The Washington Post: U.S. Blows Past Coronavirus Record With More Than 70,000 New Cases In One Day
There was a time in the United States when 50,000 coronavirus cases in a day seemed like an alarming milestone. That was a little over two weeks ago. Now, the number of new cases reported each day is reaching dizzying new heights — and topped 70,000 for the first time Thursday, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. Nebraska, Utah and Oregon each shattered their previous single-day records, pushing the total number of infections detected nationwide past 3.5 million. (Noori Farzan, Armus and Noack, 7/17)

Reuters: U.S. Shatters Coronavirus Record With Over 77,000 Cases In A Day 
The loss of 969 lives was the biggest increase since June 10, with Florida, South Carolina and Texas all reporting their biggest one-day spikes on Thursday. More than 138,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, a toll that experts warn will likely surge following recent record spikes in case numbers and an alarming rise in hospitalizations in many states. (Shumaker, 7/16)

The New York Times: U.S. Shatters Its Record Of New Coronavirus Infections As India’s Caseload Hits A Million
As clashes over face-covering mandates and school reopening plans intensified throughout the United States, the country shattered its single-day record for new cases on Thursday — more than 75,600, according to a New York Times database. [And] India on Friday surpassed a million confirmed infections and 25,000 deaths, weeks after the government lifted a nationwide lockdown in hopes of getting the economy up and running. (7/16)

Also —

Reuters: Over 1 Million: India Joins U.S., Brazil In Grim Coronavirus Club
India on Friday became the third country in the world to record more than one million cases of the new coronavirus, behind only the United States and Brazil, as infections spread further into the countryside and smaller towns. Given India’s population of around 1.3 billion, experts say, one million is relatively low - but the number will rise significantly in the coming months as testing increases, further straining a healthcare system already pushed to the brink. (Siddiqui, 7/17)

AP: Brazil Tops 2 Million Coronavirus Cases, With 76,000 Dead
A thousand deaths a day. Since late May, three months after Brazil’s first reported case of the coronavirus, it has recorded more than 1,000 daily deaths on average in a gruesome plateau that has yet to tilt downward. On Thursday evening, the federal health ministry reported that the country had passed 2 million confirmed cases of virus infections and 76,000 deaths. (Savarese and Biller, 7/16)

NPR: U.S. Says Russian Hackers Are Trying To Steal Coronavirus Vaccine Research
The National Security Agency, as well as its counterparts in Britain and Canada, all said Thursday that they're seeing persistent attempts by Russian hackers to break into organizations working on a potential coronavirus vaccine. The Western intelligence agencies say they believe the hackers are part of the Russian group informally known as Cozy Bear. The intelligence agencies refer to it as APT29. (Myre, 7/16)

The Washington Post: U.S., Britain And Canada Say Russian Cyberspies Are Trying To Steal Coronavirus Vaccine Research 
The hackers, who belong to a unit known variously as APT29, "the Dukes" or "Cozy Bear," are targeting vaccine research and development organizations in the three countries, the officials said in a joint statement. The unit is one of the two Russian spy groups that penetrated the Democratic Party's computers in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. “It is completely unacceptable that the Russian intelligence ­services are targeting those working to combat the coro­navirus pandemic,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. (Nakashima, Booth and Coletta, 7/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Russian Hackers Blamed For Attacks On Coronavirus Vaccine-Related Targets 
Efforts to develop a vaccine have become an international arms race, with winners seen as benefiting from access to treatments that would help improve national health and economic stability. Those factors make the scientific secrets behind vaccine development valuable. (Strasburg and Volz, 7/16)

AP: Russia Is Hacking Virus Vaccine Trials, US, UK, Canada Say
It was unclear whether any useful information was stolen. But British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, “It is completely unacceptable that the Russian Intelligence Services are targeting those working to combat the coronavirus pandemic.” He accused Moscow of pursuing “selfish interests with reckless behavior.” (Tucker, Lawless and Kirka, 7/17)

The Washington Post: Disappearance Of Covid-19 Data From CDC Website Spurs Outcry 
On the eve of a new coronavirus reporting system this week, data disappeared from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website as hospitals began filing information to a private contractor or their states instead. A day later, an outcry — including from other federal health officials — prompted the Trump administration to reinstate that dashboard and another daily CDC report on the pandemic. And on Thursday, the nation’s governors joined the chorus of objections over the abruptness of the change to the reporting protocols for hospitals, asking the administration to delay the shift for 30 days. In a statement, the National Governors Association said hospitals need the time to learn a new system, as they continue to deal with this pandemic. (Sun and Goldstein, 7/16)

Politico: Who Took Down The CDC’s Coronavirus Data? The Agency Itself. 
After the Trump administration ordered hospitals to change how they report coronavirus data to the government, effectively bypassing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials at the CDC made a decision of their own: Take our data and go home. The sudden disappearance of the CDC’s coronavirus dashboards on Wednesday — which drew considerable scrutiny before the agency restored them on Thursday afternoon — has become the latest flashpoint in the extraordinary breakdown between the Washington, D.C.-based federal health department and the nation’s premier public health agency, located in Atlanta. (Diamond, Cancryn, Roubein and Tahir, 7/16)

The Hill: Governors Urge Trump To Delay Changes To Hospital COVID-19 Reporting 
The National Governors Association (NGA) on Thursday called on the Trump administration to postpone planned alterations to hospital reporting requirements for 30 days. “The administration has stated that they plan to utilize this data to better allocate supplies and drugs to states,” the NGA said in a statement. (Budryk, 7/16)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Health Officials Raise Concerns About New Federal COVID-19 Reporting Requirements
Maine’s top epidemiologist said Thursday he is concerned about the rollout of a controversial new federal requirement that hospitals send their data on the coronavirus response straight to a database in Washington rather than first directing it to the state. Before Wednesday, Maine hospitals were able to submit that data to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which would then send it to its federal counterparts, said Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC. (Eichacker, 7/16)

Stat: How New Hospital Data Reporting Rules Will Affect U.S. Covid-19 Response
It’s a fight over something as seemingly mundane as government data collection. But with precious hospital supplies and patient outcomes at stake, it sparked a scandal. The Department of Health and Human Services changed the rules, quietly, earlier this week: Hospitals would be required to report data on Covid-19 patients and deaths directly to their agency, rather than to both HHS and the CDC, as they had been doing. (Florko and Boodman, 7/16)

Kaiser Health News: Listen: A Bureaucratic Shuffle For Hospital COVID Data
Julie Rovner, KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, on Wednesday joined Rob Ferrett, host of “Central Time” on Wisconsin Public Radio, to discuss the Trump administration’s announcement that hospital data on coronavirus cases will no longer be routed to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention and instead will go to the Department of Health and Human Services. (Rovner, 7/16)

The Washington Post: USA Today Says Peter Navarro Opinion Piece Attacking Anthony Fauci Did Not Meet Standards 
Facing intense criticism on social media, USA Today has admitted errors in an opinion piece written by a White House official that attacked Anthony S. Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious-disease expert, saying in a post-publication note attached to the piece that it “did not meet USA TODAY’s fact-checking standards.” ... On Wednesday evening, editorial page editor Bill Sternberg added a note that explained the piece’s origins as well as its mistakes. (Barr, 7/16)

The New York Times: USA Today, After Fracas, Says Op-Ed Attacking Fauci Fell Short Of Standards 
In a note published Wednesday evening, a day after the article was posted online, Bill Sternberg, the editorial page editor of USA Today, wrote that several of Mr. Navarro’s attacks on Dr. Fauci “were misleading or lacked context.” He concluded that the op-ed, which appeared in the paper’s Wednesday print edition, “did not meet USA Today’s fact-checking standards.” Mr. Sternberg did not elaborate on the fact-checking process that might have occurred before publication, nor did he say how the paper’s editorial review had broken down. (Grynbaum, 7/16)

Read USA Today's clarification atop this article: Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on: Peter Navarro

The Hill: Meadows Says Fauci Wrong To Compare Coronavirus To 1918 Pandemic 
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said on Thursday that Anthony Fauci was wrong to liken the coronavirus to the 1918 flu pandemic, calling his remarks “false” and “irresponsible.” Meadows made the comments on Fox News after rebuking White House trade adviser Peter Navarro’s decision to pen an op-ed criticizing Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, which the chief of staff said was “not appropriate.” Meadows went on to argue that not everything that Fauci says is correct. (Chalfant, 7/16)

Stat: NIH Director Defends Fauci Amid White House Criticism 
Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, defended the beleaguered disease researcher Anthony Fauci in an interview this week, calling the prospect of firing or demoting him “unimaginable.” Fauci, who has led the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 36 years, has recently come under fire from President Trump, an array of White House aides, and other Trump allies. But Collins, who is nominally Fauci’s boss, implied he would not follow orders to dismiss Fauci, should they come. (Facher, 7/16)

Kaiser Health News: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: The Trump Administration’s War On Fauci 
Not only does the Trump administration lack a comprehensive plan for addressing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it spent much of the past week working to undercut one of the nation’s most trusted scientists, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Reporters were given “opposition research” noting times when Fauci was allegedly wrong about the course of the pandemic, and Peter Navarro, a trade adviser to President Donald Trump, published an op-ed in USA Today attacking Fauci personally. (7/16)

In related news —

Reuters: Fauci Implores Young People To Stay Vigilant On Coronavirus Risk 
The leading U.S. expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Thursday implored younger people to continue social distancing and other measures to curtail spread of the novel coronavirus, which has surged in some parts of the country. “Please assume the societal responsibility of being part of the solution, not part of the problem,” he said in a live interview with Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg. (Beasley, 7/16)

The Hill: Trump Health Officials To Recommend Against Retesting COVID-19 Patients 
Top Trump administration officials are preparing guidance that will recommend people who test positive for COVID-19 do not need to get retested to prove they no longer have the disease. The move, previewed in a call with reporters by the administration's testing coordinator Brett Giroir, comes as the U.S. testing system faces severe strains and a national backlog of results. (Weixel, 7/16)

Politico: CDC To Recommend Against Retesting Coronavirus Patients Before They End Isolation 
“This is a remnant of very early on when we had cruise ships and people in quarantine that said the first way to get out of quarantine was to have two negative tests 24 hours apart,” HHS testing czar Brett Giroir told reporters Thursday. “That is no longer needed, and it is medically unnecessary.” He said that most patients can emerge from isolation after three days without symptoms, as long as it has been at least 10 days since their symptoms began. (Lim, 7/16)

In other news about testing —

Reuters: Australian Researchers Invent 20-Minute Coronavirus Blood Test 
Researchers in Australia have devised a test that can determine novel coronavirus infection in about 20 minutes using blood samples in what they say is a world-first breakthrough. The researchers at Monash University said their test can determine if someone is currently infected and if they have been infected in the past. (7/17)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Shortens Joint Commission's Approval Cycle, Citing Survey Issues
The Joint Commission's program responsible for accrediting about 80% of the nation's hospitals was only granted two years of approval by CMS, with the agency citing issues with the survey process. CMS grants accrediting organizations that survey healthcare facilities for participation in Medicare and Medicaid approval for up to six years. This week, CMS issued a notice to the Joint Commission that its hospital accreditation program was only approved for two years or until mid-July 2022. CMS was explicit that the shortened approval period was based on "concerns" related to Joint Commission surveyor performance and comparability of the Joint Commission's survey process to the agency's. (Castellucci, 7/16)

In other news related to Medicare and Medicaid —

Politico: Democrats Use Inspector General Report To Renew Calls For Medicare Chief's Ouster 
Congressional Democrats on Thursday condemned Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma after a watchdog report found she mishandled millions of dollars in government contracts, with some lawmakers renewing or issuing new calls for President Donald Trump to replace his controversial Medicare chief. The Health and Human Services inspector general on Thursday found that a set of contracts Verma approved with outside communications consultants violated federal contracting rules, concluding that the contracts were not appropriately managed and led to “questionable” payouts, like $150,000 for a canceled bus tour. (Diamond and Cancryn, 7/16)

Modern Healthcare: House Bill Would Cut Medicare Restrictions On Home Telemedicine
House telehealth caucus leaders have introduced a bill designed to make some telemedicine flexibilities promulgated during the COVID-19 pandemic permanent. Industry groups including the American Telemedicine Association and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society have already rallied around the proposal. (Cohen, 7/16)

The New York Times: How Novavax Won $1.6 Billion To Make A Coronavirus Vaccine 
Novavax just received the Trump administration’s largest vaccine contract--$1.6 billion. In the Maryland company’s 33-year history, it has never brought a vaccine to market. How that happened. (Thomas and Twohey, 7/16)

Boston Globe: Scores Of Academics Call For ‘Human Challenge’ Trials Of Coronavirus Vaccine 
Scores of academics and prominent figures, including several Nobel laureates from Massachusetts, have signed an open letter calling for consideration of human challenge trials of coronavirus vaccines, saying such trials might be able to speed up development of the shots desperately needed to stop the pandemic. The letter, addressed to National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, urged the US government, its allies, the World Health Organization, and international funders “to undertake immediate preparations for human challenge trials” that “can greatly accelerate the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.” (Finucane, 7/16)

Boston Globe: Waltham Startup Focuses On Engineering Antibodies As A Bridge To COVID-19 Vaccine 
At least 163 potential vaccines have been developed for COVID-19, including about two dozen now in clinical trials, according to the World Health Organization. When one will be approved, however, remains uncertain. Now, a number of drug companies are trying another approach: bioengineered antibodies that could be injected into people to give them temporary immunity and serve as a bridge to a longer-lasting vaccine. (Saltzman, 7/16)

Stat: Novartis To Provide Drugs For Covid-19 At No Cost, But Fails To Share Prices
As companies face pressure to ensure access to medicines during the pandemic, Novartis (NVS) plans to sell more than a dozen older drugs at cost to dozens of mostly poor countries, a move that was met with mixed reaction from consumer advocates because pricing was not disclosed. The drug maker is creating a nonprofit to sell 15 generic and over-the-counter medicines that treat various symptoms of Covid-19 to low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Among the medicine are several antibiotics as well as dexamethasone, a steroid that recent top-line study data suggests ... may improve the odds of survival in the sickest Covid-19 patients. (Silverman, 7/16)

Stat: Adimab Founder Launches Firm To Make Antibodies To Fight Coronaviruses
One of biotech’s most respected entrepreneurs is betting the novel coronavirus won’t be the last deadly outbreak in his lifetime — and that vaccines won’t be enough to stop a future pandemic from bringing the world to a halt once more. Tillman Gerngross, the Dartmouth bioengineering professor behind the biotech company Adimab, has founded a new firm dedicated to making antibodies that could protect against the novel coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, in addition to any future coronaviruses that might make the leap from animals to humans. (Garde, 7/16)

In news on other drug issues --

Stat: Glympse Bio Hopes Its Test Will Show Whether Drugs Are Actually Working
Cambridge, Mass.-based startup Glympse Bio has raised more than $45 million for its nanoparticle-based biosensors, and it’s hoping the alternative to traditional biopsies can help drug developers test whether their own medicines are actually treating a patient’s condition. The company’s first biosensors will be tested in some of Gilead’s clinical trials for people with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, the fatty liver disease known as NASH that is the target of many new experimental treatments. (Sheridan, 7/17)

Stat: Corbus Pharma Is Nearing The Readout Of A Pivotal Drug Study
Four years ago, Corbus Pharmaceuticals claimed success in a mid-stage clinical trial of its lead drug, lenabasum, announcing that it improved symptoms in patients with a chronic, connective tissue disease. That rosy view wasn’t universally embraced — some people, myself included, looked at the same data back then and didn’t see much efficacy at all. (Feuerstein, 7/17)

NPR: CDC School Guidance Won't Be Released This Week
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not release a set of documents this week aimed at giving schools advice on how to reopen to students after coronavirus shutdowns, NPR has learned. Instead, the full set will be published before the end of the month, a CDC spokesperson says. "These science and evidence-based resources and tools will provide additional information for administrators, teachers and staff, parents, caregivers and guardians, as together we work towards the public health-oriented goal of safely opening schools this fall," the spokesperson said. (Ordonez, 7/16)

CNN: CDC Delaying Release Of Additional Documents On Reopening Schools 
The CDC said last week it was releasing new documents on how to safely reopen schools this fall after President Donald Trump complained that the agency's current guidance was "very tough" and "expensive." Vice President Mike Pence described the additional information as a "new set of tools," five different documents that would clarify the existing guidelines. (Erdman, 7/16)

Reuters: Despite Trump's Pressure, Most Americans Think It Is Unsafe To Reopen Schools: Reuters/Ipsos Poll 
Only one in four Americans think it is safe for public schools to reopen this fall as U.S. coronavirus cases climb, and four in 10 parents said they would likely keep their children home if classes resume, a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll shows. The July 14-15 national online poll was conducted as the country’s 13,000 school districts grapple with how to safely resume instruction after closing in the spring as infections spread. The results suggest President Donald Trump’s demand to fully reopen schools is at odds with how most Americans feel. (Kahn, 7/16)

In news from Washington, D.C.; Oregon; California; Hawaii; and other states —

The Washington Post: After Last-Minute Change, D.C. Says It Wants Students Back But Will Wait And Watch Virus 
All week, parents and teachers in the nation’s capital expected the city to make its long-awaited announcement, revealing what school would look like in the fall. Many younger students would return to in-person learning twice a week, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) would announce, and older students could go back once a week. It wasn’t normal school, but it was more class time than many other districts were offering. That was the plan as late as Wednesday evening, when city officials laid out in interviews how it would work. But an hour before Thursday’s scheduled news conference, officials said plans had changed. And when the city finally made its announcement, it added a big caveat — and a lot of uncertainty: The health department will now announce on July 31 whether schools will even be allowed to reopen in the fall, or if schools will need to go all virtual. (Stein, 7/16)

AP: COVID Case Record In OR, Brown Says School Won't Be 'Normal'
The Oregon Health Authority on Thursday reported 437 new confirmed COVID-19 cases – the highest daily count in the state since the beginning of the outbreak – as Gov. Kate Brown said children will not have a “normal year” when school resumes. Authorities also reported two more deaths, bringing the overall coronavirus fatalities in Oregon to at least 437. More than 13,500 confirmed cases have been reported in the state. (7/16)

Los Angeles Times: Latino And Black Students Hit By Online Learning Disparities 
More than 50,000 Black and Latino middle and high school students in Los Angeles did not regularly participate in the school system’s main platform for virtual classrooms after campuses closed in March, a reflection of the deep disparities faced by students of color amid the COVID-19 pandemic and of the difficulties ahead as L.A. Unified prepares for continued online learning. The numbers, reflected in a first-of-its-kind report by Los Angeles Unified School District analysts examining student engagement during campus closures, paint a stark picture of students in the nation’s second largest school district struggling under the new pressures of online learning. (Esquivel and Blume, 7/16)

The New York Times: In The Same Towns, Private Schools Are Reopening While Public Schools Are Not 
In Honolulu, nearly all public schools are planning to allow students to return for just part of the week. But at Punahou, a private school for grades kindergarten through 12, school will open full time for everyone. The school has an epidemiologist on staff and is installing thermal scanners in the hallways to take people’s temperatures as they walk by. It has a new commons area and design lab as well as an 80-acre campus that students can use to spread out. There were already two teachers for 25 children, so it will be easy to cut classes in half to meet public health requirements for small, consistent groups. (Miller, 7/16)

NPR: 'Meaningless' FDA Certificates Are Used To Tout Dubious Face Masks 
When the COVID-19 pandemic left facilities scrambling for surgical masks, new manufacturers stepped up to meet demand and turn a profit. But the mix of first-time manufacturers and first-time buyers has led to confusion and concerns about quality. Many sellers are touting FDA certificates of registration as evidence their masks can be trusted, said people who work in the health care supply chain. They usually include an FDA logo and, often, a cartoon eagle. The certificates are particularly popular with companies in China. But the certificates are meaningless. (Lupkin, 7/16)

NPR: Target, CVS Shoppers Will Be Required To Wear Masks
Target and CVS are the latest national retail chains requiring customers to wear masks as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to skyrocket. The companies announced the new policies on Thursday following similar moves by a growing number of retailers acting to fill a void left by local, state and federal agencies that have so far refused to set mandatory face coverings policies. (Romo, 7/16)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Jolt: Customer Requirements By Walmart, Kroger Make Mask Mandates A Property Rights Issue
We have been here before. In fact, almost exactly a year ago in El Paso, a gunman targeting Hispanics killed 23 people and wounded 22 more at a local Walmart. One month later, the mammoth retail chain announced it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and some assault weapons. Within a few hours of that announcement, the Kroger grocery chain followed suit, asking customers not to display firearms in stores located in “open carry” states. Which include Georgia. (Galloway, Bluestein and Mitchell, 7/16)

Also —

AP: Animal Print, Beads Or Plain Black, Masks Become About Style
They can be colorful or come in basic black, make a political statement or just a funny one. Masks made of cotton and other washable materials have become big sellers, and an emerging fashion item, as face coverings have been increasingly mandated around the world to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Sales are expected to get another boost after Britain and France announced this week that they will require masks in public indoor spaces. That could help France’s textile and luxury goods companies unload a surplus of masks that numbered 20 million in June. (Selsky, 7/16)

Kaiser Health News: Montana Rodeo Goes On, Bucking Fears On Fort Peck Reservation 
Cowboys lined the metal chutes that released bucking horses and their riders into the arena, Miss Rodeo Montana signed autographs for fans, and coronavirus warning signs ended with “Face mask usage is of personal choice.” Most of the rodeo riders and audience at the Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede appeared to skip masks, despite public health recommendations and increasing pressure to stem the spread of COVID-19 cases spiking across Montana and much of the U.S. (Houghton, 7/17)

The Hill: Georgia Governor Sues Atlanta Mayor Over Mask Mandate
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and state Attorney General Chris Carr (R) on Thursday sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) and the Atlanta City Council to block the city’s coronavirus mask mandate after Kemp issued an executive order overruling such mandates at the local level. “This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times,” Kemp said in a statement Thursday. “These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth.” (Budryk, 7/16)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Kemp’s Office Seeks To Block Atlanta Mask Mandate In Court
The legal complaint, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, came one day after Kemp signed a statewide order that explicitly bans cities and counties from enforcing mask mandates. Atlanta and a dozen other cities have adopted such requirements, defying an order from Kemp that encourages but not mandates them. (Bluestein, 7/16)

CNN: Georgia Mayors Speak Out Against Governor's Ban On Face Mask Mandates
Mayors across Georgia stood behind Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Thursday after the state's governor filed a lawsuit against her over the city's mask mandate. Gov. Brian Kemp said the measure violates his emergency orders prohibiting local leaders from adding to the state's requirements to protect against coronavirus. The lawsuit escalates a feud between Kemp and Bottoms after she introduced an order that makes not wearing a mask within city limits punishable by a fine or up to six months in jail. (Holcombe, 7/17)

Georgia Health News: Fight Between Kemp And Atlanta Mayor Over Mask Mandate Heads To Court
Several cities, including Savannah, Augusta and Athens, have mandated mask wearing in public, despite Kemp’s executive order that precludes local jurisdictions from adopting stricter COVID-19 regulations than the state’s. Some mayors have indicated they will not comply with his order to end compulsory mask-wearing. (Miller, 7/16)

In mask news from Utah, Illinois and Massachusetts —

AP: Crowded Meeting With Few Masks 'Foolish,' Utah Governor Says
People crowding into a public meeting in Utah to push for an exception to mask requirements in schools was “foolish” and suggested an “almost mob mentality” on the issue, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday. Herbert spoke the day after local officials in Utah County abruptly canceled the meeting because the crowd did not follow social-distancing guidelines meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Utah, like many states, has been experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases in recent months. (7/17)

AP: Pritzker Lawsuit Seeks Face Mask Order For Illinois Schools
Gov. J.B. Pritzker took the unusual step Thursday of preemptively filing a lawsuit to ensure school children wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when schools reopen in a few weeks. ... “As a father, I would not send my children to a school where face coverings are not required because the science is clear: face coverings are critical to prevent the spread of coronavirus,” Pritzker said in a prepared statement. (O'Connor, 7/16)

Boston Globe: Masks Are The ‘Most Important’ Tool In Keeping State’s Coronavirus Rate Low, Baker Says 
Citing the recent spike in COVID-19 infections in other parts of the country, Governor Charlie Baker on Thursday urged state residents to remain vigilant and wear face coverings when they can’t socially distance in an effort to keep infection rates low in Massachusetts, where the seven-day average of positive tests continues to hover around 2 percent. (Andersen and Reiss, 7/16)

In mask news from Capitol Hill —

The Hill: Feinstein Proposes Withholding COVID-19 Relief From States Without Mask Mandates 
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called on the Senate on Thursday to support an amendment to the next coronavirus relief bill that would bar states that do not implement mask mandates from receiving stimulus funding. In a statement from the senator's office, Feinstein announced her intention to introduce the amendment and stated that it was time for Congress to step in and force states to implement such mandates to stop the virus from spreading. (Bowden, 7/16)

The Hill: GOP Senator: Hispanics Show 'Less Consistent Adherence' To Social Distancing, Mask-Wearing 
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Tuesday in a telephone town hall with constituents said he was concerned that Hispanics make up a high percentage of COVID-19 cases in his state, and then attributed this to Hispanics not wearing masks and not socially distancing as much as the rest of the population. "Just wear the mask out of respect. And I will tell you, I'm not a scientist and I'm not a statistician, but one of the concerns that we've had more recently is that the Hispanic population now constitutes about 44 percent of the positive cases," said Tillis, according to a recording of the town hall. (Bernal, 7/16)

The Hill: Nearly 1,000 Coronavirus Cases In California Linked To Daycare Centers 
Nearly 1,000 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at California day care facilities since mid-March, according to data obtained by a Bay Area NBC affiliate. There were 998 positive tests that occurred between May 11 and July 12, and positive cases in day care facilities are up 12 percent since last week, according to the state Department of Social Services. The cases included staff, children and parents in more than 38,000 facilities. (Budryk, 7/16)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Bans Dangerous Restraints At Youth Centers After Teen's Death
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced stricter rules for how staff at state-licensed youth institutions can physically restrain children. The reform comes after the death of 16-year-old Cornelius Fredericks, who went into cardiac arrest after at least seven staff members at a Kalamazoo facility restrained him in late April. (Jackson and Boucher, 7/16)

In other news regarding children —

Stat: Doctors Hope Social Distancing Will Limit A Rare Polio-Like Disease In Children
If the pattern from recent history holds, starting next month, doctors in the U.S. will begin seeing a spike in cases of a polio-like condition in children that leaves them with muscle weakness, paralysis, and, in the most severe cases, trouble breathing. But 2020, if you haven’t noticed, is not your average year. (Joseph, 7/17)

CNN: CDC Extends No Sail Order For Cruise Ships Through September 
Cruises from US ports aren't embarking anytime soon. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced an extension of its No Sail Order for cruise ships on Thursday. The extended order is in effect until September 30 or until the CDC director rescinds or modifies the order or the Covid-19 public health emergency declared by the Department of Health and Human Services expires. (Hunter, 7/16)

ABC News: At Least 24 Coronavirus Cases Linked To Church In West Virginia 
A church in Charleston, West Virginia, has moved their in-person service online after at least 24 congregants tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department announced on Wednesday that it has tracked the two dozen cases of COVID-19 to the North Charleston Apostolic Church. (Carrega, 7/16)

CNN: Florida Coronavirus Patient Went From Diagnosis To Dying In Her Daughter's Arms In A Matter Of Days 
Hortencia Laurens was nearing her 70th birthday when she was diagnosed with coronavirus on July 2. Her grandson, Diego Fereira, told CNN that her she spent her final days navigating the Florida healthcare system with a rapidly progressing illness. "My grandmother was alone, she was scared," Fereira said. More than 3.3 million people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the US since the pandemic began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And Florida has been hit particularly hard. (Holcombe, 7/17)

The Atlantic: Coronavirus Deaths Are Rising Right On Cue 
There is no mystery in the number of Americans dying from COVID-19. Despite political leaders trivializing the pandemic, deaths are rising again: The seven-day average for deaths per day has now jumped by more than 200 since July 6, according to data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic. By our count, states reported 855 deaths today, in line with the recent elevated numbers in mid-July. The deaths are not happening in unpredictable places. Rather, people are dying at higher rates where there are lots of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations: in Florida, Arizona, Texas, and California, as well as a host of smaller southern states that all rushed to open up. (Madrigal, 7/15)

The Atlantic: America Should Prepare For A Double Pandemic 
Seven years ago, the White House was bracing itself for not one pandemic, but two. In the spring of 2013, several people in China fell sick with a new and lethal strain of H7N9 bird flu, while an outbreak of MERS—a disease caused by a coronavirus—had spread from Saudi Arabia to several other countries. “We were dealing with the potential for both of those things to become a pandemic,” says Beth Cameron, who was on the National Security Council at the time. Neither did, thankfully, but we shouldn’t mistake historical luck for future security. Viruses aren’t sporting. They will not refrain from kicking you just because another virus has already knocked you to the floor. And pandemics are capricious. Despite a lot of research, “we haven’t found a way to predict when a new one will arrive,” says Nídia Trovão, a virologist at the National Institutes of Health. As new diseases emerge at a quickening pace, the only certainty is that pandemics are inevitable. So it is only a matter of time before two emerge at once. (Yong, 7/15)

In sports news —

AP: NCAA Lays Out Plan For Playing But Warns Of Surging Pandemic
The NCAA handed down its latest guidelines for playing through a pandemic while also sounding an alarm: The prospect of having a fall semester with football and other sports is looking grim. If the games can go on, the NCAA says college athletes should be tested for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours before they play, players with high-risk exposures to the coronavirus should be quarantined for 14 days and everybody on the sideline should wear a mask. The nation’s largest governing body for college sports released an updated guidance Thursday to help member schools navigate competition, but it comes as the pandemic rages on. Around the country, the number of COVID-19 cases are on the rise and many states have slowed reopenings or reinstated social-distancing restrictions on some businesses. (Russo, 7/16)

AP: Referees Gearing Up For Their Return To NBA Games, Too
NBA referees have not had the same opportunities as players have to knock off the rust from the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Players have been back on the court for a few weeks, with the majority of that time spent getting in individual workouts before practices could resume when the 22 teams arrived at the Walt Disney World bubble. The referees didn’t have that chance. (Reynolds, 7/16)

In other news —

NPR: Safe Pregnancy As COVID-19 Surges: What's Best For Mom And Baby? 
Carissa Helmer and her husband had been trying to get pregnant for five or six months by early April, when COVID-19 started to spike in the Washington, D.C., area where they live. Maybe, they mused, they should stop trying to conceive for a few months. But then a pregnancy test came back positive. In some ways, she says, there are a few convenient aspects to being pregnant now – starting with being able to work from home. But other aspects of the pregnancy have been tougher than she expected. For one thing, she's had to go to all of her doctor's appointments by herself. (Wamsley, 7/17)

CIDRAP: Mumps Outbreak In Chicago Disproportionately Affected Gay Men, People With HIV
In 2018, men who have sex with men (MSM) and people living with HIV made up a large proportion of the 116 cases of mumps in adults in Chicago, which surpassed the number seen during the previous 5 years combined, according to a report released today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Nineteen of the 116 mumps infections (17%) occurred in people living with HIV. Twenty-nine (31%) of 93 respondents to a supplementary questionnaire sent to adults diagnosed as having mumps in 2018 were women who have sex with men, 27 (29%) were men who have sex only with women, and 37 (34%) identified as MSM. (7/17)

Kaiser Health News: Disease-Carrying Mosquitoes Fly Free As Health Departments Focus On Coronavirus
Bug spray, swollen welts, citronella. It’s mosquito season. And in a normal year, the health department serving Ohio’s Delaware County would be setting out more than 90 mosquito traps a week — black tubs of stagnant water with nets designed to ensnare the little buggers. But this year, because of COVID-19, the mosquitoes will fly free. (Barry-Jester and Weber, 7/16)

NPR: Psychiatrist: America's 'Extremely Punitive' Prisons Make Mental Illness Worse 
Psychiatrist Christine Montross has spent years treating people with serious mental illnesses — sometimes in hospitals, other times in jails or prisons. "The patients that I was seeing in my hospital were indistinguishable many times from the men and women that I was evaluating in jail," Montross says. "But the environments were so markedly different. One [is] charged with ... trying to help and heal, and the other [is] really designed to control and punish." (Davies, 7/16)

AP: US Prison Populations Down 8% Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
There has been a major drop in the number of people behind bars in the U.S. Between March and June, more than 100,000 people were released from state and federal prisons, a decrease of 8%, according to a nationwide analysis by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. The drops range from 2% in Virginia to 32% in Rhode Island. By comparison, the state and federal prison population decreased by 2.2% in all of 2019, according to a report on prison populations by the Vera Institute of Justice. (Sharma, Li, Lavoie and Lauer, 7/16)

The Washington Post: Sun Belt Hospitals Are Feeling The Strain From Virus’ Surge — And Bracing For Worse 
In California, doctors are ­shipping patients as many as 600 miles away because they can’t be cared for locally. In Florida, nurses are pouring in from out of state to reinforce exhausted medical workers. And in Texas, mayors are demanding the right to shut down their cities to avoid overwhelming hospitals. In a nation gripped by a record number of coronavirus cases — with severe outbreaks across multiple states and regions — medical systems are increasingly showing the strain, with short­ages of critically needed personnel, equipment and testing. (Witte and Weiner, 7/16)

GPB: Georgia Hospital Worker Sounds Alarm: 'I Have Never Ever Seen Anything Like This. Ever'
The emergency room overflowed with patients. Then, the next wave arrived. This time on stretchers. ...Staff members did what they always do. They tended to patients as best they could. For the sickest patients, staff searched for available beds in nearby hospitals. In previous weeks, the health care worker said, COVID-19 patients typically got transported to medical centers about 70 miles north to Atlanta or 160 miles east to Savannah. This week, there was no room. Desperate, the health care worker said, administrators began checking available hospitals in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. (Drash, 7/16)

Houston Chronicle: Houston-Area School Nurses Prepare To Be On The Front Lines Of COVID Fight
When campuses reopen in Texas, school nurses will be at the forefront of containing and responding to possible COVID-19 infections in educational settings. ... health professionals agree school-based nurses likely will have to train teachers to screen students for potential exposure to the virus, teach students and staff the correct ways to use personal protective equipment, provide breathing treatments for anyone who may struggle and isolate students or staff who may have COVID-19. Some campuses, however, will be without that extra help. Texas does not require schools to keep nurses on staff. (Webb, 7/16)

Kaiser Health News: Lost On The Frontline 
America’s health care workers are dying. In some states, medical personnel account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. They tend to patients in hospitals, treating them, serving them food and cleaning their rooms. Others at risk work in nursing homes or are employed as home health aides. “Lost on the Frontline,” a collaboration between KHN and The Guardian, has identified 815 such workers who likely died of COVID-19 after helping patients during the pandemic. (7/17)

ABC News: As Pandemic Endures, COVID-Associated Discrimination Toward Minorities Persists, Study Shows 
Early in the coronavirus pandemic, there were countless examples of backlash against people of Asian descent in the United States, presumably because the virus is believed to have originated in China. But now, new evidence shows that implicit biases also may extend beyond people of Asian descent, with many apparently assuming people of color are more likely to be infected. (Adigun, 7/17)

Stat: A Yearslong Push To Remove Racist Bias From Kidney Testing Gains New Ground
For years, physicians and medical students, many of them Black, have warned that the most widely used kidney test — the results of which are based on race — is racist and dangerously inaccurate. Their appeals are gaining new traction, with a wave of petitions and papers calling renewed attention to the issue. (Gaffney, 7/17)

Stat: ‘We Have To Do A Better Job’: How Structural Racism In Medicine Harms Both Doctors And Patients
Early in her medical career, physician Rachel Issaka encountered a liver transplant patient who was surprised that she, a Black woman, was one of their treating physicians. All of the other physicians in the same room were white, but none said anything. (Feuerstein, Garde and Robbins, 7/17)

Also —

The Washington Post: Police Chokehold Bans: How George Floyd’s Killing Prompted Departments To Change 
At least 26 of the nation’s 65 largest police departments have banned or strengthened restrictions on the use of neck restraints since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd after a Minneapolis police officer held his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than seven minutes, a Washington Post analysis shows. The swift response followed protests across the nation — sometimes on the steps of police departments’ headquarters — and were often announced in splashy news releases or at press conferences to quickly spread the word and reassure stressed communities. (Mellnik, Schaul and Kindy, 7/16)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Nursing Home COVID-19 Cases Jump 60 Percent Since July 1 
The number of Texas nursing home residents testing positive for COVID-19 has increased by more than 60 percent since the start of July, according to state data, raising concerns that protective measures still lag in facilities as the new coronavirus infects people across the state at a steep rate. While the sheer rise in nursing home infections was alarming, it nonetheless represented a smaller portion of the state’s overall cases as greater numbers of young people have been infected. The number of Texans testing positive since the start of July increased by 77 percent. But experts were bracing for what may be a worse spike in nursing home cases to come. (Rubio and Foxhall, 7/16)

AP: Days Grow Long At Nursing Homes As Virus Lockdowns Drag On
In the activity room, where birthdays were celebrated and Sunday services were held, the aquarium and its brightly colored tropical fish are the only signs of life. Off quiet hallways, Southern Pines residents pass the time with word-search books or a nap. Meals once were a social time enjoyed at tables of neighbors; now most are delivered bedside. Visitors are resigned to muffled conversations through windowpanes, and the only tickets out may be a trip to dialysis or an ambulance ride to the hospital — or something worse. (Sedensky, 7/17)

The Washington Post: What Went Wrong At The Virginia Nursing Home With The Most Coronavirus Cases
The line of nursing home employees waiting to report for duty formed around 6:45 a.m. one day in early May, stretching from the reception desk to the sidewalk. But there was no one to take their temperatures, as required by federal regulations to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. “I can’t do this,” said one exasperated employee at Annandale Healthcare Center, leaving the line and heading into the facility. The Annandale facility was one of at least 27 Virginia nursing homes cited recently by inspectors, who paused inspections nationwide at the start of the pandemic but now must examine infection-control practices at all facilities by July 31 in order for states to receive funding for nursing homes through the Cares Act. (Chason, 7/16)

The CT Mirror: Nursing Homes Want More Emergency Beds, State Funding, To Continue Battling COVID-19
The state’s largest nursing home association is calling for Connecticut to double its emergency bed network for elderly COVID-19 patients in anticipation of a second coronavirus wave this fall. (Phaneuf, 7/17)

WBUR: 29% Of Mass. Nursing Homes Refused Patients Who’ve Used Opioids, Study Finds 
Twenty-nine percent of nursing facilities in Massachusetts refused to take patients in 2018 who had a history of drug use and needed post-hospital care. The findings are in a study out of Boston Medical Center’s Grayken Center for Addiction. Researchers said they were surprised to see “do not take people who use drugs” or “do not accept methadone patients” in comments explaining why skilled nursing and rehab centers rejected a referral. (Bebinger, 7/16)

Boston Globe: Volunteer Program Aims To Ease Loneliness For Seniors Isolated By Pandemic 
According to the National Institute on Aging, research has linked loneliness to higher physical and mental health risks including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death. (Cantrell, 7/16)

AP: Sununu Signs Bill To Import Prescription Drugs From Canada
Gov. Chris Sununu on Thursday signed a bill to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada to New Hampshire. New Hampshire will now follow Maine, Vermont and other states that have passed legislation to set up importation programs with Canada. Sununu said in a news release the legislation “will inject transparency in drug pricing, allow New Hampshire to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada, and puts a price cap on insulin to ensure no one will have to worry about being able to afford lifesaving insulin.” (7/16)

In news from Florida —

The Hill: Florida Temporarily Shutters Emergency Operations Center After 12 Employees Contract COVID-19 
Officials in Florida were forced to shutter the Division of Emergency Management's operations center Thursday due to an outbreak of coronavirus. The Tampa Bay Times reported that 12 staffers in the building have tested positive for COVID-19, and were self-quarantining. The rest will reportedly vacate the building as it is deep-cleaned, according to the Times. (Bowden, 7/16)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Leaves Florida A State Of Confusion 
Crime writer Carl Hiaasen, the celebrated chronicler of contemporary Florida, once referred to his beloved state as “the poster child of nationwide dysfunction.” That was before the COVID-19 pandemic began killing one of its residents about every nine minutes. So what would he call it now? “It’s, it’s … I don’t even know how to describe it,” he stammered. “I’m just following this almost like a daily sports box score, looking at the numbers trying to figure out how much worse it can get.” (Baxter, 7/16)

ABC News: As Miami Becomes US Coronavirus Epicenter, Nearly 100 Cops Test Positive 
As Miami quickly takes its place as the epicenter of the nation's ongoing COVID-19 surge, the city announced 155 officers had been placed under quarantine with nearly half of them testing positive as of Thursday. Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina, who contracted the virus back in April, said 155 officers were under home quarantine and 79 had tested positive, along with about a dozen of the department's civilian employees. (Allen, 7/16)

In news from New York —

The New York Times: Cuomo Cracks Down On Outdoor Drinking At New York Bars 
New York’s restaurants and bars, struggling to stay afloat with skeleton staffs and reduced to takeout, delivery and outdoor dining, suffered another blow on Thursday when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo placed new limits on their ability to serve alcohol. The most significant restriction bans the sale of alcohol to customers who do not also buy food. In normal times, snacks like popcorn and pretzels would meet that requirement, but in the current environment they do not, Mr. Cuomo said in an interview after the morning news briefing where he announced the crackdown. (Shanahan, 7/16)

ABC News: How New York Has Been Able To Keep Coronavirus At Bay While Other States See Surges 
As the United States continues to see increases in coronavirus cases, even in locations with stricter health policies like California, New York, the one-time epicenter of the pandemic, appears to have battled back the virus and kept it at bay since the spring. New York City, where the vast majority of the state's cases and deaths have taken place, saw its seven-day average of new daily cases hit its peak with April 15 with an average of 5,426, while the state's average was around 9,000, according to data from the state's health department. On July 15, that seven-day average was down to 317 in the city and 725 statewide, according to the state's health department. (Pereira, 7/17)

And elsewhere —

AP: Wolf Yanks Virus Funding From Rebellious County
Gov. Tom Wolf followed through on his threat to yank COVID-19 funding from a county that defied his shutdown orders, while his administration targeted bars, restaurants and large gatherings statewide Thursday in an effort to prevent a wider resurgence of the virus that officials say could jeopardize students’ return to school. The state’s largest teachers union, meanwhile, asked Wolf to order schools to plan for online-only instruction, citing mounting concern among educators and parents about the “significant health risks” posed by sending kids back to the classroom. (Rubinkam and Levy, 7/17)

The Hill: Missouri Spending $15M In Coronavirus Relief Funds On Boosting Tourism 
Missouri plans to spend $15 million in federal coronavirus aid on promoting tourism in the state, Gov. Mike Parson (R) announced Thursday. Parson called the tourism industry “a great way to support Missouri businesses” in his press briefing Thursday, adding “With all the other things going on, it’s still important people need to get out and enjoy life a little bit.” (Budryk, 7/16)

Los Angeles Times: Californians Fight Over Second Coronavirus Shutdown 
Dee Lescault got the bad news from her landlord. Her Costa Mesa hair salon had reopened on June 1 after being dark for months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing a painful economic blow to the 66-year-old stylist. And now, Coronavirus Shutdown 2.0. “Is it asking too much to wear a mask?” Lescault tweeted in a rush of anger. “You can’t have a healthy economy without a healthy community. Get a clue please.” (Mejia, LaGanga and Kohli, 7/16)

Politico: Trump-Connected College To Host In-Person Graduation, Despite State Limits On Gatherings 
Hillsdale College is expected to host more than 2,000 people for an in-person graduation ceremony this weekend, despite a Michigan law that restricts the size of gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic and criticism from the state attorney general's office. The tiny Christian college that accepts no federal funds has multiple ties to the Trump administration. Hillsdale President Larry Arnn was a prominent conservative backing President Donald Trump in 2016, and Arnn was said to be considered a candidate for secretary of education. (Quilantan, 7/16)

AP: Ducey To Extend Ban On Evictions In Arizona
Arizona renters dreading the expiration of a coronavirus-related moratorium on evictions will get a reprieve, Gov. Doug Ducey said Thursday. The governor announced that the ban on residential evictions would be extended to Oct. 31 and said there would be more funding for housing assistance programs for both renters and homeowners. (Cooper and Tang, 7/17)

AP: Navajo Leader Urges Residents To Stay Home Ahead Of Lockdown
Officials on the Navajo Nation are urging residents to refrain from traveling off the reservation ahead of a weekend lockdown meant to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. “Think of your parents and grandparents, chances are they are more susceptible to getting the virus, so let’s keep our guard up,” tribal President Jonathan Nez said Thursday. (7/17)

Billings Gazette: Yellowstone County Called 'Epicenter' Of Pandemic In Montana 
Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton called on Yellowstone County residents Thursday to work together and do better in slowing the spread of COVID-19 after a spike in cases in July. Yellowstone County has added 458 cases through the first 16 days of July, according to Felton, and 256 over the last week. (Kordenbrock, 7/16)

Stateline: Tax Hikes In A Pandemic: Some States, Cities Say Yes 
Cities such as Nashville, Tennessee, and states from New York to California have raised taxes or are considering it amid a pandemic that has crushed the economy and thrown state and city budgets deep into the red. Unlike the federal government, 49 states (Vermont is the exception) and many cities must balance their budgets. And there’s only so much they can cut, particularly when the double punch of coronavirus and civil unrest has stretched public services. (Povich, 7/17)

Reuters: China's Wuhan Declares Red Alert As Floods Disrupt Supply Chains
Large parts of central and eastern China were reeling on Friday from the worst floods in decades, as disruption mounted for key supply chains, including crucial personal protective equipment for fighting the coronavirus, and economic damage piled up. The central Chinese city of Wuhan and the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang declared red alerts on Friday as heavy rain swelled rivers and lakes. “It’s just creating another major roadblock here in terms of PPE getting into the United States - it is the worst of times for it to happen but that’s what we’re dealing with right now,” said Michael Einhorn, president of Dealmed, a U.S. medical supply distributor, which sources disposable lab coats and other products from Wuhan and nearby regions. (Stanway, 7/17)

NPR: Australian State Orders 'No Dancing, No Singing, No Mingling' To Halt COVID-19 
Australia's New South Wales state is implementing restrictions on "high-risk activities" such as such as singing in choirs and dancing at nightclubs and bars amid concern of a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 that has spilled over from a neighboring state. The latest prohibitions, which also limit bookings at restaurants, cafes and bars to no more than 10 people, go into effect from midnight on July 24 (10 a.m. July 23 ET), NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced Friday. (Neuman, 7/17)

AP: 2 US Diplomats Among New Virus Cases In Cambodia
Two U.S. diplomats are among five new cases of coronavirus in Cambodia announced Friday by health officials.All five cases involve people who had traveled from the United States. Three are Cambodians who arrived Wednesday via Taiwan, said a Health Ministry statement. The statement described the two Americans as senior diplomats who had flown from the U.S. via South Korea and also arrived Wednesday. (7/17)

ABC News: UN Makes Largest Single Appeal Amid Warnings Of Unprecedented Hunger Due To Pandemic 
The United Nations is warning that 265 million people could be pushed to the point of starvation by the end of 2020 with the first increase in global poverty since 1990 unless urgent action is taken. Humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock made the single largest appeal in U.N. history Thursday, seeking $10.3 billion to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic and its deadly second-order effects, especially the global recession and the diversion of health resources. (Finnegan, 7/16)

The Washington Post: How World Cities Are Reopening Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic 
There was no common strategy when the pandemic hit. The same is true around the world for plans to climb back from shutdowns. The priorities and pace are different on how to reopen businesses, schools, restaurants and everything else hit by restrictions to battle the spread of covid-19. Some countries have adopted a fast timetable. Others are more cautious. And there are places still trying to reach the downside of the infection curve. Washington Post correspondents and contributors across 16 cities are keeping a scorecard on what is back and what is not. (Murphy, 7/16)

CIDRAP: DRC Ebola Cases Reach 56, Exceed 2018 Equateur Province Outbreak
Officials have confirmed 4 more Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Equateur province Ebola outbreak, raising the number to 56 and passing the total of an outbreak that occurred in the same province in 2018. In a statement today, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) African regional office said the outbreak's continued growth causes major concerns as the WHO and its partners face critical funding gaps. So far, cases are spread across six of the province's health zones. Of 56 cases, 53 are confirmed and 3 are listed as probable. The outbreak was first identified in early June, and half of the cases have been reported over the past 3 weeks. Officials have confirmed 21 deaths. (7/16)

In a bit of good news —

The New York Times: No One Knows What Thailand Is Doing Right, But So Far, It’s Working 
No one knows exactly why Thailand has been spared. Is it the social distancing embedded in Thai culture — the habit of greeting others with a wai, a prayer-like motion, rather than a full embrace — that has prevented the runaway transmission of the coronavirus here? Did Thailand’s early adoption of face masks, combined with a robust health care system, blunt the virus’s impact? Was it the outdoor lifestyle of many Thais, or their relatively low rates of pre-existing conditions? One thing is certain. Despite an influx of foreign visitors early in the year from countries badly hit by the coronavirus, Thailand has recorded fewer than 3,240 cases and 58 deaths. As of Thursday, there had been no cases of local transmission for about seven weeks. (Beech, 7/16)

The New York Times: ‘I Couldn’t Do Anything’: The Virus And An E.R. Doctor’s Suicide 
On an afternoon in early April, while New York City was in the throes of what would be the deadliest days of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Lorna M. Breen found herself alone in the still of her apartment in Manhattan. She picked up her phone and dialed her younger sister, Jennifer Feist. The two were just 22 months apart and had the kind of bond that comes from growing up sharing a bedroom and wearing matching outfits. Ms. Feist, a lawyer in Charlottesville, Va., was accustomed to hearing from her sister nearly every day. Lately, their conversations had been bleak. (Knoll, Watkins and Rothfeld, 7/11)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Spike Overwhelms California Hospital Workers 
For months, California hospitals avoided the dreaded surge in coronavirus patients that threatened to overwhelm wards and stretch thin staff and supplies. But now, with coronavirus hospitalizations in the state at an all-time high, doctors and nurses at some hospitals say the nightmare has arrived. (Karlamangla, 7/13)

The New York Times: Whipped By The ‘Long Tail’ Of The Coronavirus 
On day 45 of our illness, my husband, Marc, and I woke up and looked at each other. Our symptoms had always been eerily in sync. Now the constriction in our chests was unmistakable. It was back. It was worse. (Noel Vinson, 7/13)

The New York Times: Missing The Partner You See 24/7 
One night last week I looked up from my phone, turned to my husband in bed and said, “Why do I feel like I miss you even though you’re in my face 24/7?” In our 15 years as a couple, we have never spent so much time in the same space as we have the last four months, but we have a hard time actually connecting — there are no dates, no involved conversations, no adventures. (Grose, 7/8)

AP: Small Businesses Worldwide Fight For Survival Amid Pandemic
Hour after hour in the dark, Chander Shekhar’s mind raced ahead to morning. More than three months had dragged by since the coronavirus forced Shekhar to shut down his business — a narrow, second-floor shop racked with vibrantly colored saris, on a block in New York’s Jackson Heights neighborhood once thronged with South Asian immigrant shoppers. Today, finally, he and other merchants were allowed to reopen their doors. (Geller, 7/14)

Reuters: Socially Distant Geisha Struggle To Survive In Coronavirus Shadow 
Ikuko, the “big sister” of Tokyo’s Akasaka geisha district, came to the capital to seek her fortune in 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made her fear for her centuries-old profession as never before. Though the number of geisha - famed for their witty conversation, beauty and skill at traditional arts - has been falling for years, Ikuko and her colleagues were without work for months due to Japan’s state of emergency and now operate under awkward social distancing rules. (Lies, 7/16)

The New York Times: How A Couple Got Each Other Through Cancer 
In September 2015, Jessica learned that she had stage 2B breast cancer, and six months later Dan was told that he had treatable stage 4 colon cancer. They are both now cancer free. Here are some reflections on their capacities and strategies for resilience. (St. Clair and O'Brien, 7/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Women And Men Age Differently—In More Ways Than Just Longevity 
Lois and Milt Michaels hosted a dinner party for 15 friends last year at their home in Pittsburgh. Women outnumbered men in the group, which ranged in age from 84 to 99. Since the dinner party, two of the friends have died, both of them men. That saddened but didn’t surprise Dr. Michaels, a 93-year-old retired physician. “Women live longer than men,” he said. It has long been known that women tend to outlive men, and their longevity streak will likely continue. Life expectancy for women is expected to reach 87.3 years, and 83.9 years for men, by 2060, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (Ansberry, 7/14)

In parenting news —

The Wall Street Journal: Has Covid Brought An End To Helicopter Parenting? 
Kim Lucasti recently made a parenting decision she never would have permitted before the coronavirus pandemic: She let her 14-year-old daughter ride a bike into town without an adult alongside her. In the past couple of months, Ms. Lucasti, who lives in Longport, N.J., has given more freedom to her teenage daughter and 12-year-old son. It’s partly because the kids are restless without their usual scheduled activities, and also because she needs space to handle her own tasks. “I have never left my kids alone in the house so much,” she says. Gone are the days of helicopter parenting: “I have let the helicopter down,” she jokes. (Chaker, 7/14)

The New York Times: How Are You Telling Children The Story Of The Pandemic? 
How will children make sense of the times we are living through? How can parents help them form — and understand — the narrative, even when they themselves feel worried, overwhelmed and unsure? I went back to several of the pediatricians I’ve consulted about different aspects of the coronavirus and asked: How are you telling your children the story of the pandemic? (Klass, 7/14)

ProPublica: A Teenager Didn’t Do Her Online Schoolwork. So A Judge Sent Her To Juvenile Detention. 
One afternoon in mid-June, Charisse* drove up to the checkpoint at the Children’s Village juvenile detention center in suburban Detroit, desperate to be near her daughter. It had been a month since she had last seen her, when a judge found the girl had violated probation and sent her to the facility during the pandemic. The girl, Grace, hadn’t broken the law again. The 15-year-old wasn’t in trouble for fighting with her mother or stealing, the issues that had gotten her placed on probation in the first place. She was incarcerated in May for violating her probation by not completing her online coursework when her school in Beverly Hills switched to remote learning. Because of the confidentiality of juvenile court cases, it’s impossible to determine how unusual Grace’s situation is. (Cohen, 7/14)

The New York Times: Nannies Wanted: Covid-19 Antibodies Preferred 
The Facebook post started like lots of others in the Brooklyn parents’ group: “Looking for some part time child care, a few mornings a week, for a 3-year-old.” Then, “Ideally, we’re looking for someone who has lots and lots of energy, and has already had Covid-19.” Anna Garcia, 28, responded. She’s a nanny with 10 years of experience and is looking for work after she had the virus this spring. While she fit the criteria, she said it felt strange to answer questions related to having the coronavirus. (Hughes, 7/13)

The New York Times: The Case Against Tickling 
When she was a young child, Ashley Austrew’s father would hold her down and tickle her so hard she felt momentarily paralyzed. He thought they were having fun — the tickling made her laugh, after all — but she dreaded it. More than once, she rolled off the couch and hit her head on the coffee table. (Marder, 7/13)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Waging Dangerous And Inexplicable War On Public Health
What people don’t realize is that President Trump is the real hero of the coronavirus pandemic. Or, at least, he would have been were it not for the meddling of public health “experts” who have fed him bad information from the start just to make him look inept and damage his chance of reelection, probably on orders from Democrats and the Deep State. It is they, not the commander in chief, who are responsible for the U.S.’s disgraceful position as the top COVID-19 hot spot with more than 138,000 deaths.That, apparently, is one possible narrative that the White House is advancing with its perplexing and dangerous war on public health institutions and leadership just when the nation needs them the most. (7/17)

The Arizona Republic: The Foremost Immunologist Of Our Time Believes In Science, Not Politics
Science is not political to Dr. Anthony Fauci. To him, science is fact. Truth. Then he met Donald Trump, for whom science is useful only if it reinforces what he needs to tell the public in order to look good and get reelected. Stray from that dictate and you’ll be punished, as Fauci has learned lately, first being attacked in a White House memo and then in an op-ed by Trump’s director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, Peter Navarro. As well as by the hosts and guests on who knows how many talk shows on the Trump reelection network, otherwise known as Fox. (EJ Montini, 7/16)

The Washington Post: Dr. Fauci Built A Truce. Trump Is Destroying It. 
“Where’s Fauci?”It has been one of the many nagging worries of 2020: Is the famous immunologist still on the case? (Yes, but he is so busy he can barely make time to talk.) Is he about to get fired? (Almost always and probably never, but we’re going through another round of White House scapegoating right now.) Is he still speaking with the president? (He is, but their interactions have become fewer and further between.) But at least as important as where Anthony S. Fauci might be is where the good doctor has already been.You don’t get Fauci bobblehead dolls, or Fauci-faced doughnuts, or Brad Pitt playing Fauci on “Saturday Night Live,” or all that hand-wringing over his whereabouts unless there’s something unusual going on. (Molly Roberts, 7/16)

Dallas Morning News: Trump’s Shift Of COVID-19 Hospital Data From The CDC To Washington Hurts Public Trust
If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is how important accurate and transparent data is to this country getting control of this disease.In our view, COVID-19 data is best collected and analyzed by the professionals and health experts at the Centers for Disease Control. We worry about the CDC’s report that the Trump administration has told states to start sending hospital data to Health and Human Services in Washington first, instead of sending it directly to the CDC. Up until Tuesday, the information on hospital capacity, health care worker staffing and personal protective equipment supply had been readily available on the CDC website. What was left by Thursday was a note saying the information gathered through July 14 would no longer be updated. (7/17)

CNN: Taking Covid-19 Data Away From CDC Is A Recipe For Chaos 
The White House disclosed on Tuesday that it is shifting the collection and analysis of certain Covid-19 data from the historic recipient, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)... This sudden change -- which anonymous officials told The New York Times came as a shock to the CDC -- has raised concerns from many that the centralization in Washington, DC, might allow deliberate misrepresentation of the Covid-19 data for political purposes. (Kent Sepkowitz, 7/16)

The Washington Post: Who Would Kick Millions Off Health Insurance In The Middle Of A Pandemic? Yes, Trump. 
In the midst of a pandemic — when Americans most need health insurance, and millions can’t find work — the Trump administration wants to kick Americans off their health insurance if they aren’t working. Heartless, but it’s true. This week, the Trump administration and the state of Arkansas asked the Supreme Court to allow reinstatement of Medicaid work requirements. This disastrous policy was struck down by lower courts last year after causing 18,000 low-income Arkansans to lose their insurance. Subsequent research found that 95 percent of residents targeted by the policy were working, or had qualified for an exemption. They were kicked off Medicaid all the same. (Catherine Rampell, 7/16)

The New York Times: The End Of Expanded Unemployment Benefits Is The Next Disaster
Some of us knew from the beginning that Donald Trump wasn’t up to the job of being president, that he wouldn’t be able to deal with a crisis that wasn’t of his own making. Still, the magnitude of America’s coronavirus failure has shocked even the cynics. At this point Florida alone has an average daily death toll roughly equal to that of the whole European Union, which has 20 times its population. How did this happen? One key element in our deadly debacle has been extreme shortsightedness: At every stage of the crisis Trump and his allies refused to acknowledge or get ahead of disasters everyone paying attention clearly saw coming. (7/16)

Bloomberg: Coronavirus Vaccine: Russia Really Wants To Win The Race
Moscow researchers say one of the country’s potential coronavirus vaccines has been proven safe in small-scale human trials, and is ready for wider tests. It should be a modest win for a country that has sought for years to restore its Soviet-era reputation for cutting-edge science, and for President Vladimir Putin.Yet on Thursday, Britain, the U.S. and Canada accused Russia of hacking international research centers that are trying to develop a vaccine. The Kremlin denies any involvement, while the head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund called the allegations an attempt to tarnish the Russian research effort. It’s still an accusation that jeopardizes a hoped-for inoculation boost for prestige. Old-school vaccine diplomacy might help. Even in the depths of the Cold War, Soviet and U.S. doctors collaborated to battle polio, and later smallpox. (Clara Ferreira, 7/17)

The Hill: The Conservative Case For Paid Family Leave 
The nature and course of the viral pandemic in this country continue to evolve, with significant regional surges in places like Texas and Arizona now driving the spread of COVID-19 in the United States. Most public health experts predict the late fall and winter will bring another surge of viral infections and with them the likelihood of government-mandated restrictions, suggesting a protracted cycle of relapse and recovery. As policymakers consider how to shore up the labor force and support families during this uncertain time, an expanded paid leave policy should rise to the top of consideration, particularly for fiscal hawks hand-wringing over the nation’s ballooning debt. (Maggie Cordish, 7/16)

Stat: Med Students Need Social Mission Education Now More Than Ever 
A longstanding failure of the U.S. health care system is that minority and vulnerable populations experience poorer health outcomes and higher death rates. The Covid-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies extend and deepen this failure. (Jamar Slocum, Isabel Chen and Natalie Kirilichin, 7/17)

Bloomberg: Coronavirus: Which Countries Have Mask Mandates And Do They Work?
Nothing symbolizes our battle with the novel coronavirus like the face mask — it’s the most visible, humbling and contentious reminder of the deadly, invisible invader that we must live with until we find a vaccine.In 2020, wearing a mask in cities like New York, London or Paris has gone from being a marker of the paranoid or vulnerable to the badge of the conscientious in the era of Covid-19. Even U.S. President Donald Trump put one on after previously disparaging them. Several studies suggest face coverings help — provided they’re properly made, maintained and worn — in limiting the spread of tiny exhaled particles carrying the coronavirus. Still, not everyone’s wearing them. (Elaine He and Lionel Laurent, 7/17)

JAMA: Universal Masking To Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission—The Time Is Now 
In this issue of JAMA, Wang et al present evidence that universal masking of health care workers (HCWs) and patients can help reduce transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. In the largest health care system in Massachusetts with more than 75 000 employees, in tandem with routine symptom screening and diagnostic testing of symptomatic HCWs for SARS-CoV-2 infection, leadership mandated a policy of universal masking for all HCWs as well as for all patients. The authors present data that prior to implementation of universal masking in late March 2020, new infections among HCWs with direct or indirect patient contact were increasing exponentially, from 0% to 21.3% (a mean increase of 1.16% per day). However, after the universal masking policy was in place, the proportion of symptomatic HCWs with positive test results steadily declined, from 14.7% to 11.5% (a mean decrease of 0.49% per day). Although not a randomized clinical trial, this study provides critically important data to emphasize that masking helps prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2. (John T. Brooks,  Jay C. Butler, and CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, 7/14)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Lack Of Mask Mandate Shows DeWine Bending To Pressure
What a waste of a perfectly good news conference. Gov. Mike DeWine's much-anticipated statewide address Wednesday about the increasing threat of COVID-19 infections sweeping Ohio amounted to a big, fat nothing-burger. The governor didn't mandate masks in all 88 counties or shut down any parts of the economy. Instead, he issued a warning to Ohioans that another shutdown could be looming if they don't increase their vigilance to ward off the surge of COVID-19 cases. (Kevin S. Aldridge, 7/16)

CNN: What The Heck Is Georgia's Governor Doing? 
On Wednesday in Georgia, there were almost 4,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Almost 2,800 people are hospitalized due to Covid-19, the highest number in the state's ongoing battle against the virus. A total of 37 people died, the highest number of daily deaths since June 25, according to data from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. How did Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) respond to this obvious surge in Covid-19 in his state? By signing an executive order banning cities and counties from mandating that people have to wear a mask when in public. (Chris Cillizza, 7/16)

The Wall Street Journal: The Economy Won’t Get Healthier While America Gets Sicker
These days there is a cruel disconnect between the economic news, which is looking up, and the pandemic news, which is wretched. But if the U.S. doesn’t bend the pandemic curve soon, the economy may slip back into recession. While it’s a very low bar, developments on the economic front look better than they did a few months ago. No one should be happy with June’s 11.1% unemployment rate, but it’s notably better than April’s 14.7%. Payroll employment soared by record-breaking amounts in May and June: 7.5 million net jobs created in two months. Though that’s only a dent in the 22.2 million jobs lost in March and April, it’s a sizable one, especially for those who got the jobs. Consumer spending, which cratered by 18.4% in March and April, has now regained a bit more than a third of that drop. All this and more is to the good. Developments on the pandemic front, however, are looking bad. (Alan S. Binder, 7/16)

Bloomberg: How Fast Do Asymptomatic Covid-19 Cases Spread Coronavirus?
Recent leaps in science should mean we can navigate the coronavirus pandemic more freely and safely than last spring, when so little was known about how the virus spreads. Knowledge should give us all power. But that’s not happening in the U.S., in part because the way scientific knowledge is being politicized. New findings are being filtered through a distorting film of spin. Set aside the needlessly heated debate over masks or the alarmingly partisan debate over reopening schools; it’s pretty easy to understand why those arguments have gotten so intense. But even a topic as neutral as the role of asymptomatic spread has been distorted by polarized narratives. (Faye Flam, 7/16)

The Washington Post: We Missed One Chance To Open Schools Safely. Here’s The New, More Expensive, Option. 
Pathei mathos — in suffering we learn. The words of the Greek tragedian Aeschylus continue to echo in my mind. Our suffering today in America is finally teaching us that we need to fight covid-19 for real; we need to pursue not just mitigation — slowing the spread of disease — but suppression — getting back to near zero case incidence. But just because we grown-ups have had to learn from suffering doesn’t mean the kids should. To date, all countries that have reopened schools without further outbreaks did not open until after they had achieved near zero case incidence and low community transmission rates. (Danielle Allen, 9/16)

The New York Times: My Quarantine House Holds Three Generations
When we lived in Italy some years ago, our family of four would sometimes visit a family of more — a married couple and nonna playing with her grandkids in the garden, an uncle with a mental disability, and the brother who never launched, all living in a modest house of weathered stone. They argued without filter, finished each other’s stories, and each took a turn at cooking, cleaning or bringing money and food into the home. It was charming, particularly at the big afternoon meal on Sunday, and, we thought, anachronistic. During the lockdown of 2020, our nest has been a quarantined family of six — our daughter and her husband, their twin 1-year old boys, my wife and myself. It’s been exhausting, kinetic, cramped, and one of the few consistent joys in this awful time. (Timothy Egan, 7/17)

The Hill: Preventing A Public Health Crisis From Turning Into A Homelessness Crisis 
When some of the world’s largest and interconnected financial institutions collapsed in September of 2008, the financial crisis soon became a foreclosure crisis, as the shoddy lending practices of those institutions ended up leaving many homeowners out in the cold. Today, the coronavirus pandemic, a public health crisis, is having similar economic effects, and, like the financial crisis of 2008, it too will soon turn into a housing crisis as well. (Ray Brescia, 7/16)

Stat: Screening For Intimate Partner Violence During Covid-19 
Health care providers play an essential role in halting the cycle of intimate partner violence by asking their patients if they are experiencing domestic abuse, reviewing available prevention and referral options, and offering ongoing support. But Covid-19 is making intimate partner violence more likely even as it makes each of those steps more difficult. (Eva Luo, Toni Golen and Alexa B. Kimball, 7/17)

The Wall Street Journal: California’s Covid Prison Outbreak 
Republican governors are getting skewered for Covid-19 testing delays, and no doubt some could have planned better for a surge of cases once they reopened. But government mistakes aren’t limited to GOP-run states. Consider how California’s botched inmate transfers have spread the virus in prisons and beyond. More that 6,700 prisoners and 1,300 corrections employees in California have tested positive for the virus. Prisons are especially prone to outbreaks because inmates reside in close, confined spaces, but the state has made the problem worse by transferring infected inmates between facilities. (7/16)

Detroit Free Press: After Coronavirus, She Had A Long Road Back To Normal
When I was released from the hospital on April 11, after a two-week stay battling COVID-19, there were so many unknowns.How long would I cough? Would it really take me two months to feel normal again? Would I suffer from long-term effects of being on a ventilator for six days? These questions, and so many more, swirled in my head. But the one question that I hadn’t asked myself was: what would happen if your primary care physician temporarily stopped seeing patients? (LaToya Henry, 7/16)

The Hill: Watching The Watchers: More Accountability Needed To Ensure Responsible COVID-19 Tracing Tech 
As governments and employers around the word embrace new technological tools to aid COVID-19 contact-tracing, Congress should look to traditional law enforcement tools to protect citizens’ privacy and civil liberties. If responsible steps to rein in the pandemic require dramatic changes in how much information people share about their health and movements, Congress has a duty to assure the public that there will be meaningful accountability in how their data are being used. (Quentin Palfrey, 7/13)