First Edition: Nov. 12, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Nursing Homes Still See Dangerously Long Waits For COVID Test Results
Nursing homes are still taking days to get back COVID-19 test results as many shun the Trump administration’s central strategy to limit the spread of the virus among old and sick Americans. In late summer, federal officials began distributing to nursing homes millions of point-of-care antigen tests, which can be given on-site and report the presence or absence of the virus within minutes. By January, the Department of Health and Human Services is slated to send roughly 23 million rapid tests. (Rau, Weber and Pradhan, 11/12)
KHN:
Workers Who Lost Jobs Due To COVID May Need Help Getting Coverage This Fall
Michelina Moen lost her job and health insurance in April. Only weeks earlier she had begun to feel ill and not her usual energetic self — in what she describes as a textbook case of “really bad timing.” The Orlando, Florida, resident sought treatment in May. After a series of tests, doctors told Moen she had a rare kidney condition that would require months of treatment. (Findlay, 11/12)
KHN:
When False Information Goes Viral, COVID-19 Patient Groups Fight Back
For decades, people struggling with illnesses of all kinds have sought help in online support groups. This year, such groups have been in high demand for COVID-19 patients, who often must recover in isolation. But the fear and uncertainty regarding the coronavirus have made online groups targets for the spread of false information. And to help fellow patients, some of these groups are making it a mission to stamp out misinformation. (Smith, 11/12)
KHN:
Listen: COVID Stresses Rural Hospitals Already ‘Teetering On The Brink’
When KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal heard a sample of the voices that correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble brought back from her reporting trip to rural Kansas, Rosenthal said she knew the story needed to be told through audio. That’s the genesis for “No Mercy,” season one of the podcast “Where It Hurts.” The series documents the fallout after Mercy Hospital closed in Fort Scott, Kansas. (11/12)
AP:
Unwelcome Milestone: California Nears Million COVID-19 Cases
California will be the second state — behind Texas — to eclipse a million known cases. The grim milestone in a state of 40 million comes as the U.S. has surpassed 10 million infections. The timeline of COVID-19 in America often comes back to California. It had some of the earliest known cases among travelers from China, where the outbreak began. The Feb. 6 death of a San Jose woman is the first known coronavirus fatality in the U.S. That same month, California recorded the first U.S. case not related to travel and the first infection spread within the community. (Melley and Taxin, 11/12)
The Hill:
COVID-19 Cases Rising In Every State
Every state is now seeing increases in COVID-19 cases, and many are also seeing spikes in hospitalizations, a marker that the third wave of the pandemic has arrived. The U.S. reported 136,000 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, the largest single-day increase on record, according to a tracker by Johns Hopkins University. (Hellmann, 11/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Cases Top 100,000 For Ninth Day Running
New coronavirus cases in the U.S. climbed to another record, topping 100,000 for the ninth day in a row, as hospitals faced increasing numbers of Covid-19 patients. The U.S. reported more than 144,000 new cases for Wednesday, up about 4,000 from the day before, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The total number of confirmed cases nationwide topped 10.4 million. (Hall, 11/12)
The Washington Post:
As Coronavirus Soars, Hospitals Hope To Avoid An Agonizing Choice: Who Gets Care And Who Goes Home
The coronavirus pandemic is rolling across America like a great crimson wave. In Illinois, the rate of new infections is so high that a group of doctors sent an urgent letter to the governor. “We’re having to almost decide who gets treatment and who doesn’t,” said one of its leaders. In Ohio, the rapid spread of the virus has pushed the state health-care system to the brink. Expressing deep concern, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) vowed to enforce his statewide mask mandate and issued new restrictions on social gatherings. “We can’t surrender to this virus. We can’t let it run wild,” he said. (Fears, Achenbach and Martin, 11/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Record Covid-19 Hospitalizations Strain System Again
Hospitals across the nation face an even bigger capacity problem from the resurgent spread of Covid-19 than they did during the virus’s earlier surges this year, pandemic preparedness experts said, as the number of U.S. hospitalizations hit a new high Wednesday. The number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients reached 65,368, according to the Covid Tracking Project, passing the record set Tuesday for the highest number of hospitalizations since April. A spring surge in the Northeast pushed hospitalizations near 60,000. Hospitalizations hit a nearly identical peak again in late July, as the pandemic’s grip spread across the South and West. (Evans, 11/11)
Stat:
Talk Of Waves Is Misguided, Say Covid-19 Modelers, As Deaths Do Not Ebb
The numbers have become both horrifying and numbing — and there is no end in sight. The consensus among major Covid-19 modelers is that we could see 20,000 to 25,000 deaths in just the next two weeks, and 160,000 more by Feb. 1. That would be a frightening acceleration as winter approaches. (Cooney, 11/12)
Politico:
Biden Forms Special Covid Transition Team
President-elect Joe Biden has formed a special transition team dedicated to coordinating the coronavirus response across the government, according to documents obtained by POLITICO and people familiar with the decision. ... The Covid-19 team has not yet been formally announced and is largely separate from the coronavirus task force that Biden unveiled Monday, which is primarily advising Biden and handling the incoming administration’s public messaging. The transition group, still in its infancy, met virtually for the first time on Tuesday and is likely to lay the groundwork for a White House Covid-19 response team to be created after Biden is inaugurated, one member of the team said. (Cancryn, 11/11)
Stat:
With Ron Klain, Biden Picks A Pandemic-Response Veteran For Chief Of Staff
President-elect Biden’s selection on Wednesday of Ron Klain, the former federal “Ebola czar,” as White House chief of staff immediately put a pandemic-response veteran at the highest levels of government. The choice of Klain, a longtime Biden confidant who served as chief of staff to then-Vice President Biden during the Obama administration, is the latest signal that the president-elect is treating the pandemic as his top priority. (Facher, 11/12)
Reuters:
Biden Insider Klain Will Bring Virus-Fighting Expertise To Chief Of Staff Role
Ron Klain was once tapped by Democratic President Barack Obama to safeguard the United States from the threat of a lethal virus. As President-elect Joe Biden’s chief of staff, he will take on a similar mission. In 2014, Obama named Klain to serve as the “Ebola Czar” after an outbreak in West Africa that ended up killing thousands around the globe. All in all, only 11 people were treated in the United States for the virus and two died. (Hunnicutt and Oliphant, 11/11)
Politico:
Transition Delay Hampers Biden’s Ramp-Up Of Covid-19 Response
The Trump administration’s refusal to authorize a presidential transition is interfering with President-elect Joe Biden’s plans for a rapid scale-up of the federal coronavirus response, leaving the incoming administration locked out of key health agencies amid the spiraling pandemic. (Cancryn, 11/10)
The Washington Post:
How Biden’s Transition Team Will Work Around Trump’s Blockade Of The Government
With the Trump White House blocking the administration from formally cooperating with Biden, the members of the Democrat’s transition team are under strict orders not to have any contact with current government officials, even back-channel conversations, according to people with knowledge of the situation, who presented several explanations for the directive. Biden transition team members are instead making contact with recently departed government officials and other experts to help them prepare for the new administration. ... The scramble shows how President Trump’s refusal to accept defeat has become much more than a symbolic stand. His administration’s blockade comes amid a deadly pandemic, an economic downturn and volatility abroad, stoking growing concerns that it will set back Biden’s effort to meet the swirl of crises confronting the nation. (Sullivan, Rein, Hudson and Meckler, 11/11)
AP:
World Leaders Talking To Biden About The Virus, Other Issues
World leaders spoke to President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday about cooperating on the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other issues, even as President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede complicates the U.S. post-election transition. In his conversations with key Asian allies, Biden seemed intent on easing their uncertainties about a less-engaged Washington, which built up during the four years of Trump’s “America First” approach. (11/12)
The New York Times:
Biden’s Policy Agenda Rests Heavily On Senate Outcome
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s transition team is preparing multiple sets of policy proposals for the economy, health care, climate change and other domestic issues, including the ambitious agenda Mr. Biden laid out in his winning campaign, while acknowledging it may have to be pared back in recognition of divided government. Where the incoming administration lands depends heavily on two Senate runoffs in Georgia in early January. (Tankersley, 11/11)
Politico:
Fauci And Biden Team Steer Clear Of Each Other — For Now
President-elect Joe Biden has made clear that he wants top infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci to play a leading role in his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. But the incoming president and his transition advisers are staying away from the longtime civil servant for now, wary of violating official protocols by talking to Fauci or other top health officials before the Government Services Administration certifies Biden’s win. (Owermohle, Cancryn and Diamond, 11/11)
Politico:
‘A Political Animal’: Atlas Attacks Fauci, Escalating Feud Between Trump’s Pandemic Advisers
Dr. Scott Atlas, one of President Donald Trump’s chief coronavirus advisers, publicly attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday — accusing the nation’s top infectious disease expert of being a “political animal” who adjusted his dire assessments of the pandemic after Election Day. The remarks from Atlas, who has earned the White House’s favor by downplaying the disease’s threat, came on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” after host Laura Ingraham contrasted comments Fauci made last month about a potential vaccine timeline with more optimistic comments he made earlier Tuesday. (Forgey, 11/11)
The Hill:
Fauci Reacts To Bannon: 'That's Not The Kind Of Thing You Think About' At Medical School
Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases specialist, said former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon calling for his beheading is “not the kind of thing you think about when you're going through medical school.” Bannon caused outrage last week when he said that he wanted to put Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray’s “heads on pikes.” (Sullivan, 11/11)
The Washington Post:
Trump Rails Against ‘Medical Deep State’ After Pfizer Vaccine News Comes After Election Day
President Trump is lashing out at the Food and Drug Administration following a disclosure Monday that an experimental coronavirus vaccine from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is more than 90 percent effective, convinced the timing — six days after Election Day — proves the “medical deep state” deliberately tried to sabotage his electoral prospects by delaying the results. Shortly after Trump heard the news Monday, he demanded Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar “get to the bottom” of what happened with Pfizer, according to a senior White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the president’s actions. (McGinley, Dawsey, Abutaleb and Johnson, 11/11)
The Hill:
White House Political Director Tests Positive For COVID-19 After Attending Election Night Event
Another member of the Trump administration has tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the election night celebration held at the White House. Brian Jack, White House political director, reportedly tested positive over the weekend, according to sources who spoke to The New York Times. (Choi, 11/11)
The New York Times:
White House Covid Outbreaks Persist, As Cases Now Span Three Months
Three more White House staffers have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the latest outbreak among President Trump’s aides and advisers to 12 people. At least four of them — Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, his political director, a campaign adviser leading the efforts to challenge election results and the housing secretary — attended an election night party at the White House where hundreds of people mingled for hours, many without masks. (Schoenfeld Walker and Conlen, 11/11)
Modern Healthcare:
Medicare Will Pay For COVID-19 Antibody Infusions
Medicare will cover monoclonal antibody infusions to treat COVID-19 with no cost-sharing for beneficiaries during the public health emergency, CMS said Tuesday. The move came a day after the Food and Drug Administration allowed emergency use of Eli Lilly's bamlanivimab, an antibody that helps the immune system fight the virus. CMS expects Eli Lilly will give away bamlanivimab to providers early on. Medicare won't pay for antibody products that providers get for free, but it will pay providers to administer them. (Brady, 11/11)
Politico:
Moderna Close To Revealing First Data On Whether Its Vaccine Works
Moderna said Wednesday that it expects to release the first data from the late-stage trial of its coronavirus vaccine in the coming days — which could reveal whether the shot is effective. A spokesperson for the company, which is working with the National Institutes of Health on the vaccine, said that the independent data safety monitoring board overseeing the study will have the data in "days, not weeks." How long their analysis will take is unclear. (Brennan, 11/11)
Bloomberg:
Moderna Poised to Take Vaccine Spotlight With Data Due
Now it’s Moderna Inc.’s time to be in the spotlight. The same U.S. explosion of Covid-19 cases that helped Pfizer Inc. get results for its vaccine trial earlier this week is helping speed along Moderna’s trial. Moderna said Wednesday its study has accumulated more than 53 infections, allowing a preliminary analysis of the shot’s effectiveness to begin. The shares jumped. (Langreth, 11/11)
NPR:
Novavax Posts Coronavirus Vaccine Contract That Government Didn't Disclose
A day after Pfizer's announcement that its COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective, rival Novavax shared its $1.6 billion Operation Warp Speed contract on Tuesday. Operation Warp Speed is the Trump administration's crash program to make a vaccine available in record time. While there's been rapid progress on vaccines, the government has been slow to release details of its billions of dollars' worth of deals with manufacturers. Notably, the Department of Health and Human Services told NPR in late August that it had "no records" of the Novavax contract in response to a public records request for it over the summer. The agency announced the deal July 7 to support development, manufacturing and the purchase of 100 million doses. (Lupkin, 11/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Asymptomatic Covid-19 Cases Show Need For Wider Surveillance Testing, Study Suggests
A study of Covid-19 testing among nearly 2,000 young adults found symptom monitoring missed nearly all cases of infection, suggesting regular, widespread surveillance testing is needed for both asymptomatic and symptomatic people to get the coronavirus crisis under control. The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, was among the largest to look at asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus. The study looked at 1,848 U.S. Marine Corps recruits between the ages of 18 and 31, who had been required to quarantine at home before arriving at the Citadel military college in Charleston, S.C., where they underwent a second 14-day on-campus supervised quarantine before beginning training. (Toy, 11/11)
The New York Times:
Navy Research Confirms Need For Strict Coronavirus Testing Protocols
Young, healthy people who contract the coronavirus are often asymptomatic, very rarely need hospital care and can transmit the virus to a roommate unwittingly even when following strict quarantine orders, according to two new studies from the U.S. Navy. The findings support the need for strong measures, like daily testing, that go beyond the temperature checks and symptom reporting now commonly deployed to prevent transmission in offices, dormitories and other group settings, the authors said. (Carey, 11/11)
CNN:
Many Military Covid-19 Cases Are Asymptomatic, Studies Show
Covid-19 can spread quickly among active military members and recruits -- and two new reports detail how this has happened in some past outbreaks. The papers, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, reveal that many military personnel and recruits who test positive for coronavirus infection show no symptoms at all, which suggests asymptomatic spread of the disease has likely played a big role in outbreaks. (Howard, 11/11)
AP:
Fever, Symptom Screening Misses Many Coronavirus Cases
Temperature and COVID-19 symptom checks like the ones used at schools and doctor’s offices have again proved inadequate for spotting coronavirus infections and preventing outbreaks. A study of Marine recruits found that despite these measures and strict quarantines before they started training, the recruits spread the virus to others even though hardly any of them had symptoms. None of the infections were caught through symptom screening. (Marchione, 11/11)
NPR:
Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine News Raises Questions About CEO's Stock Sales
Bourla's sale of Pfizer stock was part of a trading plan set months in advance. Known as 10b5-1 plans, they essentially put stock trades on autopilot. Executives are supposed to adopt these plans only when they are not in possession of inside information that can affect a company's stock price — what's known as material nonpublic information. The timing of the implementation of Bourla's plan, however, has raised questions about what the Pfizer CEO knew and when, and whether that may invite further scrutiny from federal regulators. (Dreisbach, 11/11)
CNBC:
Pfizer CEO Sold $5.6 Million Of Stock As Company Announced Vaccine Data That Sent Shares Soaring
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold almost $5.6 million worth of stock on Monday, the same day the drugmaker announced positive early data on its experimental coronavirus vaccine that sent shares soaring. Shares of Pfizer jumped by almost 15% on Monday after the company and its partner BioNTech said its vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 among those in the trial without evidence of prior infection. (Feuer and Wells, 11/11)
AP:
Atrium Health Aims To Be Early Vaccine Distributor
The CEO of Atrium Health in North Carolina said he anticipates the hospital system will be chosen as an "early site" to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc. Atrium Health CEO Gene Woods said at a board meeting Tuesday that they've already purchased refrigeration units that could store 300,000 doses, The Charlotte Observer reported. (11/11)
Burlington Free Press:
University Of Vermont Medical Center Starts COVID-19 Vaccine Trials
Local residents have bravely volunteered to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials with the hope of helping make things safer for their loved ones. Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk-Abenaki Nation was one of the first to volunteer and said it was important to him to protect Native people who are at increased risk because of the high prevalence of underlying health conditions. (Barton, 11/11)
Reuters:
Gates Foundation Adds $70 Million More Funding For COVID Vaccines For Poor
The Gates Foundation added another $70 million of funding on Thursday to global efforts to develop and distribute vaccines and treatments against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it hoped other international donors would now also pledge more. An extra $50 million will go to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) led by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the foundation said, and another $20 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) which is co-funding development of several COVID-19 vaccine candidates. (Kelland, 11/12)
Bloomberg:
AstraZeneca Cancer Drug Fails to Help Patients With Covid-19
AstraZeneca Plc said its blood-cancer medicine Calquence failed to help patients hospitalized with respiratory symptoms of Covid-19. The group of patients taking the drug in addition to standard care didn’t show fewer deaths or respiratory failures, the U.K. drugmaker said in a statement. Details of the intermediate clinical trials will be presented in due course, the company said. (Fourcade, 11/12)
Stat:
Lawmakers Urge DOJ To Revise $8.3 Billion Settlement With Purdue
Dozens of members of Congress are urging the U.S. Department of Justice to revise a recent $8.3 billion settlement of civil and criminal charges with Purdue Pharma, arguing that one part of the deal is really a “mirage” designed to help lessen the financial burden for the Sackler family, which controls the company. In a sharply worded letter, the lawmakers objected to the idea of transforming the drug maker into a public benefit company. (Silverman, 11/11)
Modern Healthcare:
Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Michigan Partners With Wellness Center Company
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan will begin offering wellness center benefits to employer-sponsored health plans as part of a partnership with Premise Health. The partnership, announced Wednesday, will allow employers with Michigan Blues health plans to include Premise Health services to its benefits package. Premise Health is a company that works directly with employers to stand up health and wellness centers, typically building on-site clinics that offer services such as primary care, behavioral health and physical therapy to employees, usually at a discounted price. (Castellucci, 11/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Cano Health Nears Deal With Barry Sternlicht SPAC
A blank-check company backed by real-estate investor Barry Sternlicht is in talks to merge with Cano Health LLC in a $4.4 billion deal that would take the health-care provider for seniors public, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Sternlicht’s special purpose acquisition company, Jaws Acquisition Corp. , could announce a deal valuing Cano Health at $4.4 billion, including debt, as soon as Thursday, the people said—assuming the talks don’t fall through at the last minute. (11/11)
Modern Healthcare:
McLaren Health Care Sues ProMedica Over Allegedly Undermining Competitors
McLaren St. Luke's sued ProMedica on Tuesday over its alleged plans to cut off access to McLaren St. Luke's services to protect its market share. The day after competing health system McLaren Health Care Corp. acquired St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, ProMedica's Paramount Health Care allegedly terminated its commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage contracts with St. Luke's and its physicians, effective Jan. 21. Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica also ended the contracts between its Michigan hospitals and the McLaren Health Plan the same day, as executives conceded that the moves were in response to the prospect of greater competition from McLaren, according to the complaint filed in an Ohio federal court. (Kacik, 11/11)
Modern Healthcare:
Insurers Will Owe Massive MLR Rebates Next Year, Even If 2020 Is Normal
Insurers will likely owe massive rebates to consumers next year, even if their 2020 profits are more typical than healthcare executives expect. More than 11.2 million people will qualify for nearly $2.5 billion in medical loss ratio rebates from insurers this year—an average of $219 per person—according to CMS data on Friday. It's an increase of more than $1 billion over last year. That includes almost 5.2 million people enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, who will get more than $1.7 billion in rebates with an average refund of $322 per person. Rebates paid to people enrolled in small group market coverage will be much smaller. Roughly 3.4 million people will receive about $423 million in rebates, which works out to $124 per person. (Brady, 11/11)
Becker's Hospital Review:
Virginia Physician Convicted On 52 Charges Related To Billing Fraud Scheme
A federal jury convicted Javaid Perwaiz, MD, on Nov. 9 of 52 counts related to his scheme to perform unnecessary hysterectomies and other surgeries on women and bill insurers for the procedures, according to the Department of Justice. According to court records, Dr. Perwaiz billed government and commercial insurers for millions of dollars of surgeries that were not medically necessary for his patients between 2010 and 2019. In many cases, Dr. Perwaiz allegedly told patients they needed the surgeries to avoid cancer to get them to agree to the procedures. (Ellison, 11/11)
AP:
Veterans Day In 2020: Quiet Parades, Somber Virtual Events
Celebrations marking Veterans Day gave way to somber virtual gatherings Wednesday, with many of the nation’s veterans homes barring visitors to protect their residents from the surging coronavirus that has killed thousands of former members of the U.S. military. Cemeteries decorated with American flags were silent as well, as many of the traditional ceremonies were canceled. With infections raging again nationwide, several veterans homes are fighting new outbreaks. (Murphy and Boone, 11/12)
USA Today:
New York Veterans Isolated By COVID-19 Receive Thousands Of Veterans Day Cards
Every November, the New York State Veterans Home in Oxford honors its residents with a special day of activities that includes a large gathering in the auditorium, concert and community lunch. Veterans groups help coordinate the program, and guests spend time visiting with the residents of the Chenango County facility. But this Veterans Day, the 146 veterans who reside at the Chenango County facility [weren't] allowed visitors or to gather together for a meal due to COVID-19 restrictions. (Collins, 11/11)
Politico:
Pandemic Invades Nursing Homes Again
The coronavirus is surging in nursing homes once again, despite President Donald Trump’s promise to keep vulnerable residents of care facilities safe while encouraging most people to work, play, shop and attend school normally. Covid-19 cases in nursing homes saw a more than 40 percent increase from mid-September to Oct. 25 after seven weeks of steady decline, according to the most recent data. Nursing home operators and experts on long-term care say it’s basically impossible to keep the coronavirus from seeping in as cases spike in communities across the country. (Roubein, 11/11)
The Washington Post:
Prisons And Jails Have Become A ‘Public Health Threat’ During The Pandemic, Advocates Say
Nobody knows how the novel coronavirus sneaked through the barbed wire and imposing gates of Ohio’s Pickaway Correctional Institution, where visitors and volunteers were barred from entering in March. But the first case showed up April 4. Within a week, 23 inmates and 17 staff members were found to be infected. One inmate, Charles Viney Jr., a 66-year-old with a collapsed lung, died hours after testing positive. Within a month, more than three-quarters of Pickaway’s roughly 2,000 inmates were confirmed positive. By the end of May, 35 were dead. (Standifer and Stead Sellers, 11/11)
Stat:
IVF Can Be A Painstaking Process. Could AI Make It More Precise?
Artificial intelligence is gaining new ground in nearly every corner of the clinic — including, increasingly, in vitro fertilization. IVF has helped millions of families conceive. But it’s also expensive, often emotionally and physically grueling, and requires many patients to go through numerous rounds to get pregnant. Researchers are looking to see if AI can more precisely pick the most viable embryo to implant — and in turn, improve success rates, reduce the risk of pregnancy loss, and bring IVF costs down. (Snow, 11/12)
The New York Times:
UPS To Allow Natural Black Hairstyles And Facial Hair
UPS will allow workers to have facial hair and natural Black hairstyles like Afros and braids as it becomes the latest company to shed policies widely criticized as discriminatory amid nationwide demands for racial justice. The delivery company, which has more than 525,000 employees worldwide, said it was also eliminating gender-specific rules as part of a broader overhaul of its extensive appearance guidelines, which cover hair, piercings, tattoos and uniform length. (Levenson, 11/11)
ESPN:
Maryland Vs. No. 3 Ohio State Off Due To Coronavirus
Maryland's football game against No. 3 Ohio State is canceled and will not be rescheduled after the Terps paused all team-related activities on Wednesday because of an elevated number of coronavirus cases within the Terrapins' program, the school announced on Wednesday. Over the past seven days, eight Maryland football players have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a news release from the school. (Dinich, 11/11)
The New York Times:
A Tough Call For Families: How To Spend Thanksgiving
Just as the country cannot seem to agree on whether to wear masks or stay six feet apart, there are also disagreements bubbling up over how to celebrate Thanksgiving. To gather or not to gather? Masks or no masks? Is everyone invited or only a select few? Strong opinions can become a recipe for frustration and disappointment. (Caron, 11/11)
The Hill:
Ticketmaster Exploring Verifying Fans' Vaccine Status Before Issuing Concert Passes
Ticketmaster is working on a plan to verify the vaccination status of concertgoers once a coronavirus vaccine is available, Billboard reported Wednesday. Hoping to recover from the decimating effect the coronavirus pandemic had on the entertainment business and venues, Ticketmaster told Billboard it has been working on a framework to verify vaccination status and COVID-19 results through phones. (Choi, 11/11)
CNN:
SeaDream 1: First Caribbean Cruise Since The Pandemic Started Reports Positive Covid-19 Test Result
A Covid-19 scare is the last thing the cruise industry needs as it eases back into the Caribbean. Yet on Wednesday, a passenger on SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream 1 received a preliminary positive test result for Covid-19, according to Gene Sloan, a senior reporter for cruise and travel at The Points Guy, who was aboard the ship. (Hunter, 11/11)
CIDRAP:
Romaine Lettuce Possible Source For Third Recent US E Coli Outbreak
In the third multistate Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak reported this fall—this one affecting 12 people—Tanimura & Antle, of Salinas, California, is recalling its packaged single-head romaine lettuce that was packaged Oct 15 and 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday. Among the 12 E coli infections across six states, 5 patients have been hospitalized. Illinois has 4 cases, and Michigan, California, and Pennsylvania each have 2. Illness-onset dates range from Sep 2 to Oct 14. (11/11)
Politico:
New York Bars, Restaurants Get New 10 P.M. Curfew
New York bars, restaurants and gyms will have to close at 10 p.m. as coronavirus infection rates rise across the state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the new restrictions during a call with reporters on Wednesday. They will go into effect at 10 p.m. on Friday. Restaurants will still be allowed to sell takeout food, but not alcohol, after 10 p.m. (Gronewold, 11/11)
The New York Times:
19% Positivity Rate As Outbreak Accelerates In N.J.’s Largest City
As the coronavirus started surging in New Jersey’s largest city, officials introduced the state’s first new coronavirus lockdown two weeks ago, mandating an 8 p.m. indoor closing time for all restaurants, bars and nonessential businesses citywide. But then the number of new cases in the city, Newark, climbed even higher: Over the last four days, there have been 842 new reported infections, and 19 percent of people tested over three days last week were found to have the virus, city and county officials said. (Armstrong and Tully, 11/11)
Columbus Dispatch:
COVID In Ohio: DeWine Says Restaurants, Bars Could Close; Businesses Must Enforce Mask Wearing
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine took action to curtail the exploding COVID-19 epidemic on Wednesday, threatening to close restaurants, bars and fitness centers, imposing a revised mask order that could briefly close businesses for violations and cracking down on post-event gatherings. ... DeWine did not specify what virus case level would trigger the closures as infections spiral to unprecedented levels and the rapid spread of the virus likely will continue to fuel cases for days to come. The governor's office could provide no more details on Wednesday night. (Ludlow, 11/11)
The Hill:
Indiana Governor To Reimpose Coronavirus Restrictions In Most Counties
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) is expected to reimpose coronavirus restrictions in most counties in the state on Wednesday amid rising hospitalizations and deaths. The restrictions, set to go into effect next weekend, will apply to 87 of the state’s 92 counties, which are considered to be at the two higher-risk levels of virus spread. The highest-risk red counties will only allow gatherings of up to 25 people, while the next-highest orange counties will permit crowds of up to 50 people, the governor said during his address. (Coleman, 11/11)
AP:
Idaho's Coronavirus Surge Overwhelms Primary Care Clinics
Idaho’s unchecked spread of the coronavirus has become so overwhelming in some areas that medical care providers are struggling to even answer all the phone calls from would-be patients, a health care executive said Wednesday. Dr. David Peterman, the CEO of Primary Health Medical Group, said the company’s 20 clinics normally get about 1,800 phone calls a day. But with the pandemic raging in southwestern Idaho, the clinics are now getting 3,000 calls a day. (Boone, 11/12)
Albuquerque Journal:
Governor Chooses UNM Dean/Doctor As DOH Secretary
A New Mexico doctor with a research background and a self-described interest in social justice issues will take the reins of the state Department of Health, a state agency on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Tracie Collins, the dean of the University of New Mexico’s College of Population Health, was appointed on Wednesday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and will start her new job next month.She will succeed former DOH Secretary Kathy Kunkel, who stepped down this fall. (Boyd, 11/11)