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AP and Politico report on how school districts in Texas and Florida — where Republican governors have enacted strict bans on requiring masks — continue to rebel against these new laws. Separately, experts predict even as Texas' surge stresses hospitals, the covid death peak is still to come.
As the Bay Area News Group reported, in one study, the decline since earlier this year was modest, dropping from 92% to 80%. In the second, it was more dramatic, falling from 75% to 53%. A third study found that protection fell from 76% to 42% for Pfizer and from 86% to 76% for Moderna. Protection against hospitalization and death remained strong, however.
"We're not going to sit by as governors try to block and intimidate educators protecting our children," the president said during a speech Wednesday.
Some health experts stressed that scientific evidence suggests protection against severe disease is still holding and may last several years, Stat reported. Others suggested that the U.S. was being selfish. “Anyone who thinks that vaccinating Americans with a third dose is not going to come at the expense of getting the vaccine to other places in the world — if that’s what you think, you’re just kidding yourself,” one vaccine researcher said.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that people who received the two-dose mRNA vaccines should get a booster shot eight months after their second dose. Those who received the J&J one-dose shot will likely need a booster, too, but will need to wait a few more weeks for more information as health officials gather more data.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Opinion pages delve into these covid and vaccine issues.
Editorial pages examine these various public health issues.
California's Gov. Gavin Newsom warned restrictions may be in place as soon as six weeks from now. Meanwhile, Axios reports how extreme heat-related illnesses may stress hospitals, and WUSF Public Media covers potential "killer heat" problems for Florida's outdoor workers.
After detection of a single community covid case forced the country into a snap three-day lockdown, New Zealand authorities are now tracking at least 10 cases, linked to the delta surge in Australia. Separately, the U.K. authorized Moderna's covid shot for use in adolescents.
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN's Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Politico reports a major software flaw by BlackBerry left critical hospital equipment at risk of hacking, but the company opted to keep silent for months. In other news, Dignity Health and Anthem Blue Cross sign a new California deal, a new Veterans Affairs hospital is coming to Louisville, and more.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it was pulling rare-earth magnet toys Zen Magnets and Neoballs. The move was made over the health risks from children swallowing them. Twitter, health spending disparities, psych hospital alternatives and heart rates are also in the news.
The State Board of Education voted unanimously to investigate two school districts with mask mandates that defy Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban, and threatened legal action. Separately, reports say over 8,000 Florida students are already in isolation or quarantine.
CIDRAP reports on a new study showing NFL and NCAA games with in-person number limits were not linked to increased community spread of covid. Also in the news: a nursing home lawsuit; diabetes and covid in Mississippi; a cyberattack targeting Indiana's covid tracing system; and more.
The family made the threat in court Tuesday, unless they are granted immunity from all current and future civil claims associated with Purdue Pharma. Separately, experts raise worries about a sharp rise in prescriptions of stimulants, which can be highly addictive drugs.
Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, told school districts with mask mandates that they have 10 days to rescind them or they will lose grant money. But in neighboring New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, reinstated a mask mandate for all public indoor spaces. That includes all workers at public and private schools.
The mandate, initially set to expire Sept. 13, applies to airports and on planes, trains, buses and other public transportation. Other news on mandates is from L.A., Rhode Island and Atlanta.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, an anti-masker who was fully vaccinated, is reportedly taking monoclonal antibody treatments. Social media posts show he recently attended a busy, mostly maskless Republican event. Separately, Disability Rights Texas is suing Abbott over his strict ban on mask mandates, alleging it's discriminatory.
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