Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: International Travel Had Biggest Impact On Covid Death Rate Early On
The biggest factor in the death rate from the first wave of coronavirus cases was international travel, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Aberdeen. Researchers assessed death rates in the 37 hardest-hit countries, looking at factors including urban population, population density and arrivals at the border. Countries analyzed included the U.S., the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy and Brazil. According to the research, published in BMJ Open, every 1 million international arrivals was associated with a 3.4 percent spike in the mean daily increase of deaths from the virus. (Budryk, 2/4)
As Covid-19 spread across the country and local governments instituted restrictions and closures to keep infections from rising, fitness studios and gyms were often the first and hardest hit. Now, almost a year since Congress passed its first coronavirus relief package to help struggling Americans get back on their feet, one sector feels largely abandoned. (Talbot and Tsirkin, 2/4)
KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Covid And KidsÂ
Nearly a year into the pandemic, many public schools are still closed to in-person instruction. But while there is increasing evidence that schools are not a major source of infection, teachers and staffers remain concerned about going back to class before they are vaccinated. Meanwhile, people who have lost their health insurance will have another chance to sign up under the Affordable Care Act starting Feb. 15. The official enrollment period ended in December. This time, the Biden administration is planning a major outreach effort to inform millions of Americans that they may be eligible for free or low-cost coverage. (2/4)
In other public health news —
Checkpoint inhibitors like Keytruda and Opdivo can be incredibly powerful cancer-killing drugs — when they work, that is, which is less than 70% of the time. For years, scientists have hoped to find a way to identify a combination of therapies that might help these drugs work for a larger number of people. (Sheridan, 2/4)
George McDonald, who walked away from a corporate career and spent 700 lonely nights feeding mendicants, crack addicts and runaways in Grand Central Terminal, laying the foundation for a second act as the founder of the Doe Fund, a nonprofit that has provided housing and jobs to thousands of formerly incarcerated and homeless New Yorkers, died on Jan. 26 in Manhattan. He was 76.His wife, Harriet Karr-McDonald, said the cause was cancer. (Traub, 2/4)
