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While the vast numbers of nursing home deaths have been the greatest horror of the coronavirus crisis, the system operated by California’s Department of Veterans Affairs has been a rare bright spot. Across the country, at least 43,000 nursing home residents have died of the coronavirus. In California, at least 3,400 have passed away. But at the eight CalVet veterans’ homes, it’s been a different story: Among 2,100 residents, half of whom require round-the-clock care, including hospice patients and Korean and Vietnam war veterans with complicated health conditions, only two have died of the coronavirus. (Severns, 8/10)

The Wyoming measure is one of at least seven new state laws or executive orders in recent months protecting businesses from coronavirus lawsuits. A few other states are considering similar legislation, and a bill before Congress would temporarily grant protections to businesses nationwide. ... Most of the laws specifically state that they do not shield businesses that acted with “actual malice” nor apply to cases with “clear and convincing” evidence of deliberate wrongdoing. ... Opponents say the state and federal efforts would give a pass to businesses and health facilities that fail to take proper precautions. (Povich, 8/11)

Fifty percent of Americans surveyed for new Axios-Ipsos polling said they know someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The percentage is nearly identical across regions, with 51 percent of respondents in the Midwest and the South knowing someone who has tested positive, as well as 49 percent in the Northeast and 47 percent in the West. Along party lines, 55 percent of Democrats polled said they know someone who has tested positive, compared to 49 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of independents. (Budryk, 8/11)

A second person who was being held in a sprawling federal immigration detention center in southwest Georgia has died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to Stewart County Coroner Sybil Ammons. Ammons declined to identify the 70-year-old man but said he died Monday evening at Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital after being held at Stewart Detention Center, located just outside Lumpkin, the county seat. The detainee, who suffered from diabetes and hypertension, had been hospitalized since Aug. 4, Ammons said. (Redmon, 8/11)

Immigrants living in Marion County are essential to the county's recovery efforts during the coronavirus pandemic but are also at higher risk of infection, according to a research study released last week by New American Economy in partnership with Indianapolis' Immigrant Welcome Center. As of 2018, Marion County has been home to nearly 90,000 immigrants. About 28.7% became naturalized citizens, 12.1% were likely refugees, 37.7% were undocumented immigrants and 3.6% were eligible for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the study shows. The immigration status categories referenced in the study aren't mutually exclusive. (Contreras, 8/11)

A total of 33 Massachusetts cities and towns are at moderate or high risk for the coronavirus, including four north of Boston that are beset by heavy caseloads after months of closures and restrictions, Governor Charlie Baker said Tuesday. The list of communities — less than one in 10 in the state — includes some of the most populous cities, often communities of color and lower-income areas. (Finucane, Fox and Reiss, 8/11)

Kaiser Health News: In Health-Conscious Marin County, Virus Runs Rampant Among ‘Essential’ Latino Workers 

On a warm evening in late June, people flocked to alfresco tables set up along this town’s main drag to sip sauvignon blanc and eat wood-oven pizza for Dining Under the Lights, an event to welcome Marin County residents back to one of their favorite pastimes. About a mile away, Crisalia Calderon was hunkered down in her apartment facing a sleepless night as she grappled with the early symptoms of COVID-19. (Scheier, 8/12)

Nevada recorded 548 new cases of COVID-19 — the lowest one-day total in more than a month — and 18 additional deaths over the preceding day, according to state data posted Tuesday. (Brunker, 8/11)

A crowd of hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts, in which the ratio of leather jackets to masks worn was astronomical, gathered Sunday in front of the stage at the Buffalo Chip campground in Sturgis, S.D. The band Smash Mouth was scheduled to perform, a rare concert at a time when many states are discouraging gatherings of 10 or more people, let alone hundreds of thousands. The 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, at which officials expected a crowd of some 250,000 people, was happening anyway, and Smash Mouth’s lead singer, Steve Harwell, offered his thoughts on bringing people together even as health officials urge them to stay apart. (Janes, 8/11)

Montana is allocating $50 million to increase the availability of child care in response to COVID-19, Gov. Steve Bullock said Tuesday. “As more Montanans return to work and families prepare for the upcoming school year, we must ensure there are options to provide high quality and flexible care during this emergency,” Bullock said in a statement. The funding was allocated from the state’s $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief money. (8/11)

A handful of first-of-their-kind abortion regulations can be implemented this month in Arkansas, a federal court ruled Friday afternoon. The decision could further restrict how patients access the procedure in a state that's been aggressive in legislating abortion. (Smith, 8/11)