Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rising Caseloads, More Deaths As States Confront Virus's Spread
Two more deaths have been tied to an outbreak of COVID-19 at a Montana care facility, officials said Monday. The weekend deaths bring to 12 the number of residents of Canyon Creek Memory Care in Billings who have died from the respiratory virus in the past two weeks, Yellowstone County health officials said. (7/20)
Three more Indiana residents have died from COVID-19 while another 658 Hoosiers have been diagnosed with the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, state health officials said Monday. The state’s 658 newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19 brings the total number of Indiana residents known to have the illness to 57,206, the Indiana State Department of Health said. (7/20)
Numbers gathered by Nebraska health officials show another day of more than 100 cases of coronavirus confirmed in the state. Nebraska’s online coronavirus tracker shows 102 cases were confirmed Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 22,583 since the outbreak began. The state’s total number of deaths remained unchanged at 301. (7/20)
The Oregon Health Authority reported 277 new confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases in the state Monday. In addition there were two new deaths, increasing the state’s death toll to 262 people. Following the increase, Oregon’s total coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic is now nearing 15,000. (7/20)
Nearly 393,000 people in Nevada have been tested for the COVID-19 illness, state health officials said Monday, and more than 36,700 have tested positive. One more death was reported since the weekend, bringing the total to at least 648 since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to state Department of Health and Human Services figures. (7/21)
Nearly 800 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Washington state, bringing the state total number of cases to 47,743.The Washington State Department of Health on Sunday also reported six additional deaths. In Washington, 1,453 people have now died from the disease. (7/21)
Dallas County reported at least 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the 18th consecutive day Monday, as well as one additional death. The latest victim was a Dallas man in his 80s who was a resident of a long-term care facility. (Jones, 7/20)
Thirty-nine inmates at the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona have tested positive for COVID-19, and results are pending on some others, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office said Monday. The agency began conducting the tests over the last several days after medical staffers recognized symptoms in some of the inmates, according to Cpl. James Grimaldi, a Sheriff's Office spokesman. The Sheriff's Office is still waiting for the test results of other inmates who have been tested. (Hunter, 7/20)
