https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/16/an-old-idea-ignites-new-debate-with-clinical-trials-testing-radiation-for-pneumonia-in-covid-19-experts-remain-divided-on-its-merits/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=650b242a64-MR_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-650b242a64-149692869

Interest grows in low-dose radiation for Covid-19, but experts are divided 

As Covid-19 has continued to snowball and researchers continue to search every possible avenue for a treatment for the infection, an old idea for treating inflammation in the lungs has resurfaced: low-dose radiation therapy. The idea originally emerged after scientists found data suggesting that small amounts of radiation could combat pneumonia, and now at least a dozen trials worldwide are testing whether low doses of radiation could help reduce inflammation in the lungs of those with Covid-19. But experts are divided on the issue, with some suggesting that radiation to the lungs could exacerbate damage to the organ. Read more from STAT's Juliet Isselbacher. 

Here's what else is new with the pandemic: 

• “I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that,” top infectious disease official Anthony Fauci told The Atlantic in a series of interviews in response to recent attacks from the White House on his credibility. “I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it’s only reflecting negatively on them,” he said.  
• Fixing the U.S.' coronavirus testing system is going to take $75 billion, according to a new report from The Rockefeller Foundation, which is also committing $100 million to the global fight against Covid-19. The report suggests ramping up two types of tests — PCR and antigen — as solutions to addressing the problem in the U.S. Read more here. 
• The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released a report yesterday encouraging schools to prioritize opening in the fall, especially for kids in grades 5 and under and kids with special needs. "[Y]oung children in particular will be impacted by not having in-person learning and may suffer long-term academic consequences if they fall behind as a result," a statement from NASEM says. While the new report is in line with other groups, such as the CDC, also calling for schools to reopen, the NASEM guidelines are among the first to distinguish between older and younger children.
• The WHO and UNICEF are warning of the decline in children getting needed vaccinations due to supply disruptions caused by Covid-19. Even before the pandemic hit, vaccination rates for some diseases had stalled at 85%, with 14 million children going unvaccinated last year.