Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Consumer Beware: Coronavirus Antibody Tests Are Still A Work In Progress

Public officials are putting high hopes on new blood tests as a means of determining who has developed antibodies to COVID-19, and with those antibodies, presumed immunity. But experts caution the tests are largely unreliable and the science is still catching up.

‘An Arm And A Leg’: What A Fleet Of Firetrucks Can Teach About Public Health

This week on “An Arm and a Leg,” a front-line physician wonders if the health care industry’s drive for “efficiency” has robbed the system of surge capacity, leaving the nation underprepared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lawmaker Pushing Mental Health Reform: It’s ‘More Needed Than Ever’

Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked lawmakers to pare down their legislative wish lists and focus on the state’s coronavirus response. But state Sen. Jim Beall plans to forge ahead with his mental health care proposals, including a measure to create a state mental health parity requirement.

Anti-Vaccine Activists Latch Onto Coronavirus To Bolster Their Movement

Activists failed to convince state legislators that diseases like measles aren’t serious enough to require vaccination. Now they’re joining with conservatives and other anti-lockdown demonstrators who contend the coronavirus isn’t dangerous enough to justify staying home.