August 26, 2020

Anthony Fauci tells NBC he has “some concern” about the CDC testing guidelines change and says he was undergoing surgery when the decision was made, implying the agency acted without key input. The admission fuels existing questions about political interference at the agency, which has seen several of its early pandemic projections and recommendations revised or contradicted by later events. A separate NBC report cites MIT research suggesting six feet of distance may not always be enough to prevent transmission, raising questions about why that number became the standard in the first place.

Moderna announces promising antibody and T-cell results from a small trial of its vaccine candidate in elderly patients. A U.S. doctors group separately calls for transparency in vaccine development. A Politico investigation details how Mike Pence slowed aspects of the early federal response. Indiana’s governor extends the statewide mask order for another 30 days, and California confronts twin crises as wildfires rage simultaneously with the pandemic, forcing evacuation shelters to operate under distancing protocols.