Perspectives: The Negatives Of Ignoring Public Health Protocols; Testing Is Showing Its Limits

Boston Globe: Trump’s Recklessness With COVID Stalls Government
Since the earliest warning signs that the coronavirus could become a catastrophic pandemic, President Trump has refused to take it seriously. In fact, Trump and his Republican colleagues have gone such great lengths to ignore public health protocols that the president of the United States — ostensibly the most shielded human being on the planet — managed to contract the virus along with several other top government officials, including three United States senators. And now, after so gravely mishandling the pandemic that has killed over 210,000 Americans, the president and his party have effectively brought the federal government to a halt through their own reckless personal behavior, leaving two branches of government compromised while the nation and the world deal with several crises of unprecedented scale. (10/5)

The Hill: Counties' Reopening Plans Are Meaningless Without Coordination With Other Counties 
Across the nation, counties are reopening schools, restaurants, retail stores and more — hoping that they can simultaneously avoid a surge in COVID-19 cases. But many of these decisions ignore a devastating reality: Efforts to contain the pandemic will not be effective without coordination with surrounding areas. (Jonathan Cook and Noah Newberger, 10/5)

Miami Herald: Don't Be Secretive Like DeSantis. When COVID Is Found in Schools, Tell Us Right Away
Ready or not, Miami-Dade public schools are reopening on Monday. They are doing so under pressure from a crude and cruel threat from the state’s Republican leadership to either open by Oct. 5 or risk losing at least $85 million state funding. They are doing so despite scared parents and COVID-vulnerable kids. They are doing so even though the teachers union says schools still aren’t 100 percent prepared. Some teachers would rather retire than return to the classroom. As important as returning everyone to school buildings as safely as humanly possible, is the need for absolute transparency from the school district. The community must know where the coronavirus has been found — and it will be found — in schools and its other facilities, how people will be alerted and what remedial measure will be taken — including shutting down again if need be. (10/4)

The Wall Street Journal: The Covid Testing Bait-And-Switch 
How many times have we heard from the experts that if only the U.S. did more testing, we could finally get the coronavirus under the control? Well, now we’re learning from the cluster of cases surrounding President Trump about the limits of testing. The White House screens every visitor including the 200 or so guests who attended the nomination ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Sept. 26. President Trump is tested daily. Few businesses or other institutions could afford such comprehensive testing, but the President merits the best protection. Still, no testing strategy is foolproof. (10/5)

Bloomberg: Russia's Second Wave Raises Risk Of Economic Scars
Russia has done better than expected in the face of a pandemic and unprecedented oil crisis. That relative stability masks weaknesses that will impede its ability to recover fast, even if it can limit the cost of a second wave. Coronavirus cases are surging again: Russia reported nearly 11,000 new infections on Monday, the most since mid-May. Only around a third were in Moscow. Officials are hoping lockdowns can still be lighter than last time to limit economic pain. Experience, though, suggests that could also draw out the human and financial damage. This, at a time when fading fiscal support, lackluster oil prices, protectionism and geopolitical ructions further darkens unimpressive long-term prospects. (Clara Ferreira Marques, 10/6)

Modern Healthcare: Local Pharmacies Play Growing Role In Expanding Primary-Care Access
Pharmacies can—and should where allowed—take pressure off the health system, and they have a demonstrated track record. It was during another public health crisis, H1N1, that pharmacists became key to immunization strategies, creating programs that now allow us to widely administer immunizations. And looking at data from an influenza epidemic simulation study published in 2018, by vastly expanding access to vaccinations, pharmacies were estimated to have saved up to $2.8 billion for third-party payers by lessening the number and severity of flu cases, and nearly $100 billion for society in productivity losses and earnings. (Rick Gates, 10/5)

Stat: The U.S. Needs To Support American-Made Medicines 
Two years ago, a group of U.S. hospitals launched Civica Rx, a nonprofit generic drug company that I have the honor to lead. Its core mission is to deliver quality medicines at sustainable prices. From the very start, part of Civica’s approach has included an emphasis whenever possible on American-made medicines and the active ingredients from which they are made. That’s because a drug’s supply chain is a key part of quality, and short supply chains are less susceptible to disruption. (Martin Vantrieste, 10/5)

The Hill: What Americans Should Do To Prevent HIV/AIDS 
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many states are in varying states of opening. As states open, we should not forget about our sexual health. COVID-19 has impacted American sexuality, although the impact may be different depending on a person’s age, relationship status, or sexual preferences, etc. Due to the stressors of COVID- 19, people may find themselves engaging in behavior that they did not before the pandemic. (Candice A. Sternberg, 10/5)