Fewer Cancers Being Diagnosed During Pandemic, Research Shows

Stat: New Cancer Diagnoses Fell Sharply As The Coronavirus Pandemic First Hit
By almost every measure, far fewer cancers are being diagnosed during the coronavirus pandemic, whether the decline shows up in screening mammograms and colonoscopies or in other tests ordered after troubling symptoms prompt a doctor’s visit. A research letter published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open notes a steep downward slope in newly identified cases of six common cancer types, based on weekly numbers from Quest Diagnostics. (Cooney, 8/4)

The Washington Post: Fetal Tissue Research Advisory Board Convenes, With A Strong Anti-Abortion Tilt 
A long-awaited ethics advisory board, dominated by foes of abortion and fetal tissue research, has convened for the first time, deciding whether it believes proposed research grants and contracts should get government funding. At least one researcher, whose funding application to the National Institutes of Health had been in limbo for nearly a year until Friday’s meeting, received a notice from NIH this week that invited him to revise the proposal by removing the use of fetal tissue. (Goldstein, 8 /4)

Los Angeles Times: Women Addicts Delivering Stillbirths May Face Murder Charges 
It sounds like a nightmare scenario for women’s rights in California. Every time a woman suffers a late-term miscarriage or gives birth to a stillborn baby, she could potentially become the target of a homicide investigation, with police visiting homes and delivery rooms to carry out interrogations. Yet some medical and civil rights groups say that scenario is not so far-fetched if the murder prosecution of Chelsea Becker is permitted to proceed in a rural county of the San Joaquin Valley. They say it could judicially rewrite the state’s homicide statute, expanding it to apply to any pregnant woman whose conduct might have resulted in the loss of her pregnancy. (Wigglesworth, 8/4)

AP: Health Officials: 4 New Dengue Fever Cases In Florida Keys
Four cases of Dengue fever have recently been confirmed in the Florida Keys, bringing the total number of cases reported this year to 26, health officials said. The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County said in a statement on Monday that indications are the mosquito-borne infections were acquired locally. The four people have received medical treatment and are expected to make full recoveries. (8/4)

NPR: Flu Shots 2020: When And Where To Get One Amid The Pandemic
Get set for 2020's mega-campaign against the flu amid the COVID-19 pandemic: immunization drives in the parking lots of churches and supermarkets, curbside inoculations outside doctors' offices, socially distanced vaccine appointments held indoors, with breaks in between for disinfecting. These are just some of the ways heath providers say they will give tens of millions of flu shots this fall — arguably the most important U.S. effort to prevent influenza's spread among Americans in a century. (Kritz, 8/4)

In sports news —

Stateline: As Sports Teams Struggle, So Do Their Hometowns 
The pandemic has dealt a hammer blow to the entire sports industry and its dependent businesses, from restaurants and hotels to car rentals. That, in turn, hurts cities and states that have less tax revenue coming in for needed community services. The fragile XFL football league, which included the Arlington-based Dallas Renegades, was thrown into bankruptcy after five weeks of play, and more stable pro teams still face uncertainty amid the risks of COVID-19. (Montgomery, 8/5)

AP: Colorado St Investigates Athlete Claims On COVID Reporting
Colorado State president Joyce McConnell says she will launch an investigation into how the athletic department handled COVID-19 safety protocols amid a report that players were told not to reveal symptoms. The investigation stems from an article published in the Coloradoan on Tuesday. According to the newspaper report, Colorado State football players and members of the athletic staff say coaches told them not to report coronavirus symptoms and threatened players with reduced playing time should they quarantine. (8/5)

And how the pandemic is affecting work and relationships —

The Wall Street Journal: The Strain The Covid Pandemic Is Putting On Marriages 
For Kristin and Ilya Shapiro, the Covid pandemic has created new tensions. Lately, the spouses have argued about Mr. Shapiro’s travel schedule: Ms. Shapiro doesn’t like that it creates child-care headaches. But Mr. Shapiro says it’s important to his work as a Washington, D.C., think tank director, and offers emotional respite too. “I would be lying if I said there haven’t been tears,” says Ms. Shapiro, a 37-year-old attorney. She is confident they will make it through together. But for now, their stress level is high. “This has been a very difficult period,” she says. (Chaker, 8/4)

NPR: Couples Divided By Pandemic Are Rallying To Reunite 
Rezan al-Ibrahim understands separation. A Web developer who fled the war in Syria and now has asylum in the Netherlands, he's in a long-distance marriage with his wife, Aysha Shedbalkar, an Indian American math teacher, because of the Trump administration's ban on Syrians. "She had taken this year off work to stay with me in Amsterdam," he says. "Then the pandemic hit." (Kakissis, 8/4)

PBS NewsHour: Millennials Report More Stress Than Older Americans During Pandemic 
The unknowns and uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic has sprung many Americans into stressful situations on a daily basis, be it around job loss or insecurities, health concerns, social isolation or a complete reconfiguration of what a “normal” life looks like. However, younger people in the U.S. are reporting higher levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic than older generations, according to recent surveys. (Frazee, 8/4)

The Washington Post: A Study Of 3.1 Million Workers Shows Remote Work Really Does Mean Longer Work Days — And More Meetings
The massive global shift to remote work since the pandemic began has led to some upsides: More flexibility, no commute, more comfortable pants. But those who sense this grand experiment in working from home also comes with plenty of downsides — longer days, more meetings and more email to answer — are now backed up by data from 3.1 million workers. The average workday lengthened by 48.5 minutes in the weeks following stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, and the number of meetings increased by 13 percent, a working paper published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research showed. (McGregor, 8/4)