Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Georgia Governor Balks At Reports That Say State Is In 'Red Zone'
Georgia has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the United States, according to recent reports on per capita cases -- a data point Gov. Brian Kemp pushed back against on Wednesday. According to the Harvard Global Health Institute's current model on COVID-19 risk, as of Monday, Georgia had the highest number of daily new cases per 100,000 people in the country. The institute's recommendation at the state's risk level is to implement stay-at-home orders. (Deliso, 8/19)
In news from Massachusetts 鈥
When an inmate dies in the custody of a Massachusetts sheriff, jail officials typically contact the local district attorney to investigate. But that protocol fell by the wayside for Rodrick Pendleton. The 51-year-old father and former truck driver died in 2015, after allegedly being ignored for days in the medical unit of the Suffolk County House of Correction while he suffered from a painful condition. By the time jail staff sent him to the hospital, it was too late. (Healy and Willmsen, 8/20)
The Boston Cannabis Board has approved two new marijuana retailers hoping to open in the city, including one run by former city councilor and mayoral candidate Tito Jackson, marking the reboot of a permitting process that had been stalled since October. At a virtual meeting Wednesday, the newly convened five-member agency voted unanimously to issue initial recreational pot permits to Verdant Medical in Mattapan and Massachusetts Citizens for Social Equity in Roxbury. (Adams, 8/19)
In news from New York 鈥
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded Wednesday to an Associated Press report that his state鈥檚 coronavirus death toll in nursing homes could be a significant undercount, saying it makes sense to include only those residents who died on the home鈥檚 property. Unlike the federal government and every other state with major outbreaks, only New York explicitly says that it counts just residents who died on nursing home property and not those who were transported to hospitals and died there. (Condon and Villeneuve, 8/20)
The percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive has reached a record low in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Wednesday, a sign that enough people are being tested and that the city has control of the virus. 鈥淭his is extraordinary,鈥 de Blasio said during a press conference. (Hellmann, 8/19)
