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Covid-19 cases are declining in the US, but the optimistic outlook needs to be tempered by the still-high rate of infections, especially in children. The number of new cases in children remains "exceptionally high," with 148,222 cases reported in the week ending October 7, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics published Monday. Children represented nearly a quarter of weekly reported Covid-19 cases, the AAP said. Nationally, Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been decreasing, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over the last week, an average of 87,676 people reported infections and 1,559 people died of Covid-19 a day, according to JHU data. (Holcombe, 10/13)

More than 3,000 Utahns have now died from the coronavirus, with young patients now succumbing to COVID-19 at a faster rate than even before a vaccine was available. On Tuesday, the Utah Department of Health reported 31 more deaths over the past four days, bringing the total to 3,025 since the pandemic began. The state no longer reports COVID-19 numbers on weekends or holidays, and it did not specify on which day Utah reached the 3,000 deaths mark. About 100 of the last 1,000 Utahns to die from the virus were under age 45 — more than double the share of deaths before February. Of the 31 deaths reported Tuesday, four were under the age of 45, and 10 were under the age of 65. (Alberty and Pierce, 10/12)

The trendline in California is undeniable: Rural areas with vaccination rates well below the state average are bearing the brunt of COVID-19’s delta strain. In those regions, death rates are vastly outpacing those in urban settings. Nationally, rural areas are currently experiencing twice the death rate of urban areas. While the first wave of the pandemic in early 2020 mostly missed the more lightly populated areas of the country, the dark script has flipped in the fall of 2021. At a time when rates of vaccination increasingly determine COVID-related outcomes, only 46% of rural residents were fully vaccinated as of mid-August. That compared with 60% of urban residents, according to researchers at Syracuse University. (Kreidler, 10/12 )

Late Tuesday night, the Anchorage Assembly passed a new, revised emergency ordinance, effective immediately, requiring people to wear masks in public spaces in the city. The emergency ordinance was laid on the table during Tuesday evening’s regular Assembly meeting by members Pete Petersen and Meg Zaletel. It passed on a 9-1 vote. Assembly member Crystal Kennedy voted against it. Assembly member Jamie Allard, who called into the meeting, voted against it during an initial 9-2 vote, but due to a procedural error members voted again and Allard did not participate. At least nine Assembly members needed to vote in favor of the emergency ordinance for it to pass, and a public hearing was not required. (Goodykoontz, 10/12)

Misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines developed to protect against it constitutes a “public health crisis,” the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors declared Tuesday, drawing a backlash from numerous residents. In a statement they unanimously passed, the supervisors asserted the vaccines have met rigorous scientific standards and skepticism about the danger posed by COVID-19 has “created a culture of mistrust” that undermines health officials’ efforts to bring the pandemic to an end. Supervisor John Gioia, who introduced the statement with Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, invoked a quote commonly attributed to late New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, not their own facts.” (Mukherjee, 10/12)

Nebraska Lt. Gov. Mike Foley has tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesman confirmed Tuesday. Spokesman Justin Pinkerman said in an email that Foley has mild symptoms and is self-isolating as he recovers, but he didn’t answer questions about when the lieutenant governor was tested or whether he has been vaccinated. (Schulte, 10/12)

Muhammad Siddiqui died at Wake Forest Baptist hospital in May 2020. The 59-year-old had one of the first severe COVID-19 cases at the hospital. His family say they believe that care provided to him in the early stages of the pandemic helped inform health care workers and hospitals as they learned about COVID-19 and established guidelines and protocol for treating patients. That is one of the many legacies Siddiqui left behind, according to his family. (Jallow, 10/13)

People using a drug intended for animals to prevent or treat COVID-19 are not only potentially putting their own health at risk, they are also creating surging demand for the common medicine veterinarians need to care for sick horses, livestock and some small animals. Ivermectin is a drug made for both people and animals to treat various parasitic ailments, but comes in different formulations for animals and people. However, misinformation on social media, podcasts and talk radio related to use of the drug to treat COVID has led some people to seek out the animal product where it can be bought in stores without a doctor’s prescription. (Ross, 10/12)