‘Structural Racism’: Diverse Counties Much Harder Hit Than White Ones

ABC News: Majority White Counties Have Significantly Fewer COVID-19 Cases: Study 
U.S. counties predominantly composed of white people have reported the fewest coronavirus cases, while diverse counties have been hit disproportionately harder by COVID-19, new research shows. Researchers analyzed publicly available U.S. Census data and found that while 22% of counties have a predominantly Black population, those counties accounted for 47% of COVID-19 cases and 54% of deaths as of June. That racial disparity held true regardless of geographic region or political affiliation and was the same both before and after reopening the U.S. economy. (Schumaker, 8/12)

Los Angeles Times: I Had COVID-19, And These Are The Things Nobody Tells You
My temperature hovered in the upper reaches of 102. It felt like my head was on fire. One night I sweated through five shirts. I shook so much from the chills I thought I chipped a tooth. My chest felt like LeBron James was sitting on it. My fatigue made it feel as if I was dressed in the chains of Jacob Marley’s ghost. I coughed so hard it felt like I broke a rib. ... But still, there are things about this insidious illness that nobody tells you. There are things that surprised me, things that stick with you long after the fever has spiked and the headaches have stopped. (Plaschke, 8/12)

Kaiser Health News and The Guardian: Dying Young: The Health Care Workers In Their 20s Killed By COVID-19 
Jasmine Obra believed that if it wasn’t for her brother Joshua, she wouldn’t exist. When 7-year-old Josh realized that his parents weren’t going to live forever, he asked for a sibling so he would never be alone. By spring 2020, at ages 29 and 21, Josh and Jasmine shared a condo in Anaheim, California, not far from Disneyland, which they both loved. (Gee, 8/13)

The Hill: California Megachurch Draws Thousands At In-Person Services Defying State Coronavirus Orders 
The pastor of a megachurch in Los Angeles defended the church’s decision to allow thousands in for services Sunday, defying California state orders amid the coronavirus outbreak. Grace Community Church held in-person services on Sunday, and Pastor John MacArthur told CNN that six or seven thousand people showed up. (Klar, 8/12)

The New York Times: The Nation Wanted To Eat Out Again. Everyone Has Paid The Price. 
Across the United States this summer, restaurants and bars, reeling from mandatory lockdowns and steep financial declines, opened their doors to customers, thousands of whom had been craving deep bowls of farro, frothy margaritas and juicy burgers smothered in glistening onions. But the short-term gains have led to broader losses. Data from states and cities show that many community outbreaks of the coronavirus this summer have centered on restaurants and bars, often the largest settings to infect Americans. (Steinhauer, 8/12)

In testing and tracing news —

AP: Actors And Disney World Reach Deal After Virus Testing Fight
Walt Disney World and the union for its actors and singers reached an agreement on Wednesday that will allow them to return to work, more than a month after they said they were locked out of the reopening of the theme park resort for publicly demanding coronavirus tests. Disney agreed to have a state-run drive-thru COVID-19 testing site for workers and the public at the Florida theme park resort. That decision encouraged Actor’s Equity Association to sign a memorandum of understanding allowing the actors, singers and stage managers to return to their jobs. (Schneider, 8/13)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Senior Homes Still Scramble For Testing As COVID-19 Cases Rise
For five months, Georgia’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities have operated in lockdown mode. Visitors aren’t allowed. Residents are confined largely to their rooms, with no communal dining or group activities. Only workers can come in and out.In spite of the extreme measures, COVID-19 cases inside the homes have been trending sharply upward in recent weeks. (Teegardin, 8/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Why Is It Hard To Get A Rapid Covid-19 Test? The Machines Are In Short Supply 
Doctors, nursing homes and federal officials are scrambling to get rapid-response Covid-19 antigen testing supplies from the two companies that secured emergency approval to produce them, as cases continue to rise in the U.S. Rapid-response antigen tests make up a small but growing area of Covid-19 testing in the U.S. and are seen as helpful in tamping down outbreaks because they offer faster results than many molecular tests that must be sent to labs for processing. The tests search for virus proteins while other tests look for the virus’s genetic material. (Krouse and Terlep, 8/12)

Kaiser Health News: Helping People Isolate Can Slow Spread Of COVID-19, Experts Say
It’s a familiar moment. The kids want their cereal and the coffee’s brewing, but you’re out of milk. No problem, you think — the corner store is just a couple of minutes away. But if you have COVID-19 or have been exposed to the coronavirus, you’re supposed to stay put. Even that quick errand could make you the reason someone else gets infected. But making the choice to keep others safe can be hard to do without support. (Bebinger, 8/13)

Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Virus Testing Slows In State
Daily coronavirus tests logged by the Arkansas Department of Health fell below 5,000 for the second-straight day on Wednesday, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced his intention to join a new coalition of states seeking to strengthen their buying power for tests. The Health Department reported 4,401 test results, along with 703 new cases. That brought the total number of Arkansans who have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic to 51,114. (Moritz, 8/13)