Why it matters: The law bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks, and before many people know they are pregnant. The law also offers at least $10,000 to citizens who successfully sue any person assisting pregnant people in violation of the ban. It is one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the U.S.
The Education Department said Monday that it launched investigations into five GOP-led states that banned mask mandates in schools.
Driving the news: In letters to education chiefs in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, the department's Office for Civil Rights said the bans could discriminate against students with disabilities or underlying medical conditions.
The Council of the European Union voted on Monday to recommend reinstating a ban on non-essential travel from the United Statesdue to its high rate of COVID-19 infections.
Why it matters: The decision, which is non-binding and will ultimately be up to individual member states to implement, comes after weeks of EU officials criticizing the Biden administration for not lifting U.S. restrictions on travel from Europe.
An outbreak at an elementary school classroom in Marin County, California, appears to have been caused by an unvaccinated teacher who was occasionally unmasked, a new case study out Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
Why it matters: The outbreak — in which about 50% of the students got infected with COVID-19 — highlights the challenge of sending unvaccinated children back to school, particularly in light of the Delta variant’s increased transmissibility.
The financial forecast for hospitals in the second half of this year is looking decidedly stormier, thanks to the Delta variant, according to a new report from credit rating agency Fitch Ratings.
The big picture: The impact of Delta stretches across all areas of a hospitals' balance sheets and will likely hurt margins in the near- and medium-term.
Hospitals, drug companies, health insurers, medical device manufacturers and other health care suppliers generated record sales and profits during the second quarter, according to an Axios analysis of financial statements.
The big picture: Health care spending soared as Americans got vaccinated and resumed seeing their doctors between April and June. However, the coronavirus is raging again and may change behaviors going into the flu season.
NIAID's Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the Biden administration is "sticking with" its recommendation for a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine eight months after receiving the original shots.
Why it matters: Fauci's statements on ABC's "This Week," come as the U.S. sees an uptick in COVID cases, largely due to the highly infectious Delta variant, and after the Biden administration announced it would begin offering booster shots to stay ahead of declining vaccine effectiveness.
An unvaccinated elementary school teacher in California infected more than half of her students with COVID-19, ultimately resulting in a community-wide outbreak in Marin County, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
Why it matters: The outbreak, which took place in May, highlights the stakes surrounding a debate across the U.S. among school districts considering implementing stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus, like universal masking in schools.
Israel on Sunday expanded its coronavirus booster shot program to include anyone over the age of 12, AP reports.
Why it matters: Israel has seen a surge in COVID cases, due in large part to the Delta variant, and now has one of the world's highest rates of infection. The country was already offering booster shots to people over 30 years old.
India recorded more than 45,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, a day after it tallied a two-month high amid a new surge in infections, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: The surge is being largely driven by the southern state of Kerala after it hosted a major festival this month. The state's tally on Saturday made up nearly 70% of the country's new daily infections.
Oregon health officials have arranged to send refrigerated trucks to two counties for storing bodies due to a surge in COVID-19 deaths, AP first reported on Saturday.
Driving the news: Tillamook County Emergency director Gordon McCraw wrote in a request that the county's only funeral home "is now consistently at or exceeding their capacity [of nine bodies]," per AP.
80% of Singapore's population of 5.7 million people has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the island city-state's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced Sunday.
Why it matters: Singapore has one of the world's highest coronavirus vaccination rates, and the milestone means the government can continue loosening restrictions and prepare to allow fully vaccinated travelers from some other nations to visit.
