First Edition: Feb. 4, 2022
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
California Inks Sweetheart Deal With Kaiser Permanente, Jeopardizing Medicaid Reforms
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has negotiated a secret deal to give Kaiser Permanente a special Medicaid contract that would allow the health care behemoth to expand its reach in California and largely continue selecting the enrollees it wants, which other health plans say leaves them with a disproportionate share of the program’s sickest and costliest patients. The deal, hammered out behind closed doors between Kaiser Permanente and senior officials in Newsom’s office, could complicate a long-planned and expensive transformation of Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, which covers roughly 14 million low-income Californians. (Editor’s note: KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.) (Wolfson, Hart and Young, 2/3)
KHN:
A Disabled Activist Speaks Out About Feeling ‘Disposable’
In early January, one of the country’s top public health officials went on national television and delivered what she called “really encouraging news” on covid-19: A recent study showed that more than three-fourths of fatalities from the omicron variant of the virus occurred among people with several other medical conditions. “These are people who were unwell to begin with,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Walensky’s remarks infuriated Americans with disabilities, who say the pandemic has highlighted how the medical establishment — and society at large — treats their lives as expendable. (Scheier, 2/4)
KHN:
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Paging The HHS Secretary
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is becoming a target for both Democrats and Republicans over what they call a lack of coordination of covid efforts within his department. But at the same time, officials from the Biden administration have made it clear from the start that the covid campaign would be orchestrated by the White House, so it’s not clear whether the secretary was supposed to play a major role. Meanwhile, as covid cases decline, covid-weary politicians and the public are pushing to ease the latest round of restrictions. But those with compromised immune systems and other disabilities fear they could pay the price. (2/3)
AP:
Medicare Opens Up Access To Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests
Medicare benefits are governed by a host of arcane laws and regulations, and officials said Thursday they were able to arrange for coverage of over-the-counter COVID-19 tests by using the program’s legal authority to conduct demonstration programs on innovative ways to deliver health care. This is the first time Medicare has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to recipients. People with Medicare Advantage, a private insurance option that covers about 4 in 10 Medicare enrollees, will also have access to free COVID-19 tests through their plans, officials said. Medicare Advantage plans can already cover over-the-counter COVID-19 tests as a supplemental benefit. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/3)
Stat:
Lander: New Cancer Plan ‘More Ambitious By Far’ Than Original Moonshot
A more modest cancer moonshot? Not so fast, says Eric Lander. The White House science adviser pushed back on the many characterizations of the new effort as smaller and less ambitious than the 2016 push, in an interview with STAT this week. Lander stressed that the current effort shouldn’t be viewed as an attempt to scale back the federal government’s cancer-curing ambitions. Even though it makes no mention of cancer “cures,” and doesn’t call for new research money, Lander argued the new plan is “audacious.” (Facher, 2/4)
Modern Healthcare:
Biden Administration Announces $19 Million For New Residency Positions
The Biden administration on Thursday made $19 million in grants available to train primary care residents in rural and under-served communities, part of an effort to address physician shortages. The funding will support an additional 120 residency slots at community-based ambulatory patient care centers. "This funding provides our primary care workforce with opportunities to train in areas where they can make a profound impact, and is one of the many steps we're taking to address long-standing health disparities," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said. (Hellmann, 2/3)
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Nominee Faces Steep Climb To Senate Confirmation
The White House is facing pressure from prominent lawmakers over its pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration, with abortion foes urging Republican senators to reject the nominee, Dr. Robert Califf, and with key Democrats withholding support over opioid policies and his industry ties. Nearly six years after Dr. Califf received overwhelming bipartisan support to lead the agency in the final year of the Obama administration, lawmakers and aides are struggling to lock up the votes he needs to clear an evenly divided Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris serves as the tiebreaking vote. (Jewett and Cochrane, 2/3)
Stat:
Lawmakers Grill Key FDA Official Over Alzheimer’s Drug Approval
The Food and Drug Administration can’t escape questions about Aduhelm. Patrizia Cavazzoni, one of the agency’s highest-ranking drug regulators, set out to testify before Congress Thursday on the intricacies of three looming funding bills crucial to the agency’s operations. But again and again, lawmakers grilled her about Biogen’s controversial Alzhiemer’s drug. One lawmaker, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), even joined the meeting just to chide Cavazzoni, even though she’s not a member of the subcommittee that held the hearing. (Florko, 2/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Covid-19 Hospitalizations Continue Tracking Downward
Hospitalizations for Covid-19 in the U.S. continued to fall, with the seven-day average of patients with confirmed or suspected cases easing to 134,000 on Wednesday, down 16% from a Jan. 20 high, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. Deaths, a lagging indicator, are ticking upward, reaching a seven-day average of 2,530, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, though they are off the highs recorded in January last year. Public health experts say that while the more contagious Omicron variant of the virus is less likely to cause severe illness than previous variants, the large number of infections this winter means it is continuing to cause a large and growing number of fatalities. (Kostov, Roland and Abbott, 2/3)
CIDRAP:
US COVID-19 Cases Continue Steep Decline
New daily cases have decreased by almost 50% in the last 2 weeks, but the average daily death rate — which lags by 4 to 6 weeks behind case rates — has increased by 35%. An analysis of new federal data shows 100,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 since Thanksgiving. (Soucheray, 2/3)
The New York Times:
In New York City Sewage, A Mysterious Coronavirus Signal
Last January, a team of researchers searching for the coronavirus in New York City’s wastewater spotted something strange in their samples. The viral fragments they found had a unique constellation of mutations that had never been reported before in human patients — a potential sign of a new, previously undetected variant. For the past year, these oddball sequences, or what the scientists call “cryptic lineages,” have continued to pop up in the city’s wastewater. (Anthes, 2/3)
The Washington Post:
Yes, It’s Still A Pandemic Of The Unvaccinated — Arguably Even More So Now
New data shows that the gap between vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans remains stark. In fact, when you compare unvaccinated people to those most protected by the vaccines, the gap has grown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data this week from Los Angeles County. The data covered the period between Nov. 7 and Jan. 8, which means the vast majority of cases involved came after the rise of omicron. What you’ll see right away is that there are indeed lots of infections among both unvaccinated people and vaccinated people — more specifically, vaccinated people who haven’t gotten boosters. (Blake, 2/3)
NBC News:
Once Struggling, Anti-Vaccination Groups Have Enjoyed A Pandemic Windfall
The pandemic has been a boon for the anti-vaccine community, with ... Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), one of the country’s best-funded anti-vaccine organizations, among the biggest beneficiaries, according to newly filed tax records. ICAN reported $5.5 million in revenue in 2020, a 60 percent increase over the previous year. The funding underscores how lucrative the pandemic has been for a handful of groups that spread health misinformation and undermine public faith in vaccines. Those donations primarily come from private donors, including through Facebook fundraisers. (Zadrozny, 2/3)
AP:
Iowa Governor Ending COVID Public Health Emergency Feb. 15
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday she is calling an end to the coronavirus public health emergency, a move that will limit the release of state public health data but reflects the governor’s long-held belief that it’s time to move on from pandemic restrictions. Reynolds said in a statement that the state cannot treat COVID-19 as a public health emergency indefinitely. “After two years, it’s no longer feasible or necessary,” she said. “The flu and other infectious illnesses are part of our everyday lives, and coronavirus can be managed similarly.” (Pitt, 2/3)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Schools See Big Decline In Coronavirus Cases
Coronavirus infections have declined about 70% since the start of the spring semester among students in L.A. County, but overall rates remain significantly higher than they were before the current surge. The decline in the latest countywide figures, released Thursday by Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, aligns with other data suggesting that the peak of the explosive growth due to the Omicron variant has passed. Health officials warned, however, that it remains important to take precautions — many of which remain required under local health orders. (Blume, 2/3)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County To Nix Masks Outdoors Once COVID Stats Improve
Outlining how health and safety rules could be loosened as the coronavirus’ Omicron variant continues to wane, Los Angeles County officials said Thursday that face coverings no longer will be required in certain outdoor settings once COVID-19 hospitalizations drop, and indoor mask rules could be loosened after further gains. The county would enter this “post-surge” phase when coronavirus-positive hospitalizations drop below 2,500 for seven straight days, about 26% below the current figure. As of Wednesday, just under 3,400 coronavirus-positive patients were hospitalized countywide, down 29% from the apparent high mark of the Omicron wave, set a little more than two weeks ago, when about 4,800 were hospitalized. (Money, Lin II and Alpert Reyes, 2/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Expanded COVID Sick Leave In California Could Take Effect Next Week
Many California workers are one step closer to regaining access to expanded COVID-19 supplementary sick pay after a bill published Wednesday outlined who would be eligible and the limits on how much businesses would have to pay. The further details come after Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced a deal last week to revive the emergency sick pay for people affected by the virus and their families. Labor groups have been pressuring the administration and the Legislature to revive the expanded sick leave after it lapsed at the end of September when a federal tax credit for businesses to fund the leave expired. (DiFeliciantonio, 2/3)
Politico:
Garcetti Defends Maskless Photo At NFL Game: 'I Hold My Breath'
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters on Wednesday that he held his breath while taking a photo last weekend with San Francisco Mayor London Breed and former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson in which all three were not wearing masks. Johnson posted the photo, taken at an NFL playoff game last Sunday between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, on his Twitter account. Spectators at the game were required to wear masks. (Gedeon, 2/3)
AP:
Judge's Insistence On Mask Removal Spurs Complaint
A watchdog group lodged a complaint Thursday against a federal appeals court judge for insisting that a lawyer remove his mask during arguments held in New Orleans at a time last month when new cases of COVID-19 were surging. The group “Fix the Court” said 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jerry Smith’s insistence that a U.S. Department of Justice lawyer remove his mask at a hearing last month violated the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges. (McGill, 2/4)
The Boston Globe:
The Science Behind The State’s School Mask Policy Is Outdated, Some Experts Say. Should The Benchmarks Change?
With the Omicron surge receding and the number of COVID-19 cases among Massachusetts students starting to decline, debate is growing about whether the state’s mandatory school mask rules should be revised or removed. Massachusetts’ current policy, developed as the Delta variant emerged last summer, allows local officials to lift the mask requirement if they can demonstrate that at least 80 percent of all students and staff in a school building are vaccinated. On Jan. 10, state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley extended the policy through Feb. 28. He also allowed, for the first time, nonvaccinated people in schools that achieve the 80 percent threshold to also go maskless. (Lazar, 2/3)
CIDRAP:
Strokes Most Likely To Occur Within 3 Days Of COVID-19 Diagnosis In Seniors
Among older adults, the risk of stroke is highest within 3 days of COVID-19 diagnosis, and a new scoring system could help predict the risk of stroke, according to preliminary research presented at the International Stroke Conference 2022 this week. (2/3)
CIDRAP:
COVID Severity Doesn't Depend On Trimester Of Pregnancy, Research Shows
The severity of COVID-19 does not change based on pregnancy trimester, finds research presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM's) virtual annual meeting. According to an abstract published Jan 1 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG), the research team studied the outcomes of 1,092 pregnant COVID-19 patients who delivered at a Dallas hospital from Mar 18, 2020, to May 31, 2021. (2/3)
Stat:
Covid-19 Therapies Appear Cost-Effective ... For Now
The prices charged for several medicines used to treat people with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 — including pills from Pfizer (PFE) and Merck (MRK) — are reasonably priced based on the value they offer patients, according to a preliminary assessment. In each case, the different therapies met cost-effectiveness thresholds and averted hospitalization costs for Covid-19 patients who are at a high risk of developing a severe form of the coronavirus. Other potential benefits include helping to stop the spread of the coronavirus and easing the severe overcrowding at hospitals, although these are not as easily quantified. (Silverman, 2/3)
Modern Healthcare:
UnitedHealthcare Data Breach Sparks Rhode Island Attorney General Probe
Rhode Island's attorney general hit UnitedHealthcare with a series of subpoenas asking for information about a security breach that compromised the information of 22,000 state employees and their families. Attorney General Peter Neronha said the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority notified his office in late December that an "unauthorized third party" accessed their system in August, potentially exposing the personal information of their workers, other state government personnel and their dependents. His office is investigating whether the state agency or former administrator of the state's employee health benefit plan, UnitedHealthcare, failed to live up to industry standards when safeguarding individuals' personal information. (Tepper, 2/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Judge Grants UnitedHealthcare Workers Class Status In Retirement Plan Row
A federal judge on Wednesday granted UnitedHealth Group workers class-action status in their fight over the company's alleged failure to manage their $7 billion retirement accounts. Judge John Tunheim of the U.S. District Court of Minnesota ruled the employee's complaint met federal class certification standards, saying the more than 150,000 people participating in UnitedHealth Group's health plan had enough in common to consolidate their complaints into a single question of whether executives upheld the fiduciary duties required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. (Tepper, 2/3)
Becker's Hospital Review:
Thousands Of Stanford Health Care Nurses Launch Campaign For New Contracts
Thousands of registered nurses at Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital have launched a campaign for new union contracts, as their current agreements are set to expire March 31, according to an independent union representing them. The Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement, which represents about 5,000 RNs at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, cited workers' desire to improve mental health standards, staffing and working conditions. The union also cited a recent survey of thousands of nurses represented by CRONA at Stanford and Packard hospitals showing that 44 percent of respondents are considering leaving the hospitals in the near future. (Gooch, 2/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Here's Why Hospitals Want More Time To Repay Their Medicare Loans
Dozens of hospitals signed a recent letter to Congress asking, among other things, for more time to repay their accelerated Medicare loans. Some of those hospital companies, however, had already repaid the money, and even those that haven't don't anticipate needing to pay the 4% interest that gets tacked on once the initial repayment periods end. Of the $107.3 billion the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services distributed to healthcare providers and suppliers under the COVID-19 Accelerated and Advanced Payments Program, the agency recouped 53% by the end of November. That includes 55% of the $98.8 billion distributed to Part A providers, mostly hospitals, and 28.7% of the $8.5 billion distributed to Part B providers and suppliers, mostly medical groups. (Bannow and Hellmann, 2/3)
Stat:
Pfizer Sues Two Former Employees For Stealing Trade Secrets
Pfizer (PFE) has accused two former employees of clandestinely creating a pair of companies that are now using stolen trade secrets to develop obesity and diabetes medicines, which recently prompted Eli Lilly (LLY) to strike a collaboration worth up to $1.5 billion. The saga began about four years ago when two long-standing Pfizer staffers, dissatisfied with career opportunities, decided to create their own venture. They then started accessing numerous internal Pfizer documents and approached a company in Shanghai as an investor, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. federal court in Connecticut. (Silverman, 2/3)
Stat:
Biogen Offers A Disappointing Financial Outlook For 2022
Sales of Aduhelm, Biogen’s treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, continued to underperform expectations in the fourth quarter, Biogen said Thursday, leading the company to issue a disappointing financial forecast for 2022. Aduhelm accounted for $1 million in revenue in the final three months of 2021, depressed by continued doubts about the drug’s benefit for patients and restrictions placed on its use by insurance companies. Analysts who cover Biogen were expecting the company to deliver $2 million in Aduhelm sales during the fourth quarter. (Feuerstein and Garde, 2/3)
AP:
Study Identifies Virulent HIV Variant Unrecognized For Years
Scientists have found a previously unrecognized variant of HIV that’s more virulent than usual and has quietly circulated in the Netherlands for the past few decades. Thursday’s report isn’t cause for alarm: HIV medicines worked just as well in people with the mutated virus as everyone else and its spread has been declining since about 2010. It was discovered as part of efforts to better understand how HIV continues to evolve. (Neergaard, 2/3)
Houston Chronicle:
COVID-19 Vaccine Paved The Way For UT Health HIV Vaccine Study
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is seeking volunteers to participate in clinical trials for this area’s first study of a messenger RNA-based HIV vaccine. Researchers hope to develop a series of vaccines to prevent HIV infection and deaths caused by HIV and AIDS, UT Health San Antonio said in a news release. Moderna will provide the vaccine to sites around the country, including San Antonio. The trial sites for the study also include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Emory University in Atlanta. (Pettaway, 2/3)
Reuters:
German Researchers To Breed Pigs For Human Heart Transplants This Year
German scientists plan to clone and then breed this year genetically modified pigs to serve as heart donors for humans, based on a simpler version of a U.S.-engineered animal used last month in the world's first pig-to-human transplant. Eckhard Wolf, a scientist at Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich, said his team aimed to have the new species, modified from the Auckland Island breed, ready for transplant trials by 2025. (2/3)
AP:
Arizona Republicans Advance 15-Week Abortion Ban Measure
Arizona Republicans are moving swiftly to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy ahead of a highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision that could bring seismic changes to abortion availability in the United States. Arizona already has some of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws, including one that would automatically outlaw it if the high court fully overturns Roe v. Wade, the nearly five-decade-old ruling that enshrined a nationwide right to abortion. (Cooper, 2/3)
AP:
Gov. Noem's Abortion Ban Stifled By Republican Lawmakers
A Republican-controlled South Dakota House committee declined Wednesday to consider a proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem aimed at banning nearly all abortions, stifling a top item on the governor’s agenda. The Republican governor loudly trumpeted her proposal this year, which would have mimicked the private enforcement of a Texas law and prohibited abortions once medical professionals can detect fetal cardiac activity. (Groves, 2/3)
Stateline:
GOP Lawmakers Kickstart New Wave Of Transgender Athlete Bans
South Dakota could become the first state this year to enact a law that would prohibit transgender girls from participating on sports teams for girls and women in high school and college. Without a floor debate, the state House on Wednesday advanced a bill that would ban transgender girls from playing on girls varsity sports and club teams at school and require schools to use the student’s birth certificate to determine eligibility. The bill—which now heads to Republican Gov. Kristi Noem's desk—mirrors a similar proposal she vetoed during the 2021 session. But this bill has her endorsement. (Wright, 2/3)
AP:
Florida Senate Passes Bills On Addiction, Child Hearing Loss
While Democratic and Republican Florida lawmakers have had contentious debate on issues like abortion and immigration this year, the two sides came together to quickly pass 20 bills Thursday, almost all unanimously. The legislation included approving new state legislative districts, authorizing schools to stock and use medicines to counteract an opioid overdose and requiring insurance companies to provide hearing aid coverage for children. (Farrington, 2/3)
NPR:
Furniture Tip-Overs Decline But Still Injure Thousands In The U.S. Each Year
An estimated 18,000 Americans — nearly half of whom were children — went to emergency rooms across the U.S. in 2020 for injuries sustained when furniture, a TV or another appliance tipped over and hurt them. A report released Thursday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission also found that there have been 581 tip-over fatalities in the U.S. since 2000. Four in five of the deaths were kids. Although the data shows an overall decline in "product instability" injuries and deaths recently, each year thousands of people are still treated for injuries and some die from what authorities say are preventable accidents. (Hernandez, 2/3)
CNN:
Dole Listeria Outbreak: Two Deaths Linked To Dole Packaged Salads, CDC Says
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a Listeria outbreak linked to Dole packaged salads that has resulted in two deaths. The outbreak has also sickened 17 people and resulted in 13 hospitalizations across 13 states. The recalls began at the end of December and are for products with "Best if used by" dates from November 30, 2021, through January 9, 2022.The CDC also notes these products have codes in the upper right-hand of the package that will begin with the letter B, N, W or Y. (Sealy, 2/3)
CIDRAP:
CDC Winds Down Imported Onion Salmonella Investigation After 1,040 Cases
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday said a Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak linked to onions imported from Mexico is over, with 148 more cases added to the total since its last update on Nov 16. (2/3)
AP:
How To Prevent Early Birth? Study Explores Sugarless Gum
Healthy mouth, healthy baby? For years, scientists have been exploring the link between poor oral health and giving birth too early. Now, new research presented Thursday raises the possibility that something very simple and inexpensive might make a difference: chewing sugarless gum. The improvements seen in the study in the African country of Malawi were modest: The rates of premature birth were slightly lower in the pregnant women who chewed the gum, compared to those who didn’t. (Ungar, 2/3)
Fox News:
Parents Of ‘Jeopardy!’s Last Great Champion’ File Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Former Contestants for 500: This "Jeopardy!" contestant was the "final gift" to longtime host Alex Trebek and was labeled by social media as "Alex’s Last Great Champion." The parents of five-time "Jeopardy!" champion Brayden Smith filed a lawsuit against a Nevada hospital for negligence and medical malpractice after he died suddenly at the age of 24 from clots in his lungs last year, according to multiple reports. One of Smith’s medical problems was ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory condition of the large intestine, which sometimes can lead to severe complications where a partial or complete removal of the colon is necessary, known as a colectomy, according to Medscape. (Sudhakar, 2/3)
USA Today:
WHO Official Sees 'Plausible Endgame' To Pandemic
The director of the World Health Organization’s Europe office said Thursday that coronavirus deaths are starting to plateau and the continent faces a “plausible endgame” to the pandemic. Dr. Hans Kluge said there is a “singular opportunity” for countries across Europe to take control of COVID-19 transmission as a result of three factors: high levels of immunization because of vaccination and natural infection, the virus’s tendency to spread less in warmer weather and the lower severity of the omicron variant. Data in the U.S. is similar to the data from Europe, providing similar hope. “This period of higher protection should be seen as a cease-fire that could bring us enduring peace,” Kluge said. (Bacon, Ortiz and Tebor, 2/3)
Bloomberg:
Omicron Sub-Variant Accounts For Fifth Of South Africa Cases
The omicron sub-variant BA.2, which appears to be more transmissible than the original strain, accounted for almost a fifth of South African coronavirus cases in January compared with 4% in December, a medical official said. The sub-variant’s potential impact is unclear, Michelle Groome, head of public health surveillance and response at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said on an online press conference on Friday. So far there is no indication that the strain causes more severe disease. (Sguazzin, 2/4)
Bloomberg:
S. Africa’s Afrigen Has Made MRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Similar To Moderna’s
South Africa’s Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines Ltd. said it has made a Covid-19 vaccine that matches the one by Moderna Inc. after that company rebuffed it in its request for a partnership. Afrigen, part of the World Health Organization’s mRNA technology transfer hub in Cape Town, obtained the publicly available sequence of the Moderna shot from Stanford University and has now made its own version, Petro Terblanche, the managing director of Afrigen, said. (Sguazzin, 2/4)
Bloomberg:
Vaccination In Africa: Covid-Shot Rollout Needs $1.29 Billion, WHO Says
Africa is short of at least $1.29 billion to fund the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, the World Health Organization said, citing data from 40 of the continent’s 54 countries. Only 11% of the continent’s 1.2 billion people are fully vaccinated and the weekly pace of vaccination needs to rise sixfold to hit a target of having 70% of the population inoculated by the middle of this year, the WHO said in a statement on Thursday. Currently six million Africans are being vaccinated weekly. (Sguazzin, 2/3)
The New York Times:
Austria’s Vaccine Mandate Is Becoming Law
Austria is the first Western democracy to mandate Covid vaccinations for nearly its entire adult population, a once-unthinkable move that is being seen as a test case for other countries grappling with pockets of vaccine resistance. The sweeping measure, which easily cleared its final parliamentary hurdle on Thursday when it was approved by lawmakers in Austria’s upper house, will be signed into law as soon as Friday by President Alexander Van der Bellen of Austria. (Bennhold, 2/4)
AP:
Bali Reopens To Foreign Travelers From All Countries
Direct international flights to Bali have resumed for the first time in two years as Indonesia opens the resort island to foreign travelers from all countries, but mandatory quarantine remains in place for all visitors. Officials had said in October that Bali would welcome foreign arrivals from 19 countries that meet World Health Organization criteria, such as having their COVID-19 cases under control. But there were no direct international flights to Bali until Thursday, when Garuda Indonesia operated its first such flight in two years from Tokyo. (Lisnawati, 2/4)
Bloomberg:
Europe Could Enjoy Covid ‘Ceasefire’ With Immunity Boost: WHO
Europe is at a crossroads in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic with a potential “ceasefire” in sight, according to the director for the region at the World Health Organization. While cases and hospitalizations from the omicron-driven wave are still rising in Europe, deaths from the disease are beginning to plateau, Hans Kluge told reporters at a briefing Thursday. As the current omicron wave recedes, Europeans will have a relatively high level of immunity derived from vaccines and from previous infections. (Hoffman, 2/3)
The Washington Post:
‘Live With The Virus’ Meaning May Depend On Where You Live
It is becoming the mantra of 2022, the most optimistic formulation for the end of the pandemic — less ambitious than “stop covid” but more than “flatten the curve.” The world, we are told, must learn to “live with the virus.” But what “live with the virus” means may depend on where you live. ... Health experts have warned against declaring that moment too soon. But many countries in Europe, where vaccination rates are high and hospitalizations through the omicron wave have been manageable, think they will get there before the United States does. (Noack, Rolfe and Booth, 2/3)
Stat:
PhRMA Takes Aim At WHO, EU Over Support Of Weakening Patent Rights
Amid growing concern over access to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, the U.S. pharmaceutical industry trade group has lashed out at the World Health Organization and other global agencies for supporting efforts to pause patent rights in hopes of increasing supplies to poor countries. In comments made to the U.S. Trade Representative, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America argued that the WHO and other agencies, including the World Trade Organization, were no longer reliable stewards of intellectual property rights and, instead, have been promoting a “range of harmful policies” that would hurt incentives for drug and vaccine makers. (Silverman, 2/3)