First Edition: Oct. 29, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Despite COVID Concerns, Teams Venture Into Nursing Homes To Get Out The Vote
Each time Beverly Tucker visited a nursing home or long-term care facility this fall, she brought along a rolling tote bag packed with supplies from the Durham County Board of Elections. Boxes of face masks and face shields. Latex gloves and cleaning wipes. Hand sanitizer from Mystic Farm & Distillery, a local facility that was among the first to switch from producing liquor to hand sanitizer in the early days of the pandemic. And most important — even if they were dwarfed by the cleaning supplies — the absentee ballots and ballot request forms that Tucker would help residents complete in time for the election. (Pattani, 10/29)
KHN:
App-Based Companies Pushing Prop. 22 Say Drivers Will Get Health Benefits. Will They?
App-based driving services such as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart are bankrolling California’s Proposition 22, which would keep their drivers classified as independent contractors, not employees. Leading into the Nov. 3 election, the ballot measure — which has become the most expensive in state history — is mired in controversy and the subject of a lawsuit from Uber drivers alleging that the company inappropriately pressured them to vote for the initiative. (Bluth, 10/29)
KHN:
Hospital Bills For Uninsured COVID Patients Are Covered, But No One Tells Them
When Darius Settles died from COVID-19 on the Fourth of July, his family and the city of Nashville, Tennessee, were shocked. Even the mayor noted the passing of a 30-year-old without any underlying conditions — one of the city’s youngest fatalities at that point. Settles was also uninsured and had just been sent home from an emergency room for the second time, and he was worried about medical bills. An investigation into his death found that, like many uninsured COVID-19 patients, he had never been told that cost shouldn’t be a concern. (Farmer, 10/29)
KHN:
The Trump Medicaid Record: Big Goals, Yet Few Successes
President Donald Trump entered office seeking a massive overhaul of the Medicaid program, which had just experienced the biggest growth spurt in its 50-year history. His administration supported repealing the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, which has added millions of adults to the federal-state health program for lower-income Americans. He also wanted states to require certain enrollees to work. He sought to discontinue the open-ended federal funding that keeps pace with rising Medicaid enrollment and costs. He has achieved none of these ambitious goals. (Galewitz, 10/29)
KHN and Politifact:
Sen. Graham Complains That 3 Blue States Get A Third Of ACA Funding
Sen. Lindsey Graham has never been a fan of the Affordable Care Act — even though it’s helped dramatically lower the number of uninsured people in his home state of South Carolina. The Republican, who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, attacked the law at the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Democrats have made the nomination a referendum on the health law, which will be the subject of a Supreme Court hearing on Nov. 10. They fear the court may overturn the entire law, which has led to huge expansions in coverage and blocked insurers from discriminating against people with preexisting conditions, among other consumer protections. (Galewitz, 10/29)
The Hill:
Federal Agencies Warn Hackers Targeting U.S. Hospitals With Ransomware Attacks
The virus was also involved in an attack on Pennsylvania-headquartered hospital chain Universal Health Services, with all 250 of its U.S. healthcare facilities negatively impacted by a ransomware attack earlier this month. Multiple hospitals and healthcare groups in the U.S. have been targeted this week, including three hospitals in New York’s St. Lawrence County and Sky Lakes Medical Center in Oregon, which the medical center confirmed in a Facebook post on Tuesday. (Miller, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
Hospitals Being Hit In Coordinated, Targeted Ransomware Attack From Russian-Speaking Criminals
Russian-speaking cybercriminals in recent days have launched a coordinated attack targeting U.S. hospitals already stressed by the coronavirus pandemic with ransomware that analysts worry could lead to fatalities. In the space of 24 hours beginning Monday, six hospitals from California to New York have been hit by the Ryuk ransomware, which encrypts data on computer systems, forcing the hospitals in some cases to disrupt patient care and cancel noncritical surgeries, analysts said. (Nakashima and Greene, 10/28)
AP:
FBI Warns Ransomware Assault Threatens US Healthcare System
In a joint alert Wednesday, the FBI and two federal agencies warned that they had “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.” The alert said malicious groups are targeting the sector with attacks that produce “data theft and disruption of healthcare services.” The cyberattacks involve ransomware, which scrambles data into gibberish that can only be unlocked with software keys provided once targets pay up. Independent security experts say it has already hobbled at least five U.S. hospitals this week, and could potentially impact hundreds more. (Bajak, 10/29)
NPR:
U.S. Hospitals Targeted In Rising Wave Of Ransomware Attacks, Federal Agencies Say
The agencies said hackers are using Ryuk ransomware — malicious software used to encrypt data and keep it locked up — and the Trickbot network of infected computers to steal data, disrupt health care services and extort money from health care facilities. Such data hijacking often cripples online systems, forcing many to pay up to millions of dollars to restore their services. The agencies warned health care providers to step up protections of their networks, including regularly updating software, backing up data and monitoring who is accessing their systems. (Bond and Romo, 10/29)
The New York Times:
Supreme Court To Let PA, NC Accept Absentee Ballots After Election Day
In a pair of decisions welcomed by Democrats, the Supreme Court on Wednesday let election officials in two key battleground states, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, accept absentee ballots for several days after Election Day. In the Pennsylvania case, the court refused a plea from Republicans in the state that it decide before Election Day whether election officials can continue receiving absentee ballots for three days after Nov. 3. In the North Carolina case, the court let stand lower court rulings that allowed the state’s board of elections to extend the deadline to nine days after Election Day, up from the three days called for by the state legislature. (Liptak, 10/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Supreme Court Declines To Disturb Ballot Deadlines In North Carolina, Pennsylvania
In the North Carolina litigation, the justices denied Republican requests to block a decision by state elections officials to extend the deadline for accepting mail-in ballots until Nov. 12, a six-day extension of the date set by the legislature. North Carolina elections officials said they extended their deadline “to keep voters from having their votes thrown out because of mail delays that the Postal Service had explicitly warned the state about.” (Bravin and Kendall, 10/28)
NPR:
Supreme Court Allows Ballot Extensions In Pennsylvania, North Carolina, For Now
New Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not participate in either case. Her decision was particularly noteworthy because her vote might or might not have affected the outcome and because a Pennsylvania county had earlier this week filed, and then withdrawn, a formal request for the new justice to recuse herself.
A highly unusual statement issued by the court press office said that Barrett did not participate because of the need for a "prompt resolution" of the question before the court, and because the new justice "had not had time to fully review" the written arguments submitted to the court. (Totenberg, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
Democrats In Pennsylvania, North Carolina Claim Key Wins At Supreme Court Ahead Of Election
In both of the cases, the Republican Party and GOP legislators had opposed the extensions, and President Trump has railed on the campaign trail about the mail-in vote. Three conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch — objected in both cases. (Barnes, 10/28)
Stat:
A New Challenge For Public Health: Making Voting Safe Amid A Pandemic
In their efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus, public health departments are taking on a new responsibility: helping make voting as safe as possible. Normally, these agencies don’t get involved in election logistics, but now they’re collaborating with local elections officials to set up polling places and training poll workers and volunteers on what behaviors to encourage and what to caution against. After all, one of the key Covid-19 precautions we’ve been encouraged to take is to avoid crowds, particularly indoors. Voting can pose a challenge to that, and in turn, to the health of both voters and poll workers. (Joseph, 10/29)
The Washington Post:
Millions Of Mail Ballots Have Not Been Returned As Window Closes For Postal Service Delivery
Amid a record surge in early voting, millions of mail ballots remained unreturned Wednesday, prompting a flurry of warnings from election officials that ballots sent via the U.S. Postal Service at this point may not arrive in time to be counted. With Election Day less than a week away, more than 42 million out of the 92 million mail ballots requested by voters nationally had not yet been returned as of Wednesday afternoon, according to data from the U.S. Elections Project, a nonpartisan site tracking early voting. (Hawkins and Bogage, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
In Closing Days, Trump And Biden Push Opposing Pandemic Strategies
President Trump pushed ahead Wednesday with a strategy for the closing days of the campaign that minimizes the threat from the coronavirus pandemic, misstates his record in confronting it and mocks Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s caution in campaigning amid a disease that has killed more than 225,000 Americans. Biden, during remarks in Delaware, blasted Trump for what he characterized as recklessness in handling the pandemic as Trump held crowded rallies in Arizona. (Gearan, Wang and Wagner, 10/28)
Politico:
Biden Rips Trump For Stranding Supporters After Omaha Rally
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Wednesday condemned President Donald Trump’s campaign for stranding supporters in freezing temperatures following a rally the previous evening — arguing that the episode was emblematic of the White House’s failed pandemic response. The remarks from the former vice president came during an address in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., on the day after hundreds of people who showed up for Trump’s rally Tuesday night in Omaha, Neb., were left waiting for buses to transport them from the event site at Eppley Airfield back to their cars parked several miles away. (Forgey, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
Trump Supporters Stranded In Freezing Weather At Omaha Airport When Buses Can't Reach Site
After spending about an hour walking the three-plus miles back to his car, Jonathon Sundet posted a tweet calling the situation “disheartening” and asking for an explanation from the Trump campaign. The 19-year-old South Dakota State University freshman and his girlfriend had driven four hours to attend the rally, only to be stranded. “There’s this belief that Donald Trump is for the common people, and that’s part of the reason why he won in 2016,” he told The Washington Post. “But the reason why I wanted to tweet it is because I do believe in part of his message; I believe in some of the things he said that night, and it was kind of disappointing that a campaign would treat you like that.” (Elfrink, Shammas and Griffiths, 10/28)
NPR:
How Would Joe Biden Fight COVID-19?
[Democrat Joe] Biden's campaign has a seven-point plan to beat COVID-19 and other proposals for health care and economic recovery that support that vision. NPR asked his advisers for details on his approach, which includes some familiar elements, as well as some less-expected ones. (Aubrey, 10/28)
Reuters:
Biden, In LGBTQ Interview, Vows To Pass Equality Act In First 100 Days
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has promised to put top priority on passing the LGBTQ rights legislation known as the Equality Act, hoping to sign what would be a landmark civil rights law within 100 days, should he win Tuesday’s election. Biden, a leading voice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights as vice president under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017, also pledged in an interview with the Philadelphia Gay News to expand queer rights internationally by making equality a centerpiece of U.S. diplomacy if he assumes office in January. (Trotta, 10/29)
NPR:
Trump Has Weaponized Masculinity As President. Here's Why It Matters
Trump has been blatant about amping up his particular, aggressive and pugilistic brand of masculinity. After four years, that machismo has manifested itself in seemingly every area of his presidency. And it matters — it has potential political and even policy impacts that may last well beyond his tenure in office. (Kurtzleben, 10/28)
The Hill:
White House Seeks To Clarify Press Release Claiming Trump Ended The COVID-19 Pandemic
A press release claiming that President Trump ended the coronavirus pandemic was "poorly worded" and Trump does not believe the pandemic is over, a White House spokesperson said Wednesday. "The intent was to say that it is our goal to end the virus," White House strategic communications director Alyssa Farah said during a Fox News interview. (Weixel, 10/28)
The Hill:
Space Force's Second-In-Command Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Gen. David Thompson, the Space Force’s vice chief of space operations, has tested positive for COVID-19, the Air Force announced Wednesday. Thompson took the test after being informed that a close family member had contracted the virus, the Air Force said in a statement, adding that the Space Force official is now isolating and working from home. (Castronuovo, 10/28)
The Hill:
Fauci: COVID-19 Vaccine Likely Not Available Until Next Year
A potential COVID-19 vaccine will not likely be available until next year, Anthony Fauci said Wednesday. During a virtual Q&A with the editor in chief of the medical journal JAMA, Fauci said companies by December will likely have enough data for the independent safety monitoring board to recommend applying for emergency authorization, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may not grant that authorization until January at the earliest. (Weixel, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
Fauci Expresses Support For National Mask Mandate Amid Record-Setting Coronavirus Infections
Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, said for the first time Wednesday that the United States needs a nationwide mask mandate to combat the rising tide of coronavirus infections. In interviews with CNBC and the Journal of the American Medical Association, Fauci expressed regret that masks haven’t been adopted more widely and suggested that doing so would be key to avoiding another round of shutdowns. (10/29)
The Washington Post:
State And Local Leaders Order New Restrictions Amid Autumn’s Coronavirus Surge
State and local officials in Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts and Texas are imposing new restrictions on schools, businesses and social gatherings, responding to the fall surge in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations that threatens much of the country with a health emergency resembling what struck the Northeast in the spring. Although this has been a highly politicized pandemic, some of the new restrictions are arising with no regard for local political inclinations: Liberal-leaning El Paso is under a nightly curfew, while conservative-leaning Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Tuesday passed a mask mandate. (Achenbach and Brulliard, 10/28)
The Hill:
Trump Testing Czar Warns Local Officials May Impose 'Draconian Measures' To Combat COVID-19
President Trump's appointed COVID-19 testing czar on Wednesday warned that state and local officials could impose "draconian measures" to limit the virus's spread if people don't take the needed steps of social distancing and wearing masks. "We still can control this" by wearing masks, social distancing and being careful around the holidays, Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of health, said in an appearance on NBC's "Today" show. (Deese, 10/28)
The Hill:
Study: Counties Without Mask Mandates Have Much Higher Hospitalizations
A new study finds that coronavirus hospitalizations increased significantly more in areas without mask requirements, bolstering guidance from public health officials on the importance of wearing facial coverings to slow the spread of COVID-19. The study by Vanderbilt University compared Tennessee counties with mask requirements to those without any. (Sullivan, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
White House Called Off Investigation On Its Coronavirus Outbreak, Local Officials Say
Officials say the White House called off early efforts to get to the bottom of the outbreak, including sequencing the genomes of virus samples from infected individuals. This genetic analysis could have revealed shared mutations that linked cases in Washington and other affected communities. Had the administration done such an investigation, it would know whether infections among aides to Vice President Pence that were reported this past weekend bore the same genetic signature as earlier cases at the White House. That could indicate whether the virus was circulating among administration officials for weeks or had slipped through infection-control measures a second time. (Butler, Hamburger, Sun and Kaplan, 10/28)
The Hill:
Kushner Told Woodward In April Trump Was 'Getting The Country Back From The Doctors'
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner in April told journalist Bob Woodward that the country had progressed in its response to the coronavirus pandemic to the point where President Trump was "back in charge" and "getting the country back from the doctors." Kushner, who is also the president's son-in-law, told Woodward on April 18 that the country was moving into what he deemed the "comeback phase." The comments came one day after Trump tweeted out support for people protesting against coronavirus-related restrictions with calls to "liberate" Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia. (Samuels, 10/28)
AP:
Feds Issue Coverage Plan For COVID-19 Vaccine And Treatments
Federal health officials Wednesday issued insurance coverage rules designed to deliver on the promise that every American will have access to free COVID-19 vaccines when they are approved. The regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, will also increase what Medicare pays hospitals for COVID-19 treatments. The changes arrive at a time when coronavirus infections are rising in much of the country, signaling a third wave that could eclipse the number of cases seen earlier this year. Congress and President Donald Trump have already enacted legislation that calls for vaccines to be free, but the new rules were needed to align that policy with the many arcane payment requirements for public and private insurance. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/28)
The Hill:
Medicare, Medicaid Will Cover Costs Of Future COVID-19 Vaccine Under New Policy
Medicare will cover any potential coronavirus vaccine for free, under a new Trump administration policy officially announced Wednesday. The new rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) means any vaccine that receives Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization will be covered under Medicare as a preventive vaccine at no cost to beneficiaries, which is a change from current policy. (Weixel, 10/28)
NPR:
Lilly COVID-19 Antibody Treatment Would Come With Hefty Infusion Costs
Eli Lilly has struck a deal with the federal government to provide 300,000 doses of a drug that's designed to keep people infected with COVID-19 out of the hospital. The cost per dose: $1,250. The federal government plans to distribute the 300,000 doses at no cost, but that doesn't mean treatment will be free. The Lilly drug, a type of monoclonal antibody, is given by intravenous infusion. Those infusions, typically given in hospitals or standalone clinics, can cost well over $1,000. People with health insurance are often required to pay hundreds of dollars in copayments. (Harris, 10/28)
The Hill:
Trump Administration Agrees To Purchase $375 Million Of Lilly Coronavirus Antibody Drug
The Trump administration will pay Eli Lilly $375 million to supply 300,000 doses of its experimental antibody drug to treat COVID-19, the Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday. If the Food and Drug Administration authorizes use of the drug, the federal government will allocate the doses to state and territorial health departments which, in turn, will determine which health care facilities receive the drug for use in outpatient care. (Weixel, 10/28)
Stat:
It May Be Time To Reset Expectations On When We'll Get A Covid-19 Vaccine
The ambitious drive to produce Covid-19 vaccine at warp speed seems to be running up against reality. We all probably need to reset our expectations about how quickly we’re going to be able to be vaccinated. Pauses in clinical trials to investigate potential safety issues, a slower-than-expected rate of infections among participants in at least one of the trials, and signals that an expert panel advising the Food and Drug Administration may not be comfortable recommending use of vaccines on very limited safety and efficacy data appear to be adding up to a slippage in the estimates of when vaccine will be ready to be deployed. (Branswell, 10/29)
AP:
UK Vaccine Chief Warns Of Over-Optimism, Early Imperfection
Warning that the first COVID-19 vaccines may be imperfect, the head of the U.K effort to develop a vaccine called Wednesday for immediate international cooperation to prevent the “largest global recession in history.” U.K. Vaccine Taskforce chair Kate Bingham also warned against over-optimism, saying there is no guarantee a successful vaccine against the novel coronavirus will ever be developed. (Kirka, 10/28)
Reuters:
Next Crop Of COVID-19 Vaccine Developers Take More Traditional Route
The handful of drugmakers dominating the global coronavirus vaccine race are pushing the boundaries of vaccine technology. The next crop under development feature more conventional, proven designs. The world will need several different vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, given the sheer size of global need, variations in effects on different populations, and possible limits of effectiveness in the first crop. (Steenhuysen and Copley, 10/29)
Reuters:
Japan's Takeda To Import 50 Million Doses Of Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine, Raises Profit Forecast
Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co said on Thursday it would import and distribute 50 million doses of Moderna Inc’s novel coronavirus vaccine candidate. Takeda will be responsible for securing regulatory approval for the vaccine, known as mRNA-1273, with supply starting in the first half of 2021, Takeda said in a release. (10/29)
Stat:
Antibody Drugs Appear Effective. Now Can We Make Enough Of Them?
The Covid-19 pandemic teaches one lesson, over and over: The virus is moving faster than we are. That difficult message was driven home Wednesday evening with news that an antibody cocktail developed by the drug maker Regeneron — the same cocktail used to treat President Trump — reduced infected patients’ need to visit the doctor, virtually or in person, or go to the hospital by 57%. (Herper, 10/29)
CIDRAP:
PPE Still Lacking In Nursing Homes As COVID Doubles Down
Two new studies detail US nursing home preparedness amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one finding that 20% of facilities had less than 1 week's supply of at least one type of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the other showing that homes owned by private equity firms performed on par with those under other types of ownership in terms of coronavirus cases and deaths but stored less PPE. (Van Beusekom, 10/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Tiny Brain Implants Hold Big Promise For Immobilized Patients
When Phil O’Keefe wants to open a document or click a link on his computer screen, he can think about tapping his left ankle. That brain activity is collected by sensors implanted in a blood vessel in Mr. O’Keefe’s brain and relayed to a computer through devices in his chest. The signals are converted to a mouse click or zoom-in on his screen with the help of machine-learning software. (Hernandez and Cherney, 10/28)
Stat:
Startup Spotlight: Encoded Eyes A Gene Therapy For Dravet Syndrome
Kartik Ramamoorthi started the gene therapy company Encoded in an unusual way: by pitching it during a job interview. In 2014, Ramamoorthi found himself interviewing for a position at the Gates Foundation’s venture investments group. He already had a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and some post-graduate experience as a founding member of Voyager Therapeutics, a Third Rock Ventures-backed neurodegeneration startup. (Sheridan, 10/28)
Stat:
A MacArthur 'Genius' Will Likely Use His Grant To Support His Wife’s Work
There’s a rare and touching symbiosis in Damien Fair’s marriage. The prominent University of Minnesota neuroscientist was honored earlier this month with a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation, but he likely will spend his earnings — a cool, no-strings-attached $625,000 — to support his wife’s life’s work. (Keshavan, 10/29)
Stat:
Google And Mayo Clinic To Use AI To Better Target Radiation Therapy
In the first project of their sweeping data partnership, Google and the Mayo Clinic will build an artificial intelligence tool to guide the targeting of radiation therapy in cancer patients, the organizations said Wednesday. The tool will draw contours around tumors in the head and neck, dividing them from healthy tissue, and help to determine radiation dosage and develop treatment plans for patients. (Ross, 10/28)
The New York Times:
M.L.B. Says Justin Turner Refused To Stay Off Field After Dodgers’ Win
The joy of the Dodgers’ long coveted World Series title was overshadowed when Justin Turner, the team’s veteran third baseman, joined his teammates in celebration on the field shortly after learning he had tested positive for the coronavirus. ... .M.L.B. said on Wednesday that the Dodgers’ entire traveling party had been tested after Tuesday’s game and that both they and the Tampa Bay Rays were tested again in the morning. It said “appropriate authorities” would determine whether the teams could travel or not, but did not specify which ones. The Dodgers flew home Wednesday evening, but it was unclear how many members of the team were on the flight. (Waldstein, Brassil and Wagner, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
MLB Investigating Justin Turner's Actions After World Series Win
On Wednesday afternoon, MLB said it was investigating the matter with the players’ union “within the parameters of their joint 2020 operations manual.” “Following the Dodgers’ victory, it is clear that Turner chose to disregard the agreed-upon joint protocols and the instructions he was given regarding the safety and protection of others,” MLB said in a statement. “While a desire to celebrate is understandable, Turner’s decision to leave isolation and enter the field was wrong and put everyone he came in contact with at risk. When MLB Security raised the matter of being on the field with Turner, he emphatically refused to comply.” (Sheinin and Dougherty, 10/28)
USA Today:
Justin Turner 'Emphatically Refused To Comply' After COVID-19 Positive, Says MLB
Major League Baseball was just two innings away from pulling off an upset, completing its 2020 season in the middle of a global pandemic. It was showing the world it was possible to safely return to work providing health and safety protocols are followed. A phone call, and subsequent irresponsible actions, left a scar for all of the world to see. Commissioner Rob Manfred got the telephone call that Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner tested positive for COVID-19. He immediately telephoned Dodgers owner Mark Walter and president Andrew Friedman, and ordered them to get Turner off the field quickly as possible. (Nightengale, 10/28)
The Hill:
Police Called After Florida Moms Refuse To Wear Face Masks At School Board Meeting About Mask Policy
Florida police on Tuesday forcibly removed a small group of moms refusing to wear masks at a county school board meeting about the potential extension of a mask mandate in schools. According to NBC’s Daytona Beach affiliate station, WESH, officials said that a group of moms refused to adhere to coronavirus guidelines requiring masks as the Volusia County School Board was preparing to discuss a mandatory mask policy that had been put in place in August. (Castronuovo, 10/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Etsy Sales Lifted By Demand For Face Masks
Etsy Inc. reported higher sales in the fiscal third quarter as online shoppers flocked to its platform looking for masks and home décor, making the e-commerce company a standout in a struggling retail sector. Etsy reported selling 24 million face masks in the September quarter. (Chin, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
‘Superspreader’ Wedding, Birthday Party In Long Island Lead To 56 Infections
A coronavirus outbreak in Long Island that has left 56 people infected this month and forced nearly 300 others to quarantine started with a country club wedding and a birthday party. Flouting New York state restrictions, 91 people gathered on the North Fork Country Club’s neatly manicured lawns and elegant white rooms lined with floor-to-ceiling windows to celebrate a wedding on Oct. 17. Within two weeks, 30 guests had tested positive for covid-19. Suffolk County health officials said an additional 159 people who had potentially been exposed to the virus by wedding attendees had been forced to self-quarantine to prevent further spread of the virus. (Shepherd, 10/29)
The Hill:
Washington, Oregon, Nevada Join California Plan To Review COVID-19 Vaccine
Three Western states announced Tuesday that they would join California's workgroup set to independently review any COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A press release from California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) office indicated that Washington, Oregon and Nevada would join the working group and identify experts in public health who could assist in the effort to verify the efficacy and safety of a vaccine approved under the Trump administration. (Bowden, 10/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Halloween Terror, Now On The Drive-Through Menu
The Oaks Park Haunted Drive-Thru offers five frightening options to choose from, including one called “The Condemned.” “Fake blood and guts get smeared and strewn all over your car,” said Emily MacKay, marketing and events director. “But you get a carwash at the end of the drive. From a value standpoint, you could come just for that.” Or for the killer clowns or nuclear-disaster mutants featured in the other options at this mobile Portland, Ore.-based creep-show. This year, lots of haunted houses are closed. Yet there is a detour some haunt promoters are taking: drive-through attractions. (Garbarino, 10/28)
The New York Times:
People Are Still Having Sex. So Why Are S.T.D. Rates Dropping?
For the first time in years, rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, which had been on track in 2020 to hit record highs in the United States, have taken an abrupt downturn. This should be good news. ... But the drop is more likely a harbinger of bad news, experts in reproductive and sexual health believe. They say the pandemic has seriously hindered efforts to mitigate sexually transmitted infections, [and] the upbeat numbers likely signal instead that they are now going largely undetected. (Hoffman, 10/28)
AP:
Ex-Weatherman Who Threatened Health Director Gets Probation
A former Omaha TV weatherman and spokesman for a former mayor has been sentenced to two years of probation for emailing death threats to a local health department director over her handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Ronald Penzkowski, 58, was sentenced Tuesday, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Penzkowski pleaded no contest earlier this year to two misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault. He initially had been charged with a felony count of making terroristic threats. (10/28)
The New York Times:
Protests In Poland Over Abortion Law Continue For Sixth Day
Tens of thousands of women took to the streets in dozens of Polish cities and towns for a nationwide strike on Wednesday to protest a top court’s decision to ban nearly all abortions, even as the nation’s leading politician urged his conservative supporters to “defend Poland.” The call by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the deputy prime minister and leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, to fight back against the protesters and his description of the opposition as “criminals” seeking to “destroy the Polish nation,” threatened to escalate an already tense moment in the deeply divided nation. (Santora, Pronczuk and Magdziarz, 10/28)
AP:
Polish President Backtracks On Abortion View Amid Protests
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said Thursday that women themselves should have the right to abortion in case of congenitally damaged fetuses, apparently breaking ranks with a conservative leadership that pushed a ban that has led to mass street protests. “It cannot be that the law requires this kind of heroism from a woman,” Duda said in an interview with radio RMF FM. He spoke after seven straight days of huge protests across Poland following a constitutional court ruling declaring it unconstitutional to terminate a pregnancy due to fetal congenital defects. The ruling effectively bans almost all abortions in a country that already had one of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws. (10/29)
The New York Times:
How Poland’s New Abortion Law Became Such A Flash Point
Doctors in Poland can refuse to perform a legal abortion and may also refuse to prescribe contraception on religious grounds. And there is very little financial and psychological support for families of disabled children, who are left to fend for themselves once the child is born. In the court ruling, the tribunal’s president, Julia Przylebska, said that allowing abortions for fetal abnormalities legalized “eugenic practices.” Because Poland’s Constitution guarantees the protection of human life, she added, termination based on the health of a fetus amounted to “a directly forbidden form of discrimination. ”Protesters are demanding that the court reverse itself and a growing number are also calling for liberalization of the abortion law. (Pronczuk, 10/27)
AP:
Short Of Medics As Virus Surges, Central Europe Sounds Alarm
Soldiers in Poland are giving coronavirus tests. American National Guard troops with medical training are headed to the Czech Republic to work alongside doctors there. A Czech university student is running blood samples to labs, and the mayor of the capital is taking shifts at a hospital. With cases surging in many central European countries, firefighters, students and retired doctors are being asked to help shore up buckling health care systems. (Janicek and Gera, 10/29)
The Washington Post:
Melbourne Lifts One Of World’s Longest Lockdowns After 111 Days
One of the world’s longest novel coronavirus lockdowns wound down Wednesday morning, allowing roughly 5 million people in the Australian city of Melbourne to leave home anytime they want, eat dinner at a restaurant and drink at bars for the first time in more than three months. Celebrations ensued. Bookings at low-capacity bars and restaurants quickly filled up for weeks ahead. Businesses popped bottles of champagne as shoppers flocked to stores. Some, including, Kmart, opted to remain open for 24 hours to meet demand, local media reported. (Noori Farzan and Berger, 10/28)