Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walensky Warns Of 'Pandemic Fatigue' Amid Fourth-Wave Worries
The recent declines in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are showing signs of stalling, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Wednesday, adding that the country is at a "critical nexus" in the pandemic. "We knew this would happen as variants emerged and reached more people in more communities, but we can still reduce their impact," Walensky said. The U.S. is currently seeing a seven-day average of 66,010 new coronavirus cases, marking an increase of 3.5% from the week prior, while deaths also increased 2.2% from the previous week’s average. (Hein, 3/3)
The U.S. may be on the verge of another surge in coronavirus cases, despite weeks of good news. Nationwide, progress against the virus has stalled. And some states are ditching their most important public safety measures even as their outbreaks are getting worse. (Baker, 3/4)
World Health Organization officials said Wednesday that scientists are trying to understand why Covid-19 cases are suddenly ticking up across much of the world after weeks of falling infections. There were 2.6 million new cases reported across the world last week, up 7% from the prior week, the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological update that reflects data received as of Sunday morning. That follows six consecutive weeks of declining new cases all over the world. (Feuer, 3/3)
In related news —
Tuesday's coronavirus numbers are the highest they’ve been in a week with 7,179 people testing positive for the virus statewide since Monday's report. That's more than four times Monday's total of 1,700 — the lowest since mid-October. (Miller, 3/3)
The risk of death from Covid-19 is about 10 times higher in countries where most of the population is overweight, according to a report released Wednesday by the World Obesity Forum. Researchers found that by the end of 2020, global Covid-19 death rates were more than 10 times higher in countries where more than half the adults are overweight, compared to countries where fewer than half are overweight. (Mascarenhas, 3/4)
