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The highly contagious strain of the coronavirus doesn't care about your party affiliation or how old you are, as evidenced by a spike in infections among those 12 and younger, who are not eligible for vaccination. Hospitals reported nearly 94,000 new child cases as of Aug. 5.
The possibility of experiencing a serious adverse effect from the covid shots approved in the U.S. is significantly lower than the chances of severe illness, hospitalization or death from contracting covid, new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. Other studies show covid's pregnancy impact and vaccine protection against the delta variant.
Gov. Ron DeSantis banned mask mandates in Florida, prompting the state school board to threaten legal action. Some parents of children with disabilities are also suing over the masking mandate ban. Meanwhile, reports say "hundreds" of ventilators are being sent to Florida.
A Texas state judge ruled state emergency powers cannot allow the governor to ban local mask mandates. Separately, reports say Harris County is considering suing Gov. Greg Abbott over the ban. Data from Monday shows that Texas topped 10,000 daily covid cases for the first time since February.
But there might not be much the federal government can do, President Joe Biden acknowledges. The administration is exploring ways they could use covid relief funds to financially support Florida schools require masks against the governor's orders.
Unlike the bipartisan vote on the $1 trillion transportation and infrastructure bill earlier in the day, senators passed 50-49 the $3.5 trillion budget plan early in the morning Wednesday. Now the ball is in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's court.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics.
Opinion pages examine these covid, mask and vaccine issues.
The New York Times notes that "few" seem to be rushing to cross the newly opened Canadian border, open again for the first time since March 2020. Meanwhile, the CDC has issued highest-level travel advisories for France and Israel due to the surges in delta covid happening there.
News outlets report on the investigation into a death last month in Georgia of a person who is the latest found to have melioidosis, usually a disease affecting South Asia. Prostitution, homelessness, medical marijuana, and reading and writing proficiency in Oregon are also in the news.
The New York Times reports on how fumes from the Dixie fire in California and other western wildfires are causing a "a pall of noxious smoke" in Denver, 1,100 miles east. Other news outlets cover climate change effects, low reservoir levels and water conservation efforts.
Researchers have called for some brands like Coppertone and Neutrogena to pull products from shelves due to potential contamination with benzophenone, a carcinogen. Separately, a study says blood tests may be useful to help determine increased risk of dementia later in life.
Modern Healthcare reports on potential legal risks health providers face when the Food and Drug Administration's various pandemic emergency actions on PPE, treatments and vaccines taper off. Separately, reports note the potential technological upside in health care from the pandemic, which may persist long term.
The window on the special enrollment period closes on Aug. 15. With millions more signing up for an Affordable Care Act plan, more insurers are joining the state marketplaces, Georgia Health News reports.
West Virginia Wesleyan College is set to charge the additional fee to unvaccinated students attending the fall semester, and if students contract covid and can't quarantine off campus, another $250 is due. Vaccine, mask mandates in schools and the pandemic's effect on kids is also in the news.
Analysis of Johns Hopkins University data also shows half of all states have reported at least 500,000 cases, with the pandemic still ongoing. Meanwhile, the battle over vaccines in Kentucky saw Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear accusing Republican leaders of putting politics over the "very lives" of Kentuckians.
Democrats released their ambitious and pricey budget blueprint Monday which includes an array of health care initiatives, including Medicare expansion. One thing the proposed legislation does not tackle is the debt ceiling.
A study in Israel showed that people who got a booster shot of Pfizer/BioNTech's covid vaccine experienced similar or fewer side effects than with the previous dose. A separate report explains how researchers are looking at intranasal delivery for future versions of covid vaccines.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has strictly banned mask mandates in the state -- forcing confrontation with school districts -- but as another wave of covid is threatening to overwhelm local hospitals, he has appealed for out-of-state help and is trying to recruit extra nursing staff.
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