Many Black men fear wearing a mask more than the coronavirus

As Covid-19 disproportionately affects their community, a big question many Black men are contending with is how to wear a protective mask while also avoiding being shot by police or getting in altercations with law enforcement. In incidents around the U.S., Black men wearing face masks as mandated by local regulations have been targeted by police. In one instance, 35-year-old Kam Buckner from Illinois says he was stopped by a uniformed officer while shopping with a mask on at his local hardware store, while many white customers streamed by wearing masks. "We are extremely apprehensive about the masks, even though we know it’s the right thing to do,” Buckner tells STAT contributor Usha Lee McFarling. Read more here.

Here's what else is new with the pandemic:

The American Hospital Association sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar yesterday urging the agency to send an additional $50 billion in emergency funding to all hospitals around the U.S., not just those hardest hit by the pandemic. "[Q]uickly making substantial additional funds available would help [hospitals] continue to put the health and safety of patients and personnel first, and in many cases, may actually ensure they are able to keep their doors open," the letter states.
Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors without Borders, is urging government leaders around the world to commit to making any Covid-19 vaccines affordable and accessible to everyone. The announcement comes as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is set to make its own announcement tomorrow about a new funding mechanism for ramping up vaccine development, but one that MSF says doesn't demand that vaccines be affordable.
The leaders of more than 40 medical organizations, including the American College of Emergency Physicians and National Alliance on Mental Illness, are calling for more mental health support for emergency physicians and other health workers at the frontlines of the pandemic. "[I]t is vital that we work to preserve and protect the health of our medical workforce," a joint statement released yesterday says.