July 22, 2021

China rejects the WHO’s proposal for a second phase of investigation into the pandemic’s origins, with a senior health official dismissing the idea of auditing Chinese laboratories as “arrogance towards science.” The refusal lands the same week a researcher recovers early viral sequences that had been deleted from a U.S. database, and it leaves the lab-leak question stalled by the one government able to answer it.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky stands firm in public, calling indoor masking an “individual choice” for the vaccinated. Behind the scenes, CNN reports, Biden health officials have already begun discussing new mask recommendations, a sign the guidance is about to reverse again. Mandates keep spreading: a New Jersey hospital system fires six workers who refused the shot, and guitarist Eric Clapton says he will not play venues that demand proof of vaccination.

Not every use of pandemic money survives scrutiny. NBC reports that officials in Michigan’s Shiawassee County paid themselves federal COVID relief funds as “hazard pay,” including $25,000 for the board chairman, a small window into how loosely the emergency cash was policed.

COVID-19: Africa ‘third wave’ not yet over, while vaccine inequity threatens all

Although new COVID-19 cases in Africa have slowed following an eight-week surge, this “small step forward” could be short-lived, the Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

UN News

Not Missing Your Pre-Pandemic Friendships? Here’s Why

If you aren’t eager to return to your old social life, you’re not a terrible person (we promise). Here’s what might be going on and why it’s not such a bad thing.

Healthline

Tens of thousands of children cope with "pandemic grief" after losing parent or caregiver

A new study said at least 113,000 American children have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19.

CBS News

Long-term effects of malnutrition on severity of COVID-19 - Scientific Reports

Nature

Coronavirus: Cabinet okays green pass, exempts children under 12

Britain, Turkey, Cyprus, and Georgia to enter the list of banned countries, but vaccinated travelers returning to Israel won’t need to isolate any more.

The Jerusalem Post

New Research Shows Impact of Covid & Systemic Racism on Black Students, Offers Policy Recommendations

In a study led by Sonya Douglass Horsford, the Black Education Research Collective breaks new ground in understanding how the trauma of 2020 has affected Black students and suggests policy changes to advance racial equity

Teachers College - Columbia University

The Lambda Variant: What You Should Know And Why Experts Say Not To Panic

Cases of the variant have popped up in several states. But neither the WHO nor the CDC considers it a variant of concern, and the fast-spreading delta variant continues to dominate U.S. cases.

NPR

After a coronavirus case in the U.S. women’s gymnastics delegation, concern lingers

The Washington Post

Two doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines effective against delta variant, study says

The Washington Post

China refuses further inquiry into Covid-19 origins in Wuhan lab

Proposal to audit Chinese laboratories is ‘arrogance towards science’, says health official

The Guardian

A Collapse Foretold: How Brazil’s Covid-19 Outbreak Overwhelmed Hospitals (Published 2021)

The New York Times

New Jersey hospital system fires 6 workers who failed to get vaccinated against coronavirus

The Washington Post

Opinion | What the fight between Anthony Fauci and Rand Paul is really about

Washington Post

'Dangerous’: Former Fox News correspondent rips Carlson’s vaccine rhetoric

Daily cases of the coronavirus are on the rise, and conservative outlets like Fox News continue to spread misinformation about the virus. MSNBC’s Ari Melber is joined by former Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron and MSNBC Medical Contributor Dr. Natalie Azar to discuss this damaging rhetoric and how to counteract it.

MSNBC News

Biden health officials begin discussing mask recommendations as variants surge cases | CNN Politics

CNN

CDC director stands firm on mask guidance, calls it 'individual choice' for vaccinated to wear one

The CDC is sticking with its guidance for now that only unvaccinated people need to wear masks to be safe, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters on Thursday.

ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

D.C. Public Schools Will Require Masks For Students And Staff When Campuses Reopen Next Month

In Virginia, health officials issued guidance earlier this week recommending — but not requiring — face masks.

DCist

My uncle died before he could get a vaccine in Kenya. I got mine in a US drugstore. This is what inequality looks like | CNN

CNN

Scientist Finds Early Virus Sequences That Had Been Mysteriously Deleted (Published 2021)

The New York Times

C.D.C. Director Warns of a ‘Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’ (Published 2021)

The New York Times

31 Children Test Positive for Coronavirus at Summer Camp (Published 2021)

The New York Times

China rejects WHO plan for study of COVID-19 origin

Reuters

Eric Clapton refuses to play at venues requiring proof of vaccination for audience

The Washington Post

Mass transit's slow pandemic recovery

Ridership figures show an uneven recovery, with certain metro areas bouncing back while others remain flat.

NBC News

Eating disorders: The terrible impact of the pandemic on the young

Admissions soared during the pandemic, and NHS bosses warn they are running out of beds.

BBC

More than two thirds of India may have Covid antibodies, new survey shows | CNN

CNN

Youngest member of Congress vows to prosecute Dr Fauci if GOP takes control of House in 2022

‘We want to prosecute this guy to the full ability of the law,’ Cawthorn says

The Independent

Coronavirus: How does Israel decide which countries to ban for traveling?

The number of cases per million residents, as well as the number of virus carriers among travelers who arrive to Israel are the essential criteria considered.

The Jerusalem Post

COVID vaccines have higher approval in less-affluent countries

Surveys show that people in ten low- and middle-income nations are generally more eager to receive the COVID-19 jab than people in two wealthier nations where vaccine is plentiful.

Nature

COVID and mass sport events: early studies yield limited insights

The United Kingdom allowed mass gatherings and attempted to study them, but the early results provide limited data on viral transmission.

Nature

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of symptomatic healthcare workers with suspected COVID-19: a prospective cohort study - Scientific Reports

Nature

Mich. county officials used federal Covid relief money for bonuses

The money, described as “hazard pay,” included $25,000 for Jeremy Root, chairman of the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners.

NBC News

In Springfield, Missouri, a Covid surge leads to uptick in vaccinations

“Everyone needs to realize that this is not just another wave like we saw before,” the lead infectious disease physician at Mercy Hospital Springfield said.

NBC News

China Has Rejected A WHO Plan For Further Investigation Into The Origins Of COVID-19

Chinese officials say they cannot support a second phase of a study into the origins of the pandemic, including new investigation into the theory that the virus might have leaked from a Chinese lab.

NPR

Why some people don't want a Covid-19 vaccine

Social media is rife with posts disparaging the vaccine hesitant – but these reactions are doing more harm than good.

BBC

What India’s COVID-19 crisis means for Africa

Experts from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa illustrate how the COVID-19 crisis in India affects African countries.

Brookings

‘It’s too late’: US doctor says dying patients begging for Covid vaccine

At least 99% of those in US who died of Covid in the last six months had not been vaccinated, says CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky

The Guardian

July 22, 2021

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