Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the filing of a petition Wednesday to strike down an emergency order mandating masks in schools, businesses and county buildings in Dallas County.
Why it matters: Their statement threatens that "any school district, public university or local government official that decides to defy the order will be taken to court."
The Food and Drug Administration will update its emergency use authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines as early as Thursday to allow immunocompromised people to get a third dose, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.
Why it matters: Data suggest that people with weakened immune systems don't generate strong enough levels of protection against the virus with just two doses, but a third dose could significantly help.
Several school districts in Florida and at least two in Texas have a message for their governors: Masks for teachers and students are a must, even if it means defying orders.
Driving the news: As students head back to the classroom, health experts across the country are sounding the alarm on the increasing impact of COVID-19 on children, prompting debate — and, at times, threats of funding cuts — over whether masks should be required in schools.
The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that the world could see 100 million more cases of the coronavirus by early 2022, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' comments come after the number of recorded COVID cases globally reached 200 million last week, only six months after the world passed 100 million cases.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Wednesday he would "favor the vaccine being required" for teachers and other staff, as schools across the country prepare to welcome students this fall.
Why it matters: It comes as the U.S. experiences a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, due in large part to the highly contagious Delta variant, and as hospitals sounds the alarm about an increasing number of kids landing in the hospital after contracting the virus.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday announced that teachers and other school staff will be required to get vaccinated or agree to get regularly tested.
Why it matters: California is the first state in the U.S. to impose such a requirement. Most states are allowing individual school districts to decide on vaccine and mask requirements.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has excluded Aduhelm, the $56,000-per-year Alzheimer's drug made by Biogen and Eisai, from its list of approved drugs due to the drug's "lack of evidence of a robust and meaningful clinical benefit and the known safety signal," Endpoints News reports.
Why it matters: Some hospitals and health insurers have said they will not provide or cover Aduhelm, but the VA is the largest entity yet to spurn the drug.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strengthened its recommendation that pregnant or breastfeeding women get vaccinated against the coronavirus, saying data suggest that pregnant people face an increased risk of developing a severe illness from COVID-19.
Why it matters: Scientists found no increased risk for miscarriage among people who received a coronavirus vaccine during pregnancy, the CDC said, adding that the benefits of vaccines outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination, such as a rare allergic reaction.
Amtrak told its employees Wednesday that they must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 or agree to submit to weekly testing, Axios has confirmed.
State of play: Starting on Oct. 4, new hires will need to show proof of vaccination before their first day of employment. Employees will not be required to return to in-person work until Nov. 1.
Thousands in Germany are set to be revaccinated after it was discovered that a nurse had injected patients with a saline solution in place of a COVID vaccine, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The nurse, who has not been identified, admitted to injecting a few patients with saline but antibody testing showed a much wider group of people may have been impacted. About 8,600 people may have received the salt solution instead of the genuine vaccine, leaving them at risk.
Leisure air travel is booming, but with COVID-19 cases soaring in the U.S., the airline industry can expect a slowdown after Labor Day — and that might actually be a good thing.
Why it matters: Airlines have struggled to keep up with the unexpectedly strong rebound in travel demand this summer, with Spirit Airlines' chaotic, cancellation-filled episode last week as the most extreme example.
The majority of parents disagree with schools' mandating COVID vaccines for kids 12 and older, but they do support mask mandates among the unvaccinated, according to a KFF Vaccine Monitor poll released Wednesday.
By the numbers: 63% of parents said they thought students 12 and older and staff who hadn't gotten a shot should be required to wear masks in school compared to 36% who opposed the idea.
YouTube suspended Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for seven days on Tuesday over a video claiming that cloth masks are not effective in fighting COVID-19, CNN reports.
Driving the news: "This resulted in a first strike on the channel, which means it can't upload content for a week, per our longstanding three strikes policy," a YouTube spokesperson told CNN.
Medicare's open enrollment will kick off in two months, leading to the health insurance industry's annual marketing blitz that entices seniors with Medicare Advantage plans that tout capped out-of-pocket costs, vision and dental benefits, and fitness classes.
Why it matters: Medicare Advantage continued to grow during the pandemic, and it's increasingly likely a majority of all Medicare enrollees will be in private plans in a few years despite Medicare Advantage's deep, longstanding problems.
A class-action lawsuit filed yesterday against HCA's health system in western North Carolina — which was known until recently as Mission Health — lays out a textbook case against hospital consolidation and monopoly pricing power.
Why it matters: Neither hospital monopolies nor antitrust lawsuits are anything new, but the new federal regulation requiring hospitals to post their prices — — including negotiated rates — could make such lawsuits more common going forward.
A new preprint study that raises concerns about the mRNA vaccines' effectiveness against Delta — particularly Pfizer's — has already grabbed the attention of top Biden administration officials.
What they're saying: The study found the Pfizer vaccine was only 42% effective against infection in July, when the Delta variant was dominant. "If that's not a wakeup call, I don't know what is," a senior Biden official told Axios.
The "most important" step Americans should take to prepare for peak hurricane season is to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in case they have to evacuate, the White House said Tuesday.
Why it matters: The statement followed President Biden's meeting on hurricane preparedness with senior FEMA officials and others, who advised him of the measure — hours before Tropical Storm Fred formed near Puerto Rico. Florida is in the path of the storm, which could possibly intensify into a hurricane.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) will resume a statewide indoor mask mandate for all residents, regardless of their vaccination status, to combat a rise in COVID-19 cases, her office announced Tuesday.
The big picture: Oregon is the third state, after Hawaii and Louisiana, to require residents who are fully vaccinated against the virus to wear masks.
