The Texas Tribune: Texas’ Abortion Ban Faces Potential Justice Department Challenge
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday the Department of Justice is “urgently” exploring ways to challenge Texas’ strict new abortion law, but did not specify what options were being considered. Garland’s statement in a press release comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court denied Texas abortion providers an emergency injunction against the new law banning abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy, when many don’t know they are pregnant. The Supreme Court stated it was not ruling on the constitutionality of the law but was refusing to block it at this point. (Bohra, 9/6)

AP: Justice Department Will 'Protect' Abortion Seekers In Texas
The Justice Department said Monday that it will not tolerate violence against anyone who is trying to obtain an abortion in Texas as federal officials explore options to challenge a new state law that bans most abortions. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would “protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services” under a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. (9/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Justice Department Looks For Ways To Challenge Texas Abortion Law
Officials have reached out to federal prosecutors and Federal Bureau of Investigation field offices across Texas to discuss how to enforce the federal law, known as the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, he said. “The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack,” Mr. Garland said. (Gurman and Collins, 9/6)

Also —

Axios: Lyft, Uber To Pay Legal Fees For Drivers Sued Under Texas Abortion Ban 
Lyft and Uber will cover all legal fees for drivers sued under a new Texas law that imposed a ban on abortions after six weeks. The law is one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S., and prohibits the practice after a fetal heartbeat is detected — before many people know they are pregnant, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez writes. (Frazier, 9/3)

The Washington Post: A Website For ‘Whistleblowers’ To Expose Texas Abortion Providers Was Taken Down — Again
After a Texas law restricting abortion went into effect Wednesday, an antiabortion organization had hoped to out those involved in unlawful procedures by collecting anonymous tips online. But Texas Right to Life’s website, ProLifeWhistleblower.com, which invited people to inform on those obtaining or facilitating abortions, has not stayed up for long, as website registration providers have said the online form to submit “whistleblower” reports violates their rules. On Monday, the organization confirmed that the website redirects to its main page as it seeks to find a new digital home for the form. (Kornfield, 9/6)

The 19th: Criminal Convictions For Abortion, Miscarriage? Texas Abortion Ban Previews Life Without Roe V. Wade
Defense attorneys say there’s a history of criminal convictions over abortion, miscarriage and stillbirth that will be exacerbated if Roe v. Wade is overturned. (Rodriguez, 9/2)

The Washington Post: The Texas Abortion Ban Shocked Many. It Shouldn’t Have, Advocates Say. 
Once S.B. 8 took effect on Wednesday, the law dominated conversations on social media, as many finally seemed to realize that this is the strictest antiabortion law to take effect since Roe v. Wade. Major media organizations amped up their coverage; President Biden condemned the law, after saying little about abortion through the first eight months of his presidency. Big protests were expected in Austin, though those saw smaller crowds than anticipated. Still, [Dr. Joe] Nelson and other abortion advocates are happy to see the country focused on this law. Many are just wondering why it took so long.

Politico: Abortion Fight Adds To Biden's Growing Policy Backlog 
Joe Biden wants to marshal the full power of the federal government to fight back against a ban on most abortions in Texas. But the president’s efforts may end the same way as so many other elements of his ambitious agenda: with success proving elusive. The White House is heavily reliant on Congress for action to preserve abortion rights, just as he is on voting protections, gun safety and virtually every other domestic policy goal. But with razor-thin Democratic majorities and the need for 60 votes to pass relevant legislation in the Senate, Biden’s opportunities for meaningful victories are dimming. (Kumar and Cadelago, 9/7)

Politico: ‘A Private Matter’: Joe Biden’s Very Public Clash With His Own Church
If it’s personal, it certainly isn’t private. It is a debate in full public view, a collision of religion and politics never seen in the American presidency — with a clash between his stance on abortion and church dogma now unavoidable. The Supreme Court’s decision this week to allow a highly restrictive Texas abortion law to take effect — and [President] Biden’s public statement that the law “blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade” — has put the country’s most polarizing social issue once again at the center of American politics. Biden may soon find that the line he’s walked over four decades of public life — as a politician of ostentatious faithfulness who also insists his faith is a private matter — is no longer available to him. (Cramer, 9/5)

KHN: Telemedicine Abortions Offer Cheaper Options But May Also Undermine Critical Clinics
A change in FDA rules during the pandemic has let women receive the drugs needed for a medical abortion by mail after a telemedicine appointment. While some abortion rights advocates hail the move, others note that these services, which are often cheaper than going to a clinic, could siphon away patients needed to keep those brick-and-mortar facilities operating. (Littlefield, 9/3)

The New York Times: Unemployment Benefits Expire For Millions Without Pushback From Biden 
Expanded unemployment benefits that have kept millions of Americans afloat during the pandemic expired on Monday, setting up an abrupt cutoff of assistance to 7.5 million people as the Delta variant rattles the pandemic recovery. The end of the aid came without objection from President Biden and his top economic advisers, who have become caught in a political fight over the benefits and are now banking on other federal help and an autumn pickup in hiring to keep vulnerable families from foreclosure and food lines. (Tankersley and Casselman, 9/6)

AP: Jobless Americans Will Have Few Options As Benefits Expire
Millions of jobless Americans lost their unemployment benefits on Monday, leaving only a handful of economic support programs for those who are still being hit financially by the year-and-a-half-old coronavirus pandemic. Two critical programs expired on Monday. One provided jobless aid to self-employed and gig workers and another provided benefits to those who have been unemployed more than six months. Further, the Biden administration’s $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit also ran out on Monday. It’s estimated that roughly 8.9 million Americans will lose all or some of these benefits. (9/7)

Politico: Why The White House Loves The Texas Renter Rescue 
In the race to dole out billions of dollars in federal rental aid, Texas has emerged as the Biden administration’s unexpected poster child for how to make sure money reaches struggling tenants, outpacing blue states such as New York that have stronger eviction protections. Republican-led, landlord-friendly Texas has distributed more assistance funds from Washington’s $46.5 billion rental aid program than any other state, according to Treasury Department data through the end of July. It has disbursed at least $616 million — accounting for 47 percent of its initial batch of rent relief from Washington — with some major cities and counties distributing more than 90 percent of their own allocations. (O'Donnell, 9/4)

CIDRAP: Study: Lifting State Eviction Bans Puts Residents At Risk For COVID 
A study yesterday in JAMA Network Open reveals that adult residents of US states that lifted COVID-19 eviction moratoria were at increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection 5 to 12 weeks later, compared with residents of states where the bans were still in place. (Van Beusekom, 8/31)

In related news about covid's economic toll —

The New York Times: From Cradle To Grave, Democrats Move To Expand Social Safety Net
When congressional committees meet this week to begin formally drafting Democrats’ ambitious social policy plan, they will be undertaking the most significant expansion of the nation’s safety net since the war on poverty in the 1960s, devising legislation that would touch virtually every American’s life, from conception to aged infirmity. Passage of the bill, which could spend as much as $3.5 trillion over the next decade, is anything but certain. President Biden, who has staked much of his domestic legacy on the measure’s enactment, will need the vote of every single Democrat in the Senate, and virtually every one in the House, to secure it. And with two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, saying they would not accept such a costly plan, it will challenge Democratic unity like nothing has since the Affordable Care Act. (Weisman, 9/6)

USA Today: New Infections Are Up 316% From Last Labor Day
Daily coronavirus infections are more than four times what the U.S. was seeing on Labor Day last year, or a 316% increase, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And daily deaths are almost twice as high. Blame the highly contagious delta variant and a swath of Americans refusing easily accessible vaccines that most of the developing world is furiously scrambling to obtain. Hospitalizations are up 158% from a year ago, U.S. Health and Human Services data shows. The result: Some U.S. hospitals are getting so crowded with COVID-19 patients that physicians may soon be compelled to make life-or-death decisions on who gets an ICU bed. (Bacon, Ortiz and Hauck, 9/6)

AP: More U.S. First Responders Are Dying Of COVID-19
The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the United States’ first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates. It’s a stark contrast from the beginning of the vaccine rollout when first responders were prioritized for shots. ... According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 132 members of law enforcement agencies are known to have died of COVID-19 in 2021. In Florida alone last month, six people affiliated with law enforcement died over a 10-day period. (9/6)

Georgia Health News: ‘Grim Milestone’: State’s Confirmed Pandemic Deaths Reach 20,000 
The number of confirmed Covid deaths in Georgia has now surpassed 20,000, state officials said Friday. In addition, there are more than 3,000 “probable’’ deaths from Covid, according to the state Public Health website. Georgia’s first confirmed Covid death was in March 2020.“It is tragic but not surprising that we have surpassed this grim milestone of 20,000 Covid deaths in our state,” Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, said in a statement. (Miller, 9/3)

AP: Hospitals In Crisis In Least Vaccinated State: Mississippi
As patients stream into Mississippi hospitals one after another, doctors and nurses have become all too accustomed to the rampant denial and misinformation about COVID-19 in the nation’s least vaccinated state. People in denial about the severity of their own illness or the virus itself, with visitors frequently trying to enter hospitals without masks. The painful look of recognition on patients’ faces when they realize they made a mistake not getting vaccinated. The constant misinformation about the coronavirus that they discuss with medical staff. (Willingham, 9/5)

The mu variant is spreading in the United States —

Los Angeles Times: Mu Coronavirus Variant Recorded In 167 People In L.A. County
A coronavirus variant recently determined to be a “variant of interest” has been detected in 167 people over the summer in Los Angeles County, officials said. The variant now known as Mu was mostly detected in July, according to analyses completed between June 19 and Aug. 21, the Department of Public Health said. Named after the 12th letter of the Greek alphabet, Mu was declared by the World Health Organization as a “variant of interest” on Aug. 30, and was first identified in January in Colombia, the department said. Mu, also known as B.1.621, has since been reported in 39 countries. (Lin II, 9/6)

In pediatric news —

CIDRAP: Child COVID Hospital Cases Up In Low-Vaccination States
Among persons aged 17 or younger, COVID-19–related emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions in the states with the lowest vaccination coverage were 3.4 and 3.7 times that in the states with the highest vaccination coverage during the most recent 2-week period (Aug 14 to 27). (Soucheray, 9/3)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Las Vegas Pediatricians See More COVID Cases, Hospitalizations In Kids
When parents remain on the fence about getting their children vaccinated against COVID-19, Las Vegas pediatrician Todd Zimmerman informs them that his family, including his two teenagers, have all gotten their shots. “That has helped put people over the goal line,” said Zimmerman, medical director for the emergency room at Sunrise Children’s Hospital. Conversations such as this have taken on critical importance, Zimmerman and other Las Vegas-area pediatricians say, as they see increasing numbers of cases and hospitalizations involving kids with COVID-19, the sickest of whom are almost always unvaccinated. (Hynes, 9/3)

WJCT 89.9 FM Jacksonville: ‘Protect Your Kids,’ Wolfson Children’s ICU Director Says After COVID Deaths
Four children have died from COVID-19 since June at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, according to a hospital spokesperson. Hospital data show 27 children were admitted to Wolfson in the past week. Wolfson pediatric critical care specialist Dr. Michael Gayle said two children, including a newborn, died with the illness this past week, according to WJCT News partner News4Jax. (Heddles, 9/4)

Also —

Axios: America's In A COVID Funk 
The pandemic may not be over, but Americans are over the pandemic — and it's starting to show in our collective willingness to cooperate with public health guidance. Over the last several weeks, the Delta variant dashed hopes of getting back to normal at a time when our patience for safety measures — and sometimes, each other — is already wearing thin. (Reed, 9/3)

Stat: Visualizing How Fast The Pandemic Is Getting Better Or Worse, State By State
Well over a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, visualizations of case data have become ubiquitous. By far, the most popular metric that public health officials and media outlets rely on is the daily count of new cases. But as the Delta wave picked up steam in the U.S., STAT introduced a new metric that helps detect early changes in case trends: case acceleration. (Parker, 9/6)

CIDRAP: How California Dealt With COVID-19 Oxygen Supply Issues
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit California, its healthcare facilities started having oxygen supply problems: Too many people were needing ventilatory support too quickly. While some rationing and troubleshooting did have to occur, the state was largely able to create a centralized request and allocation system, which included regional oxygen depots, procurement contracts, and tip sheets on oxygen safety and conservation. (McLernon, 9/3)

The Hill: Ohio Judge Reverses Decision Ordering Hospital To Treat Patient With Ivermectin 
An Ohio judge on Monday ruled a hospital no longer had to give a COVID-19 patient ivermectin, reversing a previous decision from another judge. “While this court is sympathetic to the Plaintiff and understands the idea of wanting to do anything to help her loved one, public policy should not and does not support allowing a physician to try ‘any’ type of treatment on human beings,” Common Pleas Judge Michael Oster said in the court order. (Lonas, 9/6)

NPR: Poison Control Centers Are Fielding A Surge Of Ivermectin Overdose Calls
According to the National Poison Data System (NPDS), which collects information from the nation's 55 poison control centers, there was a 245% jump in reported exposure cases from July to August — from 133 to 459. Meanwhile, emergency rooms across the country are treating more patients who have taken the drug, after being persuaded by false and misleading information spread on the internet, by talk show hosts and by political leaders. Most patients are overdosing on a version of the drug that is formulated to treat parasites in cows and horses. (Romo, 9/4)

In other news about covid treatments and side effects —

CIDRAP: Baricitinib Reduces Deaths In Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
The rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib was shown to reduce mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, according to a randomized, controlled trial published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine yesterday. Baricitinib acts as a Janus kinases inhibitor and is under emergency use authorization to treat severe COVID-19 by the US Food and Drug Administration. (9/2)

CIDRAP: Loss Of Taste Or Smell Linked To Some COVID Symptoms More Than Others
Although loss of taste or smell has been linked to COVID-19 infection, a research letter in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery yesterday found that the condition may not be as absolute a marker as people think. ... Among people with negative COVID-19 test results, loss of taste or smell was more strongly associated with congestion or runny nose compared with those who had positive test results. ... Similarly, loss of taste or smell was more strongly associated with cough and fever if the COVID-19 test was negative, not positive. (9/3)

Houston Chronicle: They Survived COVID, But Unseen Brain Damage Is Leaving Them Foggy And Forgetful
A growing number of recovered COVID-19 patients are suffering from brain fog, a persistent lack of mental clarity associated with short-term memory loss and sleep deprivation. As many as one in three people who recover from coronavirus may feel foggy and forgetful for months, studies show, even if the initial infection was mild. The worrying phenomenon has been observed in breakthrough cases for fully vaccinated people, and could become even more common with the rise of the highly-infectious delta variant. But there is hope of improvement with the right treatment. (Mishanec, 9/5)

The Washington Post: They’re Called Mild Cases. But People With Breakthrough Covid Can Still Feel Pretty Sick
Andrew Kinsey knew that even after being vaccinated against the coronavirus, there was a chance he could still fall ill with covid-19. He just never expected to feel this lousy from a case doctors call mild. For nearly a week, Kinsey felt like he had been “run over by a truck.” He struggled to walk a few steps and to stay awake through episodes of the TV show “Doomsday Preppers.” He returned to work last Monday as a corporate litigator but needs midday naps. (Nirappil, 8/31)

CNBC: Pfizer Covid Booster Shots Will Likely Be Ready Sept. 20, But Moderna May Be Delayed, Fauci Says
The U.S. will likely start to widely distribute Pfizer Covid-19 booster shots during the week of Sept. 20, but the rollout for Moderna’s vaccine could be delayed, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday. The Biden administration has announced plans to offer third doses to people who received the Pfizer and Moderna shots, pending approval from public health officials. The U.S. recommends an additional shot eight months after the second dose. Only the Pfizer vaccine booster may get Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approval in time for a rollout the week of Sept. 20, Fauci said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” People who received Moderna shots may have to hold off for longer as the company waits for regulators to sign off on a third dose. (Pramuk, 9/5)

Axios: The Biden Administration's Tension With Moderna Over Coronavirus Vaccine Boosters 
A disagreement between the Biden administration and Moderna over booster shot details has thrown a wrench in the administration's plans, and may result in the booster effort beginning with only some Pfizer recipients later this month. How the dispute shakes out could have implications for the global vaccine supply chain — as well as for Moderna's bottom line. (Owens, 9/4)

Stat: How The Risk Of Side Effects Could Change With Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters
Additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines are likely rolling out in the United States later this year. It raises the question: What will the side effects from a booster shot look like? Is there a higher or lower risk of an adverse event, compared to the earlier regimens? (Joseph, 9/7)

In related news —

The Hill: Biden Under Pressure To Ratchet Up Vaccine Aid
Lawmakers are pushing for billions in federal funding to boost global COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in Democrats' coming $3.5 trillion package, arguing that the Biden administration needs to do more to fight the pandemic worldwide and prevent dangerous new variants from forming. A group of 116 Democratic lawmakers, including more than half of the House Democratic caucus, wrote to congressional leaders and President Biden last month, calling on them to back $34 billion to increase global manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines and to help distribute the vaccines around the world. (Sullivan, 9/7)

Stat: Biden Wants $65 Billion For 'Apollo'-Style Pandemic Preparedness Program
The Biden administration on Friday unveiled a sweeping new biosecurity plan, outlining a $65 billion proposal to remake the nation’s pandemic preparedness infrastructure in the wake of Covid-19. The new spending would represent one of the largest investments in public health in American history: During a press briefing, Eric Lander, the White House science adviser, likened the proposal to the Apollo program of the late 1960s. (Facher, 9/3)

Axios: The COVID Vaccines Are Still The Pandemic's Endgame 
The goal of the COVID-19 vaccines was always to reduce death and severe illness. Even with the Delta variant, the vaccines are still doing that. But that message is getting lost, infectious disease and vaccine experts tell Axios. Two-thirds of the world isn't fully vaccinated. To return to some semblance of "normal," health authorities need to emphasize how the vaccines aren't failing and drastically increase global vaccine production. (Herman, 9/7)

AP: Afghan Refugees At Fort McCoy Offered COVID-19 Vaccines
Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy are being offered free COVID-19 vaccines — one of many precautions being taken at the military base to prevent the spread of the virus. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said all Afghans and U.S. residents coming from Afghanistan are tested for COVID when they first arrive to the U.S. and have the option to get a COVID-19 vaccine either at the airport or at Department of Defense facilities. (9/6)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Gwinnett School District To Offer $500 Vaccine Incentive
Gwinnett County Public Schools is offering a one-time $500 incentive to eligible staff members who get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees who were vaccinated earlier this year are also eligible for the payments, according to a news release from the school district. The incentive is available to all full-time employees with benefits as well as contracted cafeteria staff and speech language pathologists. (Malik, 9/7)

The New York Times: The Best Birthday Present In 2021? A Covid Vaccine. 
Zoe Tu, a seventh grader in Brooklyn, likes to celebrate her birthday with dulce de leche Haagen-Dazs ice cream cake. This year, her 12th, was no exception, but the day was also marked by a treat of another kind: her Covid vaccine. Zoe got the shot the first day she became eligible, on Aug. 2, and it was accompanied by a $100 gift certificate given as a vaccine incentive at the Barclays Center. (Her mother allowed her to spend it on anything she wanted.) “The nurse was really excited about wishing me a happy birthday,” Zoe recalled. (Goldberg, 9/5)

In other updates on the vaccine rollout —

CIDRAP: Study Shows Minimal Risk Of Guillain-Barre Relapse After COVID Vaccine
Only 1 of 702 adults who previously had Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) needed medical care for a relapse after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, finds a study yesterday in JAMA Neurology. Researchers at Maccabi Healthcare Services in Tel Aviv and Haifa, Israel, conducted the retrospective study to evaluate the country's policy of not excluding people previously diagnosed as having GBS from receiving the vaccine. An earlier association between other vaccines and GBS had raised concerns among clinicians and patients about COVID-19 vaccines. (9/2)

Stat: CEPI Warns Of Major Hurdle To Developing New Covid-19 Vaccines 
The world still needs more — and better — Covid-19 vaccines. But a major hurdle stands in the way of the development of new vaccines, as well as the critical studies needed to determine the best way to use these important tools, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) warned in a letter published Tuesday in the journal Nature. Unless countries that have purchased vaccine doses and companies that have already brought vaccines into use agree to find ways to resolve the problem, manufacturers that trail the first wave of producers may not be able to prove that their vaccines work. (Branswell, 9/7)

Politico: Get Vaccinated Or Else: Colleges Roll Out New Punishments For Holdouts
Quinnipiac University students who aren’t vaccinated will be fined up to $200 per week and lose access to the campus’ Wi-Fi until they get the shot. The University of Virginia booted more than 200 unvaccinated people from its rolls before the semester began. And Rutgers University, the first university in the U.S. to mandate vaccination for students, is threatening to disconnect email access and deny campus housing for students who don’t comply. Some colleges used similar tactics last year to get students to follow testing procedures. (Payne, 9/7)

AP: First Responders Nationwide Resist COVID Vaccine Mandates
The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the nation’s first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates. (Dazio, 9/6)

The Hill: Oregon Governor Sued By Police, Firefighters Over Vaccine Mandate
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) is being sued by Oregon State Police officers and firefighters over the state’s vaccine mandate. (Williams, 9/4)

Indianapolis Star: IU Health Suspends Fewer Than 300 People For Not Being Vaccinated
Indiana University Health has suspended potentially hundreds of employees for failing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, hospital officials said Thursday. In June, Indiana University Health became one of the first employers in the state to require that all of its approximately 36,000 employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, giving them until Sept. 1 to do so. A hospital spokesman did not have a specific number, but said fewer than 300 were suspended. The spokesman indicated the number was dwindling as employees updated their vaccination status. (Rudavsky, 9/2)

KHN: Concert Venues Are Banking On Proof Of Vaccines Or Negative Tests To Woo Back Fans
Two days before hosting an outdoor Wilco concert, the St. Louis Music Park announced it would require proof of vaccination or a negative covid test for all ticket holders, sending some attendees scrambling and upending plans. Concertgoers, promoters and venues nationwide are all having to pivot quickly to find safer ways of enjoying live music amid the pandemic’s delta surge. (Berger, 8/30)

KHN: Lack Of A Vaccine Mandate Becomes Competitive Advantage In Hospital Staffing Wars
After months of burnout from the pandemic, hospitals are scrambling to fill nursing and other jobs. Some administrators, particularly in rural areas, are afraid to implement vaccine mandates that alienate their short-handed staffs. (Weber, 8/31)

In related news about the California recall election —

Politico: Newsom's Closing Message: More People Will Die If I'm Recalled
Republicans harnessed pandemic anger months ago to qualify the recall election against California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Now the Democrat is banking on a pandemic strategy of his own to save his job. After tiptoeing around Covid-19 issues early this summer, Newsom is issuing mask and vaccine mandates and taking a tough-on-the-virus approach in the final stretch of the recall campaign. (Mays, 9/3)

KHN: Voters In Tight Recall Race Sound Off On California Gov. Newsom’s Covid Leadership
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic policies are effectively on California’s Sept. 14 recall ballot — and the electorate views them with a mix of resentment, gratitude and disillusionment. (Bluth, Young, de Marco and Hart, 9/2)

Axios: Poll: School Mask Mandate Fight Goes Beyond Battleground States 
Most parents back mask mandates, but the states where GOP parents are most opposed aren't the ones we always hear about, according to a new Axios/Momentive poll. While plenty of attention has centered around debates around the public health measures in schools in states like Texas and Florida, the poll offers a glimpse at how much more widespread opposition is across the country. (Reed, 9/7)

Salt Lake Tribune: Gov. Spencer Cox Backs Away From ‘Extreme Maskers’ Comment
During a Tuesday news conference, Cox was asked whether the state was giving mixed messages on mask-wearing. Cox tried to blame the political rancor surrounding the issue on both “anti-maskers” and what he referred to as “extreme maskers.” “Masks are not as effective as most of the pro-mask crowd are arguing,” Cox told reporters. “They’re just not.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that even fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors. The CDC has also advised masks be worn indoors for all teachers, staff and students at schools nationwide. (Schott, 9/3)

Billings Gazette: Teachers Unions Sign Agreement About Masks In Billings Public Schools
Billings Public Schools and the unions representing teachers and staff in the district signed off on a new memorandum of agreement last Friday that addresses masking requirements as well as some other issues related to COVID-19 in schools. The new MOA acknowledges the authority of the district's masking requirements and also lays out a series of agreements, including formation of a COVID advisory masking committee to advise Superintendent Greg Upham, and that a COVID Leave Bank will be set up so that union members can draw from it under certain circumstances before having to use sick days. The agreement replaces one signed in June which had included optional masking for union members. The new agreement will remain in effect until June 3, 2022. (Kordenbrock, 9/6)

Fox News: Surgical Masks Reduce COVID-19 Spread: Study
A new study that examined the effects of mask-wearing on the spread of COVID-19 found that even partial adoption helps to limit the spread. The study, led by researchers at Stanford Medicine and Yale University, was a large-scale, randomized trial using 350,000 people from 600 villages in rural Bangladesh. Those living in villages were randomly assigned a number of interventions to promote the use of masks. Researchers found that those living in the villages with such interventions were around 11% less likely to develop COVID-19 than those who did not. The effectiveness increased to nearly 35% for people over 60 years old, according to Stanford Medicine. (Aitken, 9/3)

Axios: Health Care Workers Experience PTSD, Trauma Heightened By COVID 
Front-line health workers, including ICU staffers and nurses, have displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has been heightened during the pandemic, Reuters reports. The recent uptick in COVID cases in the United States, largely driven by the Delta variant, may further increase the number of health workers experiencing symptoms of the disorder. (Reyes, 9/5)

North Carolina Health News: Rural Hospitals Can't Find Nurses They Need To Fight COVID 
On any given day, Mary Ellen Pratt, CEO of St. James Parish Hospital in rural Lutcher, Louisiana, doesn’t know how she’s going to staff the 25-bed hospital she manages. With the continued surge of the COVID-19 delta variant, she’s had to redirect resources. Her small team, including managers, has doubled up on duties, shifts and hours to care for intensive care patients, she said. “We’re having to postpone elective surgeries that require hospitalizations because we can’t take care of those patients in the hospital,” Pratt said. “The staff working in outpatient services have been redeployed to bedside care.” (Wright, 9/5)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Employment Contracted In August, The Second Decline This Year
For the second time in 2021, healthcare hiring crossed into negative territory, the latest jobs report show. Healthcare employment contracted by an estimated 4,900 jobs in August, preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show. That's after a healthy rebound in July that saw 29,100 new hires. Home health saw the biggest losses last month, as an estimated 11,600 jobs disappeared. These providers have struggled even more than others to recover since employment plummeted early in the COVID-19 pandemic. (Bannow, 9/3)

Bangor Daily News: Bangor Psychologist Suing Northern Light Over Unequal Pay Asks For More Than $200,000
The Bangor School Committee member who sued Northern Light Health over unequal pay at its Acadia Hospital is asking a judge to award her  more than $200,000 now that the hospital has admitted it paid female psychologists less than men doing the same job. Attorneys for Clare E. Mundell, who now is self-employed, filed a motion Wednesday for summary judgment in her pending lawsuit against the hospital system in U.S. District Court in Bangor. Mundell, 58, who was elected to the Bangor School Committee in November, began working at Acadia Hospital in November 2017 as a pool psychologist for $50 per hour. About two years later, she learned that her two male psychologist colleagues were making $90 and $95 per hour. (Harrison, 9/3)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealthcare Pays Providers Below Standard Rates For COVID-19 Vaccines
Pediatricians across the country are claiming the nation's largest insurer is shortchanging them for administering COVID-19 vaccines, jeopardizing access to the main tool for stopping the virus' spread. The American Academy of Pediatrics has fielded complaints from providers nationwide who are frustrated that UnitedHealth Group is paying about 50% of the federal rate for vaccine administration, said Dr. Sue Kressly, who chairs the AAP's payment advocacy advisory committee and runs Pennsylvania-based Kressly Pediatrics. While UnitedHealthcare is not legally required to pay the federal rate, Kressly said the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based insurer is the only national carrier that has not agreed to pay at least $40 for vaccine administration. (Tepper, 9/3)

Modern Healthcare: Feds Sue UPMC And Its Leading Surgeon Under The False Claims Act
A senior University of Pittsburgh Medical Center surgeon allegedly billed the government for unnecessary surgeries and operations he didn't perform and directly harmed patients, according to a federal false claims lawsuit filed Thursday. The Justice Department brought the suit against UPMC, University of Pittsburgh Physicians and Dr. James Luketich, a top surgeon at UPMC Presbyterian-Shadyside. Luketich earned $2.4 million at UPMC in fiscal 2019, making him among the company's highest paid employees. (Devereaux, 9/3)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Harvard Club Honors 5 Health System CEOS For Pandemic Prep, Response
Developing protocols for emergency departments, setting up COVID-19 units, finding personal protective equipment, moving to remote work for administrative staff, expanding intensive care units, shifting clinics to telehealth, redeploying and training staff, setting up testing sites — health systems’ checklists were long and complicated as they prepared for the pandemic last year. No one knew what to expect. “Everyone,” said Chris Woleske, CEO of Bellin Health Systems, “was facing the same uncertainty.” (Boulton, 9/2)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: CMS Should Collect Home Health Telehealth Data, Experts Say
The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services should collect data about telehealth use in home health to guide policymakers in setting reimbursement rates for providers, experts said during the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's September meeting on Friday. CMS adjusted how the Medicare program pays providers under the home health prospective payment system in 2020 after Congress mandated changes to those payments in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. Under the Patient-Driven Groupings Model, CMS moved from a 60- to 30-day payment unit and stopped basing payments on the number of therapy visits to curb their use. (Brady, 9/3)

PolitiFact: Fact Check: The Average Cost Of A COVID-19 Hospital Stay
The claim: “The average hospital stay for a case of COVID-19 costs about $17,064. The vaccine is free.” — U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. PolitiFact rating: Mostly true. It’s difficult to determine an average cost for a hospital stay for COVID-19. Many individual factors can cause estimates to swing widely. But Jayapal’s figure is in line with several credible estimates, and to her bigger point, the vaccine is much cheaper. (Valverde, 9/6)

Politico: FDA Nears Day Of Reckoning On E-Cigarettes 
The Food and Drug Administration is nearing a pivotal deadline for deciding the fate of every e-cigarette on the market — and potentially reshaping the vaping industry. The agency is reviewing millions of applications from e-cigarette makers, and must decide by Sept. 9 whether their products are “appropriate for the protection of public health”: safe for current smokers and not appealing to non-smokers. FDA has already blocked the sale of 55,000 flavor (Foley, 9/7)

Stat: FDA Has Just 3 Days To Decide How To Regulate 6.5 Million E-Cig Products
The Food and Drug Administration has just three days until it must finally decide which e-cigarette brands and products — including Juul — can stay on the market. So far, the agency has only reviewed a small portion of the 6.5 million applications it has received — making it seem highly unlikely that the FDA will be able to cross this particular finish line. The FDA also hasn’t given the judge who set the Sept. 9 deadline any indication that it’s about to miss it, despite the fact that e-cigarette makers, and even another federal agency, have been begging the FDA for extensions. (Florko, 9/7)

In other news related to smoking —

Stat: Study: Never-Smokers' Lung Cancers Genetically Differ From Smokers' Tumors
Researchers have identified unique genetic signatures of lung cancer in people who never smoked cigarettes, using whole genome sequencing to analyze tumors from this under-studied population. The new study, published Monday in Nature Genetics, more than doubles the number of sequenced lung tumors from never-smokers and helps point the way toward developing personalized treatments distinct from those used for smokers’ cancers, the authors said. (Gaffney, 9/6)

CNN: Cannabis Consumers Under Age 45 Are Nearly Twice As Likely To Have A Heart Attack Compared To Non-Cannabis Users 
Whether you smoke it, vape it or eat it as an edible, cannabis may be significantly increasing your risk of a heart attack. Adults under 45 years old who consumed cannabis within the last 30 days, suffered from nearly double the number of heart attacks than adults who didn't use the drug, according to research published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. (Marples, 9/7)

Fox News: Number Of People With Dementia Expected To Rise 40% Within Decade, WHO Says
The number of people worldwide suffering from dementia is expecting to rise to 78 million by 2030, according to a report published Thursday by the World Health Organization. That’s a 40% increase from the estimated number of people worldwide currently suffering from the neurological disorder. As populations age, the number of people with dementia is expected to rise to a whopping 139 million by 2050, the WHO said. Dementia can be caused by a variety of diseases or injuries that affect the brain like a stroke, brain injury or Alzheimer’s disease. It is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and a major cause of disability and dependency among older people. (Betz, 9/3)

KHN: ‘My Time To Live’: Through Novel Program, Kidney Patients Get Palliative Care, Dialysis ’Til The End
Seattle’s Northwest Kidney Centers, which pioneered kidney failure treatment 50 years ago, now pairs dying patients with hospice services, without forcing them to forgo the comfort dialysis can provide. (Aleccia, 8/30)

KHN: How Rape Affects Memory, And Why Police Need To Know About That Brain Science
How a sexual assault survivor is questioned by police can greatly influence the ability to access memories of the traumatic incident. Better interview techniques might help solve more cases. (Caiola, 9/1)

CNN: All Parents Should Be 'Outraged' In Fight Against Pediatric Brain Cancer, Say Two CNN Correspondents 
Like many new parents, René Marsh felt her life was "transformed" in March of 2019 when her newborn son Blake was handed to her by a nurse. "It really is like someone hands you your heart," said Marsh, who is a CNN correspondent. "My instinct from the second that I was holding him was to protect him. And my purpose in life was making sure that Blake was well, making sure that Blake had all that he needed." (LaMotte, 9/7)

San Francisco Chronicle: Spare The Air Alert Extended Until Tuesday As Unhealthy Air Grips Bay Area
As wildfire smoke, high temperatures and vehicle exhaust continue to choke the Bay Area, the region’s Air Quality Management District has extended a Spare the Air alert through Tuesday. The alert — initially announced Sunday — comes as the several wildfires rage through Northern California and send smoke into the air. Firefighters made major headway on the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County this week, but warmer temperatures and stronger winds projected for this week threaten to unravel some of that progress. (Thadani, 9/6)

In news about your mental health —

The Boston Globe: Schools Are Increasing Mental Health Support This Year, But Experts Fear It’s Still Not Enough
Many students may be traumatized by the disruptions and losses of the past year and a half, battling anxiety after being out of school for so long, worried about COVID-19 and the risk of exposure. A record number of youths suffered crises during the pandemic, with Boston Children’s Hospital seeing more children with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders — and a 40 percent increase last summer in admissions for suicidal thoughts and attempts. Yet even before the pandemic, the educational system was not prepared for the mental health needs of young students. One analysis from 2020 showed Massachusetts schools had only half the number of social workers that they needed, with psychologists and counselors also in short supply. (Martin, 9/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Kids Anxious About Going Back To School? Here Are Some Signs
Students are facing more than standard back-to-school anxiety this fall. Returning to classrooms after a year of remote learning and a continuing pandemic, some children may have difficulties coping emotionally with all the changes. From separation anxiety to the need for support, health experts say parents should be on the lookout for behaviors that may signal anxiety and stress. Children are already starting the year with more challenging mental-health needs than in years past. (Dizik, 9/6)

Stateline: States Have Money To Spend On Mental Health, But It May Not Last
Colorado’s known as a mecca for healthy, outdoorsy types. Yet a higher share of state residents than the national average struggle with mental illness, suicidal thoughts or heavy drug or alcohol use, according to federal surveys. The COVID-19 pandemic—with its accompanying job losses, school closures and bereavements—has made the situation worse. Now Colorado policymakers are gearing up to spend big on mental health and substance use disorder services, thanks to the March federal COVID-19 relief package, the mammoth American Rescue Plan Act. (Quinton, 9/2)

CNBC: Neuroscientist: Do These 6 Exercises Every Day To Build Resilience And Mental Strength
When I first began researching anxiety in my lab as a neuroscientist, I never thought of myself as an anxious person. That is, until I started noticing the words used by my subjects, colleagues, friends and even myself to describe how we were feeling — “worried,” “on edge,” stressed out,” “distracted,” “nervous,” “ready to give up.” But what I’ve found over the years is that the most powerful way to combat anxiety is to consistently work on building your resilience and mental strength. Along the way, you’ll learn to appreciate or even welcome certain kinds of mistakes for all the new information they bring you. (Suzuki, 8/31)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Four Dead, 141 Treated In Hospitals For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Since Ida, Health Department Says
The Louisiana Department of Health announced Monday afternoon that four people have died of carbon monoxide poisoning and 141 people have been treated for inhalation of the deadly, odorless gas since Hurricane Ida. When the storm left nearly 600,000 people without power, many looked to the portable generator — a tried and true way to get at least some power their homes. It's unclear how many of the carbon monoxide poisoning incidents are directly related to generator use, but there was a major spike in cases after the storm. (Pierce, 9/6)

CBS News: Several Louisiana Nursing Home Evacuees Die In Warehouse Used As Storm Shelter
A nurse detailed horrifying conditions at a Louisiana warehouse where hundreds of nursing home patients were relocated before Hurricane Ida made landfall. At least seven nursing home residents have died after being moved to a warehouse facility in Tangipahoa Parish where more than 800 residents from seven nursing facilities were kept as Ida tore through Louisiana. (Mitchell, 9/6)

Axios: New Orleans Senior Facilities Where Bodies Found "Unacceptable" — Mayor 
New Orleans officials are investigating what Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Monday called "unacceptable" conditions in several senior apartments, after five people were found dead in the complexes in the wake of Hurricane Ida. New Orleans Health Department teams discovered the bodies during wellness checks at senior apartment complexes, which found eight facilities unfit for occupancy, per a City of New Orleans statement Sunday. (Falconer, 9/7)

In news from North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama —

North Carolina Health News: NC ‘Hotspot’ For Colorectal Cancer In Black Men. Have You Been Screened? 
Colorectal cancer, cancer that affects the colon and rectum, is personal for Charles Rogers. Rogers recently went back home to rural North Carolina for a family cookout and found out one of his cousins was 17 years overdue for his colonoscopy. The Sanford native and assistant professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine has devoted his research to inequalities in men’s health. “I gave him a little education about the importance of screening,” Rogers said. (Thompson, 9/7)

AP: West Nile Case In Shelby County Tennessee's 3rd This Year
A person who contracted West Nile virus in Shelby County is Tennessee’s third case of the illness this year, health officials said. In a news release Friday, the Shelby County Health Department did not identify the person who got the illness, which is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. (9/7)

AP: Statewide Moment Of Silence To Remember Lives Lost To Virus
Alabama hospital officials are planning a statewide moment of silence to remember those who have died with COVID-19. The Alabama Hospital Association is helping to organize the Tuesday vigil to remember the more than 12,000 Alabamians who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic and support those who are battling the virus, Al.com reported. The event is set for noon on Sept. 7. (9/6)

Modern Healthcare: Alabama Redirects $12.3 Million In CARES Funding To Mitigate Nursing Shortage
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey reallocated $12.3 million of CARES Act funding to help overwhelmed hospitals attract travel nurses, state authorities announced Friday. Hospitals across the country, particularly in the South, are struggling to keep up with COVID-19 surges among the unvaccinated. The latest influx of acute COVID-19 cases has exacerbated lingering staffing shortages, prompting calls for higher pay, better working conditions and more training programs. "I'm pleased to see more folks getting vaccinated, but we are still in the thick of COVID-19 and our hospitals are overwhelmed," Ivey said in a news release. "Until our vaccination rates rise and our COVID-19 hospitalization rates fall, we will need the extra support these nurses provide." (Kacik, 9/3)

In news from Arizona and New Mexico —

AP: Tucson's 2nd Exam Site For Sexual Assault Victims Opens
A second forensic examination site for sexual assault victims has opened in Tucson. The Arizona Daily Star reports that the site opened last week at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson. The site is supported by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department. In Arizona, such exams must have been completed by certified sexual assault nurse examiners for evidence from a survivor’s sexual assault kit to be admissible in court. (9/6)

AP: Albuquerque Jail Offers Treatment For Opioid Addiction
The Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque has begun a program to give buprenorphine to people in jail who are already using it to treat their opioid addictions. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the buprenorphine maintenance program can provide an average of 22 inmates per day with the medication. (9/6)

AP: Chile Authorizes Sinovac Vaccine For Kids Of 6 And Older
Chilean health authorities approved on Monday the use of the Sinovac vaccine against the coronavirus for 6-year-old children and older, the first Latin America’s country to take that step. Heriberto García, director of Chile’s Public Health Institute, said the institution approved the new measure by five votes in favor and one against. (9/6)

Fox News: COVID-19 Vaccines: British Health Officials Refuse To Approve Shots For Healthy Children Ages 12-15
British health officials have refused to approve COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy children aged 12-15 years old. Ministers have asked the officials to review the guidance in light of possible issues that might arise as the school term gets under way. The current guidance would allow for teens with underlying conditions or vulnerable parents to get the shot. The decision on healthy children was based on concern over an extremely rare side effect of the Pfizer vaccine that causes heart inflammation, the BBC reported. (Aitken, 9/4)

Axios: AstraZeneca To Give EU 200M COVID Vaccine Doses, Ending Legal Dispute 
AstraZeneca agreed to deliver 200 million more doses of its coronavirus vaccine to the European Union by the end of the first quarter of 2022, the company announced Friday. The deal ends a monthslong legal dispute between AstraZeneca and the EU over vaccine supplies and will bring the total number of doses delivered by the company to the EU to 340 million. (Knutson, 9/3)

The Washington Post: Brazil Suspends Use Of Millions Of Doses Of China’s Sinovac Coronavirus Vaccine 
Brazil’s health regulator suspended the use of just over 12.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine manufactured by China’s Sinovac after learning that vials containing the shots were filled at an unauthorized production base. The suspension is for 90 days as an investigation is carried out, said Anvisa, the regulator, which announced the decision in a statement Saturday. The Butantan Institute, a Sao Paulo biomedical center that has partnered with Sinovac to fill the vaccine for local usage, notified Anvisa about the irregularity the prior day, the agency said. (Jeong, 9/6)

Axios: New Zealand To Lift COVID Lockdown Outside Auckland 
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday an end to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown outside of Auckland, saying "we've done so well to get this outbreak under control." "We are within sight of elimination, but we cannot drop the ball," Ardern said at a briefing confirming the rest of NZ will move to level 2 of the country's four-tier pandemic response measures at 11:59pm Tuesday. (Falconer, 9/6)

The Washington Post: Trudeau Met With Gravel, Anti-Vaccination Protesters At Campaign Stop 
Hours after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed that he “won’t back down” in the face of the “anti-vaxxer mobs,” protesters — many of them opposed to coronavirus vaccinations and public health measures — threw gravel at him at a campaign stop on Monday evening. The incident occurred while Trudeau was boarding his campaign bus after an event at a brewery in London, Ontario, a city some 120 miles southwest of Toronto. Videos posted to social media of the episode show protesters throwing gravel in the direction of the prime minister and some of the reporters traveling with him. Trudeau turned toward the direction was coming from and boarded the bus. (Coletta and Pietsch, 9/6)

In other global news —

Bloomberg: U.K. Plans To Extend Storage Limit For Eggs, Sperm And Embryos
Storage limits for sperm, eggs and embryos in the U.K. are to be increased to a maximum of 55 years to give people greater choice over when to start a family. Under the proposals announced by Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Monday, prospective parents would be given the option to keep or dispose of frozen reproductive cells or embryos at 10-year intervals. The existing storage limit is 10 years. “The current storage arrangements can be severely restrictive for those making the important decision about when to start a family, and this new legislation will help turn off the ticking clock in the back of people’s minds,” Javid said in a statement. (Atkinson, 9/6)

AP: Pelé Says Apparent Colon Tumor Removed But Feels Well
Pelé has had an apparent tumor on the right side of his colon removed in an operation. Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo said on Monday the 80-year-old soccer great is in an intensive care unit and will be transferred to a regular room on Tuesday. The operation was a “great victory,” Pelé said on his social media channels on Monday. (Savarese, 9/7)

CBS News: Former Soccer Player Jean-Pierre Adams Dies After 39 Years In A Coma Following Botched Knee Surgery
Jean-Pierre Adams, the former France and Paris Saint-Germain defender who spent 39 years in a coma, has died. He was 73. ... Adams, cared for by his wife, Bernadette, had been lying in a coma at his home in the southern French city of Nimes since 1982. He was injured in a match and required knee surgery. During the operation at Lyon Hospital, an anaesthetic error saw him fall into a coma. (9/6)

The Atlantic: The Masks Were Working All Along
The most urgent question in the world for the past 20 months has been: What’s the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus? But it’s a frustrating question to answer definitively, since even the most logical solutions have been shrouded in what I’ve called the fog of pandemic. (Derek Thompson, 9/4)

The New York Times: Christian Exemptions To Vaccine Mandates Lack Sound Basis 
Religious exemptions to employer mandates are a precious right in our democracy. This is why it is especially important not to offer such exemptions to coronavirus vaccine mandates. They make a mockery of Christianity and religious liberty. Now that the Food and Drug Administration has fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, government agencies, universities and businesses are instituting vaccination requirements. This has prompted a wave of requests from individuals to opt out of such requirements by claiming a religious exemption. (Curtis Chang, 9/6)

USA Today: Why Mandated, Universal Masking Is Needed To Stop COVID
The delta variant is driving COVID-19 infections back up, even among younger patients, including people in their 20s to 50s and our children. Intensive care units in many communities across the country are once again overflowing. If you watch the news, chances are you’ve heard all of this can be resolved based on the behavior of just one group of people. You’ve probably heard that we have entered a new era called “the pandemic of the unvaccinated. ”As advocates for public health, registered nurses want to be extremely clear: There is no such thing as a pandemic of the unvaccinated. (Bonnie Castillo, 9/7)

NBC News: Covid Vaccination Status Is The New Social Dividing Line In America. It Demands Its Own Etiquette
Last week, I suggested going on a walk with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while.“That would work,” she replied by text. “A few questions for you. Are you vaccinated? Do you wear a mask at all times when you are inside public spaces? Also, we need to walk at least three feet apart if the above answers are yes.” (Ilene Prusher, 9/5)

Newsweek: Mitigating Long-Term Effects Of The Pandemic On Children Of Color 
As a mother of two boys aged 13 and 12, I have been thinking a lot about how my sons have been handling the pandemic, and what the lingering effects will be, especially on their mental health as they get older. As an epidemiologist, in the past year, I received funding to study the physical, mental and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly among marginalized populations. As more people continue to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the U.S., there is hope for protection from the short and long-term physical effects of the virus and a return to "normal" life after the pandemic. However, the effects on mental health, especially among children in communities of color, cannot be ignored. (Marcelle Dougan, 9/4)

The Boston Globe: Life Expectancy Depends On Where You Call Home 
American life expectancy fell by nearly a year and a half in 2020 — the sharpest one-year decline since World War II. A chilling statistic for sure, but one with a clear explanation: COVID-19 led to a profound increase in excess deaths, particularly among Black and Hispanic residents. What’s more complex — and just as alarming — is the trend that emerged long before the pandemic took hold. (Michelle A. Williams, 9/6)

The Baltimore Sun: Congress Must Act To Lower Prescription Drug Prices 
It’s been nearly two years since our dear friend Elijah Cummings died. In that time, we have mourned his loss, lived through a pandemic, faced a reckoning on racial injustice and experienced a monumental election, in which the American people put their faith in Democrats to build our country back and enact change to better the lives of working families. In this time of building back better, we know Elijah would have pushed us to think of those who are struggling the most. With rising health care costs for COVID long-haulers, we need to focus on lowering prescription drug prices for Americans. (Anthony Brown and Kweisi Mfume, 9/7)

Stat: To Lower Drug Costs, Define 'Cost' To Mean Net Cost After Rebates 
In what could be a turning point in the prescription drug debate, President Biden has made clear that the health crisis of unaffordable medications must end. In a speech he gave in the East Room of the White House in August, the president shared how he and his siblings had to chip in to cover the cost of their mother’s prescription drugs as she got older, spending thousands of dollars per month. The Bidens’ experience is shared by millions of other American seniors and families. (Sean Dickson, 9/7)

Scientific American: The Absurd Pregnancy Math Behind The Texas 'Six-Week' Abortion Ban 
The Supreme Court recently upheld a Texas law that would be prevent patients from accessing abortion care after six weeks of pregnancy. There are many reasons this law is concerning—chiefly that it will do considerable harm to many people—but it is also based on bad biology. Pregnancy math is confusing, and it’s unclear whether legislators involved are simply ignorant on reproductive biology or recognize that it’s an indirect way to ban all abortions. (Michelle Rodriguez, 9/4)

The Washington Post: What The Justice Department Should Do To Stop The Texas Abortion Law 
The Texas legislature and five Supreme Court justices have joined forces to eviscerate women’s abortion rights — the legislature by creating and the justices by leaving in place a system of private bounties designed to intimidate all who would help women exercise the right to choose. But the federal government has — and should use — its own powers, including criminal prosecution, to prevent the law from being enforced and to reduce its chilling effects. Of course, the best approach would be for Congress to codify the right to abortion in federal law, although Democrats likely lack the votes to make that happen — and there is a risk that this conservative Supreme Court would find that such a statute exceeded Congress’s authority under the Commerce Clause. (Laurence H. Tribe, 9/5)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Employees Could Hold The Key To A Revealing New Data Set 
We live in a world that is utterly flooded with customer satisfaction surveys. If your email inbox is anything like mine, it is chock-full of unread requests for feedback on many of the goods and services you have tried in the past days, weeks or months. In our ever-digital universe, feedback is data. We all know how powerful data can be—especially in the healthcare industry. Indeed, it is extremely important that health system and hospital executives understand where there might be room for improvement in their organizations. Truth be told, an understanding of performance can be a matter of life and death, or quality of life, for patients. (Matthew Lawlor, 9/7)

The New York Times: Southern Republicans Cannot Be Trusted With Public Health 
For those of you keeping score at home, here is where things stand in the 2021 National Calamities Sweeps, Southern Division:In the ever-expanding Climate-Augmented Natural Disasters event, results cannot yet be tallied. Tennessee and North Carolina are both digging out from catastrophic flooding, while parts of Louisiana were flattened by Hurricane Ida, and most of New Orleans remains without electricity. Ida’s remnants also brought even more rain to areas of the South and beyond that were already dangerously waterlogged. In the Utter Failure to Understand What “Pro-Life” Really Means tournament, normally a very close battle in the red states, Texas is currently uncontested: Its leaders just made it easier to carry a gun and harder to end an unwanted pregnancy in the same week. (Margaret Renkl, 9/6)

The Star Tribune: Secure Caregiving System For Most-At-Risk 
For decades, Minnesota has been on the leading edge of helping seniors and people with disabilities get care in their homes. Not only is this where they want to live, but it also saves money in the long run by keeping them out of more costly settings. Democrats and Republicans have championed this approach, and that bipartisan commitment to the health, well-being and dignity of Minnesotans with disabilities and older residents is one of the reasons Minnesota consistently ranks so high in quality-of-life ratings. Now, with President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda, we have the chance to secure this system of care for our grandparents, parents and children.  (John Dahm, 9/5)