First Edition: July 1, 2020

Kaiser Health News and AP: Hollowed-Out Public Health System Faces More Cuts Amid Virus
The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources to confront the worst health crisis in a century. Marshaled against a virus that has sickened at least 2.6 million in the U.S., killed more than 126,000 people and cost tens of millions of jobs and $3 trillion in federal rescue money, state and local government health workers on the ground are sometimes paid so little that they qualify for public aid. (Weber, Ungar, Smith, Recht, Barry-Jester, 7/1)

Kaiser Health News: As Cases Spike, California Pauses Multimillion-Dollar Testing Expansion 
In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a multimillion-dollar state initiative to bring COVID-19 testing to the people and places with the least access: rural towns and disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods. California is now halting its expansion, citing costs, even as the state is getting walloped by record-setting spikes in new infections and double-digit increases in hospitalizations. (Hart and Bluth, 7/1)

The New York Times: U.S. Cases Reach New Record 
More than 48,000 coronavirus cases were announced across the United States on Tuesday, the most of any day of the pandemic. Officials in eight states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas — also announced single-day highs. The record comes as Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, testified before Congress on Tuesday that the rate of new coronavirus infections could more than double to 100,000 a day if current outbreaks were not contained. He warned that the virus’s march across the South and the West “puts the entire country at risk.” (6/30)

Reuters: U.S. Coronavirus Cases Rise By 47,000, Biggest One-Day Spike Of Pandemic 
COVID-19 cases more than doubled in June in at least 10 states, including Texas and Florida, a Reuters tally showed. In parts of Texas and Arizona, hospital intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients are in short supply. More than 126,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions have lost their jobs as states and major cities ordered residents to stay home and businesses closed. The economy contracted sharply in the first quarter and is expected to crater in the second. (Simao and O'Donnell, 7/1)

The Washington Post: Fauci Worries U.S. Covid-19 Cases Could Climb To 100,000 Daily 
Fauci said that recent images of Americans gathering in bars or other crowds foreshadow a greater spike in infections that “is going to be very disturbing … We’re going to continue to be in a lot of trouble, and there’s going to be a lot of hurt if that does not go away.” (Goldstein, 6/30)

Stat: U.S. Could See 100,000 New Covid-19 Cases Per Day, Fauci Says 
The United States may soon record as many as 100,000 new cases of Covid-19 a day if the current trajectory of the outbreak is not changed, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, warned on Tuesday. The number of new cases is currently hovering around 40,000 per day. (Branswell, 6/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Fauci Warns Coronavirus Cases Could Reach 100,000 A Day, As Surge Delays Reopenings
New coronavirus cases “could go up to 100,000 a day” if people continue to flout advice on social distancing and face masks, Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease doctor told a Senate committee. “It could get very bad,” Dr. Fauci said. The U.S. is now recording about 40,000 new cases a day of the new coronavirus. The surge of new infections and rising hospitalization rates in states such as California and Texas have jeopardized reopening plans throughout the U.S., threatening a nascent economic recovery. (Ansari and Burton, 6/30)

Politico: U.S. Risks 100,000 New Covid-19 Cases A Day, Fauci Warns 
He suggested that people who ignored social distancing and didn't wear face coverings have contributed to community spread, even in states that have closely followed reopening guidelines laid out by the Centers for Disease Control. “I think we need to emphasize the responsibility we have as individuals and as part of a societal effort to end the epidemic and that we all have to play a part in that,” Fauci said. (Ehley, 6/30)

The Hill: Surgeon General Urges Widespread Mask Use: 'It Is Not A Suppression Of Your Freedom' 
Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Tuesday implored Americans, and young Americans in particular, to wear masks as lawmakers and public health officials increasingly seek to break down partisan barriers about the use of face coverings. Adams specifically sought to address arguments among some conservatives that requiring masks is an infringement on personal freedoms and civil liberties, arguing that wearing a mask will actually restore freedoms more quickly amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Samuels, 6/30)

The Hill: GOP-Trump Fractures On Masks Open Up 
GOP leaders are increasingly embracing the use of masks as coronavirus cases rise sharply across the country, even as President Trump refuses to wear one and attends rallies and events where they are optional. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, opened a hearing on Tuesday by all but pleading for Trump to wear a mask, arguing it would depoliticize the issue. (Marcos and Brufke, 6/30)

The Washington Post: Republican Leaders Now Say Everyone Should Wear A Mask? Even As Trump Refuses And Mocks Those Who Do 
The last Republican vice president, Richard B. Cheney, and his Wyoming congresswoman daughter, Liz, say wearing masks is manly. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says there should be no stigma associated with covering one’s face as public health experts advise, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says doing so is essential to fully reopening the economy. (Rucker and Min Kim, 6/30)

AP: Republicans, With Exception Of Trump, Now Push Mask-Wearing
In Republican circles — with the notable exception of the man who leads the party — the debate about masks is over: It’s time to put one on. As a surge of infections hammers the South and West, GOP officials are pushing back against the notion that masks are about politics, as President Donald Trump suggests, and telling Americans they can help save lives. (Madhani and Kellman, 7/1)

AP: Oklahoma Voters Narrowly Approve Medicaid Expansion
Oklahoma voters narrowly decided on Tuesday to expand Medicaid health insurance to tens of thousands low-income residents, becoming the first state to amend its Constitution to do so. ... Amending the Oklahoma Constitution will prevent the Republican-controlled Legislature, which has resisted Medicaid expansion for a decade, from tinkering with the program or rolling back coverage. (Murphy, 7/1)

The Hill: Oklahoma Voters Narrowly Approve Medicaid Expansion 
Still, it makes Oklahoma the fifth state controlled by Republicans to approve Medicaid expansion through a ballot measure, joining the ranks of Idaho, Maine, Nebraska and Utah. The ballot initiative has taken on an increased urgency amid the coronavirus pandemic and its resulting economic fallout. (Greenwood, 7/1)

Politico: Oklahoma Voters Approve Medicaid Expansion As Coronavirus Cases Climb 
Oklahoma voters on Tuesday narrowly approved a ballot measure to extend Medicaid to tens of thousands of poor adults, making their state the first to expand government-backed health insurance during the pandemic. The vote, which passed with 50.5 percent support, also throws a wrench in the Trump administration's plan to make Oklahoma the first state to receive its permission to cap Medicaid spending, a longtime goal of conservatives hoping to constrain the safety-net entitlement program. (Roubein, 7/1)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Comes Out With Guidance For COVID-19 Vaccine Approval 
“While the FDA is committed to expediting this work, we will not cut corners in our decisions,” the FDA said on Tuesday. ... “The guidelines are pretty standard, they look pretty much like influenza vaccine guidelines,” Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Vaccine Research Group said. “I don’t think that’s a high bar. I think that’s a low to maybe an appropriate bar for a first-generation COVID-19 vaccine.” (Maddipatla and Nadeem, 6/30)

The Washington Post: FDA Will Require Covid-19 Vaccine To Be At Least 50 Percent More Effective Than Placebo, Agency Says 
The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that to win regulatory approval, any covid-19 vaccine will have to prevent disease, or decrease its severity, in at least 50 percent of the people who receive it. The agency also said it would require drug companies to monitor the vaccine’s performance after approval for any emerging safety problems. (McGinley, 6/30)

Politico: Pharmaceutical Giant Charged With Price-Fixing In Generic Drug Probe
The Justice Department on Tuesday charged generic drug giant Glenmark Pharmaceuticals with manipulating the prices of drugs sold in the U.S., as part of a broad federal probe of price-fixing in the generics industry. The company was charged with one count of conspiracy in restraint of trade in a filing in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The complaint alleges that Glenmark and other companies raked in $200 million from the illegal scheme. (Woodruff Swan, 6/30)

Stat: Canadian Court Upholds Bulk Of Controversial Drug Pricing Rule
In a setback to the pharmaceutical industry, a Federal Court judge in Canada has dismissed a challenge by drug makers that contended controversial new government rules designed to regulate excessive pricing would inhibit innovation and hurt the Canadian economy. Last August, the government passed regulations for patented drugs that would base Canadian prices on those from a group of countries with lower prices than a benchmark group now used to set ceilings. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board would also review new drugs based on cost effectiveness assessments. (Silverman, 6/30)

Stat: Inovio Claims Positive Results On Covid-19 Vaccine But Key Data Are Missing
Inovio Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday said that its investigational Covid-19 vaccine had “positive” results in a small trial. But the company, which has gained more than $4 billion in value since the coronavirus pandemic began, provided none of the details necessary to determine whether the vaccine is working. (Garde and Feuerstein, 6/30)

NPR: A Doctor Confronts Medical Errors — And Systemic Flaws That Create Mistakes
For more than two decades as an internist at New York City's Bellevue Hospital, Dr. Danielle Ofri has seen her share of medical errors. She warns that they are far more common than many people realize — especially as hospitals treat a rapid influx of COVID-19 patients. "I don't think we'll ever know what number, in terms of cause of death, is [due to] medical error — but it's not small," she says. (Davies, 6/30)

AP: Dems: Nursing Home Virus Effort 'Chronicle Of Deadly Delay'
The Trump administration was slow to comprehend the scale of COVID-19′s impact on nursing homes and a disjointed federal response has only compounded the devastating toll, according to a report from Senate Democrats. The report due out Wednesday, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press, finds a lack of coordination among government agencies hindered access to coronavirus testing and protective equipment, among other problems. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/1)

CIDRAP: Study Finds Lung Impairment In Recovering COVID-19 Patients 
A retrospective study of 57 adult COVID-19 patients published yesterday in Respiratory Research found significant lung impairment in the recovery phase, particularly in patients with severe disease. Researchers conducted serial assessments of patients 30 days after they were released from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Zhuhai, China. They found that, of the 40 non-severe and 17 severe cases, 31 patients (54.4%) still had abnormal findings on chest computed tomography (CT). The rate of abnormalities was much higher in severe (16 or 17, or 94.1%) than in mild illness (15/ 31, 37.5%). (Beusekom, 6/30)

The New York Times: Most People With Coronavirus Won’t Spread It. Why Do A Few Infect Many? 
Following a birthday party in Texas on May 30, one man reportedly infected 17 members of his family with the coronavirus. Reading reports like these, you might think of the virus as a wildfire, instantly setting off epidemics wherever it goes. But other reports tell another story altogether. (Zimmer, 6/30)

CNN: He Was An Athlete In The Best Shape Of His Life. Then Covid-19 Nearly Killed Him 
When Ahmad Ayyad woke up, he was delirious. He didn't realize where he was, why there was a tube down his throat, or how long it had been since he last fed his dog. And when he looked down, he couldn't recognize himself. Once a 215-pound athlete with chiseled muscles and astounding strength, the 40-year-old looked like a completely different person. (Elassar, 6/30)

CNN: After 53 Years Of Marriage, A Texas Couple Died Holding Hands From Covid-19 
Betty and Curtis Tarpley were together for most of their lives -- they went to the same high school in Illinois, met and fell in love in California as adults, got married, and raised two kids. On June 18, after 53 years as a married couple, the two died from coronavirus within an hour of each other in a Texas hospital, spending their last moments together holding hands, their son told CNN. (Williams and Ebrahimji, 6/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Under 25 And Working? Social Distancing Might Not Be Possible
In early April, Erin Payne drove to the group home in southwest Ohio where she cares for two men with serious disabilities. Normally, the 21-year-old would blare country music to keep her awake on her 40-minute commute. That day, she drove in silence. “I was absolutely terrified,” she said. She was returning to her position as a home health aide after six weeks of maternity leave, during which the coronavirus outbreak turned into a pandemic. Soon, she would be waking up her clients, dressing them, brushing their teeth, shaving them, and making their breakfast. Maintaining six feet, or even six inches, of distance would be impossible. (Chang, 6/30)

CIDRAP: Survey Explores Trust, Self-Interest, And Teen Pandemic Practices 
A study of 770 teens' attitudes conducted in the 7 days after the United States declared a national emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic found that 69% weren't practicing physical distancing but 89% were following the news, and 88% were disinfecting daily.  In the study, published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers from Montana State University in Bozeman used social media to recruit adolescents 13 to 18 years old from Mar 20 to 22 to participate in the anonymous 31-question survey. (6/30)

The Washington Post: Four Women On Being Pregnant In A Time Of Pandemic And Racial Turmoil 
For women who are pregnant amid a pandemic, a recession and racial turmoil, the future is an anxiety-stirring unknown. They began their pregnancies in the “other world” that promised baby showers, gender-reveal parties, visits with grandparents and browsing stores for onesies. Now, they contemplate how they would handle a novel coronavirus diagnosis, prepare to give birth while wearing a mask and fight through old traumas that the virus has triggered. (Lam, 6/30)

Stat: Hospitals Tap AI To Nudge Clinicians Toward End-Of-Life Conversations
The daily email that arrived in physician Samantha Wang’s inbox at 8 a.m., just before morning rounds, contained a list of names and a warning: These patients are at high risk of dying within the next year. One name that turned up again and again belonged to a man in his 40s, who had been admitted to Stanford University’s hospital the previous month with a serious viral respiratory infection. He was still much too ill to go home, but Wang was a bit surprised that the email had flagged him among her patients least likely to be alive in a year’s time. (Robbins, 7/1)

Politico: Senate Agrees To Extend Small Business Rescue In Surprise Move 
The Senate in a surprising move Tuesday evening passed legislation that would keep the government's massive small business rescue program alive just as it was set to close down within hours with $130 billion left unspent. The bill approved by unanimous consent would give the Small Business Administration authority to continue approving Paycheck Protection Program loans, which can be turned into grants, until Aug. 8. To keep the loans flowing, the House would need to pass the legislation and send it to President Donald Trump for his signature. (Warmbrodt, 6/30)

The Washington Post: Senate Reaches Deal To Extend Paycheck Protection Program Hours Before It Was Set To Expire
Prospects for the legislation in the House, however, were uncertain. Both chambers are set to adjourn for a two-week recess by week’s end. The short-term agreement came together in behind-the-scenes negotiations involving Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) and others. (O'Connell, Werner and Gregg, 6/30)

The Washington Post: How The Coronavirus’ Spike Is Complicating Hopes Of A Full Economic Recovery 
Millions of American workers are suffering from economic whiplash, thinking they were finally returning to work only to be sent home again because of the coronavirus’s latest surge. Stores, restaurants, gyms and other businesses that reopened weeks ago are shuttering once more, and this time Congress appears less inclined to provide additional aid. Other companies that had banked on customers returning and restrictions lifting — such as hotel chains, construction firms and movie theaters — are seeing hours cut and reopening dates pushed back indefinitely as consumer demand stalls. (Rosenberg and Bhattarai, 6/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Apple’s Virtual Event Gives Hope For Online-Only Conferences In Covid-19 Era
The reviews are in for Apple Inc.’s first-ever online-only software conference: Virtual tech conferences can work.Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference last week became a bellwether for the potential of corporate gatherings that take place exclusively online as the coronavirus pandemic makes physical conferences impossible. Developers said they missed the serendipitous social interactions of in-person conferences, but many praised the sharp production and easier access of this year’s event, which was streamed free for eligible participants. (Choi, 6/30)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Calls Restraining Order On LAPD Use Of Batons And Projectiles 'Unwarranted' 
Attorneys for Los Angeles on Tuesday argued against a temporary restraining order to block city police officers from using batons and tactical bullets to control crowds, saying the request was “unwarranted and overbroad” and that police “must be able to respond” to unlawful crowds. The Los Angeles Police Department used such weapons on protesters at the end of May and in early June, injuring many, and are now being sued for it in federal court by Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles, the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and the Los Angeles Community Action Network. (Rector and Winton, 6/30)

The Washington Post: Protests Probably Didn’t Lead To Coronavirus Spikes, But It’s Hard To Know For Sure 
When the killing of George Floyd drew tens of thousands of protesters into the streets of America’s largest cities, many of those streets had been empty for weeks. Restrictions had left family members unable to attend the funerals of relatives for fear of spreading the novel coronavirus. Shutdowns sent businesses into bankruptcy. (Janes, 6/30)

The Washington Post: Minneapolis Undercuts The Idea That Economic Prosperity Leads To Racial Equality 
The Twin Cities once drew black families fleeing racism in the Jim Crow South, and with their combination of progressive policies and prosperity, regularly rank among the best places to live in America. Taxes, for decades, have been redistributed from wealthy suburbs to poorer communities to combat inequality — an effort bolstered in recent years by raising state income taxes on the rich. The result: more money for schools, affordable housing and social services in lower-income neighborhoods. (Jan, 6/30)

The Washington Post: Americans Are Living In A Big ‘Anger Incubator.’ Experts Have Tips For Regulating Our Rage. 
Americans are angry. The country erupted into the worst civil unrest in decades after the death of George Floyd, and anger about police violence and the country’s legacy of racism is still running high. At the same time, we’re dealing with anger provoked by the coronavirus pandemic: anger at public officials because they’ve shut down parts of society, or anger because they aren’t doing enough to curb the virus. Anger about being required to wear a mask, or anger toward people who refuse to wear a mask. Anger at anyone who doesn’t see things the “right” way. “We’re living, in effect, in a big anger incubator,” said Raymond Novaco, a psychology professor at the University of California at Irvine who has expertise in anger assessment and treatment. (Chang, 6/30)

The New York Times: Mississippi Governor Signs Law To Remove Flag With Confederate Emblem
Just a few weeks ago, as Mississippi lawmakers mobilized to take down the only state flag in the nation with the Confederate battle emblem embedded into it, Gov. Tate Reeves said the choice was not theirs to make. “It should be the people who make that decision,” Mr. Reeves told reporters then, “not some backroom deal by a bunch of politicians in Jackson.” But on Tuesday, Mr. Reeves signed into law a measure that removes the flag that has flown over the state for 126 years and been at the heart of a conflict Mississippi has grappled with for generations: how to view a legacy that traces to the Civil War. (Rojas, 6/30)

NPR: Where Are Coronavirus Cases Getting Worse? Explore Risk Levels County By County 
How severe is the spread of COVID-19 in your community? If you're confused, you're not alone. Though state and local dashboards provide lots of numbers, from case counts to deaths, it's often unclear how to interpret them — and hard to compare them to other places. "There hasn't been a unified, national approach to communicating risk, says Danielle Allen, a professor and director of Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. "That's made it harder for people," she says. (Aubrey and Wroth, 7/1)

Stat: Is There A Measured Way To Contain Covid-19, Without Full Lockdowns?
First came the freezes. Governors last month started to “press pause” on the next phases of their reopenings as Covid-19 cases picked back up. Now, in certain hot spots, they are starting to roll back some of the allowances they’d granted: no more elective medical procedures in some Texas counties. Bars, only reopened for a short time, are shuttered again in parts of California. And on Monday, Arizona’s governor ordered a new wave of gym, bar, and movie theater closures for at least the next month. (Joseph, 7/1)

The Hill: Colorado Governor Closes Bars Amid Rise In Virus Cases 
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced Tuesday that bars across the state will close as Colorado experiences a rise in COVID-19 cases. The governor said at a press conference that he was amending his previous executive order to give bars 48 hours to close their doors to in-person service as the state deals with a rise of cases among the younger population. (Coleman, 6/30)

Los Angeles Times: California Surpasses 6,000 Coronavirus-Related Deaths 
Three months after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an unprecedented statewide stay-at-home order designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, California recorded a new grim milestone: passing the threshold of 6,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Tuesday’s news came one day after the state recorded its highest single-day count of COVID-19 cases. Monday’s tally of more than 8,000 infections broke the state’s daily record for the third time in eight days. (Shalby, 6/30)

Politico: California Bill Would Shield Health Officer Addresses As Death Threats Rise
California would shield public health officers' home addresses under new legislation that emerged Tuesday after the long-unknown officials faced death threats this year for imposing coronavirus requirements. Health officials struggling to contain the coronavirus have at times faced an intense backlash in California, including death threats and protests outside their homes for imposing or keeping restrictions. Most recently, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer went public last week with a series of physical threats she has received for maintaining a stay-at-home order for 10 million residents. (White, 6/30)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: California Hospital Workers Mad As Cases Spike 
For a brief moment, California returned to bars, beaches and Botox. But after a few days, much of the state is reversing course as hospitals see an alarming spike in people sick with COVID-19, raising the specter of an overwhelmed medical system. “It’s scary,” said Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco. “We still haven’t recovered from the first phase, and now we have to get ready for the next one.” (Chabria, Baumgaertner, Lai and Luna, 6/30)

Politico: DeSantis Kills Online Learning Program Amid Virus Resurgence
With a stroke of his veto pen, Gov. Ron DeSantis wiped out the entire $29.4 million budget for a suite of online education services that have become critical to students and faculty during the Covid-19 outbreak. The move, barring action before midnight Tuesday, will kill the Complete Florida Plus Program, an array of technology systems that faculty, staff and students throughout Florida rely on, never more so than now, in the midst of a pandemic that has amplified reliance on distance learning. The cuts include a database of online courses and an online library service that provides 17 million books to 1.3 million students, faculty and staff. (Atterbury, 6/30)

AP: Sunbelt States Rush To Line Up Hospital Beds, Not Barstools
Florida and other states across the Sunbelt are thinning out the deck chairs, turning over the barstools and rushing to line up more hospital beds as they head into the height of the summer season amid a startling surge in confirmed cases of the coronavirus. With newly reported infections running about 40,000 a day in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, warned on Tuesday that the number could rocket to 100,000 if Americans don’t start following public health recommendations. (Lush and Seewer, 6/30)

AP: Arizona Faces New Closures As Hospitals Prep For Virus Surge
Arizona hospitals are hiring out-of-state nurses, squeezing in more beds and preparing for the possibility of making life-and-death decisions about how to ration care as they get ready for an expected surge of coronavirus patients in one of the nation’s worst hot spots. Parents, teachers, businesses and their customers also are hunkering down for at least a month of new closures imposed by the state in a belated effort to slow the spread of the virus and limit overcrowding at hospitals. (Cooper and Billeaud, 7/1)

The New York Times: Coronavirus Was Moving Through NY In Early February 
A new study offers the first physical evidence that the coronavirus was circulating at low levels in New York City as early as the first week of February. The city confirmed its first infection on March 1. Mathematical models have predicted that the virus was making its way through the city weeks before then, but the new report is the first to back the conjecture with testing data. (Mandavilli, 6/30)

Reuters: Eight States Added To New York Governor's Quarantine Order 
People arriving in New York from an additional eight states must quarantine themselves for 14 days amid the coronavirus pandemic, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered on Tuesday. The eight additional states are California, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Tennessee, all of which are contending with growing caseloads, Cuomo said in a statement. (Allen, 6/30)

The New York Times: ‘Who Are We For?’ How The Virus Is Testing The Identity Of Chinatown 
Hop Kee is a basement Cantonese eatery offering $9.50 shrimp lo mein. Hwa Yuan Szechuan is a three-story, white-tablecloth restaurant where the whole fish with hot bean sauce is $45. Both have long histories in Manhattan’s Chinatown, and a deep aversion to delivery apps. Hop Kee’s owner could not afford the services’ high fees. Hwa Yuan’s owner, Chen Lieh Tang, 67, said his cuisine was meant to be eaten in one place: Hwa Yuan. “I don’t want people to eat the food cold,” he said. “It’s not my style.” (Hong and Chen, 6/30)

The Washington Post: Virginia Orders Bars To Remain Closed As It Prepares To Enter Phase 3 Of Reopening 
Bar areas inside Virginia restaurants and taverns will not join the state’s next phase of reopening Wednesday, Gov. Ralph Northam said, a reversal in policy that followed Delaware’s decision to shut down recently reopened bars in beach communities. After federal officials said Tuesday that bars were the source of coronavirus outbreaks in other states across the country, Northam said people in Virginia will continue to be prohibited from congregating inside bar areas unless they are eating at high-top tables that are set at least six feet apart. (Olivo, Sullivan and Tan, 6/30)

Los Angeles Times: Child Labor Is Rising Due To The Coronavirus Pandemic 
The boys struck out from their village in Pakistan’s rugged tribal belt and came to this frontier city to work at Maula Khan’s drink stand, a wooden cart shaded by an umbrella on a road bustling with migrants, war refugees and swerving rickshaws. Umar Gul and Muhammad Siraj stood in the 108-degree heat, pouring freshly squeezed lemons mixed with jaggery into steel cups for 12 cents a serving. They were far from home, but when the coronavirus pandemic closed their elementary school in March, their families needed them to work. (Bengali and Ali, 6/30)

AP: COVID-19 Cases Mount At The Ends Of The Earth In Timbuktu
Harandane Toure started taking malaria pills when he first spiked a fever but as the days passed his illness only worsened. Doctors ultimately told him he was among the hundreds now infected with the coronavirus in this town long fabled for being inaccessible from the rest of the world. (Ahmed, 7/1)

Politico: Top European Hospitals Deny Providing Data For Retracted COVID-19 Research 
Scores of leading European hospitals have denied providing data to Surgisphere, the company behind two now-retracted papers that were published in eminent journals. One of these studies — which linked an anti-malarial drug to increased deaths in COVID-19 patients — was published in the renowned medical journal the Lancet in May. This came after U.S. President Donald Trump revealed in May that he was taking the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic against coronavirus, despite scant evidence of its efficacy. The release of the study initially led the World Health Organization to pause its own trial of the drug. (Manancourt and Furlong, 6/30)

Reuters: As Japan Re-Opens, A Hospital Grapples With Coronavirus Aftermath 
Doctors in white coats and blue scrubs sat around a conference room table in June, looking up at a colourful slide projected on the wall. “How is anyone supposed to memorize this?” a doctor sitting in the back asked as Yoshihiro Masui, the director of Yokohama City Seibu Hospital’s critical care centre, checked the slides. The presentation, full of colour-coded flow charts, showed dozens of new safety protocols for everything from routine surgeries to dialysis. (Saito and Miyazaki, 7/1)

Reuters: Automated Rideables Roll At Tokyo Airport In Social Distancing Play 
Personal mobility devices to transport passengers with limited mobility are rolling at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, in an automation play for labour shortage-hit Japan that has taken on new urgency as the coronavirus outbreak compels social distancing. The initial three devices, which replace push wheelchairs, run between security and passenger gates, equipped with cameras, lidar and other tech to autonomously navigate the environment. (Nussey and Nitta, 7/1)

AP: Lebanon’s Plea To Skeptical Expats: Come Visit, Bring Cash
With Beirut’s airport partially reopening from a three-month virus shutdown, the government is hoping thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer — and bring dollars desperately needed to prop up the crashing economy. But Lebanon’s far-flung diaspora, renowned as entrepreneurs who for years sent their cash home, may no longer be willing to do that. (Karam, 7/1)