August 27, 2021

A Florida judge throws out Governor Ron DeSantis’s order barring school districts from requiring masks, ruling he overstepped his authority. DeSantis argues the choice belongs to parents, and the fight between state officials and local boards continues to move through the courts rather than toward any settled answer.

The intelligence review President Biden ordered into the virus’s origins lands as inconclusive. Agencies rule out that the virus was engineered as a bioweapon but cannot say whether it emerged naturally or leaked from a lab, and they state plainly that the question will stay unresolved without cooperation from China, which Beijing has refused. The much-anticipated report settles little and leaves the lab-leak possibility open.

Science magazine reports the booster debate intensifying, with researchers openly asking whether third doses for wealthy nations are unethical or simply unnecessary while much of the world waits for a first shot. U.S. hospitalizations hold at an eight-month high above 100,000, and a CBS report describes a veteran dying of a treatable illness because a full ICU had no room, the kind of downstream cost that surge coverage often left out.

Vaccine inequity causes ‘dangerous divergence’ in COVID survival rates

The global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is progressing at “two alarmingly different speeds”, UN agency leaders said in a statement on Friday, noting that less than two per cent of adults are fully vaccinated in most low-income countries compared to almost 50 per cent in high-‑income nations.

UN News

Vaccines could affect how the coronavirus evolves – but that’s no reason to skip your shot

A 2015 paper on chicken virus evolution is being taken out of context and used to fuel fears about COVID-19 vaccines. Its lead author aims to clarify the science in hopes of saving lives.

The Conversation

Veteran dies of treatable illness as COVID fills hospital beds, leaving doctors "playing musical chairs"

The surge in new COVID cases is putting an enormous strain on hospitals, jeopardizing patients who cannot get the medical attention they need because of a lack of space.

CBS News

Simple safety measures reduce musical COVID-19 transmission

Banner image: Music students practice safe COVID-safe protocols in Prof. Don McKinnney’s wind symphony class at the CU Boulder College of Music during the fall

University of Colorado Boulder

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBT+ People’s Mental Health | KFF

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted the lives of people across the globe, has negatively impacted LGBT+ people’s mental health in disproportionate ways. In this data note, we pull together data from nationally representative surveys, adding to a small but growing evidence base on the impact of the pandemic on LGBT+ people.

KFF

COVID in Venezuela, health trials suppressed — the week in infographics

Nature highlights three key infographics from the week in science and research.

Nature

A pre-registered short-term forecasting study of COVID-19 in Germany and Poland during the second wave - Nature Communications

Forecasting models have been used extensively to inform decision making during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this preregistered and prospective study, the authors evaluated 14 short-term models for Germany and Poland, finding considerable heterogeneity in predictions and highlighting the benefits of combined forecasts.

Nature

ANFIS-Net for automatic detection of COVID-19 - Scientific Reports

Nature

NIH launches study of extra COVID-19 vaccine dose in people with autoimmune disease

Trial also will test pausing immunosuppressive medication to improve antibody response.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

Cristiano Ronaldo Tests Positive for Coronavirus and Enters Isolation (Published 2020)

The New York Times

Arizona becomes 13th state to pass 1 million COVID-19 cases

"I don't think the human brain can process it," a longtime nurse said of Arizona hitting 1 millions cases and 18,600 deaths. "I don't think when you are an individual that you can fathom that number. It's incomprehensible."

PBS

U.S. coronavirus hospitalizations hit eight-month high over 100,000

Reuters

COVID-19’s origins still uncertain, U.S. intelligence agencies conclude

Science | AAAS

Myanmar says Rohingya minority will get COVID-19 vaccine

Yahoo

Unethical? Unnecessary? The COVID-19 vaccine booster debate intensifies

Science | AAAS

More Texas students tested positive for COVID-19 last week than at any time last school year

There have been 20,256 reported cases among students across the state since the school year began.

The Texas Tribune

U.S. spy agencies rule out possibility the coronavirus was created as a bioweapon, say origin will stay unknown without China’s help

The Washington Post

Wuhan facilities shed light on China’s oversight on wildlife use

G7 leaders call for ‘a transparent, evidence-based’ study on the origins of COVID-19 but Beijing rejects another probe.

Al Jazeera

Most everyone gets the coronavirus vaccine in the arm. Butt this Brazilian city is shooting lower.

The Washington Post

COVID-19 surge pummels Hawaii and its native population

AP News

New facet of Covid crisis: Misguided people taking ivermectin anti-parasite animal drug

Rachel Maddow looks at the startling rise in cases of people in Covid hot spots dosing themselves with animal anti-parasite medicine because they've been misled into thinking, falsely, that ivermectin is a treatment for Covid.

MSNBC News

NIH begins testing vaccine boosters in people with autoimmune disease

The Washington Post

Florida Judge Throws Out Gov. Ron DeSantis' Order Prohibiting School Mask Mandates

The judge said DeSantis overstepped his authority when he ordered schools not to require masks for students. COVID-19, especially the delta variant, is spreading rapidly across the Florida.

NPR

J&J Vaccine and Blood Clots: The Risks, if Any, Are Very Low (Published 2021)

The New York Times

How to Ask a Colleague to Mask Up

Have you faced the awkward prospect of having to ask someone to mask up at work? There is no denying that mask-wearing has become morally loaded, which makes this conversation particularly tricky. The author offers three suggestions for how to make the request more effective: 1) Be prepared. If you know what you are going to say in advance — instead of having to come up with something on the spot — it’s a lot easier to follow through. 2) Ask in a way that allows the other person to save face. Th...

Harvard Business Review

Can a Covid Mask Protect Me From Wildfire Smoke?

The New York Times

Analysis: China has administered 2 billion Covid vaccine shots. But coercive measures are sparking anger | CNN

CNN

Reports Of Cheating At Colleges Soar During The Pandemic

Many universities have seen increases in academic misconduct. And while cutting corners took on different forms during the pandemic, the jury is still out on whether cheating actually went up.

NPR

Eviction ban's end will allow pandemic lockouts to resume

Key progressive lawmakers Friday urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leaders, to consider passing legislation to extend the moratorium during the pandemic.

PBS

Pandemic surge causes major shortage of a drug for severe Covid-19 and rheumatoid arthritis | CNN

CNN

The lab leak hypothesis — true or not — should teach us a lesson

As Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc, humans still aren’t doing enough to prevent the next pandemic.

Vox

August 27, 2021

Add content to this page

Add content to this page