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Matthew McConaughey interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci for 40 minutes on Instagram Thursday with the fast-talking, Oscar-winning actor getting a chance to grill the nation's top infectious disease expert on COVID-19. McConaughey rapidly fired questions at the 79-year-old doctor on everything from how concerned people should be about getting the virus from touching a door knob (not as much as sharing close physical space with someone who is infected, Fauci says) to whether Advil makes symptoms worse (it doesn't). (Flaherty, 8/13)

If the United States allowed coronavirus infections to run rampant to achieve possible herd immunity, the death toll would be massive especially among vulnerable people, the nation's top infectious doctor said... "If everyone contracted it, even with the relatively high percentage of people without symptoms ... a lot of people are going to die," Fauci said. (Karimi, 8/14)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added to its list of potentially deadly hand sanitizers and is warning about a second toxic chemical found in some products. In an announcement on Thursday, the FDA said it has seen a spike in the number of hand sanitizer products labeled to contain ethanol but have tested positive for methanol, which can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested. (Moreno, 8/13)

Five months ago, as the coronavirus pandemic surged across the nation, the urgency to build more critical care ventilators swelled to meet a shortage of the life saving machines. So General Motors and Ventec Life Systems teamed up to produce ventilators. In just two weeks, the companies will deliver the full 30,000 ventilators they owe the U.S. government, helping to bring the U.S. stockpile closer to an inventory level that positions the nation to withstand any near-term pandemic spikes. (LaReau, 8/14)

Twin beams of light representing the World Trade Center towers won’t be beamed into the sky during this year’s memorial of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, organizers of the annual ceremony said Thursday. Michael Frazier, a spokesman for National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said organizers were concerned about the health risks to workers who would set up the display. (8/14)

The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for moving people into, out of, and among far-flung federal prisons, handling most long-distance transfers and newly sentenced prisoners. It doesn’t put people in quarantine or give them virus tests before transporting them around the country. As a result, federal prisoners in Marshals custody are being shipped around the U.S. by plane, van, and bus with no way to know if they are carrying the virus, and exposing other prisoners, staff, and possibly the public along the way. (Hamilton and Blakinger, 8/13)

When the coronavirus pandemic emerged, the music and hospitality industry took a beating. Concerts and events were canceled all over the world as countries imposed lockdown restrictions and stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of the virus. But as some nations start to ease restrictions, event organizers are figuring out how to restart the music industry and keep fans safe. (Woodyatt, 8/13)

Will there be a New Orleans Carnival in 2021? Those who hoped a meeting Thursday of the Mayor's Mardi Gras Advisory Council would answer that question were disappointed. The meeting held at Mardi Gras World was mostly a routine discussion of parading practices, conducted as if next year's big party might ... or might not occur. "I'm cautiously optimistic and hopeful," Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser told the council, which includes city officials and the captains of the city's 30-plus parading organizations. (MacCash, 8/13)