First Edition: June 7, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Covid Was A Tipping Point For Telehealth. If Some Have Their Way, Virtual Visits Are Here To Stay.
As the covid crisis wanes and life approaches normal across the U.S., health industry leaders and many patient advocates are pushing Congress and the Biden administration to preserve the pandemic-fueled expansion of telehealth that has transformed how millions of Americans see the doctor. The broad effort reaches across the nation’s diverse health care system, bringing together consumer groups with health insurers, state Medicaid officials, physician organizations and telehealth vendors. (Levey, 6/7)
KHN:
Trying To Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek Out Black Obstetricians
In South Florida, when people want to find a Black physician, they often contact Adrienne Hibbert through her website, Black Doctors of South Florida. “There are a lot of Black networks that are behind the scenes,” said Hibbert, who runs her own marketing firm. “I don’t want them to be behind the scenes, so I’m bringing it to the forefront.” Hibbert said she got the idea for the website after she gave birth to her son 15 years ago. (Zaragovia, 6/7)
KHN:
Montana Med School Clash Revives For-Profit Vs. Nonprofit Flap
Two universities are eyeing the chance to be the first to build a medical school in one of the few states without one. The jockeying of the two schools — one a nonprofit, the other for-profit — to open campuses in Montana highlights the rapid spread of for-profit medical learning centers despite their once-blemished reputation. Montana is one of only four states without a medical school, making it fertile ground for one. (Knight, 6/7)
KHN:
With Restrictions Tightening Elsewhere, California Moves To Make Abortion Cheaper
Even as most states are trying to make it harder to get an abortion, California could make it free for more people. State lawmakers are debating a bill to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses like copays and payments toward deductibles for abortions and related services, such as counseling. The measure, approved by the Senate and headed to the Assembly, would apply to most private health plans regulated by the state. (Bluth, 6/7)
CBS News:
CDC Says Hospitalizations Are Rising In Teens With COVID-19
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging parents to get their teenagers vaccinated against COVID-19 after an alarming spike in hospitalizations among young coronavirus patients. About 24% of kids ages 12 to 17 have received at least one dose. Before most were eligible for the vaccine, about one-third of teens who were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 wound up in the intensive care unit, according to the CDC. Nearly 5% of those cases were put on respirators. None of the patients died. CDC Director Rochelle Walenksy said she is "deeply concerned by the numbers of hospitalized adolescents." (Lenghi, 6/5)
USA Today:
COVID Vaccine: CDC Report Finds Teen Hospitalization Rates On The Rise
About 70% of hospitalized adolescents had one or more underlying medical conditions, with the most common being obesity, chronic lung disease including asthma and neurological disorders. But Dr. Henry Bernstein, pediatrician at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, said it’s important to note that nearly 30% of hospitalized adolescents were “perfectly healthy.” (Rodriguez, 6/4)
The Washington Post:
CDC Director Urges Parents To Vaccinate Teens, Pointing To Increase In Severe Cases
Researchers suggest that the increased hospitalization among adolescents in March and April may be related to several factors, including more transmissible and potentially more dangerous virus variants; larger numbers of youths returning to school; and changes in physical distancing, mask-wearing and other prevention behaviors. (Sun, 6/4)
CNN:
Lag In Covid-19 Vaccinations Among Adolescents Could Delay US Return To Normalcy, Experts Warn
While the US sees Covid-19 vaccination rates growing among some populations, experts warn that lags among other groups -- including adolescents -- could cause a snag in plans for further reopening. Medical experts have warned that as more adults become vaccinated, the virus will continue to plague children, who now account for about 25% of cases, simply because they have not been inoculated. (Silverman, 6/7)
The Washington Post:
Americans Abroad Push For Access To Vaccines, Raising Question About International Inequality
The United States is one of the small number of countries where coronavirus vaccinations are widely available. “All over the world people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore,” President Biden said on Wednesday. But one group of Americans feels left behind: expatriates. “We pay taxes, we vote, why shouldn’t we have a vaccine?” asked Loran Davidson, an American living in Thailand. (Parker, 6/6)
USA Today:
Vaccination Rates Fall To New Lows
The rate of vaccinations around the country has sunk to new lows in recent weeks, threatening President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of American adults with at least one dose by July 4. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on June 3 that 63% of adults had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, only slightly up from the 62% the week before. Twelve states, including Utah, Oklahoma, Montana, the Dakotas, and West Virginia, have seen vaccinations sink to 15 daily shots in 10,000 residents; Alabama had just four people for 10,000 residents get vaccinated last week, according to data from The Washington Post. (Aspegren, 6/7)
The Washington Post:
Vaccination Rates Fall Off, Imperiling Biden’s July Fourth Goal
Plummeting vaccination rates have turned what officials hoped would be the “last mile” of the coronavirus immunization campaign into a marathon, threatening President Biden’s goal of getting shots to at least 70 percent of adults by July 4. The United States is averaging fewer than 1 million shots per day, a decline of more than two-thirds from the peak of 3.4 million in April, according to The Washington Post’s seven-day analysis, even though all adults and children over age 12 are now eligible. (Diamond, Keating and Moody, 6/6)
CIDRAP:
Over 60% Of US Adults Have At Least 1 COVID Shot
Even if the United States meets President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccination goal for first doses by Jul 4, now just a month away, at least 30 states will not hit the 70% mark among their own adult residents. One-dose vaccine coverage hit 63% this week. (McLernon, 6/4)
ABC News:
US Surpasses 300 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Shots Administered
The U.S. surpassed another milestone Sunday in its efforts to vaccinate Americans against the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that over 300 million vaccines doses have so far been administered across the country. (Pereira, 6/6)
ABC News:
Full FDA Approval Could Drive COVID-19 Vaccinations, But Experts Advise Against Waiting
One-third of unvaccinated U.S. adults say they will only get in line for the COVID-19 jab once it's fully approved, but medical experts say it can also be risky to wait. Moderna became the latest COVID-19 vaccine maker to apply for full approval by the Food and Drug Administration, announcing last week that it has started the process for approval in people ages 18 and up. That follows Pfizer's announcement in early May that it was seeking approval in those ages 16 and up. (Deliso, 6/6)
AP:
Jill Biden, Dr. Fauci Visit Vaccine Site At Harlem Church
First lady Jill Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci toured a COVID-19 vaccination site at a historic Harlem church on Sunday. Biden, Fauci and U.S. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, watched as people got their shots in the basement of the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Biden asked a teenager about to get his shot how old he was, and when he said he was 14, she responded, “You’re 14, that’s exactly what we want! Twelve and over.” (6/6)
Reuters:
In Rare Public Outing, Trump Denounces Fauci, China; Dangles 2024 Prospects
Former President Donald Trump on Saturday sharply attacked U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, demanded reparations from China and denounced an investigation into his finances in a speech in North Carolina. Speaking in Greenville, North Carolina, at the state's Republican Party convention, Trump joined a chorus of Republican politicians who are criticizing Fauci for asking Americans to wear masks to guard against the virus and who at times has been skeptical of a theory that the virus escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Trump called Fauci "not a great doctor but a great promoter" for his frequent television appearances. "But he's been wrong on almost every issue and he was wrong on Wuhan and the lab also," Trump said. (Brice, 6/6)
The Guardian:
China, Fauci And Hoaxes: Donald Trump Targets Usual Suspects In Return To Stage
Donald Trump has returned to the stage in predictable fashion as he launched a more active phase of his post presidency: criticising Covid expert Anthony Fauci, calling for China to pay reparations over the pandemic and denouncing the New York attorney general’s criminal investigation into his business dealings. At a GOP convention in North Carolina on Saturday night, Trump was introduced by the state’s party chairman Michael Whatley as “our president”, a nod to Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through voter fraud, which Trump branded on Saturday “the crime of the century”. (6/5)
The Washington Post:
Trump Pushes Wuhan Lab Leak Theory And Targets Fauci
Donald Trump and his Republican allies have spent the last few weeks trying to rewrite or distort the history of the pandemic, attempting with renewed vigor to villainize Anthony S. Fauci while lionizing the former president for what they portray as heroic foresight and underappreciated efforts to combat the deadly virus. They have focused on the early moments of the coronavirus response and the origins of the virus, downplaying any role they may have played and casting others in the wrong, at times taking comments out of context and at others drawing conclusions that are unproved. (Viser and Abutaleb, 6/5)
Politico:
Trump Reemerges On The Trail And Plays The Hits Of Yore
Trump bragged about his administration’s role in developing the coronavirus vaccine and attacked the Biden administration's foreign policy, energy and immigration policies. “If we had not come up with a vaccine, you would have had 1917 Spanish flu numbers,” Trump said of the virus’ death toll and Operation Warp Speed. The former president attacked infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become a boogeyman for Trump and the right, as “not a great doctor, but a hell of a promoter.” (McGraw, 6/5)
Politico:
Attacks On Fauci Grow More Intense, Personal And Conspiratorial
For over a year, Anthony Fauci has been a bogeyman for conservatives, who have questioned his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and accused him of quietly undermining then-President Donald Trump. But those attacks took on a whole new level of vitriol this week, to the point that one social media analysis described it as highly misleading and at least one platform pulled down some posts, citing false content. (Korecki and Owermohle, 6/4)
Newsweek:
Donald Trump Jr. Accused Of Making Threat Against Anthony Fauci After Sharing Murder Meme
Critics have accused Donald Trump Jr. of issuing threats against Dr. Anthony Fauci after he shared a meme about the infectious disease expert's hypothetical murder on Friday. At around 7 p.m. last night, Trump Jr. shared a meme about Fauci to his 4.5 million followers on Instagram via a story. "I'm gonna just jump out ahead on this and say I don't think Fauci killed himself," read the meme, seen by Newsweek. The words were photoshopped onto a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio drinking a cocktail. (Zhao, 6/5)
CNBC:
Fauci's 2,000 Emails A Day Show How Little U.S. Officials Knew In The Early Days Of The Covid Pandemic
On April 12, 2020, an official at the National Institutes of Health emailed Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and then CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield fretting about the increasing hostilities between the U.S. and World Health Organization over the coronavirus pandemic. Then President Donald Trump was threatening to withdraw funding from the international health organization for getting “every aspect” of the outbreak wrong. (Breuninger, Lovelace Jr., Feiner, Mendez and Bursztynsky, 6/5)
CBS News:
Condoleezza Rice Says Early Dismissal Of Coronavirus Lab Leak Theory Was A "Mistake"
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggested public health officials in the United States made a "mistake" in the early weeks of the pandemic by dismissing the possibility that the coronavirus accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. "There was too much of a tendency early on to dismiss this possibility of a laboratory leak, and I think there was a lot, and I think the press bears some responsibility for this," Rice said in an interview with "Face the Nation" that aired Sunday. "'Well, it had to be animal-to-human transmission.' These were conspiracy theories about a laboratory leak. And in fact, some of the evidence was right in front of our faces." (Quinn, 6/6)
Politico:
White House Briefing Room To Return To Full, Pre-Pandemic Seating Capacity
The White House’s James S. Brady Press Briefing Room is slated to return to full seating capacity this week, the White House Correspondents’ Association announced on Sunday. The WHCA will also reintroduce its pre-pandemic seating chart for the briefing room, featuring a front row of reporters from outlets including NBC, Fox News, CBS News, the Associated Press, ABC News, Reuters and CNN. (Forgey, 6/6)
CNN:
Biden Stays Mum On State Abortion Laws With Major Test Ahead For Roe
As more Republican-led states pass abortion bans with the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic, a heated debate has returned to center stage with abortion rights supporters warning of a looming threat to access and anti-abortion activists determined to keep up the momentum. But one key person has been noticeably quiet on the issue: President Joe Biden. (Kelly, 6/6)
AP:
Biden Turns To Obama To Help Boost Health Care Enrollment
President Joe Biden turned to his old boss, former President Barack Obama, on Saturday to help him encourage Americans to sign up for “Obamacare” health care coverage during an expanded special enrollment period in the pandemic. Biden used his weekly address for a brief Zoom chat with Obama to draw attention to the six-month expanded enrollment period that closes Aug. 15. Meanwhile the government released a report that claims that nearly 31 million Americans — a record — now have health coverage through the Affordable Care Act. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Madhani, 6/5)
NPR:
A New Type Of COVID-19 Vaccine Could Debut Soon
A new kind of COVID-19 vaccine could be available as soon as this summer. It's what's known as a protein subunit vaccine. It works somewhat differently from the current crop of vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. but is based on a well-understood technology and doesn't require special refrigeration. In general, vaccines work by showing people's immune systems something that looks like the virus but really isn't. Consider it an advance warning; if the real virus ever turns up, the immune system is ready to try to squelch it. In the case of the coronavirus, that "something" is one of the proteins in the virus — the spike protein. (Palca, 6/6)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Ohio Reaches Fewer Than 50 COVID-19 Cases Per 100,000 Residents, Former Benchmark To Lift Health Orders
Ohio has had fewer than 50 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks, state officials announced Saturday. Gov. Mike DeWine had set a goal to get to that 50-case benchmark – called a case incidence rate – as a condition for lifting the state’s coronavirus health orders, including the mask mandate. He abandoned that goal on May 12, announcing instead the health orders would be lifted three weeks later, on June 2. At the time, DeWine predicted the rate – 123 at the time – would fall to 50 around or soon after June 2. On Saturday, three days after the orders ended, the number reached 49.5, according to the Ohio Department of Health. (Borchardt, 6/5)
AP:
Northern California County Changes COVID-19 Death Reporting
A Northern California county has changed its methodology to record coronavirus deaths, causing its fatality figures to decrease by 25%. The official COVID-19 death count in Alameda County, in the San Francisco Bay Area, fell from 1,634 to 1,223 after officials changed the criteria for fatalities to match state and national definitions, the county’s public health department said in a news release. (6/6)
ABC News:
Why These 2 Missouri Counties' COVID-19 Surges Are Among Worst In The Country
Sherry Weldon thought the worst of the pandemic was over for Livingston County, a rural area in northern Missouri, after the winter. Confirmed cases had essentially dropped down to zero. Schools had largely stayed open. But starting at the end of April, cases started popping up. "Then in May, it just hit really quick -- with a vengeance," Weldon, the administrator of the Livingston County Health Department, told ABC News. (Deliso, 6/6)
CNN:
In Rural Georgia, A Door-To-Door Push To Get Neighbors Vaccinated Against Covid-19
If it were the fall, this group of volunteers -- folders in hand, walking shoes on their feet -- would be knocking on doors to get out the vote in rural Cuthbert, Georgia. As they walked in the hot spring sun this April and May, these four have another mission. They are using their powers of persuasion to get more neighbors to take the Covid-19 vaccine. (Christensen, 6/6)
AP:
New England's Success Against COVID-19 Could Be A Model
For Dr. Jeremy Faust, the moment he realized the pandemic no longer dominated his workday came over Memorial Day weekend, when he didn’t see a single coronavirus case over two shifts in the emergency room at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Kerry LaBarbera, an ER nurse a few miles away at Boston Medical Center, had a similar realization that same weekend, when just two patients with COVID-19 came through her unit, one of the busiest in New England. (Marcelo, 6/5)
Modern Healthcare:
UnitedHealthcare Will Reimburse Family Docs For COVID-19 Tests
UnitedHealthcare will reimburse pediatric and family medicine clinicians for COVID-19 tests administered in 2021, the insurer said in a letter to providers. Healthcare professionals can provide proof of services and sign an amendment to their previous contract with UnitedHealthcare to receive 100% of CMS' rate for specific COVID-19 test codes, the email letter said. The offer applies to all past and future COVID-19 tests from Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2021. (Devereaux, 6/4)
The Wall Street Journal:
Covid-19 Testing Could Be A Viable Long-Term Business Bet
With slow vaccination rates threatening the likelihood of herd immunity, companies and federal and state governments are pouring billions of dollars into a future in which Covid-19 testing remains a key component for resuming normal life in the U.S. Public-health officials increasingly expect pockets of America will remain largely unvaccinated. That has businesses and health officials counting on testing as a means for controlling the virus. (Wernau, 6/6)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Scientists Are Already Hunting For California's Next COVID Variant
California is now sequencing up to 10% of all coronavirus cases, a huge improvement from less than 0.5% at the start of the year. That means the state is now, finally, doing enough sequencing that infectious disease experts say they have a good grasp of the types of variants spreading here, and they are confident that scientists will be able to spot any new mutations quickly. “We’ve got enough visibility to feel comfortable that we know which variants are emerging and how quickly they’re moving and whether they’re getting a foothold,” said Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer. (Allday, 6/6)
Fox News:
Prior COVID-19 Illness Reduces Risk Of Second Infection For Months, Study Finds
A U.K. study involving care home residents found that a prior COVID-19 infection reduces the risk of being infected by the virus again for several months. The study, which was published in Lancet Healthy Longevity, conducted antibody tests on 682 residents across 100 care homes in England in June and July of 2020. About 1,429 staff also underwent antibody testing in that same time period. About a third of all study participants tested positive, suggesting prior COVID-19 infection. Beginning 90 days following the antibody testing, staff participants underwent weekly PCR testing, while resident participants were tested once per month. (Hein, 6/5)
CIDRAP:
Neurologic, Psychiatric Conditions Common In COVID-19
Two new meta-analyses detail neurologic and psychiatric conditions in COVID-19 patients, one suggesting that symptoms such as fatigue and depression are common even in people with mild illness, and the other showing central and peripheral nervous system involvement in up to 36% of cases that increased the risk of hospitalization. (Van Beusekom, 6/4)
CIDRAP:
Bamlanivimab Reduces Risk Of COVID-19 In Nursing Homes, Study Finds
Preventive use of bamlanivimab lowered the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 in staff and residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in the United States, according to a study yesterday in JAMA. In April, after the study was conducted, the US Food and Drug Administration rescinded emergency use authorization for the monoclonal antibody (mAb) when used alone because of resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants to the drug. A treatment of bamlanivimab and etesevimab is still allowed. (6/4)
Modern Healthcare:
Medline To Be Sold To Private Equity Group For $30B
A group of private equity firms that includes Blackstone Group are buying Medline, according to the medical supply maker and distributor. The deal is valued at $30 billion, according to some sources. The Northfield, Ill.-based manufacturer reported $17.5 billion in revenue in 2020. Other investors include Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman. A press release announcing the deal said the privately held company, founded in 1910 by A.J. Mills, will remain under the leadership of the Mills family. (6/5)
Modern Healthcare:
United Unveils Policy To Retroactively Deny Patient ED Claims
A controversial new UnitedHealthcare policy intended to tamp down on emergency department visits and costs has drawn ire from providers, while insurance analysts question what, if any, impact the regulation will have. Come July 1, the Minnetonka, Minn.-based insurer said it will take a more careful view of its 26.3 million commercial patients' emergency department visits, reviewing their initial reason for visiting the ED, the diagnostic and other services provided during the visit and the outcome of the experience, when deciding whether to approve—or deny—patient claims. UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest health insurer, said it made the move to cut down on the $32 billion unnecessary ED use costs annually, driving up healthcare costs for all. (Tepper, 6/4)
Stat:
Carbon Health Dives Into Digital Diabetes Care, Acquires Steady Health
As health care providers large and small prepare for a transition from virtual to in-person care, one startup is carefully hedging its bets. As it builds toward its goal to open 1,500 clinics by 2025, primary care provider Carbon Health has acquired digital diabetes clinic Steady Health, marking the company’s first foray into virtual care for chronic conditions. (Brodwin, 6/4)
Stat:
Fate's Natural Killer Cells Induce Responses In Blood Cancer Patients
Fate Therapeutics said Friday that an experimental, off-the-shelf immunotherapy made from so-called natural killer cells induced complete tumor responses in just over half of the patients with advanced lymphoma treated in an early-stage clinical trial. The 56% complete response rate reported for the Fate cancer treatment, called FT516, is still preliminary — and assessed from just 11 patients — but it is similar to efficacy reported with other types of cell therapy. However, the durability of the response to FT516 remains an important, unanswered question. (Feuerstein, 6/4)
Fox News:
Most Dental Offices’ Patient Volume Nearing Normal, Data Suggests
Dr. Eric Scharf, DDS, told Fox News in an interview that patients began returning last fall, estimating the practice is now in the 90-95th percentile range of pre-pandemic patient volume across offices, with all staff rehired, plus some. The U.S. dental landscape appears to be tracking similar trends, with the latest polling from the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute indicating a greater proportion of dental practices reporting as open and business as usual. As of May 17, 60.9% of 1,712 respondents said that the office was open with business as usual, and 38.4% reported open offices but lower-than-normal patient volume. (Rivas, 6/5)
ABC News:
'Hope And Optimism': NYC Doctors Compare Life Today To City's Brutal 1st Wave
"In terms of patient volume, it's been a dramatic change from what it was last year," said Dr. Syra Madad, senior director of the special pathogens program at the city's hospital system, NYC Health + Hospitals. She described Memorial Day weekend, the first holiday in the U.S. following the lifted mask mandate, as "a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively." (Schumaker, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare:
Texas Hospital Giving 2% Raises, Extra Week Of Vacation To Staff
Texas Children's Hospital in Houston is giving a 2% raise and an extra week of vacation to its entire workforce for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our health care heroes' resiliency and determination over the last year was unmatched, and I am so thankful for their dedication to our patients, health plan members and each other," Texas Children's President and CEO Mark Wallace said in a statement. Wallace asked his senior leadership team to continue to support other initiatives that support staff, including recruiting and retaining the best talent, focusing on the mental and physical health of employees and improving diversity, equity and inclusion programs, according to a news release. (Christ, 6/4)
The Wall Street Journal:
Ineligible Nursing Home Managers Received Covid-19 Bonuses
Eight of the nine senior managers who earned too much to qualify for Covid-19-related hazard pay at New Jersey’s state-run veterans nursing homes received it anyway, according to records obtained by The Wall Street Journal. The records show that the state veterans affairs agency misappropriated federal Covid-19-relief funds more widely than it has acknowledged. Agency emails reviewed by the Journal also show that nursing-home managers procured the payments after being repeatedly told that they were ineligible. (Weaver, 6/6)
The New York Times:
Fisher-Price Recalls Rock ‘N Glide Soothers After 4 Infant Deaths
Fisher-Price is recalling its 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soother, a baby sleep product, after it was linked to reports of four infant deaths, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The infants who died were reported to have been placed on their backs unrestrained in the product, which is supposed to rock babies to sleep, and were later found on their stomachs, the commission said. (Jimenez, 6/6)
The Washington Post:
Royal Caribbean Announces Cruises With No Vaccine Requirement
Cruise giant Royal Caribbean International on Friday announced plans to bring back six more ships — including some of its largest — for U.S. sailings starting July 2. The Miami-based operator will not require passengers to be vaccinated. “Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the cruise line said in a news release. “Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date.” Crew members will be fully vaccinated. (Sampson, 6/4)
CNBC:
United Will Require New Employees To Show Proof Of Covid Vaccine, Following Delta
United Airlines this month will start requiring new hires to show proof that they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, following a similar move by Delta Air Lines. The new rule requires external candidates with job offers made after June 15 to confirm they have been fully vaccinated by their start date, the Chicago-based airline said. (Josephs, 6/5)
AP:
Canada Grants NHL Cross-Border Travel Exemption For Playoffs
The NHL received an exemption from Canadian health officials allowing cross-border travel for teams starting in the semifinal round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the league announced on Sunday. When in Canada, teams will be required to stay in a bubble and be tested daily for COVID-19, similar to the tight restrictions that allowed the NHL to stage and complete its playoffs in two hub cities last year. Teams will be assigned designated hotels and have no interaction with the public. (Wawrow, 6/6)
The Boston Globe:
At Dartmouth College, First-Year Suicides A Grim Reminder Of A Year Of Loneliness
The deaths have devastated the small Ivy League campus of about 4,000 and sparked deep outrage among students, who say the school’s mental health resources have been woefully inadequate during an academic year blighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In op-eds and makeshift memorials and red paint splattered on the driveway of the college president’s home, students are ending the year in grief-stricken protest, criticizing the school for what they say were overly strict social safety protocols that failed to take into account the deep toll they took on students’ psychological health. (Krantz, 6/5)
CBS News:
Plastic Surgery And Cosmetic Procedures Booming Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
As summer approaches, you may not fully recognize a relative or close friend. This may be due to an uptick in Americans seeking cosmetic surgeries. As coronavirus restrictions have eased across the U.S., the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) says pent-up patient demand is fueling the industry's current boom, with interest in both non-surgical and surgical treatments increasing. (McDougle, 6/4)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Expanded HIV Testing Comes To Southern Nevada
When Dr. Jerry Cade started treating AIDS patients in Las Vegas more than 35 years ago, diagnosis was viewed as a death sentence. Today there are drugs that can reduce HIV in infected individuals to undetectable levels, so the virus can no longer spread. There also are medications to prevent infection in people at higher risk. “We have the tools today to eliminate HIV if we have the political will,” Cade, the longtime medical director of the UMC Wellness Center, said on Friday, the 40th anniversary of when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first five cases of what became known as AIDS. (Hynes, 6/4)
AP:
San Francisco Played Key Role In AIDS Fight, Officials Say
San Francisco played a critical role in fighting AIDS in America and around the world, leaders and activists said Saturday at a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the first reported cases of the illness. Mayor London Breed and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at the private ceremony in the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles were the first major U.S. cities hit by AIDS. (6/6)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas' Restrictive New Abortion Law Faces Uncertain Path
Last month, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, a prohibition on the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. While Texas isn’t the first state to enact a six-week limit, it is the first to allow private citizens to enforce it by suing doctors and anyone else who helps provide abortions after six weeks, or when a fetal heartbeat is first detected. That makes the law difficult to preempt in federal court. Advocates on both sides say the statute still faces an uncertain path, even if allowed to take effect as scheduled on Sept.1. (Blackman, 6/4)
AP:
Clowns Used To Teach Landmine Safety To Children
A Bozeman (Montana)-based performer and nonprofit leader with a penchant for red noses has partnered with a land mine safety group to create videos, GIFs and games to educate children on the dangers of landmines. Naomi Shafer, a Bozeman resident and executive director of Clowns Without Borders, is part of an international team of performers and educators creating landmine safety videos in four countries. Clowns Without Borders, a nonprofit that performs in refugee camps, conflict zones and natural disaster sites around the world, is working with the Mines Advisory Group to create online content to reach audiences after in-person events were halted due to the pandemic. (6/6)
NPR:
The U.S. Is Sending 1 Million Vaccines To Mexico Border Cities And Resort Spots
One million Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are heading to Mexico from the U.S. with most of the shots set to service resort areas and spots along the border. The batch of vaccines is part of the 25 million excess doses the White House announced on Thursday would be shipped to other countries around the world. Much of the vaccine distribution will be through COVAX, an international system aimed at helping to vaccinate people in the world's poorest countries. (Diaz, 6/4)
NPR:
Want To Mix 2 Different COVID-19 Vaccines? Canada Is Fine With That
Canada's public health agency says people can mix COVID-19 vaccines if they want to, citing cases where local supply shortages or health concerns might otherwise prevent some from completing their two-dose vaccination regimen. The new recommendations come after safety concerns were raised linking the AstraZeneca vaccine to the potential for dangerous blood clots — a condition the health agency calls "rare but serious." That vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S., but the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has faced similar scrutiny, is. Both of them are viral vector vaccines. (Chappell, 6/4)
AP:
UK Urges Commitment To Vaccinate The World By End Of 2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the Group of Seven wealthy democracies’ summit next week to urge world leaders to commit to vaccinating the global population by the end of 2022. Johnson is expected to stress the importance of a global vaccination drive when he meets with fellow world leaders on Friday in Cornwall, on England’s southwestern coast, for the first face-to-face G-7 summit since the pandemic hit. (6/6)
The New York Times:
British Tourists Scramble To Leave Portugal Ahead Of Quarantine Deadline
British tourists scrambled to leave Portugal over the weekend in order to beat a Tuesday deadline for a new quarantine imposed by the British government on those returning from Portugal over concerns about a dangerous virus variant. Britain had recently put Portugal, one of the most popular destinations for British tourists, and 12 other countries and territories with low coronavirus caseloads on a “green list,” allowing visitors coming from Britain to avoid a quarantine period upon returning from those locations. (Minder and Thomas, 6/7)