First Edition: July 22, 2020

Kaiser Health News: Essential And In Danger: Coronavirus Sickens, Even Kills Public Health Workers
As a veteran public health worker, Chantee Mack knew the coronavirus could kill. She already faced health challenges and didn’t want to take any chances during the pandemic. So she asked — twice — for permission to work from home. She was deemed essential and told no. Eight weeks later, she was dead. (Ungar, 7/22)

Kaiser Health News: Scientists Want To Know More About Using UV Light To Fight COVID-19 Spread 
High up near the ceiling, in the dining room of his Seattle-area restaurant, Musa Firat recently installed a “killing zone” — a place where swaths of invisible electromagnetic energy penetrate the air, ready to disarm the coronavirus and other dangerous pathogens that drift upward in tiny, airborne particles. Firat’s new system draws on a century-old technology for fending off infectious diseases: Energetic waves of ultraviolet light — known as germicidal UV, or GUV — are delivered in the right dose to wipe out viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. (Stone, 7/22)

Kaiser Health News: Bingeing On Doom: Expert On The ‘Black Death’ Attracts Cult Following 
Before COVID-19, Purdue University English professor Dorsey Armstrong was well known in a way that only other enthusiasts of medieval literature and culture might appreciate. That is to say, she once got a discount on a replica of an Anglo-Saxon drinking horn — made from an actual cattle horn — because a guy at a conference recognized her. “That’s the only time I felt famous,” said Armstrong, an expert in medieval studies who heads the English department at Purdue in Indiana. (Aleccia, 7/22)

Kaiser Health News: Another Problem On The Health Horizon: Medicare Is Running Out Of Money 
Everyone involved even tangentially in health care today is completely consumed by the coronavirus pandemic, as they should be. But the pandemic is accelerating a problem that used to be front and center in health circles: the impending insolvency of Medicare. With record numbers of Americans out of work, fewer payroll taxes are rolling in to fund Medicare spending, the numbers of beneficiaries are rising, and Congress dipped into Medicare’s reserves to help fund the COVID-19 relief efforts this spring. (Rovner, 7/22)

Politico: America's Daily Virus Death Toll Passes 1,000 Again
The United States on Tuesday recorded more than 1,000 daily deaths from the coronavirus for the first time since May, another grim sign the country is struggling to contain the pandemic six months after it emerged in the U.S. The daily death toll from Covid-19 had been falling steadily for months after peaking at over 2,000 in mid-April, but deaths began trending upward again earlier this month as the virus stormed across the South and Southwest. (Luthi, 7/21)

Reuters: Global Coronavirus Cases Exceed 15 Million: Reuters Tally 
Global coronavirus infections surged past 15 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, with the pandemic gathering pace even as countries remain divided in their response to the crisis. Globally, the rate of new infections shows no sign of slowing, according to the Reuters tally, based on official reports. (Wardell and Issa, 7/22)

The New York Times: Trump, in a Departure, Says Virus Will Get Worse
President Trump abruptly departed on Tuesday from his rosy projections about the coronavirus, warning Americans from the White House briefing lectern that the illness would get worse before widespread recovery. “It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better,” Mr. Trump said. “Something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is.” (7/21)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Says Coronavirus Will 'Get Worse Before It Gets Better' 
President Trump, six months into a deadly pandemic and less than four months from Election Day, conceded Tuesday that the coronavirus would “get worse before it gets better” and urged all Americans to wear face masks “whether you like the mask or not.” “If you can, use the mask,” he said. “Think about patriotism.” (Stokols, 7/21)

Politico: 5 Key Takeaways From Tuesday's Big Coronavirus Vaccine Hearing
Representatives of five companies developing coronavirus vaccines testified before a House panel Tuesday about their quest to produce shots in record time — and distribute them worldwide. Pharmaceutical executives’ appearances on the Hill in recent years have almost entirely been tied to the heated debate over high drug costs, from soaring insulin prices to patent games that limit generic competition. (Owermohle, 7/21)

The New York Times: C.D.C. Data Shows U.S. Coronavirus Infections Much Higher Than Reported 
The number of people infected with the coronavirus in different parts of the United States was anywhere from two to 13 times higher than the reported rates for those regions, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings suggest that large numbers of people who did not have symptoms or did not seek medical care may have kept the virus circulating in their communities. (Mandavilli, 7/21)

The Hill: CDC: US Coronavirus Infections Likely 10 Times Higher Than Reported 
Infections of the coronavirus in the U.S. may be up to 10 times what is currently known, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The estimate is based on detection of antibodies in the population. Testing indicates the number of people with antibodies is between two and 13 times the approximately 3.8 million recorded cases of the virus in the U.S., according to the CDC’s research. (Budryk, 7/21)

Politico: True Number Of U.S. Coronavirus Infections Likely 10 Times Larger Than Reported, CDC Data Shows
The true number of U.S. coronavirus cases so far could be six to 24 times larger than official figures show, according to CDC data. The researchers who wrote the analysis say the true burden of disease is likely 10 times greater in most areas than previously understood. But that still means that most Americans haven't been infected. There have been about 3.8 million reported cases in the U.S. so far. (Lim, 7/21)

CIDRAP: Few—But Many More Than Reported—Had COVID-19, Studies Estimate 
An analysis of serum samples collected as part of routine COVID-19 testing from 16,025 people of all ages at 10 US sites from Mar 23 to May 12 suggests that, while most people had not been infected, at least 10 times more people were probably infected than previously reported, according to a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine. Two other studies, published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, showed low antibody seroprevalence levels in Indiana and Georgia. (Van Beusekom, 7/21)

Stat: Group Calls For Standardized Data Collection To Better Track Covid-19 
In a new review of the Covid-19 response across the country, a group of public health experts conclude that critical data the public needs to assess their risks and tailor their behaviors is often unavailable. The assessment, released Tuesday by the nongovernmental organization Resolve to Save Lives, calls on states and communities to start recording and sharing standardized data on 15 key metrics, so that people — and health departments — can get a clearer picture of how the response to the pandemic is working in their area. (Branswell, 7/21)

CIDRAP: As Shutdowns Loom, Report Says Poor COVID-19 Data Hampered US Response
A report today overseen by former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden, MD, argues that incomplete and inconsistent COVID-19 data from states, along with the absence of national leadership, is behind the poor US response to COVID-19. The report comes as CDC data suggest that the number of people infected with the coronavirus in different parts of the country is likely far higher than the number of reported cases. (Dall, 7/21)

The Washington Post: Resolve To Save Lives Recommends 15 Essential Covid-19 Indicators For States To Report 
Six months after the first coronavirus case appeared in the United States, most states are failing to report critical information needed to track and control the resurgence of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to an analysis released Tuesday by a former top Obama administration health official. The analysis is the first comprehensive review of covid-19 data that all 50 states and Washington, D.C., are using to make decisions about policies on mask-wearing and opening schools and businesses. In the absence of a national strategy to fight the pandemic, states have had to develop their own metrics for tracking and controlling covid-19. But with few common standards, the data are inconsistent and incomplete, according to the report released by Resolve to Save Lives, a New York nonprofit led by former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Tom Frieden and part of the global health organization Vital Strategies. (Sun, 7/21)

AP: Biden Unveils Caregiver Plan, Says Trump 'Quit' On Country
Joe Biden offered a massive plan on Tuesday to create 3 million jobs and improve care for children and the elderly as he accused President Donald Trump of having “quit” on the country during a deadly pandemic. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee promised to spend more than three quarters of a trillion dollars — $775 billion over 10 years — to increase tax credits for low-income families, bolster care-giving services for veterans and other seniors and provide preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds. (Weissert and Jaffe, 7/21)

The Washington Post: Biden Unveils $775 Billion Plan For Universal Preschool, Child Care And Elder Care
Throughout most of his campaign, Joe Biden has sought to put forward a singular idea: I care. On Tuesday, he extended that sentiment into a specific proposal — to provide hundreds of billions of dollars for the care of young and old Americans. The proposal, which would cost $775 billion over 10 years, would provide universal preschool to 3- and 4-year-old children, fund the construction of new child-care facilities and offer tax credits and grants to help pay for care positions for the young and the elderly. (Linskey and Viser, 7/21)

Politico: Biden To Unveil 'Caregiving' Plan For Young Kids, Older Americans
Former Vice President Joe Biden will announce a new plank of his economic recovery plan Tuesday, focused on boosting the nation's workforce of caregivers and early childhood educators. The plan aims to ensure American families have access to affordable child care and builds on the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's earlier promise of free preschool for all three- and four-year-olds, by way of federal funding, extra tax credits and subsidies provided on a sliding scale. (Gaudiano, 7/21)

AP: Dems Push Universal Health Care, Police Overhaul In Platform
Democratic officials are moving toward a 2020 platform that promises universal access to health care, an overhaul to the U.S. criminal justice system and sharp reductions in carbon pollution driving the climate crisis, but it stops short of many goals pursued by the party’s left flank. An 80-page draft platform obtained Tuesday evening by The Associated Press presents a broadly liberal program for the country. The approach reflects presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden’s effort to balance the center-left establishment that has been his political home for decades with the party’s ascendant progressive wing. (Barrow, 7/22)

The Hill: Pelosi Calls Coronavirus The 'Trump Virus' 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) dubbed the coronavirus the “Trump virus” on Tuesday evening, ratcheting up her rhetoric over President Trump’s handling of the pandemic. "Well, I think with the president's comments today, he recognized the mistakes he has made by now embracing mask-wearing and the recognition this is not a hoax. It is a pandemic that has gotten worse before it will get better because of his inaction," Pelosi said on CNN's "The Situation Room." (Axelrod, 7/21)

The New York Times: Coronavirus Relief Bill: Republicans Eye Stimulus Checks And Billions For Schools
Republican leaders labored on Tuesday to avert a party revolt over the next round of coronavirus aid, announcing that they planned to provide $105 billion for schools, direct payments to American families and more aid for struggling small businesses as rank-and-file lawmakers balked at the proposal’s cost. Even as Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, divulged details of his emerging plan, expected to total roughly $1 trillion, President Trump had yet to sign on and Republicans remained deeply divided over several key elements. (Cochrane and Broadwater, 7/21)

The Hill: Coronavirus Talks Fracture GOP Unity 
Senate Republicans and the White House are struggling to reach an agreement on a GOP coronavirus bill as they remain all over the board despite a looming time crunch. Republicans are locked down in days of closed-door negotiations. But they haven’t yet agreed on significant portions of the forthcoming legislation, including the payroll tax cut and what to do about unemployment benefits. (Carney, 7/21)

The Washington Post: White House, GOP In Disarray Over Coronavirus Spending Plan As Deadline Nears On Expiring Emergency Aid 
A major intraparty rift widened between the White House and Senate Republicans on Tuesday as they stumbled to formulate a unified coronavirus budget plan, lacking agreement on policy goals, spending parameters and even deadlines. The Republican and White House positions changed multiple times as the day went on, with some GOP lawmakers refusing to rally behind President Trump’s demand for a payroll tax cut while others worked to convince White House emissaries that more money was needed for testing and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Werner, Stein and Min Kim, 7/21)

Politico: White House And GOP Struggle To Unite Around Virus Relief Plan
Senate Republicans and the White House remain plagued by deep ideological divides over major elements of the next coronavirus relief package, creating an opening for Democrats as the pace of negotiations accelerates. With coronavirus cases soaring across the country, the U.S. economy in near tatters, and elections just over 100 days away, senior White House officials and the Senate GOP leadership have yet to find agreement on big portions of the soon-to-be-released Republican proposal. They’re still undecided on whether to propose a payroll tax cut or how to respond to the end of enhanced unemployment payments for millions of Americans. Those $600-per-week unemployment checks begin to phase out in a few days, a potentially major financial blow to the newly unemployed. (Bresnahan, Levine and Desiderio, 7/21)

Politico: White House Says Trump Gets Tested ‘Multiple Times A Day’ For Coronavirus
As Americans still struggle to access coronavirus testing and receive prompt results, President Donald Trump is being screened for the disease as many as “multiple times a day,” his top spokesperson acknowledged Tuesday. “As I’ve made clear from this podium, the president is the most tested man in America,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters. “He’s tested more than anyone, multiple times a day, and we believe that he’s acting appropriately.” (Forgey, 7/21)

Politico: Fauci: I Was Not Invited To Trump’s Coronavirus Briefing
Anthony Fauci, one of the most recognized and trusted faces of the federal coronavirus response, said on Tuesday he was not invited to join President Donald Trump later in the day at a news briefing on the White House pandemic response. Trump announced on Monday he would return to the White House lectern to deliver regular news briefings on the coronavirus — a staple this spring in the early months of the pandemic in the U.S. Those briefings often meandered off topic into campaign-style diatribes, and Trump has continued to use news conferences to express his disdain for his Democratic rivals since the last coronavirus briefing in April. (Choi, 7/21)

The Washington Post: U.S. Accuses China Of Sponsoring Criminal Hackers Targeting Coronavirus Vaccine Research 
U.S. officials accused China on Tuesday of sponsoring criminal hackers who are targeting biotech firms around the world working on coronavirus vaccines and treatments, as the FBI said the Chinese government was acting like “an organized criminal syndicate.” In an indictment unsealed in Spokane, Wash., the Justice Department charged two former engineering students with hacking companies engaged in high-tech manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and gaming software development, and with targeting dissidents, clergy and human rights activists in the United States, China and Hong Kong. (Nakashima and Barrett, 7/21)

Politico: DOJ Says Chinese Hackers Targeted Coronavirus Vaccine Research
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged two Chinese men with hacking hundreds of U.S. and foreign companies, nongovernmental organizations and human rights activists, as well as trying to hack three U.S. firms researching the coronavirus, in an escalation of Washington’s war with Beijing over intellectual property theft and espionage. Beginning in September 2009, the two men, Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi, stole “hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of trade secrets, intellectual property, and other valuable business information,” according to an indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Washington. Their alleged victims included high-tech manufacturing firms, pharmaceutical companies and the makers of educational software and medical equipment. Victim companies were located in the U.S., Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea and other countries. (Geller and Woodruff Swan, 7/21)

The Hill: DOJ Indicts Chinese Hackers Accused Of Targeting COVID-19 Research 
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday rolled out an 11-count indictment against two Chinese hackers allegedly involved in targeting "hundreds" of companies around the world, including most recently U.S. groups researching COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The indictment alleges that Chinese nationals Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi stole terabytes of data over ten years from companies in nations including the U.S., Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia. (Miller, 7/21)

The Hill: McCarthy Introduces Legislation To Sanction Foreign Hackers Targeting COVID-19 Research 
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday introduced legislation to sanction foreign hackers involved in attempts to target and steal research on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act would allow the president to impose sanctions on foreign individuals engaging in hacking activity that compromises economic and national security or public health and freeze any American assets of these individuals. (Miller, 7/21)

Stat: The Deputy HHS Secretary’s Wife Has Been Lobbying The Agency
Emily Hargan, who is married to Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan, has been lobbying the agency for roughly one month on behalf of health care clients, including Nostrum Pharmaceuticals, the blood glucose monitor company Smart Meter, and TL Management, which runs a chain of nursing homes. Eric Hargan, whose role as the second-in-command at the agency gives him power to weigh in on a host of issues that affect those companies, from drug pricing to nursing home oversight to the federal government’s pandemic response efforts, has since recused himself from all matters on which his wife lobbied HHS, a spokesperson told STAT. (Florko, 7/21)

The Hill: Pharma Execs Say FDA Will Not Lower Standards For Coronavirus Vaccine 
Drug company executives sought to reassure House Democrats that the federal government is not lowering its approval standards, and any coronavirus vaccine that gains approval will be safe. Executives from Moderna, Janssen, Merck, AstraZeneca and Pfizer told lawmakers during an Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing Tuesday that despite the unprecedented speed, any vaccine candidate will be safe. (Weixel, 7/21)

Politico: Vaccine-Makers Shrug Off Concerns About Trump Admin Cutting Corners
Companies behind leading coronavirus vaccine candidates told lawmakers Tuesday they're not worried that political pressure will lower standards for approval of any eventual shot — but they need the government to decide who gets it first. President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised a vaccine by the end of the year, raising concerns that his administration will rush to approve one without adequate proof that it works. (Owermohle, 7/21)

Stat: Confusion Spreads Over Selection Of Priority Groups For Covid-19 Vaccines
As manufacturers around the world race to develop Covid-19 vaccines, a parallel effort has begun to figure out who in the United States should get them first — and how those doses should be distributed. But already the effort is being complicated by tensions over who gets to make those critical decisions, with some groups feeling sidelined and multiple new actors crowding the stage. (Branswell, 7/22)

The Washington Post: CDC Now Recommends Coronavirus-Positive People Isolate For 10 Days, Not 14 Days 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s self-isolation rules have been a facet of pandemic life since March. Those who test positive for the coronavirus but who do not have symptoms have counted down the minutes until they could be free to venture out, while the sick have worried about how long they could be a danger to their loved ones. Now the CDC, acknowledging expanded understanding about the infectiousness of the novel coronavirus, has changed some of its recommendations. (Eunjung Cha, 7/21)

The Hill: Updated CDC Guide Says Self-Isolate For 10 Days After Positive COVID-19 Test 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance on self-isolation for people who test positive for COVID-19. According to the new guidelines, people who are symptomatic with COVID-19 should isolate at home for 10 days after symptoms begin and for 24 hours after your fever has broken. "A limited number of persons with severe illness" and those who are severely immunocompromised may need to isolate for 20 days after symptom onset, the agency said. (Weixel, 7/21)

The Hill: Why Scientists Are Turning To Another Virus To Stop COVID-19 
Scientists racing to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine are turning to what may seem like an odd ally: another family of viruses. At least five vaccine candidates are built on the backs of adenoviruses, a common family of pathogens that are often used as vehicles for delivering a variety of therapies to human cells. A sixth candidate uses a near relative of the family. (Wilson, 7/21)

AP: Virus Antibodies Fade Fast But Not Necessarily Protection
New research suggests that antibodies the immune system makes to fight the new coronavirus may only last a few months in people with mild illness, but that doesn’t mean protection also is gone or that it won’t be possible to develop an effective vaccine. “Infection with this coronavirus does not necessarily generate lifetime immunity,” but antibodies are only part of the story, said Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. He had no role in the work, published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Marchione, 7/21)

CIDRAP: 16% Of COVID-19 Patients In NYC Hospital Had Blood Clots, Study Finds
Of the 3,334 consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at a New York City hospital, 553 (16%) had thrombosis (blood clots), according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA. Researchers at New York University Langone Health who analyzed the data of coronavirus patients hospitalized from Mar 1 to Apr 17 characterized the blood clots as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE) and heart attack, ischemic stroke, and another systemic blood clot. (7/21)

CIDRAP: Aerosols In COVID-19 Patient Rooms Contained Live Virus, Researchers Say
Aerosol samples collected from the hospital rooms of six COVID-19 patients in April contained infectious virus, adding to mounting evidence that the coronavirus is spread via aerosols in addition to large respiratory droplets, a non–peer-reviewed University of Nebraska study has found. The study, published yesterday on the preprint server medRxiv, identified RNA from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, which cannot discern whether the particles are infectious. But increases in viral RNA on cell culture showed significant growth of infectious virus in 3 of 18 aerosol samples after 5 or 6 days. Western blot and transmission electron microscopy also demonstrated evidence of intact virus. (7/21)

AP: Silent Spread Of Virus Keeps Scientists Grasping For Clues
One of the great mysteries of the coronavirus is how quickly it rocketed around the world. It first flared in central China and, within three months, was on every continent but Antarctica, shutting down daily life for millions. Behind the rapid spread was something that initially caught scientists off guard, baffled health authorities and undermined early containment efforts — the virus could be spread by seemingly healthy people. As workers return to offices, children prepare to return to schools and those desperate for normalcy again visit malls and restaurants, the emerging science points to a menacing reality: If people who appear healthy can transmit the illness, it may be impossible to contain. (Johnson, Sedensky and Choi, 7/22)

The Wall Street Journal: How Deadly Is Covid-19? Researchers Are Getting Closer To An Answer
Six months into the pandemic, researchers are homing in on an answer to one of the basic questions about the virus: How deadly is it? Researchers, initially analyzing data from outbreaks on cruise ships and more recently from surveys of thousands of people in virus hot spots, have now conducted dozens of studies to calculate the infection fatality rate of Covid-19. (Abbott and Douglas, 7/21)

The Washington Post: Americans Still Have Little Immunity To Coronavirus, Study Shows
Only a small proportion of people in many parts of the United States had antibodies to the novel coronavirus as of this spring, indicating most of the population remains highly susceptible to the pathogen, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency also reported the number of actual coronavirus infections is probably far higher — by two to 13 times — than reported cases. The higher estimate is based on the study on antibodies, which indicates who has had the virus in the past. Currently, the cumulative number of reported cases in the United States stands at 3.8 million. (McGinley, 7/21)

NPR: How An At-Home Test For COVID-19 Could Help Control The Pandemic 
Anybody who has waited for hours in line for a coronavirus test, or who has had to wait a week or more for results, knows there has to be a better way. In fact, the next generation of tests will focus on speed. But what should the Food and Drug Administration do with a rapid test that is comparatively cheap but much less accurate than the tests currently on the market? A test like that is ready to go up for FDA approval, and some scientists argue it could be valuable despite its shortcomings. (Harris, 7/22)

Stat: Pharma Promises, Again And Again, Not To Cut Corners On Covid-19 Vaccine
The pharmaceutical industry does not want you to worry about the safety or efficacy of a future Covid-19 vaccine. Officials from five major vaccine makers — AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, and Pfizer — all used their testimony before a House investigative subcommittee on Tuesday to push back on concerns that the Food and Drug Administration might prematurely approve a vaccine for the novel coronavirus and thereby put Americans at risk. (Garde, 7/21)

The New York Times: Patient, Can You Spare A Dime? 
Should your doctor ask you to make a donation to help the medical center where you were treated? If you are a generous donor, should you be rewarded with a better room — or your doctor’s cellphone number? Medical centers across the United States are asking patients, especially wealthy ones, to donate money, in addition to whatever they pay for actual care. The money is needed, the providers say, to defray costs or provide charity care. (Kolata, 7/21)

Stat: As New Users Flock To Health Apps, Experts Raise Alarms On Privacy
As digital health tools proliferate, health data experts are raising a new round of alarms about the need to educate consumers about data privacy until legislative protections catch up. The pandemic has sidelined many in-person visits, driving flocks of potential new users toward mental health apps, virtual visits, and other digital tools to manage their care. But consumers are often unaware that the rules that govern health data privacy in hospitals don’t extend to these sprawling, digital territories — each of which can effectively enforce its own policies around how to handle sensitive data, experts said. (Isselbacher, 7/21)

Stat: Hospitals Deploy AI To Send Patients Home Earlier — And Keep Them There
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has a problem familiar to many hospitals: Too many patients aren’t being discharged when they’re healthy enough to go home. It’s an issue with wide-ranging ripple effects: Because of operational holdups, much-needed beds remain filled when they don’t need to be, leading emergency rooms to become congested. Patients must often be sent wherever there’s a free bed, even when it’s not the best ward for them to be treated, which might further delay their discharge. (Robbins, 7/22)

The Washington Post: Planned Parenthood To Remove Margaret Sanger’s Name From N.Y. Clinic Over Views On Eugenics 
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York will remove the name of the national organization’s founder, Margaret Sanger, from a Manhattan clinic in an attempt to reckon with her ties to the eugenics movement, the organization announced Tuesday. An early feminist activist, Sanger is widely regarded as a pioneer in American reproductive rights. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States more than a century ago, and helped create access to birth control for low-income, minority and immigrant women. But she was also a vocal supporter of the now-discredited eugenics movement, which aimed to improve the human race through planned breeding based on genetic traits. (Schmidt, 7/21)

AP: Transgender Official Takes Abuse While Leading Virus Efforts
Many of the attacks against Pennsylvania’s health secretary have little to do with the way she has handled the statewide response to the coronavirus pandemic. As a transgender woman, Dr. Rachel Levine has been subjected to a stream of mockery and abuse on social media and elsewhere. Every time she goes on camera to update the public and implore Pennsylvanians to wear masks, wash their hands and “stay calm, stay alert and stay safe,” ugly comments and memes follow. (Rubinkam, 7/21)

AP: Sanger's Name To Be Dropped From NYC Clinic Over Eugenics
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York will remove the name of pioneering birth control advocate Margaret Sanger from its Manhattan health clinic because of her “harmful connections to the eugenics movement,” the group announced on Tuesday. Sanger, one of the founders of Planned Parenthood of America more than a century ago, has long provoked controversy because of her support for eugenics, a movement to promote selective breeding that often targeted people of color and the disabled. “The removal of Margaret Sanger’s name from our building is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood’s contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color,” Karen Seltzer, the chair of Planned Parenthood of New York, said in a statement. “Margaret Sanger’s concerns and advocacy for reproductive health have been clearly documented, but so too has her racist legacy.” (7/21)

AP: Report: Veterans Home Failed To Protect Residents From Virus
A state-run veterans nursing home in Pennsylvania where 42 residents have died of COVID-19 failed to take steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state Health Department inspectors concluded. Health inspectors said in a report that Southeastern Veterans’ Center, a 292-bed facility outside Philadelphia, ignored state and federal guidelines meant to control the virus in nursing homes. The lapses put 128 of the facility’s 154 residents in “immediate jeopardy,” according to the Health Department — a legal finding that means Southeastern placed its patients at risk of serious injury or death. (Levy and Rubinkam, 7/21)

The New York Times: Judge Declines To Release Girl, 15, Held For Skipping Online Schoolwork 
A judge on Monday denied a motion to release a Michigan teenager who has been held at a juvenile detention facility since May for not completing her online coursework, the latest development in a case that has raised a national outcry. Judge Mary Ellen Brennan of the Oakland County Circuit Court ruled that the teenager, who violated the terms of her probation by skipping coursework when her school switched to remote learning because of the coronavirus pandemic, should remain at the juvenile facility. The judge said the decision was intended for the girl’s own good. (Gross, 7/21)

The New York Times: What Is It That Keeps Most Little Kids From Getting Covid-19? 
Experts still say if families live in a hot spot or a family member is vulnerable to a severe case of Covid-19, children should remain as dedicated as ever to disinfection routines, distancing from people outside the home, wearing a mask and washing their hands even more than they did before the pandemic. Outside of those situations, parents can relax at least one of the most stringent and challenging measures they took earlier this year — without raising risk significantly: they no longer need to completely isolate their young children, Dr. Chiang said. Similar guidance is implicit in the reopening guidelines for schools released in late June by the American Academy of Pediatrics, or A.A.P., which advocates for “having students physically present in school.” (Lloyd, 7/20)

Los Angeles Times: UC Berkeley Reopening Plan Shelved Amid Coronavirus Surge 
Hopes that college life might begin a slow return to normal this fall were deflated Tuesday, when two University of California campuses announced they would begin the semester with fully remote instruction amid a pandemic surge. UC Berkeley and UC Merced had hoped to open Aug. 26 with a mix of online, in-person and hybrid classes. But they reversed those plans as COVID-19 infections began their record-shattering increases throughout California, with cases now topping more than 400,000 and deaths, 7,800. In Los Angeles County, half of new COVID-19 cases were among those ages 18 to 40. (Watanabe, 7/21)

The Washington Post: Fairfax, Loudoun Schools Superintendents Call For All-Online Learning To Start Year 
In a major reversal, the superintendents of three large public school systems in Virginia and Maryland are calling for an all-virtual start to the fall semester, scrapping earlier plans to offer a mix of in-person and distance learning. The superintendents of Fairfax County Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools, both in Northern Virginia, argued for an online-only start in meetings with their school boards Tuesday. The superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland announced the switch in an email late Tuesday afternoon to parents, students and staffers. (Natanson and St. George, 7/21)

Boston Globe: At Colleges And Universities, Pandemic Forces Budget Cuts 
In January Emerson College seemed poised for a great spring semester. The glass and concrete renovation of the Little Building dormitory, perched on the edge of Boston Common, was open after a multi-year renovation that breathed new life into the historic building. The school’s Los Angeles campus was financially solid, and enrollment was strong. The school had taken on significant debt to finance the renovation, but administrators were confident that strong demand for their well-known arts and media programs would allow them to use 2020 to begin to recover from the expensive building project. (Krantz and Fernandes, 7/20)

Politico: ‘It's Insane’: Millions Of Kids Could Lose Access To Free Meals If This Program Expires 
The Trump administration is resisting calls to make it easy for tens of millions of students to get free meals at school this year, even as childhood hunger rates have risen to the highest levels in decades.During the spring and summer, as the coronavirus health crisis exploded, the government allowed most families to pick up free meals from whichever school was closest or most convenient without proving they were low-income. But that effort is on the verge of expiring as states prepare for children to return to school, and as school systems are pushing the federal government to continue the free meals program through the fall. (Bottemiller Evich and Perez Jr., 7/20)

Reuters: NFL: Total Of 59 Players Test Positive For COVID-19, Union Says 
Fifty-nine National Football League (NFL) players in total have tested positive for COVID-19, the players’ union said, with rookies scheduled to report to their teams on Tuesday and training camps opening for all players from July 28. Including other individuals within the NFL, such as staff members, who have tested positive, the total number of cases stand at 95, a spokesman for the union NFLPA said. (7/21)