Stat: AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Study Put On Hold Due To Suspected Adverse Reaction In Participant In The U.K.
A large, Phase 3 study testing a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford at dozens of sites across the U.S. has been put on hold due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca, a frontrunner in the race for a Covid-19 vaccine, said in a statement that the company’s “standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data.” In a follow-up statement, AstraZeneca said it initiated the study hold. The nature of the adverse reaction and when it happened were not immediately known, though the participant is expected to recover, according to an individual familiar with the matter.  (Robbins, Feuerstein and Branswell, 9/8)

The Wall Street Journal: AstraZeneca Pauses Covid-19 Vaccine Trial After Illness In A U.K. Subject
The halt is a setback for the vaccine effort, which has long been touted as one of the world’s most advanced candidates. The shot had quickly progressed to late-stage studies in various countries, with AstraZeneca already signing contracts that could result in the delivery of initial doses this fall. The pause affects a study that began last week in the U.S. aiming to enroll 30,000 people, with funding from federal agencies. The study is testing whether the vaccine reduces the rate of Covid-19 cases compared with unvaccinated study subjects. AstraZeneca and Oxford had started a large study of the vaccine in the U.K. in the spring. (Loftus and Orru, 9/9)

The New York Times: AstraZeneca Pauses Covid-19 Vaccine Trial For Safety Review 
Drug companies are racing to complete a coronavirus vaccine that could bring an end to a pandemic that has already claimed more than 890,000 lives globally. AstraZeneca is a front-runner, with late-stage clinical trials underway around the world, and has said it hoped to have a vaccine ready before the end of the year. If the cause of the reaction turns out to be related to the vaccine, those efforts could be derailed. Late-stage vaccine testing remains crucial, as large trials can turn up rare but serious side effects that would surface only if many thousands of people received a vaccine. (9/8)

AP: AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Study Paused After One Illness
Temporary holds of large medical studies aren’t unusual, and investigating any serious or unexpected reaction is a mandatory part of safety testing. AstraZeneca pointed out that it’s possible the problem could be a coincidence; illnesses of all sorts could arise in studies of thousands of people. “We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline,” the company statement said. (Neergaard, 9/8)

USA Today: COVID Vaccine: AstraZeneca Trial On Hold After 'Unexplained Illness'
The interruption represents the first major hiccup in what has been a remarkably smooth path in the historically rapid vaccine effort spanning the globe. That said, large scale, make-or-break Phase 3 clinical trials are where real issues are most likely to occur. In earlier, smaller trials none of the various candidate vaccines reported very serious reactions. But in larger trials like AstraZeneca's, rarer reactions can pop up, which is why they are conducted before a vaccine is approved. (Weintraub and Weise, 9/8)

Scientists and health officials downplay the significance of the pause —

Nature: A Leading Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Is On Hold: Scientists React
Details of the adverse event, including how serious it is and when it happened, have not been reported by Oxford or AstraZeneca. But the trial's pause comes amid concerns that US drug agencies might face political pressure to approve a vaccine before trials are completed, ahead of the November Presidential election. “The clinical hold shows that there are functioning checks and balances, in spite of political pressure," says Marie-Paule Kieny, a vaccine researcher at INSERM, the French national health-research institute in Paris. "It might indeed remind everybody — even Presidents — that for vaccines safety is paramount,“ she says. (Cyranoski, 9/9)

Reuters: Pause In AstraZeneca Vaccine Trial Not Necessarily A Setback, Says UK Health Minister 
Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Wednesday that AstraZeneca’s decision to pause its coronavirus vaccine trials was a challenge but would not necessarily set back efforts to develop a vaccine. ... “It is obviously a challenge to this particular vaccine trial,” Hancock said on Sky News when asked about the pause in the trial. “It’s not actually the first time this has happened to the Oxford vaccine.” (9/9)

Fortune and Bloomberg: AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine Trial Halted; Scientists Call The Pauses 'Common' 
Some scientists downplayed the significance of the halt. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and clinical-trials expert at the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego, said such pauses in large studies are “not uncommon at all.” There is a high likelihood the adverse event will turn out not to be related to the vaccine, he said in an email. “It’s a safety precaution,” he said. (Cortez and Griffin, 9/8)

Newsweek: What Is Transverse Myelitis? Google Searches Up After Reported Link To AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine Trial
The New York Times reported that a volunteer in the U.K. trial had been diagnosed with transverse myelitis, citing a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. It was not known whether the condition was caused by the vaccine. Following the publication of The New York Times report, there was a huge spike in Google searches for transverse myelitis. (Gander, 9/9)

Reuters: COVID-19 Cases Rise In U.S. Midwest And Northeast, Deaths Fall For Third Week 
Several states in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast have seen new COVID-19 cases increase for two weeks in a row, though nationally both new infections and deaths last week remained on a downward trend, a Reuters analysis showed. The United States reported more than 287,000 new cases in the week ended Sept. 6, down 1.4% from the previous week and marking the seventh straight week of declines. More than 5,800 people died from COVID-19 last week, the third week in a row that the death rate has fallen. (9/8)

The Washington Post: Pandemic Seems To Be Leveling Off In U.S., But Numbers Remain Troublingly High, Experts Say 
The coronavirus pandemic appears to be leveling off in most of the United States, with new cases, deaths and hospitalizations all down over the past week, but the plateau leaves the country with high and persistent infection numbers and worries of a ­post-Labor Day surge in some areas. The number of new cases reported daily peaked above 70,000 in July and has been falling since. The decline now seems to be slowing, with the daily number hovering near 40,000 for more than a week, a review of nationwide data showed Tuesday. That is one sign that the infection may be leveling off. (Gearan and Weiner, 9/8)

CIDRAP: US Sees Almost 90,000 COVID Deaths From Memorial To Labor Day
Instead of a summer lull in novel coronavirus cases, the pandemic quadrupled in case counts and almost doubled in fatalities between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays in the United States. According to the Washington Post, the summer of 2020 saw the US fatality count go from just under 100,000 to 186,000. Per the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracker, there were 24,257 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and 267 deaths, bringing the national total to 6,314,282 cases and 189,400 deaths. (Soucheray, 9/8)

The Hill: Half A Million US Children Have Tested Positive For Coronavirus 
Roughly half a million children in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to a new joint report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association. The report, which was released in early September, said that a total of 513,415 children have tested positive for the virus since the onset of the pandemic. It also noted that roughly 70,000 coronavirus cases among children were reported between Aug. 20 and Sept. 3, representing a 16 percent increase in child cases from the previous two weeks. (Wise, 9/8)

In other news about the pandemic —

Politico: USAID To Shut Down Its Coronavirus Task Force 
The U.S. Agency for International Development, which has been on the front lines of the battle with the coronavirus, is about to shut down the task force it set up to tackle the still-ongoing pandemic. The decision is being met with concerns by some who fear it will lead to greater dysfunction at USAID, which already faces personnel and structural turmoil. Others, however, say the task force was poorly managed and that its functions can be delegated. (Toosi, 9/8)

USA Today: Trump Accuses North Carolina Of Using Coronavirus Restrictions To Hurt His Re-Election Chances
President Donald Trump kicked off a campaign rally on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to accuse the state's governor of using coronavirus restrictions to hurt his re-election chances in November. "Your state should be open," Trump said to a crowd of hundreds that erupted in cheers at the Smith Reynolds Airport. The president, still stung from the loss of the GOP convention that was due to take place in Charlotte last month but was moved to a nearly all-virtual event over COVID-19, said North Carolina and other key battleground states such as Michigan were keeping their states shut for "political reasons." (Fritze, Subramanian and Jackson, 9/8)

The Hill: Trump, Supporters Gather Without Masks In NC Despite Request From Local GOP Official 
President Trump and scores of supporters gathered for a rally in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday without masks, despite the urging of a local Republican official and a state mandate. Dave Plyler, the GOP chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, told The Winston-Salem Journal that he felt Trump should abide by Gov. Roy Cooper's (D) order for individuals to wear a face covering when unable to socially distance. (Samuels, 9/8)

More on the pandemic's impact on the 2020 election —

The Washington Post: Campaign Of Contrasts: Trump’s Raucous Crowds Vs. Biden’s Distanced Gatherings
When the announcer at President Trump's recent rally here urged a packed airplane hangar of supporters to don their masks, a cacophonous round of boos erupted, followed by defiance. No matter that the attendees' chairs were inches apart, their temperatures had not been taken and masks were required by the state. Joe Biden, meanwhile, has barely left his home without a mask for months, and he makes a point of keeping voters — when he encounters any — at a distance from himself and one another. Events at drive-in theaters have been kept under 50 — people, not cars — to respect state guidelines. (Dawsey, Scherer and Linskey, 9/8)

AP: Trump And Biden Run Vastly Different Pandemic Campaigns
North Carolina caps outdoor gatherings at 50 people to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but don’t tell that to President Donald Trump. He basked in a largely maskless crowd of several thousand supporters during a Tuesday rally in this critical battleground state. “As far as the eye can see,” Trump said, reveling at the sight of people flouting public health guidelines. “I really believe that these crowds are bigger than they were four years ago.”A day earlier in Pennsylvania, Trump’s Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, held a socially distanced meeting in a backyard. His team has been so attentive to local regulations that some staffers have left the room if they risked breaking the rules on crowd limits. (Miler and Jaffe, 9/9)

Axios: Biden Campaign Lays Out Standards For Coronavirus Vaccine Transparency
The Biden campaign called on President Trump on Tuesday to answer three specific questions before releasing a coronavirus vaccine, while simultaneously warning that Trump may seek to short-circuit the scientific process for the sake of his re-election.  (Nichols, 9/8)

ABC News: Trump Makes Rosy Vaccine Timing Front And Center In Campaign, Predicting It's Possible Before Election Day 
The race to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus has taken center stage in President Donald Trump's reelection campaign as he persisted in making rosy predictions on Tuesday, claiming one would be available "very soon." With the election less than two months away, and the president’s poll numbers suffering under scrutiny over his handling of the pandemic, Trump has taken to repeatedly hyping the possibility of a vaccine before Election Day, despite top health experts having cautioned that it’s unlikely. (Phelps, 9/8)

AP: Voting In Person Nov. 3? Expect Drive-Thrus, Sports Arenas
Voting will look a little different this November. States are turning to stadiums, drive-thrus and possibly even movie theaters as safe options for in-person polling places amid the coronavirus pandemic and fears about mail-in ballots failing to arrive in time to count. The primary season brought voters to an outdoor wedding-style tent in Vermont and the state fairgrounds in Kentucky. The general election on Nov. 3 is expected to include voting at NBA arenas around the country, part of an agreement owners made with players to combat racial injustice. (Eppolito, 9/5)

PBS NewsHour: With Health Care A Top Issue For Voters, What Do Biden And Trump Propose?
Health care is a top issue for voters in this fall's presidential election, with Americans still divided over the Affordable Care Act. Yamiche Alcindor and Lisa Desjardins explain the policies of President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, and William Brangham talks to Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania and the Hoover Institution’s Lanhee Chen for analysis. (9/8)

MedPage Today: ACA Reform A Centerpiece Of Biden's Healthcare Proposals
Keeping the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- with improvements -- is the big centerpiece of Joe Biden's healthcare platform. Biden's plan calls for keeping the ACA in place but also adding a "public option," which Biden says will be "like Medicare." "As in Medicare, the Biden public option will reduce costs for patients by negotiating lower prices from hospitals and other healthcare providers," Biden says on his campaign website. "It also will better coordinate among all of a patient's doctors to improve the efficacy and quality of their care, and cover primary care without any co-payments. And it will bring relief to small businesses struggling to afford coverage for their employees." (Frieden, 9/8)

The New York Times: Democrats Flip Open The Health Care Playbook
Health care defined the 2018 midterms, with Democrats across the spectrum crediting a consistent message about defending Obamacare, protecting people with pre-existing conditions and reining in prescription drug prices as the key to taking back the House of Representatives. So while it is no surprise that the coronavirus is by far the most popular topic in political advertising this year — dominating the presidential, Senate and House races with nearly 40 percent of all political ads — it is also unsurprising to see health care becoming a central advertising issue, particularly in congressional races. (Corasaniti, 9/8)

Stat: The Kansas Senate Race Is Hyper-Focused On Health Policy And Covid-19
A Democratic doctor campaigning for Senate in Kansas is betting she can leverage her health care record into a stunning November upset — the latest sign that policies like drug prices, “surprise” medical bills, and health insurance costs remain top of mind for American voters. The surprisingly close race, in an otherwise deep-red state, is hyper-focused on health care: The Democratic nominee, Barbara Bollier, is a former anesthesiologist and bioethicist, and has campaigned aggressively on policies to expand the state’s Medicaid program, allow Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices, and outlaw “surprise” medical bills. The Republican, Rep. Roger Marshall, is a practicing OB-GYN who figured prominently into his party’s 2017 attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and continues to campaign on a “repeal and replace” health care platform. (Facher, 9/9)

The Hill: Senate To Vote Thursday On GOP Coronavirus Bill 
The Senate will vote Thursday on a scaled-down GOP coronavirus relief bill. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters, as he headed to his office off the Senate floor, that he expected a vote on Thursday. The timeline comes after McConnell indicated in a statement earlier this week that a vote could take place "as soon as this week." Because McConnell is expected to tee up the bill on Tuesday, the earliest a vote could have taken place was Thursday. (Carney, 9/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Republicans Roll Out ‘Skinny’ Stimulus Bill As Talks With Democrats Remain Stalled -
Senate Republicans proposed a new, smaller package of coronavirus aid Tuesday aimed at unifying the party and bolstering it politically, as talks with Democrats remained at a standstill and both parties blame the other for the lack of progress over the summer. The new bill, which includes jobless aid, liability protections for businesses and school funding among other measures, is expected to cost around $300 billion, after the $650 billion in new spending is offset with $350 billion in savings from unspent funds from earlier coronavirus packages. The proposal is designed to assuage the spending concerns of some GOP senators by reducing the price tag from an earlier $1 trillion proposed by Republicans, while also adding new tax credits for private-school scholarships and homeschooling expenses, a longtime priority of conservative groups that many Democrats oppose. (Peterson, 9/8)

The Hill: Pelosi, Schumer Warn GOP Coronavirus Bill 'Headed Nowhere' 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday warned that a forthcoming GOP coronavirus proposal is a non-starter. The two congressional Democratic leaders, in a joint statement, said the pared-down Republican bill is “headed nowhere.” (Carney, 9/8)

The Hill: McConnell Works To Lock Down GOP Votes For Coronavirus Bill 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is working to wrangle his caucus behind a pared-down coronavirus relief bill, with top GOP senators predicting they’ll be able to win over at least 51 Republican votes this week. The decision to force a vote on Thursday follows weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiating between the White House and congressional Republicans on a smaller package that could unify the party after high-profile divisions and with the elections looming. (Carney, 9/8)

In related news about COVID's economic toll —

NPR: COVID-19's Serious Financial Impact Hits Almost Half Of U.S. Households 
In America's four largest cities, at least half of people say they have experienced the loss of a job or a reduction in wages or work hours in their household since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. That's the finding of a new poll published Wednesday by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Many of these problems are concentrated among Black and Latino households in the four cities, according to the poll, which gathered responses from July 1 through Aug 3. (Neel, 9/9)

ABC News: Half Of Households In 4 Largest US Cities Report Financial Problems Due To Pandemic: POLL 
Americans already enduring the most frayed financial safety nets now find themselves on the fault lines exacerbated by the novel coronavirus. New polling reveals the strain born by families caught in the crosshairs of several issues converging on the country: COVID-19 and systemic racial, socioeconomic and health inequality. (Pezenik, 9/9)

The Hill: Gap Narrows Between Those Who See Pandemic As More Of A Health Crisis And Those Focused On Economy: Poll 
The gap between U.S. adults who see the coronavirus pandemic as more of a health crisis and those focusing on the economy has narrowed within the past two months, a poll released Tuesday found. The poll, from NBC and SurveyMonkey, found that a slight majority of respondents — 52 percent — said they see the coronavirus mostly as a health crisis, compared to 47 percent who see the pandemic as more of an economic issue. (Coleman, 9/8)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Public Comment Function Broken On Kemp Proposal To Block ACA Website
When Karen Lui learned this weekend about Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposal to block Georgians’ access to the Affordable Care Act shopping website, healthcare.gov, the Gainesville resident was glad to see there was a way to lodge a personal comment. But when she followed the directions, her comments were returned to her.With public comment closing down Sept. 16, several other readers told the AJC they, too, found they were unable to comment on the proposal. The apparent malfunction raises questions about whether the proposal can maintain its current path through the Trump administration’s approval process. (Hart, 9/8)

Forbes: Cigna Will Expand Obamacare To 300 Counties In 10 States For 2021
Cigna will increase the number of counties it will offer individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act by 27% to more than 300 counties across 10 states next year. Cigna is the latest health insurer to increase its individual product offerings to more states, joining companies like Centene, Oscar Health and several Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans that have been expanding their individual coverage under the ACA known as Obamacare. (Japsen, 9/9)

Kaiser Health News: Obamacare Co-Ops Down From 23 To Final ‘3 Little Miracles’ 
New Mexico Health Connections’ decision to close at year’s end will leave just three of the 23 nonprofit health insurance co-ops that sprang from the Affordable Care Act.One co-op serves customers in Maine, another in Wisconsin, and the third operates in Idaho and Montana and will move into Wyoming next year. All made money in 2019 after having survived several rocky years, according to data filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. (Galewitz, 9/9)

CNN: US Coronavirus: The US Needs 200 Million Tests A Month To Reel In Covid-19 Pandemic, Report Says
The US should be performing as many as 200 million Covid-19 tests every month well into next year to have any chance of controlling the pandemic, experts say in a new report. That number is far beyond the country's current capacity, according to the report released Wednesday by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. (Waldrop and Fox, 9/9)

Stat: U.S. Needs 193 Million Covid-19 Tests Per Month, Report Says
The U.S. may need up to 193 million coronavirus tests each month in order to safely reopen schools and fortify nursing homes, according to a new report published Wednesday. Current testing capacity in the U.S. is about 21 million tests per month, according to the Covid Tracking Project. (Sheridan, 9/9)

Also —

Fox News: Stool Testing For Coronavirus May Be Effective In Detecting Cases In Children And Infants, Report Says 
Stool tests may detect coronavirus more effectively than respiratory tests in infants and children, according to researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) who said in a report published in the journal Gut that children and infants carry a higher viral load in their stool than adults. The researchers said stool samples also can carry the coronavirus after it has been cleared from an infected patient’s respiratory tract. This could help identify asymptomatic cases, especially in infants and children who have difficulty undergoing the nasal or throat swab tests, the researchers stated in a press release. (McGorry, 9/8)

The New York Times: It’s Not Easy To Get A Coronavirus Test For A Child
When Audrey Blute’s almost 2-year-old son, George, had a runny nose in July, she wanted to do what she felt was responsible: get him tested for coronavirus. It wasn’t easy. Ms. Blute, 34, planned to walk to one of Washington, D.C.’s free testing sites — until she learned they do not test children younger than 6. She called her pediatrician’s office, which also declined to test George. (Kliff and Sanger-Katz, 9/8)

CNN: Vaccine By Pfizer-BioNTech Could Be Ready For Approval By Mid-October -- But There Are Still 'Unknowns' 
Pfizer and BioNTech are confident they can have a vaccine against the novel coronavirus ready for regulatory approval by the middle of October or early November, BioNTech CEO and co-founder Ugur Sahin told CNN Tuesday. "It has an excellent profile and I consider this vaccine ... near perfect, and which has a near perfect profile," Sahin said in an exclusive interview with CNN. (Pleitgen and Otto, 9/8)

CNBC: Pfizer CEO Says People Who Don’t Get Vaccinated Will Become ‘Weak Link’ That Allows Coronavirus To Spread
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla warned on Tuesday that people who don’t take the Covid-19 vaccine will become a “weak link” that allows the coronavirus to spread. Bourla, whose company is in late-stage testing for a potential inoculation, said he understands the public’s concerns about vaccines, which are being developed in record time. He said Pfizer will only request authorization from the Food and Drug Administration after data shows that its vaccine is safe and effective. (Lovelace Jr., 9/8)

MarketWatch: There Are Seven Coronavirus Vaccine Candidates Being Tested In The U.S. — Here’s Where They Stand
The race to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is well under way, setting the stage to bring to market the fastest vaccine in history. There are dozens of coronavirus vaccines in development, primarily in the preclinical phase when they are tested on animals. In the U.S., there are seven vaccine candidates that have moved into clinical trials with human participants, including three that have moved into the crucial Phase 3 development phase. (9/8)

Also —

WBUR: Amid Campaign Jabs Over Vaccine, Senate To Hold Hearing On Treatment Development 
The U.S. Senate will on Wednesday hold a hearing on the development of vaccines aimed at eradicating the coronavirus, amid an escalated political rhetoric regarding the potential effectiveness of a fast-tracked vaccine. As President Trump has promised to expedite treatments against the virus that has killed nearly 190,000 Americans, he has appeared publicly rankled by critics who question his handling of the pandemic and those who are skeptical of the viability of a safe vaccine in such record time. (Wise, 9/9)

CNBC: Coronavirus Vaccine: Fauci Says It's 'Unlikely' It Will Be Ready By Election
White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday a coronavirus vaccine probably won’t be ready by the U.S. presidential election even as the Centers for Disease and Prevention asks states to ready distribution facilities by Nov. 1. At a health conference, Fauci said it’s more likely a vaccine will be ready by “the end of the year” as drug companies Moderna and Pfizer race to complete patient enrollment for their late-stage vaccine trials by the end of September.  (Lovelace Jr., 9/8)

More on the global vaccine race —

Fox News: Second Russian Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate Finishes Phase II Human Trials: Report
Researchers in Russia finished Tuesday the early-stage human trials of a second COVID-19 vaccine candidate, according to a report. According to Reuters, “Siberia’s Vector virology institute” wrapped up Phase II, attributing Interfax news agency, which reportedly cited “watchdog” Rospotrebnadzor.The vaccine candidate is reportedly a “peptide-based jab” and began human trials on July 27, involving 100 volunteers, the outlet wrote. (Rivas, 9/8)

Reuters: Venezuela's Maduro Proposes Giving Russia COVID-19 Vaccine To Legislative Candidates 
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday proposed administering a Russian coronavirus vaccine to nearly 15,000 candidates in upcoming legislative elections so that they can campaign safely. Russia in August licensed a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move celebrated by Moscow but questioned by some experts who note that only about 10% of clinical trials are successful. (Ellsworth, 9/8)

Reuters: China's CanSino Defends Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate After Experts Cast Doubt
China’s CanSino Biologics Inc said on Wednesday that expert opinion on its high-profile coronavirus vaccine candidate should not be followed “blindly” without sufficient clinical trial data. (9/9)

Reuters: Brazil Eyes Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout In January, Acting Health Minister Says
Brazil’s acting Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said on Tuesday that a COVID-19 vaccine would be rolled out for all Brazilians in January 2021. (9/8)

Fox News: Tylenol May Make You Take More Risks, Study Says 
Tylenol may not just stop aches and fevers, it may actually make you more prone to taking risks, according to a study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. “Acetaminophen seems to make people feel less negative emotion when they consider risky activities – they just don’t feel as scared,” co-author of the study Baldwin Way, an associate professor of psychology at The Ohio State University, said in a press release. (McGorry, 9/8)

Ohio State News: A Pain Reliever That Alters Perceptions Of Risk
While acetaminophen is helping you deal with your headache, it may also be making you more willing to take risks, a new study suggests. People who took acetaminophen rated activities like “bungee jumping off a tall bridge” and “speaking your mind about an unpopular issue in a meeting at work” as less risky than people who took a placebo, researchers found. Use of the drug also led people to take more risks in an experiment where they could earn rewards by inflating a virtual balloon on a computer: Sometimes they went too far and the balloon popped. (Grabmeier, 9/8)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech developments —

Stat: Google Enlists The Military To Test Its Cancer-Detection AI 
Google has published plenty of papers demonstrating the potential of artificial intelligence to detect cancer earlier and with greater accuracy than doctors can. But so far the benefits have remained entirely theoretical. Now the company is taking a crucial next step — embedding its cancer-detection AI in clinics where it will be used to help guide the care of real patients. (Ross, 9/9)

Stat: Merck Chronic Cough Drug Shows Mixed Results In Late-Stage Clinical Trials
An experimental pill from Merck reduced the frequency of chronic coughing enough to achieve the goal of two Phase 3 clinical trials, but the benefit relative to placebo was small and a majority of patients reported negative alterations to their sense of taste. Merck presented detailed study results of its chronic cough drug gefapixant for the first time on Monday at the annual meeting of the European Respiratory Society. This followed its announcement last March that the Phase 3 studies achieved their primary endpoints. (Feuerstein, 9/8)

The Washington Post: ’Worst Case Scenarios’ At Sturgis Rally Could Link Event To 266,000 Coronavirus Cases, Study Says
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally led to significant spread of the novel coronavirus in the event’s home state of South Dakota and in other parts of the United States, a team of researchers said in a newly released study that is disputed by state officials. The report from San Diego State University’s Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies used anonymized cellphone location data and virus case counts to analyze the impact of the 460,000-person event that took place last month, believed to be one of the largest events held during the pandemic. (Shammas, 9/8)

USA Today: Sturgis Rally: Study Ties 260,000 COVID-19 Cases To South Dakota Event
A study by a California research group estimates that the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to more than 260,000 coronavirus cases in the month following the event. Researchers from the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies at San Diego State University published their findings Saturday in a 63-page report.The estimate is dramatically more than the number of cases tied to the rally reported by both the South Dakota health department and the Associated Press. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday said the study was "fiction," and she criticized journalists who reported on it. (Raposa, 9/8)

Fox News: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Linked To 20% Of US Coronavirus Cases In August: Researchers 
Nineteen percent of the 1.4 million new coronavirus cases in the U.S. between Aug. 2 and Sept. 2 can be traced back to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally held in South Dakota, according to researchers from San Diego State University's Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies.That's more than 266,000 coronavirus cases attributed to the 10-day event, which more than 460,000 people attended despite fears it could become a so-called super-spreader event. (Fordham, 9/8)

And the governor of South Dakota responds —

Billings Gazette: South Dakota Governor: Study Connecting 250K Virus Cases To Sturgis Rally Is 'Grossly Misleading'
A new study reports that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may be linked to more than 250,000 COVID-19 cases across the country, but state health officials countered that the study has yet to be peer-reviewed and Gov. Kristi Noem said the study is "grossly misleading" and built on "incredibly faulty assumptions that do not reflect the actual facts and data here in South Dakota.""This report isn't science; it's fiction," Noem said. "Under the guise of academic research, this report is nothing short of an attack on those who exercised their personal freedom to attend Sturgis." (Matzen, 9/8)

Newsweek: South Dakota Governor Dismisses Sturgis Motorcycle Rally COVID-19 Outbreak As 'Fiction'
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has dismissed a report suggesting the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was a "superspreading event" for COVID-19 that cost billions of dollars in health costs. Researchers from the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies at San Diego State University in California claimed event, which attracted nearly 500,000 visitors, may have resulted in 266,796 new coronavirus cases—nearly 20 percent of the 1.4 million new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the U.S. between August 2 and September 2. (Palmer, 9/9)

CIDRAP: Study: Acute Kidney Injury Common In Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19
A new study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology shows that 46% of hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 suffer from acute kidney injury (AKI), and AKI was associated with a 50% mortality rate. The study was based on 3,993 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City from Feb 27 to May 30. Of those patients, 1,835 (46%) had AKI, and 347 (19%) of the patients with AKI required dialysis. According to the authors, in-hospital mortality was 50% among patients with AKI, versus 8% among those without AKI (adjusted odds ratio, 9.2; 95% confidence interval, 7.5 to 11.3). (9/8)

In other scientific COVID-19 discoveries —

The New York Times: How The Aging Immune System Makes Older People Vulnerable To Covid-19 
Covid-19 patients who are 80 or older are hundreds of times more likely to die than those under 40. That’s partly because they are more likely to have underlying conditions — like diabetes and lung disease — that seem to make the body more vulnerable to Covid-19. But some scientists suggest another likely, if underappreciated, driver of this increased risk: the aging immune system. (Greenwood, 9/8)

Nature: The Coronavirus Is Mutating — Does It Matter?
Different SARS-CoV-2 strains haven’t yet had a major impact on the course of the pandemic, but they might in future. (Callaway, 9/8)

The Hill: Coronavirus May Linger On Chilled Salmon For A Week: Research 
Research conducted in China indicates the novel coronavirus may linger on chilled salmon for more than a week. Scientists at the South China Agricultural University and Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Guangzhou found evidence the virus can survive for eight days at 39 degrees Fahrenheit, the approximate temperature at which fish are transported. The research, released Sunday, has not yet been published or peer-reviewed. (Budryk, 9/8)

ABC News: Doctors Working To Crack The Mystery Of 'Long Haul' COVID-19 Sufferers 
Lisa Fitzgerald and her husband Chip came down with COVID-19 at around the same time. Both experienced those telltale symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue, and both tested positive for the virus in July. But even as Chip began to recover from the illness, Lisa experienced persistent symptoms. (Carrington and Bhatt, 9/9)

Stat: The Real Bioterrorists Behind Covid-19: Emerging Viruses 
In 2001, not long after the 9/11 attacks, a mysterious spate of anthrax attacks by mail killed five people and sickened 17. What the FBI calls “the worst biological attacks in U.S. history” led to concerns that bioterrorists might weaponize other globally deadly diseases, like smallpox. The sudden emergence of a highly infectious novel coronavirus in late 2019 has reminded us of a sobering fact: Nature is the ultimate bioterrorist. (Morens and Breman, 9/9)

USA Today: Amid COVID-19, More Bad Doctors May Be Avoiding Disciplinary Actions
As hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients and the coronavirus infected physicians and nurses, state medical boards took a hands-off approach to doctor discipline: Emergency actions against doctors' licenses dropped 59% from April through June of this year compared with the same period last year. Emergency license suspensions and restrictions dropped 85% in April alone, according to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, which administers the National Practitioner Data Bank and provided the analysis to USA TODAY. HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services intended to improve health care for the vulnerable and support training of medical professionals. (O'Donnell, 9/8)

CNN: Caregivers Are More Stressed And In Poorer Health Due To Covid-19, New Analysis Finds 
When Raquel Minina's 11-year-old son Syrus came home from school in Paulding County, Georgia, last week with a sore throat, runny nose and diarrhea, she was devastated. A hairdresser by trade, she knew a diagnosis of Covid-19 would put her out of work for a month or more, despite all the careful safety precautions she'd been using to keep her clients safe. (LaMotte, 9/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Why We Need More Black Doctors—And How To Get There 
Black people in the U.S. are more likely than white people to suffer from hypertension and heart disease and more likely to die at younger ages. They have accounted for a disproportionate share of Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. They are also more likely to enjoy healthier lives if treated by Black doctors, but there aren’t enough. Valerie Montgomery Rice is working to address these disparities. Dr. Montgomery Rice became president of Morehouse School of Medicine in 2014. The historically Black institution produces the third-highest number of Black doctors among all U.S. medical schools, putting Dr. Montgomery Rice in a position to impact one of America’s most pressing health challenges. (Belkin, 9/8)

The Washington Post: Independent Family Doctors Struggle To Survive Amid Coronavirus 
The wedding band is gone. So are his class ring, his wristwatch, the neckties he has worn for decades — even the white coat with his name embroidered in blue. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, James W. McNabb has switched to wearing just surgical scrubs. It’s a departure from the Norman Rockwell image of a small-town doctor, depicted in a print hanging at McNabb’s small-town practice in Mooresville, N.C. But the stripped-down look leaves fewer places for coronavirus to hide. The staff disinfects the office five times a day. The waiting-room magazines have all been tossed out, eliminating another route of infection. (Rowland, 9/8)

KHN and The Guardian: Lost On The Frontline: New This Week
As of Wednesday, the ongoing KHN-Guardian project is investigating 1,150 deaths of U.S. health workers in the fight against COVID-19. Today we add 16 new profiles including a community health administrator and activist who survived HIV/AIDS but succumbed to COVID-19, a patient transporter who was the "life of the party," and a cancer center's scheduler who made a personal connection with every client. You can explore our interactive database, now containing over 190 profiles. It investigates the question: Did they all have to die? (9/9)

In dentistry news —

The New York Times: Dentists Are Seeing An Epidemic Of Cracked Teeth. What’s Going On? 
“How’s your dental practice?” a friend of mine asked, brow furrowed, concern evident on her face. I’ve seen this look a lot recently. Since the onset of the pandemic, with a citywide shutdown and social distancing measures firmly entrenched, more than a handful of friends and family members have presumed I must be on the brink of closing. But I let her know that I am busier than ever. “Really?” she asked. “How’s that possible?” “I’ve seen more tooth fractures in the last six weeks than in the previous six years,” I explained. (Chen, 9/8)

Stat: Drug And Device Makers Paid Teaching Hospitals $832 Million In 2018
Amid ongoing concern that drug and device makers may influence medical practice and research, a new analysis suggests the issue also extends to teaching hospitals, which received a total of $832 million in payments for various activities and arrangements other than research in 2018. Of 1,281 teaching hospitals, 91% received money from industry for continuing education, royalties, consulting and speaking fees, space rentals, gifts, and food, among other things. In all, nearly 47,000 payments were made and most were related to specific products, although one-fifth of the hospitals received more than 90% of the $832 million. (Silverman, 9/8)

In other health industry news —

Houston Chronicle: Houston Employees Are Signing Up For PPOs, High-Deductible Plans, New Study Finds 
Employees prefer health insurance plans that give them greater choice of doctors and specialists even if employees must pay more, according to a study released Tuesday by the Houston Business Coalition on Health. The coalition, an association of employers purchasing health plans, found that employees, particularly older workers, are more likely to pick preferred provider organization, or PPO plans, where they can see out-of-network providers at a higher cost and aren’t required to keep a primary care physician. (Wu, 9/9)

Stat: Dan Trigub, Head Of Uber Health, Is Leaving To Launch A Health Care Startup
Dan Trigub, who for the last two years has led Uber Health, is leaving the ride-sharing giant to start his own health care company, he wrote in an email to his contacts, the text of which was shared with STAT. His last day with the company is Tuesday. (Brodwin, 9/8)

Modern Healthcare: Judge Tosses Data-Sharing Lawsuit Against UChicago, Google
UChicago Medicine agreed to share de-identified patient records with Google in 2017 to explore whether electronic health information could be used with machine learning to reduce readmissions and predict future medical events. A former University of Chicago Medical Center patient—Matt Dinerstein—sued Google, UChicago Medicine, and the University of Chicago last year, claiming they violated his privacy rights when the hospital shared time stamps for service dates, medical notes and other possibly identifiable information with the tech giant. He asked the court to grant the suit class action status. (Brady, 9/8)

The New York Times: Website Crashes And Cyberattacks Welcome Students Back To School 
A ransomware attack forced Hartford, Conn., to call off the first day of classes. A website crash left many of Houston’s 200,000 students staring at error messages. And a server problem in Virginia Beach disrupted the first hours back to school there.For millions of American schoolchildren, the Tuesday after Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer vacation and the start of the first day of classes. But this year, instead of boarding buses and lugging backpacks, many students opened their laptops for online instruction at home, only to encounter technical glitches. (Levin and Taylor, 9/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Millions Of Students Head Back To School For A Year Like No Other 
Many students are heading back to school this week, virtually and in person, with some campuses reopening to students for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit about six months ago. For some students in grades K to 12 who returned to in-person instruction on Tuesday, the first day started with a temperature check and new rules, which require masks and social distancing. Some buildings look different inside, with hallway floors marked with arrows for traffic flow and signs on walls reminding students to keep apart and wash hands. Visitors are being kept out of many schools, denying parents the time-honored tradition of walking their children to class on the first day. (Hobbs, 9/8)

In other news —

CNN: What To Do If Your Kid Has Covid-19 Symptoms 
Under two weeks after school started, Savannah Gardiner's 8-year-old son woke her up at 4 a.m. complaining of an upset stomach, nausea and a sore throat. By the next morning, her two youngest children, ages 3 and 6, had lost their voices. "They just feel miserable," said Gardiner, a full-time student and mother of four in Lehi, Utah. "Every family gets sick at the beginning of the school year, but this year is different. You have to second-guess every symptom." (Smith, 9/9)

MarketWatch: ‘Children With Poorer Parents Suffer More’: How Could School Closures Affect A Student’s Future Earnings Potential? Here’s One Theory
For parents wondering about the lasting consequences for kids hanging around the house while the coronavirus pandemic physically shut down their schools this spring, a new study has one guess — and it’s a troubling one.Six months of school closure could result in an average 1% less earned ever year over a worker’s lifetime, according to new projections on COVID-19’s potential shock to a student’s education and future earning power. (Keshner, 9/9)

The Washington Post: D.C. Plans To Pay The Internet Bills For 25,000 Low-Income Families For A Year 
The D.C. government will cover the monthly Internet bills for about 25,000 low-income families who have students in the city’s traditional public and charter schools, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s (D) administration announced Tuesday.The $3.3 million program has been in the works for weeks and city officials said they recently finalized negotiations with two private Internet providers, Comcast and RCN, to provide Internet for families who receive food stamps or other public assistance. The Office of the Chief Technology Officer — the local office administering the program — will start contacting eligible families Tuesday afternoon to ask if they want Internet provided. (Stein, 9/8)

USA Today: 'So Much For Honor': Despite COVID Cases, College Students Partied Labor Day Weekend Away
Any doubts that students would find a way to party, even during a pandemic, have been quickly dispelled as COVID-19 cases skyrocketed at colleges around the country. Some colleges promptly canceled in-person instruction, and social media videos and images of partying students helped feed a narrative of irresponsible behavior putting everyone in the university community at risk. (Faulds, Molloy, LaTona, Torchinsky, Vann, Sondgeroth, Cassidy, LeBoeuf and Lempres, 9/9)

AP: Illinois University Quarantines All Student Body
Bradley University in central Illinois is requiring its entire student body to quarantine for two weeks because of clusters of COVID-19 on campus and is reverting to remote learning, officials announced Tuesday. Officials of the private university said they have linked a spike of the coronavirus to off-campus gatherings. The Peoria university is requiring students to limit nonessential interactions, stay in their off-campus apartments, residence halls and take classes remotely beginning Tuesday. (9/9)

AP: Virus Cases At University Of Arkansas Approaching 1,000
Arkansas health officials on Tuesday said their biggest growth in new coronavirus cases is among college-aged people as the number of active infections at the University of Arkansas’ main campus approached 1,000. The Arkansas Department of Health on Tuesday reported 294 new confirmed virus cases statewide, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 66,021. Cases among people 18 to 24 years old grew by nearly 17% last week, two to three times more than any other age group. (DeMillo, 9/8)

AP: Cuomo: COVID-19 A Problem On New York Campuses
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that COVID-19 outbreaks at colleges are already a problem, with one school shut down and cases rising on other campuses. Cuomo said the state health department would soon issue regulations requiring colleges to notify health officials when they have 100 confirmed cases, which could prompt a switch to remote learning for at least two weeks. (9/8)

Also —

USA Today: College Football Player Jamain Stephens Dies From COVID Complications
California University of Pennsylvania football player Jamain Stephens, 20, has died, the school announced Tuesday. Stephens, a senior defensive lineman, was the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jamain Stephens. Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where Stephens played, said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday his cause of death was related to complications involving COVID-19. It is unclear how he contracted the disease. (Smith, 9/8)

The Washington Post: Allegiant Passenger Allegedly Removed For Asking Flight Attendant To Wear A Mask 
Allegiant Air removed a passenger from a Labor Day flight preparing for takeoff from Punta Gorda, Fla., for “making threatening statements to the flight attendant,” according to the airline. But in a video of the incident shared online, the man can be heard explaining that he had only asked the flight attendant to wear a face mask.“I need you to come off or I get law enforcement,” says an employee a in a video shared anonymously to social media news wire Storyful. The passenger says, “I just asked somebody to put on their face mask, that’s all I did." (McMahon, 9/8)

The Washington Post: Arlington National Cemetery To Reopen To The Public On Wednesday 
Arlington National Cemetery will reopen to the public on Wednesday with limited hours, officials said.In a statement Tuesday, cemetery officials said it would be open to the public between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., with face coverings mandatory and social distancing expected. The cemetery was closed to visitors in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, though those attending funerals have been permitted in the months since. (Moyer, 9/8)

The Hill: More Than 40 Groups Call For Coronavirus Protections For Oil And Gas Workers 
A coalition of more than 40 organizations is urging the federal government to take steps to protect workers at oil and gas facilities, as well as the communities surrounding the sites, from the coronavirus. In a letter to the Interior Department, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Coast Guard and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the groups specifically call for monthly public reporting on COVID-19 testing and infection rates at oil and gas facilities. (Frazin, 9/8)

The Washington Post: How To Sneeze During Coronavirus 
Sneezing used to be a low-key sign that someone was getting sick or had allergies, and sneezing into your elbow was a polite way to indicate to those around us that we didn’t want to give them whatever we might have. However, the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 6 million Americans and killed at least 180,000, causes a respiratory disease called covid-19 and spreads easily between people. In the midst of a global pandemic, sneezing into our elbows may no longer be enough. (Goren, 9/8)

Also —

Kaiser Health News: Exercise And Diet Are More Important Than Ever With Virus At Large 
If your life these days is anything like mine, a pre-pandemic routine that included regular exercise and disciplined eating has probably given way to sedentary evenings on a big chair, binge-watching reruns of your favorite TV series while guzzling chocolate ice cream or mac ’n’ cheese. But let’s not beat ourselves up about it. Several doctors I spoke with recently said most of their patients and many of their colleagues are struggling to maintain healthy habits amid the anxiety of the pandemic. “The Quarantine 15” (pounds, that is) is a real phenomenon. (Wolfson, 9/9)

AP: Doctors Studying Why Obesity May Be Tied To Serious COVID-19
In the early days of the pandemic, doctors noticed something about the people severely ill from COVID-19: Many were obese.The link became more apparent as coronavirus swept across the globe and data mounted, and researchers are still trying to figure out why.Excess weight increases the chances of developing a number of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. And those are among the conditions that can make COVID-19 patients more likely to get very sick. (Choi, 9/8)

In other public health news —

The Hill: Meth Use Rose Across US In Pandemic's Early Days: Laboratory Firm
Illegal use of methamphetamines grew across the U.S. in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, and evidence suggests that other drug use grew during that period as well, according to a laboratory report. Urine samples from patients across the U.S. tested positive for methamphetamines at a roughly 20 percent higher rate between March and May than previous samples taken between January and March 12, the day before President Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic, a report from the laboratory Millennium Health found. (Bowden, 9/8)

Good Morning America: Chrissy Teigen Turns To Botox To Treat Pregnancy Headaches: 'I See The Light Finally' 
Pregnancy isn't always easy for expectant moms, and that includes mogul and author Chrissy Teigen, who is expecting her third child. Teigen shared on Twitter on Sept. 4 that she's been suffering from "bad pregnancy headaches," which she also struggled with during her second pregnancy. "I love being pregnant," Teigen tweeted in 2017. "I like it more than not being pregnant. But the headaches, my god the headaches. Someone… please help. Don't say water. Or Tylenol. Or iron. Or magnesium. I need witchcraft." This time around though, the superstar mom isn't turning to witchcraft, but Botox. Teigen, who's no stranger to Botox, has been using it to treat her regular headaches and migraines caused by jaw grinding. (Bernabe, 9/7)

The Salt Lake Tribune: Salt Lake City Mayor Promises 'Swift' Investigation After Police Officer Shoots 13-Year-Old Boy; Police Issue Statement On ‘Tragic Situation’ 
Salt Lake City’s mayor is promising a swift and transparent inquiry into the police shooting of a juvenile Friday. According to police, they were called shortly after 10 p.m. to a home near 500 South and Navajo Street, where a boy having a “mental episode … made threats to some folks with a weapon.” The boy ran and police pursued. One officer shot the boy. Police have not identified the person who was shot, but family members said 13-year-old autistic boy Linden Cameron was shot several times, and Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall referred to him as a “young boy” in a statement she released Sunday. He was listed in serious condition. (Pierce, 9/1)

The Washington Post: Linden Cameron, 13-Year-Old Autistic Boy, Shot By Salt Lake City Police During Mental Crisis 
When Golda Barton dialed 911 on Friday, she hoped emergency responders could help hospitalize her 13-year-old son, who has Asperger syndrome and was having a mental crisis. Instead, a Salt Lake City police officer repeatedly shot Linden Cameron after he ran away, leaving the boy in serious condition with injuries to his intestines, bladder, shoulder and ankles. Barton says he was unarmed, and police said they didn’t find a weapon at the scene. (Elfrink, 9/8)

USA Today: Utah Police Shot 13-Year-Old With Autism After Mom Called For Help
Golda Barton told KUTV she called police because her son Linden Cameron, who has Asperger's, was having a mental health episode. Barton, who had just returned to work for the first time in a year, told police her son had "bad separation anxiety" but was unarmed. "I said, he's unarmed, he doesn't have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming," she told the outlet. "He's a kid he's trying to get attention, he doesn't know how to regulate."(Bragg, 9/8)

Slate: Salt Lake City Police Shoot 13-Year-Old With Autism, Won’t Explain Why.
The police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting, or made public the police report, or explained generally why the officer shot the child, or said if he or she would be charged or face any disciplinary action. The department said it would release additional details within 10 business days, which is when local ordinances require bodycam footage be released. During a press conference after the incident, Salt Lake City police Sgt. Keith Horrocks seemed to blame the child for the shooting. Horrocks said that police were responding to a call regarding “a violent psych issue involving a juvenile male who had made threats.” He would not clarify who made the call or who was threatened by the 13-year-old, but he did allege that the threat was made with a weapon. (Stahl, 9/8)

Fox News: Los Angeles County Bans Trick-Or-Treating This Halloween Due To Coronavirus 
This year was scary enough. Traditional Halloween activities won't be allowed for residents in Los Angeles County this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to local health officials. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced a ban on door-to-door trick-or-treating, carnivals, festivals, live entertainment and haunted houses. (Aaro, 9/9)

The Washington Post: D.C. Adds Two States, Removes Two Others From List Of Places That Require Quarantine 
D.C. health officials on Tuesday added Montana and Ohio to the list of states considered “high-risk” due to the coronavirus pandemic, marking the latest step in the city’s attempt to mitigate transmission of the virus. A state is deemed high-risk if its seven-day rolling average of new coronavirus cases is 10 or more per 100,000 residents. Anyone who arrives in the nation’s capital after traveling to one of the 29 states for nonessential reasons must self-quarantine for two weeks. (Sullivan, Brice-Saddler and Hedgpeth, 9/8)

AP: Oklahoma Prison Inmate Being Treated For COVID-19 Dies
An Oklahoma state prison inmate being treated for the illness caused by the coronavirus has died, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said.The inmate at the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft died Saturday at a hospital, the department said Monday. (9/8)

AP: Honolulu Mayor Extends Stay-At-Home Order By 2 Weeks
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said Tuesday he would extend the city’s stay-at-home order for two weeks to control the coronavirus but will modify the rules to allow solo activity at beaches, parks and trails. The stay-at-home order will be kept in place through Sept. 24. Individuals will be able to go to beaches, parks and trails to run, sit or eat by themselves beginning Thursday. (9/9)

Also —

CIDRAP: Wisconsin And Massachusetts Report More EEE Cases, 1 Fatal
Wisconsin reported its second eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) case of the year, involving a woman in her 60s who died from her infection, and Massachusetts reported its fourth human infection involving the mosquitoborne virus. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS) said the patient had lived in Chippewa County, which is in the west central part of the state and borders Eau Claire County, where the state's first case of the year—in a girl—was recently reported. Of nine EEE cases in horses this year, four were in Chippewa County. (9/8)

Politico: Social Gatherings Of More Than 6 To Be Banned In England 
Social gatherings of more than six people will be banned in England from Monday in response to a sharp increase in coronavirus cases, Boris Johnson is set to announce. The prime minister is to give a press conference on Wednesday at which he will confirm that the legal limit at which police can disperse gatherings of people will be reduced from the current 30 to just six. (Cooper, 9/8)

The Washington Post: Italy’s Bergamo Finds Covid-19 Leaves Long-Term Effects For Some
BERGAMO, Italy — The first wave is over, thousands have been buried, and in a city that was once the world’s coronavirus epicenter, the hospital is calling back the survivors. It is drawing their blood, examining their hearts, scanning their lungs, asking them about their lives.Twenty people per day, it is measuring what the coronavirus has left in its wake. “How are you feeling?” a doctor recently asked the next patient to walk in, a 54-year-old who still can’t ascend a flight of steps without losing her breath. “I feel like I’m 80 years old,” the woman said. (Harlan and Pitrelli, 9/8)

AP: UN Finds 2 Virus Cases In Syrian Refugee Camp In Jordan
The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday it has confirmed two coronavirus cases in the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, which is home to more than 40,000 people who have fled their country’s civil war. They are the first infections to be detected among Syrians living in refugee camps in Jordan. The UNHCR said the two patients were transferred to quarantine facilities after testing positive late Monday, and their neighbors have been isolated as more testing is carried out. (Akour, 9/8)

PBS NewsHour: Denmark And Sweden Responded Differently To The Pandemic. How Did They Fare? 
Countries around the world have pursued different strategies to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. While many implemented shutdowns, including Denmark, nearby Sweden took a different approach, trusting citizens to follow social-distancing guidelines on their own and setting an objective of herd immunity. (Brabant, 9/8)

In news from France —

Politico: French Prime Minister Tests Negative For Coronavirus 
French Prime Minister Jean Castex tested negative for coronavirus after coming into contact with an infected person. "As a contact case of a person who tested positive for COVID-19, I will follow the protocol developed by the Government and the health authorities. It applies to everyone. I will exercise the fullness of my duties while scrupulously respecting the health recommendations," Castex tweeted before he was tested. (Braun and Walker, 9/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Tour De France Plows Ahead, Despite Four Covid Cases Among Team Staffers 
The Tour de France survived its first round of in-race Covid-19 testing on Tuesday, despite four team staffers inside the race’s traveling bubble testing positive along with the Tour’s director. No cases were discovered among the 166 riders in the peloton, with nearly two weeks remaining in the race. The staffers were scattered across four teams—AG2R, Cofidis, Ineos, and Mitchelton-Scott—leaving them on thin ice for the rest of the Tour. French government rules that stipulate organizers must send home any team that registers two positive tests within its 30-person bubble of riders and staffers during the race. (Robinson, 9/8)

In Olympics news —

The Wall Street Journal: Tokyo Olympics Can Coexist With Covid-19, Organizers Say 
Japan’s Olympics minister said the country was determined to go ahead with the Summer Games next year despite some skepticism about whether athletes from around the world can safely participate in Tokyo. “The athletes are all working towards the event next year. By all means necessary, I think we have to go ahead with the Games,” Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto said at a regular press conference Tuesday. (Gale, 9/8)

The Washington Post: Caster Semenya Loses Final Appeal Of IAAF Rule On Testosterone Levels
Switzerland’s top court ruled against two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya on Tuesday, dismissing her appeal of a 2019 ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that upheld a rule established by IAAF, track and field’s governing body, affecting female runners who produce testosterone at levels higher than other women. The ruling probably ends Semenya’s chance of defending her 2016 Olympic gold medal in the 800 meters because she has repeatedly said she would not submit to the IAAF rule. (Bonesteel, 9/8)

ProPublica: A Doctor Went To His Own Employer For A COVID-19 Antibody Test. It Cost $10,984.
When Dr. Zachary Sussman went to Physicians Premier ER in Austin for a COVID-19 antibody test, he assumed he would get a freebie because he was a doctor for the chain. Instead, the free-standing emergency room charged his insurance company an astonishing $10,984 for the visit — and got paid every penny, with no pushback. The bill left him so dismayed he quit his job. And now, after ProPublica’s questions, the parent company of his insurer said the case is being investigated and could lead to repayment or a referral to law enforcement. (Allen, 9/5)

Houston Chronicle: Insurers Bearing The Brunt Of COVID-19 Test Costs. That Might Mean Higher Premiums. 
Health insurers say providers are overcharging them for COVID-19 tests and the added costs could mean higher premiums for their plan members in the future. The problem, insurers said, is providers can charge whatever they want for the tests and insurers must cover the full costs — no matter how high — under federal laws passed to address the coronavirus pandemic. One freestanding emergency room charged Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas $4,800 for a nasal swab test, according to a redacted claim provided by the insurer. (Wu, 9/8)

Also —

Roll Call: Drug Price Spikes Still Unchecked, Five Years After Controversy 
The current debate over expensive prescription drugs caught fire after a notorious 2015 episode, when the price of a cheap, lifesaving drug was jacked up by more than 5,000 percent and the pharmaceutical executive behind it seemed to revel in the outrage over his decision. The drug was Daraprim, used to treat a parasitic infection, toxoplasmosis, that can be fatal, particularly in immunocompromised patients like those with HIV/AIDS or pregnant women. The manufacturer’s young leader — Martin Shkreli, who earned the moniker "Pharma Bro" because of his brash social media presence — had more experience in investing than in drug development. (Siddons, 9/9)

Roll Call: Trump Assertions Of Lower Drug Costs Mask Truth For Many Consumers
President Donald Trump campaigns on the message that he’s done more to lower drug prices than any other president, but the reality is more complicated. The administration contends that drug prices are rising at a slower pace after years of hikes, while research supports the idea that increases for brand-name drugs have moderated. But that doesn’t tell the full story. The most significant proposals in Congress to drive down prices stalled because of partisan differences and industry opposition. Brand-name drugs are launching at higher prices than in past decades, and their prices continue to increase. (Siddons, 9/9)

Bloomberg Government: Fall Hurdles On Drug Price, Surprise Bills
Lawmakers return to Washington this week with a few outstanding health-care issues to wrap up before the November elections. The House and Senate will look for a path forward on drug pricing and surprise billing measures, while negotiations continue over the next round of coronavirus stimulus legislation and the annual spending bills ahead of the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. (Sherwood, 9/8)

US News & World Report: Medicare Out-Of-Pocket Costs You Should Expect To Pay 
Medicare provides valuable health insurance for individuals 65 or older and certain people with disabilities who are under age 65. But it also comes with complex rules and sometimes significant out-of-pocket costs. Here's what you can expect to pay for Medicare out of pocket. (Brandon, 9/8)

The Hill: Ahead Of A Coronavirus Vaccine, Mexico's Drug Pricing To Have Far-Reaching Impacts On Americans
The United States and Mexico have both been slammed by the COVID-19 pandemic with more than six million U.S. cases and 185,000 deaths and Mexico surging to 606,000 cases, the eighth highest in the world. Yet amidst this global health crisis, Mexico’s Congress recently passed legislation implementing the revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that include new monopoly rights for pharmaceutical corporations that will restrict access to affordable medicines and hurt patients throughout North America. (Reps. Rosa Delauro [D-Conn.], Jan Schakowsky [D-Ill.], Earl Blumenauer [D-Ore.] and Veronica Escobar [D-Texas], 9/3)

WBUR: Why Importing Drugs From Canada Won't Fix High Drug Costs 
Politicians from President Donald Trump to Bernie Sanders have been calling for years to allow the importation of certain prescription drugs from Canada. In July, Trump signed an executive order intended to facilitate prescription drug importation. High and rising prescription drug costs are one of vanishingly few issues with bipartisan attention these days, and even bipartisan agreement on some specific policies, like this one. Trump, Sanders and Joe Biden all support prescription drug importation — but importing drugs from Canada won’t solve the U.S.’s prescription drug costs problem. (Sarah Ruth Bates, 9/2)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Diabetes Has A Treatment Crisis Worsened By COVID-19
Insulin affordability has been a major issue for the health of millions of Americans, even gaining attention during the Democratic debates. For patients living with diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes, access to insulin is literally a matter of life and death. (Jennifer N. Goldstein and Abby Donnelly, 9/8)

Stat: Instead Of Drug Rebates, Turn To Drugs' Average Sales Prices 
Changing key elements of the U.S. health care system can be effective and in the best interests of patients. It can also be ill-advised. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama were largely successful in implementing “radical” changes to the health care system, the former instituting a drug benefit for seniors through the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, the latter extending health insurance to the uninsured through the Affordable Care Act. (Andrew Parece and Matthew Majewski, 9/4)

Stat: Advancing A Covid-19 Vaccine Means Countering Science Denial
In the fractious public dialogue about Covid-19, one point of unity stands out: An effective vaccine is what’s needed to stop, or at least control, the pandemic. The anti-vaccine movement could derail that solution. To stop Covid-19, many people — most people, really — would need to have either survived infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease, or been vaccinated against it. By sowing the seeds of doubt and denial, anti-vaxxers could influence many people not to get a vaccine, allowing the virus to persist and be persistently infective. (Jonathan M. Berman, 9/9)

USA Today: Rushing Coronavirus ‘Holy Grail’ Vaccine Could Turn Into A Curse
It would be the cruelest of ironies if Donald Trump's great bid for redemption after so many coronavirus failures — by rapidly producing a vaccine  — also fails because of mismanagement. The president is banking on acquiring what his campaign advisers call the "Holy Grail" by Election Day. "We're going to have a vaccine very soon, maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I'm talking about," Trump teased Monday. It would be a totem of ultimate achievement over a virus that on Trump's watch has wrecked the economy and killed nearly 190,000 Americans, greater losses than any other nation in the world has suffered. (9/8)

Bloomberg: Covid-19 Vaccine Politics Demand More From Developers Like Pfizer, Moderna 
As President Donald Trump repeatedly touts the possibility of a Covid-19 vaccine winning approval by Election Day, the companies he needs to make that happen are pushing back. And that’s a good thing all around. On Tuesday, nine major coronavirus vaccine developers — including Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, and Moderna Inc. — signed a joint pledge under which they committed not to submit their inoculations for Food and Drug Administration approval until they demonstrate safety and efficacy in a large, late-stage trial. It's an unusual statement; typically, the FDA is the one defending high standards, while drug manufacturers try to push boundaries. Unprecedented political pressure, combined with public unease over what some fear may be a rushed process, has forced a role reversal. (Max Nisen, 9/8)

The Washington Post: Kamala Harris Casting Doubt On A Pre-Election Vaccine Is Shameful
Democrats have accused President Trump of endangering public health with his grudging support for wearing masks. But this weekend, the Democratic nominee for vice president, Sen. Kamala D. Harris (Calif.) did something far worse. In a CNN interview, Harris repeatedly called into question whether it would be safe to take the coronavirus vaccines being developed under the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed. (Marc A. Thiessen, 9/8)

The Washington Post:  The Economy Needs Another Round Of Fiscal Support. Congress’s Impasse Has To End. 
Congress returned from recess Tuesday with precious little time left before the first week of October, when the House and Senate legislative calendars call for lawmakers to recess through the Nov. 3 election — and two major tasks left to accomplish. On the first of these, avoiding a government shutdown when current spending authority expires Sept. 30, there has been progress: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have let it be known they favor rapid passage of a temporary bill that would keep federal workers paid and operations going at least through the election. On Congress’s second big job, however — delivering the economy another dose of fiscal support — an impasse continues. It has to end. (9/8)

Boston Globe: Federal Assistance Needed As COVID-19 Continues To Devastate Low-Income Households
As the Boston-area antipoverty and community action organization, ABCD has a birds-eye view of the pain of poverty sweeping the Boston neighborhoods and nearby cities and towns we serve — pain that mirrors the anguish felt throughout the state and nation. In a recent survey by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, millions reported that their households did not have enough to eat or that they were behind in paying the rent. The negative impact of the pandemic is particularly prevalent among Black, Latino, Native American, and immigrant households. These impacts reflect harsh, longstanding inequities — often stemming from systemic racism — in education, employment, housing, and health care that the coronavirus pandemic is intensifying. (John J. Drew, 9/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Medical Research’s Cross Of ‘Gold’ Imperils Covid Treatments
You’ve probably heard of the “gold standard”—randomized controlled trials—for evaluating new pharmaceutical therapies, including for Covid-19. Many treatments that showed promise in other studies have turned up muddy results in randomized controlled trials. But that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily ineffective. Doctors and regulators need to consider the totality of medical evidence when treating patients. (Allysia Finley, 9/8)

Los Angeles Times: Positive Coronavirus Tests Shock My Asymptomatic Patients
As a physician, I’m part of a COVID-19 task force that contacts coronavirus-positive patients and clarifies the next steps in their care. When I tell them their test result is positive, many react with puzzlement, saying they “feel fine.” So I was more than dismayed when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appeared to succumb to political pressure to change its COVID-19 guidelines and discourage testing of people who are asymptomatic. When the CDC recently issued new guidelines that no longer recommend testing people who feel fine but have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, the medical community and politicians across the country sounded an alarm. More than one expert said the guidelines had been revised for political, rather than scientific, reasons. (Zainab Saddi, 9/9)

Bloomberg: School Reopening In The Pandemic: Learning From New York City's Fiasco
New York City, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, and the largest public school district planning to begin at least some in-person instruction, has botched its reopening plans for the fall. Its mistakes are a cautionary tale for school systems across the U.S. that are struggling to balance the benefits of resuming their educational programs against the risks of spreading Covid-19.Piecemeal planning and poor communication by the New York City education department prompted pleas from dozens of principals, districts and community councils to push back the opening date, and, finally, provoked the threat of a teachers’ strike. (Andrea Gabor, 9/2)

The Hill: Pandemic Requires Partnerships Like Never Before 
As the fall semester just begins, we have already seen colleges and universities try to open only to reverse course, while others undertake extraordinary measures to try to stay open. All the while, coronavirus cases keep rising around the country. As school leaders grapple with what to do, they must recognize their decisions have massive health implications for the cities and towns in which they reside — regardless of whether college students themselves are at serious risk of the disease. (Shirley M. Collado and Svante Myrick, 9/8)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Grocery Workers Still On The Pandemic Frontlines But Without Hazard Pay
In Missouri, frontline workers are continuing to show up for our communities every single day despite the very real dangers they still face. The men and women working in your local grocery stores are exposed to potentially thousands of customers per day, putting their health at risk to serve their communities. Without the courage of these essential workers at grocery stores, who continue to put themselves in harm’s way, our families would not have the food we need during this crisis. Given the growing risks as coronavirus cases continue to spread, it is time for the chief executives of every grocery chain in Missouri to step up and guarantee hazard pay for all of these frontline workers. (David Cook, 9/7)

The Hill: Congress Must Protect Kidney Disease Patients During The COVID-19 Pandemic 
As we continue to combat the unprecedented health and economic emergency caused by COVID-19, it’s critical that we take every possible step to ensure the health of vulnerable patient populations, including the nearly 38 million Americans who suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD). Before this crisis erupted, kidney patients faced major obstacles accessing medical care. Now, with a growing body of research,  government data and CDC warnings showing COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on kidney patients, especially minorities, policymakers must take proactive steps to ensure CKD patients can access care safely while avoiding exposure. (Paul Conway, 9/8)