First Edition: Aug. 12, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Nurses And Doctors Sick With COVID Feel Pressured To Get Back To Work
The first call in early April was from the testing center, informing the nurse she was positive for COVID-19 and should quarantine for two weeks. The second call, less than 20 minutes later, was from her employer, as the hospital informed her she could return to her job within two days. “I slept 20 hours a day,” said the nurse, who works at a hospital in New Jersey’s Hackensack Meridian Health system and spoke on the condition of anonymity because she is fearful of retaliation by her employer. (Huetteman, 8/12)
Kaiser Health News:
Primary Care Doctors Look At Payment Overhaul After Pandemic Disruption
For Dr. Gabe Charbonneau, a primary care doctor in Stevensville, Montana, the coronavirus pandemic is an existential threat. Charbonneau, 43, his two partners and 10 staff members are struggling to keep their rural practice alive. Patient volume is slowly returning to pre-COVID levels. But the large Seattle-area company that owns his practice is reassessing its operations as it adjusts to the new reality in health care. (Findlay, 8/12)
Kaiser Health News:
Bereaved Families Are ‘The Secondary Victims Of COVID-19’
Every day, the nation is reminded of COVID-19’s ongoing impact as new death counts are published. What is not well documented is the toll on family members. New research suggests the damage is enormous. For every person who dies of COVID-19, nine close family members are affected, researchers estimate based on complex demographic calculations and data about the coronavirus. (Graham, 8/12)
Kaiser Health News:
In Health-Conscious Marin County, Virus Runs Rampant Among ‘Essential’ Latino Workers
On a warm evening in late June, people flocked to alfresco tables set up along this town’s main drag to sip sauvignon blanc and eat wood-oven pizza for Dining Under the Lights, an event to welcome Marin County residents back to one of their favorite pastimes. About a mile away, Crisalia Calderon was hunkered down in her apartment facing a sleepless night as she grappled with the early symptoms of COVID-19. (Scheier, 8/12)
AP:
Texas Passes 500K Cases; Infection Rate Soars To New High
Texas surpassed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases Tuesday as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott suggested family and neighborhood gatherings are behind a sharp rise in the rate of positive tests, which has climbed to record levels just as schools are beginning to reopen across the state. He also continued to say more testing in Texas is likely after dropping off in recent weeks, a trend seen across the U.S. even as deaths mount. Texas has reported more than 1,400 new deaths over the past week, including 220 on Tuesday. (Weber, 8/12)
The New York Times:
Texas Has Too Many Cases To Reopen, Governor Warns
Gov. Greg Abbott, meeting with leaders in Texas’s sprawling Gulf Coast region to discuss his Covid-19 strategy, strongly suggested Tuesday that hospitalizations and cases from the virus remained far too high to allow a swift relaxation of business closures and other restrictions. The Republican governor, who traveled to Beaumont and Victoria, cited signs of progress but indicated Texas still had a long way to go in overcoming a relentless surge that made it one of the nation’s leading hot spots in the pandemic. (8/11)
The Hill:
Azar On Russia Vaccine Claim: Point Is To Be 'Safe And Effective'
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday said the U.S. was prioritizing safety and effectiveness in its coronavirus vaccine development after Russia claimed it had developed the world's first COVID-19 vaccine. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday the country has become the first in the world to grant regulatory approval for a coronavirus vaccine. (Sullivan, 8/11)
The Hill:
Fauci: 'I Seriously Doubt' Russia's Coronavirus Vaccine Is Safe And Effective
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Tuesday that he has serious doubts about Russia’s announcement that it has a vaccine ready to be used for the novel coronavirus. "Having a vaccine and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things," Fauci said during a panel discussion with National Geographic. (Wise, 8/11)
The New York Times:
How Russia’s Rushed Covid-19 Vaccine Could Backfire
When Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that Russia had approved a coronavirus vaccine — with no evidence from large-scale clinical trials — vaccine experts were worried. “I think it’s really scary. It’s really risky,” said Daniel Salmon, the director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University. (Zimmer, 8/11)
The New York Times:
Trump V. Putin: A Vaccine Manhood Contest
American scientists hope this is one time that President Trump really does believe it is all just a Russian hoax. As President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia triumphantly declared on Tuesday that his country had produced the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, public health experts in the United States worried that Mr. Trump would feel compelled to compete in a pharmaceutical manhood contest by hastily rolling out his own vaccine even before it is fully tested. (Baker, 8/11)
Reuters:
Hospitals, Expats Blast Trump Plan To Block U.S. Citizens Over Coronavirus
A Southern California-area hospital system, immigrant advocacy groups and Americans living in Mexico criticized on Tuesday a U.S. government draft proposal that could block U.S. citizens and permanent residents from entering the country if they are suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus. ... Chris Van Gorder, CEO of Scripps Health, which operates five hospitals in San Diego County, told Reuters the hospital system “would never endorse American citizens not being able to get the care they need.” (Cooke and Gottesdiener, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
Trump Suggests No More Rallies Before Election Day Because Of Empty Seats
Trump appeared to declare the end of the rally era Tuesday. He said the events — the success of which he has always measured by the size of the crowd and the “ratings” — are a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. Or more exactly, of the dispiriting optics that proper social distancing would mandate. “You can’t have empty seats,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Sports Radio. “You know, if I had five empty seats — for instance, they said, ‘Would I do a rally, sir?’ The reason I won’t do them [is] because, ‘You can have one seat and then seven around that seat, sir, have to be empty.’ ” (Gearan, 8/11)
AP:
Women Say They Will Fight Sexism, 'Ugly' Attacks On Harris
In the weeks before Joe Biden named Sen. Kamala Harris his running mate, women’s groups were readying a campaign of their own: shutting down sexist coverage and disinformation about a vice presidential nominee they say is headed for months of false smears and “brutal” attacks from internet haters. ... The groups say intense scrutiny of a vice presidential nominee is to be expected, but women are often unfairly criticized as overly emotional, weak or unqualified, or for their appearance or demeanor in a way that men are not. The attacks, which include false smears and threats of violence online, not only hurt campaigns but dissuade women from seeking office. (Burnett and Seitz, 8/12)
The New York Times:
A New Clash Over Mail Voting: The Cost Of The Postage
The Senate’s highest-ranking Democrat assailed the Postal Service on Tuesday for what he said was an effort to jack up the cost to states of mail-in voting, a new line of criticism in the escalating dispute over ensuring Americans can vote safely this fall in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said the Postal Service under the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, a major donor to the Trump campaigns, had “informed some states that they may need to pay a first-class rate to deliver ballots rather than the normal rate — nearly tripling the cost.” (Broadwater and Fuchs, 8/11)
The Hill:
Trump Announces Deal With Moderna For 100 Million Doses Of Potential Vaccine
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it has reached a deal with the biotechnology company Moderna for 100 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine. The agreement is for about $1.5 billion, meaning the government is paying about $15 per dose, and the vaccine will then be given to patients for free. The Trump administration has made several other similar deals as it provides funding for multiple potential vaccines, with the hope of having one ready to begin distributing by the end of the year. (Sullivan, 8/11)
Reuters:
Kodak Raised Spending On Lobbying Government In Months Before Loan Awarded
Eastman Kodak Co (KODK.N) increased spending on lobbying the U.S. government in the months before the Trump administration announced a $765 million loan to the photographic equipment maker, public disclosures filed with the Congress show. The company spent $870,000 as "expense relating to lobbying activities" from April through June, according to the lobbying disclosures. Kodak had previously not spent any money on lobbying since an expense of less than $5,000 in the first quarter of 2019. (Singh, 8/11)
The Hill:
McConnell: Time To Restart Coronavirus Talks
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is calling for the Trump administration and congressional Democrats to restart negotiations on a fifth coronavirus deal after talks collapsed late last week. McConnell, during an interview with Fox News, said it was "time for everybody to get back to the table," though the GOP leader gave no indication that he would reach out to Democratic leaders himself. (Carney, 8/11)
The Hill:
Democrats Shy From Leading Court Fight Over Trump Orders
President Trump and Democratic leaders both predict there will be lawsuits over this weekend’s executive orders sidestepping Congress on issues like payroll taxes and unemployment benefits, but congressional Democrats are unlikely to lead that charge. Democratic lawmakers aren’t rushing to court and will likely let state officials or private parties spearhead the legal challenges that could take months or even a year to resolve. (Bolton, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
Health-Care Workers Lose Out On New Paid Sick Leave As Trump Administration Allows For Broad Exemptions
A government watchdog said in a report out Tuesday that the Labor Department “significantly broadened” an exemption allowing millions of health-care workers to be denied paid sick leave as part of the law Congress passed in March to help workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March to ensure workers at small- and medium-size companies were able to take paid leave if they or a family member became sick with the coronavirus. The law exempts health-care providers as well as companies with more than 500 employees. (Rosenberg, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
White House Clarifies Limits Of Jobless Aid Plan As Talks With Congress Dim
President Trump’s senior aides acknowledged on Tuesday that they are providing less financial assistance for the unemployed than the president initially advertised amid mounting blowback from state officials of both parties. On Saturday, Trump approved an executive action that he claimed would provide an additional $400 per week in expanded unemployment benefits for Americans who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. By Tuesday, senior White House officials were saying publicly that the maneuver only guarantees an extra $300 per week for unemployed Americans — with states not required to add anything to their existing state benefit programs to qualify for the federal benefit. (Stein, Romm and Werner, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
Meet The Most Important Federal Official You Probably Don’t Know — The Man Who Holds The Fate Of The Coronavirus Vaccine In His Hands
Peter Marks, a self-effacing cancer doctor known for his maniacal work ethic and straight-arrow approach, is sitting on the hottest of hot seats. A top Food and Drug Administration career official, Marks is likely to decide in the next several months whether a coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective enough to be given to tens of millions of Americans. That may be among the most critical decisions in the history of the agency, one with sweeping health, economic and political consequences. (McGinley, 8/11)
The Hill:
Watchdog Calls For Probe Into Gohmert 'Disregarding Public Health Guidance' On COVID-19
A left-leaning anti-corruption watchdog called Tuesday for a probe into whether Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), who recently tested positive for COVID-19, was in violation of House rules for not complying with public health guidelines during the pandemic. In a letter sent to Omar Ashmawy, the chief counsel and staff director at the Office of Congressional Ethics, Accountable.US President Kyle Herrig argued that Gohmert’s actions, including his decision not to wear a mask in the Capitol, “put his staff, colleagues, and other House staff at risk.” (Brufke, 8/11)
The Hill:
Massie Plans To Donate Plasma After Testing Positive For COVID-19 Antibodies
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he is planning to donate plasma after recently testing positive for COVID-19 antibodies. The Kentucky Republican, speaking late last week on Glenn Beck's radio show, said he was tested for both the coronavirus and antibodies in late July and that the antibodies test came back positive, the Courier-Journal reported Tuesday. (Brufke, 8/11)
The New York Times:
‘A Smoking Gun’: Infectious Coronavirus Retrieved From Hospital Air
A research team at the University of Florida succeeded in isolating live virus from aerosols collected at a distance of seven to 16 feet from patients hospitalized with Covid-19 — farther than the six feet recommended in social distancing guidelines. ... But some experts said it still was not clear that the amount of virus recovered was sufficient to cause infection. (Mandavilli, 8/11)
AP:
Companies Test Antibody Drugs To Treat, Prevent COVID-19
With a coronavirus vaccine still months off, companies are rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having to train the immune system to make them. Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated. Vaccines work by tricking the body into thinking there’s an infection so it makes antibodies and remembers how to do that if the real bug turns up. (Marchione, 8/12)
The Hill:
Study: Youths Who Vape, Smoke Over 5 Times More Likely To Contract Coronavirus
Young people who smoke or use electronic cigarettes are more than five times more likely to contract coronavirus, according to a study published Tuesday by the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study found that of young adults who were tested for coronavirus, those who reported smoking or using e-cigarettes were five to seven times more likely to be infected than nonsmokers. (Moreno, 8/11)
NPR:
Helping People Isolate Can Slow The Spread Of COVID-19, Experts Say
It's a familiar moment. The kids want their cereal and the coffee's brewing, but you're out of milk. No problem, you think — the corner store is just a couple of minutes away. But if you have COVID-19 or have been exposed to the coronavirus, you're supposed to stay put. Even that quick errand could make you the reason someone else gets infected. But making the choice to keep others safe can be hard to do without support. For many, single parents or low-wage workers, for instance, staying in isolation is impractical as they struggle with how to feed the kids or pay the rent. Recognizing this problem, Massachusetts includes a specific role in its COVID-19 contact tracing that's not common everywhere: a care resource coordinator. (Bebinger, 8/11)
The Hill:
WHO Urges Postponing Dental Checkups During Pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending routine dental visits be postponed until COVID-19 is under control to help protect dentists and their patients. Oral health checkups, dental cleanings and other preventive care should be delayed until transmission rates drop in communities because dentists work in “close proximity to patients’ faces for prolonged periods,” WHO said in guidance released Tuesday. (Hellmann, 8/11)
The New York Times:
For Doctors Of Color, Microaggressions Are All Too Familiar
When Dr. Onyeka Otugo was doing her training in emergency medicine, in Cleveland and Chicago, she was often mistaken for a janitor or food services worker even after introducing herself as a doctor. She realized early on that her white male counterparts were not experiencing similar mix-ups. “People ask me several times if the doctor is coming in, which can be frustrating,” said Dr. Otugo, who is now an emergency medicine attending physician and health policy fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “They ask you if you’re coming in to take the trash out — stuff they wouldn’t ask a physician who was a white male.” (Goldberg, 8/11)
The Hill:
Half Of Americans In New Poll Say They Know Someone Who Has Tested Positive For COVID-19
Fifty percent of Americans surveyed for new Axios-Ipsos polling said they know someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The percentage is nearly identical across regions, with 51 percent of respondents in the Midwest and the South knowing someone who has tested positive, as well as 49 percent in the Northeast and 47 percent in the West. Along party lines, 55 percent of Democrats polled said they know someone who has tested positive, compared to 49 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of independents. (Budryk, 8/11)
AP:
Over 900 In Georgia District Quarantine As High School Shut
A Georgia school district has quarantined more than 900 students and staff members because of possible exposure to the coronavirus since classes resumed last week and will temporarily shut down a hard-hit high school in which a widely shared photo showed dozens of maskless students posing together. The quarantine figures from the Cherokee County School District include at least 826 students, according to data the district posted online. Located about 30 miles (60 kilometers) north of Atlanta, the district serves more than 42,000 students and began its new school year on Aug. 3. (8/11)
AP:
What Do The Kids Say? K-12 Students Sound Off On School
Parents have weighed in on reopening schools. Teachers have weighed in. Public health experts, too, along with cities, states and President Donald Trump. But what about the kids themselves? As the grown-ups fret, kindergartners to high schoolers faced with a range of scenarios for virtual and in-person classes are expressing both fear and glee over leaving home to learn. (Italie, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
Children And The Virus: As Schools Reopen, Much Remains Unknown About The Risk To Kids And The Peril They Pose To Others
The photos showed up on social media just hours into the first day of school: 80 beaming teens in front of Etowah High School near Atlanta, with not a mask on a single face and hardly six inches of distance between them — let alone the recommended six feet. Amanda Seghetti, a mom in the area, said her parent Facebook group lit up when the pictures of the seniors were posted. Some people thought the images were cute. Others freaked out. Seghetti was in the latter constituency. “It’s like they think they are immune and are in denial about everything,” Seghetti said. (Willis, Janes and Eunjung Cha, 8/10)
The Washington Post:
UNC-Chapel Hill Launches Fall In Person Despite Coronavirus
Six masked students joined a masked professor here this week in a small seminar room at Carroll Hall for the debut of a course on interactive media. Rolling chairs were set several feet apart in a floor plan specially marked to deter anyone who might feel the rule-breaking impulse to scoot around and sit next to a classmate. Thirteen more students, unmasked, were linked in simultaneously through cameras from elsewhere in the United States and as far away as Singapore and China. Their faces hovered in an array of Zoom boxes projected onto video screens. (Anderson, 8/11)
Raleigh News & Observer:
Campus Workers Sue UNC System, Claiming Unsafe Working Conditions During Pandemic
North Carolina university employees are suing the UNC System, saying working conditions are unsafe as tens of thousands of students return to campuses during the coronavirus pandemic. ... Some university employees, including housekeepers and other campus workers, are provided one or two masks per week and many don’t have access to face shields or gowns, according to the union. And the universities’ safety measures have proved to be “inadequate” as multiple workers have tested positive for COVID-19, the union said. (Murphy, 8/11)
AP:
Interest In Homeschooling Has 'Exploded' Amid Pandemic
As parents nationwide prepare to help their children with more distance learning, a small but quickly growing number are deciding to take matters entirely into their own hands and begin homeschooling. Some are worried their districts are unable to offer a strong virtual learning program. For others who may have been considering homeschooling, concerns for their family’s health amid the coronavirus and the on-again, off-again planning for in-person instruction are leading them to part ways with school systems. (Hollingsworth, 8/12)
USA Today:
COVID: As Colleges Reopen, High-Risk Students Fear Being Forgotten
College sophomore Cameron Lynch has lived the past five months in a single square mile, only venturing outside her home a couple times a week for early-morning or late-night walks. "It’s already a stressful time to be immunocompromised," said Lynch, who has Type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and a form of muscular dystrophy. "Now, a good portion of able-bodied people are going back to the way life was, leaving us behind." (Hauck, 8/12)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. School Board Approves Agreement For Online Teaching
With families anxious about the quality of online learning, the Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan that will restore structure to the academic schedule while also allowing for an online school day that is shorter than the traditional one. The plan leaves some parents and advocates in the nation’s second-largest school system wanting more teaching hours. There also are parents who want fewer mandatory screen-time hours for their young children — a reflection of the complexities of distance learning and the widespread parent angst over the start of the school year next week at home, online. (Blume, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
The Stress Of The Unknown Is Taking A Massive Toll On Parents
From March through the end of the school year, life for Rita Choula “was just maniacal.” Working at home in a demanding job alongside her husband, a 7-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, she was fueled by what needed to be done. But when school ended? “I crashed pretty hard.” Choula, who lives in Beltsville, Md., is the director of caregiving at the AARP Public Policy Institute. She typically works 50 to 60 hours a week, and that didn’t stop when her kids had to be schooled at home. (Joyce, 8/11)
AP:
Hawaii Teachers Union Names Schools With Virus Cases
Hawaii’s teachers union said Tuesday that it has learned of nine campuses with recent coronavirus cases and that state officials need to publicize them as instruction is set to begin in less than a week. The union learned of the cases from teachers, Hawaii State Teachers Association President Corey Rosenlee said. (Sinco Kelleher, 8/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Chargers Coach Anthony Lynn Reveals On 'Hard Knocks' He Tested Positive For Coronavirus
Chargers coach Anthony Lynn revealed on the first episode of “Hard Knocks” that he tested positive for the coronavirus. The moment came Tuesday night during the opening scene of the first episode of the annual HBO series, which this year is featuring the Chargers and Rams. (Miller, 8/11)
Politico:
Could Massive Numbers Of Nursing Home Deaths Have Been Prevented?
While the vast numbers of nursing home deaths have been the greatest horror of the coronavirus crisis, the system operated by California’s Department of Veterans Affairs has been a rare bright spot. Across the country, at least 43,000 nursing home residents have died of the coronavirus. In California, at least 3,400 have passed away. But at the eight CalVet veterans’ homes, it’s been a different story: Among 2,100 residents, half of whom require round-the-clock care, including hospice patients and Korean and Vietnam war veterans with complicated health conditions, only two have died of the coronavirus. (Severns, 8/10)
Politico:
Facebook Bans Racist Depictions Of Jews And Black People
Facebook on Tuesday said it updated its hate speech policy to include a ban on images of blackface and anti-Semitic tropes. The company said it changed its standards to "more specifically account for certain kinds of implicit hate speech," including caricatures of Black people in the form of blackface and Jewish people running the world or controlling major institutions such as media networks, the economy or the government. (Saeed, 8/11)
USA Today:
Southwest Flight Removes Family: Son, 3, With Autism Won't Wear Mask
A Texas woman says that she was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight Monday after her three-year-old son with autism would not wear a face mask, in violation of the airline's COVID-19 policy. Houston resident Alyssa Sadler says that her Southwest flight from Midland, Texas to Houston returned to the gate when her son refused to wear the protective mask. Her family, including her one-year-old daughter, was asked to exit the plane. (Alexander, 8/11)
The New York Times:
In The Wake Of Covid-19 Lockdowns, A Troubling Surge In Homicides
It started with an afternoon stop at a gas station. Two customers began exchanging angry stares near the pumps outside — and no one can explain exactly why. That led to an argument, and it escalated quickly as one of them pulled a gun and they struggled over it, according to the police. “There’s too many shootings. Please don’t do this,” the wife of one of the men pleaded, stepping between them. (Eligon, Dewan and Bogel-Burroughs, 8/11)
The New York Times:
Judge Agrees To Retire After Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
It is hard to pinpoint exactly when people who appeared in front of Judge ShawnDya L. Simpson noticed something wrong. There were times when the judge would come to court late, leave early, or not show up at all. Her demeanor became inconsistent, and she treated lawyers and others in her courtroom in a way that was “erratic and at times intemperate,” state officials said. It was unusual enough that the State Commission on Judicial Conduct opened an investigation into Judge Simpson, who has served in three boroughs in her 16-year career. (Feuer, 8/11)
The New York Times:
11 Supposedly Fun Things We’ll Never Do The Same Way Again
Early in the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said something that grabbed a lot of attention: Handshakes should become a thing of the past. It sounded far-fetched. But as the outbreak drags on, and we’ve become more conscious of germs and hygiene, “some of the changes we made are likely to be really durable,” said Malia Jones, who researches social environments and infectious disease exposure at the Applied Population Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Pietsch, 8/11)
USA Today:
COVID-19 FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out Persists Amid Pandemic, Experts Say
[W]ith travel plans nixed, large gatherings canceled and many stuck in quarantine, is 2020 a year of less FOMO? The fear of missing out is alive and well in lockdown, according to Wolkin and other mental health experts. "It's shape-shifted," she says. "It might not be looking at pictures of someone's vacation or their parasailing trip or swimming with dolphins. It now becomes 'They're making sourdough starters,' and 'They're going for a hike in these woods with their family, and I'm just on the couch and doing nothing and surviving and trying to find my breath.' " (Trepany, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
‘Green’ Household Cleaners And Coronavirus: What You Need To Know
[W]hen it comes to killing the novel coronavirus, green products might not be enough. The Environmental Protection Agency released a searchable database (List N) of products proven to be effective against the coronavirus that contains few green cleaners. This doesn’t mean you have to toss your natural products, but you do have to be judicious about where and when you use them. Here’s what you need to know. (Rosenbloom, 8/11)
Reuters:
U.S. Couple, Stranded By Coronavirus In Gaza, Returning To 'Scary' Florida
Adria and Ayman Arafat are finally heading home to Florida after being stranded for months in the Gaza Strip by coronavirus-related restrictions but fear they will now face a much greater health risk. Gaza has seen only 81 cases of COVID-19 and just one death so far, partly a result of blockades imposed on the Palestinian territory by neighbouring Egypt and Israel, while Florida’s infection rates are among the highest in the United States. (al-Mughrabi, 8/11)
The New York Times:
The Virus Is Killing Young Floridians. Race Is A Big Factor.
The last time Miriam Castro saw her son Herman, he was in the hospital. A mask covered his tear-stricken face as he sobbed over a FaceTime call. “He kept saying: ‘I love you, Ma, I love you, Ma. Take care of yourselves. This is no game,’” Mrs. Castro recalled. “He cried and cried.” Herman J. Castro, a 32-year-old manager of a McDonald’s in Central Florida, died two days later. (Robles, Gebeloff, Ivory and de Freytas-Tamura, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
Ron DeSantis Says He’d Welcome College Football Players To Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is lobbying for players whose seasons have been postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic to join schools in his state that are on course to play in the fall. DeSantis issued those remarks Tuesday during a college athletics roundtable at Florida State University in Tallahassee, before the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences announced they would be scrapping fall sports with the hope of salvaging the 2020-21 football season by delaying it until the new year. (Bieler and Wang, 8/11)
Politico:
It's Game On In Florida As FSU And DeSantis Vow To Play Football
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday joined President Donald Trump and other GOP members of Congress in an effort persuade athletic conferences to salvage the upcoming college football season despite the Covid-19 outbreak. The Republican governor, an avid sports fan and former Yale baseball captain, held a briefing at Florida State University’s practice facility to send the message that Florida is carrying on with Division I football. An abbreviated season would better than nothing, DeSantis said, leaving open the possibility of restructuring schedules for teams willing to compete with Florida schools. (Atterbury, 8/11)
Politico:
DeSantis: Florida Will Need Help Making Ends Meet
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said the state will need help covering costs associated with the coronavirus outbreak, expressing confidence that the federal government will help pick up the tab for increased Medicaid outlays. And the state might have to borrow to deliver a $400 weekly benefit to unemployed workers that President Donald Trump mandated in an Aug. 8 executive order, he said. (Sarkissian and Fineout, 8/11)
The Washington Post:
Disney World To Cut Hours After Reopening During The Covid-19 Pandemic
One month after reopening amid the mounting coronavirus pandemic, which surpassed 5 million U.S. cases over the weekend, Walt Disney World is modifying its hours of operation in a new schedule taking effect on Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day. Disney’s already limited hours will reduce by one to two hours per day, depending on the park. The change comes days after Disney reported unexpectedly low park attendance and “adversely impacted” earnings due to restrictions aimed at preventing the virus’s spread. (McMahon, 8/10)
The Washington Post:
South Dakota Health Officials Watch For The Coronavirus As Motorcyclists Descend
A crowd of hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts, in which the ratio of leather jackets to masks worn was astronomical, gathered Sunday in front of the stage at the Buffalo Chip campground in Sturgis, S.D. The band Smash Mouth was scheduled to perform, a rare concert at a time when many states are discouraging gatherings of 10 or more people, let alone hundreds of thousands. The 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, at which officials expected a crowd of some 250,000 people, was happening anyway, and Smash Mouth’s lead singer, Steve Harwell, offered his thoughts on bringing people together even as health officials urge them to stay apart. (Janes, 8/11)
Reuters:
New Zealand Considers Freight As Possible Source Of New Coronavirus Cluster
New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months were imported by freight, as the country’s biggest city plunged back into lockdown on Wednesday. ... Investigations were zeroing in on the potential the virus was imported by freight. [Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield] said surface testing was underway at an Auckland cool store where a man from the infected family worked. “We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time,” Bloomfield said during a televised media conference. (Menon, 8/11)
Vice:
Authorities In China Are Detecting Coronavirus On Frozen Seafood
It’s been over six months since COVID-19 cases were first reported but experts are still in the process of understanding the novel coronavirus. While it is believed to spread mainly from person to person through droplets and direct contact, the virus can also contaminate pets and objects. The amount of time the virus can live on surfaces varies depending on the environment, but at least two instances show that it can last long enough to survive shipments of frozen imported goods. (Miyano, 8/12)
Tech Times:
Chinese Frozen Seafood Product Found With SARS-CoV-2 Strains, Possibly Exported
Experts found SARS-CoV-2 strains-- the virus that leads to Coronavirus-- in frozen batches of seafood products in the eastern Chinese port city of Yantai, as reported via South China Morning Post. ... So far, the United States government has not yet released any statements regarding this possible issue. But, it was concluded by the country's health expert that food packaging contamination "is thought to be very low." (8/11)
AP:
Children In Beirut Suffer From Trauma After Deadly Blast
When the huge explosion ripped through Beirut last week, it shattered the glass doors near where 3-year-old Abed Itani was playing with his Lego blocks. He suffered a head injury and cuts on his tiny arms and feet, and he was taken to the emergency room, where he sat amid other bleeding people. In the days since then, Abed has not been the same. Like thousands of others in Lebanon, he is grappling with trauma. (Mawad, 8/12)