COVID Hits More States In A Big Way

NBC News: FBI Raids Pennsylvania Nursing Home Where Hundreds Caught Coronavirus, Dozens Died
Federal and state investigators raided a Pennsylvania nursing home Thursday where hundreds of residents and staff members tested positive for coronavirus and dozens have died, authorities said. Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the state attorney general’s office and other agencies executed the search warrant at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center northeast of Pittsburgh, said Scott Brady, U.S. Attorney for Pennsylvania’s Western District. (Stelloh, 9/3)

In news from South Dakota, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Indiana —

USA Today: South Dakota, COVID-19 Hot Spot, Follows Sturgis Rally With State Fair
South Dakota is one of the nation's hot spots for COVID-19 infections. That didn't stop another large-scale event from kicking off Thursday.The rural South Dakota State Fair, which reported an attendance of 205,000 people last year, is set to run through Labor Day with more hand-washing stations, social distancing reminders and an encouragement — but not a requirement — for attendees to wear masks. It comes on the heels of the state's two largest events: The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the The Sioux Empire Fair. (Shannon, 9/3)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Nursing Homes Must Routinely Test Staff For COVID-19 Or Face Fines
Nursing homes in almost half of all Texas counties, including Dallas and Tarrant, must start testing their staff twice a week for COVID-19 or face potential fines. The sweeping new rules from the federal government are aimed at reducing spread in nursing homes, where the virus has cut a deadly path. Families and advocates hope the rules will open the door to more visitation, which has been restricted for months. (Morris, 9/3)

AP: Arkansas Lawmakers Sue Over State's Coronavirus Restrictions
A group of Republican lawmakers in Arkansas filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the state’s mask mandate and other coronavirus restrictions, even as the state reported one of its highest one-day increases in virus cases and deaths. The 18 lawmakers asked a judge to rule that the Health Department’s directives issued since the pandemic began are invalid. They argue the orders require legislative approval. (DeMillo, 9/3)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: What The Coronavirus Spread Looks Like In New Orleans Area Jails: Lockdowns Extended, Case Spikes, More 
Though the number of inmates testing positive has dropped in recent weeks, officials have extended the two-week lockdown at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center that began after an outbreak of coronavirus infections began spreading at the Gretna jail. (Hunter, 9/3)

CIDRAP: Indiana Data: Non-Whites, Older People Much More Likely To Die Of COVID-19
The COVID-19 case-fatality rate (CFR) in community-dwelling Indiana residents was three times higher in non-whites and 2.5 times higher than that of flu in people 65 years and older, a study published yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine found. Indiana University researchers analyzed coronavirus prevalence estimates of people 12 years and older from a random sample taken across their state and COVID-19 tests from Apr 25 to 29. Nursing home residents, which made up 54.9% of the state's deaths at that time, weren't counted because they would have been unable to leave their facilities for testing. (9/3)

In news from California —

San Jose Mercury News: UCSF Launching Mass Testing Effort In Oakland's Fruitvale
Researchers and community organizations are launching a two-day mass testing campaign in Oakland’s Fruitvale district to better understanding how COVID-19 has spread through the heavily Latinx neighborhood, which is one of the hardest hit in the Bay Area. For one weekend on Sept. 12 and 13, people will be able to get a free coronavirus nose-swab test as well as an antibody test that will detect past exposure to the virus. Community organizations will also interview at least 100 essential workers, provide meals to families, and give away school supplies donated by the Golden State Warriors in hopes of making the testing experience less intimidating. (Castaneda, 9/3)

Kaiser Health News: In Legislative Shuffle, California Prioritizes Safety Gear And Sick Leave During Crisis 
California lawmakers convened this year with big plans to tackle soaring health care costs, expand health insurance coverage and improve treatment for mental health and addiction.But the pandemic abruptly reoriented their priorities, forcing them to grasp for legislative solutions to the virus ripping through the state. (Bluth, Hart and Young, 9/4)

CNN: In California, Latinos Bear The Brunt Force Of The Coronavirus 
Every step for Jenny Ruelas is a challenge. The 31-year-old has to pause to catch her breath, carries a can of oxygen with her wherever she goes, and walks with a cane -- all of this since she contracted Covid-19 in May. Her doctors told her that one side of her heart is now larger than the other, she says, but her heart is also broken after losing her father to the virus. His girlfriend also died, leaving their five young children without parents. (Elam, 9/3)

KQED: One In Five Californians Know Someone Who Died Of COVID-19 
Nearly 20% of Californians know someone who has died of COVID-19, a rate that’s significantly higher for people of color and low-income residents, according to a new poll from the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF).Among respondents, 10% of white people reported knowing someone who had died of the virus, while that rate rose to 29% for Latinx people, 28% for African Americans and 19% for Asian Americans. (Sparling, 9/3)

The New York Times: Buffy Wicks Voted On The Floor With A Newborn In Her Arms 
Ms. Wicks, a veteran of the Obama and Clinton presidential campaigns, said she had never expected to become a symbol when she took her month-old child with her to vote on several crucial bills on Monday, the last day of the legislative session. Ms. Wicks lives in Oakland, just over an hour southwest of the capital, Sacramento. Since she was elected to the State Assembly in 2018, she has managed to make it home nearly every night before her older daughter’s bedtime. In other words: Juggling isn’t new. (Medina, 9/3)

Politico: 'Galvanize This Moment': California Lawmaker Hopes Newborn Speech Will Propel Family Leave
It was a revolution with a baby and a blanket. California Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks became an international symbol for working moms this week when she made a state Capitol floor speech just before midnight while holding her swaddled 1-month-old, Elly, and wearing a mask in the midst of the pandemic. After a whirlwind of interviews, spurred by a Hillary Clinton tweet, Wicks wants to use the moment to force changes in Washington and Sacramento that will help working parents. It comes as families are already overburdened with trying to balance parenting demands and work as school campuses remain closed and many child care centers have shut down. (Marinucci and Murphy, 9/3)

In other news —

CIDRAP: Wisconsin Records First Case Of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus In 2020
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced yesterday the state's first case of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus this year, in a girl from Eau Claire County. Last week the state announced that horses in three northwestern counties had also been diagnosed as having EEE, a mosquito-borne virus. The last human case in Wisconsin was in 2017. (9/3)

NPR: How Trump's Food Box Initiative Overpaid And Underdelivered 
The Trump administration has been celebrating an initiative that buys food from farmers and distributes it through charitable organizations such as food banks. "I'm proud to announce that we will provide an additional $1 billion to fund the Farmers to Families Food Box program. It's worked out so well," President Trump told a cheering crowd on Aug. 24 in North Carolina. Yet food banks, which play a key role in the program, are ambivalent about it. On the one hand, they're grateful for the food. "Any family that's receiving one of these food boxes is blessed and nourished, and I think it's a good thing," said Eric Cooper, president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank. (Charles, 9/3)