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Michigan's nursing home deaths, 1,654 and fifth highest in the U.S., may be partly the result of differences in the way COVID-19 deaths are being recorded, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, adding some states are listing cause of death as pneumonia. Nursing home news is from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Georgia, as well.
“Congress intended these dollars to go to health care providers quickly to combat the pandemic,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. “It’s clear that the Trump administration’s distribution of this aid has been poorly targeted and too slow in coming.” Meanwhile, HHS changes its rules for provider relief grants.
The Supreme Court ruled that the cases of teenagers who were sentenced to life must be reviewed because they weren't yet adults when they were charged with crimes. While thousands of sentences have been overturned, there's still inmates who are waiting for their cases to be heard. In other news: what prison outbreaks can teach researchers about herd immunity, Massachusetts' court refuses request to release prisoners and more.
More not-so-flattering information is coming to light about the contractors that were awarded government contracts in the early days of the pandemic. In particular, an event planning company that was awarded money to help distribute food to needy families has drawn criticism. Now the firms want to shift the story. In other news on food aid: New York City tries to keep up with surging demand, protests create food deserts in Minneapolis and consumers worry about rising prices.
Across the world, schools examine how to reopen in the fall after being shuttered for months. At Grinnell College in Iowa, part of the plan is to bring back smaller groups of students for seven weeks at a time. Other news on school reopenings is from California, Ohio, Maine, Pennsylvania, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, as well.
While the Trump administration has said employers can test their workers and screen for temperatures, there's little guidance on how often that should be done. Business leaders are worried the gaps set up a scenario where they could be on the hook in worker lawsuits. Meanwhile, governors call for more stability from the federal government in terms of testing supplies and plans while the FDA tries to rein in the testing marketplace.
Governors testified virtually at a congressional hearing to warn that their states face a financial crisis since they are forced to balance their budgets -- unlike the federal government. They also laid out their frustration with the federal government's supply issues earlier in the year.
Despite warnings that the outbreak is far from over, the White House task force has met only sporadically in recent weeks, adding to the sense that the White House is ready to move on from the crisis despite being in the midst of it. Meanwhile, the U.S. surpasses 1.8 million cases and 105,000 deaths.
Global pandemic developments are reported out of Sweden, China, Brazil, England, Bolivia, Senegal, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, India, South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and other nations.
Media outlets report on news from New York, California, Maryland, Nevada and Massachusetts.
Chris Hrouda, president of biomedical services for the American Red Cross, says inventories have been cut in half as people maintain social distancing. Public health news is also on vaping, hand sanitizers, disinfecting programs in hotels, scripts on the pandemic, infection control fees and first canine tests positive.
The protein markers could be used to give doctors a better sense in how the patient was going to react to the virus--something that has been erratic and hard to predict thus far in the pandemic. In other scientific news: a profile of the virus, the long road to recovery, neurological symptoms and "persistent positives."
Brian Miller, the White House lawyer tapped to oversee the Treasury Department’s $500 billion fund, said he will not be influenced by political pressure.
The medical research community's unease with the studies highlights a broader issue at the heart of the race to find a treatment for the coronavirus, in which speed is taking precedence over rigorous scientific process.
President Donald Trump and Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper have been in escalating discussions about whether the Republican convention can be held as planned amid the pandemic. Cooper on Tuesday said that with the state of the outbreak being so fluid, he couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be safety measures in place that would affect attendance. Officials say it isn't a done deal, but Republicans are looking into other cities. How the coronavirus crisis is impacting the primaries and voting is also reported.
“They let us down,” said Dr. Stephane Otmezguine, an anesthesiologist who treated coronavirus patients in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The New York Times takes a deep dive into the missteps, outdated technology, bureaucracy and politics that all played a role in the highly venerated agency's lackluster response efforts.
“At the end of the day, racism is the original sin here,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “Racism attacks people’s physical and mental health,” he said. It’s “an ongoing public health crisis that needs our attention now.” Meanwhile, black Americans' economic circumstances were trending up before the crisis, but they have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic shutdowns.
George Floyd's death may have been the latest to shine a harsh spotlight on police methods, but chokeholds and other immobilization techniques have become a hot-button topic globally. Meanwhile, experts weigh in on the health risks associated with police officers' use of rubber bullets and tear gas during protests. And many Democratic leaders across the country call for reforms for police departments.
Experts anxiously watch thousands of Americans gather together in the midst of a pandemic and worry the very people the protests are trying to help may be hurt the worst by a second spike of the virus. But activists say that in the long run, the risk of exposure is worth it. Although scientists say infection is less likely in outdoor spaces, a number of factors--such as how much yelling and chanting is happening--play into how dangerous the situation is for the protesters.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
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