First Edition: April 5, 2022
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Why Nurses Are Raging And Quitting After The RaDonda Vaught Verdict
Emma Moore felt cornered. At a community health clinic in Portland, Oregon, the 29-year-old nurse practitioner said she felt overwhelmed and undertrained. Coronavirus patients flooded the clinic for two years, and Moore struggled to keep up. Then the stakes became clear. On March 25, about 2,400 miles away in a Tennessee courtroom, former nurse RaDonda Vaught was convicted of two felonies and facing eight years in prison for a fatal medication mistake. (Kelman and Norman, 4/5)
KHN:
Tech Glitches At One VA Site Raise Concerns About A Nationwide Rollout
Spokane, Washington, was supposed to be the center of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ tech reinvention, the first site in the agency’s decade-long project to change its medical records software. But one morning in early March, the latest system malfunction made some clinicians snap. At Spokane’s Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, the records system — developed by Cerner Corp., based in North Kansas City, Missouri — went down. Staffers, inside the hospital and its outpatient facilities, were back to relying on pen and paper. Computerized schedules were inaccessible. Physicians couldn’t enter new orders or change patients’ medications. (Tahir, 4/5)
KHN:
Losing Sleep Over The Pandemic? Work Flexibility May Be A Boon For Night Owls’ Health
Many so-called night people feel that, when it comes to society’s expectations about when the workday should start, they drew the short straw. Research shows that “night owls” are hard-wired to sleep later, yet 9-to-5 work schedules force them to battle their physiology and wake up early. Research also has shown that conventional timetables leave them vulnerable to physical and mental health issues. (Sharma, 4/5)
KHN:
ACA Sign-Ups For Low-Income People Roll Out Amid Brokers’ Concerns About Losing Their Cut
Insurance agent Cindy Holtzman was a little surprised by the notice from Bright HealthCare, one of the insurers that offer Affordable Care Act coverage in her area. The company’s February note said its health plan sign-ups saw “extraordinary growth” — passing the “one-million-member mark” in the previous year — and tied that success to the good relationships it has with brokers. But, the note continued, the insurer wanted to “suspend growth during this special enrollment season” and thus would stop paying commissions to brokers who enroll new people in coverage starting April 1. (Appleby, 4/5)
Politico:
Biden Admin Plots To Fix Obamacare's 'Family Glitch,' Expand Coverage
The Biden administration is planning on Tuesday to propose a long-sought change to the Affordable Care Act aimed at lowering health insurance costs for millions of Americans, four people with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO. The new policy is designed to close a loophole in the ACA known as the “family glitch” that’s prevented an estimated 5 million people from qualifying for subsidized health plans — even when they can’t find affordable coverage elsewhere. (Cancryn, 4/4)
CNN:
Biden Looking To Open Up Obamacare Subsidies To More Families
he proposed rule seeks to address a longstanding problem with Obamacare’s regulations pertaining to the affordability of employer coverage, known as the “family glitch.” Under the health reform law, workers who don’t have “affordable” health insurance options through their jobs can qualify for subsidized coverage on the Obamacare exchanges. A work-based policy is considered “affordable” if it costs the employee less than roughly 10% of his or her income for single coverage. (Luhby, 4/5)
The Washington Post:
CDC, Under Fire For Covid Response, Announces Plans To Revamp Agency
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky announced plans Monday to revamp the agency that has come under blistering criticism for its performance leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying, “it is time to step back and strategically position CDC to support the future of public health.” In an agencywide email sent shortly after 1 p.m., Walensky said she has hired a senior federal health official outside of the Atlanta-based agency to conduct a one-month review to “kick off an evaluation of CDC’s structure, systems, and processes.” (Sun, 4/4)
The New York Times:
The C.D.C. Will Undergo A Comprehensive Re-Evaluation, The Agency’s Director Said
The move follows an unrelenting barrage of criticism regarding the agency’s handling of the pandemic over the past few months. The review will be conducted by Jim Macrae, who served as acting administrator of the Health Resources & Services Administration for two years and has held other senior positions at the federal Department of Health and Human Services, of which the C.D.C. is a part. Mr. Macrae will start his assignment on April 11.“The lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, along with the feedback I have received inside and outside the agency over the past year, indicate that it is time to take a step back and strategically position CDC to support the future of public health,” Dr. Walensky said in an email to agency employees. (Rabin, 4/5)
Bloomberg:
CDC Head Plans To Review Agency After Covid Response Criticism
The agency has repeatedly been criticized for Covid guidelines involving health workers, such as earlier this year when it shortened recommended periods for isolation and quarantine. After that, it came under fire for not backing routine testing for exposed people before resuming normal activities. Shortening those periods was intended to get exposed people back to work faster and help reduce staffing shortages. Still, some labor groups and public-health experts said the guidance prioritized the needs of businesses, supply chains and schools over those of vulnerable workers. (Rutherford, 4/4)
Stat:
NIH’s Cancer Chief, Ned Sharpless, To Step Down
Ned Sharpless, the director of the National Cancer Institute, is stepping down at the end of April, he told STAT. Sharpless, 55, spent nearly five years leading the roughly $7 billion biomedical research agency, which is the largest of the 27 institutes that compose the National Institutes of Health. “I strongly support what this [administration] is doing to support cancer research, but it’s time for me to step aside,” he wrote in a text message. (Facher, 4/4)
The Washington Post:
Senate Puts Jackson On Clear Track For Supreme Court Confirmation
The Senate put Ketanji Brown Jackson on a clear track to be confirmed later this week as the Supreme Court’s 116th justice — and its first Black woman — after three Republicans joined Democrats to advance her nomination in a Monday vote. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah become the second and third Republicans to announce support for Jackson, joining Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who publicly backed the judge last month. (DeBonis and Kim, 4/4)
Politico:
Senate Strikes $10B Covid Deal
Senate negotiators struck a deal on $10 billion in Covid aid on Monday, setting the chamber on a potential course to clear the bill this week. The compromise reprograms billions in unused money from other coronavirus bills to deliver funding for therapeutics, testing and vaccine distribution. However, it does not include global pandemic aid sought by Democrats and a handful of Republicans, which could become a sticking point when the package comes before the House. (Everett, Banco and Ferris, 4/4)
The Wall Street Journal:
Congressional Negotiators Settle On $10 Billion For Covid-19 Tests, Treatments
The package will allow the U.S. to purchase supplies, including more tests and vaccines, that the Biden administration said would be needed to continue to fight the virus. The $10 billion pulls from unused money in earlier bills passed by Congress, rather than representing new spending. “This bill is comprised of dollar-for-dollar offsets and will not cost the American people a single additional dollar,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R., Utah), one of the key negotiators of the deal. (Andrews, 4/4)
The Hill:
GOP Eyes Linking Title 42 To Coronavirus Deal
Republicans are eyeing an attempt to link a Trump-era immigration policy to a coronavirus relief deal that senators are hoping to pass by the end of the week. GOP senators are pushing for a vote targeting the Biden administration’s decision to end Title 42 — which allowed migrants at the border to be summarily expelled from the country instead of being processed under regular immigration rules and allowed to exercise their right to claim asylum — as part of a debate over a $10 billion coronavirus relief deal announced earlier Monday. (Carney, 4/4)
AP:
Medicare Enrollees To Get Free COVID-19 Tests At Drug Stores
Amid worries that the latest coronavirus variant could spark another rise in cases, Medicare announced Monday that millions of enrollees will finally have access to free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at drug stores. More than 59 million people with Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient coverage will be able to get up to eight free at-home tests per month, or enough for an individual to test twice a week, as some doctors have recommended. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 4/4)
The Boston Globe:
Boston COVID-19 Test Positivity Rate Rises Over 5 Percent Amid Unease About BA.2 Subvariant
The percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in Boston has edged over 5 percent, amid unease about the possible impact of the Omicron subvariant BA.2. Cases are also ticking up. According to data files posted by the Boston Public Health Commission, the city’s community positivity rate was 5.03 percent as of Wednesday. The all-Boston positivity rate, which adds in routine tests of college students, was 2.4 percent. (Finucane and Huddle, 4/4)
Billings Gazette:
First Week In Nearly A Year With No COVID Death Reported In Yellowstone County
For the first time since May 2021, Yellowstone County has had an entire week with no residents dying of COVID-19 illness. The pandemic death toll stands at 550 residents lost to the virus, the same number reported on March 28. Sixty-three of those deaths occurred in 2022. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 virus remains in our community, RiverStone Health officials said Monday. A small number of positive tests continues to be reported and, as of Monday, four Yellowstone County people were hospitalized with COVID-19 illness. None of them were in intensive care. (4/4)
CIDRAP:
Study: Omicron Much More Infectious In US Preschoolers Than Delta
A new study in JAMA Pediatrics shows the Omicron variant has caused six to eight times the rate of Omicron infections in US preschoolers as the Delta variant, but cases were less severe with Omicron. The study looked at outcomes in US children ages 4 and younger—the last group eligible for vaccination in the country. Outcomes were emergency room visits, hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and mechanical ventilation use within 14 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. (4/4)
USA Today:
Medium COVID Or Long COVID? Health Experts Say There's No Difference
After two years of living with COVID-19, health experts have learned the disease can come in many forms. People can experience mild COVID, asymptomatic COVID or long COVID. Lately, a new term, "medium COVID," has gotten some traction among people whose symptoms last longer than normal, but not long enough to identify as “long haulers.” Heath experts say it's normal for people to want a diagnosis for how they feel, but "medium COVID" is not a distinct condition. Rather, it's part of post-sequelae of COVID-19, commonly referred to as long COVID, which encompasses a spectrum of timelines and symptoms. (Rodriguez, 4/5)
Fox News:
Vaccinated Patients With Blood Cancers Are At Higher Risk Of Breakthrough COVID Than Other Cancers, Study Says
COVID-19 vaccines protect most cancer patients from contracting COVID or severe cases, however; those with blood cancers do not get the same protective benefit, according to a research study at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center in Indianapolis. Vaccinated Patients with blood cancer may have a "higher and widely varied risk" of breakthrough infections of COVID, according to a published study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. "Patients with hematologic cancers, or blood cancers, including leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma, were at a higher risk of breakthrough COVID," and "those with blood cancers had a greater risk than solid cancers," the researchers stated in a release sent to Fox News about the study. (McGorry, 4/4)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
These Doctors Are Treating COVID Smell Loss By Sticking Plasma-Soaked Sponges Up People’s Noses
Nancy Damato walked past a garbage can the other day and caught a whiff of decaying banana peel. “That was really great,” she said. She was not being sarcastic. Damato is among millions who lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19, and more than a year later, it is still not back to normal. But every so often, she notices a small improvement — a hint of banana peel here, a trace of chocolate there — and she thinks the reason may be an unusual treatment she’s been undergoing at a Jefferson Health clinic in Philadelphia. (Avril, 4/4)
Bloomberg:
Trump Recommends Vaccines In Ad That Helped Boost Uptake
An online ad campaign featuring former president Donald Trump boosted vaccination rates in counties where rates of Covid-19 shots were lowest, according to research published Monday. In a campaign aimed at more than 1,000 counties across the U.S., researchers created an ad using a Trump appearance on Fox News telling people to get vaccinated, and then during October last year ran the video on YouTube in places with low vaccination rates. In the counties where the ad was shown, about 103 more vaccinations were given, on average, than in counties that didn’t get ads. (Armstrong, 4/4)
Axios:
Some Hesitant Parents Warming To COVID Vaccine, Poll Finds
A growing segment of the wait-and-see crowd may be warming to the idea of getting a COVID-19 shot for kids 5 and under, according to a poll provided exclusively to Axios from The Harris Poll. In particular, Harris found nearly half of parents who were unvaccinated themselves said they'd get the vaccine for their little kids, up from 35% in early February. It's also well above the low of 22% later on in February after a delay in Pfizer’s FDA authorization process was announced. (Reed, 4/4)
AP:
Judge Blocks Air Force Discipline Over Vaccine Objections
A federal judge has blocked the military from disciplining a dozen U.S. Air Force officers who are asking for religious exemptions to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine. The officers, mostly from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, along with a handful of airmen and reservists, filed a lawsuit in February after their exemption requests were denied. (Seewer, 4/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Activision Workers Walk Out Over Lifting Of Vaccine Mandate. It 'came As A Shock To Everybody.'
More than 100 Activision Blizzard employees participated in a virtual walkout Monday as the Santa Monica video game studio joined a growing wave of companies lifting COVID-19 vaccination requirements while pressing workers to return to the office. Employees at the studio best known for its “World of Warcraft” and “Call of Duty” franchises who participated in the work stoppage took the day as an unpaid walkout day. Some joined a Zoom call that was a virtual protest gathering and spoke out on social media. (Ding, 4/4)
AP:
University Ends Testing Requirement For Unvaccinated
The University of Kentucky said a weekly testing requirement for students and employees who are vaccinated against the coronavirus would end Monday. The move comes amid high vaccination rates at the school and lower rates of the virus on campus and in the Lexington community, news outlets reported, citing an email from UK President Eli Capilouto. (4/4)
The Washington Post:
Caring For Aging Parents, Sick Spouses Is Keeping Millions Out Of Work
Courtney Russell loved her job managing a Charleston, S.C., candy store. But early in the pandemic when her husband’s cancer returned, she felt she had only one choice: to quit. Her husband, Doug Curtin, needed a bone-marrow transplant and months of chemotherapy. But hiring a home nurse, so she could keep working, seemed risky with rising coronavirus rates in early 2020. Two years later, the couple is getting by financially with help from family. (Bhattarai, 4/4)
DCist:
Several Hundred Howard University Hospital Workers Plan To Strike
The labor union for over 300 nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, and social workers at Howard University Hospital and the Student Health Center has announced plans to strike later this month. The union, District of Columbia Nurses Association, accuses hospital management of various unfair labor practices, including unilaterally changing some workers’ schedules and pay during negotiations, and walking away from the bargaining table. Howard University, meanwhile, says management has bargained in good faith but is unable to reach an agreement. (Gomez, 4/4)
Modern Healthcare:
5 Things To Know About Walmart Health's Florida Expansion
Walmart Health will open five new locations in Florida, as the retailer continues to scale its "one-stop-shop" vision for healthcare offerings. Walmart is opening two clinics in Jacksonville, two in Orlando and one in Tampa in the coming months, the company said Tuesday. The retail giant represents a growing number of non-traditional healthcare providers that seek to provide a more convenient and affordable experience through a mix of virtual and in-person care. (Kacik, 4/5)
Modern Healthcare:
Hospital Prices For Health Plans Vary Widely Across The U.S., Study Finds
Regional healthcare markets across the country have experienced significant divergence in commercial-to-Medicare price ratios between 2012 and 2019, causing insurers to pay wildly different rates to hospital systems. In areas like Chico, California and Tacoma, Washington, private payers saw hospital price ratios increase by over 100 percentage points. On the other end of the spectrum, Gulfport, Mississippi had a decrease of 109 percentage points. Nationwide, hospital costs charged to commercial health plans averaged 173% of Medicare payment rates in 2012, and the national commercial-to-Medicare price ratio only increased to 180% in 2019, according to a recent RAND Corporation study. (Devereaux, 4/4)
AP:
Hennepin Healthcare: Choose. Doctor Or Police Officer?
Hennepin Healthcare has a new policy which prohibits its doctors from working side jobs in law enforcement. The health care system’s leaders say it will end its contract for medical instruction with Minneapolis police as part of an ideological evolution. Hennepin Healthcare CEO Jennifer DeCubellis said the policy change comes from a need to draw “really clear lines” as to the hospital’s fundamental mission. (4/4)
Modern Healthcare:
Study: Most Infected Heart Implants Aren't Removed, Leading To Patient Deaths
Doctors are not removing heart device implants that develop infections, putting patients' lives at risk, according to a study from Duke University. The study of more than one million Medicare patients who received a cardiovascular implantable electronic device over a thirteen-year period found only 18% of patients who developed a device infection eventually had their pacemaker or defibrillator removed. The American Heart Association recommends removing infected devices. The study's findings were presented at the 2022 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions. (Gillespie, 4/4)
AP:
Colorado Governor Signs Law To Protect Abortion Rights
Colorado joined a handful of other states Monday in codifying the right to abortion in statute, a party-line response to efforts across the country to limit abortion access in anticipation of a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a challenge to the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that banned states from outlawing abortion. Gov. Jared Polis signed into law the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which passed the Democratic-led Legislature after dozens of hours of testimony by residents and fierce opposition by minority Republicans. The law guarantees access to reproductive care before and after pregnancy and bans local governments from imposing their own restrictions. (Anderson, 4/4)
AP:
Tennessee Advancing Bill Banning Abortion Pills By Mail
Tennessee Republicans are advancing legislation that would strictly regulate the dispensing of abortion pills, including imposing harsh penalties on doctors who violate them. The bill is part of a coordinated nationwide effort by anti-abortion groups responding to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision allowing women to pick up the abortion medication in person. (Kruesi, 4/4)
The 19th:
Abortion Pills Are Growing More Expensive And Difficult To Provide
The most common method of abortion appears to be growing substantially more expensive thanks in part to new state-based restrictions that have made it more difficult and expensive to provide. The average price of a medication abortion — which last year accounted for the majority of all abortions — grew from $495 in 2017 to $560 in 2020, per a study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs. The authors expect that trend to have continued into 2022. At the same time, clinics are growing less likely to accept insurance that could help relieve some of that burden. (Luthra, 4/4)
ABC News:
Texans Seeking Abortions In Oklahoma After Ban May Soon Face New Challenge
In the seven months since Texas enacted a law that bans nearly all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, its northern neighbor, Oklahoma, has felt the impact. "We are essentially having to turn the vast majority of people away from getting abortions because we just cannot keep up with the volume," said Dr. Christina Bourne, the medical director of Trust Women, which operates an abortion care clinic in Oklahoma City and one in Wichita, Kansas. "We could be doing abortions 24 hours a day and not keep up with the volume that is demanded of us." (Kindelan, 4/5)
The Atlantic:
The Abortion Underground Is Preparing For A Post-Roe World
One bright afternoon in early January, on a beach in Southern California, a young woman spread what looked like a very strange picnic across an orange polka-dot towel: A mason jar. A rubber stopper with two holes. A syringe without a needle. A coil of aquarium tubing and a one-way valve. A plastic speculum. Several individually wrapped sterile cannulas—thin tubes designed to be inserted into the body—which resembled long soda straws. And, finally, a three-dimensional scale model of the female reproductive system. (Bruder, 4/4)
The Washington Post:
Anti-Abortion Activist Who Kept 5 Fetuses Pleads Not Guilty In DC Case
An antiabortion activist who had five fetuses removed from her home last week by police pleaded not guilty Monday to federal civil rights violations. Lauren Handy, 28, was one of nine people indicted Wednesday for allegedly violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act in 2020. That’s when the group used chain and rope in a blockade incident at the Washington Surgi-Clinic, an abortion clinic in Foggy Bottom. The FACE Act prohibits threats intended to interfere with reproductive health-care services. (Hermann, Jackman and Boorstein, 4/4)
AP:
Georgia Governor Signs Sweeping Mental Health Bill Into Law
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday signed into law a bill aimed at bolstering the state’s dismal mental health care system by pressuring private insurers to improve coverage for mental health conditions. HB 1013 — championed by Republican House Speaker David Ralston — also requires publicly funded insurance programs to spend more on patient care and authorizes loan forgiveness for people studying to become mental health professionals. It is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars in additional state funding each year. (Thanawala, 4/4)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia Medical Marijuana Production Bill Falls One Vote Short
Georgia lawmakers couldn’t agree on a compromise medical marijuana bill Monday that would have finally allowed businesses to grow and sell cannabis oil to registered patients. Without a bill, Georgia’s medical marijuana program remains stalled amid a drawn-out government process to authorize companies to manufacture the drug. The legislation sought to award production licenses to six companies by June 7, giving over 22,000 patients a way to obtain a medicine they’ve been allowed to consume since 2015. (Niesse, 4/4)
AP:
Trial Begins In West Virginia Lawsuit Against Opioid Makers
Drug manufacturers misrepresented the risks and benefits of opioids in West Virginia and contributed to the state’s opioid crisis, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in opening arguments at a trial that began Monday. Morrisey asked a judge to hold Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., along with Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., AbbVie Inc.’s Allergan and their family of companies accountable for their “unlawful, unreasonable, callous and destructive conduct.” (Raby, 4/4)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Aaron Ford Discusses Opioid Settlement Initial Payment
As Nevada’s opioid epidemic worsens, state and local officials are hoping an influx of funds from recent settlements with drug companies will help blunt the blow. Nevada is set to receive the first tranche of funds from $285.2 million awarded through multistate settlements with opioid distributors and manufacturers, with $50.7 million million of it expected as early as this week. “With this money, Nevada can and will establish programs and services that are needed right now,” Attorney General Aaron Ford said during a press conference Monday. “Every day without these services is a day the problem continues to get worse.” (Lochhead, 4/4)
Colorado Sun:
Colorado Legislature Moves To Adopt Its First Parental Leave Policy
When state Sen. Brittany Pettersen gave birth to her son, Davis, during the 2020 lawmaking term, the only way the Lakewood Democrat could take time off and avoid being docked pay was to have her pregnancy deemed a “long-term illness.” That’s because the statutes governing the legislature dictate that a lawmaker who misses more than a third of the 120-day session should have their salaries reduced unless the Senate president or House speaker designates their absence as being due to a chronic illness. “It’s obvious that these laws were not set up for women in the legislature,” Pettersen said. (Paul, 4/4)
Mississippi Today:
Texts Reveal Influence Bryant Used To Help With Venture
During his last year as governor, Phil Bryant indulged NFL legend Brett Favre’s pleas for help with a pharmaceutical venture, which ended up receiving more than $2 million in allegedly stolen welfare funds from the Mississippi Department of Human Services during Bryant’s administration. This money was supposed to use to help the state’s most vulnerable residents. Text messages reveal the backchannel of influence Bryant used to elevate the company, Prevacus, outside the view of the public — and the payout that awaited him when he left office. (Wolfe, 4/4)
USA Today:
Gun Violence Survivors See Spike In Disorder Diagnoses: Harvard Study
Survivors of gun violence and their families see a spike in medical costs and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders in the months following an injury, according to a new study from Harvard Medical School researchers. The research, published this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, was based on patient records over 10 years. It included information from 6,498 survivors of firearm injuries, matched to 32,490 control individuals, and 12,489 family members, including significant others, parents and children of survivors of gun violence injuries, compared to 62,445 control individuals. It also included survivors’ records from one year before a firearm injury through one year after. (Pitofsky, 4/4)
Bloomberg:
Care For Gun Violence Victims Costs US $2.5 Billion In Year After Shooting
Costs of caring for U.S. gunshot survivors come to about $2.5 billion in the first year after their injuries, according to a Harvard study of a topic on which research was long relatively silent because of federal funding restrictions. Monthly direct medical costs for the gun-wounded increased from the year before the injury by almost $2,500, researchers at Harvard Medical School found. Costs for people with severe harm like brain injuries might last for years to come, said Zirui Song, an associate professor of health care policy and Massachusetts General Hospital primary-care doctor who led the study. (Adegbesan, 4/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Adults Living With Gun Owners Face Twice The Risk Of Homicide
It is a belief that helped drive a historic rise in U.S. firearms sales and first-time gun owners during the COVID-19 pandemic: Having a handgun at home for personal protection will make you safer. Groundbreaking new research conducted over a 12-year period in California shows that the opposite is true. Between October 2004 and the end of 2016, adults in the state who didn’t own a gun but took up residence with someone who did were much more likely to die a violent death than people in households without a handgun, researchers from Stanford University found. (Healy, 4/4)
Houston Chronicle:
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Wants Texas Version Of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants Texas to replicate Florida’s controversial law that prohibits schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity to students from kindergarten through the third grade. In an email to campaign supporters late Monday, Patrick said he would make the bill a “top priority” during the next legislative session in January. The law has garnered backlash from Democrats and civil rights advocates, who say the legislation marginalizes LGBTQ students and may chill all discussion of sexuality in the classroom. (Harris, 4/4)
Bangor Daily News:
A New Wall At Bangor’s Airport Tells Stories Of People’s Mental Health Struggles
The latest installation of an international campaign aimed at reducing the stigma associated with mental illnesses was unveiled at Bangor International Airport on Monday. Massachusetts-based McLean Hospital launched the public awareness campaign, “Deconstructing Stigma: Changing Attitudes About Mental Health,” in 2016 with a large installation in Boston Logan International Airport. Since then, the hospital has partnered with airports and other venues worldwide to feature volunteers who share their stories about their experiences living with mental illness. At Bangor International Airport, photos and stories of men and women from Maine and beyond who have experienced mental health challenges fill two walls. The first wall is in the airport lobby across from the check-in desks, and the other is on the second floor near the gates. (O'Brien, 4/4)
CBS News:
New Study Shows Possible Link Between Drinking More During Pandemic And Increased Obesity Rates
A third of U.S. adults reported gaining weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study released Monday shows — and researchers found that people who reported higher weight also said they began drinking more during that time. While obesity is a complex health issue that can be caused by a multitude of factors, the study used national surveys to show a possible link between the unhealthy habits. (Jones, 4/4)
USA Today:
Baby With Rare Heart Disease Receives Transplant After 218-Day Wait
After waiting 218 days, 8-month-old Elodie Carmen Baker received a new heart last week. Elodie, who was diagnosed with a rare heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy at around 2 months old, spent over 200 days on the waitlist for a heart. Finally, on March 27, she underwent a successful transplant at The Heart Center at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. "The fortitude and the strength that she's shown in the last seven months constantly amazes us. And we know that she's destined to do remarkable things," Elodie's mom, Kate Baker, told USA TODAY. (Grantham-Philips, 4/4)
USA Today:
Disney Hand Sanitizer Recall: Methanol, Benzene In Baby Yoda, Mickey
Disney-branded hand sanitizers featuring Mickey Mouse and Star Wars' The Mandalorian have been recalled over the presence of benzene and methanol. Best Brands Consumer Products is recalling The Mandalorian Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 68%, available in green and blue, and Mickey Mouse Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 68%, available in blue, according to a release from the Food and Drug Administration. FDA testing found the presence of benzene in The Mandalorian hand sanitizer, while the presence of methanol was found in the Mickey Mouse-branded hand sanitizer. (Molina and Tyko, 4/4)
Axios:
7,000 Steps Can Save Your Life
Want to live longer? Take a hike — a shorter one than you’ve been told. Mortality risk was reduced by 50% for older adults who increased their daily steps from around 3,000 to around 7,000, according to new medical research. 7,000 is the new 10,000, in terms of steps you should shoot for, The Lancet medical journal reports. This is all it takes for those 60 and older to dramatically increase their lifespans. (Pandey, 4/4)
Bloomberg:
China Covid Variants And Omicron XE In U.K. Put Fresh Focus On Virus Mutations
The disclosure of new Covid variants emerging in China and the rise of a potentially more transmissible strain in the U.K. has recast the spotlight on the ongoing risk of the virus, even as health experts say there’s no reason to panic. The World Health Organization said a hybrid of two omicron strains -- BA.1 and BA.2 -- that was first detected in the U.K. and dubbed XE could be the most transmissible variant yet. It is estimated to spread 10% more easily than BA.2, which itself was more transmissible than the original omicron famous for its ease of penetration. (Lew and Fay Cortez, 4/4)
AP:
10,000 Health Workers Sent To Help Control Shanghai Outbreak
China has sent more than 10,000 health workers from around the country to Shanghai, including 2,000 from the military, as it struggles to stamp out a rapidly spreading outbreak in its largest city under its zero-COVID strategy. Shanghai was conducting a mass testing of its 25 million residents Monday as what was announced as a two-phase lockdown entered its second week. Most of eastern Shanghai, which was supposed to re-open last Friday, remained locked down along with the western half of the city. (Moritsugu, 4/5)
USA Today:
Who Died From COVID? Poor People Got Sick More Than Richer Americans
People living in poorer counties died of COVID-19 at nearly two times the rate of people in wealthier counties, casting more light on the "shameful'' impact of ongoing health and economic disparities, according to a report released Monday by a national civil rights group and research organizations. The report comes as the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the United States approaches nearly 1 million. “The finding of this report reveals neglect and sometimes intentional decisions to not focus on the poor,’’ said William Barber, II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, a national program focusing on social justice issues that commissioned the report. “There hasn't been any systemic or systematic assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the poor and low-income communities.’’ (Barfield Berry, 4/4)
AP:
WHO Says 99% Of World's Population Breathes Poor-Quality Air
The U.N. health agency says nearly everybody in the world breathes air that doesn’t meet its standards for air quality, calling for more action to reduce fossil-fuel use, which generates pollutants that cause respiratory and blood-flow problems and lead to millions of preventable deaths each year. The World Health Organization, about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality, on Monday issued an update to its database on air quality that draws on information from a growing number of cities, towns and villages across the globe — now over 6,000 municipalities. (Keaten, 4/4)
Bloomberg:
Over 80 LGBTQ Groups Pull Out Of UK Conference After Conversion Therapy Backlash
More than 80 organizations pulled out of the U.K. government’s international LGBTQ conference due to be held in June after Boris Johnson dropped a plan to ban so-called conversion therapy for transgender people. The government is wrong to “actively exclude” trans people from the ban, the LGBT+ Consortium, an umbrella body for groups in the U.K., said in a statement on its website on Monday. “We refuse to stand by and let this happen.” Johnson’s office sparked a widespread backlash last week when it said it would drop a key Conservative Party pledge to legally outlaw conversion therapy, the practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual. (Ashton, 4/4)