Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl

Skip to main content

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.

Subscribe Follow Us
  • Trump 2.0

    Trump 2.0

    • Agency Watch
    • State Watch
    • Rural Health Payout
  • Public Health

    Public Health

    • Vaccines
    • CDC & Disease
    • Environmental Health
  • Audio Reports

    Audio Reports

    • What the Health?
    • Health Care Helpline
    • Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News Minute
    • An Arm and a Leg
    • Health Hub
    • HealthQ
    • Silence in Sikeston
    • Epidemic
    • See All Audio
  • Special Reports

    Special Reports

    • Bill Of The Month
    • The Body Shops
    • Broken Rehab
    • Deadly Denials
    • Priced Out
    • Dead Zone
    • Diagnosis: Debt
    • Overpayment Outrage
    • Opioid Settlement Tracking
    • See All Special Reports
  • More Topics

    More Topics

    • Elections
    • Health Care Costs
    • Insurance
    • Prescription Drugs
    • Health Industry
    • Immigration
    • Reproductive Health
    • Technology
    • Rural Health
    • Race and Health
    • Aging
    • Mental Health
    • Affordable Care Act
    • Medicare
    • Medicaid
    • Children’s Health

  • Gun Violence Trauma
  • Maternal Mortality
  • Hospital Food
  • Medicaid Work Requirements
  • Visa Program Delays

TRENDING TOPICS:

  • Gun Violence Trauma
  • Maternal Mortality
  • Hospital Food
  • Medicaid Work Requirements
  • Visa Program Delays

Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

  • Email

Friday, May 22 2020

Full Issue

Warnings About Higher Drowning Risks: Cooped Up Kids Eager To Swim Need Closer Supervision

Higher numbers of drownings are already being seen in Texas and Florida. For children ages 1 to 4, drownings are the leading cause of accidental deaths. Other public health news is on quieter places that resemble nighttime, decline in vaccination rates, "immunity passports," the comfort of helping others and the new normals of air travel.

The summer of 2020 is shaping up to be anything but normal. Will camps be open? What about day care? What will kids stuck at home do all day long? With so many families sheltering in place and parents juggling work and child-care responsibilities, drowning is probably low on the list of concerns. But it’s this exact scenario that can lead to kids being unsupervised around water — even momentarily — with tragic results. Jenny Bennett, an emergency-room nurse and mother of four from Tomball, Texas, experienced it firsthand. (Lewis, 5/22)

The corner of Lafayette and East Fourth Street in New York used to be a busy thoroughfare, with coffee shops, gyms, bus routes and hurried students walking between classes at N.Y.U. But since mid-March, all the usual sounds of Lower Manhattan — car horns, idle chatter and the frequent rumble of the subway down below — have been replaced by the low hum of wind and birds. (Bui and Badger, 5/22)

As many as 20 states across the country are reporting a rapid decrease in the number of children receiving their routine vaccinations over the past few months, according to a nationwide survey conducted by ABC News. The sudden decline comes as many Americans are fearful to visit their doctors' offices for routine check-ups amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Santucci, Faulders, Rubin, Bhatt and Pecorin, 5/22)

Some governments are considering using a blood test to determine whether people can return to work, school and other public activities during the coronavirus pandemic. Lack of certain antibodies would mean you don't have an "immunity passport" and are therefore not allowed to venture out in public. Those who have them would be issued certificates to roam and restart economies -- so the vulnerable can stay home.But the World Health Organization and other experts say that's a terrible idea. (Karimi and Fox, 5/22)

In April, as the coronavirus was ravaging New York, Susan Jones learned her older brother had been diagnosed with a blood cancer. His supervisor at work launched a GoFundMe page to help with costs, and Jones shared it on Facebook. What happened next stunned her. (Noveck, 5/22)

Airports this Memorial Day weekend are likely to be far emptier than usual, but people who plan to travel can expect to encounter lots of changes and new inconveniences. Take security. As travelers wait in line to be screened, they can expect to see signs and other markings reminding them to maintain their distance from one another, the Transportation Security Administration said on Thursday. The agents checking identification and boarding passes will be wearings masks, gloves and, in some cases, eye protection. (Chokshi, 5/21)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
Newsletter icon

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Stay informed by signing up for the Morning Briefing and other emails:

Recent Morning Briefings

  • Today, May 4
  • Friday, May 1
  • Thursday, April 30
  • Wednesday, April 29
  • Tuesday, April 28
  • Monday, April 27
More Morning Briefings
RSS Feeds
  • Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl
  • Special Reports
  • Morning Briefing
  • About Us
  • Republish Our Content
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

  • RSS

Sign up for emails

Join our email list for regular updates based on your personal preferences.

Sign up
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2026 KFF