Horse pills, an anxious school year, and the latest on COVID-19

[View this email in your browser]( [Open Ars Technica in your browser]( September is finally upon us, meaning fall is almost in the air. Unfortunately, COVID-19 remains very much in the air, too. No matter your seasonal milestone of choice, the pandemic has likely already impacted it for the second year in a row. The increased danger of the delta variant is evident. As the new school year arrives, mask mandates remain a real point of contention. Cases are already being reported from elementary all the way up through universities before some schools even get underway. [Vaccine mandates clearly boost uptake,]( and mandates have spread after the vaccine received FDA approval, but we're a long way from the political/social will necessary to make those more widespread. Elsewhere, fall events like film or musical festivals are implementing protocols like required proof of vaccination or negative tests, but many other others are cancelling or pivoting to digital again (the world will again [Jazz Fest in Place]( instead of in New Orleans, a decision made well before [Hurricane Ida](). Even something as seemingly controlled as professional football isn't immune. The NFL felt the need to tighten its COVID-19 protocols for teams (teams risk forfeits if too many players become ineligible due to disease or close contact), yet a number of high profile players have been dealing with COVID-19-related absences before the first games are played. So for this week's Orbital Transmission, we're catching up on some of the latest COVID-19 happenings as we await the official change of seasons. Misinformation continues to complicate matters, organizations are trying novel ways to account for the unvaccinated, and schools remain perhaps the most anxious situation across virtually all US communities. So stay safe, mask up, and relax however you can amid all this stress. —[Nathan Mattise]( Dealmaster's Deals of the Week Dealmaster's Deals of the Week Apple iPad Air (64GB) for $499.99 at Amazon (normally $545) We've seen this deal a few times over the past couple of months, but it still matches the lowest price we've tracked on Apple's iPad Air, which [continues to bring]( many of the iPad Pro's better features to a lower price point. Also [at Best Buy](. [$500 at Amazon]( Orbital Transmission 09.01.2021 Orbital Transmission 09.01.2021 [(image) ]( The horse drug thing is not a joke (though it is an easy way to poison yourself) [Read Full Story »]( The horse drug thing is not a joke (though it is an easy way to poison yourself) Everyone, even those who have refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine to date, seems to recognize the delta variant has upped the ante on our in-progress global pandemic. And as pandemic misinformation runs rampant online, one of the oddest ideas to surface has been that a livestock drug—ivermectin, used to prevent and treat parasitic infections in people and animals—can combat the virus in humans. Taking it, however, can be extremely dangerous, as evidenced by a recent uptick in poison control center calls. As absurd as the situation is, the FDA's recent warning shows it's not a laughing matter: "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it." [Read Full Story »]( [(image) ]( If free money doesn't inspire more vaccines, maybe higher costs will [Read Full Story »]( If free money doesn't inspire more vaccines, maybe higher costs will Delta (airlines) may already be frustrated with delta (variant) out of sheer word association, but the pandemic surge has also cost the company's health plan serious money. In a memo to employees last week, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian announced that, in addition to mandatory indoor masking and weekly COVID testing, unvaccinated workers will have to pay a $200 surcharge every month, starting November 1, in order to stay in the company's health care plan. "The average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person," Bastian wrote in the memo. "This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company. In recent weeks since the rise of the B.1.617.2 [delta] variant, all Delta [Air Lines] employees who have been hospitalized with COVID were not fully vaccinated." Additionally, starting September 30, unvaccinated employees will lose pay protection if they have to miss work due to a COVID-19 infection. [Read Full Story »]( [(image) ]( This elementary class became an unfortunate COVID experiment [Read Full Story »]( This elementary class became an unfortunate COVID experiment Last week, the CDC released a report that feels all too close to home—how the delta variant spread through one Marin County (California) elementary school. It's tempting (and easy) to make this into a story of gross irresponsibility—a teacher was unvaccinated and read to their class while unmasked. But beyond that, the CDC's report provides a number of warnings about how our public health system remains under stress as we close in on two years since the start of the pandemic. The delta variant ensures that even when you do the right thing (this school has a mask mandate and designed spaces to maximize social distancing), small errors (the teacher thought they had a mild cold and went to school) can easily explode into big problems. [Read Full Story »]( [(image) ]( The kids are alright... but when can they be vaccinated? [Read Full Story »]( The kids are alright... but when can they be vaccinated? Speaking of elementary school, existence in year two of the COVID-19 pandemic may be split into two parallel worlds. No, we're not referring to the behavior of the vaccinated versus unvaccinated...we mean the day-to-day realities of those who do and don't interact with kids ineligible to receive the vaccine. As a new school year begins, many people want to see FDA approval of a vaccine for this demographic. But for now, the FDA is awaiting data on which to base a decision. Clinical trials in children ages 5 to 11, 2 to 5, and 6 months to 2 are still ongoing. No one timeline has emerged from health experts—Dr. Anthony Fauci has said fall-to-early winter; NIH director Francis Collins said end of 2021—so some parents are pushing physicians for off-label shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Health experts urge caution with that route, though. [Read Full Story »]( [Condé Nast Spotlight | The breaking news and top stories everyone is talking about. All in one place. The most popular stories from Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, Architectural Digest and more. STAY INFORMED]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2021 Condé Nast, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Condé Nast One World Trade Center New York, NY 10007 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences](newsletter=ars) or [unsubscribe from this list](newsletter=ars).