 Welcome to Overnight Health Care. The NBA doesn't have a player-wide vaccine mandate, but it is now requiring everyone who associates with players (coaches, locker room staff, front office personnel, etc.) to be fully vaccinated. If you have any tips, email us at nweixel@thehill.com, psullivan@thehill.com and jcoleman@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter at @NateWeixel, @PeterSullivan4, and @JustineColeman8. Today: An inconclusive report on the origins of COVID-19, the Biden administration is weighing an earlier timeline for booster shots, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) lost the first round of a court battle over masks, and the CDC wants schools to follow the guidelines. We'll start with the origins report: US intel review inconclusive on COVID-19 origin The 90-day sprint to get to the bottom of the origins of COVID-19 found ... not much. A summary of an intelligence community report released Friday was inconclusive as to whether COVID-19 originated in a lab or jumped from animals to humans naturally, though U.S. officials stated that it was not developed as a biological weapon. The summary said both the natural theory and lab leak theory are plausible, but noted that Chinese officials "did not have foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak of COVID-19 emerged.” “The IC assesses that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, probably emerged and infected humans through an initial small-scale exposure that occurred no later than November 2019,” according to a two-page summary of the report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. “We judge the virus was not developed as a biological weapon. Most agencies also assess with low confidence that SARS-CoV-2 probably was not genetically engineered,” the report stated, while noting two elements of the intelligence community did not believe there was sufficient evidence to draw a conclusion. Impact: The push to find the origin of the virus has been politically charged from the start, and Friday's report is unlikely to significantly change the debate over the issue. The report shows an intelligence community largely divided over the origins of the disease, with several of the 19 different agencies that comprise it coming to different conclusions. Read more here. CDC director calls out schools with outbreaks that aren’t following guidance CDC Director Rochelle Walensky called on schools that are not following guidance to “do the right thing” and implement COVID-19 precautions, like masking, to avoid outbreaks and protect children from the virus. "In our outbreak investigations, large-scale quarantines or large number of cases are generally occurring in schools, because schools are not following our guidance, particularly our recommendations for teachers as well as students aged 12 and over to be vaccinated and for everyone right now to be masked," Walensky said during a Friday briefing. “I want to strongly appeal to those districts who have not implemented prevention strategies and encourage them to do the right thing to protect the children under their care,” Walensky said. “We know these multi-layered mitigation strategies work, and thanks to the American Rescue Plan schools have the resources to implement these strategies.” The CDC director said studies have shown prevention strategies, including masking, social distancing, testing, ventilation and vaccination, help to thwart COVID-19 spread in schools. For example: One of those studies involved an unvaccinated teacher from Marin County, Calif., who was symptomatic and took off her mask to read her class. A total of 27 people, including the teacher and more than half of the students in the class, ended up infected. Roadblock: But some schools face obstacles in requiring masks as several GOP governors, including Gov. Greg Abbott (Texas) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (Fla.), have banned schools from mandating masks, which has prompted defiance from school officials and court battles. Read more here. Speaking of school safety: Judge blocks DeSantis from banning school mask mandates School districts in Florida will be allowed to impose mask requirements after a district judge on Friday blocked an executive order from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) banning the mandates. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled in favor of a group of parents who sued DeSantis over his executive order, arguing it was unconstitutional. He ruled the order is “without legal authority” and is by definition “arbitrary” and “capricious.” Cooper issued an injunction stopping the Department of Education from taking any action against local districts that require masks in schools without a parental opt-out. The judge said the state's new "Parents' Bill of Rights" does not allow the governor or the Department of Education to prohibit school districts from mandating masks. "The law expressly permits school boards to adopt policies regarding the health care of students, such as a mask mandate, even if a parent disagrees," Cooper said. “Parents' rights are very important, but they are not without some reasonable limitations." DeSantis previously said he would appeal if the ruling was not in his favor. Read more here. Biden officials weighing shorter timeline for booster shots President Biden on Friday said that discussions are underway over whether COVID-19 booster shots should be administered five months after second vaccine doses, a shorter timeline than the eight months previously discussed by health officials. “This booster program is going to start here, September the 20th, pending approval of the FDA and a CDC committee of outside experts," Biden said ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. "And the question raised is should it be shorter than eight months, should it be more or less five months, and that's being discussed. I spoke to Dr. Fauci this morning about that,” Biden added, referring to White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci. Background: The administration earlier this month outlined a plan to give out booster shots starting Sept. 20, recommending it for most Americans who have received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. Health officials have said people would need boosters beginning eight months after their second dose of either vaccine. More questions: Health experts noted that, yet again, it appeared Biden was getting ahead of the health agencies. Typically the FDA and CDC need to sign off before the White House even considers a public announcement, but the administration has been pushing forward nonetheless, raising concerns. The CDC's advisory committee on vaccines is meeting Monday to discuss the framework for boosters and to vote on the use of Pfizer vaccines in people 16 and older. Read more here. US opens COVID-19 vaccination site for Afghan arrivals The U.S. has opened a mass COVID-19 vaccination site near the Dulles airport in Northern Virginia for Afghans fleeing the Taliban, the White House said Friday. The site is operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine being administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. A White House official said the vaccination clinic is set up at the Dulles Expo Center, which is where all arrivals from Afghanistan are screened. Under rules from U.S. Customs and Immigration, all "humanitarian parolees" are required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they do not have proof of prior vaccination. Evacuees are tested upon arrival and quarantined if they are positive, according to the White House. State Department translators are available to answer questions. "This operation has been stood up in real time to ensure we are not wasting one minute, and making sure everyone arriving in the United States is able to enter the country safely and not spread COVID-19," a White House official said. "As more arrivals from Afghanistan come, we hope to model this, including in Philadelphia, which is on track to vaccinate passengers in the next few days once flights begin to arrive.” Read more here. What we’re reading Dentists, insurers aim to pare down Dems’ Medicare expansion (Politico) Medicaid vaccination rates founder as states struggle to immunize their poorest residents (Kaiser Health News) More COVID-19 shots, studies offer hope for US schools (The Associated Press) State by state Florida nursing homes have low staff vaccination rates. Resident cases and deaths are rising. (Miami Herald) ICU hospitalizations jump in Maine, tying all-time high for COVID-19 pandemic (The Portland Press Herald) Hospitals worry as COVID cases rise to near record in SC (The Associated Press) | 
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