Stat: FDA Grants Full Approval To Covid-19 Vaccine Developed By Pfizer
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, a long-awaited development that public health officials hope will persuade some people who remain hesitant about the vaccine to get the shot. The vaccine is the first of the pandemic vaccines used in the United States to transition from emergency use status to full licensure, a major victory for a partnership that decided to forgo funding through the government’s Operation Warp Speed program on the belief that the development project could move faster without being part of the government fast-tracking program. (Branswell and Joseph, 8/23)

AP: US Regulators Give Full Approval To Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called the FDA’s action “an important milestone that I think will unlock some of the more skeptical minds.” Pfizer said the U.S. is the first country to grant full approval of its vaccine, in a process that required a 360,000-page application and rigorous inspections. Never before has the FDA has so much evidence to judge a shot’s safety. The formula, jointly developed with Germany’s BioNTech, will be marketed under the brand name Comirnaty. (Neergaard and Perrone, 8/23)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Gives Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Full Approval
Of the three authorized vaccines in the U.S., only Pfizer had submitted all the required information to the FDA for full approval, according to the companies, and analysts expected it to be the first to receive clearance. Moderna, whose authorized two-dose shot uses similar mRNA technology as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, has said it is still completing rolling data submissions. Johnson & Johnson, whose shot was authorized in February, has said it plans to file for full approval later this year. (Hopkins and Armour, 8/23)

The Washington Post: Pfizer’s Full FDA Approval Likely To Boost Vaccinations Among The 90 Million Hesitant
Top public health officials are optimistic that a large swath of vaccine-hesitant Americans will be swayed by the full approval by the Food and Drug Administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine — which had previously received emergency use authorization — and resulting mandates for the public and private sector. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said he estimates that about 20 percent of the U.S. population that is eligible for a shot but has yet to get one — a group of about 90 million — may be nudged by the approval. “I believe that those people will now step forward and get vaccinated,” he told NPR’s “All Things Considered.” (Pietsch and Suliman, 8/24)

Why approval took so long, and what the vaccine's not approved for —

The Atlantic: Pfizer Vaccine Full Approval: Why The FDA Took So Long
After months of anticipation, Americans have a fully licensed COVID-19 vaccine. Today, the FDA announced the approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot for people 16 and older—the first complete thumbs-up among the three vaccines available in the U.S. The pervasive mood has been: Finally. Pfizer’s shot was given its emergency use authorization—the vaccine’s training wheels—back in December, and the company submitted its application for full approval in May. While America’s emergency-use vaccination rollout has saved an untold number of lives, many institutions, including some universities and hospitals, have been waiting for formal approval to mandate vaccinations. Health officials have expressed hope that approval will help convince people who are vaccine-hesitant to get a shot. (Bastian, 8/23)

ABC News: FDA-Approved Pfizer Vaccine Not OK For Off-Label Use In Kids, Official Says 
When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and older Monday, it did so with a warning to parents and medical providers. The vaccine -- the first covid-19 vaccine to transition from an emergency authorization status to full FDA approval -- should not be given to young children as off-label use, according to FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock. (Kindelan, 8/23)

On what the approval could mean —

CNN: America Could Enter Spring Of 2022 With Covid Under Control If Enough People Get Vaccinated, Fauci Says 
As the first full FDA approval is granted to a Covid-19 vaccine, Dr. Anthony Fauci urged the public to take part, saying if the "overwhelming majority" of the population gets vaccinated, the US could have the pandemic under control by spring of 2022. "We hope we'll be there ... but there's no guarantee because it's up to us," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the President's chief medical adviser, told CNN's Anderson Cooper Monday. (Holcombe, 8/24)

AP: What Does Full Approval Of Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mean?
What does full approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine mean? It means Pfizer’s shot for people 16 and older has now undergone the same rigorous testing and regulatory review as dozens of other long-established vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. were initially rolled out under the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization, which allows the agency to speed the availability of medical products during public health emergencies. (Perrone, 8/24)

NBC News: FDA Vaccine Approval Is Good News For Markets, Employment, Economy
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision Monday to grant full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose Covid-19 vaccine pushed markets higher, boosting the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 300 points and propelling the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to new highs. Investors appeared to express confidence that the move could be an inflection point for the economic recovery. ... “I think some companies and state and local governments will all be feeling more comfortable in issuing vaccine mandates,” said Eric Diton, president and managing director of The Wealth Alliance, an investment advisory firm. “All of that is going to contribute to a higher vaccination percentage, which means a reduced impact of Covid and the delta variant, which should ultimately lead to a strengthening of the economy.” (White, 8/23)

Also —

NBC News: After FDA Approves Pfizer Vaccine, Several Steps Remain Before Kids Under 12 Can Be Vaccinated
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision to grant full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine Monday for people ages 16 and up is a pandemic milestone, but parents may wonder what it means for their young children who still aren’t authorized to get vaccinated. ... Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a video news conference Monday that trials for vaccines for children continue and that the agency “has to wait for the company to submit the data from those trials so that we have a good safety dataset, because we certainly want to make sure that we get it right in the children ages 5 through 11 and then even in younger children after that.” (Silva, 8/23)

CNBC: 'Please Get Vaccinated Now,' Biden Urges After FDA Approves Pfizer Covid Shots
President Joe Biden on Monday once again urged more Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19, saying the majority of deaths and hospitalizations in the U.S. due to the virus are among the unvaccinated. “Those who have been waiting for full approval should go get your shot now,” Biden said during a White House press briefing hours after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid vaccine for people 16 and up. (Lovelace Jr., 8/23)

President Joe Biden also spoke about businesses —

Axios: Biden Urges Public, Private Sectors To "Step Up" COVID Vaccine Mandates 
President Biden on Monday called on public and private entities to "step up" coronavirus vaccine mandates hours after the Food and Drugs Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. The U.S. has seen a recent boost in vaccinations, reaching six million shots in the last seven days, according to Biden. "This is critical progress, but we need to move faster," he said in a brief address. (Chen, 8/23)

USA Today: Biden Encourages Employers To Require Vaccines
President Joe Biden encouraged private companies to require vaccination, urging employers to "do what I did last month," in reference to his vaccination requirements for federal employees. "If you're a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that. Require it," Biden said. Although companies like Google, Facebook, Tyson Foods and Netflix have announced that employees at their work sites will need to be vaccinated, many others have been waiting for official word from the FDA, likely to fend off lawsuits. (Ortiz, Yancey-Bragg and Miller, 8/23)

Politico: Biden Urges Employers To Require Covid Vaccination 
President Joe Biden on Monday pressed businesses and public leaders to implement vaccine mandates after the federal government issued its first full approval of a Covid-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration early Monday approved Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine for people 16 and older, a step beyond the emergency-use authorization under which the shot has been available since late 2020. (Owermohle, 8/23)

NPR: It's Pronounced Koe-Mir'-Na-Tee. How One Of The COVID-19 Vaccines' Name Came To Be
Say it with me: Koe-mir'-na-tee.No, it's not some new term coined by Generation Z. Comirnaty, as it's known, is the official, brand name for Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine was given full approval by the Food and Drug Administration this week. As part of the approval process, the vaccine also gets its brand name approved for use in the U.S. So, how did Pfizer and BioNTech settle on this unique moniker? (Diaz, 8/24)

The Verge: Comirnaty, Spikevax, And The Weird World Of Branding COVID-19 Vaccines
With official Food and Drug Administration approval, the Pfizer / BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can now be marketed as Comirnaty in the US, great news for general vaccine acceptance, sure, but also anyone who loves to fixate on bizarre drug names. Comirnaty is apparently supposed to be a portmanteau of several words — community, immunity, COVID-19, and mRNA — Fierce Pharma writes. The branding was produced for Pfizer-BioNTech by the Brand Institute — “The World’s #1 Naming Company” — and while it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, it is at least shorter than most drug names. (Carlos Campbell, 8/23)

The Washington Post: Behold The Online Roast Of ‘Comirnaty,’ The Brand Name Of The Pfizer Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Monday, making it one of the most important days in the history of the pharmaceutical company. But, since nothing can be purely good on the Internet, the company immediately became a punchline. We regret to inform you, dear reader, that they named the vaccine Comirnaty. Comirnaty?Yes, Comirnaty. (Andrews, 8/23)

The Boston Globe: Pfizer’s Coronavirus Vaccine Was Approved By The FDA. Then The Internet Dunked On Its Bizarre Brand Name: ‘Comirnaty’
But when the news reached social media — where arguably no one and nothing is safe — the historic achievement by the pharmaceutical company was not the only thing that stood out to people. It was the name it will be marketed as: Comirnaty. Try saying that three times fast. The FDA was gracious enough to note the pronunciation of the vaccine in its press release announcing the news of its approval (koe-mir’-na-tee) but that did not stop the Internet from immediately pouncing. (Larson, 8/24)

The Hill: Pentagon To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine For Military
The U.S. military will move to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for all service members now that the Pfizer vaccine has full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Pentagon’s top spokesperson announced Monday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is “prepared to issue updated guidance requiring all service members to be vaccinated,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters. “These efforts ensure the safety of our service members and promote the readiness of our force, not to mention the health and safety of the communities around the country in which we live,” he said. (Mitchell, 8/23)

Stars And Stripes: Pentagon: Coronavirus Vaccine Will Soon Be Mandatory For Troops Following Full FDA Approval 
Service members began receiving the vaccine voluntarily in January. As of Wednesday, about 1.08 million active-duty, Reserve and National Guard troops have taken the shot and nearly 245,000 are partially vaccinated, according to the latest Defense Department data. ... In the Navy, which led the military branches in vaccination rates before the mandate, some commanding officers said they have had immunologists speak to their ship crews to correct misinformation that caused some to reject the shot. “Sailors are open to listen. They are very intelligent, and they want education before they say yes to anything,” said Cmdr. Bralyn Cathey, captain of the guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn in San Diego. (Doornbos, 8/23)

AP: Pentagon To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine, As Pfizer Is Approved
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the steps Monday to make the vaccine mandatory are an effort to ensure the safety of service members. Concerns about the virus are especially acute in the military, where service members live and work closely together in barracks and on ships, increasing the risks of rapid spreading. Any large virus outbreak in the military could affect America’s ability to defend itself in any security crisis. In a message to the force earlier this month, Gen. Mark Milley said medical professionals recommend the vaccine, and that getting the shot is key to maintaining a military that is prepared to defend the nation. At the bottom of his message, Milley scrawled a handwritten note: “Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is a key force protection and readiness issue.” (Baldor, 8/23)

WTVM: ‘Better Safe Than Sorry’: Locals React To Pentagon Requiring Vaccines For Active Troops
Now that the Food and Drug Administration has fully approved the Pfizer vaccine, the Pentagon is requiring all active troops to get vaccinated, including the thousands on Ft. Benning. ... “I look at it ‘better safe than sorry’ because I work around people coming from any and everywhere,” said Ft. Benning employee Veronica McCants. “My wife and I -- we’re all for it and, you know, I’m all for the boosters too. If I got to get a booster, I get a booster,” said Columbus resident Robert Head. ... Others say they believe the choice to get the vaccine should be up to each soldier. “I feel like if they don’t want to, they don’t have to,” said Columbus resident Cameila Jones. “It’s their right to choose if they want to get it or not. But I do feel like they should due to the fact because they could be traveling.” (Spraggs, 8/23)

The New York Times: N.Y.C. Educators Must Be Vaccinated By September, De Blasio Says 
New York City will require all Department of Education employees to have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 27, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. The announcement represents a major step in the effort to fully reopen the country’s largest school district next month, and a significant escalation of the mayor’s push to vaccinate more New Yorkers. Mr. de Blasio has put reopening city schools at the center of his plan to help New York recover from the pandemic. The mayor is eager to reassure anxious parents and educators that schools will be safe this year despite an uptick in cases in the last two months linked to the Delta variant, especially since the city is no longer offering a remote learning option. (Shapiro, 8/23)

Axios: New Jersey Implements Vaccine Mandate For School And State Workers 
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced in a series of tweets Monday that all state workers and preschool through high school teachers will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 18 or submit to weekly testing. New Jersey joins a growing contingent of states instituting similar requirements for state employees and school teachers and staff. (Saric, 8/23)

In news on vaccine mandates and restrictions elsewhere —

AP: CVS Requires Pharmacists, Nurses To Get Vaccine
CVS Health Corp. is joining the group of U.S. companies that require employees who have contact with customers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Nurses and other employees who interact with patients, as well as all corporate staff, must be vaccinated by Oct. 31, the company said Monday. It said pharmacists have until Nov. 30 to be vaccinated. (8/24)

Axios: Carnival Cruise To Require COVID Vaccination Proof For Over-12s 
Cruise lines are tightening pandemic protocols as the Delta variant of COVID-19 surges globally, with Carnival Cruise Line the latest to tighten vaccine requirements. Cruise ships were a coronavirus epicenter early in the pandemic, and the CDC advised last Friday that people at increased risk of severe illness from the coronavirus should avoid traveling on cruises. (Falconer, 8/23)

CNBC: Disney World To Require Covid-19 Vaccinations For Unionized Employees
Disney has reached a deal with its unions to require all of its unionized employees working at Walt Disney World in Florida to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by October 22, 2021. The move comes nearly a month after Disney mandated that all of its salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. needed to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the end of September. No deal has been struck with unions on the west coast that cater to Disneyland Resort employees. (Whitten, 8/23)

AP: Commissioner Calls For Federal Firefighter Vaccine Mandate
The leader of Washington state’s wildfire response is calling on federal agencies to take the additional step of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations among their wildland firefighting forces to secure the country’s wildfire response capability. In a letter Monday to U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz also called for the deployment of federal resources to make vaccinations available at all fire camps on federal land. (8/23)

The Washington Post: Navajo Nation Requires Vaccines For Tribal Employees
The Navajo Nation will require all of its employees to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the end of September or be tested regularly, as the reservation seeks to hold off the threat of a surge in cases brought on by the delta variant. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement that he had issued an executive order requiring vaccinations because “we cannot afford to shut down the government again.” (Pietsch, 8/24)

In news on who opposes vaccine mandates —

CNN: Staten Island Hospital Employees Protest Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate 
Employees at a Staten Island, New York, hospital are protesting Covid-19 vaccination and testing requirements from their parent healthcare network, as the area leads the city in new cases per capita and as hospitals in the nation's hotspots are overrun. On August 16, Staten Island University Hospital, which is part of Northwell Health, started requiring employees to be vaccinated or face weekly testing. Starting on September 27, the state will require that all health care workers have at least one vaccine except for those who have a religious or medical exemption. (Studley and Romine, 8/23)

Oklahoman: Nursing Home Leaders Fear Staffing Crisis With COVID Vaccine Mandate
Oklahoma nursing home leaders are worried that the Biden administration's plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for their employees could exacerbate staffing shortages or even force facilities to close. The president announced this week that nursing homes who don’t require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 risk losing Medicaid and Medicare funding, under the new proposed mandate. Oklahoma has the fourth lowest rate of fully vaccinated health care personnel at about 48%, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The only states with lower averages are Florida, Missouri and Louisiana. (Branham, 8/23)

Detroit Free Press: Whitmer Says She Won't Mandate COVID Vaccines, Masks
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is not considering a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state workers now that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration granted the first full authorization Monday of a coronavirus vaccine. "There are no plans to do any broad mandates," she said Monday, referring to her decision not mandate vaccines or require masks at Michigan schools. "Those who were uneasy because of the early use authorization status of the vaccine maybe now will have a greater confidence in the fact that these vaccines are safe and they work." (Jordan Shamus and Boucher, 8/23)

AP: Ohio House Republicans Debate Anti-Vaccination Bill Again
A Republican-backed bill that would prohibit Ohio employers from requiring workers to receive vaccinations was scheduled for additional testimony from supporters and opponents on Tuesday. The measure before the GOP-controlled House Health Committee has attracted multiple opponents of COVID-19 vaccines but does not mention the coronavirus. Instead, it addresses mandatory requirements for all vaccines, such as for the flu. (Welsh-Huggins, 8/24)

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Congressman Bennie Thompson Asks Gov. Tate Reeves To Address COVID-19 In Mississippi
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, sent a letter to Gov. Tate Reeves Friday asking him to issue a statewide mask mandate in light of the state's continued rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. "I implore you, as governor, to do more to address this dire situation," Thompson wrote. Thompson, representing Mississippi's Second Congressional District, asked Reeves to require all Mississippians to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, for indoor settings and at schools. More than 20,000 Mississippi school children have been quarantined because of COVID-19 exposure and record numbers of children infected with COVID-19 are being treated in hospitals. (Sanderlin, 8/23)

Louisville Courier Journal: GOP Senate Leader Doubts Legislative Support For Kentucky Mask Mandate
Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers said Monday his Republican colleagues are unlikely to vote for any kind of blanket mask mandate should they be called into a special session by Gov. Andy Beshear, but may approve "targeted" measures. The governor indicated through a spokeswoman Saturday he was considering a special session following a Kentucky Supreme Court ruling that day that found a lower court wrongly halted legislation limiting his emergency powers to enact COVID-19 restrictions. (Sonka, 8/23)

On mandates in schools —

AP: Florida School Mask Mandate Power Struggle Goes Before Judge
Florida’s power struggle over wearing masks in school to guard against coronavirus infections landed Monday before a judge considering a lawsuit that challenges Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order reserving the mask decision for parents. The three-day hearing before Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper pits pro-mask parents against the Republican governor and state education officials who say parents, not schools, should choose whether their children cover up inside schools. (Anderson and Spencer, 8/24)

Health News Florida: Leon County Schools Revert To Mask Policy With Only Medical Exemptions 
Leon County’s school district announced Sunday that students in prekindergarten through eighth grade will be required to wear masks for COVID-19 protection with only medical exemptions. The policy change would be in violation of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order on masks and rules enacted to enforce the order by the state Department of Health and Board of Education. The state rules require parents to decide whether their children wear masks in school. (Mayer, 8/23)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Parents Sue State For Banning School Districts From Enacting Mask Mandates
A group of Utah parents is suing the state for its ban on school districts enacting their own mask mandates — which they say leaves kids “unnecessarily unprotected and at-risk” from COVID-19 in the classroom. In the lawsuit filed Monday, the parents call on a judge to immediately strike down the ban. They fear that, with most Utah schools now open for the fall, the virus will spread quickly among unmasked and unvaccinated students, especially those at higher risk for serious illness. “At the root of this is that I’m a scared mom without any other options at this point,” said Ashley Weitz, who is a plaintiff in the case. (Tanner, 8/23)

Axios: The Fight Over Mask Mandates In Schools Turns Violent 
As children head back to the classroom, a "vocal minority" in the U.S. have resorted to violence or disruptive measures to protest against mask mandates in schools. While the majority of Americans support the mandates, per a recent Axios/Ipsos poll, back-to-school confrontations across the U.S. have gotten so hot that teachers and other officials have been punched, hit and screamed at. (Saric, 8/23)

Fox News: One-Third Of US Adolescents Vaccinated Against COVID-19 As School Begins
Federal data indicates one-third of adolescents aged 12-15 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as the school year gets underway amid rising infections and a divide over mask mandates. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), noted the figure during an interview Monday, after he was pressed over the issue of yet-approved vaccine among younger children under 12 amid spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. Collins told CNBC co-hosts that use of the vaccine in kids younger than 12 is under careful review along with ongoing studies. Kids aged 12-15 are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, however. (Rivas, 8/23)

CIDRAP: Most Youth Would Consider COVID-19 Vaccination, Survey Says
A US text message survey for ages 14 to 24 found that almost three out of four were interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a JAMA Health Forum research letter late last week. The open-answer survey was sent out Mar 12, and demographics were matched with US national demographics such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, education, and region of the country. The mean age of respondents was 19.3 years. Not every participant answered all five questions, but most (1,074 out of 1,155) answered at least one. (8/24)

AP: Students' Lack Of Routine Vaccines Muddies Start Of School
The vaccinations that U.S. schoolchildren are required to get to hold terrible diseases like polio, measles, tetanus and whooping cough in check are way behind schedule this year, threatening further complications to a school year already marred by COVID-19. The lag was caused by pandemic-related disruptions last year to routine doctor’s visits, summer and sports camps at which kids usually get their immunizations. Now, pediatricians and educators are scrambling to ensure that backlogs don’t keep kids from school or leave them vulnerable to contagious diseases. (Smyth, 8/23)

KHN: Headed Away To School? Here’s What Students With Health Issues Need To Know
College is a time of transition, but for those managing chronic medical conditions, it may also be the first time they will be wholly responsible for their own health: setting appointments, securing supplies and pharmaceuticals, and monitoring symptoms. For those heading to schools far from home, it can be especially tricky navigating the complex world of insurance to pay for such crucial care. Coverage networks from back home might not cover a patient’s new doctors or a trip to an urgent care clinic. New plans may not cover the same medicines or procedures. (West, 8/24)

On surges in schools —

Indianapolis Star: COVID In Schools: More Than 3,500 New Student Cases Reported
More than 3,500 positive tests for COVID-19 in Hoosier students were reported to the Indiana State Department of Health last week. The number of cases among students continues to multiply. This week's student cases are more than double the number of newly reported cases in students in last week's state dashboard update, which was four times the number reported the week before that. Schools report positive cases among students, teachers and staff members who have been on school grounds to the state. The state updates the public-facing dashboard each Monday at noon. (Slaby, 8/23)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: More Than 4,600 New Orleans Students, School Staff Quarantining Due To Possible COVID Exposure
The number of New Orleans public schools students and staff members quarantining due to possible exposure to the coronavirus surged again last week, to 4,657, and the school district is tracking 453 "active" COVID-19 cases, the latest numbers released by NOLA Public Schools show. With all New Orleans public schools now back in session, the numbers reflect the first full week in the classroom, NOLA Public Schools said in a news release later Monday evening. (Warren, 8/23)

Newsweek: Nearly 2,000 Georgia Kids Diagnosed With COVID Each Day Amid Delta Surge
Georgia has been amongst the southern states hit hard by COVID-19 resurgences in the past few weeks, and now it appears that children are being more heavily affected, according to the Georgia Department of Health. New data from the department shows that nearly 2,000 children ages 0-17 have tested positive for COVID-19 per day in the Peach State recently. This is based on the age group's average number of daily cases over the last week, which is 1,823. School districts in Atlanta, the largest metro area in the state and one of the largest in the country, have reported over 13,000 positive cases overall among students, both kids and teens, since the 2021-2022 school year began. (Kika, 8/23)

On schools' response to covid —

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Schools Plan To Spend $2.9 Million On Air Purifiers To Combat Wildfire Smoke, Coronavirus Risk
Classrooms in San Francisco public schools that open their windows to curb the spread of the coronavirus may soon get more portable air cleaners to keep kids from inhaling unhealthy smoke from wildfires — a step that some parent groups welcomed but said was long overdue. The San Francisco Unified School District on Monday announced a plan to spend $2.9 million on air purifiers, saying that only a fraction of its classrooms have them. If the school board approves the purchase, up to 3,750 machines would be distributed on a rolling basis as soon as possible, according to district spokesperson Laura Dudnick — covering all classrooms but not all offices. (Hwang, 8/23)

Fox News: California School District Removes COVID-19 Test Blood Drawn Language After Parents Pressure
A California school district removed blood drawn language from its COVID testing consent form for students after an outcry from parents. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) sent out an email to parents Sunday night asking them to sign a consent form regarding COVID tests for their children – regardless of vaccination status. The original form read: "I authorize this COVID-19 testing unit to conduct collection and testing for COVID-19 through a saliva collection, nasopharyngeal swab, anterior nares swab or blood draw, as ordered by an authorized medical provider or public health official." (Betz, 8/23)

Bloomberg: Covid Optimists See U.S. Nearing Delta Peak, But Risks Abound
Covid-19 cases are falling in many of the original delta-variant hot spots in the U.S. That means the rest of the country could soon follow, dodging the mass hospitalizations and surging deaths seen recently in Florida and the Deep South. Maybe. The U.S. is recording more than 1,000 deaths a day, a count that has more than tripled in a month. But in Arkansas and Missouri, where the delta surge began, the seven-day average of cases is down 12% from the peak, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Florida and Louisiana -- the second phase of the U.S. delta wave -- are starting to see similar declines. Cases are climbing in other states, but the pace has slowed. (Levin, 8/23)

CNBC: Covid Deaths Could 'Climb Even Higher In The Next Couple Weeks,' Warns Dr. Ashish Jha
Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, warned about the toll of the pandemic as Covid deaths in the U.S. climb, yet again, to more than 1,000 a day. “I think we’re going to see death numbers climb even higher in the next couple weeks, but I’m hoping big outbreak states like Florida, Louisiana -- they’re at their peak and they may be coming down,” Jha said on “The News with Shepard Smith.” “Let’s hope so.” (DeCiccio, 8/23)

Modern Healthcare: Preventable COVID-19 Hospitalizations Cost $2.3 Billion In June And July
About 113,000 Americans could've avoided the hospital in June and July if they received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new study. Instead, they got sick enough to be admitted—at an estimated direct cost of $2.3 billion. More than 98% of people hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis between May and July 2021 were unvaccinated, the Kaiser Family Foundation reports in a research brief published Friday. While not all hospitalizations would've been stopped by the vaccine, the report estimates that 113,000 of the 185,000 inpatient stays with a COVID-19 diagnosis in June and July were preventable. (Kacik, 8/23)

In news on Dr. Anthony Fauci —

Axios: Fauci: U.S. Can Return To Normal In Spring 2022 If Vaccinations Rise 
NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CNN Monday the U.S. could "start getting back to a degree of normality" by next spring if more Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19. "There's no guarantee, because it's up to us," Fauci said in his interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, noting that another variant could emerge unless the current surge is brought under control. (Falconer, 8/24)

Fox News: Fauci Says He Misspoke On When He Believes US Could Get COVID Under Control
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top disease expert in the U.S., said in an interview Monday that he misspoke when he said the country may get the virus under control by fall 2022—another full year. Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN the error occurred during an earlier interview with NPR. Fauci apologized and said he listened to the interview. He tried to clarify and said if more Americans sign up to take the vaccines – as well as those who have already recovered from the virus--the country could get "some good control in the spring." (DeMarche, 8/24)

In surges around the US —

The New York Times: Carnival Cruise Passenger Dies Of Covid Amid Uptick In Cases
As the highly contagious Delta variant surges across the world, the health and safety protocols established for cruise ships are being put to the test. Over two weeks in late July and early August, 27 coronavirus infections were identified aboard the Carnival Vista cruise ship sailing out of Galveston, Texas. One of those infected, a passenger, later died. It was the highest number of cases aboard a ship reported since June, when cruises restarted in the Caribbean and United States, and the first death. (Yeginsu, 8/23)

Bay Area News Group: Has Bay Area Summer COVID-19 Infection Wave Crested?
The summer spike of COVID-19 infections driven by the highly contagious delta variant may have hit its peak in the Bay Area and even California as a whole. Average daily reported new cases in the Bay Area and Los Angeles region appear to be leveling off, and a closely watched model at the University of Washington indicates the state is turning the corner away from a July surge in cases that spurred renewed mask mandates and vaccine requirements across the state. “I think for California, it really does look like we’re hitting the crest,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. “Right now, I’m feeling really optimistic.” (Woolfolk and Oh, 8/23)

Houston Chronicle: Southeast Texas Surpasses 4,000 COVID Hospitalizations For The First Time
Southeast Texas on Monday surpassed 4,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations for the first time, while the number of infected people seeking care in Houston remains “frightening,” said Dr. James McDeavitt, executive vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. Regionally, 4,231 people were hospitalized with COVID in general beds and ICUs in the 25-county region that includes Houston, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. Hospitals in the region reported 720 patients, 107 of whom were critical, stuck in ERs waiting for a general or ICU bed. (Gill, 8/23)

Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann Closes 3 Standalone Emergency Rooms Due To COVID Surge
Memorial Hermann Health System announced Monday that it would be closing three of its 24-hour emergency rooms beginning at 5 p.m. until further notice, "due to the continued COVID-19 surge and its ongoing impact to our system’s operations." The affected emergency rooms are located at 4533 Kingwood Drive, Kingwood; 7474 N. Grand Parkway West, Spring,; and 8780 Texas Highway 6, Suite B, Sienna. (Umanzor Jr., 8/23)

AP: Arkansas COVID Patients On Ventilators Reaches New Record
The number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators in Arkansas reached a new high on Monday as Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he hoped the full approval of Pfizer’s vaccine would encourage more people in the state to get the shots against the virus. The Department of Health said the number of virus patients on ventilators rose by 12 to 349, surpassing the previous high reached Saturday. The number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital increased by 42 to 1,411. (DeMillo, 8/24)

AP: Governor: Now Is Not A Good Time To Travel To Hawaii
Hawaii’s governor asked Monday that visitors and residents reduce travel to the islands to essential business only while the state struggles to control COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads in the community. Gov. David Ige wants to curtail travel to Hawaii through the end of October. “It is a risky time to be traveling right now,” he said. He said restaurant capacity has been restricted and there’s limited access to rental cars. (8/24)

AP: Dozens Test Positive For COVID-19 At Pierce County Jail
Up to 35 inmates at the Pierce County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19.The News Tribune reports over the last few days inmates reported feeling ill and were tested at the jail’s health clinic. By Sunday, 25 to 35 COVID tests came back positive. More tests are pending. Following a protocol developed last year, jail officials immediately put roughly 180 inmates in quarantine. That’s about one third of the jail’s population, which numbered 548 Sunday. (8/24)

AP: Oregon, Once A Virus Success Story, Struggles With Surge
Oregon was once the poster child for limiting the spread of the coronavirus, after its Democratic governor imposed some of the nation’s strictest safety measures, including mask mandates indoors and outdoors, limits on gatherings and an order closing restaurants. But now the state is being hammered by the super-transmissible delta variant, and hospitals are getting stretched to the breaking point. The vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated. (Selsky and Cline, 8/24)

Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky COVID Numbers: 3 Records For Hospitalizations Break Same Day
Kentucky set an alarming trio of records in the COVID-19 pandemic Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear said during a press conference in Frankfort. He reported 1,893 Kentuckians were in hospitals across the state battling COVID-19 on Monday, a record. The state also set records for Kentuckians on ventilators (301) and in intensive care units (529) Monday, with Beshear saying the state's spike is going "from alarming to a critical stage." (Ladd, 8/23)

Bangor Daily News: COVID-19 Hospitalizations In Maine Surge To Highest Level In 3 Months
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maine increased by 66 percent over the past week to their highest level since mid-May, with unvaccinated patients continuing to make up a wide majority of those admitted to hospitals. The sharp rise reflects the wide reach of the virus within Maine with the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. As of Saturday, 123 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 here, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, up from just 74 a week prior and 25 a month ago. Nearly half of currently hospitalized patients are in critical care beds, while one-fifth are on a ventilator, according to state data. (Piper, 8/23)

Dallas Morning News: ‘Dramatic’ Rise In COVID-19 Hospitalizations Is Predicted To Surpass Dallas-Fort Worth’s Winter Peak
The already high number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in North Texas is expected to rise “dramatically” in the coming weeks as the delta variant of the coronavirus spreads nearly unchecked through the region’s unvaccinated residents. The latest model from forecasters at UT Southwestern Medical Center shows that hospitalizations for the virus in Dallas and Tarrant counties could eclipse their winter peaks by early September. Dallas County is predicted to have 1,500 or more hospitalizations by Sept. 9, along with 1,600 new cases each day. The same model shows 1,900 hospitalizations and 1,700 daily cases in Tarrant County on the same date. (Steele, 8/23)

Also —

AP: Data Breach Exposes Student Requests For Vaccine Exemptions
Personal information from students at a California college who requested a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine has been posted online after an apparent data breach. The records from about 130 students at California State University, Chico were dumped on an anonymous internet message board, the Sacramento Bee reported Monday. (8/23)

Albany Herald: Georgia Nursing Homes Cite Significant Occupancy Reduction During Pandemic, Seeking Federal COVID-19 Relief 
Georgia’s nursing homes are looking for a share of the $4.8 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds headed to the Peach State. The Georgia Health Care Association submitted a request Monday for $347 million from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Congress passed last spring for nursing homes, citing a significant decline in nursing home occupancy during the pandemic. Statewide, nursing home occupancy fell from 84.5% in December 2019 to 69.6% in February 2021 before rebounding slightly to 72.2% last month. However, 27.7% of nursing homes have occupancies at or below 64%. (Williams, 8/23)

Health News Florida: Woman In Viral Photo Feeling Better After Antibody Treatment In Jax
The woman seen in a viral photo lying down at a Jacksonville clinic for COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy is feeling better and crediting the treatment for keeping her out of the hospital. “Had I not received that therapy, I would be willing to bet anything I would be hospitalized right now,” Toma Dean said. Dean, 39, is speaking out so that people who get infected will know about this treatment and seek it out before things get any worse. (Schwartz, 8/23)

The New York Times: Democrats Scrounge For Votes To Pass $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan 
Democratic leaders worked feverishly on Monday to cobble together the votes needed to push their $3.5 trillion budget blueprint through the House, facing an internal revolt from moderates who have vowed to block the measure until a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan is passed. But after a day of frenetic negotiations, Democrats ultimately scrapped tentative plans for a vote on Monday. Lawmakers went home shortly after midnight without a clear agreement on how to pave the way for Congress to move quickly to enact an ambitious expansion of the nation’s social safety net over Republican opposition. (Cochrane and Tankersley, 8/23)

The Hill: House Democrats Punt Key Vote On Budget To Tuesday 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership team struggled to round up the votes to move forward with a strategy to enact President Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar domestic agenda, ultimately opting to punt a key procedural vote until Tuesday. After hours of negotiations, Pelosi late on Monday night failed to strike a deal with the leaders of a 10-member bloc of centrists who are demanding a vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill before considering a budget resolution that paves the way for a $3.5 trillion spending plan to expand social support programs and combat climate change. (Marcos and Wong, 8/24)

NBC News: House Democrats, Locked In Standoff, Struggle To Move Biden's $3.5 Trillion Plan
The House made an early return from its August recess Monday, but immediately hit a roadblock as Democratic leaders struggled to string together the votes to advance President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion economic package. There are two measure pending before the House — a budget resolution that will allow them to pass the economic package and a separate bill to authorize $550 billion in infrastructure spending. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and centrist House Democrats, locked in a standoff over the order the House should vote on bills, failed to reach a resolution by sundown as the two sides remained at odds over how to proceed after a series of meetings. (Kapur, 8/23)

In news on evictions —

The Washington Post: Eviction Moratorium: Biden Administration Asks Supreme Court To Save CDC Program 
The Biden administration on Monday urged the Supreme Court to leave in place a moratorium on evictions in parts of the country ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, saying it is a “lawful and urgently needed response to an unprecedented public emergency.” A coalition of landlords and real estate trade groups in Alabama and Georgia are challenging the latest moratorium imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued Aug. 3 and intended to run through Oct. 3. (Barnes, 8/23)

Bloomberg: Biden Administration Asks Supreme Court To Keep Eviction Ban
The Biden administration urged the Supreme Court to keep in place the moratorium on evictions in parts of the country hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, saying the rise of the delta variant has heightened the need for tenant protections. Landlords and real-estate trade associations from Alabama and Georgia asked the court last week to lift the ban, set to run through Oct. 3. The challengers say the moratorium exceeds the authority Congress has given the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Stohr, 8/23)

Reuters: Six U.S. States Do Not Join $26 Bln Opioid Settlements With Distributors, J&J
At least six U.S. states, including Georgia, did not fully sign on to a proposed $26 billion settlement with three drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson, which have been accused of fueling the nation's opioid epidemic, according to the states' attorneys general. States had until Saturday to decide whether to support the $21 billion proposed settlement with McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health Inc and a separate $5 billion agreement with J&J. But in a sign that talks were continuing despite the passing of the deadline, Georgia - the most populous hold-out state - on Monday indicated it could wind up backing the agreement. (Raymond and Hals, 8/24)

AP: OxyContin Maker's Lawyer Warns Of Long, Expensive Litigation
A lawyer for Purdue Pharma said Monday that a judge needs to accept the OxyContin maker’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic or face “years or decades of Hobbesian hell” with complicated litigation that would not result in fair payouts to abate the epidemic or pay individual victims. Marshall Huebner, a lawyer for Purdue, made his case during an ongoing videoconference hearing to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain, who expects to rule this week on whether to accept the Stamford, Connecticut-based company’s reorganization plan. (Mulvihill, 8/23)

AP: Senators Question FDA On Work With Opioid Maker Consultant
Several U.S. senators are questioning the Food and Drug Administration’s work with a consulting firm that helped businesses sell prescription painkillers during the nation’s overdose crisis. Democrat Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa, among others, have asked the FDA about potential conflicts of interest in its work with McKinsey and Co. The senators sent a letter Monday to the FDA noting that the agency paid McKinsey more than $140 million after hiring it several times starting in 2008. (Murphy, 8/23)

Also —

AP: Legal Aid Services Get $1.2M To Help Fight Substance Abuse
Kentucky’s civil legal service programs have received nearly $1.2 million from federal grants to help them respond to the state’s drug epidemic, Gov. Andy Beshear said. Local programs can use the funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid and Stimulant Substance Abuse Program to help those impacted by substance abuse create a pathway to recovery and healing, Beshear and Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Secretary Kerry Harvey said Monday in a statement. (8/24)

CIDRAP: Breakthrough COVID-19 May Be Less Infectious
Being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 significantly decreased the probability of virus culture positivity in breakthrough cases versus cases in unvaccinated healthcare workers, according to a study on the non–peer-reviewed research server, medRxiv. The results, published late last week, showed that 68.6% of 161 COVID-19 breakthrough infections had positive nasopharyngeal swabs compared with 84.9% of infections in unvaccinated patients. Cycle threshold value (Ct value, an inverse proxy for viral load) was similar for the two groups and decreased throughout the first 3 days of illness in breakthrough cases. It did not significantly differ across vaccine type or time since last vaccine administration. (8/23)

CIDRAP: COVID May Be Most Infectious 2 Or 3 Days Around Symptom Onset 
The risk of SARS-CoV-2 spread among COVID-19 patients to their close contacts was strongest in the 2 days before and 3 days after symptom onset and when index patients were mildly or moderately ill rather than asymptomatic, according to a US study of Chinese patients today in JAMA Internal Medicine. The researchers wrote. "Infected contacts of asymptomatic index patients were less likely to present with COVID-19 symptoms, suggesting that quantity of exposure may be associated with clinical presentation in close contacts." (Van Beusekom, 8/23)

In news on dementia and stroke risk —

The New York Times: Seeking Early Signals Of Dementia In Driving And Credit Scores 
Learning your odds of eventually developing dementia — a pressing concern for many, especially those with a family history of it — requires medical testing and counseling. But what if everyday behavior, like overlooking a couple of credit card payments or habitually braking while driving, could foretell your risk? A spate of experiments is underway to explore that possibility, reflecting the growing awareness that the pathologies underlying dementia can begin years or even decades before symptoms emerge. (Span, 8/23)

CNN: Risk Of Stroke Is Higher In A Certain Group Of Adults Under 60, Study Finds 
Adults under 60 who spend most of their days sitting have a higher risk of stroke compared to those who spend more time being physically active, a new study finds. People who reported sitting eight or more hours daily and were not very physically active otherwise were seven times more at risk of having a stroke than people who spent fewer than four hours being sedentary and at least 10 minutes exercising each day, according to a study published in Stroke from the American Heart Association. (Marples, 8/23)

On gene sequencing —

Stat: Parents Can Handle Finding Out Newborns' Disease Risks, Study Suggests
There’s a heated debate over whether to expand genomic sequencing to more newborns — especially about whether to sequence healthy babies. How will parents react to the results? The tests can turn out uncertain information — perhaps this child is at higher risk for a disease, but there’s no guarantee she’ll actually develop it — and families could worry, subjecting their child and the health system to unnecessary tests, appointments, and other care. A new study has found some encouraging signs. (Joseph, 8/23)

Also —

Stat: FDA, Drug Makers Propose Pilots Aimed At Speeding Rare Disease Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration and the drug industry have jointly agreed to create several new pilot programs aimed at speeding drugs to market for rare or previously untreatable conditions. The agreement announced Monday lays out the improvements the FDA will make in exchange for the millions of dollars it receives from drug makers who pay fees when the agency reviews their applications for new drug approvals. The industry and FDA negotiated the agreement throughout the fall and winter as part of a scheduled update to a joint agreement from five years ago. (Florko, 8/23)

AP: California Wildfire Smoke Closes Reno Schools, Tahoe Parks
Dense smoke from massive wildfires burning in neighboring California created hazardous air quality in the Reno-Tahoe area on Monday, canceling flights and forcing the closure of schools, parks and popular summer beaches. Government air monitors were recording some of the region’s most hazardous conditions in years. Weather forecasters and health officials said little relief is expected in western Nevada through mid-week. (Sonner and Metz, 8/24)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Smoke Advisory Issued For Las Vegas Region On Tuesday
Smoke from California wildfires is expected to drift into town this week, blanketing the Las Vegas skies. “The worst of it by far will be on Tuesday,” National Weather Service meteorologist Clay Morgan said. Ahead of its arrival, the Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability late Monday issued a smoke advisory for the Las Vegas region on Tuesday. The expected smoke “may lead to elevated concentrations of particulate matter in the air,” the department said in a news release. Officials recommend that residents limit outdoor exertion and keep windows shut and doors closed. (Clemons, 8/23)

Stateline: Scorching Heat Is Killing Workers. Some States Are Stepping In
Federal safety regulators have issued no standards to protect workers from heat-related hazards, even as climate change increases the risk of deadly heat waves and extreme weather conditions. But some states have begun acting on their own, requiring employers to provide shade, cooldown breaks and drinking water, among other measures. Washington state and Oregon issued emergency standards last month after a heat wave broke temperature records across the Northwest and caused hundreds of deaths. Maryland regulators will issue heat rules by next year, after lawmakers passed a bill requiring them to do so. And Virginia officials announced earlier this year that they have begun the rulemaking process for a heat standard. (Brown, 8/23)

In other public health news —

North Carolina Health News: N.C. Expected To Remove Lead, Asbestos From Public Schools And Child Care Centers 
For years, bills have been introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly calling for the removal of lead from drinking water at public schools and licensed child care centers. Each time, the bills failed to gain traction, largely because of money. Lawmakers worried about the costs of abatement and school districts feared the costs would fall on them. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 appears to have resolved that roadblock. (Barnes, 8/24)

AP: US Boarding School Review Prompts Calls For Trauma Support
Some members of Congress want to ensure that protections are put in place to address ongoing trauma as more information comes to light about the troubled history of Indigenous boarding schools in the United States. A group of 21 Democratic lawmakers representing states stretching from the Southwest to the East Coast sent a letter last week to the Indian Health Service. They are asking that the federal agency make available culturally appropriate support services such as a hotline and other mental and spiritual programs as the federal government embarks on its investigation into the schools. (Bryan, 8/23)

Modern Healthcare: Number Of Homebound Adults More Than Doubles During Pandemic
The number of homebound individuals in the U.S. more than doubled during the past decade, according to a paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine Monday. The share of the population that rarely or never leaves their homes rose held steady at about 5% from 2011 to 2019 but leaped to 13% last year, likely driven by isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mount Sinai researchers found. The greatest increases were among Blacks and Hispanics, who also experienced poorer health and less digital access, the study shows. (Christ, 8/23)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Harmful Algae Covers Much Of Lake Pontchartrain This Summer, But No Health Threat Yet
Blooms of potentially harmful algae have swirled in lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas during most of the summer of 2021, spurred by increased inflow of phosphorus and other nutrients caused by this year’s heavy rainfall, according to scientists monitoring the blooms. The concentration of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, this year has not resulted in health warnings from the Louisiana Departments of Environmental Quality or Health, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has not issued any reports of effects on fisheries. (Schleifstein, 8/24)

Also —

AP: Tallest Man In U.S., Who Was 7-Foot-8, Dies Of Heart Disease At 38
Igor Vovkovinskiy, the tallest man in the United States, has died in Minnesota. He was 38. His family said he died of heart disease on Friday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. His mother, Svetlana Vovkovinska, an ICU nurse at Mayo, initially posted about his death on Facebook. The Ukrainian-born Vovkovinskiy came to the Mayo Clinic in 1989 as a child seeking treatment. A tumor pressing against his pituitary gland caused it to secrete abnormal levels of growth hormone. He grew to become the tallest man in the U.S. at 7 feet, 8.33 inches and ended up staying in Rochester. (8/23)

Modern Healthcare: Cerner To Pay New CEO Feinberg Nearly $35M Through 2022
Cerner's compensation package for new CEO Dr. David Feinberg will total roughly $34.5 million through 2022, according to a federal filing. Feinberg—who currently serves as vice president of Google Health, a division that Google plans to disband after he leaves—will join Cerner in October. Under an executive employment agreement approved by the Cerner board of directors, Feinberg's initial annual base salary will be $900,000, according to an 8-K form that Cerner filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week. He'll receive a one-time cash bonus of $375,000 to replace annual incentives he had accrued with Google. (Kim Cohen, 8/23)

Stat: Will Breaking Apart Google's Health Bets Give Them A Better Shot?
Google is once again overhauling its ambitious health efforts. But this time around, some experts see its shakeup as less of a stumbling block than a potential path to progress. Less than three years after relaunching its ambitious health care division, Google Health, the tech giant is dismantling the organization and spreading its health efforts across the company. The reorganization follows the news that Google Health vice president David Feinberg is departing for health record company Cerner and kicks off another wave of speculation about whether tech giants can truly transform health care. (Brodwin, 8/24)

Stat: Four Takeaways On Pfizer’s $2.3 Billion Purchase Of Trillium
Pfizer said Monday that it is buying Trillium, a Toronto developer of cancer drugs with which it already has a development partnership, for $2.3 billion. The purchase represents nothing but a win for Trillium shareholders, capping off a two-year period in which Trillium traded below 30 cents and as high as $20.96. The deal price — Pfizer is paying $18.50 per share — is triple the stock’s recent closing price and almost at that all-time high. (Herper, 8/23)

Bloomberg: Cilo Cybin Plans Cannabis IPO, Then Expansion Into Magic Mushrooms
Cilo Cybin Pharmaceutical Ltd. is considering an initial public offering in the next 12 months after becoming the first South African company to win the right to grow, process and package cannabis products. The firm, named after the psychoactive substance in magic mushrooms, received the required certification from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority. It will now be able to produce marijuana for sale to consumers around the world, founder and Chief Executive Officer Gabriel Theron said in an interview. (Prinsloo and Sguazzin, 8/24)

On nonprofits —

KHN: Mission And Money Clash In Nonprofit Hospitals’ Venture Capital Ambitions
Cone Health, a small not-for-profit health care network in North Carolina, spent several years developing a smartphone-based system called Wellsmith to help people manage their diabetes. But after investing $12 million, the network disclosed last year it was shutting down the company even though initial results were promising, with users losing weight and recording lower blood sugar levels. The reason did not have to do with the program’s potential benefit to Cone’s patients, but rather the harm to its bottom line. Although Cone executives had banked on selling or licensing Wellsmith, Cone concluded that too many competing products had crowded the digital health marketplace to make a dent. (Rau, 8/24)

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: Meet The Mississippi Lawyer Who Helped Start The Fight For Charity Care 
Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, famous for taking on Big Tobacco in the ’90s and winning, worked on a series of ill-fated national lawsuits against nonprofit hospitals. The goal? Get nonprofit — or “charity” — hospitals to actually provide charity care instead of price-gouging and dunning low-income patients. Scruggs didn’t exactly score a total victory — some hospitals kept behaving shamefully. And he lost big, eventually. But he did help start important changes. (Weissmann, 8/24)

In news on the Theranos trial —

Stat: Elizabeth Holmes Will Be On Trial. But The Evidence Will Expose A Bigger Collision Between Tech Culture And Health Care 
When the long-awaited trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Homes opens at the end of this month, expect a showdown between defense attorneys and federal prosecutors who have accused her of perpetrating one of the biggest corporate frauds in recent U.S. history. But perhaps even more striking will be the collision it spotlights between the “move fast and break things” culture of Silicon Valley and the more cautious cadence of health care, where the first rule is to do no harm. (Ross, 8/24)

In obituaries —

The Baltimore Sun: Hannah H. Jones, Retired Johns Hopkins Health System Executive Secretary, Dies 
Hannah H. Jones, a retired Johns Hopkins Health System executive secretary who was also a cat fancier, history buff, avid reader and gardener, died of complications of kidney disease Aug. 3 at her Anneslie home. She was 74. The former Hannah Layne Hyatt, daughter of Vance Layne Hyatt, a TV repair shop manager, and his wife, Elizabeth Souder Moyer, a registered nurse, was born in Baltimore and raised on Kimble Road in Ednor Gardens. (Rasmussen, 8/24)

AP: New Orleans Resident Has Serious West Nile Case
The City of New Orleans says a city resident has a serious case of West Nile virus, and an airplane will spray part of the city for mosquitoes Tuesday night. The state health department reported the case this week, saying it involves the patient’s brain or nervous system, a news release from the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board said. The symptoms began showing up the week of Aug. 13. (8/23)

Axios: Police Launch New Probe Into Muzzle Sent To Fired Tennessee Vaccine Official
Fraud detectives with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department launched a new investigation into a dog muzzle sent to the state’s fired vaccine chief, Michelle Fiscus, after she reported the matter to officers last week. State investigators closed their own probe into the muzzle earlier this month after determining it was purchased using Fiscus’ American Express card. Fiscus denied she bought the muzzle, and said someone else must have accessed her credit card information. Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said local detectives will seek an answer. (Rau and Tamburin, 8/23)

In news from Arizona —

CBS News: Arizona Election Review Delayed Again After 3 Team Members Contract COVID-19 
The contractors hired to conduct a review of Maricopa County's 2020 election on Monday turned in part of their draft report to the Arizona Senate, but the full report is not yet ready because three of the team members have tested positive for COVID-19. Arizona Senate president Karen Fann said in a statement that the team expected to have the full draft report finished on Monday, but has not been able to finish it because of the virus. (Brewster, 8/23)

The Washington Post: Report On Arizona Ballot Review Is Delayed After Cyber Ninjas Chief And Colleagues Test Positive For Coronavirus 
The report detailing the conclusions of a GOP-backed review of ballots cast last year in Arizona has been delayed after the chief executive of the private company conducting the widely pilloried audit and two other members of his team tested positive for the coronavirus. Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) announced the delay Monday, saying that Doug Logan, chief executive of the Florida firm Cyber Ninjas, and two other members of the audit team had been infected and were “quite sick.” (Helderman, 8/23)

Reuters: Israel's COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters Show Signs Of Taming Delta 
Less than a month into a COVID-19 vaccine booster drive, Israel is seeing signs of an impact on the country's high infection and severe illness rates fuelled by the fast-spreading Delta variant, officials and scientists say. Delta hit Israel in June, just as the country began to reap the benefits of one of the world's fastest vaccine roll-outs. (Lubell, 8/24)

NPR: WHO Calls For Delay In Booster Shots To Help Countries Struggling To Vaccinate
The head of the World Health Organization has called on countries to delay giving out booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine until nations with low vaccination rates can inoculate more of their population. During a news conference Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus again suggested that giving out booster shots in countries with already high vaccination rates could lead to more dangerous coronavirus variants appearing across the globe. (Hernandez, 8/23)

In other news around the world —

Axios: China Reports No New Local COVID Cases 
China has reported no new local coronavirus cases after a month of surging infections, the country's National Health Commission (NHC) reported Monday. In July, a cluster of infections was identified that eventually spread to 1,200 people. China then implemented even stronger mitigation measures and widespread testing in an attempt to eradicate the virus in the country, CNN reports. The NHC reported 21 imported cases of COVID-19. (Reyes, 8/23)

The Hill: 880K Moderna Doses Donated By US Arrive In Kenya
Nearly 900,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States arrived in Kenya early Monday morning, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) announced. A total of 880,460 doses were donated by the U.S. to Kenya via the global vaccination sharing firm COVAX and transported by UNICEF. (Scully, 8/23)

The Washington Post: North Korea Is Yet To Begin Covid Vaccinations As Delays Hamper U.N.-Backed Rollout
The United Nations-backed global vaccination effort is offering additional doses of coronavirus vaccines to North Korea, one of few countries yet to start inoculating residents after a delay in a distribution program slated to begin this summer. The Gavi Alliance, the part of the Covax initiative that aims to deliver vaccines to the world’s most vulnerable people, said last week that it has allocated nearly 3 million doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac. The announcement came after plans to deliver nearly 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine were scrapped, amid North Korea’s apparent concerns about potential side effects and a supply shortage at an India-based distributor. (Lee and Kim, 8/24)

Reuters: Amid COVID Surge, Some Sri Lankans Opt For Cardboard Coffins
At a factory in Sri Lanka's Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia city, workers use staples and glue to assemble long cardboard boxes, which will be used as coffins for some of the country's coronavirus victims. The coffin is made out of recycled paper and costs a sixth of the cheapest wooden casket, according to 51-year old Priyantha Sahabandu, the local government official who first came up with the idea. ... "To make 400 coffins you have to cut some 250 to 300 trees. To prevent that environmental destruction I proposed this concept to the health committee of the council," he said. (8/24)

Bloomberg: India To Resume Covid Vaccine Exports In 2022, Official Says
India will likely restart exporting Covid-19 vaccines next year once it has immunized its own adult population, the head of an influential government expert panel said. “Almost 60 countries are hardly having any access to vaccine and India should be able to provide a substantial portion in 2022,” N.K. Arora, chairman of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization in India, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Tuesday. “As soon as we are through with our adult population we should have sufficient vaccine to share with the rest of the world.” (Kay and Chaudhary, 8/24)

Scientific American: COVID Vaccines Show No Signs Of Harming Fertility Or Sexual Function 
Rumors and myths about COVID-19 vaccine effects on all aspects of reproduction and sexual functioning have spread like a Delta variant of viral misinformation across social media platforms, where people swap rumors of erectile dysfunction and fertility disruptions following vaccination. Yet studies so far have not linked the vaccines with problems related to pregnancy, menstrual cycles, erectile performance or sperm quality. The evidence does show that COVID-19 can involve problems in all of these areas. (Emily Willingham, 8/24)

The Star Tribune: Require Vaccine For Foreign Visitors 
Plans are being developed to require vaccination against COVID-19 for all would-be foreign travelers to America. It's just sensible. First reported earlier this month by Reuters, the Biden administration is formulating a new system that would dovetail with the expiration of current restrictions on travel to the U.S. Those restrictions aren't set to end anytime soon, according to the White House. (8/23)

Stat: As Delta Spreads, It's Time To Put Children's Health First 
As pediatricians, we are committed to putting children’s health first. Last year, though, when hospitals filled with adults with Covid-19, we turned our attention to caring for them. Across the country, pediatric units were closed to make room for sick adults. Our pediatric patients didn’t complain, and neither did we. Although kids appeared to be largely spared by the virus during the early phase of the pandemic, we saw with our own eyes the gravity of severe Covid-19-related illness in young people: more than 100 children in our hospitals’ ICUs required life-saving treatment due to Covid-19 and many more have persistent symptoms that affect their daily lives. (Sallie Permar and Jordan Orange, 8/24)

The Atlantic: FDA Delays Carry A Death Toll 
This morning, the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine for use in people 16 and older. Although “the vaccine approval was the fastest in the agency’s history,” as The Washington Post noted, serious side effects have proved extremely rare. Nevertheless, anti-vaccine activists—and the politicians and pundits pandering to them—have criticized the accelerated approval process as rushed. Yet the problem with the FDA is precisely the opposite: The agency too often fails to recognize the danger of being too cautious. (Conor Friedersdorf, 8/23)

Kansas City Star: Missouri Father, 7 Kids Get COVID, Vaccinated Mom Healthy 
From his Kansas City hospital bed, 42-year-old Ben Anderson, of Cameron, Missouri, has a message for those who, like him, have for whatever reason not yet gotten the COVID-19 vaccine: “These nurses, doctors, are overwhelmed. They are doing the best they can but the emergency rooms are so busy with COVID patients they can’t even stop to clean up the vomit from one patient before they get a code blue and have to run because someone is dying. They are not showing us that on the nightly news. People don’t get it. This is not the sniffles.” (8/24)

Los Angeles Times: Bring On The COVID Vaccination Mandates 
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was the first to receive an emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December. And as of Monday, it is the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive full approval from the FDA for people over age 16. It’s a milestone moment in the prolonged public health crisis. The status upgrade may not affect the lives of people who have already received one or two of the 200 million Pfizer doses that have been administered in the U.S., but it’s a game changer for the millions of Americans who aren’t vaccinated. (8/23)

USA Today: With Pfizer's FDA Approval, It's Time To Mandate COVID Vaccinations
Full FDA approval was announced Monday for Pfizer's BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination. An announcement for the Moderna vaccine likely will follow. With delta variant cases and hospitalizations increasing, particularly among the unvaccinated, it's time for employers and schools to mandate the jab for their workers. Only with a widespread, employer-based mandate will America turn this year-and-a-half pandemic into a virus that the nation can live with, much like Americans live with the flu. (8/23

The Washington Post: Why The FDA’s Full Approval Of The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Could Be A Turning Point 
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for those 16 years old and above. This long-anticipated regulatory change marks a crucial turning point in the effort to increase vaccine uptake.There are five reasons. First, though many employers, universities and government entities have already implemented vaccine mandates, others have been waiting for this official stamp of approval. United Airlines, the Pentagon and universities from Louisiana to Minnesota have all said they will institute vaccine requirements after full approval. A school district in Culver City, Calif., has already mandated inoculation of eligible students. I expect more schools to follow given the full approval, adding the coronavirus vaccine to the long list of childhood vaccinations that are already required for students to enroll. (Leana S. Wen, 8/23)

Stat: Proposed Kratom Ban Would Harm The Public, Damage FDA's Credibility
Trust in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined after its approval of the controversial Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab. Three experts resigned amid allegations that the FDA had caved to industry pressure. Some argue that its credibility has reached a new low. These events should have prompted the FDA to pause, reflect, and work to repair its reputation. Instead, the agency is forging ahead with actions that may further erode its credibility. A timely example is its position on Mitragyna speciosa, commonly called kratom, a tree related to coffee plants. (Mason Marks, 8/23)

The New York Times: This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Trauma
“Trauma is much more than a story about something that happened long ago,” writes Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. “The emotions and physical sensations that were imprinted during the trauma are experienced not as memories but as disruptive physical reactions in the present.” (8/24)

The Star Tribune: Here's How We'll Lower The Cost Of Prescription Drugs 
"So here's a good idea … "That was the opening line of one of the first television ads I ran as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. The idea? Lowering prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of drugs for seniors. Acting to stop skyrocketing drug prices still couldn't be more urgent. Many seniors have seen eye-popping price increases on many of the drugs they need to survive. In the past five years, the cost of Lyrica, a drug that treats nerve pain, increased 47%, while Symbicort, a medication for asthma and COPD, increased 46%, just to name a couple. And as a result, nearly 20% of older adults have reported not taking their medicines as prescribed because of the cost. (Amy Klobuchar, 8/23)

Stat: Making CMS's Price Transparency Rule Work For All Stakeholders 
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) price transparency rule requiring U.S. hospitals to provide clear, accessible pricing information online about the items and services they offer has been celebrated as a huge victory for patients. We think that celebration is premature as many hospitals are not fully complying with the rule more than eight months after it went into effect. (Chris Plance and Nilesh Chandra, 8/24)