Axios

Anders Tegnell, Sweden's chief epidemiologist, defended his country's coronavirus strategy in an interview with the New Statesman, telling the newspaper that Sweden did not pursue "herd immunity" and "definitely had a virtual lockdown" — despite looser restrictions than most countries.

Why it matters: Sweden's more relaxed approach to the pandemic compared to other industrialized countries has been a source of controversy, with many libertarians and conservatives, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), arguing that the U.S. should have pursued a similar strategy.

President Trump attacked CNN for continuing to cover the coronavirus pandemic, calling the network "dumb b*stards" at a campaign rally in Prescott, Arizona on Monday.

Why it matters: The president's attacks on the media and Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious-disease expert, come as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are again surging across the country, just two weeks out from Election Day.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) praised NIAID Director Anthony Fauci on Monday, tweeting that the U.S. would have fewer COVID-19 cases if more Americans "paid attention to his advice."

Between the lines: Alexander, who is retiring at the end of this year, did not specifically name Donald Trump, but his comments came less than 30 minutes after the president escalated his attacks on Fauci on Twitter.

During a campaign call on Monday, President Trump slammed infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, calling him a "disaster" and claiming that "people are tired of COVID," according to multiple reporters who listened to the call.

Why it matters: Fauci, who considers himself apolitical, is one of the most trusted voices in the country on the coronavirus. Trump's escalating attacks on the government's top infectious-disease expert come as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are again surging across the country, just two weeks out from Election Day.

The presidential race has been dominated by President Trump's handling of the pandemic, but there's been relatively little talk of what Joe Biden would do were he to take office in January.

Axios Re:Cap digs into Biden's pandemic plan — including details on mask mandates, shutdowns, and vaccine distribution — with campaign surrogate Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif).

A Wisconsin judge on Monday reimposed a previous order from Gov. Tony Evers (D) limiting the number of people who can gather indoors in bars, restaurants, and other places to 25% capacity.

Why it matters: Wisconsin, a swing state for the presidential elections, is facing one of the worst coronavirus surges in the country, with a record 1,090 people hospitalized as of Sunday. The state also hit new records last week for daily COVID-19 infections and deaths.

Coronavirus hospitalizations are increasing in 39 states, and are at or near their all-time peak in 16.

The big picture: No state is anywhere near the worst-case situation of not having enough capacity to handle its COVID-19 outbreak. But rising hospitalization rates are a sign that things are getting worse, at a dangerous time, and a reminder that this virus can do serious harm.

NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CBS' "60 Minutes" in an interview broadcast Sunday he's "absolutely not" surprised that President Trump contracted Covid-19 after seeing him on TV in a crowded place with "almost nobody wearing a mask."

The big picture: Fauci said after watching the footage, he thought: "'Oh my goodness. Nothing good can come outta that, that's gotta be a problem.' And then sure enough, it turned out to be a superspreader event." Fauci appeared to be referencing the Sept 26. Rose Garden celebration of Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

The Biden campaign slammed President Trump after he said at a Nevada rally Sunday if his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden were elected there'd be more coronavirus pandemic lockdowns because "he'll listen to the scientists."

What he's saying: "If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression," Trump said.

The number of Hispanic Americans who died from the coronavirus increased from May to August, while all other racial groups saw a decline in fatalities, the CDC said in an analysis released Friday.

The big picture: Since the beginning of the pandemic, it's been clear that the coronavirus has had an outsized impact on Black and Latino communities — due to a myriad of long-standing inequalities in the health care system, Axios' Caitlin Owens reports.

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday the White House strategy to combat the spread of coronavirus appears to be "to endure the spread until we get to that vaccine."

Why it matters: That strategy, which leaves much of the mitigation efforts up to the states and excludes a national mask mandate, is "problematic" because the "first tranche of people to get vaccinated really won't be protected ... probably until February and maybe March," even if companies apply in November with the FDA to administer the vaccine, Gottlieb said.

Michael Osterholm, a renowned infectious-disease expert, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that a "herd immunity" theory reportedly invoked by one of President Trump's favorite coronavirus advisers "is the most amazing combination of pixie dust and pseudoscience I've ever seen."

Context: Senior administration officials, who spoke anonymously with reporters last week in a call scheduled by the White House, said that allowing "those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection" is the "most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity," per the New York Times and Washington Post.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said on Sunday the White House declined invitations to have anyone from its coronavirus task force on his show, "State of the Union," including Anthony Fauci, Deborah Birx and CDC director Robert Redfield.

Why it matters: Coronavirus infections jumped by almost 17% in a week, and the number of new cases increased in 38 states and Washington, D.C., as of Thursday. On Friday, the U.S. reported 70,000 new cases in one day for the first time since July.

Twitter took down a tweet from one of President Trump's most visible coronavirus task force members, Scott Atlas, that claimed widespread use of face masks does not help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Why it matters: Atlas — who is a radiologist, not an epidemiologist — has become one of the president's favorite coronavirus advisers, despite his controversial views.