First Edition: Aug. 10, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
As Crisis Grows, Farms Try To Balance Health Of Field Workers And Food Supply
It’s a busy time for the tomato-producing farms in this part of the state. Farms have staffed up with hundreds of workers, most of whom are Latino. Some live locally. Others are migrant workers who travel from farm to farm, chasing the summer growing seasons. Still others come from Mexico or Central America on temporary agricultural visas to work at certain farms. But, this year, the season is taking place under a cloud of coronavirus worries that, for these agricultural workers, hit close to home. (Knight, 8/10)
Kaiser Health News:
Business Is Booming For Dialysis Giant Fresenius. It Took A $137M Bailout Anyway.
As the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed most nonemergency medical practices this spring, the dialysis business, vital to the survival of patients with kidney disease, rolled ahead and in some cases grew. Yet when the Trump administration sent billions in federal relief funds to medical organizations, at least $259 million went to dialysis providers, a KHN analysis of federal records found. Of that, kidney care behemoth Fresenius Medical Care accepted more than half, at least $137 million, despite acknowledging it had ample financial resources, the analysis showed. (Rau and Pradhan, 8/10)
Kaiser Health News:
Pandemic Hampers Reopening Of Joint Replacement Gold Mine
Dr. Ira Weintraub, a recently retired orthopedic surgeon who now works at a medical billing consultancy, saw a hip replacement bill for over $400,000 earlier this year. “The patient stayed in the hospital 17 days, which is only 17 times normal. The bill got paid,” mused Weintraub, chief medical officer of Portland, Oregon-based WellRithms, which helps self-funded employers and workers’ compensation insurers make sense of large, complex medical bills and ensure they pay the fair amount. (Wolfson, 8/10)
Kaiser Health News:
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Financial Self-Defense School Is Now In Session
When you need medical care, it can be a lot like entering a casino — playing for your financial life with the deck stacked against you. But in this episode, reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen offers insight and tips no dealer will divulge. She got a health care executive to talk honestly — maybe more honestly than he realized — about how his company and others are playing the game when they send patients huge bills. (Weissmann, 8/10)
AP:
US Tops 5 Million Confirmed Virus Cases, To Europe's Alarm
With confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. hitting 5 million Sunday, by far the highest of any country, the failure of the most powerful nation in the world to contain the scourge has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe. Perhaps nowhere outside the U.S. is America’s bungled virus response viewed with more consternation than in Italy, which was ground zero of Europe’s epidemic. Italians were unprepared when the outbreak exploded in February, and the country still has one of the world’s highest official death tolls at over 35,000. (Winfield and Pane, 8/9)
Politico:
U.S. Coronavirus Cases Pass 5 Million
Some federal health officials have attributed the surge to states rolling back their social distancing measures and lockdowns too soon, even though some that followed CDC guidelines are also reporting significant rebounds. (Ehley, 8/9)
The Washington Post:
Study: Coronavirus Cases In Children Rise Sharply In The Second Half Of July, With More Than 97,000 Infections
The jump in pediatric cases comes as children are entering close quarters for the first time in months as some schools open their doors to students again. For months, teachers, parents and politicians have argued over whether the risks that the novel coronavirus pose to children outweigh the benefits of in-person learning. (Janes, 8/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Latest Research Points To Children Carrying, Transmitting Coronavirus
Children might be more vulnerable to Covid-19 than once believed, with new research suggesting that they are able to contract and spread the virus, especially if they don’t take precautions such as wearing a mask. Several studies and reports published in recent weeks found coronavirus infections among children of all ages at places ranging from schools to camps to homes. Other research suggested that kids, especially older ones, can be a driving force behind transmission. And some researchers found children carry high levels of Covid-19’s genetic material in their upper respiratory tract, which doesn’t mean they are transmitting the virus but that they potentially could. (McCabe, 8/9)
The New York Times:
U.S. Official, Alex Azar, Praises Taiwan During Highest-Level Visit In Decades
To the Trump administration, Mr. Azar’s visit is a chance to take a jab at China, which has sought to spin the coronavirus crisis as a testament to the strength of its authoritarian system. It is a way for Washington to show that it backs Taiwan in the face of increasing efforts by China to keep the island off the international stage. (Qin, 8/9)
Reuters:
China Sends Fighter Jets As US Health Chief Visits Taiwan
Chinese air force jets briefly crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait on Monday and were tracked by Taiwanese missiles, Taiwan’s government said, as U.S. health chief Alex Azar visited the island to offer President Donald Trump’s support. Azar arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, the highest-level U.S. official to visit in four decades. China, which claims the island as its own, condemned the visit which comes after a period of sharply deteriorating relations between China and the United States. (Lee and Blanchard, 8/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Aides Struggle To Defend His Pandemic Relief Orders As U.S. Cases Reach 5 Million
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) denounced the orders unveiled by Trump on Saturday at his New Jersey golf resort as “meager, weak and unconstitutional.” In multiple interviews on Sunday’s news talk shows, she did not say whether Democrats would go to court to try to overturn the measures but urged a return to negotiations on the $3-trillion-plus relief package passed by the House in May. (King, 8/9)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Directives Were Supposed To Offer Relief. Most May Not.
President Trump, in announcing his executive measures on Saturday, said he was bypassing Congress to deliver emergency pandemic aid to needy Americans. But his directives are rife with so much complexity and legal murkiness that they’re unlikely, in most cases, to bring fast relief — if any. Because Congress controls federal spending, at least some of Mr. Trump’s actions will almost certainly be challenged in court. They could also quickly become moot if congressional leaders reach an agreement and pass their own relief package. (Lieber and Cowley, 8/9)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Orders On Coronavirus Relief Create Confusion
In a series of television appearances on Sunday, [administration officials] insisted that Americans would receive the aid promised by Mr. Trump, including a $400 weekly supplement to unemployment checks. But that funding will be contingent on agreement from state officials, who are already struggling amid budget shortfalls caused by the economic crisis, and the siphoning of aid from a federal fund for disaster relief in the middle of what is expected to be an active hurricane season. (Cochrane, Rappeport and Broadwater, 8/9)
Politico:
Trump’s Eviction Ban Would Leave Most Tenants In Peril
President Donald Trump’s vow to protect millions of Americans from the threat of eviction has one serious shortcoming: It would do nothing to help the vast majority of the country’s tenants. Lawmakers have been unable to agree on extending a federal moratorium on evictions as part of their negotiations over the next economic relief package. But the ban itself shields barely a quarter of the nation’s 44 million rental units — only residents of buildings that have federally guaranteed mortgages. (O'Donnell, 8/9)
Politico:
Coronavirus Relief Favors White Households, Leaving Many People Of Color At Risk Of Being Evicted
Federal housing aid during the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately benefits white households over minorities, with Black households most at risk, a POLITICO analysis has found. The federal assistance favors homeowners over renters, and because white households are more likely to own homes — a long-standing trend with roots in racist housing policy — they have more access to aid. Black households are more likely to rent than any other group, so they will be hardest hit with evictions likely to proceed in states without moratoriums, including Texas and Georgia. (Miller Thomas, 8/7)
AP:
States On Hook For Billions Under Trump's Unemployment Plan
Whether President Donald Trump has the constitutional authority to extend federal unemployment benefits by executive order remains unclear. Equally up in the air is whether states, which are necessary partners in Trump’s plan to bypass Congress, will sign on. Trump announced an executive order Saturday that extends additional unemployment payments of $400 a week to help cushion the economic fallout of the pandemic. Congress had approved payments of $600 a week at the outset of the coronavirus outbreak, but those benefits expired Aug. 1 and Congress has been unable to agree on an extension. Many Republicans have expressed concern that a $600 weekly benefit, on top of existing state benefits, gives people an incentive to stay unemployed. (Barakat, 8/9)
Reuters:
Pelosi, Mnuchin Open Door To Narrower COVID-19 Aid Through 2020
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday said they were open to restarting COVID-19 aid talks, after weeks of failed negotiations prompted President Donald Trump to take executive actions that Democrats argued would do little to ease Americans’ financial distress. Discussions over a fifth bill to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic fell apart on Friday, a week after a critical boost in unemployment assistance and eviction protections expired, exposing people to a wave of economic pain as infections continue to rise across the country. (Heavey, 8/9)
The Hill:
Schumer: Idea That $600 Unemployment Benefit Keeps Workers Away From Jobs 'Belittles The American People'
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that the idea that the now-expired $600-per-week enhanced unemployment benefit disincentivizes workers from returning to jobs "belittles the American people." "Americans want to work, but with 10, 11 percent unemployment, you can't find a job, and people shouldn't be given a pay cut," he said on ABC's "This Week." (Zilbermints, 8/9)
The Hill:
Pelosi: 'Of Course There's Room For Compromise' On $600-Per-Week Unemployment Benefit
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that “of course there’s room for compromise” on the now-expired $600-per-week unemployment benefit Democrats have advocated keeping. CNN’s Dana Bash pressed Pelosi on why Democrats have not agreed to a compromise between the previous $600 a week and the Republicans' proposal of $200 per week in extra benefits. “Would you do $400 extra?” Bash asked before Pelosi cut in and said, “I’m not negotiating that right here. It depends on what else is in the bill.” (Coleman, 8/9)
The Hill:
Businesses And States Launch Own Relief Funds As Congressional Talks Stall
As negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over a new round of coronavirus relief drag on with little hope of a quick resolution in sight, some businesses are stepping in to help out-of-work employees pay the bills. Dozens of businesses that have been sidelined by lockdown orders have created funds to support their employees in recent weeks, after gridlock on Capitol Hill left an added unemployment benefit expire at the end of July. (Wilson, 8/9)
The Washington Post:
After Hydroxychloroquine Use At Pennsylvania VA Home, Congresswoman Urges VA To Stick To Science
A U.S. congresswoman from Pennsylvania, riled by the experimental use of hydroxychloroquine in a nursing home for veterans in her home district, is among several lawmakers calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to adhere to science when providing recommendations on future coronavirus treatments or vaccines. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) sent a letter late last month to the Veterans Health Administration, demanding more information about the use of anti-malarial drugs including hydroxychloroquine at veterans homes and whether VA was actively involved in the unproven treatment. She cited the beleaguered Southeastern Veterans’ Center in the suburbs of Philadelphia, which treated about 30 veterans and their spouses with hydroxychloroquine in April. (Mikhail, Rosenzweig-Ziff and Jacobs, 8/8)
The New York Times:
C.D.C. Closes Some Offices Over Bacteria Discovery
The nation’s foremost public health agency is learning that it is not immune to the complex effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told employees that some office space it leases in the Atlanta area would be closed again after property managers of the buildings discovered Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, in water sources at the sites. No employees were sickened. The announcement was reported on Friday by CNN. (Horberry, 8/8)
Reuters:
Pfizer To Make Gilead's COVID-19 Treatment Remdesivir
Pfizer Inc said on Friday it signed a multiyear agreement to make COVID-19 treatment remdesivir for developer Gilead Sciences Inc, which is under pressure to increase tight supplies of the antiviral drug. Gilead is aiming to make enough of the drug by the end of the year to treat more than 2 million COVID-19 patients, and agreed to send nearly all of its remdesivir supply to the United States through September. (8/7)
The New York Times:
Why The Coronavirus Is More Likely To ‘Superspread’ Than The Flu
For a spiky sphere just 120 nanometers wide, the coronavirus can be a remarkably cosmopolitan traveler. Spewed from the nose or mouth, it can rocket across a room and splatter onto surfaces; it can waft into poorly ventilated spaces and linger in the air for hours. At its most intrepid, the virus can spread from a single individual to dozens of others, perhaps even a hundred or more at once, proliferating through packed crowds in what is called a superspreading event. (Wu, 8/7)
The New York Times:
The Unique U.S. Failure To Control The Virus
Nearly every country has struggled to contain the coronavirus and made mistakes along the way. China committed the first major failure, silencing doctors who tried to raise alarms about the virus and allowing it to escape from Wuhan. Much of Europe went next, failing to avoid enormous outbreaks. Today, many countries — Japan, Canada, France, Australia and more — are coping with new increases in cases after reopening parts of society. (Leonhardt, 8/6)
NPR:
COVID-19 May Never Go Away — With Or Without A Vaccine
Humans have never been particularly good at eradicating entire viruses, and COVID-19 might not be any different. More than 19 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus globally, and at least 722,000 have died. In the U.S., nearly 5 million people have tested positive and more than 160,000 have died. While scientists are racing to find a cure for the virus, there's a chance COVID-19 will never fully go away — with or without a vaccine. But that doesn't mean everyone will have to self-isolate forever. (Garcia-Navarro and Silva, 8/9)
The Washington Post:
Asymptomatic People With Coronavirus May Hold The Key To Ending The Pandemic
When researcher Monica Gandhi began digging deeper into outbreaks of the novel coronavirus, she was struck by the extraordinarily high number of infected people who had no symptoms. A Boston homeless shelter had 147 infected residents, but 88 percent had no symptoms even though they shared their living space. A Tyson Foods poultry plant in Springdale, Ark., had 481 infections, and 95 percent were asymptomatic. Prisons in Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia counted 3,277 infected people, but 96 percent were asymptomatic. (Eunjung Cha, 8/8)
Los Angeles Times:
As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Patients Are Dying At A Lower Rate
When the number of people being sent to the hospital with COVID-19 began to creep up in Los Angeles County early this summer, officials warned that a major increase in deaths was inevitable. A record-breaking number of cases could result in a record-breaking number of deaths, they predicted. But nearly two months later, that has not materialized. The coronavirus continues to kill hundreds of people every week in L.A. County, but the death toll has remained lower than expected. (Karlamangla, 8/9)
The New York Times:
When Covid-19 Hit, Many Elderly Were Left To Die
Shirley Doyen was exhausted. The Christalain nursing home, which she ran with her brother in an affluent neighborhood in Brussels, was buckling from Covid-19. Eight residents had died in three weeks. Some staff members had only gowns and goggles from Halloween doctor costumes for protection. Nor was help coming. Ms. Doyen had begged hospitals to collect her infected residents. They refused. Sometimes she was told to administer morphine and let death come. Once she was told to pray. Then, in the early morning of April 10, it all got worse. (Stevis-Gridneff, Apuzzo and Pronczuk, 8/8)
Stat:
Racial Bias Found In Formula For Distributing Covid-19 Hospital Aid
The federal government has systematically shortchanged communities with large Black populations in the distribution of billions of dollars in Covid-19 relief aid meant to help hospitals struggling to manage the effects of the pandemic, according to a study published Friday. The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the funding inequities resulted from a formula that allocated large chunks of a $175 billion relief package based on hospital revenue, instead of numbers of Covid-19 cases or other health data. (Ross, 8/7)
Los Angeles Times:
California's Public Health Director Resigns Amid Questions About Coronavirus Test Data
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s director of the California Department of Public Health resigned on Sunday, an abrupt departure of a key advisor in the state’s coronavirus battle just days after the discovery of a computer system failure that resulted in the undercounting of COVID-19 cases. Dr. Sonia Angell, who held the position for less than a year, announced her resignation in an email sent to department staff that was released by the California Health and Human Services Agency. (Myers, 8/9)
AP:
Doctors, Hospitals Launch Voter Registration Efforts
An emergency room doctor in Boston is assembling thousands of voter registration kits for distribution at hospitals and doctor’s offices. Later this month, students at Harvard and Yale’s medical schools are planning a contest to see which of the Ivy League rivals can register the most voters. (Marcelo, 8/9)
The New York Times:
Need To Take The MCAT? You'll Still Have To Do It In Person
Students applying to graduate schools can take the GRE, the LSAT and other tests at home this year because of the risks of gathering in an exam room for hours during the pandemic. But applicants sitting for the longest and arguably most grueling graduate entrance exam, the Medical College Admission Test, do not have that option. Even as the nation is overwhelmed by a tide of Covid-19 cases, the Association of American Medical Colleges, which administers the test, is requiring would-be doctors to sit for the $320 exam in small groups at testing centers running back-to-back sessions in order to make up for time lost in the spring, when exams were canceled. (Caryn Rabin, 8/7)
NPR:
FDA Approves Spravato For Suicidal Patients With Major Depression
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a variant of the anesthetic and party drug ketamine for suicidal patients with major depression. The drug is a nasal spray called Spravato and it contains esketamine, a chemical cousin of ketamine. (Hamilton, 8/7)
The Washington Post:
For Blind Parents, 3-D Images From Pregnancy Ultrasound Allow Them To Feel Their Infant's Face
One of the most powerful experiences for parents-to-be is seeing the image of their baby via ultrasound. But for blind parents, that moment was impossible. Now, however, sophisticated technology allows them to “see” their little ones before they are born by creating a 3-D image to be formed in the likeness of their baby’s face. (Bruno, 8/9)
Stat:
FDA Grants Priority Review For Biogen's Alzheimer's Drug
The Food and Drug Administration has agreed to review a marketing application submitted by Biogen for aducanumab, its treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, the company announced Friday. The aducanumab application was granted priority review, which means the FDA will render an approval decision no later than March 7, 2021. According to Biogen, the FDA “plans to act early” if possible on the application, and that an advisory committee will be scheduled so that outside experts can review the aducanumab data. A date for that meeting has not yet been set. (Feuerstein, 8/7)
Stat:
FDA Approves First Oral Treatment For A Rare Muscle-Destroying Disease
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first oral therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, a rare and often devastating disease, adding a new option for patients who now rely on costly injected treatments. The drug, from partners Genentech and PTC Therapeutics, is approved for adults and children with SMA, regardless of the severity of their disease. The once-a-day treatment will compete with a one-time gene therapy from Novartis and a drug from Biogen that is injected into the spine every four months. (Garde, 8/7)
Stat:
FDA To Keep Biologics Labs Shuttered Longer Than Other Government Labs
The FDA is keeping its biologics labs shuttered far longer than other government research labs, according to internal FDA documents obtained by STAT. FDA officials told staff last month that it will keep the labs, which research ways to improve the safety of existing vaccines and gene therapies, closed until there are fewer than 10 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the counties surrounding the agency’s White Oak, Md., campus. Currently, just 16 states meet that metric. (Florko, 8/10)
Stat:
AbbVie Settles Suit Over Using 'Nurse Ambassadors' To Boost Humira Sales
After two years of wrangling, AbbVie (ABBV) agreed to pay $24 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the California insurance commissioner, who accused the drug maker of paying kickbacks to doctors and using a stealthy network of nurses to illegally boost prescriptions of its best-selling Humira treatment. Over a five-year period, the drug maker offered physicians a familiar menu of tempting items, from cash, meals, and drinks, to gifts and trips, along with patient referrals, in hopes they would write more prescriptions for the rheumatoid arthritis medicine, according to the lawsuit. Humira is a franchise product for AbbVie and last year generated $14.8 billion in sales in the U.S. alone. (Silverman, 8/7)
Stat:
Pharma Is Showering Congress With Cash, Even Amid Coronavirus
The world’s biggest drug makers and their trade groups have cut checks to 356 lawmakers ahead of this year’s election — more than two-thirds of the sitting members of Congress, according to a new STAT analysis. It’s a barrage of contributions that accounts for roughly $11 million in campaign giving, distributed via roughly 4,500 checks from the political action committees affiliated with the companies. (Bartley and Facher, 8/10)
AP:
Epic Systems Makes Return To In-Person Work Voluntary
Epic Systems has told its employees they will not be required to return to in-person work on Monday at the health care records company based in Wisconsin. The company had planned to start a phased approach to bringing employees into work. Wisconsin Public Radio report s the company informed its employees they changed that plan after Public Health Madison and Dane County questioned whether they would comply with guidance on preventing coronavirus infections. (8/9)
Politico:
Shortages Threaten Trump’s Plan For Rapid Coronavirus Tests
The Trump administration is gambling that a new generation of fast, cheap coronavirus tests can bring the U.S. outbreak under control. The challenge now is getting enough of these tests to pursue that strategy. The rapid antigen tests, which hunt for proteins on the virus’ surface, give results in less than 30 minutes. They are less accurate than lab tests now in widespread use, which detect the virus’s genetic material and take hours to analyze. But a growing number of public health experts say trading off accuracy for speed is a gamble worth taking, as testing labs struggle to clear days-long backlogs. (Lim and Roubein, 8/9)
Wired:
Bill Gates On Covid: Most US Tests Are ‘Completely Garbage’
"I’m surprised at the US situation because the smartest people on epidemiology in the world, by a lot, are at the CDC," [Bill Gates said.] "I would have expected them to do better. You would expect the CDC to be the most visible, not the White House or even Anthony Fauci. But they haven’t been the face of the epidemic. They are trained to communicate and not try to panic people but get people to take things seriously. They have basically been muzzled since the beginning."
Los Angeles Times:
New COVID-19 Testing Site Set To Open Near Pedestrian Crossing In San Ysidro Along U.S.-Mexico Border
Later this week, a COVID-19 testing site will open up just outside a pedestrian crossing in San Ysidro, where tens of thousands of people enter the United States from Mexico every day. The PedEast testing location is thought to be the closest to the U.S.-Mexico border in any state, and is the result, the county says, of a data-driven, community-led strategy that aims to slow the spread of COVID-19 in South Bay communities. (Winkley and Solis, 8/9)
AP:
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Again Tests Negative For Coronavirus
The fourth COVID-19 test result for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine came back negative Saturday after he received conflicting positive and negative results two days before, ahead of a scheduled meeting with President Trump. The governor and first lady, Fran DeWine, were tested at Ohio State University “out of an abundance of caution” following a rollercoaster day Thursday that began with DeWine receiving a positive test result followed by two negatives. The governor announced the negative results on Twitter on Saturday afternoon, thanking “everyone who sent along good wishes.” (Amiri, 8/8)
Politico:
Ohio Governor Says Covid-19 Tests Are Reliable Despite Receiving False Positive
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants Americans to believe that Covid-19 testing is reliable, despite receiving conflicting positive and negative results on the day he was set to meet with President Donald Trump.
“People should not take away from my experience that testing is not reliable or doesn’t work,” DeWine said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” of his false positive Thursday. After the positive test, he subsequently tested negative three times. (Cammarata, 8/9)
NPR:
Survey Of Contact Tracing Workforce Shows Little Growth, Despite Surging Cases
The United States needs as many as 100,000 contact tracers to fight the pandemic, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Congress in June. We need billions of dollars to fund them, public health leaders pleaded in April. But in August, with coronavirus cases increasing in more than half of states, America has neither the staff nor the resources to be able to trace the contacts of every new case — a key step in the COVID-19 public health response. (Simmons-Duffin, 8/7)
AP:
Local Control Dispute Brewing Over Iowa Mask Mandates
The refusal of Gov. Kim Reynolds to require Iowans to wear masks in public has prompted at least three cities and a county to adopt their own local ordinances, setting up what could be a legal battle over whether local officials have the authority to impose mask rules in the absence of a governor’s mandate. Local government control also has become an issue in Iowa as a few school boards have said they may refuse to abide by Reynolds’ demands to send students back to classrooms if they feel it’s unsafe due to coronavirus spread. (Pitt, 8/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Hermosa Beach Hires Private Officers To Enforce Mask Order
Hermosa Beach is tapping personnel from a private consulting firm to help its Police Department enforce an ordinance requiring face coverings in many public areas, city officials said. Four health ordinance enforcement officers from Willdan Group began assisting the Hermosa Beach Police Department on Saturday, Police Chief Paul LeBaron said. Officials plan to see how it goes over the weekend to determine how many of them will be needed moving forward and for how long. (Wigglesworth, 8/8)
AP:
Health Officials In Colorado Conduct Mask Wearing Recon
They really are watching you. From their cars and trucks, parked in the lots of King Soopers, Whole Foods and the corner store, they are staring out their vehicle windows as you shop. But these guys — volunteers from the public health department — are only interested in what’s on your face. Mask or no mask. (Brown, 8/9)
The New York Times:
Georgia Businessman Charged With Hoarding Face Masks And Price Gouging
A Georgia businessman has been charged with hoarding 200,000 face masks that he bought from a foreign country and selling them for twice as much as he paid on his baby clothing website, according to the Department of Justice. The man, Milton Ayimadu, 22, allegedly bought the masks from an unnamed foreign country for $2.50 each. He sold the masks for $5.00 each through his website, babypuupu.com, which also sells baby clothing and accessories, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia. (Fazio, 8/7)
The Hill:
Woman Claiming To Be From 'Freedom To Breathe Agency' Gets Into Viral Exchange With Store Employee Over Mask Policy
California woman claiming to be from a group called the “Freedom to Breathe Agency” was seen in a viral video warning a grocery store employee in Orange County that she could face legal consequences after reportedly being told masks were required in the store. The worker and store supervisor, Liz Chavez, told BuzzFeed News the confrontation occurred shortly after she approached the woman, who was seen along with another woman in the video donning “FTBA” badges and hats, about the business’s mask policy on Thursday. (Folley, 8/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Strict Mask Rules? Empty Middle Seats? We Compare Airlines’ COVID-19 Policies
Devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, some U.S. airlines are hoping to put potential passengers at ease by imposing tougher rules for mask wearing, including threats of banning fliers who refuse to cover their faces. All of the nation’s largest carriers require that passengers wear masks or other face coverings during the flight and while boarding and exiting the planes, with an exemption for small children and allowances for briefly removing the masks to eat, drink or take medication. (Martin, 8/8)
AP:
Israeli Jeweler Makes $1.5m Gold Coronavirus Mask
An Israeli jewelry company is working on what it says will be the world’s most expensive coronavirus mask, a gold, diamond-encrusted face covering with a price tag of $1.5 million. The 18-karat white gold mask will be decorated with 3,600 white and black diamonds and fitted with top-rated N99 filters at the request of the buyer, said designer Isaac Levy. (Scharf, 8/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Mid-American Becomes First Top-Tier Conference To Cancel Football In Fall
The Mid-American Conference won’t play sports including football this fall because of health concerns posed by the coronavirus pandemic, becoming the first league in the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision to punt on sports. The cancellation carries major implications for college football, a sport that serves as the financial engine of most athletic departments. The fall schedule grows more uncertain by the day as cancellations and questions about safety pile up. (Higgins, 8/8)
AP:
After MAC Surrenders To Pandemic, Will Other Leagues Follow?
In many ways, the Mid-American Conference has little in common with Power Five leagues that first come to mind when fans think of major college football. There are no 75,000-seat stadiums in the MAC. Million-dollar per year coaches are rare. In a typical season, NFL scouts might find one or two potential first-round draft picks playing at the 12 MAC schools that dot the Midwest. The MAC’s biggest games — #MACtion, if you will — are often played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Its television deal with ESPN pays per year only a few million more than the $9 million Clemson pays coach Dabo Swinney. (Russo, 8/8)
AP:
Referees Group Has Agreement With NFL On Virus Protections
The NFL Referees Association has reached an agreement with the NFL for health protections along with a program allowing game and replay officials to opt out of the season. The association announced Sunday that the NFLRA’s board of directors unanimously endorsed the plan. Members will review the details Monday in a video conference call. (8/9)
The New York Times:
Players To UConn Coach: ‘There’s No Way That We Can Play’
Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall’s moment of clarity came when he was recently walking up the hill to his team’s practice field. In the month since they had been back on campus, his players had assiduously adhered to safety protocols, which included daily screenings, and after more than 200 tests, none were positive for the coronavirus. They were also in a state that has kept a relative lid on the virus — Connecticut’s cases per capita is less than one tenth of that in hot spots like Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Texas. (Witz, 8/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Alabama Isn’t Giving Up On Playing Football This Fall
Alabama’s blockbuster opening game has been canceled, the football team has weathered a mini-outbreak of Covid-19 and the Crimson Tide’s celebrity coach is urging Alabamians to wear masks as the coronavirus pandemic surges all around him. But Alabama, like most of college football, is still in game-on mode for fall. The reason: it thinks its campus is the safest place for athletes at the moment, not the riskiest. (Higgins, 8/8)
AP:
Players Unite In Push To Save College Season, Create Union
Michigan defensive back Hunter Reynolds saw the tweets from Trevor Lawrence and other college football players, pushing for the opportunity to play this season, despite the pandemic. Reynolds, one of the organizers behind a players’ rights movement in the Big Ten, didn’t like the way some on social media seemed to be pitting Lawrence’s message against the efforts of #BigTenUnited and #WeAreUnited. (Russo, 8/10)