The Washington Post: California Orders New Closures As U.S. Retreat From Coronavirus Reopenings Accelerates 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a dramatic rollback in the state’s reopening plan, ordering a wide swath of businesses to end indoor operations as coronavirus case numbers continued to climb in the nation’s largest state — and well beyond. Restaurants, wineries, movie theaters and museums were told to shut down their indoor operations, while bars were closed even for outdoor service. (Witte, 7/13)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom: More California Counties Must Roll Back Reopening 
“This virus is not going away anytime soon,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. “I hope all of us recognize that if we were still connected to some notion that, somehow, when it gets warm, it’s going to go away or, somehow, it’s going to take summer months or weekends off — this virus has done neither.” (Gutierrez, 7/13)

Politico: California Rolls Back Reopening Plans As New Outbreaks Force Major Reversal
The sweeping order punctuated California’s rapidly deteriorating situation. In March, Newsom was the first governor in the nation to fully shut down his state, elevating California into a poster child for aggressive efforts to limit the pandemic’s spread. Public health officials credited the effort with staving off a surge that might have crippled the state’s health care system. (White, 7/13)

AP: Governor Shuts Bars, Dining As Virus Hits California Hard
In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti immediately implemented the shutdowns and warned that the city was “on the verge” of raising its COVID-19 threat level from orange to red — the highest level — and resorting to shutting down all but essential businesses. (Beam, 7/14 )

CNN: Coronavirus Cases Soar By More Than 1 Million Over 5 Days
Coronavirus cases soared by more than a million globally in just five days as the numbers continue to accelerate from week to week, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. Reported cases increased by 1,046,200 from July 6 through July 10, up from a 994,400 increase over the five days from July 5 through July 9. (Reynolds and Pettersson, 7/14)

Reuters: WHO Sounds Alarm As Coronavirus Cases Rise By One Million In Five Days
The number of coronavirus infections around the world hit 13 million on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, climbing by a million in just five days. The pandemic has now killed more than half a million people in six-and-a-half months, and World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there would be no return to the “old normal” for the foreseeable future, especially if preventive measures were neglected. (Issa, 7/13)

AP: WHO Boss Slams 'Mixed Messages' From Leaders On Coronavirus
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did not call out specific politicians for criticism but said “too many countries are headed in the wrong direction” with the pandemic and some were not taking the proper steps to curb infections. (Keaten and Cheng, 7/13)

The New York Times: Fauci Back At The White House, A Day After Trump Aides Tried To Undermine Him
A day after President Trump’s press office tried to undermine the reputation of the nation’s top infectious disease expert with an anonymously attributed list of what it said were his misjudgments in the early days of the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci returned to the White House on Monday. The visit underscored a reality for both men: They are stuck with each other. (Shear and Weiland, 7/13)

ABC News: Trump Says He Likes Fauci 'Personally' After Promoting Tweet, Without Evidence, Attacking 'Lying' Doctors 
As the novel coronavirus spreads across the country -- leading to record numbers of cases and increased deaths in several states -- President Donald Trump shared a message on Twitter Monday saying doctors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are "lying." Then, after promoting a message critical of the nation’s foremost infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Trump later in the day said he liked Fauci “personally.” (Gittleson, 7/13)

AP: White House Turns On Fauci As Trump Minimizes Virus Spike
Asked whether the president still had confidence in (Dr. Anthony) Fauci, a White House official on Monday insisted Trump did. The official said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was regarded as “a valued voice” on the White House coronavirus task force. The official spoke on condition of anonymity even though the president has repeatedly railed against anonymous sources. (Lemire and Miller, 7/14)

Reuters: Fauci Blames Virus Surge On U.S. Not Shutting Down Completely 
Top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Monday ascribed the surge in U.S. coronavirus cases to the country’s failure to shut down completely, then a rush to reopen too soon, and urged a commitment to guidelines to snuff out the disease. He stressed basic protections including physical distancing, wearing masks, avoiding crowds and washing hands. (7/13)

Meanwhile, the Biden campaign weighs in  —

The Hill: Biden Campaign Slams White House Attacks On Fauci As 'Disgusting' 
Former Vice President Joe Biden's presidential campaign on Monday slammed the Trump administration's recent attacks on the nation's top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, as "disgusting" on Monday." Over 135,000 Americans have lost their lives and tens of millions have lost their jobs because Donald Trump spent the last six months disastrously mismanaging the worst public health crisis in a century, the whole time failing to heed the warnings and guidance of medical experts -- particularly Dr. Fauci," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement to reporters. (Manchester, 7/13)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Executes First Federal Inmate Since 2003 
The Trump administration Tuesday morning carried out the first federal execution since 2003, after a divided Supreme Court rejected inmate claims that using pentobarbital for lethal injections would be unconstitutional. (Bravin and Gurman, 7/14)

Politico: Supreme Court Appears Likely To Sidestep Obamacare Hearing Before Election 
The Supreme Court has all but ruled out hearing a GOP-backed challenge to Obamacare before Election Day, likely avoiding a high-stakes showdown over a lawsuit that will factor prominently into this fall's campaigns. (Luthi, 7/13)

Kaiser Health News and Politifact HealthCheck: Azar Says Federal Law Had Preexisting Conditions Covered Before ACA. Not So Much.
One of the most popular features of the Affordable Care Act is its guarantee of insurance coverage — at no greater cost — for people with preexisting health conditions. Thus, even as the Trump administration argues before the Supreme Court that the entire Affordable Care Act should be declared invalid, the president and his administration officials maintain that regardless of what happens to the ACA, they will protect people who have had health problems in the past. (Rovner, 7/14)

AP: Federal Judge Voids Georgia 'Heartbeat' Abortion Restriction
A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked Georgia’s 2019 “heartbeat” abortion law, finding that it violates the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled against the state in a lawsuit filed by abortion providers and an advocacy group. Jones had temporarily blocked the law in October, and it never went into effect. The new ruling permanently enjoins the state from ever enforcing House Bill 481. (Amy, 7/13)

The Hill: Federal Judges Block Abortion Ban Laws In Tennessee, Georgia 
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Tennessee issued a temporary restraining order to block a law that would have essentially banned abortion at nearly every stage of pregnancy, less than an hour after Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed it. (Weixel, 7/13)

CNN: Judges Block Six-Week Abortion Bans In Georgia And Tennessee 
The bills -- passed in Georgia in spring 2019 and in Tennessee last month -- ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy and before many women even know they're pregnant. The bills highlight the longstanding battle over abortion rights playing out in state legislatures. (Kelly, 7/13)

ABC News: Georgia's 6-Week Abortion Ban Officially Struck Down 
District Judge Steve C. Jones said the state law, H.B. 481, was unconstitutional as it violated several stipulations set forth by Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that codified abortion as a protected right. "After considering H.B. 481 as a whole, the title, the caption, the prior legislation, the legislative scheme, the old law, the evil, and the remedy, the Court rejects the State Defendants' argument that the statutory purpose solely concerns "promoting fetal well-being," he wrote in his decision. (Pereira, 7/13)

AP: Judge: Women Can Get Abortion Pill Without Doctor Visits
A federal judge agreed Monday to suspend a rule that requires women during the COVID-19 pandemic to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain an abortion pill. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland concluded that the “in-person requirements” for patients seeking medication abortion care impose a “substantial obstacle” to abortion patients and are likely unconstitutional under the circumstances of the pandemic. (Kunzelman, 7/13)

The Hill: Judge Waives Requirement For In-Person Visit To Get Abortion Pill During Pandemic 
Under the ruling, health care providers will be permitted to mail or deliver mifepristone to patients as long as the Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) public health emergency continues. HHS Secretary Alex Azar first declared the emergency in January. (Coleman, 7/13)

The New York Times: Millions Have Lost Health Insurance In Pandemic-Driven Recession
The coronavirus pandemic stripped an estimated 5.4 million American workers of their health insurance between February and May, a stretch in which more adults became uninsured because of job losses than have ever lost coverage in a single year, according to a new analysis. (Stolberg, 7/14)

In related news —

AP: White House Campaign Urges Jobless To 'Find Something New'
A new White House-backed ad campaign aims to encourage people who are unemployed or unhappy in their jobs or careers to go out and “find something new.” The opening ad in the “Find Something New” campaign beginning Tuesday features ordinary people sharing their stories. A companion website provides links to training and other resources. (Superville, 7/14)

Modern Healthcare: IRS: For-Profit Providers Have To Pay Taxes On COVID-19 Relief Grants
The IRS clarified that for-profit healthcare providers will have to pay taxes on the grants they received from the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund. The two laws that set aside $175 billion in grants to help providers cover lost revenue and coronavirus-related expenses didn't explicitly state that the funds would be taxable. However, the IRS issued guidance stating that the grants are taxable income days before a tax filing deadline on July 15. The change means that grants to for-profit healthcare providers including hospitals and independent physician practices will be subject to the 21% corporate tax rate. (Cohrs, 7/13)

Boston Globe: Universal Health Services To Pay More Than $127M To End Allegations Of Improper Billing 
Universal Health Services Inc., the largest US owner of psychiatric hospitals and clinics, has agreed to pay more than $127 million to resolve allegations that it improperly billed government insurance programs in Massachusetts and states around the country. Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement Monday that the company and two affiliates, including Arbour Counseling Services, will pay $10 million to settle two lawsuits alleging the state’s Medicaid program, known as MassHealth, was charged for services provided by unlicensed and non-independently licensed staff and unqualified psychologists who were not properly supervised, and for medications prescribed by psychiatric nurses who were not properly supervised. (Edelman, 7/13)

Modern Healthcare: EHR Companies Partnering With Big Tech For Cloud Services
Some of the biggest electronic health record developers are signing new agreements with tech giants as their clients look to shift workloads to the cloud. Cerner Corp., Allscripts Healthcare Solutions and Meditech have announced new or expanded agreements in the past year with the cloud arms of Amazon, Microsoft Corp. and Google, respectively. It's part of an interest in offering new capabilities that draw insights from patient data, experts say. (Cohen, 7/13)

The Hill: House Panel Advances Health Bill With $24B In Emergency COVID-19 Funds 
The House Appropriations Committee on Monday approved the labor, health and human services, and education funding bill for 2021, which included $24.43 billion in emergency funds largely linked to the COVID-19 crisis. The bill advanced in a 30-22 party-line vote. The $196.5 billion spending bill is the largest annual nondefense bill and has taken on renewed significance in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reached new heights in recent days as cases explode. (Elis, 7/13)

The New York Times: Health Care Takes Center Stage In Battle For Congress During Pandemic
Dueling commercials illustrate a reality of the accelerating campaign season, which is entering a crucial period as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage: Health care is shaping up as a driving force in deciding the outcome in November. (Hulse and Cochrane, 7/12)

Kaiser Health News: Next Showdown In Congress: Protecting Workers Vs. Protecting Employers In The Pandemic
Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered employers seeking relief from lawsuits. Democrats want to enact an emergency standard meant to bolster access to protective gear for health care and other workers and to bar employers from retaliating against them for airing safety concerns. (Jewett and Bailey, 7/13)

The Hill: McConnell In Talks With Mnuchin On Next Phase Of Coronavirus Relief 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Monday that he is in discussions with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on the next phase of coronavirus relief and predicted the Senate will begin working on the legislation more widely next week. McConnell said he’s been working closely with Mnuchin over the last few weeks and will begin sharing the emerging work product with the rest of the Senate GOP conference after colleagues return to Washington on July 20. (Bolton, 7/13)

Also —

The Hill: Congress Under Pressure To Provide Billions For School Openings 
Congress is under growing pressure to provide billions of dollars to help schools reopen as part of the next coronavirus aid package while debate rages nationwide over whether it’s safe to send students and teachers back to classrooms. Democrats and Republicans are increasingly in agreement that education funding will be a key part of the negotiations this month for a trillion-plus aid package. But divisions are emerging over how the funds should be allocated directly to K-12 public schools or through special vouchers for parents. (Marcos, 7/12)

Reuters: COVID-19 Inflammatory Syndrome Now Seen In Adults
A rare and life-threatening condition seen in some children and young adults after exposure to the novel coronavirus is being reported in older adults now as well. The condition, known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), can attack multiple organs, impair heart function and weaken heart arteries. (Lapid, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Study Finds 11-Fold Hike In COVID-Linked Inflammatory Syndrome In UK Kids
A multicenter observational study published late last week in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health identified 78 cases of the pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome tied to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom from Apr 1 to May 10—at least 11 times more than expected. (7/13)

The Washington Post: Operation Warp Speed Is Pushing For Covid-19 Therapeutics By Early Fall
New treatment options for covid-19 could arrive months before even the most optimistic timeline for a vaccine, senior Trump administration officials said at a briefing Monday. But demand could outstrip supply if the pandemic continues to rage, creating a national tug of war over limited doses. (Johnson, 7/13)

CIDRAP: FDA Grants Fast Track Designation To Two COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates
Pfizer and BioNTech announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to two of the companies' vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (7/13)

The Washington Post: Glass Vials For Vaccine Are In Demand As Governments And Drug Companies Rush To Lock Down Supply 
As scientists race to test coronavirus vaccines in humans, a parallel scramble is underway to produce billions of medical-grade vials and syringes that will be needed to inoculate the world’s population. The job of delivering vaccine to a majority of humans is so vast that global production of pharmaceutical vials needs to be ramped up by 5 to 10 percent within two years, a job the industry says requires immediate preparation and increases in production but is not an insurmountable challenge. (Rowland, 7/13)

Stat: Patient-Reported Data Can Help Monitor Covid-19 Vaccine Safety 
The pharma industry is in a mad dash to bring a Covid-19 vaccine to market, ideally before 2020 slips into 2021. This represents a dramatic acceleration from standard development timelines, which historically have often lasted 10 to 15 years. More than 100 Covid-19 vaccines are currently in development, with 21 already being tested in human clinical trials. (Velentgas and De Haart, 7/14)

The Hill: Senate Democrats Call For $25B For Vaccine Production, Distribution In Next Package 
Senate Democrats on Monday called for Congress to provide $25 billion in emergency funding for production and distribution of a coronavirus vaccine ahead of negotiations on an upcoming response package. In addition to the development of the vaccine itself, a massive and complex undertaking is required to manufacture the millions of needed doses, ensure the supply of supporting materials like needles and syringes, and then distribute the vaccine all across the country for people to be vaccinated. (Sullivan, 7/13)

In global vaccine developments —

AP: Global Vaccine Plan May Allow Rich Countries To Buy More
Politicians and public health leaders have publicly committed to equitably sharing any coronavirus vaccine that works, but the top global initiative to make that happen may allow rich countries to reinforce their own stockpiles while making fewer doses available for poor ones. (Cheng, 7/14)

Stat: European Parliament Backs WHO's Covid-19 Patent Pool Plan
In an overwhelming vote, the European Parliament late last week agreed to support a World Health Organization initiative to create a Technology Access Pool, which would collect patent rights, regulatory test data, and other information that could be shared for developing drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics to combat Covid-19. The move adds pressure on the European Commission and member states to embrace the effort, which was launched in May in response to concerns that some Covid-19 medical products may not be accessible for poor populations, in any country. (Silverman, 7/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: One-Third Of Young Adults May Be At Risk Of Severe COVID-19, Especially If They Smoke Or Vape
One-third of young people across the country may be at risk of getting seriously sick with COVID-19, especially if they smoke or vape, according to a UCSF study published Monday in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Smoking was the most common risk factor for severe COVID-19 complications among otherwise largely healthy young people, the study found. (Moench, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Strokes With COVID More Severe, Tied To Higher Rates Of Death, Disability 
Ischemic strokes linked to COVID-19 are more severe, lead to worse functional outcomes, and are associated with a higher rate of death, according to a study published late last week in Stroke. (7/13)

CIDRAP: Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Tied To Fewer Deaths In COVID Patients 
Two new studies have revealed that the rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab is associated with lower death rates in COVID-19 patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Tocilizumab blocks interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory protein involved in a potential "cytokine storm" that can lead to respiratory failure in coronavirus patients. (Van Beusekom, 7/13)

Modern Healthcare: Coronavirus Associated With Heart Damage, Study Finds
More than half of COVID-19 patients showed some form of heart damage in scans after their illness, according to a recent study that adds to mounting evidence showing the virus may cause cardiac injury. An observational analysis of more than 1,200 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients across 69 countries between April 3 and April 20 found heart abnormalities in 55% after they underwent echocardiograms, with 1 in 7 experiencing severe cardiac disease. (Johnson, 7/13)

AP: Dengue Prevention Efforts Stifled By Coronavirus Pandemic
To slow the spread of the coronavirus, governments issued lockdowns to keep people at home. They curtailed activities that affected services like trash collection. They tried to shield hospitals from a surge of patients. But the cascading effects of these restrictions also are hampering efforts to cope with seasonal outbreaks of dengue, an incurable, mosquito-borne disease that is also known as “breakbone fever” for its severely painful symptoms. (Milko and Ghosal, 7/12)

Also —

NPR: Coronavirus Sparks New Interest In Using Ultraviolet Light To Disinfect Indoor Air
High up near the ceiling, in the dining room of his Seattle-area restaurant, Musa Firat recently installed a "killing zone" — a place where swaths of invisible electromagnetic energy penetrate the air, ready to disarm the coronavirus and other dangerous pathogens that drift upward in tiny, airborne particles. Firat's new system draws on a century-old technology of fending off infectious diseases: energetic waves of ultraviolet light, known as germicidal UV or GUV, are delivered in the right dose to wipe out viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. (Stone, 7/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Scientists Hoped Summer Temperatures Would Tamp Down Covid-19 Cases. What Happened? 
Just a few months back, some scientists hoped summer conditions might help tamp down coronavirus transmission. Yet case counts of the novel coronavirus are surging in the U.S., recently hitting another single-day record of new infections. There are three likely reasons. (Toy, 7/13)

The New York Times: In Astounding Test, Scientists Revive Damaged Lungs For Transplant 
The six lungs were taken from brain-dead patients and offered to transplant surgeons. But at major medical centers, one surgeon after another refused the organs. But researchers at Columbia and Vanderbilt saw an opportunity. The results, reported on Monday in Nature Medicine, seem like pure science fiction: Within 24 hours, the lungs looked viable, and lab tests confirmed they had been resuscitated. (Kolata, 7/13)

Stat: Connecting Donated Human Lungs To Pigs Repaired Damage, Scientists Say
For people who need a lung transplant, the wait is often prolonged by the frustrating fact that most donor organs have to be discarded: Only 20% of donated lungs meet medical criteria for transplantation, translating into far fewer organs than people on waiting lists. Now, a team of researchers has shown they might be able to salvage more of these lungs by borrowing a pig’s circulatory system. (Cooney, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Canadian Report Shows Worrisome Rise In Drug-Resistant Infections
A new report from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) indicates antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is worsening in the country, highlighted by dramatic increases in drug-resistant bloodstream infections (BSIs). (7/13)

The Washington Post: Diets High In Fruits, Vegetables May Help Reduce Type 2 Diabetes By 50 Percent, Study Says 
A diet high in fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 50 percent, a large new study suggests. The study spanned about 10 years and included more than 22,000 people. (Searing, 7/13)

AP: WVU Gets $2.2M Grant For Stroke Research
West Virginia University has received a $2.2 million federal grant for stroke research, officials said Monday. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced the grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences in a news release, saying it will be used to study strokes and to manage stroke recovery. (7/14)

The New York Times: How Koalas With An S.T.D. Could Help Humanity 
In koalas, chlamydia’s ravages are extreme, leading to severe inflammation, massive cysts and scarring of the reproductive tract. But the bacteria responsible is still remarkably similar to the human one, thanks to chlamydia’s tiny, highly conserved genome: It has just 900 active genes, far fewer than most infectious bacteria. Because of these similarities, vaccine trials (in Australia) may offer valuable clues for researchers across the globe who are developing a human vaccine. (Gross, 7/13)

AP: Nevada Lab: 7 Rabies Cases In Bats From Vegas, Reno Areas
The Nevada Department of Agriculture says testing found rabies in seven bats from the Las Vegas and Reno areas. The department’s Animal Disease Laboratory says it typically confirms as many as 20 cases of bat rabies a year, and bat activity tends to peak throughout the state between May and October. This year, lab officials have tested 179 bats, finding the seven positive rabies cases in animals from Clark and Washoe counties. (7/13)

Also —

The Washington Post: Flossie Wong-Staal, Pioneering HIV/AIDS Researcher, Dies At 73 
Flossie Wong-Staal, a molecular virologist who led research that helped produce seminal findings about HIV — its genetic structure, the insidious manner in which it invades the immune system, and ways of detecting and treating it, died July 8 at a hospital in La Jolla, Calif. She was 73. (Langer, 7/13)

CNN: US Coronavirus: Miami Is Now The Coronavirus Epicenter As Cases Surge, One Expert Says 
With more than 2,000 patients hospitalized and hundreds in ICUs, "Miami is now the epicenter of the pandemic," one infectious disease expert said Monday, comparing the South Florida metropolitan area to the city where the pandemic originated. "What we were seeing in Wuhan -- six months ago, five months ago -- now we are there," Lilian Abbo, with the Jackson Health System said during a press conference hosted by the Miami-Dade County mayor. (Maxouris, 7/14)

ABC News: Too Little Too Late: The Story Of How Florida Shattered The Country's Single-Day COVID Record
Florida shattered the nation's record for new daily coronavirus cases this week, logging 15,000 new COVID-19 infections in a single day. The record easily surpassed New York, which on its worst day in April recorded 12,000 new COVID cases. More than 282,400 people in Florida have been infected with the coronavirus as of July 13 and at least 4,277 people have died, according to the latest figures from the state health department. (Schumaker and Pereira, 7/13)

WFLA: ‘Shame On You’: Protester Interrupts Coronavirus Update, Accuses DeSantis Of ‘Doing Nothing’ As Florida Cases Surge
A young man in a mask interrupted Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference on Monday, accusing him of lying to Floridians and doing nothing as coronavirus cases rise. “You are doing nothing!” the man shouted shortly after Gov. DeSantis stepped up to the podium at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. “You are deceiving the public!” (Monahan, 7/13)

ABC News: Miami Man Fears Parties Held At Neighbor's Home Are Helping Coronavirus Spread 
Benny Diaz says that lately, the scene in front of his home in a residential Miami neighborhood has looked a lot like a normal day in South Beach several miles away, with partygoers at the rental home across the street showing off their expensive rental cars, blasting loud music, and getting drunk without regard for the risks of spreading the coronavirus. "They have no clue that there's a pandemic," he told "Nightline." "They have no clue that there's a curfew. … The scene is chaotic, irresponsible drunkenness." (Rivas, 7/13)

In news out of Texas, which has also been hard hit —

Houston Chronicle: Hospital Patients Waiting In ERs Because COVID-19 Is Filling Up Beds
Houston-area hospitals are increasingly having to keep patients in their emergency rooms for longer periods while they scurry to open additional beds, the new pressure point of the relentless surge of COVID-19 cases. Hospitals inside and outside the Texas Medical Center confirmed Friday that the lack of available staffed beds is stressing their already strapped ERs. Officials at the hospitals warned that though they have been able to find beds for patients with time, that won’t be sustainable if COVID-19 cases continue at this rate. (Ackerman, 7/10)

Houston Chronicle: Some Texas Schools May Not Reopen For In-Person Classes In August. Here’s How. 
For some Texas schools, the opening bell may not ring in August after all. Days after state education leaders laid out plans for reopening campuses to begin the 2020-21 school year, some Texas school and local government leaders are crafting plans for delaying the restart of in-person instruction. Together, they argue the continuing spread of COVID-19 makes it too dangerous for their communities to open school doors next month, requiring actions that will allow them to keep providing online-only classes for now. (Carpenter, 7/13)

Dallas Morning News: Medical City, Texas Health Suspend Elective Surgeries In D-FW As COVID-19 Cases Soar
Local health care providers agree on many things about fighting the coronavirus, especially the importance of wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands. But they’re going separate ways on elective surgery while COVID-19 is spreading rampantly — at least for now. On Monday, Medical City Healthcare, which operates 16 hospitals in North Texas, voluntarily suspended elective surgeries for the next two weeks at most of its local hospitals. (Schnurman, 7/13)

The Hill: Houston Mayor Proposes 2-Week Shutdown 'At The Minimum' To Quell COVID-19 Spread 
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) on Monday proposed a two-week shutdown “at the minimum” to quell the coronavirus pandemic. The mayor tweeted that he made his recommendation to Gov. Greg Abbott (R), telling the governor it will "help blunt" the spread of coronavirus. “If we can not have a shut down, then at least step back to state’s Phase 1,” Turner tweeted. “This will allow us to reset and reassess.” (Coleman, 7/13)

And in news from other states --

AP: Hawaii To Wait To Waive Quarantine Requirement
Hawaii’s governor says he will wait another month to waive a 14-day quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers who test negative for COVID-19, citing an increasing number of cases locally, “uncontrolled” outbreaks in several U.S. mainland states and a shortage of testing supplies. The testing plan, as announced last month, was scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1. It’s now postponed to Sept. 1. (7/14)

AP: Another California Prisoner Dies From COVID-19 Complications
Another California state prison inmate has died from what appears to be complications of the coronavirus, corrections officials said Monday. (7/14)

AP: 43 Coronavirus Cases Tied To Party In Ann Arbor Area
The Washtenaw County Health Department on Monday reported 43 coronavirus cases associated with a large house party held outside Ann Arbor nearly two weeks ago, with most of those infected being between the ages of 15 and 25. (Eggert, 7/13)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Jefferson Parish's Coronavirus Compliance Hotline Yields 2,599 Tips, But No Citations 
Jefferson Parish's compliance hotline has received 2,599 calls from people reporting possible violations of coronavirus social-distancing guidelines and parish inspectors have visited more than 50 businesses due to complaints -- four of them twice. But the parish has yet to issue a single misdemeanor summons for mask violations, Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said at a press conference Monday. (Calder and Roberts III, 7/13)

CNN: US Coronavirus: California, New Mexico And Oregon Put New Restrictions On Indoor Activities 
In Oregon, where the number of cases has recently risen, the governor expanded rules on face coverings to include outdoor gatherings where social distance cannot be maintained. ... New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham put new restrictions on indoor seating at restaurants and breweries, a statement from her office said. Indoor dining at restaurants had been allowed with limits since June 1 but that is now prohibited. (Maxouris, Wood and Almasy, 7/13)

The Washington Post: A Closed Border, Pandemic-Weary Tourists And A Big Bottleneck At Glacier National Park 
As Montana warily reopened last month to pandemic-weary tourists, an isolated community held firm with closures and stay-at-home orders. Few outsiders would have paid much attention but for one detail: The Blackfeet Nation borders Glacier National Park, and its decision blocked access to much of the vast wilderness there. The result this month has meant throngs of visitors crowding into a tiny corner of Glacier — a crown jewel of the park system — with long lines of cars at what is now the only entry point. (McLaughlin, 7/11)

AP: South Dakota Reports No Surge After Independence Day Parties
South Dakota health officials on Monday said they have not seen an uptick in community spread of the coronavirus after thousands of people gathered for Independence Day celebrations in the western part of the state. (Groves, 7/13)

Kaiser Health News: Listen: Colorado Cuts Back Health Care Programs Amid Dual Crises 
KHN senior correspondent Markian Hawryluk joined KUNC’s Erin O’Toole on “Colorado Edition” to discuss his recent story on how Colorado is one of the many states having to cut back on health care programs and new policy initiatives as part of the economic fallout of the pandemic. These cuts, which in Colorado include slashing $1 million from a program designed to keep people with mental illness out of the hospital and $5 million for addiction treatment programs in underserved communities, come amid the century’s largest health crisis when people may need those services most. (7/14)

Politico: Cuomo Will Fine Floridians And Other Visitors For Covid-19 Violations
Visitors to New York from states where Covid-19 infections are on the rise could face a $2,000 fine if they fail to provide information about where they plan to quarantine for two weeks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday. (Sarkissian, 7/13)

NPR: Flying Into NY From A Restricted State? Fill Out A Form, State Says
Travelers flying into New York from certain states are now required to show proof that they've completed a form with their contact information and travel plans before they can leave airports across the state. (Lo Wang, 7/13)

Politico: New York City Sees Uptick In Coronavirus Cases Among Young Adults
The city has seen a jump in coronavirus infections among young adults as it tries to stave off a new surge in the virus that is hitting new heights in much of the country. (Durkin, 7/13)

AP: Subways Sparkle, But Does Cleaning Decrease COVID-19 Risk?
Mass transit systems around the world have taken unprecedented — and expensive — steps to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including New York shutting down its subways overnight and testing powerful ultraviolet lamps to disinfect seats, poles and floors. The cleaning measures produced something commuters have not seen in a while, or possibly ever: thousands of freshly scrubbed cars that look, feel and even smell clean. But experts say those steps solve only part of the problem. (Porter, 7/13)

Also —

AP: Blame Game? Cuomo Takes Heat Over NY Nursing Home Study
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing blistering criticism over an internal report that found no strong link between a controversial state directive that sent thousands of recovering coronavirus patients into nursing homes and some of the nation’s deadliest nursing home outbreaks. (Mustian and Condon, 7/14)

The New York Times: America’s Governors Get Tested For A Virus That Is Testing Them 
They have been forced onto the national and global stage in a way few governors have ever endured — an unending and very public test on a highly scientific and ever-shifting subject with the lives of their constituents, the economies of their states and their political careers at stake. (Fernandez, Rojas, Hubler and Baker, 7/13)

Modern Healthcare: Providers, Payers Hint They Will Sue CMS Over Proposed IPPS Rule
Hospitals and insurers are fuming over the Trump administration's latest idea to lower healthcare costs by changing how CMS calculates Medicare severity DRG payments. Under the proposed Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule, CMS would force hospitals to report for each MS-DRG the median payer-specific negotiated rates for all Medicare Advantage organizations and third-party payers beginning in 2021. Regulators say hospitals should be able to calculate the charges since they will have to pull together and publish most of the data under the disputed price transparency rule, which is making its way through the courts. (Brady, 7/13)

And in Medicaid news —

Politico: Pandemic Upends Trump’s Plans To Shrink Health Care Safety Net 
President Donald Trump has moved forcefully to push unprecedented limits on government health assistance for the poor, trying to follow through on conservatives’ long-held goals for reshaping the health care safety net. (Roubein, 7/13)

Stat: FDA Refuses Application For HIV Drug From CytoDyn
The Food and Drug Administration refused to accept an application seeking the approval of a drug to treat HIV from CytoDyn — a setback that could delay a decision for months, if not years. The so-called Refuse-to-File letter, issued by the FDA against CytoDyn’s drug called leronlimab, is also the most damning evidence yet that CEO Nader Pourhassan and other company executives might be misleading investors. (Feuerstein, 7/13)

Stat: Gilead Scolded Again For Misleading Information About Rival HIV Drug
For the second time in less than two years, Gilead Sciences (GILD) has been reprimanded by a U.K. pharmaceutical industry trade group for disseminating information that unfairly compared one of its HIV drugs with a rival medicine sold by ViiV Healthcare. But this time, the drug maker was slammed for being a repeat offender and discrediting the entire industry. (Silverman, 7/13)

Dallas Morning News: Local Officials To Take Over Coronavirus Testing From Federal Government In Dallas County, Jenkins Says
Dallas County will end its agreement with the federal government this week and assume near-total control of publicly funded coronavirus testing in an effort to provide quicker results, County Judge Clay Jenkins announced Monday on Twitter. (Jones, Garcia and Steele, 7/13)

The Hill: Major Coronavirus Testing Company Says Turnaround Time Averaging At Least 7 Days 
Quest Diagnostics, one of the companies performing a significant amount of the coronavirus testing in the U.S., said Monday that its average turnaround time for test results is at least seven days for most patients. The announcement illustrates how the spike in coronavirus cases is overwhelming the country’s testing capacity. (Sullivan, 7/13)

KQED: Hit Or Miss: Californians Describe Vastly Different COVID-19 Testing Experiences
As Californians rush to get tested to reassure themselves and their families they aren’t carrying the virus, many have echoed frustrations: Appointments that are weeks out. Tests being denied. Growing delays for results, and lost tests. Confusion about what insurance will and will not cover. Others have had a mostly seamless experience — in and out of a testing center in less than 30 minutes and results within a day or two. Some have even opted to pay more for a “rapid test” and had results within the hour. (Ibarra, 7/13)

Billings Gazette: Billings Hospitals Offer Asymptomatic Testing To Employees
St. Vincent Healthcare is holding voluntary testing for staff and medical personnel for the next two weeks as part of Bullock’s initiative to conduct over 60,000 tests every month. Billings Clinic will also host several rounds of asymptomatic testing for personnel starting this week. The surveillance testing helps identify healthcare workers who may be asymptomatic and infected with the coronavirus, but mainly, it provides data and information for public health departments. (Hall, 7/13)

Also —

CNN: Mick Mulvaney: Ex-WH Chief Of Staff Calls US Coronavirus Testing Capabilities 'Simply Inexcusable' 
Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney called the United States' current coronavirus testing capabilities "simply inexcusable" in an op-ed published Monday, marking a rare break from the Trump administration's continued celebration of current testing efforts. Mulvaney asserted in the CNBC.com op-ed that "the current economic crisis is public-health driven," so typical economic incentives won't be as effective, and that "(a)ny stimulus should be directed at the root cause of our recession: dealing with Covid." (Vazquez, 7/13)

Politico: Mulvaney Calls U.S. Coronavirus Testing Abilities 'Inexcusable,' Breaking From Trump 
Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Monday criticized the U.S. coronavirus testing process, calling his family’s difficulties in obtaining tests and delays in the results “inexcusable” in the seventh month of the pandemic, splitting from his former boss’ repeated boasts about testing. (Oprysko, 7/13)

The New York Times: LA And San Diego Schools To Go Online-Only In The Fall 
California’s two largest public school districts said on Monday that instruction would be online-only in the fall, in the latest sign that school administrators are increasingly unwilling to risk crowding students back into classrooms until the coronavirus is fully under control. The school districts in Los Angeles and San Diego, which together enroll some 825,000 students, are the largest in the country to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. (Hubler and Goldstein, 7/13)

Los Angeles Times: Orange County Votes To Reopen Schools Without Masks Or Increased Social Distancing
Orange County education leaders voted 4 to 1 Monday evening to approve recommendations for reopening schools in the fall that do not include the mandatory use of masks for students or increased social distancing in classrooms amid a surge in coronavirus cases. (Fry and Cardine, 7/13)

AP: Fire Ravages Ship For 2nd Day; Sends Acrid Haze Over City
Flames tore through a warship for a second day Monday as a top Navy official revealed that a fire suppression system was inoperable when the blaze erupted while the ship was docked in San Diego. Meanwhile, acrid smoke from the blaze wafted across San Diego, and health officials urged people to stay indoors if they smelled it. (Watson, 7/14)

Los Angeles Times: Winds Fuel Fresno County Fire To 1,000 Acres; Homes Evacuated 
A handful of homes were evacuated west of Coalinga in Fresno County on Monday evening after a fire spread rapidly and threatened structures. The Mineral fire broke out about 5 p.m. in steep, rocky and inaccessible terrain in the area of South Coalinga Mineral Springs Road and Highway 198. By about 9 p.m., it had grown to 1,000 acres, fueled by nighttime winds and 100-degree weather, said Dustin Hail, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection assistant chief. (Reyes-Velarde, 7/13)

Billings Gazette: 7 Now Dead From COVID-19 Outbreak At Canyon Creek Memory Care In Billings 
Two more of the Canyon Creek Memory Care residents have died from COVID-19. In all, seven residents of the Billings memory care facility have now died in a week. Both of the people who died were women in their 90s, said RiverStone Health, Yellowstone County's public health department, in a press release Monday morning. One of the women died Sunday at a Yellowstone County hospital and the other woman died Sunday at Canyon Creek. (Kordenbrock, 7/13)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Geriatric Inmates Being Deprived Of Protection From COVID, Lawyers Argue In Hearing 
Guards sort sack lunches without masks or gloves on.Inmates arrive at showers to find Band-Aids, razors and socks discarded on the floor. They wash their hands with soap, but are not allowed hand sanitizer after they’ve rolled themselves back to their bunks in wheelchairs. These were examples of the callous disregard the Texas prison system has shown to geriatric inmates, according to testimony Monday by Laddy Valentine, a 69-year-old inmate involved in a federal class action seeking more protective measures to combat COVID-19 at a lockup of elderly, medically compromised and mobility impaired inmates outside Houston. (Banks, 7/13)

The Washington Post: At College Health Centers Nationwide, Students Have Battled Misdiagnoses And Inaccessible Care 
As millions go back to school during the pandemic, the ability of campus health services to safeguard and care for students will be tested as never before — and many colleges appear unprepared for the challenge. (Abelson, Dungca, Kornfield and Ba Tran, 7/13)

Kaiser Health News: You Can See Friends And Relatives During The Pandemic Surge — But Do It Carefully 
Cooped up too long, yearning for a day at the beach or a night on the town — and enticed by the easing of restrictions just as the warm weather arrived — many people have bolted from the confines of home. And who can blame them? But Houston — and San Antonio and Phoenix and Miami and Los Angeles — we have a problem. (Wolfson, 7/14)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: GA Addiction Centers In $122 Million Settlement Of Fraud Claims
A company that runs mental health and substance abuse treatment centers in Georgia and other states will pay $122 million to settle more than a dozen federal whistleblower lawsuits alleging numerous violations, including that it admitted people who didn’t need to be hospitalized, kept patients longer than necessary and routinely used drugs to sedate and chemically restrain patients. (Hart, 7/13)

Kaiser Health News: Lost On The Frontline 
America’s health care workers are dying. In some states, medical personnel account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. They tend to patients in hospitals, treating them, serving them food and cleaning their rooms. Others at risk work in nursing homes or are employed as home health aides. “Lost on the Frontline,” a collaboration between KHN and The Guardian, has identified 795 such workers who likely died of COVID-19 after helping patients during the pandemic. (7/14)

In news about mask-wearing —

The Hill: Man In MAGA Hat Shows Kansas Restaurant Worker His Gun After Being Pressed About Mask
A man wearing a Make America Great Again hat showed his gun to an employee at a restaurant in Mission, Kan., after he was asked to provide an explanation for not wearing a mask in accordance with coronavirus restrictions, staff told local media this week. Arlo Kinsey, 18, told The Kansas City Star that the encounter occurred shortly after the customer, who has not yet been identified, entered the eatery without a mask during Kinsey's shift at RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack a week ago. (Folley, 7/13)

The Hill: Gallup Poll: Democrats, Women More Likely To Wear Masks 
Democrats, women and people with college educations are more likely to wear masks in public to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, according to a new poll released Monday. The Gallup survey found mask-wearing remains a political issue, with 94 percent of Democrats stating that they “always” or “very often” wear masks when outside their homes, compared to 46 percent of Republicans who said the same. (Hellmann, 7/13)

AP: Masks Outside Part Of New Oregon COVID-19 Safety Measures
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Monday announced two new statewide COVID-19 safety mandates — a ban on indoor social gatherings of more than 10 people and a requirement that people wear face coverings outside if they can not socially distance. (Cline, 7/13)

Detroit Free Press: Meat And Poultry Processors Required To Meet New Safety Guidelines
Workers in meatpacking and poultry processing plants in Michigan now have more guidelines and standards in place to help keep them safe.  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday signed an executive order outlining workplace safety guidelines to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The new guidelines include daily screening of employees, spacing employees 6  feet apart, face coverings and reduction in production. (Selasky, 7/13)

AP: Rockets' Westbrook Has Virus, As NBA Bubble Faces First Test
On a day of troubling news for the league — (Houston’s Russell) Westbrook revealing that he has tested positive for the virus and two other players facing 10-day quarantines for leaving the league campus perimeter at Walt Disney World — it was also announced that two players tested positive for the virus after arriving in Central Florida last week. (Reynolds, 7/14)

AP: Blackmon Returns To Rockies After Recovering From COVID-19
All-Star outfielder Charlie Blackmon, the first major league player known to have tested positive for the coronavirus, returned to the Colorado Rockies for his first workout Monday after getting the all clear to rejoin his teammates. (Stapleton, 7/14)

The New York Times: Hong Kong Disneyland To Close Again, Days After Disney World Reopens
Hong Kong Disneyland will close again on Wednesday to comply with a government-directed rollback of public activities in the region after an increase in coronavirus infections, the Walt Disney Company said on Monday. Disney called the closing of the theme park “temporary” and said its resort hotels at the Lantau Island complex would remain open. (Barnes, 7/13)

AP: In Reversal, UK Says It Will Make Masks Mandatory In Shops
The British government decided Monday to require people to wear face coverings in shops, joining a long list of countries that have made masks mandatory under some circumstances in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (7/13)

AP: Time To Make Masks Mandatory? It's Not Just A US Debate
Amid pervasive backsliding on social distancing, Britain has made masks mandatory in shops and France is weighing whether to require people to wear them in public places. Scientists say the two countries’ governments should have done so ever since they started easing lockdowns — like many other European nations did – instead of exposing their populations to the risk of infections from mass dance parties and summer vacationers who think there’s no longer anything to worry about. (Charlton and Kirka, 7/13)

CIDRAP: More Ebola Cases Reported In DRC's Latest Outbreak
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ebola outbreak in Equateur province has risen to 51 cases, 48 confirmed, and 3 probable, reflecting an increase of 5 since Jul 9. At a World Health Organization (WHO) media briefing today, Mike Ryan, MD, who leads the group's health emergencies program, said as of Jul 12, 20 deaths have been reported, 17 in confirmed cases and 3 in probable ones. (7/13)

AP: Quarantine Loopholes Bring Fresh Efforts To Fight Outbreaks
An Australian state is toughening its punishments for anyone caught violating coronavirus quarantines, including jailing rule breakers for up to six months — a warning that follows rising virus cases worldwide and violations of restrictions that are now being further tightened. (Passa and Kurtenbach, 7/14)

AP: UN: Pandemic Could Push Tens Of Millions Into Chronic Hunger
The United Nations says the ranks of the world’s hungry grew by 10 million last year and warns that the coronavirus pandemic could push as many as 130 million more people into chronic hunger this year. (D'Emilio, 7/13)

Reuters: London Hospital Reports Rise In Stillbirths During Pandemic
The number of stillbirths at one large London hospital has jumped significantly during the pandemic. In the four months preceding the pandemic, there were roughly two stillbirths among every 1,000 births at St George's University Hospital. (Lapid, 7/13)

NPR: Australia Grapples With New Surge In COVID
Australia is seeing a new surge in coronavirus cases. The chief health officer for Victoria state, where the city of Melbourne is located, announced 270 new cases on Tuesday, following an increase of 177 on Monday. Brett Sutton said 28 of the new cases had been linked to a known outbreak, but that the rest were still being investigated. (Neman, 7/14)

Reuters: Asia Ramps Up Coronavirus Curbs As New Clusters Erupt 
Many parts of Asia, the region first hit by the coronavirus that emerged in central China late last year, are finding cause to pause the reopening of their economies, some after winning praise for their initial responses to the outbreak. (Packham and Tajitsu, 7/14)

AP: France Celebrates Virus Heroes On Redesigned Bastille Day
Ambulance drivers, supermarket cashiers, postal workers. Medics who died fighting COVID-19. France is honoring them all on its biggest national holiday Tuesday, recalibrating Bastille Day’s usual grandiose military parade to celebrate heroes of the coronavirus pandemic instead. (Charlton, 7/14)

The Wall Street Journal: The Case For Reopening Schools 
Everything else about the coronavirus has become politicized in America, so why not a return to school as well? That’s the depressing state of play as President Trump pushes schools to reopen while Democrats heed teachers unions that demand more federal money and even then may not return. The losers, as ever, would be the children. The evidence—scientific, health and economic—argues overwhelmingly for schools to open in the fall. Start with the relative immunity of young children to the disease, which should reassure parents. (7/13)

The New York Times: America Drank Away Its Children’s Future 
A brief history of the past four months in America: Experts: Don’t rush to reopen, this isn’t over. Donald Trump: LIBERATE! Covid-19: Wheee! Trump officials: Here’s our opposition research on Anthony Fauci. And we’re now faced with an agonizing choice: Do we reopen schools, creating risks of a further viral explosion, or do we keep children home, with severe negative effects on their learning? None of this had to happen. Other countries stuck with their lockdowns long enough to reduce infections to rates much lower than those prevailing here; Covid-19 death rates per capita in the European Union are only a 10th those in the United States — and falling — while ours are rising fast. As a result, they’re in a position to reopen schools fairly safely. (Paul Krugman, 7/13)

USA Today: COVID-19 And Schools: Don't Return To Classroom Learning This Fall
Abandoned by any semblance of national leadership during a raging pandemic, students, teachers and staff are being told to jump into the deep end and return to school buildings. They will be risking their lives and their families’ lives, and endangering their communities to do so. All the precious time and resources spent to implement hybrid models and social distancing protocols will be washed away with the building's first positive COVID-19 case. Then it will be a hard pivot back home, using the same scattershot remote learning practices developed in an emergency. (Christine Vaccaro, 7/13)

USA Today: Outside COVID-19 Hot Spots, Try To Reopen Schools Where It's Possible
As the nation's 13,000 school districts grapple with how and whether to resume in-person student attendance this fall, there should be one guiding principle: Try to reopen schools, with appropriate safety precautions, wherever possible. Science is unsettled on the health risk of sending children to classes during a pandemic, but there's no question about the harm that will ensue if they stay home. "The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring," the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote in an analysis last month. (7/13)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Schools Not Opening This Fall? Let The Tears Flow
I’ll admit, I cried a bit when I heard that Los Angeles Unified School District students won’t be returning to their campuses next month. Instead, students will start the new school year they way the ended the last one — online and at home.Like many parents, I’ve anxiously watched the calendar and the COVID-19 case numbers. In April, as California took its early victory lap for flattening the curve, I’d hoped my two kids could return to school full time in the fall. In June, as cases began to rise with reopening, I figured they’d have a couple days a week in the classroom and a couple days a week of distance learning. (Kerry Cavanaugh, 7/13)

The Washington Post: Child-Care Centers Have Already Been Reopening. The Results Are Troubling.
As Americans’ attention focuses on schools and the risks and potential rewards of reopening, a test case of sorts is playing out. With troubling results. Thousands of child-care facilities nationwide have already reopened, or tried to — and their experiences risk destroying the country’s already weak infrastructure for child care. The model is bad for everyone — parents, educators, caregivers, doctors, Republicans, Democrats — who wants children to return to campuses as quickly and safely as possible. (Catherine Rampell, 7/13)

USA Today: College Football 2020: SEC In Trouble During COVID-19 Outbreak
The strangest part of the last four months in college football has been watching the so-called leaders of the sport’s most powerful conference acting as if some of the fundamental facts we’ve learned about COVID-19 do not apply to their enterprise. As recently as mid-May, Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said in an interview with the SEC Network that the “hope and plan right now is to play this fall with a full schedule and a full stadium” even as construction workers at Bryant-Denny Stadium were falling ill in clusters. A month after that, Texas A&M’s Ross Bjork expressed optimism that the 50 percent  capacity limit imposed by Gov. Greg Abbott for sporting events would be significantly increased by the time football season rolled around. There was even a suggestion, as states like Georgia and Florida came out of lockdown, that the SEC might play on this fall while other leagues lagged behind. (Dan Wolken, 7/14)

CNN: Pro Sports Starting Vast, Science-Based Experiment In Covid Re-Entry 
When President Donald Trump and state and local leaders cast aside well-established, science-based protocols for protecting public health, they put thousands at risk of sickness and death. For those discouraged by the recklessness of policymakers, some solace can be found in the work of a group of healthy young American millionaires who are using science to punch their way forward through the pandemic and its restrictions. Professional athletes. (Kent Sepkowitz, 7/10)

Boston Globe: Politics Endanger COVID-19 Vaccine
Imagine being able to visit your relatives, return to school or work, open a business, go to a live concert, and take a vacation without the fear of either contracting or spreading a deadly illness. That’s the promise that a COVID-19 vaccine holds for billions of people. If scientists develop a vaccine that is safe and effective in conferring immunity to the novel coronavirus, it could change life as we’ve come to know it in this country and around the world. But for Americans to benefit from a vaccine, it won’t be enough for one to be discovered and proven to work. To return to daily life as it was before the pandemic while protecting public health, a vaccine must be broadly available, and people will need to actually take it. At present, the US president is threatening both those crucial ingredients for success. (7/14)

CNN: How To Decide Who Gets The Covid-19 Vaccine First
Last month, Moderna Health announced advancements in Covid-19 vaccine trials, prompting speculation that a vaccine might be available as early as next year. But with this increased optimism comes challenges in manufacturing and distribution. Vaccines take time to produce, and the initial supply might not meet US demands. As the race for a Covid-19 vaccine heats up, policymakers must confront a series of pressing questions: Who should get the vaccine first, and how should that decision be made? (Andrew Peterson, 7/10)

The Washington Post: Fauci Has Been An Example Of Conscience And Courage. Trump Has Been Nothing But Weak.
When historians try to identify the most shameful documents from the Trump administration, a few are likely to stand out. For unconstitutional bigotry, it is hard to beat the initial executive order banning travel to the United States from Muslim countries. For cruelty and smallness, there is the “zero tolerance” directive to federal prosecutors that led to family separations at the border. For naked corruption, there is the transcript of the quid-pro-quo conversation between President Trump and the president of Ukraine. But for rash, foolish irresponsibility, I’d nominate the opposition research paper recently circulated by the White House in an attempt to discredit the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Anthony S. Fauci. (Michael Gerson, 7/13)

CNN: The Ludicrous Plot Against Fauci
Since 1984, scientist and physician Anthony Fauci has led America's response to infectious disease, saving countless lives and gaining the world's gratitude as he advised five prior presidents. Now, as America's coronavirus pandemic death toll passes 135,000, a sixth president needs Dr. Fauci and his expertise. Instead, aides to President Donald Trump are trashing Fauci, apparently setting him up for bureaucratic assassination. (Michael D'Antonio, 7/14)

The Washington Post: We Don’t Worry For Dr. Fauci. We Worry For The Country. 
Confronted with the gravest crisis in decades, the United States needs leadership in public health and biomedicine. Anthony S. Fauci has been preparing for such a role in a lifetime of distinguished service in science and public policy. He helped develop the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, perhaps the largest public health program ever aimed at a single disease. He joined President Trump from the podium in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, Mr. Trump is leading a despicable back-alley campaign to discredit him, to the detriment of the nation. Dr. Fauci was a steady voice of calm and reason in those early, uncertain weeks, and polls show he enjoys high levels of public confidence. But Mr. Trump and his White House decided to rush pell-mell to relax restrictions and encourage states to reopen. (7/13)

The New York Times: In Some Countries, Normal Life Is Back After The Coronavirus. Not Here. 
If you’re lucky enough to live in New Zealand, the coronavirus nightmare has been mostly over since June. After more than two weeks with no new cases, the government lifted almost all restrictions that month. The borders are still shut, but inside the country, normal life returned. It’s coming back elsewhere too. Taiwan, where most days this month no new cases have been reported, just held the Taipei Film Festival, and a recent baseball game drew 10,000 spectators. Italy was once the epicenter of Europe’s outbreak and remains in a state of emergency, but with just a few hundred new cases a day in the whole country, bars are open and tourists have started returning, though of course Americans remain banned. According to The New York Times’s figures, there were 321 new cases in all of Canada last Friday. And America? We had 68,241. (Michelle Goldberg, 7/13)

CNN: America Shuts Down Again -- Choosing Reality Over Trump's False Claims 
While President Donald Trump obsesses about his reelection hopes in his White House bubble, state and local leaders are frantically reversing state reopenings that he demanded, which turned America into the world's biggest coronavirus hotspot. As emergency rooms filled and the virus quickened its relentless march across southern and Western states, Trump stuck to the fiction that the worst is already over: "We had to close it down; now we're opening it up," the President said of the economy at the White House, patting himself on the back for saving "millions of lives." (Stephen Collinson, 7/14)

Los Angeles Times: Oh No. It's California Lockdown 2.0
Here we go again. California is back on coronavirus lockdown. And we have no one to blame but ourselves. With the harshest of initial pandemic closures lifted around Memorial Day, many Californians seemed to think the danger from the novel coronavirus was over and rushed out to make up for three terrible months of quarantine. We partied, we protested, we patronized salons and stores. And too often, we did so without maintaining a safe distance from others or wearing a face mask. Businesses ignored infection-control rules in large numbers, and some county sheriffs refused to enforce the rules. (Mariel Garza, 7/13)

Modern Healthcare: Failing To Bridge The Digital Divide 
Will Deepen Health Disparities
The COVID-19 pandemic has shined a spotlight on health disparities and systemic inadequacies associated with decades-long underinvestment in public health. At the same time, the need to socially isolate has accelerated virtual solutions to address access issues, contact tracing and primary- and specialty-care services in new ways—progress that’s not likely to be reversed. (Karen Ignagni, 7/11)

Stat: In The NICU, Both Parents Need To Be At Their Child’s Bedside 
As Covid-19 surged through the United States this spring, Reina and James were told they could no longer stay with their severely ill newborn in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and could visit for only a few hours — separately. “My husband was allowed to visit for just one hour a week and had to prebook his time,” Reina (the parents’ names have been changed to protect their privacy) shared with one of us. “I was allowed to visit for two hours each day. Our baby sadly gained his wings seven days after he was born.” (Jennifer Canvasser, Kurlen Payton and Elizabeth Rogers, 7/13)

Bloomberg: Covid-19, Singapore's Elections And New Normal Political Lessons - Bloomberg
The coronavirus that has upended the world's economic and social life is turning out to be a mediocre election campaigner. The lesson of recent contests in Asia is that pre-existing conditions haven’t gone away and will likely be decisive, even in the bitterly fought U.S. campaign. Singapore's general election Friday, among the first of the Covid-19 era, saw a big swing against the entrenched incumbent party that positioned itself as best placed to steer the country through the pandemic. With a history of unbroken rule since independence in 1965, four swiftly passed stimulus bills and relatively few virus deaths, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's People's Action Party banked on receiving a strong mandate. Instead, the opposition made historic gains. (Daniel Moss, 7/12)

Boston Globe: New Mass. Law Makes Voting Safer And Easier
Amid the ongoing public health crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, the state needs to make sure residents can vote as safely and easily as possible. Recent elections in other states underscore the urgency of taking proactive measures here in Massachusetts to protect our democratic process. In Georgia, voters had to wait up to seven hours to cast a ballot in their state primary after local election authorities closed dozens of polling locations amid safety concerns and accusations of voter suppression. (Finegold and Lawn, 7/8)

The Hill: The Fog Of War 
Here in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently ordered universal mask use in public. It is possible that mask use is more effective than previously thought, so use them. He and other governors also rolled back some reopening plans. However, after seeing about 10 cases early on (all survived) in our three geriatrician practices, we have not seen a COVID-19 case in over six weeks. Our local hospital is far from overwhelmed. (Dr. Thomas W. Lagrelius, 7/13)

Houston Chronicle: Gov. Abbott Must Act On Shutdown Requests As Coronavirus Surges In Texas 
The delays and denials must end. It is time for Gov. Greg Abbott to give elected officials in the Houston region and other parts of Texas being overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic the power to issue stay-at-home orders. COVID-19 deaths in the state are rising, hospitals are running out of ICU beds, respirators and other crucial supplies are running low again and the U.S. military announced last week that it is deploying medical and support personnel to the state to try to deal with a growing health-care crisis. (7/13)

Orlando Sentinel/Tampa Bay Tribune: Ron DeSantis And The Lack Of COVID-19 Leadership 
If coronavirus were a hurricane, it seemed to reach Category 5 status over the weekend. More than ever, Florida needs decisive, resolute guidance to get through this storm.Instead, Ron DeSantis continues to muddle and spin his way through. For every good move, there have been too many missteps. (7/13)