Stat: As Delta Spread, Covid Vaccine Effectiveness Against Infection Fell To 66%
The effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines at preventing infection fell in one study of U.S. frontline workers from roughly 90% to 66% as the Delta variant emerged and became dominant in the country, an updated report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday indicated. The study, known as HEROES-RECOVER, includes more than 4,000 health care workers, first responders, and other frontline workers in eight locations across six states, all of whom have been tested weekly for infection with SARS-CoV-2. More than 4 in 5 were vaccinated, and the vast majority of them received the mRNA vaccines from either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. (Joseph, 8/24)

The New York Times: Vaccines Prevented Fewer Infections As Delta Emerged, Researchers Find
Coronavirus vaccines provided strong protection against infection for essential workers earlier this year, but became less effective as the highly contagious Delta variant became the dominant form of the virus, according to a study published on Tuesday by federal health officials. It was not clear whether the decline in protection was caused by the emergence of the Delta variant or the lengthening period of time since the inoculations were begun. Vaccine effectiveness showed possible signs of decline starting four months after vaccinations were first rolled out. (Caryn Rabin, 8/24)

Bloomberg: Covid Vaccine Efficacy Declined In Frontline Workers After Delta Variant
The effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines among front-line workers declined to 66% after the delta variant became dominant, compared with 91% before it arose, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccines are still protective, the CDC said, and the finding must be interpreted with caution, as vaccine effectiveness might wane over time and the estimates of efficacy were imprecise. (Tozzi, 8/24)

In similar research from the U.K. —

Reuters: COVID Jab Protection Wanes Within Six Months - UK Researchers
Protection against COVID-19 offered by two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines begins to fade within six months, underscoring the need for booster shots, according to researchers in Britain. After five to six months, the effectiveness of the Pfizer jab at preventing COVID-19 infection in the month after the second dose fell from 88% to 74%, an analysis of data collected in Britain's ZOE COVID study showed. For the AstraZeneca vaccine, effectiveness fell from 77% to 67% after four to five months. (8/25)

In news on the J&J shot efficacy —

The New York Times: J. & J. Finds That A Second Dose Of Its Vaccine Provides A Strong Boost
A booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine dramatically raises the levels of antibodies against the coronavirus, the company reported on Wednesday. Johnson & Johnson will submit the data to the Food and Drug Administration, which is evaluating similar studies from Pfizer and Moderna. If authorized by the agency, the Biden administration wants to provide booster shots eight months after vaccination. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was absent from the government’s initial booster plan, announced last week. But with the new data, the company hopes to be part of the initial distribution of additional shots, which could happen as early as September. (Zimmer, 8/25)

ABC News: J&J Vaccine Booster Shot Raises Antibody Levels 9-Fold, Company Says
In the midst of a delta variant surge, a new study finds that giving a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot six months after primary vaccination results in a nine-fold increase of a crucial antibody response, according to a company press release. Meanwhile, a prior study found that people vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine still had a durable immune response at least eight months later, even without a booster. (Salzman, 8/25)

On hopes for vaccine efficiency —

Stat: Covid-19 Vaccines Flirted With Perfection. Reality Is More Complicated
When Covid-19 vaccines were reported last fall to be roughly 95% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 infections, the world rejoiced — and even veteran scientists were blown away. Very few vaccines are that protective. Those made to fend off viruses like SARS-CoV-2 — viruses that invade the nose and throat, like flu — typically aren’t at the high end of the efficacy scale. That was the good news. Now, however, our soaring expectations for Covid-19 vaccines are in the process of sinking back to earth. (Branswell, 8/25)

Meanwhile, from California —

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Vaccines Remain Highly Effective At Stopping Severe Disease Amid Spread Of Delta, L.A. Data Show
Unvaccinated people in Los Angeles County were five times as likely to become infected with the coronavirus and 29 times as likely to be hospitalized as people who were fully immunized, newly released data from California show. It is the latest evidence that vaccines continue to reduce significantly the risk of severe illness — their fundamental purpose — despite the spread of the more contagious delta variant. The report, published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also demonstrates the limits of vaccines. They are not an impenetrable barrier against the virus. Some inoculated people are continuing to develop covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. But the vast majority of “breakthrough” cases among vaccinated people do not require hospitalization. (Achenbach and Nirappil, 8/24)

Politico: NIH Director: Vaccine Approval For Kids Unlikely Before Late 2021
One of the federal government’s top public health experts on Tuesday predicted it is unlikely children under the age of 12 will be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine before late 2021, contradicting the speedier timelines offered by other Biden administration officials. Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna are currently studying the shot’s safety and efficacy in younger children and infants, with Pfizer expected to deliver the results of its trials for 5-11-year-olds to the Food and Drug Administration sometime in September. (Forgey, 8/24)

CNN: Next Up For Covid Vaccines: Kids Under 12 
The US Food and Drug Administration has given full approval to Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for people age 16 and older. Approval for youths ages 12-15 is expected to follow soon. "I don't think it'll be long before they extend it to 12 to 15 -- maybe within a few weeks to a month or so," said Dr. Bob Frenck, director of the Vaccine Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Parents are already clamoring to hear more about approval or authorization for children under 12, however. Studies looking at that are underway. (Fox, 8/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Some Parents Push To Give Covid-19 Vaccine To Children Under 12, Against Government Guidance
Monday’s decision prompted many parents to call their pediatricians and ask them whether they will administer vaccines for children under 12. The FDA’s approval generally means vaccines are eligible for off-label use, meaning beyond approved populations, but the CDC said Monday they aren’t authorizing that. Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for emergency use for children aged 12 and up and fully approved for those 16 and up. Moderna Inc.’s and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines are authorized only for those 18 and over and aren’t fully approved. Parents are reporting mixed success. Some say they have been able to schedule appointments, while others say they have been refused. (Schwartz and Marie Chaker, 8/24)

In news on covid infections among children —

CNN: US Coronavirus: Covid Cases Among Children Have Surged To One Of Its Highest Rates Of The Pandemic. Experts Warn It May Get Worse 
Last week, the number of Covid-19 cases in children in the US reached levels not seen since the winter surge. And with the return to school, the Delta variant on the rise and winter approaching, health officials are concerned it could get worse. After a decline in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially -- with more than a four-fold increase in the past month, according to the latest report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. From about 38,000 cases a week near the end of July, the week ending August 19 saw more than 180,000 cases in children, the report said. (Holcombe, 8/25)

CNBC: White House Covid Officials Urge Employers To Mandate Vaccines: 'Now Is The Time'
White House Covid officials called for private employers to mandate vaccines at a briefing Tuesday, one day after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Pfizer for its coronavirus vaccine. Many companies have responded to this summer’s surge in Covid cases by rolling out vaccine requirements for all or part of their U.S. staff, including Google, Facebook and United Airlines. But others have avoided vaccine mandates, both to give the FDA time to approve a full license and to keep vaccine-hesitant workers from leaving. (Towey, 8/24)

The Hill: American Medical Association Calls For Public, Private Sectors To Mandate Vaccines
The American Medical Association (AMA) on Tuesday urged the public and private sectors to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations, saying the move is key to getting control of the pandemic. The call comes one day after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully approved the Pfizer vaccine, a step that is expected to lead more companies to pull the trigger on mandating vaccination for their employees. The AMA, the country's leading doctors group, is seeking to speed that process along. (Sullivan, 8/24)

In news on business' vaccine mandates —

AP: From CVS To Goldman Sachs, FDA Move Prompts Vaccine Mandates
From Walt Disney World to Goldman Sachs, a flurry of private and public employers are requiring workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 after the federal government gave full approval to the Pfizer shot. And the number is certain to grow much higher. For the past eight months, coronavirus shots were dispensed in the U.S. under emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Some workers and unions objected to getting the vaccine — and some employers were reluctant to require it — because it had yet to receive FDA full approval. That happened on Monday. (Wiseman and Pisani, 8/24)

The Washington Post: Companies Move To Mandate Coronavirus Shots As FDA Grants Full Approval To Pfizer Vaccine
A growing number of companies were moving to impose vaccine requirements as the Food and Drug Administration issued full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, eliminating one of the central remaining arguments used by the vaccine-hesitant. CVS Health, Deloitte and Walt Disney Co. said they would add or expand vaccine requirements for workers — while in a sign of increasing vaccine requirements at sporting events, Louisiana State University said Tuesday it will require all spectators at Tiger Stadium over the age of 12 to provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative test. (McGregor, 8/24)

The New York Times: Goldman Sachs Mandates Vaccines For Its Workers And Visitors
Goldman Sachs told employees on Tuesday that it will require anyone who enters the bank’s U.S. offices, including clients, to be fully vaccinated starting on Sept. 7, making it the most prominent Wall Street bank to issue such a broad requirement. The announcement, in a memo obtained by The New York Times, came a day after the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a move that many large corporations had been seeking before making mandates. (Hirsch, 8/24)

Axios: United CEO: Mandating COVID Vaccine Was A No-Brainer 
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby tells Axios that his early decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all of his nearly 67,000 U.S. workers was an easy one: He's already seen too many employees die. “For me, the fact that people are 300 times more likely to die if they’re unvaccinated is all I need to know," Kirby said. "It's about saving lives." (Muller, 8/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Disney Strikes Vaccine Deal With Unions, As Labor Groups Negotiate Mandates
Walt Disney Co. DIS 0.46% reached a deal with unions representing workers at Disney World in Florida that will require workers to show proof of Covid-19 vaccinations, among the first private-sector unions to reach such a deal. The deal between Disney and the Services Trades Council Union will require around 40,000 workers to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 22, according to the agreement, with exemptions considered for medical or religious reasons. (Hufford and Abdel-Baqui, 8/24)

Reuters: Credit Suisse Tells Unvaccinated U.S. Staff To Work From Home, Memo Says
Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) has asked all non-vaccinated staff in the United States to work from home beginning Sept. 7, as it pushes back its return-to-office plans over concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant. A full return to the office has been delayed until Oct. 18, Switzerland's second-largest lender told U.S. employees last week, while those without the COVID-19 shot have been told to stay home until receiving the vaccination or new guidance. (8/25)

On education and local government mandates —

NPR: An LAFD Captain Is Under Investigation After An Anti-Vaccine Mandate Video Rant
A Los Angeles City Fire Department captain who railed against the city, the department and his own union leaders over an imminent vaccine mandate for all city workers is under an internal investigation. "I am so hopping mad right now, you have no idea. My head could pop," Capt. Cristian Granucci told viewers as he launched into a 12-minute video rant on Monday in which he threatened to sue the local firefighters union and the city. (Romo, 8/25)

Axios: Ohio State University To Mandate Vaccines For Students, Staff 
Ohio State University will require all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the fall semester, the institution announced Tuesday. OSU, with some 66,000 students and 30,000 staff, is one of the first large state universities to impose such a widespread vaccine mandate that isn't just for students, the New York Times notes. (8/24)

AP: Philadelphia School Board Votes To Require Vaccine For Staff
The Philadelphia School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to mandate that its 20,000 teachers and staff members be vaccinated against COVID-19, but details of when the mandate would go into place are still being worked out, school district officials said. The move comes amid other state and local mandates for teacher vaccinations in the last week including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s mandate Monday that teachers and school staff statewide be vaccinated by Oct. 18 or submit to regular testing. New York City Public Schools also issued a no-option vaccination mandate for the city’s 148,000 public school teachers and staff Monday. (8/24)

Also —

CNBC: Covid: CDC Study Shows Unvaccinated People 29 Times More Likely To Be Hospitalized
Unvaccinated people are about 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, according to a study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new study, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also found that unvaccinated people were nearly five times more likely to be infected with Covid than people who got the shots. The results are based on data from Los Angeles County between May 1 and July 25, the agency said. (Lovelace Jr., 8/24)

NBC News: Vaccine Hesitancy Unlikely To Disappear Because Of FDA Approval
The time federal regulators spent studying vaccines may never satisfy some people's concerns, said Brian Labus, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "If you don't already trust the government, why would it matter now?" Labus said. "If the ultimate goal in their mind is to not get vaccinated, there are a multitude of reasons they will come up with." While some health experts are optimistic a fully approved Covid vaccine can change minds, they said their guidance to patients and the public remains the same. (McCausland and Ortiz, 8/24)

The Oregonian: Oregon To Require Masks At Outdoor Public Settings Starting Friday 
Oregon will require adults and most children to wear face coverings starting Friday in most public settings where people are close to each other, in yet another attempt to slow spread of the contagious delta variant of COVID-19. Children under 5 years old are exempt from the mandate, as are people of all ages while eating and drinking outdoors and people living outdoors while experiencing homelessness. (Borrud, 8/24)

AP: Masks To Be Required In Oregon's Outdoor Public Settings
People in Oregon, regardless of vaccination status, will once again be required to wear masks in most public outdoor settings — including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible — beginning Friday. The mandate, announced Tuesday by Gov. Kate Brown, is part of a growing list of statewide requirements implemented in Oregon in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. Oregon is one of a handful of states with an indoor mask mandate in effect. But it’s the first to reinstitute a statewide mask requirement for outdoor public areas where people are close together, according to the governor’s office. (Cline, 8/25)

The Washington Post: More Than Half Of Florida’s Students Now Go To Schools With Mask Mandates
More than half of Florida’s students are now enrolled in public school districts with mask mandates despite threats of sanctions from the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who decreed that only parents can decide whether their children wear masks. On Tuesday night, two school districts — in Orange and Indian River counties — approved mandates to try to stop the spread of the delta variant of the novel coronavirus. They joined eight other districts that recently moved to require a medical exemption from a doctor to opt out. (Strauss, 8/25)

CNN: Two Florida Counties Double Down On School Mask Mandates
Florida's Broward and Alachua counties are not backing down on mask mandates in schools, despite Gov. Ron DeSantis' order that the mandates must allow parents to decide whether their children will wear a face covering. Both counties have now responded to the Florida Board of Education's order that called on the districts to allow a parent opt out within 48 hours. Broward and Alachua were the first two school districts in the state to move forward with mask mandates that do not include the opt out option. (Santiago and Weisfeldt, 8/24)

Health News Florida: Parents Of Kids With Disabilities Push For Strict Mask Mandates In School 
The battle over mask mandates is playing out in school board auditoriums, state and federal courts and on the national political stage — and it’s far from over. Students with disabilities may have the most to lose. Alisha Todd’s 10-year-old son said he feels “trapped.” Todd asked WLRN not to use her son’s name to protect his privacy. “I had brain surgery just a little over a month ago,” the Palm Beach County fifth- grader said. “And if I got COVID, I could die.” (Bakeman, 8/24)

On tensions over mask rules —

Axios: ACLU Sues South Carolina Governor Over Mask Mandate Ban 
The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) over his ban on school mask mandates. The ACLU is representing several disability rights groups and parents who argue the ban violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and "illegally forces parents of children with underlying conditions to choose between their child’s education and their child’s health and safety." (Gonzalez, 8/24)

AP: WA Commissioner Walks Out Of Meeting During Mask Protest
The regular meeting of the Franklin, Washington, County commissioners disintegrated into a rally against the state’s mask mandate, with one commissioner walking out in protest. The mandate reinstated Monday to curb the surging number of COVID-19 cases and deaths requires people to wear masks inside public buildings. The Tri-City Herald reports Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier, along with dozens of audience members, came to the Tuesday meeting without a mask and refused to put one on. (8/25)

AP: House Passes $3.5T Biden Blueprint After Deal With Moderates
Striking a deal with moderates, House Democratic leaders have muscled President Joe Biden’s multitrillion-dollar budget blueprint over a key hurdle, ending a risky standoff and putting the party’s domestic infrastructure agenda back on track. The 220-212 vote Tuesday was a first move toward drafting Biden’s $3.5 trillion rebuilding plan this fall, and the narrow outcome, in the face of unanimous Republican opposition, signaled the power a few voices have to alter the debate and the challenges ahead still threatening to upend the president’s agenda. From the White House, Biden praised the outcome as “a step closer to truly investing in the American people.” He said at a news conference that he had called to congratulate House leaders for the work. (Mascaro and Freking, 8/25)

The New York Times: House Passes $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan For Vast Expansion Of Safety Net
The commitment to a Sept. 27 vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package added to a chaotic series of deadlines next month, when lawmakers will have only a few days in Washington to consider the infrastructure bill, prevent a lapse in government funding on Oct. 1, and steer the government away from the brink of a catastrophic debt default by raising the statutory limit on the nation’s borrowing. Party leaders have instructed committees to finish writing pieces of the reconciliation package by Sept. 15, though it is unclear whether they will be able to do so. (Cochrane, 8/24)

Politico: House Advances $3.5T Budget, Ending Stalemate Between Pelosi And Centrists
The agreement between Pelosi and the group of centrists led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) followed several hours of frenetic negotiating Monday night that carried over into Tuesday. Pelosi outlined the details of the compromise in a statement released during the vote, even going so far as to thank Gottheimer and his group "for their enthusiastic support for the infrastructure bill." “I am committing to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill by September 27. I do so with a commitment to rally House Democratic support for its passage," Pelosi said. “We must keep the 51-vote privilege by passing the budget and work with House and Senate Democrats to reach agreement in order for the House to vote on a Build Back Better Act that will pass the Senate." (Caygle, Ferris, Wu and Adragna, 8/24)

Politico: Anatomy Of A Power Play: How 9 House Dems Cut Their Deal With Pelosi
Josh Gottheimer had been in the political wilderness for 10 days before he was finally summoned by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to cut a deal. The de facto leader of a rebellious group of party moderates had signaled for weeks that he had the votes to upend Pelosi’s carefully laid legislative plans and wasn’t going to go quietly this time. Gottheimer and eight allies indicated, privately and then very publicly, that they wanted an immediate vote on the Senate’s infrastructure bill and would tank the budget if they didn’t get their way. (Ferris and Caygle, 8/24)

The Washington Post: Biden Receives Inconclusive Intelligence Report On Covid Origins
President Biden on Tuesday received a classified report from the intelligence community that was inconclusive about the origins of the novel coronavirus, including whether the pathogen jumped from an animal to a human as part of a natural process, or escaped from a lab in central China, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. ... The assessment is the result of a 90-day sprint after Biden tasked his intelligence agencies in May to produce a report “that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion” on the origins of a virus that has killed more than 4 million people globally and wrecked national economies. But despite analyzing a raft of existing intelligence and searching for new clues, intelligence officials fell short of a consensus, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the report is not yet public. (Nakashima, Abutaleb and Achenbach, 8/24)

The Wall Street Journal: New U.S. Intelligence Report Doesn’t Provide Definitive Conclusion On Covid-19 Origins
The new assessment, which was ordered by President Biden 90 days ago, highlights the administration’s difficult challenge to wrest more information from Beijing that would shed light on how the global pandemic began. It underscores the importance of inducing China to share lab records, genomic samples, and other data that could provide further illumination on the origins of the virus, which has killed more than four million people world-wide, current and former officials said. “It was a deep dive, but you can only go so deep as the situation allows,” one U.S. official said. “If China’s not going to give access to certain data sets, you’re never really going to know.” (Gordon and Strobel, 8/24)

The New York Times: U.S. Intelligence Agencies Delivered A Report To Biden On The Virus’s Origins.
During the Trump administration, intelligence agencies ruled out theories that the virus was deliberately leaked. But they said they could not make a conclusion about what was more likely: an accidental leak from a lab researching coronaviruses or a natural development of the virus. While many scientists were initially skeptical of the lab leak theory, at least some became more open to examining it this year. And some criticized a World Health Organization report in March that found the lab leak theory unlikely. (Barnes, 8/25)

On the response from the international and scientific communities —

Stat: WHO Wants Experts To Investigate The Origins Of Covid And Other Pathogens
The Covid-19 pandemic has elevated scrutiny over how pathogens leap into humans like no crisis before it. To better understand how those events happen — and to better respond when they do — the World Health Organization is standing up a new Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO. Now, the agency needs experts to apply. (Joseph, 8/25)

Also —

The New York Times: Caught In The Crossfire Over Covid’s Origins
In the early days of the pandemic, scientists reported a reassuring trait in the new coronavirus: It appeared to be very stable. The virus was not mutating very rapidly, making it an easier target for treatments and vaccines. At the time, the slow mutation rate struck one young scientist as odd. “That really made my ears perk up,” said Alina Chan, a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Mass. Dr. Chan wondered whether the new virus was somehow “pre-adapted” to thrive in humans, before the outbreak even started. (Caryn Rabin, 8/4)

AP: China Accuses US Of Politicizing COVID-19 Origins Research
China went on the offensive Wednesday ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence report on the origins of the coronavirus, bringing out a senior official to accuse the United States of politicizing the issue by seeking to blame China. Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, said at a briefing for foreign journalists that “scapegoating China cannot whitewash the U.S.” “If they want to baselessly accuse China, they better be prepared to accept the counterattack from China,” he said. (Moritsugu, 8/25)

AP: Arkansas Runs Out Of Intensive Care Beds For COVID Patients
Arkansas on Tuesday ran out of intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced, as a surge in cases continued overwhelming hospitals in the state. The state’s ICU capacity for COVID patients barely eased hours after Hutchinson’s announcement, with only one hospital in southeast Arkansas showing availability, according to the state’s system for coordinating coronavirus patients. Virus patients make up about half of the state’s ICU beds. The number of virus patients in ICUs and on ventilators reached a new high in the state on Monday. (DeMillo, 8/24)

Axios: Arkansas Governor Says No More ICU Beds Available For COVID-19 Patients 
There are no more intensive care unit beds available for coronavirus patients due to a surge in cases driven by the Delta variant, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said during a press conference on Tuesday. It is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that ICU beds are full in the state, AP reports. The state reached a new record on Monday for the number of coronavirus patients currently on ventilators, according to government data. (Gonzalez, 8/24)

CBS News: Louisiana Reports Record Number Of COVID-19 Deaths
Louisiana reported 139 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday – the state's highest reported number of deaths in a single day since the pandemic began, the Louisiana Department of Health tweeted. The previous record, 129 deaths, was reported on April 14, 2020. "Each death is a terrible loss, even more so because we know most COVID deaths can now be prevented through safe and effective vaccines," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards tweeted. The state's health department reported 3,814 new cases of the virus Tuesday, noting an increase across all age groups within the state. The largest percentage increase of cases were among those aged 5 to 17. (Powell, 8/24)

The Boston Globe: Mass. Reports 131 Total Breakthrough COVID-19 Deaths As Of Aug. 21, Or 0.003 Percent Of All Fully Vaccinated People 
As of last Saturday, 131 people in Massachusetts who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 had died from the disease, the Department of Public Health reported Tuesday, representing a tiny fraction of all vaccinated people and underscoring the protection the vaccines provide against severe illness and death. The deaths accounted for 0.003 percent of the 4,449,267 people in Massachusetts who were fully vaccinated as of Saturday, the department said in its weekly update on breakthrough COVID-19 metrics. (Kaufman, 8/24)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Cases Force 6,500 LAUSD Students To Miss School 
Coronavirus cases resulted in 6,500 students missing one or more days during the first week of school in the Los Angeles Unified School District as officials responded to early results from the largest school-based coronavirus testing effort in the nation. About 3,000 students were in isolation because they tested positive for an infection either during the first week or in the days before the Aug. 16 start of classes. An additional 3,500 were in quarantine after they were identified as close contacts of those who tested positive. (Blume, 8/24)

North Carolina Health News: COVID Surged Through Centers For Residents With Intellectual, Developmental Disabilities 
As Christmas 2020 approached, so did a surge of the novel coronavirus that was to bring more than 1,100 cases to North Carolina’s three state-run residential centers for some of North Carolina’s most vulnerable people. Residents and staff at the state-run centers that house people with intellectual and developmental disabilities had seen 367 cases of COVID-19 among staff and residents by early December. But three months later, by the first week of March, the institutions had reported an increase of more than 270 percent. And a higher rate of infection took place at the N.C. centers than at equivalent centers in several other states, according to researchers tracking these outbreaks. (Goldsmith, 8/25)

The Washington Post: Four Members Of Maryland Governor’s Staff Test Positive For Coronavirus
Four members of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, his spokesman Mike Ricci said Tuesday. Hogan (R) and Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford (R) both tested negative, Ricci said, adding that all members of the governor’s staff are fully vaccinated. “While we cannot disclose any personal health information, COVID-19 positive cases have affected multiple members of the governor’s staff,” Ricci said in a statement. “All testing, notification, and quarantining protocols have been followed in accordance with CDC guidance, and contact tracing is underway.” (Chason, 8/25)

In news on the NRA —

Houston Chronicle: NRA Cancels Annual Meeting In Houston Because Of COVID
The National Rifle Association announced it has canceled its annual meeting planned for Houston next weekend because of rising COVID-19 cases in Houston. “We make this difficult decision after analyzing relevant data regarding COVID-19 in Harris County, Texas,” the NRA said in a statement on its website. “We also consulted with medical professionals, local officials, major sponsors and exhibitors, and many NRA members before arriving at this decision.” (Wallace, 8/24)

In news on herd immunity and covid treatments —

CNBC: Covid: 85-90% Of The U.S. Must Be Vaccinated ‘If We’re Going To Get Past This,’ Warns Dr. Peter Hotez
Dr. Peter Hotez warned that rapid spread of the delta coronavirus variant has forced the threshold for the amount of Americans requiring vaccination in order to achieve herd immunity much higher. “We’re now realizing with the variant that’s this transmissible, that we have to get to 85%, maybe, as Tony Fauci said, 90% of the country vaccinated,” said Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital. (DeCiccio, 8/24)

KHN: Hot Spots Where Covid Vaccination Lags Push Experimental Antibody Treatment
For months, Joelle Ruppert was among the millions of Americans who are covid vaccine holdouts. Her reluctance, she said, was not so much that she opposed the new vaccines but that she never felt “compelled” by the evidence supporting their experimental use. Nonetheless, after she fell ill with covid last month, Ruppert, a Florida preschool teacher, found herself desperate to try an experimental product that promised to ease her symptoms: infusion with a potent laboratory-produced treatment known as monoclonal antibody therapy. (Aleccia, 8/25)

Politico: It’s Governors Vs. The White House This School Year. And No One Is Winning. 
Governors’ varied approaches to Covid-19 safety protocols this school year reflect those same fractures over what it means to trust the science. Republican state executives increasingly see the fight against masking kids as one of their best chances to show off their political power — and beat Biden on the national stage. The aggressive tactics and the promise of federal intervention have made for a rocky back-to-school season, as Covid-19 cases among children continue to surge. (Perez Jr., Payne and Mays, 8/25)

CNN: Joe Biden And Ron DeSantis Square Off Over Coronavirus Response, With Cases In Florida Surging 
President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have found their chosen rhetorical rivals in the fight against the coronavirus: each other. And neither seems eager to back down anytime soon. The recent uptick in direct rhetoric between the Biden White House and the Republican governor with unbridled political aspirations reached its crescendo earlier this month, when Biden suggested DeSantis' actions were "not good" for Floridians and the governor responded that he didn't want to "hear a blip" from Biden on coronavirus. (Merica, 8/24)

On how the CDC responded to covid —

Politico: CDC Pandemic Response Limited By Patchy Data On Breakthrough Infections
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using outdated and unreliable data on coronavirus breakthrough infections to help make major decisions, such as who gets booster shots, according to three officials with direct knowledge of the situation. The agency originally tried to track all infections in vaccinated people, from mild to severe. But in May it decided to focus on the most severe cases, saying that would allow it to better monitor overall conditions and make more informed, targeted policy decisions. (Banco, 8/25)

In news about the vice president, Vietnam and Havana syndrome —

The Wall Street Journal: Kamala Harris Pushes Ahead With Vietnam Trip Despite Possible Havana Syndrome Incident
Vice President Kamala Harris temporarily delayed a flight from Singapore to Vietnam on Tuesday after her office was made aware of what the State Department called a “possible anomalous health incident” in Hanoi. Government officials have used that language to describe what is more commonly called Havana Syndrome, a series of unexplained medical symptoms first experienced by State Department personnel stationed in Cuba beginning in late 2016. After an assessment, the decision was made to continue the trip, the State Department said. (Parti and Solomon, 8/24)

Axios: VP Harris Delayed Due To "Anomalous Health Incident" In Hanoi 
Vice President Kamala Harris' Tuesday flight from Singapore to Vietnam was delayed roughly three hours due to a "recent possibly anomalous health incident" in Hanoi, per a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam. That phrasing is how the U.S. government typically refers to the mysterious symptoms associated with Havana syndrome that has sickened hundreds of U.S. officials in recent years. (Garfinkel, 8/24)

The Hill: Two US Diplomats To Be Evacuated From Vietnam After 'Acoustic Incidents': Report
Two U.S. diplomats have reportedly been evacuated out of Vietnam due to reported "Havana syndrome" incidents this week. The incidents were apparently the cause of Vice President Harris's flight delay to Singapore on Tuesday. Senior U.S. officials told NBC News that the "anomalous health incident" that Harris's office cited for the delays was, in fact, suspected cases of Havana syndrome, the mysterious illness that has primarily affected diplomats in overseas offices. It was first detected in 2016 when it affected CIA officials in Havana. (Choi, 8/24)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Reinstates ‘Remain In Mexico’ Policy For Asylum Applicants
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a Trump-era policy that requires asylum applicants to wait in Mexico while their claims are evaluated by U.S. authorities. The three liberal justices dissented. President Biden canceled the Trump administration Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly called the Remain in Mexico policy, responding to criticism that it forced vulnerable migrants to wait out their cases in violent border cities. Lower courts found the administration failed to follow proper procedures in ending the policy and that the alternative of paroling into the U.S. asylum applicants en masse may violate federal law. (Bravin, 8/24)

The New York Times: Overweight Adults Should Be Screened For Diabetes At 35, Experts Say
Overweight adults should be screened for Type 2 diabetes and abnormally high blood sugar levels starting at age 35, five years earlier than currently advised, an expert task force recommended on Tuesday. The new recommendation, which does not apply to pregnant women, comes amid cresting rates of obesity and diabetes in the United States. It means that more than 40 percent of the adult population should now be screened, according to one estimate. The guideline was issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which makes recommendations for preventive services and screenings that insurance companies must completely cover, without out of pocket costs to the insured, under the Affordable Care Act. (Caryn Rabin, 8/24)

AP: Earlier Diabetes Tests Recommended For Overweight US Adults
The guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an advisory group to the U.S. government, was published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It updates the task force’s 2015 recommendations, and says even earlier screening should be considered for overweight or obese American Indians, Black people, Hispanics and other groups with disproportionately high diabetes rates. The American Diabetes Association says overweight or obese adults of any age should be screened. Screening means blood tests to measure sugar levels and sometimes involves drinking a sugary liquid first. The new guidance suggests that people whose tests are normal could be screened every three years. (Tanner, 8/24)

On diabetes in younger people, and screening ages —

Reuters: Diabetes Surges Among American Youth, Study Shows
The number of young people with the most prevalent form of diabetes nearly doubled in the United States from 2001 to 2017, according to a study published on Tuesday. The findings showed that the rate of young people ages 10 to 19 with type 2 diabetes increased by 95% over the 16-year period. The estimated rate of youth under age 20 with type 1 diabetes grew by 45%. (Respaut and Terhune, 8/24)

Stat: Diabetes Rises In Kids, As Screening Age Drops To 35 For Overweight Adults
The age at which adults who are overweight or obese should be screened for type 2 diabetes is going down while the prevalence of both forms of the disease is going up among children and adolescents — two developments reported Tuesday that signal a growing burden of these chronic health conditions among Americans. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered its recommended age to 35 — down from 40 in its 2015 guidance — to test people with above-normal BMIs for elevated glucose levels that could mean prediabetes or diabetes itself. The new evidence review and recommendations, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, would make more than 40% of adults eligible for screening, and an estimated one-third will likely meet USPSTF criteria to undertake preventive steps. (Cooney, 8/24)

Axios: Age Thresholds For Certain Health Screenings Are Getting Younger 
Americans are being asked to get screened for certain diseases earlier in their lives as emerging evidence shows they are at increasing risk for diseases historically seen in older adults. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on Tuesday lowered the recommended starting age to screen for Type 2 diabetes from age 40 to 35, and said overweight or obese adults at risk for prediabetes should be screened at ages 35 to 70. (Fernandez, 8/25)

CIDRAP: HPV Vaccine Tied To Lower Rates Of Vaccine Virus Strains But Not Others
A study in JAMA Network Open yesterday showed lower rates of vaccine strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in vaccinated girls and young women in New York City but higher rates of some high-risk non-vaccine strains. The large cohort study followed girls ages 13 to 21 who received the quadrivalent (four-strain) Gardasil vaccine over a 12-year period, from 2007 to 2019. A total of 1,453 participants were included, with a mean age of 18.2 years, and roughly half (694 participants) were vaccinated prior to their first sexual intercourse. (8/24)

In covid research news —

CIDRAP: Post-Vaccination SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Found In Breast Milk
After COVID-19 vaccination, 21 lactating healthcare workers showed significant increases in SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in their breast milk, according to a study published in Breastfeeding Medicine late last week. The researchers recruited from the University of Florida health system from December 2020 to March 2021 and sampled blood and breast milk pre-vaccination, 16 to 30 days after the first dose, and 7 to 10 days after the second dose. All healthcare workers received either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. (8/24)

CIDRAP: Study: Patients, Not Staff, Source Of Most Hospital COVID Spread
Most hospital patients diagnosed as having COVID-19 contracted the virus from other patients rather than healthcare workers (HCWs), with 21% of patients causing 80% of cases, finds a UK study today in eLife. A team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge analyzed data from five wards at the university's Addenbrooke's Hospital during a COVID-19 outbreak among patients and HCWs from March to June 2020. The team applied a new network reconstruction algorithm to infer patterns of virus spread among patients and HCWs. (Van Beusekom, 8/24)

In other research news —

Reuters: High Blood Pressure Driven By Obesity, Poverty - WHO Study
Nearly 1.3 billion people globally suffer from hypertension, a silent killer often driven by obesity that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. Hypertension can be easily diagnosed by monitoring blood pressure, and treated with low-cost drugs, but half of affected people are unaware of their condition which is left untreated, the WHO and Imperial College London said in a joint study published in The Lancet. (Nebehay, 8/25)

Modern Healthcare: Predictive Sepsis Models Need More Research 
Hospitals spend a lot of money on algorithms to predict and prevent sepsis cases and save lives. But these tools are largely unproven. The predictive models exist largely in a gray market. Without approval or clinical evidence requirements from a regulatory body like the Food and Drug Administration, healthcare executives must rely on data from mostly a market of private vendors. (Gillespie, 8/24)

In news about food and digestive health matters —

CIDRAP: Global Group Urges Limits On Antimicrobials In Food Production
Warning of the potentially devastating impact on human and animal health and food systems, world leaders today called for an urgent reduction in the use of antimicrobials in food production. In a statement, the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) called on all countries to stop using, for growth promotion in food-producing animals, antimicrobials that are critically important in human medicine. The statement also urged limiting the amount of antimicrobials that are used to prevent infections in animals and plants, eliminating or reducing over-the-counter sales of veterinary antibiotics, and improving infection prevention and control in agriculture and aquaculture. (Dall, 8/24)

KHN: Microbiome Startups Promise To Improve Your Gut Health, But Is The Science Solid?
After Russell Jordan sent a stool sample through the mail to the microbiome company Viome, his idea of what he should eat shifted. The gym owner in Sacramento, California, had always consumed large quantities of leafy greens. But the results from the test — which sequenced and analyzed the microbes in a pea-sized stool sample — recommended he steer clear of spinach, kale and broccoli. “Things I’ve been eating for the better part of 30 years,” said Jordan, 31. “And it worked.” Soon, his mild indigestion subsided. He recommended the product to his girlfriend. (Norman, 8/25)

Roll Call: Rising Hospitalizations Aren't Only About COVID-19 Cases 
Hospitals across the country are reaching capacity, the result not only of increasing COVID-19 cases, but also side effects of the pandemic, from delayed surgeries that are now urgent to mental health problems among children.  Exacerbating the problem, hospitals are facing new staffing challenges as doctors, nurses and other support staff buckle under the pressures. (Raman, 8/24)

In news on health care insurers —

Modern Healthcare: Insurers Have Stopped Waiving Costs For Preventable COVID-19 Care 
Most private insurers are no longer waiving cost sharing for COVID-19 treatment due to the widespread availability of vaccines rendering the illness largely preventable. While federal law requires private insurance plans to cover COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, there are no national regulations regarding out-of-pocket costs for treatments. (Devereaux, 8/24)

Modern Healthcare: Insurers To Get A Break On Price Transparency, Surprise Billing
Health plans will have more time to get ready for several requirements under the insurer price transparency rule and the ban on surprise billing, according to federal guidance published last week. The Biden administration won't crack down on insurers for failing to publish machine-readable files of provider rates until July 1, even though the requirement takes effect at the start of next year. But that doesn't mean they're going away. (Brady, 8/24)

Also —

The Boston Globe: Moderna Is Now The Third Largest Biotech Employer Based In Mass. 
Moderna, the Cambridge drug maker few outside the world of biotechnology had heard of before it developed a COVID-19 vaccine, is now the third-biggest biopharma employer based in Massachusetts, behind Biogen and Vertex, according to a report by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Overall, Moderna is the seventh-largest employer in the state’s booming biopharma hub, trailing multinational giants with corporate headquarters outside Massachusetts such as Takeda, Sanofi, Novartis, and Pfizer, according to the 2021 “industry snapshot” released Wednesday by the trade group. (Saltzman, 8/25)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Operating Margins Lower In High Delta Areas 
A new report finds hospital operating margins hovered around 4% in July, with those in regions with high rates of the delta variant coming in lower. Kaufman Hall's National Hospital Flash Report shows the median hospital margin index was 4.1% in July including CARES Act stimulus funding distributed by the federal government, which the report noted is close to June levels. Without CARES Act funding, that was 3.2%. (Bannow, 8/24)

The Hill: Wildfire Smoke Leads To Worst Air Quality On Record In Nevada Counties
Wildfires continuing to spread across California have pushed smoke across to neighboring states, with several Nevada counties reporting their worst air quality index (AQI) levels on record this week. The Air Quality Management Division of Nevada’s Washoe County, home to Reno, on Tuesday reported an AQI number of 289, falling within the range of government agencies consider to be “very unhealthy.” The county shared images on Twitter of the same area in Reno, with one taken last month showing a clear mountain view, and the other taken Tuesday showing it darkened and clouded with smoke. (Castronuovo, 8/24)

In mental health news —

AP: US Open Offering Tennis Players Access To Mental Health Pros
Players at the U.S. Open will have access to licensed mental health providers and quiet rooms as part of an initiative announced Tuesday by the U.S. Tennis Association. The USTA said it seeks to “ensure that a comprehensive and holistic approach will be taken with all aspects of player health, including mental health.” “Our goal is to make mental health services as readily available to athletes as services for a sprained ankle — and with no stigma attached,” said Dr. Brian Hainline, a USTA first vice president. “We will provide an environment that fosters wellness while providing the necessary resources to readily allow mental health care seeking.” (8/25)

NPR: More Americans Would Like Mental Health Support But Can't Afford It 
For many Americans who, like Parrish, live with a mood disorder, cost remains a major hurdle to accessing mental health care, according to a survey on mood disorders published this week by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Over half of the survey's respondents (which included people living with mood disorders and their caregivers) said that cost prevents them from trying a treatment they're interested in, says psychiatrist Ken Duckworth, NAMI's chief medical officer. (Chatterjee, 8/24)

The New York Times: How Exercise May Help Keep Our Memory Sharp
An intriguing new study shows how exercise may bolster brain health. The study was in mice, but it found that a hormone produced by muscles during exercise can cross into the brain and enhance the health and function of neurons, improving thinking and memory in both healthy animals and those with a rodent version of Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier research shows that people produce the same hormone during exercise, and together the findings suggest that moving could alter the trajectory of memory loss in aging and dementia. (Reynolds, 8/25)

In news on disease surges —

CIDRAP: Two US Salmonella Outbreaks Linked To Italian-Style Meats
Two US outbreaks of Salmonella, one S Typhimurium and the other S Infantis, have been linked to Italian-style meats, although none are connected to a specific product or brand yet, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigation notice today. A total of 36 people across 17 states are affected. The S Typhimurium outbreak began May 30 and has thus far affected 23, hospitalizing 9 patients, and the S. Infantis outbreak began May 9 and has thus far affected 13 people, hospitalizing 3 patients. (8/24)

Houston Chronicle: Syphilis In Newborns Is Up 250% During Pandemic. Experts Blame Lack Of Education, Stigma Around STIs.
In April, the department reported a marked increase in fetal deaths linked to congenital syphilis during the pandemic, up from four in 2019 to 14 in 2020 — an increase of 250 percent. Since 2019, all fetal deaths linked to syphilis in Harris County were among either Black or Latino fetuses, according to the department. That year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,870 cases of congenital syphilis across the U.S. (Garcia, 8/24)

Also —

Axios: Dental Care Surges From Pandemic Lows 
People are back to cleaning and fixing their teeth. The coronavirus almost completely halted the operations of dentists and orthodontists last spring. But since then, sales of dental equipment and supplies have doubled over the past year as more people got vaccinated and returned to their dentists' offices. (Herman, 8/24)

NBC News: Unfriendly Skies: FAA Releases PSA After Thousands Of Unruly Passengers Are Reported
Unruly passengers aboard commercial flights are making the skies anything but friendly, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In its effort to curb what it has described as a dramatic increase in unruly or dangerous behavior aboard passenger airplanes, the FAA released a public service announcement Tuesday with a simple message: "Unruly behavior doesn't fly." The 33-second video depicts pilots speaking over airwaves to relay messages like "We've got a disruptive customer in the back," "We'd like to divert" and "We need to get off the airplane." Shouts and sounds of commotion are heard while ominous music plays. (Planas, 8/24)

In news on the health risks of a new viral meme —

The Washington Post: The Viral Milk Crate Challenge Has Left People Injured. Doctors Are Begging Them To Stop
“It’s the biggest thing that’s going on in every neighborhood right now,” said Derek, a 38-year-old social media personality based on Long Island and better known as Itsbizkit who preferred not to give his last name, for privacy reasons. “You go to any park or public place right now and you’ll see crates there.” But many see the Milk Crate Challenge as taking up where the Tide Pod Challenge left off — as a viral meme that has become a public health hazard. Some doctors are also warning that the injuries from the challenge are putting more stress on hospitals at a time when emergency rooms nationwide are overwhelmed because of the surge in coronavirus infections. (Bella, 8/24)

On the addiction crisis —

KHN: From Uber Vouchers To Patient Advocates: What It Takes To Increase ER Addiction Treatment
For years, Kayla West watched the opioid epidemic tear through her eastern Tennessee community. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, she treated people with mental illness but felt she needed to do more to address addiction. So in 2020, when the state created a position to help hospitals improve addiction care in the emergency room, West jumped at the opportunity. She knew that many people with substance use disorders land in the ER, and that starting medications for opioid use — like buprenorphine (often known by the brand name Suboxone) — could double a person’s chance of staying in treatment a month later. (Pattani, 8/25)

WLRN 91.3 FM: Group Of South Florida Doctors Unite In Urging Vaccines After Pfizer's FDA Approval 
Dozens of doctors in Palm Beach County gathered at a parking lot Monday to announce their frustration with people who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The physicians who work at medical centers and hospitals did not leave any patients unattended, and instead gathered outside of their shifts. "We’ve had enough, and we’re pushed to the max," said Dr. Jennifer Buczyner, a neurologist who helped organize the event as a way to stand together and get their message out urging people to get inoculated. (Zaragovia, 8/24)

Houston Chronicle: Harris County Approves $30 Million For More Nurses To Ease Latest COVID-19 Surge
Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved $30 million to send more nurses to Houston-area hospitals strained by this latest surge in COVID-19 patients. The money will come from Harris County’s allotment of the American Rescue Plan Act. County Judge Lina Hidalgo said while the entire sum will probably not be needed, court members need to act quickly to help short-staffed medical facilities. (Despart, 8/24)

AP: West Virginia Mayor Seeks $500 For Vaccinated Workers
The mayor of West Virginia’s largest city wants to give $500 to all city workers in Charleston who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin announced Tuesday that she sent a letter to the City Council requesting approval for either a cash payment or a $500 health savings account contribution to eligible employees. Workers must have at least two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the city said in a statement. The payment would come from the city’s allocation of American Rescue Plan funding, the statement said. Goodwin anticipates the cost would be $450,000 if all city employees participate. (8/25)

AP: With Hospitals Overwhelmed By Virus, Idaho Seeks Volunteers
Idaho’s hospitals are bursting at the seams as coronavirus numbers continue to skyrocket across the state, prompting state leaders to call on residents to serve as volunteers to help keep medical facilities operating. “There’s a wide variety of positions available, a wide variety of skillsets — we need positions in every part of the state,” Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Division of Public Health, said during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon. (Boone, 8/25)

The Boston Globe: Local Maritime Ministries Provide Vaccines To Foreign Seafarers In Port 
About 20 percent of the 1.6 million seafarers around the world have been vaccinated, according to the International Chamber of Shipping. The majority of them come from countries with low inoculation rates and may be out at sea longer than usual — sometimes for more than a year — due to pandemic-related border restrictions, giving them even less of a chance to roll up their sleeves for a shot. And with infection rates rising, the shipping industry is warning that sick or stranded crew members may lead to worldwide staffing shortages that could disrupt trade and further damage already battered global supply chains. (Johnston, 8/24)

Los Angeles Times: Prison Guard's COVID Death Resulted From Infected Inmates, Family Alleges 
The family of a San Quentin prison guard who died of COVID-19 claim in a recently filed lawsuit that his death, along with 28 others, resulted from the botched transfer of infected inmates from a Southern California prison in May 2020.Correctional Sgt. Gilbert Polanco, a 55-year-old father of two, died less than three months after a bus, dubbed “the beast” by San Quentin inmates, arrived at the prison with 121 inmates from the outbreak-ridden California Institution for Men at Chino, according to the federal lawsuit filed against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). (Winton, 8/24)

Los Angeles Times: Data Breach At Cal State Chico Reveals Vaccine Exemptions 
Officials at California State University, Chico, are investigating a data breach that exposed confidential information from 130 students who requested religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine. The records, which included students’ names and email addresses, were breached Aug. 15 and published on an anonymous internet message board, said university officials. Officials were not aware of the breach until a reporter from the Sacramento Bee, which first reported the story, contacted the university Monday. (Estrin and Hernandez, 8/24)

On homelessness —

AP: Audit: California Agency Bungled COVID-19 Funds For Homeless
A California agency didn’t properly distribute federal relief funds meant to help homeless residents during the coronavirus pandemic, and the mismanagement was so prolonged that local organizations may lose the money because of missed deadlines, auditors said Tuesday. After receiving $316 million under the federal CARES Act to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on unhoused people, the California Department of Housing and Community Development “did not take critical steps to ensure those funds promptly benefited that population,” the state auditor’s office said in a report. (8/25)

CNN: Global Covid-19 Cases Plateau After Nearly Two Months Of Increase, WHO Reports 
The number of new Covid-19 cases reported globally "seems to be plateauing" after increasing for nearly two months, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. WHO reported more than 4.5 million new cases and 68,000 new deaths worldwide last week -- only a slight increase from the more than 4.4 million cases and 66,000 deaths reported the prior week. The cumulative global caseload now stands at more than 211 million, with the total death toll surpassing 4.4 million, according to WHO's weekly epidemiological update. (Mascarenhas and Gan, 8/25)

AP: Harris: US To Provide Vietnam 1 Million More Vaccine Doses
The United States will provide an additional 1 million coronavirus vaccine doses to Vietnam, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday, offering additional aid to a country currently grappling with a fresh coronavirus surge and stubbornly low vaccination rates. Harris, speaking at the top of a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, said that the doses would begin to arrive within the next 24 hours. That brings the total vaccine donation to Vietnam to 6 million doses from the U.S. (Jaffe, 8/25)

CIDRAP: WHO Airs Concern Over COVID Control, Medical Supplies In Afghanistan
At a briefing today, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean office said the group is worried that upheaval in Afghanistan will fuel a spike in COVID-19 cases and that the country has only enough medical supplies to last 1 week. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, MD, PhD, who directs the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office (EMRO), said that, alongside upheaval, increasing population movements could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases. "We need to keep the COVID pandemic under control," he said. (Schnirring, 8/24)

In other news around the world —

AP: Japan To Further Expand Virus Emergency Areas As Cases Surge
Japan was set to expand its coronavirus state of emergency for a second week in a row Wednesday, adding several more prefectures as a surge in infections fueled by the delta variant strains the country’s health care system. The government last week extended the state of emergency until Sept. 12 and expanded the areas covered to 13 prefectures from six including Tokyo. Sixteen other prefectures are currently under quasi-emergency status. (Yamaguchi, 8/25)

The Washington Post: Paralympics Village Faces Largest Covid Outbreak As Games Begin
Five people residing at a housing complex reserved for Paralympics athletes, coaches and committee officials tested positive for the new coronavirus in Japan, event officials announced on Wednesday, just a day after the formal commencement of the games. This is the largest single-day tally for people living in the Paralympics Village. The area is designed to be a protective bubble shielding residents from the coronavirus.So far, the Paralympics Games — which had its opening ceremony on Tuesday — has recorded 169 infections of the deadly virus so far, according to the event’s organizing committee. This figure includes the 11 cases recorded inside the village. (Jeong, 8/25)

The New York Times: China Will Hold The Unvaccinated ‘Accountable’ If There Are Outbreaks
The authorities in at least 12 cities in China have warned residents that those who refuse Covid-19 vaccinations could be punished if they are found to be responsible for spreading outbreaks. The latest government notices, issued this and last week, reflect China’s anxiety about stamping out the more transmissible Delta variant, which has spread recently in several cities. China has fully vaccinated roughly 55 percent of its population, but officials have said that rate needs to hit 80 percent for the country to reach herd immunity. (Wee and Chen, 8/25)

Reuters: New Zealand Pushes Ahead With Vaccinations As Delta Outbreak Widens
New Zealand recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the total number of infections in the latest outbreak to 210 as the government scrambled to scale up vaccinations amid growing criticism. Most of the cases are in the largest city Auckland, while 12 are in the capital Wellington, the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said at a news conference. (Menon, 8/25)

Reuters: Vietnam Urges WHO To Send More COVID-19 Shots As Cases Surge Despite Lockdown
While the rapid spread of the Delta variant and low vaccinations have caught much of Asia off-guard, no country shows more vividly than Vietnam how easily the highly infectious version of the coronavirus can foil strict containment policy. Vietnam had successfully contained the coronavirus for most of last year but since April has been dealing with a large COVID-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City, driven by the Delta. (Lin, 8/25)

CNBC: Africa Was Shortchanged On Covid Vaccines: African Development Bank
African countries have been “shortchanged” with regard to its access to Covid-19 vaccines, the president of African Development Bank said. “Africa [has] for sure been shortchanged, if I can use that term, regarding access to vaccines globally,” Akinwumi Adesina told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Tuesday. “The vaccines are not getting here in time, in the right quantity and the right price,” he said, adding that saving lives is “all about timing.” (Ng, 8/25)

Reuters: Thailand Develops Robotic System To Squeeze Out More Vaccine Doses
Using a robotic arm, the "AutoVacc" system can draw 12 doses of the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) vaccine in four minutes from a vial, according to researchers at Chulalongkorn University, who made the machine that has been used at the university's vaccination centre since Monday. That is up 20% from the standard 10 doses drawn manually, they said. The machine only works on AstraZeneca multi-dose vials currently and labels show each vial can provide 10 to 11 doses. (Kittisilpa, 8/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Business Groups Sue Over Healthcare Price Transparency Rule 
U.S. business groups sued to block parts of a federal rule requiring insurers and employers to disclose prices they pay for healthcare services and drugs, the latest legal challenge to efforts to make public rates that have long been kept secret. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents pharmacy-benefit managers, filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies last week in federal courts in Tyler, Texas, and the District of Columbia. They claim certain provisions of the rule go beyond federal authority and could raise healthcare costs. (Mathews, 8/20)

Also —

News And Sentinel: West Virginia Bus Tour Promotes Lowering Prescription Drug Costs
State and national supporters of lowering the costs of expensive prescription drugs and expanding health insurance are urging West Virginians to get on the bus. Protect Our Care, a healthcare advocacy organization, brought its nationwide bus tour to the State Capitol Building in Charleston on Monday afternoon. Charleston was the last of two stops in West Virginia for the bus tour, and one of 36 events in 19 states. The group stopped in Morgantown last week. The group is traveling around the country to promote health care expansion through President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that Congress passed in March. Protect Our Care is also promoting efforts to make prescription drugs more affordable, such as H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act. (Adams, 8/24)

Politico: White House To House Dems: Drug Price Plan Is A Winning Issue
The White House is aggressively touting the political benefits of President Joe Biden’s plan to lower the cost of prescription drug prices, setting up the issue as a likely focal point of Congress’ budget debate when the House returns this week. In private conversations with lawmakers, administration officials have emphasized the popularity of the proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. Recent polling shows strong support among voting blocs that Democrats need to win to have any hope of surviving the 2022 midterm elections with their majorities intact. (Barron-Lopez, 8/22)

CNBC: Congressional Democrats Want To Let Medicare Negotiate Prices With Drugmakers. Here’s What That Could Mean For The Cost Of Coverage
A push to rein in the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries could emerge on Capitol Hill in the coming months. President Joe Biden called on Congress last week to reduce those costs through several means: letting Medicare negotiate with drug manufacturers, generally limiting price increases to the inflation rate and capping beneficiaries’ annual out-of-pocket spending on prescriptions to about $3,000. (O'Brien, 8/19)

The Star Tribune: Here's How We'll Lower The Cost Of Prescription Drugs 
"So here's a good idea …" That was the opening line of one of the first television ads I ran as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. The idea? Lowering prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of drugs for seniors. Acting to stop skyrocketing drug prices still couldn't be more urgent. Many seniors have seen eye-popping price increases on many of the drugs they need to survive. In the past five years, the cost of Lyrica, a drug that treats nerve pain, increased 47%, while Symbicort, a medication for asthma and COPD, increased 46%, just to name a couple. And as a result, nearly 20% of older adults have reported not taking their medicines as prescribed because of the cost. (Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., 8/23)

The Washington Post: The Reconciliation Bill Is Really About Health Care. And 2022
So much media coverage regarding the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package has focused on the legislative process for passing the bills. The contents of those packages, however, have received scant attention — especially the reconciliation bill. "Human infrastructure” and “Build Back Better” sound rather nebulous, but in truth, much of the appeal of that social spending bundle centers on health care. And it is there that Democrats’ hopes for 2022 primarily rest. They might consider calling it the “Build Health Care Better” plan. (Jennifer Rubin, 8/23)

Stat: Stop The Failed Accountable Care Organization Experiment 
For the last half-century, Congress has endorsed essentially the same approach to cutting health care costs, an approach that came to be called “managed care” by the mid-1980s. Based on the assumption that U.S. health care costs are double those of other wealthy nations because doctors order services patients don’t need, the solution is to “manage” doctors and provide financial incentives that nudge them to cut services. The managed care approach has not only failed to cut costs, it has contributed to health care inflation by encouraging mergers and driving up administrative costs. The failure of the accountable care organization (ACO), a prominent iteration of managed care, illustrates the problem. (Kip Sullivan and James G. Kahn, 8/23)

Buffalo News: New Yorkers Can't Afford Sky-High Drug Prices
Whether you’re aware of it or not, you probably know people who skip taking all the medication they’re supposed to because they can't afford it. Americans pay three times what people in Canada and other countries pay for the same medicine. It is tragic and shocking, and it’s long overdue for the president and Congress – and New York State – to take action. AARP has tracked the prices of the most commonly used prescription drugs for well over a decade. Every year those prices have risen faster – often much faster – than inflation. Last year, amid the pandemic and economic downturn, the prices for 260 widely used brand-name medications rose more than twice the rate of general inflation, AARP’s Rx Price Watch Report found. (David McNally, 8/22)

NBC News: If Covid Vaccine Refusers Are Turned Away At Hospitals And Doctor Offices, Is That Ethical?
Dr. Jason Valentine, a family medicine physician at the Diagnostic and Medical Clinic Infirmary Health in Mobile, Alabama, informed his patients this month that, effective Oct. 1, he would no longer treat those who hadn’t been vaccinated against Covid-19. Around the same time, a leaked memo indicated that the North Texas Mass Critical Care Guideline Task Force was considering whether to take Covid vaccination status into account in deciding who gets ICU beds when more of them are needed than are available. Can either of these actions be considered ethical? In short, it depends. (J. Russel Teagarden and Arthur L. Caplan, 8/24)

CNN: Now There's No Excuse For Not Requiring Vaccinations 
On Monday, the US Food and Drug Administration took the much anticipated step of approving Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine. While the vaccine was being administered under the FDA's emergency use authorization (EUA), there was a tremendous amount of confidence from agency officials, public health specialists and clinicians in its safety and efficacy. Now that the vaccine has full FDA approval, those who were skeptical of receiving the shots can rest assured knowing that the vaccine has gone through the vetting process that is standard for our most trusted pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Those previously hesitant to vaccination should celebrate this milestone by getting themselves fully vaccinated and helping others do the same. (Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein, 8/23)

The New York Times: Vaccine Mandates Won’t Save Us 
Requiring proof of vaccination isn’t a novel idea. Schools across the United States require students to get certain vaccinations before the age of 6. You need a yellow fever vaccine to travel to parts of Africa and South America. Now, with a global pandemic, the conversation has shifted to Covid vaccination requirements. With little more than 50 percent of the United States fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and the Delta variant leading to increased case counts, it’s no surprise that our focus has shifted to vaccine mandates. This week, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration, which likely means more mandates and boosters. (8/25)

East Bay Times: Pfizer Approval Brings Call For Government Mandates
The Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 and older should spur federal, state and local governments to impose widespread vaccine mandates. Health officials expect that full approval of the Moderna vaccine, which relies on similar technology, will come within the next few weeks. All workers at government, hospitals, schools and long-term care facilities should be required to be vaccinated. So should students, faculty and staff at public colleges and universities. And that’s just for starters. Bay Area counties and cities should follow New York City’s lead and mandate proof of vaccination for access to most indoor activities, including dining, gyms and entertainment shows. Counties and cities throughout California should do the same. (8/24)

Stat: Ivermectin For Covid-19: Abundance Of Hype, Dearth Of Evidence 
Here’s a tip for navigating the constantly evolving data on treatments for Covid-19: Beware when someone describes a drug as a “miracle.” The ongoing devastation wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic creates an understandable allure for a quick-fix or magic-bullet solutions. But it is painstaking scientific testing — not magical thinking — that reveals what works and how well. For example, clinical trials involving tens of thousands of patients across multiple continents were needed to demonstrate the enormous value of Covid-19 vaccines. (Peter G. Lurie, 8/25)

Houston Chronicle: Step Away From The Livestock Meds. The Pfizer Vaccine Just Got Full Approval
Rash, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, neurological disorders and potentially severe hepatitis requiring hospitalization. No, these are not symptoms associated with any coronavirus vaccine. They are symptoms, according to the Associated Press, associated with ivermectin toxicity, a condition that Americans in some parts are developing in alarming numbers because they chose to treat their COVID-19 symptoms with a livestock deworming medication rather than get a vaccine that could have prevented the symptoms in the first place. (8/25)

The Boston Globe: Union Pushback On Vaccine Mandate Endangers Public Health 
When a state trooper pulls over a car, the driver of that car doesn’t have a lot of options for safely interacting with that trooper in a pandemic, other than pulling on his own mask. An inmate at any of the state’s prisons has even fewer choices about interacting with correction officers. Inmates are, after all, a captive audience. And yet unions for both of those groups are now among the most vocal opponents of Governor Charlie Baker’s recently announced vaccination mandate for all 42,000 state workers. (8/25)

Stat: Florida Doctor: This Devastating Covid Surge Didn’t Need To Happen 
I recently came across a photo of myself in late December 2020 getting my first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. I was ecstatic. Many of my colleagues posted similar images. Even though we were all wearing masks, no one could miss the smiles on our faces. This vaccine was the hope we’d been waiting for. In that moment of jubilation, I could not imagine the tragedy to come. (Jennifer Caputo-Seidler, 8/24)

Kansas City Star: Missouri Waits Until October For Expanded Medicaid Coverage 
Medicaid remains unexpanded in Missouri, nine months after voters ordered lawmakers to provide the service, and one month after the state Supreme Court affirmed that order. The continuing delay is a failure of leadership that starts with Gov. Mike Parson and trickles all through the state bureaucracy. It ensures weeks of continued suffering for the working poor, who can’t get the coverage they need and are owed. Missouri must do more to get them a Medicaid insurance card. (8/25)

Newsweek: It's Time To End The Sale Of All Flavored Tobacco Products 
The tobacco industry has a decades-long history of deceiving the public about the health risks of their products and their marketing to kids. It's not surprising that the industry is now disseminating misleading information about e-cigarettes. It is especially irresponsible that the industry is downplaying the severity of youth e-cigarette use. From 2017 to 2019, e-cigarette use among U.S. high school students more than doubled, from 11.7 percent to 27.5 percent. While youth e-cigarette use declined in 2020, 3.6 million middle and high school students still used e-cigarettes—the same number that led the U.S. Surgeon General and FDA to declare an epidemic in 2018. (Matthew L. Myers, 8/24)

Stat: A Public-Private Partnership Is Needed To Develop New Antivirals 
The U.S. government’s announcement that it is investing $3 billion into research on antiviral medicines for Covid-19 is a step in the right direction and comes at a critical moment in the pandemic — though earlier, of course, would have been better. But based on my experience with drug development, in particular with antivirals, in both government and the private sector, I know that the process takes longer and is more expensive than anyone ever anticipates. (Armand Balboni, 8/25)