The Hill: COVID-19 Now No. 3 Cause Of Death In US 
COVID-19 is currently the third-leading cause of death in the U.S., eight months after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country. The coronavirus is behind only heart disease and cancer among causes of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Coleman, 8/17)

USA Today: 'A Step Back': COVID-19 Infections Reach All-Time High In US Nursing Homes Amid Surge Of Cases In Sunbelt States
Coronavirus cases in nursing homes have surged to an all-time high, driven by spread of the virus in Sunbelt states, according to a new report. An analysis of federal data shows 9,715 COVID-19 cases during the week of July 26, the most recent data available. The figures eclipsed the previous high of 9,421 cases in the last week of May, according to the report by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. Nearly four in five of coronavirus infections were at facilities in Sunbelt states, where total nursing home cases nearly tripled since mid-June, according to the report. (Alltucker, 8/17)

AP: Texas Becomes 4th State To Surpass 10,000 Virus Deaths
Texas surpassed 10,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths Monday as the lingering toll of a massive summer outbreak continues, and health experts expressed concerns that recent encouraging trends could be fragile as schools begin reopening for 5 million students across the state. Roughly four in every five of those deaths were reported after June 1. Texas embarked on one of the fastest reopenings in the country in May before an ensuing surge in cases led Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to backtrack and impose a statewide mask order. August has seen an improving outlook, although Texas officials are now concerned that not enough people are seeking tests. (Weber, 8/17)

Politico: Trump Rejects Pentagon's Proposed Cuts To Military Health Care 
President Donald Trump on Monday said he had rejected a proposal working its way through the Pentagon to cut military health services by $2.2 billion as part of an overall spending review. "A proposal by Pentagon officials to slash Military Healthcare by $2.2 billion dollars has been firmly and totally rejected by me," Trump tweeted on Monday night. "We will do nothing to hurt our great Military professionals & heroes as long as I am your President. Thank you!" (Diamond and Seligman, 8/17)

The Hill: Trump Says He Has Rejected Pentagon Proposal To Slash Military Health Care 
The Pentagon did not immediately return a request for comment. Under the proposal, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness would need to save $2.2 billion in military health, a number officials settled on after months of discussions during the cost-cutting review, a defense official told Politico. (Coleman, 8/17)

In other White House news —

Politico: Former DHS Official: Trump Wanted To Withhold California Wildfire Money For Political Reasons 
President Donald Trump wanted to shut off emergency relief for California amid devastating wildfires because it was a blue state, and he tried to deliberately separate families to deter immigration, according to a scathing account given by a former administration official on Monday. In a new ad by the group Republican Voters Against Trump, Miles Taylor, former chief of staff to former Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, said Trump was “actively doing damage to our security,” recounting a number of episodes that he said revealed Trump’s inability to lead. (Choi, 8/17)

CNN: Birx Says Data Collected From Hospitals During Coronavirus Pandemic Has Been "Extraordinarily Important"
White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Monday that the coronavirus data collected from hospitals has been "extraordinarily important." "We have an interim system -- it is solely an interim system -- to get daily reports from hospitals of new admissions," Birx said in a roundtable discussion hosted by Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson. "I think that has been critically important to support the states." (Mascarenhas, 8/17)

AP: Trump Rule On Transgender Health Blocked At The 11th Hour
The lawsuit against the Trump administration rule was brought by an advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign, on behalf of two transgender women. One of the plaintiffs is an Army veteran, and the other a writer and activist. Judge Block dismissed as “disingenuous” arguments from HHS that its rule was legally valid, and he wrote that the agency acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” in enacting it. HHS said it was disappointed by the judge’s decision. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/18)

The Hill: Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Transgender Health Rule From Taking Effect 
The rule was issued in mid-June, during Pride Month. It made clear that the government's interpretation of sex discrimination would be based on "the plain meaning of the word 'sex' as male or female and as determined by biology." The original Obama-era rule in 2016 made it illegal for doctors, hospitals and other health care workers to deny care to someone whose sexual orientation or gender identity they disapproved of. (Weixel, 8/17)

In related news —

Politico: Trump-Backed Transgender Athlete Ban Paused In Idaho 
A federal judge decided Monday to temporarily block an Idaho law that bars transgender women from participating in school sports and requires testing if an athlete’s sex is in question. Idaho’s "Fairness in Women’s Sports Act" will now be on pause while the judge continues to decide whether the law violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the 14th Amendment, as well as the unlawful searches and seizures clause of the Fourth Amendment. (Quilantan, 8/17)

The Washington Post: On Democratic Convention’s First Night, Speakers Blame Trump For America’s Woes 
Democrats kicked off their virtual nominating convention Monday with a focused denunciation of President Trump, showcasing dozens of testimonials that culminated in lancing criticism from former first lady Michelle Obama, who cast Trump as incapable of meeting America’s needs and said Joe Biden would usher in racial justice and ease the coronavirus pandemic. In the centerpiece speech of the night, a searing indictment of her husband Barack Obama’s successor, Obama declared that Trump has mishandled the pandemic and failed to respond to outcries over the deaths of Black Americans. She warned that the nation would suffer more if he is elected to a second term. (Johnson, Scherer, Wootson Jr., Janes, Stanley-Becker, Sonmez and Wagner, 8/18)

The New York Times: Michelle Obama, Capping Off First Night of Democratic Convention, Hits Trump for Lacking Empathy
Casting aside her reluctance to engage in political combat, Michelle Obama delivered an impassioned keynote address to cap off the first night of the Democratic convention and offered a withering assessment of President Trump, accusing him of creating “chaos,” sowing “division” and governing “with a total and utter lack of empathy.” (Saul, 8/18)

AP: Michelle Obama Warns At DNC That Trump Is 'In Over His Head'
The president “has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head,” she said. “He cannot meet this moment.” “It is what it is,” Mrs. Obama said — echoing a remark Trump made recently about the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus. Citing the pandemic, the flagging economy, the political unrest that’s broken out nationwide over systemic racism and what she described as America’s lack of leadership on the world stage, Mrs. Obama said the nation is “underperforming not simply on matters of policy, but on matters of character.” (Superville and Jaffe, 8/17)

The Hill: Whitmer Faults Trump For Fighting Other Americans More Than Virus 
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) faulted President Trump for fighting “his fellow Americans” more than the coronavirus during her speech at the Democratic National Convention. The Michigan governor called out the president for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic during the convention held virtually because of COVID-19. (Coleman, 8/17)

Dallas Morning News: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tells DNC ‘Our Way Succeeded’ On COVID, But Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Has Found Reason To Differ
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told the virtual Democratic National Convention on Monday night that President Donald Trump mishandled the COVID-19 crisis, proving that “government matters and leadership matters.” But for weeks, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, has accused Cuomo of botching New York’s initial response to the coronavirus outbreak, with his attempt to ease pressure on hospitals by sending infected patients to nursing homes. (Garrett, 8/17)

CNN: Woman Who Lost Father To Covid-19: 'His Only Preexisting Condition Was Trusting Donald Trump'
A woman who lost her father to the coronavirus excoriated the President on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, declaring in a pointed speech that her father's "only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump." Kristin Urquiza, whose father Mark Urquiza died from the virus in June, said in a video message Monday night that he "paid with his life" by trusting the President's repeated insistence that the pandemic would go away. (LeBlanc, 8/17)

In other news from the Democrats —

Politico: Biden Says He Thought About Suicide After 1972 Death Of His Wife And Daughter
Joe Biden says he contemplated suicide following the 1972 car crash that killed his wife and daughter, opening up about his personal encounters with loss in pre-released clips on Monday from an upcoming documentary. The presumptive Democratic nominee’s life has been defined by the deaths of those close to him. Although tragedy forms a crucial part of his political outlook, Biden’s comments represent some of the most intense disclosures about his mental health struggles after the deaths of his family members. (Cohen, 8/17)

The Hill: With Biden, Advocates Sense Momentum For Lifting Abortion Funding Ban
Abortion rights advocates are pinning their hopes on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to help end a longstanding ban on the use of federal funds for abortion — a policy he supported for more than 40 years. Biden reversed his position by denouncing the so-called Hyde amendment last year, but its future doesn’t just depend on who wins the White House. Democrats will also need to make major gains in the Senate, keep control of the House and gain the support of more moderate Democratic lawmakers on a divisive issue. (Hellmann, 8/17)

Stat: Trump's Facebook Ad Blitz Casts Biden As Pharma's Choice 
President Trump’s reelection campaign is appealing to swing voters by attacking “Big Pharma” in a new digital advertising blitz. In Facebook and Instagram ads launched on Sunday, Trump touts a plan to lower prescription drug prices and casts his Democratic opponent, former vice president Joe Biden, as the drug industry’s preferred candidate in November’s election. (Facher, 8/18)

Los Angeles Times: Trump And Biden Offer Starkly Different Healthcare Policies
Few issues have more sharply divided Republicans and Democrats over the last decade than healthcare, and so it is with President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. The two men offer starkly different visions of what the federal government should do to ensure that Americans have access to affordable medical care. (Levey, 8/17)

The Hill: Trump Campaign Sells 2020 Masks Months After CDC Recommended Them 
The Trump campaign on Monday launched the sale of branded face coverings, months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first recommended masks as a way to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The campaign store features a red mask that has the word "Trump" emblazoned on it, and a blue mask with "MAGA" printed on it, a reference to the president's campaign slogan. Each costs $15. (Samuels, 8/17)

Also —

Kaiser Health News and Politifact HealthCheck: GOP Senate Ad Misrepresents Mont. Governor’s Stance On Rural Hospitals, Public Option
An attack ad, which was released in mid-July, states that Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democratic candidate for the Senate, supports a government-run health care program that would wreak havoc on the state’s health care infrastructure. “Bullock’s health care plan will force rural hospitals to close. Medicare as we know it will change, replaced by a government-run program with fewer doctors and longer wait times,” says the narrator in the dark and grainy advertisement paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). (Knight, 8/18)

Politico: House To Vote On $25B Infusion For Postal Service Amid Trump Attacks 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi finalized plans Monday to provide billions of dollars in funding to the flailing Postal Service as Democrats seek to prop up the agency ahead of the November election, even while senior Republicans decry the move as partisan and unnecessary. The House will vote Saturday on legislation that will deliver $25 billion to address funding shortfalls and block organizational changes at the Postal Service that Democrats say are politically motivated and threaten to jeopardize the presidential election by inhibiting mail-in voting. (Caygle, Ferris and Levine, 8/17)

NPR: Key Seniors Group Presses Postmaster General To Safeguard Voting By Mail
Just as the Democratic National Convention kicked off tonight, the AARP — the largest nonpartisan group advocating for Americans 50 and over — weighed in on the debate about the importance of voting by mail. The group is urging Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to suspend any changes to mail delivery operations. Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, told DeJoy in a letter that her group “has become increasingly concerned that recent changes in mail processing operations may be compromising the health and safety of millions of older Americans and may unduly restrict the ability of all Americans to safely participate in the upcoming elections, whether they choose to vote from home or in-person.” (8/17)

The Washington Post: Trump Says Mail-In Voting Could Be ‘Catastrophic.’ Here’s How Other Countries Do It. 
The novel coronavirus pandemic has made voting more complicated — and potentially dangerous. For many countries, remote voting, either by mail or online, could offer a solution. Some nations that have held elections during the pandemic, including Poland and South Korea, promoted mail-in voting. Ahead of the November presidential election, the Trump administration has done the opposite. (Taylor, 8/17)

Boston Globe: Experts Team Up To Outline Best Practices For Safe In-Person Voting 
Mail-in balloting — and Republican President Donald Trump’s opposition to it — have taken center stage recently. But many Americans, for whatever reason, are likely to go to the polls in person Nov. 3 instead of casting their votes by mail. So experts from the Brennan Center for Law and Justice at New York University have teamed up with the Infectious Disease Society of America to issue recommendations for safe in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic. (Finucane, 8/17)

In related news from Capitol Hill —

Politico: Senate Republicans To Introduce Smaller Covid Package That Includes Billions For Postal Service 
Senate Republicans are planning to introduce a “skinny” coronavirus relief bill, amid an impasse in negotiations between the White House and top Democratic leaders. The latest GOP coronavirus relief bill is expected to include $300 in boosted weekly federal unemployment benefits until December 27, another round of money for the Paycheck Protection Program and an additional $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service and liability protections. The proposal is also expected to include money for education and testing. (Levine, 8/17)

Modern Healthcare: CMS To Resume Routine Inspections Of Suppliers, Providers
CMS on Monday announced it will resume routine inspections of all Medicare and Medicaid suppliers and providers. Inspections were put on hold March 23 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic so it could focus on infection control and help prevent the spread of the virus. CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the agency has worked closely with states to complete infection control surveys at most of the nursing homes in the country in the past few months. Since March 4, CMS and state inspectors performed 15,158 surveys in nursing homes, a 95% completion rate. (Christ, 8/17)

AP: Report: Nursing Home Cases Up Nearly 80% In COVID-19 Rebound
COVID-19 cases in U.S. nursing homes jumped nearly 80% earlier this summer, driven by rampant spread across the South and much of the West, according to an industry report released Monday. “The case numbers suggest the problem is far from solved,” said Tamara Konetzka, a research professor at the University of Chicago, who specializes in long-term care. She was not involved with the study. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/17)

Also —

Stat: Opioid Prescriptions Written For Medicare Part D Beneficiaries Drop
In 2019, about one in four Medicare Part D beneficiaries received at least one prescription opioid. Specifically, 26% of beneficiaries, or 12.6 million of the 48.3 million people enrolled in the program, received opioids. This was a drop from the previous year, when 29% of beneficiaries received the addictive painkillers through Part D and, significantly, the fourth-consecutive year of decline. (Silverman, 8/17)

Stat: Medicaid Beneficiaries Sue Texas Agency Over Access To Hepatitis C Drugs
A group of Medicaid enrollees is accusing a Texas agency of rationing hepatitis C medicines due to cost, the latest such allegation in an ongoing battle between state officials and patients over access to the life-saving treatments.In a lawsuit, the Medicaid beneficiaries allege the Texas Health & Human Services Commission restricts coverage of hepatitis C medicines to only those enrollees with severe liver damage, even though the drugs have cure rates approaching 100% for all infected people. As a result, they must wait until they have advanced liver disease or cirrhosis of the liver before being eligible for coverage. (Silverman, 8/14)

AP: FDA Flags Accuracy Issue With Widely Used Coronavirus Test
Potential accuracy issues with a widely used coronavirus test could lead to false results for patients, U.S. health officials warned. The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert Monday to doctors and laboratory technicians using Thermo Fisher’s TaqPath genetic test. Regulators said issues related to laboratory equipment and software used to run the test could lead to inaccuracies. The agency advised technicians to follow updated instructions and software developed by the company to ensure accurate results. (Perrone, 8/18)

The Hill: Delta Partnering With CVS For Employee Rapid-Response Coronavirus Testing 
Delta Air Lines is expanding its employee coronavirus testing program to include a testing option that takes fewer than 15 minutes to diagnose, the company announced on Tuesday. The airline will use CVS Health Return Ready testing, which is a rapid-response nasal swab test. It will be overseen by a CVS clinician in Delta hub crew lounges. (Gangitano, 8/18)

NBC News: How Much Will The SalivaDirect Test Help The U.S. Testing Crisis?
A newly authorized saliva-based coronavirus test is a step in the right direction, but it won't do much to ease the strain on labs as they process test results, experts say. The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday issued an emergency use authorization, or EUA, for SalivaDirect, which can detect whether a person is infected with the coronavirus using saliva, rather than a sample taken from deep in the nasal cavity. (Syal, 8/17)

AP: 'Horrifying' Data Glitch Skews Key Iowa Coronavirus Metrics
A state agency says it is working to fix a data error on Iowa’s coronavirus website that lowers the number of new confirmed cases and therefore downplays the severity of the current outbreak, just as schools are deciding whether to reopen. The glitch means the Iowa Department of Public Health has inadvertently been reporting fewer new infections and a smaller percentage of daily positive tests than is truly the case, according to Dana Jones, an Iowa City nurse practitioner who uncovered the problem. It’s particularly significant because school districts are relying on state data to determine whether they will offer in-person instruction when school resumes in the coming days and weeks. (Foley, 8/17)

Dallas Morning News: As Dallas County Residents Wait Longer For COVID-19 Test Results At One Site, Leaders Demand Change
Dallas County leaders are calling for changes at one of the region’s largest public coronavirus testing sites as new data show that wait times for results have nearly doubled. Commissioner John Wiley Price, who represents southern Dallas, will ask officials Tuesday to forgo paying the county’s portion of a $14.6 million contract with the city of Dallas and Honu Management Group to provide 500 tests a day at a community college in Mesquite. (Garcia and Hacker, 8/17)

Also —

AP: Illinois Launches Online COVID-19 Hotspot Map For Travelers
Illinois public health officials on Monday launched a COVID-19 hotspot map for travelers to assess their risk before leaving the state. The online map shows which U.S. states have an average daily case rate of at least 15 cases per 100,000 people, which is considered higher risk. (Tareen, 8/17)

The Washington Post: I Downloaded Covidwise, America's First Bluetooth Exposure-Notification App. You Should, Too. 
There’s a new kind of app that uses your smartphone’s Bluetooth wireless signals to figure out when you’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. It pops up the world’s most stressful-yet-helpful notification: “You have likely been exposed.” For the past week and a half, 35 Washington Post staff members have been helping me test America’s first exposure-notification app using technology from Apple and Google. It’s called Covidwise, and works in the state of Virginia. Made by state health departments, similar apps are also now available in North Dakota (Care19 Alert), Wyoming (also called Care19 Alert), and Alabama (Guidesafe). In total, 20 states and territories are developing apps that will cover nearly half the U.S. population. (Fowler, 8/17)

The Hill: Novavax Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate Begins Phase Two Trials 
Novavax on Monday announced it would proceed with phase two clinical trials to determine if its coronavirus vaccine candidate showed positive results for patients. The Maryland-based firm is one of several companies around the world working to develop a vaccine to protect against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Its move to begin the second phase of study comes just weeks after reporting that its vaccine showed promising signs in early trials. (Wise, 8/17)

In related news —

CNN: Oleandrin Treatment For Coronavirus Is 'Nonsense' Right Now, Experts Say 
Is the White House about to promote a new, unproven and sketchy coronavirus treatment? Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and an enthusiastic Trump supporter, says so. He told CNN he took part in a July meeting with President Trump to discuss oleandrin as a potential treatment for coronavirus. But such early enthusiasm for the compound, made using a toxic shrub, is not only strange, but disturbing, three infectious disease specialists told CNN Monday. (Fox, 8/18)

CNBC: ‘You Can’t Fix Stupid’ — Trump Trade Advisor Peter Navarro Rips Kodak Executives As Dumbest Ever
White House trade advisor Peter Navarro blasted executives at Eastman Kodak on Monday for their handling of a government loan to produce pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States. “Based on what I’m seeing, what happened at Kodak was probably the dumbest decisions made by executives in corporate history,” Navarro said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” (Stankiewicz, 8/17)

Also —

Stat: How Teladoc Won: The Inside Story Of How Prescient Bets Put It Ahead Of Rivals
The unquestioned leader in a virtual care sector that has surged in the Covid-19 era, Teladoc has a relationship with more than one-fifth of the U.S. population. The telemedicine provider’s planned acquisition of diabetes coaching company Livongo is poised to make it even more of a juggernaut: The two companies had a combined market capitalization of nearly $30 billion as of the end of the day on Monday. (Robbins and Brodwin, 8/18)

Stat: Sanofi's CEO On A Big Acquisition, Long-Term Strategy, And Vaccines
It was less than 12 months ago that Paul Hudson took the reins at the French drug giant Sanofi, promising to refocus the company on more innovative, and lucrative, new medicines. On Monday, he spoke with STAT to about the decision to purchase Principia Biopharma for $3.7 billion — as well as Sanofi’s overall strategy and its Covid-19 vaccine candidates. (Herper, 8/17)

CIDRAP: Information Card Boosts Patient Knowledge Of Antibiotics, UK Study Finds
Introduction of an "antibiotic information card" (AIC) for patients being discharged from the acute medical unit (ACU) of an English hospital significantly increased patient knowledge about antibiotic prescriptions but did not affect the readmission rate, UK researchers reported late last week in the American Journal of Infection Control. The card was introduced in the ACU at William Harvey Hospital from November 2019 to January 2020 as part of an effort to improve patient compliance with antibiotic regimens. (8/17)

Stat: Unity, A Biotech Seeking To Develop Anti-Aging Drugs, Fails An Early Test
Unity Biotechnology said Monday that its experimental treatment for osteoarthritis failed to improve knee pain compared to a placebo in a mid-stage clinical trial. The outcome is likely to raise new doubts about the biotech’s ability to develop drugs to reverse the symptoms and diseases associated with aging. (Feuerstein, 8/17)

The New York Times: Covid-19: What If ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Closer Than Scientists Thought? 
To achieve so-called herd immunity — the point at which the virus can no longer spread widely because there are not enough vulnerable humans — scientists have suggested that perhaps 70 percent of a given population must be immune, through vaccination or because they survived the infection. Now some researchers are wrestling with a hopeful possibility. In interviews with The New York Times, more than a dozen scientists said that the threshold is likely to be much lower: just 50 percent, perhaps even less. If that’s true, then it may be possible to turn back the coronavirus more quickly than once thought. (Mandavilli, 8/17)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Cases, Deaths May Follow Weekly Pattern 
MIT, Boston University, and Harvard Medical School researchers have identified weekly oscillations in the numbers of new daily COVID-19 cases and deaths in several countries that are more pronounced than fluctuations seen with other diseases. ... In the United States, the lag time between daily new cases and deaths was 2 days, compared with 1 day for Germany. But the authors said that the lag was not caused by epidemiologic factors but rather by possible bias in the disease surveillance system. (Van Beusekom, 8/17)

Reuters: More Infectious Coronavirus Mutation May Be 'A Good Thing,' Says Disease Expert 
An increasingly common mutation of the novel coronavirus found in Europe, North America and parts of Asia may be more infectious but appears less deadly, according to a prominent infectious diseases doctor. Paul Tambyah, senior consultant at the National University of Singapore and president-elect of the International Society of Infectious Diseases, said evidence suggests the proliferation of the D614G mutation in some parts of the world has coincided with a drop in death rates, suggesting it is less lethal. (8/17)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Patients With Heart Disease At Risk For Complications, Death
A meta-analysis by Italian researchers published late last week in PLOS One shows that COVID-19 patients who have or are at risk for cardiovascular disease are more likely than others to develop cardiovascular complications and die from their infections.Researchers analyzed data from 21 published observational studies involving 77,317 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Asia, Europe, and the United States. At hospital admission, 12.9% of the patients had cardiovascular conditions, 36.1% had high blood pressure, 33.8% were obese, 19.5% had diabetes, and 10.7% were smokers. Of all patients, 11.7% had coronary artery disease, 9.4% had heart failure, and 5.3% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (8/17)

Stat: How Do You Separate Scientifically Sound Stem Cell Therapies From Scams?
For patients who’ve run out of other options, experimental, unproven therapies like stem cell treatments offer new hope. But how do you sort the scientifically legitimate from the dangerous? (Ortolano, 8/18)

The New York Times: Coronavirus Doctors Battle Another Scourge: Misinformation 
An emergency room doctor in Illinois was accused in April of profiting from naming coronavirus as the cause of a patient’s death, a rumor spreading online. An internist in New York treated a vomiting patient in May who drank a bleach mixture as part of a fake virus cure found on YouTube. ... Doctors on the front lines of the global pandemic say they are fighting not just the coronavirus, but also increasingly combating a never-ending scourge of misinformation about the disease that is hurting patients. (Satariano, 8/17)

The Hill: Dozens Of Public Health Officials Are Quitting During Pandemic 
Health officials across the country are calling it quits in the midst of a global pandemic as otherwise below-the-radar public servants become the targets of anger and frustration in a hyperpartisan age. In some cases, government health officials have quit or been removed from their jobs after clashing with elected leaders. (Wilson, 8/17)

Kaiser Health News: Teen Artist’s Portraits Help Frame Sacrifice Of Health Care Workers Lost To COVID
As Xinyi Christine Zhang watched the COVID-19 death toll among health care workers rise this spring, she wanted to find a way to give solace — and thanks — to their families. The teenager, of South Brunswick Township, New Jersey, joined her church in commemorating members who had died of COVID-19. But she was driven to try to do more, something personal. (Lawrence, 8/18)

Kaiser Health News and The Guardian: Lost On The Frontline: Explore The Interactive Database
Hundreds of U.S. health care workers have died fighting COVID-19. We count them and investigate why.

In other news —

The Hill: Study: Black Newborns More Likely To Survive When Cared For By Black Doctors 
Black newborns are more likely to survive during childbirth when cared for by Black doctors, according to a study published Monday. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that Black babies were three times more likely to die in the hospital than white newborns when cared for by white doctors. When Black doctors cared for Black babies, the mortality rate was cut in half. (Coleman, 8/17)

Modern Healthcare: Insurers See Pooled COVID-19 Test Samples As A Potential Coverage Loophole
Insurers may have found a loophole in Congress' COVID-19 diagnostic testing coverage requirements: pooled test results. Trump administration officials have hailed pooling COVID-19 testing samples as a way to increase testing capacity while conserving supplies, but at least one insurer tried to exempt themselves from paying for any sort of pooled testing under a standard set in guidance from the Trump administration. (Cohrs, 8/17)

Modern Healthcare: Michigan Blues To Refund $21 Million To Customers
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan plans to return more than $21 million in the form of premium waivers to more than 180,000 commercially insured individual health and dental plan members in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Premium credits will be issued on November invoices, pending state insurance department approval. The credits are a response to lower than expected healthcare claims resulting from the disruption in the delivery of health and dental services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Blue Cross said Monday. (Greene, 8/17)

Boston Globe: Insurers, Hospitals At Odds In Telehealth Debate On Beacon Hill 
Massachusetts lawmakers have debated for years how best to pay for telehealth. All it took was a pandemic to finally get something done. Now, the Legislature is on the brink of finalizing a law that would mandate reimbursement rates for many virtual medical visits — a once-abstract concept to most of us that became all too real during COVID-19 lockdowns. (Chesto, 8/17)

In other hospital news —

Boston Globe: Mass General Brigham Extends Work-From-Home Through June 
Saying the coronavirus crisis has taken a “heavy toll” on its staff, Mass General Brigham has extended remote work through June 2021 for nearly 20,000 employees, or a quarter of its workforce, and expanded child-care benefits available to all workers. “While this decision was difficult, we must lead by example and support Governor Baker’s request to work remotely wherever possible,” the state’s largest private employer said Monday in a companywide e-mail. (Edelman, 8/17)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Here's What's Next For East Jefferson Hospital After Voters Approved Sale To LCMC Health
With resounding voter approval this weekend for their purchase of East Jefferson General Hospital, LCMC Health officials now face the task of turning around the fortunes of a venerable Metairie institution that had slid towards financial insolvency in a shifting New Orleans health care market. (Roberts III, 8/17)

Modern Healthcare: Nuance Beats Pennsylvania Health System's Malware Lawsuit
A federal judge tossed a lawsuit alleging that software company Nuance Communications was responsible for "millions of dollars in damages" a Pennsylvania health system suffered due to a 2017 cyberattack. Heritage Valley Health System in November sued Nuance in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleging the company's failure to take proper information security precautions led it to become a victim of NotPetya, a cyberattack that hit major companies across the globe in 2017. (Cohen, 8/17)

CNN: UNC-Chapel Hill Reverses Plans For In-Person Classes After 130 Students Test Positive For Covid-19 
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill abruptly decided it will no longer hold in-person classes on campus after about 130 students tested positive for Covid-19 in the first week since classes began. ... Most students with Covid-19 have demonstrated mild symptoms, Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Robert A. Blouin said in a letter to the community. (Levenson, 8/18)

Politico: Colleges' Best-Laid Coronavirus Plans Quickly Come Undone
UNC is hardly the only institution experiencing an uptick in infections within days of students returning to campus. Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., reported a cluster of 46 confirmed cases of Covid-19 through mandatory entry testing. Officials said 482 people have been tested and many still await their results. At Oklahoma State University, a sorority house is under quarantine after reporting 23 cases. (Quilantan, 8/17)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: COVID-19 Testing Sites Expand To Kennesaw State
Pop-up COVID-19 testing sites will open this week at Kennesaw State University’s two campuses, the Cobb & Douglas Health Department said. The testing is being done in conjunction with the agency and Community Organized Relief Effort, an international organization founded by actor Sean Penn that provides emergency relief to people affected by natural disasters. (Dixon, 8/18)

CNN: Outdoor Classes Are Safer. How Can Teachers Make It Happen? 
When students return to Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this month, they'll find a campus transformed by Covid-19. Masks are required outside of dorm rooms; fall sports are delayed. Many courses will be a hybrid of virtual offerings and in-classroom time. But one professor will be holding class outdoors as long as possible. (Smith, 8/18)

Partygoers are blamed for outbreaks —

AP: Trump's Top Coronavirus Adviser Says Parties Fueling Spread
President Donald Trump’s top coronavirus adviser on Monday said friends and families holding parties are driving the virus’s spread in the community, issuing the warning as outbreaks at some colleges around the country are being tied to large gatherings. Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, urged people to wear masks and socially distance after visiting with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state health officials, pointing to the gatherings as a particular concern. Arkansas’ Health Department on Monday reported 412 new virus cases and four more deaths from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. (DeMillo, 8/17)

The Hill: Viral Videos Show Returning College Students Partying Without Masks 
Local officials have condemned viral videos of returning students attending parties without masks or physical distancing on university campuses around the country. The videos were taken at such colleges as Oklahoma State and the University of North Georgia. (Budryk, 8/17)

In other higher-education news —

Detroit Free Press: U-M To Hire Experts To Guide Response To Sexual Assault Complaints
The University of Michigan Board of Regents will hire outside experts to help guide its response to sexual assault complaints, the board said in a statement issued exclusively to the Free Press. The move by the board is a direct response to an investigation into former Provost Martin Philbert's sexual misconduct while climbing the ranks at U-M from faculty to the second-ranking administrator, in charge of the day-to-day academic operations of the university. (Jesse, 8/18)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: School During Coronavirus Poses Unique Issues For Special Ed Students 
Loss of skills since schools were shuttered in mid-March is one big issue that families of children in special education — more than 80,000 statewide — are grappling with as a new school year dawns against the backdrop of a pandemic. And while all families have to navigate the changes wrought by COVID-19 — from hybrid learning to social distancing in the classroom — special-needs children face even greater challenges. (Pagones, 8/17)

The New York Times: How To Protect Children’s Eyes During Remote Learning 
More time in front of screens, whether for school or for fun and connection, can result in eye strain, fatigue and headaches, but experts offer simple ways for parents to protect their kids’ eyes during a time when screens are a bigger part of everyday life. (Hoover Greenway, 8/17)

How parents are adapting —

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘You Literally Can’t Do Both’: Pandemic Forces Bay Area Mothers To Choose Kids Over Career 
As schools start remotely across the Bay Area, working parents are under inordinate pressure. Although some dads have stepped up to care more for kids, mothers are disproportionately bearing the responsibility for child care, and their careers are more likely to suffer collateral damage in the pandemic economy, experts say. National data show more women than men lost jobs as the economy shut down, dropped out of the workforce voluntarily, and took on more child care responsibilities. (Moench, 8/17)

The Washington Post: Many Parents Say Returning To Work Depends On How Schools Open 
A recent Washington Post-Schar School nationwide poll found that 50 percent of working parents said it would be “harder” or “impossible” to do their jobs if their children’s schools provide only online instruction this fall, while 50 percent said it would have no effect. Not surprisingly, working parents with younger children expected the greatest disruption, with 66 percent of those with a child entering kindergarten through second grade saying all-online schooling would make it more difficult or impossible for them to do their jobs, as did 60 percent of parents with a child in grades three to five. (Heim and Clement, 8/17)

Dallas Morning News: ‘No Great Options’ For North Texas Parents As They Decide Between In-Person Or Remote School For Kids
Like Mendoza, parents across the country face tough calls about sending children back to the classroom or trying remote learning. For North Texas families whose jobs don’t allow working from home, online learning just isn’t feasible or is barely manageable. Others are rearranging schedules or leaning on relatives. It’s a balancing act for parents to help their kids learn while they’re also working to cover food, rent or mortgages, and the other costs of daily living. Those parents who can’t work remotely worry both about helping their children keep up with lessons and about protecting their kids, and themselves, from the virus. And as the sole breadwinners, single parents in that situation are doubly challenged. (Branham and Garcia, 8/17)

How schools are dealing with testing and tracing —

The Hill: Kansas Schoolteacher Created Database Of 700 Schools Reporting Coronavirus 
A Kansas high school teacher created what is believed to be the first national database tracking the effects of COVID-19 in K-12 schools, which has now chronicled the spread of the virus at more than 700 schools. What began as a personal project to assuage her anxiety about students returning to the classroom turned into a crowd-sourced database manned by around 35 volunteers, Olathe High School theater director Alisha Morris told The Washington Post.Morris told the Post she believes it is the first national database on school outbreaks. It includes schools in 41 states, as of Monday afternoon. (Bikales, 8/17)

The Hill: LA School District Unveils Coronavirus Testing, Contact Tracing Program For Students, Staff 
The Los Angeles Unified School District on Sunday unveiled a plan to provide regular COVID-19 testing and contact tracing to school staff, students and their families. The plan will begin Monday in a measured fashion, with the first test provided to staff already working at schools and their children. The program will then be expanded to provide testing to all staff and students over time, with a goal in the early phase to establish a baseline, the district said in a release. (Klar, 8/17)

NBC News: Coronavirus Is Spreading In Schools, But The Federal Government Isn't Keeping Count
Coronavirus cases are already surfacing in K-12 schools that have reopened, but the federal government is not tracking these outbreaks, and some states are not publicly reporting them, making it more difficult to determine how the virus is spreading, experts say. Scores of students and staff members have been quarantined because of potential COVID-19 exposure in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Indiana, among other states. (Sarlin and Khimm, 8/17)

NBC News: COVID-19 Symptoms: Fever Screening Widely Used For Schools, Businesses. Is It Reliable?
Fever checks have widely become the first level of coronavirus detection as businesses, stores and schools try to reopen, but a new study cautions that relying on them as a single screening tool could lead to a false sense of security. Fever is generally the first symptom of a coronavirus infection, according to a study from the University of Southern California, followed by cough, nausea, vomiting and lower gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea. (Carroll, 8/18)

Also —

AP: Unhealthy Air From Wildfire Smoke Postpones Reno Schools
After weeks of debating how best to begin the new school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, school officials in Reno postponed reopening classrooms Monday due to unhealthy air quality and other concerns about a nearby California wildfire. Washoe County schools had been scheduled to reopen Monday for the first time since March as part of a district-wide plan to combine in-person and distance learning. (Sonner, 8/17)

Politico: Face Masks, Smaller Classes And Distanced Desks: Europe’s Back-To-School Plan 
Across Europe, the start of the new school year was meant to signal a return to normality. Countries such as Italy kept pupils at home from March to the summer holidays, while others such as Denmark allowed schools to reopen for the remainder of the term after the worst of the pandemic's first wave had passed. (Barigazzi, 8/16)

Reuters: Study Links COVID-19 To Rise In Childhood Type 1 Diabetes 
Cases of type 1 diabetes among children in a small UK study almost doubled during the peak of Britain’s COVID-19 epidemic, suggesting a possible link between the two diseases that needs more investigation, scientists said on Tuesday. While the study is based on only a handful of cases, it is the first to link COVID-19 and new-onset type 1 diabetes in children, and doctors should be on the look-out, the Imperial College London researchers said. (Kelland, 8/18)

Reuters: Pandemic Now Driven By 20s, 30s, 40s Group, Many Asymptomatic: WHO
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it was concerned that the novel coronavirus spread was being driven by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, many of which were unaware they were infected, posing a danger to vulnerable groups. “The epidemic is changing,” WHO Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai, told a virtual briefing. “People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the spread. Many are unaware they are infected.” (Lema and Jerome Morales, 8/17)

NPR: How Bars Are Fueling COVID-19 Outbreaks
From the early days of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, states have wrestled with the best course of action for the nation's imperiled bars and nightclubs. Many of these businesses find their economic prospects tied to a virus that preys on their industry's lifeblood — social gatherings in tight quarters. Public health experts and top health officials, including the Dr. Tony Fauci, say the evidence is abundantly clear: When bars open, infections tend to follow. (Stone, 8/18)

NPR: What We Know About How Air Conditioners Spread COVID-19 
In the dog days of August, air conditioning is everywhere. Is that a problem when it comes to the spread of the coronavirus? The answer to that question rests on the way the virus is transmitted — a topic that is still being researched. (Craig, 8/15)

The Hill: Workplace Coronavirus Outbreaks Disproportionately Affecting Nonwhite Workers: CDC 
Outbreaks of COVID-19 in workplaces are disproportionately impacting Hispanic and Latino workers, especially those employed in the manufacturing, wholesale trade and construction industries, according to an analysis released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The analysis, which focused on COVID-19 outbreaks in Utah workplaces between March and June, found COVID-19 outbreaks tied to workplaces in 15 industries. Of the 277 COVID-19 outbreaks reported to the state in that time period, 210 occurred in workplaces. (Hellmann, 8/17)

ABC News: 5 Lasting Changes From The COVID-19 Pandemic 
COVID-19 has completely changed life, and while many hope those changes are temporary, the pandemic has unearthed weaknesses in the status quo. After every major crisis, humanity is forced to identify those weaknesses and evolve accordingly. The 2020 pandemic, in its aftermath, is set to change life for a very long time. Here are five fundamental ways. (Kumar and Prasad Modalavalasa, 8/16)

ABC News: COVID-19 Survivors Talk About Challenges To Recovery Months After Contracting Virus 
The families of Raul Pero and Titou Phommachahn are glad to have them back home after hard-fought battles against COVID-19. Yet, months after they began their recovery, both survivors are still grappling with the long road to recovery. "I still have nerve damage in both hands, in both arms. … I'm still weak," Pero, of Denver, Colorado, told "Nightline." "But also, I feel electric shocks down from my elbow to my fingers." (Lefferman, 8/17)

NBC News: Sharon Stone Blames 'Non-Mask Wearers' For Sister's Coronavirus Diagnosis
Sharon Stone has placed the blame for her sister's COVID-19 diagnosis squarely on "non-mask wearers." ... Stone said her sister "does not have an immune system" and before she was diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, she had gone only to the pharmacy. (Griffith, 8/17)

In news about the elderly —

CNN: New Jersey Couple Dies Hours Apart Just Two Days After Losing Their Son To Coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy Says 
A New Jersey couple married for 62 years died hours apart just two days after losing their son to coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a press conference last week. John Freda, a 51-year-old optician who was best described as funny, thoughtful, intelligent and introspective, lost his battle with Covid-19 on April 22, said Murphy. His parents, Larry and Vicki, died just two days later and hours apart. The couple also died from Covid-19, according to a state official. (Alsharif, 8/17)

Kaiser Health News: Isolation, Disruption And Confusion: Coping With Dementia During A Pandemic
Daisy Conant, 91, thrives off routine. One of her favorites is reading the newspaper with her morning coffee. But, lately, the news surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has been more agitating than pleasurable. “We’re dropping like flies,” she said one recent morning, throwing her hands up. “She gets fearful,” explained her grandson Erik Hayhurst, 27. “I sort of have to pull her back and walk her through the facts.” (de Marco, 8/18)

CNN: High BPA Levels Linked To 49% Greater Risk Of Death Within 10 Years, Study Says 
Look into your pantry -- have you packed it with canned foods since the start of the pandemic? Or are you a receipt hoarder -- who keeps all your paper sales receipts for taxes or refunds? Neither of those habits are probably a great idea, experts say, if you want to avoid toxic chemicals linked to a variety of health disorders in children and adults. (LaMotte, 8/17)

CIDRAP: Red Cabbage Suspected As Source Of Bagged Salad Cyclospora Outbreak
Red cabbage grown in Florida may be the source of Cyclospora in a multistate outbreak tied to a bagged salad mix produced by Fresh Express, based on results from a new method developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for testing agricultural water for the parasite. The outbreak was first reported in the middle of June, though health officials weren't sure which ingredient in the salad mix was contaminated. In an Aug 14 update, the FDA said trace-back investigations suggested the source was either iceberg lettuce grown in California or red cabbage grown in Florida. (8/17)

The Washington Post: Only 40 Percent Of American Kids Are Aerobically Fit 
Less than half of American adolescents are aerobically fit — about 40 percent, according to a new report from the American Heart Association. These young people have what is known, in medical terms, as good cardiorespiratory fitness, referring to the body’s ability to supply oxygen to muscles to produce energy during physical activity. (Searing, 8/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Fertility Treatments Are Now Company Business 
Two hours after Alison Cate found out she was having a miscarriage at a doctor’s appointment—after she sobbed in the exam room, and came home, and crawled into bed—she texted her boss to share what had happened. “For me it was like, how can I go through this and not tell my colleagues? I’m a mess,” says the 37-year-old who works as a digital marketing manager in Des Moines, Iowa. “I realized how much talking about it was helping me cope.” (Feintzeig, 8/16)

USA Today: Apartments For Rent: Landlords Offer Lease Deals, Discounts Amid COVID
The coronavirus pandemic has pushed Deborah Pusatere to convert all her tenants' one-year leases into rolling month-to-month agreements. The landlord in upstate New York oversees 80 apartment units. When a tenant's lease is set to expire, she offers them a more flexible contract to move out at any time with a 30-day notice. "A lot of people are still losing their jobs," Pusatere says. "They don't know if their jobs are coming back. So I don't want someone locked into the lease if they need to relocate to another state, or have to move for a job opportunity in a month." (Brown, 8/17)

AP: In Oklahoma Visit, Birx Continues To Push For Wearing Masks
A top White House coronavirus adviser continued to press Sunday for people to cover their faces and to social distance to fight the global pandemic during a stop in Oklahoma, where Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has resisted imposing a statewide mask order. Dr. Deborah Birx led the roundtable discussion at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa. The meeting was closed to journalists, but state and local officials who attended told the Tulsa World that Birx was unwavering on the necessity for masks and distancing in public. (8/17)

In news from New York —

The New York Times: N.Y. Gyms And Fitness Studios Can Reopen As Soon As Aug. 24, Cuomo Says 
Gyms in New York, which have remained shuttered for months even as the state made progress in fighting the coronavirus, will be allowed to open again as soon as Aug. 24 and no later than Sept. 2, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday. Mr. Cuomo’s announcement came with several caveats: Gyms would be limited to a third of their total capacity, and people would be required to wear masks at all times. The state would also require air filters that help prevent airborne transmission of viral particles and sign-in forms to assist with contact-tracing efforts.Local governments will also need to inspect gyms to make sure they meet the state’s requirements before they open or within two weeks of their opening. Local elected officials can stop gyms from holding indoor classes, Mr. Cuomo said. New York City has decided not to initially allow indoor fitness classes or indoor pools to operate when gyms reopen, a spokesman for the mayor said. (Gold and Ferre-Sadurni, 8/17)

The New York Times: Can NY Hold Off A Second Coronavirus Wave? 
Health experts in New York City thought that coronavirus cases would be rising again by now. Their models predicted it. They were wrong. New York State has managed not only to control its outbreak since the devastation of the early spring, but also to contain it for far longer than even top officials expected. (Goodman, 8/17)

In news from the Mid-Atlantic, Rhode Island, Louisiana and Iowa —

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Invaded The District And Maryland Multiple Times In March, Genetic Analysis Shows
The coronavirus’s late-winter attack on the national capital region came from multiple, separate introductions, and the pathogen quickly spread among people who had not traveled outside the region recently or had known contact with infected people, according to a genetic analysis of virus samples from more than 100 patients. The study, from Johns Hopkins University scientists, highlights the challenge in preventing the arrival and spread of the highly contagious virus within a region that anchors the Northeast Corridor and boasts three international airports and a highly mobile population. (Achenbach, 8/17)

AP: More Than 200 New Cases, 2 Coronavirus Deaths Over 3 Days
There were 237 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and two additional deaths in Rhode Island over the past three days, the state Department of Health announced Monday. There have now been more than 20,500 known cases of the disease and 1,023 virus-related fatalities in the state. (8/17)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Coronavirus Jail Will Cost $9.3 Million Under Orleans Sheriff Marlin Gusman's Plan, FEMA Says 
Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s plan to renovate a vacant jail building to house incarcerated people with coronavirus will cost a total of $9.3 million, including $2.3 million in local taxpayer money, the Federal Emergency Management Administration said this week. The money would be spent transforming 125 cells in the building -- which a federal judge described five years ago as an unsafe shambles -- into housing for recent detainees and those with confirmed cases of the virus. (Sledge, 8/14)

The Washington Post: ‘Iowa’s Katrina’: Help Is Slow To Come For Storm-Battered State, Local Officials And Residents Say
A week after a devastating wind storm ripped through a swath of the Midwest, thousands in Iowa remain without power, corn and soybean plants lie bent and broken in the fields, and anger is rising among residents who say state officials and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds did not seek aid quickly enough in the powerful storm’s aftermath. Hurricane-force winds gusting up to 112 mph in the rare derecho storm flattened 37 million acres of crops and damaged many homes and businesses, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Gowen and Stead Sellers, 8/17)

In news from Western states —

AP: 7th Texas Execution Delayed As Attorneys Cite Pandemic
A seventh scheduled execution of a Texas death row inmate has been delayed after his attorneys raised concerns over the state’s coronavirus outbreak.John Henry Ramirez, 36, had been set for a Sept. 9 execution for the 2004 stabbing death of Pablo Castro, a 45-year-old Corpus Christi convenience store worker. Authorities say Castro was stabbed after a robbery that netted just $1.25. In his motion asking for the delay, Kretzer had cited the coronavirus pandemic as the reason for the delay, arguing that putting people together in the execution chamber could pose a health risk. (8/17)

The Washington Post: First U.S. Cases Of Coronavirus In Mink Found At Utah Fur Farms 
Mink at two Utah fur farms have tested positive for the virus that causes covid-19 in humans, the Department of Agriculture said Monday, announcing the first U.S. cases in a species that has been widely culled in Europe following outbreaks there. Employees at the farms in Utah, the second-largest producer of mink pelts used for coats and other luxury items, also tested positive for the coronavirus, the USDA said. Dean Taylor, Utah’s state veterinarian, told reporters Monday that state and federal agencies are conducting additional testing to determine whether the mink were infected by humans or vice versa, and whether mink at other farms are sick. (Brulliard, 8/17)

The Wall Street Journal: California Blackouts A Warning For States Ramping Up Green Power 
Millions of Californians could lose power in coming days, the state’s grid operator warned Monday, as it continues to struggle with inadequate electricity supplies as many people have been forced indoors to ride out a crippling heat wave during the coronavirus pandemic. The rolling blackouts across California serve as a cautionary tale as states across the country increase renewable energy and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels that can generate round-the-clock power but contribute to climate change. (Blunt, 8/17)

CNN: Plague Case In South Lake Tahoe Is The First Confirmed In California In 5 Years 
A South Lake Tahoe resident has been diagnosed with the plague, marking the first human case in California since 2015. Health officials believe the person may have been bitten by an infected flea while walking their dog in the area, according to a press release from the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency. The infected person is recovering at home under the care of a medical professional, the release said. (Silverman, 8/18)

AP: Japan's Leader Visits Hospital, Raising Health Concerns
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe went to a hospital on Monday for what Japanese media said was a regular health checkup, although the visit generated renewed concerns about his health. Videos of Abe being driven in a car to Keio University Hospital in Tokyo on Monday morning were widely shown on Japanese TV news reports. Public broadcaster NHK TV later showed him leaving the hospital at about 6 p.m. (Kageyama, 8/17)

Reuters: Japan's Travel Ban To Contain Virus Unfair, Western Businesses Say
Four Western business lobbies joined in protesting Japan’s travel ban to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, saying the policy is out of step with measures in other major economies and will harm investment. The joint letter was signed by business lobbies from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Europe. The U.S. and European groups had issued previous complaints about the policy. (Swift, 8/18)

Reuters: Australian COVID-19 Infections Hit One-Month Low
Australia on Tuesday recorded its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 infections in a month, buoying hopes that a stringent lockdown in the country’s second-most populous state has prevented a fresh wave of cases nationally. Led by cases in Victoria state - the epicentre of Australia’s latest COVID-19 outbreak - Australia said it has detected 226 new infections in the past 24 hours, the lowest since July 18 when 212 cases were recorded. (Jose and Packham, 8/17)

AP: Panama Lets Some Businesses Reopen After 5-Month Lockdown
Panama allowed hair salons, retail shops and car lots to open Monday after five months of lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The government also allowed public and private construction projects to resume and nongovernmental organizations to reopen in a bid to restart the teetering economy. (8/17)

Reuters: South Korea Traces Church Members, Confines Troops To Base As Virus Spreads
South Korea reported a three-digit increase in novel coronavirus cases for a fifth day on Tuesday as authorities scrambled to trace hundreds of members of a church congregation, and the military locked down bases to stop the spread of the virus. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 246 new cases as of midnight on Monday, two days after the reimposition of stricter social-distancing curbs in the Seoul metropolitan area. (Cha, 8/18)

The New York Times: Beaten Back, The Coronavirus Regains Strength In France 
Faced with a recent resurgence of coronavirus cases, officials have made mask wearing mandatory in widening areas of Paris and other cities across the country, pleading with the French not to let down their guard and jeopardize the hard-won gains made against the virus during a two-month lockdown this spring. (Onishi and Meheut, 8/17)

NPR: 'We Can't Live Like Zombies': Protesters In Spain Decry COVID-19 Mask Mandate 
Crowds gathered in the Spanish capital over the weekend to protest an expanded requirement for them to wear protective masks in public as the government tries to combat a sudden resurgence of coronavirus infections. Defying the law by going without masks, people gathered Sunday in Madrid's Plaza de Colón. Police said they would normally fine the maskless protesters, but were overwhelmed by their sheer numbers, according to El País. (Neuman, 8/17)

Also —

The Washington Post: Thanks To Coronavirus, South Africa Basically Skipped Flu Season 
The pandemic has made a lot of bad things worse, but South Africa’s near-total lack of a flu season this year stands out as a rare positive effect. The country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has three laboratories that would normally record more than 1,000 cases of flu between April and August, winter in the southern hemisphere. As the 2020 season ends, they have recorded just one. (Wroughton and Bearak, 8/18)

USA Today: Amid Coronavirus Drama, Don't Forget Nightmarish Death Toll In America
Every 80 seconds another American dies of coronavirus, according to a running average from the past week. That's more than a thousand lives lost every 24 hours, a staggering rate. America's tally of now more than 170,000 COVID-19 deaths is expressed in various ways: nearly 60 times the loved ones lost on 9/11; more than the combined U.S. combat deaths of World War I and the Korean, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars; and more than any other country in the world. Yet America's horrific toll from the pandemic too often gets overshadowed amid news of racial discord, hurricanes, wildfires, political party conventions and an endless drumbeat of COVID-related controversies, such as inadequate testing or fears about going back to school. (8/17)

The Washington Post: 'It Is What Is,' Michelle Obama Says About Trump’s Presidency During Democratic National Convention
On social media, many seemed to think it was not a coincidence that the line been deployed by the president himself two weeks ago during an interview with Axios’ Jonathan Swan. As Swan grilled the president on the U.S.'s growing coronavirus death toll, which stands at more than 167,000, Trump used the saying to insist that his administration was successfully managing the pandemic. “They are dying. That’s true,” Trump said during the interview. “It is what it is. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing everything we can. It’s under control as much as you can control it.” (Teo Armus, 8/17)

Los Angeles Times: Michelle Obama Still Going High When They Go Low 
How do you hold a political convention on a flat TV screen, enervated, deprived of people in three dimensions, whether it be impassioned speakers or crowds of delegates in their goofy hats and lanyard IDs? How do you make it feel not like an infomercial but like an event? You get Michelle Obama to speak. To many in her party, she’s already the patron saint, the rabbi, the shaman, the fairy godmother of Democratic politics — at least partially because she stays above the political fray. Look, I’m not one of her acolytes. And she has many — the folks who paid hundreds of dollars to hear her speak at one of the events for her mega-selling memoir. That’s not me. But she is an unerring moral compass for the Democratic Party and, I dare say, the entire nation. Four years ago at the Democratic National Convention, she memorably explained what she and then-President Barack Obama told their daughters about how to respond to bullies, saying, “When they go low, we go high.” People cheered, never dreaming that going low would mean anything beyond a nasty campaign and certainly not four years of a toxic presidency. (Carla Hall, 8/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Lockdown Becomes An Australian Nightmare 
Australia’s coronavirus response was, until recently, the envy of the world. Like its economy, which had gone nearly 30 years without a recession, Australia seemed to have cracked the Covid code. Community transmission had been all but eliminated, deaths kept low—a little over 100—and life in the population centers of Sydney and Melbourne was getting back to normal. At the same time, economists and business leaders had their fingers crossed for a V-shaped recovery, with hopes that the federal government would wind up its expensive stimulus and support programs before the end of the year.No longer. Australia is discovering what much of the world has already learned: Like holding a beach ball underwater, you can keep your infection rate down only for so long before it pops up again. And there’s only so much you can do to stop a virus from spreading without resort to petty totalitarianism. (James Morrow, 8/17)

The New York Times: It’s Simple. Contain The Virus. The Economy Will Come Back.
“Humankind cannot bear very much reality.” So said the poet T.S. Eliot. It’s an apt explanation for the White House’s failure to respond adequately to the pandemic that has swept across America and the rest of the world.Even as reality continues to intrude, President Trump has either largely dismissed or ignored his science and medical advisers. And the result is that the economy, the one thing he seems to care most about, and which he hoped would escort him to a second term, has been devastated. (John M. Barry, 8/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus, Contracts And The Constitution
Plaintiff lawyers want insurance companies to absorb the cost to business of the Covid-19 pandemic—and they’ve had some early successes. A federal judge in Kansas City, Mo., last week allowed salon and restaurant owners to proceed with a lawsuit claiming that Covid shutdowns constituted “direct physical loss or damage” covered by business-interruption policies. California lawmakers introduced legislation in June that would establish a presumption that Covid-19 qualifies for such coverage.Yet however sympathetic their clients, the lawyers’ efforts are unconstitutional and dangerous. They threaten to bankrupt the insurance industry, on which American businesses and consumers depend. (David B. Rivkin Jr. and J. Michael Luttig, 8/17)

Stat: ICU Capacity Is More About The Clinicians Than The Number Of Beds 
Each time communities experience surges of Covid-19, concerns arise over the availability of hospital and intensive care unit beds in affected regions. To monitor ICU capacity, several states have begun to track and publicly report hospitalization rates and the availability of intensive care unit beds. In our zeal to understand how our health systems are coping with Covid-19, a key issue is often overlooked: human capacity. (Hayley B. Gershengorn, 8/18)

Los Angeles Times: Trump's Foolhardy Push To Expand Arctic Drilling
Finishing a task that a Republican-controlled Congress gave it three years ago, the Trump administration has finalized plans for new oil and gas leases in one of the most pristine stretches of the world: the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a manifestly bad idea that Congress was wrong to slip into the 2017 budget bill, and in its rush to craft the new rules the administration has likely opened a door for legal challenges. But Congress should not defer to the courts on this — it must fix the problem it created. Congress approved offering the leases — ending more than 35 years of protections — not in response to the will of the people but in defiance of public sentiment. ...And Trump, whose retrograde enthusiasm for burning ever more fossil fuels endangers the health of the planet and its suitability for human habitation. (Scott Martell, 8/17)

Des Moines Register: Medicaid Managed Care Is A Model That Works
A recent editorial titled “Goodbye, Mike Randol. Hello, opportunity to return Iowa's Medicaid program to state control” misrepresented many elements of the Medicaid managed care model. In 2016, Iowa moved away from a state-run, fee-for-service system to a coordinated and comprehensive Medicaid managed care model. Under this model, states provide Medicaid health benefits by contracting with managed care organizations, or MCOs, to deliver high-quality care to Medicaid enrollees. Contrary to the editorial’s assertions, managed care provides more predictability and transparency than a fee-for-service system, in which payments are based on the quantity rather than the quality of services. (Craig A. Kennedy, 8/18)

The Daily Tar Heel: We All Saw This Coming
We’re only a week into the semester and four COVID-19 clusters have already surfaced on and around campus. Two COVID-19 clusters — one at Granville Towers and one at Ehringhaus Residence Hall — were reported Friday. On Saturday, UNC confirmed reports of a third cluster at the Sigma Nu fraternity house, and a fourth, at Hinton James Residence Hall, was reported Sunday. In the messages, UNC clarified that a “cluster” is five or more cases deemed "close proximity in location," as defined by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. We all saw this coming. In his fall semester welcome message, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz wrote, “As always, remember that it is our shared responsibility to keep each other safe. Every person you walk by on campus will be counting on you to diligently work to prevent the spread of the virus.” But University leadership should have expected students, many of whom are now living on their own for the first time, to be reckless. (8/17)

Raleigh News Observer: UNC, N.C. State Grad Students: We’re Not Safe This Fall
At N.C. State and UNC-CH, recent memos from Chancellors Woodson and Guskiewicz indicate that masks and social distancing will be generally required on both campuses. While such action is supported by epidemiological evidence to prevent the spread of the virus, the efficacy of these measures relies on the assumption that every person on campus will willingly comply with the proposed health and safety regulations. However, there is no clear proposal for how these measures will be enforced, or who would be in charge of enforcing them. (John Hedlund,, 8/17)

Bloomberg: First Covid Vaccines Should Go To Millennials To Slow Pandemic
Who should be at the front of the line if an effective Covid-19 vaccine emerges from testing? The answer depends on what we learn from the kind of field trials Russia is skipping. Some vaccines might not be that good at preventing infection, but would prevent severe cases. Those should be given to those most likely to die from the disease — older people or those with conditions associated with death from Covid-19. But if a vaccine actually prevents transmission, then priority should go to those who transmit the disease most often:  younger adults. Getting protected with a vaccine is a way of protecting others, since you can’t give anyone the disease if you never get it. And starting with younger people could be the fastest route to herd immunity — that phenomenon by which the virus is slowed by a lack of susceptible hosts. (Faye Flam, 8/14)

Bloomberg: Covid-19 Puts Spotlight On Millennials And Gen Z 
As Covid-19 continues to divide social groups, generational relationships are being tested like never before. Young people in the prime of their social lives are being asked to stay distant in tiny apartments; the emotional, economic and psychological effects are clear and also likely long-lasting. Waiting for a vaccine feels interminably long to everyone, of course, and with immunity hardly a given, it’s tough to blame young adults for throwing caution to the wind. This pandemic has hardly been our era’s great equalizer, but as cases have begun to skew younger, perhaps even those of us who feel invincible will step back and find common ground over a virus that, by itself, doesn’t discriminate. (Brooke Sample, 8/16)

The Washington Post: I Downloaded Covidwise, America's First Bluetooth Exposure-Notification App. You Should, Too.
I often use this column to warn about the dangers of apps that track you. This time, I’m going to recommend you actually install one. There’s a new kind of app that uses your smartphone’s Bluetooth wireless signals to figure out when you’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. It pops up the world’s most stressful-yet-helpful notification: “You have likely been exposed.” For the past week and a half, 35 Washington Post staff members have been helping me test America’s first exposure-notification app using technology from Apple and Google. It’s called Covidwise, and works in the state of Virginia. Made by state health departments, similar apps are also now available in North Dakota (Care19 Alert), Wyoming (also called Care19 Alert), and Alabama (Guidesafe). In total, 20 states and territories are developing apps that will cover nearly half the U.S. population. (Geoffrey A. Fowler, 8/17)

The New York Times: Should You Get That Coronavirus Test?
Six months into the global coronavirus pandemic, Americans trying to navigate daily life remain trapped between a clear ideal — the country needs to test as many people as possible for the virus, as regularly as possible, for as long as possible — and the reality that there are nowhere near enough tests in the United States to do that. Widespread testing is the key to opening schools and businesses safely. It’s the only way to get a handle on where the coronavirus is spreading, whether efforts to control it are working and what precautions are needed in any given community at any given moment. But funding shortfalls and bottlenecks mean that nearly every entity in the country is falling far short of that goal. (8/16)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Complicates California's Worst Power Shortage In Two Decades
A late-summer heat wave in Southern California typically sends people fleeing to movie theaters, shopping malls and crowded beaches in search of a cool respite. But the coronavirus pandemic has forced the closure of places where people once gathered, upending those routines. (Alex Wigglesworth, Jack Dolan, 8/16)

Dallas Morning News: Caution First: Texas Nursing Homes Should Reopen With Care
Across Texas, some nursing homes are opening up to visitors after the state’s Health and Human Services Commission announced last week that those facilities that have passed two weeks without active coronavirus cases would be permitted to do so. The move comes five months after nursing homes and other long-term care facilities were shut down to visitors to limit risk of contagion among one of the state’s most vulnerable populations. This is great news for patients and their families who have struggled with isolation throughout these long months of the pandemic. But it is a new and bold step that must come with much vigilance. (8/18)

Detroit Free Press: Reaching Vulnerable Communities Critical To Michigan COVID-19 Recovery
COVID-19 continues to have a devastating impact across the country. Case surges occurring in the South and West demonstrate that the virus, and our work to combat it, is far from over. In Michigan, despite a more recent slow-down in rates of infection, confirmed COVID-19 cases have surpassed 88,000. Without continued diligence to take the right precautionary measures, like wearing masks and investments in testing and tracing, we run the risk of the virus rebounding here in Michigan, as we have seen in other parts of the country. (Garth Graham and Garlin Gilchrist, 8/17)