August 19, 2021

Schools reopen into the Delta wave, and the mask fight follows the children inside. Miami-Dade, Florida’s largest district, votes to require masks in open defiance of Governor Ron DeSantis, while parents in Arkansas point to a judge’s order blocking that state’s ban. The Conversation admits what the coverage often glosses over: the law on who may compel a child to mask — governor, district, or federal government — is genuinely unsettled.

The vaccine story grows more complicated the same day. A large UK study reported by Nature and Reuters finds that protection against Delta is strong at first and then wanes, undercutting the assumption that two doses settle the matter. The WHO’s Africa director says wealthy nations’ booster plans “make a mockery of vaccine equity” while much of the continent waits for a first shot.

The New York Times reports that the plexiglass barriers installed in restaurants, salons, and classrooms probably do not help and may trap virus particles, one of many precautions adopted with confidence and quietly walked back once the evidence caught up.

Record delta wave hits kids, raises fear as US schools open

AP News

Vilonia Elementary parent of immunocompromised child cries out for mask mandate

With dozens of schools now in session with a mask requirement,parents at one Arkansas school district are desperate to be heard. Vilonia school district's COVID-19 policy on masks says: On August 6, 2021, Judge Tim Fox issued a temporary restraining order that prohibits the enforcement of Act 1002 of 2021 pending continuing court proceedings.

KATV

Fifth coronavirus wave in Spain: ‘We would have been living through a massacre without the vaccines’

The Spanish Health Ministry reported 144 new Covid-19 fatalities on Wednesday, the highest figure since May

EL PAÍS English

Who has the power to say kids do or don’t have to wear masks in school – the governor or the school district? It’s not clear

If it sounds like the law is all over the place on school mask mandates, that’s because it is. The nation’s schools are subject to a complex web of local, state and federal laws.

The Conversation

Unease over COVID, Fed tapering and China’s economy grips markets

Markets shuddered on Thursday over rising concerns over China’s economy, the Delta variant and Federal Reserve tapering.

Al Jazeera

Florida’s largest school district votes in favor of mask mandate, defies governor | CNN

CNN

Her teen felt isolated in the pandemic. She lost him because of it | CNN

CNN

POLL: Voters Overwhelmingly Support Vaccine and Mask Mandates

An overwhelming majority of Americans support vaccine and mask mandates for various public spaces and professions.

Data For Progress

Does HIPAA prohibit questions about vaccination? - Harvard Health

Privacy rules described in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prevent disclosure of certain health information to unauthorized people without your permission. He...

Harvard Health

Iran: Government Mismanagement Compounds Covid-19 Crisis

Iranian authorities’ prohibition on procuring US- and UK-produced vaccines, lack of transparency, and mismanagement are exacerbating the already dire impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Iran.

Human Rights Watch

KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: The Impact Of The Coronavirus Pandemic On The Wellbeing Of Parents And Children | KFF

This report examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of parents and children. It finds that more than one-third of parents say their child fell behind academically or in their social and emotional development as a result of the pandemic. This report also examines the mental health and wellbeing of parents whose household experienced an employment disruption due to childcare needs and of children who attended school at least partially online.

KFF

Four in Ten Parents of School-Aged Children Say a Child Fell Behind Academically Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic | KFF

Four in Ten Parents Say Someone in Their Household Left a Job or Worked Fewer Hours to Care for Their Children, Including Higher Shares of Black, Hispanic, and Lower-income Parents As a result of the pandemic, about four in ten (39%) parents of school-aged children (ages 5-17) say at least one of their children fell…More

KFF

East Asian climate response to COVID-19 lockdown measures in China - Scientific Reports

Nature

A spatial and dynamic solution for allocation of COVID-19 vaccines when supply is limited - Communications Medicine

Shi et al. propose a weighted kernel density estimation model to estimate COVID-19 risk across communities in Hong Kong. The authors use this data to evaluate potential COVID-19 vaccine allocation strategies in different epidemic scenarios.

Nature

COVID vaccines protect against Delta, but their effectiveness wanes

Massive UK study of COVID-19 cases shows that people who are jabbed have good immunity at first, but quickly become more vulnerable to the fast-spreading Delta variant.

Nature

Activation or exhaustion of CD8+ T cells in patients with COVID-19 - Cellular & Molecular Immunology

Nature

Study reveals ideal usage duration of medical face masks

In a paper published by the Journal of Hazardous Materials, researchers from Surrey's renowned Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) explore two key questions: how long a mask should be worn; and when should it be discarded, recycled or washed to optimize its usage time.

News-Medical

Coronavirus: Relief Efforts with CORE Co-Founders Sean Penn & Ann Young Lee

The Washington Post

Cinema box office takings at 50% of pre-pandemic levels

Box office takings in the past month are half of their pre-pandemic levels.

BBC

Zoo Animals Are Getting Experimental Coronavirus Vaccines (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Start-Up Boom in the Pandemic Is Growing Stronger (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Those Anti-Covid Plastic Barriers Probably Don’t Help and May Make Things Worse (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Booster shots ‘make a mockery of vaccine equity,’ the W.H.O.’s Africa director says. (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Toyota slashes production as pandemic strains supply chain

In North America, Toyota said it expects August production to be slashed by 60,000 to 90,000 vehicles.

PBS

Incentives can spur COVID-19 vaccination uptake

PNAS

British study shows COVID-19 vaccine efficacy wanes under Delta

Reuters

Mexico battles surge in COVID-19 cases as deaths top 250,000

Reuters

Philippines' Duterte to relax coronavirus curbs in capital region

Reuters

Briton to be deported after Singapore conviction for refusing to wear mask

Reuters

New SARS-CoV-2 variants have changed the pandemic. What will the virus do next?

Science | AAAS

Masitinib is a broad coronavirus 3CL inhibitor that blocks replication of SARS-CoV-2

Science | AAAS

A natural pandemic has been terrible. A synthetic one would be even worse

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 may well have been a natural spillover event. But it should be a stark reminder that preparations should be made for an even worse-case scenario of biological warfare.

www.statnews.com

How coronavirus vaccines still help people who already had COVID-19

Coronavirus vaccines give the immune system of previously infected people a boost, probably giving those people better protection against new variants.

Science News

Rural schools shut down to keep COVID-19 from overwhelming their small communities

The small districts aren’t fighting Gov. Greg Abbott’s mask rules, but fears for staff, students and local medical facilities are driving them to fight COVID-19 with temporary closures.

The Texas Tribune

‘No one wanted to read’ his book on pandemic psychology – then Covid hit

Australian psychologist Steven Taylor published what would turn out to be a prophetic book, and it has become like a Lonely Planet guide to the pandemic

The Guardian

Health Security and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Health and Security for Whom? | Think Global Health

The pandemic proves "health security" should no longer drive global health policy

Think Global Health

Teachers are key in protecting students' mental health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Telephone psychosocial support for students and their families.

Unicef

Monoclonal antibodies are free and effective against covid-19, but few people are getting them

The Washington Post

Perspective | For the U.S. military, coronavirus vaccination is akin to body armor

The Washington Post

During the Pandemic, Home Field Advantage Has Lost Its Edge

Smithsonian Magazine

Candace Owens Calls COVID Vaccine 'Purely Evil': 'It Will Never Enter My Arm'

Newsweek

Analysis | The GOP is losing the argument on coronavirus mandates

The Washington Post

A home of the future, shaped by the coronavirus pandemic

The Washington Post

U.S. lets states use federal pandemic funds to extend jobless aid

Reuters

August 19, 2021

Add content to this page

Add content to this page