Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
US Enters New Pandemic Phase, With CDC's New Covid Rules In The Spotlight
鈥淚t鈥檚 a reasonable move,鈥 said Aaron Glatt, an infectious disease doctor and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e doing public health, you have to look at what is going to be listened to, and what is doable.鈥 Guidelines that adhere to the highest standards of infection control might please purists in public health who don鈥檛 have to make policies for the real world. However, guidelines that seem to acknowledge that workers often don鈥檛 have paid sick leave and emergency child care, and that social interactions are important to folks, are more likely not only to be followed but to engender trust in public health authorities. (Landman, 3/1)
The United States has entered a different stage in the pandemic. Four years after the virus emerged, the covid-19 landscape has changed dramatically. ... So now you鈥檝e got covid-19. When can you exit isolation? If you do resume activities outside your home, can you be sure you鈥檙e no longer contagious? The important thing to consider, experts say, is that every person and every case of covid is unique. There is no hard-and-fast rule for how sick a person will get or how long a person remains infectious. The guidelines offer a framework, but patients should take into account their circumstances, priorities and resources to assess risk. (Sun and Achenbach, 3/2)
Respiratory illness levels in the United States remained high but stable last week, with flu activity rising in some regions of the country and indicators declining for both COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest data updates. (3/1)
On the spread of measles 鈥
Two more cases of measles were confirmed by Michigan health officials after the state detected its first positive case in more than four years last week. Wayne County Public Health says they have a confirmed case associated with international travel in an adult residing in Wayne County. Washtenaw County Health Department also confirms a case of measles in an adult with recent international travel. (Wynn, 3/3)
