AP: Canada Begins Allowing Vaccinated US Citizens To Visit Again
Canada on Monday is lifting its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but the United States is keeping similar restrictions in place for Canadians, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents must be both fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19 within three days to get across one of the world’s longest and busiest land borders. Travelers also must fill out a detailed on application on the arriveCAN app before crossing. (Baumann and Ring, 8/9)

USA Today: Vaccinated Americans Can Enter Canada Starting Monday. Here Are 11 Things To Know Before A Trip.
Travelers can also expect longer wait times, thanks to the new public health measures and a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) union strike. Fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents will be permitted to enter Canada for nonessential travel starting Monday at 12:01 a.m. ETD. White House officials have yet to say when the U.S. will reciprocate and ease its own travel restrictions against its Canadian neighbors. For Americans planning to take a trip up north soon, here are 11 things to know. (Schulz, 8/8)

CNN: Canada Is Reopening To US Tourists On Monday: Your Guide Before You Go 
Travelers must provide proof of vaccination in English or French (or a certified translation, along with the original) for both doses, if applicable. Travelers can receive their vaccines in any country. ... All travelers 5 or older must show proof of a negative result from a Covid-19 molecular test taken within 72 hours before their arrival in Canada or show proof of a positive Covid-19 molecular test taken between 14 and 180 days, as of August 9, before their arrival. (Levere, 8/7)

In related news —

Axios: Border Agents Reach Deal Ahead Of Canada's Reopening With U.S. 
Canadian border agents reached a tentative deal on Saturday after 36 hours of negotiations as the country plans to reopen to fully vaccinated U.S. residents and permanent residents starting Aug. 9. Two labor unions, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Customs and Immigration Union, said union members have worked without a contract for three years in a toxic work environment. The four-year deal includes an average annual increase of more than 2% per year and has provisions for parental and caregiver leave, per Politico. (Frazier, 8/7)

Fox News: Fauci: Allowing Virus To Replicate Could Make 'Worse Variant' That 'Could Impact The Vaccinated'
Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned that allowing the coronavirus delta variant to circulate freely among unvaccinated individuals could lead to a more potent variant that could harm even vaccinated individuals. The delta variant has already given rise to a small variant known as "delta plus" variant that has a spike protein mutation that may cause it to spread faster. So far, the variant has appeared in only a few cases in several countries, but the original delta variant rapidly spread through the United States and became the dominant strain after only a few months. (Aitken, 8/8)

CNN: Covid-19 Variants That Evade Protection Could Emerge In The US If More People Don't Get Vaccinated, Fauci Says 
Covid-19 vaccines are protecting more than half the US population from current strains, experts say. But if too few people get vaccinated, the virus will be allowed to continue to spread -- and the result could be an even more dangerous variant, Dr. Anthony Fauci said. "Then all of us who are protected against delta may not be protected against zaida (zeta)," the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in a Q&A with USA Today published Sunday. (Holcombe, 8/9)

In updates on transmission and reinfection —

Reuters: Early Signs COVID-19 Vaccines May Not Stop Delta Transmission, England Says 
There are early signs that people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 may be able to transmit the Delta variant of the virus as easily as those who have not, scientists at Public Health England (PHE) said on Friday. The findings chime with those from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which last week raised concerns that vaccinated people infected with Delta could, unlike with other variants, readily transmit it. (8/6)

Fox News: Unvaccinated Individuals Twice As Likely To Face COVID-19 Reinfection: CDC Study
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that unvaccinated individuals who have had COVID-19 are twice as likely to face reinfection as individuals who have received the vaccine. The study, published as part of the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), examined hundreds of residents, finding that the unvaccinated individuals had 2.34 times greater odds of reinfection compared with fully vaccinated individuals. (Aitken, 8/6)

The Boston Globe: Vaccinated People Can Spread The Delta Variant. But Experts Disagree Whether Those Without Symptoms Should Be Tested
Edy Rees had a sore throat. Two years ago, even a month ago, such a minor symptom would not have seemed portentous. But late last month the 78-year-old Roslindale resident was worried about COVID-19. Scientists have recently discovered that even vaccinated people with mild symptoms may spread the coronavirus. Rees, who is fully vaccinated, spends a lot of time with a sick sister, and she wanted to know if she was at risk of infecting her vulnerable sibling. So Rees joined the thousands of people in Massachusetts — 50 percent more than a month ago — who are seeking COVID-19 tests. And she found it more complicated than expected. (Freyer and Lyons, 8/8)

In other news about the delta variant —

The Washington Post: Delta Defeats Other Variants As Scientists Race To Understand Its Tricks
The variant battle in the United States is over. Delta won. Since late last year, the country has been overrun by a succession of coronavirus variants, each with its own suite of mutations conferring slightly different viral traits. For much of this year, the alpha variant — officially known as B.1.1.7 and first seen in the United Kingdom — looked like the clear winner, accounting for the majority of cases by April. In second place was iota, B.1.526, first seen in New York City. A few others made the rogue’s gallery of variants: gamma, beta, epsilon. (Achenbach, Johnson, Sun and Shammas, 8/8)

CNBC: Companies Growing More Cautious About Delta Variant, Earnings Calls Show
When earnings season kicked off in earnest in mid-July, few companies fielded questions about or mentioned the Covid delta variant. That changed as new Covid-19 cases spiked and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its stance on masks for vaccinated people, according to a CNBC analysis of earnings call transcripts. (Lucas, 8/7)

Axios: America Is Relying On Other Countries For Data On The Delta Variant 
America is increasingly reliant on data coming from other countries or from drug companies about the coronavirus vaccines' effectiveness over time, particularly when it comes to the Delta variant. Top Biden officials are growing frustrated with the lack of internal visibility into data being collected by the CDC, particularly as they try to deal with Delta's spread. (Owens, 8/9)

CNBC: Covid: Epidemiologist Larry Brilliant On Delta Variant, Vaccinations
The pandemic is not coming to an end soon — given that only a small proportion of the world population has been vaccinated against Covid-19, a well-known epidemiologist told CNBC. Dr. Larry Brilliant, an epidemiologist who was part of the World Health Organization’s team that helped eradicate smallpox, said the delta variant is “maybe the most contagious virus” ever. (Lee, 8/8)

USA Today: Hospitals Raising Alarms As Admissions Spike
As COVID-19 cases surge, some hospitals across the country are raising the alarm over hospitalization rates that may push facilities to capacity. The number of people hospitalized with the virus in the U.S. has more than tripled over the past month, from an average of roughly 12,000 to almost 43,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The delta variant is ripping through the unvaccinated," Mary Mayhew, CEO of Florida Hospital Association said. Hospitals in Jacksonville and Orlando last week crashed through their pandemic peaks, and hospitals in Miami-Dade County are at or approaching record coronavirus hospitalizations this week, Mayhew said. (Santucci, Fernando and Segarra, 8/7)

Bloomberg: U.S. Covid Cases Reach Six-Month High Even As Vaccinations Rise
New Covid-19 cases in the U.S. have rebounded to more than 100,000 a day on average, returning to the levels of the winter surge six months ago. Weekly cases on Friday passed 750,000, the most since early February, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Almost 135,000 weekly cases were reported in Florida on Friday, a record for a state that makes up about one in five U.S. cases. Louisiana said 1% of its entire population had been infected in the last two weeks as the delta variant spreads, particularly among the unvaccinated. (Fisher, 8/7)

Bloomberg: U.S. City With 2.4 Million Population Has Just Six ICU Beds Left
With ICU beds down to a single digit, Austin sounded the alarm Saturday, using its emergency alert system to let residents in the Texas capital city know that the local state of the pandemic is “dire.” The Austin area -- with a population of almost 2.4 million people -- has just six intensive-care unit beds left, state health data show. A total of 313 ventilators are available. “The situation is critical,” Public Health Medical Director Desmar Walkes said in a statement Saturday, warning of a “catastrophe” as it sent the notification to residents at noon through text messages, emails and phone calls. “Our hospitals are severely stressed and there is little we can do to alleviate their burden with the surging cases.” (Chua, 8/8)

Nashville Tennessean: Morgan City In St. Mary Parish, Louisiana Is A COVID-19 Hotspot
She gasped for her last breath in her living room recliner, her lungs choked by coronavirus. It was Aug. 1 at 4:30 a.m. when St. Mary Parish coroner Dr. Eric Melancon got the call, another COVID-19 death on the Cajun coast. In this parish of 51,000 residents, Melancon had rolled out to six COVID-19 deaths in July, a 200 percent increase compared with June. And that was just the beginning. In the first six days of August, COVID-19 and its more contagious delta variant claimed 10 lives. (Sharon and Guidry, 8/9)

In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —

AP: Official: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Is The Busiest In Years
Law enforcement officials say the first few days of this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally have been among the busiest they’ve seen. Some 700,000 people were expected to celebrate their enthusiasm for motorcycles at the 10-day event that kicked off Friday in the western South Dakota city. “There are more people here than in the 31 years I’ve been doing this,” Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin told the Rapid City Journal on Saturday. (8/8)

AP: New Orleans Jazz Fest Canceled Again Due To COVID-19
With new COVID-19 cases surging in Louisiana, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival won’t be returning this year after all, organizers said Sunday. The festival, which traditionally is held in the spring, had been scheduled to run Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17 this year after being canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. (8/8)

KHN: Déjà Vu? Consumers Scramble For Covid Tests In Hard-Hit Areas
Andrea Mosterman, an associate professor of history at the University of New Orleans, was already dismayed that she had to wait three days to secure a covid-19 test at a Walgreens near her home after being in contact with someone who had tested positive. But on Sunday, when she showed up at the pharmacy drive-thru, she was told the store had run out of test kits and none was available anywhere in the city. “I told them I had a reservation, but they said it didn’t matter,” she said. (Galewitz, Bluth and Bichell, 8/6)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Deer Exposed To Coronavirus: What It Means
As researchers continue to observe the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on humans, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is studying its effect on wildlife. A recent study from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service discovered that white-tailed deer populations in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. White-tailed deer are found in every county in Michigan, according to the Department of Natural Resources. (Davidson, 8/9)

AP: Yankees COVID-19 Outbreak Continues As Rizzo Tests Positive
Newcomer Anthony Rizzo has become the latest Yankees player to test positive for the coronavirus. Rizzo is the fourth New York player within the past week to be sidelined by COVID-19, joining starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery and catcher Gary Sánchez. (Fleisher, 8/8)

The New York Times: For Seniors Especially, Covid Can Be Stealthy 
The population over 65, most vulnerable to the virus’s effects, got an early start on Covid vaccination and has the highest rate in the country — more than 80 percent are fully vaccinated. But with infections increasing once more, and hospitalization rising among older adults, a large-scale new study in the Journals of Gerontology provides a timely warning: Covid can look different in older patients. “People expect fever, cough, shortness of breath,” said Allison Marziliano, lead author of the study. ... But when the researchers combed through the electronic health records of nearly 5,000 people, all over the age of 65, who were hospitalized for Covid at a dozen Northwell hospitals in March and April of 2020, they found that one-third had arrived with other symptoms, unexpected ones. (Span, 8/8)

Reuters: U.S. Nurses' COVID-19 Grief Pours Out Online: 'I Just Don't Want To Watch Anyone Else Die'
Nichole Atherton couldn't take it anymore. The intensive care nurse watched helplessly last year as COVID-19 sufferers died in her Mississippi hospital - slowly, painfully and alone. Then in July she was again confronted with a wave of deathly ill patients, even though almost all likely could have saved themselves by getting the coronavirus vaccine. "People want to argue about masks and vaccines and freedom. I just don't want to watch anyone else die," the 39-year-old mother of two wrote on Facebook a few days ago. "I see their faces in my nightmares. And it feels like it is never ending." (Ax, 8/7)

Politico: Education Secretary: 'We're Clearly At A Fork In The Road' In Opening Schools Safely
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Sunday that the country is at a “fork in the road” when it comes to opening schools amid a resurgent coronavirus wave. “We're clearly at a fork in the road in this country,” Cardona said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “You're either going to help students be in school in-person and be safe, or the decisions you make will hurt students. While I understand the argument around not wanting to wear masks because we're fatigued, without question student safety and staff safety come first.” (Greene, 8/8)

New York Post: AFT Union Boss Calls For Mandated COVID-19 Vaccines For Teachers
The head of the country’s second-largest teachers union said Sunday that COVID-19 vaccines should be required for educators before they return to the classroom. “As a matter of personal conscience, I think that we need to be working with our employers, not opposing them, on vaccine mandates and all their vaccine policies,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, to NBC’s “Meet the Press.” (Salo, 8/8)

More children appear to be getting sick from covid —

USA Today: Pediatric Hospitals Filling Up With Cases While Kids Go Back To School
Pediatric hospitals are filling up with children in the latest COVID surge. Children's hospitals in Tennessee will be completely full by the end of this week, the health department projected, and the number of children admitted to a Jacksonville, Florida, hospital in July was more than four times the number admitted in June. In Austin, Texas, kids with symptomatic COVID-19 are also coming in sicker, with more serious symptoms than previous waves of the disease. "It shouldn't be happening," said Dr. Meena Iyer, chief medical officer at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. (Aspegren, 8/9)

WSB-TV Channel 2: Metro Atlanta School Districts Report Hundreds Of COVID-19 Cases Days Into School Year 
Several metro Atlanta school districts returned to in-person learning last week amid the surge of the Delta variant in Georgia. The Cobb County School district has confirmed over 185 cases of COVID-19 just one week into the school year. Gwinnett County Schools reported 166 cases over the course of just two school days, according to official reports from the district. (8/7)

The New York Times: ‘This Is Really Scary’: Kids Struggle With Long Covid 
As young people across the country prepare to return to school, many are struggling to recover from lingering post-Covid neurological, physical or psychiatric symptoms. Often called “long Covid,” the symptoms and their duration vary, as does the severity. Studies estimate long Covid may affect between 10 percent and 30 percent of adults infected with the coronavirus. Estimates from the handful of studies of children so far range widely. At an April congressional hearing, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, cited one study suggesting that between 11 percent and 15 percent of infected youths might “end up with this long-term consequence, which can be pretty devastating in terms of things like school performance.” (Belluck, 8/8)

In updates on mask and vaccine mandates in schools —

AP: UVA, Virginia Tech Announce New Face Mask Mandates
The University of Virginia is requiring everyone on campus to wear face masks indoors starting Monday in the wake of rising coronavirus infections from a highly contagious variant. ... Virginia Tech also announced late last week that all instructors and students will have to wear face coverings in classrooms and laboratories when classes begin Aug. 23. (8/8)

Rockdale Newton Citizen: Gov. Brian Kemp Defends Voluntary Approach To Fighting COVID-19 In Georgia 
Gov. Brian Kemp Friday defended his decision not to impose mask-wearing or vaccination mandates on Georgians to stem the latest surge in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths. “I don’t believe we need to have a dictatorship in government telling what local school systems need to do, what private businesses need to do, what nonprofits need to do, or what individuals should do,” Kemp said during an appearance at Ball Ground Elementary School in Cherokee County to mark the start of a new school year. “Individuals need to make the best decision they can.” (Williams, 8/6)

Axios: Texas Schools Not Required To Do Contact Tracing, New Guidance Says 
Texas schools are not required to conduct COVID-19 contact tracing in the event that an individual tests positive, according to new guidance from the Texas Education Agency. Schools are required to report positive cases to their local health departments, but the TEA said contract tracing is not required because data suggested that transmission rates in classrooms and between children are low. (Gonzalez, 8/7)

Dallas Morning News: As COVID-19 Surges, Local Officials Challenge Gov. Greg Abbott’s Ban On Mask And Vaccine Mandates
School districts, local officials and hospitals are pushing back on Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order barring mask and vaccine mandates, setting the stage for legal showdowns over coronavirus safety measures just as cases are surging in Texas and hospitals are filling up. Houston ISD signaled its intention to require face coverings when students return this month. The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston requested an exemption to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for staff, but was denied. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins required face masks at a meeting this week; he’s now being sued. Abbott, a Republican facing reelection in 2022, shows no sign he will change course. At a conference in Dallas this week, he declared that going forward “there will not be any government imposed shutdowns or mask mandates.” (Morris, 8/6)

USA Today: Arkansas Judge Blocks State From Enforcing Mask Mandate Ban
A judge on Friday temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing its ban on mask mandates signed into law by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in April. The ban was being challenged by two lawsuits, including one from an east Arkansas school district where more than 900 staff and students are quarantining because of a coronavirus outbreak. Pediatricians and health officials have said masks in schools are needed to protect children, as the delta variant and Arkansas’ low vaccination rate fuel the state’s spiraling cases. The state on Monday reported its biggest one-day increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since the pandemic began, and the Department of Health on Thursday said only 36 intensive care unit beds were available in the state. (Vargas and Yancey-Bragg, 8/6)

CBS News: Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson Says He Changed Mind On Mask Law Because "Facts Change" 
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said Sunday he changed his mind about a bill he signed in April to ban mask mandates across the state because "facts change," and admitted that signing it at a time when COVID-19 cases were low in his state was "an error." (Poindexter, 8/8)

In other updates on mask mandates —

Bloomberg: Amazon Revives Mask Mandate For Warehouse Workers
Amazon.com Inc. is ordering frontline U.S. employees to resume wearing masks at work regardless of vaccination status, joining the ranks of companies ramping up precautions in response to the spread of the Covid-19 delta variant. The world’s largest online retailer said in a notice to employees on Friday that workers in its warehouses and other logistics depots in the U.S. must resume wearing masks beginning on Monday. (Day, 8/6)

AP: Weary US Businesses Confront New Round Of Mask Mandates
Businesses large and small, from McDonald’s and Home Depot to local yoga studios, are reinstituting mask mandates as U.S. coronavirus cases rise. Bars, gyms and restaurants across the country are requiring vaccines to get inside. After a largely mask-free summer, it’s a reversal no one wanted to see, brought on by the fast-spreading delta variant and new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. But business owners and workers say they will do what they can to keep their doors open and not slow the economic gains of the last few months. (Durbin, 8/8)

Oklahoman: Facing COVID-19 Wave, Some Oklahoma Tribes Reinstate Mask Mandates
The Pawnee Nation has hosted a children’s summer camp as long as Mike Ortiz can remember. He decided last week to cancel the camp for the second straight year amid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in Pawnee County and across Oklahoma. “We don’t want to be a hindrance health-wise,” said Ortiz, who noted the back-to-school camp is for children between the ages of 6 and 18, meaning half cannot yet receive COVID-19 vaccines. (Young, 8/9)

AP: Judge: Norwegian Cruises Can Require Proof Of Vaccination
A federal judge on Sunday night granted Norwegian Cruise Line’s request to temporarily block a Florida law banning cruise companies from asking passengers for proof of coronavirus vaccination before they board a ship. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams granted the preliminary injunction in a lawsuit challenging the state’s “vaccine passport” ban, which was signed into law in May by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. (8/9)

CNBC: Norwegian Cruise Can Require Florida Passengers To Be Vaccinated, Judge Rules
“It’s scary what’s happening in Florida,” Derek Shaffer, an attorney for Norwegian Cruise Line, said during a court hearing held Friday to request the injunction. “All of Florida is a hot spot ... All we’re doing is trying to protect our staff and passengers.” Norwegian CEO Frank Del Rio said the company is trying to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. “The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is our number one priority, today, tomorrow and forever,” Del Rio said in a statement Sunday. (El-Bawab, 8/8)

And in more news about Florida —

NPR: With Record-High Cases, Florida Emerges As COVID-19 Epicenter
The coronavirus is running rampant in Florida as case numbers climb to an all-time high and hospitals start to fill up. On Sunday, approximately 1 in 4 hospital beds in the state had a COVID-19 patient in it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 23,903 new coronavirus cases in Florida on Friday, the state's highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic. Two days later, numbers from hospitals reporting to the Department of Health and Human Services showed Florida's inpatient beds at more than 83% occupancy. As of Sunday, 13,793 coronavirus patients accounted for 24% of the state's inpatient beds. (Jones, 8/8)

Politico: Cassidy Splits With DeSantis On School Mask Mandates 
Sen. Bill Cassidy said Sunday he disagrees with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' opposition to mask mandates in schools. “I do disagree with Gov. DeSantis. The local officials should have control here,” the Louisiana Republican said on CNN’s "State of the Union." Cassidy, a physician, added that “when it comes to local conditions, if my hospital is full, and my vaccination rate is low and infection rate is going crazy, we should allow local officials to make those decisions best for their community.” (Greene, 8/8)

CNN: 6 Members Of A Florida Church Died Of Covid-19 In 2 Weeks, Pastor Says. On Sunday The Church Held A Vaccination Clinic 
In just two weeks, six members of a Florida church died from Covid-19. All were unvaccinated, their pastor said. Now the church is hosting a vaccination clinic. Pastor George Davis at Impact Church in Jacksonville addressed members during Sunday's service and said the past week had been very difficult. "We've had now six members of our church over the course of a couple weeks now that have passed away from Covid," said Davis during the service that was livestreamed on the church's Facebook page. "It has just absolutely ripped our hearts apart. The most recent one was actually a young lady on our worship team." (Jackson, 8/8)

AP: Fauci Hopeful COVID Vaccines Get Full OK By FDA Within Weeks
The U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Sunday that he was hopeful the Food and Drug Administration will give full approval to the coronavirus vaccine by month’s end and predicted the potential move will spur a wave of vaccine mandates in the private sector as well as schools and universities. The FDA has only granted emergency-use approval of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but the agency is expected to soon give full approval to Pfizer. (Madhani, 8/8)

USA Today: Dr. Anthony Fauci: Expect 'A Flood' Of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates After Full FDA Approval
As soon as the Food and Drug Administration issues a full approval for a COVID-19 vaccine, there will be "a flood" of vaccine mandates at businesses and schools across the nation, Dr. Anthony Fauci told USA TODAY's Editorial Board on Friday. Mandates aren't going to happen at the federal level, but vaccine approval will embolden many groups, he predicted. "Organizations, enterprises, universities, colleges that have been reluctant to mandate at the local level will feel much more confident," he said. (Weise, 8/6)

Bloomberg: Fauci Backs Vaccination Mandates For Businesses, Universities
Businesses and colleges should consider requiring people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 in light of the surge of U.S. cases driven by the delta variant, Anthony Fauci said Friday. The chief medical adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden said he opposed a federal vaccine mandate but that the velocity of Covid’s spread should spur private organizations to think about requiring shots. “I would encourage private enterprises to seriously consider the idea of mandating vaccination in the enterprise for which they are responsible, whether that’s a university or a place of business,” Fauci said in an interview with Bloomberg Quicktake. (Tozzi and Mills, 8/6)

WTSP: What Does Full FDA Approval Mean For The Pfizer COVID Vaccine? 
That full approval, which means the vaccines would have an indefinite green-light, could lead to more businesses requiring vaccinations nationwide. Some organizations have appeared to be waiting for clearance beyond the "emergency" authorization given previously. “It's a full licensure that means they can market it. I think there have been conflicting legal theories about whether you can mandate a vaccine that's under emergency use authorization, but full licensure kind of will take away that question. We have mandated vaccines for our school aged children for decades, right. So now we get to a point where it's like, well, it's a fully approved, biological licensing," explained Dr. Michael Teng with USF Public Health. (Titus and Powell, 8/6)

Dr. Fauci also pushed for more covid testing —

Politico: Fauci Urges More Testing To Track Breakthrough Covid Cases 
Anthony Fauci urged on Sunday that more coronavirus testing be done among vaccinated people to learn more about breakthrough cases. “We know now from experience here and other countries that you will have people who are asymptomatic who get into contact with an asymptomatic person who is infected, and you’ll know there will be more infections that otherwise would have gone undetected,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on NBC’s "Meet the Press." “We need to do more testing.” (Greene, 8/8)

Also —

Politico: NIH Director: Vaccines Should Never Be Political
The director of the National Institutes of Health on Sunday lamented that the notion of vaccination remains so politicized amid the nation's ongoing surge of Covid cases. Speaking on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos," NIH Director Francis Collins said, "How did we get here? Why is it a mandate about a vaccine or wearing a mask becomes a statement of your political party? We never should have let that happen. Come on, America, we can separate these. We're incredibly politicized about politics. We don't need to be polarized about a virus that's killing people." (Cohen, 8/8)

Dallas Morning News: Hundreds Gather Outside Dallas’ Baylor Hospital To Protest Vaccination Mandates
More than 200 health-care workers and others gathered outside Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas on Saturday to protest the requirement by a growing number of hospital systems that employees get COVID-19 vaccination shots. Baylor Scott & White, Methodist Health System and Texas Health Resources all announced vaccine mandates for employees in late July. Children’s Health in Dallas and Cook Children’s in Fort Worth followed suit this week. (Marfin and Choi, 8/7)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Senate Leader Urges Health Care Workers To Refuse Vaccines
One of the leaders of the state Senate is calling on health care workers opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates to take action against them, alarming some health care officials navigating a surge of new infections. Senate President Chris Kapenga on Friday said health care executives requiring employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 are "bowing to the woke culture being pushed by the left." (Beck, 8/6)

In related news about protests and health care workers —

KHN: A California Bill Would Limit Protests At Vaccination Sites. Does It Violate The First Amendment? 
A proposal sailing through the California legislature that aims to stop people from getting harassed outside of vaccination sites is raising alarms among some First Amendment experts. If it becomes law, SB 742 would make it punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a maximum fine of $1,000 to intimidate, threaten, harass or prevent people from getting a covid-19 — or any other — vaccine on their way to a vaccination site. (Bluth, 8/9)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Is It A HIPAA Violation To Ask About COVID Vaccine?
Both Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott recently cited a 1996 health law when refusing to answer reporters’ questions regarding whether they were vaccinated. “You see, with HIPAA rights, we don’t have to reveal our medical records, and that also includes our vaccine records,” Greene said on July 20. Both Greene and Prescott were referring to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton. And they were wrong. Nonetheless, their invocation of the law has been echoed by many on social media who contend their employers have no right to inquire about their vaccine status. (Rankin, 8/6)

CNBC: Doximity, Social Network For Doctors, Full Of Antivax Disinformation
Dr. Paul Malarik, a retired psychiatrist, now spends about 50 hours a month helping to administer Covid-19 vaccines at pop-up clinics near his home in San Luis Obispo, California. So he’s particularly troubled when he logs onto Doximity, a site used by doctors, and reads anti-vaccine comments. “You rarely get to the level of microchips in vaccines, but a lot of this stuff is pretty close to it,” said Malarik, who volunteers his time to mix vaccines, put shots in arms and educate the public. “They’re actively working against us.” (Levy, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Is Your Doctor, Dentist Or Hairstylist Vaccinated? Tips For How To Ask — And Avoid Awkwardness
It is not a violation of the oft-cited HIPAA federal privacy law to ask your doctor or dentist or other health-care workers, as well as people who provide close-contact services, including hair stylists, aestheticians, massage therapists and physical trainers, if they are vaccinated. “It’s awkward, but it’s not illegal,” said Robert Gatter, a professor with the Center for Health Law Studies at St. Louis University School of Law. “If they share it with you, that’s their choice.” But, Gostin said, it’s important to remember that “you can’t force somebody to answer.” (Chiu, 8/6)

In other news about vaccine mandates —

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Officials To Consider Requiring Proof Of Vaccination For Some Indoor Public Spaces
Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday will consider drafting a proposal that would require proof of vaccination to enter certain indoor public spaces. Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose 4th District includes several beach cities, created the proposal to be discussed at this week’s Board of Supervisors meeting that asks staff and attorneys to draft a report in two weeks about what the county’s policy could look like. (Cosgrove, 8/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Sheriff's Deputies Threaten Resignations Over City's Vaccination Mandate
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department will see a wave of resignations if the city enforces its policy requiring vaccinations for its employees, according to the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, the union representing sheriff’s deputies. Mandated vaccines “will result in law enforcement officers and firefighters retiring early and seeking employment elsewhere,” the union wrote on its Facebook page Thursday. (Cassidy, 8/6)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Employers Can Ask Their Workers To Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Maine-based employers quickly instituted COVID-19 vaccination mandates over the past week as the delta variant spreads and almost half of Maine counties fell under federal mask-wearing recommendations as of Friday. The law is on their side, but they need to move carefully, legal experts say. New requirements follow vaccination mandates for federal workers and contractors announced by President Joe Biden last week as he tries to get more Americans vaccinated. In Maine, the public university system, College of the Atlantic, MaineHealth, Northern Light Health and other colleges and hospitals are requiring that employees be vaccinated. (Valigra, 8/7)

Salt Lake Tribune: How Utah’s Ban On Mandating The COVID-19 Vaccine Could End Next Month
Utah has a law, passed earlier this year, that blocks state and local governments from requiring vaccinations against COVID-19. The ban extends to state colleges and universities, which cannot require students, faculty or employees to get vaccinated. Public schools are also blocked from requiring vaccinations. But the prohibition soon may fall by the wayside. HB308, which passed almost unanimously during the 2021 session, blocks government from requiring that people receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a term of employment or even as a requirement for attendance or participation in an activity. But the bill applies only to vaccines that are authorized for emergency use. Right now, all three of the vaccines being administered in the U.S. — from manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — are under emergency authorization by the federal government. (Schott, 8/6)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa., N.J., And Del. Leaders Weigh Vaccine-Verification Options, But Largely Hold Off On Mandates
As more employers, cities, and states move to mandate vaccines for their residents, employees, and patrons in an emerging patchwork of rules, officials governing the Philadelphia region haven’t begun setting mandates — but Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Bucks County officials are weighing possible vaccine requirements for public workers. While Democratic-controlled New Jersey implemented its first statewide vaccine requirements this week for certain health workers, Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday his administration was “still deciding” whether to require coronavirus vaccination for some or all state employees. (McCarthy and McDaniel, 8/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Fake Covid Vaccination Cards Are On The Rise In The U.S., Europe 
As Covid-19 vaccine mandates proliferate in the U.S. and Europe, so are swindlers selling bogus vaccination certificates. ... The spread of such rules has created a market for counterfeit certificates for the unvaccinated. In recent weeks, schemes to sell illegal proof of vaccination have multiplied on social-media sites, messaging apps such as Telegram and on the dark web, according to government investigators and cybersecurity experts. ... “While we do not have definitive numbers, we are seeing more of these types of schemes recently,” a Justice Department spokesman said. (Sylvers, 8/7)

In other updates on the vaccine rollout —

USA Today: Vaccinated, Angry: Experts Say Insults Won't Motivate The Unvaccinated
Public health experts told USA TODAY that anger is understandable, widespread and unproductive. They worry that shaming and blaming the unvaccinated could backfire – entrenching their decision rather than persuading them to get the shots. The only way to end the death and suffering of COVID-19 is to get millions of Americans vaccinated. Mandates may help, but insults, anger and dismissiveness are widely considered a terrible way to convince people to get vaccinated. "If you’re going to call me an idiot … that isn’t encouragement,” Stephanie McClure, an assistant professor of biocultural medical anthropology at the University of Alabama, told USA TODAY. “You usually don’t get anywhere by attacking people.” (Shannon, 6/8)

The Washington Post: Jennifer Aniston And Other Celebrities Endorse Vaccines. Experts Say Their Pleas May Not Help.
Jennifer Aniston is best known for her role in “Friends,” but these days the actress is avoiding some members of her inner circle who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus. Last week, her InStyle interview made headlines after she told the magazine that people have a “moral and professional obligation to inform” others about their vaccination status. ... Star-studded photo ops and high-profile vaccine endorsements have become a major part of public health messaging in the pandemic era. Politicians, celebrities, athletes and religious leaders have encouraged others to get vaccinated and follow scientific guidance with varying results — from helpful to ineffective to harmful, with one researcher saying friends and neighbors are the most fruitful agents for change. (Paul, 8/8)

The Washington Post: Latino Vaccination Rates Are High In One Maryland County. A Cartoon Grandmother Helped.
Devora Guerrero, a coronavirus outreach volunteer in Montgomery County, saw five family members, including her grandmother, get the virus last year. She herself tested positive in December — and despite it all, Guerrero was afraid to get the vaccine. The 23-year-old’s friends had nearly convinced her that the vaccine was not safe — but then she met Abuelina. This animated character commissioned by Montgomery County’s Latino Health Initiative (LHI), Por Nuestra Salud y Bienestar, a community partner focused on reaching the Latino population, reminded Guerrero of her own abuela — a short, hard-working and wise Chilean 74-year-old grandmother. (Lai, 8/8)

The Washington Post: Marjorie Taylor Greene Fans Cheered Low Vaccination Rate In Alabama, Which Tossed 65,000 Doses
As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surged in Alabama, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) mentioned the state’s lowest-in-the-nation vaccination rate at a political fundraiser, eliciting cheers from the audience in a video posted this week. Days after the video surfaced, the state’s health leader said officials have tossed out more than 65,000 coronavirus vaccines that expired, citing low demand that experts have partly attributed to the politicization of the vaccine. Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the country, followed closely by Mississippi, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. (Kornfield and Wang, 8/7)

KHN: ‘The Vaccination Queen’: Nurse Practitioner Takes Covid Shots House To House In Puerto Rico
Abigail Matos-Pagán entered a bright-blue house in Mayagüez earlier this summer and was met by Beatriz Gastón, who quietly led the way to her mother’s small room. Matos-Pagán had come to provide a covid-19 vaccine for Wildelma Gastón, 88, whose arthritis and other health concerns confine her to bed. Wildelma Gastón asked for her rosary to be placed on her chest and motioned to her “good arm,” where Matos-Pagán injected a first dose of the Moderna vaccine. The Gastón household, made up of five family members, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Though the vaccine had been available for months, Wildelma had been unable to reach a vaccination site. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker, Puerto Rico’s vaccination rate in March was one of the lowest among U.S. states and territories despite receiving more than 1.3 million vaccine doses. The rollout highlighted disparities in access to medical services, and the challenges of tracking and reaching remote citizens, such as Wildelma. (Almy and Carter, 8/9)

In other vaccine news —

Stat: A WHO Expert On Why The Rush For Covid-19 Boosters May Be Premature
When the World Health Organization last week called for a moratorium on giving Covid-19 booster shots, except in rare circumstances, it said it was concerned wealthy countries would start giving their populations a third dose before the people at highest risk from the disease — health workers and older adults — in many countries get their first. But Kate O’Brien, the WHO’s director of immunization, vaccination, and biologics, recently insisted on an additional reason: Providing booster shots without strong evidence that the shots are needed is ill-advised. “If we’re not really grounded in that clarity, we’re going to be in a place where we have forever uncertainty about what actually should be done,” she cautioned. (Branswell, 8/9)

NPR: Can COVID Vaccines Cause Temporary Menstrual Changes? Research Aims To Find Out
Sore arms. Headaches. Low-grade fevers. These are some of the expected side-effects of a COVID-19 vaccine — a sign that the body's mounting an immune response and learning how to fend off the novel coronavirus. But thousands of people in the U.S. think they may have had other side-effects that drugmakers and doctors never warned them about: unexpected changes in their menstrual cycles. Though many researchers and gynecologists say a causal link hasn't yet been established between the vaccines and the reported changes, that hasn't stopped the worry among some people. And so far, scientists haven't collected much data on whether or how the vaccines might affect a menstrual period. (Brumfiel, 8/9)

KHN: Journalists Assess The Latest Covid Surge And The Nation’s Vaccination Effort
KHN freelancer Mark Kreidler discussed why professional athletes are not taking a more affirmative role in pushing covid vaccines on Newsy on Tuesday. ... KHN Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony discussed masking mandates, vaccine efficacy and breakthrough covid cases on Illinois Public Media’s “The 21st Show” on Monday. (8/7)

Politico: Biden's Infrastructure Bill On Cruise Control To Senate Passage 
President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure deal cleared its final serious Senate hurdle Sunday night, putting the legislation on a glide path to passage as soon as late Monday. In a 68-29 vote, the Senate closed down debate on a bill negotiated by a bipartisan group of 10 senators that spends $550 billion in new money on the nation’s physical infrastructure. Sunday’s vote came after senators spent the weekend haggling over amendments and time agreements to consider them. (Everett and Levine, 8/8)

The New York Times: Senate Works On Infrastructure ‘The Old-Fashioned Way’: Painfully Slow 
As senators spent the first Sunday of what was supposed to be their summer break casting evening votes on a $1 trillion infrastructure bill whose passage now seems all but assured, it was hard not to notice the frustration setting in. An unfamiliar activity was afoot in the usually paralyzed Senate: A bipartisan bill had actually made it to the floor, and a freewheeling debate on it was underway. But as the process plodded into its second week, the glacial pace of legislating was on vivid display. It was taking forever. (Cochrane and Broadwater, 8/8)

The Hill: Senate Votes To End Debate On $1T Infrastructure Bill 
The Senate on Sunday night voted to end debate on a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, putting it on a glide path, albeit a lengthy one, to passing this week. Senators voted 68-29 to end debate on the bill, which required 60 votes. Eighteen GOP senators joined with all Democrats to help advance the legislation.  (Carney, 8/8)

AP: Infrastructure Senators Bush Off Criticism From Left, Right
Often elusive, the political center is holding steady in the Senate as a coalition of Democratic and Republican senators brushes off critics to push the $1 trillion infrastructure package toward final passage. On the left, the Democrats have withstood the complaints of liberals who say the proposal falls short of what’s needed to provide a down payment on one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities. (Mascaro, 8/9)

In related news about covid's economic toll —

CNBC: Biden Warns Of Economic Peril From Covid Despite July Job Gains
President Joe Biden resisted the temptation to take a victory lap Friday following the release of strong July jobs numbers, instead telling the country that rising Covid cases pose an urgent threat to the economic recovery. “My message today is not one of celebration,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “It is one to remind us that we have a lot of hard work left to be done, both to beat the delta variant and to continue the advance of our economic recovery.” (Wilkie, 8/6)

The Washington Post: For First Time, Average Pay For Supermarket And Restaurant Workers Tops $15 An Hour
The U.S. labor market hit a new milestone recently: For the first time, average pay in restaurants and supermarkets climbed above $15 an hour. Wages have been rising rapidly as the economy reopens and businesses struggle to hire enough workers. Some of the biggest gains have gone to workers in some of the lowest-paying industries. Overall, nearly 80 percent of U.S. workers now earn at least $15 an hour, up from 60 percent in 2014. (Van Dam and Long, 8/8)

The Hill: Biden Yet To Nominate New FDA Chief Even As Delta Surges 
President Biden has yet to nominate a permanent head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at a time when the government is navigating a surge in COVID-19 cases from the delta variant. It’s unclear why the post remains vacant more than six months into Biden’s presidency, but some experts suggest politics may be getting in the way. Some Democratic senators are pushing back on the prospects of acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock being named to the permanent role, but health care experts are warning that the administration needs to fill the position immediately. (Coleman and Gangitano, 8/8)

Stat: As White House Mulls FDA Commissioner Job, A Sign Of Industry Backing For Woodcock Surfaces 
Shortly after the Biden administration took office, a letter-writing campaign erupted over who should be the next Food and Drug Administration Commissioner. The missives reflected a bitter divide over Janet Woodcock, a longstanding but controversial agency official who was named acting commissioner. Some praised her political savvy and experience. Others criticized her for being too sympathetic to industry. (Silverman, 8/9)

Politico: Obamacare Architect Floated For Top FDA Job
Biden administration officials involved in the lengthy search for a permanent Food and Drug Administration commissioner have discussed University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel as a candidate to lead the agency, according to four people with knowledge of the deliberations. A prominent figure in Democratic health policy circles, Emanuel helped craft the Affordable Care Act as an adviser to the Obama administration. The 63-year-old has since become a strong ally of President Joe Biden, advising his campaign and later serving on the transition’s Covid-19 advisory board. (Cancryn and Owermohle, 8/6)

And more on the Biden administration's covid response —

The Hill: White House Grapples With COVID-19 Resurgence
The White House is grappling with a resurgence of coronavirus cases that Democrats see as a real political threat given the central role getting the pandemic under control plays for President Biden. Cases fell dramatically over the first months of Biden’s presidency, with the rollout of vaccines boosting his poll numbers and lending a spirit of optimism to the country and the administration in the spring. Biden’s numbers still look good and could be boosted further by strong economic news — including a blockbuster jobs report on Friday — that suggests that so far, at least, the rising cases have not depressed spending or the recovering economy. (Chalfant and Parnes, 8/9)

Axios: America Is Relying On Other Countries For Data On The Delta Variant
America is increasingly reliant on data coming from other countries or from drug companies about the coronavirus vaccines' effectiveness over time, particularly when it comes to the Delta variant. Top Biden officials are growing frustrated with the lack of internal visibility into data being collected by the CDC, particularly as they try to deal with Delta's spread. (Owens, 8/9)

In other news from the Biden administration —

Modern Healthcare: Biden To Nix 'Most Favored Nation' Drug Rule
The Biden administration plans to pull the plug on a contentious Trump-era demonstration that would tie Medicare outpatient drug pay to other wealthy countries' drug prices, according to a CMS proposed rule on Friday. Hospitals had opposed the "most favored nation" drug policy, arguing that it would hurt their bottom lines and put the entire onus of lowering drug prices on hospitals rather than drug companies or Medicare. The Trump-era rule also would have created the CMS Innovation Center's first nationwide, mandatory experiment—a massive departure from the agency's usual approach to testing new payment models among a smaller subset of healthcare organizations. (Brady, 8/6)

The New York Times: Mystery Attacks on Diplomats Leave Scores of Victims but Still Little Evidence
President Biden’s top aides were told on Friday that experts studying the mysterious illnesses affecting scores of diplomats, spies and their family members were still struggling to find evidence to back up the leading theory, that microwave attacks are being launched by Russian agents. The report came in an unusual, classified meeting called by the director of national intelligence, Avril D. Haines, according to several senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The purpose of the meeting was to assess the investigations and efforts to treat victims of the so-called Havana syndrome — the unexplained headaches, dizziness and memory loss reported by scores of State Department officials, C.I.A. officers and their families. (Sanger, 8/8)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Doctors Flee Administrative Headaches Of Private Practice
The days of the stalwart solo physician, hanging out a shingle and seeing patients as he or she sees fit, are rapidly drawing to a close. Consulting firm Avalere Health reports that almost 70% of physicians in the United States now work as employees of a hospital, health system, or private corporation. That’s a 12% increase over just two years ago, and is likely to accelerate after the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is “a stunning document” that shows just how much the profession of medicine is changing, said Richard Baron, president of the American Board of Internal Medicine, the Philadelphia-based group that certifies the expertise of internists. (Field, 8/7)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Hospital-At-Home Program Boosted Inpatient Capacity, Access, Study Finds
Brigham and Women's Hospital boosted inpatient capacity and access to care when providers treated acute patients at home, new research shows. The Boston-based facility's hospital-at-home program treated 65 acutely ill patients over a three-month span during the COVID-19 pandemic, which freed up 419 inpatient beds, according to a Brigham and Women's study published Friday in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Home hospital patients dealing with infections or complications associated with heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma received daily in-home or remote visits from attending general internists, two daily in-home visits from registered nurses and they had access to 24-hour physician coverage and remote monitoring tools. (Kacik, 8/6)

Modern Healthcare: Honor Technology Acquires Home Instead
Honor Technology has acquired Home Instead, the company said. The acquisition will allow the companies to pair home care provider Home Instead's network with San Francisco-based Honor Technology's home care technology and operations platform. Combined, the two organizations generate more than $2.1 billion in annual home care services revenue. The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal, which took effect Friday. The Home Instead acquisition will serve "as a foundation for a dramatic increase in innovation to benefit caregivers and clients through expanded offerings," Honor Technology said in a news release. (Christ, 8/6)

Modern Healthcare: Returning Patients, Ongoing COVID Wave Behind Kaiser's Slim Q2 Margin
More of Kaiser Permanente's 12.5 million members returned for healthcare services once COVID-19 cases waned in the spring and early summer, contributing to an unusually slim operating margin in the second quarter of 2021. Typically, higher patient volumes would boost a health system's bottom line, but Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser operates differently than most. As an integrated system, its patients are also its health plan members, so Kaiser foots the bill for their care. The system's operating margin was just 1.5% in the quarter ended June 30, down significantly from 9.4% in the prior year period. (Bannow, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Howard University To Build Center To Research Health Disparities
Howard University and several development partners will begin construction in 2023 on a new center dedicated to researching health disparities, school officials announced Thursday. The aim of the National Research Center for Health Disparities — which will be next to the school’s college of medicine — is to attract pharmaceutical companies and biomedical research organizations that are focused on treating chronic illnesses, especially those that affect communities of color. The project, which will take up 260,000 square feet, will include a laboratory and an office building. (Fadulu, 8/5)

Stat: As HIMSS Approaches, Conference Plans Clash With Covid-19 Concerns
It was supposed to be a coming out party for the digital health industry after a huge year of business. But one of the sector’s biggest annual gatherings is shaping up to be a microcosm of another distressing moment in the pandemic, when an overwhelming desire for normalcy is again clashing with an imperative for caution. The conference of the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is scheduled to begin Monday in Las Vegas. But the weeklong event, to be held in person, is unfolding against the backdrop of a rising wave of Covid-19 cases and fear over the spread of the especially contagious Delta variant of the virus. (Ross, 8/6)

Stat: In The Feeding Frenzy Of Health Tech Dealmaking, The Little Fish Wield Power
The fickle market only lets executives at health care startups control so much, but for companies ready to take the big step of cashing out, the timing’s never been better. “If you’re exiting as a business right now, God bless you, you hit the window perfectly,” said Steve Tolle, a partner at HLM Venture Partners. “You’re going to get a high valuation, and your shareholders are going to be very happy.” (Aguilar, 8/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Whistle-Blower Allegations Result In $11.4 Million Settlement By San Mateo County Medical Center
The San Mateo Medical Center and San Mateo County have agreed to pay $11.4 million after federal officials alleged the hospital submitted false Medicare claims for patients not covered by the federal health care program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Friday. The settlement resolves allegations initially leveled in 2016 by whistle-blower Felix Levy, the former director of resource management at the hospital. (Cassidy and Hosseini, 8/7)

FiercePharma: Gilead Cracks Down On Fake Versions Of Popular HIV Drugs Biktarvy, Descovy Being Sold At US Pharmacies 
Counterfeit versions of two of Gilead Sciences’ most popular HIV drugs are circulating in the U.S., threatening the health of people taking them. Gilead’s original Biktarvy and Descovy have been replaced by fake versions at some pharmacies, Gilead warned Thursday. Unauthorized distributors were able to sell fake drugs to retailers; and then, “genuine Gilead bottles” were filled with fake tablets, the company said. Gilead has alerted potentially impacted pharmacies and is working with the FDA, pharmacies and legal authorities to remove problematic pills from circulation and to prevent future distribution, the company added. (Liu, 8/6)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech developments —

Axios: Smart Thermometer Company Kinsa Develops Disease Prediction Data Hub 
Kinsa, a startup that makes and distributes internet-connected smart thermometers, is developing a data hub that can provide highly specific forecasts about infectious disease outbreaks, Axios has learned. Days matter when it comes to heading off a new outbreak or surge, and better forecasting models can help policymakers act to stop disease disasters before they're out of control. (Walsh, 8/7)

North Carolina Health News: Vaccine Strife In Bill To Boost HIV Med, Birth Control 
A bill that would make post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), birth control and testosterone more easily available is on its way to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk — but while some advocates celebrate the bill’s passage, opponents argue against controversial vaccine language added to the bill. The bill came into controversy after Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth) added a provision requiring young people to get parental permission before receiving the vaccines that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, such as the COVID-19 vaccine. (Thompson, 8/9)

CIDRAP: Declining Susceptibility To Azithromycin Found In German Gonorrhea Samples
Analysis of Neisseria gonorrhoea samples from diagnostic laboratories throughout Germany shows a significant decrease in susceptibility to azithromycin, one of the two remaining antibiotics recommended for gonorrhea infections, German researchers reported yesterday in Eurosurveillance. (8/6)

Boston Globe: Adagio Raises $300 Million In IPO, Looks To Advance Covid-19 Therapy
Adagio Therapeutics, a Waltham startup advancing COVID-19 antibody treatments, is going public Friday just over one year after it was founded. The company raised nearly $310 million by selling 18,200,000 shares for $17 each, in the middle of its expected range, and it will trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol ADGI. At the IPO price, the firm was valued at $1.84 billion. (Gardizy, 8/6)

KHN: Injuries Mount As Sales Reps For Device Makers Cozy Up To Surgeons, Even In Operating Rooms 
Cristina Martinez’s spinal operation in Houston was expected to be routine. But after destabilizing her spine, the surgeon discovered the implant he was ready to put in her back was larger than he wanted to use — and the device company’s sales rep didn’t have a smaller size on hand, according to a report he filed about the operation. Dr. Ra’Kerry Rahman went ahead with the operation, and Martinez awoke feeling pain and some numbness, she alleges. When Rahman removed the plastic device four days later and replaced it with a smaller one, Martinez suffered nerve damage and loss of feeling in her left leg, she claims. Martinez is suing the surgeon, implant maker Life Spine Inc., and its distributor and sales representatives, alleging their negligence led to her injuries because the right part wasn’t available during her first surgery. All deny wrongdoing. The case is set for trial in November. (Schulte, 8/9)

The Boston Globe: With The Window To Act Narrowing, A Stark Report From The World’s Climate Experts
The Earth’s climate is warming at a faster rate than previously thought, and with greater and more widespread consequences, according to a landmark report by the world’s top climate scientists. The window for decisive action to avoid the worst consequences is still open, the report concludes, but just barely, as the planet approaches the watershed mark of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures a decade earlier than expected. In a summer marked by catastrophic wildfires, a deadly heat dome, and unprecedented flooding, this report, issued by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, shows how humanity’s burning of fossil fuels is driving changes to the planet’s climate unseen for thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of years. (Shankman, 8/9)

AP: 'Nowhere To Run': UN Report Says Global Warming Nears Limits
Earth’s climate is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, according to a report released Monday that the United Nations called a “code red for humanity.” “It’s just guaranteed that it’s going to get worse,” said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. “Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.” But scientists also eased back a bit on the likelihood of the absolute worst climate catastrophes. (Borenstein, 8/9)

Politico: ‘Get Scared’: World’s Scientists Say Disastrous Climate Change Is Here
Additions to the report not found in previous assessments were included in response to political demands as climate change-driven extreme weather events battered towns, torched crops and upended livelihoods. That included new research in the analyses using cutting-edge scientific methods to compare the intensity of specific weather events with and without human-caused emissions, as well as modeling the predictions on regional climate effects. The additions reflect both the advancement of the science and the political urgency of the moment, authors said. (Colman and Mathiesen, 8/9)

LiveScience: Arizona Man Went A Month Without Knowing He Had The Plague
A man in Arizona went nearly a month without knowing he had contracted the plague, which can be deadly if not treated promptly, according to a new report. The man recovered, but his case underscores the need to identify infections with serious and potentially contagious pathogens, such as Yersinia pestis — the bacterium that causes plague — in a timely manner, according to the report, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Rettner, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Study Connects Liver Disease Risks To Rescue Workers Who Helped At 9/11 Attack In N.Y. 
In the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai grouped 1,788 responders based on the time they arrived at the scene of the terrorist attack. They analyzed CT scans for signs of hepatic steatosis, also known as fatty liver disease, which can cause scarring in the liver, cancer or liver failure. Steatosis is associated with exposure to a variety of chemicals, including toxic dust. The researchers found that the sooner a responder arrived at the WTC, the more likely they were to show signs of steatosis. More than 14 percent had signs of the disease, and those who got to the site within two weeks of the attack were most likely to show liver changes. (Blakemore, 8/7)

AP: Pandemic Set Off Deadly Rise In Speeding That Hasn't Stopped
Motorists put the pedal to the metal during the pandemic and police are worried as roads get busy with the final stretch of summer travel. The latest data shows the number of highway deaths in 2020 was the greatest in more than a decade even though cars and trucks drove fewer miles during the pandemic. “Summer is an incredibly dangerous time. And it culminates with Labor Day, that last hurrah,” said Pam Shadel Fischer of the Governors Highway Safety Association. (Sharp, 8/8)

Axios: Wildfire Smoke Has Impacts Across America 
Just as some cities were about to see relief from the degraded air quality caused by wildfire smoke, another plume is expected to trickle in from the West, highlighting what authorities say is a reality for the remainder of a long and intense wildfire season. Several studies in recent months are sounding alarms about how harmful microscopic particles from smoke can wreak havoc on the public's health despite being hundreds of miles from the fire sites. (Fernandez, 8/9)

Politico: Regulators Refuse To Step In As Workers Languish In Extreme Heat 
When it gets so hot that the hallucinations start, and her eyes hurt and her spit begins to foam, construction worker Sharon Medina disappears behind a wall of co-workers to sneak a sip of water. She discovered the hard way not to complain to the boss about working in the heat. Witnessing a colleague get fired after collapsing while demolishing flooded, moldy Houston homes in Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath, Medina learned to stay quiet and keep her jobs. ... There is no federal standard protecting people like Medina from heat, which killed 815 workers between 1992 and 2017 and seriously injured 70,000 more, according to federal records. (Wittenberg and Colman, 8/8)

Los Angeles Times: Bacteria Brings Warnings At Santa Monica Pier, Mother's Beach
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health continues to advise that visitors to Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey and the Santa Monica Pier avoid the water due to high bacteria levels. The advisory comes nearly a month after 17 million gallons of raw sewage were discharged from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey into the Santa Monica Bay. (Ramsey, 8/8)

The Washington Post: Adaptive Clothing: Target, Kohl’s And J.C. Penney Are Creating Lines For People With Disabilities
A number of major retailers — Target, Kohl’s, J.C. Penney and Zappos, among them — are vying to simplify back-to-school shopping for those with disabilities and special medical needs. They are debuting and expanding “adaptive” clothing lines that include shirts with hidden access to medical ports, and pants that can be easily pulled on with one hand. There are magnetic closures instead of buttons, and thumbhole cuffs to keep jacket sleeves in place. (Bhattarai, 8/6)

AP: To Shake Hands Or Not? An Age-Old Human Gesture Now In Limbo
As the pandemic took hold, a Kansas City-area meeting and event planning business began hawking “I Shake Hands” stickers to help ease awkward social encounters. “We didn’t want the sticker to say, ‘We Don’t Shake Hands’ because that is kind of off-putting,” said John DeLeon, vice president of operations and sales at MTI Events, adding that the idea was that anti-shakers could simply choose not to wear one of the stickers. “But if someone had the sticker on in that group, then that was the indication that it was OK.” Now, as workers return to the office, friends reunite and more church services shift from Zoom to in person, this exact question is befuddling growing numbers of people: to shake or not to shake? (Hollingsworth, 8/8)

The New York Times: TikTok Trend: Eating Frozen Honey And Risking Ill Effects
Dave Ramirez squeezed the frozen bottle with both hands, watching the golden goop come out like toothpaste. Then, he took a big sticky bite. “I’m not going to lie,” he said in a TikTok video. “That was pretty refreshing.” Thus, the frozen honey trend was born. (Medina, 8/8)

Politico: GOP Invokes Anti-Abortion Playbook To Fight Trans Youth Health Care 
A rash of bills introduced in at least 20 states would limit trans youth’s access to gender-affirming care — and opponents say they echo some of the arguments anti-abortion groups put forth about women’s safety as they attempted to shut down clinics. Like abortion restrictions, the trans bills would expand states’ power over highly personal medical decisions. Backers of these bills, and groups that have initiated some court cases related to trans health, also make claims about the treatment’s risks — although leading medical associations say that gender-affirming treatment is safe, and that delaying or blocking it can create harm. (Kenen, 8/8)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Senate Committee Advances Trans Sports Ban And Medical Abortion Roadblock Amid COVID-19 Surge
With the House unable to conduct business without a quorum and amid a spike in COVID-19 cases linked to the delta variant, a Texas Senate committee moved forward with hearings Sunday and advanced two bills prioritized by Gov. Greg Abbott in the second special session that began Saturday. The Texas House did not have a quorum Saturday because of Democrats still said to be in Washington, D.C., lobbying for federal voting rights legislation. Additionally, about 10 members had tested positive for COVID-19. Only 81 of the 150 House members were present at the Texas Capitol on Saturday. (O'Hanlon, 8/8)

In news from Alaska and California about cannabis and fentanyl —

Anchorage Daily News: THC Levels In Edibles Can Now Double In Alaska. What Does That Exactly Mean?
Starting Sept. 1, cannabis retailers and manufacturers can sell edible products with 10 milligrams of THC per serving. That’s double the 5mg limit that has been on the books since Alaska’s legal cannabis industry opened its doors to retail customers in 2016. While that might sound like a large, potent step up in an evolving retail category that includes everything from cookies to gummy candies to ice cream and fruit sodas, it brings Alaska’s relatively conservative regulations in line with what other state’s have adopted. “I don’t consider this a substantive change,” said Marijuana Control Board Chair Nicholas Miller during the body’s June meeting, where the regulation was changed. (Hughes, 8/8)

Los Angeles Times: Questions Arise Over Video Of San Diego Deputy's Contact With Fentanyl
A public service video from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department about the dangers of fentanyl — with footage of a deputy allegedly overdosing after brief exposure — has sparked a backlash and allegations that the anti-drug effort could harm the very people it’s meant to help: law enforcement officers and drug users. The body-worn camera video is stark and dramatic. A young sheriff’s deputy opens the back of a suspect‘s car, sees a white powder he thinks is fentanyl and then collapses to the pavement. His field training officer rips open a package of naloxone, the antidote to the deadly drug, and vows: “I’m not going to let you die.” (La Ganga, 8/8)

The Washington Post: Mexico Drug Battle: Legal American Marijuana Smuggled South
The most sought after marijuana being trafficked across the U.S.-Mexico border is now the weed entering Mexico, not the weed leaving it. Cannabis sold legally in California is heading south illegally, dominating a booming boutique market across Mexico, where buying and selling the drug is still outlawed. Mexican dealers flaunt their U.S. products, noting them in bold lettering on menus sent to select clients: “IMPORTADO.” (Sieff, 8/8)

Axios: World Must Prepare To Coexist With COVID-19 Mutations, Top Scientist Says 
The head of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Wuhan Institute of Virology People said that people around the world should be prepared to coexist with different variants of the coronavirus as it continues to mutate, the South Morning China Post reports. "As the number of infected cases has just become too big, this allowed the novel coronavirus more opportunities to mutate..." top virologist Shi Zhengli said, per the English-language paper in Hong Kong. "New variants will continue to emerge." She also urged the public to get vaccinated. (Gonzalez, 8/7)

Bloomberg: Global Covid Deaths Estimated To Reach 5.3 Million By December
The world will see 5.3 million reported deaths and 12 million excess fatalities by December as the delta variant drives a surge in Covid-19 cases, according to projections by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The U.S.-based institute expects deaths to peak at the beginning of September then slowly decline afterward, it said in a report published Friday. The IHME’s forecasts distinguish between officially reported Covid-19 deaths and excess deaths attributed to the illness including unreported fatalities. (Kwan, 8/7)

In other global covid developments —

Axios: Harris To Discuss COVID Vaccines With Mexican President 
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday that he will discuss COVID-19 vaccines during a phone call with Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday, Reuters reports. López Obrador hinted that more coronavirus vaccines could be donated from the U.S. to Mexico as the latter battles a spike in cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. "There are commitments for us to have more vaccines, provided by the United States government," he said during a speech in Ciudad Juarez, just south of Texas. (Saric, 8/8)

AP: UK Health Chief Sees 'Unfair' Pricing For COVID Travel Tests
Britain’s competition watchdog said Sunday it will look into the cost of COVID-19 testing for travelers after Health Secretary Sajid Javid complained that high prices for the government-mandated tests were preventing some people from going on vacation. PCR tests required for most travelers average about 75 pounds ($104) each, or 300 pounds for a family of four, but many firms charge significantly more. Prices quoted by providers listed on the government website range from 17 pounds ($24) to 250 pounds ($347). (8/8)

AP: Contractors Who Powered US War In Afghanistan Stuck In Dubai
Some of the foreign contractors who powered the logistics of America’s “forever war” in Afghanistan now find themselves stranded on an unending layover in Dubai without a way to get home. After nearly two decades, the rapid U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has upended the lives of thousands of private security contractors from some of the world’s poorest countries — not the hired guns but the hired hands who serviced the American war effort. For years, they toiled in the shadows as cleaners, cooks, construction workers, servers and technicians on sprawling American bases. In the rushed evacuation, scores of these foreign workers trying to get home to the Philippines and other countries that restricted international travel because of the pandemic have become stuck in limbo at hotels across Dubai. (Debre, 8/9)

And the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games come to a close —

Axios: More Than Two Dozen Athletes Test Positive For COVID-19 At Tokyo Olympics 
The withdrawal of Greece's entire 12-woman artistic swimming team was just one high-profile example of athletes who had their experience at the Games cut short due to the virus. The worst fears may not have been realized, but COVID still had an impact on the Olympics despite the protocols — and Tokyo had an even bigger spike of virus cases outside the Games. (Doherty, 8/7)

AP: Japan's PM Thanks People For Safe Olympics During Pandemic
Japan’s prime minister thanked people for helping the country safely hold the Olympics despite the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic. He noted the Games were delayed by a year and held under tight restrictions, but “I believe we were able to fulfill our responsibility as the host nation,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, thanking the people for their understanding and cooperation. (Yamaguchi, 8/9)

Axios: What We Learned From The Tokyo Olympics 
The Tokyo Olympics have shown that the global sporting event is increasingly tied to events beyond athletics — a reality that will be inescapable in future Games. From the handling of COVID to protest rules and shaky economics, there are lessons for Olympics organizers in Beijing, Paris and beyond, as well as things to ponder for those considering hosting or sponsoring upcoming Olympics. While COVID-19 delayed and then reshaped the Tokyo Olympics, we have yet to see the Games turn into a much-feared global superspreader event. (Fried and Reed, 8/7)

Axios: Exclusive Poll: Americans Support Simone Biles' Withdrawal, Care About Olympians' Mental Health 
A majority of Americans — especially women and Black Americans — support gymnast Simone Biles in her decision to withdraw from some of the Tokyo competitions to protect her mental health, our latest Axios/Momentive Olympics poll found. Biles unexpectedly sparked awareness around Olympians' struggles with media coverage and intense pressure to perform and win. Survey respondents by a nearly two-to-one margin said they believe Olympic athletes’ mental health issues are not taken seriously. (Talev, 8/7)

The New York Times: Are Covid Vaccine ‘Booster’ Shots Needed? 
The spread of Delta and rising reports of breakthrough infections raise questions about whether the vaccinated might need a “booster” dose. For Americans who received the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines, that may mean a third shot. For people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, that could mean a second dose of the same vaccine or even an mRNA shot instead. (Celine Gounder, John P. Moore and Carlos del Rio, 8/9)

NBC News: Covid Vaccine Skeptics Are Ruining The Return To Normal. We Have No One To Blame But Ourselves
Last year, during lockdown, I read “The Great Influenza” by John M. Barry. My father’s mother died in the 1918 epidemic, leaving my father a three-year-old half-orphan and changing his life forever. I found the book oddly comforting. Pandemics, it taught me, have beginnings, middles and ends. The 1918 event took millions of lives and went after the young and strong. But even without vaccines or modern medicine, it ultimately went away. (Celia Viggo Wexler, 8/8)

Bloomberg: CDC Should Keep The Covid Focus Where It Belongs: Vaccines 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is coming in for criticism over its most recent change of guidance on masks in the fight against Covid-19. Some of these complaints are justified, some unfair. The main thing is to keep the focus on what matters most — getting people vaccinated as quickly as possible. Confusion over the CDC guidance risks becoming a distraction from that overriding priority. (8/7)

Houston Chronicle: Houston ICU Nurse: 'We Have Felt Anger, Fear, Trauma And Despair' Since Fourth COVID Wave Began
On any given day, you can find me at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, smiling and laughing with my team members on the outside. But inside, I feel empty. I’m exhausted. All nurses are exhausted. Since this fourth surge hit Houston, we have felt anger, fear, trauma and despair. We are defeated and burnt out. I have cried every day for a week. What makes this wave especially traumatic is that we were so close to seeing an end to this pandemic — or at the very least, getting COVID-19 under community control. Just last month, around Independence Day, our inpatient numbers were down to the lowest they had been since the pandemic began. The CDC had recently relaxed its recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals, and we were enjoying hugs, public outings and unmasked dinners in restaurants again — among so many of the other simple joys we had lost these past 18 months. (Jennifer Steenburg, 8/8)

Newsweek: COVID-19 Is Becoming An African Problem 
When the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged in early 2020, medical experts and journalists were flummoxed by the low rates of infection and death throughout the African continent. Despite sub-par public health systems, dense metropolitan areas and extreme poverty, experts highlighted many reasons why COVID cases remained low in Africa. Some explanations included the continent's younger demographics, experience with epidemics like Ebola and the gift of time in delaying the spread of the virus to the continent. (Themba Mzingwane, 8/7)

NPR: Doctor Writes Letter To His 'Mum' To Convince Her To Get A COVID Vaccine
Vaccines are not readily available in many countries. Yet when a limited supply does arrive, people are not always interested. On March 25, South Sudan received 132,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX program, the global effort to provide vaccines to poorer countries. They were free to all comers. But there was no rush to get the vaccines. As of August 3, only 56,989 vaccine doses have been administered in country of approximately 12 million people. (Edward Kenyi, 8/7)

The Star Tribune: Step Up Vaccinations At Senior Care Centers 
A commendable cascade commenced when Mayo Clinic and Sanford Health recently announced new COVID-19 vaccine requirements for employees. Other hospitals and clinics serving Minnesota followed suit. Over the past week, M Health Fairview, Allina Health, HealthPartners and Children's Minnesota, as well as northern Minnesota's Essentia Health and St. Luke's, moved to put in place similar workforce requirements. (8/7)

Newsweek: California Must Reject Efforts To Expand Assisted Suicide 
Some members of the California state legislature are pressing for legislation that expands assisted suicide. But making it quicker and easier for people to die, after more than 64,000 Californians lost their lives to the coronavirus, is misguided at best. Assisted suicide is a dangerous public policy that threatens Latinos, people with disabilities, our elders and the most vulnerable in society. Advocates cloak their support of assisted suicide in the language of autonomy and alleviating pain, but their claims disintegrate upon close inspection. California should work to reexamine and redirect the focus from providing suicide to improving health care access for those who need it most. (Jose Berrera, 8/9)

Stat: Virus Variants And The Business Of Health Care 
We’re in a new phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in which new mutations will have to be consistently monitored — especially as the vaccine race continues. This reality is something I’m always thinking about in my role in financial services supporting health care clients at J.P. Morgan. How will these mutations affect the business of health care — and how can clients and organizations best prepare — for next month and for the years to come? (Bret Schiller, 8/9)

Scientific American: A New Idea That Could Help Us Understand Autism 
As social beings, when thinking about autism we tend to focus on its social challenges, such as difficulty communicating, making friends and showing empathy. I am a geneticist and the mother of a teenage boy with autism. I too worry most about whether he’ll have the conversational skills to do basic things like grocery shopping or whether he will ever have a real friend. But I assure you that the nonsocial features of autism are also front and center in our lives: intense insistence on sameness, atypical responses to sensory stimuli and a remarkable ability to detect small details. Many attempts have been made to explain all the symptoms of autism holistically, but no one theory has yet explained all the condition’s puzzling and diverse features. (Pamela Feliciano, 8/6)

Stat: Applying A Pandemic-Like Response To Cancer Prevention 
In 2020, a year of unimaginable tragedy, an estimated 375,000 people died from Covid-19 infections in the United States alone. Much of the suffering and death due to the disease was preventable in three ways: through avoidance by wearing masks and social distancing; by screening and treatment; and by vaccination. One of the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic has been that effective prevention strategies and widely used screening tests, combined with treatment and vaccines, can be developed and deployed rapidly across the country. We need to do the same thing for cancer prevention. (Philip E. Castle, 8/9)

Houston Chronicle: Health Is Health - Whether Mental Or Physical. Thanks, Simone Biles, For The Reminder.
The evening after Olympic gymnast Simone Biles shocked the athletic world by withdrawing from the women’s team event in Tokyo, she sat in the stands and cheered on teammate Sunisa Lee as the 18-year-old Hmong American delivered a stunning gold-medal performance in the all-around competition. Afterward, Biles laughingly told reporters that as she watched Lee, she found it hard to believe that a human body could perform such astounding feats. (8/9)

Stat: Money From Opioid Settlements Must Go To Fortify Public Health 
States, counties, cities, and tribes have brought thousands of lawsuits seeking to hold players in the drug industry accountable for their roles in igniting the opioid epidemic. These lawsuits have come as nearly 500,000 Americans have died from overdoses of prescription and illicit opioids in the past two decades. Many more have suffered nonfatal overdoses, and an estimated 20 million Americans struggle with substance use disorders. (Sen. Dick Durbin, 8/5)