CNBC: CDC Reverses Indoor Mask Policy, Saying Fully Vaccinated People And Kids Should Wear Them Indoors
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that fully vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors again in places with high Covid-19 transmission rates. The agency is also recommending kids wear masks in schools this fall. Federal health officials still believe fully vaccinated individuals represent a very small amount of transmission. Still, some vaccinated people could be carrying higher levels of the virus than previously understood and potentially transmit it to others. (Lovelace Jr., 7/27)

AP: CDC Changes Course On Indoor Masks In Some Parts Of The US
Biden dismissed concerns that the new masking guidance could invite confusion, saying Americans who remain unvaccinated are the ones who are “sowing enormous confusion.” “The more we learn about this virus and the delta variation, the more we have to be worried and concerned. And there’s only one thing we know for sure — if those other 100 million people got vaccinated, we’d be in a very different world,” he said. The White House quickly pivoted on its own masking guidance, asking all staff and reporters to wear masks indoors because the latest CDC data shows that Washington faces a substantial level of coronavirus transmission. (Stobbe, 7/27)

Politico: CDC Wants Vaccinated Americans To Wear Masks Indoors In Covid Hot Spots 
"This weighs heavily on me," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters Tuesday. "Not only are people tired, they are frustrated. We have mental health challenges in this country. We have a lot of sickness and death. Our health systems are being overrun. In the context of all that this, I know this is not welcome news. I just want to convey that this was not a decision that was taken lightly." Tuesday’s policy switch underscores the extent to which the Biden administration is increasingly worried about the highly transmissible Delta variant infecting the unvaccinated population across the country. It also points to a frustrating new reality for the White House — that the country needs to revert to wearing masks at a time when the U.S. was supposed to be returning to normal life. (Banco and Cancryn, 7/27)

USA Today: The CDC Is Recommending Masks For Vaccinated People In High Transmission Areas. What Does That Mean?
Should you wear a mask if you're fully vaccinated? If you're in an area with high COVID transmissibility, the CDC says yes. Here's what that means. (Santucci, 7/28)

Is Your County A Hot Spot? Check The CDC Map For The Latest Status

Also —

Bloomberg: White House Orders Staff To Wear Masks Indoors As Delta Covid Variant Spreads
The White House has told staff that they must again wear masks, a symbolic setback in the fight against Covid-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads. The decision came after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tightened mask guidelines, advising people wear them indoors in public regardless of vaccination status in places where the virus is rapidly spreading. (Fabian and Epstein, 7/27)

The Hill: House To Resume Mask Mandate After New CDC Guidance
Masks will once again be universally required on the House side of the Capitol amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, the Capitol physician announced late Tuesday night. The resumption of the House mask mandate — just over a month after it was lifted — comes after new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier Tuesday recommending that vaccinated people should wear masks in high-risk areas. (Marcos, 7/27)

NBC News: Experts Back CDC Change On Masks As Delta Variant Spreads
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its masking guidance Tuesday, recommending that everyone, whether they are vaccinated or not, wear a mask indoors in places where the coronavirus is spreading widely. The change was met with relief from experts who said masking up again is essential to combat the highly contagious delta variant. "We know masks work, and they work against every variant that this virus has produced," said Ali Mokdad, a professor of global health at the University of Washington. "If we use them, they will save lives, save livelihoods and prevent us from shutting down our economy." (Chow, 7/27)

NPR: Indoor (And Outdoor) Masking Guidance In Light Of New CDC Recommendations
The CDC has reversed its position that vaccinated people no longer need masks and recommends masking up again in certain settings. Does that mean grocery stores? What about roller coasters? (Mulrooney Eldred, 7/27)

CNBC: Return-To-Office Plans In Limbo As CDC Recommends Indoor Masking Again
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended fully vaccinated people begin wearing a mask in public indoor settings again in places with “substantial and high” Covid-19 transmission rates. The updated guidance comes at time when Covid cases are rising again in all 50 states due to the highly contagious delta variant, and is a reversal of the CDC’s May relaxation of indoor masking guidelines for the fully vaccinated. (Liu, 7/27)

The Washington Post: CDC Urges Everyone In Schools To Wear Masks 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday changed its guidance for schools, recommending everyone over the age of 2 — and not just the unvaccinated — wear masks inside school buildings, a shift that comes in response to rising concerns about the delta variant of the coronavirus. The announcement came as schools across the country weighed how to mitigate the spread of the new variant in classrooms and hallways, a question that has been fiercely debated in school board meetings — where some parents have flung obscenities at school leaders — and statehouses. In many places, politics — not science — is guiding how leaders respond. And the guidance might make little difference for schools in the nine Republican-led states that have outright barred them from enacting mask requirements. (Balingit and Strauss, 7/27)

CNN: CDC Recommends Encouraging Everyone To Wear A Mask In School 
"CDC recommends that everyone in K through 12 schools wear a mask indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with proper prevention strategies in place," she said. "Finally, CDC recommends community leaders encourage vaccination and universal masking to prevent further outbreaks in areas of substantial and high transmission with the Delta various. Vaccinating more Americans now is more urgent than ever." (Howard, 7/27)

Roll Call: As COVID-19 Cases Rise, CDC Urges Masks Indoors, Including Schools 
Earlier this month, the CDC said all fully vaccinated school-age children could go maskless in the classroom, while unvaccinated students should mask up. Soon after the agency released this guidance, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended all students, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in the classroom to help prevent transmission. “Masking students is inconvenient, I know, but will allow them to learn and be with their classmates with the best available protection,” Biden said in a statement. (Cohen, 7/27)

Experts and doctors also weigh in about kids and masks —

CNBC: Top U.S. Doctors Say Kids Need Masks And Social Distancing In Schools This Fall
Students should wear masks and practice social distancing at school to ensure safe in-person learning this fall, top U.S. doctors said Tuesday. Just 30% of 12- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated in America, and younger kids won’t likely get the shots until well into the school year. That has the American Academy of Pediatrics and other top doctors worried that the delta variant could rip through U.S. schools when kids return to the classroom this fall. (Mendez and Towey, 7/27)

Fox News: K-12 Schools Should Implement Universal Masking To Protect Younger Kids, Expert Says
Amid rising COVID-19 cases largely due to the delta variant, K-12 schools should instate universal masking measures to safeguard younger kids who are not yet eligible for vaccination, an Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) expert said Tuesday. The advice, given by Dr. Tina Tan, member of the IDSA board of directors and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, goes a step further than guidance given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which currently recommends masks for unvaccinated individuals. The health agency does note that "based on the needs of the community, school administrators may opt to make mask use universally required (i.e., regardless of vaccination status) in the school." It is expected to issue an update Tuesday that some vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors. (Hein, 7/27)

ABC News: Pediatricians' Advice For Parents Confused About Kids And Face Masks Amid COVID-19 Surge 
Adding to the many challenges parents faced during the COVD-19 pandemic, vaccines remain unavailable for young children leading to questions about the need for kids to wear masks. The issue has come to a head as kids start to return to school and even different schools within the same school district may have different mask policies. (Kindelan, 7/27)

Also —

Politico: Newsom Pulls Kids From Summer Camp After Maskless Revelation 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom pulled his children from a summer camp after discovering that other children were attending without masks in violation of state policy, his office confirmed Tuesday. "The Newsoms were concerned to see unvaccinated children unmasked indoors at a camp their children began attending yesterday and after seeing this, removed the kids from the camp," Newsom spokesperson Erin Mellon said in a statement. "The family reviewed communication from the camp and realized that an email was missed saying the camp would not enforce masking guidance. Their kids will no longer be attending this camp." (Bermel, 7/27)

AP: Nevada Adopts COVID-19 Mask Rule In Line With Federal Advice
Nevada is re-imposing a mask mandate for public indoor settings in places where COVID-19 is surging, including the state’s largest cities, state authorities said Tuesday. Gov. Steve Sisolak’s order, effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday, follows an indoor masking recommendation issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier in the day. (Metz and Ritter, 7/28)

AP: Oregon Health Officials Recommend Wearing Masks Indoors
In response to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Oregon and updated national guidance calling for masking measures to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, state health officials announced Tuesday they are recommending that people wear a mask in public indoor settings — including those who are fully vaccinated. The announcement occurred the same day that the Oregon Health Authority reported 1,032 new and presumed COVID-19 cases, the state’s highest daily case count since January based on recent data. (Cline, 7/28)

AP: No Mask Mandate, But Pennsylvania Urged To Follow Guidance
Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday that he is not considering a statewide mask mandate as coronavirus cases surge in Pennsylvania and across the country, while his administration said it is not requiring masks in schools. Wolf, speaking on KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh, said his strategy to fight the spread of COVID-19 has been the vaccine, and will continue to be. The masking mandate was for when there was no vaccine, Wolf said. (7/27)

AP: Michigan Governor Resumes Wearing Mask At Indoor Events
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday resumed wearing a mask at indoor events, citing revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a recommendation from Michigan’s chief doctor. The Democratic governor, who is vaccinated, said she does not anticipate reinstating a face covering requirement, “not in the near future and maybe not ever.” The CDC on Tuesday reversed course and recommended that even vaccinated people return to being masked indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. (Eggert, 7/28)

The Boston Globe: In Hot Spots Like Boston, Cape Cod, Vaccinated Advised To Mask Up Indoors
In an alarming sign of the pandemic’s resurgence, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday and recommended that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of higher transmission, including Boston, Cape Cod and the Islands, and Bristol County. Citing new information about the Delta variant’s ability to spread among vaccinated people, federal health officials also recommended indoor masks for all students and staff at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. (MacQuarrie and Martin, 7/27)

Los Angeles Times: Yolo County Reimposes Indoor Mask Mandate, Citing Rising COVID Cases And Hospitalizations
Yolo County on Tuesday ordered that everyone must wear a mask or face covering in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status, beginning Friday. In issuing the order, the county’s Health Department said the number of cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents has risen eightfold, from 1.2 to 10, since June 15, when the county lifted capacity limits and other restrictions on businesses and allowed vaccinated people to go unmasked in most settings. The Health Department said the Delta variant, more than twice as contagious as the original virus, was to blame for mounting cases and an increase in hospitalizations. (Ormseth, 7/27)

AP: Ducey Keeps Virus Policies Despite New Federal Guidelines
Arizona won’t be making any changes to its COVID-19 polices even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reversed course on some masking guidelines, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday. Citing a surge of infections from the delta variant, the CDC recommended that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the country classified as having substantial or high transmission. The agency recommends indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide regardless of vaccination status. (7/28)

Georgia Health News: Mask Rules Make Comeback As Concern Grows On Virus Spread 
Hospitals treating more patients and bracing for even more. Mask requirements returning. The push for vaccinations getting stronger, with more workers facing mandatory shots. The unsettling rise in COVID cases has prompted a flurry of virus-related activity this week across the state and the nation. Take Central Georgia. A Public Health spokesman there sent out data Monday that said his 13-county district has seen a major increase in COVID cases. The incidence rate of COVID-19 for district residents has hit 125 per 100,000 population, about four times the number from the  previous two-week period. Emergency room visits and hospitalizations are climbing, too. (Miller, 7/27)

NBC News: As Covid Cases Surge, The Unvaccinated Trigger Scorn, Resentment From The Vaccinated
Keisha Bryan, a psychotherapist near Raleigh, North Carolina, had a slate of activities she wanted to do this summer with her husband and their 5-year-old daughter: attend neighborhood parties, visit a trampoline park and travel to Walt Disney World for a much-needed family vacation. But even something as carefree as the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo, which they've attended previously, is off the table this year after event organizers announced Monday it was canceled because of the surge of Covid-19 cases in the region. North Carolina, like many states across the country, has been hit by a doubling of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rising due to the highly transmissible delta variant. (Ortiz, 7/28)

The New York Times: As Virus Cases Rise, Another Contagion Spreads Among The Vaccinated: Anger
“It’s like the sun has come up in the morning and everyone is arguing about it,” said Jim Taylor, 66, a retired civil servant in Baton Rouge, La., a state in which fewer than half of adults are fully vaccinated. “The virus is here and it’s killing people, and we have a time-tested way to stop it — and we won’t do it. It’s an outrage.” (Rabin, 7/27)

In more news about the spread of the coronavirus —

The Boston Globe: 5 Graphics Showing How COVID-19 Is On The Rise Around The United States
Despite the widespread access of highly effective vaccines, COVID-19 is again on the rise. Many of these cases are coming from a handful of states where vaccine rates are low. In the South, COVID-19 cases and related deaths are well above the national average. During the week of July 19, more than 40 percent of COVID-19 cases came from three states (Florida, Texas, and Missouri), according to public health officials. Most of those cases involve unvaccinated patients. Here’s a closer look at the problem. (Dixon, 7/28)

AP: Hospital Morgues Fill As Death Count Climbs In Missouri
A Springfield hospital announced Tuesday that it expanded its morgue capacity amid an increase in COVID-19 deaths, while the Kansas City mayor announced he would reinstate a mask mandate for indoor spaces. Missouri has the nation’s fourth-worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate over the past week, with one in every 360 people diagnosed with COVID-19. Its seven-day rolling average of daily deaths has nearly doubled over the past two weeks, according to data from John Hopkins. (Hollingsworth, 7/28)

Health News Florida: Tampa Bay Region Hospitals Filling Up With COVID-19 Patients 
Florida leads the nation in new COVID-19 infections, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting a seven-day average of more than 10,000 per day last week. In the greater Tampa Bay region, cases recorded last week nearly doubled since a week before — and area hospitals are once again filling up with COVID-19 patients. “A few weeks ago around the Fourth of July holiday, we had 12 to 14 new cases a day and now we’re seeing about 70 to 80 patients admitted to the hospital daily,” Dr. Peggy Duggan, chief medical officer at Tampa General Hospital, said in an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition on Monday. (Wentz, 7/27)

Health News Florida: Unvaccinated Patients Push Mid-Florida AdventHealth Hospitals To 'Red' Level
AdventHealth Central Florida hospitals were moved "red" status on Monday, filled with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients, Medical Director Dr. Victor Herrera said. This highest level of caution means that elective outpatient surgeries may be deferred. The Central Florida Division covers Polk, Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Volusia and Flagler counties. There are some 862 COVID-19 patients at AdventHealth Central Florida hospitals, near the peak of 900 patients in January. (Prieur, 7/27)

The Hill: Visitation Suspended At Louisiana Prisons Amid COVID-19 Surge
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections on Tuesday said it would be temporarily suspending visitation and volunteering at all state-run prisons as Louisiana is reporting record surges in COVID-19 infections among its largely unvaccinated population. The corrections agency announced in a press release that the suspension would remain in place until Aug. 16, at which point the department “will review and reconsider the need for these measures.” (Castronuovo, 7/27)

The Hill: Iowa Governor Suggests Immigrants Partially To Blame For Rising COVID-19 Cases 
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) on Tuesday placed partial blame for the recent surge in COVID-19 cases on immigrants crossing into the U.S. from its southern border. "Part of the problem is the southern border is open and we’ve got 88 countries that are coming across the border and they don’t have vaccines so none of them are vaccinated and they’re getting dispersed throughout the country," Reynolds said to reporters, according to the Des Moines Register. (Choi, 7/27)

Also —

LiveScience: Nerve Damage In Cornea Could Be Sign Of 'Long COVID,' Study Hints
Nerve damage and a buildup of immune cells in the cornea may be a sign of "long COVID," a long-term syndrome that emerges in some people after COVID-19 infection, a new study suggests. These preliminary results will need to be verified in a larger group of people with long COVID, or COVID-19 long-haulers, as they're known, an expert told Live Science. But the findings do hint at something scientists already suspected: Some symptoms of long COVID emerge due to peripheral nerve damage, she said. (Lanese, 7/27)

CNN: Biden Will Announce Vaccination Requirement Across Federal Government On Thursday
President Joe Biden will announce on Thursday a requirement that all federal employees and contractors be vaccinated against Covid-19, or be required to submit to regular testing and mitigation requirements, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The announcement will come in remarks where Biden is also expected to lay out a series of new steps, including incentives, in an attempt to spur new vaccinations as the Delta variant spreads rapidly throughout the country. It will also follow the decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to require its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated over the course of the next two months. (Mattingly and Hoffman, 7/27)

The New York Times: Biden Weighs Vaccine Mandate For Federal Workers
President Biden, in what would be a significant shift in approach, is considering requiring all civilian federal employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel, officials said on Tuesday. White House officials said they would reveal more about the president’s plans later this week. Mr. Biden said he would deliver a speech on Thursday about “the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated.” (Shear and Stolberg, 7/27)

Politico: Biden White House Readies A Vaccine Mandate For Federal Workers 
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that a Covid vaccine mandate for all federal employees is “under consideration right now.” “If you’re not vaccinated, you’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were,” Biden told reporters at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where he addressed the intelligence community in the afternoon. (Ward, Korecki and Owermohle, 7/27)

Also —

Politico: Biden's Talk Of Vaccine Mandates Sends Labor Into Disarray 
As the Biden White House weighs vaccine mandates for businesses and the federal workforce, some of its firmest outside allies are bristling at the idea. A steep divide has emerged among labor unions — as well as between members and leaders — over whether to require workers to be vaccinated. (Rainey and Korecki, 7/28)

AP: EXPLAINER: Employers Have Legal Right To Mandate COVID Shots
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The state of California. New York City. Hospitals and nursing homes. Colleges and universities. Employers are putting COVID-19 vaccine mandates into place and it’s getting attention. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said a requirement is under consideration for all federal employees. But what happens if workers refuse? Federal legal guidance out this week suggests the law is on the side of employers. Vaccination can be considered a “condition of employment,” akin to a job qualification. (Anderson and Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/27)

Fox5DC.com: DOJ: Federal Law Doesn’t Prohibit COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Lawyers with the Justice Department determined that federal law does not prohibit public agencies and private businesses from mandating COVID-19 vaccines under emergency use authorization according to an opinion posted by the DOJ on Monday, FOX News reported. Three major government entities – the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, California and New York City – said Monday they would require some or all of their government employees to get vaccinated or be tested weekly. The vaccines are still awaiting full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. (Williams, 7/27)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. To Require City Workers To Get COVID Vaccines Or Tested
Los Angeles will require city employees to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing to show they have tested negative, Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez announced Tuesday. Garcetti, announcing the new requirements, cited “an alarming spike in cases among our city workforce. ”The plan is expected to be rolled out through a mayoral order issued Wednesday, following a meeting of a city committee focused on employee relations that will discuss how the new requirements will be implemented. (Alpert Reyes, Dolan and Money, 7/27)

The New York Times: In California, A Mix Of Support And Resistance To New Vaccine Rules 
Gabriel Montoya, an emergency medical technician, watched in horror as gasping patients overwhelmed the intensive care unit at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center in southeastern Los Angeles County late last year. Eight out of 10 admissions were infected with Covid-19 at one point. “Even with all that — with the amount of people who died, the amount we saw intubated,” Mr. Montoya said, he and his fellow union leaders have had trouble getting even half of the 300 rank-and-file members in the hospital’s emergency room vaccinated. (Hubler, Albeck-Ripka and Karlamangla, 7/27)

Modern Healthcare: Ascension Tells Its Workers To Get Vaccinated
Ascension employees will have to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the 146-hospital system announced Tuesday. Ascension's mandate follows many health systems across the country that have also required employees to get vaccinated. The St. Louis-based chain's new policy applies to all employees, including administrative and remote workers, as well as those employed by Ascension subsidiaries. "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and new variants of the virus emerge, Ascension continues to focus on ensuring our associates are protected—for the safety of patients and visitors, our associates, our families and loved ones, and the community. Like many health systems across the country, including in many of our markets, we are moving to require our associates to be vaccinated against COVID-19," the health system said in a news release. (Kacik, 7/27)

WJCT 89.9 FM Jacksonville: Mayo Clinic In Jacksonville Requiring Employees To Be Vaccinated 
The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville is requiring employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 17 or complete a "declination process." The requirement extends to all Mayo Clinic facilities. Staff who decline to be vaccinated against COVID-19 must complete education modules and will be required to wear masks and socially distance when on campus. Although it didn’t cite an exact percentage, the Mayo Clinic said it has had high rates of voluntary staff vaccination. (Bortzfield, 7/27)

Axios: Cal State Universities Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination For Students, Faculty 
The California State University system announced Tuesday it will require students, faculty and staff on-campus this fall to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The school system is the nation's largest four-year public university system, with about 485,550 students on 23 campuses. Tuesday's decision came without the Food and Drug Administration's full approval of the vaccine. (Frazier, 7/27)

Bloomberg: Vaccine Pressure Grows As Patience Runs Thin For U.S. Employers
As a resurgence in Covid-19 cases prompts more U.S. employers to require vaccinations, workers who object face a common response: Get a shot or get another job. In the past six weeks alone, a federal judge in Texas dismissed a lawsuit by employees who had sued over a Houston Methodist Hospital order, and another in Indiana blocked a challenge to Indiana University’s policy for its students and staff. At the same time, a growing number of private and public employers -- including, on Monday, California and New York City -- are telling workers that they must get vaccinated or face mandatory testing. The alternative is to go the route of more than 150 Houston hospital employees who were fired or resigned as of late June after refusing to get the jab. (Young, 7/27)

In other updates on the vaccine rollout —

ABC News: Lollapalooza COVID-19 Rules Depend On Vaccination Status 
Organizers of Chicago's Lollapalooza festival have a strict message for music lovers who want to attend all four days of the event: Get vaccinated, or get tested for COVID-19 more than once during the weekend. The outdoor event, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of fans over the course of the festival, runs from July 29 through Aug. 1. To gain entrance to the festival, ticket holders must either show a printed copy of their vaccine card, a vaccine record or a negative COVID-19 test taken in the past 72 hours. (Schumaker, 7/27)

The Hill: Tennessee GOP State Senators Urge Residents To Get COVID-19 Vaccine Amid Surge 
More than half of the Republican state senators in the Tennessee legislature signed an open letter on Tuesday calling on residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as cases once again surge in the state and across the country. "Although we have made progress, COVID-19 is not over. There has been a recent spike in the number of cases, which includes the virus’s more contagious delta variant. A strong majority of these cases are among those who are not vaccinated. And virtually all of those currently hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated," the lawmakers wrote, according to a report in the Tennessean. (Choi, 7/27)

CNBC: Charles Barkley: Sports Leagues ‘Should Force Guys To Get Vaccinated'
“Yes, I’m vaccinated,” says NBA legend Charles Barkley. “Everybody should be vaccinated. Period.” “The only people who are not vaccinated are just a--holes,” he says. The 58-year-old NBA Hall-of-Famer says he personally thinks sports leagues should force players to get vaccinated. (Scipioni, 7/27)

The Baltimore Sun: Man Charged In Maryland Federal Court With Threatening To Kill Dr. Anthony Fauci And His Family 
A 56-year-old man has been arrested and charged in Maryland federal court with making threats against Dr. Anthony Fauci, a case unsealed as a Frederick man was sentenced to seven months in prison for threatening Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and their supporters. Federal authorities said Thomas Patrick Connally Jr., who was arrested in West Virginia, repeatedly sent threatening emails to Fauci at his National Institutes of Health account, which is based in Bethesda. (Fenton, 7/27)

AP: Man Charged With Sending Threatening Emails To Dr. Fauci
The complaint was unsealed Tuesday after Connally’s arrest. He was arrested in West Virginia, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Marcia Murphy said. It’s unclear where he lives. Connally is scheduled for an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Wednesday. ... If convicted, Connally faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for threats against a federal official, and a maximum of five years in federal prison for interstate communication containing a threat to harm. (7/27)

Newsweek: Maryland Man Charged With Threatening To Set Anthony Fauci And His Family On Fire
Legal authorities say that between December 2020 and July 2021, Connally of Greenbelt, Maryland, sent seven death threats to Dr. Fauci. Connally reportedly sent the threats using an encrypted email account. In one email, Connally allegedly said Fauci and his family should be "dragged into the street, beaten to death, and set on fire," WJZ-TV reported. (Villarreal, 7/27)

In other news from the Biden administration —

Stat: Under Lander, OSTP Will Have An Entire Wing Dedicated To Health
Eric Lander, the renowned genomics researcher, has kept a low profile in his first months as President Biden’s science adviser. He’s given no speeches, issued no reports, and published virtually no public-facing work of any kind. Quietly, though, Lander has been busy reinventing the White House’s science office. He’s building a new wing, exclusively focused on health and life sciences — a dramatic change for OSTP, which even under President Obama counted just two staffers with the word “health” in their titles. Neither worked in life sciences. (Facher, 7/28)

CNBC: No Health Insurance? There's Still Time To Sign Up Through Marketplace
If you don’t have health insurance, you have a few weeks left to sign up for for low- or no-cost private coverage through the public marketplace. A special enrollment period that opened Feb. 15 and closes Aug. 15 allows individuals to use healthcare.gov (or their state’s exchange) to sign up for a plan, which might come with significant subsidies to reduce what you pay for coverage. Unless you have a qualifying life event — i.e., getting married, having a child, etc. — after the current window closes, you’d generally have to wait until open enrollment this fall to sign up. (O'Brien, 7/27)

KHN: Sign-Up Window For Free COBRA Coverage For Many Laid-Off Workers Closes This Week
After being laid off from her job as a systems analyst for a specialty chemicals company in December, Gabriela de Pompignan opted to hang on to her former employer’s insurance coverage under the federal law known as COBRA. Typically, laid-off workers pick up the total cost of premiums under COBRA, but her company paid roughly 75% of the expense for the first six months, leaving de Pompignan with a $659 monthly bill for the family plan covering her, her husband and their 9-year-old son. Since both de Pompignan and her husband, a lawyer, were unemployed, her company’s temporary financial support was crucial to making their premiums affordable. What de Pompignan didn’t realize, however, was that she was eligible for an even better deal. Under the American Rescue Plan Act that President Joe Biden signed in March, COBRA premiums for laid-off workers are covered in full by federal funding for six months from April through September. (Andrews, 7/28)

KHN: Bye-Bye To Health Insurance ‘Birthday Rule’? Kansas Lawmaker Floats Fix
When Kayla Kjelshus gave birth to her first child, the infant spent seven days in the neonatal intensive care unit, known as the NICU. This stressful medical experience was followed by an equally stressful financial one. Because of an obscure health insurance policy called the “birthday rule,” Kjelshus and her husband, Mikkel, were hit with an unexpected charge of more than $200,000 for the NICU stay. Now, seven months after KHN and NPR published a story about the Kjelshus family’s experience, new parents may be spared this kind of financial uncertainty if lawmakers pass a bill that would give parents more control when it’s time to pick a health insurance policy for their child. (Anthony, 7/27)

KHN: Women Say California Insurer Makes It Too Hard To Get Drug For Postpartum Depression
When Miriam McDonald decided she wanted to have another baby at age 44, her doctor told her she had a better chance of winning the lottery. So when she got pregnant right away, she and her husband were thrilled. But within three days of giving birth to their son, in September 2019, everything shifted. “I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, what did I do?’ I just brought this baby into this world and I can barely take care of myself right now,” she recalled. “I feel exhausted. I haven’t slept in three days. I haven’t really eaten in three days.” (Dembosky, 7/28)

Georgia Health News: Northside, Major Insurer Near Deal To Resolve Contract Disputes 
Just days before a contract cutoff date, UnitedHealthcare and Northside Hospital are moving toward a deal that would keep three of the Atlanta-based system’s hospitals in the insurer’s network. An agreement also would bring Northside’s hospitals in Lawrenceville and Duluth back into the insurer’s fold after five months out of network, a UnitedHealthcare official said. “We are working closely with Northside to finalize the contract and hope to be ready to announce the agreement soon.” Cole Manbeck, a United spokesman, said Tuesday. (Miller, 7/27)

Stat: Covid Shows How Barring Bedside Visitors Deprives Patients Of The Best Care
For Teresa Ciappa, home was other people — and for the people in her life, Teresa Ciappa was home. Teresa hemmed pants, crocheted booties, and decorated wedding cakes for anyone who asked, and many who didn’t. To her five grandchildren, whose teddy bears she lovingly patched up, the sunny Italian emigrant was “Dr. Nonni.” Among her family and friends, Teresa was the one who kept in touch, even from across an ocean, the one who never forgot a birthday or anniversary. When she was hospitalized with Covid-19 in late 2020, Teresa’s tight-knit network watched her decline week after week through a virtual portal. “She would tell us, ‘I want to come home. I miss everybody,’” Michelle Ciappa, her only daughter, told STAT. “As soon as we hung up, we just fell apart.” (Renault, 7/28)

Health News Florida: Sarasota Memorial Hospital Changes Visitors Policy Due To COVID Spike 
Sarasota Memorial Hospital is among the first hospitals in the greater Tampa Bay region to change its visitation policy because of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. Starting Tuesday, the hospital will allow visits only between noon and 6 p.m. In addition, the number of patient visitors allowed will also be limited. Most inpatients, including those in the Critical Care Unit, are allowed no more than two visitors per day during visiting hours. (Schreiner, 7/27)

Kens5.Com: University Health Reinstates Coronavirus Visitation Restrictions As Infection Rates Rise
University Health says it will reinstate visitor restrictions starting Wednesday, a sign that the coronavirus continues to be a major threat in San Antonio and beyond. Citing hospitalizations "climbing at an alarming rate," UH officials said in a press release that visits will be limited to those "deemed necessary to the patient's care," including parents of NICU infants; individuals providing support for patients with disabilities; support for critically ill patients; and support for women giving birth. (Lynch, 7/27)

Itemonline.com: As COVID Cases Rise, Huntsville Memorial Hospital Tightens Rules On Visitors 
As COVID hospitalizations climb in South Texas, local health care systems are tightening rules once again on allowing visitors. Huntsville Memorial Hospital announced Monday that it will implement a more restricted visitation policy than what it had previously. The hospital will allow one healthy visitor into medical and surgical units with the expectation that the visitor and patient will be masked at all times. Two visitors will be allowed in Labor and Delivery. (Brown, 7/27)

In other health industry news —

USA Today: US Hospitals Struggle To Reduce Health Disparities: Minority Patients Underrepresented In 4 Of 5 Hospitals
Most U.S. hospitals are still disproportionately treating white patients for common services, a report published Tuesday shows, despite serving racially and ethnically diverse communities. A U.S. News & World Report analysis of federal data from 2015 through 2019 compared more than 1,400 hospitals with the racial or ethnic makeup of each hospital’s surrounding community. Researchers found racial and ethnic minorities were underrepresented among patients in roughly 4 out of 5 hospitals in the country. This is the first time U.S. News included a health equity analysis in its annual Best Hospitals rankings. Although the health equity component was not factored into the rankings, they can be found at the bottom of each hospital's profile. (Rodriguez, 7/27)

Modern Healthcare: Highmark Health Launches Digital Transformation Consultancy
Integrated health system Highmark Health launched a consulting business on Tuesday aimed at helping healthcare companies and others digitize their operations. Named Lumevity, the new subsidiary will focus on helping customers identify automation opportunities, operate under the Agile methodology and help executives and front-line employees alike navigate operational changes. The Pittsburgh-based healthcare company will look inward to inform its customers' strategy—Highmark credits its technology and HR moves for contributing nearly $500 million in profit and freeing 8 million hours of time for its 35,000 payer, provider and IT employees over the past three years. (Tepper, 7/27)

CBS News: Black Women's Organization Sues Johnson & Johnson Over Talcum-Based Powder
A national Black women's group is suing Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company marketed its baby powder to Black women for decades despite knowing it had ingredients that could cause ovarian cancer. The National Council of Negro Women, or NCNW, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the Superior Court of New Jersey. The organization claims in the lawsuit that several of its members have used Johnson & Johnson baby powder for years and now have ovarian cancer. (Brooks, 7/27)

ABC News: Ben Crump Files Lawsuit Against Johnson & Johnson On Behalf Of Black Women 
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, alleging the pharmaceutical giant marketed talcum-based baby powder specifically to Black women despite links to ovarian cancers. Johnson & Johnson has denied the allegations, saying its marketing campaigns are "multicultural and inclusive." The company also denies that its products cause cancer, despite a Missouri appellate court last year ruling in favor of ovarian cancer victims suing the company as part of a separate lawsuit, claiming their condition was caused by asbestos in its baby powder and other talc products. (Thorbecke and Washington, 7/27)

In other pharmaceutical industry developments —

Axios: Biogen Pulled Aduhelm Paper After JAMA Demanded Edits 
Biogen recently submitted a paper to JAMA, a top medical research journal, that analyzed results from the clinical trials of its new Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm. However, Biogen later withdrew the paper because JAMA considered rejecting it unless edits were made, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The FDA's decision to approve Aduhelm has been mired in controversy; experts say there simply isn't strong enough data to show the drug works. And it appears medical journal reviewers also weren't sold on Biogen's interpretation of the data. (Herman, 7/27)

Stat: Purdue Says Most Creditors Voted In Favor Of Contentious Bankruptcy Plan
In an apparent victory for Purdue Pharma, preliminary voting shows most creditors are in favor of its controversial bankruptcy plan, an outcome that, if confirmed, suggests the company and its infamous owners are closer to resolving sweeping litigation filed over its role in the opioid crisis. More than 95% of the 120,000-plus votes submitted were in favor of the bankruptcy proposal and nearly 97% of almost 5,000 state and local governmental creditors voted to accept the plan, according to a statement issued by the company that cited a court filing. The final tally will be made public by Aug. 2, ahead of a scheduled hearing in a U.S. bankruptcy court to confirm the proposal. (Silverman, 7/27)

Crain's New York Business: Humana Sues Regeneron Over Pricing Of Macular Degeneration Drug Eylea
Insurance company Humana filed a racketeering and fraud lawsuit against Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on Thursday over a copay assistance scheme for its top-selling drug, Eylea. Humana's suit is based on allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice last year that Regeneron gave a patient-assistance charity kickbacks to boost sales of Eylea, which treats age-related macular degeneration. That case is ongoing in Boston's federal court. Humana accused Regeneron of inflating the drug's price from $1,500 a dose to $1,950 by partnering with the charity, the Chronic Disease Foundation, to cover patients' cost-sharing obligations for Eylea but not for its competitor. The arrangement boosted Eylea sales at the expense of Medicare and health plans, which shouldered the rest of the cost, the insurer said in its complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York. (Kaufman, 7/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Big Pharma Quietly Pushes Back On Global Tax Deal, Citing Covid-19 Role
Big drug companies and their lobbyists have a message for Congress: Don’t raise taxes on the industry that brought you fast-tracked Covid-19 vaccines. Pharma executives, lobbyists and consultants are mobilizing to fight what has become a threat to drug companies’ bottom lines: a sweeping agreement by many of the world’s biggest economies to better harmonize corporate taxation around the globe. Earlier this month, 130 countries agreed to broad outlines of a deal that would, among other steps, establish a minimum corporate tax of 15% within their countries, reducing opportunities for international tax avoidance. (Strasburg and Cooper, 7/27)

Also —

Stat: Activists Get New Ammunition In Their Battle Over A Controversial Animal Test
In what animal rights activists see as a significant development, a pair of U.K. health regulators recently wrote that drug researchers should seek alternatives to a controversial test in rodents that is used for developing antidepressants. At issue is the forced swim test in which mice, rats, guinea pigs, and gerbils are placed in beakers filled with water and forced to swim in order to keep from drowning. The test has been used to gauge the effectiveness of antidepressants based on the theory that an animal will swim longer and spend less time floating after being given one of these pills. (Silverman, 7/27)

NPR: Scientists Genetically Alter Lab Mosquitoes So Carriers Of Malaria Self-Destruct
For the first time, scientists have shown that a new kind of genetic engineering can crash populations of malaria-spreading mosquitoes. In the landmark study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers placed the genetically modified mosquitoes in a special laboratory that simulated the conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, where they spread the deadly disease. The male mosquitoes were engineered with a sequence of DNA known as a "gene drive" that can rapidly transmit a deleterious mutation that essentially wipes out populations of the insects. (Stein, 7/28)

AP: Audit: Military Personnel Unprotected From Toxic Chemicals
The Defense Department has dragged its feet on protecting service personnel from “forever chemicals” at military installations and isn’t doing enough to track health effects from exposure to the toxic compounds, according to an internal audit. Officials have taken steps to find and clean groundwater contaminated with firefighting foam containing PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the department’s inspector general found. But its recently released report said the Pentagon has fallen short on dealing with other sources of the chemicals as its rules require. (Flesher, 7/27)

In other public health news —

PBS NewsHour: Wildfires Are Increasing Health Risks Of Already-Polluted Regions Of The U.S., Experts Warn
As wildfires in the western United States pump harmful smoke into the atmosphere, communities with existing air pollution challenges find themselves at an increasingly higher risk of negative health effects. For years, researchers who study the San Joaquin Valley have known the region’s geography poses a severe challenge for its residents. Natural features make the Valley more vulnerable to air pollution because it is surrounded by mountains which restrict air movement and cause a concentration of particle pollution. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 7/27)

Fox News: Some Alcohol Consumption May Benefit Heart Disease Patients, Study Suggests
Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption may offer some protective benefits for patients with heart disease, a new study suggests. The research, published in the journal BMC Medicine, pulled from a combined sample field of 48,423 patients, thousands of whom had history of myocardial infarction, angina or stroke. The team noted that lifestyle and dietary habits play a major role in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, but that the impact of alcohol consumption on patients’ prognosis remains unclear and recommendations regarding upper limits of drinking vary substantially across different guidelines. (Hein, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Illegal Cannabis Growers Stealing Water Amid Calif. Drought 
California’s deepening drought is creating another big problem for authorities: water theft. Water thieves, many of them illegal marijuana growers, are tapping into fire hydrants and drilling unauthorized water wells, according to officials, threatening the water supply for residents. (Pannett, 7/28)

AP: High Profile: Cannabis Chemical Delta-8 Gains Fans, Scrutiny
A chemical cousin of pot’s main intoxicating ingredient has rocketed to popularity over the last year, and the cannabis industry and state governments are scrambling to reckon with it amid debate over whether it’s legal. The chemical, called delta-8 THC, is billed as producing a milder high than the better known delta-9 THC, and delta-8 is often marketed as being legal even where marijuana is not. That argument stems from the fact that most delta-8 is synthesized from CBD, a popular non-intoxicating chemical that’s prevalent in hemp, a form of cannabis that Congress legalized in 2018. (Peltz, 7/28)

Health News Florida: How Can Parents Prepare As Another Pandemic School Year Approaches?
With coronavirus cases rising in Central Florida ahead of another school year, children might experience more than first-day nerves as they return to class. WMFE and Health News Florida spoke with University of Central Florida psychology associate professor Dalena Taylor about how to talk to kids about mental health and what routines to consider. (Prieur, 7/27)

Bloomberg: Monsanto Told To Pay Teachers $185 Million Over PCB Exposure
Bayer AG’s Monsanto unit must pay $185 million to three teachers who blamed their brain injuries on exposure to the company’s PCBs at a school in Washington state. A state jury in Seattle awarded $50,150,000 in actual damages, and $135 million in punitive damages to the teachers following a six-week trial, which was broadcast by Courtroom View Network. The jury deliberated 1 1/2 days before reaching the verdict Tuesday afternoon. (Burnson, 7/27)

NBC News: 2 Dead After Leak At Texas Chemical Plant
Two people were dead and several were injured after a leak at a Texas chemical plant Tuesday night, authorities said. Five people were treated for injuries on the scene, two were transported to the hospital and 31 nearby were assessed, Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said at a news conference Tuesday night. The chemical company LyondellBasell said in a statement that an acetic acid leaked was to blame in the fatal injuries at its La Porte complex near Houston. (Fitzsimons, 7/28)

The New York Times: Woman Faces Murder Charge After Man Shaken As Baby Dies At 35
A former babysitter who served a few months in jail for shaking a 5-month-old boy so forcefully 37 years ago that he suffered permanent brain damage now faces a possible life sentence after his death from those injuries in 2019, at age 35, the authorities said. Terry McKirchy, 59, who now lives in Texas, was arrested again on July 2 after a grand jury in Broward County, Fla., indicted her on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Benjamin Dowling, prosecutors said this week. (Vigdor, 7/27)

KQED: Free School Meals For All Here To Stay In California
With 1 in every 6 children facing hunger in the U.S., California is the first state to promise every public school student — all 6 million of them — free school meals. The universal school meals program, which will launch in the 2022-2023 school year, is part of the landmark state budget agreement reached between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature last month. Days later, Maine became the second state to commit to offering a universal school meals program with the signing of its budget. The program ensures that all students will be offered breakfast and lunch at their school, which state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, said is “essential to learning.” Skinner has led the effort to establish a universal school meal program. (Tadayon, 7/27)

North Carolina Health News: Is MAT The Key To Reducing Recidivism In NC’s Jails? 
Rain or shine, whether it is a holiday, the weekend or a regular workday, patients at Johnston Recovery Services come in every morning for the medication that helps them manage and overcome their opioid addiction. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, some patients were allowed to take home medications such as methadone or buprenorphine to reduce the number of people in the clinic, which offers medication-assisted treatment, otherwise known as MAT, to help treat people with opioid use disorder in and around Clayton, but otherwise they are expected to come in daily. (Thompson, 7/28)

AP: 'OK Not To Be OK': Mental Health Takes Top Role At Olympics
For decades, they were told to shake it off or toughen up — to set aside the doubt, or the demons, and focus on the task at hand: winning. Dominating. Getting it done. For years, Simone Biles was one of the very best at that. Suddenly — to some, shockingly — she decided she wasn’t in the right headspace. By pulling on her white sweatsuit in the middle of Tuesday night’s Olympic gymnastics meet, and by doing it with a gold medal hanging in the balance, Biles might very well have redefined the mental health discussion that’s been coursing through sports for the past year. (Fryer, 7/28)

ABC News: Simone Biles Withdraws From Individual All-Around Competition 'To Focus On Her Mental Health' 
Following "further medical evaluation," American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics "to focus on her mental health," USA Gymnastics announced Wednesday. "Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals," the sport's national governing body said in a statement. "We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many." (Winsor, 7/28)

Houston Chronicle: 'Still Human': Houston Gymnasts Talk Mental Health Amid Simone Biles' Olympics Decision
Practice went on for dozens of scrunchie-wearing girls in leotards at a Houston gymnastic training center as fans learned Tuesday that Simone Biles would be taking a step back because of mental health, leaving her Olympic team to snag the silver without her. But for some, the decision came as a shock. Teen gymnast Sophia Butler — an USA Gymnastics member — was taken aback as she learned the news on her way to practice at Discover Gymnastics. It did not take Butler long to accept why the four-time gold medalist made her fateful decision — which Biles pegged to faltering confidence. “I think it goes to show that even the highest caliber of athletes are still human,” said Butler, 17. (Hensley, 7/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Biles And Osaka Lay Bare The Strains Of Tokyo’s Pandemic Olympics 
Biles’s exit followed a stunning defeat for Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka in the third round of the women’s singles tournament. Osaka, who has also cited the mental toll of her profession, was seen as the face of the Tokyo Games and had been chosen to light the Olympic cauldron during last Friday’s opening ceremony. They were just two of the high-profile casualties of the strangest Games in modern history. A combination of the restrictive conditions, absent fans, sweltering heat, and a one-year delay that threw off finely-tuned training cycles has dimmed the star power, in Japan and the U.S., of an Olympics already struggling for global appeal. (Robinson, Radnofsky and Bachman, 7/27)

The Washington Post: How To Support Someone Going Through A Mentally Tough Time
Biles’s very public decision offers an opportunity to learn about the right and wrong ways to support someone — whether they’re an Olympian or not — who is going through a difficult time mentally or emotionally. Here are some do’s and don’ts from mental health experts. (Chiu, 7/27)

In other health news from the Tokyo Olympic Games —

AP: Tokyo Sets Another Virus Record Days After Olympics Begin
Tokyo reported 3,177 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, setting an all-time high and exceeding 3,000 for the first time days after the start of the Olympics. The new cases exceeded the earlier record of 2,848 set the previous day and brought the total for the Japanese capital to 206,745 since the pandemic began early last year. (Yamaguchi, 7/28)

AP: Quarantined Olympic Athlete Says Lack Of Fresh Air 'Inhuman'
An Olympic skateboarder who was put in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 called the conditions at the hotel “inhuman” on Wednesday. Candy Jacobs has been in isolation for eight days and missed the street event in skateboarding’s debut as an Olympic sport. She said she had to force officials to allow her a supervised short break for some fresh air away from her room, where the window doesn’t open. “Not having any outside air is so inhuman,” the 31-year-old Jacobs said in a video message posted on Instagram. “It’s mentally super draining ... definitely more than a lot of humans can handle.” (7/28)

AP: US Volleyball Star Revels As Role Model For Deaf Kids 
Growing up nearly completely deaf provided a challenge for David Smith as he tried to integrate with other kids at school or on the playground. Whatever Smith may have lacked in hearing was more than made up with empathy, compassion and most of all athletic ability. Smith was born nearly deaf with 80-90% hearing loss but has managed to overcome that to become an elite athlete competing in his third Olympics for the U.S. men’s volleyball team. (Dubow, 7/28)

AP: Bhutan Fully Vaccinates 90% Of Eligible Adults Within A Week
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said Tuesday. The tiny country, wedged between India and China and home to nearly 800,000 people, began giving out second doses on July 20 in a mass drive that has been hailed by UNICEF as “arguably the fastest vaccination campaign to be executed during a pandemic.” (Hussain and Lekhi, 7/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Saudi Arabia To Impose Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate 
Saudi Arabia is set to impose one of the world’s most sweeping vaccine mandates in an attempt to combat hesitancy toward the Covid-19 shots in the kingdom, as governments globally try to confront a new surge in cases of the Delta variant. People in Saudi Arabia will need to show proof on a mobile app that they have received at least one vaccine dose to enter public and private institutions beginning Sunday, including schools, shops, malls, markets, restaurants, cafes, concert venues and public transportation. From Aug. 9, Saudi citizens will need two doses to travel abroad. (Kalin, 7/27)

The New York Times: Want A Vaccine Reservation In South Korea? Try Waiting 111 Hours. 
When South Koreans logged on to a government website this month to book Covid-19 vaccine appointments, a pop-up window told them there was “just a bit” of a delay. “There are 401,032 people waiting in front of you,” read one of the messages that exasperated South Koreans captured in screenshots and shared online. “Your expected waiting time: 111 hours, 23 minutes and 52 seconds.” (San-Hun, 7/28)

The Washington Post: Russia Tightens Vaccine Mandates: Get The Jab Or Put Your Job At Risk 
When Russia's flagging vaccination campaign failed to stem a devastating third pandemic wave, authorities dumped the burden on businesses — and warned workers who refused vaccines that they could be suspended without pay. The strategy reflects officials’ desperation to boost low vaccine rates — about 16 percent — in a country with sufficient supplies of local Sputnik V and other vaccines. But it also points to wider trends globally amid struggles with the delta variant as governments explore mandates that reward the vaccinated and leave the resisters facing consequences. (Dixon, 7/28)

In updates from the United Kingdom —

Bloomberg: Covid Deaths Surge In U.K. As Officials Warn Pandemic Isn’t Over
The U.K. reported the highest number of Covid-19 deaths since March, prompting a top government health official to warn the pandemic is “not over yet” despite a continued fall in confirmed cases. There were 23,511 new coronavirus cases recorded on Tuesday, down for a seventh day. But the number of deaths jumped to 131, the most since March 17, according to the latest data. An increase is consistent with the lag between infections and serious illness from Covid-19, given the U.K. saw a surge in cases driven by the highly transmissible delta variant in June and earlier this month. (Ashton, 7/27)

Newsweek: COVID Quarantine Rules Lifted For Thousands Of UK Workers Amid Staffing Shortages
Thousands more essential workers in the United Kingdom will have COVID-19 quarantine rules eased in an attempt to end staff shortages and help the economy recover, the British government announced Tuesday. Most Britons are recommended to self-isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. The self-isolation system has caused staffing shortages in restaurants and other businesses. (Klapper, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Europeans Increasingly Frustrated As White House Maintains Trump-Era Covid Travel Restrictions 
European lawmakers and business groups voiced mounting criticism of the Biden administration on Tuesday, after the White House said its restrictions on international travel would remain in place for the time being. Whereas vaccinated U.S. tourists have been allowed to return to much of Europe for weeks, most Europeans continue to be unable to travel to the United States under a ban that was first imposed by President Donald Trump in March 2020. (Noack, Thebault and Aries, 7/27)

Also —

AP: 3 Mexican Ships Taking Fuel, Medical Aid And Food To Cuba
Two Mexican ships carrying food, fuel and medical supplies were sailing to Cuba on Tuesday and a third was getting ready to head there Wednesday, in what experts said was Mexico’s biggest aid run for Cuba in almost three decades. The first ship left late Monday loaded with 100,000 barrels of diesel fuel that the Mexican government said would be used to provide power for Cuban hospitals. (Verza, 7/28)

AP: A Birthday Gift: Israeli Woman Donates Kidney To Gaza Boy
Idit Harel Segal was turning 50, and she had chosen a gift: She was going to give one of her own kidneys to a stranger. The kindergarten teacher from northern Israel, a proud Israeli, hoped her choice would set an example of generosity in a land of perpetual conflict. She was spurred by memories of her late grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, who told her to live meaningfully, and by Jewish tradition, which holds that there’s no higher duty than saving a life. So Segal contacted a group that links donors and recipients, launching a nine-month process to transfer her kidney to someone who needed one. (Kellman, 7/28)

CNN: Prescription Drugs Are Too Expensive For Many Americans. These Companies Are Trying To Change That 
It's an experience millions of Americans have had: you go to the doctor, get a prescription, take it to the pharmacy and get hit with a staggering bill, sometimes running into hundreds of dollars even if insurance covers a part of the cost. "In the US, we're unique in letting drug companies basically set their own prices," Andrew Mulcahy, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation who focuses on prescription drugs, told CNN Business. Americans spend around $1,200 a year on average for prescription drugs — more than any other country — according to the latest available OECD data. (Iyengar and Gonzalez, 7/22)

The Washington Examiner: Prescription Drug 'Sticker Prices' May Rise In 2021 After Years Of Decline 
The number of list price increases of prescription drugs is expected to rise in 2021, reversing a trend of the past five years. A study from 46brooklyn Research, an organization tracking drug prices, found the number of list price increases of brand-name drugs in 2021 has already exceeded the number in 2020, and it is likely to exceed 2018 and 2019. (Hogberg, 7/21)

The Boston Globe: Biogen In A Bind: The High-Stakes Fight Over Alzheimer’s And What Makes A Drug Worthwhile 
Biogen’s new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease is heading to market blessed by regulators but dogged by controversy that there’s no conclusive evidence that it works — and a fair amount of evidence that it doesn’t. A polarizing decision by the Food and Drug Administration last month has only intensified a yearslong fight over the treatment: The Cambridge company and some doctors hail the medicine as a pivotal step forward in the fight against Alzheimer’s, the fifth-leading cause of death among Americans over 65. Critics say the FDA should never have allowed Biogen to seek approval based on a less rigorous standard of efficacy, after the drug produced muddled results in two late-stage clinical trials. (Edelman, 7/25)

The Hill: Congress Must Fix Loophole That Is Costing Patients At The Pharmacy 
More Americans today have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) than ever before. Eleven years after its enactment, the ACA has withstood yet another Supreme Court challenge and continues to help individuals and families access health care — despite being under nearly constant attack from conservatives. The complexity of the law has required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continuously work with Congress and stakeholders to ensure that it is fulfilling its promise to provide affordable care to vulnerable patients. Despite its overwhelming success, the ACA has a few loopholes that are being exploited and that ultimately hurt patients. Specifically, the ACA allows certain health plans to unfairly control how they manage a patient’s out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. As President Biden and HHS work with Congress to strengthen the ACA and close gaps in the law, they should address a loophole in the essential health benefits provision that lets insurance companies increase profits at the expense of patients. (Sally Greenberg, 7/26)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Lawmakers Must Find Ways To Lower Prescription Drug Costs
As the former Ohio Director of Health, I know how important it is to do everything in our power to bring down the cost of prescription drugs. And, as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken a significant toll on too many hardworking families across our state, access to affordable health care options is more critical than ever. Unfortunately, there are forces at work in our state that are trying to make health care more expensive for consumers and restrict access to quality care. As lawmakers try to address the high cost of prescription drugs, they would be well advised to start at the source: big drug companies. That’s because, when push comes to shove, these companies are the ones who set the final price of prescription drugs. When drug companies raise prices, it is Ohio employers, taxpayers and patients who wind up footing the bill. (Richard Hodges, 7/27)

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: Time For Washington To Lower Prescription Drug Prices 
Over the last year, health care has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds. As a state representative who sits on the House Health and Insurance Committee and a member of Delta Health’s board of directors, I have been especially concerned by the impact of prescription drug prices. High drug prices impose a terrible cost burden on Colorado patients, providers, and taxpayers, along with undermining the recovery of our small business community, and weakening our entire health care system. A recent AARP report found that prescription drug prices are increasing at rates higher than the rate of inflation year over year. Over a four-year period, 90% of the 50 most popular brand name drugs among Medicare Part D beneficiaries saw annual price hikes higher than the rate of inflation. (Matt Soper, 7/23)

The Highland County Press: Working To Reduce Prescription Drug Costs
America’s biopharmaceutical innovation recently brought life-saving vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in under one year. This same medical ingenuity is leading the world in bringing life-saving therapies to patients and discovering cures for the future. However, access to affordable prescriptions remains one of the most persistent challenges facing our nation, and these treatments are only effective if patients can afford them. (U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, 7/23)

The Morning Call: High Drug Prices: How Expensive Prescriptions Endanger Veterans' Lives
As we all learned during the pandemic, sometimes simply protecting the status quo does more harm than good. Prescription drug prices are a great example. The ridiculously high price of prescriptions in the United States presents a clear and present danger to millions of Americans who need medicines but cannot afford them, because drug corporations have been allowed to hike prices at will. Whether it is new drugs such as the Alzheimer’s treatment that just launched at $56,000 per year or insulin, which has been around for 100 years, drug corporations’ monopoly power to set and raise prices leaves Americans with no choice but to pay two to four times more for medicines in the United States than people in other countries. (Tim Talley, 7/27)

Stat: Rewriting EUAs Can Pave The Way For Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates 
It has been quite a week for vaccine mandates in the United States. The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (the president’s lawyer) expressed its opinion that it is legal to mandate vaccination with vaccines distributed under emergency use authorization. The Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to mandate Covid-19 vaccination for its frontline health care workers. New York City and the state of California declared vaccination or regular Covid-19 testing obligatory for their workforces. (Arthur L. Caplan and Dorit R. Reiss, 7/27)

Chicago Tribune: COVID-19 Vaccines Are A Must In Health Care Facilities As Delta Variant Remains At Large 
In the latest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the extremely contagious delta variant is now causing at least 80% of the infections in the U.S. . The emergence of the delta variant has dispelled any optimistic notion that the vaccine rollout would provide a rapid end to the pandemic. Put simply, zero-COVID-19 is not a realistic goal in the United States anytime soon. With infections in the fourth wave now exceeding 60,000 per day on some days , we are drawing down on our arsenal to fight the virus. As an adjunct to the vaccines, we need better, cheaper and more accurate rapid testing for the virus so we can more effectively manage the situation in schools, the workplace and social venues. (Cory Franklin and Robert A. Weinstein, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Vaccinated Americans Are More Likely To Die From A Lightning Strike Than Covid. Don’t Bring Back Restrictions
The pandemic is worsening and the delta variant is so infectious, we are told, that we need to return to covid-19 restrictions — even for fully vaccinated Americans. Los Angeles has already reinstated indoor mask mandates, and on Tuesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its previous guidance and recommended that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in certain circumstances. Parents are bracing for a new push from teachers’ unions to delay school reopenings in the fall. This is absurd. While it is tragic that some unvaccinated Americans are suffering, for the vaccinated, the pandemic is over. The rise in covid-19 cases among the unvaccinated poses no serious threat to those who have been immunized. (Marc A. Thiessen, 7/27)

Scientific American: The Crucial Vaccine Benefit We're Not Talking About Enough 
COVID vaccines have proved to be magnificent successes, dramatically decreasing the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. However, there has been uncertainty about whether vaccinated people who still get infected—perhaps with very mild symptoms, or none at all—might pass on the virus to others. Such silent spread could complicate efforts to control the pandemic. In recent months, there has been a deluge of data on the risk of transmission after vaccination. These findings have important implications for how quickly we can get the pandemic under control, and for what we say to those who are hesitant about getting vaccinated. (Daniel P. Oran and Eric Topol, 7/27)

The Baltimore Sun: Public Has A Right To Be Angry About Growing Confusion On Masks
After almost a year and a half, here we are stuck in the middle again on COVID, masks and how best to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that fully vaccinated people didn’t need to wear masks indoors. Today, they reversed course. In an afternoon news conference, officials acknowledged that coronavirus is surging in many parts of the country and recommended that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in those areas. They also recommended that K-12 schools everywhere adopt a universal mask mandate for all students and staff regardless of vaccination status. It was an abrupt about face that underscored just how wrong they were to toss masks aside in the spring. Not only was that messaging from the CDC in May questionable, much of the media reported it in a superficial way making it more dangerous, with headlines like “Unmasking America: CDC says fully vaccinated can ditch the mask” perhaps leading some to think the nightmare was over and we could all go to the beach and get drunk again. (David Zurawik, 7/27)

The Boston Globe: Confusion And Timidity Rise Along With New COVID-19 Cases 
With the highly transmissible Delta variant now dominant nationwide, new COVID-19 cases are averaging about 55,000 a day, up from 12,000 last month. In the past two weeks, hospitalizations soared, and deaths increased more than 10 percent. For a host of reasons, more than half of the country remains unvaccinated. This perilous moment demands decisiveness and clarity. Instead, there’s too much dithering and reticence among those charged with protecting us. (Renee Graham, 7/27)

Bloomberg: More Covid-19 Vaccine Shots Won't Be Enough To Beat Delta Variant 
Covid-19 variants are racing through the developing world far faster than vaccinations. More shots are desperately needed to slow the spread of the disease — but even they won’t be enough. The so-called delta variant in particular is tipping the pandemic into a frightening new stage. The highly transmissible strain, now infecting more than 100 countries, has upended poorer nations. Hospitals are overflowing in Indonesia, as patients’ relatives hunt desperately for oxygen cylinders. Deaths have been rising for more than a month in Africa, spiking 43% in just one week. Countries from Bangladesh to Zambia have recorded sky-high positivity rates. (7/27)

The New York Times: Vaccination Helps Avoid The Delta Variant And Breakthroughs 
Case counts are rising, some hospitals are filling up, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is again recommending universal masking in areas where cases are surging. But to suggest that Covid-19 is an escalating emergency in the United States is not quite right. The truth is that the vaccinated and the unvaccinated are experiencing two very different pandemics right now. If we don’t confront that, the nation can’t address either appropriately. (Aaron E. Carroll, 7/27)

USA Today: Alzheimer's Treatment: FDA Sullies Reputation In Drug Approval
Like many government agencies, the Food and Drug Administration is at its best when no one notices it, quietly helping us avoid unsafe and ineffective products. Unfortunately, the agency keeps making decisions that garner front-page news. In June, the FDA approved Aduhelm (generic name aducanumab), the first new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease in two decades. As bioethicists who work in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease and pharmaceutical policy, we can attest that this decision has generated more controversy than enthusiasm – and for good reasons. (Holly Fernandez Lynch, Emily A. Largent and Andrew Peterson, 7/28)

Dallas Morning News: More People With Disabilities Got Jobs During The Pandemic
When I helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act 31 years ago, I could not have anticipated what 2021 would look like. What we did anticipate was that this new civil rights law would empower the 1 in 5 Americans living with disabilities. Over the decades, the ADA has faced its share of successes and failures. The past year has shown both the clear gaps in our nation’s grand promise and the resilience of our people. The COVID-19 pandemic has grown the disability community. From those with long COVID-19 to people with new mental health conditions, there are now more Americans with disabilities than ever before. In 2020, more than 1 in 5 people with disabilities lost their jobs, compared with only 1 in 7 individuals without disabilities. (Steve Bartlett, 7/28)

The Boston Globe: To Solve Health Care Inequity, Mass. Should Address The Social Determinants Of Health 
In the past year and a half, in Lawrence and Roxbury and dozens of other communities across the Commonwealth, health care providers witnessed the same story over and over. While those who could sheltered at home during the coronavirus pandemic, low-income people of color continued to go to their jobs — often as essential workers, putting themselves and their families at risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. The pandemic was a catalyst for national conversations about social and racial injustice and health inequity. But these realities are not new, and conversations are not enough. (Myechia Minter-Jordan and Michael Curry, 7/27)

Stat: My Family's Cancer Cluster Started Me On A Research Odyssey 
July 10 was a bittersweet and emotional day for me this year, one I had marked on my calendar long before it arrived. It was the date, at 69 years and 30 days, that I became the longest living member of my family. I was then one day older than my brother when he died. My father died at age 59, my mother at 42, and my two younger sisters at 32 and 24. Except for my dad, all died of different types of cancer. In the U.S., life expectancy is nearly 80 years. In my family, not including me, the average life span was 45. (Lawrence Ingrassia, 7/28)

USA Today: Why A New Breakthrough Test For Cancer Still Isn't On The U.S. Market
Cancer accounted for nearly 10 million deaths last year. It continues to be the No. 1 cause of death among those 80 or younger, and we know one of the best ways to reduce cancer deaths is through early detection. Knowing the importance of early detection, what if you could get a single blood test that had the ability to detect the early signs of more than 50 deadly cancers – 45 of which don’t have a recommended screening option available – before symptoms present themselves? (Jim Greenwood, 7/28)

Bloomberg: A $27 Billion Vaccine Is Not Pharma's New Normal 
Vaccines have traditionally been among the least glamorous and most challenging areas of pharma. Developing new shots is uniquely time consuming and expensive, and despite the extra effort required, sales are consistently lower than in other drug categories. The arrival of Covid-19 changed everything. (Max Nisen, 7/27)

Los Angeles Times: Medical Students Must Be Taught Critical Race Theory 
The hint of an education on race and racism I received in medical school involved a historical overview of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and retired eugenics practices. As I rotated on the wards, race came up again as a vague tool to help narrow a diagnosis. New Black patient with severe headache, blurry vision? Think hypertensive crisis. I wasn’t taught why hypertension might be more prevalent in the Black American population. (Hint: Genetics is not the answer.) (Trisha Pasricha, 7/28)

Newsweek: Black Athletes Lead Conversation On Mental Health 
Gymnast Simone Biles chose her mental health over the possibility of a literal gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and for a lot of people that decision won't make sense. Biles pulled out of the competition on Tuesday, and told reporters that she was concerned about the well-being of her body and mind. The 24-year-old four-time gold medalist explained that she needed to put her mental health first. "This Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself when I came in — and I felt like I was still doing it for other people," she said. (Heather Thompson Day, 7/27)