First Edition: Jan. 20, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Biden’s Covid Challenge: 100 Million Vaccinations In The First 100 Days. It Won’t Be Easy.
It’s in the nature of presidential candidates and new presidents to promise big things. Just months after his 1961 inauguration, President John F. Kennedy vowed to send a man to the moon by the end of the decade. That pledge was kept, but many others haven’t been, such as candidate Bill Clinton’s promise to provide universal health care and presidential hopeful George H.W. Bush’s guarantee of no new taxes. Now, during a once-in-a-century pandemic, incoming President Joe Biden has promised to provide 100 million covid-19 vaccinations in his first 100 days in office. (Knight, 1/20)
KHN:
Patients Fend For Themselves To Access Highly Touted Covid Antibody Treatments
By the time he tested positive for covid-19 on Jan. 12, Gary Herritz was feeling pretty sick. He suspects he was infected a week earlier, during a medical appointment in which he saw health workers who were wearing masks beneath their noses or who had removed them entirely. His scratchy throat had turned to a dry cough, headache, joint pain and fever — all warning signs to Herritz, who underwent liver transplant surgery in 2012, followed by a rejection scare in 2018. He knew his compromised immune system left him especially vulnerable to a potentially deadly case of covid. (Aleccia, 1/20)
KHN:
California Is Overriding Its Limits On Nurse Workloads As Covid Surges
California’s telemetry nurses, who specialize in the electronic monitoring of critically ill patients, normally take care of four patients at once. But ever since the state relaxed California’s mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios in mid-December, Nerissa Black has had to keep track of six. And these six patients are really sick: Many of them are being treated simultaneously for a stroke and covid-19, or a heart attack and covid. With more patients than usual needing more complex care, Black said she’s worried she’ll miss something or make a mistake. (Dembosky, 1/20)
KHN:
Advocates View Health Care As Key To Driving LGBTQ Rights Conversation
When Allison Scott came out as a trans woman in 2013, she told not only family and friends, but also her primary care physician. She didn’t need his help with hormone therapy. She had another doctor for that. But she wanted to share the information with her doctor of more than 10 years in case it affected other aspects of her health. (Pattani, 1/20)
KHN:
On Trump’s Last Full Day, Nation Records 400,000 Covid Deaths
While millions wait for a lifesaving shot, the U.S. death count from covid-19 continues to soar upward with horrifying speed. On Tuesday, the last full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, the death toll reached 400,000 — a once-unthinkable number. More than 100,000 Americans have perished in the pandemic in just the past five weeks. In the U.S., someone now dies of covid every 26 seconds. And the disease is claiming more American lives each week than any other condition, ahead of heart disease and cancer, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. (Stone, 1/19)
The New York Times:
On Night Before Inauguration, Biden Leads Mourning For Virus Victims
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived in the nation’s capital on Tuesday for the first time since his election, and on the eve of his inauguration, he did what his predecessor declined to do by leading a national mourning for Americans killed by the coronavirus. In a somber sundown ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in a city virtually occupied by troops on guard against political violence, Mr. Biden paid tribute to the victims of the pandemic on the same day that the death toll in the United States topped a staggering 400,000 — and almost a year to the day from the first report of the virus appearing in the country. (Baker, 1/19)
Politico:
Remembering Covid Victims, Biden Spends An Emotional Day Before Inauguration
After his remarks, Biden settled at Blair House, across from the White House, where presidents-elect traditionally spend the night before their inaugurations. Biden’s appearance at the Lincoln Memorial was his second public appearance of an emotional day. He started tearing up on Tuesday afternoon as he left Delaware on his final trip to Washington before he is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. “I know these are dark times, but there’s always light,” Biden said in his home state. (Niedzwiadek and Choi, 1/19)
The Hill:
Biden, Harris Honor COVID-19 Victims Ahead Of Inauguration
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris honored the victims of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a day ahead of their inauguration. Biden and Harris spoke briefly at the country's first formal event to recognize the nationwide toll of the coronavirus, which occurred on the same day U.S. deaths surpassed 400,000 people. Speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial at sunset, Biden said he shared in the country's grief. (Weixel, 1/19)
AP:
Facing Crush Of Crises, Biden Will Take Helm As President
Joe Biden swears the oath of office at noon Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors. The very ceremony in which presidential power is transferred, a hallowed American democratic tradition, will serve as a jarring reminder of the challenges Biden faces: The inauguration unfolds at a U.S. Capitol battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks ago, encircled by security forces evocative of those in a war zone, and devoid of crowds because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. (Lemire, 1/20)
AP:
Biden's First Act: Orders On Pandemic, Climate, Immigration
In his first official acts as president, Joe Biden is signing executives orders on a broad range of issues, from the coronavirus pandemic to climate change and immigration, to fulfill campaign promises. Highlights of actions Biden is taking Wednesday. (1/20)
The Hill:
Biden Administration To Enforce Strict COVID-19 Guidelines For White House Staff: Report
The incoming Biden administration is planning on enforcing far stricter guidelines to protect against the spread of COVID-19 in the White House than its predecessor, according to new guidance sent to staffers Tuesday. The guidelines, reported by Axios, say that staffers will be required to take daily coronavirus tests and wear N95 face masks at all times. (Axelrod, 1/19)
AP:
On Day One, Biden To Undo Trump Policies On Climate, Virus
In his first hours as president, Joe Biden will aim to strike at the heart of President Donald Trump’s policy legacy, signing a series of executive actions that reverse his predecessor’s orders on immigration, climate change and handling of the pandemic. Biden on Wednesday will end construction on Trump’s border wall, end the ban on travel from some Muslim-majority countries, rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization, and revoke the approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, aides said Tuesday. The new president will sign the orders almost immediately after taking the oath of office at the Capitol, pivoting quickly from his pared-down inauguration ceremony to enacting his agenda. (Miller, 1/20)
The Hill:
Slew Of Biden Orders On COVID To Include Resuming WHO Membership
President-elect Joe Biden is slated to issue numerous executive orders on his first day in office aimed at improving the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, including one that will have the country resume its membership in the World Health Organization (WHO). “[Today] starts a new day, a new different approach to managing the country's response to the coronavirus crisis,” said Jeff Zients, coordinator of Biden’s COVID-19 response, in a press call with reporters. (Hellmann, 1/20)
The Hill:
Biden Will Join WHO-Backed Vaccine Initiative
Secretary of State designee Antony Blinken said President-elect Joe Biden intends to join Covax, the World Health Organization-led effort to develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine to low- and middle-income countries. Biden previously had not officially committed to participating in the initiative. (Weixel, 1/19)
AP:
Biden Charts New US Direction, Promises Many Trump Reversals
Stop. Stabilize. Then move — but in a vastly different direction. President-elect Joe Biden is pledging a new path for the nation after Donald Trump’s four years in office. That starts with confronting a pandemic that has killed 400,000 Americans and extends to sweeping plans on health care, education, immigration and more. The 78-year-old Democrat has pledged immediate executive actions that would reverse Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and rescind the outgoing president’s ban on immigration from certain Muslim nations. (Barrow, 1/20)
Stat:
The 9 Biggest Challenges Biden Will Face On Covid-19, From Today On
No president wants a federal emergency. No one in that role is waiting to call in FEMA reservists or deploy the National Guard. But on Wednesday, after Joe Biden raises his right hand and swears his oath to preserve, protect, and defend the U.S. Constitution, that’s exactly the plan. Their mission: to set up a slew of new vaccination clinics. (Florko, Facher, Cohrs, Joseph and Ross, 1/20)
The Hill:
Senate Democrats Call On Biden To Immediately Invoke Defense Production Act
Senate Democrats called on President-elect Joe Biden Tuesday to immediately invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to boost production and stockpiling of testing supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical equipment. Twenty-six senators, led by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), wrote a letter to Biden asking him to fully utilize the DPA just one day before he is sworn into office. (Gangitano, 1/19)
The Washington Post:
What Biden’s Repeal Of The ‘Global Gag Rule’ Means For International Access To Abortion Funding
In 2019, Melvine Ouyo, a health policy expert and reproductive rights activist, attended a conference in her city of Nairobi, where antiabortion campaigners were protesting the event. Shortly after that, Ouyo said, she met a pregnant 14-year old girl who had no information about how she could access a safe abortion if she chose. Ouyo said she believes that if the Trump administration’s “global gag rule” — a U.S. foreign aid policy that restricts funding for abortion-related services — had not been in place, the campaigners wouldn’t have had such a prominent platform, and the girl would have had more information about her reproductive health options. (Jamal, 1/19)
The Hill:
Biden HHS Pick Rachel Levine Would Make History As First Openly Transgender Senate-Confirmed Federal Official
President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday named Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, a nominee who could make history by becoming the first openly transgender Senate-confirmed federal official. “Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond,” Biden said in a statement. (Gstalter, 1/19)
AP:
Biden Picks 1st Transgender Person For Senate-Confirmed Post
“Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond,” Biden said in a statement. “She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.” A graduate of Harvard and of Tulane Medical School, Levine is president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. She’s written in the past on the opioid crisis, medical marijuana, adolescent medicine, eating disorders and LGBTQ medicine. (Weissert, 1/19)
The Washington Post:
Rachel Levine, Transgender Woman, Picked By Biden As Assistant HHS Secretary
“Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond,” Biden said in a statement. “She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.” As Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, Levine has risen to national prominence for leading the state’s public health response to the coronavirus pandemic, despite repeated and ugly attacks on her gender identity. (Schmidt, Wager and Armus, 1/19)
Fox 5 DC:
Trump Issues Commendations To Operation Warp Speed Members, Including Fauci, Birx
On his last day in office, President Donald Trump issued commendations to a number people for their contributions to Operation Warp Speed, a White House effort to distribute 300 million doses of a viable COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021, which by Jan. 19 had not been met. A few names on the list of commendations stood out, particularly Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, both of whom were key members of the White House coronavirus task force in its early days, before having their public-facing roles diminished when the task force ceased providing regular briefings. (Park, 1/19)
AP:
Trump's Exit: President Leaves Office With Legacy Of Chaos
Donald Trump will walk out of the White House and board Marine One for the last time as president Wednesday morning, leaving behind a legacy of chaos and tumult and a nation bitterly divided. Four years after standing on stage at his own inauguration and painting a dire picture of “American carnage,” Trump departs the office twice impeached, with millions more out of work and 400,000 dead from the coronavirus. Republicans under his watch lost the presidency and both chambers of Congress. He will be forever remembered for the final major act of his presidency: inciting an insurrection at the Capitol that left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer, and horrified the nation. (Colvin, 1/20)
The Washington Post:
Trump’s Administration Fell Far Short Of Its Own Vaccine Promises
As of Monday, just over 31 million coronavirus vaccine doses had been delivered nationwide. Fewer than half of those have been administered. This despite months of promises from Trump officials that the United States would distribute no fewer than 40 million coronavirus vaccine doses and administer doses to 20 million Americans by the end of December. The Trump administration did not even deliver 20 million vaccine doses until Jan. 7. (Rieger, 1/19)
AP:
'Shameful': US Virus Deaths Top 400K As Trump Leaves Office
As President Donald Trump entered the final year of his term last January, the U.S. recorded its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Not to worry, Trump insisted, his administration had the virus “totally under control.” Now, in his final hours in office, after a year of presidential denials of reality and responsibility, the pandemic’s U.S. death toll has eclipsed 400,000. And the loss of lives is accelerating. “This is just one step on an ominous path of fatalities,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University and one of many public health experts who contend the Trump administration’s handling of the crisis led to thousands of avoidable deaths. (Geller and Har, 1/20)
Politico:
Trump Team Tries To Milk The Politics Of Food Boxes To Its Final Days
Just before her father was impeached for the second time Wednesday, Ivanka Trump was on a Zoom call with Christian leaders to promote government food aid. It was her first known public event since a violent mob overtook the U.S. Capitol a week earlier, but the first daughter and top adviser to President Donald Trump steered clear of the insurrection and impeachment. Instead, she talked about the power of distributing boxes with fresh food to people in need during the coronavirus pandemic — and got showered with praise from religious leaders. (Bottemiller Evich and Rodriguez, 1/19)
Politico:
11th-Hour Deal Strips FDA Oversight Of Genetically Modified Animals
The Health and Human Services Department has agreed to an industry-backed plan to effectively strip the FDA of oversight of certain genetically modified animals — the latest instance of Trump political appointees overriding the agency's scientists. The deal announced Tuesday would shift regulatory authority to the USDA for reviewing the safety of animals produced for food using gene editing. The FDA would maintain oversight of a certain slice of gene edited products not related to agriculture, such as biopharma and gene therapies. The agency would also act in a “consultation” role as USDA develops and carries out its own regulations, per the agreement. (Cancryn and Crampton, 1/19)
The Washington Post:
FAA Approves Airport Coronavirus Screenings, Paving Way For First Program To Launch In Iowa
The airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, plans next week to begin screening passengers for symptoms of covid-19 before they go through security, implementing a first-of-its-kind plan that was on hold for months while federal officials reviewed its funding. The top executives of Eastern Iowa Airport wanted to use coronavirus relief money to check passengers for symptoms and won approval from local authorities in July. But airport revenue is strictly regulated, and the officials did not want to move forward without approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. (Duncan, 1/19)
The New York Times:
New California Variant May Be Driving Virus Surge There, Study Suggests
There’s no evidence that CAL.20C is more lethal than other variants. And scientists have to conduct more research to determine whether CAL.20C is in fact more contagious than other forms of the virus. But Eric Vail, the director of molecular pathology at Cedars-Sinai, said it was possible that CAL.20C is playing a large part in the surge of cases that has overwhelmed Southern California’s hospitals. “I’m decently confident that this is a more infectious strain of the virus,” Dr. Vail said. (Zimmer, 1/19)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Can Vaccines Keep Up With Coronavirus Mutations? Bay Area Variant Will Be A Test
“We’re really in a race now,” said Dr. Charles Chiu, the UCSF virologist who identified the L452R variant that’s blown up in parts of the Bay Area over the past month. “This only increases our urgency to mass vaccinate the population before additional variants evolve and emerge.” One worrisome aspect: The more the coronavirus is circulating in the community, the more chances it has to mutate and develop into new variants. And there has never been more virus in California and the United States than now — and many other countries are also struggling to contain it, creating more risk in an interconnected world. (Allday, 1/19)
Stat:
What We Know And Don't Know About The Coronavirus Variants
By now, you have likely heard about different variants that first raised trouble in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, and now maybe California — though the jury is very much out on whether that last one is cause for concern. To make a messy alphabet soup even more jumbled, these variants have unwieldy names, and they each contain mutations with unwieldy names of their own. The result is that people are left trying to differentiate among B.1.1.7 and N501Y and E484K and C-3PO. Wait, sorry, that last one is from “Star Wars.” The point is that all of this is difficult to keep track of, and it will only grow more confusing with more variants likely to turn up. “It’s becoming a mutation-of-the-week game,” said Stephen Goldstein, a coronavirologist at the University of Utah. (Joseph, 1/19)
Detroit Free Press:
7 COVID-19 Cases Tied To Washtenaw County Woman Who Has UK Variant
Seven cases of COVID-19 in Michigan are now associated with a Washtenaw County woman who traveled to the United Kingdom and brought back with her a new variation of the coronavirus known as B.1.1.7, or the U.K. variant. It's more transmissible — spreading about 50% more efficiently than other known mutations of the virus — and health officials fear this form of the virus could become the predominant strain in the U.S. in March, causing more infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Most of the seven people who've contracted the virus since having close contact with the Washtenaw County woman live in connected households, said Susan Ringler Cerniglia, a spokeswoman for the county health department. It still isn't known whether they, too, have the B.1.1.7 variant. (Jordan Shamus, 1/19)
The Hill:
Moderna Says It's Investigating Reported Allergic Reactions To COVID-19 Vaccine
Moderna said Tuesday that it is investigating reported allergic reactions from one batch of its COVID-19 vaccine after California recommended pausing vaccinations. State epidemiologist Erica Pan recommended on Sunday that health care providers pause administering doses from lot 041L20A while the state investigates a “higher-than-usual number of possible allergic reactions” that were reported with doses that were administered at a community vaccination clinic. (Williams, 1/19)
NPR:
4,400 Moderna Vaccine Doses Not Kept Cold Enough May Be Unusable
Maine health officials discovered that a majority of Moderna vaccine shipments received across the state on Monday were not kept adequately cold during transport, meaning 4,400 doses may have to be thrown out. Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, made the announcement during a "sad and somber" coronavirus briefing on Tuesday and said the problem extends to other states as well. Shah said 35 of the 50 sites that received the vaccine a day earlier reported that "the thermometer on the outside of the boxes ... showed that at some point the required minimum temperature had been exceeded." (Romo, 1/19)
The Washington Post:
Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout Prompts Maryland Senate To Delay Hearing For Health Secretary Nominee
Growing demand for the coronavirus vaccine amid complaints over distribution is sparking friction among local leaders and forcing some jurisdictions in the Washington region to pause appointments. Maryland’s Senate president said the health secretary nominee of Gov. Larry Hogan (R) will not receive a confirmation hearing until the state shows more progress on the rollout of the vaccine. Sen. Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said state lawmakers are fielding calls from constituents about when and where they can be vaccinated, causing “unacceptable levels of confusion.” (Wiggins, Tan and Chason, 1/19)
The Hill:
De Blasio: New York City Will Run Out Of COVID-19 Vaccine This Week Without Resupply
New York City is going to run out of coronavirus vaccine doses this week and will have to cancel appointments unless they receive more, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Tuesday. The city is aiming to vaccinate 300,000 people this week, but only has 92,000 doses on hand. More than 450,000 doses have been administered to date. (Weixel, 1/19)
Los Angeles Times:
San Francisco Will Run Out Of COVID-19 Vaccine Thursday, Officials Say
San Francisco’s public health department will run out of COVID-19 vaccine Thursday because the city’s allocation dropped substantially from a week ago and doses that had to be discarded were not replaced, city officials said Tuesday. Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s director of public health, said at a news conference that the city received 12,000 doses a week ago and asked for the same number this week. Instead, the city received only 1,775 doses. On top of that, the city received 8,000 doses of a Moderna vaccine that had to be scrapped because some people in San Diego had allergic reactions to doses from that same batch, prompting the state to issue a warning. Colfax said those 8,000 doses, ordered withdrawn by the state, have not been replaced. (Dolan, 1/19)
CNN:
US Coronavirus: Officials Call For More Vaccine Doses As The US Death Toll Passes 400,000
A funeral bell tolled at the Washington National Cathedral 400 times Tuesday, once for every thousand Americans who have died of Covid-19 in the United States. As the numbers climb, health experts and officials have turned their attention to mitigating the impacts of the new variant that has sparked alarm, and they are calling for ramped up vaccinations and preventative measures. (Holcombe, 1/20)
AP:
Pharmacist Charged In Attempt To Ruin COVID-19 Vaccine
A Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to defrost and spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine was charged Tuesday with attempted misdemeanor property damage, and prosecutors warned more serious charges could follow if tests show the doses were ruined. Police arrested 46-year-old Steven Brandenburg on Dec. 31 as part of an investigation into how 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine were left for hours outside a refrigerator at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, a Milwaukee suburb. The vials contained enough vaccine to inoculate more than 500 people. (Richmond, 1/19)
The Hill:
Supermarket Chain Aldi To Provide Paid Time Off For US Employees To Get COVID-19 Vaccine
Supermarket chain Aldi announced Tuesday that it would provide front-line workers in the U.S. up to four hours of paid leave so they can receive two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. “Aldi is ensuring that all hourly workers who wish to receive the vaccine are able to do so without concern about losing pay or taking time away from work,” the company said in a statement. (Gstalter, 1/19)
AP:
Mormon Leaders Urge Members To Get COVID-19 Vaccine
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged its members to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s their turn, while announcing Tuesday that eight top leaders and most of their wives received their first doses. Church President Russell M. Nelson, 96, and the others are over the age of 70. They received the shots in Utah, where the state’s plan has shifted to getting seniors vaccinated after first delivering shots to health care workers and first responders. (1/19)
AP:
Couple Celebrates 73rd Wedding Anniversary With Vaccinations
A northern Kentucky couple celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary by getting their first coronavirus vaccine shot. Noel “Gene” Record, 93, and Virginia Record, 91, were among the first patients in Cincinnati to be vaccinated Tuesday under Ohio’s Phase 1B, WLWT-TV reported. Initial vaccinations went to health care workers. (1/19)
Houston Chronicle:
COVID-19 Vaccines May Become Annual Shots, UTMB Researchers Say
Even after much of the general population gets COVID-19 vaccines, they will likely need to get annual doses to protect against future mutations of the virus, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Scott Weaver, director of the medical branch’s infectious disease research programs, said viruses like COVID-19 will eventually find ways to mutate in order to continue to infect people, even those who have antibodies from vaccines or previous infections. “We may very well need to do the same thing for influenza vaccines — produce a new one every year or two based on the updated sequences of the rapidly circulating coronavirus strains,” Weaver said during a COVID-19 forum hosted by UTMB Tuesday. (Powell, 1/19)
Stat:
Biotech Launches Human Trials Of Potential ‘Backstop’ For Covid-19 Vaccines
A small biotechnology firm said that it will start human testing of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine it hopes can target potential strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that could evade current vaccines — if such strains ever exist and become a problem. (Herper, 1/19)
CIDRAP:
Kids, Teens May Be Less Likely To Get COVID But More Likely To Spread It
An observational study published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases suggests that children and teens in Wuhan, China, homes were less vulnerable than older household contacts to COVID-19 infections but were more likely to spread the virus. A team led by researchers from the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention studied the 27,101 households of all 29,578 confirmed COVID-19 patients and their 57,581 household contacts in Wuhan from Dec 2, 2019, to Apr 18, 2020. Of the household contacts, 10,367 tested positive for COVID-19, 29,658 tested negative, and 17,556 weren't tested. Using a transmission model that assumed a mean incubation period of 5 days and an infectious period of no more than 22 days, the authors estimated that 15.6% of household members became infected. (1/19)
CIDRAP:
Crowded ICUs Tied To Higher Risk Of COVID-19 Death
COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) at US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals during peak coronavirus patient surges were twice as likely to die than those treated during low-demand periods, an observational study published today in JAMA Network Open suggests. (Van Beusekom, 1/19)
CIDRAP:
Many US Immigration Detention Centers Rife With COVID-19 Cases
COVID-19 infection rates in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers are higher than those in the general population and eclipse those of surrounding communities, according to a research letter published today in JAMA Network Open. The authors, led by a researcher from the University of Miami in Florida, analyzed data from the COVID Prison Project, the New York Times, and the American Community Survey from May 5 to Sep 15, 2020. (1/19)
The Washington Post:
Covid-19 Destroyed A Young Man’s Lungs. Can His Foster Mom Let Him Go?
Covid-19 had destroyed Elenilson Orellana Garcia’s lungs. The 36-year-old teacher’s aide, known to friends and family as Nelson, was in his third month on life support and his condition had not improved. Doctors at MedStar Washington Hospital Center no longer believed he had the strength to get better. The machines, they said, were just prolonging his suffering. ... But this case was unusual. Many covid-19 patients, once on a ventilator, have come through. Countless others have died within days or weeks. Far fewer have been too weak to recover but too strong to entirely succumb. (Thompson, 1/19)
CIDRAP:
US Needs National COVID 'Smart Testing' Strategy, APHL Says
As the United States starts off 2021 with COVID-19 vaccines as well as variants, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) reasserts the importance of strategic COVID-19 testing strategies with a report published late last week. In the report, "Smart Testing for Optimizing Pandemic Response," the group recommends a coordinated national approach, supply chain management, and a focus on using test results as a means to improve public health surveillance. (McLernon, 1/19)
The New York Times:
Could A Small Test Screen People For Covid-19?
In a perfect world, the entrance to every office, restaurant and school would offer a coronavirus test — one with absolute accuracy, and able to instantly determine who was virus-free and safe to admit and who, positively infected, should be turned away. That reality does not exist. But as the nation struggles to regain a semblance of normal life amid the uncontrolled spread of the virus, some scientists think that a quick test consisting of little more than a stinky strip of paper might at least get us close. (Wu, 1/19)
Modern Healthcare:
Providers Await New HHS Coronavirus Grant Reporting Deadline
HHS has yet to declare a revised deadline for healthcare providers to report their Provider Relief Fund grants after scrapping the original one late last week. The agency had originally planned to open its reporting portal on Jan. 15, 2021, with the first submissions required by Feb. 15. That all changed with Congress' passage of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act in late December, which poured another $3 billion into the PRF pot and tweaked reporting requirements. HHS said it's reworking its rules so they're consistent with the law. Providers are generally happy about the change, said Aparna Venkateswaran, a senior manager with Moss Adams. (Bannow, 1/19)
Modern Healthcare:
Surgeon General Calls On Businesses To Invest In Community Health
The U.S. Surgeon General on Tuesday released its first ever report that attempts to make the business case for why companies should invest in improving community health. In a call with reporters, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said the report is intended to provide guidance for business leaders on how they can work with and invest in communities to address their health challenges. But he felt it could also help raise more awareness about the economic benefits for businesses that make health a factor in their policies and decisions. (Ross Johnson, 1/19)
Modern Healthcare:
Nursing Home Employment Continues Free Fall, Industry Prepares For Worker Exodus
Even as overall healthcare employment has rebounded slightly, job numbers in nursing homes continue their downward spiral. After more than a decade of gradual losses, nursing home employment began a free fall in April as the novel coronavirus spread across the country. And it hasn't recovered. Nursing homes need more workers to handle the challenges of COVID-19, yet jobs remain vacant. Low wages, limited healthcare benefits and hard work make these jobs hard to fill, experts say. The added threat of contracting COVID-19 makes it even more difficult. (Christ, 1/19)
CIDRAP:
Flu Vaccine Roadmap Aims To Promote Game-Changers, Equity
The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), with support from the Wellcome Trust, a London-based research nonprofit—with an eye toward improving flu vaccines, promoting truly revolutionary versions, and ensuring more equitable distribution—today released a draft of the Influenza Vaccines Research & Development Roadmap (IVR) for public review and comment. The IVR project is being led by a steering group of scientists and policymakers and supported by a CIDRAP core team. It aims to develop a globally oriented influenza strategic planning tool to coordinate research and development (R&D), funding, and stakeholder engagement to produce more effective flu vaccines and reduce the impact of future influenza pandemics. (Paulsen, 1/19)
Stat:
Biotech’s Presence On New Social Media App Clubhouse Is Growing
For years, Twitter has been biotech’s social media app of choice. But the industry appears to be breaking into a newer, more exclusive social media app: Clubhouse. The app, which is only available for iPhones, lets people join conversations — think of a call-in radio show or a multiway phone call. (Sheridan, 1/20)
Boston Globe:
After Moderna’s Medical Miracle, Some Investors Step Back
Moderna performed a miracle last year: The Cambridge biotech company, which hadn’t put a product on the market since it was founded in 2010, delivered a coronavirus vaccine in just 11 months. (Edelman, 1/19)
CNN:
Premature Babies May Have Greater Risk Of Early Death As Adults, Study Suggests
One in 10 babies around the world is born prematurely, and the vastly improved survival rates of preemies is one of the most striking advances of modern health care -- with the overwhelming majority of those born preterm reaching adulthood. But what are the long-term health risks of being born too early as these infants approach middle and old age? It's a question that has been difficult to answer with many individuals in follow-up studies still too young to draw meaningful conclusions. (Hunt, 1/20)
The Washington Post:
United Offers $200 Travel Credit To Man Who Did CPR On Coronavirus-Infected Passenger
One of the passengers who tried to revive a man on a cross-country United flight in December said the airline emailed him a voucher for $200 for his “help/inconvenience on the flight” last week. Tony Aldapa, an intermediate medical technician at a Los Angeles hospital, said that was in addition to a $75 voucher that a flight attendant gave him on the plane. He said a customer service representative also called. (Sampson, 1/19)
The Washington Post:
Sex Education Is Transforming Thanks To The Pandemic, Educators Say
Last spring, Mary Jo Podgurski taught her usual sex education course to sixth-graders in Washington, Pa. — usual, except one thing: It was over Zoom. Because the kids took the class from home, many of their parents participated as well, so Podgurski decided to include exercises to help parents and children communicate about sex. “Mary Jo helped me build trust with my mom and classmates so if I have any questions in the future, I feel safe asking,” says 13-year-old Cicely Sunseri, one of the students. (Weiss, 1/16)
The Washington Post:
Tiger Woods Undergoes Back Surgery, Sidelined For At Least Several Weeks
Tiger Woods announced Tuesday that he recently underwent back surgery and will miss two events on the PGA Tour. It was Woods’s fifth back operation, including a 2017 spinal fusion procedure that led to a remarkable comeback, capped by a triumph at the 2019 Masters. The recent surgery was a less drastic microdiscectomy procedure, which he also had done three times between 2014 and 2015. Woods, 45, said this one was aimed at removing “a pressurized disc fragment” that was pinching his nerve and causing “discomfort” at the PNC Championship. (Bieler, 1/19)