Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Up To 8 Million Have Died So Far From Covid, Says WHO
Official tolls showing the number of deaths directly or indirectly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to be a "significant undercount", the World Health Organization said on Friday, saying 6-8 million people may have died so far. Presenting its annual World Health Statistics report, the WHO estimated that total deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 were at least 3 million last year or 1.2 million more than officially reported. "We are likely facing a significant undercount of total deaths directly and indirectly attributed to COVID-19," it said. (5/21)
Nearly 1 million more people than normal died in 29 high-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to a time series study yesterday in BMJ. University of Oxford researchers led the study, which involved calculating weekly excess deaths for each included country in 2020, adjusting for age, sex, and seasonal and annual mortality trends in the previous 5 years. (Van Beusekom, 5/20)
A plan to rapidly reopen schools in Texas may have contributed to thousands of COVID-19 cases and hundreds of deaths, according to an analysis by economists and public policy experts from the University of Kentucky. The analysis, which has not yet been peer reviewed, used a statistical model to estimate that roughly 43,000 people contracted COVID-19 and 800 people possibly died in Texas two months after schools reopened statewide, when virus transmission already was high. The research highlights how in-person learning and its potential "spillover" can affect nearby communities. (Lenthang, 5/20)
The latest AARP data shows that Florida is trending higher than the national average for new reported cases of COVID-19 among nursing home residents and staff. Jeff Johnson, the Florida director for AARP, said part of the problem is only about 38% of long-term care workers have been vaccinated. "For the staff members who have been caring for them, many of whom have had people they care for a pass away during this pandemic from COVID, to not get vaccinated has been staggering for us," Johnson said. (Miller, 5/20)
