The New York Times: U.S. Cases Pass 6 Million
Twenty-two days. It took more than three months for the United States to reach one million coronavirus cases after reporting its first confirmed infection, but less than a third of that time to notch the latest million-case leap. On Sunday, the United States hit yet another milestone, with six million reported cases, according to a New York Times database. (8/30)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Records Smallest Daily Increase In Coronavirus Cases In A Week 
New coronavirus cases in the U.S. fell to their lowest level in a week, while the nation’s total number of infections approached six million and the virus continued to spread rapidly in other countries, including India. The U.S. reported more than 35,000 new cases for Sunday, the smallest daily increase since Aug. 23, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. death toll topped 183,000. (Hall, 8/31)

And in global developments —

NPR: Coronavirus Cases Top 25 Million Globally As India Emerges As A New Epicenter
The number of cases of the coronavirus has now passed 25 million worldwide. The milestone happened Sunday, fueled by a surge of more than 78,000 cases in India on Saturday. The spread of the virus in India has grown in recent weeks, with daily cases there now outpacing both the United States and Brazil, according to tracking data from Johns Hopkins University. In all, India has now registered more than 3.5 million cases and more than 63,000 deaths. Global deaths now total more than 843,000. (Davis, 8/30)

AP: India Records World's Biggest Single-Day Jump In Virus Cases
India registered 78,761 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the biggest single-day spike in the world since the pandemic began, just as the government began easing restrictions to help the battered economy. The surge raised India’s tally to over 3.5 million, and came as the government announced the reopening of the subway in New Delhi, the capital. It also will move ahead with limited sports and religious events next month. (8/30)

AP: Asia Today: India's Tally Surges As Restrictions Are Eased
India has registered 78,761 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the worst single-day spike in the world, as the government continues to further ease pandemic restrictions nationwide. The Health Ministry on Sunday also reported 948 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities to 63,498.India has now reported more than 75,000 infections for four straight days. (8/30)

CNBC: FDA Willing To Fast Track Coronavirus Vaccine Before Phase Three Trials End
The chief of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is prepared to bypass the full federal approval process in order to make a Covid-19 vaccine available as soon as possible, according to an interview in The Financial Times. Insisting that the move would not be due to pressure from the Trump administration to fast track a vaccine, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told the publication that an emergency authorization could be appropriate before phase three clinical trials are completed if the benefits outweigh the risks. (O'Brien, 8/30)

Bloomberg: FDA Chief Promises Transparency For Covid-19 Vaccine Review
The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration promised that the review of a potential Covid-19 vaccine in the U.S. will be transparent to the public, with any clearance by the agency driven by data alone. In an interview on Sunday, Commissioner Stephen Hahn responded to questions about the different ways the FDA could clear a vaccine for use: either under an emergency authorization, likely based on more limited data and for use in a narrow group, or a broader approval that could lead to wider use. (Armstrong, 8/30)

The Hill: Gottlieb Questions FDA Chief's Coronavirus Vaccine Fast-Track Comments: Full Approval A '2021 Event' 
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is questioning FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn’s comments about fast-tracking a coronavirus vaccine, stating that a full approval of a vaccine for the general population likely won’t happen until 2021. Hahn said in an interview published by The Financial Times on Sunday that he is willing to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine before clinical trials are complete if it is determined to be “appropriate.” (Klar, 8/30)

In related news —

Stat: Most Americans See Politics Driving Covid-19 Vaccine Approval Process
Seventy-eight percent of Americans worry the Covid-19 vaccine approval process is being driven more by politics than science, according to a new survey from STAT and the Harris Poll, a reflection of concern that the Trump administration may give the green light to a vaccine prematurely. The response was largely bipartisan, with 72% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats expressing such worries, according to the poll, which was conducted last week and surveyed 2,067 American adults. (Silverman, 8/31)

CNN: Covid-19 Vaccines: Experts Call For Independent Commission Separate From FDA To Review Data 
Citing criticism of government agencies and increasing public distrust of vaccines, several prominent physicians and experts are calling for the creation of an independent commission to review data from coronavirus vaccine trials before a vaccine is allowed on the market. The US Food and Drug Administration regulates vaccines, and its OK is all that's needed to put one on the market. The physicians fear, however, that after several government blunders during the pandemic, a layer of review independent from the government is needed to give Americans confidence that the shot is safe and effective. (Cohen, 8/31)

The Washington Post: FDA Chief Spokesperson Removed After Convalescent Plasma Controversy 
The Food and Drug Administration’s chief spokeswoman, who has been in the job less than two weeks, was removed from her role as of noon Friday, part of continued fallout from a White House news conference featuring inaccurate claims that convalescent plasma dramatically reduced mortality for patients with covid-19. It remains unclear whether Emily Miller, who was assistant commissioner for media affairs, will remain at the agency in some capacity, said a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Miller formerly worked for One America News, a conservative cable news network and for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). She does not have a health or science background and has been a strong advocate for gun rights. (McGinley and Abutaleb, 8/28)

Politico: 'She Couldn't Even Pronounce Convalescent Plasma': FDA Ousts Spokesperson After 2 Weeks
Hahn officially removed Miller, a fellow Trump appointee, from her post on Friday morning, ending a tenure that was marked by infighting and a damaging controversy this week over the FDA's emergency authorization of convalescent plasma as a Covid-19 treatment. Colleagues said that Miller, with no prior medical or science experience, was a bad fit inside an agency rushing to fight a pandemic. "There was an inability to do anything inside the agency," said one health official. "She couldn't even pronounce convalescent plasma." (Cancryn and Diamond, 8/28)

The New York Times: Two P.R. Experts at F.D.A. Have Been Ousted After Blood Plasma Fiasco
The decision came just a day after the F.D.A.’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, terminated the contract of a public relations consultant who had advised the F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, to correct his misleading claims that 35 out of 100 Covid-19 patients “would have been saved because of the administration of plasma.” The removals come at a moment when the agency, which will be making critical decisions about whether to approve coronavirus vaccines and treatments, is struggling to salvage its reputation as a neutral scientific arbiter. (Kaplan and Thomas, 8/28)

Also —

The Washington Post: FDA Convalescent Plasma Authorization: How Trump Politicized Another Federal Agency's Response To The Pandemic 
President Trump’s accusatory tweet barreled in at 7:49 a.m. a week ago Saturday: The “deep state” at the Food and Drug Administration was trying to sandbag his election prospects by slowing progress on coronavirus treatments and vaccines until after Nov. 3. Shocked and upset, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who was tagged in the tweet, immediately began calling his contacts at the White House to find out why the president was angry. During his conversations, he mentioned the FDA was on the verge of granting emergency authorization to convalescent plasma as a treatment for covid-19. The agency planned to issue a news release. (McGinley, Abutaleb, Dawsey and Johnson, 8/30)

AP: Health Agencies' Credibility At Risk After Week Of Blunders
The credibility of two of the nation’s leading public health agencies was under fire this week after controversial decisions that outside experts said smacked of political pressure from President Donald Trump as he attempts to move past the devastating toll of the coronavirus ahead of the November election. The head of the Food and Drug Administration grossly misstated, then corrected, claims about the lifesaving power of a plasma therapy for COVID-19 authorized by his agency. Then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated its guidelines to suggest fewer Americans need to get tested for coronavirus, sparking outrage from scientists. (Perrone and Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/29)

The Hill: Local Health Departments Say CDC Testing Change Undermines Their Work 
Groups representing local health departments asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday to reverse a change to coronavirus testing guidance that they argue would hurt their ability to slow the spread of the disease. The CDC’s testing guidance was quietly updated Monday to say people without symptoms “do not necessarily” need to get tested, even if they’ve been in close contact with a COVID-19 case. (Hellmann, 8/28)

In other administration news —

The Hill: Birx Says She's Hopeful About Coronavirus Vaccine But Urges People To 'Do The Right Thing Today' 
White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Sunday that she is optimistic about the prospect of a vaccine for COVID-19 being developed by the end of 2020, but cautioned Americans should "do the right thing" until it was released. CNN reports that Birx made the remarks Sunday at an event in Minneapolis, where she explained that it was important for Americans to "do the right thing today, [so that] we go into the fall with much fewer cases.” (Bowden, 8/30)

The New York Times: Trump Program To Cover Uninsured Covid-19 Patients Falls Short Of Promise 
Marilyn Cortez, a retired cafeteria worker in Houston with no health insurance, spent much of July in the hospital with Covid-19. When she finally returned home, she received a $36,000 bill that compounded the stress of her illness. Then someone from the hospital, Houston Methodist, called and told her not to worry — President Trump had paid it.But then another bill arrived, for twice as much. (Goodnough, 8/29)

AP: Health Experts Decry Trump's Shunning Of Virus Rules
Public health experts expressed concern Friday about President Donald Trump’s largely mask-free, socially un-distanced Republican convention event on the White House lawn, saying some of his 1,500 guests may have inadvertently brought and spread the coronavirus to others. “There almost certainly were individuals there who were infected with COVID-19 but don’t know it,” said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University. (Superville and Riechmann, 8/30)

CNN: Lara Trump Says Campaign 'Always Following The Guidelines' Despite Few Masks, Lack Of Social Distancing At RNC 
Senior Trump campaign adviser Lara Trump on Sunday said the campaign "always encourage(s) people to follow the guidelines" from health officials on the coronavirus, despite few masks and a lack of social distancing during in-person Republican convention events last week. "Well, look, we always, whether it's at this event you saw at the White House or at any campaign event, we always encourage people to follow the guidelines and to do what they think is best for themselves," Lara Trump told host Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." (Judd, 8/30)

ABC News: Trump's Favorability And Perceptions Of COVID-19 Response Stagnate Post-Convention: POLL 
President Donald Trump's efforts to build his appeal and define his opponent at the Republican National Convention, using pageantry and the White House as the backdrop, had little apparent impact on the electorate's impressions of both him and former Vice President Joe Biden, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds. Trump's week of celebration did not improve his favorability, even among his own base, and the country still remains widely critical of his handling of the major crisis of his presidency: COVID-19. (Karson, 8/30)

In other election news —

The Washington Post: Biden To Resume In-Person Campaigning As Race With Trump Kicks Into Gear 
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will resume in-person campaigning across the country in coming days amid the still-raging coronavirus pandemic, an answer to allies imploring him to meet voters where they are and a sign that his race with President Trump is tightening as the general election contest begins in earnest. (Rucker and Linskey, 8/29)

The New York Times: U.S. Will Revive Global Virus-Hunting Effort Ended Last Year 
Joseph R. Biden Jr. has promised that, if elected, he will restore a worldwide virus-hunting program that was allowed to expire last year by the Trump administration. The program, called Predict, searched for dangerous new animal viruses in bat caves, camel pens, wet markets and wildlife-smuggling routes around the globe. The expiration of Predict just weeks before the advent of the pandemic prompted wide criticism among scientists, who noted that the coronavirus is exactly the sort of catastrophic animal virus the program was designed to head off. (McNeil Jr. and Kaplan, 8/30)

The Hill: Trump, Biden Clash Intensifies Over COVID-19 Response 
The battle over sharply different responses to the coronavirus is escalating between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, with Democrats pointing to the heavy death toll and Republicans projecting optimism. With the election drawing near, the vastly different approaches to COVID-19 are veering further apart even as scrutiny rises. (Sullivan, 8/29)

Also —

AP: 2 Kansas Doctors But Differing COVID-19 Takes In Senate Race
U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall’s audience of about 40 people packed a banquet room in a Kansas City-area bistro. No one wore a mask during his lunchtime remarks about the coronavirus. The Republican nominee for Kansas’ open Senate seat put one on later while talking to masked reporters but dropped it for a moment, saying, “I can’t breathe.” A few days earlier, Democrat Barbara Bollier invited half a dozen local officials and activists to her first in-person event of the fall campaign. They stood in a socially distanced circle outside an elementary school empty of students in Manhattan in northeast Kansas. (Hanna, 8/29)

AP: Coronavirus Worries Force Election Officials To Get Creative
The coronavirus has upended everyday life in ways big and small. What happens when those disruptions overlap with voting? Thousands of state and local election officials across the U.S are sharing ideas and making accommodations to try to ensure that voters and polling places are safe amid an unprecedented pandemic. Some are finding ways to expand access to voter registration and ballot request forms. Others are testing new products, installing special equipment or scouting outdoor voting locations. (Carr Smith, 8/30)

The Hill: Shutdown Politics Set To Collide With Coronavirus Aid 
The odds are rising that any deal on a fifth coronavirus relief package will be tied to legislation to prevent a government shutdown. After weeks of stalemated talks, the timeline for the two fights have all but merged: The House is set to leave until after the election by Oct. 2, giving lawmakers only a matter of weeks to get a deal on another coronavirus bill. And government agencies cannot run when the next fiscal year begins on Oct. 1 without new funding from Congress. (Elis and Carney, 8/30)

Politico: Meadows Blames Pelosi For Impasse On Coronavirus Relief 
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Sunday blamed the impasse on a new coronavirus relief bill on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying the Trump administration‘s offer of $1.3 trillion deserves the Democrats’ serious attention.“Listen, we’re not going to negotiate here because the speaker’s been very clear,” Meadows told Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” characterizing Pelosi as inflexible. ‘When she said $2.2 trillion, she said, ‘Don't do anything at all.'" (Semones, 8/30)

In related news on the pandemic's economic toll —

Roll Call: PPP Loans Helped Out Congressional Spouses’ Workplaces
The Paycheck Protection Program isn’t accepting loan applications anymore, but the extent to which members of Congress and their families benefited from it continues to roll in. (Marquette, 8/28)

Boston Globe: Big Job Losses Strike Several Key Industries In Mass. As Coronavirus Continues To Hit State Economy 
Massachusetts has one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country, but the pandemic continues to take its toll on the job market, with at least 2,200 furloughs and permanent layoffs announced in the past two days by employers in key sectors of the local economy. (Edelman, 8/28)

The Wall Street Journal: New Covid-19 Layoffs Make Job Reductions Permanent 
A new wave of layoffs is washing over the U.S. as several big companies reassess staffing plans and settle in for a long period of uncertainty. MGM Resorts International and Stanley Black & Decker Inc. recently told some employees furloughed at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic that they wouldn’t be put back on the payroll. And companies bringing back the majority of furloughed workers, including Yelp Inc. and Cheesecake Factory Inc., are making reductions as they adjust to the new reality that many coronavirus-related closures won’t be resolved this fall. (Thomas, Chaney and Cutter, 8/28)

USA Today: Layoffs 2020: More Furloughs Are Likely To Become Permanent Job Cuts
When Stephanie Clark was temporarily laid off from her administrative job for the city of Henderson, Nevada, on March 10, during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was told she would be called back the next month. In early April, she was again assured that she would be rehired the following month. But on May 1, with the city’s finances pummeled by the shutdown of neighboring tourist mecca Las Vegas, Clark was permanently let go. (Davidson, 8/27)

NPR: Hurricane Laura Releases Toxic Air Pollution, Raising Health Concerns 
Hurricane Laura tore through a region that is home to dozens of major oil refineries, petrochemical plants and plastics facilities. Now, residents could be breathing dangerously polluted air from those sites, public health experts and local advocates say. The pollution began before the storm even made landfall. In the two days before the storm arrived, facilities in Texas released more than 4 million pounds of extra air pollution, according to reports the companies made to state environmental regulators that were analyzed by the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund for NPR. (Hersher, 8/28)

AP: Key Air Monitors Offline After Laura Hits Louisiana Gas Hub
Hazardous emissions from a chlorine plant fire, abruptly shuttered oil and gas refineries and still-to-be assessed plant damage are seeping into the air after Hurricane Laura, regulators say, but some key state and federal monitors to alert the public of air dangers remain offline in Louisiana. While the chlorine fire was being monitored as a potential health threat, Louisiana environmental spokesman Greg Langley says he knows of no other major industrial health risks from the storm in the state. He said restoring power and water was a bigger priority. (Knickmeyer, 8/30)

In other news from Louisiana —

AP: ‘Protect Our Babies:’ Hospital Cares For Babies In Hurricane
As the wind howled and the rain slammed down, a team of nurses, respiratory therapists and a doctor worked through the night to care for 19 tiny babies as Hurricane Laura slammed southwestern Louisiana. The babies, some on ventilators or eating through a feeding tube, seemed to weather the storm just fine, said Dr. Juan Bossano, the medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women. (Santana, 8/29)

The Acadiana Advocate: As Hurricane Laura Hit Hospitals, These Nurses Raced To Protect The NICU Babies They Were Treating
As her ambulance unit passed downed trees and whooshed through standing water, Our Lady of Lourdes neonatal intensive care unit nurse Ashley Judice was thinking of babies in Lake Charles. Judice and seven other team members including a nurse, respiratory therapists and Acadian Ambulance medics drove to Lake Charles Thursday in two ambulances to help evacuate NICU infants from Lake Charles Memorial Hospital. (Gagliano, 8/29)

AP: Analysis: An Unwelcome Twist On An Unwanted Ritual
Some familiar rituals are not comforting. Tabulations of deaths. Searches for the missing. Picking up the pieces of homes, businesses and lives. Hurricane Laura arrived two days before Saturday’s 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. And it hit roughly a month short of the same anniversary of Hurricane Rita — kind of an unscheduled, unwanted re-enactment of a southwest Louisiana disaster with much of the original, not particularly enthusiastic, cast. (McGill, 8/30)

Barrons: FDA Expands Emergency Use Of Gilead’s Remdesivir In All Covid-19 Hospitalizations 
The Food and Drug Administration late Friday expanded its emergency use authorization for Gilead Sciences ’ Covid-19 therapeutic remdesivir, saying the drug can now be used in any patient hospitalized for Covid-19. The agency previously had authorized the unapproved treatment for only the sickest Covid-19 patients. The FDA said it now believes that the drug “may be effective” in all hospitalized Covid-19 patients, and that the potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks. (Nathan-Kazis, 8/29)

USA Today: FDA Ignores Science In Expanding Remdesivir To Treat COVID-19
The approval allows doctors freedom to prescribe the antiviral earlier. But it comes less than a week after the agency approved use of convalescent plasma without published scientific support, fueling concerns the agency is yielding to political pressure."It seems to be a pattern of approval without science, without data, without evidence," said Dr. Eric Topol, vice president for research at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California and a national expert on the use of data in medical research. (Weintraub, 8/28)

The Hill: FDA Expands Use Of Remdesivir As COVID-19 Treatment 
The FDA said in a press release that it would expand the emergency use authorization of the drug to allow it to be used for “treatment of all hospitalized adult and pediatric patients with suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, irrespective of their severity of disease.” (Axelrod, 8/28)

In other news about remdesivir —

FiercePharma: Researchers Develop Dry Powder Remdesivir To Strike COVID-19 Where It Counts
In the hunt for COVID-19 drugs, Gilead Sciences' remdesivir remains the sole pharma product authorized in the U.S. But it's reserved for hospitalized patients, leaving those with mild or moderate disease in the lurch. A research team out of Texas is looking to change that. It's using its thin film freezing technology to create a powdered formulation for use in an inhaler. The approach could vastly expand patient access to the drug—if the California-based biopharma bites. (Kansteiner, 8/28)

CNN: One Shot Of Coronavirus Vaccine Likely Won't Be Enough  
When a coronavirus vaccine comes on the market, people will likely need two doses, not just one -- and that could cause real problems. Some of the potential problems are logistical. Difficulties procuring test kits and protective gear throughout the pandemic point to supply chain issues that could also plague distributing double doses of vaccines for an entire country. (Bonifield, Cohen and Vigue, 8/30)

Modern Healthcare: Half Of Americans Are 'Highly Likely' To Get COVID-19 Vaccinations
Only around half of Americans are highly likely to get vaccinated for COVID-19, according to a new survey. Fifty-three percent of 1,101 Americans polled in early August said they were highly likely to get vaccinated, while 17% were somewhat likely, 21% were not likely and 10% were unsure, according to a Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock survey. Fears of potential side effects and the potential of being infected by the virus from the vaccine were the top concerns. (Kacik, 8/28)

Stat: Plan To Expand Global Access To Covid-19 Vaccines Nears Critical Juncture
The coming few weeks represent a crucial moment for an ambitious plan to try to secure Covid-19 vaccines for roughly 170 countries around the world without the deep pockets to compete for what will be scarce initial supplies. Under the plan, countries that want to pool resources to buy vaccines must notify the World Health Organization and other organizers — Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations — of their intentions by Monday. That means it’s fish-or-cut-bait time for the so-called COVAX facility. (Branswell, 8/28)

The Wall Street Journal: From ‘Freezer Farms’ To Jets, Logistics Operators Prepare For A Covid-19 Vaccine 
Logistics providers are building giant cold-storage facilities, or “freezer farms,” and lining up equipment and transportation capacity as they gear up for the rapid delivery of millions of doses of potential coronavirus vaccines around the world. “The challenge for us will be to be on our ready at any moment to ship from one place to another,” said Wes Wheeler, president of the health-care division at United Parcel Service Inc., which is setting up the freezer farms, each consisting of hundreds of portable freezer units. (Chen, 8/28)

NPR: A Coronavirus Nasal Spray Vaccine Can Be Strong But Is Hard To Make 
The primary goal of a COVID-19 vaccine is to keep people from getting very sick and dying. But there's another goal — to prevent the spread of the disease — and it's not clear most vaccine candidates currently under development can do that. Some scientists think they can solve that problem by delivering a vaccine as a nasal spray. (Palca, 8/28)

Also —

Stat: Moderna Failed To Disclose Federal Funding For Patent Applications, Advocates Say
An advocacy group has asked the Department of Defense to investigate what it called “an apparent failure” by Moderna (MRNA) to disclose millions of dollars in awards received from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in patent applications the company filed for vaccines. In a letter to the agency, Knowledge Ecology International explained that a review of dozens of patent applications found the company received approximately $20 million from the federal government in grants several years ago and the funds “likely” led to the creation of its vaccine technology. (Silverman, 8/28)

Boston Globe: Protesters Outside State House Demand Baker Rescind Flu Shot Order 
Demonstrators crowded outside the State House Sunday morning demanding that Governor Charlie Baker rescind a public health mandate that requires most Massachusetts students get the flu vaccine to attend school. Earlier this month, Baker announced what is believed to be a first-in-the-nation order requiring the vaccination for anyone 6 months or older who is in a school or day care center, with some exemptions. (Tziperman Lotan and Hilliard, 8/30)

NJ.com: Flu Shots For All N.J. Kids In School And Daycare Would Be Required Under New Bill
With experts predicting a resurgence of the coronavirus coinciding with the flu season in the fall, state lawmakers want to mandate that all students — from grade school to college — get the flu vaccine. Democratic Assemblymen Herb Conaway, D-Burlington and Andrew Zwicker, D-Middlesex, introduced legislation last week that would make the influenza shot a requirement for admission at public and private schools, preschools and colleges and universities. (Livio, 8/30)

AP: Vermont Considers Flu Jab Mandate; Maine Church Investigated
Public health officials in Vermont said the state is considering becoming the second state to mandate flu shots as a way to ease the burden of influenza amid the coronavirus pandemic. Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine said Friday the rate of flu in the state needs to be as low as possible to avoid a situation he called a “twindemic.” He said last year less than 43% of children age 5 to 12 received the flu vaccine. (8/29)

Politico: States Confront New Covid-19 Challenge: Getting Flu Shots To Apathetic Americans 
State health officials are desperately ramping up flu vaccination efforts, hoping to prevent health care systems already taxed by Covid-19 from being overrun by the rapidly approaching influenza season. Massachusetts is requiring every kid to get a flu shot to attend school or childcare. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got vaccinated on live television, stressing that immunization could help save precious hospital resources. Local and state health departments are buying record amounts of vaccine, hiring new staff to provide shots at senior residences and homeless shelters, and they are planning to offer immunizations at Covid-19 testing sites. (Ehley and Goldberg, 8/30)

Also —

ABC News: Getting COVID-19 And The Flu At The Same Time: What Are The Risks? 
With fall around the corner and novel coronavirus cases still prevalent throughout the country, experts are bracing for what some have called a "twindemic" of COVID-19 and the flu. Although these are two very different viruses, experts are now exploring what might happen if people get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time, and whether being ill with one virus might make you more susceptible to the other. (Carrington, 8/30)

Related News From KHN: This Is A Good Year To Get A Flu Shot, Experts Advise

The Wall Street Journal: Nestlé Moves Further Into Health, Buying Peanut-Allergy Treatment Maker 
Nestlé SA said it agreed to buy Aimmune Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that earlier this year won approval for the first treatment for peanut allergies, in a deal valuing the company at $2.6 billion, including debt. Nestlé previously had a large stake in Brisbane, Calif.-based Aimmune. The agreement to buy the rest of the company bulks up the Switzerland-based packaged-food giant’s decades-old health-science unit. It also adds a potential blockbuster prescription medication to its portfolio, amid a three-year shake-up at the maker of Nespresso coffee and Purina pet food engineered by Chief Executive Mark Schneider, a former health-care executive. (Bugault, 8/31)

In other health industry news —

Reuters: New Zealand's Abano Healthcare Enters $80 Million Buyout Deal With Consortium
Abano Healthcare Group Ltd said on Monday it entered a revised buyout deal with a consortium, after the initial offer was dropped due to deterioration in the medical services provider’s business because of the coronavirus pandemic. (8/30)

AP: No Action From Pritzker's COVID-19 Price-Gouging Pursuit
The coronavirus pandemic had steamrolled Illinois, and amid the helter-skelter of counting hospital beds, keeping pace with ever-changing federal health guidance and maneuvering a market-turned-minefield of protective-gear prices, Gov. J.B. Pritzker made a pledge.“Price-gouging will not be tolerated,” the Democrat declared in March, later promising that instances of unfair pricing would be brought to the attention of Attorney General Kwame Raoul. (O'Connor, 8/30)

ABC News: Elon Musk Unveils Brain Chip Implant: 'It's Like A Fitbit In Your Skull' 
Tech mogul Elon Musk unveiled his latest foray into science fiction Friday night: a brain chip implant to allow people who are paralyzed to operate technology, such as smartphones or robotic limbs, with their thoughts. "I think it's going to blow your minds," Musk said. "It's like a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires." (Schumaker, 8/29)

Stat: Elon Musk's Neuralink Unveils Prototype Of Brain Implants
Elon Musk on Friday unveiled a coin-sized prototype of a brain implant developed by his startup Neuralink to enable people who are paralyzed to operate smartphones and robotic limbs with their thoughts — and said the company had worked to “dramatically simplify” the device since presenting an earlier version last summer. In an event live-streamed on YouTube to more than 150,000 viewers at one point, the company staged a demonstration in which it trotted out a pig named Gertrude that was said to have had the company’s device implanted in its head two months ago; the live stream showed what Musk claimed to be Gertrude’s real-time brain activity as it sniffed around a pen. (Robbins and Brodwin, 8/28)

AP: Elon Musk Wants YOU To Build A Brain-Computer Interface
In a video demonstration Friday explicitly aimed at recruiting new employees, Musk showed off a prototype of the device. About the size of a large coin, it’s designed to be implanted in a person’s skull. Ultra-thin wires hanging form the device would go directly into the brain. An earlier version of the device would have been placed behind an ear like a hearing aid. (Ortutay, 8/29)

NPR: Is The Pandemic Fast-Tracking The Disappearance Of The Physical Exam? 
Despite a foothold in medicine that predates Hippocrates himself, the traditional physical exam might be on the verge of extinction. The coronavirus crisis has driven more routine medical appointments online, accelerating a trend toward telemedicine that has already been underway. This worries Dr. Paul Hyman, author of a recently published essay in JAMA Internal Medicine, who reflects on what's lost when physicians see their patients almost exclusively through a screen. (Kendrick, 8/31)

AP: Fad Or Future? Telehealth Expansion Eyed Beyond Pandemic
Telehealth is a bit of American ingenuity that seems to have paid off in the coronavirus pandemic. Medicare temporarily waived restrictions predating the smartphone era and now there’s a push to make telemedicine widely available in the future. Consultations via tablets, laptops and phones linked patients and doctors when society shut down in early spring. Telehealth visits dropped with the reopening, but they’re still far more common than before. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/30)

ABC News: Telemedicine For Pets: How COVID-19 Is Disrupting Animal Health Care 
Jenny Hu fans the kitten peering out from its carrier with a large manila envelope, offering the tiny feline whatever relief she can on a typically hot and humid August day in New York City. Hu and her pet are waiting outside of a veterinarian's office in midtown Manhattan for a staff member to meet them. Waiting outside the vet's office for an appointment is yet another part of the coronavirus pandemic's "new normal." (Lynn, 8/30)

Dallas Morning News: ‘An Epic Moment But Not In A Good Way’: How COVID Is Causing Pain At Five Of The Nation’s Largest Nonprofits
Breast cancer nonprofit Susan G. Komen took extreme measures to survive the pandemic: laying off over 20% of its staff, cutting pay across the board, giving up its Dallas office and consolidating its nearly 60 entities into a single charity. “We’ve made more major decisions in the past 120 days than the previous 15 years,” said CEO Paula Schneider, whose agency brings in $90 million in annual revenue. “But we will be here at the other end.” (Walters, 8/28)

In other health industry news —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Program Returns To Feed First Responders
As the battle against the coronavirus heads into its sixth month, doctors, nurses, police and other first responders are still pulling double duty — and their spirits are still being lifted with free food from caring and grateful community members. By mid-September, Feed the Frontline — believed to be the largest initiative of its kind in the state — will have distributed more than 114,000 free meals to health care workers and others across metro Atlanta who are immersed in the region’s COVID-19 response. (Badertscher, 8/28)

Modern Healthcare: How Medical Education Can Help Fight Racism
Perpetuation of assumptions that reinforce racist and culturally insensitive stereotypes, such as the notion that Black patients have a higher pain tolerance than whites, leading to misdiagnosed pain assessments that result in Black patients being less likely to receive pain medication. Or when medical book publisher Pearson in 2017 came under scrutiny for such passages as “Arabs may not request pain medicine but instead thank Allah for pain if it is the result of a healing medical procedure,” in its textbook, Nursing: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning. (Ross Johnson, 8/29)

Modern Healthcare: Geisinger Names New Health Plan CFO
Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health has named Mark McCullough chief financial officer and chief operations officer of Geisinger Health Plan. McCullough replaces Kurt Wrobel, who became president of the health plan in June after Steve Youso retired. McCullough was previously vice president and CFO at Humana Pharmacy Solutions, the pharmacy benefit manager owned by Medicare Advantage insurer Humana, where he was in charge of finance and operations, according to Geisinger. He also oversaw the insurer's mail-order operations. (Livingston, 8/28)

The fallout continues from the CDC's new guidelines —

Modern Healthcare: Providers Criticize 'Unrealistic' CMS COVID-19 Testing, Reporting Requirements
Hospitals and nursing homes are wary of CMS' new COVID-19 testing and reporting requirements and the fines associated with them, calling the plan "heavy handed" and "unrealistic. "CMS' Tuesday guidelines included a hefty $400 per day fine for noncompliance with the requirements, which could top more than $8,000 a case. The agency could also deny providers Medicare and Medicaid payments for new admissions. The added penalties is another move meant to protect nursing home residents and patients, CMS said. But providers are still facing limited supplies and staff, and claim the approach won't make it easier for them to care for patients. (Christ, 8/28)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Hospitals To Keep Testing Asymptomatic Patients For COVID-19
Four Michigan hospital systems say they'll continue to test asymptomatic people who've had COVID-19 exposure. State health officials seek clarity from CDC. (Shamus, 8/28)

The Hill: Researchers Find First US Case Of COVID-19 Reinfection 
Researchers have documented what appears to be the first U.S. instance of someone getting reinfected with COVID-19. In a preprint of a paper submitted to the journal The Lancet, researchers said a 25-year-old man in Nevada was reinfected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in late May, after recovering from a relatively mild case the month before. Infectious disease experts said reinfections are normal and should be expected, and caution against drawing broad conclusions. (Weixel, 8/28)

Reno Gazette Journal: First US Confirmed Coronavirus Case To Be Re-Infected With COVID Twice
Led by the [Nevada State Public Health Laboratory], scientists from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine determined that the patient tested negative twice in May, only to test positive again in June. "It's significant in that it's the first of its kind," said Dr. Mark Pandori, the director of the NSPHL. "We know that people can get reinfected by viruses even though they've been vaccinated or have had exposure. There was a great unknown as to whether we would see that with [COVID-19] so we know that it can happen now." (Avery, 8/28)

In other public health news —

NPR: Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infections And 'Disease Tolerance'
One of the reasons Covid-19 has spread so swiftly around the globe is that for the first days after infection, people feel healthy. Instead of staying home in bed, they may be out and about, unknowingly passing the virus along. But in addition to these pre-symptomatic patients, the relentless silent spread of this pandemic is also facilitated by a more mysterious group of people: the so-called asymptomatics. According to various estimates, between 20 and 45 percent of the people who get COVID-19 — and possibly more, according to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — sail through a coronavirus infection without realizing they ever had it. No fever or chills. No loss of smell or taste. No breathing difficulties. They don't feel a thing. (Laber-Warren, 8/29)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: The Syndrome That Seems To Predict A 'Lethal Outcome' In Coronavirus Patients
Dr. Josh Denson treated the first known case of severe coronavirus in Louisiana in early March. As patients flooded hospitals in New Orleans, he started noticing a pattern in who fared the worst. “I could identify a patient that would do poorly from this just by standing at the edge of the room,” said Denson, assistant professor of medicine and pulmonary and critical care medicine physician at Tulane University School of Medicine. (Woodruff, 8/31)

Politico: Pandemic Creates Lifesaving Ripple Effects Amid Devastating Loss 
It’s hard to find a silver lining amid a coronavirus pandemic that has brought unprecedented death and economic devastation across the globe. But some researchers say they are seeing one positive development come out of the health crisis, thanks to policy experiments that would have been impossible in normal times. New policies aimed at combating health threats ranging from excessive alcohol consumption to urban air pollution have potentially long-term implications, researchers say, long after the world has gotten the pandemic under control. (Paun, 8/28)

USA Today: 'Small Events Add Up To A Lot': Limited Gatherings Quietly Emerge As Source Of Coronavirus Infections
Images of packed beaches, lakes and bars have made the rounds on traditional and social media for much of the summer, drawing scorn from those concerned about the coronavirus spreading among those crowds. Less prominent but also troubling are the growing instances of case clusters arising from smaller gatherings. (Ortiz, 8/30)

Stat: With Science And Scripture, A Pastor Fights Covid-19 Vaccine Skepticism
Terris King is finally back at Liberty Grace Church of God, surrounded by its familiar wood-paneled walls and red pulpit. This time, he’s speaking straight into a camera, facing rows of empty pews. As a pastor in a church in the area of Baltimore hit hardest by Covid-19, King knows his decision to keep services remote is the right one, even if it’s unpopular. Since the beginning of the pandemic, King, 60, has been fighting an uphill battle, weaving together science and scripture in the hopes his approximately 300 congregants will adhere to public health guidelines: mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social distancing. (Sokolow, 8/31)

CNN: With Canada And Mexico Borders Closed, Americans Are Trapped In Their Own Healthcare System 
"Want to hear the joke about insulin?" goes the bleak gag about America's drug prices. "You have to go to Canada to get it." But even that's not an option anymore. Pandemic travel restrictions have made Americans prisoners of their country. Even within North America, Mexico and Canada have closed thousands of miles of border to all but essential travel, roiling plans for vacation, work, and school. (Hu, 8/31)

CNN: Twitter Removes QAnon Supporter's False Claim About Coronavirus Death Statistics That Trump Had Retweeted 
Twitter on Sunday took down a tweet containing a false claim about coronavirus death statistics that was made by a supporter of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory -- a post that President Donald Trump had retweeted earlier in the day. The tweet -- which has been replaced with a message saying, "This Tweet is no longer available because it violated the Twitter Rules -- from "Mel Q," copied from someone else's Facebook post, claimed that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had "quietly" updated its numbers "to admit that only 6%" of people listed as coronavirus deaths "actually died from Covid," since "the other 94% had 2-3 other serious illnesses." (Dale and Gumbrecht, 8/30)

In sports news —

ABC News: US Open Competitor Tests Positive As Fans Eye Tournament's Start On Monday
A player set to compete in the U.S. Open tennis championship has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been forced to withdraw from the tournament, the USTA announced on Sunday. The player, who was not identified by tournament organizers, is asymptomatic, US Open officials said in a statement. The player has been advised that they must isolate for at least 10 days and contact tracing has been initiated to determine if anyone must quarantine for 14 days, the USTA said. (Hoyos, 8/30)

The Hill: Battle Over COVID-19 School Openings Goes To The Courts 
Teachers unions are waging court fights across the country aimed at unwinding what they say are unsafe and politically motivated timetables for reopening schools that risk exposing personnel to the coronavirus pandemic. State officials eager to ramp up brick-and-mortar operations are facing lawsuits from Florida to Texas to Iowa over reopening plans as well as access to the COVID-19 infection data needed to monitor the rate of spread within school communities. (Kruzel, 8/30)

NPR: As Schools Reopen, A New Tool Tracks Coronavirus Cases As They Emerge
Looking for a snapshot of coronavirus outbreaks in U.S. schools? The National Education Association has just launched a tracker of cases in public K-12 schools. The tracker is broken down by state and shows schools and counties with known cases and suspected cases and deaths, as well as whether those infected were students or staff. It also includes links to the local news reports so users know where the virus data comes from. (Popperl, Hamby and Inskeep, 8/28)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: New Orleans Public Schools To Start In-Person Class As Local Coronavirus Health Trends Improve 
As long as the trend of slowing coronavirus cases continues in New Orleans, in-person classes at some of the city's public schools will start as soon as Sept. 14, NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. announced Friday. The announcement comes as local coronavirus trends are showing a dramatic improvement, Lewis said. Since the school year began in early August, all Orleans Parish public schools have been teaching students online or with other remote instruction. (Hasselle, 8/28)

Kaiser Health News: For Kids With Special Needs, Online Schooling Divides Haves And Have-Nots
It’s Tuesday morning, and teacher Tamya Daly has her online class playing an alphabet game. The students are writing quickly and intently, with occasional whoops of excitement, on the little whiteboards she dropped off at their homes the day before along with coloring books, markers, Silly Putty and other learning props — all of which she created or paid for with her own money. Two of the seven children in her combined third and fifth grade class weren’t home when Daly came by with the gift bags. One of the two managed to find her own writing tablet, thanks to an older brother, but the other can’t find a piece of paper in her dad’s house. She sits quietly watching her classmates on Zoom for half an hour while Daly tries futilely to get the father’s attention. Maybe the student is wearing earphones; maybe the father is out of the room. (Almendrala, 8/31)

In higher-education news —

Politico: Colleges Crack Down On Student Behavior As Virus Threatens More Closures 
The biggest threat to universities' carefully drawn reopening plans? Their students. School leaders are dishing out suspensions, kicking students out of dorms and sanctioning Greek organizations over large gatherings during a budding semester that already has seen colleges close amid thousands of confirmed Covid-19 cases and dozens of deaths. In some cases students face the ultimate penalty of expulsion for disobeying mask rules while their schools set up tip lines and scour social media for any hint of parties or social distancing violations, both on and off campus. (Niedzwiadek and Atterbury, 8/30)

ABC News: More Than 1,200 Students Test Positive For COVID-19 At Major University
As of Saturday, more than 1,200 students and 166 employees and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at the University of Alabama. Positive tests among students have more than doubled since the university unveiled its COVID-19 tracking dashboard early this week. The dashboard, which includes case counts, positivity rates, isolation and space occupancy, is similar to what many state health departments use to report coronavirus data to the public. (Schumaker, 8/29)

AP: COVID-19 Hits Fraternities, Sororities Hard In Kansas
The coronavirus is hitting fraternities and sororities in Kansas particularly hard, with 10% testing positive at the University of Kansas and outbreaks linked to four sororities at Kansas State University. The University of Kansas said Friday in a news release that it has conducted 21,719 tests and 474 have been positive, for a positive rate of 2.18%. But among sororities and fraternities, there have been 270 positives among 2,698 members tested. (8/29)

AP: Utah State University To Test 300 Students
Utah State University plans to test nearly 300 students for COVID-19 after wastewater samples from four dormitories showed elevated levels of the coronavirus, school officials said Sunday. The 287 students who will be tested Sunday and Monday live in the Rich, Jones, Morgan and Davis dorms on the campus in Logan. (8/30)

Also —

NBC News: College Students Brace For The 'Second Curve' Of COVID-19 — Its Mental Health Impact
After five months of being home, Danielle Cahue was looking forward to returning to campus — that is, until she got there. When the 19-year-old sophomore arrived at Illinois State University, she saw her peers gathering in large groups without masks, disregarding the university’s COVID-19 guidelines. (Ciechalski, Walters and Kaufman, 8/30)

Kaiser Health News: Med Students ‘Feel Very Behind’ Because Of COVID-Induced Disruptions In Training
COVID-19 is disrupting just about every student’s 2020 education, but medical students have it particularly hard right now. “It’s a nightmare scenario for the class of 2021,” said Jake Berg, a fourth-year student at the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville. In March, students were abruptly pulled out of hospitals and medical offices, where they normally work with professionals to learn about treating patients. Over the space of less than two weeks, he said, medical students in “pretty much the entire country” transitioned from seeing patients in person to learning online. (Rovner, 8/31)

The New York Times: What To Know About Colon Cancer 
In the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s death from colon cancer at age 43, many people have questions about the disease, especially about the risk of colon cancer in younger people. Here’s what is known and what experts recommend. (Belluck, 8/29)

The New York Times: Dermatology Has A Problem With Skin Color 
In the spring, teenagers started showing up at doctors’ offices in droves with angry red and purple blisters on their fingers and toes. The latest unexpected feature of the coronavirus infection fascinated the public, and suddenly photographs of so-called Covid toes were everywhere on social media. But almost all of the images depicted glossy pink lesions on white skin. Though people of color have been affected disproportionately by the pandemic, pictures of Covid toes on dark skin were curiously hard to find. (Caryn Rabin, 8/30)

Stat: How OneFifteen, Verily's Addiction Medicine Campus, Is Taking Shape
Verily drew widespread praise last year when it announced an “ambitious endeavor” to combat the opioid epidemic: an addiction medicine campus in Ohio called OneFifteen, its name a nod to the 115 people who died each day in 2017 of opioid overdoses. But in the year and a half since OneFifteen’s high-profile launch, Verily has remained relatively quiet about its progress — and its role in the effort, which is a collaboration between the Alphabet life science spinout and two local health systems. (Brodwin, 8/31)

The New York Times: How To Choose The Right Pediatrician 
The final months of pregnancy are marked by a flurry of preparation: setting up a nursery, packing a hospital bag and deciding on baby names. It’s also the perfect time to choose your child’s pediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents take their baby in for at least seven well-child visits during their first year of life, but ear infections, fevers, rashes and other unexpected baby maladies could make visits to the doctor more frequent. After that first year, pediatricians guide parents on topics ranging from potty training to tantrums to school performance and more. All of this face-time makes choosing the right doctor among the most important decisions new parents make, especially during a global pandemic when parents often turn to primary care providers with their questions. But with almost 60,000 practicing general pediatricians in the United States alone, finding the best doctor for your family can be a stressful process. (Cheng and Wilkinson, 8/28)

Boston Globe: Months After His Death, Pete Frates’s Legacy Lives On In Family’s Push For ALS Patients To Try Medical Marijuana 
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects a person’s motor function and muscle movement. But for many patients, their cognitive brain function is left intact, making them completely aware of their regression but increasingly unable to communicate about it. That was the case for Frates, who drew national attention when he helped popularize the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise ALS awareness and money for research. (Gans, 8/29)

Politico: Paradise Lost: How Hawaii Went From Covid-19 Star To Cautionary Tale 
Hawaii’s control of the coronavirus has swiftly unraveled this summer, transforming what was the nation’s best-performing state into one of the worst. Just two months ago, the island state had the fewest cases per capita in the country at less than two dozen per day. Democratic Gov. David Ige was praised for acting early to close Hawaii’s borders and impose strict quarantines, a painful economic sacrifice for a state heavily dependent on tourism. (Miranda Ollstein and Goldberg, 8/30)

Politico: New York City Nervously Braces For Another ‘Explosive Spread’ 
Most of the country looked on in horror this spring as Covid-19 flooded New York City hospitals and morgues, and a disease many had never heard of threw America’s biggest city into paralysis. Now New York is watching the same scenario play out in states throughout the U.S., while presiding over three months of sustained success in keeping infections low. But with cold weather approaching, schools tentatively reopening and many forced back indoors, the threat of a new outbreak is never far from the minds of public health officials — and this time they know outside help will be harder to come by. (Eisenberg, 8/27)

AP: Texas Deaths From Illness Caused By Coronavirus Pass 12,500
Texas health officials on Saturday reported the number of deaths due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, has surpassed 12,500 and the number of reported cases increased is now above 610,000. There are 610,354 coronavirus cases and 12,510 deaths, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The true number of cases in Texas is likely higher because many people haven’t been tested and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. (8/30)

AP: South Dakota Hospital System Warns Of Surge In Virus Cases
Monument Health leaders have told physicians and caregivers to prepare for a surge in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks. The Rapid City Journal reports the warning came from system-wide email after a total of 60 physicians and caregivers tested positive for COVID-19 in August, including 44 in the past week. (8/29)

AP: Iowa Virus Numbers Vary Widely Because Of Website Problem
The numbers on Iowa’s online coronavirus tracker varied widely this weekend because of a maintenance problem with the site. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported Saturday morning that 1,108 Iowans had died from COVID-19. Later in the day, the number of deaths fell to 894 before rebounding Saturday evening to 1,109. (8/30)

How Arizona and California are handling reopening —

The Hill: Once A COVID-19 Epicenter, Arizona Emerges From Lockdown 
For months, Arizona stood out as one of the world’s worst coronavirus hot spots, suffering through an outbreak that sickened hundreds of thousands of people. Hospitals were so overwhelmed that the state Department of Health enacted crisis standards of care, in preparation for surging capacity. But now, cases have ebbed after major cities implemented new restrictions and lockdowns. (Wilson, 8/29)

The Hill: California Launches Plan To Reopen In Slower Phases After Surge In Coronavirus Cases 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) launched a new plan to more slowly reopen his state’s economy after an alarming spike in coronavirus cases across the Golden State over the summer. Under the new framework announced Friday, Newsom will allow each county to oversee their reopening based on a four-tier system based on the seriousness of the spread of COVID-19 in the areas. The tiers are based on the number of cases per 100,000 residents and percentage of coronavirus tests that come back positive. (Axelrod, 8/29)

In news from Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Virginia and Michigan —

AP: Illinois' High Court Says Face Masks Must Be Worn In Courts
Anyone entering a Illinois courthouse should be wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus, according to an Illinois Supreme Court order. The state’s highest court issued an order Thursday including face masks in its rules governing who is admitted into courthouses “in the interests of the health and safety of all court users, staff, and judicial officers during these extraordinary circumstances.” (8/30)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Mental Health Agency Sees Uptick In Need As Pandemic Continues
As Georgians head into the sixth month of a pandemic that has infected more than 260,000 residents, killed about 5,000 and left hundreds of thousands looking for work, more people are turning to the state’s mental health programs for help. The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities operates the state’s Crisis and Access Hotline, which often is used to help those who are considering harming themselves. (Prabhu,. 8/28)

AP: Governor Encourages Tourists To Come To Florida On Planes
Gov. Ron DeSantis made the case that tourists could safely take commercial flights to visit Florida, as newly reported coronavirus cases grew by more than 3,800 people Friday, down from peak averages of nearly 12,000 cases daily in mid-July. Speaking with industry executives at an airline travel forum in Fort Lauderdale, DeSantis said he hadn’t heard of any airline passenger catching the virus on a plane. (8/28)

ABC News: Nursing Home Residents Isolated By Coronavirus Now Face Looming Challenge: Voting 
For residents of the Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads senior living center in Falls Church, Va., voting used to be just an elevator ride away.The senior living community room once doubled as an official voting precinct. But this year, with heightened concerns about coronavirus locking down nursing homes around the nation, election officials were forced to move the polling location away -- leaving in its place uncertainty for the facility's approximately 500 residents. (Freger, 8/31)

USA Today: Conditions At Lapeer Nursing Home Led To COVID-19 Deaths, Illnesses
Dennis Williams is haunted by the memory of his mother, Wanda Parker, through the window at a Michigan nursing home. He said she was begging for help. It was the last time he saw his 68-year-old mother alive. She died of COVID-19 on April 7, two days after she was transported to a hospital from the Villages of Lapeer Nursing & Rehabilitation. Williams said he remembers seeing employees of the facility not wearing masks, gloves or other personal protective equipment (PPE) during his through-the-window visits with his mother before she died. And he's aware of the significantly lower COVID-19 statistics reported at the other nursing homes in the area. (Hall, 8/30)

Reuters: Mutated Coronavirus Strain Found In Indonesia As Cases Jump 
A more infectious mutation of the new coronavirus has been found in Indonesia, the Jakarta-based Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology said on Sunday, as the Southeast Asian country’s caseload surges. ... The “infectious but milder” D614G mutation of the virus has been found in genome sequencing data from samples collected by the institute, deputy director Herawati Sudoyo told Reuters, adding that more study is required to determine whether that was behind the recent rise in cases. (8/30)

AP: In China's Xinjiang, Forced Medication Accompanies Lockdown
When police arrested the middle-aged Uighur woman at the height of China’s coronavirus outbreak, she was crammed into a cell with dozens of other women in a detention center. There, she said, she was forced to drink a medicine that made her feel weak and nauseous, guards watching as she gulped. She and the others also had to strip naked once a week and cover their faces as guards hosed them and their cells down with disinfectant “like firemen,” she said. (Kang, 8/31)

Reuters: Police Break Up Forest Rave In England Amid COVID-19 Clampdown 
Police broke up an overnight illegal rave in a forest in eastern England on Sunday, days after the British government introduced tougher measures to target “serious breaches” of COVID-19 restrictions, including 10,000-pound ($13,000) fines. Dozens of officers, some holding protective shields, faced off with the revellers in Thetford Forest but despite a few scuffles, the party was largely dispersed peacefully. There did not appear to have been any arrests and the police dismantled the sound system. (8/30)

CIDRAP: COVID-Related Inflammatory Syndrome Reported In Kids In Iran, Chile
A rare but serious complication from pediatric COVID-19 infection is MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children), and two new studies describe the first cases of the syndrome in Iran and Chile. MIS-C, which can look like Kawasaki disease, toxic shock syndrome, or sepsis, has been described in Europe and the United States during the current pandemic, but it has been rare in the Middle East and South America. (8/28)

AP: Mexico President Tries To Shoo Away Crowds As Virus Persists
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador loves hugging supporters and shaking hands in crowds but even he appears to be spooked by the country’s continued high coronavirus infection rates, shooing away fans and warning them not to come to see him. López Obrador visited the northern border city of Reynosa, across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, on Friday and told an audience he considers anyone who joins a crowd to see him as an opponent, not a supporter. (8/29)

The Wall Street Journal: In The World’s Coronavirus Blind Spot, Fears Of A Silent Epidemic 
The global scramble to thwart the coronavirus has a vast blind spot: sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, the government outlawed coronavirus testing and declared its national outbreak defeated, even as hundreds of people died monthly from unexplained respiratory problems. Last month in Zambia, 28 people died at home in a single day with Covid-19-like symptoms while waiting to be tested. In South Sudan, government forces barricaded thousands of people inside refugee camps, claiming they were infected but refusing to conduct tests. (Bariyo and Parkinson, 8/30)

Also —

The Washington Post: How Japan's Elder-Care System Fought Back Against The Coronavirus 
Japan has the world’s oldest population, with an average age of 47 and a life expectancy of more than 81 years. More than 28 percent of its residents are over the age of 65, ahead of Italy in second place with 23 percent, and compared with 16 percent of Americans. It could have been sitting on a coronavirus disaster, with the pandemic hitting seniors particularly hard, especially those in group facilities. But Japan has recorded 1,225 deaths from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, compared with about 180,000 in the United States. In Japan, 14 percent of the deaths have been in elder-care facilities. That is compared with more than 40 percent in the United States, despite a lower proportion of U.S. seniors living in nursing homes. (Denyer and Kashiwagi, 8/30)

Politico: Germany Eyes Global Health Ambitions As U.S. Steps Back
Germany might be on its way to filling the void left by the U.S. in global health. But it’s not going to admit it.In the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s confirmation that the U.S. will exit the World Health Organization — leaving a gaping financial and political hole in global health — Germany is trying to step up to the plate. Weeks after the Trump administration formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the WHO, German Health Minister Jens Spahn took to the stage in Geneva, flanked by French Health Minister Olivier Véran, and announced a €200 million increase in German funding. The cash injection would put Germany’s contributions at around €500 million — an amount exceeded in the last two years by only the U.S. (Furlong, 8/30)

Bloomberg: New CDC Testing Guidelines Add To The Covid Confusion
At least so far, the two most glaring failures of the U.S. response to the pandemic are in testing and public communication. Both came together this week when the CDC changed its testing guidelines in a way that had public health scientists baffled. The new guidelines say people who don’t have symptoms of Covid-19 don’t need to be tested — even if they think they were exposed. “CDC is driving us all crazy,” says Barry Bloom, a professor of public health at Harvard. “This just makes absolutely no sense.”You don’t have to be a scientist to see this as bizarre, after mass fear of asymptomatic spread caused millions to be shut up in our homes last spring, and remains the impetus behind mask mandates and other restrictions that treat all of us as potentially contagious no matter how healthy we feel. (Faye Flam, 8/27)

The Washington Post: Mass Testing Has Its Problems. They’re Nothing Compared To Not Testing.
If it’s true, it’s incredible. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unveiled new testing guidelines, which suggested asymptomatic people with known exposure to covid-19 didn’t need to be tested, even though asymptomatic transmission is a known problem. On Wednesday, it was reported that this change may have been made under pressure from the administration. (Megan McArdle, 8/28)

NBC News: FDA Chief Apologizes For COVID-19 Plasma Exaggeration — But Trump's Endgame Is Clear
If you walked into the offices of the Food and Drug Administration tomorrow and claimed a miracle cure that could save 35 percent of those infected with COVID-19, the first thing the FDA would do is examine those claims rigorously. Validating claims of effectiveness is one of the most important and painstaking of the FDA's jobs. If those claims turned out to be false, your company could face massive civil and criminal liability. (Andy Slavitt, 8/31)

Stat: Lack Of A National Policy Agenda For Children During Covid-19 Causes Harm
As a neonatal intensivist, helping families and newborns in distress is part of my job. In the intensive care unit, the distress is obvious. Covid-19 is shining a light on distress in children and families that has been largely hidden. (Stephen Patrick, 8/31)

Axios: Pharmacies, Not The Military, Will Handle COVID-19 Vaccinations
Although President Trump has said the military is “all mobilized” to help distribute a coronavirus vaccine, in the end that process will almost certainly rely heavily on the pharmacies, doctors and community hospitals we’re all familiar with. The big picture: Deciding how to distribute a vaccine is, for now, a government-driven task, and Trump has invoked the logistical expertise of the military as a way to do the job. For the public, though, this won’t feel like a military exercise, with heavy trucks rolling into town and people lining up outside medical tents. It’ll feel like going to CVS. (Drew Altman, 8/31)

Bloomberg: Tracking President Trump's Coronavirus Record Throughout The Pandemic 
On night one of the 2020 Republican National Convention, President Donald Trump was praised for his management of the coronavirus pandemic. “As a healthcare professional, I can tell you without hesitation Donald Trump's quick action and leadership saved thousands of lives during Covid-19,” said Amy Ford, a registered nurse from West Virginia. Even Trump gave himself a pat on the back during his acceptance speech: “When the China virus hit, we launched the largest national mobilization since World War II.”But with over 180,000 deaths from the virus and millions of people unemployed, just how successful has Trump been in leading the nation’s pandemic response? Bloomberg Opinion columnists have been tracking his progress from the start. (Jessica Karl, 8/29)

Los Angeles Times: I Sure Miss ‘My’ Seat In Synagogue During Coronavirus
After five months without in-person services at synagogue, I miss the singing. I miss the rabbis’ sermons. I miss seeing my friends. But mostly I miss being in my seat — that fixed place I could return to week in, week out.I miss the routine. I miss knowing that whatever life has thrown my way — work stress, awful news in the headlines, tension or disappointment or celebration — I could return at week’s end to that same spot. I could watch the light stream through the window at the same angle. I could stare at the same ceiling. I could close my eyes and hear familiar voices from all sides singing the same prayers. Yes, I’ve tried Zoom services, even enjoyed them. But I end up missing my spot even more — and contemplating why I go to synagogue in the first place. Theological conviction? A sense of obligation? Or just rote habit? (Tom Fields-Meyer, 8/31)

The New York Times: College Football During Covid-19 Teaches The Wrong Lessons
For more than six months now, many workers deemed essential have had to strap on face masks for shifts at meatpacking plants, Walmarts, grocery stores, hardware stores and restaurants. It is a necessary sacrifice for the nation’s well-being. But at universities across the country, while scores of professors, staff and students start the academic year remotely to curb the spread of the coronavirus, another class of worker will be asked to strap on protective gear to do their job — without the face coverings: college football players. Never has the inaccuracy of the term “student-athlete” been put in starker relief than in the misguided and dangerous attempt by the Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference to press forward with a nearly full season of football games beginning next month —  as nonathlete classmates are sent home for their safety. (8/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Should Call For Calm On All Sides 
As he often does, however, Mr. Trump took the bait and fired off tweets that CNN and Democrats spun as incitement. “The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing. The people of Portland won’t put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!” he tweeted. He’s right about the National Guard, but Mr. Trump would help Portland and his own political cause more if he called for calm on all sides. That includes his supporters who rolled into Portland for a counter-protest on Saturday. According to news reports, the man who was killed in the streets was wearing a hat for “Patriot Prayer,” the right-wing group that sometimes clashes with Antifa. Mr. Trump should tell his supporters to stay away from Portland, Kenosha, Wis., and other cities where rioters reign. (8/30)

Stat: When Insurance Pays For Health Care: The 'Deep Pocket' Effect 
Some Americans pay directly for their health care. Many others have it covered by their health insurance. Both groups should pay the same amount for the same services, but don’t. The “deep pocket” concept may be at work. (Jackson Williams, 8/31)

The Wall Street Journal: Cuomo Gets A Nursing Home Inspection
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has resisted inquiries by the press and his own Democratic Legislature into how his policy of returning Covid-19 patients to nursing homes contributed to an untold number of elderly deaths. But New Yorkers may finally get an honest accounting thanks to the Trump Justice Department. Justice on Wednesday sent letters to Mr. Cuomo and the governors of Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey requesting virus data from their nursing homes. DOJ says it wants to determine whether the states’ orders “requiring admission of COVID-19 patients to nursing homes is responsible for the deaths of nursing home residents.” (8/28)