White House Pans 'Breakthrough' Hype; ACOG Backs Vax; Mask-Optional K-12 in Florida

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Sources say the White House is frustrated over the media's "hyperbolic" and "irresponsible" coverage of breakthrough COVID infections, claiming this will lead to more vaccine hesitancy. (CNN)

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal editorial board blasted the CDC for how they rolled out the evidence behind the new masking guidance.

A pre-print from Singapore found that in breakthrough infections involving Delta, viral RNA declined faster compared to unvaccinated people. (medRxiv)

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine now recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for all pregnant women.

As of Monday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial COVID-19 toll was 35,004,592 cases and 613,228 deaths, increases of 559,890 cases and 2,336 deaths versus a week ago.

Two major San Francisco hospitals reported 233 cases of COVID-19 among staff in July, most involving the Delta variant and about 80% of which were breakthrough infections. (New York Times)

FDA now says it's planning to accelerate its review process for full approval of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. (STAT)

Former President Obama is planning a 60th birthday party outdoors with 500 guests on Martha's Vineyard, with the help of a "COVID coordinator" and the requirement that everyone be vaccinated. (Axios)

The Delta variant has thrown a wrench into many businesses' plans to return to the office in the fall. (NPR)

Disney and Walmart corporate became the latest businesses to mandate the vaccine for their employees. (Washington Post)

Six people on a Royal Caribbean cruise tested positive for COVID-19, four vaccinated and two unvaccinated. (The Hill)

Unvaccinated people are not a monolith, ranging from hardcore anti-vaxxers to the wary, but movable, vaccine hesitant. (New York Times)

At least a few of them are in Missouri, where nobody showed up to a 2-day mobile vaccination clinic set up at a county fair. (NBC News)

A high school in suburban Atlanta will start the year virtually, as a number of staff members are quarantining. (Fox 5 Atlanta)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued an executive order banning mask mandates for schools, claiming parents have the right to choose if their kids wear masks or not. (Reuters)

Florida also set a single-day record in the state for new COVID cases, with 21,683 reported on Saturday, and broke the state record for hospitalizations on Sunday, with 10,207 people currently hospitalized. (AP)

Vaccinations are getting a boost in areas of the country where Delta is surging. (Wall Street Journal)

Only 99.99% of everyone who was fully vaccinated has not had a deadly breakthrough infection, CDC data said. (CNN)

On certain days in one part of West Texas, women living in a 12,000-square-mile area have no access to obstetric services. (Kaiser Health News)

Phase III trial results showed that adding ivosidenib (Tibsovo) to azacitidine improved event-free survival in previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia patients carrying IDH1 mutations, Servier announced.

Comedian Kathy Griffin revealed that she has early-stage lung cancer and will undergo surgery. (USA Today)

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