Pay attention to actions, not words

As the White House resumes coronavirus briefings, the misinformation epidemic worsens. My advice: ignore politicians as much as you can, look at the numbers yourself, and act on your own safety first.

By the time you read this, the first White House Coronavirus Briefing at which the president participated since April will be underway or over. I plan to watch through the lens of someone who studies public health communications. The president said yesterday that the briefing would focus on treatment and vaccine news. Since neither a definitive treatment nor a proven vaccine are likely anytime soon, my focus is on strategies to continue “mitigation” — reducing the number of new infections in our communities. I suggest that’s what every American ought to do.

Here’s some other news of note:

• A glimmer of hope in Texas: One day is not a trend, but authorities in the Dallas area are encouraged by a lower number of new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours than any of the recent prior days.

• Reality catches up: Orange County, Calif., now is second only to Riverside County in total number of COVID-19 cases, thanks to a recent surge. The county was reopened restaurants before Memorial Day and rescinded a face-covering order in early June, when the county health director was replaced after fierce protests.

• Extreme enforcement: One of the British tabloids reports that Colombian drug cartels are executing people who violate COVID-19 isolation orders.

• Maybe Hollywood can help? The producers of the TV show Grey’s Anatomy say that the upcoming season will incorporate coronavirus into its story lines. Meantime, there’s a bevy of new shows in production, including Homebound, Love in the Time of Corona, and Six Feet Apart. Seriously.

That’s all for today. Please keep washing your hands!