First Edition: Nov. 4, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Patients Went Into The Hospital For Care. After Testing Positive There For Covid, Some Never Came Out
They went into hospitals with heart attacks, kidney failure or in a psychiatric crisis. They left with covid-19 — if they left at all. More than 10,000 patients were diagnosed with covid in a U.S. hospital last year after they were admitted for something else, according to federal and state records analyzed exclusively for KHN. The number is certainly an undercount, since it includes mostly patients 65 and older, plus California and Florida patients of all ages. Yet in the scheme of things that can go wrong in a hospital, it is catastrophic: About 21% of the patients who contracted covid in the hospital from April to September last year died, the data shows. In contrast, nearly 8% of other Medicare patients died in the hospital at the time. (Jewett, 11/4)
KHN:
Uninsured In South Would Win Big In Democrats’ Plan, But Hospitals Fear Funding Loss
At least 2.2 million low-income adults — nearly all in Texas and the Southeast — would be eligible for government-funded health insurance under the Democrats’ $1.75 trillion social spending and climate change plan. That’s the number of people who are eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act but have been left uninsured because they live in one of the dozen states that have not expanded coverage under the 2010 law. They are in the coverage gap — with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but below the $12,880 annual federal income minimum for an individual to qualify for subsidized coverage in the insurance marketplaces created by the ACA. (Galewtiz and Miller, 11/4)
KHN:
New Health Plans Offer Twists On Existing Options, With A Dose Of ‘Buyer Beware’
Trendy-looking websites promise convenience and freedom from networks, at far less than the cost of traditional health insurance. “Welcome to insurance that’s finally fair,” says one, in bold lettering. “Take care of your health with one easy app,” says another. It’s all part of shopping for health coverage in 2021. (Appleby, 11/4)
The Washington Post:
After Loss In Virginia, Democrats Look To Speed Up Their Stalled $3 Trillion Spending Agenda
A new sense of political urgency swept over restive Democrats from the White House to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, as they raced to resolve the final issues stalling President Biden’s roughly $3 trillion economic agenda in the aftermath of a stinging election defeat in Virginia. With a loss in the state’s gubernatorial race — along with a slim win for the Democratic incumbent in New Jersey — party lawmakers found themselves anxious, exasperated and newly ready to try to advance two spending initiatives that have been bogged down in Congress for months. (Romm, DeBonis and Sotomayor, 11/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
House Democrats Add Paid Leave, State-And-Local Tax Deduction To Bill
House Democrats released an updated version of the party’s social spending and climate package, adding back a paid-leave program that had previously fallen out of the bill and including a measure sharply raising the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction. The House bill, which top Democrats want to bring up to a vote in the chamber soon, is the latest proposal in the monthslong negotiations among Democrats over President Biden’s agenda. But it is set to face changes in the Senate, where Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) has objected to the inclusion of a paid-leave benefit. (Duehren, Andrews and Rubin, 11/3)
The Washington Post:
Democrats’ Drug-Price Deal Leaves Some Unsatisfied
Democrats are touting a historic deal that would for the first time cap seniors’ out-of-pocket drug costs and empower Medicare to negotiate some prices with drugmakers, arguing it sets a precedent after decades of failures to curb spending that has frustrated consumers. But patient advocates and industry analysts are raising questions about the compromise, which significantly pares back proposals that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had pushed for months and offers a reprieve to a deep-pocketed drug industry. (Diamond, Goldstein and Roubein, 11/3)
NPR:
Here's The Latest With Paid Leave In Democrats' Budget Plan
Paid family and medical leave is back in Democrats' sweeping domestic policy bill. In a letter to colleagues Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote that the inclusion of paid leave is at the urging of members of the House Democratic caucus. It also comes the morning after Republicans performed strongly in Tuesday's elections, including among suburban voters and women in places like Virginia. Pelosi said she expects the changes to the legislation to be debated in the House Rules Committee Wednesday, potentially setting up a vote later this week. (Kim, 11/3)
The Washington Post:
Duchess Of Sussex Calling? Meghan Personally Lobbies Senators To Push For Paid Family Leave
When Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s phone rang with a call from an unlisted number, she assumed it was just her fellow senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin III (D). It was not. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had personally dialed the Republican senator’s phone to talk about paid family leave, a program for working families that is at risk of being cut out of President Biden’s final social spending package as Democrats scramble to make it more palatable for their moderate colleagues. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also got a ring from the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, to discuss paid family leave. “I was happy to talk with her,” Collins told Politico. “But I’m more interested in what the people of Maine are telling me about it.” (Alfaro, 11/3)
CNN:
Parents Express Relief As Children 5-11 Begin Receiving Covid-19 Vaccine
Nine-year-old Parson Harrington had to isolate more than most during this pandemic -- and the lung transplant recipient hopes the Covid-19 vaccine she received in Houston on Wednesday is her ticket to relief and freedom. Parson is one of numerous children ages 5-11 who lined up for a dose around the country on the first full day that kids in this age group were eligible in the US after the CDC gave its endorsement Tuesday. (Hanna, 11/4)
AP:
Eager Parents Rush To Get Kids Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccines
In the hours after the COVID-19 vaccine was formally approved for use in younger children Tuesday, social media pages lit up with eager parents seeking appointments for their grade-schoolers. So on Wednesday morning, it didn’t take long for some parents in the Boise region to figure out that a couple of health care providers were already accepting appointments. “My kids are scheduled for Walgreens on Saturday,” one parent wrote on a Facebook page for local parents of school children. (Boone, 11/3)
AP:
Roll Up Your Sleeves: Kids' Turn Arrives For COVID-19 Shots
At a Decatur, Georgia, pediatrician’s office, 10-year-old Mackenzie Olson took off her black leather jacket and rolled up her sleeve as her mother looked on. “I see my friends but not the way I want to. I want to hug them, play games with them that we don’t normally get to,” and have a pillow fight with her best friend, Mackenzie said after getting her shot at the Children’s Medical Group site. With the federal government promising enough vaccine to protect the nation’s 28 million kids in this age group, pediatricians’ offices and hospitals began inoculating children. Schools, pharmacies and other locations plan to follow suit in the days ahead. (Tanner, 11/3)
The Boston Globe:
‘In Your Heart, It Does Tug At You.’ Parents Weighing COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids 5-11 Must First Battle Their Own Anxiety
Dr. Lloyd Fisher, a Worcester pediatrician and president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said about 30 percent of the parents calling his office are already seeking the kids’ shots, and another 30 percent are “extremely resistant.” The rest, about 40 percent, aren’t sure. “Those are the ones we focus on,” Fisher said. ”They probably want to give their child the shot, but they want to be reassured they are doing the right thing.” Historically, Massachusetts has one of the highest rates in the country for established childhood vaccines, from polio to pertussis. And CDC data show it also has one of the highest rates for COVID vaccinations among people 12 and older, trailing only Vermont and Connecticut. (Lazar, 11/3)
Bangor Daily News:
Waiting To Vaccinate Kids Is Risky, Maine’s Public Health Chief Warns
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah made an impassioned plea to parents on Wednesday that they get their young children vaccinated, saying it would provide a return to normalcy and protect their children from a devastating virus. His message, which was directed at the parents of 5- to 11-year-olds, comes one day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on giving the vaccine to that age group. Preparations are already being made to begin giving the shots at pharmacies, schools, clinics and doctors’ offices, with appointments becoming available in the coming days. (Marino Jr., 11/4)
The New York Times:
Biden Urges Parents To Vaccinate Newly Eligible Children
President Biden on Wednesday urged millions of parents to get their young children vaccinated against the coronavirus, touting the government’s authorization of inoculations for children between 5 and 11 as a major milestone in the nation’s effort to end the pandemic. Mr. Biden’s comments came a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children. The decision was in sync with the Food and Drug Administration, which on Friday authorized emergency use of pediatric doses for the roughly 29 million children in that age group. (Kanno-Youngs and Weiland, 11/4)
Fox News:
Trump Surgeon General Speaks Out On Vaccinating Kids
Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as U.S. surgeon general under former President Trump, said Wednesday that he will be getting his 11-year-old daughter vaccinated against COVID-19 as the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. "It's really just about doing everything we can to protect our children and give them the best possible chance of growing up healthy and strong," Adams told Fox News. Health officials gave final approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 shot for children ages 5 to 11 on Tuesday, opening up 28 million more Americans to the vaccine. (Best, 11/3)
USA Today:
CVS, Walgreens Open COVID Vaccine Appointment For Kids
The country's largest pharmacies, Walgreens and CVS, are already accepting online appointments for children 5 to 11 to get the COVID-19 vaccine following the CDC's sign-off Tuesday night of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the age group. Walgreens will begin administering the pediatric doses at thousands of stores nationwide starting Saturday. The first vaccine shipments are scheduled to arrive at some Walgreens locations this week, the company said Wednesday. CVS will begin administering the vaccine this weekend, spokesperson Joe Goode told USA TODAY. (Ortiz, Miller and Fernando, 11/3)
The Washington Post:
750,000 Dead: In Too Many Families, Unity In Pain But Division In Mourning
Uncle Tyrone went first. On his way to the hospital in South Florida, he implored his niece Lisa Wilson: “I want the vaccine.”“You can’t get it now,” Wilson told Tuyrono “Tyrone” Moreland, who was 48. He never made it home, dying Aug. 22.
Wilson’s grandmother, Lillie Mae Dukes Moreland, who raised Lisa and nine of her own children, was next. She’d decided against the vaccine. It was too new, she thought. Plus, some members of the family had counseled her against getting the shot. At 89, they said, she was too old. In late August, she came down with covid-19, was taken to the hospital the day after Tyrone’s funeral and died less than 24 hours later. The next day, Aug. 31, one of Wilson’s cousins died of covid complications. A few days later, another cousin, and then a third. And on Sept. 14, yet a fourth of Lisa’s cousins succumbed. (Fisher, Rozsa and Ruble, 11/3)
NBC News:
Life Expectancy Fell Sharply In The U.S. Last Year Among High-Income Countries
The United States had the second-steepest decline in life expectancy among high-income countries last year during the pandemic, according to a study of death data spanning several continents. The only country studied that saw a starker overall trend was Russia. The study, published Wednesday in The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), assessed premature death in 37 countries, comparing observed life expectancy in 2020 with what would have been expected for the year based on historical trends from 2005-2019. Life expectancy dropped in 31 of these countries during the pandemic. (Bush, 11/3)
Detroit Free Press:
Ford To Comply With Federal Mandate For COVID-19 Vaccines -- For Salaried Workers
Ford Motor Co. became the first of the Detroit Three automakers to comply with a federal order on COVID-19 vaccines, announcing that it will require salaried workers get the shots by early December. The company notified employees Tuesday that most of the 32,000 white-collar employees in the U.S. will be affected. (Wall Howard, 11/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Thousands In Air Force, Space Force Seek Exemption From Covid-19 Vaccines
At least 7,599 airmen and members of the Space Force haven’t received a Covid-19 vaccine, either refusing to do so or seeking exemptions from military requirements, the Air Force said Wednesday, in a first set of challenges to a departmentwide mandate that troops be vaccinated to serve. Of that number, the Air Force has approved medical or administrative exemptions for 1,866 Air Force and Space Force members, meaning they don’t have to receive a vaccine, the Air Force said. (Youssef, 11/3)
Oklahoman:
Oklahoma City Schools Fires 6 Teachers Who Refused To Wear Masks
Six teachers who refused to wear masks have been fired from Oklahoma City Public Schools. The district Board of Education voted to terminate their employment after hearing testimony and asking questions during a hearing Wednesday evening. The board voted unanimously after hearing hours of testimony. The six board members present deliberated for almost two hours in executive session. (Martinez-Keel, 11/3)
AP:
Hospitals Lose More Nurses After Federal Contract Expires
Mississippi health care providers say they may have to close floors and reduce patient beds after losing hundreds of nurses due to the recent expiration of a federal contract put in place to help the state battle the coronavirus pandemic. During the last wave of COVID-19, 900 nurses were deployed to hospitals across the state under a 60-day contract funded by the federal government. That contract expired Nov. 1 and the number of virus cases has subsided since the summer peak. (11/3)
The Washington Post:
New York Mayor-Elect Eric Adams To ‘Revisit’ Vaccine Mandate
Eric Adams, who was just elected as mayor of New York, is jumping right into the hot-button topic of coronavirus vaccine mandates — saying he plans to review the requirements now in place for municipal workers, which have been unpopular among some unions representing the city’s firefighters and police officials. Adams, a Democrat and a former police captain, said, “The mask mandates we should keep in place … We need to revisit how we are going to address the vaccine mandates.” (Jeong and Suliman, 11/4)
NPR:
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Tests Positive For COVID-19 At The Climate Summit
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is attending the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, (known as COP26) has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced Wednesday. Garcetti, who is vaccinated against COVID-19, was feeling well and isolating in his hotel room, according to a tweet from the mayor's account. Local TV station KABC reports the mayor is attending the conference with seven staff members. A spokesperson for the mayor's office tells NPR that Garcetti was the only one from this office who tested positive for COVID-19. (Franklin, 11/3)
NPR:
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Who Said He Was 'Immunized,' Reportedly Has COVID
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the reigning NFL MVP, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to multiple media reports. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Wednesday that a different quarterback, Jordan Love, would start next weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs and that Rodgers was "in the COVID-19 protocols." LaFleur would not explicitly confirm whether Rodgers tested positive and also would not comment on whether Rodgers is vaccinated. NPR reached out to the team for comment and was directed to LaFleur's media appearance earlier in the day. According to ESPN, "The NFL has considered Rodgers as unvaccinated since the start of the season." NFL.com also reports that the Packers quarterback has not been vaccinated against COVID-19. (Kennedy, 11/3)
CIDRAP:
College Football Didn't Fuel COVID-19 Spread Among Players, Study Suggests
COVID-19 didn't appear to spread efficiently within and among teams competing in the fall 2020 Southeastern Conference (SEC) college football season, finds an observational study published late last week in JAMA Network Open. The study, led by a Texas A&M University researcher, analyzed close contacts (within 6 feet) among opposing players during official games and COVID-19 athlete testing data from Sep 26 to Dec 19, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 11/3)
Des Moines Register:
Iowa Deer Seem To Be Catching COVID From Humans, Infecting Each Other
The coronavirus appears to have infected many of Iowa’s deer, posing risks the virus could mutate in the animals and then re-enter the human population in an altered version, a new study says. “Our results suggest that deer have the potential to emerge as a major reservoir host” for the coronavirus, the study says. The paper, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, has been posted online. The findings were verified on Tuesday by federal scientists at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories, according to a spokesperson who spoke to the New York Times. (May Sahouri, Leys and Eller, 11/3)
AP:
LSU Vet School Lab Testing Pet Cats And Dogs For COVID-19
The Louisiana State University veterinary school’s diagnostic lab is providing free COVID-19 testing for dogs and cats in Louisiana through the end of the year, the school said Wednesday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is paying for the tests, and the Louisiana Office of Public Health is also a partner in the program, a news release said. (11/3)
NBC News:
How Covid Attacks The Brain May Explain Long-Lasting Symptoms
Early research suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can enter the brain easily through a person's nose, infiltrating brain cells where it lurks unchecked, possibly leading to lasting neurological symptoms, such as trouble with thinking and memory. Two new studies — from the California National Primate Research Center and the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto — suggest that the virus directly infects neurons in the brain, potentially offering clues as to why some people suffer from a range of symptoms long after their initial Covid infection. (Edwards, 11/4)
Fox News:
COVID-19 Can Infect Inner Ear Cells, Researchers Say
An inner ear infection may be a significant cause of COVID-19-associated problems with hearing and balance, according to researchers. In a new study published last month in the journal Nature Communications Medicine, the U.S.-based study authors wrote that they examined human inner ear tissue, human inner ear in vitro cellular models and mouse inner ear tissue to reach their conclusions. Observing 10 COVID-19 patients with ear-related symptoms like hearing loss, vestibular dysfunction and tinnitus, the researchers said they had found a pattern of inner ear infection consistent with symptoms after developing some of the first human cellular models of infectious inner ear disease. (Musto, 11/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Have A Job With Benefits? How To Make The Most Of Open Enrollment
Workers are often told to get a job with good benefits, but they rarely think about why. At many companies each fall, employees receive a thick booklet in the mail, or their inboxes, listing myriad options for financial, health, and other benefits. Many skip over the more complicated ones in favor of simple, quick choices. Going quickly, however, is a mistake. Choosing the right benefits during open-enrollment season can help save money and build wealth. It can also give individuals and families broader support with their health. The importance of benefits like medical coverage is particularly crucial as the pandemic continues. (McCorvey, 11/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
At MetLife, Life Insurance Claims Rise For Younger People Dying From Covid-19
Covid-19 cut into third-quarter results at MetLife Inc. MET 2.50% as deaths linked to the Delta variant increased for people in their working years. It was one of the costliest quarters since the pandemic began for the insurer’s big business of providing employer-sponsored life insurance. The high level of death-benefit payout was more than offset by unusually strong investment gains from the small slice of the insurer’s investment portfolio held in private-equity funds. The New York company more than doubled its net income and posted a 31% increase in its adjusted earnings. (Scism, 11/3)
CBS News:
Nursing School Applications Increase Despite Toll Of COVID Pandemic
Aspiring nurses are lining up even as the coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on medical staff. Enrollment in nursing programs across the U.S. increased nearly 6% in 2020 from the year before, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Nursing school applications at Temple University in Pennsylvania increased about 15% this fall, according to assistant dean Michael Usino. In 2019, almost 7,500 people applied for about 110 spots. Usino said he initially expected the pandemic to reduce interest in nursing. (Lenghi, 11/3)
NPR:
The American Psychological Association Apologizes For Systemic Racism
The American Psychological Association is seeking to make amends for past wrongs. The APA, an organization that has been around since the late 1800s, issued a lengthy statement on Friday apologizing not only for the APA's role in perpetuating systemic racism, but for the role psychology, as a field of study, has also played in systemically harming people of color for decades. The organization's Council of Representatives unanimously voted to adopt a resolution that, among other things, apologizes for engaging in "racism, racial discrimination, and denigration" of communities of color; as a result, they failed in their mission to better the lives of others, they admitted. (Pruitt-Young, 11/3)
Stat:
A Progress Report On Walmart And Best Buy's Ambitions In Health Care
When Mark Wahlberg helped ring in the grand opening of Walmart’s second health clinic in Calhoun, Ga., alongside a raucous crowd of customers in January 2020, the world was a very different place. It was a celebrated moment at an exciting time in Walmart’s push to open a string of new clinics scattered across America. The plan to build out its health care footprint seemed to have a shot at success: What busy parent wouldn’t jump at the chance to tackle the grocery list and their child’s earache in a single trip? The pandemic that soon followed has blurred the prospect of that success. (Brodwin, 11/4)
WBEZ:
Inside The Fight To Save Chicago’s Historic Mercy Hospital
The 170-year-old Bronzeville institution treated the neediest and was rescued from closure for $1. Here’s why hospitals like it are on life support. (Schorsch, 10/25)
Stat:
Scientists Find Clue To Why Some Have 'Alzheimer's Brains' But No Dementia
Defective proteins clump into toxic plaques and tangles. Plaques of amyloid and tau tangles kill neurons, causing Alzheimer’s disease. So goes the central dogma that has ruled neuroscience since the early ’90s. But in the last few years, as researchers have amassed large databases of brain scans and collections of donated tissue, it’s become apparent how frequently the conventional wisdom fails. By one recent estimate, about 30% of older adults have brains loaded with enough amyloid or tau to meet the criteria for an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but no outward symptoms of dementia. (Molteni, 11/3)
AP:
Panel: All US Adults Under 60 Should Get Hepatitis B Shots
A government advisory committee on Wednesday recommended that all U.S. adults younger than 60 be vaccinated against hepatitis B, because progress against the liver-damaging disease has stalled. The decision means that tens of millions of U.S. adults — mostly between the ages of 30 and 59 — would be advised to get shots. Hepatitis B vaccinations became standard for children in 1991, meaning most adults younger that 30 already are protected. (Stobbe, 11/3)
NPR:
Tastykake Recalls Cakes That Could Have Tiny Pieces Of Metal In Them
We are not trying to food shame you, but you might want to put down the Tastykake chocolatey cream-filled cupcake. The Food and Drug Administration published a notice from the company, recalling some of the its multi-pack cupcakes sold at stores in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Flowers Foods, the maker of Tastykake goods, said the treats could have tiny fragments of metal mesh wire in them. (Romo, 11/3)
CNN:
CDC Updates Health Warning For Aromatherapy Spray
Federal agencies widened recalls and warnings to doctors Wednesday about aromatherapy sprays that have been linked to fatal cases of a rare tropical disease.The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said doctors should be on the lookout for symptoms of melioidosis -- a difficult-to-diagnose infection caused by the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei -- and should ask patients about whether they've used certain sprays. And people who have bought sprays containing "gemstones" should not throw them out but should pack them carefully and send them in for refunds, the CDC and the Consumer Product Safety Commission said. (Fox, 11/3)
AP:
New Mazda Cars Will Stop If Driver Suffers Health Problem
Cars already know how to park themselves, warn drowsy drivers, steer back into the right lanes and propose map routes to destinations. The cars Mazda has in the works for next year in Japan know when drivers have a stroke or heart attack. By 2025, the cars will even know when drivers are about to have a sudden health problem and warn them, according to the Japanese automaker. What’s involved are data from cameras inside the car, without resorting to laser sensors or other more obtrusive technology. And it’s going to be offered in affordable models, not just luxury vehicles. (Kageyama, 11/4)
PBS NewsHour:
Detroit Just Decriminalized Psychedelics And ‘Magic Mushrooms.’ Here’s What That Means
Detroit has joined the growing number of cities and states that have decriminalized entheogenic plants and fungi, more colloquially known as “magic mushrooms” and psychedelics. Voters, including the city’s incumbent mayor who won a re-election, passed Proposal E on Tuesday night to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi. Just more than 61 percent of voters supported the measure, with nearly 39 percent of voters opposing it, according to the City of Detroit’s unofficial election results Wednesday. (Kai-Hwa Wang, 11/3)
Stateline:
Oregon's Drug Decriminalization May Spread, Despite Unclear Results
Progressive lawmakers and civil rights groups want more states to follow Oregon’s recent example and drop criminal penalties for carrying small amounts of heroin, cocaine or other drugs, and to spend more money on addiction recovery services. They say substance use disorder should be treated as a disease, rather than as a crime. Democratic lawmakers in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont all proposed decriminalization bills this year. Advocacy groups hope to get a decriminalization measure on the ballot in Washington in 2022 and in California in 2024, said Matt Sutton, director of public relations for the Drug Policy Alliance, a New York-based nonprofit. The Drug Policy Alliance helped fund the ballot initiative that resulted in Oregon’s new law, which took effect in February. (Quinton, 11/3)
Bloomberg:
Los Angeles County Declares ‘Rotten Eggs’ Odor a Local Emergency
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a persistent “rotten-eggs” smell coming from a nearby river a local emergency. The decision will expand resources to address the levels of hydrogen sulfide gas emanating from the Dominguez Channel that has caused the foul odor for at least four weeks. The county deployed a multi-agency response team to clean up the channel and bring “much-needed relief to affected communities.” The board said the odor remains at levels that aren’t expected to pose long-term health problems and that no imminent danger exists. So far, the odor has led to short-term adverse health symptoms that include headaches, nausea and throat irritation. (Saraiva, 11/3)
Houston Chronicle:
ProPublica Mapped Cancer-Causing Pollution Facilities In Houston. Here Are 5 Of The Worst
The investigative news site ProPublica this week released a new mapping tool that offers a concrete look at the persistent, daily cancer risks that residents in parts of this region may have long felt they faced. The reporters explain how their work is especially important because it shows on a granular level what is known as the "cumulative" effects of pollution from all industrial facilities in an area, rather than a single facility on its own. The journalists spent two years analyzing an enormous amount of emissions data from a five-year span. ProPublica calls the final product "the most detailed map of cancer-causing industrial air pollution ever published." It's not meant to be a definitive indicator for any single case of cancer, they explain, but rather a resource for people to understand better the risks of where they live. (Foxhall, 11/3)
The Advocate:
Here's Why Bob Dean's 7 Nursing Homes Will Remain Closed For At Least One Year
In a Wednesday status conference to schedule his license appeal hearings, Dean’s attorney said he expects that information gathering process before going to trial will take 12 months. And an attorney representing LDH, Jay O’Brien, said he also expects a year to 18 months of evidence-gathering. Dean’s nursing homes will remain closed in the meantime. They will not reopen until he goes to trial in the case and a three-judge panel from the state’s Division of Administrative Law issues a judgment, said Dean’s attorney, John McLindon. No trial date has been set yet. McLindon is also requesting that the Division of Administrative Law rule on whether Dean can have his licenses back before they take up his Medicaid provider agreements. (Gallo, 11/3)
AP:
Germany Reports Record Number Of New Coronavirus Cases
Germany’s disease control agency on Thursday reported the highest number of new coronavirus infections since the outbreak of the pandemic. The Robert Koch Institute, or RKI, said 33,949 new cases had been registered in the last 24 hours, up from 28,037 daily cases a week ago. The previous record was 33,777 new cases on Dec. 18, 2020. (Grieshaber, 11/4)
Bloomberg:
Covid-19 Infections In England At Highest Level Yet, Study Finds
Coronavirus infections in England reached their highest level yet in October, based on a large study published before what may prove to be a difficult winter. While hospitalizations and deaths remained low, the React-1 study led by Imperial College London recorded the highest prevalence of cases since the research began in May 2020. Covid infections among study participants increased to 1.72%, or one in 58 people, more than double the level in the previous month’s report. The study arrives as the U.K. is stepping up efforts to tackle respiratory illnesses. Last month, the country started its largest ever flu shot drive to address concern over a spike in Covid cases coinciding with a resurgent flu. On Monday, National Health Service walk-in centers began offering Covid booster jabs without an appointment. (Leon, 11/4)
Bloomberg:
China Fortifies Beijing As Covid Outbreak Continues To Swell
Chinese authorities are ring-fencing Beijing against growing Covid-19 outbreaks now permeating more than half the nation’s provinces, seeking to protect the capital as it gears up to host top political leaders next week and the Winter Olympics in less than 100 days. The country’s state-owned rail operator said on Wednesday they suspended ticket sales for trains departing from 123 stations in 23 locations that reported coronavirus infections. Previously, Beijing’s municipal government all but barred people visiting the city from areas reporting Covid cases. (11/4)
AP:
Puerto Rico To Make COVID-19 Vaccine Mandatory For School
Puerto Rico’s governor said Wednesday that officials will start vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 this week against COVID-19, and that getting the vaccine will be required to attend school in person with few exceptions. Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said he anticipates that some 227,000 children will be vaccinated, with a goal to inoculate 95% of that population. (11/3)
Bloomberg:
WHO Approves Indian-Made Covid-19 Vaccine For Emergency Use
The World Health Organization granted emergency authorization to a Covid-19 vaccine co-developed by India’s medical-research agency and local manufacturer Bharat Biotech International Ltd., ending a months-long wait that added to controversy around the homegrown shot. The WHO approved the vaccine’s use in people aged 18 and older on a two-dose schedule with four weeks between shots, according to a statement on Wednesday. Covaxin joins a range of WHO emergency-cleared shots from AstraZeneca Plc, China’s Sinopharm Group Co. and Sinovac Biotech Ltd., Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE , Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc. (Kay, 11/3)
The Washington Post:
Canada’s Supreme Court Hears Case On Alleged Condom Deception
Canada’s Supreme Court heard a case Wednesday that raised questions about what constitutes consent. The key questions: whether a man who did not wear a condom during sex, despite his partner allegedly having asked him to, should stand trial. The complainant, a woman whose name has not been made public, says she met Ross McKenzie Kirkpatrick, from British Columbia, online in 2017. The two of them met up in March of that year for about two hours in which they discussed sexual practices, she said. According to the woman’s testimony, she told the accused that she insisted on using condoms before sex, and he agreed. (Simon, 11/3)