Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Azar Defends FDA's Moves To Prevent Use Of Subpar Masks
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) moved quickly to stop subpar Chinese masks from being sold in the U.S. During an interview on Fox Business鈥檚 鈥淢ornings with Maria,鈥 Azar responded to a Wall Street Journal analysis that determined the FDA allowed thousands of Chinese manufacturers to sell KN95 masks in the U.S. with聽little oversight聽or quality checks. (Coleman, 8/4)
With Mississippi on track to become the number-one state for new coronavirus infections per capita, Gov. Tate Reeves is implementing a temporary mask mandate and delaying the reopening of schools in certain counties. Reeves announced the new measures at a press conference on Tuesday. (Treisman, 8/4)
In other news 鈥
Ta'Marsh Pope, 47, of Silverton, Ohio, has gone from COVID-19 skeptic to a harbinger of the pandemic's dangers. The single mother and eligibility technician at Hamilton County Job & Family Services in Cincinnati told ABC News she was one of the many Americans skeptical about mask wearing and the seriousness of the coronavirus back in the spring. At the time, she said that she believed social media posts that questioned the coronavirus data and coverage in the press. (Pereira, 8/4)
Wedding planners, photographers and other bridal vendors who make the magic happen have a heap of new worries in the middle of the pandemic: no-mask weddings, rising guest counts and venues not following the rules. Now that weddings have slowly cranked up under a patchwork of ever-shifting state and local restrictions, horror stories from vendors are rolling in. Many are desperate to work after the coronavirus put an abrupt end to their incomes and feel compelled to put on their masks, grab their cameras and hope for the best. (Italie, 8/4)