The New York Times: As U.S. Coronavirus Cases Hit 3.5 Million, Officials Scramble To Add Restrictions 
The United States on Wednesday reported more than 67,300 new infections across the country, according to a New York Times database. It was the nation’s second-highest single-day total and roughly 1,000 cases shy of the record set last week. The U.S. outbreak, which has increased in 41 states over the past two weeks, hit 3.5 million total infections on Wednesday, the Times’s database shows. (7/15)

AP: Confirmed US Virus Cases Rise Amid New Global Restrictions
California, Arizona, Texas and Florida together reported about 36,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday as restrictions aimed at combating the spread of the pandemic took hold in the United States and around the world in an unsettling sign reminiscent of the dark days of April. The soaring counts of confirmed infections and a mounting death toll led the mayor of Los Angeles to declare that the nation’s second-largest city is on the verge of resorting to a shutdown of all but essential businesses. More school districts made plans to start the fall semester without on-site instruction, and the 2021 Rose Parade in California was canceled. (Tucker, Kantouris and Jackson, 7/16)

Bloomberg: Texas Readies Morgue Trucks In Preparation For Virus Surge
Along the Texas coast outside Corpus Christi, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales surveyed the sandy Gulf of Mexico beaches packed with swimmers and sunbathers, just the way they are every summer. Then she went back to her office to order another morgue truck. Officials across Texas are rushing to mobilize overflow mortuary space as communities brace for a surge in coronavirus deaths following Fourth of July festivities. (Warren, Adams-Heard and Flatley, 7/15)

The Hill: Texas Reports Record Highs For Daily Coronavirus Cases, Deaths 
Texas has set grim records for single-day deaths and new COVID-19 cases as the Lone Star State continues to get rocked by a resurgence of the pandemic. The state reported 110 deaths and 10,791 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, bringing its total number of cases during the pandemic to 282,365. It was the second consecutive day that Texas broke its record for daily number of new cases. (Johnson, 7/15)

AP: Nebraska Sees Spike In Number Of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
Nebraska’s daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 300 for the first time since late May, according to data released Wednesday. The state’s online virus tracker shows 318 cases were confirmed Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to more than 21,700 since the outbreak began. The last time Nebraska recorded so many cases in a day was May 29, when 393 were confirmed. (7/15)

The Hill: Pennsylvania Tightens Coronavirus Restrictions On Businesses As Cases Climb 
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) tightened restrictions on businesses Wednesday as the number of new coronavirus cases climbs in the state. Wolf’s new orders, which will take effect Thursday, reduced capacity for indoor dining to 25 percent. Bars can be open for sit-down meals at tables, also at 25 percent capacity, but bar service will be prohibited. Indoor gatherings are also capped at 25 people, and outdoor gatherings are capped at 250 people under the new order. The governor is also requiring all businesses to operate by teleworking if possible. (Klar, 7/15) 

The Wall Street Journal: Why Arizona Wasn’t Ready For Its Coronavirus Surge
In the state with the highest per-capita rate of Covid-19 cases in America over the past week, Arizonans are waiting up to eight hours in the broiling hot sun to get tested. A metropolitan area of a million people was down to 17 free ICU beds Tuesday. A top health official in the largest county said the coronavirus is now so widespread that contact tracing is almost ineffective. Local officials and public health experts coping with the coronavirus pandemic in Arizona say the state was lucky to avoid a large outbreak in the spring, but that instead of using the time to prepare for a future wave, political leaders assumed the situation was already well in hand. (Frosch and Findell, 7/15)

AP: Parson Tries To Reassure As COVID-19 Cases Continue To Climb
Gov. Mike Parson sought to reassure Missourians about the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday as the state reported 888 new confirmed cases, its second largest single-day increase.“WE ARE NOT DEFENSELESS AGAINST COVID-19,” Parson, a Republican, said in a tweet. “We are much better prepared now to deal with the virus than we were in March. We know more about the virus. We know how to box-in outbreaks. We have accelerated testing and our health care system is stable.” (7/15)

In good news from the states —

CNN: These US States Have Tamed Coronavirus, Even After Reopening. Here's How They're Doing It, And Why They Can't Let Up 
When Covid-19 suddenly ravaged New York, hospitals looked "apocalyptic." Refrigerated trucks turned into morgues because there wasn't enough space for all the victims. That was March. Three months later, the state had "done a full 180, from worst to first," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Now, the rates of infection, hospitalizations or deaths have plummeted in New York and several other states -- paving the way for full economic reopenings. (Yan, 7/15)

NPR: This City's Coronavirus Safety Measures Could Become Best Practices
When the meatpacking industry in the U.S. started seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, local officials in New Bedford, Mass., worried that their city was next. But the city took action, issuing emergency orders that safety experts say should be a model for workplaces across the U.S., if those orders can be properly enforced. Jon Mitchell, the city's mayor, issued two COVID-19 orders on May 6 in a city where nearly 15% of the population works in manufacturing and 20% is Latino. (Sebai, 7/16)

The Washington Post: Trump Administration Distances Itself From Navarro USA Today Op-Ed Criticizing Fauci 
The chaos surrounding the federal response to the coronavirus crisis escalated Wednesday as infighting between a top trade adviser to President Trump and other senior administration officials burst into public view, exposing the White House’s lack of message discipline and focus amid a surging pandemic. Days after anonymously disseminating a list of negative talking points about Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, the White House sought to distance itself from the anti-Fauci effort Wednesday by publicly chastising trade adviser Peter Navarro for writing a USA Today op-ed blasting the popular public health official. (Wagner, Kornfield and Olorunnipa, 7/15)

NPR: Trump Weighs In On Peter Navarro Op-Ed Attacking Anthony Fauci 
Responding to Navarro's op-ed Wednesday, Trump said: "He made a statement representing himself. He shouldn't be doing that." "I have a very good relationship with Anthony," Trump continued, "we're all on the same team." (Keith, 7/15)

Related: USA Today Op-Ed By Peter Navarro

The Atlantic: Fauci: ‘Bizarre’ White House Behavior Only Hurts the President
Anthony Fauci isn’t about to quit, despite the White House’s clumsy attempts to stain his public image. More so now than at any other point in their uneasy partnership, it seems that if President Donald Trump wants to be rid of Fauci, he’ll need to fire him. In recent days especially, the White House has stepped up efforts to discredit Fauci, a move he describes as “bizarre.” “Ultimately, it hurts the president to do that,” Fauci told The Atlantic in a series of interviews this week. “When the staff lets out something like that and the entire scientific and press community push back on it, it ultimately hurts the president.” (Nicholas and Yong, 7/15)

The New York Times: After Attacks From Trump Aides, Fauci Says ‘Let’s Stop This Nonsense’ and Focus on Virus
After several days spent weathering attacks from White House officials, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci hit back on Wednesday, calling recent efforts to discredit him “bizarre” and a hindrance to the government’s ability to communicate information about the coronavirus pandemic. “I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that,” Dr. Fauci said in an interview with The Atlantic published on Wednesday, speaking of recent attempts by President Trump’s aides to undermine him. “I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it’s only reflecting negatively on them.” (Rogers, 7/15)

The Hill: Pence: Fauci A 'Valued' Member Of Coronavirus Task Force 
Vice President Pence on Wednesday called Anthony Fauci a “valued” member of the White House coronavirus task force after others in the White House offered public criticism of the top U.S. infectious disease expert. (Chalfant, 7/15)

The Hill: McConnell Says He Has 'Total' Confidence In Fauci 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday threw his support behind Anthony Fauci, as the nation's top infectious disease expert has come under fire from members of the Trump administration. Asked during a stop in Kentucky what his level of confidence is in Fauci, McConnell replied: "Total." (Carney, 7/15)

The Hill: Fauci's Wife Speaks Out About Criticism: 'They Are Making Things Up' 
Christine Grady, wife of the country’s leading infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, spoke out this week about the criticism her husband has faced as he has in recent days drawn scrutiny from Trump administration officials over his public health recommendations. In an interview with InStyle published on Wednesday, Grady – the head of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center – discussed her husband’s commitment to public health and said when “he gets criticized, it feels unfair to me because he is working so hard for the right reasons.” (Folley, 7/15)

Politico: Trump Team Relaxed Training Rules For Nursing Home Staff Just As Pandemic Hit
Shortly after the first coronavirus outbreak ravaged a nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., the Trump administration moved to fulfill a longstanding industry goal — waiving the requirement that nurse’s aides receive 75 hours of training and allowing people who study only eight hours online to become caregivers during the pandemic. The industry had been fighting for years to reduce training requirements, saying they make it harder to recruit staff. The day after the administration announced the change, the industry rolled out a free online training program for certifying the new role — called a "temporary nurse aide" — that has since been adopted by at least 19 states. (Severns, 7/15)

In other news from the Trump administration —

The Hill: Pompeo Says China Will 'Absolutely' Pay A Price For Pandemic 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said that the world will “absolutely” make China pay a price for the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, saying the cost will likely be reflected in changing relations with the world’s second largest economy. “I think the world will absolutely make them pay a price,” Pompeo said in an interview with The Hill’s Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack. (Kelly, 7/15)

CNN: Republican Convention To Be Scaled Back Due To Coronavirus
The Republican National Committee is planning to hold a scaled-back national convention in Jacksonville, Florida, next month amid a surge of coronavirus cases in the state. The new plans will mean smaller crowds, fewer speeches and the use of indoor and outdoor venues in an attempt to salvage an in-person convention in the state of Florida, which has become one of the country's leading coronavirus hotspots. (Nobles and Diamond, 7/16)

Arizona Republic: Deaths Of Migrant Children In Border Patrol Custody Said To Be Preventable
Two doctors told members of Congress that the deaths of two migrant children in the custody of Border Patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border could have been prevented if agents had more medical training and if migrants in U.S. custody had improved access to adequate care. The House Committee on Homeland Security held a virtual hearing on Wednesday to address the deaths of two Guatemalan children in December 2018 — the first deaths of minors in custody in nearly a decade. They also scrutinized Border Patrol's medical procedures for migrant children in its custody. (Carranza, 7/15)

AP: Doctors Not Part Of DHS Review Of Migrant Children's Deaths
A government auditor did not employ medical professionals when his office cleared U.S. border agents of wrongdoing in the deaths of two Guatemalan children, the auditor said Wednesday. Joseph Cuffari, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee regarding the deaths of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal and 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo. Both children died in December 2018 after being apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol. (Merchant, 7/15)

CNN: Border Agency Provided Inconsistent Medical Care To Migrants In Custody, Watchdog Finds 
US Customs and Border Protection didn't provide consistent care to migrants in custody and in some cases failed to properly report deaths, according to a newly released report from the Government Accountability Office. The report is the latest in a string of findings describing inadequate detention conditions in 2019, when a surge of migrants at the US-Mexico border overwhelmed government facilities and eventually resulted in Congress appropriating additional funds. (Alvarez, 7/15)

Politico: Inspector General: Medicare Chief Broke Rules On Her Publicity Contracts 
A top Trump administration health official violated federal contracting rules by steering millions of taxpayer dollars in contracts that ultimately benefited GOP-aligned communications consultants, according to an inspector general report set to be released today. The contracts, which were directed by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Seema Verma, were only halted after a POLITICO investigation raised questions about their legality and the agency had paid out more than $5 million to the contractors. (Diamond and Cancryn, 7/16)

AP: Watchdog Report Faults Medicare Agency's Contract Management
The head of the Medicare and Medicaid programs failed to properly manage more than $6 million in communications and outreach contracts, giving broad authority over federal employees to a Republican media strategist she worked with before joining the Trump administration, a government watchdog said in a report to be released Thursday. Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and other agency leaders did not administer the contracts “in accordance with federal requirements,” according to the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services. CMS is part of the department. (Lardner, 7/16)

AP: New Peak Of 71K US Overdose Deaths In 2019 Dashes Hopes
Nearly 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, a new record that predates the COVID-19 crisis, which the White House and many experts believe will drive such deaths even higher. Preliminary numbers released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the trend is driven by fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids, which accounted for 36,500 overdose deaths. Deaths involving cocaine and methamphetamine also are rising. (Johnson, 7/15)

The Hill: Fatal Drug Overdoses Rose In 2019, Reversing Previous Year's Dip 
The dip in fatal drug overdoses in 2018 was lauded by the Trump administration, but according to the CDC, the District of Columbia and 18 states all experienced increases of at least 10 percent in 2019. The increase in overdose deaths can be pinned heavily on synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, but deaths from methamphetamine and cocaine also rose. (Johnson, 7/15)

The New York Times: In Shadow Of Pandemic, U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Resurge To Record 
It looks as if 2020 will be even worse. Drug deaths have risen an average of 13 percent so far this year over last year, according to mortality data from local and state governments collected by The New York Times, covering 40 percent of the U.S. population. If this trend continues for the rest of the year, it will be the sharpest increase in annual drug deaths since 2016, when a class of synthetic opioids known as fentanyls first made significant inroads in the country’s illicit drug supply. (Katz, Goodnough and Sanger-Katz, 7/15)

Politico: Fatal Overdoses Climbed To Record High In 2019, Reversing Historic Progress 
Thirty-seven states reported an increase in drug overdose deaths or numbers that were unchanged compared to the previous year. South Dakota saw a 54 percent increase in deaths — by far the largest of any state. North Dakota was second with a 31 percent jump, followed by Alaska, where drug overdose deaths climbed 27 percent. (Ehley, 7/15)

In related news on the drug epidemic —

Stat: States Slash Addiction Treatment Budgets, Even As Overdoses Spike 
Drug overdoses have skyrocketed and demand for addiction treatment medicine has soared as the coronavirus pandemic continues. But many cash-strapped states are nevertheless slashing budgets for opioid crisis programs. (Sokolow, 7/16)

The Hill: GOP Coronavirus Proposal Takes Shape 
Republicans are preparing to roll out their latest coronavirus relief proposal as soon as next week as Congress faces growing pressure to act amid a surge of new cases. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is planning to start briefing his caucus next week on the forthcoming Republican proposal, which he wants to use as a framework for negotiations with Democrats. (Carney, 7/15)

Politico: Republicans Are Breaking From Trump’s Coronavirus Talking Points
From masks to school reopenings to the testing abilities of the United States, some of President Donald Trump’s central political talking points are being undermined by a growing circle of usually reliable allies as the coronavirus roars back to alarming levels. The breaks with Trump come as the president’s poll numbers on handling the virus and his job approval in general continue to sink, while the administration tries to put the virus in the rearview despite record-breaking case numbers and straining health care systems. (Oprysko, 7/14)

In other news from the GOP —

The Hill: Support Slides For Republican Governors' Handling Of COVID-19, Holds Steady For Democrats 
Support for Republican governors’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic declined throughout June, while support for their Democratic counterparts remained steady, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday. Forty-three percent of those surveyed in Republican-led states said their governor communicated a “clear plan of action,” based on the new poll. That is an 11-point drop from the 54 percent of surveyed Americans living in one of 26 states led by a Republican governor who said the same in early June. (Klar, 7/14)

The Hill: Obama Issues Warning On US Coronavirus Response: 'Virus Doesn't Care About Spin Or Ideology' 
Former President Obama on Wednesday warned against politicizing the coronavirus pandemic, saying the U.S. has fallen behind the rest of the world in its handling of the virus. “The latest data offers a tragic reminder that the virus doesn’t care about spin or ideology––and that the best thing we can do for our economy is to deal with our public health crisis,” Obama tweeted, linking to a New York Times opinion piece titled “The Pandemic Could Get Much, Much Worse. We Must Act Now.” (Budryk, 7/15)

In other news from the Democrats —

The Hill: House Panel Probes 'Problematic' Government Contracts For COVID-19 Supplies 
House Democrats are asking Trump officials to explain contracts for personal protective equipment, testing supplies and other materials that they say went to companies with political ties to the administration or that were unprepared to fill the orders. “Recent reports indicate that federal agencies awarded contracts to businesses that had political connections to the Trump Administration, lacked federal contracting experience, and had been selected by the White House without competition or transparency,” Democrats on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote in a letter to administration officials Wednesday. (Sullivan, 7/15)

AP: China Firm Uses Workers To 'Pre-Test' Vaccine In Global Race
In the global race to make a coronavirus vaccine, a state-owned Chinese company is boasting that its employees, including top executives, received experimental shots even before the government approved testing in people. “Giving a helping hand in forging the sword of victory,” reads an online post from SinoPharm with pictures of workers it says helped “pre-test” its vaccine. (McNeil and Neergaard, 7/16)

Reuters: China's Sinopharm Begins Late Stage Trial Of COVID-19 Vaccine In Abu Dhabi 
Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm has begun Phase III clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine in the emirate of Abu Dhabi using around 15,000 volunteers, the Abu Dhabi government media office said on Thursday. The human trial taking place in Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab Emirates, is a partnership between Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG), Abu Dhabi based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company Group 42 and the Abu Dhabi Department of Health. (Barrington and Cornwell, 7/16)

Reuters: Fauci Bullish On Prospects For U.S. Vaccine, Not Worried About China Winning Race
The leading U.S. expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, predicted on Wednesday the country will meet its goal of a coronavirus vaccine by year’s end and was unmoved by the prospect that China would get there first. While there are no guarantees, “I feel good about the projected timetable,” Fauci told Reuters in an interview. His comments follow promising early stage data for the Moderna Inc’s coronavirus vaccine, released on Tuesday, that was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Fauci directs. (Steenhuysen, 7/15)

Also —

Reuters: China Gives The Go-Ahead For Human Trials Of BioNTech's COVID Vaccine Candidate 
China has approved an early-stage trial in humans of German firm BioNTech’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine, its local partner Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical said on Thursday. The potential vaccine is one of the two most advanced candidates that BioNTech is working on with its partner Pfizer Inc and they received “fast track” status this week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which is designed to speed up the regulatory review process. (7/15)

Bloomberg: AstraZeneca Pressure Mounts Ahead Of Oxford Vaccine Data
Pressure is growing on AstraZeneca Plc to deliver positive results from early tests evaluating the coronavirus vaccine it’s developing with University of Oxford researchers as investors await data expected on Monday. The U.K. pharma company is staying quiet after British media reports said results of phase 1 tests to be published in The Lancet medical journal were promising, driving the shares up late Wednesday. A paper is undergoing final editing and preparation and is due to be published on July 20, The Lancet said in an email. (Paton and Ring, 7/16)

Boston Globe: Here’s What Comes Next For Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine — If Everything Goes Right
Moderna was the first drug maker to start testing an experimental COVID-19 vaccine on humans. It’s also poised to be the first to enter the final stage of a clinical trial in the United States, on July 27. But if you’re hoping to soon get the Cambridge biotech’s closely watched vaccine ― or any of nearly two dozen rival vaccine candidates being tested in clinical trials around the world ― don’t roll up your sleeve yet. (Saltzman, 7/15)

AP: Vanderbilt Recruiting Up To 1,000 For COVID-19 Vaccine Trial
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is looking for up to 1,000 volunteers to participate in the late-stage trial of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine. The hospital says it will begin recruiting people at the end of the month. The vaccine is being developed by Moderna Inc. with the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. (7/16)

Kaiser Health News and Politifact: A Coronavirus Vaccine: Where Does It Stand?
More than four months into the coronavirus pandemic, how close are the U.S. and the world to a safe and effective vaccine? Scientists say they see steady progress and are expressing cautious optimism that a vaccine could be ready by spring.As of early July, roughly 160 vaccine projects were underway worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. (Jacobson, 7/16)

The New York Times: Nasal Coronavirus Vaccines May Work Better Than Injected Ones, Researchers Say 
Of the 150-plus coronavirus vaccines in development around the world, the lion’s share will rely on a needle prick to make their way into the body. Most vaccines throughout history have been jabbed into the upper arm, often to great success. But when protecting people against pathogens that invade the airway — like the coronavirus — an intramuscular shot isn’t necessarily the best strategy, some experts say. (Wu, 7/14)

The Washington Post/The 19th: Some Researchers And Politicians Call For Pregnant Women To Be Included In Coronavirus Vaccine Testing
As Washington spends billions of dollars to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine, a number of medical researchers and Democrats are calling on Congress to guarantee that pregnant women are involved in federally supported trials — an inclusion that is not guaranteed though research shows they could be particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. Of the six pharma companies with government contracts to develop a vaccine, four — Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Novavax — have not included or do not plan to include pregnant women in their early- or mid-stage (Phase 1 and 2) trials according to records published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. (Luthra, 7/15)

In related news —

AP: UN Warns COVID-19 Has Threatened Child Vaccination Programs
The United Nations warned Wednesday about an alarming decline in childhood vaccinations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the likelihood a child born today will have all recommended vaccines by the age of 5 is less than 20 percent. Most of the 82 countries surveyed in May reported vaccination campaigns being disrupted because of coronavirus, according to the study carried out by UNICEF, the World Health Organization and Gavi, a public-private partnership started by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that buys vaccines for about 60% of the world’s children. (Petesch, 7/15)

CIDRAP: Trial Data Show Hydroxychloroquine Doesn't Help Hospitalized COVID Patients
Data released today from a randomized controlled trial evaluating the use of hydroxychloroquine in hospitalized COVID-19 patients show that the antimalaria drug was not associated with reductions in 28-day mortality but was linked with increased time in the hospital and an increased risk of progressing to mechanical ventilation or death. The interim results from the RECOVERY trial, which is evaluating several treatments in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United Kingdom, appeared today on the preprint server medRxiv and have not yet been peer reviewed. (7/15)

Stat: AbbVie Uses Many Patents To Ward Off Competition For A Pricey Cancer Drug
The pricey Imbruvica cancer treatment that became available seven years ago could have its monopoly extended through 2036 thanks to dozens of patents and, as a result, consumers may be forced to spend an extra $41 billion for the medicine by then, according to a new analysis. Since the first patent application was filed in 2006, the drug has been the subject of a blizzard of applications that has yielded no less than 88 patents. In fact, more than half of the 165 applications were filed after Food and Drug Administration approval in 2013, and most of those cover different indications or formulations, not the active ingredient in the drug itself. (Silverman, 7/15)

In other research news —

Stat: Scientists Create A Speedy Test To Scan For Radiation Exposure In Mice
Researchers have developed a simple finger-prick test that scans a single drop of blood to rapidly determine whether the body has been exposed to toxic levels of radiation. Catastrophic radiological events — like nuclear detonations — can threaten massive populations with acute radiation syndrome, which wreaks havoc on the gastrointestinal system and destroys bone marrow, leading to infections and internal bleeding. In preparation for the possibility of such a public health disaster, scientists at Ohio State have devised a speedy and scalable method for estimating radiation exposure. (Isselbacher, 7/15)

Stat: Interest Grows In Low-Dose Radiation For Covid-19, But Experts Are Divided
Back in 2013, toxicologist Edward Calabrese and a colleague at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, were combing over a cache of century-old data on low-dose radiation therapy, hunting for evidence on the scientific idea that small doses of certain poisons might actually be beneficial. They found small amounts of radiation were surprisingly successful in combating pneumonia. Again and again, doctors reported symptoms subsided within hours of a single X-ray. (Isselbacher, 7/16)

The Washington Post: State And Local Health, Hospital Officials Skewer Trump Administration Plan For Collecting Coronavirus Data 
State health leaders, public health experts and hospital officials warn that an abrupt change in how the Trump administration requires them to report coronavirus data will increase the burden on facilities already strained by the pandemic and could impede the distribution of critical medicines. The opposition came after the Department of Health and Human Services notified governors and hospital leaders this week that it was changing the protocol for sending the federal government daily information about coronavirus patients, supplies and bed capacity. Administration officials say that replacing a data-collection system run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would streamline reporting and lead to more efficient distribution of therapeutics, testing supplies and protective gear. (Goldstein and Sun, 7/15)

Houston Chronicle: More Than 650K Texans Lost Health Insurance During The Pandemic 
An estimated 659,000 adults in Texas lost health care coverage with their jobs between February and May as employers laid off workers in droves, according to new reports. (Wu, 7/15)

Georgia Health News: State Revises Insurance Waiver Request And Pushes Timetable Back
Georgia has streamlined its proposal to the feds for a waiver on health insurance rules, and has postponed its launch till 2022. State officials cited “the unanticipated impact of COVID-19 on the state and its residents’’ in the announcement last week about the changes. ... The state plan, as revised, still features reinsurance. That’s an effort to stabilize health insurance premiums by capping the cost that insurers incur in covering people with high medical costs. (Miller, 7/13)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Kemp Health Insurance Proposal Drops Big Changes To Georgia Obamacare
Dropped from the waiver is [Gov. Brian] Kemp’s idea to subsidize new types of plans on the state’s ACA marketplace, cheaper plans that may have somewhat skimpier or specially designed coverage. Right now federal subsidies only go to lower the price of full-coverage, regular plans. (Hart, 7/15)

Modern Healthcare: Family Doctor, Employer Groups Join Forces To Replace Fee-For-Service
A national primary-care physician association and an employer group have teamed up to develop a care model that aims to shift away from fee-for-service reimbursement. The American Academy of Family Physicians and National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions plan to leverage regional employer coalitions and physician networks to form a national primary-care model based on a prospective payment system, although the specifics of which have not been hammered out. (Kacik, 7/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Hospitals In Covid-19 Hot Spots Are Filling Up 
As the pandemic pushes U.S. hospitals in the South and West near capacity, the urgent need for available beds has stranded patients in emergency rooms, scrambled ambulances and forced patients to relocate hundreds of miles to relieve overcrowded wards. In Arizona, hospitals are using a statewide transfer center to move 30 to 50 patients between hospitals each day, according to the director of the state’s Department of Health Services. In Florida, hospital giant HCA Healthcare Inc. isn’t accepting patients transferred from other overflowing hospitals. In Houston, the daily hunt for empty beds has left critically ill patients to wait hours or days in emergency rooms for vacancies. (Evans, Walker and Armour, 7/15)

CNN: US Coronavirus: Officials Seek Options For When Hospitals Run Out Of ICU Beds 
The shortage of hospital beds for coronavirus patients in some areas of the US has officials looking at where they will put people when more come in. In one Texas city, the federal government is going to turn a hotel into what is called a surge hospital. In Georgia, the governor said the state is working unceasingly to prevent hospital bed shortages. (Almasy, Holcombe and Croft, 7/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: Here’s What Happens If Bay Area Hospitals Run Out Of Space, And How Close They Are To Capacity Right Now 
As coronavirus cases fill hospital beds in record numbers across the Bay Area, health care and government leaders warn that a continued surge could edge facilities close to capacity. For now, regional hospitals say they remain in a stable place and are able to manage the influx of patients. But that could change, in a dramatic way. (Moench, 7/15)

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals' ED Volumes Rebounding Slower Than Other Areas
Hospitals' outpatient and inpatient volumes recovered significantly in June from their April lows, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced most facilities to suspend procedures, a new report finds. Outpatient volumes were back up to 93% of their pre-COVID levels during the last week in June, according to a report from revenue-cycle management provider TransUnion Healthcare, which gleaned data from more than 500 hospitals across the country. Inpatient volumes were 92% of pre-COVID levels during that time, and emergency department visits were 75%. The pre-COVID comparison period was the first eight weeks of the year. (Bannow, 7/15)

Stat: $75 Billion Required To Fix Flawed U.S. Covid-19 Testing, Report Says 
The U.S. should invest $75 billion in order to fix its badly flawed system of diagnostic testing for Covid-19, according to a bipartisan committee of industry experts, investors, scientists, and former federal health officials assembled by the Rockefeller Foundation. “America faces an impending disaster,” the foundation’s panel warns in a 55-page report released Thursday. “The extraordinary scale of the Covid-19 crisis is evident in the growing deaths and economic losses the pandemic has wrought in every state.” The report adds: “This terrifying tragedy was not and is not inevitable.” (Herper, 7/16)

CNN: Coronavirus Patient Tests Positive For A Second Time But That Doesn't Mean She Was Reinfected, Expert Cautions 
Shelby Hedgecock thought a negative Covid-19 test meant she had recovered from her initial infection. But three months and another positive test later, she told CNN she is still feeling unwell. "I'm having neurological issues, cognitive issues, trouble putting words together," she told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday. "It's just all over the place, and I am insanely tired." (Holcombe, 7/16)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Is 2nd In U.S. For Coronavirus Testing After 1 Million+ Tests, John Bel Edwards Says 
More than 1 million coronavirus tests have now been administered in Louisiana amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon after crossing that milestone, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state ranks second in the U.S. for coronavirus testing rates. (Discher, 7/15)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: In Louisiana, Soaring Demand For Coronavirus Testing Has Outstripped Supply: 'We're Back In March' 
Shortages in coronavirus test supplies and delays in receiving results have made it harder for Louisiana residents to know if they have the virus, a troubling sign for public health officials amid rising infections in the state. In recent days, some Louisiana hospital systems have cut back on the number of tests available at community testing sites to preserve supplies. (Woodruff and Stole, 7/15)

And in news on contact tracing --

Stateline: Contact Tracing Hampered By Testing Delays, Unanswered Phone Calls — And Lack Of Trust 
Contact tracing may be the last, best hope short of a vaccine to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. But the time-tested method of containing infectious diseases has been hobbled by testing delays, a lack of money and official support, and poor cooperation from a public wary of giving information to authorities. Those challenges are preventing public health professionals in many places from reaching enough newly infected people to reduce transmission, raising the specter that more states will be forced to close businesses again. (Ollove and Vestal, 7/16)

Sacramento Bee: California Counties Short On Coronavirus Contact Tracers 
California communities are scrambling to track down people exposed to the coronavirus after the state let many accelerate reopening without meeting minimum standards for contact tracers, a review of county data shows. The state initially told counties they must have at least 15 contact tracers for every 100,000 people before they could speed up their economic reopening. (Bollag, Bizjak and Sheehan, 7/15)

The New York Times: Does Blood Type Affect Your Risk Of Coronavirus? Probably Not, New Studies Say 
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers found preliminary evidence suggesting that people’s blood type might be an important risk factor — both for being infected by the virus and for falling dangerously ill. But over the past few months, after looking at thousands of additional patients with Covid-19, scientists are reporting a much weaker link to blood type. (Zimmer, 7/15)

The Hill: Public's Disconnect From COVID-19 Reality Worries Experts 
The United States is being ravaged by a deadly pandemic that is growing exponentially, overwhelming health care systems and costing thousands of lives, to say nothing of an economic recession that threatens to plague the nation for years to come. But the American public seems to be over the pandemic, eager to get kids back in schools, ready to hit the bar scene and hungry for Major League Baseball to play its abbreviated season. (Wilson, 7/15)

Kaiser Health News: Why Doctors Keep Monitoring Kids Who Recover From Mysterious COVID-Linked Illness 
Israel Shippy doesn’t remember much about having COVID-19 — or the unusual auto-immune disease it triggered — other than being groggy and uncomfortable for a bunch of days. He’s a 5-year-old, and would much rather talk about cartoons, or the ideas for inventions that constantly pop into his head. ... In New York, at least 237 kids, including Israel, appear to have Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C. And state officials continue to track the syndrome, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not respond to repeated requests for information on how many children nationwide have been diagnosed so far with MIS-C. (Mogul and Godoy, 7/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Employees Feel Pressured As Bosses Order Them Back To Offices During Pandemic 
As parts of the U.S. economy attempt to reopen, companies and institutions are taking various approaches to getting people back to work as coronavirus infections surge across the U.S. With more than 3.3 million confirmed cases nationwide and a death toll topping 135,000, employers say they are operating under unprecedented circumstances with no universal guidelines, making it difficult to balance workers’ safety and financial exigencies after months of inactivity. The result is a segment of the workforce ranging from baseball players to bankers who say they feel undue pressure to report for duty. (Eaton and Putzier, 7/15)

Bloomberg: Yes, You Should Take A Vacation In The Middle Of A Pandemic
It’s hard to know if it’s acceptable to take a vacation amid a pandemic and downsizing. Where are you going to go? Will your job be there when you get back? We surveyed dozens of managers and business owners, and their advice is clear: Unless you’re just returning from a furlough, take your vacation days. “It is extremely important,” says Tiffany Glenn, vice president for human resources at payroll and HR services provider ADP. “HR should be advising time away, even if you are not visiting a destination.” (Cohen, 7/14)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgians Feeling Growing Emotional Toll From COVID-19 Pandemic
Back in March, as the coronavirus began picking up steam in Georgia, Sarah Summers and her family put a plan in place: Cease all playdates. Cancel gatherings with friends. Limit outings. The nine weeks left in the school year, when the East Cobb mother would have to find lessons and activities to keep her three school-aged children occupied, “seemed like an eternity,” she said. But, she told herself, just get through the next few months and slowly life would return to normal. (Oliviero, 7/15)

CNN: Arizona Man In A Coma From Coronavirus Woke Up Paralyzed 
For Eddie Case, recovering from Covid-19 comes with hard work and uncertainty. The virus sent him into a medically induced coma, he told CNN's Anderson Cooper Wednesday. And when he woke up, he was paralyzed. "I really thought I had been involved in an accident or some sort of mishap," Case said. He has since had to learn how to stand and how to write. (Holcombe, 7/16)

PBS NewsHour: How Planning And Early Action Helped San Francisco’s Chinatown Control Coronavirus 
California is enduring an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. But one community has succeeded at keeping the virus at bay — offering potential lessons on how early action on the pandemic can change outcomes. (Wu and Stamos, 7/15)

The Washington Post: Jake Paul Blasted By Calabasas Mayor For Throwing Massive Party ‘Acting Like Covid Does Not Exist’ 
YouTuber Jake Paul found himself at the center of controversy yet again after throwing a barnburner of a party in his Calabasas, Calif., mansion on Saturday despite the state’s recent surge in new coronavirus cases, drawing the ire of Mayor Alicia Weintraub. Video of the party, which surfaced on social media, showed dozens of unmasked partygoers crowded around a living room, on a staircase and around a television. Social distancing did not appear to be taking place. It appeared from social media posts that the party doubled as a shoot for a music video. (Andrews, 7/15)

CNN: No Added Sugar For Babies, US Advisory Panel Recommends, As It Tackles Birth To Age 2 Feeding Advice For First Time
There's a new motto for parents when it comes to feeding babies from birth until 2 years of age: "Every bite counts." That's the takeaway from the first guidelines ever created for infants and toddlers by the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a group of experts charged with providing science-based recommendations twice each decade on how our diet affects our health. (LaMotte, 7/15)

AP: Men Should Limit Alcohol To 1 Drink A Day, Experts Say
If you decide to have an alcoholic drink, limiting yourself to one a day is best — whether you’re a man or woman. That’s the new advice experts are recommending for the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are scheduled to be updated later this year for the first time in five years. The guidelines now say men should limit themselves to two drinks a day, and that women should limit themselves to one. That advice has been in place since 1990. (Choi, 7/15)

And in news on West Nile virus --

Sacramento Bee: Yolo County Has Its First Report Of West Nile In Mosquitoes 
For the first time this season, officials at the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District reported Wednesday that they have found West Nile in a mosquito sample in Yolo County. It was in Zamora. (Anderson, 7/15)

The New York Times: Scientific Panel Urges That Schools Reopen 
Wading into the contentious debate over reopening schools, an influential committee of scientists and educators on Wednesday recommended that, wherever possible, younger children and those with special needs should attend school in person. Their report — issued by the prestigious National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, which advises the nation on issues related to science — is less prescriptive for middle and high schools, but offered a framework for school districts to decide whether and how to open, with help from public health experts, families and teachers. (Mandavilli, 7/15)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento, California Schools To Stay Closed From COVID-19
Public school campuses in Sacramento County will remain closed when instruction resumes in the fall, leaving tens of thousands of families and teachers to begin planning for an extension of distance-learning programs. The Sacramento County Office of Education, which oversees districts serving more than 250,000 students from kindergarten through high school, announced that its 13 districts will continue distance learning programs they implemented in the spring. The decision to close campuses was made by school officials. (Morrar, Bizjak and Finch II, 7/15)

AP: Arizona Teachers Want School Closures As Virus Cases Rise
Several Arizona teachers voiced fears from their cars Wednesday about returning to school in a state that continues to be ravaged by the coronavirus. Nearly 20 cars with painted messages like #Return2SchoolSafely traveled in a short procession in central Phoenix. It was one of six “motor marches” organized by members of the Arizona #RedforEd group calling on Gov. Doug Ducey to close schools until case numbers trend downward. Currently, public schools are ordered to delay the start of the classes at least until Aug. 17. (Tang, 7/16)

Bangor Daily News: Around The State, Educators And Parents Wonder How Best To Reopen Schools
One of the most difficult decisions facing local and state officials in Maine is whether — and how — to reopen schools this fall with the coronavirus still on the loose. The state Department of Education has released its initial guidelines for reopening, with districts around the state likely to release their local plans over the next month. Reopening is also a complicated issue for teachers and families, as some feel anxious about returning in the fall. (Feinberg, 7/15)

Dallas Morning News: We Asked Texas Teachers How They Feel About Going Back To The Classroom: It’s High Anxiety As Coronavirus Plans Evolve
Even as COVID-19 cases continue their precipitous rise across Texas, state leaders are pushing for schools to open their doors in coming weeks. For that to happen, however, the state’s 368,000 public school teachers need to be on board — though they’ve been largely left out of the decision-making process. (Smith, 7/15)

Boston Globe: Agonizing Over What Back To School Means In The Coronavirus Era 
Like every other parent of school-age children right now, I am agonizing about what back-to-school means in the coronavirus era. But accidents of birth and dumb luck make it so that agonizing means different things to different parents. Here, as with so much else, the pandemic lays bare yawning and inexcusable inequalities in our messed-up country. (Abraham, 7/15)

The Hill: Majority Opposes Trump Administration Demand That Schools Reopen: Poll 
Majorities in a new poll oppose both the Trump administration’s demand that schools fully reopen in the fall and the president’s ultimatum that he will cut funding for schools that fail to do so. The Politico-Morning Consult survey released early Wednesday found 53 percent of voters are somewhat or strongly opposed to reopening day cares or K-12 schools in the fall, and 50 percent oppose opening universities and colleges. Thirty-eight either somewhat or strongly support reopening day cares or K-12 schools, while 40 percent somewhat or strongly support opening universities and colleges. (Budryk, 7/15)

In higher education news —

The Wall Street Journal: Universities’ Plan To Test Students For Covid-19 To Increase Demand On Testing Capacity 
Universities, seeking to bring students back to campus this fall during the coronavirus pandemic, are laying out reopening plans that rely heavily on their health departments arranging widespread, frequent testing of students, faculty and staff. Some worry about whether the nation’s testing capacity can keep up.The Texas A&M University System said on Tuesday that it has negotiated with Curative Inc., a testing company in California, to send 15,000 test kits with mouth swabs to its campuses each month. Chapman University in Orange, Calif., is spending $1.65 million to contract with Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings for mass testing. (Armour and Korn, 7/15)

The Hill: Almost 8 In 10 College Students Say They Wouldn't Attend Parties In The Fall: Poll 
Almost 8 in 10 college students said they don’t plan on attending parties during the fall semester amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to an Axios-College Reaction poll released Wednesday. The poll found 76 percent of students said they would plan on returning to campus in the fall if they are permitted to do so. But many said they would be willing to sacrifice going to parties and sports games. (Coleman, 7/15)

The Hill: Alabama Governor Issues Statewide Mask Order 
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) announced a mandatory statewide mask order Wednesday, citing a 50 percent increase in new COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. “Despite all our best efforts, we’re seeing increases in cases every day still occurring and we’re almost to the point where hospital ICUs are overwhelmed,” Ivey said at a press conference. (Hellmann, 7/15)

The Hill: Montana Governor Issues Mask Mandate For 25 Counties 
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) has signed an executive order requiring all of the state's residents to wear masks while in public in an attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19. “Many Montanans answered the call to mask up – a call that came from our hospitals, nurses, and doctors, our vibrant small business community, our frontline workers, and our high-risk neighbors,” Bullock said in a statement. “I thank all of those who take seriously their personal responsibility and their role in stopping COVID-19. But we need even more Montanans, and the visitors who come here, to mask up.” (Johnson, 7/15)

AP: Arkansas Passes 30K Virus Cases, 4 More Die From COVID-19
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson left open the possibility of a statewide mask mandate to prevent coronavirus on Wednesday but said the state is making progress encouraging their use as the number of virus cases surpassed 30,000. Hutchinson, a Republican who has resisted mandating masks, applauded Bentonville-based Walmart’s decision to require customers to wear them. Hutchinson said such a requirement “remains a tool we can implement as we need it.” (DeMillo, 7/15)

AP: Michigan Has Most Virus Cases In 2 Months; Izzo Backs Masks
Michigan on Wednesday reported its biggest increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in nearly two months, leading Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to say she may be forced to reimpose some restrictions if the upward trajectory holds. Whitmer again pleaded with people to wear face coverings in public, saying it can reduce the chance of spread by about 70%. (Eggert, 7/16)

The Washington Post: Mask Mandates Catch On As States, Businesses Try To Bypass A Toxic Debate 
They have emerged as an unlikely symbol of partisan divide and a source of bottomless derision for President Trump. But masks on Wednesday moved ever closer to becoming a new national reality in America’s pandemic-scarred life, with businesses, states and health experts preaching their promise as the country’s last line of defense against a fast-growing viral threat. (Witte, 7/15)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Coronavirus In Ohio: Experts Offer Solutions To Common Mask Frustrations
Frustrations with masks, such as headaches, acne and foggy glasses, shouldn’t deter people from wearing them since experts have some simple solutions to combat the issues.With mask orders now in place in multiple Ohio counties, face coverings have become commonplace apparel, almost like a pair of shoes. In other words, don’t leave home without one. (Ward, 7/15)

Also —

Stat: A National Mandatory Mask Order Would Prevent 'Walking Weapons' 
Although lawmakers are engaged with many long-delayed, vital components of a comprehensive federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a national mandatory mask order — which can be implemented quickly — can be an important linchpin of a better federal response to the pandemic. The nation, and global markets, watch in alarm as cases begin to surge in both the South and West. If we hope to avoid another crippling blow to the economy as a result of a return to lockdown or a loss of consumer confidence in the face of a tsunami of deaths, federal lawmakers need to put politics aside and insist that we put on our masks while they hammer out the details of needed, sweeping mitigation and recovery packages. (Amy Lauren Fairchild, Cheryl Healton and Sandro Galea, 7/15)

AP: Georgia Gov. Explicitly Voids Mask Orders In 15 Localities
Georgia’s Gov. Brian Kemp is explicitly banning Georgia’s cities and counties from ordering people to wear masks in public places. He voided orders on Wednesday that at least 15 local governments across the state had adopted even though Kemp had earlier said cities and counties had no power to order masks. An increasing number of other states order residents to wear masks in public, including Alabama, which announced such a ban Wednesday. (Amy and Nadler, 7/16)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Kemp’s Ban Of Mask Mandates Puts Georgia On Collision Course With Its Cities
The governor’s order, signed late Wednesday, puts the state on a collision course with local leaders and public health experts who say requiring face coverings is an essential step to containing the spread of the coronavirus. Though Kemp’s previous orders have barred local governments from taking more restrictive steps than the state, the rules he signed on Wednesday were the first to explicitly ban cities and counties from requiring the use of masks or other face coverings. (Bluestein, 7/16)

NPR: Georgia's Governor Issues Order Rescinding Local Mask Mandates 
Kemp, a Republican, has been at odds with mayors and city administrators over the issue in recent days. Last week, for instance, Atlanta's Democratic Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a return to tough measures to control an ongoing spike in coronavirus infections in the capital, but Kemp's office insisted that her order was "non-binding and legally unenforceable." Georgia on Wednesday reported its second-highest new coronavirus case count to date, with 3,871 new confirmed cases and 37 COVID-19 deaths. (Neuman, 7/16)

In related news out of Georgia —

CNN: White House Says Trump Followed CDC Guidance After Atlanta Mayor Accuses Him Of Breaking Mask Law 
The White House said Wednesday evening that President Donald Trump followed guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during his trip to Atlanta after the city's mayor accused him of breaking the law by not wearing a mask at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Trump was spotted not wearing a mask during his visit to Atlanta on Wednesday, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room" that Trump broke the law. Hartsfield-Jackson airport is owned and operated by the city of Atlanta and thus included in her executive order requiring masks, Bottoms said. (Hoffman, Wright and LeBlanc, 7/16)

Los Angeles Times: Masks Offer Much More Protection Against Coronavirus Than Many Think
There’s a common refrain that masks don’t protect you; they protect other people from your own germs, which is especially important to keep unknowingly infected people from spreading the coronavirus. But now, there’s mounting evidence that masks also protect you. If you’re unlucky enough to encounter an infectious person, wearing any kind of face covering will reduce the amount of virus that your body will take in. (Lin II and Dolan, 7/14)

Boston Globe: Boston Hospital Worker Study Shows Masks Are Effective In Preventing Spread Of Coronavirus 
As COVID-19 infections soared in Massachusetts during the height of the outbreak, the infection rate among employees at Mass General Brigham hospitals dropped significantly once all workers were required to wear masks, suggesting face coverings do work in preventing the spread of the deadly contagion, according to a new study. The study, led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is part of the Mass General Brigham network, was published online Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA. (Andersen, 7/15)

The Hill: Missouri Study Finds Masks Likely Prevented Stylists From Passing On Coronavirus To 139 Clients 
A mask policy at a Missouri salon likely helped prevent a pair of stylists who contracted the novel coronavirus from spreading it to any of the nearly 140 clients they came into contact with, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency on Tuesday touted the findings as evidence for why policies recommending facial coverings can be so important to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 3 million people in the U.S. and accounted for about 136,000 deaths. (Wise, 7/15)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Lab Testing COVID Masks For Frontline Workers, Health Care Providers 
A laboratory in San Antonio is testing masks for frontline workers and health care providers to ensure they properly filter small particles that could carry the new coronavirus. (Leinfelder, 7/15)

The Hill: Inventor Of N95 Mask Comes Out Of Retirement To Fight Pandemic 
Peter Tsai, who invented the filter material used in N95 masks, has emerged from retirement, saying he felt a “responsibility to help” amid a flurry of questions about how to use the technology. Since coming out of retirement in March, Tsai has been at the forefront of developing new ways to sterilize the masks’ disposable respirators and increase production. (Budryk, 7/15)

Also —

Politico: Former Trump Physician Ronny Jackson: ‘Wearing A Mask Is A Personal Choice’
Ronny Jackson, a Republican congressional candidate in Texas and the former physician to the president, said Wednesday that Americans should not be required to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. “I think that wearing a mask is a personal choice, and I don’t particularly want my government telling me that I have to wear a mask. And so I think that’s a choice that I can make,” Jackson told “Fox & Friends.” (Forgey, 7/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Walmart, Kroger To Require Shoppers To Wear Masks In All U.S. Stores 
The retail giants, which operate more than 8,000 stores across the country, said they were adopting their own mask requirements to protect their staff and customers. Walmart said a lack of federal rules had left it with a patchwork of local regulations. “We know this is a simple step everyone can take for their safety and the safety of others,” it said. (Sebastian and Terlep, 7/15)

AP: Walmart Latest Retailer To Require Customers To Wear Masks
The company said Wednesday that the policy will go into effect on Monday to allow time to inform customers. Currently, about 65% of its more than 5,000 stores and clubs are located in areas where there is already some form of government mandate on face coverings. Hours after Walmart’s announcement, supermarket chain Kroger, based in Cincinnati, and department store Kohl’s, based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, followed suit. Kohl’s policy will go into effect on Monday, while Kroger’s mask protocol will go into effect July 22. (D'Innocenzio, 7/16)

The Washington Post: The First Governor To Contract The Coronavirus Was Also Among The Most Cavalier About It 
The coronavirus pandemic has for the first time infected one of the nation’s governors. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) says he was “pretty shocked” to have that distinction. But Stitt has also been among the most cavalier about the threat posed by the virus. The most visible example of Stitt’s attitude toward the virus came last month, when he encouraged President Trump to hold a rally in Tulsa even as health officials balked. Stitt then attended the rally while, like the vast majority of people there, declining to wear a mask. (Blake, 7/15)

Politico: Oklahoma Governor Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Hosting Trump Rally
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has tested positive for coronavirus, he said Wednesday, as cases in his state hit record numbers just a month after his state hosted President Donald Trump’s first campaign rally amid the pandemic. In a news conference he attended virtually, Stitt, a Republican, revealed that he had been getting tested for the virus periodically and most recently got tested Tuesday when the results came back positive. (Oprysko, 7/15)

Los Angeles Times: San Francisco In Coronavirus 'Red Zone,' Freezes Reopenings 
San Francisco’s director of public health said Wednesday the rate of transmission of the coronavirus continued to climb in the Bay Area and the city would not move forward with reopening. “Unfortunately we are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections that is affecting our community’s health and reopening plans,” Dr. Grant Colfax, the city’s health chief, said during a virtual news conference. “The virus is not only still out there, it is out there more than ever before. It continues to spread locally in our community and throughout the Bay Area region.” (Dolan, 7/15)

AP: Los Angeles In 'Dangerous Phase' As Virus Cases Surge
Coronavirus cases have surged to record levels in the Los Angeles area, putting the nation’s largest county in “an alarming and dangerous phase” that if not reversed could overwhelm intensive care units and usher in more sweeping closures, health officials said Wednesday. The situation is so uncertain organizers of the 2021 Rose Parade in Pasadena canceled the New Year’s Day tradition for the first time in 75 years out of concern that even six months from now infections could spread among participants and the hundreds of thousands who line the route. (Weber, 7/16)

Los Angeles Times: The 2021 Rose Parade Is Canceled Over Coronavirus Fears 
The 132nd Rose Parade will not take place on Jan. 1, 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic, parade officials announced Wednesday morning. It’s the first time in 75 years that the parade has been canceled. Parade officials initially hoped they’d be able to hold the parade safely, but after weeks of assessment, it became clear such a feat would be impossible. (Reyes-Velarde, 7/15)

In related California news —

Sacramento Bee: CA Church Leaders Respond To Order Limiting Indoor Worship 
As California Gov. Gavin Newsom once again bars houses of worship in much of the state from conducting indoor religious services, some Christian leaders are critical of the governor’s decision. The order restricting indoor worship services applies to any county on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list. On Monday, Newsom said that encompasses 80 percent of Californians. (Sheeler, 7/15)

Sacramento Bee: California Jail Board Vows To Publish COVID-19 Case Data 
California’s jail oversight board on Wednesday said it would collect and publish data about COVID-19 cases in county facilities, a response to months of public criticism and an apparently faltering effort to get similar information from the state’s health department. The Board of State and Community Corrections in a letter to sheriffs asks them to provide data about COVID-19 deaths as well as positive cases among employees and inmates. (Pohl, 7/15)

The New York Times: Footage Of Police Body Cameras Offers Devastating Account Of Floyd Killing 
Almost from the moment George Floyd encountered the police on May 25, with a gun pointed at him, he appeared terrified and emotionally distraught, according to police camera footage that was newly made available for viewing Wednesday at a courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. Mr. Floyd was visibly shaken, with his head down, and crying, as if he were in the throes of a panic attack, as he put his hands on the steering wheel in response to a frantic order from an officer. (Arango, Furber and Bogel-Burroughs, 7/15)

The Washington Post: New Police Video Reveals George Floyd’s Desperate Pleas Before His Death 
The footage, captured by cameras worn by two of the four officers charged in Floyd’s May 25 death, presents an even more desperate scene than previously known. Floyd appeared visibly shaken and scared of police, whom he called “sir” and “Mr. Officer.” He moaned and begged for his life after they pinned him to the ground, a white officer’s knee at his throat for more than eight minutes. (Bailey, 7/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Minneapolis Police Officer Quickly Drew Gun On Crying George Floyd 
Within seconds of tapping the butt of a metal flashlight on the driver’s side window of Mr. Floyd’s vehicle and ordering him to show his hands, Mr. Lane drew his service weapon and pointed it at Mr. Floyd. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. God dang, man. I got, I got shot the same way, Mr. Officer, before,” Mr. Floyd said through tears as he lay his head on the steering wheel, before placing his hands atop his head at Mr. Lane’s order. (Ailworth and Wernau, 7/15)

CNN: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Discharged From The Hospital And Doing Well 
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been discharged from the hospital after being treated for a possible infection in her latest health scare. "Justice Ginsburg has been discharged from the hospital," a Supreme Court spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday. "She is home and doing well." Ginsburg had been taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore early on Tuesday "after experiencing fever and chills," spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg said. (Berman and LeBlanc, 7/15)

The New York Times: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is Released From Hospital 
Justice Ginsburg underwent an endoscopic procedure to clean out a bile duct stent, the court’s spokeswoman, Kathleen Arberg, said in a statement. The stent was inserted last August while Justice Ginsburg was receiving treatment for a malignant tumor on her pancreas, which included focused radiation therapy. (Vigdor, 7/14)

AP: More Than 150 Countries Sign Up For Global Vaccine Plan
More than 70 rich countries have signed up to a global coronavirus vaccine initiative intended to ensure that any effective shots are fairly distributed around the world - but which may also allow them to buy more vaccines to stockpile for their own citizens. In a statement on Wednesday, the vaccines alliance Gavi reported that 75 countries have said they would join its new “Covax facility” along with another 90 low-income countries that hope to receive donated vaccines. (Cheng, 7/15)

Bloomberg: Russia Military Says First Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Shows Promise
A Russian military hospital discharged the first group of 18 volunteers in a vaccine trial after a 28-day observation period, calling the initial phase a success, according to an emailed statement from the Defense Ministry. The group had no health complaints, complications or adverse reactions to the vaccine, according to the statement. They will come back for further tests on the 42nd day after their first vaccination. Earlier, the state-run Gamaleya epidemiology institute in Moscow said it conducted successful unofficial tests with a potential coronavirus vaccine among its staffers. (Arkhipov, 7/15)

Bloomberg: Covid Is Spreading In Unexplained Ways, Dimming Containment Hope 
As countries across Asia Pacific struggle with resurgences of the coronavirus, one data point is steering government responses: the share of cases with no clear indication of how infection occurred. These patients cannot be linked to other confirmed infections or existing outbreaks by virus responders, indicating hidden chains of transmission. A growing proportion of such cases in a city’s resurgence pushes governments, like in Australia and Hong Kong, to take broad and blunt action, returning entire cities to lockdown-like conditions. (7/15)

AP: Mexico Records Near-Record Daily Deaths, Coronavirus Cases
Mexico recorded 836 more confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and 7,051 more coronavirus cases Tuesday, both among the highest figures the country has registered as continued high infection rates stymie reopening efforts. Mexico now has an accumulated total of about 311,500 confirmed cases and 36,327 deaths. (7/16)

AP: Brazil's Bolsonaro Gets New Positive Coronavirus Test Result
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Wednesday he has tested positive for the new coronavirus for a second time, following his July 7 announcement that he had COVID-19. “I did the test yesterday, and at night the result came back that I am still positive for coronavirus,” Bolsonaro said. “I hope that in the coming days I will do another test and, God willing, everything will be all right to return soon to activity.” (Savarese, 7/15)

AP: Colombia: Illegal Groups Using Violence To Enforce Lockdowns
Illegal armed groups are imposing strict COVID-19 quarantines in parts of Colombia where the state has a weak presence, threatening and even killing those who don’t comply, Human Rights Watch warned Wednesday. At least nine people have been assassinated in recent months for either refusing to abide by the restrictions or actively opposing them. (7/16)

AP: France Tourism: Disneyland, Eiffel Tower Top Floor Reopen
The French tourist industry received a further boost Wednesday with the partial reopening of Disneyland Paris and the opening up of the top floor of the Eiffel Tower. Disneyland Paris, Europe’s most frequented theme park resort, is partially re-opening to the public, four months after it closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The park in Marne-la-Vallee, to the east of the French capital, is opening its doors in a phased way starting Wednesday with Disneyland Parks and the Walt Disney Studios. (7/15)

NPR: Melbourne, On COVID-19 Lockdown, Reports Record Case Count
The southern Australian state of Victoria has set a new one-day record for coronavirus infections, prompting officials to order a clampdown on non-urgent surgeries to free up beds for COVID-19 patients. In Melbourne, Victoria's capital and Australia's second-largest city, 317 new cases were reported more than a week after a "hard boundary" was imposed around the city and Victoria was closed off from neighboring New South Wales state in an effort to stop the virus. The lockdown is planned to last six weeks. (Neuman, 7/16)

Forbes: Cannabis May Reduce Deadly COVID-19 Lung Inflammation: Researchers Explain Why
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, researchers have started to look for solutions in an unlikely place - the cannabis plant. Cannabis’ active compounds have a number of properties that make it appealing as a potential adjunct treatment for infections from the novel coronavirus, and recently scientists have begun looking at its potential for reducing susceptibility to the disease, and even discussed whether it could be used as an antiviral medication.  (Earlenbaugh, 7/6)

North Carolina Health News: Research Suggests Link Between PFAS Pollution, COVID 
Late last month, the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a report saying studies suggest that exposure to high levels of fluorinated compounds — commonly referred to as PFAS or “forever chemicals” — could suppress the immune system and increase the risk of getting COVID-19 and the severity of infection. Studies have also shown that exposure to PFAS could reduce the effectiveness of childhood vaccines and adult flu vaccines. (Barnes, 7/13)

Boston Globe: Here’s What Comes Next For Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine — If Everything Goes Right
Moderna was the first drug maker to start testing an experimental COVID-19 vaccine on humans. It’s also poised to be the first to enter the final stage of a clinical trial in the United States, on July 27. But if you’re hoping to soon get the Cambridge biotech’s closely watched vaccine ― or any of nearly two dozen rival vaccine candidates being tested in clinical trials around the world ― don’t roll up your sleeve yet. (Saltzman, 7/15)

Medium: What To Make Of Research Suggesting Immunity To Covid-19 Is Short-Lived 
Yesterday, a preprint that was recently posted to the server medRxiv (meaning the study has not undergone peer review, an important step for accurate science research) generated a flurry of excitement — and criticism — for its implication that immunity to the coronavirus might only last a few months. The paper suggested that the levels of antibodies people produce in response to Covid-19 infection rapidly decline after they hit their peak. The paper’s findings, which were covered by large news outlets like The Guardian, CNBC, and CNN, suggest that people’s immunity after a Covid-19 infection wanes over time. And that doesn’t seem to bode well for hopes of herd immunity or a vaccine. A couple days earlier, Vox published a story written by a doctor suggesting that a patient who recovered from Covid-19 got reinfected, raising similar concerns about immunity to the coronavirus. (Tayag, 7/14)

Undark: CDC Revises Covid-19 Risks During Pregnancy As Research Lags
The CDC acknowledged that crucial health information was missing for about three-quarters of pregnant women with the virus, including whether they had preexisting conditions or required an ICU stay or mechanical ventilation. For the vast majority of U.S. women of reproductive age who tested positive — about 326,000 women through June 7 — there was no information about pregnancy status at all. (Martin, 7/14)

American Acadamy of Pediatrics: Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Hospitalizations Among Young Children: 2015–2016
During the 2015–2016 season, RSV infection was associated with one-third of ARI hospitalizations in our study population of young children. Hospitalization rates were highest in infants <6 months. Most children who were RSV-positive had no history of prematurity or underlying medical conditions, suggesting that all young children could benefit from targeted interventions against RSV. (Rha et al, 7/1)

American Academy Of Pediatrics: Parental Hesitancy About Routine Childhood And Influenza Vaccinations: A National Survey 
Among a nationally representative sample of US parents, we aimed to (1) assess and compare prevalence of hesitancy and factors driving hesitancy for routine childhood and influenza vaccination and (2) examine associations between sociodemographic characteristics and hesitancy for routine childhood or influenza vaccination. (Kempe et al, 7/1)

JAMA: Association Between Universal Masking In A Health Care System And SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Among Health Care Workers
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has severely affected health care workers (HCWs). As a result, hospital systems began testing HCWs and implementing infection control measures to mitigate workforce depletion and prevent disease spread. Mass General Brigham (MGB) is the largest health care system in Massachusetts, with 12 hospitals and more than 75 000 employees. In March 2020, MGB implemented a multipronged infection reduction strategy involving systematic testing of symptomatic HCWs and universal masking of all HCWs and patients with surgical masks. This study assessed the association of hospital masking policies with the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate among HCWs. (Wang, MD, et al, 7/14)

GeekWire: Benaroya Research Institute Awarded $5.8M From NIH For Immunology-Related COVID Research 
As part of the scientific community trying to understand the varied and curious symptoms caused by COVID-19, the Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) at Virginia Mason announced Tuesday that it has received more than $5.8 million dollars from the National Institutes of Health to fund four studies. The nonprofit Seattle institute for decades has focused on studying autoimmune and immune system diseases, including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and allergies, and its COVID-related research investigates the body’s response to the virus. (Stiffler, 7/14)

Stat: Moderna's Sky-High Value Is An Indictment Of The U.S. Covid-19 Response
Buoyed by newly published, early data on its experimental Covid-19 vaccine, Moderna on Wednesday cracked onto the list of the 20 most valuable biopharma companies, as measured by market capitalization.Moderna — $31 billion market value — is the only drugmaker in the Top 20 without an approved product. That is a remarkable achievement, especially for a company pursuing an unproven messenger RNA technology. It’s also a depressing indictment of the U.S. response to the pandemic. (Adam Feuerstein, 7/15)

The Washington Post: The International Community Must Guarantee Equal Global Access To A Covid-19 Vaccine 
“None of us is safe until all of us are safe.” This statement by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres sums up the momentous challenge ahead. As the world is still in the midst of the deadliest pandemic of the 21st century, with the number of cases still rising at the global level, immunization is our best chance of ending the pandemic at home and across the world — but only if all countries get access to the vaccine. (Justin Trudeau, Sahle-Work Zewde, Moon Jae-in, Jacinda Ardern, Cyril Ramaphosa, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, Stefan Lofven and Elyes Fakhfakh, 7/15)

The Wall Street Journal: The Politics Of Hydroxychloroquine
Hubert Humphrey began his career as a pharmacist before going into politics. Today’s politicians sometimes seem to have the opposite aspiration. President Trump “pushes dangerous, disproven drugs,” Joe Biden declares in his “Plan to Beat Covid-19.” “Our country is now stuck with a massive stockpile of hydroxychloroquine, a drug Trump repeatedly hailed.”Neither man has any expertise in pharmacology, and Mr. Trump did get out over his skis in promoting the malaria treatment, also known as HCQ, for the novel coronavirus. But since every Trump action prompts a reaction, his political and media opponents launched a campaign to discredit the drug. This politicized environment has produced dubious science and erratic policy. (Allysia Finley, 7/15)

The New York Times: Governors Must Save Us From Our Coronavirus Testing Failure 
As Covid-19 cases surge to their highest levels in dozens of states, the nation’s testing effort is on the brink of paralysis because of widespread delays in getting back results. And that is very bad news, because even if testing is robust, the pandemic cannot be controlled without rapid results. This is the latest failure in our national response to the worst pandemic in a century. Since the Trump administration has abdicated responsibility, governors must join forces to meet this threat before the cataclysm that Florida is experiencing becomes the reality across the country. Testing should be the governors’ first order of business. (Margaret Bourdeaux, Beth Cameron and Jonathan Zittrain, 7/16)

The New York Times: What Is Betsy DeVos Thinking?
As the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the United States, some public K-12 schools may be able to reopen safely, but doing so will not be cheap. A recent report from the Council of Chief State School Officers estimated that public K-12 schools will need as much as $245 billion in additional funding to open with the recommended protocols in place from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet with local and state budgets strapped, many schools are likely to fall short unless they receive considerable federal support. The Department of Education, however, has not stepped up to fill that need. Funding for K-12 schools through the Cares Act is $13.5 billion — well below $245 billion. (Jessica Calarco, 7/15)

Stat: Removing The Mystery From A Covid-Related Syndrome In Children 
As a physician taking care of hospitalized Covid-19 patients, I had very nearly become immune to the sickening sensation provoked by new, invariably frightening information about this disease. But as a parent, when I saw the first reports of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, the pit in my stomach churned with new ferocity: “15 Children Are Hospitalized With Mysterious Illness Possibly Tied to Covid-19” read the headline in the New York Times. (Sharon Ostfeld-Johns, 7/16)

Miami Herald: Bullying The Miami-Dade District To Reopen Schools In August Is Just Reckless
The monumental decision on whether to reopen Miami-Dade schools in August — and how — is not on Wednesday’s School Board agenda, but it’s likely to pop up. After all, how to deal with this pandemic is the district’s most crucial decision in ages. The burden of deciding whether we continue with online schooling whether we physically return to class — even partially — return to class physically, falls largely on Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and the elected members of the School Board, who rely on his counsel. (7/15)

The Hill: Kids Face Greater Online Risks With COVID-19; Will Congress Act? 
When schools closed down this spring, our kids’ education and social lives shifted online. Tech companies now have more influence than ever before over children’s lives, but too many platforms haven’t been designed with kids’ safety and wellbeing in mind, and the harms are mounting. Perhaps most disturbing is the surge in reports of online child sexual abuse in recent months. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 4 million such reports in April — an increase of nearly 3 million from April 2019. (Justin Ruben and Josh Golin, 7/15)

Los Angeles Times: San Quentin: Every Prison Is Now A Coronavirus Death Row
San Quentin is California’s most famous, most picturesque, most aged, most poorly designed and most lethal state prison. Its parking lot, down the hill from twin gothic towers (built in the 1850s) and high walls, offers a stunning view of San Francisco Bay and the Bay Bridge — when not threatened by winter storm waves. The perspective is different inside the gates, where cellblocks surround an open atrium-like space designed to give guards a view of each inmate. With the windows to the outside closed off and with prisoners and guards all breathing the same poorly circulated air, it’s the perfect place to transmit a virus, quickly and mercilessly. In such an environment, social distancing is irrelevant. In other words, it’s not a good place to send inmates to shield them from COVID-19. (7/16)

The Washington Post: Fauci To White House: Telling The Truth Is In Trump’s Interests
One of the strangest side dramas of the Trump era has been the sight of certain allies trying to get him to recognize what’s right for the country by persuading him that doing so is good for him personally. After all, the former is irrelevant to him, and the latter is the only language he understands. For instance, Jeff Sessions tried to get President Trump to stop raging at him for recusing himself from the Russia investigation as attorney general by arguing that following the law had resulted in Trump’s exoneration in the probe (which is nonsense, but it was a good try). But this didn’t calm Trump’s sense of betrayal. Now Sessions’s disloyalty has cost him the Alabama Senate primary. Anthony S. Fauci is now trying something similar. (Greg Sargent, 7/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Virus Non-Message
President Trump’s coronavirus management ratings have been plummeting (67% disapproved in an ABC/Ipsos poll last week) and if a better public-relations plan is in the works, it’s not apparent. Wednesday’s news on this front was an op-ed by Peter Navarro, a top economic adviser, attacking the judgment of Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health. The White House formally disavowed the op-ed, but it came after the White House social-media director posted an anti-Fauci cartoon on Sunday. The point is not that Dr. Fauci has been right about everything—the now-reversed early guidance against masks, in particular, hurt public confidence in health experts. Nor should the doctor set virus policy, which is up to elected representatives. The problem is that the White House seems to have given up on projecting any consistent virus message, and the descent into internal sniping amplifies a perception of dysfunction that is politically damaging. (7/15)

Bloomberg: Walmart Covid-19 Mask Move May Be Tipping Point For America
Politics have been getting in the way of Americans broadly adopting a crucial preventative health measure: Wearing a mask in public to curb the spread of Covid-19. Now, though, the experts that have been urging that practice have an enormously powerful ally in Walmart Inc.The big-box retailing giant said Wednesday it would require customers at its eponymous stores and Sam’s Club chain to wear face coverings. While some 65% of its locations were already doing this to comply with local regulations, it will make it mandatory at all stores nationwide beginning July 20. (Sarah Halzack, 7/15)

CNN: As Trump Refuses To Lead, America Tries To Save Itself 
President Donald Trump isn't leading America much as its pandemic worsens. But that's not stopping Walmart -- along with Kroger, Kohl's, and city and state leaders and officials -- from making the tough decisions that the President has shirked. Given Trump's approach, if the country is to exit the building disaster without many more thousands dead, it will fall to governors, mayors, college presidents and school principals, teachers and grocery store managers to execute plans balancing public health with the need for life to go on. (Stephen Collinson, 7/16)

Bloomberg: Rhode Island's Gina Raimondo Leads The Way On Covid-19 Response
Sometimes, when I’m particularly discouraged about how the U.S. is losing the battle against the coronavirus, I daydream about how much better off we’d be if Gina Raimondo, the hard-charging two-term governor of Rhode Island, were the one leading the nation’s response to the pandemic instead of Mike Pence. She has wrestled Covid-19 to the ground in her state and demonstrated ideas and resolve that could help guide the rest of the country in moving forward. As a native Rhode Islander, I had long admired her penchant for solving difficult problems. (Joe Nocera, 7/13)

New England Journal of Medicine: WHO’s Next — The United States And The World Health Organization
Suppose a large forest fire hits California. Millions of acres are burning, and many towns are threatened. The Forest Service firefighters are cutting breaks and dropping water from helicopters. They plan their strategy using weather models that predict which way wind patterns will push the fire. Unfortunately, the models are imperfect. The wind turns in an unexpected direction. As a result, several towns are destroyed, and there are billions of dollars in damage.What’s the proper response to such a disaster? If you were the current U.S. government, you would shut down the Forest Service in the midst of the fire. (Barry R. Bloom, Paul E. Farmer, and Eric J. Rubin, M.D., 7/15)