a home of last resort for many impoverished Asian immigrants. Hallways are cramped, bathrooms and kitchens are communal. A ripe setting for the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus.聽 (della Cava, 10/18)
Black and Hispanic Americans were disproportionately more likely to die of COVID-19 during the spring and summer months, a new indicator that the coronavirus鈥檚 toll is falling most heavily on underserved and minority communities. A new analysis聽by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of more than 114,000 Americans who died of COVID-19 between May and August found聽that 24 percent were Hispanic or Latino, even though only about 18 percent of Americans are of Hispanic decent. (Wilson, 10/16)
A USA Today analysis shows that of the 10 counties in the nation with the highest death rates from COVID-19, five are in Georgia. Hancock County is No. 1 on the list. The Middle Georgia county, with a death rate from COVID-19 of 45.7 per 10,000 residents, became a virus聽hot spot after outbreaks in two nursing homes, where at least 27 residents have died. (Miller, 10/16)
Also 鈥
They are classic animated films like 鈥淒umbo鈥 (1941) and 鈥淧eter Pan鈥 (1953), but on Disney鈥檚 streaming service they will now get a little help to stand the test of time. Before viewers watch some of these films that entertained generations of children, they will be warned about scenes that include 鈥渘egative depictions鈥 and 鈥渕istreatment of people or cultures.鈥 The 12-second disclaimer, which cannot be skipped, tells viewers, in part: 鈥淭hese stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.鈥 (Pietsch, 10/18)