Different Takes: We’re Going To Need Strong Leadership Again For The Second Wave; The Lockdown Was Totally Unnecessary And Harmed Lives

The Wall Street Journal: Get Ready For The Second Coronavirus Wave
I want to get back to the pandemic, which is not at the moment being seen for what it is. It is taking place within a very different context. It has been subsumed by the Upheaval, the culture-shaking event we are undergoing as a nation. States have begun to reopen, people are going out. Covid-19 feels like yesterday’s story—we don’t want to think about it, we’re barely out of the house. But it’s tomorrow’s story too. The first wave is still here. It never went away. We have every reason to think another, newer, possibly different wave will come in the late fall (different in that the strain could be more lethal, or less). We have to keep this in mind and have a plan. Public officials especially should be thinking about one. Outbreaks continue. Some 800 Americans a day are still dying. (Peggy Noonan, 6/11)

Fox News: We Were Lied To About Coronavirus And The Mass Lockdowns. Here's The Proof
Millions of Americans remain subjected to unprecedented restrictions on their personal lives, their daily lives, their family's lives. The coronavirus lockdowns continue in many places. You may not know that because it gets no publicity, but it's true. And if you're living under it, you definitely know. As a result of this, tens of millions of people are now unemployed. A huge number of them have no prospects of working again. Many thousands of small businesses are closed and will never reopen. More Americans have become dependent on drugs and alcohol, seeing their marriages dissolve, and become clinically depressed. ...We had no choice. We did the right thing. That's what they're telling us. Is it true? (Tucker Carlson, 6/11)

Los Angeles Times: Reopened Las Vegas Hotels Divided Over Coronavirus Rules
“Why is he wearing a mask?” As I walked up to a roulette table at the Cosmopolitan on Friday night, I couldn’t help but hear the young woman ask her friend about my facial covering. I knew she was talking about me because as I scanned the casino floor, I was the only non-employee wearing a mask. Welcome to the new Las Vegas, where the coronavirus pandemic is in the mental rear-view mirror of many visitors, and mask shaming is in vogue for some tourists trying to return to normalcy. (Arash Markazi, 6/11)

The Wall Street Journal: The Second Wave Covid Scare
Stocks sold off Thursday amid investor worries that a “second wave” of coronavirus infections could cause countries and states that are reopening to lock down again. But headlines about a coronavirus resurgence in the U.S. are overblown so far, and the bigger threat is keeping the economy in a coma. “We know as a fact that reopening other states we’re seeing significant problems,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. “Twelve states that reopened are now seeing spikes. This is a very real possibility.” This is Mr. Cuomo’s excuse for keeping New York City in lockdown purgatory for 12 weeks as other states reopen and their economies rebound. (6/11)

Lexington Herald Leader: COVID-19 Toll In Black Community No Surprise To UK Researcher. Racism ‘Embedded’ In Healthcare.
Not long after coronavirus appeared on our shores, we learned about its capricious nature, sometimes manifesting as a head cold, sometimes as a lethal disease. As the count went up, public health experts soon reported that a disproportionate number of the worst COVID-19 deaths were in the black community. For example, blacks make up 13 percent of the U.S. population and 23 percent of reported deaths. In Kentucky, black deaths are up to 17 percent in a state where blacks are just 8 percent of the population. And Anita Fernander is not surprised. (Linda Blackford, 6/11)

New England Journal of Medicine: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Minority Communities 
The continuing spread of SARS-CoV-2 remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. What physicians need to know about transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of Covid-19 is the subject of ongoing updates from infectious disease experts at the Journal. In this audio interview conducted on June 10, 2020, the editors are joined by Dr. Michele Evans of the National Institutes of Health to discuss a new study examining the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on minority communities. (Eric J. Rubin, Lindsey R. Baden, Michele K. Evans, and Stephen Morrissey, 6/11)

The Hill: Elementary Principals Urge Congress To Boost School Aid Amid COVID-19 
The coronavirus outbreak continues to send shockwaves through health and economic systems around the globe. No aspect of society has been spared, including our nation’s public education system. This spring, at least 124,000 K-12 schools closed, causing significant disruptions in learning for more than 55 million students. Principals are working to prepare their schools for reopening this fall, but significant federal support will be needed to ensure schools have sufficient resources, staffing, and testing to open safely. (L. Earl Franks, 6/11)

Stat: Fee For Service Is A Terrible Way To Pay For Health Care 
Amid the nightly roar of applause for health care workers courageously caring for Covid-19 patients, many of them are losing their jobs. The crisis behind quarantine clapping — a communal show of gratitude for the workers braving the pandemic — has overwhelmed intensive care units in hospitals located in Covid-19 hot spots like New York, Boston, Detroit, and Seattle. At the same time, it has also tanked demand for primary care, dentistry, dermatology, and other clinical services. Why? Many of those in need of those services are among those also at greatest risk of contracting the virus that causes Covid-19. (Vivian S. Lee, 6/12)