Americans — especially young heterosexual men — are reporting less sexual activity, per a study that looks at the past 18 years.
Why it matters: Given that sex and reproduction are fairly key to a society having a future, the results raise eyebrows. But what the survey really shows is how technology has fundamentally altered how human beings socialize.
As the elderly, especially those in nursing homes, bear the brunt of deaths from COVID-19, new approaches and tools to keep them safe are emerging.
Why it matters: Seniors are much more susceptible to the novel coronavirus, and the conditions in many long-term care homes facilitate the spread of COVID-19. Independent of the current pandemic, America and much of the world is aging rapidly and is in need of technologies to care for them.
White House staff will be recommended, but no longer required to wear a face mask while traveling through the West Wing, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a briefing on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The White House required masks for staff members in May after multiple people tested positive for the coronavirus, including Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, and Trump's personal valet.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will end his daily coronavirus briefings this week, he told reporters Wednesday.
Why it matters: His final briefing on Friday will be his 111th, per NY1's Pat Kiernan — an unprecedented streak of media availability amid the pandemic.
Advocate Aurora Health and Beaumont Health have started formal merger discussions, the systems said today. The combined system would control 34 hospitals across Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, and would generate $17.5 billion in annual revenue, which would be larger than companies like Salesforce or Mastercard.
Why it matters: This transaction — which is being initiated during a pandemic that hospitals say has stretched them financially — would create one of the largest hospital systems in the Midwest. But the evidence has been thorough in showing hospital mergers don't lower prices and don't improve care quality.
In a document sent to players on Tuesday, the NBA provided a detailed look at what life will be like when play resumes inside the league's "bubble" at Walt Disney World in Florida next month.
Why it matters: Players will be tested for COVID-19 "regularly." When someone tests positive, they will be placed in isolation, where they will remain for at least 14 days. Once they test negative twice in a span of more than 24 hours, they can leave isolation.
At least 1,255 flights in and out of Beijing's two major airports — roughly two-thirds of those scheduled — were canceled Wednesday as China moved to contain a new coronavirus outbreak in its capital, AP reports.
Why it matters: Beijing, home to more than 20 million people, has reported at least 137 new cases since last week and raised its emergency barometer to its second-highest level, which requires the government to close schools, suspend the reopenings of businesses and mandate stronger social-distancing requirements.
Some states' requirements that face masks be worn in public may have led to hundreds of thousands of fewer coronavirus cases than there would have been without the mandates, according to a new study in Health Affairs.
Yes, but: Despite the growing body of evidence that this simple mitigation strategy is one of our best defenses against the coronavirus, wearing them remains controversial, and mandating their use even more so.
The new best hope for treating seriously ill coronavirus patients may come from a synthetic steroid that has been around for roughly 60 years.
Why it matters: Because it's an old, inexpensive drug, dexamethasone may have a leg up on remdesivir and other new, potentially costly treatments — especially if they don't work as well.
Black and Hispanic/Latino Americans have coronavirus mortality rates as much as 10x higher than white Americans' when age is taken into account, according to a new analysis by the Brookings Institution.
Why it matters: We've known that minorities are being hit harder by the coronavirus, but we didn't know it was this bad.
NIAID director Anthony Fauci warned in an interview with the Daily Beast against holding events like President Trump's upcoming rally and stressed that the U.S. is still in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic.
What he's saying: "We are seeing infections to a greater degree than they had previously seen in certain states, including states in the southwest and in the south," Fauci told the Daily Beast. "I don't like to talk about a second wave right now, because we haven't gotten out of our first wave."
