Reuters: U.S. Records A Coronavirus Death Every Minute As Total Surpasses 150,000 
One person in the United States died about every minute from COVID-19 on Wednesday as the national death toll surpassed 150,000, the highest in the world. The United States recorded 1,461 new deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to a Reuters tally.U.S. coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days. (Shumaker, 7/29)

The Washington Post: Covid-19’s Toll So Far: Nearly 150,000 Dead Americans
Of the nearly 150,000 Americans who have died of covid-19, more than 6,100 have died in Texas, and 302 of those deaths have occurred in Hidalgo County, along the country’s southern border. Forty-five of those bodies are in a refrigerated 18-wheeler that Aaron Rivera bought three weeks ago, when the phone was ringing off the hook at his Rivera Funeral Home in McAllen. The funeral director had no choice but to tell families that their loved ones could not be cremated, could not be buried, could not be put anywhere but in a truck in his back lot. There were so many bodies in his building that there was no place else for them to go. (Fisher and Dixon, 7/29)

The Wall Street Journal: New U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surpass 70,000 
New coronavirus cases in the U.S. climbed back above 70,000 as some states reported record death tolls, while parts of Asia faced a resurgence in infections. Total confirmed coronavirus cases world-wide rose above 17 million Thursday, with the U.S. accounting for more than a quarter of that number, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. death toll neared 151,000. (Hall, 7/30)

CNN: Texas Surpasses New York In Number Of Coronavirus Cases
Coronavirus cases in Texas have risen to more than 418,00, putting the state at a higher case count than New York. Once the US epicenter of the pandemic, New York now ranks fourth in total case count behind California, Florida and Texas, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Medical teams on the frontlines in Texas said that spikes in the state have taken a toll. (Holcombe, 7/30)

Reuters: California, Florida And Texas See Record Rise In COVID-19 Deaths 
California, Florida and Texas, the three largest U.S. states, all set one-day records for fatalities from COVID-19 on Wednesday, a Reuters tally showed, and the Miami-area school district said students would not return to classrooms when the new academic year begins as deaths from the virus spiked nationwide. The United States has registered 10,000 deaths over the last 11 days, the fastest surge since early June, prompting heated debates between the American public and its leaders over the best course forward. New infections do not appear to be rising at the same pace. (Shumaker and McKay, 7/29)

Also —

The New York Times: A Viral Epidemic Splintering Into Deadly Pieces 
To assess where the country is heading now, The New York Times interviewed 20 public health experts — not just clinicians and epidemiologists, but also historians and sociologists, because the spread of the virus is now influenced as much by human behavior as it is by the pathogen itself. Not only are American cities in the South and West facing deadly outbreaks like those that struck Northeastern cities in the spring, but rural areas are being hurt, too. In every region, people of color will continue to suffer disproportionately, experts said. (McNeil Jr., 7/29)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Relief Talks Hit Impasse On Capitol Hill 
After a day of meetings, all parties declared their differences all but irreconcilable. Democrats shot down the idea of a short-term fix for unemployment insurance and the eviction moratorium, which President Trump had announced earlier Wednesday he would support. And the two parties remained far apart on a larger bill, with Democrats standing by their wide-ranging $3 trillion proposal even as Republicans struggled to coalesce around a $1 trillion bill released by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday. Each side said the other was to blame for the failure. Paying the price will be the unemployed at a moment of deep uncertainty and fear, with coronavirus cases spiking and states pulling back on reopening as deaths near 150,000 in the United States. The talks could get back on track in coming days, but the signs Wednesday were not promising. (Werner, Stein, Min Kim and Bade, 7/29)

The Hill: GOP Hunts For 'Plan B' As Coronavirus Talks Hit Wall
Republicans are hunting for a backup plan on coronavirus relief as bipartisan negotiations tasked with finding a deal appear to be making no measurable progress. The discussions come as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows have met every day this week with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) but are, in their own words, “nowhere close to deal” and “very far apart.” (Carney, 7/29)

USA Today: 'These 2 Bills Aren’t Mateable': Republicans, Democrats At Odds On A Coronavirus Stimulus Deal As Pressure Builds
Here's a look at the uphill battle this relief package is facing and why negotiations for this bill are so different than emergency funds that came before it. (Hayes, Wu and King, 7/30)

Roll Call: Amid Virus Aid Divide, Parties Find Common Ground On Tax Breaks
There are big-ticket funding and philosophical differences between the parties on the next round of coronavirus relief, including on tax policy. But there’s a surprising amount of common ground on a handful of provisions that are likely to serve as the basis for eventual agreement, including on another round of direct payments to individuals, tax credits for companies to keep workers on payroll and aid to families with children. (Sword, 7/30)

In more news on the economic toll —

MarketWatch: Jobless Claims Rise For Second Straight Week As U.S. Economic Activity Slows Down
The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits rose for the second straight week, a sign economic growth could be stalling in late July. Claims had been on a steady decline after peaking in late March. Initial jobless claims rose by 12,000 to 1.434 million in the week ended July 25, the Labor Department said Thursday. (Robb, 7/30)

USA Today: More Americans File For Unemployment As Extra $600 Benefit Ends And COVID-19 Surges
The need continues to grow even as an extra $600 a week from the federal government ended last week, a cushion many economists said was critical to bolster state payments that typically average $370. It's the second week in a row that initial claims have gone up--rising by 12,000--a worrying trend in the wake of a 15 week stretch that saw applications gradually declining. (Jones, 7/30)

CNBC: Second-Quarter GDP Plunged By Worst-Ever 32.9% Amid Virus-Induced Shutdown
The U.S. economy saw the biggest plunge in activity it has ever known in the second quarter, though it wasn’t quite as bad as feared.Gross domestic product from April to June plunged 32.9% on an annualized basis, according to the Commerce Department’s first reading on the data released Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a drop of 34.7%. Still, it was the worst drop ever, with the closest previously coming in mid-1921. (Cox, 7/30)

The Hill: Powell: Social Distancing Is Crucial To Fast Economic Recovery 
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that social distancing and other measures meant to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus are crucial to the U.S. economy’s recovery from the pandemic. During a Wednesday press conference, Powell argued that coronavirus-related restrictions that may seem damaging to the economy are essential to repairing the damage wrought by the pandemic. (Lane, 7/29)

Politico: Pelosi Mandates Wearing Masks On The House Floor After Gohmert Case
Congressional leaders are moving rapidly to change some of their coronavirus protocols — including requiring members to wear masks on the House floor — after Rep. Louie Gohmert tested positive Wednesday. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she would now require all members to wear masks on the floor. Lawmakers are currently encouraged to wear masks in the chamber and required to wear them in committee rooms — although some Republicans openly defy that rule and have yet to be punished. (Caygle and Ferris, 7/29)

Texas Tribune: Mask-Averse U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert Of Texas Tests Positive For COVID-19
Whatever semblance of normal business remained on Capitol Hill during the COVID-19 outbreak was upended when U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Tyler Republican, disclosed Wednesday he tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Several other members of Congress similarly tested positive to little fanfare over the last several months. But Gohmert’s diagnosis unleashed a commotion on Capitol Hill unlike anything the nearly two dozen staffers, consultants, lobbyists and members interviewed for this story could recall in recent memory. Gohmert’s aversion to wearing masks and following other practices intended to mitigate the spread of the virus led many here to believe he might eventually contract the virus and potentially expose his colleagues. For months, members and staffers on the Hill watched with simmering fury as Gohmert and a handful of other Republican lawmakers made their rounds each day without masks. (Livingston, 7/29)

Also —

The Hill: Gohmert Says He Will Take Hydroxychloroquine As COVID-19 Treatment 
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said Wednesday he will take an anti-malaria drug that experts have warned doesn’t treat the coronavirus after he tested positive for the virus. "My doctor and I are all in," Gohmert said about hydroxychloroquine during a Wednesday evening interview with Fox News, according to Newsweek. "I got a text before I came on from a friend doctor who just found out he had it, and he started the regimen too — zinc and hydroxychloroquine. And that will start in a day or two, so thank you," the congressman added. (Klar, 7/29)

The Hill: Louisiana Republican Self-Quarantining After Exposure To Gohmert 
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he is self-quarantining for 14 days out of caution due to exposure to Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) who tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday. Johnson said he is exhibiting no symptoms but is self-quarantining since he had dinner with Gohmert and a small group of others on Monday night. He said the group was distanced, but they did not have masks on since they were eating. He said he was seated next to Gohmert at the dinner. (Klar, 7/29)

The Hill: Hoyer: Maskless Republicans A Public Health Threat 
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Wednesday that those congressional Republicans still refusing to wear masks amid the coronavirus pandemic are, themselves, a public health threat. For members of a Republican Party that often touts the importance of personal responsibility, those lawmakers have exhibited "no personal responsibility or consideration for others," Hoyer charged. (Lillis, 7/29)

The Hill: Democrats Introduce Bill To Repeal Funding Ban On Abortions Abroad 
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) introduced legislation Wednesday that would repeal a decades-old policy that prevents U.S. foreign aid programs from providing funding for abortion services. The bill takes aim at the Helms Amendment, a 1973 law passed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, that imposes anti-abortion restrictions on overseas aid. (Birenbaum, 7/29)

The Hill: House Approves Two Child Care Bills Aimed At Pandemic 
The House passed two bills aimed at easing the financial burden for child care amid the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday. The first, titled Child Care Is Essential Act, would provide grant money to child care providers in an effort to help the facilities reopen safely amid the coronavirus pandemic and stabilize the sector’s operations on Wednesday. The second, called the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, includes a number of tax provisions that are aimed at making child care more affordable for families and providing assistance to child-care providers. (Jagoda and Brufke, 7/29)

NPR: Irregularities In COVID Reporting Contract Award Process Raises New Questions
An NPR investigation has found irregularities in the process by which the Trump administration awarded a multi-million dollar contract to a Pittsburgh company to collect key data about Covid-19 from the country's hospitals. The contract is at the center of a controversy over the Administration's decision to move that data reporting function from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — which has tracked infection information for a range of illnesses for years — to the Department of Health and Human Services. (Tempe-Raston and Mak, 7/29)

Modern Healthcare: Here's A Peek At The White House's Unreleased Drug-Pricing Order
Partial text of an executive order the White House has refused to make public indicates the White House is using a more aggressive version of a payment demonstration for outpatient drugs to try to pressure drugmakers to the negotiating table. President Donald Trump signed four drug-pricing executive orders on Friday, but the White House has refused to release the text of the most controversial order that aims to reduce the amount Medicare pays for some high-cost outpatient drugs. Trump said during the White House event that the order would go into effect a month after signing. (Cohrs, 7/29)

CNN: Some Doctors Met With Pence After Their Group's Video Was Removed For Misleading Info
Vice President Mike Pence and members of his staff met Tuesday with some of the doctors who were featured in a video that was later removed from social media for misinformation, those doctors said on Wednesday. The video, which was shared by President Donald Trump before being removed, featured members of the group America's Frontline Doctors standing on the steps of the Supreme Court claiming that masks aren't necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus and promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure. Both claims are contradicted by scientific studies. The most prominent person featured in the video, Stella Immanuel -- who has said in the past that DNA from space aliens is being used in medicine -- did not meet with Pence. (Liptak, 7/29)

PolitiFact: Who Are The Doctors In The Viral Hydroxychloroquine Video?
The physicians in the video are associated with a group called America’s Frontline Doctors, which advocates against official narratives of the coronavirus pandemic. The group, whose now-defunct website was registered on July 16, was in Washington for a "White Coat Summit," after which some of the doctors met with Vice President Mike Pence. All of the physicians we fact-checked have a history of making unproven, conspiratorial or bizarre medical claims. (Funke, 7/29)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Doctor Behind Hydroxychloroquine Drug Video Was Sued In Louisiana Woman’s Death
Dr. Stella Grace Immanuel was front and center outside the Supreme Court on Monday when she and about a dozen others in white lab coats prescribed a message that President Donald Trump liked. ... Court filings reviewed by the Houston Chronicle also reveal she was recently sued in Louisiana for medical malpractice in a case involving a woman who died after being treated in Immanuel’s care. (Hensley and Lewis, 7/29)

The Hill: Fauci Says Viral Video Retweeted By Trump Features 'A Bunch Of People Spouting Something That Isn't True' 
Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, dismissed a viral video that President Trump shared this week that makes misleading claims about coronavirus. (Pitofsky, 7/29)

Also —

AP: Misinformation On Coronavirus Is Proving Highly Contagious
As the world races to find a vaccine and a treatment for COVID-19, there is seemingly no antidote in sight for the burgeoning outbreak of coronavirus conspiracy theories, hoaxes, anti-mask myths and sham cures. The phenomenon, unfolding largely on social media, escalated this week when President Donald Trump retweeted a false video about an anti-malaria drug being a cure for the virus and it was revealed that Russian intelligence is spreading disinformation about the crisis through English-language websites. (Klepper, 7/29)

The Washington Post: Madonna Keeps Making Controversial Covid-19 Claims, Calling Stella Immanuel Her ‘Hero’ 
Pop star Madonna built a career partly on controversy, so it may come as little surprise that she has continuously made controversial claims about the coronavirus. On Tuesday night, she shared a viral video of Stella Immanuel, a member of the self-dubbed America’s Frontline Doctors who recently spoke on the steps of the Supreme Court and claimed that neither masks nor shutdowns are required to fight the pandemic, despite widespread evidence to the contrary. Immanuel further made the unsubstantiated claim that hydroxychloroquine is a “cure for covid,” despite there being no known cure for the disease. (Andrews, 7/29)

The Hill: Federal Judge Blocks Trump Immigration 'Public Charge' Rule Due To Pandemic 
The Trump administration's controversial "public charge" rule linking immigrants' legal status to their use of public benefits on Wednesday was blocked by a federal judge. Judge George Daniels of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a nationwide injunction stopping the administration from enforcing the requirements, citing the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic. (Weixel, 7/29)

PBS NewsHour: Trump Restricts Immigration Amid The Pandemic. Critics See It As An Excuse To Push His Own Agenda 
As the nation continues to grapple with a pandemic and a growing movement for racial justice and police reform, President Donald Trump’s administration has been implementing new immigration policies blocking many legal pathways to enter the country. Since March, nearly 20 policy changes have affected potential tourists, refugees, asylum seekers, foreign workers and international students. The administration says the measures are meant to maintain public health by significantly restricting border crossings, as well as reserve jobs for American workers during the economic crisis by suspending visas for international workers. (Norwood, 7/28)

The Washington Post: Ginsburg Back In Hospital For A Nonsurgical Procedure 
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in the hospital again, this time for a “minimally invasive” nonsurgical procedure, the Supreme Court announced Wednesday night. Ginsburg was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she received a bile duct stent a year ago.“ According to her doctors, stent revisions are common occurrences and the procedure, performed using endoscopy and medical imaging guidance, was done to minimize the risk of future infection,” court spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg said in a statement. “The justice is resting comfortably and expects to be released from the hospital by the end of the week.” (Barnes, 7/29)

The New York Times: Justice Ginsburg In The Hospital Again 
Justice Ginsburg, who is 87 and the senior member of the court’s liberal wing, has been hospitalized several times in recent months. In May, she participated in oral arguments from her hospital room at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where she was being treated for a gallbladder condition. (Liptak, 7/29)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Premiums To Rise Slightly In 2021
Seniors will pay slightly higher premiums for Medicare prescription drug plans in 2021, CMS said on Wednesday. The average basic Part D premium will be $30.50 next year, up from $30 in 2020. Premiums for Part D plans have fallen about 12% since 2017, which translates to $1.9 billion in premium savings, the agency said. (Livingston, 7/29)

Kaiser Health News: Missourians To Vote On Medicaid Expansion As Crisis Leaves Millions Without Insurance
Haley Organ thought she had everything figured out. After graduating from a small private college just outside Boston, she earned her master’s degree, entered the workforce and eventually landed a corporate job here as a data analyst. Life seemed to be going as planned until the national retailer that Organ worked for announced furloughs during the coronavirus pandemic. After nine weeks of mandatory leave, the 35-year-old was laid off. The company gave her a severance package and put an expiration date on her health insurance plan. (Anthony, 7/30)

Kaiser Health News: Medi-Cal Agency’s New Head Wants To Tackle Disparities And Racism
When Will Lightbourne looked at the statistics behind California’s coronavirus cases, the disparities were “blindingly clear”: Blacks and Latinos are dying at higher rates than most other Californians. As of Monday, Latinos account for 45.6% of coronavirus deaths in a state where they make up 38.9% of the population, according to data collected by the California Department of Public Health. Blacks account for 8.5% of the deaths but make up 6% of the population. (Young, 7/30)

Stat: ‘A Huge Experiment’: How The World Made So Much Progress On A Covid-19 Vaccine So Fast
Never before have prospective vaccines for a pathogen entered final-stage clinical trials as rapidly as candidates for Covid-19. Just six months ago, when the death toll from the coronavirus stood at one and neither it nor the disease it caused had a name, a team of Chinese scientists uploaded its genetic sequence to a public site. That kicked off the record-breaking rush to develop vaccines — the salve that experts say could ultimately quell the pandemic. (Joseph, 7/30)

The Hill: Most In Poll Say They're Willing To Wait For COVID-19 Vaccine To Be Fully Tested 
More than 6 in 10 voters say a coronavirus vaccine should be fully tested, even if doing so delays its release and potentially allows the virus to spread further, according to a new poll. The Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday found that 64 percent favor fully testing any potential vaccine, while 22 percent said it should be made available as early as possible. (Deese, 7/29)

The Hill: COVID-19 Vaccines Must Go To Rich And Poor Countries, Warns Advocate 
The world will not return to normal until a vaccine against the coronavirus is distributed widely and not just to developed nations, one of the leading vaccine experts said in a wide-ranging interview Wednesday. Seth Berkley, who heads the vaccine alliance Gavi, said he was encouraged by the pace of scientific progress toward a vaccine, but that he is concerned that wealthy nations may snap up all the available supply, leaving poorer and developing nations to struggle through the pandemic without the proper aid. (Wilson, 7/29)

In other vaccine developments —

Boston Globe: COVID-19 Vaccine Developed By Beth Israel, Johnson & Johnson, Enters Early-Stage Trials 
A COVID-19 vaccine developed by health care giant Johnson & Johnson and researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has shown promise in a study with rhesus macaque monkeys and has entered an early-stage clinical trial in people. Dr. Dan Barouch, head of Beth Israel’s Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, said researchers were encouraged by the results of the monkey study, and he hoped the vaccine would prove effective in humans. (Saltzman, 7/30)

PBS NewsHour: As A Virus Ravages The World, Antibiotic Makers Are In Disarray 
COVID-19 can be accompanied by secondary bacterial infections with deadly consequences. But the industry that researches and produces antibiotics to fight such illnesses has been upended — and the pandemic is only making things worse. Now, medical experts worry about the long-term health implications of not having cutting-edge antibiotics in the pharmaceutical pipeline. (Solman, 7/29)

Stat: Cancer Drug Is First Therapy To Emerge From 23andMe-GSK Deal 
The pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline is starting human trials of the first medicine, a cancer drug, that has emerged from its two-year-old collaboration with consumer genetics firm 23andMe. The novel partnership focuses on using 23andMe’s massive genetic database, composed of the test results and self-reported health data from 12 million consumers who have taken its tests to learn about their ancestry and a smattering of disease-related genes, and who have said their samples could be used in research. (Herper, 7/29)

The Hill: Kodak Shares Soar 500 Percent After Federal Government Loan For Drug Manufacturing 
Shares of Eastman Kodak soared early Wednesday after the federal government announced that the iconic camera maker would receive a loan to open pharmaceutical factories in the U.S. Kodak stock rose as much as 500 percent on Wednesday, forcing the New York Stock Exchange to halt trading of the company’s shares several times after they vaulted from $8 to as high as $53. The share price dropped back down to roughly $20 shortly before 11 a.m. (Lane, 7/29)

In legislative and legal news —

Stat: Lawmakers In Two States Release Bills To Ban Most Gifts To Doctors
Over the past month, lawmakers in two states have introduced bills that would ban drug makers from giving most gifts to doctors, although they are responding to different hot-button issues that continue to vex Americans: the rising cost of prescription medicines and the ongoing opioid crisis. In Michigan, state Rep. Douglas Wozniak, who sponsored the legislation, complained that drug prices have increased “astronomically” and there is a need to eliminate what he called “exorbitant incentives” that pharmaceutical companies are providing prescribers. His bill is part of a legislative package designed to hold all companies in the “supply chain” accountable for rising costs. (Silverman, 7/29)

Stat: Lawmakers Urge Watchdog To Probe Federal Role In Remdesivir Research
Amid concerns over access to medicines that were hatched with U.S. taxpayer funds, Democratic lawmakers have asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate the discovery and development of remdesivir, which is the first drug authorized to treat Covid-19. In a letter to the congressional watchdog, the lawmakers argue that the medicine, which is sold by Gilead Sciences (GILD), eventually reached patients thanks, in part, to an estimated $70 million in federal funding and ”key scientific contributions” from U.S. government scientists. (Silverman, 7/28)

Stat: Drug Maker Settles Charges Of Offering 'Bogus' Research Grants
In the latest imbroglio involving drug makers and kickbacks, Pacira Biosciences (PCRX) has agreed to pay $3.5 million to resolve allegations of paying doctors bogus research grants to persuade them to prescribe its only medicine, the Exparel painkiller, which is used during various surgical procedures. From late 2012 through early 2015, Pacira approved and funded the grants despite receiving little or no documented description of any proposed research and then conducted little to no follow up to ensure the work was being done, according to court documents filed by the Department of Justice. In some cases, grant recipients did not conduct any research, at all. (Silverman, 7/30)

The Washington Post: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Expands Coronavirus Mask Order, Issues Travel Advisory 
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Wednesday expanded the state’s mandate for face coverings, requiring residents older than 5 to wear masks while indoors in public spaces and outdoors when social distancing is not possible. Hogan also warned against travel to states with high levels of novel coronavirus infections, ordering residents to be tested and quarantine until they receive results. The directives are the latest actions taken across the greater Washington region to slow the spread of the virus. (Wiggins, Brice-Saddler, Sullivan and Hedgpeth, 7/29)

The Hill: Fauci Says He's 'Not Against' Mask Mandates, But Doesn't Want To Interfere With States 
Anthony Fauci said Wednesday he wants everyone to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic but doesn't think mandating it would be successful because it would be too difficult to enforce. In an interview with Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he understands people in different states have different opinions, and he doesn't want to tell anyone how to govern. "I'm not totally against mandating, but I don't want to step on anyone's toes," Fauci said. "I mean I know that there's some hesitancy on the part of some for mandating." (Weixel, 7/29)

The Washington Post: Tommy Tuberville, Alabama U.S. Senate Candidate, Defies D.C. Quarantine Order On Fundraising Visit 
Alabama GOP Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville is fundraising and holding face-to-face meetings in Washington this week, defying orders from the city that visitors from certain coronavirus hot spots quarantine upon arrival. Tuberville spent at least some of his time in D.C. at the Trump International Hotel, according to a photo posted to Facebook by Arkansas GOP Rep. Bruce Westerman showing the two men in the hotel lobby on Tuesday night. In the photo, neither man is wearing a mask. ... The former Auburn University football coach, who is running to unseat incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D), is taking a victory lap following his primary victory on July 14 over former Trump administration attorney general Jeff Sessions. (Itkowitz, 7/29)

In related news —

CIDRAP: As Pandemic Rages, PPE Supply Remains A Problem 
One of the more unsettling images from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States came from New York in late March. In a photo that quickly went viral on social media, nurses from Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital were seen wearing surgical masks, face shields, gloves, and trash bags over their scrubs. "NO MORE GOWNS IN THE WHOLE HOSPITAL" read the caption in the image, which was later deleted. (Dall, 7/29)

Stat: Spring School Closures Tied To Drastic Decrease In Covid-19 Cases, Deaths
When state officials were deciding whether to shutter their schools back in March, the evidence they had to work with was thin. They knew kids easily catch and spread influenza — and that school holidays and closures have helped slow its spread. But they weren’t sure if the same was true for Covid-19. Now, a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that closing all of a state’s schools was associated with a drastic decrease in both Covid-19 cases and deaths. (Boodman, 7/29)

The New York Times: Spring School Closures Over Coronavirus Saved Lives, Study Asserts 
In a new analysis, pediatric researchers have estimated that the states’ decisions to close schools last spring likely saved tens of thousands of lives from Covid-19 and prevented many more coronavirus infections. The findings come amid a worldwide debate on whether, when and how to reopen schools, including for some 56 million American students, kindergarten through high school. (Carey and Belluck, 7/29)

In other public school news —

AP: Kansas Allows Fall High School Sports Amid Pandemic
The Kansas State High School Activities Association is allowing all fall high school sport competitions in Kansas to move forward as scheduled despite the coronavirus pandemic. Its executive board on Tuesday narrowly defeated a motion that would have delayed the start of fall competitions, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. The decision means fall sports and activities programs can start practices on Aug. 17 and competitions can move forward as scheduled. However, local school boards will still be able to change sports schedules within their own districts. (7/29)

The New York Times: What Teachers' Unions Are Fighting For As Schools Plan A New Year 
As the nation heads toward a chaotic back-to-school season, with officials struggling over when to reopen classrooms and how to engage children online, teachers’ unions are playing a powerful role in determining the shape of public education as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage. Teachers in many districts are fighting for longer school closures, stronger safety requirements and limits on what they are required to do in virtual classrooms, while flooding social media and state capitols with their concerns and threatening to walk off their jobs if key demands are not met. (Goldstein and Shapiro, 7/29)

Politico: DeSantis Touts The Return Of In-Person Classes As Schools Say They’ll Go Online
Florida’s largest school district will begin the fall semester with remote classes, joining others that are keeping campuses closed even as Gov. Ron DeSantis insists the state will have in-person learning. Miami Dade County schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced the move Wednesday, a day after nearby Monroe County said it would rely on digital instruction for the immediate future. School leaders in Broward and Palm Beach counties, which along with Miami are the state’s hottest Covid-19 spots, also intend to start the school year with online courses. (Atterbury, 7/29)

The Washington Post: In Detroit Summer School, Temperature Checks And Health Questions Before Math And Reading 
A morning line of second-graders waits patiently outside the entrance of Munger Elementary-Middle School on the city’s southwest side. Milagra Fernandez steps forward, and a staff member in a blue T-shirt emblazoned with “Auntie” starts running through her questions.“No cough, sore throat or runny nose?” she asks. “No upset stomach? Having any problems with taste or smell?” The staffer is wearing a white N95 mask. Milagra sports a rainbow-sequined version. The 7-year-old answers “no” again and again and then steps onto the sidewalk sticker that will keep her six feet from the boy who had just gone through the same drill. (Ruble, 7/29)

The Atlantic: As U.S. Schools Reopen, Will Kids Socially Distance? 
Across the country, schools have outlined the precautions they’ll take as they reopen their campuses this fall. If and when kids return, schools are planning outdoor “mask breaks” in Denver, one-way hallways in Northern Virginia, and shortened in-person school weeks in New York City, among many, many other safeguards against coronavirus outbreaks. Included in these reopening plans are a number of measures whose implementation will fall to students themselves. The basic trinity of pandemic safety—distancing, hand-washing, and masking—dictates a new set of cautious behaviors that will be expected of children on school grounds. Kids will also be expected to refrain from many once-normal activities—hugging, sharing toys, trading food at lunchtime, and so on. K–12 students may generally be capable of doing what public-health experts ask, but not all of them, not everything, and not all the time. (Pinsker, 7/29)

The Hill: Baylor To Mail All Students Mandatory Coronavirus Tests 
Baylor University is mailing students COVID-19 test kits and is requiring that all students have a negative test before returning to campus. The Texas-based school will begin mailing the mandatory test kids to students starting next week, according to a Tuesday announcement. Baylor said students should take the test as soon as they receive it. The kit will include a package for overnight shipping for students to send the test to a lab, and the school said it will take 48 hours to process the test from the date the lab receives it. (Klar, 7/29)

The Washington Post: Georgetown University Reverses Plans, Will Start Fall Semester Online 
Georgetown University will begin the school year online, the campus’s president announced Wednesday, rescinding previous plans to conduct courses online and in-person this fall. The school joins George Washington University this week in amending its plans for the fall as novel coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country. (Lumpkin, 7/29)

USA Today: 'The Virus Beat Us': Colleges Are Increasingly Going Online For Fall 2020 Semester As COVID-19 Cases Rise
Call it coronavirus déjà vu. After planning ways to reopen campuses this fall, colleges are increasingly changing their minds, dramatically increasing online offerings or canceling in-person classes outright.  This sudden shift will be familiar to students whose spring plans were interrupted by the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Now, COVID-19 cases in much of the country are much higher than in the spring, and rising in many places. (Quintana, 7/29)

Mlive.com: Whitmer Order Clears The Way For Colleges, Universities To Convert Large Spaces To Classrooms 
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday signed an executive order clearing the way for colleges and universities to convert large spaces into classrooms without needing to go through the typical inspection and approval process from the state Bureau of Fire Services. “Our college students and educators have made tremendous sacrifices over the past four months to protect each other from the spread of COVID-19. When it comes to instruction in the fall, Michigan’s colleges and universities are working tirelessly to provide a safe environment for students and staff,” Whitmer said in a statement. (Lawler, 7/29)

Inside Higher Ed: College Groups Urge Extending Relief For Borrowers
Several associations representing the nation’s colleges and universities on Wednesday urged congressional leaders to continue excusing student loan borrowers from having to make payments until at least after next Tax Day in April. The letter from the American Council on Education and 46 other higher education groups puts them in opposition to the Senate Republican proposal for the next coronavirus relief package. The previous package passed by Congress, the CARES Act, had excused borrowers from making payments during the pandemic-caused recession through Oct. 1. (Murakami, 7/30)

Also —

The New York Times: MacKenzie Scott Gives $1.7 Billion To Historically Black Colleges And Other Groups 
MacKenzie Scott, one of the world’s richest women, pledged one year ago to give away her money “until the safe is empty.” On Tuesday, Ms. Scott, an author and philanthropist who was once married to Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, said she had so far given $1.7 billion to a long list of institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities as well as organizations that support women’s rights, L.G.B.T.Q. equality, and efforts to fight climate change and racial inequities. (Cramer, 7/29)

The Washington Post: Young People Are Infecting Older Family Members In Shared Homes 
As the death toll escalates in coronavirus hot spots, evidence is growing that young people who work outside the home, or who surged into bars and restaurants when states relaxed shutdowns, are infecting their more vulnerable elders, especially family members. Front-line caregivers, elected officials and experts in Houston, South Florida and elsewhere say they are seeing patterns of hospitalization and death that confirm fears this would happen, which were first raised in May and June. That was when Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and other states reopened in efforts to revive their flagging economies. (Bernstein, 7/29)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Delta Rolls Out Health Acknowledgment Form Requirement
Delta Air Lines on Wednesday began requiring passengers to complete health acknowledgment forms attesting that they have not been diagnosed with COVID-19, or had symptoms of the virus in the 14 days prior to their flight. The Atlanta-based airline says that customers also will be required to answer questions about whether they might have been exposed to the virus in the days leading up to travel. (Yamanouchi, 7/29)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Homelessness Assessment Center, First In County, Opens In Gwinnett
Before this week, residents struggling with homelessness in Gwinnett County have been largely on their own when it came to finding shelter. While organizations like United Way or the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services have lists of agencies that could help find temporary or permanent housing, it’s been up to the person in need of a place to sleep to reach out to each agency individually. No more. (Kass, 7/29)

Houston Chronicle: Harris County Adds $10M To Rental Assistance Fund, Boosts Maximum Checks To $1,200 
Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously agreed to add $10 million to the county’s rental assistance program for tenants harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic and increased the maximum award to $1,200. Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who pitched the idea, estimated the additional funds would help the now-$25 million program assist an additional 6,000 renters. The money comes from federal CARES Act funds awarded to the county. (Despart, 7/29)

PBS NewsHour: ‘Caution Fatigue’ And The Stress Behind Living Through A Pandemic 
Though there generally is adherence to public health guidelines like mask-wearing in an effort to suppress the spread of COVID-19, there are indications the perception of risk may be changing. The number of people who say they always wear masks in public has gone down slightly recently in countries like Spain, the United Kingdom, France and the U.S., according to polling by market research company YouGov. (Kossakovski, 7/29)

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Coronavirus: How Group Fights Social Isolation Among Seniors
During the first weeks of the coronavirus outbreak, when Gov. Eric Holcomb imposed a stay-at-home order and implored Hoosiers to “hunker down” to slow the virus’ spread, some of the strictest guidance was issued for senior citizens, who are considered high-risk and have been most affected by the virus. But while they've been hunkering down at home, some of Indiana's seniors may be struggling with feelings of isolation. (Hays, 7/29)

In sports news —

Indianapolis Star: IU Health Against Running Indy 500 With Fans: 'Consider An Alternative'
Officials at IU Health, the state's largest healthcare system, told IndyStar on Wednesday it opposes Indianapolis Motor Speedway's plan to run the Indianapolis 500 with fans next month. "Until we sustain better control of this virus and its spread," IU Health said in a statement, "we strongly encourage IMS to consider an alternative to running the Indy 500 with fans in August." (Hunsinger Benbow, 7/29)

CNN: NBA Player Harrison Barnes Has A Message For Americans After Overcoming Coronavirus 
As NBA players are preparing to restart a season shut down by coronavirus, Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes had a powerful message for Americans after his own experience with the virus. "Everyone thinks that it will happen to somebody else or, 'If I get it, hopefully I'll be asymptomatic,' but we had three people in my house who all contracted it and each of us had a different experience," he told CNN Wednesday night. "So I would definitely encourage people to be safe." (Maxouris, 7/30)

CNN: Gum Health Could Be A Risk Factor For Dementia, Study Suggests 
Anyone who has had gum disease is probably familiar with the discomfort and embarrassment of poor oral health, such as bad breath, bleeding, discolored teeth and even tooth loss. But gum disease, especially the more advanced type known as periodontal disease, can affect far more than our mouths. Periodontal disease is associated with a wide range of health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia, making the reduced access to dental care during the coronavirus pandemic a significant concern, dentists say. (Hunt, 7/29)

The Washington Post: Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test Trump Brags About Is A Traumatic Experience For People With Dementia
Jay Reinstein remembers the day he took the cognitive test President Trump keeps bragging about. “One of the questions was to draw a clock at a certain time, and I’m staring at the circle and can’t figure out where the small hand goes,” said Reinstein, 59, who was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “I have a bachelor’s and master’s. … And I can’t draw a damn clock. I felt so frustrated, ashamed.” (Wan, 7/29)

In mental health news —

The New York Times: Michael Phelps Documentary Criticizes U.S. Olympic Committee On Mental Health 
The relationship between the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and its most decorated Olympian, Michael Phelps, has been rocky for years. The more Phelps won, and did he ever win, racking up 28 Olympic medals across five Games, the more he became the organization’s poster child, worthy of whatever special treatment it could provide. Or, from Phelps’s perspective, he was the latest and greatest commodity that Olympics promoters cared about only as a medal-producing swimming machine. Phelps distills that dynamic near the end of “The Weight of Gold,” the HBO Sports documentary he narrates about depression and other mental illnesses with which Olympians struggle. (Futterman, 7/29)

WBUR: 'Mental Illness Is Not An Excuse, But It Is A Reason': How To Talk About Kanye West’s Behavior 
In 2018, West revealed he has a mental illness. Some mental health advocates are now pushing for the media to reexamine how it covers West's actions like his comments about slavery, President Trump and his running for office. One of those advocates is Bassey Ikpi, author of “I'm Telling the Truth, But I'm Lying.” She says her own experience of being hospitalized because of bipolar disorder has impacted her view of West. (Mosley and Hagan, 7/29)

New York Post: Depression Caused A Woman To Believe She Was A Chicken
When being a human gets too hard, the brain will cope with psychological stress in fascinating ways. While most of the 260 million people worldwide who suffer from depression will have common symptoms, such as sadness, fatigue, disinterest and sleeplessness, an exceedingly rare few could lose their humanity completely — by assuming the identity of an animal, according to researchers at KU Leuven in Belgium.In the Dutch medical journal Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie, psychologists described the case of one 54-year-old woman, unnamed in their case study, who was found in her garden “clucking and crowing like a rooster”  — a condition called zoanthropy, or the delusion of believing oneself is not human, but animal. (Sparks, 7/28)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: What White Nurses Can Do To Help Combat Racism In Nursing
As a member of the medical profession, you may realize that COVID-19 cases and deaths are disproportionately affecting Black counties, according to a recent study. And as a member of the human race, you are no doubt aware that Black people are feeling a huge impact as the police killing of George Floyd and often-lethal violence against other Black men and women has brought racial injustice to the forefront. (Kennedy, 7/30)

Stateline: Searing Heat Will Make COVID-19 Racial Disparities Worse 
Communities of color, particularly lower-income Black and Latino neighborhoods, will be particularly affected. Extreme heat likely will push more residents into crowded cooling centers, where they may be exposed to the virus, and worsen breathing problems and other underlying health conditions that already disproportionately affect people of color, researchers say. (Wiltz, 7/30)

Dallas Morning News: ‘Boom, Boom, Boom,‘ Victims Recall. Emotions Raw As Deadly Mass Shooting Anniversary In El Paso Nears
The three strangers weren’t sure what to expect at their first reunion following the Walmart mass shooting of last Aug. 3. They wasted no time breaking the awkwardness, quickly recalling events of that tragic day when a gunman from North Texas came here to kill Mexicans. Abruptly, emotions grew so raw that Eduardo “Eddie” Castro, 72, and the woman who saved his life, Adria Gonzalez, 38, momentarily forgot about COVID-19 and broke social distance guidelines. They hugged, cried and sobbed. (Corchado, 7/29)

Kaiser Health News: Namaste Noir: Yoga Co-Op Seeks To Diversify Yoga To Heal Racialized Trauma 
Beverly Grant spent years juggling many roles before yoga helped her restore her balance. When not doting over her three children, she hosted her public affairs talk radio show, attended community meetings or handed out cups of juice at her roving Mo’ Betta Green MarketPlace farmers market, which has brought local, fresh foods and produce to this city’s food deserts for more than a decade. Her busy schedule came to an abrupt halt on July 1, 2018, when her youngest son, Reese, 17, was fatally stabbed outside a Denver restaurant. He’d just graduated from high school and was weeks from starting at the University of Northern Colorado. (Thomas Whitfield, 7/30)

NPR: Health Experts Urge A Shutdown Do-Over As COVID-19 Cases Surge
A coalition of health professionals is urging the nation's leaders to step back from the push to reopen the economy and shut down nonessential businesses to prevent the loss of more lives from the spiraling pandemic. In an open letter to "decision makers," a group of doctors, scientists, teachers and nurses says leaders need to "shut it down, start over" and "do it right." The letter, which has been signed by more than 1,000 health professionals, says that means more testing and contact tracing, mandatory masks in all situations, more personal protective equipment and a ban on interstate travel. (Bowman, 7/29)

The Hill: Medical Group Says 'Hundreds Of Thousands' Of COVID-19 Deaths Possible If 'Nation Does Not Change Its Course' 
A medical group warned Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of more people could die from the coronavirus in the U.S. unless the nation adjusts its response to the pandemic. “In just six months, nearly 150,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID-19, with more than 4 million infected by the virus that causes it. Cases continue to rise at an alarming rate across much of the United States. If the nation does not change its course – and soon – deaths in the U.S. could well be in the multiples of hundreds of thousands,” the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) said. (Axelrod, 7/29)

WBUR: Florida Health Workers Say They're Feeling The Strain Due To Coronavirus Outbreak 
The surge in Florida's coronavirus cases is straining the health care system that's trying to save as many people as possible and protect doctors and nurses from getting sick. (Colombini, 7/29)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Risk Factors Vary For Nursing Home Staff, Residents 
A study published yesterday in the Journal of Infection has found that staff working at more than one London nursing home during the peak of the UK COVID-19 outbreak had a quadruple risk of infection. Also, JAMA Network Open today published a research letter showing that US nursing homes that reported COVID-19 cases also had high numbers of deficiencies and substantiated complaints citing failures to comply with federal infection-control requirements. (Van Beusekom, 7/29)

San Francisco Chronicle: Covered California Extends Enrollment Deadline Through August Due To Coronavirus 
California has extended the special enrollment period for health insurance through the end of August on the state’s Covered California insurance marketplace. The state’s recent surge in coronavirus cases drove the decision to extend the enrollment period, officials wrote in a statement. The California Department of Managed Health Care, which manages the state’s Medi-Cal program, and the California Department of Insurance also extended special enrollment deadlines to August 31, “which applies to all health plans on the individual market.” (Kramer, 7/29)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Gwinnett Distributes Some CARES Money To Nonprofits
Gwinnett County will share $13.3 million in federal coronavirus relief money with more than 100 local organizations. The money is going to 104 nonprofit and faith-based agencies. The county plans to distribute a second round of funding as well. The federal CARES Act money will go to assist nonprofits and to help with community needs. Nonprofit assistance will pay for increased staffing, medical and personal protective equipment and supplies and enhancements to technologies and facilities in response to the pandemic. (Kass, 7/29)

CNN: Major Children's Hospital Apologizes For Performing Cosmetic Genital Surgeries On Intersex Infants
After a yearslong advocacy campaign waged by activists, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago has become the first hospital in the nation to apologize for performing cosmetic genital surgeries on intersex infants. In a statement posted Tuesday to its blog, the hospital said it understood its "approach was harmful and wrong" -- a reference to surgery to make genitalia appear more typically male or female. The hospital said: "We empathize with intersex individuals who were harmed by the treatment that they received according to the historic standard of care and we apologize and are truly sorry." (Neus, 7/29)

CIDRAP: Predicting Risk Of COVID-19 Infection Through App Inexact, Study Finds
Tracking COVID-19 symptoms through an app may not be a good predictor of the spread of the disease, according to a research letter published yesterday in Family Practice. Researchers in Switzerland and France analyzed data from a Nature Medicine study published on May 11 that suggested that a prediction score combining loss of smell and taste, fatigue, cough, and loss of appetite collected in real time through an app could identify people at risk for COVID-19. (7/29)

Modern Healthcare: Medical Devices Provide Another Window For Hospital Hackers
As COVID-19 swept the U.S., providers rapidly added web-connected equipment to increase patient data collection while minimizing touch points. But the technology may open hospitals up new vulnerabilities. Data breaches often stem from hacks on email accounts, electronic medical records and other digital repositories. But medical devices create additional access points that hackers could target to enter a hospital's network and steal data, cybersecurity experts warn. (Cohen, 7/29)

In other tech news —

Stat: VCs Are Still Showering Biotechs With Cash, Even Amid Coronavirus
Venture capitalists are still spending big on biotech companies, even four months after the coronavirus pandemic cratered global markets. Venture capitalists have already signed 240 biotech deals this year, collectively worth more than $10 billion, according to a recent SVB analysis. The average valuation for those companies has also increased since January, despite concerns about the potential impact of clinical trial delays. (Sheridan, 7/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Health-Care Startup Ro Raises $200 Million In New Funding
Ro, an online health-care startup, said Monday that it raised $200 million in a new funding round, bringing its total raised to $376 million. The new round values Ro at $1.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The New York-based company said it will use the new funding to invest in technology, such as remote patient monitoring, and double its 70-person engineering team. Ro runs a digital-health site for men and another one for women. A network of health-care professionals diagnoses patient conditions and prescribes medicines, which Ro distributes. The company says its ability to care for patients from an initial evaluation to treatment delivery sets it apart. (McCormick, 7/28)

The New York Times: One In Three Children Have Unacceptably High Lead Levels, Study Says 
Lead contamination has long been recognized as a health hazard, particularly for the young. But a new study asserts that the extent of the problem is far bigger than previously thought, with one in three children worldwide — about 800 million in all — threatened by unacceptably high lead levels in their blood. The ubiquity of lead — in dust and fumes from smelters and fires, vehicle batteries, old peeling paint, old water pipes, electronics junkyards, and even cosmetics and lead-infused spices — represents an enormous and understated risk to the mental and physical development of a generation of children, according to the study, released late Wednesday. (Gladstone, 7/29)

CNN: 1,000-Year-Old Medieval Remedy Could Be Potential Antibiotic, Scientists Say 
A 1,000-year-old natural remedy made from onion, garlic, wine and bile salts has shown antibacterial potential, with promise to treat diabetic foot and leg infections, new research published Tuesday suggested. Known as Bald's eyesalve, the treatment has the potential to tackle biofilm infections — communities of bacteria which resist antibiotics — making them much harder to treat, the researchers said. (Hunt, 7/28)

The New York Times: Is Your Blood Sugar Undermining Your Workouts? 
People with consistently high levels of blood sugar could get less benefit from exercise than those whose blood sugar levels are normal, according to a cautionary new study of nutrition, blood sugar and exercise. The study, which involved rodents and people, suggests that eating a diet high in sugar and processed foods, which may set the stage for poor blood sugar control, could dent our long-term health in part by changing how well our bodies respond to a workout. (Reynolds, 7/29)

In COVID-19 developments —

CIDRAP: Invasive Ventilation, Older Age, Dialysis Tied To COVID-19 Death In Germany
An observational study of 10,021 COVID-19 patients admitted to 920 German hospitals has found that patients requiring mechanical ventilation were at highest risk for death—especially those 80 years and older and those needing dialysis. The study, published yesterday in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, examined claims data from hospitalized coronavirus virus patients from Feb 26 to Apr 19. Of the 10,021 patients, 2,229 (22%) died. (7/29)

The Hill: Virginia Governor, Senators Request CDC Aid With Coronavirus Outbreak At Immigrant Detention Facility 
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and Sens. Mark Warner (D) and Tim Kaine (D) requested aid from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in response to a coronavirus outbreak in an immigration detention facility. Northam, in a letter to President Trump last week obtained by The Washington Post, requested CDC intervention at the privately owned facility in Farmville. Immigration advocates have called the facility a “tinderbox.” At least 262 detainees there have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Post. (Budryk, 7/29)

AP: Senators Seek EPA Help To Fix Metro East Public Health Issue
Residents in Illinois’ Metro East region are facing a major public health crisis because of persistent flooding and sewage problems, the state’s two U.S. senators said in a letter sent Wednesday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Democrats Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin asked the federal agency to enforce environmental laws, conduct water testing and identify solutions to the problems that plague Centreville and nearby communities east of St. Louis. (7/30)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: U.S. House Chairman Asks Kemp For Documents Detailing Georgia’s Handling Of COVID-19
The chairman of a U.S. House coronavirus subcommittee sent Gov. Brian Kemp a letter Wednesday saying Georgia is not in compliance with White House COVID-19 task force recommendations and requesting detailed plans for dealing with the pandemic. U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-South Carolina, said Georgia is not following at least six recommendations from the task force, including mask mandates, strict limits on indoor dining and tighter restrictions on social gatherings. (Salzer and Trubey, 7/29)

Boston Globe: In Theory, Residents Of R.I Nursing Homes Can Have Visitors. In Reality, There Are Hurdles And Heartache 
Earlier this month, Governor Gina M. Raimondo and Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott announced that nursing homes could resume visits on July 8, with restrictions. But the reality of how the visits work, as the Galligans and other families have discovered, is more difficult than it appears. Only one person is allowed per visit; two in special circumstances. Some facilities only allow outdoor visits, which are canceled in heat or inclement weather. Some facilities only allow one or two visits a day in total, which means residents wait weeks for their turn. New COVID-19 cases force facilities to close for two weeks, which restarts the clock on visits. (Milkovits, 7/30)

In news about gatherings —

CNN: Florida County Sheriff Has Already Issued More Than 200 Citations While Cracking Down On Gatherings 
Florida's Broward County sheriff says he's got no plans to end an operation cracking down on large gatherings, which has already resulted in more than 200 citations. The operation's goals were two-fold, Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a virtual news conference Wednesday: to reduce the large gatherings that were taking place and to crack down on "roving car clubs" that were bringing dozens of young people together throughout certain parts of the community. (Maxouris, 7/30)

Boston Globe: ‘We Are Partying Too Much’: Raimondo Lowers R.I. Limit On Social Gatherings Amid Rise In Cases 
Rhode Islanders are partying too much. State health officials reached that conclusion after analyzing a recent rise in coronavirus cases. So Governor Raimondo on Wednesday announced that she will keep the state in Phase 3 of reopening its economy for another month and lower the cap on social gatherings from 25 to 15. (Fitzpatrick, 7/29)

AP: Gary Closes Its Lake Michigan Beaches Due To COVID-19 Surge
The city of Gary’s beaches along Lake Michigan were closed Wednesday for two weeks due to a surge in new COVID-19 cases in the northwestern Indiana city. Mayor Jerome Prince cited the beaches’ crowded conditions on Tuesday in ordering their closure. His order took effect Wednesday and shuttered Gary’s beaches, including the popular Marquette Park Beach, and their parking lots. (7/29)

AP: Holiday, Lax Attitude Likely Cause Of ND Virus Hot Spot
The pronounced rise of confirmed coronavirus infections around North Dakota’s capital city likely stems from multiple Fourth of July gatherings and citizens’ failure to take precautions to minimize the risk of spreading the disease, a local health official said Wednesday. Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health Director Renae Moch said there appears to be a lax attitude toward the virus and a belief that precautions such as wearing a mask don’t help. (MacPherson, 7/29)

The Hill: Michigan Limits Gatherings, Shuts Down Bars Amid COVID-19 Spike 
Michigan will limit indoor gatherings to 10 people and ban indoor service at bars as the state experiences a spike in coronavirus cases, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) announced Wednesday. "Tonight, after an uptick of #COVID19 cases due to social gatherings, I amended Michigan’s Safe Start Order & issued revised workplace safeguards. As of July 31st, statewide indoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people & bars will be closed for indoor service across the state," Whitmer tweeted Wednesday. (Pitofsky, 7/29)  

AP: Minneapolis Closes Indoor Bar Areas As Virus Cases Rise
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday ordered that indoor bar areas be closed in the state’s largest city as coronavirus cases have surged in young adults. At least nine bars have been tied to virus outbreaks, with at least seven customers testing positive. The city said more than half of its new cases are in people younger than 35 who report increased exposure in bars and at gatherings of family and friends. (Ibrahim, 7/29)

AP: Ohio Virus Hospitalizations Hit New High, Topping April Mark
The number of people who are hospitalized with the coronavirus in Ohio has a hit a new high, the Ohio Department of Health said Wednesday. As of Tuesday, there were 1,122 people with COVID-19 being treated in Ohio’s hospitals, the department said. (7/29)

Dallas Morning News: ‘A Somber Reminder’: Dallas County Reports New One-Day High Of 36 Coronavirus Deaths As State Adds 313
Dallas County reported a single-day high of 36 coronavirus deaths Wednesday, which County Judge Clay Jenkins called a “somber reminder of the seriousness of this outbreak.” The previous record death toll reported in one day was 30 on July 22. (Jones and Steele, 7/29)

AP: Arizona Reports 2,339 More COVID-19 Cases, 46 Deaths
Arizona health officials are reporting more than 2,000 additional cases of coronavirus for a second straight day but with hospitalizations continuing a gradual decline. The Arizona Department of Health Services said Wednesday that there have been another 2,339 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 46 more known deaths. (7/29)

AP: Montana Announces 3 More COVID-19 Deaths, Total Now 55
Montana officials announced three more deaths due to COVID-19 on Wednesday as Gov. Steve Bullock said the state or county health departments might have to increase restrictions in nine counties that he called virus hot spots. Two Yellowstone County men in their 70s died in their homes, one on Tuesday and one Friday, and a Richland County woman in her 80s died Tuesday, the county health departments reported. More than half of the state’s 55 deaths have happened since July 6. (7/29)

AP: Over 300 More Coronavirus Cases In Oregon, 8 More Deaths
The Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday announced 304 more COVID-19 cases and eight additional fatalities. At least 66 Oregonians have died since July 12, an amount that has already surpassed Oregon’s deadliest three-week stretch from late March into April, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. (7/29)

AP: Oklahoma Reports 14 More Deaths, 848 New Coronavirus Cases
The head of the coronavirus team at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center said Wednesday that he believes the coronavirus is being spread by a younger age group and likely leading to an increase in virus-related deaths of those 65 and older. “As we’ve seen more and more cases in the 18-35 year-old age group, we’ve also seen the number of patients 65 and older who have also tested positive,” according to Dr. Dale Bratzler. “When you look at the deaths in Oklahoma, the vast majority are in patients that are 65 years of age and older and I suspect that many of those people in that age group who get infected have been exposed by younger people that are more social and mobile out in the community setting.” (Miller, 7/29)

The New York Times: Mysterious Coronavirus Outbreak Catches Vietnam By Surprise 
In a world plagued by pandemic, Vietnam seemed like a miracle. As months went by without a single recorded coronavirus death, or even a confirmed case of local transmission, residents began leaving their face masks at home. Noodle shops resounded with the clack of chopsticks and sipped broth. Schools opened. ... But over the weekend, Vietnam, which had gone about 100 days without a single confirmed case of local transmission, announced that the virus was lurking in the country after all — and it was spreading. (Beech and Doan, 7/29)

Reuters: Coronavirus Spikes In Asia Spur Warnings Against Complacency 
Spikes in novel coronavirus infections in Asia have dispelled any notion the region may be over the worst, with Australia and India reporting record daily infections on Thursday, Vietnam preparing to test thousands and North Korea urging vigilance. Asian countries had largely prided themselves on rapidly containing initial outbreaks after the virus emerged in central China late last year, but flare-ups this month have shown the danger of complacency. “We’ve got to be careful not to slip into some idea that there’s some golden immunity that Australia has in relation to this virus,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters. (Packham and Pal, 7/30)

Also —

BBC: Coronavirus: Seven Zimbabwe Babies Stillborn In One Night At Hospital 
Seven babies were stillborn at Harare Central Hospital in Zimbabwe on Monday night after urgent treatment was delayed because of staffing issues, two doctors have confirmed to the BBC. Nurses are on strike nationwide because of a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other concerns, and the maternity wards were overwhelmed.One doctor said Monday's deaths were "the tip of the iceberg." (Harding, 7/29)

AP: Pilgrims Pray On Peak Day Of Hajj In Shadow Of Coronavirus
Masked pilgrims arrived Thursday at Mount Arafat, a desert hill near Islam’s holiest site, to pray and repent on the most important day of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The global coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow over every aspect of this year’s pilgrimage, which last year drew 2.5 million Muslims from across the world to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon nearly 1,400 years ago. (Patrawy, 7/30)

AP: Australian State Makes Masks Compulsory As COVID-19 Spreads
Australia’s coronavirus hot spot, Victoria state, will make wearing masks compulsory after reporting a record 723 new cases on Thursday, mostly among the vulnerable residents of aged care homes.Masks have been compulsory for the past week in the state capital, Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city with 5 million people, and a neighboring semi-rural district. (McGuirk, 7/30)

AP: A Virus Cluster In France Splits Generations, Raises Fears
As the sun went down, their partying got into full flow, with an unwanted guest: the coronavirus. An outbreak among 18- to 25-year-olds at a seaside resort on the Brittany coast is crystallizing fears that the virus is flaring again in France, on the back of vacationers throwing COVID-19 caution to the summer winds.With 72 infections by Wednesday — mostly among that age group — uncovered in a week of furious contact tracing, the cluster on the Quiberon peninsula was thought to have originated with a supermarket summer worker who partied with others at a nightspot. (Leicester and Pedram, 7/30)

AP: Hiroshima Court Recognizes Atomic Bomb 'Black Rain' Victims
A Japanese court on Wednesday for the first time recognized people exposed to radioactive “black rain” that fell after the 1945 U.S. atomic attack on Hiroshima as atomic bomb survivors, ordering the city and the prefecture to provide the same government medical benefits as given to other survivors. The Hiroshima District Court said all 84 plaintiffs who were outside of a zone previously set by the government as where radioactive rain fell also developed radiation-induced illnesses and should be certified as atomic bomb victims. All of the plaintiffs are older than their late 70s, with some in their 90s. (Yamaguchi, 7/29)

The American Journal of Medicine: End-Of-Life Spending And Healthcare Utilization Among Older Adults With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
End-of-life spending and healthcare utilization among older adults with COPD have not been previously described. We examined data on Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who died during the period of 2013-2014. End-of-life measures were retrospectively reviewed for 2 years prior to death. Hospital referral regions (HRRs) were categorized into quintiles of age-sex-race-adjusted overall spending during the last 2 years of life. Geographic quintile variation in spending and healthcare utilization was examined across the continuum. (Iyer et al, 7/1)

JAMA: Association Of Nonoperative Management Using Antibiotic Therapy Vs Laparoscopic Appendectomy With Treatment Success And Disability Days In Children With Uncomplicated Appendicitis 
Among children with uncomplicated appendicitis, an initial nonoperative management strategy with antibiotics alone had a success rate of 67.1% and, compared with urgent surgery, was associated with statistically significantly fewer disability days at 1 year. However, there was substantial loss to follow-up, the comparison with the prespecified threshold for an acceptable success rate of nonoperative management was not statistically significant, and the hypothesized difference in disability days was not met. (Minneci et al, 7/27)

Also —

Undark: Evidence And Orthodontics: Does Your Child Really Need Braces?
Orthodontics is largely considered a medical specialty, not just a cosmetic one. From small clinics to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), advertisements promise to prevent a host of ills ranging from cavities to jaw pain. Today, the AAO advises parents that all children should have an orthodontic consultation by age seven in order to identify potential problems and develop a treatment plan. According to the organization’s website, a lack of treatment can lead to tooth decay, gum disease, broken front teeth, and loss of bone tissue that holds teeth in place. Many orthodontic clinics additionally warn of persistent jaw pain and headaches. A small group of dentists and orthodontists across the globe have looked carefully at the evidence underpinning these claims and found it lacking. Although some individual studies suggest that orthodontic treatment improves oral health, such studies are often fraught with bias and often don’t control for variables like socioeconomic status. Further, when the results of multiple studies are analyzed together, they do not provide evidence that orthodontic treatment decreases one’s likelihood of developing conditions such as gum disease and jaw pain. (Whitcomb, 7/20)

Undark: Artificial Intelligence, Health Disparities, And Covid-19
The power of artificial intelligence has transformed health care by using massive datasets to improve diagnostics, treatment, records management, and patient outcomes. Complex decisions that once took hours — such as making a breast or lung cancer diagnosis based on imaging studies, or deciding when patients should be discharged — are now resolved within seconds by machine learning and deep learning applications.Any technology, of course, will have its limitations and flaws. And over the past few years, a steady stream of evidence has demonstrated that some of these AI-powered medical technologies are replicating racial bias and exacerbating historic health care inequities. Now, amid the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, some researchers are asking whether these new technologies might be contributing to the disproportionately high rates of virus-related illness and death among African Americans. African Americans aged 35 to 44 experience Covid-19 mortality rates that are nine times higher than their White counterparts. Many African Americans also say they have limited access to Covid-19 testing. (McCullom, 7/27)

Bloomberg: To Fight Covid-19, The U.S. Must Gather Better Data On Virus
Americans have a good sense of how the Covid-19 pandemic is going in their country: very badly. Infections, hospitalizations and deaths just keep rising. By Tuesday, the case count was over 4 million, more than a quarter of the global total, and U.S. deaths had climbed above 149,000. Per capita, the American death rate is the fourth highest in the world. Yet these statistics provide an imprecise picture. They suggest things are bleak, but say almost nothing about how to make them better. For that, officials need to see where exactly outbreaks are occurring and whether the measures they’re taking to defeat Covid-19 — including mask-wearing, testing and treatment — are working. The U.S. needs to know more specifically which people are being infected and where they’re picking up the coronavirus. (7/29)

Stat: Sexist Data Hold Back The World's Covid-19 Response 
How many women have died of Covid-19? How many women have lost their jobs in the economic crisis it created? And how many have had to stop working because schools and day cares have closed and now have to take on unforeseen and added child care responsibilities? I don’t know the full answer to any of these questions. No one does. When it comes to the pandemic and its effect on women, too often we just don’t have the numbers. (Melinda Gates, 7/30)

The New York Times: Bernie Sanders Is Asking For Masks For All
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced legislation this week that directs the Trump administration to send three “high-quality, reusable” masks to every person in the United States, and would provide $5 billion to increase mask production. This is a good idea. Wearing masks saves lives, and not just other people’s lives. There’s evidence that it limits the chances of catching the coronavirus. Wearing a mask might save your life, too. Sending masks to every American won’t convince them all to wear a mask. It is not a corrective for the behavior of Representative Louie Gohmert, Republican of Texas, who has flaunted his refusal to wear a mask, and who said Wednesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. But distributing high-quality masks would provide Americans inclined to behave responsibly with masks that maximize health benefits. (7/29)

Louisville Courier-Journal: Louisville Coronavirus: Doctors Urge City Residents To Wear Masks
I have taken care of patients who have this virus. It does not care what you look like, how old you are, or what you do. It just wants a host. If it can find any opportunity, the virus will take it. Simply put, being in crowded areas with other people encourages the virus to spread. This is why physical distancing and masks are so important. It helps prevent the virus from having a host. (Monalisa Tailor, Lewis Hargett and Heidi Marguilis, 7/30)

Des Moines Register: COVID-19 And Iowa: We Insist, It Appears, On 'Playing With Fire'
Another week, another rejection. Now neighboring Illinois doesn’t want anything to do with us. Its governor is asking residents of his state to avoid Iowa because lately our rate of positive COVID-19 tests is a whopping 7.2% compared with Illinois' 3.7%. That dis comes after East Coast states insisted Iowans quarantine on arrival there. So did the city of Chicago. In Rock Island, they call Iowa the “Wild West.” Are we embarrassed to be the pariahs, as much larger, more diverse and congested states got their COVID numbers down through stricter measures? Is our leader ready to admit she was wrong, first for not mandating sheltering in place, and then for relaxing social distancing as numbers were still rising? Not a bit. As 30 of 50 states require face coverings, Gov. Kim Reynolds digs her heels in. (Rekha Basu, 7/29)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Parson, Rejecting Missouri's Pandemic Reality, Labels New York A 'Disaster'
If anything, Missouri and other coronavirus-afflicted states should be following New York’s example instead of mocking it. Gov. Mike Parson undermined his own credibility once again on Monday by calling New York “a disaster” after that state and its neighbors imposed a 14-day quarantine on Missourians if they want to travel there. “I’m not going to put much stock in what New York says. They’re a disaster,” Parson told reporters. Command of facts and common sense has rarely been Parson’s strong suit.When states like New York found themselves drowning in coronavirus cases a few months ago, they instituted drastic precautionary measures that included shutting down bars and restaurants, banning public gatherings and mandatory wearing of masks in public. Parson took the opposite approach. (7/28)

Dallas Morning News: By Dissing Science, Trump Is Turning His Back On What Made America Great
Looking for evidence of what made America great? A good place to start is our genius for scientific envelope-pushing. Since World War II, it’s brought forth one game-changer after another, in cars and planes, computers and phones — you name it. American innovation has led the world as medical breakthroughs made workers and their families healthier and longer-lived. That’s what makes President Donald Trump’s war on science so gobsmackingly perverse. In mid-July, with COVID-19 infections hitting distressing levels in the Sun Belt, the president and his advisers chose to diss their own doctors, most notably infectious disease guru Dr. Anthony Fauci, as wrongheaded losers. (Tracy Dahlby, 7/30)

Fox News: Big Tech Censors COVID-19 Video Featuring Doctors
Yesterday, the news site Breitbart posted a video of a group of physicians giving a press conference about medical advances in the fight against COVID-19. Some of the news that doctors delivered was hopeful because there is hopeful news to report. Seventeen million people saw that video, the president retweeted it. This enraged Democrats. Any scientific advancement that reduces the suffering of Americans in an election year is a threat to Joe Biden's campaign. So they decided to pull that video off the internet. Fifteen years ago, that would have been absurd. You couldn't have done it. This was America. You weren't allowed to ban a news story just because it might hurt your candidate's poll numbers. (Tucker Carlson, 7/29)

The New York Times: Misleading Hydroxychloroquine Video, Pushed By The Trumps, Spreads Online 
Social media companies took down the video within hours. But by then, it had already been viewed tens of millions of times. ... “Misinformation about a deadly virus has become political fodder, which was then spread by many individuals who are trusted by their constituencies,” said Lisa Kaplan, founder of Alethea Group, a start-up that helps fight disinformation. “If just one person listened to anyone spreading these falsehoods and they subsequently took an action that caused others to catch, spread or even die from the virus — that is one person too many.” One of the speakers in the video, who identified herself as Dr. Stella Immanuel, said, “You don’t need masks” to prevent spread of the coronavirus. She also claimed to be treating hundreds of patients infected with coronavirus with hydroxychloroquine, and asserted that it was an effective treatment. The claims have been repeatedly disputed by the medical establishment. (Sheera Frenkel and Davey Alba, 7/28)

Stat: A NASA Mindset Can Help End The Pandemic 
Eight months into the global coronavirus pandemic, the life sciences industry is ramping up drug research in previously unprecedented ways, investigating existing drugs as well as potential new therapies and vaccines to treat and prevent Covid-19. The rush to research, however, has resulted in some haphazard, poorly designed, and costly Covid-19 clinical trials, as demonstrated by a STAT analysis. What we need is a coordinated effort, something like the one used in the U.S. space program. (Suresh Katta, 7/29)

CNN: Trump And His Allies Respond With Pseudo-Science As US Virus Death Toll Hits 150,000 
On the day the US surpassed another tragic milestone -- 150,000 coronavirus deaths -- it became ever clearer that pseudo-science, ideological posturing and mocking the idea of a national strategy are no way to fight a deadly pandemic. Yet President Donald Trump, his friends in Congress, members of his Cabinet, senior staff and supporters are still setting out to undermine the fact-based approaches that might get the virus under control and restore normal life. (Stephen Collinson, 7/30)

The Washington Post: The Delusional Experiment Of Sports During A Pandemic
The Miami Marlins clubhouse is crawling with the coronavirus. At least 17 players and coaches have tested positive for covid-19; the Philadelphia Phillies, plus their umpiring crew and stadium staff, await results after their dust-up with the infected Floridians; the New York Yankees were in lockdown before heading to Baltimore. That’s the box score only after opening weekend — yet Major League Baseball says it’s not planning on cutting short its already stunted season. Meanwhile, the entire National Basketball Association has gone to Disney World. The show must go on, apparently, because we don’t know what we’d do without it. We’re looking to sports for a grand reprise of our regular lives in a very irregular summer. (Molly Roberts, 7/29)

The Washington Post: The Message Of The Marlins: Don’t Play Ball
“This field, this game — it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.” — Terence Mann in “Field of Dreams.” No, they won’t come, Ray. A global pandemic has reduced the Grand Old Game’s romanticists to cardboard cutouts behind home plate. Don’t keep the field or play, either; the liability is too great. You’ll get sued.Wear your mask, Ray. Maintain social distance of about an Iowa cornfield from the Miami Marlins. And get over any misguided notion that a return to baseball — and, indeed, to all sports — is essential for our collective mental health right now. We want sports. We don’t need them. (Mike Wise, 7/29)

The Wall Street Journal: The Bureau Of Pandemic Investigation 
Republicans lambasted Nancy Pelosi’s bailout of Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in a previous virus relief bill, but now they’re countering with their own boondoggle. The Senate GOP proposal unveiled Monday includes $1.75 billion for “the design and construction of a Washington, DC headquarters facility for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” Even Republican Senators are embarrassed by this project unrelated to fighting the pandemic. “You’ll have to ask them”—meaning the White House—“why they insisted that be included,” said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. President Trump told the press Wednesday that Republicans who object “should go back to school and learn. You need a new building.” (7/29)

The Washington Post: By Threatening Unemployment Benefits, Republicans Risk Sending The Economy Over A Cliff 
The 31.8 million U.S. workers currently receiving unemployment insurance benefits need that help — and they need clarity about how much help they are going to get, and for how much longer. Too bad neither the Republican majority in the Senate nor the White House can get its act together to meet those needs, especially with a July 31 expiration date for a covid-19-related $600-per-week supplement fast approaching. The GOP has proposed renewing the supplement at a lower level, $200, through September, to be followed by a new system under which recipients get 70 percent of their previous wages, up to $500 per week. Democrats want the $600 per week to continue unchanged through the end of this year. It’s anyone’s guess how this might be resolved before Friday. (7/29)

The Houston Chronicle: No Time For Squabbling. Congress Must Pass A COVID Relief Bill Now.
Congress has a job to do — and no time to waste. Republicans and Democrats must work to reconcile the differences in their latest coronavirus economic relief packages and forge a bipartisan bill that can be passed quickly. The still-struggling economy is being hit anew as the surge of the deadly virus in parts of the country, including Texas, forces cities and states back into shutdown mode and threatens to deepen the recession triggered by the pandemic. (7/29)

The Wall Street Journal: The Virus May Strike Teachers Unions 
If you have school-age children, you may be wondering if they’ll ever get an education. On Tuesday the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest education union, threatened “safety strikes” if reopening plans aren’t to its liking. Some state and local governments are insisting that public K-12 schooling this fall be conducted online three to five days a week and imposing stringent conditions on those students who actually make it to the classroom. Yet there are three reasons to be optimistic about the future of education. First, many parents will be more prepared to home-school their kids than they were in the spring. They or their hired teachers will do a better job of educating children, in many cases, than the public schools. (David R. Henderson, 7/29)

The New York Times: Yes, The Coronavirus Is In The Air
Finally. The World Health Organization has now formally recognized that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is airborne and that it can be carried by tiny aerosols. As we cough and sneeze, talk or just breathe, we naturally release droplets (small particles of fluid) and aerosols (smaller particles of fluid) into the air. Yet until earlier this month, the W.H.O. — like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or Public Health England — had warned mostly about the transmission of the new coronavirus through direct contact and droplets released at close range. Transmission through aerosols matters — and probably a lot more than we’ve been able to prove yet. (Linsey C. Marr, 7/30)

The Washington Post: Older Poll Workers Are Afraid To Work This Fall. Younger Americans Should Step Up. 
With fewer than 100 days until the November election, officials are scrambling to figure out how to safely conduct an election during a public health crisis. At this point, several key issues are largely the province of government officials, such as ensuring that ballots are sent to voters in a timely manner and implementing hygiene protocols at polling locations. But ordinary Americans can address a major issue: a shortage of poll workers. This fall, young, healthy people should step forward to relieve the country’s mostly older poll workers from exposure to the novel coronavirus. While a record number of votes are likely to be cast by mail this year, polling locations will remain open across the country. That’s needed to accommodate those for whom mail-in ballots are not a good option, such as voters without reliable mail access or those who require assistance to vote. (7/29)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: More Black Bone Marrow Donors Needed
Race and ethnicity matter in finding a matching donor for patients in need. Currently, out of 22 million potential donors on the Be The Match Registry – the world’s largest listing of potential stem cell donors operated by the National Marrow Donor Program – only 4%, or less than 1 million, are Black. Fewer Black donors makes it harder for Black patients to find a potentially life-saving cure. In fact, Black patients battling blood cancer or deadly blood disorders only have a 23% chance of finding a match, compared to a 77% chance for White patients. (Nikema Williams, 7/29)

The Hill: A Commonsense Step To Help The Individual Health Insurance Market 
A little-known program continues to cause problems in the individual and small group health insurance markets. The program involves shared risk payments among insurers, and it must be reformed to expand choices and lower premiums. (Brian Blase, 7/29)