September 25, 2020

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lifts all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses statewide, allowing restaurants and bars to operate at full capacity, though local governments can maintain limits if justified. The move makes Florida the largest state to fully reopen its economy and sets up a real-world test of whether restrictions or their absence drive case trends. U.S. cases surpass 7 million, representing more than 20% of the world total, as Nature reports that scientists’ concerns about COVID vaccine results are growing—warning that vaccines could stumble on safety trials, be fast-tracked due to politics, or fail to meet public expectations.

Politico reports the Trump-ordered HHS ad blitz is raising alarms, staffed in part by associates of a longtime GOP operative and featuring celebrities pushing an optimistic line about the pandemic. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine produces a strong immune response in early results, and a UK study shows a rapid test with diagnostic sensitivity over 99%. A new vitamin D study links sufficient levels to a 51% lower risk of dying from coronavirus in older adults. Pope Francis says the poor should get the COVID-19 vaccine first, a moral claim that runs directly counter to the nationalistic procurement strategies of wealthy countries.