The latest President Biden may make it more difficult to be an unvaccinated American. Though the discussions are still early, his administration is debating the use federal powers or the threat of withholding funds to increase vaccinations. One penalty under consideration is the restriction of Medicare money to nursing home facilities that do not require their employees to be vaccinated. These talks are a possible sign of harder stances on vaccines to come – a shift from carrot to stick. It's expected that within the upcoming two weeks the Food and Drug Administration will review data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that support additional vaccine doses for those with compromised immune systems. If that information is persuasive, the FDA may authorize extra shots for the roughly 7 million immunocompromised people in the United States, a group that includes recipients of transplant organs and cancer patients. "It is extremely important for us to move to get those individuals their boosters, and we are now working on that," the nation's top infectious-disease expert, Anthony S. Fauci, said Thursday at a news briefing. The outbreak in Provincetown, Mass., put vaccines to the test: There were multiple venues of transmission, at crowded dance parties, bars and Airbnbs. Health officials say that, contrary to what it may seem, the vaccines worked well to protect people from the worst of covid-19 at Provincetown. The vast majority of the 1,000-plus cases at the outbreak, which included a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, resulted in mild cases or cases without symptoms. There have been no deaths. (For more on breakthroughs, be sure to read today's Q&A below.) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) continues to oppose mask mandates and other precautions even as covid-19 hospitalizations in Florida exceeded 12,000, once again surpassing the state's previous record. Instead, DeSantis has claimed the surge is expected and railed against shutdowns, saying that Florida residents are "free to choose to make their own decisions." The state accounts for a fifth of the new infections across the country. Workers at U.S. hospitals are so exhausted and burned out that some are literally walking off the job. The strain is acute in states such as Arkansas, where an influx of covid-19 patients is burdening already taxed clinicians. "We have had people walk off their shift, in the middle of their shift as distressing as that is because they could not take it anymore," the chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences told CNN. Nursing home operators are starting to announce vaccine mandates for their staff. The largest nonprofit long-term-care chain in the nation, Good Samaritan, said mandatory vaccinations will go into effect in November. A July outbreak at one of its nursing homes was a catalyst, as is the threat of the delta variant. Some companies, though, are reluctant to force employees to get immunized, fearing labor shortages. Other important news Moderna, maker of one of the mRNA coronavirus vaccines, announced Thursday that six months after full vaccination the shots remain 93 percent effective. The latest delta-fueled surge has delayed or imperiled plans to resume work at the office, including those for many federal employees. A pattern has played out in hospitals in rich countries the world over: Patients with covid-19 who refused the vaccine, only to express regret in the face of severe illness or death. Who is bearing the strain of disruptions and cancellations at day cares and summer camps? Moms, often. Some colleges and universities are recommending vaccines for students, but not keeping track. Others are closely following their student bodies' vaccination rates. Three Republican members of Congress are suing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi because they oppose the House of Representatives' mask mandate. One of them, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), now has a mild case of covid-19. | 
Email 
