First Edition: Jan. 11, 2022
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Fire Closes Hospital And Displaces Staff As Colorado Battles Omicron
The Colorado wildfire that destroyed more than 1,000 homes last month has forced the temporary closure of a hospital and upended the lives of health care workers as the state’s already strained health care system braces for another surge in covid-19 hospitalizations. Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville, a community outside Boulder that was devastated in the wildfire that erupted Dec. 30, has been closed due to smoke damage and officials have not announced when it might reopen. In addition, at least 36 people who work in hospitals in the region lost their homes, while others sustained smoke damage to their homes that may prevent them from returning home. (Ruder, 1/11)
KHN:
App Attempts To Break Barriers To Bankruptcy For Those In Medical Debt
An unplanned and complicated pregnancy pushed Carlazjion Constant of Smyrna, Tennessee, to the financial brink. Her high-deductible health insurance paid virtually nothing toward the extra obstetrician visits needed during her high-risk pregnancy. Just as those bills totaling $5,000 came due last year, a real estate company started garnishing her paycheck over a broken lease during college a decade ago. “I have a child. Like, I can’t do that,” said Constant, who works as a medical assistant in a pediatric office. “Something has to be done. There has to be a way out.” (Farmer, 1/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
White House Says Private Insurers To Cover Rapid Covid-19 Tests
Consumers can find out from their plan or insurer if it provides direct coverage of over-the-counter Covid-19 tests or whether they will need to submit a claim for reimbursement, officials said. The new policy doesn’t apply to Medicare, with its more than 60 million seniors who are generally at higher risk of severe infection because of their age. Medicaid already covers at-home Covid-19 tests that have been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Some insurer groups said Monday that the administration should have done more sooner to make testing available and affordable. (Armour and Abbott, 1/10)
Politico:
Biden Administration Lays Out Rules For Reimbursing At-Home Covid Tests
Individuals who purchase home tests outside of their insurers’ preferred network must be reimbursed up to $12 per test, but plans can "provide more generous reimbursement up to the actual price of" more pricey tests, according to the guidance. Still, that could create problems for consumers who don't live near participating pharmacies or who purchase pricier home tests like Detect’s at-home molecular test, which costs $75 for a test and the reusable hub. ... Another challenge for insurers will be tracking the number of tests individuals buy from different locations, according to Bagel. If a physician orders an at-home test for an individual, it does not count toward the eight test-a-month limit. (Lim, 1/10)
Modern Healthcare:
ECRI Ranks Seven At-Home COVID-19 Antigen Tests For Usability
All at-home COVID-19 tests are not equal, so says a new report out from ECRI. The patient safety and cost not-for-profit evaluated seven antigen tests available in pharmacies and online for ease of use, which can determine both how accurate results are. "If an at-home test is complicated, if it's cumbersome, it can dramatically increase the error rate, which is of course of concern," said Marcus Schabacker, president and CEO of ECRI. "If you mix up how to do the test, you might get a false positive or more importantly, a false negative test and then you have a degree of comfort that you probably shouldn't have." (Gillespie, 1/10)
The New York Times:
At-Home Coronavirus Tests Are Inaccessible To Blind People
Christy Smith has never been tested for the coronavirus. As a blind person, she can’t drive to testing sites near her home in St. Louis, and they are too far away for her to walk. Alternative options — public transportation, ride share apps or having a friend drive her to a test site — would put others at risk for exposure. The rapid tests that millions of other people are taking at home, which require precisely plunking liquid drops into tiny spaces and have no Braille guides, are also inaccessible to Ms. Smith. (Morris, 1/10)
CBS News:
Pfizer Says Its Vaccine Targeting Omicron Will Be Ready In March
Pfizer will have a COVID-19 vaccine that specifically targets the Omicron variant ready by March, the pharmaceutical company's chief executive said Monday. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the company has already begun manufacturing a new version of its COVID-19 vaccine that aims to protect recipients against Omicron. "This vaccine will be ready in March," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday. "We [are] already starting manufacturing some of these quantities at risk." (Cerullo, 1/10)
NBC News:
Omicron-Specific Vaccines Could Be Ready By March. Will We Need Them?
It’s unclear if omicron-specific shots, or additional doses, will even be necessary by the time they are ready, health experts say. John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Weill Cornell Medical College, said by the time the new shots are ready to be deployed, "omicron will almost certainly have come and gone." (Lovelace Jr., 1/10)
CNBC:
Pfizer CEO Says Two Covid Vaccine Doses Aren't 'Enough For Omicron'
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Monday said two doses of the company’s vaccine may not provide strong protection against infection from the omicron Covid variant, and the original shots have also lost some of their efficacy at preventing hospitalization. Bourla, in an interview at J.P. Morgan’s healthcare conference, emphasized the importance of a third shot to boost people’s protection against omicron. “The two doses, they’re not enough for omicron,” Bourla said. “The third dose of the current vaccine is providing quite good protection against deaths, and decent protection against hospitalizations.” (Kimball, 1/10)
CIDRAP:
Pfizer COVID Vaccine 91% Effective Against Inflammatory Syndrome
Among 12- to 18-year-old hospitalized COVID-19 patients, two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was 91% effective in preventing the rare but serious coronavirus-related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), according to a US study published late last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Van Beusekom, 1/10)
CNBC:
Universal Flu Vaccine May Be Next Big Moderna, Pfizer MRNA Development
The research and development that led to the Covid-19 vaccines have boosted efforts to find a more powerful, longer-lasting flu vaccine, perhaps taking steps towards virologists’ holy grail: a one-time, universal flu jab. Scientists at Pfizer and Moderna, the pharmaceutical companies that harnessed a half-century of research into mRNA technology to create Covid vaccines, are using that same know-how in exploring ways to inoculate the masses from the flu. (Woods, 1/10)
Reuters:
U.S. Reports 1.35 Million COVID-19 Cases In A Day, Shattering Global Record
The United States reported 1.35 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, the highest daily total for any country in the world as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing. The previous record was 1.03 million cases on Jan. 3. A large number of cases are reported each Monday due to many states not reporting over the weekend. The seven-day average for new cases has tripled in two weeks to over 700,000 new infections a day. (Shumaker, 1/11)
Los Angeles Times:
6 Million COVID-19 Infections In California, Most In The U.S.
More than 6 million cumulative coronavirus cases have now been reported in California, according to data compiled by The Times, as the Omicron variant continues its staggering spread. The record-setting pace of infections is putting pressure on hospitals, schools and other institutions, which are struggling to maintain full services even as some employees take time off to deal with COVID-19. (Money, Lin II and Evans, 1/10)
Los Angeles Times:
More Than 3,800 California Prison Staffers Have Coronavirus Amid Massive Surge This Month
California’s prisons have seen a huge surge in the number of employees testing positive for the coronavirus, with 3,845 active infections Monday, a 212% increase so far this month. In the last two weeks there have been 3,912 new coronavirus cases among state employees working inside California’s prisons, coinciding with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant throughout the state’s population. (Winton, 1/10)
CNN:
62,000 Los Angeles Students And Staff Test Positive For Covid Ahead Of Return To School
As Los Angeles students and staff prepare to return to school Tuesday, about 62,000 have tested positive for Covid-19, school district data show. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is requiring all students and employees to show a negative test result before returning. It is the nation's second largest district, with more than 640,000 students in grades K-12. (Mossburg, 1/10)
CNN:
5 Reasons You Should Not Deliberately Catch Omicron To 'Get It Over With'
The question hung in the air like a bad odor, silencing the small group of fully vaccinated and boosted friends and family at my dinner table. "Why not just get Omicron and get it over with? It's mild, right? And it can boost immunity?" The fully vaccinated, boosted, well-educated friend who asked was sincere, echoing opinions heard on many social platforms. The idea of intentionally trying to catch Omicron is "all the rage," said Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, with an exasperated sigh. (LaMotte, 1/11)
CNN:
Covid-19 Hospitalizations In The US Reach Levels Not Seen Since Last Winter's Surge
The spread of the Omicron variant is causing widespread disruption across the US as hospitalizations reach a level not seen since the 2020-21 holiday surge. More than 141,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19 as of Monday, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, nearing the record of 142,246 hospitalizations on January 14, 2021. The burden is straining health care networks as hospitals juggle staffing issues caused by the increased demand coupled with employees, who are at a higher risk of infection, having to isolate and recover after testing positive. (Caldwell, 1/11)
The Washington Post:
Virginia Hospitals In State Of Emergency, Says Northam
Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday issued a limited state of emergency for hospitals stretched dangerously thin amid historic surges in coronavirus caseloads. The provisions of the targeted 30-day state-of-emergency order will make technical changes to expand capacity and increase staffing at hospitals while they grapple with the pandemic, seasonal flu and a general increase in acuity after patients deferred care. (Portnoy, Brice-Saddler and Vozzella, 1/10)
AP:
Beshear Activates National Guard To Help Strained Hospitals
In response to rising hospitalizations, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Monday that more Kentucky National Guard members will deploy to 30 health care facilities, beginning this week.Kentucky is currently experiencing a record surge of COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant that has started to strain some of the state’s hospitals. Roughly one-third of Kentucky’s hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages. (1/10)
Crain's New York Business:
New York City Hospital Data Indicates Available Beds—But Healthcare Workers Say Otherwise
Hospitals across New York City report thousands of available beds, but healthcare workers on the front lines say they struggle to find beds for a rising tide of patients. More than 12,000 total patients are hospitalized in the city, according to state data posted Sunday. About 6,100 have COVID—a number not seen since May 2020—including roughly 750 in intensive care units. Still, about 20% of the city's hospital beds are available, according to self-reported data from hospitals that the state publishes online by hospital. (Kaufman, 1/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Hospitals Cut Beds As Nurses Call In Sick With Covid-19
Rising numbers of nurses and other critical healthcare workers are calling in sick across the U.S. due to Covid-19, forcing hospitals to cut capacity just as the Omicron variant sends them more patients, industry officials say. The hospitals are leaving beds empty because the facilities don’t have enough staffers to safely care for the patients, and a tight labor market has made finding replacements difficult. (Evans, 1/10)
USA Today:
COVID Staffing Shortages Reported At 24% Of US Hospitals
Almost a quarter of U.S. hospitals are reporting "critical staffing shortages" as counties across the country set COVID-19 case records. About 24% of nearly 5,000 hospitals are experiencing the shortages — the most since the start of the pandemic — and another 100 anticipate shortages this week, according to the newest data released by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, medical centers nationwide could set a single-day record for in-patient care of coronavirus patients as soon as Tuesday. According to the Washington Post, U.S. hospitalizations totaled 141,385 on Monday, barely under a record set on Jan. 14, 2021. (Yancey-Bragg, Stucka, Ortiz and Rice, 1/10)
Politico:
Health Care Workers Are Panicked As Desperate Hospitals Ask Infected Staff To Return
“We don't think anyone who is knowingly Covid positive should be interacting with a cancer patient,” the American Cancer Society’s CEO, Karen Knudsen, told POLITICO. The CDC recommends, though doesn’t require, health providers to tell patients if an infected worker spends more than 15 minutes with them at a distance of less than six feet. Many health experts say transmission can occur in less time and distance. None of the hospitals POLITICO contacted responded when asked whether patients are informed if a caregiver was recently infected. (Levy, 1/10)
The New York Times:
How Families Can Navigate The I.C.U.
In the last two years, the letters I.C.U. have become almost as familiar to the listening and reading public as PBS and NBC, as intensive care units across the country have been overwhelmed with people suffering from severe Covid-19. Meanwhile, medical personnel continue to struggle to care for patients with serious injuries, diseases or surgical complications who also require critical care. Intensive care can be a difficult and traumatizing experience for patients whose lives depend on it. And, according to the author of an extraordinarily thorough and helpful new book, the families and friends of patients who require prolonged stays in an I.C.U. often suffer along with them. (Brody, 1/10)
The Hill:
Biden Coronavirus Vaccine-Or-Test Mandate Goes Into Effect
Key components of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine or test mandate for more than 80 million workers went into effect Monday amid an ongoing Supreme Court battle that could ultimately doom the rule. The months-long legal battle over the requirement, which was previously blocked by a federal court before being reinstated, has created confusion among employers about how to move forward. While Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism about the rule on Friday, they did not block its implementation by Monday’s deadline. As of Monday, businesses with 100 or more employees were required to have a database of their workers’ vaccination status, post their company vaccine policy, provide paid leave to workers getting the vaccine and require unvaccinated employees to wear a mask at work. (Evers-Hillstrom, 1/10)
Houston Chronicle:
Houston Hospitals Mandating COVID Boosters For Employees, Amid Omicron Surge
Three major Houston hospitals will require employees to receive booster shots in the coming weeks, becoming some of the first institutions nationwide to elevate vaccination requirements amid widespread worker shortages caused by the omicron surge. Houston Methodist, Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine announced booster mandates to little fanfare Friday, a marked change from last year’s contentious debate over the legality and efficacy of such policies in health care settings. (Mishanec, 1/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Facebook Owner To Mandate Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters For Office Workers, Delay Reopening
Meta Platforms Inc. said that it would require Covid-19 booster shots for employees to work from its U.S. campuses and that it would delay fully opening those offices until late March, in another sign that the Omicron variant is shifting corporate reopening plans. (Cutter, 1/10)
USA Today:
Chicago Set To Resume In-Person Classes
Chicago teachers and students were set to come back to the classroom this week after city leaders reached an agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union on COVID-19 safety protocols amid a nationwide surge of cases fueled by the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Teachers were expected to return to work Tuesday, and students were expected to return Wednesday for the first time in week, city leaders said. The Chicago Teachers Union voted late Monday to suspend its labor action after the city and union reached a tentative agreement, but the union’s 25,000 members must still vote on the agreement. (Yancey-Bragg, Stucka, Ortiz and Rice, 1/10)
USA Today:
Human Receives Gene-Edited Pig Heart Transplant In Medical Milestone
A Maryland man has lived for three days with a pig heart beating inside his chest. The surgery, at the University of Maryland Medical Center, marks the first time a gene-edited pig has been used as an organ donor. Dave Bennett, 57, agreed to be the first to risk the experimental surgery, hoping it would give him a shot at making it home to his Maryland duplex and his beloved dog, Lucky. “This is nothing short of a miracle,” his son David said Sunday, two days after his father's life-extending surgery. “That’s what my dad needed, and that’s what I feel like he got.” (Weintraub, 1/10)
Stat:
First Transplant Of A Pig Heart Into A Person Sparks Ethics Questions
Bennett had terminal heart failure and was too sick to qualify for a human heart transplant or a mechanical assist device, the lead surgeon said. The pig heart, from an animal created by a Virginia biotech company, was the only option to try to prolong his life. “It was either die or do this transplant,” Bennett said in a hospital news release. “I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice.” The groundbreaking procedure raises hopes that animal organs might one day be routinely used for human transplants, which would shorten waiting lists — where thousands of seriously ill people languish and die every year. But it’s also raising a few eyebrows and a lot of questions from bioethicists. (Molteni, 1/10)
CBS News:
Red Cross Declares First-Ever National Blood Crisis
The nation's blood supply is dangerously low, prompting the Red Cross to announce a national blood crisis for the first time. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decline in donor turnout, the cancellation of blood drives and staffing challenges, leading to the worst blood shortage in more than a decade, the Red Cross said. Last year, the Red Cross saw a 34% decline in new donors.
"If the nation's blood supply does not stabilize soon, life-saving blood may not be available for some patients when it is needed," it warned in a joint statement with America's Blood Centers and the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies. (O'Donnell, 1/10)
AP:
Medicare Told To Reassess Premium Hike For Alzheimer's Drug
More than 50 million Medicare recipients who pay the $170.10 monthly “Part B” premium for outpatient care will see no immediate change to their costs, but Monday’s move could open the way for a reduction later in the year. The Department of Health and Human Services says it is reaching out to the Social Security Administration, which collects the premium, to examine options. Medicare’s standard premium is rising by about $22 this year, up from $148.50 in 2021 and one of the biggest annual increases ever. About half of that, $11, was attributed to the potential costs of having to cover Aduhelm at its original $56,000 price. Since Aduhelm is administered by infusion in a doctor’s office the cost is factored into Medicare’s outpatient coverage, not the separate prescription plan that pays for pharmacy medicines. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/10)
Stat:
Biogen CEO: Company Was ‘Wrong’ About Initial Aduhelm Price
Biogen CEO Michel Vounatsos acknowledged Monday that the company was “wrong” to price its Alzheimer’s disease treatment Aduhelm at $56,000 a year, but added that its decision to later slash the cost nearly in half was “courageous.” Speaking virtually at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Vounatsos described the company’s flagging revenue and the disastrous launch of Aduhem as “near-term challenges [that] are not defining Biogen,” and stressed “the company’s fundamentals are very strong.” (Garde and Feuerstein, 1/10)
The Washington Post:
Medicare Is About To Make Its Most Important Coverage Decision In Years. Here’s How People With Alzheimer’s And Others Might Be Affected
It is a firestorm rarely seen in the world of drug regulation. Since June, when the Food and Drug Administration approved a controversial Alzheimer’s drug, critics have denounced the move, saying there is not enough evidence to show the drug works. Some have demanded that the agency take the drug off the market, citing potentially dangerous side effects. But the FDA and others have insisted the treatment might provide desperately needed help to patients with a fatal disease for which there are few alternatives. (McGinley, 1/10)
Modern Healthcare:
J&J Partners With Microsoft To Build Out Digital Surgery Portfolio
Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices will collaborate with the software company to advance its digital surgery platform and internet-connected medical devices. The deal establishes Microsoft as Johnson & Johnson's preferred cloud vendor for digital surgery tools, according to a news release. The companies plan to apply Microsoft's artificial intelligence, data analytics and "internet of things" capabilities to improve connectivity between Johnson & Johnson's surgical robotics, visualization and other digital tools. The companies plan to develop digital tools that streamline surgical workflow or support surgical decision-making. (Kim Cohen, 1/10)
Modern Healthcare:
Medtronic To Buy Affera, Gain Cardiac Treatment Tech
Medtronic plans to acquire Affera, a private medical technology company, for $925 million in a move to expand its portfolio of advanced ablation products as physicians see more patients with cardiac arrhythmias. The acquisition will likely close during the first half of Medtronic's fiscal year 2023, according to a company presentation shared at J.P. Morgan's annual healthcare conference on Monday. The deal fits into the company's ongoing move to accelerate revenue growth through tuck-in mergers and acquisitions, said Geoff Martha, Medtronic chairman and CEO, at the conference. (Devereaux, 1/10)
Stat:
Hold Lifted On Cancer Studies Of Allogene Off-The-Shelf CAR-T Treatment
Allogene said Monday that clinical trials involving its off-the-shelf CAR-T therapies for blood cancer are resuming following a safety clearance by U.S. regulators. In October, the Food and Drug Administration placed five Allogene studies on hold after a single treated patient was found to have a “chromosomal abnormality.” But a three-month investigation conducted by Allogene concluded its CAR-T called ALLO-501A was not responsible for the chromosomal abnormality, and that it had no clinical significance for the patient. The FDA agreed with the findings of the safety investigation and removed the hold on Allogene’s clinical trials, the company said. (Feuerstein, 1/10)
AP:
Universal Health Care Proposal Gets First Test In California
California lawmakers on Tuesday will start debating whether to create the nation’s first universal health care system, a key measure of whether the proposal has the support to pass this year. Progressives have tried for years to create a government-funded universal health care system to replace the one that relies on private insurance. Voters overwhelmingly rejected a 1994 ballot initiative that would have created a universal health care system. Another attempt passed the state Senate in 2017, but it died in the state Assembly with no funding plan attached to it. (Beam, 1/11)
AP:
California Governor Proposes Tax Cuts, Expanded Health Care
With state revenues at an all-time high, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday proposed a budget that would cut taxes while also promising to pay the health care expenses of all of the state’s low-income adults who are living in the country illegally. It will cost state taxpayers about $2.2 billion per year to cover the cost of health care for the state’s low-income immigrants. Meanwhile, Newsom’s tax cuts would reduce revenue by more than $6.5 billion. (Beam, 1/11)
Los Angeles Times:
California Could Remove Medi-Cal Immigration Status Rules
California would allow all income-eligible residents to qualify for the state’s healthcare program for low-income people regardless of immigration status under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal unveiled Monday. Newsom’s plan calls for the state to spend $2.2 billion a year to close the final gap in Medi-Cal eligibility after years of incremental progress toward offering coverage to people living in the country illegally by first allowing children and seniors to qualify. (Gutierrez, 1/10)
AP:
Youngkin Announces His Pick For Virginia Health Secretary
Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin has announced his pick for Virginia’s next secretary of health and human resources, a role that will involve helping oversee pandemic-related public policy. John Littel has been tapped for the role, the transition announced Monday. Littel recently served as the president of Magellan of Virginia, which administers behavioral health services for Virginia Medicaid enrollees. (1/10)
AP:
Betty White's Death Caused By Stroke Suffered 6 Days Earlier
Betty White died from a stroke she had six days before her Dec. 31 death at age 99, according to her death certificate. The beloved “Golden Girls” and “Mary Tyler Moore Show” actor died at her home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles as the result of a Dec. 25 cerebrovascular accident, the medical term for a stroke, according to the LA County death certificate obtained Monday by The Associated Press. (1/11)
Newsweek:
What Is A Cerebrovascular Accident? Betty White Died After Having Stroke
A stroke or cerebrovascular accident is defined as a loss of blood flow to part of the brain, which can result in damage to brain tissue. There are three main types of stroke. (Browne, 1/11)
Reuters:
U.S. Issues 'Do Not Travel' Warning For Canada
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. State Department on Monday advised against travel to neighboring Canada because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads. The CDC elevated its travel recommendation to "Level Four: Very High" for Canada, telling Americans they should avoid travel, while the State Department also on Monday issued its "Level Four: Do Not Travel" advisory for Canada citing COVID-19 cases. (Shepardson, 1/10)
The Washington Post:
Mexico’s President Tests Positive For Coronavirus A Second Time
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday evening that, for the second time in a year, he has tested positive for the coronavirus. (Sieff and Pietsch, 1/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Japan Extends Entry Ban For Foreigners, Citing Omicron
Japan said Tuesday it would extend its near-total ban on foreigners entering the country until at least the end of February, citing the risk of the Omicron variant. The ban took effect on Nov. 30 and has earned more than 80% support from Japanese surveyed in recent polls. Helped by the perception that he is tough on Covid-19, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s cabinet has enjoyed around 60% support. (Landers, 1/10)