First Edition: March 5, 2020

Kaiser Health News: During A Pandemic, States’ Patchwork Of Crisis Plans Could Mean Uneven Care
A possible coronavirus pandemic could overwhelm the nation’s hospitals and force doctors into difficult decisions about how to allocate limited resources. Yet, experts say, only a handful of states have done the work necessary to prepare for such worst-case scenarios. How would hospitals handle overflowing emergency rooms? What would doctors do if they ran out of medicines or ventilators? How would they decide who gets prioritized if they can’t treat everyone? (Hawryluk, 3/5)

Kaiser Health News: As Coronavirus Cases Grow, So Does Scrutiny Of Nursing Home Infection Plans
In a call with reporters, nursing home industry leaders said they supported the inspection directive, but they asked White House officials in a Wednesday meeting to address other problems, including potential shortages of supplies, such as masks and gowns, if the contagion continues to spread. “The links in that [supply] chain are getting a little weaker,” said Randy Bury, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, which runs skilled rehabilitation facilities and other elderly care centers in 24 states. (Rau, 3/4)

The Associated Press: Supreme Court Divided In 1st Big Abortion Case Of Trump Era
A seemingly divided Supreme Court struggled Wednesday with its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote. Roberts did not say enough to tip his hand in an hour of spirited arguments at the high court. The court's election-year look at a Louisiana dispute could reveal how willing the more conservative court is to roll back abortion rights. A decision should come by late June. (Sherman, 3/4)

The New York Times: Justices Give Few Hints On How They Will Rule On Louisiana Abortion Law
The members of the court who may hold the key votes — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Kavanaugh — focused their questions on whether they were bound by a 2016 decision by the court that struck down an identical Texas law. They suggested that at least half of the cost-benefit analysis was identical in the two states, and they wondered whether that was sufficient to decide the case. “I understand the idea that the impact might be different in different places,” Chief Justice Roberts said, “but as far as the benefits of the law, that’s going to be the same in each state, isn’t it?” The court’s four liberal members seemed convinced that the Louisiana law, like the one from Texas, imposed the sort of “undue burden” on the right to abortion prohibited by the court’s 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. (Liptak, 3/4)

Politico: Outcome Of Louisiana Abortion Case May Rest On Roberts, Kavanaugh
Roberts and Kavanaugh both appeared to probe the scope of that decision Wednesday, with Roberts suggesting at several points that the ruling that the Texas law had no medical benefit would seem to extend to Louisiana and other states. “As far as the benefits of the law, that’s going to be the same in each state, isn’t it?” Roberts asked Louisiana Solicitor General Elizabeth Murrill, who was defending the measure. Murrill resisted that idea, but it suggested that Roberts — who dissented in the 2016 case, Hellerstedt v. Whole Women’s Health — was looking for a way to have the court stand by that decision, rather than overrule it. T.J. Tu, senior counsel with the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued the case on behalf of the Louisiana clinics, afterward said Roberts’ comment makes him “very confident” of a ruling in their favor. (Ollstein and Gerstein, 3/4)

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Justices Divided In Abortion Case; Roberts May Hold Key
Roberts appeared to acknowledge in his questions that he might feel bound by the court's 2016 finding that admitting privileges laws provide no health benefit to women. But his questions also indicated he may stray from the 2016 finding about the specific impact of the Texas law, which led to multiple clinic closures, because Louisiana's situation could be viewed differently. Two of Louisiana's three clinics that perform abortions would be forced to close if the law is allowed to take effect, according to lawyers for the clinic. Louisiana officials have said no clinics would be forced to close. (Hurley and Chung, 3/4)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Review Of Louisiana Abortion Law May Come Down To John Roberts
Gorsuch did not ask a question during the hour-long oral arguments. Kavanaugh’s questioning was similar to that of Roberts, as he wondered whether different conditions in states could afford different outcomes than in the 2016 case, Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt. “Are you saying admitting-privileges requirements are always unconstitutional, such that we don’t have to look at the facts state by state?” Kavanaugh asked attorney Julie Rikelman after posing a hypothetical about a state with 10 clinics and 20 doctors, all with the necessary credentials. Kavanaugh had previously voted to allow the Louisiana law to go into effect, saying it was unclear whether doctors had worked hard enough to secure the privileges. (Barnes and Marimow, 3/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Justices Voice Clashing Views As They Weigh Louisiana Abortion Law
Justice Samuel Alito asked early on why abortion providers even had standing to bring legal claims based on alleged burdens faced by patients—those the state is trying to protect from abortion providers. Ms. Rikelman responded that the providers, as those being directly regulated by the state, had proper legal standing. “Well, that’s amazing,” Justice Alito said. Throughout the argument, he returned to the theme that abortion clinics potentially held a conflict of interest with women seeking abortions. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pointed out prior cases where the court allowed third parties to assert constitutional rights on behalf of their clients. (Bravin and Kendall, 3/5)

The New York Times: John Roberts Condemns Schumer For Saying Justices ‘Will Pay The Price’ For ‘Awful Decisions’
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who only very rarely responds to criticism of federal judges, issued a statement on Wednesday denouncing remarks made by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, at a rally outside the Supreme Court. Mr. Schumer, speaking while the court heard arguments in a major abortion case, attacked President Trump’s two Supreme Court appointees, Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh. “You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price,” Mr. Schumer said. “You will not know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.” (Liptak, 3/4)

The Washington Post: John Roberts Rebukes Schumer Fo Saying Kavanaugh, Gorsuch Will 'Pay The Price' For A Vote Against Abortion Rights
On the left, Brian Fallon of the liberal nonprofit organization Demand Justice, said: “It takes a certain amount of chutzpah for John Roberts to condemn these comments by Chuck Schumer after saying nothing when President Trump attacked two Democratic-appointed justices just last month.” Schumer’s remarks came during the circuslike atmosphere that plays out in front of the Supreme Court whenever it hears a controversial case, especially abortion. As protesters from both sides of the issue crowded the sidewalk, Schumer spoke to abortion rights supporters. (Barnes and Itkowitz, 3/4)

The New York Times: House Passes $8.3 Billion Emergency Coronavirus Response Bill
Racing to confront a growing public health threat, the House resoundingly approved $8.3 billion in emergency aid on Wednesday to combat the novel coronavirus, hours after congressional leaders reached a deal on the funding. The bipartisan package, which includes nearly $7.8 billion for agencies dealing with the virus and came together after days of intensive negotiations, is substantially larger than what the White House proposed in late February. It also authorizes roughly $500 million to allow Medicare providers to administer telehealth services so that more elderly patients, who are at greater risk from the virus, can receive care at home. (Cochrane, 3/4)

Politico: House Swiftly Passes Bipartisan $8.3B Coronavirus Package
Under the agreement, more than $400 million would be shipped to state and local governments within 30 days after the bill is enacted, with each state receiving no less than $4 million. The package would also authorize $490 million in mandatory spending by lifting constraints on Medicare’s payments for telehealth so beneficiaries can freely consult their doctors remotely, avoiding hospitals and physicians' offices where they might risk exposure to the virus. It would provide $3.1 billion to beef up medical supplies and supplement the Strategic National Stockpile, including $100 million for community health centers. About $826 million would go to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for the development of coronavirus vaccines, treatments and tests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would get $2.2 billion, including a total of $950 million to support the response efforts of state and local health agencies. (Emma and Scholtes, 3/4)

The Associated Press: House Passes Bipartisan $8.3B Bill To Battle Coronavirus
The 415-2 vote came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi beat a tactical retreat on vaccine price guarantees and followed a debate that lasted only a few minutes. “The government's greatest responsibility is to keep Americans safe,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. “This emergency supplemental addresses the coronavirus and takes critical steps to protect the American people from this deadly and expanding outbreak.” (Taylor, 3/5)

Reuters: U.S. House Passes $8.3 Billion Bill To Battle Coronavirus; Senate Vote Due Thursday
Under the bill, over $3 billion would be devoted to research and development of coronavirus vaccines, test kits and therapeutics. No vaccines or treatments for the virus are currently in place, but patients can receive supportive care. Gaetz said that while the United States was gearing up in the production of virus test kits, "we're not where we want to be. The vice president made that very clear that we've got to get more test assets in place. "In a bid to also help control the spread of the virus outside the United States, $1.25 billion would be available for international efforts. (Morgan and Cowan, 3/4)

Reuters: Fragile Safety Net Leaves U.S. Economy Vulnerable To Coronavirus Hit
The spreading coronavirus outbreak poses a double-barreled threat to U.S. workers who face not only the prospect of lost wages if they are forced to stay home during a quarantine but also a fragile safety net to fall back on during such a crisis. Unlike in other rich countries, the United States provides thin and uneven social assistance for its 130 million full-time workers, and even less for the country's nearly 30 million part-time employees. (3/4)

The Washington Post: The Health System Is Showing Why It's Not Ready For A Coronavirus Pandemic
Nationwide, worries are growing about a lack of hospital beds to quarantine and treat infected patients. Major medical centers are typically full even without a flood of coronavirus patients. “We just don’t have the capacity in the hospitals and health systems to deal with a massive influx of patients and keep them isolated,’’ said Gerard Anderson, a professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University. (Rowland and Whoriskey, 3/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Response Plan Exposes Vulnerabilities In U.S. Health-Care System
The structure of the U.S. health system poses challenges for the nation’s coronavirus response plan, which relies on testing to identify cases, treatment of infected individuals and strategies to minimize spread, such as encouraging people who are sick to stay home. More Americans are becoming uninsured and deferring medical care because of mounting out-of-pocket costs. About half of service workers, who often have direct contact with the public, lack paid sick leave, and immigrants are facing new regulatory barriers to getting health care. (Armour, 3/4)

Reuters: California Declares Emergency Over Coronavirus As Death Toll Rises In U.S.
The U.S. death toll from coronavirus infections rose to 11 on Wednesday as new cases emerged around New York City and Los Angeles, while Seattle-area health officials discouraged social gatherings amid the nation's largest outbreak. The first California death from the virus was an elderly person in Placer County, near Sacramento, health officials said. The person had underlying health problems and likely had been exposed on a cruise ship voyage between San Francisco and Mexico last month. (3/4)

NPR: Coronavirus: California Reports 1st Death From COVID-19
Gov. Gavin Newsom extended his condolences to the patient's loved ones and said the state is working with federal agencies to trace people who might have had contact with the patient. Later Wednesday, Newsom declared a state of emergency over coronavirus in California, which has more than 50 confirmed cases, according to health officials. (Chappell, 3/4)

The New York Times: California Reports First Coronavirus Death As Symptoms Swirl On Cruise Ship
Eleven passengers and 10 crew members who are still on that ship, the Grand Princess, were showing symptoms on Wednesday, Mr. Newsom said in an evening news conference. “That number may significantly understate” the scope of infection, he said, or “it may indeed be abundance of caution.” Public health officials prepared to screen everyone aboard the ship, which was not yet allowed to return to shore, Mr. Newsom said. (Mervosh and Smith, 3/4)

The Associated Press: U.S. Virus Death Toll Hits 11; Feds Investigate Nursing Home
Washington also announced another death, bringing its total to 10. Most of those who died were residents of Life Care Center, a nursing home in Kirkland, a suburb east of Seattle. At least 39 cases have been reported in the Seattle area, where researchers say the virus may have been circulating undetected for weeks. Vice President Mike Pence was expected to meet with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee near Olympia on Thursday. (3/5)

The New York Times: Why Washington State? How Did It Start? Questions Answered On The U.S. Coronavirus Outbreak
There are three main explanations for why more cases of coronavirus may have been detected in Washington State than any other state in the nation. One is that many of the cases are related to a case at a long-term care facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. The coronavirus is more severe in older people with underlying health conditions. That means the coronavirus could be circulating in other communities — in Washington or elsewhere — but causing mild enough symptoms that those who are contracting it do not seek or require medical care, therefore unintentionally passing it on. In another scenario, someone who had become infected in China, where the virus originated, might have returned to Washington weeks ago with a mild infection and passed it on, undetected, until many more people became affected. The longer a virus is circulating in a community, the more likely transmission is to happen. (Weise, Harmon and Fink, 3/4)

Reuters: Washington State Urges Patience As Covid-19 Test Delays Stoke Anger
Washington state officials urged patience on Wednesday as medical staff reported fear and anger among people told they could not be tested for the coronavirus due to limited capacity in a state facing the United States' deadliest outbreak. Clinics in the Seattle area reported an increase in patients seeking tests as Washington reported 39 cases of coronavirus and 10 deaths. (3/4)

The Washington Post: Virus Death Toll Reaches 11 As Coronavirus Continues To Spread
“This is a shifting landscape and is shifting by the hour,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said during a Wednesday news conference. County officials advised people over 60 and with underlying conditions, as well as pregnant women, to stay home and avoid large groups. They also urged employees to telecommute for the next three weeks if possible. (Dennis, Greene and Sampson, 3/4)

Politico: Nursing Homes Inspectors To Focus On Preventing Infections, CMS Says
The Trump administration is ramping up infection control in nursing homes, amid a coronavirus outbreak in a Washington state nursing facility that’s contributed to at least seven deaths — and renewed criticism of a proposal to loosen regulations designed to prevent infections at nursing homes. CMS is directing state agencies surveying nursing homes and hospital accrediting organizations to focus their facility inspections exclusively on infection control, as well as serious threats like abuse allegations. Infection control policies include ensuring employees are washing their hands and using personal protective equipment. (Roubein, 3/4)

The New York Times: Cruises And The Coronavirus: What Passengers Need To Know
“The first thing I do every morning when I open my eyes is Google ‘coronavirus,’” said Diane Fudge, a travel adviser at All Inclusive Travel Concierge in Homosassa, Fla. Half of Ms. Fudge’s business comes from selling cruise vacations, so she is keeping a close eye on the situation for her clients. She is also checking for herself: As of now, she plans to go ahead with a March cruise to Mexico. Thirty-two million passengers were expected to embark on ocean cruises in 2020, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), and this is the time of year when large cruise ships are most likely to be sailing in Asia, so the coronavirus outbreak couldn’t have come at a worse time. (Weed, 3/4)

The New York Times: Told To Stay Home, Suspected Coronavirus Patient Attended Event With Dartmouth Students
When an employee of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire showed signs of possible coronavirus last week, a medical worker who had examined him told him to avoid contact with others, pending further tests. Instead, he went to a mixer at a crowded music venue. Three days later, he was confirmed as the state’s first coronavirus case. And now a second case has been confirmed — a “close contact” of the patient’s — raising new questions about what should happen when suspected coronavirus patients ignore requests to self-quarantine. (Stockman, 3/4)

The New York Times: Coronavirus Testing Offered With Just A Doctor’s Approval, C.D.C. Says
Federal health officials announced on Wednesday that anyone who wants a coronavirus test may get one if a doctor agrees. But the nation’s testing capacity is still so limited that experts feared clinics and hospitals could be overwhelmed by an avalanche of requests. Under the new criteria, patients who have fevers, coughs or difficulty breathing qualify for diagnostic testing, depending on their doctor’s judgment. But with flu season in full swing, tens of millions of Americans already have respiratory symptoms, and doctors have no quick way to discern who should be tested. (Rabin and Thomas, 3/4)

The Washington Post: Expanded Coronavirus Testing May Overwhelm Lab Capacity, Say Some Experts
The move drew praise from experts who said the previous guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were far too restrictive in the face of a virus that has spread to more than 75 countries and sickened more than 95,000 people. But other health experts warned the action might inadvertently send the wrong message, prompting a surge in demand for tests from people with mild symptoms who should simply stay home until they recover. They also noted that laboratory capacity for virus testing, while on the rise, is still lagging. Tests that can be done in doctor’s offices don’t exist. (Goldstein, Johnson, Sun and McGinley, 3/4)

Reuters: Laboratories Meet With White House, Form Consortium For Coronavirus Tests
The Trump administration met with private lab test developers on Wednesday to discuss increasing the availability of tests for the coronavirus and said that the companies had formed a consortium. Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has included coronavirus testing as an essential health benefit for health plans in a bid to increase Americans' access to tests. "We want every American to have access to testing," Pence said. (3/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Recruitment Begins For First Test Of Experimental Coronavirus Vaccine
Researchers have started to recruit healthy Seattle-area volunteers to participate in the first clinical trial of an experimental coronavirus vaccine, a faster-than-expected start for the first vaccine readied for testing. Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle said Wednesday it aims to enroll 45 adults from the region in the trial. The study will test the safety of various doses of the vaccine developed by biotech Moderna Inc. MRNA -1.50% and whether the shots produce an immune response. (Loftus, 3/4)

The Washington Post: Trump’s Inaccurate Coronavirus Vaccine Timeline
President Trump has adopted a new refrain: A vaccine for the novel coronavirus will be completed in record time. On several occasions, the president has bragged about the speed with which experts and pharmaceutical companies are working on a vaccine. Trump is not wrong in saying that scientists are rapidly developing a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus. However, he seems to be overstating when a vaccine will be available to the public. (Samuels, 3/4)

The New York Times: Criticized For Coronavirus Response, Trump Points To Obama Administration
President Trump sought on Wednesday to deflect criticism of his administration’s response to the coronavirus onto his predecessor, complaining that a federal agency decision under President Barack Obama had made it harder to quickly enact widespread testing for the virus. “The Obama administration made a decision on testing that turned out to be very detrimental to what we’re doing, and we undid that decision a few days ago so that the testing can take place in a much more accurate and rapid fashion,” Mr. Trump said. “That was a decision we disagreed with. I don’t think we would have made it, but for some reason it was made. But we’ve undone that decision.” (Baker and Kaplan, 3/4)

The Associated Press: Science Says: How Risky Is That Virus? Your Mind May Mislead
Anna Alexander, a property manager in Virginia Beach, Virginia, started the day Monday thinking that she might avoid shaking hands because of the coronavirus outbreak. Then somebody stuck out a hand to shake. She took it. “I'm a business person,” Alexander, 65, explained. “But if somebody else does it next time, I might try to be careful because of the coronavirus.” As the viral infections spread across the globe, everybody has to make a decision: How worried should I be about getting infected, and what should I do about it? (Ritter, 3/5)

The Washington Post: How The Coronavirus Compares With The Flu
For two months now, global health and government officials have been trying to stem the coronavirus outbreak, quarantining citizens, locking down towns and creating triage protocols in hospitals where the contagious, deadly novel virus has taken root. As of early March, the coronavirus outbreak had infected more than 90,000 people and killed more than 3,000 people globally, the majority of whom live in China, where the illness was first detected in December. More than 100 people in the United States have been diagnosed, including at least nine people who have died. (Mettler, 3/4)

The Wall Street Journal: How To Prepare For The Coronavirus
Face masks? Zinc? Gloves? Americans are grasping for ways to brace for what public health experts say is inevitable: an outbreak of the new coronavirus. Public health experts advise staying calm and following the same precautions recommended for preventing flu or any other respiratory virus. Stick with the basics: Wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes, and stay at home from work or school when you’re sick. (Reddy, 3/4)

Los Angeles Times: Stop Touching Your Face. It's An Easy Way To Spread Viruses
We all touch our face. With this new coronavirus outbreak, how do we stop? Touching our faces is a real health risk. So in this new world, not only is nose picking thought to be gross, but so is nose scratching, mouth touching and eye rubbing. All it takes is just one virus to hitch a ride on a contaminated finger and slip into the body through a nostril or a wet part of the face. (Lin, 3/4)

Stat: Labs Scramble To Find Right Animals For Coronavirus Studies 
One lab is digging into its freezer to thaw out the archived sperm of SARS-susceptible mice. Another is anesthetizing ferrets so they don’t sneeze when the new coronavirus is squirted into their nostrils. Yet others are racing to infect macaques, marmosets, and African green monkeys. Those animals could prove critical for understanding how Covid-19 works — and for concocting vaccines and treatments to stop its sweep. (Boodman, 3/5)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Conspiracy Theorists Blame U.S. For Outbreak. China Is Encouraging Them.
The United States is concealing the true scale of its coronavirus deaths. The United States should learn from China about how to respond to an epidemic. The United States was the origin of the coronavirus — and the global crisis was never China's fault. Welcome to the Chinese Internet this week. As new coronavirus cases and the sense of panic ebb in China, the country that was first struck by the disease has been gripped by a wave of nationalist pride, conspiracy theories, and a perennial mix of anti-American sentiments: suspicion, superiority, schadenfreude. (Shih, 3/5)

The New York Times: Inside China’s All-Out War On The Coronavirus
As the leader of the World Health Organization team that visited China, Dr. Bruce Aylward feels he has been to the mountaintop — and has seen what’s possible. During a two-week visit in early February, Dr. Aylward saw how China rapidly suppressed the coronavirus outbreak that had engulfed Wuhan, and was threatening the rest of the country. New cases in China have dropped to about 200 a day, from more than 3,000 in early February. The numbers may rise again as China’s economy begins to revive. But for now, far more new cases are appearing elsewhere in the world. (McNeil, 3/4)

Reuters: China Coronavirus Infections Spike In Central City Of Wuhan
Mainland China reported a rise in new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday, reversing three straight days of declines, because of a spike in new infections in Wuhan, the city at the center of the outbreak. Mainland China had 139 new confirmed cases as of Wednesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said, bringing the total accumulated number of cases to 80,409. Authorities reported 119 new cases the previous day and 125 the day before that. (3/5)

The Wall Street Journal: One Doctor’s Life On The Coronavirus Front Lines. ‘If We Fail, What Happens To You All?’
Driving one evening in Wuhan, China, last month, Zhang Xiaochun pulled her car to the side of the road. She was on the verge of a breakdown. She’d been working nonstop for days at the center of China’s coronavirus outbreak, where she is a doctor. Both of her parents had Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, as did many of her colleagues. The number of sick and dying was climbing. And on this day, Dr. Zhang had forgotten about her 9-year-old daughter, who was home alone and scared—and who, at that moment, wasn’t picking up the phone. (3/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Epidemic Draws Scrutiny To Labs Handling Deadly Pathogens
Scientists at a specialized Wuhan laboratory have been at the forefront of China’s response to its continuing coronavirus epidemic but are drawing attention to risks associated with the expanding global study of deadly pathogens. The Wuhan Institute of Virology contributed to China’s fast identification earlier this year of the outbreak’s source as a novel, or previously unknown, coronavirus. It was a monumental achievement for a government that aims to rival the West in high-technology, including bioscience. (Areddy, 3/5)

Reuters: Robotic Arm Designed In China Could Help Save Lives On Medical Frontline
Researchers at one of China's top universities have designed a robot they say could help save lives on the frontline during the coronavirus outbreak. The machine consists of a robotic arm on wheels that can perform ultrasounds, take mouth swabs and listen to sounds made by a patient's organs, usually done with a stethoscope. (3/5)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Spreads World-Wide, Containment Is An ‘Unlikely Outcome’
More cases of the novel coronavirus were reported globally, from Australia to South Korea, as some health officials warned it would be impossible to fully contain the pathogen now that infections are spreading within many communities. On Thursday, Australian officials said there were now 52 confirmed cases of the virus, up from 41 a day earlier. Six people who tested positive had no history of overseas travel and four of those cases are associated with a nursing home in Sydney, including a 95-year-old who recently died—indicating that transmission among local residents is under way. The source of infection for three other cases is being investigated. (Cherney, 3/5)

The Associated Press: World Girds For Months Of Trouble As Virus Pushes West
Nations around the world girded for months of disruptions from the new virus Thursday as its unrelenting spread brought ballooning infections, economic fallout and sweeping containment measures. “Countries should be preparing for sustained community transmission,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, leader of the World Health Organization, said of the 2-month-old virus outbreak. “Our message to all countries is: This is not a one-way street. We can push this virus back. Your actions now will determine the course of the outbreak in your country.” (3/5)

Modern Healthcare: Judge Blocks Michigan's Medicaid Work Requirement
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Michigan's Medicaid work requirement, which took effect in January and could have resulted in thousands of low-income adults losing coverage as early as June. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington vacated HHS' December 2018 approval of Michigan's "community engagement" waiver that required Medicaid expansion enrollees to report 80 hours a month of work or other "community engagement" activities to retain their coverage. He is still considering the legality of new premiums and copays under the waiver. (Meyer, 3/4)

The Associated Press: Judge Invalidates Michigan Medicaid Work Requirements
The ruling was welcomed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose administration had sought a quick decision after unsuccessfully pushing to delay the rules that were enacted by her Republican predecessor and the GOP-controlled Legislature. Prior to the ruling, the state had been preparing to notify more than 80,000 of roughly 675,000 enrollees in Michigan's Medicaid expansion program that they did not comply with reporting requirements for January and would lose their coverage on May 31 if they did not report for February and March. (3/4)

The New York Times: A Bowery Chapel Once Let Homeless New Yorkers Sleep Inside. No More.
Sha’id Muwakkil hunched his shoulders against an icy wind blowing along the Bowery, furrowed his brow and considered where he might spend the night. He would probably end up inside the subway system or a 24-hour fast food restaurant, Mr. Muwakkil said. A year ago he might have slept inside the Bowery Mission, one of New York City’s oldest and best-known homeless aid organizations, where he had just finished dinner. (Moynihan, 3/5)