Thirteen western lowland gorillas at Zoo Atlanta are receiving treatment for COVID-19 after initial tests came back positive, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported.
Why it matters: Zoo Atlanta confirmed in a statement on Friday that "a number" of its 20 gorillas had tested presumptively positive, and that the zoo believes they were infected by a fully vaccinated team member.
U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC on Sunday that the country will not be moving forward with plans to implement vaccine passports for nightclubs and other large, crowded events.
Why it matters: The move marks an abrupt change of course after the vaccine passport plan came under growing criticism from conservative lawmakers. Just days earlier, the U.K.'s vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, defended vaccine passports as the best way forward, the Associated Press reported.
A hospital in upstate New York says it will "pause" its maternity services this month after several employees chose to resign rather than get a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine.
Driving the news: At least six unvaccinated maternity staffers at Lewis County General Hospital have quit. In all, 165 staffers, or about 27% of the hospital's workforce, is unvaccinated, CEO Gerald Cayer said at a news briefing.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy defended the Biden administration's latest coronavirus-related measures Sunday, saying they are "part of a long tradition that we have in this country" of taking action to keep people safe.
Why it matters: Murthy's comments on NBC's "Meet the Press," follow President Biden's announcement of a six-pronged plan to combat the virus, which includes aggressive vaccination and testing measures.
France's former health minister Agnès Buzyn has been indicted and accused of "endangering the lives of others" during her response to the pandemic, per AFP. She will appeal the charge.
Why it matters: Buzyn was health minister when the pandemic exploded in France last year. Buzyn, who was accused Friday of "failing to fight a disaster," is the first French official charged over the coronavirus crisis, Le Monde notes. It comes as President Emmanuel Macron faces scrutiny over his response to the health crisis.
As part of his new COVID-19 plan, President Biden is backing a push to expand testing — including at-home rapid tests.
The big picture: DIY tests offer the potential to regularly surveil people for COVID-19 and get them out of circulation before they can infect others. But the strategy will only be effective if the tests are extremely cheap and plentiful.
Latinos who think they have good social standing in the U.S. are more likely to have better cardiovascular health, according to a peer-reviewed paper.
What’s happening: The study looked into how perception of status, success and prestige relative to other people correlates to health factors such as body mass index, blood pressure and levels of cholesterol.
Why it matters: Immigrants comprise a quarter of the essential workers who remained active in the Île-de-France province during lockdowns, per data from a French health observatory.
The Education Department announced Friday that it is investigating Florida over its ban on mask mandates.
Why it matters: The investigation, which said the ban could discriminate against students with disabilities or underlying medical conditions, is the latest development in both the legal back-and-forth over masks in Florida schools and between the Biden administration and GOP-led states over mask mandates.
