Aug 28 Health agencies’ credibility at risk after week of blunders By Matthew Perrone, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press First, the head of the Food and Drug Administration had to walk back exaggerated statements about the benefits of a new plasma therapy for coronavirus. Then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention triggered a backlash from the medical community… Continue reading
Aug 28 4 at RNC in Charlotte test positive for virus By Associated Press Four people at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte have tested positive for the coronavirus, health officials in North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County say. Continue reading
Aug 28 Harris says nationwide mask mandate wouldn’t carry punishment By Will Weissert, Associated Press Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris said Friday “nobody’s going to be punished” if she and running mate Joe Biden implement the nationwide mask mandate they have called for during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Aug 27 As virus rages, U.S. economy struggles to sustain a recovery By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press The viral outbreak still rages and Congress remains deadlocked over providing more relief to tens of millions of people thrown out of work and to state and local governments whose revenue has withered. Continue reading
Aug 27 Pence speech praised Trump’s ‘seamless’ COVID response, but left out his state feuds By Jon Greenberg, Amy Sherman, PolitiFact, Victoria Knight, Kaiser Health News After declaring a national emergency over the health crisis on March 13, President Donald Trump directed governors to order their own ventilators, respirators and supplies, saying the federal government is “not a shipping clerk.”… Continue reading
Aug 27 RNC Day 3 fact check: Trump adminstration’s pandemic response By By the staffs of KHN and PolitiFact Vice President Mike Pence’s claims about the Trump administration, as well as his attacks on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, were sometimes misleading, incomplete or wrong. Continue reading
Aug 27 WHO urges proactive COVID-19 testing, despite CDC’s recent flip flop By Associated Press The World Health Organization says countries should actively test people to find coronavirus cases, even if they have mild or no symptoms. Continue reading
Aug 27 Despite virus surge, Europe reopens schools By Angela Charlton, Associated Press Despite a spike in coronavirus infections, authorities in Europe are determined to send children back to school. They want to narrow learning gaps between haves and have-nots that deepened during virus lockdowns – and to get their parents back to… Continue reading
Aug 27 More than 1 million Americans file for unemployment, again By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse. Continue reading
Aug 26 Watch 5:58 Are U.S. medical experts being influenced by the Trump administration? By William Brangham Questions are again being raised about whether the Trump administration is injecting politics into science -- and the national pandemic response. Recent moves by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appear to conflict… Continue watching