First Edition: Oct. 8, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Hard Lives Made Harder By COVID: Homeless Endure A ‘Slow-Moving Train Wreck’
The message wasn’t lost on Daniel Gonzalez. Early in the pandemic, one of the first things Imperial County did to ward off the virus was close the public bathrooms and, later, public cooling centers. In this sprawling Southern California desert, where summer brings blistering triple-digit heat, that lack of access could amount to a death sentence for people without shelter. People like Gonzalez, homeless the past two years, were simply not a priority. (Barry-Jester and Hart, 10/8)
KHN and The Guardian:
Young Doctor Succumbs To COVID, One Of The South’s Many Health Workers Lost
It took Carrie Wanamaker several days to connect the face she saw on GoFundMe with the young woman she had met a few years before. According to the fundraising site, Adeline Fagan, a 28-year-old resident OB-GYN, had developed a debilitating case of COVID-19 and was on a ventilator in Houston. Scrolling through her phone, Wanamaker found the picture she took of Fagan in 2018, showing the fourth-year medical student at her side in the delivery room, beaming at Wanamaker’s pink, crying, minutes-old daughter. Fagan supported Wanamaker’s leg through the birth because the epidural paralyzed her below the waist, and they joked and laughed since Wanamaker felt loopy from the anesthesia. (Gee, 10/8)
KHN and Politifact:
Does The Federal Health Information Privacy Law Protect President Trump?
Within one day, President Donald Trump announced his COVID diagnosis and was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment. The flurry of events was stunning, confusing and triggered many questions. What was his prognosis? When was he last tested for COVID-19? What is his viral load? The answers were elusive. Picture the scene on Oct. 5. White House physician Dr. Sean Conley, flanked by other members of Trump’s medical team, met with reporters outside the hospital. But Conley would not disclose the results of the president’s lung scans and other vital information, invoking a federal law he said allows him to selectively provide intel on the president’s health. (Appleby and Knight, 10/7)
USA Today:
COVID-19 Cases Rising In 39 States – 9 Months Into The Pandemic: 'We Are Overwhelmed'
U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 7.5 million on Wednesday with most states seeing a rise in cases – nine months into the pandemic – and a startling nine states setting ominous, seven-day records for infections. A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Tuesday shows Alaska, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming all set state records in the seven-day period. In all, 39 states reported more coronavirus cases in the last week than they had in the week before. (Bacon and Stucka, 10/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Symptom-Free For 24 Hours, Says White House Doctor
President Trump’s recovery from a Covid-19 infection continued to progress, the White House’s top doctor said Wednesday, even as key details about the president’s health and his potential return to the campaign trail remained unclear. Mr. Trump had gone 24 hours without any coronavirus symptoms, Dr. Sean Conley said in a memo released by the White House. The president hadn’t had a fever in four days, his oxygen saturation and respiratory rate were stable and in normal range, and blood work on Monday showed “detectable levels” of Covid-19 antibodies, Dr. Conley said. (Bender, 10/7)
The Hill:
Trump Says He Feels 'Great' And Is Symptomless: White House Doctor
President Trump reports feeling “great” and experiencing no symptoms less than six days after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, according to a memo from the White House physician issued Wednesday. “The President this morning says ‘I feel great!’ His physical exam and vital signs, including oxygen saturation and respiratory rate, all remain stable and in normal range,” White House physician Sean Conley wrote in the memo released Wednesday afternoon. (Chalfant, 10/7)
The New York Times:
Trump Calls His Illness ‘A Blessing From God’
“I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it,” Mr. Trump said, apparently referring to the fact that he had learned about the benefits of the drug as a result of becoming ill. It was the first time that Mr. Trump tacitly acknowledged another appearance problem — that he has received the kind of intensive and costly medical care for coronavirus that is not available to any member of the general public. (Haberman and Thomas, 10/7)
AP:
Trump Hails Experimental Treatment For His Virus Recovery
President Donald Trump credited an experimental drug treatment with helping his recovery from COVID-19 and suggested his diagnosis could be a “blessing in disguise” in the nation’s battle against the pandemic. But there is no way for the president or his doctors to know whether the drug had any effect.
In a new White House video posted Wednesday evening, Trump said his illness had shed light on an experimental antibody cocktail that he tied to his improved condition. Seemingly sensitive to the fact that his treatment course has been far more comprehensive than the care received by average Americans, he promised to swiftly get the drug approved for broader use — and distribute it for free — even though he does not have the power to order that himself. (Madhani, Colvin and Perrone, 10/8)
Politico:
Trump Claims His Covid Treatment Means A Cure Is Imminent
The president for months has also been promising that a coronavirus vaccine is imminent, often pledging to make it available by Election Day. Late stage clinical trials are underway, but no vaccine-maker has yet sought emergency authorization or approval from the Food and Drug Administration. On Tuesday, the FDA released stricter new vaccine guidelines that make it unlikely a shot will arrive by Nov. 3. Now Trump is promoting the experimental antibody drugs as cures, with his most effusive praise reserved for the drug made by Regeneron. The company’s CEO is a member of Trump's Westchester, N.Y., golf club. (Morello, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
Covid-19 Survivors See Callousness, Not Compassion, In Trump’s Bout With The Virus
Rather than bond Trump to the millions of Americans who have suffered from the virus or watched a loved one go through it, Trump’s experience with the virus has only deepened the sense of distance that some voters say they feel from a president who has consistently downplayed its severity. In interviews, Americans whose lives have been upended by the virus said they felt disappointed that the president missed an opportunity to model responsible behavior. They expressed anger that Trump has continued to minimize the virus’s threat after receiving deluxe care that the vast majority of people can only dream of at a time when testing and treatments are running low. And they voiced fear that Trump’s words and actions would lead to more reckless behavior among his supporters. (Witte, 10/7)
Politico:
Trump Returns To A West Wing Ghost Town
Wednesday had all the trappings of a typical day at the Trump White House. There was a morning flurry of all-caps tweets from President Donald Trump. From his residence, Trump cycled through his favorite subjects — he wanted his political opponents jailed, Democrats were ruining the balloting system, etc. Then, in the early afternoon, Trump descended to the Oval Office to get briefings on a brewing hurricane and congressional negotiations. ... Yet each of those developments was infused with the surreality of the moment. Trump’s tweet storm was not just seen as “Trump being Trump.” It caused some, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to wonder whether the steroids Trump took as part of his coronavirus treatment were fueling his all-caps tweetfest. (McGraw, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
Trump Returns To Oval Office As Aides Refuse To Say When He Last Tested Negative For Covid-19
The White House again refused on Wednesday to say when President Trump last tested negative for the novel coronavirus, leaving open the possibility that he potentially exposed dozens of people to the deadly virus before the announcement of his positive test early Friday. Trump attended several events last week — including a presidential debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, a campaign rally and an in-person fundraiser — where he could have potentially exposed people to the coronavirus if he was infectious at that time. The disease has killed more than 210,000 Americans. (Olorunnipa, Dawsey and Parker, 10/7)
CNN:
Trump's Erratic Behavior Continues As He Halts Stimulus Talks And Spreads Falsehoods On Pandemic
President Donald Trump's behavior has become increasingly erratic since he left hospital after he suddenly blew up congressional talks on a Covid-19 economic rescue package and falsely claimed that the coronavirus was no worse than the flu, as chaos rocks a super-spreader White House. With uncertainty still clouding official bulletins of the President's condition, there is bewilderment in Washington at some of his irresponsible and politically questionable moves since he was discharged on Monday. But a defiant Trump continues to portray himself as a hero leader who conquered Covid-19 and is chasing his own political goals while ignoring the human and economic toll of the virus, which has now sent the top Pentagon generals into quarantine. (Collinson, 10/7)
Politico:
Four-Star Marine General Tests Positive For Covid
The Marine Corps' No. 2 officer has tested positive for Covid-19, the service announced on Wednesday, the second four-star officer to be affected by the virus this week. Assistant Marine Commandant Gen. Gary Thomas was among top military officers who put themselves under quarantine this week after Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Charles Ray tested positive on Monday. (Seligman, 10/7)
The Hill:
COVID-19 Sparks National Security Concerns With Top Brass In Quarantine
The quarantining of most of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, coming on the heels of President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, is raising fears that U.S. adversaries might seek to exploit a perceived weakness. Few expect any sort of overt military action, but there are other ways to wreak havoc on the United States. Chief among them is disinformation. Experts have been warning ever since Trump tested positive for the coronavirus last week that disinformation is likely to kick into overdrive. (Kheel, 10/7)
Bloomberg:
White House Security Official Contracted Covid-19 In September
A top White House security official, Crede Bailey, is gravely ill with Covid-19 and has been hospitalized since September, according to four people familiar with his condition. The White House has not publicly disclosed Bailey’s illness. He became sick before the Sept. 26 Rose Garden event President Donald Trump held to announce his Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett that has been connected to more than a dozen cases of the disease. (Jackson, 10/7)
ABC News:
34 People Connected To White House, More Than Previously Known, Infected By Coronavirus: Internal FEMA Memo
The coronavirus outbreak has infected "34 White House staffers and other contacts" in recent days, according to an internal government memo, an indication that the disease has spread among more people than previously known in the seat of American government. Dated Wednesday and obtained by ABC News, the memo was distributed among senior leadership at FEMA, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security and the agency responsible for managing the continuing national response to the public health disaster. (Margolin and Bruggeman, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
Genetic Tracing Could Show How Coronavirus Spread Through White House
There’s a way for the White House to prove exactly how the outbreak traveled among its ranks: through gene-based contact tracing. But it doesn’t appear interested in doing so — even as the circle of President Trump's associates infected with the virus expands by the hour. The Trump administration could, if it chose, search samples taken from dozens of White House staff members and visitors for tiny genetic variants. Because the virus undergoes slight changes as it moves from person to person, it’s possible to map where it has moved by looking for similarities in mutations. (Cunningham and Ellerbeck, 10/7)
The New York Times:
Notre Dame’s President Faces An Angry Campus After Getting The Coronavirus
As college leaders deliberated whether to bring students back to campus, none led the charge for reopening more forcefully than the president of the University of Notre Dame. ... But all the humility in the world might not have spared The Rev. John I. Jenkins, the university’s president and a 66-year-old Catholic priest, from the storm of protest he now faces over the latest news from South Bend: that he not only violated his own health rules — appearing without a mask at a White House reception last month for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a Supreme Court nominee and former Notre Dame Law School professor — but also is infected with the coronavirus himself. (Gray and Hubler, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
Trump’s Resistance To Face Masks, Even While Infected With Coronavirus, Sets Him Apart From Other World Leaders
Among world leaders, President Trump is increasingly isolated on the issue of face masks. After he cast doubt for months on masks’ efficacy in slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, his resistance to White House precautions even after contracting the virus seemed to forestall the possibility of an about-face. While many world leaders have supported the use of face masks and have chosen to wear them during public appearances — despite, in some cases, earlier reluctance of their own — Trump has delivered mixed, sometimes contradictory guidance, and has often appeared without a mask, donning one in public for the first time in July. (Noack, 10/7)
The New York Times:
Regeneron Asks F.D.A. For Emergency Approval For Drug That Trump Claimed Cured Him
The news of Regeneron’s application on the same day that Mr. Trump effusively praised the unproven drug is likely to intensify fears that the president is pressuring federal health agencies to make decisions aimed at benefiting him politically. In the video, Mr. Trump repeated his desire to get a vaccine approved before the election, even though the vaccine makers themselves have said that is highly unlikely. (Thomas, 10/7)
Reuters:
Regeneron Antibodies In Demand After Trump Treatment, Doctors Seek More Data
Patients are asking to join clinical trials of antibody-based COVID-19 drugs after U.S. President Donald Trump was treated last week with an experimental therapy from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, and on Wednesday he promised to make it free to Americans while touting its benefits. Medical experts said more data is needed to assess the treatment’s efficacy before wider use should be allowed. (Beasley, 10/7)
Stat:
Regeneron, And The Pugnacious Pair Who Run It, Take Center Stage
On Friday morning, President Trump received an experimental treatment for Covid-19 developed by Regeneron. At the time, it had only been provided to fewer than 10 patients outside of clinical trials, under so-called compassionate use. Data for the drug had been presented for the first time earlier that week on a company conference call. It was, to put it mildly, an unusual situation. (Herper, 10/8)
The Washington Post:
Mike Pence And Kamala D. Harris Meet In Vice Presidential Debate In Salt Lake City
The vice-presidential nominees clashed Wednesday over the leadership of President Trump and the policy plans of Democrat Joe Biden in a debate held under the extraordinary circumstances of a surging viral pandemic that had confined the incumbent president to a hospital just days earlier. Both Vice President Pence and Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) returned again and again to attacking the top of the other campaign’s ticket. Harris went after Trump’s efforts to stem the coronavirus, his attempts to upend President Barack Obama’s health- care program, his trade policies and his reluctance to condemn white supremacists at the first presidential debate last week. (Weigel, Scherer and Janes, 10/8)
The New York Times:
Harris Vs Pence: Coronavirus Takes Center Stage In Debate
[Kamala Harris] opened the debate by calling the White House’s response to the disease “the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country” and saying Mr. Pence and Mr. Trump had “forfeited their right to re-election.” ... In a pattern that would endure throughout the debate, Mr. Pence sought to rebut Ms. Harris’s criticism by picking and choosing components of the administration’s response that he could cast in a relatively favorable light, including Mr. Trump’s imposition of a travel ban on China, while talking around the fundamental issue — that the disease has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and shattered the country’s economy. (Burns and Martin, 10/7)
USA Today:
VP Debate: What You Missed In The Mike Pence, Kamala Harris Faceoff
Pence defended the administration’s refusal to follow CDC guidelines, such as wearing masks and staying six feet apart, most notably at the Sept. 26 White House event unveiling Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Amy Coney Barrett. ... Asked how the American people could be expected to follow the federal guidelines if the White House doesn’t, Pence pivoted away from the issue to suggest a Biden-Harris administration would lead to overreach in tackling the crisis. “That Rose Garden event, there’s been a great deal of speculation about it,” Pence said, asserting that many people who attended were tested beforehand. (Shesgreen, Bailey and Bohan, 10/8)
NPR:
Pence Promises Millions Of Vaccine Doses Before 2021. Is That Realistic?
Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed — the administration’s initiative to fast-track treatment — told scientists and journalists during a webinar on Tuesday that an early assessment of the efficacy of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (the two furthest along in testing) could come within the next several weeks, meaning in November or December. “We are in the process of stockpiling vaccine doses in the single-digit million doses in the month of October, November, and then in the tens of millions of doses in November,” Slaoui said. (10/7)
NPR:
Harris Would Be ‘First in Line’ For A Vaccine Approved By Scientists, Not The White House
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said she would be “first in line” to take a coronavirus vaccine if it had widespread approval from the scientific community. But Harris maintained that President Trump’s handling of the virus made her wary to trust any presidential endorsement of a vaccine. “If the public health professionals, if Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, if the doctors tell us to take it, I’ll be the first in line to take it. But if Donald Trump tells us to take it, I’m not taking it,” Harris quipped when asked whether she would trust a vaccine approved under the Trump administration. (10/7)
USA Today:
Pence Responds To Question About White House COVID Outbreak, Says Admin. Trusts People To Make Health Choices
"How can you expect Americans to follow the administration's safety guidelines to protect themselves from COVID when you at the White House have not been doing so?" moderator Susan Page asked. [Mike] Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, said that "many of the people" at the event were tested for COVID-19 and pointed out that the event was outdoors. "President Trump and I trust the American people to make choices in the best interest of their health," Pence said.
Newsweek:
Karen Pence Criticized For Joining Debate Stage Without Mask Despite Rules Mandating Use In Venue
Second lady Karen Pence appeared alongside her husband Vice President Mike Pence at the end of Wednesday's vice-presidential debate in Salt Lake City, Utah without a face mask. Wearing a face mask was a condition of attending the debate. Co-chair of the Commission for Presidential Debates Frank Fahrenkopf reminded attendees to keep their face masks on during the debate. (Martin, 10/8)
The New York Times:
In A First, New England Journal Of Medicine Joins Never-Trumpers
Throughout its 208-year history, The New England Journal of Medicine has remained staunchly nonpartisan. The world’s most prestigious medical journal has never supported or condemned a political candidate. Until now. In an editorial signed by 34 editors who are United States citizens (one editor is not) and published on Wednesday, the journal said the Trump administration had responded so poorly to the coronavirus pandemic that they “have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.” The journal did not explicitly endorse Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, but that was the only possible inference, other scientists noted. (Kolata, 10/7)
USA Today:
New England Journal Of Medicine Writes Historic Trump COVID-19 Editorial
According to Dr. Eric Rubin, editor-in-chief of the medical journal, the blistering editorial is one of only four in the publication’s history that has been signed by all editors. The journal did not explicitly endorse Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The journal's editors joined those at the Scientific American by breaking precedent and wading into politics. The Scientific American earlier announced its endorsement of Biden, the first time the magazine has endorsed a presidential candidate in its history. (Behrmann, 10/7)
New England Journal of Medicine:
Dying In A Leadership Vacuum
Anyone else who recklessly squandered lives and money in this way would be suffering legal consequences. Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment. Reasonable people will certainly disagree about the many political positions taken by candidates. But truth is neither liberal nor conservative. When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs. (10/8)
USA Today:
American Lung Association Works To Dispel Misinformation
The rash of coronavirus infections emanating from the White House, followed by President Donald Trump’s tweeted advice to the nation – “Don’t be afraid of Covid’’ – prompted the American Lung Association on Wednesday to issue guidance for those confronting the disease in hopes of dispelling misinformation. ... The ALA recommendations mostly reiterate guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but they come at a time of increased skepticism about the government’s instructions regarding the virus and fatigue about restrictions. (Ortiz, 10/7)
Stat:
FDA Formally Warns Mask Decontamination Device Maker Touted By Trump
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday formally chastised a mask decontamination device company once touted by President Trump for skirting rules about safety monitoring. It said the Ohio-based Battelle Memorial Institute, which makes a system to decontaminate the protective masks worn by health care workers, did not have adequate procedures in place for identifying adverse events, like allergic reactions. (Florko, 10/7)
The New York Times:
BuzzFeed News Pulls Reporter From White House, Citing Virus Risk
BuzzFeed News has pulled a political correspondent from the White House press pool, citing concerns that the area has become a coronavirus hot zone after President Trump, many of his top aides — including the press secretary Kayleigh McEnany — and several journalists have tested positive for the virus. A BuzzFeed News spokesman, Matt Mittenthal, confirmed that the company on Tuesday had withdrawn the correspondent, Kadia Goba, from her Wednesday shift out of concern for her safety. The spokesman added that BuzzFeed News was awaiting further guidance from the White House Correspondents’ Association. (Robertson, 10/7)
AP:
Analyzing Trump's Illness Is Humbling For Media's Med Teams
Here’s an assignment to humble even the most confident doctor: Assess a patient’s condition before millions of people without being able to examine him or see a complete medical chart. That, in effect, is what medical experts at news organizations have been asked to do since President Donald Trump revealed Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.They have a fine line to walk, needing to decide what level of speculation — if any — that they’re comfortable with, how much to read into medications the president has been prescribed and how to explain the course of a virus so new that it still confounds the people who study it. (Bauder, 10/8)
Newsweek:
New Trump Campaign Facebook Ads Appear To Use Filter To Make Biden Look Older
Facebook advertising from Donald Trump's 2020 reelection campaign appears to be once again using edited images of Joe Biden. With the president tweeting from the White House after testing positive for COVID-19, a new wave of political ads show his opponent with unflattering facial expressions and a skin tone seemingly edited to make it appear discolored, older or unhealthy. (Murdock, 10/7)
The Hill:
Biden Campaign To Restart Negative Ads After Trump Discharged From Hospital
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign plans to resume running negative digital and television advertisements against President Trump as he recovers from COVID-19, a person familiar with the plans confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday. The move, first reported by Bloomberg in the late afternoon Wednesday, comes after the Biden campaign decided to take down all negative advertisements Friday following news of the president’s and first lady Melania Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis. (Castronuovo, 10/7)
Politico:
Barrett Speaks With Key Senate Dems Amid Calls To Delay Her Hearing
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee spoke by phone Wednesday to Judge Amy Coney Barrett, despite their widespread opposition to confirming her to the Supreme Court. ... In statements and interviews Wednesday, Senate Democrats continued to express concern about the confirmation process for Barrett and pressed the nominee on her views on the Affordable Care Act, Roe v. Wade, and other key issues. (Levine, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
In Call With Democratic Senator, Barrett Declines To Discuss How She Might Rule On Health-Care Law
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett told a Democratic senator Wednesday that she believes key cases upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act are precedent, but she did not say whether she believes the health-care decisions should be reconsidered. (Min Kim, 10/7)
AP:
Lilly Seeks Emergency Use Of Its Antibody Drug For COVID-19
A drug company says it has asked the U.S. government to allow emergency use of an experimental antibody therapy based on early results from a study that suggested the drug reduced symptoms, the amount of virus, hospitalizations and ER visits for patients with mild or moderate COVID-19.Eli Lilly and Company announced the partial results Wednesday in a news release; they have not yet been published or reviewed by independent scientists. Its drug is similar to one that President Donald Trump received on Friday from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. These medicines supply concentrated versions of specific antibodies to help the immune system clear the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. They’re given as a one-time treatment through an IV. (Marchione, 10/7)
Stat:
Eli Lilly Says Its Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail Is Effective Against Covid-19
Eli Lilly said Wednesday a monoclonal antibody treatment is effective in reducing levels of the virus that causes Covid-19 in patients, and also appears to prevent patients from visiting the emergency room or hospital. Lilly had previously released results for a similar treatment using one antibody, which experts viewed as promising. But the new results, of a combination of two antibodies, appear, based on limited data provided in a press release, to be more robust. (Herper, 10/7)
Newsweek:
Healthcare Billionaires Got Nearly $150B Richer Due To COVID Pandemic
Healthcare billionaires have seen their wealth soar since the coronavirus swept the globe. Billionaires in the healthcare space bumped up their wealth by 36.3 percent between April 7 and July 31, from a total of $402.3 billion to $548 billion, according to a new report by wealth managers UBS and professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. The study looked at the wealth of 2,189 billionaires across the world. The near-$150 billion premium came as demands for key vaccines, medical equipment and treatments increased, with health services across the world left reeling due to ballooning case numbers. (Harley-McKeown, 10/7)
Stat:
The CRISPR Story: How Basic Research Discovery Changed Science
When Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier embarked on the project that would change science and medicine in incalculable ways, their intentions were much more muted. Theirs was a basic research inquiry into bacterial immune systems, not an attempt to develop a new tool to manipulate the genetic code. (Joseph, 10/7)
NPR:
A Vaccine That Protects Against COVID-19 May Be Right Under Our Noses
In case you were still procrastinating getting a flu shot this year, here's another reason to make it a priority. There's a chance the vaccine could offer some protection against COVID-19 itself, says virologist Robert Gallo, who directs the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is chairman of the Global Virus Network. The key is getting the right flu vaccine, says Gallo, who was one of the main scientists credited with discovering HIV. "The vaccine has to have a live virus in it. The virus is attenuated so it doesn't cause disease, but otherwise the virus is alive." (Doucleff, 10/8)
CNN:
Teen Mental Health: How To Support Your Child In A Pandemic
Less than a month into the academic year at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Alex, a 17-year-old high school senior, is feeling the strain of life in an uncertain time. Growing up, he saw tests, grades and applications as part of a predictable, step-by-step process leading toward college. Not so much in a pandemic. (Smith, 10/8)
The Washington Post:
SNL Drops Morgan Wallen As Musical Guest After Viral Videos Of Him Partying Without A Mask
Country music star Morgan Wallen was dropped by “Saturday Night Live” as this week’s musical guest, the singer announced on his Instagram account Wednesday evening. Wallen drew backlash after TikTok videos were posted in which he was partying without a mask at the University of Alabama days before. (Yahr, 10/7)
USA Today:
Jacob Blake, Shot By Kenosha Officer, Moved To Chicago Rehab Center
Jacob Blake, whose shooting by a Kenosha police officer led to unrest in the city and sparked protests around the nation, has left the Wisconsin hospital where he'd been recovering and moved to a spinal cord injury rehabilitation center in Chicago. Attorney Patrick Cafferty, who represents Blake on potential criminal charges, said he had no other details about Blake's condition. (Vielmetti, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
Firings Of Therapists Who Alleged Wrongdoing Left Abused Children Without Treatment
A nonprofit group that is paid nearly $1 million a year by Montgomery County to provide counseling and medical care to abused children has been accused of inflating the number of patients it serves and failing to protect their personal information. Three psychologists and a social worker who raised concerns about the Rockville-based Tree House organization say they were abruptly fired soon afterward, leaving dozens of vulnerable children without the therapists they had grown to trust. (Chason and Tan, 10/7)
The New York Times:
Nursing Homes In Nevada Told To Stop Using Rapid Coronavirus Tests
The coronavirus tests kits are small and fast — they produce results in as a little as 15 minutes — and when they were first distributed to nursing homes around the country in August by the federal government, they were welcomed with open arms. ... But now Nevada has ordered its nursing facilities to immediately suspend the use of two of the rapid virus tests after their performance was found to be lacking, according to a directive issued by the state’s department of health. (10/8)
Detroit Free Press:
State Of Michigan Not Releasing Details Of Kids' COVID-19 Deaths
Michigan is among eight states nationally that have not released details about the number of children who've died from novel coronavirus since the pandemic began. The state Department of Health and Human Services told the Free Press on Tuesday that "fewer than five" children have died of COVID-19 or its complications so far this year, but it would not disclose specifically how many kids have died or provide any other details. (Shamus, 10/7)
The New York Times:
Backlash Grows In Orthodox Jewish Areas Over Virus Crackdown By Cuomo
Orthodox Jewish and other religious leaders lashed out at Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday over new coronavirus restrictions on schools, businesses and houses of worship as protests broke out in Brooklyn, leading to scenes of chaos and attacks on at least two people over two nights. The frustration was reflected on the street, where video shared widely on social media showed hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men, most of them without masks, gathering after midnight and setting fires and burning masks along 13th Avenue in the Borough Park neighborhood. (Stack, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
Inside A Florida Hospital, Coronavirus Cases Wane As Strained Staff Brace For A Fall Surge
Nearly two dozen people critically ill with the novel coronavirus were recently being treated at Tampa General Hospital, 10 of them on ventilators. More than a dozen others with noncritical cases filled beds in a dedicated ward. In the emergency room, someone sick with the virus showed up about every hour. This is what a lull looks like. Florida was a hot spot of the coronavirus pandemic this summer. More than 722,000 Floridians have so far been infected with the virus — with a daily high of more than 15,000 cases reported July 12. The state’s intensive care units, including those at Tampa General, were pushed to the brink as the virus spread out of control. (Hauslohner, 10/7)
AP:
COVID-19 Outbreak Kills 9 At California Nursing Facility
A coronavirus outbreak at a skilled nursing facility on California’s central coast has killed nine people and infected more than 60 residents and staff, health officials said Wednesday. The outbreak at the Watsonville Post Acute Center in Santa Cruz County comes as the rates of new COVID-19 cases fall in that county and in California as a whole. (10/8)
AP:
California Evangelical School Tells Students To Quarantine
An evangelical college in Northern California said Wednesday it has asked its entire 1,600-student body to self-quarantine as the number of coronavirus cases among students and staff rose to 137 since classes started a month ago. In a statement, the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California, said off-campus housing has been a primary source of transmission, along with “social interactions outside of school hours.” (Gecker, 10/7)
Politico:
California School Districts Spurn 'Back-Patting' Trump Food Box Letter
The superintendent of the nation’s second largest school district on Wednesday accused President Donald Trump's administration of possibly violating the Hatch Act by inserting a letter in food boxes for distribution at schools and pantries just weeks before Election Day. Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner said that the district, which enrolls more than 600,000 students, will not include a “back-patting” letter from Trump inside of food boxes that are part of the Agriculture Department’s Farmers to Families Program. The program redirects meat, dairy and produce to low-income families instead of the restaurants and other food-service businesses that normally receive them. (Mays, 10/7)
AP:
Wisconsin Activates Field Hospital As COVID Keeps Surging
Wisconsin health officials announced Wednesday that a field hospital will open next week at the state fairgrounds near Milwaukee as a surge in COVID-19 cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals. Wisconsin has become a hot spot for the disease over the last month, ranking third nationwide this week in new cases per capita over the last two weeks. Health experts have attributed the spike to the reopening of colleges and K-12 schools as well as general fatigue over wearing masks and socially distancing. (Richmond, 10/7)
Newsweek:
New Hampshire Church Linked To COVID Outbreak After 10 Day Prayer Session
Health officials in New Hampshire are investigating a potential coronavirus outbreak linked to a church, after over half a dozen people tested positive for the virus. Seven people who went to events hosted by Gate City Church in the southern New Hampshire city of Nashua, Hillsborough county, tested positive for the coronavirus, ABC affiliate WMUR9 reported on Wednesday citing the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). (Gander, 10/8)
CNN:
Vermont Battling Covid-19 At An Apple Orchard Among Migrant Workers
Vermont is battling a Covid-19 outbreak among migrant workers at an apple orchard, state officials announced Monday. Champlain Orchards in Addison County had 27 workers test positive over the weekend, Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said on Tuesday. The commissioner had previously announced 26 cases, with one more test result being reported after the initial announcement. (Sturia and Kim, 10/6)