First Edition: Dec. 9, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
With Pandemic Surging, Ohio Gov. DeWine Dials Back His Aggressive Response
Eric Shanteau didn’t know he was about to create a viral pandemic meme when he made a cutout of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s head with two fingers pointing at his eyes, photographed the smiling visage in various strategic, comedic locations around the Toledo suburb of Maumee, and then posted the images online. He also didn’t know that the Republican governor was that day in mid-November visiting Toledo after announcing new coronavirus restrictions to counter an alarming surge in the state’s infection rates. (McAuliff, 12/9)
KHN:
It’s Time To Scare People About COVID
I still remember exactly where I was sitting decades ago, during the short film shown in class: For a few painful minutes, we watched a woman talking mechanically, raspily through a hole in her throat, pausing occasionally to gasp for air. The public service message: This is what can happen if you smoke. I had nightmares about that ad, which today would most likely be tagged with a trigger warning or deemed unsuitable for children. But it was supremely effective: I never started smoking and doubt that few if any of my horrified classmates did either. (Rosenthal, 12/9)
KHN:
As More Red States Legalize Marijuana, Some Officials Try To Nip It In The Bud
With his state reeling amid one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the nation, the last thing South Dakota Speaker of the House Steven Haugaard wants to be dealing with during the upcoming legislative session is marijuana. But the state’s voters haven’t left the Republican much choice. This fall, South Dakota became the first state in the U.S. to legalize both medical marijuana and recreational marijuana in the same election. Haugaard, who long opposed any form of marijuana legalization, now must participate in the creation of a medical marijuana program. (Franz, 12/9)
KHN:
What Seniors Can Expect When COVID Vaccines Begin To Roll Out
Vaccines that protect against COVID-19 are on the way. What should older adults expect? The first candidates, from Pfizer and Moderna, could arrive before Christmas, according to Alex Azar, who heads the Department of Health and Human Services. (Graham, 12/9)
AP:
US Virus Deaths Hit Record Levels With The Holidays Ahead
Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to more than 2,200 a day on average, matching the frightening peak reached last April, and cases per day have eclipsed 200,000 on average for the first time on record, with the crisis all but certain to get worse because of the fallout from Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Virtually every state is reporting surges just as a vaccine appears days away from getting the go-ahead in the U.S. “What we do now literally will be a matter of life and death for many of our citizens,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday as he extended restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, including a ban on indoor dining and drinking at restaurants and bars. (Pane and La Corte, 12/8)
Politico:
On Eve Of U.S. Vaccine Approval, Trump Cranks Up The Politics
President Donald Trump on Tuesday gathered people at the White House to celebrate the "miracle" of a coronavirus vaccine. But the vaccine makers declined to attend. An introductory video tossed some of Trump’s own government scientists under the bus. And the man Trump tapped to help speed vaccine development spent the morning distancing himself from the executive order Trump signed at the event. (Niedzwiadek, 12/8)
Reuters:
While Seeking Credit For Vaccine, Trump Says He May Invoke Defense Production Act
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would invoke the Defense Production Act if needed to ensure Americans are first in line for domestically produced coronavirus vaccines at a summit designed to give him and his team credit for speedy vaccine development. Trump made his remarks just before signing an executive order intended to ensure that priority access for COVID-19 vaccines procured by the U.S. government is given to the American people before assisting other nations. (Mason, 12/8)
Stat:
Trump Takes Vaccine Victory Lap At White House Summit
President Trump on Tuesday took a victory lap at a White House “Summit” meant to celebrate his administration’s remarkable sprint to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, using the event to claim credit for the effort and deride the experts who initially expressed skepticism at the government’s hyper-aggressive timetable. (Facher, 12/8)
Politico:
‘I Literally Don’t Know’: Operation Warp Speed Scientist Can’t Explain Trump’s Vaccine Order
The chief scientist of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed was unable to explain President Donald Trump’s latest executive order Tuesday, which aims to prioritize shipment of the coronavirus vaccine to Americans over other countries. Moncef Slaoui, who Trump tapped in May to head up the administration’s efforts to hasten vaccine development, appeared puzzled when asked to clarify the president’s order during an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Frankly, I don’t know, and frankly, I’m staying out of this. I can’t comment,” Slaoui said. “I literally don’t know.” (Forgey, 12/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Brags Of Vaccines, But Will He Promote The Shots?
Even as President Trump claims credit for the rapid development of vaccines against COVID-19, it remains unclear whether he will take the vaccine and how hard he’ll work to persuade skeptical followers to get immunized, particularly after he leaves office. Other former presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — have publicly committed to taking the vaccine, which may be shipped out to medical centers and nursing homes as soon as this weekend. So have President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. (Levey and Megerian, 12/8)
The Washington Post:
Countdown To America’s First Coronavirus Vaccine: What To Watch This Critical Week
For a nation ravaged by the pandemic, this week marks a pivotal moment — the final push by federal regulators to clear the first experimental coronavirus vaccine for a besieged populace. If all goes as expected over the next few days, the Food and Drug Administration could give emergency authorization to the vaccine as early as week’s end, triggering the start of an unprecedented effort to inoculate enough Americans to confer individual immunity and eventually stop the virus’s spread. That next chapter, however, is filled with herculean challenges, including ramping up production to tens of millions of doses, shipping them in specially designed boxes packed with dry ice to keep them ultracold and vaccinating people in every corner of the United States. (McGinley, 12/7)
AP:
Pfizer Vaccine Moves Closer To Getting The OK In The US
U.S. regulators Tuesday released their first scientific evaluation of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and confirmed it offers strong protection, setting the stage for the government to green light the biggest vaccination effort in the nation’s history. The analysis by Food and Drug Administration scientists comes ahead of a Thursday meeting where the agency’s independent advisers will debate if the evidence is strong enough to recommend vaccinating millions of Americans. A final FDA decision and the first shots could follow within just days. They are among a whirlwind of developments that are expected to make multiple vaccines available by early next year, in the U.S. and beyond. (Neergaard and Perrone, 12/8)
NPR:
FDA Head Stephen Hahn On What's Next For Pfizer Vaccine In Fast-Moving Process
The Food and Drug Administration has found that there are "no specific safety concerns" that would stop the agency from approving the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use. Career scientists at the FDA analyzed the data from the ongoing Pfizer trial to form their own conclusions about its safety and efficacy. Stephen Hahn, who heads the FDA, says the public analysis is a "very, very important part of our promise to the American people that we won't cut corners in how we assess the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine." (Chang, 12/8)
Politico:
U.S. Could Face Months Of Vaccine Shortages Amid Global Competition
The United States could be heading for a vaccine cliff this spring, with shortages forcing hundreds of millions of Americans to wait for shots amid intense global competition for limited doses. The Trump administration has bought 100 million doses each of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, but the U.S. is unlikely to get additional doses anytime soon because of strong international demand. And both vaccines require two doses per person, effectively halving the already scarce supply. (Owermohle, 12/8)
The Washington Post:
Here’s Were Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Could Go Ahead Of More Doses For United States
The European Union and Japan have both staked claim to an even larger portion of Pfizer doses than the United States has, and Americans will have to wait as those countries receive shares of their initial orders while supplies remain limited. But as a wealthy country with a large number of orders in place and good cold storage infrastructure, the United States is still near the top of the global vaccine pecking order, while some poor countries could have to wait until 2024 to offer vaccines to their entire populations, according to one study. (Rauhala, 12/8)
The Hill:
Pentagon Draft List Prioritizes Medical Personnel, Senior Leaders In Vaccine Rollout: Report
The Pentagon has a draft list of the first groups set to receive a coronavirus vaccine, with health care workers in the lead, followed by and top Pentagon leaders and military units, CNN reported. The Department of Defense (DOD) has released few details on when a COVID-19 vaccine would be distributed among service members. (Mitchell, 12/8)
USA Today:
Operation Warp Speed: What We Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Five percent of all produced COVID-19 vaccine will be held back for emergencies and states will have the option of trading vials within the government's ordering system to get the kind they want. Those are just a few of the details we're learning about how the vaccine will move around the nation as distribution comes closer, potentially as early as Friday or Saturday. Paul Ostrowski, who leads supply, production and distribution for the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, walked USA TODAY through the process. (Weise, 12/8)
Bloomberg:
With Freezers In Tow, U.S. Employers Rush To Fill Vaccine Void
As U.S. health authorities near emergency approvals for the first Covid-19 vaccines, companies are taking some of the first concrete steps to prepare for the unprecedented and complex task of distributing hundreds of millions of doses to the American workforce. Ford Motor Co. has procured deep-freezers to store vaccines at some of its factories. Sanderson Farms Inc., a top poultry producer, will administer vaccines to employees at health clinics erected at its facilities, and the CEO pledges to get inoculated on video to encourage workers to do the same. Activision Blizzard Inc. plans to cover vaccination costs for employees and their immediate families. Several industries are lobbying to get their workers near the front of the line after the first doses go to health-care workers and nursing home residents. (Beene and Hirtzer, 12/9)
Stateline:
Health Care Workers Can Decline A COVID-19 Shot For Now
Millions of health care workers are slated to receive the first batch of potentially lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this month. But not all of them want to be first in line. Only one-third of a panel of 13,000 nurses said they would voluntarily take a vaccine, another third said they wouldn’t and the rest said they were unsure, according to a late October survey by the American Nurses Association. (Vestal, 12/8)
The New York Times:
Here’s Why Vaccinated People Still Need To Wear A Mask
The new Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna seem to be remarkably good at preventing serious illness. But it’s unclear how well they will curb the spread of the coronavirus. That’s because the Pfizer and Moderna trials tracked only how many vaccinated people became sick with Covid-19. That leaves open the possibility that some vaccinated people get infected without developing symptoms, and could then silently transmit the virus — especially if they come in close contact with others or stop wearing masks. (Mandavillil, 12/8)
The Washington Post:
In Competing Events, Trump And Biden Offer Conflicting Messages On The Pandemic — And Illustrate An Ongoing Fight For Attention
The nation’s top infectious-disease expert was a notable no-show at President Trump’s coronavirus vaccine summit at the White House on Tuesday. Anthony S. Fauci told colleagues that he had a scheduling conflict, so he wasn’t seated among the government health officials in the Southcourt Auditorium. Which made it all the more jarring when he popped up via video message on the jumbo screen at a health-related event with President-elect Joe Biden in Wilmington, Del., at the same time. (Nakamura, 12/8)
The New York Times:
Two Presidents, Two Messages, One Killer Virus
One president all but declared victory over the pandemic, hailing new vaccines as a “medical miracle” and congratulating himself for doing what “nobody has ever seen before.” The next president declared the pandemic deadlier than ever, calling it a “mass casualty” event that is leaving “a gaping hole” in America with more misery to come. “We’re here to discuss a monumental national achievement,” President Trump boasted on one screen. “From the instant the coronavirus invaded our shores, we raced into action.” “We’re in a very dark winter,” President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said minutes later in his own speech on another screen. “Things may well get worse before they get better.” (Baker, 12/8)
Fox News:
Biden’s 3-Part Plan To Tackle The Coronavirus: Masks, Vaccinations, Opening Schools
President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a three-part plan to combat the coronavirus pandemic in the first 100 days of his administration. Biden, speaking in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., as he formally unveiled his team of top health officials, emphasized “masking, vaccinations, opening schools. These are the three key goals for my first 100 days.” And the president-elect stressed, “I’m absolutely convinced that in 100 days we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better.” (Steinhauser, 12/8)
AP:
Biden Vows To Reopen Most Schools After 1st 100 Days On Job
While still a candidate, Biden released a plan in July for resuming in-person classroom instruction during the pandemic that promised to send Congress an emergency funding package to help schools reopen with a price tag worth up to $30 billion. That plan said final decisions on reopening schools would fall to state and local officials but nonetheless promised to enlist federal agencies to establish “basic, objective criteria” for doing so. Those included districts securing necessary funding to reconfigure classrooms for better social distancing, procuring protective equipment and devising plans to accommodate at-risk teachers and students. (Weissert, 12/8)
FierceHealthcare:
Healthcare Organizations Urge Biden's HHS Nominee Becerra To Hit Ground Running On COVID-19 Response
While California Attorney General Xavier Becerra—reportedly President-elect Joe Biden's pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—is best known on the national landscape for his work defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health industry leaders say he'll have to prioritize the pandemic above all else in the role. In a statement, Rick Pollack, president of the American Hospital Association (AHA), commended Becerra for his efforts to lead the defense of the ACA against a legal challenge from red states and the Trump administration. But the most critical priority remains the pandemic response, he said. (Minemyer, 12/7)
Roll Call:
Inauguration Planning The Latest Thing To Enter The Controversy Zone
A meeting of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies turned sour Tuesday, when Republican leaders on the typically uncontroversial panel rejected a resolution that would assert that Joe Biden is president-elect. ... The rejected proposal would have prompted the JCCIC to announce that they are preparing for the inauguration of Biden and Harris, in coordination with the Biden Presidential Inaugural Committee and public health experts. (Tully-McManus and McPherson, 12/8)
Reuters:
Trump Administration Makes New $916 Billion Offer For COVID-19 Aid
The Trump administration proposed a $916 billion coronavirus relief package on Tuesday, after congressional Democrats shot down a suggestion for a pared-down plan from the Senate’s leading Republican, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he presented the administration’s $916 billion plan in a conversation with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat. Writing on Twitter, he said it included money for state and local governments, a Democratic priority, and liability protections for businesses, a Republican priority. (Cornwell and Morgan, 12/8)
Politico:
Confusion Grips Capitol Amid Flurry Of Stimulus Plans
No one seems to know what’s going on with coronavirus relief anymore. In the span of an afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested dropping discussions on the two biggest sticking points. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin offered a new proposal to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A bipartisan group of senators is still working to finalize language on a $908 billion package. And President Donald Trump endorsed new stimulus checks. (Levine and Everett, 12/8)
Politico:
Trump Backs New Stimulus Checks Amid Hawley Push
President Donald Trump is getting behind a second round of stimulus checks, even as several of the leading coronavirus relief bills leave out new direct payments to Americans. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has spoken repeatedly to the president about the matter, including on Tuesday afternoon. He said that Trump will likely support at least $1,200 in payments for individuals, and could even go higher. (Everett, 12/8)
The Washington Post:
$600 Stimulus Checks Could Be Included In Economic Relief Package Based On White House Demand
The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed an economic relief package that would offer far skimpier federal unemployment benefits than what has been proposed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, adding an element of uncertainty into the fragile stimulus negotiations, according to two people familiar with the matter. Instead, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has proposed that lawmakers approve another stimulus check worth $600 per person and $600 per child, the people familiar with the plan said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share details of private deliberations. (Stein and DeBonis, 12/8)
Roll Call:
As Congress Talks, Businesses Try GoFundMe To Survive COVID-19
After selling just three drinks on a Sunday in October, Patti Brett worried they might be her last. For more than 40 years, Doobies Bar has been a communal living room for Philadelphia’s Grad Hospital neighborhood, a place to chat with friends and play board games over beers. Brett started working there before her mother bought it in 1978. Doobies’ meaning to the community is evident on its walls, lined with David Bowie memorabilia given to Brett, arguably the city’s biggest fan of the Thin White Duke. But after outlasting the hospital that gave the neighborhood its name, Brett’s bar may now succumb to the coronavirus pandemic. With bills piling up, she turned to the crowdfunding site GoFundMe to solicit donations. “I’m asking for your help because I don’t know what else to do,” she wrote. (Saksa, 12/8)
Modern Healthcare:
McConnell Backs Down On 'Red Line' Of COVID-19 Liability Protections
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday indicated a willingness to abandon liability protections for businesses and healthcare providers to get a COVID-19 relief bill passed by the end of the year. McConnell had called an enhanced liability shield a "red line" for months during failed negotiations. He said he would be willing to push negotiations on liability protections and funding for state and local governments to next year if that's what it took to get relief passed this year. (Cohrs, 12/8)
The New York Times:
A Senate Hearing Promoted Unproven Drugs And Dubious Claims About The Coronavirus
Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, spent much of this year promoting investigations into Hunter Biden, trying fruitlessly to show corruption on the part of Joseph R. Biden Jr. Now Mr. Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is more focused on another narrative sympathetic to President Trump if not to established science: that the reaction to the coronavirus pandemic has been overblown and that public health officials have been too quick to come to conclusions about the best ways to deal with it. (Quiu, 12/8)
The Hill:
Bipartisan Fix For 'Surprise' Medical Bills Hits Roadblock
A broad bipartisan effort to pass legislation protecting patients from massive “surprise” medical bills is now on life support as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) digs in on a separate proposal. Democratic and Republican leaders of three committees in the House and Senate have been pushing for months to pass their measure, which would prevent Americans from unexpectedly getting hit with medical bills for thousands of dollars for common scenarios like treatment from a doctor outside their insurance network when they require emergency care. (Sullivan, 12/8)
The Hill:
GOP Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Eliminate Federal Prescribing Requirements
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation on Tuesday aimed at eliminating federal prescribing requirements. Biggs said that the health care industry has been “operating under the nanny-state,” citing the coronavirus pandemic as an area where he feels patients should have more control over their drug choices. (Brufke, 12/8)
AP:
Studies Suggest AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Safe, Effective
New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55 — a key concern for a vaccine that health officials hope to rely on around the world because of its low cost, availability and ease of use. Still, experts say the vaccine seems likely to be approved, despite some confusion in the results and lower levels of protection than what some other vaccine candidates have shown. (Marchione, 12/8)
Stat:
AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Has Moderate Efficacy, Data Show
The Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca appears to have moderate efficacy in preventing symptomatic illness, and may significantly reduce hospitalization from the disease, data from four clinical trials of the vaccine reveal. The highly anticipated publication of the data, released Tuesday in The Lancet, also point to some signals that deserve further exploration — the possibility of protection after a single dose and the suggestion that at least one dosing regimen may have led to a decrease the number of asymptomatic infections. (Branswell and Herper, 12/8)
The New York Times:
AstraZeneca Missteps Undermined U.S. Faith In Coronavirus Vaccine
On the afternoon of Sept. 8, AstraZeneca officials had a conference call with the Food and Drug Administration. The discussion covered important ground: What would AstraZeneca need to do to win the F.D.A.’s blessing for the coronavirus vaccine it was developing with the University of Oxford? But the AstraZeneca representatives neglected to mention a crucial development: Two days earlier, the company had quietly halted trials of its vaccine around the world, including a late-stage study in the United States. It acted after a participant in Britain fell ill. (Robbins, LaFraniere, Weiland Kirkpatrick and Mueller, 12/8)
Boston Globe:
Stark Inequities Persist In COVID-19 Testing
In Wellesley, wealthy donors have contributed $200,000 so students and teachers can be tested for the coronavirus each week in the comfort of their homes — with results returned from a New York lab in less than two days. Miles away in Dorchester, people must stand in line. It’s first come, first served at DotHouse Health center for anyone who wants a free test. But the wait is typically two or three hours, and results often take more than three days. Nine months into the pandemic, the landscape for COVID-19 testing has shifted dramatically, but it continues to lay bare stark inequities. (Lazar and Krantz, 12/8)
Modern Healthcare:
Cybersecurity Flaw Discovered In 100+ GE Medical Devices
A cybersecurity vulnerability discovered in more than 100 medical devices from GE Healthcare could compromise patient data, cybersecurity company CyberMDX said Tuesday. It's the latest example of how medical devices—increasingly connected to the internet or internal hospital networks—could provide another window for hackers targeting healthcare. The flaw discovered by CyberMDX's research team affects 104 types of radiological devices including CT scanners, X-ray machines and ultrasound devices, across product lines like GE Healthcare's Innova, Optima, Brivo, Definium, Precision, Discovery, Seno, Revolution, Odyssey, PETtrace, Ventri and Xeleris, according to CyberMDX. (Kim Cohen, 12/8)
Stat:
HHS Urged To Investigate The FDA's Handling Of Biogen Alzheimer's Drug
A federal watchdog is being asked to investigate the Food and Drug Administration for an “inappropriate collaboration” with Biogen (BIIB) in readying an application for regulatory approval to market aducanumab, its controversial Alzheimer’s treatment. (Silverman, 12/9)
Stat:
Shift To Remote Cancer Clinical Trials Will Likely Outlast The Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has presented an extreme challenge for cancer clinical trials, with many shutting down completely in the spring and others struggling to recruit patients too afraid of Covid-19 to risk entering hospitals or clinics. But researchers say there’s been an unexpected silver lining: The many innovations they rapidly ushered into place to make it safer and easier to access clinical trials are working so well for both patients and researchers, they may stay in place long after the epidemic ends. (McFarling, 12/9)
Becker's Hospital Review:
Advocate Aurora To Give $66M In Employee Bonuses
Advocate Aurora Health, with headquarters in Milwaukee and Downers Grove, Ill., will be giving about $66 million in bonuses to employees before the year's end. The health system's president and CEO, Jim Skogsbergh, announced the bonuses in a staff video memo shared with Becker's Dec. 8. In the video, Mr. Skogsbergh said the bonuses aren't based on financial or quality performance, "because frankly, this is a year that we're off on almost all of our numbers, as are most healthcare organizations who have invested so heavily in their workforce despite the devastating financial impact of COVID-19." Rather, he said the bonuses are for hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Haefner, 12/8)
FierceHealthcare:
Cleveland Clinic Makes Deal With Sisters Of Charity To Acquire Mercy Medical Center
Cleveland Clinic signed an agreement with Sisters of Charity Health System to fully acquire Mercy Medical Center, a hospital based in southeastern Ohio. The transaction, announced Tuesday (PDF), the terms of which were not disclosed, is expected to be finalized by Feb. 1. It comes as Cleveland Clinic continues to battle lower patient volumes caused by the pandemic. (King, 12/8)
Modern Healthcare:
Federal Judge Tosses Regulators' Bid To Block Jefferson-Einstein Deal
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday that looked to block the Jefferson Health and Albert Einstein Healthcare Network merger, poking holes in regulators' argument that it would stifle competition and lead to price increases. The Federal Trade Commission and the Pennsylvania Attorney General sued to block the deal that would add three acute-care hospitals and a rehab hospital to Jefferson's 14-hospital network, noting that the combined entity would control at least 60% of the acute-care market around North Philadelphia. But federal and state regulators failed to prove that insurers wouldn't be able to find viable substitutes for the merged system and thus would have to submit to higher reimbursement rate mandates, U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Pappert wrote. (Kacik, 12/8)
Modern Healthcare:
Care New England CEO Swiftly Rebuffs StoneBridge Buyout Offer
Care New England's CEO appeared to reject a turnaround firm's $550 million buyout offer Tuesday, saying that its ongoing merger talks bar discussion with other would-be suitors. The Providence, R.I.-based health system is the second to swiftly rebuff StoneBridge Healthcare's advances. Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, Tenn. responded to the turnaround firm's offer in August by declaring itself "not for sale." (Bannow, 12/8)
AP:
Pediatrician's License Suspended In Oregon Over Vaccines
The Oregon Medical Board has suspended the license of Portland Dr. Paul Thomas, citing multiple cases in which he allegedly failed to adequately vaccinate patients, including one involving a child who contracted tetanus and required hospitalization. According to last week’s order, the medical board can temporarily suspend a medical license without a hearing when it has evidence that a doctor’s continued practice constitutes an immediate danger to the public, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. (12/9)
AP:
Salem Nurse Who Mocked COVID-19 Rules To Stop Practicing
A nurse at Salem Health who on social media flouted Oregon’s COVID-19 restrictions last month has agreed to stop working for the healthcare provider. KOIN-TV reported Tuesday that Ashley Grames received an Interim Consent Order for her departure effective Dec. 8, according to state records. (12/8)
The New York Times:
McKinsey Issues A Rare Apology For Its Role In OxyContin Sales
Facing mounting pressure about its role in the opioid crisis, McKinsey has taken the unusual step of acknowledging that its work with Purdue Pharma fell short of its standards and vowed a full internal review of its actions, including the possible destruction of documents. Criticism of the world’s most prestigious consulting firm has intensified since The New York Times reported last month that McKinsey had discussed ways for Purdue to “turbocharge” sales of its drug OxyContin, proposing that it pay distributors rebates for overdoses linked to the pills they sold. Lawmakers — both Democrats and Republicans — have called for McKinsey to be investigated, and a prominent physician employed by the firm said executives who knew of this work should resign. (Bogdanich and Forsythe, 12/8)
The New York Times:
18 Days After Giving Birth, Woman Dies From Covid-19
Erika Becerra was eight months pregnant when she learned she had tested positive for the coronavirus. Almost immediately after she got the result, her body began aching, she developed a fever and she felt tightness in her chest. When she began having trouble breathing, her husband called for an ambulance. Three days later, on Nov. 15, she gave birth in a Detroit hospital to a healthy boy, Diego. She never got to hold him, her brother told KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. Ms. Becerra’s health declined so rapidly that doctors put her on a ventilator, which she remained on for 18 days. Ms. Becerra, 33, who had no known health problems before she became ill, died on Thursday. (Cramer, 12/8)
Stat:
Grief In The Covid Era Will Weigh On The American Psyche For Years To Come
The rituals of grief and mourning are as old as time: the swift Jewish burial and seven days of sitting shiva to honor the dead; the Muslim washing and three-sheeted shrouding of a body; the solemn Mass of Christian Burial with Holy Communion and the promise of an afterlife. All these — and other rites of faith and community across the globe — have been brutally curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, with effects on the mental and physical health of those left behind that have yet to be grasped. (Purdum, 12/9)
The Washington Post:
Plastic Surgery Is Up During The Pandemic
After logging many hours on Zoom, Sarah Hayes became distressed. “I noticed my face was starting to look older: fine lines and droopy,” said the senior program manager for a financial firm in New Hampshire. “I’m definitely bothered by my lines more on video than in real life.” So, she decided to get Botox. Call it a Zoom boom. Or an opportune moment. Plastic surgeons across the globe are anecdotally reporting an unprecedented number of requests for procedures. (Braff, 12/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
Can We Make Our Sex Lives Fun Again?
How’s your sex life? If it leaves something to be desired, you’re not alone. People have been having less sex—with a partner or solo—since the pandemic began, according to a longitudinal study called “Sex and Relationships in the Time of Covid-19” conducted by researchers at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. And the more stressed, disconnected or lonely a person has felt, the greater the negative impact on his or her sex life has been. (Bernstein, 12/8)
CNBC:
Even ‘Cruises To Nowhere’ Can’t Escape The Coronavirus
Unlike airlines and hotels, cruise ships are having a hard time getting business restarted this year. Now even one so-called “cruise to nowhere” has found itself curtailed. Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas passenger cruise ship cut short its four-day itinerary on Wednesday, returning to Singapore a day early after an 83-year-old male passenger tested positive for Covid-19. (Buchanan Pitrelli, 12/9)
Politico:
California Judge Says L.A. Officials 'Arbitrarily' Set Outdoor Dining Ban
A judge on Tuesday dealt a rebuke to Los Angeles County public health officials racing to control Covid-19's spread, blocking an indefinite ban on outdoor dining announced late last month. "By failing to weigh the benefits of an outdoor dining restriction against its costs, the County acted arbitrarily and its decision lacks a rational relationship to a legitimate end," wrote Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant in a tentative ruling issued Tuesday to a legal challenge from the California Restaurant Association. (Murphy and Colliver, 12/8)
The New York Times:
What New York City’s Sewers Reveal About The Virus
New York City’s sewers, whose lore has spawned films, children’s books and fantastical tales of alligator infestation, have now seized a role in the pandemic: Scientists are tracking outbreaks by monitoring the smelly, gray effluent that flows through underground pipes in hopes of identifying coronavirus clusters days before they appear through patient testing. The undertaking, which has ramped up in recent weeks, has mirrored efforts across the country to surveil waterways for viral components, flushed down toilets by infected Americans who are excreting it in feces, even when asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. (Kilgannon, 12/8)
The Washington Post:
First Doses Of Pfizer Vaccine Arrive In Israel; Netanyahu Says He’ll Get The First Shot
Israel received its first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in front of the just-landed DHL plane, pledging to be the first inoculated as soon as the drug is approved by American regulators. The initial shipment from Brussels included thousands of doses of the vaccine expected to get a final greenlight from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in coming days. Up to 4 million doses are expected in Israel by the end of the month, according to media reports. (Hendrix and Rubin, 12/9)
AP:
Morocco To Use Chinese Vaccine To Kick Off Mass Vaccinations
Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on a Chinese vaccine that has not yet completed advanced trials to prove it is safe and effective. On Tuesday, King Mohammed VI instructed the government to make the vaccine free, according to a Royal Palace statement. (El Barakah, 12/8)
AP:
India Says It May Approve Vaccine In Weeks, Outlines Plan
India’s Health Ministry has announced that some COVID-19 vaccines are likely to receive licenses in the next few weeks and outlined an initial plan to immunize 300 million people. Health officials said Tuesday that three vaccine companies have applied for early approval for emergency use in India: Serum Institute of India, which has been licensed to manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine, Pfizer Inc., and Indian manufacturer Bharat Biotech. (Ghosal, 12/9)
AP:
Iran Says US Sanctions Hinder Access To COVID-19 Vaccines
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that U.S. sanctions are making it difficult for Iran to purchase medicine and health supplies from abroad, including COVID-19 vaccines needed to contain the worst outbreak in the Middle East. President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed crippling sanctions on Iran’s banking sector and its vital oil and gas industry since unilaterally withdrawing the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. (12/9)