A Controversial Post Reminds Us of the Pandemic's Mental Toll
It’s hard to imagine a publication with a less attention-grabbing name than the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. But the MMWR is required reading among epidemiologists and others in the health care community, and has historically often been the first source for reports about emerging diseases like AIDS.
But the MMWR found itself at the center of controversy this week, as reports emerged that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials were demanding to see its bulletins before publication, in an effort, as The New York Times put it, to “revise, delay or even scuttle” them in order “to paint the [Trump] Administration’s pandemic response in a more positive light.”
The controversy took an even more alarming turn yesterday, when HHS chief spokesman Michael Caputo wrote an unsettling Facebook diatribe accusing the CDC of “sedition” and harboring a “resistance unit” working against President Donald Trump.
“There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well, not until after Joe Biden is president,” Caputo wrote, without evidence. He went farther still, predicting that Biden, the Democratic candidate for president, would lose the November election but refuse to concede. "And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin," he added.
Even by the standards of the Trump Administration’s inflammatory rhetoric, this was dangerous stuff—and then it turned downright tragic. Caputo went on to say that his “mental health had definitely failed,” and that there are “shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long.” He added that "I don't want to talk about death anymore. You're not waking up every morning and talking about dead Americans."
For now, HHS is backing Caputo. “Mr. Caputo is a critical, integral part of the President’s coronavirus response, leading on public messaging as Americans need public health information to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic,” reads the agency’s statement.
Politics aside, Caputo’s words project the image of a person who is under immense strain. The coronavirus does its damage in all manner of ways to all manner of people. In a time of pandemic, human minds may suffer just as badly as human bodies. If you're struggling—as millions of Americans are—telehealth and teletherapy advancements have made it easier than ever to find help. Still, his alarming message is the latest sign of the Trump Administration’s distrust—and active undermining—of the scientists and other experts working to fight this pandemic.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
More than 29.1 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 1:45 a.m. EDT today, and more than 927,000 people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Sept. 14, there were 195,764 new cases and 3,372 new deaths confirmed globally. Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here is every country with over 350,000 confirmed cases to date ("per cap" is number per 100,000 people):
It was another terrible day for India yesterday, as the AP reports, with more than 83,000 new cases and 1,054 new deaths. India trails only the U.S. in total caseload. The hardest hit of the Indian states is Maharashtra, with more than 1 million cases. The Indian Parliament reopened yesterday after a five-month shutdown, and officials there conceded that the explosion of cases was caused in part by city dwellers migrating to the countryside when urban centers were shuttered earlier in the year, spreading the virus throughout the country. One upside: India has the highest share of recovered patients, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics, with a 77.8% recovery rate.
The impact of the pandemic is setting back efforts to control other global diseases as well. In its just released annual Goalkeepers report, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation finds that quarantines have hampered global vaccination efforts, causing the percentage of children inoculated against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis to fall to a level not seen since 2000. The Gates Foundation also found that the virus has driven 37 million people into extreme poverty, raising global poverty totals by 7.1%. About twice as many women have lost their jobs compared to men.
Trials of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine have resumed in the U.K. after being briefly halted when one subject came down with what was reported to be transverse myelitis (an inflammation of the spinal cord). But in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration is not yet persuaded that it is safe to start again. As CNN, the Daily Beast and others report, the FDA and the U.S. National Institutes of Health are both troubled by what they see as a lack of transparency from AstraZeneca, which has not confirmed the subject’s diagnosis. The FDA and NIH want blood samples from the unnamed patient before deciding whether trials should resume in the U.S.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 6.5 million coronavirus cases as of 1:45 a.m. EDT today. More than 194,000 people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Sept. 14, there were 33,826 new cases and 418 new deaths confirmed in the U.S. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
A report published in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that, among 121 people in the U.S. under the age of 21 who died of causes related to the virus, most (70%) were between 10 and 20 years old, while another 10% were infants. The majority of deaths in that age group—78%—were among non-whites, including Hispanic, Black and Indigenous Americans.
Nothing motivates lawmakers like the prospect of being tossed out by voters fed up with inaction. With that possibility facing at least some in Congress given their failure to pass a new coronavirus relief bill, a bipartisan group of 50 members of the House of Representatives is about to unveil a new $1.5 trillion proposal, according to Reuters. The bill includes $500 billion for state and local governments struggling amid the pandemic and another round of direct payments to individuals. It’s uncertain whether it will pass the House, much less be approved by the Senate.
A rheumatoid arthritis medication might help shorten coronavirus recovery time, according to a study of 1,000 people conducted by pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Company. As the AP reports, when patients received the anti-inflammatory drug, known as baricitinib, along with remdesivir, they recovered one day sooner than patients receiving remdesivir alone. The company plans to seek emergency use authorization to include baricitinib in basic virus treatment.
As winter approaches, fears of a so-called “twindemic”—COVID-19 and seasonal flu—continue to grow. The dangers for unlucky people who contract both could be considerable. As CNN reports, doctors worry that the one-two punch could lead to a cascade, weakening the immune system and resulting in sepsis, cardiac injury and inflammation of the heart, brain and muscle tissue—complications that both flu and COVID-19 can cause individually and would, at least in theory, be twice as likely to trigger in tandem. A bigger concern than all of those complications is the risk of potentially fatal pneumonia, as both diseases target the lungs.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of September 15, 1 a.m. eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Nursing Homes Are Still Ground Zero
At the start of the pandemic, nursing homes, filled with people well over 65 and who often have underlying conditions, were hit hard by the virus. The number of nursing home cases dipped over the summer, but they’re on the rise again as flu season approaches. And while the Trump Administration pledged to step in, it has taken minimal actual action, with little follow-through on promises of increased testing and fresh supplies of personal protective equipment. Read more here.
A Bright Spot in Brazil
Brazil is one of the world’s major viral hot zones, trailing only the U.S. and India in total cases. But one group has not recorded a single case in more than six months: the Tembe tribe in the eastern Amazon. The Indigenous community recently swung open their gate for an AP photographer, who visited to observe their celebration of the achievement. It was that gate—which has been locked for the better part of half a year—that the tribe credits with its success. Read more here.
Russia's Vaccine Inspires Little Confidence
More reason to worry about Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, which is being rushed to at least limited distribution even as phase three trials are still underway: According to the Moscow Times, 1 in 7 people who have received the vaccine reported side effects such as muscle weakness and fever after just one shot (a second dose is administered 21 days later). Officials dismiss the side effects as minor and transitory, but Russians as a whole don’t seem convinced: Nearly 50% of those polled say they do not plan to take the vaccine after it’s released. Read more here.
China's Limited Vaccine Roll-Out
Chinese health officials have announced that when a coronavirus vaccine is eventually approved, it will not be widely distributed to the population at large right away, but rather will only be given to high-risk groups like front line workers and people over 65, CNN reports. Part of the justification for the policy is to keep costs down and reduce the risk of side effects. But China also points to its success at containing the virus even without a vaccine. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jeffrey Kluger and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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