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Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that covid circulating among unvaccinated people could mutate to form an even more infectious or deadly version of the virus than delta, including variants that defeat vaccines. Research on delta, covid reinfections and more are also in the news.
Hospitalizations are up, forcing some health systems to raise alarms over capacity, as new U.S. daily covid cases soared over 100,000 -- a level not seen in six months. Austin, Texas, was reported to have only six ICU beds available Saturday, to serve a city of 2.4 million people.
U.S. citizens are again welcome to visit our neighbor to the north, if they have received the full vaccine course of one of the four shots approved by Canada. Officials warn of travel delays as the new public health measures go into effect Monday.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages cover these various public health issues.
Opinion writers weigh in on the delta variant, vaccine mandates and vaccine hesitancy.
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week's selections include stories on covid, horseshoe crab blood, sweat, cannabis, Theranos and more.
U.S.-based Novavax said yesterday it's asked regulators in India, Indonesia and the Philippines for emergency approval of its covid vaccine. Separately, China announced it will export 2 billion vaccine doses this year, and pay $100 million to the WHO-backed Covax program.
"People shouldn’t be living out in the streets and sidewalks … and the notion that until everything is perfect, we can’t do anything [about encampments], I completely reject," Gov. Gavin Newsom told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.
Researchers looked at long-term pain patients trying to taper their doses and found a greater risk of mental health crisis and overdose. A separate analysis shows how opioid use across the U.S. varies by insurance coverage, with men and employed adults less likely to be prescribed.
Stat reports on a recent federal appeals court ruling about how generic drug makers can market their products. Modern Healthcare, meanwhile, reports on how health insurers allegedly use biologic shortage to boost biosimilars. Junk DNA, audits, PPE and FEMA are also in the news.
Plans for a Thursday vote were scuttled as debate over amendments extended late into the night. Earlier in the day, the Congressional Budget Office confirmed Republican complaints that the bill is not paid for and would add to the deficit. The CBO score also noted that payments to Medicare providers would take a hit.
Smaller facilities in Houston are reportedly having to send covid patients to other hospitals after being overwhelmed. Separately, Arkansas hospitals are battling staff burnout and shortages, and Stateline reports on how the mental health of health workers has been "devastated" by the pandemic.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted in a briefing that over 80% of U.S. counties already meet the community covid spread criteria to require indoor masking. News outlets also cover mask rules in Maryland and Connecticut.
Gov. Phil Murphy plans to announce today that students in New Jersey will have to wear masks when public schools open, due to covid surges. In a speech Wednesday, he angrily lashed out at anti-mandate protesters, pointing out that 80% of recent positive tests were among the unvaccinated.
The Deer District in Milwaukee, where "massive" celebrations happened as the NBA championship played out, is now linked to nearly 500 covid infections. Separately, the south Texas city of Mission is setting up tents to quarantine positive-testing migrants crossing the Mexican border.
The AP reports on Mississippi's State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs describing the wave of covid infections hitting his state, and on words from Dr. Marc Napp, chief medical officer for Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Florida, on how resources are badly stretched by new cases.
A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows covid cases rose 84% for the last week of July compared with the previous week -- close to doubling the infection rate. News outlets cover the recent "chickenpox" infectiousness analogy, delta covid's risks for kids and parental transmission.
Biden administration covid response coordinator Jeff Zients noted that states like Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma are now rapidly administering covid shots. News outlets note some states in the South have been among the worst hit by recent surges in covid, driven by the delta variant.
In the most comprehensive state requirement yet, California will mandate workers in most health care settings to be fully vaccinated by the end of next month. Hospitals and long-term care facilities must also verify that indoor visitors have been vaccinated. Maryland also announced new requirements for health care workers, as well as those employed at jails.
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