First Edition: Oct. 1, 2020

Kaiser Health News: The Mask Hypocrisy: How COVID Memos Contradict The White House’s Public Face
While the president and vice president forgo masks at rallies, the White House is quietly encouraging governors to implement mask mandates and, for some, enforce them with fines. In reports issued to governors on Sept. 20, the White House Coronavirus Task Force recommended statewide mask mandates in Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma. The weekly memos, some of which have been made public by the Center for Public Integrity, advocate mask usage for other states and have even encouraged doling out fines in Alaska, Idaho and, recently, Montana. (Weber and Houghton, 10/1)

Kaiser Health News: We Freely Wear Seat Belts. Why Can’t We Learn To Wear Masks?
I was a reporter in Rome in 2005 when Italy banned smoking in restaurants. I was skeptical. For many Italians, having a cigarette with after-dinner coffee was simply part of the meal, like dessert. Also, Italians are famously lax about following rules: They dodge their taxes and park on sidewalks. As I wrote back then: “Smokers declared — basta! — they would never comply.” But to my shock (and ease of breathing, since I have asthma), very quickly everyone did. (Rosenthal, 10/1)

Kaiser Health News: To Free Doctors From Computers, Far-Flung Scribes Are Now Taking Notes For Them
Podiatrist Dr. Mark Lewis greets his first patient of the morning in his suburban Seattle exam room and points to a tiny video camera mounted on the right rim of his glasses. “This is my scribe, Jacqueline,” he says. “She can see us and hear us.” Jacqueline is watching the appointment on her computer screen after the sun has set, 8,000 miles away in Mysore, a southern Indian city known for its palaces and jasmine flowers. She copiously documents the details of each visit and enters them into the patient’s electronic health record, or EHR. (Kwon, 10/1)

Kaiser Health News: New Laws Keep Pandemic-Weary California At Forefront Of Health Policy Innovation
Though COVID-19 forced California leaders to scale back their ambitious health care agenda, they still managed to enact significant new laws intended to lower consumer health care spending and expand access to health coverage. When Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom concluded the chaotic legislative year Wednesday — his deadline to sign or veto bills — what emerged wasn’t the sweeping platform he and state lawmakers had outlined at the beginning of the year. But the dozens of health care measures they approved included first-in-the-nation policies to require more comprehensive coverage of mental health and addiction, and thrusting the state into the generic drug-making business. (Young and Hart, 10/1)

Kaiser Health News: Sky-High Drug Prices Driven By Pharma Profits, House Dems Charge
Those costs have little to do with research and development or industry efforts to help people afford medication, as drug companies often claim, according to the probe. “It’s true, many of these pharmaceutical industries have come up with lifesaving and pain-relieving medications, but they’re killing us with the prices they charge,” Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said as the hearings began Wednesday. He added that “uninhibited pricing power has transformed America’s pain into pharma’s profit.” (McAuliff, 9/30)

Politico: House Panel Says Drugmakers Inflated Prices To Boost Profits And Reap Bonuses 
Major pharmaceutical companies raised drug prices exponentially by hundreds or thousands of percent to boost profits and executives’ bonuses, “taking full advantage” of Medicare rules, a House panel said Wednesday. The House Oversight and Reform Committee this morning reported the findings, the first from its 18-month investigation into a dozen drug companies' pricing practices, ahead of two days of hearings with the manufacturers. (Owermohle, 9/30)

Stat: Investigation Shows Celgene, Teva Plotted To Keep Drug Prices High
The House Oversight Committee released two major reports Wednesday that expose the internal strategies used by drug makers Celgene and Teva to repeatedly jack up the price of their blockbuster drugs revlimid and copaxone. The reports, which are the culmination of an 18-month investigation based on internal company documents, outline in vivid detail how both drug makers raised their prices at will and plotted to  keep lower-cost alternatives off the market. (Florko, 9/30)

The Hill: House Democrats Slam Pharma CEOs For Price Hikes Driven By Revenue, Executive Bonuses 
House Democrats on Wednesday pressed the CEOs of major pharmaceutical companies about massive price hikes. Executives from Celgene, Bristol Myers Squibb and Teva were put on the defensive under questioning from members of the House Oversight Committee. (Weixel, 9/30)

Stat: New Bill Aims To Jumpstart Antibiotic Development With A Subscription Model
In a bid to combat antimicrobial resistance, two U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that would create a new payment model to encourage drug makers to develop antibiotics. Known as the Pasteur Act, the legislation would establish a subscription-style model to offer upfront payments to pharmaceutical companies in exchange for unlimited access to their antibiotics. The idea is to enable drug makers to recover their costs and make an appropriate profit without having to sell large volumes of antibiotics. (Silverman, 9/30)

Politico: House Delays Vote On Covid Relief Package In Bid For Last-Minute Deal 
House Democrats are waiting one more day before voting on their coronavirus aid package, giving Speaker Nancy Pelosi a final 24 hours to reach a deal with the White House before taking up their own bill and going home. The House is now expected to vote Thursday on Democrats’ $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, reversing course from earlier in the day, when lawmakers were told they would vote Wednesday night. (Ferris, Caygle and Bresnahan, 9/30)

NPR: Trump Often Gives 'Complete Opposite' Of Health Experts' Advice, Former Staffer Says
President Trump has consistently told Americans "the complete opposite" of what his health experts have been telling him in private meetings about COVID-19, according to Olivia Troye, who until recently worked on the the White House coronavirus task force. "They brief him. They tell him the facts. They're telling him the truth. They're telling him things that need to be done," Troye said in an interview with NPR's Ari Shapiro. "And it is a very frustrating environment to work in, when you know that the message that is going to be relayed is counter to what you just told him." (Chappell, 9/30)

The New York Times: Study Finds ‘Single Largest Driver’ Of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump
Of the flood of misinformation, conspiracy theories and falsehoods seeding the internet on the coronavirus, one common thread stands out: President Trump. That is the conclusion of researchers at Cornell University who analyzed 38 million articles about the pandemic in English-language media around the world. Mentions of Mr. Trump made up nearly 38 percent of the overall “misinformation conversation,” making the president the largest driver of the “infodemic” — falsehoods involving the pandemic. (Gay Stolberg and Weiland, 9/30)

The Hill: Facebook Takes Down Trump Campaign Ads Tying Refugees To Coronavirus 
Facebook said it has removed Trump campaign ads that baselessly connect admission of refugees to transmission of the coronavirus. The advertising features footage of Democratic nominee Joe Biden discussing border security. It claims without evidence that Biden would increase refugee admissions from Somalia, Syria and Yemen 700 percent, according to NBC News. It also includes text alleging “an increase in refugees” presents public health risks. (Budryk, 9/30)

The Hill: Ex-FDA Employees Express Worries To Congress Over Politicization Of Vaccines 
Experts and former Food and Drug Administration officials say they worry President Trump is undermining public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine approval process, potentially leading people to reject the vaccine when one is available. The experts, appearing before a Congressional panel Tuesday, said they still have faith in the government's career officials and scientists responsible for determining whether a potential COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, but that Trump and his political appointees are making it harder to gain public trust. (Hellmann, 9/30)

The New York Times: Fauci And Trump Are At Odds Again Over Masks 
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the leading U.S. official on infectious diseases, hit back at President Trump on Wednesday for what he called the misrepresentation of his stance on using masks to curb the coronavirus. In the presidential debate on Tuesday, Mr. Trump claimed that Dr. Fauci initially said “masks are not good — then he changed his mind.” And when former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said wearing masks could save tens of thousands of lives, Mr. Trump contended that “Dr. Fauci said the opposite.”Dr. Fauci, whose relationship with his boss has often seemed tenuous at best, took issue with his claims the day after the debate. “Anybody who has been listening to me over the last several months knows that a conversation does not go by where I do not strongly recommend that people wear masks,” he said in an interview on ABC News’s “Start Here” podcast. (10/1)

CNN: 4 Million More Americans Turn To Medicaid As Coronavirus Roils The Economy
Just over 4 million more Americans turned to Medicaid last spring as the coronavirus pandemic upended the nation's economy, new federal data released Wednesday shows. The 5.7% jump between February and June came as millions of people lost their jobs -- and, for many, their health insurance too -- amid the public health emergency. Also, a coronavirus relief package Congress passed in mid-March barred states from cutting eligibility and disenrolling beneficiaries during the pandemic. (Luhby, 9/30)

Modern Healthcare: Medicaid, CHIP Enrollment Grew By 4 Million During COVID-19
CMS said enrollment spiked again with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act's continuity of coverage requirement. According to the agency, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment increased in all states except Montana, which reported an enrollment decrease. "As of August 31, 2020, Montana had not yet provided an explanation for its Medicaid and CHIP enrollment declines in the first half of 2020," the report said. (9/30)

The Washington Post: Diabetic Americans Dispute Trump’s Claim He Made Insulin So Cheap ‘It’s Like Water’ 
Early in Tuesday night’s presidential debate, President Trump claimed he had drastically lowered the price of insulin, a lifesaving drug taken in some form by more than 7 million Americans with diabetes. “Insulin, it’s going to — it was destroying families, destroying people. The cost,” the president said. “I’m getting it for so cheap it’s like water.” That came as a shock to the Americans who shell out hundreds of dollars a month on insulin, a number of whom posted triple-digit pharmacy bills to social media immediately after the president’s assertion. (Guarine, 9/30)

Stat: Diabetes, Disparities, And Covid-19: Three Intertwined ‘Epidemics’ Raise Risk
Some of Mary-Elizabeth Patti’s patients with diabetes are in a bind. Careful to practice social distancing, they tell her during telehealth visits they don’t feel safe exercising outdoors in their congested neighborhoods — though they know staying active and maintaining good blood sugar levels may be their best defense against severe Covid-19. (Cooney, 10/1)

Stat: Pharma And PBMs Must Jointly Face Insulin Price Fixing Lawsuit For First Time
A federal judge ruled that a Texas county can proceed with a lawsuit accusing several drug makers and pharmacy benefit managers of conspiring to fix prices for insulin, the first time these companies will have to collectively defend their role in the rising cost of the life-saving diabetes medicine. In a lawsuit filed last year, Harris County officials claimed taxpayers were “fraudulently overcharged” for ongoing and drastic price hikes for a medication that has not substantively changed in many years. (Silverman, 9/30)

Reuters: Exclusive: FDA Widens U.S. Safety Inquiry Into AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine - Sources 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has broadened its investigation of a serious illness in AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine study and will look at data from earlier trials of similar vaccines developed by the same scientists, three sources familiar with the details told Reuters. AstraZeneca’s large, late-stage U.S. trial has remained on hold since Sept. 6, after a study participant in Britain fell ill with what was believed to be a rare spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis. The widened scope of the FDA probe raises the likelihood of additional delays for what has been one of the most advanced COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development. The requested data was expected to arrive this week, after which the FDA would need time to analyze it, two of the sources said. (Taylor and Levine, 9/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Justice Department Opens Ventilator Antitrust Probe Focused On Medtronic 
The Justice Department is investigating whether acquisitions by Medtronic PLC limited competition in ventilator manufacturing, according to people familiar with the matter, an antitrust probe that emerged from complaints about device shortages during the coronavirus pandemic. Medtronic has received a civil subpoena from the Justice Department formally requesting more information, the people said. (Kendall, 9/30)

The New York Times: All Eyes Are On Pfizer As Trump Pushes For Vaccine By October
In media appearances and talks with investors, Pfizer’s chief executive nearly always mentions a word that is so politically perilous, most of his competitors shy away from it: October. “Right now, our model — our best case — predicts that we will have an answer by the end of October,” the chief executive, Dr. Albert Bourla, told the “Today” show earlier this month. In other interviews, he has said he expected a “conclusive readout” by then, with an application for emergency authorization that could be filed “immediately.”Dr. Bourla’s statements have put his company squarely in the sights of President Trump, who has made no secret of his desire for positive vaccine news to boost his chances on Election Day, Nov. 3. “We’re going to have a vaccine very soon. Maybe even before a very special date,” Mr. Trump said recently. (Thomas, 9/30)

Stat: Eager For A Covid Vaccine, Trump Now Trusts Drug Makers He Once Vilified
Amid the chaos and rancor of the first presidential debate, President Trump gave a dramatic and troubling look into his ideas about the vaccine approval process. He also left the clear impression that he trusts pharma companies more than government scientists. In fact, he called out three biopharma companies by name — Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna. (Herper, 9/30)

The Washington Post: These Laboratory-Made Antibodies Are A Best Bet For A Coronavirus Treatment, But There Won’t Be Enough 
In two-story-high stainless steel vats, a drug is brewing in trillions of hamster ovary cells. Many experts think this could be the best bet to defang the novel coronavirus and transform it from a potentially lethal infection into a treatable illness. Current treatments for the coronavirus aim to help the sickest patients survive. But this drug, called a monoclonal antibody cocktail, aims to keep people out of the hospital altogether. The experimental shot of lab-generated antibodies imitates the body’s own disease-fighting force. The goal is to boost a person’s immune defense, instead of waiting for human biology to muster its own response — and possibly lose to the virus. (Johnson, 9/30)

The Washington Post: Remdesivir May Not Cure Covid, But It’s On Track To Make Billions For Gilead
J. Randall Curtis gives remdesivir to his seriously ill coronavirus patients based on statistics, not his own experience. From the bedside, he said, benefits of the drug are undetectable. "It’s hard when you’re on the front line, knowing whether it makes a difference. People are not jumping out of bed and saying, ‘Thanks, you saved my life,' " said Curtis, a doctor at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center. "We are continuing to use it, because if you look at all the data in total, there probably is some benefit.” (Rowland, 9/30)

Sacramento Bee: New California Law Lets Nurses Work Independently Of Doctors 
Gov. Gavin Newsom paved the way for nurse practitioners in California to practice medicine independent of doctors under a bill he signed Tuesday. Newsom’s signature represents the culmination of a fight that has spanned several legislative sessions, pitting doctors groups against those that want to expand nurse practitioners’ ability to treat patients. The measure, Assembly Bill 890, would allow nurse practitioners to practice independently in 2023. Nurse practitioners would have to operate under a doctor’s supervision for a minimum three-year transition period before embarking on their own practices. Current California law requires nurse practitioners, who hold masters or doctorate degrees in nursing and additional certification beyond a regular nursing degree, to always operate under a doctor’s supervision. (Bollag, 9/29)

Becker's Hospital Review: Missouri Hospital Offering Nurses $20,000 Sign-On Bonuses
Mercy Hospital Springfield (Mo.) is offering nursing up to $20,000 to join its staff, according to Ozarks First. The bonus would apply to registered nurses who become hospital staffers in the next several months. "Whether you're about to graduate in December or you're a nurse who's ready for a new opportunity, our doors are open at Mercy," said Dea Geujen, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer for Mercy Hospital Springfield. (Paavola, 9/30)

Becker's Hospital Review: HHS Tells Hospitals To Guard Against Ryuk Ransomware Attack: 10 Things To Know
HHS released important updates on the Ryuk ransomware, which is suspected in the recent cyberattack at King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Systems hospital. Ryuk ransomware is an encryption used by individuals to lock information within an organization's computer system. The information HHS released Sept. 29 urges organizations to take action to reduce the risk of attack, according to an American Hospital Association report. (9/30)

Medscape: Physicians Misjudge a Terminal Patient's Life Span: Is It Fraud?
Can physicians always tell when a patient has less than 6 months to live? And if they misjudge, is that fraud? A registered nurse and three nonclinicians filed a federal False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit against Care Alternatives, a for-profit hospice in Cranford, New Jersey, claiming the hospice illegally admitted at least 16 patients who were not in their last 6 months of life and so did not qualify for Medicare hospice coverage. (Meyer, 9/30)

FierceHealthcare: DOJ Charges Hundreds In Connection With $6B In Healthcare Fraud In Largest Takedown Ever
The Department of Justice charged 345 people across 51 federal districts in the largest healthcare fraud takedown in the agency's history. DOJ said the charges were in connection cases responsible for more than $6 billion in losses. Among those charged were more than 100 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, according to DOJ. The billions in false claims were submitted to both public and private insurers, DOJ said, with more than $4.5 billion connected to telemedicine schemes. (Minemyer, 9/30)

NPR: Web Of 'Wellness' Doctors Push Unproven COVID-19 Treatment 
Just as the coronavirus pandemic began its rapid and deadly spread across the United States, a well-known doctor named Dominique Fradin-Read told thousands of viewers tuning into an Instagram Live video that she had an answer, "one of the best ways to prevent and fight COVID-19."It was April 2020. The virus had already killed 50,000 Americans, a number that has since grown to more than 200,000. And scientists were scrambling to find a safe and effective treatment - a search that continues to this day. Dr. Fradin-Read is a prominent figure in the wellness community. She owns the medical practice VitaLifeMD in Los Angeles, and helped formulate the "Madame Ovary" supplement for actor Gwyneth Paltrow's brand Goop. (Dreisbach, 10/1)

Becker's Hospital Review: Drug Costs Aren't The Main Reason US Spends So Much On Healthcare, Study Finds
Payments to hospitals and physicians — not  drug prices — are the main reason the U.S. spends so much more on healthcare than other wealthy countries, despite much of the national conversation around healthcare spending being focused on drug costs, according to a report released by the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation. The U.S. spends about twice as much per person on healthcare than other wealthy countries, with an average of $10,637 per capita in 2018 compared to $5,527 in other countries.  (Anderson, 9/30)

Stat: How Is Covid-19 Upending Drug Development? An Industry Leader Weighs In
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to force drastic change in everyday life, the effects on the pharmaceutical industry are no less profound. Although drug makers are still regularly demonized over their pricing, their proverbial stock has, nonetheless, risen in the public eye thanks to the desperate need for treatments and vaccines to combat the coronavirus. But what are those changes looking like? And what might they mean going forward? (Silverman, 10/1)

Stat: Telehealth Startup Ro Expands Generics Partnership With Pfizer
Telehealth startup Ro is expanding its partnership with pharma giant Pfizer’s generics arm to offer its generic versions of commonly prescribed blood pressure and cholesterol medications. Through its virtual mail-order pharmacy, Ro will supply Pfizer-produced generics of Lipitor, a cholesterol drug, and Norvasc, a hypertension medication. The medications will be made available through Ro’s $5-per-month prescription drug service, which launched earlier this year and which doesn’t take insurance. (Runwal, 9/30)

FierceHealthcare: UnitedHealth Group Buys DivvyDose To Compete With Amazon's PillPack: Report 
UnitedHealth Group is jumping into the online pharmacy space with the acquisition of startup DivvyDose, according to a media report. CNBC's Christina Farr reported Tuesday that the insurer bought DivvyDose for more than $300 million, citing a person familiar with the deal. (Landi, 9/30)

Becker's Hospital Review: Northwell Develops COVID-19 Predictive Tool That Spots Outbreaks 2 Weeks In Advance
New Hyde, N.Y.-based Northwell Health created a new predictive tool that can anticipate a spike in COVID-19 cases at its hospitals by mining user data patterns from the system's website, according to a Sept. 30 news release. The digital dashboard gathers 15 different indicators from the Northwell.edu website and inputs them into a machine learning algorithm to identify patterns in website traffic, including searches for emergency department wait times and physician page clicks. (Drees, 9/30)

Stat: With A New CEO, A Small Biotech Is Out To Prove Wall Street Wrong
G1 Therapeutics, a North Carolina biotech company, is changing CEOs on the eve of an expected first FDA approval and hoping to shatter the industry truism about small companies struggling to sell products. Mark Velleca, who has led G1 since 2014, will step down Jan. 1 and be replaced by Jack Bailey, a 30-year pharmaceutical veteran who currently sits on the company’s board. That transition will come about a month before the FDA is slated to rule on G1’s trilaciclib, an intravenous treatment designed to preventively reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. (Garde, 9/30)

AP: School Officials Charged With Hiding Lead, Asbestos Problems
The former superintendent of a Pennsylvania school district and two other officials were charged Wednesday with felony child endangerment over allegations they covered up lead and asbestos contamination in the schools and exposed students and staff to serious health risks. Starting in 2016, officials in the Scranton School District were repeatedly told about dangerous lead levels in drinking water in at least 10 schools but failed to ensure tainted water fountains and sinks were disconnected or remediated and misled the public about the problem, according to a grand jury presentment released Wednesday. (Rubinkam, 9/30)

Fox News: FSU Cancels Spring Break After 1,000-Person Party Over The Weekend 
Florida State University canceled its spring break on Wednesday to try to protect against the spread of coronavirus. Sally McRorie, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at FSU, told students that the administration is altering the schedule and canceling spring break because the school's "highest priority remains the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff." (Best, 9/30)

The New York Times: White House Blocked C.D.C. Order To Keep Cruise Ships Docked 
The White House has blocked a new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep cruise ships docked until mid-February, a step that would have displeased the politically powerful tourism industry in the crucial swing state of Florida. The current “no sail” policy, which was originally put in place in April and later extended, is set to expire on Wednesday. Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the C.D.C., had recommended the extension, worried that cruise ships could become viral hot spots, as they did at the beginning of the pandemic. (Kaplan, 9/30)

Fox News: Coronavirus Face Masks Made With Silk Are Better Than Cotton, Study Finds
When choosing a fabric to make a homemade face mask to protect against the novel coronavirus, silk is better than cotton, namely when used in conjunction with a respirator, according to a new study from researchers with the University of Cincinnati. In an analysis of what types of fabric would be best when making a homemade mask, silk took the cake, with researchers saying this material is not only comfortable but also is breathable and repels moisture – a “desirable trait in fighting an airborne virus,” per a news release on the findings. (Farber, 9/30)

The New York Times: Timothy Ray Brown, First Patient Cured Of H.I.V., Dies At 54 
Timothy Ray Brown, the first person to be cured of H.I.V., through an experimental bone marrow transplant that offered hope though not a realistic treatment for most people with the virus, died on Tuesday at his home in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 54. His partner, Tim Hoeffgen, said the cause was unrelated recurring leukemia. Mr. Brown had remained free of H.I.V., the virus that can lead to AIDS. (Roberts, 9/30)

USA Today: Chrissy Teigen Suffers Pregnancy Loss After Hospitalization
Chrissy Teigen suffered a miscarriage Wednesday, three days after she was hospitalized for bleeding issues. Teigen, 34, posted a heartbreaking hospital room photo on Instagram announcing that her unborn child, a boy, had died. "We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before," Teigen wrote. "We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough." (Alexander, 10/1)

Georgia Health News: For Deaf People, Pandemic Brings Unique Problems 
When Julie Burton was growing up, she had a hard time communicating with the people and the world around her. Being born profoundly deaf posed many challenges for the young Burton. But life changed for her when she started school at the Alabama School for the Deaf (ASD) and became immersed in the deaf world. She’s now an American sign language teacher at the Georgia School for the Deaf, and is one of about 48 million deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals living in the United States. (Laguaite, 9/30)

Fox News: Consistency In The Time Of Day You Work Out May Keep Off The Pounds, Study Finds
The key to working out consistently and keeping off the pounds may be as simple as setting the same time of day for your workouts and sticking to the schedule, according to a recent study in the journal Obesity. Researchers from Brown Alpert Medical School looked at the exercise habits of 375 individuals who work out regularly, and found that people who set the same time of day for their workouts spent notably more time working out per week than people who set random times of day for exercise. (Best, 9/30)

Politico: California To Ban Chokeholds, Independently Review Police Shootings Under Newly Signed Laws
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed policing bills that ban chokeholds, allow the state Department of Justice to investigate police shootings and give counties more oversight of sheriff's departments. The signings represent a win for police reform advocates and Democrats who introduced a wave of bills after the May police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Nieves, 9/30)

NPR: New York City Imposes Fines Of Up To $1,000 For Those Who Refuse To Wear Face Masks
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that the city will impose fines on people who refuse to wear face coverings, after it saw a positivity rate for coronavirus tests of over 3% for the first time since June. The fine is up to $1,000, the mayor's office told NPR. (Penaloza, 9/30)

AP: Task Force: Oklahoma Among Worst In Nation In Coronavirus
Oklahoma remains among the worst states in the United States for positive coronavirus tests per 100,000 people and the number of new reported cases, according to a report released this week by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Oklahoma is in the red zone for virus cases, meaning 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population, with a rate of 201 new cases per 100,000, an increase of 15% from a week ago, according to the federal report dated Sept. 27 and released Wednesday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The report recommends increased testing to identify those with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and to isolate those infected to limit the spread of the virus. (Miller, 9/30)

AP: South Dakota Ends Deadliest Month For COVID-19 As Cases Dip
South Dakota reported a decrease in the number of active cases to 3,658 on Wednesday as the state marked the end of its deadliest month of the pandemic to date. Health officials have recorded 56 death from COVID-19 during September, as well as new highs in cases. Over the past two weeks, the state reported the nation’s second-highest number of new cases per capita, with 567 infections per 100,000 people. (9/30)

AP: North Dakota Tries Ad Campaign, Not Mask Rule, To Stem Virus
Executives at a Bismarck marketing agency hired to help stem the tide of rising virus cases in central North Dakota say that’s the mindset facing them with their campaign in the hot spot of a state that for weeks has been among the nation’s leaders in the number of new virus cases per capita, according to The COVID Tracking Project. (Kolpack, 9/30)

The New York Times: The Carnival Parade Is Canceled, And Rio Is Reeling
For more than a century, Rio de Janeiro’s carnival has been an irrepressible force, unstoppable by wars, disease, labor strikes or political repression. Raucous celebrations took over city streets despite the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, during both World Wars and through Brazil’s military dictatorship. Glitter flew, hips swayed and drummers pounded in 2008, despite a dengue outbreak that sickened more than 200,000 in the state. ... But now, amid the pandemic, the official carnival parade has been suspended, indefinitely. Rio is reeling. (Andreoni and Londono, 9/30)

The New York Times: Huge Study Of Coronavirus Cases In India Offers Some Surprises To Scientists
With 1.3 billion people jostling for space, India has always been a hospitable environment for infectious diseases of every kind. And the coronavirus has proved to be no exception: The country now has more than six million cases, second only to the United States. An ambitious study of nearly 85,000 of those cases and nearly 600,000 of their contacts, published Wednesday in the journal Science, offers important insights not just for India, but for other low- and middle-income countries. Among the surprises: The trend in increasing deaths with age seemed to drop off after age 65 — perhaps because Indians who live past that age tend to be relatively wealthy and have access to good health care. (Mandavilli, 9/30)