First Edition: July 14, 2020

Kaiser Health News: Lost On The Frontline 
America’s health care workers are dying. In some states, medical personnel account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. They tend to patients in hospitals, treating them, serving them food and cleaning their rooms. Others at risk work in nursing homes or are employed as home health aides. “Lost on the Frontline,” a collaboration between KHN and The Guardian, has identified 795 such workers who likely died of COVID-19 after helping patients during the pandemic. (7/14)

Kaiser Health News and Politifact HealthCheck: Azar Says Federal Law Had Preexisting Conditions Covered Before ACA. Not So Much.
One of the most popular features of the Affordable Care Act is its guarantee of insurance coverage — at no greater cost — for people with preexisting health conditions. Thus, even as the Trump administration argues before the Supreme Court that the entire Affordable Care Act should be declared invalid, the president and his administration officials maintain that regardless of what happens to the ACA, they will protect people who have had health problems in the past. (Rovner, 7/14)

Kaiser Health News: You Can See Friends And Relatives During The Pandemic Surge — But Do It Carefully 
Cooped up too long, yearning for a day at the beach or a night on the town — and enticed by the easing of restrictions just as the warm weather arrived — many people have bolted from the confines of home. And who can blame them? But Houston — and San Antonio and Phoenix and Miami and Los Angeles — we have a problem. (Wolfson, 7/14)

Kaiser Health News: Listen: Colorado Cuts Back Health Care Programs Amid Dual Crises 
KHN senior correspondent Markian Hawryluk joined KUNC’s Erin O’Toole on “Colorado Edition” to discuss his recent story on how Colorado is one of the many states having to cut back on health care programs and new policy initiatives as part of the economic fallout of the pandemic. These cuts, which in Colorado include slashing $1 million from a program designed to keep people with mental illness out of the hospital and $5 million for addiction treatment programs in underserved communities, come amid the century’s largest health crisis when people may need those services most. (7/14)

Kaiser Health News: Next Showdown In Congress: Protecting Workers Vs. Protecting Employers In The Pandemic
Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered employers seeking relief from lawsuits. Democrats want to enact an emergency standard meant to bolster access to protective gear for health care and other workers and to bar employers from retaliating against them for airing safety concerns. (Jewett and Bailey, 7/13)

NPR: California Closes Indoor Businesses Statewide As COVID-19 Cases Surge 
With coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continuing their rise in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday he is reimposing restrictions on many indoor businesses statewide, effective immediately. (Treisman, 7/13)

Politico: California Rolls Back Reopening Plans As New Outbreaks Force Major Reversal
The sweeping order punctuated California’s rapidly deteriorating situation. In March, Newsom was the first governor in the nation to fully shut down his state, elevating California into a poster child for aggressive efforts to limit the pandemic’s spread. Public health officials credited the effort with staving off a surge that might have crippled the state’s health care system. (White, 7/13)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom: More California Counties Must Roll Back Reopening 
“This virus is not going away anytime soon,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. “I hope all of us recognize that if we were still connected to some notion that, somehow, when it gets warm, it’s going to go away or, somehow, it’s going to take summer months or weekends off — this virus has done neither.” (Gutierrez, 7/13)

The Hill: Newsom Orders California To Shut Down Indoor Activities, All Bar Operations 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday ordered several indoor activities and all bar operations to shut down across the state as it grapples with growing coronavirus case numbers. The governor announced in a press briefing that restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, family entertainment venues, zoos, museums and card rooms will shut down all indoor operations. Newsom also said that bars must close down entirely. (Coleman, 7/13)

AP: Governor Shuts Bars, Dining As Virus Hits California Hard
In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti immediately implemented the shutdowns and warned that the city was “on the verge” of raising its COVID-19 threat level from orange to red — the highest level — and resorting to shutting down all but essential businesses. (Beam, 7/14 )

The New York Times: Fauci Back At The White House, A Day After Trump Aides Tried To Undermine Him
A day after President Trump’s press office tried to undermine the reputation of the nation’s top infectious disease expert with an anonymously attributed list of what it said were his misjudgments in the early days of the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci returned to the White House on Monday. The visit underscored a reality for both men: They are stuck with each other. (Shear and Weiland, 7/13)

Reuters: Fauci Blames Virus Surge On U.S. Not Shutting Down Completely 
Top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Monday ascribed the surge in U.S. coronavirus cases to the country’s failure to shut down completely, then a rush to reopen too soon, and urged a commitment to guidelines to snuff out the disease. He stressed basic protections including physical distancing, wearing masks, avoiding crowds and washing hands. (7/13)

The Hill: Trump Says He Has A 'Very Good Relationship' With Fauci Amid White House Criticism 
President Trump on Monday said he has a "very good relationship" with Dr. Anthony Fauci, downplaying the existence of a rift with the government's top infectious diseases expert even as multiple White House aides openly criticize the doctor. "I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci. I’ve had for a long time, right from the beginning," Trump told reporters at a White House event meant to highlight positive actions by police. "I find him to be a very nice person. I don’t always agree with him." (Samuels, 7/13)

AP: White House Turns On Fauci As Trump Minimizes Virus Spike
Asked whether the president still had confidence in (Dr. Anthony) Fauci, a White House official on Monday insisted Trump did. The official said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was regarded as “a valued voice” on the White House coronavirus task force. The official spoke on condition of anonymity even though the president has repeatedly railed against anonymous sources. (Lemire and Miller, 7/14)

Stat: What’s Next For Tony Fauci, If The White House Continues To Sour On Him?
The White House in recent days has accelerated an effort that President Trump began months ago: Openly discrediting the guidance of Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious diseases researcher. Trump accused Fauci of making “a lot of mistakes” since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in a recent interview, justifying his continued disagreements with the veteran scientist on issues as routine as the number of new coronavirus cases. He also said he disagreed with Fauci’s assessment that the U.S. was handling the crisis poorly to other nations — which, given the 60,000-plus Americans being diagnosed with the disease each day, is a simple reality. (Facher, 7/14)

The Hill: Biden Campaign Slams White House Attacks On Fauci As 'Disgusting' 
Former Vice President Joe Biden's presidential campaign on Monday slammed the Trump administration's recent attacks on the nation's top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, as "disgusting" on Monday." Over 135,000 Americans have lost their lives and tens of millions have lost their jobs because Donald Trump spent the last six months disastrously mismanaging the worst public health crisis in a century, the whole time failing to heed the warnings and guidance of medical experts -- particularly Dr. Fauci," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement to reporters. (Manchester, 7/13)

CNN: California, New Mexico And Oregon Put New Restrictions On Indoor Activities
Citing rising numbers, the governors of California and New Mexico -- having already taken some steps -- reimposed restrictions on dining. In Oregon, where the number of cases has recently risen, the governor expanded rules on face coverings to include outdoor gatherings where social distance cannot be maintained. (Maxouris, Wood and Almasy, 7/13)

Reuters: WHO Sounds Alarm As Coronavirus Cases Rise By One Million In Five Days
The number of coronavirus infections around the world hit 13 million on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, climbing by a million in just five days. The pandemic has now killed more than half a million people in six-and-a-half months, and World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there would be no return to the “old normal” for the foreseeable future, especially if preventive measures were neglected. (Issa, 7/13)

AP: WHO Boss Slams 'Mixed Messages' From Leaders On Coronavirus
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did not call out specific politicians for criticism but said “too many countries are headed in the wrong direction” with the pandemic and some were not taking the proper steps to curb infections. (Keaten and Cheng, 7/13)

AP: Federal Judge Voids Georgia 'Heartbeat' Abortion Restriction
A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked Georgia’s 2019 “heartbeat” abortion law, finding that it violates the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled against the state in a lawsuit filed by abortion providers and an advocacy group. Jones had temporarily blocked the law in October, and it never went into effect. The new ruling permanently enjoins the state from ever enforcing House Bill 481. (Amy, 7/13)

The Hill: Judge Waives Requirement For In-Person Visit To Get Abortion Pill During Pandemic 
Under the ruling, health care providers will be permitted to mail or deliver mifepristone to patients as long as the Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) public health emergency continues. HHS Secretary Alex Azar first declared the emergency in January. (Coleman, 7/13)

AP: Judge: Women Can Get Abortion Pill Without Doctor Visits
A federal judge agreed Monday to suspend a rule that requires women during the COVID-19 pandemic to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain an abortion pill. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland concluded that the “in-person requirements” for patients seeking medication abortion care impose a “substantial obstacle” to abortion patients and are likely unconstitutional under the circumstances of the pandemic. (Kunzelman, 7/13)

The Hill: Federal Judges Block Abortion Ban Laws In Tennessee, Georgia 
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Tennessee issued a temporary restraining order to block a law that would have essentially banned abortion at nearly every stage of pregnancy, less than an hour after Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed it. (Weixel, 7/13)

The New York Times: Millions Have Lost Health Insurance In Pandemic-Driven Recession
The coronavirus pandemic stripped an estimated 5.4 million American workers of their health insurance between February and May, a stretch in which more adults became uninsured because of job losses than have ever lost coverage in a single year, according to a new analysis. (Stolberg, 7/14)

AP: White House Campaign Urges Jobless To 'Find Something New'
A new White House-backed ad campaign aims to encourage people who are unemployed or unhappy in their jobs or careers to go out and “find something new.” The opening ad in the “Find Something New” campaign beginning Tuesday features ordinary people sharing their stories. A companion website provides links to training and other resources. (Superville, 7/14)

Politico: Pandemic Upends Trump’s Plans To Shrink Health Care Safety Net 
President Donald Trump has moved forcefully to push unprecedented limits on government health assistance for the poor, trying to follow through on conservatives’ long-held goals for reshaping the health care safety net. (Roubein, 7/13)

Politico: Supreme Court Appears Likely To Sidestep Obamacare Hearing Before Election 
The Supreme Court has all but ruled out hearing a GOP-backed challenge to Obamacare before Election Day, likely avoiding a high-stakes showdown over a lawsuit that will factor prominently into this fall's campaigns. (Luthi, 7/13)

The Hill: House Panel Advances Health Bill With $24B In Emergency COVID-19 Funds 
The House Appropriations Committee on Monday approved the labor, health and human services, and education funding bill for 2021, which included $24.43 billion in emergency funds largely linked to the COVID-19 crisis. The bill advanced in a 30-22 party-line vote. The $196.5 billion spending bill is the largest annual nondefense bill and has taken on renewed significance in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reached new heights in recent days as cases explode. (Elis, 7/13)

The New York Times: Health Care Takes Center Stage In Battle For Congress During Pandemic
Dueling commercials illustrate a reality of the accelerating campaign season, which is entering a crucial period as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage: Health care is shaping up as a driving force in deciding the outcome in November. (Hulse and Cochrane, 7/12)

The Hill: Major Coronavirus Testing Company Says Turnaround Time Averaging At Least 7 Days 
Quest Diagnostics, one of the companies performing a significant amount of the coronavirus testing in the U.S., said Monday that its average turnaround time for test results is at least seven days for most patients. The announcement illustrates how the spike in coronavirus cases is overwhelming the country’s testing capacity. (Sullivan, 7/13)

CIDRAP: FDA Grants Fast Track Designation To Two COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates
Pfizer and BioNTech announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to two of the companies' vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (7/13)

The Washington Post: Operation Warp Speed Is Pushing For Covid-19 Therapeutics By Early Fall
New treatment options for covid-19 could arrive months before even the most optimistic timeline for a vaccine, senior Trump administration officials said at a briefing Monday. But demand could outstrip supply if the pandemic continues to rage, creating a national tug of war over limited doses. (Johnson, 7/13)

Stat: Patient-Reported Data Can Help Monitor Covid-19 Vaccine Safety 
The pharma industry is in a mad dash to bring a Covid-19 vaccine to market, ideally before 2020 slips into 2021. This represents a dramatic acceleration from standard development timelines, which historically have often lasted 10 to 15 years. More than 100 Covid-19 vaccines are currently in development, with 21 already being tested in human clinical trials. (Velentgas and De Haart, 7/14)

AP: Global Vaccine Plan May Allow Rich Countries To Buy More
Politicians and public health leaders have publicly committed to equitably sharing any coronavirus vaccine that works, but the top global initiative to make that happen may allow rich countries to reinforce their own stockpiles while making fewer doses available for poor ones. (Cheng, 7/14)

The Hill: Smoking Habits Double Number Of Young People Vulnerable To Severe COVID-19: Study 
A new study finds that smoking is doubling the number of young adults at high risk of severe COVID-19. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) examined 8,405 respondents to the National Health Interview Survey aged 18 to 25 for the severe COVID-19 risk factors identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They found that 32 percent of respondents had at least one of the risk factors, but half of those were in the vulnerable group because of a single risk factor: smoking within the last 30 days, according to the peer-reviewed study published Monday in the Journal of Adolescent Health. (Bikales, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Tied To Fewer Deaths In COVID Patients 
Two new studies have revealed that the rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab is associated with lower death rates in COVID-19 patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Tocilizumab blocks interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory protein involved in a potential "cytokine storm" that can lead to respiratory failure in coronavirus patients. (Van Beusekom, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Strokes With COVID More Severe, Tied To Higher Rates Of Death, Disability 
Ischemic strokes linked to COVID-19 are more severe, lead to worse functional outcomes, and are associated with a higher rate of death, according to a study published late last week in Stroke. (7/13)

CIDRAP: Study Finds 11-Fold Hike In COVID-Linked Inflammatory Syndrome In UK Kids
A multicenter observational study published late last week in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health identified 78 cases of the pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome tied to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom from Apr 1 to May 10—at least 11 times more than expected. (7/13)

Reuters: COVID-19 Inflammatory Syndrome Now Seen In Adults
A rare and life-threatening condition seen in some children and young adults after exposure to the novel coronavirus is being reported in older adults now as well. The condition, known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), can attack multiple organs, impair heart function and weaken heart arteries. (Lapid, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Canadian Report Shows Worrisome Rise In Drug-Resistant Infections
A new report from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) indicates antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is worsening in the country, highlighted by dramatic increases in drug-resistant bloodstream infections (BSIs). (7/13)

The New York Times: In Astounding Test, Scientists Revive Damaged Lungs For Transplant 
The six lungs were taken from brain-dead patients and offered to transplant surgeons. But at major medical centers, one surgeon after another refused the organs. But researchers at Columbia and Vanderbilt saw an opportunity. The results, reported on Monday in Nature Medicine, seem like pure science fiction: Within 24 hours, the lungs looked viable, and lab tests confirmed they had been resuscitated. (Kolata, 7/13)

Stat: Connecting Donated Human Lungs To Pigs Repaired Damage, Scientists Say
For people who need a lung transplant, the wait is often prolonged by the frustrating fact that most donor organs have to be discarded: Only 20% of donated lungs meet medical criteria for transplantation, translating into far fewer organs than people on waiting lists. Now, a team of researchers has shown they might be able to salvage more of these lungs by borrowing a pig’s circulatory system. (Cooney, 7/13)

The Washington Post: Glass Vials For Vaccine Are In Demand As Governments And Drug Companies Rush To Lock Down Supply 
As scientists race to test coronavirus vaccines in humans, a parallel scramble is underway to produce billions of medical-grade vials and syringes that will be needed to inoculate the world’s population. The job of delivering vaccine to a majority of humans is so vast that global production of pharmaceutical vials needs to be ramped up by 5 to 10 percent within two years, a job the industry says requires immediate preparation and increases in production but is not an insurmountable challenge. (Rowland, 7/13)

AP: WVU Gets $2.2M Grant For Stroke Research
West Virginia University has received a $2.2 million federal grant for stroke research, officials said Monday. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced the grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences in a news release, saying it will be used to study strokes and to manage stroke recovery. (7/14)

NPR: Could An Old Tool, UV Light, Help Kill Airborne Coronavirus?
High up near the ceiling, in the dining room of his Seattle-area restaurant, Musa Firat recently installed a "killing zone" — a place where swaths of invisible electromagnetic energy penetrate the air, ready to disarm the coronavirus and other dangerous pathogens that drift upward in tiny, airborne particles. Firat's new system draws on a century-old technology of fending off infectious diseases: energetic waves of ultraviolet light, known as germicidal UV or GUV, are delivered in the right dose to wipe out viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. (Stone, 7/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Scientists Hoped Summer Temperatures Would Tamp Down Covid-19 Cases. What Happened? 
Just a few months back, some scientists hoped summer conditions might help tamp down coronavirus transmission. Yet case counts of the novel coronavirus are surging in the U.S., recently hitting another single-day record of new infections. There are three likely reasons. (Toy, 7/13)

Stat: Gilead Scolded Again For Misleading Information About Rival HIV Drug
For the second time in less than two years, Gilead Sciences (GILD) has been reprimanded by a U.K. pharmaceutical industry trade group for disseminating information that unfairly compared one of its HIV drugs with a rival medicine sold by ViiV Healthcare. But this time, the drug maker was slammed for being a repeat offender and discrediting the entire industry. (Silverman, 7/13)

Stat: FDA Refuses Application For HIV Drug From CytoDyn
The Food and Drug Administration refused to accept an application seeking the approval of a drug to treat HIV from CytoDyn — a setback that could delay a decision for months, if not years. The so-called Refuse-to-File letter, issued by the FDA against CytoDyn’s drug called leronlimab, is also the most damning evidence yet that CEO Nader Pourhassan and other company executives might be misleading investors. (Feuerstein, 7/13)

The Washington Post: Flossie Wong-Staal, Pioneering HIV/AIDS Researcher, Dies At 73 
Flossie Wong-Staal, a molecular virologist who led research that helped produce seminal findings about HIV — its genetic structure, the insidious manner in which it invades the immune system, and ways of detecting and treating it, died July 8 at a hospital in La Jolla, Calif. She was 73. (Langer, 7/13)

The New York Times: How Koalas With An S.T.D. Could Help Humanity 
In koalas, chlamydia’s ravages are extreme, leading to severe inflammation, massive cysts and scarring of the reproductive tract. But the bacteria responsible is still remarkably similar to the human one, thanks to chlamydia’s tiny, highly conserved genome: It has just 900 active genes, far fewer than most infectious bacteria. Because of these similarities, vaccine trials (in Australia) may offer valuable clues for researchers across the globe who are developing a human vaccine. (Gross, 7/13)

The Washington Post: Diets High In Fruits, Vegetables May Help Reduce Type 2 Diabetes By 50 Percent, Study Says 
A diet high in fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 50 percent, a large new study suggests. The study spanned about 10 years and included more than 22,000 people. (Searing, 7/13)

AP: Dengue Prevention Efforts Stifled By Coronavirus Pandemic
To slow the spread of the coronavirus, governments issued lockdowns to keep people at home. They curtailed activities that affected services like trash collection. They tried to shield hospitals from a surge of patients. But the cascading effects of these restrictions also are hampering efforts to cope with seasonal outbreaks of dengue, an incurable, mosquito-borne disease that is also known as “breakbone fever” for its severely painful symptoms. (Milko and Ghosal, 7/12)

AP: Subways Sparkle, But Does Cleaning Decrease COVID-19 Risk?
Mass transit systems around the world have taken unprecedented — and expensive — steps to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including New York shutting down its subways overnight and testing powerful ultraviolet lamps to disinfect seats, poles and floors. The cleaning measures produced something commuters have not seen in a while, or possibly ever: thousands of freshly scrubbed cars that look, feel and even smell clean. But experts say those steps solve only part of the problem. (Porter, 7/13)

AP: Nevada Lab: 7 Rabies Cases In Bats From Vegas, Reno Areas
The Nevada Department of Agriculture says testing found rabies in seven bats from the Las Vegas and Reno areas. The department’s Animal Disease Laboratory says it typically confirms as many as 20 cases of bat rabies a year, and bat activity tends to peak throughout the state between May and October. This year, lab officials have tested 179 bats, finding the seven positive rabies cases in animals from Clark and Washoe counties. (7/13)

AP: Rockets' Westbrook Has Virus, As NBA Bubble Faces First Test
On a day of troubling news for the league — (Houston’s Russell) Westbrook revealing that he has tested positive for the virus and two other players facing 10-day quarantines for leaving the league campus perimeter at Walt Disney World — it was also announced that two players tested positive for the virus after arriving in Central Florida last week. (Reynolds, 7/14)

AP: Blackmon Returns To Rockies After Recovering From COVID-19
All-Star outfielder Charlie Blackmon, the first major league player known to have tested positive for the coronavirus, returned to the Colorado Rockies for his first workout Monday after getting the all clear to rejoin his teammates. (Stapleton, 7/14)

The New York Times: What’s Missing In The Effort To Stop Maternal Deaths 
According to the best data available, as summarized in a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States could prevent two-thirds of maternal deaths during or within a year of pregnancy. Policies and practices to do so are well understood; we just haven’t employed them. (Frakt, 7/13 )

The New York Times: Bottleneck For U.S. Coronavirus Response: The Fax Machine 
Public health officials in Houston are struggling to keep up with one of the nation’s largest coronavirus outbreaks. They are desperate to trace cases and quarantine patients before they spread the virus to others. But first, they must negotiate with the office fax machine. (Kliff and Sanger-Katz, 7/13)

The Washington Post: At College Health Centers Nationwide, Students Have Battled Misdiagnoses And Inaccessible Care 
As millions go back to school during the pandemic, the ability of campus health services to safeguard and care for students will be tested as never before — and many colleges appear unprepared for the challenge. (Abelson, Dungca, Kornfield and Ba Tran, 7/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Mental Resilience Can Help You Through The Coronavirus Pandemic; Here’s How To Build It. 
With Covid-19 cases rising in the U.S. and the economic outlook uncertain — just when many had hoped things would improve — it can be tough at times not to slide into despair. Rick Hanson, a clinical psychologist and author of the 2018 book, “Resilient,” spoke with The Wall Street Journal about how we can build our resilience in challenging times. (Petersen, 7/13)