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United Airlines says the risk of COVID-19 exposure onboard its aircraft is "virtually non-existent" after a new study finds that when masks are worn there is only a 0.003% chance particles from a passenger can enter the passenger's breathing space who is sitting beside them. The study, conducted by the Department of Defense in partnership with United Airlines, was published Thursday. They ran 300 tests in a little over six months with a mannequin on a United plane. (Benitez and Sweeney, 10/15)

A $5 rapid test for the coronavirus may be nearly as effective as the slower, more complex polymerase chain reaction test for identifying people who may spread the coronavirus, a novel experiment has found. The study, conducted by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, is among the first head-to-head comparisons of a rapid test and the P.C.R. diagnostic tool under real-world conditions. (Mandavilli, 10/15)

As the holiday season approaches, Americans preparing to travel hundreds of miles to see family or friends may notice a green mile marker off in the distance: Public restrooms are ahead. Using shared bathrooms at gas stations, train stations, rest stops and restaurants during long road trips is inevitable. But restrooms are typically small, poorly ventilated spaces — the exact type of environment public health experts say Americans should avoid to reduce the transmission of the novel coronavirus. (Amenabar, 10/15)

Some public health researchers are seeing hints that the coronavirus pandemic might help solve a longstanding puzzle: What causes premature birth? Studies in Ireland and Denmark this summer showed that preterm births decreased in the spring during lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus in those countries. Anecdotally, doctors around the world reported similar drops. They speculated that reduced stress on mothers, cleaner air or better hygiene might have contributed. A large study from the Netherlands, published on Tuesday in The Lancet Public Health, has yielded even stronger evidence of an association between the lockdowns and a smaller number of early births. (Preston, 10/15)

A 13-year-old girl spread the coronavirus to 11 relatives across four states this summer, despite testing negative two days before a three-week family vacation, a recent journal article released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed. The trip occurred at an undisclosed location in June and July, and it infected family members from ages 9 to 72 who traveled to a home that was shared between five households. No masks or distancing measures were in place. The teen was exposed to an unspecified covid-19 outbreak in June before testing negative, the report says. Nasal congestion was her only symptom. (McMahon, 10/15)

Twelve residents at a northern California nursing home have died from Covid-19, the facility announced this week. The Gilroy Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center said in a news release Thursday 75 residents and 54 employees have tested positive for the virus throughout the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Sixty-three residents and 53 employees have since recovered, it said. (Maxouris, 10/16)

The novel coronavirus tore through long-term-care facilities for the elderly in spring. It continued into summer months, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead around the world. Now, as autumn heads toward winter and the Northern Hemisphere prepares for a cold-weather surge in coronavirus cases, experts who focus on long-term care are desperate to avert the next chapter in the disaster. (Taylor, 10/15)

Deanna Hair finally left [Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor on] Thursday, after 196 days of hospitalization for COVID-19. “My life is forever changed because of this experience," Hair said in a statement to USA TODAY, "physically, mentally and emotionally.” The 67-year-old Ann Arbor resident and her husband began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms after a trip to Palm Springs, California. Both tested positive on March 31. While her husband's symptoms were mild, Hair developed a fever and cough, and four days later began vomiting. (Rodriguez, 10/15)

KHN: Most Home Health Aides ‘Can’t Afford Not To Work’ — Even When Lacking PPE

In March, Sue Williams-Ward took a new job, with a $1-an-hour raise. The employer, a home health care agency called Together We Can, was paying a premium — $13 an hour — after it started losing aides when COVID-19 safety concerns mounted. Williams-Ward, a 68-year-old Indianapolis native, was a devoted caregiver who bathed, dressed and fed clients as if they were family. She was known to entertain clients with some of her own 26 grandchildren, even inviting her clients along on charitable deliveries of Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas hams. (Cahan, 10/16)