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U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country. Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine’s protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January. (Miller, 8/17)

Officials said they expect that recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was authorized as a one-dose regimen, will also require an additional dose. But they are waiting for the results of that firm’s two-dose clinical trial, expected later this month. (LaFraniere, 8/16)

California’s health department and the scientific review panel that also represents three other western states recommended Monday that individuals whose immune systems are compromised get an additional vaccine dose “to ensure extra protection from COVID-19.” “As California continues to see an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, it is critical we take action to protect immunocompromised people who are most vulnerable to severe disease,” Dr. Tomas Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement. (Vaziri, 8/16)

Healthcare providers plan to incorporate the distribution of an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine to immunocompromised individuals with their existing vaccination campaigns—and as preparation for future efforts to get extra doses to a larger share of Americans. Providers such as New York-based Mount Sinai Health System and Maywood, Illinois-based Loyola Medicine are getting ready to start providing extra doses to vaccinated patients, but key questions remain unanswered for hospitals. (Ross Johnson, 8/16)

Pfizer and BioNTech said a booster or third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and elicits an antibody response at levels that "significantly exceed" those seen in individuals who receive two doses of the jab. The companies revealed the Phase 1 data when announcing that it had been submitted to the FDA. "Vaccination is our most effective means of preventing COVID-19 infection – especially severe disease and hospitalization – and its profound impact on protecting lives is indisputable," Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chairman and CEO, said in a news release. "The data we’ve seen to date suggest a third dose of our vaccine elicits antibody levels that significantly exceed those seen after the two-dose primary schedule. We are pleased to submit these data to the FDA as we continue working together to address the evolving challenges of this pandemic." (Hein, 8/16)

As the Delta variant rages around the world, a heated debate has arisen over whether public health officials should recommend booster shots. On one side are global health officials who contend that available vaccines would be better used to inoculate high-risk people in poor nations where few have gotten the shots. On the other are leaders and health officials in wealthier countries, who are setting aside doses for more vulnerable people who may need additional doses to protect them from the virus. (Slotnik and Weiland, 8/16)

Wealthy countries — including some that have started giving some people third doses — have been receiving coronavirus vaccine doses that were either made in or intended for low- or middle-income countries. This only widens the gap in vaccine access between wealthy and poor countries, which could ultimately have global consequences. (Owens, 8/17)

The surge in coronavirus spread in the U.S. is driving case totals to highs last seen six months ago. For much of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported daily case numbers upwards of 100,000, with Thursday’s high of nearly 147,000 not previously seen since late January. On Sunday, the U.S. led the world in new cases reported with over 38,400 new illnesses, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Iran followed with under 37,000 cases reported. (Hein, 8/16)

For the first time since February, the United States reported more than 900,000 COVID-19 cases last week—with the country represented 20% of global cases—a sign the pandemic surge caused by the Delta (B1617.2) variant has stalled the progress made by an aggressive vaccine rollout that dampened cases this spring and summer. Cases are on the rise in 46 states, according to USA Today. Hot spots continue in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Oregon, Hawaii, and Mississippi. Oregon reported 11,564 cases in the week ending Friday, the paper said, topping its December pandemic peak by more than 7.2%. (Soucheray, 8/16)

Five states broke records for the average number of daily new Covid cases over the weekend as the delta variant strains hospital systems across the U.S. and forces many states to reinstate public health restrictions. Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, Oregon and Mississippi all reached new peaks in their seven-day average of new cases per day as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. On a per capita basis, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida are suffering from the three worst outbreaks in the country. (Mendez, Towey and Rattner, 8/16)

A lagging vaccination campaign and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant are driving a surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations in the United States. Among Americans under age 50, average daily hospital admissions have hit a pandemic high, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Anthes, 8/17)

Alabama’s intensive care units were near capacity Monday amid the state’s ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases. The state has 1,562 intensive care unit beds but had 1,560 hospitalized patients needing intensive care Monday, according to Dr. Don Williamson, the former state health officer who now heads the Alabama Hospital Association. “This is the greatest demand on the ICU system we’ve ever had,” Williamson said. (8/16)

A second field hospital for treating COVID-19-infected patients has been staged in a University of Mississippi Medical Center garage as a last-ditch effort to bolster Mississippi's beleaguered health care systems. Samaritan's Purse, a non-denominational evangelical Christian organization deployed the additional field hospital on Sunday in collaboration with UMMC, the governor's office, the Mississippi State Department of Health and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. The mobile unit is in UMMC's garage C near the Children's of Mississippi Hospital's Sanderson Tower. (Haselhorst, 8/16)

Gov. Andy Beshear's administration has predicted the week of Aug. 22 could see the highest number of hospitalizations of the entire pandemic, and some hospitals are already full. During a Thursday press briefing, U of L Health Chief Nurse Executive Cindy Lucchese said the system has four times as many COVID-19 patients than it did in July. "I wish I could share a more positive message and tell you we're winning the war against this virus," she said. "That is just not true." (Ladd, 8/16)

Facing intense pressure to combat a surge in new coronavirus cases, Gov. Brian Kemp announced steps Monday to expand capacity at regional hospitals, increase health care staffing and shutter state offices on Sept. 3 to encourage public employees to get vaccinated. The Republican said he will create an impromptu state holiday on the Friday before Labor Day weekend in hopes of spurring state staffers to schedule their shots during their time off. Those who are already vaccinated, he said, can treat it as a “thank-you” holiday to spend with friends and family. (Bluestein, 8/16)

Texas has requested five mortuary trailers from FEMA to help deal with an expected surge in COVID-19 deaths, NBC News reports. The trailers will be based in San Antonio and sent around the state as needed. Officials ordered them at the start of the month after data showed deaths in Texas are surging, Department of State Health Services spokesperson Doug Loveday told NBC. (Saric, 8/16)

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke has been hospitalized with Covid-19 and placed on a ventilator, according to a tweet over the weekend from his official account. In a tweet on August 10, Burke, a Covid-19 vaccination critic, announced he had tested positive for coronavirus, and said, "Thanks be to God, I am resting comfortably and receiving excellent medical care. "It is unclear whether Cardinal Burke, who is in his early 70s, has been vaccinated against Covid-19. (Henderson and Sandoval, 8/16)

As alarm mounted over the coronavirus ripping through the country, Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago was barraged with warnings: Lollapalooza was looking increasingly risky. The annual four-day music festival would draw hundreds of thousands of people downtown, unmasked, crowded into mosh pits, city parks, restaurants and L trains, setting up the threat of a superspreader coronavirus event in the Midwest. The mayor insisted that the festival go on. The decision to host the event, which injected a dormant downtown with energy and freely spending tourists at the end of last month, reflected a shifting response to the continuing pandemic. (Bosman and Smith, 8/16)

San Francisco will reopen a mass coronavirus testing site in SoMa on Wednesday amid a troubling rise in cases — mostly among the unvaccinated — and a surge in demand for tests. The site at Seventh and Brannan streets will be able to administer 500 tests per day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week by appointment only. That brings San Francisco’s total test capacity to about 5,000 a day, as schools reopen and people continue mingling indoors despite the surge in cases. (Thadani, 8/16)

Fort Worth is reopening eight COVID-19 mobile testing sites due to a "concerning uptick in cases tied to the Delta variant in recent weeks," the city said Monday. The city also said it "anticipated" maintaining the mobile testing sites for the next few weeks. (8/16)

The Aloha Stadium COVID-19 testing site closed its parking gates early on Saturday, Aug. 14, due to more people showing up than expected. The parking lot gates closed no later than 2 p.m. instead of the usual Saturday closing time of 4 p.m. (8/14)

Due to a significant increase in cases because of the delta variant, the city of Tampa is opening an additional COVID-19 drive thru testing site at Al Barnes Park.  PCR and rapid antigen tests are available at the site and appointments are not required. (8/16)

If you're looking for more COVID-19 testing sites in Palm Beach County, you're in luck. According to an email from the Palm Beach County government, two additional COVID-19 testing sites have opened in the county over the weekend. These drive-through testing locations are open seven days a week from 9am until 7pm. (Siddiqi, 8/15)

COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Kentucky. In three days, the state has added more than 67,000 new cases. That’s driving up testing numbers. At the Kroger Field testing site, some folks are waiting more than an hour for a COVID-19 test. (Puente, 8/16)

COVID-19 diagnosis via saliva samples was most sensitive during the first week of infection and was never higher than 60% in asymptomatic people, according to a research letter published late last week in JAMA. The researchers looked at nasopharyngeal and saliva samples collected every 3 to 7 days up to 4 weeks from people exposed to household members who had COVID-19. Of the 889 paired samples from 404 participants, 58.9% of nasopharyngeal swabs were positive for COVID-19, whereas 35.7% of saliva samples were. Both types of samples in the pair were positive 29.0% of the time. (8/16)

Outside, in letters a foot tall, the wall of the trailer reads: “GET TESTED. GET TREATED. CRUSH COVID.” Inside, leathery recliners cradle patients as a freshly mixed concoction drips into their veins: a combination of two monoclonal antibodies once used so rarely that when President Donald Trump got it last October, it ignited accusations of special treatment. Now, amid the delta variant surge, the cocktail is rapidly becoming a more common, even routine medical response to a positive coronavirus test in a high-risk patient. Federal and state officials are promoting it, particularly in hard-hit areas, and demand has exploded from a trickle to more than 120,000 doses a week by the latest count from its maker, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Goldberg, 8/16)

KHN: ‘Tainted’ Blood: Covid Skeptics Request Blood Transfusions From Unvaccinated Donors

The nation’s roiling tensions over vaccination against covid-19 have spilled into an unexpected arena: lifesaving blood transfusions. With nearly 60% of the eligible U.S. population fully vaccinated, most of the nation’s blood supply is now coming from donors who have been inoculated, experts said. That’s led some patients who are skeptical of the shots to demand transfusions only from the unvaccinated, an option blood centers insist is neither medically sound nor operationally feasible. (Aleccia, 8/17)

Babies and toddlers are less likely to bring the coronavirus into their homes than teenagers are, but once they are infected, they are more likely to spread the virus to others in their households, according to a large new study by a Canadian public health agency. The findings can be explained, at least in part, by behavioral factors, experts said, including the fact that very young children require lots of hands-on care and cannot be isolated when they are sick. (Anbthes, 8/16)

Nearly 6,000 students and over 300 staff members tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 in a Florida school district, officials announced Monday. The alarming number of people in quarantine or isolation has prompted an emergency board meeting at Hillsborough County Public Schools — the seventh-largest district in the nation. (Allassan, 8/16)

More than 3,000 students and staff at NOLA Public Schools are quarantining due to possible exposure to COVID, the Orleans Parish school district said Monday afternoon. The district, which updates its COVID tracker each Monday, said it was tracking 299 "active cases" and 370 cumulative cases. A week ago, the district said there were 116 active cases and 638 students and staff quarantining due to possible exposure. (8/16)

A Kentucky school district canceled classes amid a COVID-19 outbreak Monday while the governor warned that virus-related hospitalizations appear headed toward a pandemic high as the fast-spreading delta variant causes a growing surge of infections. Gov. Andy Beshear reported more than 6,770 new statewide coronavirus cases in the past three days and 25 more virus-related deaths — including 11 people 55 or younger. (Schreiner, 8/16)

As students return for the first day of school in Lancaster County, South Carolina, the district's leadership has confirmed that a 16-year-old student has died of complications from Covid-19. "We are saddened to learn of the passing of a 16-year-old Andrew Jackson High student from Covid complications," Lancaster County School District Superintendent Jonathan Phipps said in a statement. Chief Deputy Coroner Jennifer Collins confirmed the student died August 12. The 16-year-old's name is not being released because the student was a minor, the coroner said. (Lemos and Spells, 8/16)

Hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles-area students started school Monday, a massive return to in-person education that was marked by pandemic-driven anxiety, a sense of excitement and early-morning frustration over the failure of the district’s health screening system, which caused long waits to enter campuses. The scenes from the nation’s second-largest school district included the familiar: Yellow buses hit the street on 1,500 routes; the youngest children and their parents exchanged tearful hugs and goodbyes; friends enjoyed happy reunions; teachers felt the jitters of standing before students after the long absence. (Blume, Gomez and Shalby, 8/16)

Shortly before the start of the new school year, the state announced two new initiatives focusing on vaccination clinics at higher education institutions and free COVID-19 testing in K-12 schools, to help keep kids in classrooms for the 2021-2022 school year. The state Department of Health is partnering with Concentric by Ginkgo Bioworks to provide free COVID-19 testing in K-12 schools across the commonwealth to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and outbreaks in schools. (8/16)

As kids are heading back to the classroom for in-person school this year, concerns about rising pediatric coronavirus cases are growing. Doctors are urging masks and vaccines to help reduce the virus’ spread. “We all still believe the best thing for the kids is to be in school. We are not saying don’t send the kids to school. We all want them to go to school. We don’t want them to be in virtual situations," says Dr. Nectar Aintablian, a pediatrician in Tallahassee. (McCarthy, 8/16)

When her 12-year-old son became eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccination in June, Stephanie Martin hesitated. She wanted to see more long-term data on the vaccine’s safety for children. Hearing about friends’ children who experienced some side effects reinforced her desire to wait. In recent weeks she has started to reconsider. She has seen news reports about the rapid spread of the Delta variant and children being hospitalized. And her son’s half-brother got infected with Covid-19 at summer camp, she says. (Reddy, 8/16)

From the earliest stages of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the evidence pointed to one silver lining: Kids were thought to be in a safe harbor. They didn’t infect easily, the initial research indicated, and often their cases were so mild that neither they nor their families knew they were experiencing COVID-19. But the dark progression of the highly transmissible Delta variant has obliterated much of last year’s confidence regarding kids and COVID, both in California and across the country. The rate of infection among children is skyrocketing, according to data compiled by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the hospitalization rate is eclipsing peak levels recorded in January. (Kreidler, 8/16)

With students heading back to school as the delta variant spreads rapidly through Texas, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins calls it “heartbreaking” that school districts would be prevented from requiring masks in classes, as Gov. Greg Abbott has done in Texas. Collins says half-masked classrooms make little sense and won’t stop outbreaks, leaving parents with difficult decisions. Meanwhile, it’s unclear how long the latest COVID wave — which Collins predicted could soon see the U.S. posting 200,000 new cases a day — will last. (Wermund, 8/16)

Most Americans support mandating masks in schools and vaccinations to return to the workplace, and they oppose states' efforts to ban such moves, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. The survey finds the Republican base going against the grain so disproportionately that it helps explain the defiant postures of many red-state governors. It also showed regional differences, with Midwesterners the most critical of mandates. (Talev, 8/17)

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) broke with some of his Republican peers on Monday, telling reporters that schools implementing mask mandates are “making a wise decision when the facts warrant it.” A number of Republican governors have issued orders in recent weeks barring schools from enforcing mask mandates despite the surge of COVID-19 cases throughout the U.S., which is being driven largely by the highly infectious delta variant. (Schnell, 8/16)

The Archdiocese of Baltimore will not require COVID-19 vaccinations for Catholic schools this fall and told parents this week that masking requirements for each school will depend on local positivity rates. Catholic school leaders plan to evaluate individual school trends and overall case counts in its jurisdiction on a weekly basis. If the city or a county’s positivity rate climbs to 7.1% or higher, Catholic schools in that jurisdiction will require masking. (Reed, 8/16)

With hundreds of South Carolina students already quarantined for COVID-19 at the start of the fall semester, the state’s second-largest public school district will require masks in schools despite a state budget proviso that bans districts from doing so without risking funding. Charleston County School District’s board voted 8-1 Monday evening to approve an emergency ordinance to require masks for anyone who enters school buildings through mid-October. Board Chair Eric Mack said the ordinance was proposed for the safety of students and staff given the rapid spread of the delta variant. (Liu, 8/17)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit by parents challenging his ban on strict mask mandates in schools, arguing the court lacks jurisdiction over the issue. Disgruntled parents who “fear being around unvaccinated, non-masked people” don’t have a right to sue because the executive order raises political rather than legal questions, DeSantis argued in a motion to dismiss filed Monday in state court in Tallahassee, Florida. (Larson, 8/16)

In a short-notice back-to-school news conference Monday, University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson said the upcoming academic year's COVID-19 guidance "isn't a political issue, it's a health issue," while maintaining that masks and vaccines will be strongly encouraged. May 20 guidance from the state's Board of Regents says masks and vaccines aren't required this fall at UI, Iowa State University or the University of Northern Iowa. (Krejci and Ojeda, 8/16)

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler has signaled a potential bid for a local school board seat in Tennessee on the heels of its new policy mandating masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus amid the ongoing pandemic. Cutler, who retired years ago after playing for the Miami Dolphins and the Chicago Bears, has indicated a possible run for a spot on the Williamson County Board of Education in a number of tweets recently after members of the body drew heat from parents for backing a mask mandate. (Folley, 8/16)

Jay Cutler, the former NFL quarterback and former reality TV star, was dropped from an advertising campaign, and he says Uber Eats’ decision is because of his opposition to mask mandates for schoolchildren during the coronavirus pandemic. “Lost a commercial with Uber Eats partnering with the NFL,” Cutler tweeted Friday. “Was going to film in LA, ‘views aren’t aligned.’ Guess they don’t like future School board members. Frees up my weekend.” Uber Eats confirmed Cutler’s views are at odds with those of the company. (Boren, 8/16)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order Monday letting parents opt their children out of coronavirus-related mask mandates in K-12 schools, after a few school districts issued mask requirements for students and others. With the move, Lee also said he will not call the broad special legislative session requested by Republican House lawmakers to limit the authority of local officials to make rules aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, which has seen a resurgence in Tennessee via the delta variant. (Mattise and Sainz, 8/17)

9,074 school-aged children in Tennessee have now tested positive for COVID-19 the last 14 days, an increase of 2,370 cases in one week and 8,210 in just over one month. ith schools back in session, the number of 5 to 18-year-old children testing positive the last 14 days has increased by 950% compared to just over one month ago. On July 12, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) reported 864 total cases among the age group, a number which has continued to sharply increase in August. (Mojica, 8/16)

Students across Shelby County have returned to schools this fall during local COVID-19 conditions that are expected to surpass last winter's surge. How will families and the public learn about outbreaks? Likely, what is known about the extent of cases connected to classrooms will vary by the protocols of each school. The county and state do not require that schools or districts publicly report any data, nor are schools required to follow uniform communication protocols with their students' families and staffers. (Testino, 8/16)

A Tennessee investigation found evidence that the state's fired vaccine chief, Michelle Fiscus, purchased a dog muzzle that she previously claimed someone had mailed in an attempt to intimidate her. Fiscus, who denied sending herself the muzzle in a Monday tweet, has characterized her firing as a political move driven by Republican state officials after she shared a memo citing state law about whether adolescents can seek medical care, including a COVID vaccine, without their parents' permission. (Rau and Tamburin, 8/16)

The Las Vegas Raiders became pro football's first team to require fans to be vaccinated to attend home games this season, the club announced Monday night. Starting with Las Vegas' regular-season opener, a Sept. 13 Monday night contest against the Baltimore Ravens, fans entering Allegiant Stadium will need to show proof of full Covid-19 vaccination through the Clear app. (8/17)

All health-care employees in D.C. must get at least the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 30, city officials announced Monday — the latest step in the District’s drive to push workers to get vaccinated as cases continue to climb. D.C. Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt said the requirement applies to licensed and unlicensed health professionals and EMS providers working in the city, and workers can, for now, opt out in favor of regular testing if their employer offers that alternative. Once one of the vaccines gets full federal approval, however, workers can opt out only if they have a religious or medical exemption. (Brice-Saddler and Stein, 8/16)

New York City plans to require visitors and staff members at museums and other cultural institutions to be vaccinated, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. “Defeating the Delta variant is the best way to support cultural institutions, because it brings us all back,” Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference at which he outlined the new requirements. He said that “we believe, if we take these aggressive measure, this is going to encourage a lot of people — audience members and staff alike — to get vaccinated.” (Pogrebin, 8/16)

New York City will require people to provide proof of vaccination before being admitted to indoor venues beginning Aug. 17, according to an executive order signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday. The "Key to NYC" plan, which will be formally enforced beginning Sept. 13, will make New York the first major city to impose a vaccine mandate for the general public to be able to participate in a wide range of indoor activities. (Reyes, 8/16)

Everyone who works in the California Assembly must receive the coronavirus vaccine or risk losing their job, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said. Rendon, a Democrat from Los Angeles, announced the policy on Monday following multiple cases among employees last month, including people who have already been fully vaccinated and wear masks while in the building. (Beam, 8/17)

The National Park Service announced on Monday that all visitors and employees will be required to wear a mask inside NPS buildings and in crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. Coronavirus restrictions in the parks were relaxed earlier this year but the new policy will go immediately into effect. (Dam, 8/16)

Experts warn it's time to invest in higher-quality masks with a tight fit in the wake of the Delta variant, especially among the unvaccinated like children and other vulnerable populations. Much of the public health message has been to persuade people to wear any mask let alone which kind to buy. Mask quality hasn’t been explained well enough, Michael Osterholm said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. (Fernandez, 8/17)

With Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations spiking around the country, dreams of a summer like those many us had in mind just a short time ago have faded. The fully vaccinated have been told to resume wearing masks indoors. Companies and institutions are leveling vaccine mandates. And some municipalities are requiring people to show proof of vaccination to get into restaurants, bars, and gyms. Confusion abounds about what is safe to do. (For the unvaccinated, there’s no confusion about what’s most important to do: Get immunized.) (Branswell, 8/17)

Companies are acting where government is not and pushing workers to get the jab to get the job. The share of job postings on Indeed requiring vaccination has jumped 90% in just the last month. Vaccination rates in the U.S. are climbing, but hesitancy remains high in certain places. And the Delta variant is foiling companies' return-to-work plans. (Pandey, 8/17)

The Atlanta Falcons announced Monday that all of their players are vaccinated against COVID-19, making them the first NFL team to reach that milestone. The Falcons reached a 92% vaccination rate on July 23, and now have every player on the roster inoculated against the virus. "Each player will now enjoy the benefits of being able to work out and eat together. They won't have to test daily, won't have to wear masks around the facility, and won't have to quarantine following a close contact with someone who tests positive," the team's website stated. (Aaro, 8/17)

Epidemiologists who closely follow MLB say that what is happening in the league is a reflection of the situation across America, where about 72% of the adult population has now had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. An earlier wave of restrictions has been lifted, and Covid cases are surging again amid a significantly more contagious variant, threatening chiefly the health of the unvaccinated. There’s one key difference between baseball and America—MLB’s continued mass testing of its employees. (Diamond and Radnofsky, 8/16)

The Oklahoma City-County Health Department is partnering with the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden to encourage more residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. On Tuesday, Aug. 17, and Wednesday, Aug. 18, the health department will be at the OKC Zoo administering the COVID-19 vaccine from 8 a.m. to noon in the Rosser Conservation Education Center, which is at the east end of the zoo’s main parking lot. Attendees should park by and enter through the education center. Anyone who gets vaccinated during that time frame will receive a voucher for free general zoo admission. (8/16)

KHN: Have Vaccines, Will Travel: On The Road With A Covid Entrepreneur

While many businesses in this southwestern Montana “ghost town” reel in tourists with its mining and Wild West vigilante past, one businessman arrived offering a modern product: covid-19 vaccines. Kyle Austin, a traveling pharmacist, set up his mobile clinic in Virginia City on a recent Saturday, the latest stop on his circuit of Montana’s vaccine deserts. “In any business, going to the people is better than waiting for the people to come to you,” the 38-year-old pharmacist said. (Houghton, 8/17)

As states, federal agencies and businesses ramp up COVID-19 vaccination requirements in the face of resistance by a sizable minority of the population, a parallel but limited effort to stop the spread of fraudulent medical records is underway. The spread of the delta variant at the same time as fraudulent records of vaccinations are circulating is frustrating experts trying to bring the pandemic under control. States with lower vaccination rates are currently seeing higher levels of transmission and more hospitalizations. (Raman, 8/16)

Medicare pays new hospitals three times more for capital costs than it pays established hospitals, costing taxpayers an extra $1.3 million per hospital each year, according to a report the HHS Office of Inspector General published Monday. Under the program's inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) rule, CMS pays new hospitals for Medicare-related capital costs during their first two years in the program based on their expenses. All other hospitals must cover their capital costs with money from their inpatient payments, no matter their costs. (Brady, 8/16)

UnitedHealth Group and Change Healthcare may not wrap up their merger until at least next year under a new agreement with the Justice Department, as the Biden administration ramps up antitrust scrutiny and federal regulators experience a surge of merger filings across industries. UnitedHealth's Optum data analytics and health services subsidiary in January unveiled plans to buy revenue cycle management company Change Healthcare for $8 billion, in a move company officials said would drive greater connectivity among its healthcare delivery systems—but that critics said could reduce competition in health IT services. (Kim Cohen, 8/16)

More than half of patients referred to physical therapy offered within a health system end up going to outside providers, a new report finds. U.S. health systems lost an estimated $2.5 billion in potential revenue from so-called referral leakage around physical therapy alone across the 3.4 million commercially insured patients examined in the new report from Luna, a company that offers in-home physical therapy. Patient leakage has become an even bigger priority for health systems as they recover from COVID-19. The biggest reason patients stray? Convenience. (Bannow, 8/17)

An Anne Arundel County family was awarded nearly $35 million by a Baltimore jury Monday, ruling that MedStar Harbor Hospital in South Baltimore neglected to properly treat a newly born child’s dropping oxygen levels, causing him to suffer severe brain injuries that will permanently disable him. The jury found that the hospital did not properly handle the deteriorating condition of Jordan Biggs, one of twins born at the hospital on Aug. 19, 2007, who had trouble breathing upon his delivery. (Davis, 8/17)

Attorneys for Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes told a federal judge on Monday that she plans to attend her criminal fraud trial with three family members or friends by her side and strongly prefers not to wear a face mask. Preventative measures against Covid-19 were on display in the courtroom here as Ms. Holmes and prosecutors prepared for the high stakes Silicon Valley trial. Plexiglass panels were erected in front of the judge, at the lecterns where attorneys speak and at the end of the jury box. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila said he would ask that jurors wear masks and they may be asked about their vaccination status. (Somerville, 8/16)

Fewer than one-third of voters casting ballots in last year’s U.S. presidential election did so at a polling place on Election Day as the coronavirus pandemic led states to greatly expand mail-in balloting and early voting, according to a federal report released Monday. The report by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission captures just how much the electorate embraced non-traditional voting methods despite repeated attempts by former President Donald Trump to undermine mail voting. (Cassidy, 8/16)

More than two dozen shrimp products sold nationwide by retailers including Target and Whole Foods are now being recalled in a salmonella outbreak that has stricken nine people in four states, hospitalizing three, federal authorities say. Avanti Frozen Foods Private Limited India agreed to recall additional packages, sizes and brands of frozen cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp, some sold with cocktail sauce, according to a notice posted Friday by the Food and Drug Administration. Three separate recalls related to the potentially tainted crustacean were then announced by the FDA on Saturday. (Gibson, 8/16)

Washington’s pandemic response is battering the finances of independent landlords, most of whom haven’t received federal rental aid designed to keep them whole during a nearly year-long eviction ban that has forced some property owners to house tenants for free. The distress is acute for so-called mom-and-pop landlords — those who own fewer than 10 properties, which typically have between one and four units. They supply about half the housing stock in the country, and they’re more likely than corporate property managers to have lower-income tenants who’ve fallen behind on their rent as a result of Covid-19. About 30 percent have household incomes below $90,000 a year. (O'Donnell, 8/14)

An innovative program to help people with mental health and substance abuse problems is being primed for a major expansion as the COVID-19 pandemic deepens struggles with drug use, depression and anxiety for many Americans. Community behavioral health clinics offer 24/7 services to catch people falling into crisis and pull them back. One tactic involves deploying peer counselors who have lived and survived their own trauma. Launched in the Obama administration, the clinics actually got scaled up under President Donald Trump. That’s not typical for a government health program in politically polarized times. Now, as Democrats haggle over the details of how to deliver on President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda, some backers see that mammoth bill as the best vehicle for a major expansion of the clinics. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/15)

Employees' mental health is quickly becoming a top concern for companies as they try to hold on to workers through the pandemic. The firms that confront mental health are poised to win the war for talent. "These days there are worker shortages everywhere," says Chris Swift, CEO of The Hartford, a financial services and insurance company. Mental health is a massive contributor to that, he says. (Pandey, 8/16)

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka broke down in tears and had to briefly step away on Monday during her first news conference since withdrawing from the French Open. Cincinnati Enquirer journalist Paul Daugherty referenced the world No. 2's withdrawal from May's French Open on Monday following her decision to not attend press conferences at the tournament to protect her mental health. (Falconer, 8/16)

A two-decade-long megadrought along the Colorado River is pushing seven Western states and parts of Mexico into a formal shortage declaration, forcing water delivery cuts to the Southwest that are just the beginning of the pain climate change promises to bring to the region. Climate scientists and water managers have long seen this declaration coming, but what's alarming them is the speed with which the hot and dry conditions over the past four years have shrunk the river’s two main reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, to levels not seen since they were first filled. (Snider, 8/16)

The declaration triggers cuts in water supply that, for now, mostly will affect Arizona farmers. Beginning next year they will be cut off from much of the water they have relied on for decades. Much smaller reductions are mandated for Nevada and for Mexico across the southern border. But larger cuts, affecting far more of the 40 million people in the West who rely on the river for at least part of their water supply, are likely in coming years as a warming climate continues to reduce how much water flows into the Colorado from rain and melting snow. (Fountain, 8/16)

As the temperature in Grand Island, Neb., soared to 91 degrees that July day in 2018, two dozen farmworkers tunneled for nine hours into a thicket of cornstalks, snapping off tassels while they crossed a sunbaked field that spanned 206 acres — the equivalent of 156 football fields. When they emerged at the end of the day to board a bus that would transport them to a nearby motel to sleep, one of the workers, Cruz Urias Beltran, didn't make it back. �Թϲ�����ers found the 52-year-old farmworker's body 20 hours later amid the corn husks, "as if he'd simply collapsed," recalled a funeral home employee. An empty water bottle was stuffed in his jeans pocket. An autopsy report confirmed that Beltran died from heatstroke. It was his third day on the job. (Shipley, Edwards, Nickerson, Benincasa, Chavez and Thompson, 8/17)

A Republican push meant to prevent Texas municipalities from protecting workers from the coronavirus pandemic also threatens to eliminate bare-bones requirements in two cities giving construction workers time to hydrate in the heat. Dallas and Austin require employers to provide construction workers 10-minute water breaks every four hours. That’s seen by many as minimal protections in a state where summer heat routinely rises above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and where the number of dangerously hot days is expected to increase with climate change.S.B. 14 would erase those requirements as Texas Republicans, angered by local ordinances requiring mandatory sick leave during the coronavirus pandemic, push to eliminate municipalities’ ability to protect workers from other hazards. The bill is supported by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and has already passed the Senate. Its fate now lies in the hands of House Democrats who fled the state this spring to prevent passage of a bill that would limit voting rights in Texas. (Wittenberg, 8/17)

A South Carolina paper mill, whose foul smell has triggered more than 30,000 complaints, has become one of the dirtiest polluters in the United States since being acquired by an investment group led by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots football team. The complaints over large releases of hydrogen sulfide, a gas that smells like rotten eggs and causes headaches and even death in concentrated doses, from the New-Indy paper mill in Catawba, South Carolina, have resulted in federal and state orders to reduce its emissions. Three federal civil lawsuits have been filed against the company, alleging the odor is harming families. (Mclaughlin, 8/17)

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern put the nation into a three-day lockdown after the discovery of the first community case of Covid-19 since February. The snap lockdown will begin at midnight tonight as authorities rush to identify the source of a single infection in largest city Auckland, Ardern said at a news conference Tuesday in Wellington. While genome sequencing has yet to be completed, the case is assumed to be the highly infectious delta variant, she said. “Delta has been a game-changer, we’re responding to that,” Ardern said. “The best thing we can do to get out of this as quickly as we can is to go hard.” (Withers, 8/17)

Turkey and Montenegro are now among the highest-risk destinations for travelers, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's regularly revised travel advisories list. Travel should be avoided to locations carrying the "Level 4: Covid-19 very high" notice, according to CDC guidance. Anyone who must travel should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advises. (Hunter, 8/16)

Interpol said it’s issued a worldwide alert over organized crime groups attempting to defraud governments with fake offers to sell Covid-19 vaccines. The global law-enforcement agency said the warning follows some 60 cases in 40 countries around the world where individuals in health ministries and hospitals have received offers for vaccines approved for distribution in their country. (Chapman, 8/16)

Bundles of counterfeit coronavirus vaccination cards printed with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logo have been shipped from Shenzhen, China, to recipients all around the United States, as some unvaccinated people try to evade restrictions that require proof of the shot to enter certain bars, schools and public spaces. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said in a Friday statement that agents have seized thousands of fake vaccination cards passing through Memphis, a shipping hub. (Shepherd, 8/16)

While many African nations remain desperately short of vaccine supplies, Johnson & Johnson has been exporting to Europe millions of doses that were bottled and packaged in South Africa, according to executives at Johnson & Johnson and the South African manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare, as well as South African government export records reviewed by The New York Times. South Africa has yet to receive the overwhelming majority of the 31 million vaccine doses it has ordered from Johnson & Johnson. The country has administered only about two million Johnson & Johnson shots so far. That is a major reason that fewer than 7 percent of South Africans are fully vaccinated — and that the country has been devastated by the Delta variant. (Robbins and Mueller, 8/17)

The battle against Covid-19 is shifting into long-term, low-intensity mode in Europe, as countries including Germany, Italy and France go from seeking to end the pandemic to preparing to live with it. Governments are drawing up plans for campaigns of booster shots, mask wearing, frequent testing and limited social-distancing measures to keep the virus in check ahead of the region’s third pandemic winter. (Douglas and Sylvers, 8/16)

The Paralympics will be held without fans at venues in the Tokyo region as the Japanese capital battles its worst-yet surge of coronavirus. All events in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures of Saitama and Chiba, as well as in Shizuoka, will be held without spectators during the games running from Aug. 24 through Sept. 5, the Tokyo Organizing Committee said on Monday. Tokyo is scrambling to control ballooning virus cases, which have prompted the metropolitan and national governments to consider extending a state of emergency in the capital, currently set to be lifted at the end of August. (Tomisawa, 8/16)

A study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal has shown a higher risk of Bell’s palsy — a type of facial paralysis — following Sinovac’s coronavirus vaccine, CoronaVac. The study, however, found that the benefits of the vaccine still “far outweigh the risk" and said further investigations were required into what exactly triggers it. “Bell’s palsy after vaccination is rare, and most symptoms were mild and got better on their own,” a Sinovac representative Liu Peicheng said in an written response to Reuters. The study says more than 90 percent of Bell’s palsy cases can be resolved within nine months following prompt corticosteroid treatment. (Suliman, 8/17)

Singapore is giving S$225,000 ($166,000) to a 16-year-old boy who is recovering from a cardiac arrest after having his first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, in order to help defray the costs of his medical care, the Ministry of Health said in a statement Monday. The patient, who had required intensive care, is recovering steadily and will likely be discharged in the coming weeks, according to the statement. However, he will likely require outpatient rehabilitation for some time before he can return to school and resume other activities. (Cang, 8/16)

At a news conference last month, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio held up a handmade sign that read “FOMO ALERT!” in red and blue capital letters. His goal? To convince tourists and locals alike that they’d be crazy to miss out on a “historic” series of August concerts he pitched as a sort of late-pandemic Woodstock. While this made-for-social-media moment largely fell flat, it offered proof that de Blasio is a big believer in the persuasive power of FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. And with coronavirus infections once again rising across America, understanding this psychological phenomenon could be key to fighting back. (Patrick J. McGinnis, 8/16)

A pervasive myth floating around social media holds that lots of people can’t be vaccinated, or shouldn’t be, or are ineligible due to medical conditions. Even the mainstream media sometimes gives us that impression. A recent New York Times opinion essay, for example, proclaimed that in addition to those refusing vaccines, “millions more, of course, are children under 12 and those disqualified by underlying health conditions.” (Faye Flam, 8/16)

A lasting memorial may be emerging for the millions of people who will have tragically died of Covid-19 by the time the pandemic ends: the demonstration that breakthroughs can happen fast when drug companies and regulators listen to and communicate openly with patients. The concept of patient engagement across the health care ecosystem emerged more than a decade ago. Its core idea — incorporating patients’ actual experiences, perspectives, needs, and priorities into treatment efforts and drug-development decisions rather than taking them for granted — started a fundamental change of thinking in the drug development world. (Anthony Yanni, 8/17)

When I woke up with pressure in my sinuses and a sore throat the morning of July 27, I was convinced it was a sinus infection. After all, my husband and I were vaccinated back in April with both doses of Pfizer. I didn't have a fever, I didn't have a cough, and I could still smell and taste everything. I was tired and dragging — but hey, the common cold still exists, right? So I did what I would normally do: Stayed home, had my husband bring me the ingredients for chicken soup, overdid the vitamin C and water, and tried to take a long, quick walk outdoors in an attempt to burn out the illness. On Wednesday, I felt a little worse. Then Thursday came. (Rebekah Maher, 8/16)

As thousands of unmasked motorcyclists carouse in the streets of Sturgis, S.D.; as protesters greet vaccine and mask mandates with comparisons to Hitler; as vaccination rates lag and COVID caseloads climb, we’re also seeing — paradoxically — a wave of sympathy for those who have failed to behave responsibly. “Don’t be mean” is the new mantra. Blame, we’re told, is not an effective public health strategy. Those people who won’t wear masks or who refuse to be vaccinated — they’re just misinformed. (Nicholas Goldberg, 8/16)

Back in May, I was optimistic that the United States could get to a best-case scenario where we’d reach a high enough level of vaccination that we could hold covid-19 at bay. At the very least, I thought we’d have a quiet — almost normal — summer. Americans could resume much of their pre-pandemic lives, and those of us in public health could focus on other pressing health issues that the pandemic has sidelined, such as the rising toll of opioid overdose deaths and the neglected epidemic of obesity. (Leana S. Wen, 8/16)

Across Texas, hospitals of all sizes are in chaos, scrambling to quell yet another wave of COVID-19. As of Saturday, in the 25-county hospital region that includes Houston, there were more COVID patients in hospital beds — more than 2,700 — than at any point this year. A region with an estimated 9.3 million residents now has only 49 available intensive care unit beds, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, a coalition of health care providers coordinating trauma care. (8/17)

Legislation to legalize cannabis at the federal level recently proposed by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and a group of Senate Democrats is long overdue. While it aims to fix injustices done to communities of color that have been most harmed by the war on drugs, it excludes one very important demographic: patients. (Jordan Tishler, 8/17)

Thursday, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized an additional Covid-19 vaccine dose for certain immunocompromised people, including "solid organ transplant recipients" like Bryan. And on Friday, the vaccine advisers to the CDC voted to recommend it as well. This will offer a lifeline to a lot of families, but it also raises questions. Primarily, how much more protection will the third dose offer? What about people who received a single dose of Johnson and Johnson since, according to the FDA and CDC, there's not enough data on the J&J vaccine to consider additional doses. (Jen Reeder, 8/16)