First Edition: Jan. 4, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Children’s Hospitals Are Partly To Blame As Superbugs Increasingly Attack Kids
A memory haunts Christina Fuhrman: the image of her toddler Pearl lying pale and listless in a hospital bed, tethered to an IV to keep her hydrated as she struggled against a superbug infection. “She survived by the grace of God,” Fuhrman said of the illness that struck her oldest child in this central Missouri city almost five years ago. “She could’ve gone septic fast. Her condition was near critical.” Pearl was fighting Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as a superbug. A growing body of research shows that overuse and misuse of antibiotics in children’s hospitals — which health experts and patients say should know better — helps fuel these dangerous bacteria that attack adults and, increasingly, children. Doctors worry that the covid pandemic will only lead to more overprescribing. (Ungar, 1/4)
KHN:
Heading Off The Next Pandemic
As the covid-19 pandemic heads for a showdown with vaccines it’s expected to lose, many experts in the field of emerging infectious diseases are already focused on preventing the next one. They fear another virus will leap from wildlife into humans, one that is far more lethal but spreads as easily as SARS-CoV-2, the strain of coronavirus that causes covid-19. A virus like that could change the trajectory of life on the planet, experts say. (Robbins, 1/4)
KHN:
‘Last Responders’ Brace For Surge In Covid Deaths Across US
Funeral director Kevin Spitzer has been overwhelmed with covid-related deaths in the small city of Aberdeen, South Dakota. He and his two colleagues at the Spitzer-Miller Funeral Home have been working 12-15 hours a day, seven days a week, to keep up with the demand in the community of 26,000. The funerals are sparsely attended, which would have been unthinkable before the pandemic. (Loose, 1/4)
KHN:
Seniors Face Crushing Drug Costs As Congress Stalls On Capping Medicare Out-Of-Pockets
Sharon Clark is able to get her life-sustaining cancer drug, Pomalyst — priced at more than $18,000 for a 28-day supply — only because of the generosity of patient assistance foundations. Clark, 57, a former insurance agent who lives in Bixby, Oklahoma, had to stop working in 2015 and go on Social Security disability and Medicare after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. Without the foundation grants, mostly financed by the drugmakers, she couldn’t afford the nearly $1,000 a month it would cost her for the drug, since her Medicare Part D drug plan requires her to pay 5% of the list price. Every year, however, Clark has to find new grants to cover her expensive cancer drug. (Meyer, 1/4)
The New York Times:
U.S. Officials Consider Half-Doses Of Moderna’s Vaccine To Give More People At Least Some Immunity.
A top official of Operation Warp Speed floated a new idea on Sunday for stretching the limited number of Covid-19 vaccine doses in the United States: Halving the dose of each shot of Moderna’s vaccine to potentially double the number of people who could receive it. Data from Moderna’s clinical trials demonstrated that people between the ages of 18 and 55 who received two 50-microgram doses showed an “identical immune response” to the standard of two 100-microgram doses, said the official, Dr. Moncef Slaoui. (1/3)
CNBC:
U.S. Could Ramp Up Slow Covid Vaccinations By Giving Two Half Doses Of Moderna Shot
The head of the federal government’s Covid-19 vaccine program said Sunday that health officials are exploring the idea of giving a major group of Americans half volume doses of one vaccine to accelerate the rollout. Moncef Slaoui, the head of Operation Warp Speed, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that one way to speed up immunizations against Covid-19 was to give two half-volume doses of the Moderna vaccine to some individuals. (Pound, 1/3)
Reuters:
U.S. May Cut Some Moderna Vaccine Doses In Half To Speed Rollout, Official Says
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered 4,225,756 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 13,071,925 doses. ... [Moncef] Slaoui said he was optimistic vaccinations would continue to accelerate. He rejected the suggestion that officials should prioritize giving more people a single shot, rather than holding back doses for the second shot, saying that cutting Moderna vaccine doses in half was “a more responsible approach that would be based on facts and data.”
CNN:
More Than 4.2 Million Coronavirus Vaccines Have Been Given And Experts Say The US Needs To Go Faster
With more than 4.2 million people given their first doses of Covid-19 vaccines so far, experts say the pace of inoculation in the US needs to speed up. "No excuses -- we're not where we want to be, but hopefully we'll pick up some momentum and get back to where we want to be with regard to getting it into people's arms," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday on NBC's Meet The Press. (Holcombe, 1/4)
The Washington Post:
Coronavirus Vaccine Has Arrived, But Frustrated Americans Are Struggling To Sign Up
After months of anticipation, millions of doses of the two authorized coronavirus vaccines — made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — are flowing into hospitals and health departments across the nation, putting the end of the pandemic in sight. But Americans trying to access shots are encountering systems that vary widely county to county and that, in many places, are overwhelmed. Some counties and hospital systems launched reservation websites, only for them to quickly become booked or crash. Others announced appointments only through Facebook, with slots filling before some residents knew to look. And many have not revealed how the vaccine will be made available to anyone beyond health-care workers and long-term care residents and employees, the focus of the first round of vaccinations. (Shammas and Rozsa, 1/3)
AP:
Fauci: Vaccinations Are Ramping Up In A `Glimmer Of Hope'
The U.S. ramped up COVID-19 vaccinations in the past few days after a slower-than-expected start, bringing the number of shots dispensed to about 4 million, government health officials said Sunday. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, also said on ABC’s “This Week” that President-elect Joe Biden’s pledge to administer 100 million shots of the vaccine within his first 100 days in office is achievable. And he rejected President Donald Trump’s false claim on Twitter that coronavirus deaths and cases in the U.S. have been greatly exaggerated. (Robertson, 1/3)
The New York Times:
As Rollout Falters, Scientists Debate New Vaccination Tactics
As governments around the world rush to vaccinate their citizens against the surging coronavirus, scientists are locked in a heated debate over a surprising question: Is it wisest to hold back the second doses everyone will need, or to give as many people as possible an inoculation now — and push back the second doses until later? Since even the first shot appears to provide some protection against Covid-19, some experts believe that the shortest route to containing the virus is to disseminate the initial injections as widely as possible now. (Wu and Robbins, 1/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Advocate Aurora Health Defends COVID-19 Vaccine Security After 'Bad Actor' Spoils Doses
Advocate Aurora Health officials said Thursday they are still confident in the system's security protocols despite an employee intentionally removing 570 doses of coronavirus vaccine from refrigerated storage over the weekend, saying the act was the result of a "bad actor" and not "bad processes." A pharmacist at Aurora Medical Center-Grafton in Wisconsin admitted to removing 57 vials, which each containing approximately 10 doses of the Moderna vaccine, from freezers at least twice between Dec. 24 and Dec. 26. The employee, who has not yet been identified, returned the vials into storage each time and has been fired. Local and federal authorities are investigating the incident. (Ross Johnson, 12/31)
The Washington Post:
Teachers Start Getting Coronavirus Vaccines — But Only In Some Places
A small number of teachers and school nurses in a few states have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but most are still waiting amid a stumbling rollout of the vaccine across the country. Even as a new, highly contagious strain of the coronavirus has been confirmed in some U.S. states and a few thousand people are dying from covid-19 each day, officials in many districts are making plans to reopen schools soon and teachers are coming under increasing pressure to return to classrooms. (Strauss, 1/3)
The Washington Post:
Britain Administers First Shots Of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine
Britain became the first nation in the world to begin distributing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday morning, with an 82-year-old Oxford native receiving the first shot just steps from where it was developed. “I am so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford,” Brian Pinker said in a statement issued by the National Health Service. “The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year.” (Noori Farzan, 1/4)
Reuters:
UK Rolls Out AstraZeneca Vaccine, Hails Lead In Fight Against Coronavirus
Britain, grappling with the world’s sixth worst death toll and one of the worst economic hits from the COVID crisis, has put more than a million COVID-19 vaccines into arms already - more than the rest of Europe put together, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said. “That’s a triumph of British science that we’ve managed to get where we are,” Hancock told Sky. “Right at the start, we saw that the vaccine was the only way out long term.” (Faulconbridge and Smout, 1/3)
The Hill:
Britain To Allow Mixing And Matching Of COVID-19 Vaccines
Britain is set to allow the mixing of various coronavirus vaccines under special circumstances, despite limited knowledge on whether mixed doses provide the same amount of protection as uniform doses. The British government released updated guidelines on New Year's Eve that state, "[If] the same vaccine is not available, or if the first product received is unknown, it is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule." (Jenkins, 1/2)
Politico:
Warp Speed Chief: U.S. Won’t Get AstraZeneca Vaccine Until April
Americans likely won’t receive AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine before April because of lingering questions about its effectiveness in certain groups, a top Trump administration health official said hours after U.K. regulators authorized the company’s shot Wednesday. The prediction by Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, moves back the U.S. government’s timeline for greenlighting the AstraZeneca shot by at least two months. Slaoui earlier this month estimated the British drugmaker would file for emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration as early as February. (Owermohle, 12/30)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID Fatalities In U.S. Top 350,000. Refuting Trump, Fauci Says Deaths Are ‘Not Fake’
As the U.S. COVID-19 death toll surpassed 350,000 Sunday, President Trump claimed the country’s fatality count toll was “far exaggerated,” an assertion that was quickly refuted by the nation’s top infectious-diseases expert. “The deaths are real deaths,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an ABC interview. “That’s not fake.” Trump also suggested Sunday on Twitter that states, not the federal government, bore responsibility for a vaccine rollout lagging expectations. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti countered Trump’s assertion, saying states and municipalities had been denied crucial resources to move ahead more expeditiously. (King, 1/3)
The Washington Post:
U.S. Death Toll Tops 350,000 Amid Frustration Over Vaccine Rollout
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 350,000 on Sunday, as President Trump falsely claimed that the fatality count was “exaggerated.” More than 20.6 million infections have been reported in the United States since February, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. (Noori Farzan, 1/4)
Politico:
Surgeon General Defends Integrity Of Covid-19 Numbers
Surgeon General Jerome Adams declined to condemn President Donald Trump on Sunday for calling Covid-19 death figures “far exaggerated,” but he did defend the numbers Trump attacked. “From a health perspective, I have no reason to doubt those numbers,” Adams said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” responding to a question from host Jake Tapper pressing him on a tweet Sunday where the president stated without evidence that Covid-19 numbers have been inflated. (Cohen, 1/3)
The Hill:
COVID-19 Model Predicts 150,000 More US Deaths Within The Next Month
A top COVID-19 model predicts 150,000 more deaths in the U.S. in the next month as the country heads into what is anticipated to be the worst phase of the pandemic. Projections from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation show the death toll over the next month could be far beyond that of December, which set a record at about 77,500. (Axelrod, 1/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
‘It’s A Desperate Time’: Crush Of Covid-19 Patients Strains U.S. Hospitals
On New Year’s Day at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center in Southern California, the overflowing emergency room spilled into the hallway. Doctors treated patients on oxygen in the waiting room after running out of beds. Some 80% of patients admitted in recent days have Covid-19.In Texas, patients who need to be transferred from small facilities to big metropolitan hospitals sit in limbo for hours or days, putting them at risk of developing complications from delays. Desperate smaller hospitals have flown patients as far as Albuquerque, N.M., and Oklahoma City for an open bed. (Evans, Lovett and Mai-Duc, 1/3)
AP:
California Funeral Homes Run Out Of Space As COVID-19 Rages
As communities across the country feel the pain of a surge in coronavirus cases, funeral homes in the hot spot of Southern California say they must turn away grieving families as they run out of space for the bodies piling up. The head of the state funeral directors association says mortuaries are being inundated as the United States nears a grim tally of 350,000 COVID-19 deaths. More than 20 million people in the country have been infected, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Weber, 1/3)
The Washington Post:
U.K. Variant Continues To Spread Around The World As Coronavirus Pandemic Enters 2021
More than 30 countries have reported cases of the highly transmissible “U.K. variant” of the novel coronavirus, raising fears of increased global spread of the virus, even as countries begin to unroll vaccination programs in the new year. Vietnam on Saturday was the latest nation to report a case, which authorities detected in a woman quarantined after recent travel from Britain. Vietnam has banned nearly all international travel, but it is providing repatriation flights for citizens stranded in Britain. (Berger, 1/2)
Bay Area News Group:
COVID-19: The Hunt For Coronavirus Genomes That Could Worsen Pandemic
The highly contagious new strain of COVID-19 that’s spreading throughout the United Kingdom may now be coursing through the U.S. The challenge is finding it. Unlike the UK, America has not yet fully harnessed the power of genomics to quickly detect important changes in the virus that could alter the trajectory of the pandemic ravaging the country. “We’re working blind,” with insufficient screening to know how prevalent the strain is, said Dr. Charles Chiu of UC San Francisco, whose lab is collaborating with the state’s Department of Public Health to seek the new variant, called B.1.1.7., in viral samples among recent UK travelers in many California counties. (Krieger, 1/3)
The New York Times:
U.S. Air Travel Hits Pandemic High, Adding to Fears of Yet More Case Surges and the New Variant
With the coronavirus raging in many parts of the country and hospitals dangerously overstretched, public health officials warned on Sunday that more calamitous days may be ahead, as infections tied to holiday gatherings fuel a fresh spate of illness and death. “It’s terrible, it’s unfortunate, but it was predictable,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said on “Meet the Press.” (1/3)
Politico:
Biden Picks 3 Coordinators For Covid-19 Response
President-elect Joe Biden is expanding his White House Covid-19 Response team, tapping three senior officials to coordinate vaccine, testing and supply chain strategy in an announcement first shared with POLITICO. The officials are set to play a major role in Biden's response to the worsening pandemic, which the president-elect has made his top priority ahead of taking office. Nearly 20 million Americans have been diagnosed with Covid-19, and more than 336,000 have died with the virus. Biden's team has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration for not doing more to speed shots, tests and supplies in recent weeks. (Diamond, 12/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden Inauguration To Feature Virtual Parade
President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration will include a virtual parade as part of a series of events on Jan. 20 that have been scaled-down because of the coronavirus pandemic, the inaugural committee said Sunday. ... The inaugural committee also has told people not to attend the inaugural activities and hired a chief medical adviser, Dr. David Kessler, to help plan the event based on health safety protocols. (Parti, 1/3)
AP:
Memorial Held For Congressman-Elect Who Contracted COVID-19
Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, who recently died from COVID-19 complications, was remembered Saturday as a man who loved people and felt called to serve others. “This is a gentleman who cared about nothing but others,” said former Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, who hired Letlow as chief of staff during his tenure in Washington and later backed Letlow’s bid for Congress. “He was a true servant’s servant. We never want to forget what he’s done for our state, what he’s done for me and my family.” Letlow, an incoming Republican member of the U.S. House, died Tuesday at 41. Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered flags flown at half-staff on Saturday for Letlow, who is survived by his wife, Julia Letlow, and their children, Jeremiah, 3, and Jacqueline, 1. (1/3)
CIDRAP:
Two Studies Find That COVID-19 Antibodies Last 8 Months
Two studies published [Dec. 22] demonstrate that COVID-19 immune responses last as long as 8 months, although the authors focus on different reasons. In the first study, all patients demonstrated the presence of memory B cells—immune cells that "remember" viral proteins and can trigger rapid production of antibodies when re-exposed to the virus—as long as 8 months after initial infection. The second study investigated antibody responses in 58 confirmed COVID-19 patients in South Korea 8 months after asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, finding high rates of serum antibodies. (Kuebelbeck Paulsen, 12/23)
CIDRAP:
Hospital Air Frequently Contaminated With COVID-19, Study Finds
A study of hospital air contamination in JAMA Network Open last week found that 17.4% of air samples from environments near COVID-19 patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, the virus that causes COVID-19, but only 8.6% contained viable virus. (12/28)
USA Today:
Heart Failure In Children: Another Rare COVID-19 Complication. Here's What To Look For.
Adam Millar was 18 when he started to experience a cold that wouldn't go away. It was the middle of hockey season, so he brushed his symptoms off. After what seemed like two or three months of a cough and fatigue, his cold progressed. "I didn't even have the energy to stand to brush my teeth," he told USA TODAY. Millar's heart was in failure, he later found out. Heart failure — often caused by myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle — is a rare condition for teens and young adults. It's more common in older people, often the result of heart function declining over a period of years. (Aspegren, 1/1)
CIDRAP:
No Mom-To-Baby Virus Spread Noted In Late-Pregnancy COVID-19
No vertical—mom-to-baby—transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, occurred in a study of 64 pregnant women with confirmed COVID, reports a study yesterday in JAMA Network Open. ... The study, led by Andrea Edlow, MD, maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focused on mothers in the third trimester of pregnancy, which is when the highest transfer of maternal antibodies occurs. (McLernon, 12/23)
Houston Chronicle:
As COVID-19 Cases Spike, Nurse Aides Work To Reduce Unnecessary Hospital Admissions
The key to keeping patients who are recovering from serious medical events from returning to the emergency room during the COVID-19 pandemic as hospitalization rates soar again could lie in a Houston medical program. Grand-Aides is an organization of 1,500 nurse aides and medical assistants who check on patients after they’re discharged from the hospital to ensure that they’re taking medications, adhering to special diets and managing side effects at home. The program was conceptualized in 2012 by Arthur “Tim” Garson, a health policy expert and former dean of academic operations at Baylor College of Medicine, but has gained renewed interest as fears of catching COVID-19 lead people to avoid seeking medical care. (Wu, 12/31)
NPR:
Walmart And Opioid Crisis: Former Pharmacists Say Company Ignored Red Flags
Internal company documents made public last month as part of a Justice Department lawsuit against Walmart show pharmacists all over the country warned Walmart executives about opioid sales that appeared unsafe. Pharmacists complained that dangerous "pill-mill" doctors were sending patients to Walmart after other chains stopped filling their opioid prescriptions. Pharmacists sent emails to Walmart executives saying they feared losing their licenses and their jobs because of opioid sales. According to the DOJ complaint, patients often paid in cash, also considered a red flag by the DEA. A pharmacist at a Walmart store in Texas said filling opioid prescriptions "is a risk that keeps me up at night." (Mann, 1/3)
Modern Healthcare:
New Care Model Helps Primary-Care Practices Treat Obesity
Despite the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. and its contribution to costly chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, seasoned primary-care physicians often lack the education and resources to adequately address the condition among their patients. A 2017 survey from the medical association AMGA found 68% of its members weren’t following any guidelines for obesity care management in their practices. There were several reasons for this, including stigma among health professionals about obesity being a lifestyle choice rather than a chronic condition, said Elizabeth Ciemins, AMGA vice president of research and analytics. Additionally, physicians weren’t adequately trained until recently on obesity management and were often uncomfortable broaching the topic with patients. Providers “don’t know how to have those conversations,” Ciemins said. (Castellucci, 1/2)
Modern Healthcare:
‘Payviders,’ Burnout And COVID-19 Are Among The Threats To A Better Year For Hospitals In 2021
Among the many looming threats hospitals will face in 2021 is the rise of so-called payviders—insurers that have bought or partnered with medical groups and other providers.“ The line between providers and payers is getting blurrier and blurrier over the course of time with major payers taking significant positions in the provider space,” said David Morlock, a managing director in Cain Brothers’ Health Systems M&A group. Such deals exploded in 2020, a trend that will likely continue this year. That doesn’t bode well for hospitals, as these deals usually entail managing patients’ cost using global budgets. That means keeping them out of the most expensive settings—namely, anything involving a hospital. (Bannow, 1/2)
Stat:
Incentives And Information Drive Innovation In Health Care
Health care in America often feels like it moves at a glacial pace, if that fast. Case in point: fax machines remain indispensable as a way of transferring information. On a larger scale, the U.S. health care system still struggles with readmissions, medication adherence, chronic disease outcomes, and more. True innovation is rare. (Bob Kocher and Bryan Roberts, 1/4)
Stat:
The Biotech 2021 Preview, From M&A To Gene Therapy And More
Hello, Biotech 2021. In the interest of humility, we’ll note that last year’s preview story made no mention at all of the coronavirus. Sadly, we paid no mind to our colleague Helen Branswell’s prescient tweet. All of which is to say there’s no way to be certain what the coming year will bring. But here are some trends and burning questions for biotech that are on our radar screen for 2021. (Feuerstein and Garde, 1/4)
Stat:
Five Key Milestones In The Pandemic That We're Anticipating In 2021
On the first day of fall, STAT published its best guesses of 30 moments to come in the pandemic that could mark a change in its course or serve as a time to reflect on how Covid-19 had reshaped our lives. In reality, some of the turning points have turned out better than they could have. (Joseph, 1/4)
CNN:
Mental Health In 2021: What We'll Experience And Overcome
With progress in efforts for Covid-19 vaccines and predictions for when the population will receive them, there seems to be a light at the end of the long, harrowing pandemic tunnel. As the physical risks are better managed with vaccines, however, what will likely still remain is the indelible impact of the pandemic weighing on the collective psyche. (Rogers, 1/4)
USA Today:
When Teachers Brought Free Lunch To Kids Amid COVID-19, They Saw Poverty Up Close
First-grade teacher Shiela Garland had long known that 100% of students in Arizona’s Stanfield Elementary School District, where she has taught for 16 years, ate free meals. Garland did not really know what those numbers meant until this spring, when the coronavirus pandemic hit and schools closed across the United States. Suddenly, she and other Stanfield staff found themselves in masks and gloves, riding up to 150 miles a day on school buses traversing gravel and dirt roads to hand out food and homework packets to children. (Hernandez, 1/3)
The New York Times:
9 Sisters At Upstate Convent Die As Outbreak Infects 47
A coronavirus outbreak at a convent near Albany has infected nearly half of its roughly 100 residents, leaving nine sisters dead in December, the convent and local officials said on Sunday. The outbreak took place in the St. Joseph’s Provincial House in Latham, N.Y., the headquarters of the Albany Province of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Residents include sisters who are retired and who have long-term health care needs. (Zaveri, 1/3)
Boston Globe:
Baker Signs New Health Care Law Covering Telehealth, Other Services Into Effect
The COVID-19 pandemic has strained the health care system in myriad ways over the past year, but Governor Charlie Baker said Friday that a “silver lining” of the public health crisis is that reforms like telehealth were able to be tested, and proved effective. Baker signed into law on New Year’s Day a multi-faceted health care bill that requires insurance companies to cover telehealth visits the same way they cover in-person care, and provides a short-term model for how those services will be paid. The new law also protects coverage for COVID-19 testing and treatment, expands the scope of practice for advanced practice nurses and optometrists, addresses surprise out-of-network billing by requiring patient notification before nonemergency procedures and gives community hospitals two years of enhanced Medicaid reimbursements. (Murphy, 1/1)
NPR:
Lessons From Lockdown In Boston: Why Kids With Asthma Had Fewer ER Visits
Just one week after Massachusetts closed schools and daycares in March, Boston Children's Hospital saw a drastic change in asthma-related visits to the emergency room: They were down 80% from the prior two months. For two more months, during the state's stay-at-home order, they stayed that way. When the order began lifting in late May, the ER was seeing 82% and 87% fewer asthma emergency visits compared to 2018 and 2019, according to a recent study published in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society. (Kendrick, 1/4)
Boston Globe:
Mass. Renews Public Health Campaign To End The Stigma Of Addiction
As the state experiences a slight rise in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has rolled out a new phase of its media campaign to combat the stigma of substance addiction. The #StateWithoutStigMA campaign features a fresh voices and faces reminding people of the importance of accessing lifesaving care including treatment, recovery and support resources, the department said in a statement. The $575,000 campaign, funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s State Opioid Response federal grant, features people from all walks of life talking about how and why they support fighting the stigma of addiction. (Saric, 1/2)
AP:
New Washington Law Sets $100 Cap On Copayments For Insulin
Many Washington residents with diabetes will have an easier time affording insulin this year, as a law imposes a $100 cap on patient copayments. The law applies to any health-care plan issued or renewed after Jan. 1 that covers insulin drugs. It includes language to protect people who have “high deductible” insurance from paying more than $100 per 30-day supply, the Seattle Times reported. (1/2)
AP:
"Mask Up" Video Contest To Show Importance Of Wearing Mask
State medical groups are sponsoring a video contest to explain why it’s important to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alabama Department of Public Health, the Alabama Hospital Association and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama are sponsoring the “Mask Up Alabama” video contest. A Health Department news release says the contest is for Alabamians of all ages to share why they feel it is important to wear a mask. The videos should be 30-second or less and need to highlight basic information related to mask wearing and COVID-19. The deadline for submissions is noon on Jan. 11. There is no fee to enter the contest and the full rules can be found on the Health Department website. (1/3)
CNN:
Man Who Pleaded Guilty To Practicing Medicine Without A License As A Teen Faces New Fraud Charges
Malachi A. Love-Robinson, the Florida man who pleaded guilty to practicing medicine without a license as a teen, has been arrested on new allegations of fraud. Love-Robinson, 23, was booked Thursday morning into the Palm Beach County Jail in south Florida on charges of grand theft and fraud, jail records show. (Riess and Caldwell, 1/2)
AP:
Wyoming Group Seeks To Improve Public Access To Healthy Food
Last winter, a group of farmers, educators and economic development professionals gathered on the Casper College campus to discuss what it would take to develop a self-sustaining food network in Wyoming and begin to solve food security issues that have long plagued small communities around the state. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Wyoming — one of the few states in the country without a food council at the time — saw food insecurity rates in the double digits and, despite its agrarian reputation, offered few opportunities for farmers to either reach new markets or even begin selling their wares. (Reynolds, 1/3)
The Hill:
Russia Gives Over 800,000 People Its COVID-19 Vaccine
Russia’s health minister on Saturday announced that more than 800,000 citizens have received the country’s coronavirus vaccine, with more than 1.5 million doses distributed. Reuters reported that the TASS news agency quoted Mikhail Murashko as saying that from Jan. 1, people who received the Sputnik V vaccine will receive an electronic verification certificate, with the health ministry maintaining a database of all those vaccinated. (Castronuovo, 1/2)
NPR:
China Reports Tens Of Thousands Inoculated In First Days Of COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign
Beijing says it has inoculated more than 73,000 people in the first two days after China's first domestic coronavirus vaccine was approved for commercial use. China's capital has set up 220 vaccination centers around the city to dole out the two-step vaccine. The elderly and front-line medical workers will receive the first doses. The shots are made by a subsidiary of Chinese state vaccine maker Sinopharm, which said on Thursday that its vaccine is 79% effective overall. The company has not yet released more detailed clinical data that might explain why that rate is lower than results from human trials it conducted in the UAE, where the vaccine was deemed 86% effective. (Feng, 1/4)
The Washington Post:
India Approves Two Vaccines As It Prepares For Massive Immunization Push
India granted emergency approval Sunday to its first vaccines — Oxford-AstraZeneca and homegrown Covaxin — as it prepares to undertake an unprecedented immunization program for the country of more than 1.3 billion. The announcement of India's approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine came days after regulators in Britain greenlighted it and marks a big step for the country that is the world's second-worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic. India aims to administer the vaccine to 300 million people in the first phase, and distribution could begin in the coming days. (Masih, 1/3)
Bloomberg:
Israel To Offer Vaccinations To All Residents By April
Israel will be able to make coronavirus vaccinations available by the end of March or early April to all residents who wish to be inoculated, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Sunday. At the same time, Edelstein called on the government to impose a full, two-week lockdown to slow the surge in virus infections. Some 1.1 million Israelis have already received a first dose of the Pfizer Inc. vaccine. That’s about 12% of the population, the highest percentage in the world, according to the Our World in Data website. But because Israel is working so quickly, it is running out of vaccines and may have to slow its inoculation drive unless additional vaccines arrive ahead of schedule, the Health Ministry director general has said. (Odenheimer, 1/3)
Reuters:
Why Indonesia Is Vaccinating Its Working Population First, Not Elderly
As Indonesia prepares to begin mass inoculations against COVID-19, its plan to prioritize working age adults over the elderly, aiming to reach herd immunity fast and revive the economy, will be closely watched by other countries. (Widianto and Diela, 1/4)
The Hill:
UK Gets Rid Of Tax On Menstrual Products
The U.K. on Friday got rid of the sales tax on menstrual products after breaking from the European Union and its tax rules regarding sanitary products. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak followed through with his March promise to remove the tax on tampons and sanitary pads, which was only possible after the U.K.’s official separation from the EU, The Associated Press reported. (Coleman, 1/1)