AP: AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s distortions on WHO and lockdowns
“President Donald Trump is claiming the World Health Organization shifted its stance on lockdown measures to control COVID-19 and has now acknowledged he was right to say such restrictions are harmful. That’s a distortion…” (Keaten/Yen, 10/13).

Financial Times: Trump Covid adviser Scott Atlas pushes herd immunity
“…Scientists are concerned that Dr. Atlas’s renewed backing of a herd immunity strategy that protects the most vulnerable while allowing the virus to run its course among the rest of the population could undermine efforts to control an incipient ‘winter wave’…” (Stacey, 10/14).

NPR: Americans Are Dying In The Pandemic At Rates Far Higher Than In Other Countries
“During this pandemic, people in the United States are currently dying at rates unparalleled elsewhere in the world. A new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that over the last 5 months per capita deaths in the U.S., both from COVID-19 and other causes have been far greater than in 18 other high-income countries…” (Beaubien, 10/13).

POLITICO: FDA pushes back on Trump administration attempt to rebrand ’emergency authorization’
“The FDA is resisting Trump administration pressure to rebrand the emergency authorization of a Covid-19 vaccine as a ‘pre-licensure,’ over worries that it would appear the agency is politicizing its scientific determinations, according to four senior administration officials with knowledge of the debate…” (Cancryn, 10/13).

POLITICO: Bill Gates: ‘U.S. still has time to do a far, far better job’ on coronavirus
“Bill Gates called out the federal government on Tuesday for inadequacies in coronavirus testing and sending out what he called ‘bad messages’ on best practices, such as wearing masks…” (Hooper, 10/13).

PRI: Fauci shuns Trump’s politicization of COVID-19 science to focus on ‘public health message’
“America’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says right now the globe isn’t doing as well as he’d hoped in fighting the pandemic. Like many other experts and laypeople alike, he worries about the politicization of public health…” (Hackel, 10/13).

STAT: Fauci: Trump’s rapid recovery from Covid-19, while welcome, ‘amplifies’ public misunderstanding of disease
“…President Trump’s rapid recovery from the disease, while welcome by all, makes the challenge even more difficult, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases acknowledged. Trump’s quick bounce-back from his infection will likely underscore the mistaken belief some people have that the disease does not present significant health risks, Fauci said in an interview with STAT…” (Branswell, 10/13).

Washington Post: Coronavirus cases are rising in U.S., sparking worries the next big wave has begun
“…For almost a month, new U.S. cases have been trending upward. Since Saturday, more than 20 states have hit a new high in their seven-day average of case counts, and more than half of those states set records again on Tuesday, according to data tracked by The Washington Post…” (Wan/Dupree, 10/13).

Washington Post: Proposal to hasten herd immunity to the coronavirus grabs White House attention but appalls top scientists
“Maverick scientists who call for allowing the coronavirus to spread freely at ‘natural’ rates among healthy young people while keeping most aspects of the economy up and running have found an audience inside the White House and at least one state capitol…” (Achenbach, 10/13).