| Extra doses are approved for some, LA and Chicago schools require teacher vaccinations, and Texas' Supreme Court upholds the ban on mask mandates. Here's what you should know: Headlines Extra mRNA doses are approved for immune-compromised Americans Friday afternoon, a CDC advisory committee followed in the footsteps of the FDA and recommended third doses of mRNA vaccines for adults who qualify as moderately to severely immunocompromised, such as cancer patients and transplant recipients. Officials and experts have been careful not to call these shots "boosters," to emphasize the difference between improving protection in people with low immunity, many of whom did not produce a significant immune response to the initial doses, and renewing immunity in the rest of the population. Still, the decision comes as the WHO has asked rich countries to hold off on extra shots until the rest of the world can get its share of vaccines. Los Angeles and Chicago schools will require that all employees get vaccinated The Los Angeles and Chicago school districts announced that all educators and school staff will have to be fully vaccinated by October 15, a strong statement coming from the second- and third-largest districts in the country. In LA, employees will also be tested regularly, while in Chicago they'll be tested weekly until the vaccine deadline. Both states are also mandating that everyone wear masks inside of schools. Leaders of the national teachers' unions have said they favor vaccine mandates but that they need to be negotiated at the local level. Texas' Supreme Court temporarily upholds Governor Greg Abbott's mask mandate ban On Sunday the Texas Supreme Court temporarily halted lower court rulings from last week that permitted local officials in Dallas and Bexar Counties to enact mask mandates despite Governor Greg Abbott's ban on them. This latest ruling notwithstanding, the Dallas Independent School District announced last night that masks will be required on district property and visitors will not be permitted inside schools. Last week, the White House said that Texas and Florida account for nearly 40 percent of all new Covid hospitalizations in the country, and on Sunday Texas reported its highest number of hospitalizations since January. Daily Distraction "A wholesale original, non-IP, non-comic-book, non-sequel movie is an increasingly rare unicorn these days," actor Ryan Reynolds told WIRED. Free Guy, his rollicking new film set largely in a video game, aims to be just that. Something to Read Humans need machines to produce all of the food we eat. But meeting demands for crops in our fragile environment is tough. In a new paper, one agricultural economist used science fiction to imagine two visions for how technological revolutions in farming could make or break the planet. Sanity Check La Croix, Topo Chico, Bubly—seltzer is all the rage these days. But why buy cans and cases when you can carbonate your own water at home? One Question How is the travel industry weathering this stage of the pandemic? This summer the travel industry saw a significant rebound, but now, with cases rising thanks to the Delta variant, the path forward is uncertain once again. A recent earnings call from Airbnb could be a useful bellwether. The company reported last week that its revenue had shot up 300 percent from Q2 2020, and last Saturday marked the best night on Airbnb since the pandemic started. But the company expects that the Delta variant will make the latter half of the year "more volatile and nonlinear." Still, perhaps because so many people can work remotely, it does expect 40 percent of its guests to use the flexible location and date search to book a place, and it noted that many people are opting for longer stays, which could help keep business afloat in the coming months of uncertainty. Covid-19 Care Package 📦 To end this pandemic and prevent future ones, we'll need a good way to track and surveil emerging diseases. Here's a look at the latest efforts. 😷 Masks may no longer be mandatory where you live, but it's still a good idea to have a few around. Here are the best masks you can buy, or how to make one at home. 💉 Vaccines are the most effective way to protect yourself and others against Covid-19. Here's how to get an appointment in your area. 💻 Whether or not you're a work-from-home pro, here's how to stay productive without losing your mind. 🚗 Itching for a vacation but not quite ready to get on a plane? Hit the road instead. Here's everything you need to plan a post-pandemic road trip. 👋 So you're fully vaccinated! Congrats. Here are some ways you can let others know. 🦠Read all of our coronavirus coverage here. | 
