First Edition: Nov. 25, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations. Note to readers: KHN's Morning Briefing is off for the rest of the week. Check for it next in your inbox on Nov. 30.
KHN:
Why Employers Find It So Hard To Test For COVID
Brandon Hudgins works the main floor at Fleet Feet, a running-shoe store chain, for more than 30 hours a week. He chats with customers, measuring their feet and dashing in and out of the storage area to locate right-sized shoes. Sometimes, clients drag their masks down while speaking. Others refuse to wear masks at all. So he worries about COVID-19. And with good reason. Across the U.S., COVID hospitalizations and deaths are hitting record-shattering new heights. The nation saw 198,633 new cases on Friday alone. (Norman, 11/25)
KHN:
California Businesses Go From Simmer To Boil Over Newsom’s Fine Dining
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s maskless dinner with medical industry lobbyists and others at a Napa County restaurant where meals cost a minimum of $350 per head was just about the last straw for some beleaguered California small-business owners. With their livelihoods on the line, a growing number of them are openly defying the latest orders to shut down as COVID cases skyrocket in California — and pointing to Newsom’s bad behavior. (Wolfson and Almendrala, 11/25)
CNN:
The US Reported More Than 2,100 Deaths In A Single Day. Things Are Projected To Get Worse
When cases and hospitalizations began to surge weeks ago, officials predicted deaths would soon follow. Daily cases haven't dipped below 100,000 in three weeks. And for the 15th consecutive day, the US beat its own hospitalization record, with now more than 88,000 Covid-19 patients nationwide, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The coming weeks are likely to continue getting worse, before a possible vaccine begins to offer some relief. But just how much worse things will get depends on the mitigation steps taken across the country -- as well as the kinds of celebrations Americans will opt to host over the coming days, experts say. (Maxouris, 11/25)
The Washington Post:
U.S. Reports Highest Daily Death Toll In Over Six Months
The United States logged nearly 2,100 coronavirus-related fatalities on Tuesday, marking the deadliest day in more than six months. Record numbers of fatalities were also reported in nine states — Maine, Alaska, Missouri, North Dakota, Indiana, Wisconsin, Washington, Ohio and Oregon — according to data tracked by The Washington Post. Tuesday’s tally of 2,092 deaths is the highest the country has seen since May 6, when 2,611 deaths were reported. (Farzan, 11/25)
Reuters:
‘We’re Drowning’: COVID Cases Flood Hospitals In America’s Heartland
Dr. Drew Miller knew his patient had to be moved. The vital signs of the 30-year-old COVID-19 victim were crashing, and Kearny County Hospital in rural Lakin, Kansas, just wasn’t equipped to handle the case. Miller, Kearny’s chief medical officer - who doubles as the county health officer - called around to larger hospitals in search of an ICU bed. With coronavirus cases soaring throughout Kansas, he said, he couldn’t find a single one. By the time a bed opened elsewhere the following day, the young man was near death. For a full 45 minutes, Miller and his staff performed chest compressions in a desperate attempt to save him. (Brown, 11/24)
The Hill:
White House Coronavirus Task Force Calls For A 'Significant Behavior Change' From Americans
The White House coronavirus task force this week issued a dire warning to states of “aggressive, rapid, and expanding” spread of cases that requires a “significant behavior change” from all Americans ahead of the holidays. There is community spread of COVID-19 in more than 2,000 counties, reads the report issued to states and obtained by The Hill, which calls for forceful efforts to “flatten the curve to sustain the health system for both COVID and non-COVID emergencies.” (Hellmann, 11/24)
Reuters:
'COVID Chat': Officials Urge Americans To Stay Home Over Holiday
U.S. health officials and politicians pleaded with Americans on Tuesday to stay at home over the Thanksgiving holiday and abide by constraints placed on social and economic life as record coronavirus caseloads pushed hospitals to their limits. The chorus of public appeals intensified heading into a holiday weekend expected to further fuel an alarming surge of infections nationwide, while the daily U.S. death toll climbed above 2,000 - at least four deaths every three minutes. It marked the highest 24-hour loss of life from the pandemic since early May. (Heavey and Caspani, 11/24)
The Hill:
New York City To Add COVID-19 Checkpoints At Bridges, Crossings
New York City will add COVID-19 checkpoints at certain bridges and crossings to enforce quarantine restrictions ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Sheriff Joseph Fucito said Tuesday that among the actions authorities will take is conducting spot checks on passengers stepping off out-of-state buses. (Deese, 11/24)
The Washington Post:
Blunt Coronavirus Thanksgiving Warning From Salt Lake County Health Department
A dozen people are gathered around a Thanksgiving table. A turkey has been carved, wine glasses held up to toast the holiday. A group is preparing to take a selfie. “Everybody say, ‘I was just exposed to COVID!'" reads a text bubble. This is the hypothetical scene portrayed in a Monday evening Facebook and Twitter post by the Salt Lake County Health Department, which urges people to avoid gatherings to help curb the surge in coronavirus cases. It’s the latest in a series of posts from the department in Utah that officials hope will provide a reality check about the risks associated with gathering for the holiday as the pandemic rages. (Firozi, 11/24)
NPR:
Epidemiologist Says Restricting Small Gatherings Isn't Enough To Stop The Surge
For weeks now, the message from public health officials has been clear: The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is with members of your immediate household only. The level of coronavirus cases in the U.S. right now means the chances of encountering an infected person while traveling or while sitting at a crowded table are very real. (Chang, 11/24)
The New York Times:
Where Are Americans Staying Home For Thanksgiving?
Public health officials have been pleading with Americans to stay home this year for Thanksgiving. And, despite busy airports this past weekend, most people plan to follow their advice, according to a huge survey asking Americans about their holiday plans. (Katz, Quealy and Sanger-Katz, 11/24)
Reuters:
CDC May Shorten COVID-19 Quarantine Period Guidelines
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten the length of self-quarantine period recommended after potential exposure to the coronavirus, a top official said on Tuesday. Health authorities currently recommend a 14-day quarantine in order to curb transmission of the virus but an official said Tuesday that there is evidence that the period could be shortened if patients are tested for the virus during their quarantine. (Nadeem and O'Donnell, 11/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
CDC Finalizing Recommendation To Shorten Covid-19 Quarantines
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten the length of time it recommends that a person self-quarantine after potential exposure to the coronavirus, hoping that such a step will encourage more people to comply, a top agency official said. CDC officials are finalizing recommendations for a new quarantine period that would likely be between seven and 10 days and include a test to ensure a person is negative for Covid-19, said Henry Walke, the agency’s incident manager for Covid-19 response. (McKay, 11/24)
NPR:
CDC Likely To Recommend Shortening Coronavirus Quarantine Period
"We are actively working on that type of guidance right now, reviewing the evidence, but we want to make absolutely sure," [said Adm. Brett Giroir, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force], adding that "these kind of recommendations aren't willy nilly." The exact language of the new guidelines and when they might be announced remains unclear, but according to a federal official who asked not to be named because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the issue, the recommended quarantine time is likely to be just seven to 10 days for people who then test negative for the virus. (Stein and Neuman, 11/25)
The Washington Post:
First Batch Of 6.4 Million Vaccine Doses Could Go Out In Mid-December
The federal government plans to send 6.4 million doses of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to communities across the United States within 24 hours of regulatory clearance, with the expectation that shots will be administered quickly to front-line health-care workers, the top priority group, officials said Tuesday. Gen. Gustave Perna, who oversees logistics for Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s effort to speed up treatments and vaccines, told reporters that state officials were informed on Friday night of the allocation, which is based on each state’s overall population. (Sun, 11/24)
Reuters:
U.S. Officials Plan To Release 6.4 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses In First Distribution
U.S. officials said on Tuesday they plan to release 6.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses nationwide in an initial distribution after the first one is cleared by regulators for emergency use. Officials from the government’s Operation Warp Speed program told reporters that states and other jurisdictions had been informed on Friday of their estimated vaccine allocations in the first shipments so they can begin planning for how to best distribute it to their high-risk populations. (Spalding and O'Donnell, 11/24)
NPR:
Initial Batch Of COVID-19 Vaccines Will Go To States Based On Population, Not Risk
Top officials from Operation Warp Speed, the government's program to fast-track the development and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, announced they've allocated 6.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to states based on their total populations. Once a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, allocations will be made based on the total number of adults in the state. "We wanted to keep this simple," Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services said at a media briefing Tuesday, "We thought it would be the fairest approach, and the most consistent." (Huang, 11/24)
The Hill:
Trump Addresses Pandemic But Not Election During Annual Turkey Pardon
President Trump presided over the annual turkey pardon Tuesday, making reference to the coronavirus pandemic but not the fact that it will be his last time fulfilling the Thanksgiving tradition before leaving office in January. Trump's White House remarks were closely watched given how infrequently he has spoken in the three weeks since Election Day, but he stayed on script and offered praise for front-line workers during an unprecedented holiday season. (Samuels, 11/24)
NPR:
U.S. Agrees To Pause Deportations For Women Alleging Abuse At ICE Facility
The U.S. government has agreed to freeze any planned deportations of the immigrant women alleging abuse at a detention facility in Georgia. In a consent motion filed in U.S. District Court Tuesday, authorities and the accusers' attorneys jointly notified the court that the alleged victims — and others with "substantially similar factual allegations" — will not be removed from the United States. The consent motion, which remains subject to the approval of U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands, requests that further court proceedings be scheduled "after the week of Jan. 21, 202[1]" — following the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. (Dwyer, 11/24)
Politico:
How 9 Governors Are Handling The Next Coronavirus Wave
President Donald Trump hasn’t been leading on the coronavirus and governors are again in charge of the nation’s response. They’re reacting with a patchwork policy that’s unlikely to head off the long-warned “dark winter” in America. Governors are balancing rising case numbers and pressure to keep schools, restaurants and bars at least partially open. They’re employing loosely defined “curfews” on all but essential workers, admonishments over holding Thanksgiving dinners and reductions in capacity limits on indoor spaces — and a growing number of Republicans are mandating masks. (Roubein and Kapos, 11/25)
Politico:
Biden Eyes New Mexico Governor, Obama Surgeon General For Health Secretary
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy have emerged as top contenders to be President-elect Joe Biden’s health secretary, with Hispanic advocacy groups making a strong push for Lujan Grisham. The nomination of Lujan Grisham, 61, would continue a tradition of presidents tapping governors to lead the sprawling Department of Health and Human Services, and make her the first Latina ever nominated for the post. Murthy, a 43-year-old Yale-educated internist who’s grown close to Biden as a top adviser on the coronavirus pandemic, would be the first nominee of Indian descent for the department’s top job. (Cancryn and Ollstein, 11/24)
NPR:
How Joe Biden Might Try To Make Masks A Less Partisan Issue
It was Memorial Day when then-candidate Joe Biden made his first public appearance since the coronavirus shut down in-person campaigning. Before he went out to place a wreath at a veterans memorial in Delaware, Biden and his team decided he would wear a mask. It wasn't a difficult decision, an aide said when asked about the choice. "Wearing one of these masks when you're outside is not a partisan issue," Biden said a couple of days later during a livestreamed event. "It is a matter of protecting other people." New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also indicates it protects the wearer of the mask as well. (Keith, 11/24)
The Hill:
CDC Officials Reportedly Excited About Biden Transition: 'This Is What We've Been Waiting For'
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials are reportedly expressing relief that a formal transition to the Biden administration is now underway. "This is what we’ve been waiting for is for them to send their landing team here and set up shop,” a senior CDC official told CNN. (Budryk, 11/24)
The Hill:
Biden Says Staff Has Spoken With Fauci: 'He's Been Very, Very Helpful'
President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday that transition staffers have been in touch with Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert and a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force. Biden told reporters that while he has not spoken with Fauci himself, “He’s been very, very helpful.” (Axelrod, 11/24)
The Hill:
CDC Advisory Panel Says People Must Be Warned About Vaccine Side Effects
Members of an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday patients need to be warned about the potential side effects of getting a COVID-19 vaccine so they are not discouraged from getting a second dose. "As a practicing physician, I have got to be sure my patients will come back for the second dose. We really have got to make patients aware that this is not going to be a walk in the park," Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, a physician representing the American Medical Association, told the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in a meeting Monday. (Hellmann, 11/24)
The Hill:
Russia Says Vaccine Candidate Is 95 Percent Effective, Will Sell For $10 Internationally
Russia on Tuesday said its COVID-19 vaccine candidate Sputnik V has an efficacy over 95 percent, adding that it would cost less than $10 a dose in international markets. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced the price tag for its near-ready vaccine around the same time British vaccine creators from Oxford University and AstraZeneca said their version was 70 percent effective, up to 90 percent if dosages are adjusted, The Washington Post reported. (Deese, 11/24)
AP:
Ford Buys Freezers To Store COVID-19 Vaccine When Available
Ford Motor Co. bought a dozen ultra-cold freezers to store a COVID-19 vaccine that —once available— will be distributed to employees on a voluntary basis. The Dearborn-based automaker said the freezer purchase is the first step in a broader vaccine distribution plan, The Detroit News reported Tuesday. (11/24)
NPR:
Pfizer's Operation Warp Speed Supply Contract Limits Federal Rights
When the Department of Health and Human Services released Pfizer's $1.95 billion coronavirus vaccine contract with Operation Warp Speed last Wednesday, the agreement revealed that the Trump administration didn't include government rights to intellectual property typically found in federal contracts. The drugmaker has downplayed its involvement in Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's more than $10 billion program to make a coronavirus vaccine available in record time. Although Pfizer didn't receive government funding this spring toward research and development of the vaccine, it nevertheless received one of the largest Operation Warp Speed supply contracts to date on July 21. (Lupkin, 11/24)
The New York Times:
What We Know About AstraZeneca’s Head-Scratching Vaccine Results
This month has seen a torrent of news about experimental vaccines to prevent Covid-19, with the latest development from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. On Monday they announced that a preliminary analysis showed their vaccine was effective — especially when the first dose was mistakenly cut in half. The announcement came on the heels of stunning reports from Moderna, as well as Pfizer and BioNTech. But AstraZeneca’s news was murkier, leaving many experts wanting to see more data before passing final judgment on how effective the vaccine may turn out to be. (Zimmer and Robbins, 11/24)
NPR:
Black People Are More Hesitant About A Vaccine. A Leading Nurse Wants To Change That
Black people are disproportionately getting sick and dying of the coronavirus, but surveys suggest they're more hesitant to get a vaccine than other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. Ernest Grant, the president of the American Nurses Association, says it relates to a history of abuses. The Tuskegee Institute syphilis study, where Black men were deceived and were withheld treatment, comes to mind. (Doubek and Greene, 11/24)
Stat:
Biopharma Industry Works To Build Confidence In Covid-19 Vaccines
Over the last few weeks, the United States has surpassed 100,000 Covid-19 cases a day and reached the staggering milestone of 10 million cases. This is both sobering and humbling. While there has been encouraging news about progress in the development of Covid-19 vaccines, making sure that Americans have confidence in these vaccines is crucial to helping bend the curve of infections and getting us back to some semblance of normalcy. (Stephen J. Ubl, 11/25)
CIDRAP:
AI System Bests Radiologists In Spotting COVID-19 In Lungs
A new artificial intelligence (AI) platform developed by Northwestern University researchers can detect COVID-19 in the lungs 10 times faster and a bit more accurately than specialized cardiothoracic radiologists, according to a study published today in Radiology. The researchers trained and tested DeepCOVID-XR, a machine-learning algorithm that analyzes chest X-rays, on 17,002 X-ray images, 5,445 of them with signs of COVID-19, collected from February to April. (Van Beusekom, 11/24)
The Hill:
A Glimmer Of Hope: Global Flu Infections Hit Record Lows Amid Pandemic
Public health officials and experts watching the dark cloud of the coronavirus pandemic have picked out the tiniest of silver linings: This year’s influenza transmission appears to be one of the lowest in recorded history. (Wilson, 11/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty To Felonies Over OxyContin Sales
Purdue Pharma LP pleaded guilty to three federal felonies related to the marketing and distribution of its powerful opioid painkiller OxyContin, ending the bankrupt company’s exposure to U.S. government action but leaving other liabilities to state and local governments looming. The guilty plea on Tuesday follows the approval last week by a U.S. bankruptcy court judge of an $8.34 billion settlement between Purdue Pharma and the Justice Department. Most of that money is unlikely to be paid; the government has agreed to treat billions of dollars in fines and penalties as junior debt, potentially paid off at less than 1 cent on the dollar. (Randazzo, 11/24)
AP:
OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty In Criminal Case
Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company. In a virtual hearing with a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, the OxyContin maker admitted impeding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s efforts to combat the addiction crisis. (Mulvihill, 11/24)
AP:
OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty In Criminal Case
Purdue acknowledged that it had not maintained an effective program to prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market, even though it had told the DEA it did have such a program, and that it provided misleading information to the agency as a way to boost company manufacturing quotas. (Mulvihill, 11/24)
USA Today:
Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty To Charges, Admits Role In Opioid Epidemic
Purdue Pharma, the company that invented the painkiller OxyContin, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three federal criminal charges and admitted its role in fueling the decades-long opioid epidemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of American lives. Steve Miller, chairperson for Purdue's Board of Directors, admitted via video conference to a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, that the company had not run an effective program to avoid the illegal diversion of prescription drugs to the black market, had reported misleading information to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to boost its manufacturing quotas and had impeded that agency's effort to fight the burgeoning epidemic. (Janoski, 11/24)
Boston Globe:
Alnylam Wins FDA Approval For First Drug To Treat Rare Kidney Disease
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. scored its third approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in as many years Monday, this time for a medicine to treat a rare disease that affects the kidneys. The rare disorder — called primary hyperoxaluria type 1 — causes a buildup of oxalate in the body, which when not filtered properly can cause kidney and bladder stones. (Gardizy, 11/24)
Stat:
Which Pricey Drugs Will Trump's International Pricing Policy Target?
President Trump’s new drug pricing policy, to tie certain U.S. drug prices to those in other countries, will cost a small cadre of drug makers millions, if not billions. The plan, set to take effect in January, will set what Medicare pays for 50 drugs based on the lowest price that countries like Belgium and Japan pay for those same drugs. The U.S. will pilot the plan for seven years. (Florko, 11/24)
The New York Times:
Honestie Hodges, Handcuffed By The Police At 11, Is Dead At 14
Honestie Hodges, who was handcuffed by the police outside her home in Grand Rapids, Mich., when she was 11, a frightening incident that drew outrage and national headlines in 2017, died on Sunday. She was 14. Her death, at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, was caused by Covid-19, her grandmother Alisa Niemeyer wrote in a post on the website GoFundMe. (Rifkin, 11/24)
The New York Times:
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Takes On A Pandemic
Not snow, not rain, not gusting winds or the Great Depression have caused the cancellation of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in its 96-year history. On Thursday it seems poised to power through a pandemic. The other parades of New York City have fallen one by one, as city and state officials determined it would be unsafe to proceed with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Pride March and the Puerto Rican Day Parade because they draw such huge crowds. The West Indian American Day Parade on Labor Day was forced to go virtual for similar reasons. (Jacobs, 11/24)
AP:
Can You Repeat That? Hearing Trouble More Obvious With Masks
As nurse Teri Wheat made her rounds at a Texas maternity ward, she began to realize she was having a hard time understanding the new mothers who were wearing masks due to the coronavirus pandemic. So she got her hearing tested and now wears hearing aids. Her hearing loss “became more noticeable the more barriers that we had to have,” said Wheat, 52, who wears a mask and a face shield at work to protect herself and others against the virus. (Stengle, 11/24)
AP:
Restaurant Workers Out Of Work Again As Virus Surges Anew
Waiters and bartenders are being thrown out of work — again — as governors and local officials shut down indoor dining and drinking establishments to combat the nationwide surge in coronavirus infections that is overwhelming hospitals and dashing hopes for a quick economic recovery. And the timing, just before the holidays, couldn’t be worse. (Webber, Peters and Melley, 11/24)
The Hill:
Long Lines Form At Food Banks Across Country Ahead Of Thanksgiving
Americans are lining up in historic numbers at food banks across the country this week as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates levels of food insecurity for millions of people. As the Thanksgiving holiday draws closer, news reports from states around the U.S. indicate that more Americans face food insecurity now than at any time in recent decades. (Bowden, 11/24)
Boston Globe:
Surge In Demand At Food Pantries Called ‘Mind-Boggling’
Demand at food pantries often rises during the holidays, but rarely have so many been without the basic ingredients of a Thanksgiving dinner — or any meal — as this year. With so many unemployed, sick, or otherwise in need as a result of the pandemic, the calls for help have grown so much that food pantries have struggled to keep pace. It’s just a terrible time for a lot of people,” said Catherine D’Amato, president of the Greater Boston Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, which provides food to 190 towns and cities in Eastern Massachusetts. “We’re obviously in a crisis.” (Abel, 11/24)
CNN:
Hal Ketchum, Legendary Country Music Artist, Dies At 67 After Battle With Dementia
Country music singer Hal Ketchum passed away at the age of 67 on Monday night due to complications from dementia, his wife said. "With great sadness and grief we announce that Hal passed away peacefully last night at home due to complications of dementia," Ketchum's wife, Andrea, confirmed in a post on the late singer's Facebook page and website. Ketchum, who was known for country music hits such as "Small Town Saturday Night" and "Long Haired Country Boy," released his first album in 1988. He would go on to release 10 more albums, according to his website. (Kim, 11/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
More Than 940,000 Crock-Pot Multicookers Recalled After Burn-Injury Reports
More than 940,000 Crock-Pot multicookers are being recalled after reports of the lid suddenly detaching due to pressure, causing hot food and liquids to be ejected from the pot. The 6-quart multicookers are manufactured by Sunbeam Products Inc., a unit of Newell Brands Inc. Sunbeam received 119 reports of lid detachment that led to 99 burn injuries, ranging from first- to third-degree burns in the U.S., according to a notice on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website. (Sebastian, 11/24)
The New York Times:
$15,000 Fine After Secret Hasidic Wedding Draws Thousands Of Guests
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered to celebrate a wedding inside a cavernous hall in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood earlier this month, dancing and singing with hardly a mask in sight. The wedding was meticulously planned, and so were efforts to conceal it from the authorities, who said that the organizers would be fined $15,000 for violating public health restrictions. The wedding, organized on Nov. 8 by the leaders of the Satmar sect of Hasidic Judaism, is the latest incident in a long battle between city and state officials and members of the ultra-Orthodox community, who prize autonomy, chafe at government restrictions and have frequently flouted guidelines like mask-wearing and social distancing. (Stack, 11/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Oregon Decriminalized Drug Possession. Now It Has To Offer Treatment.
Now that Oregon voters have agreed to end nearly all criminal penalties for drug possession, state officials have just over two months to set up a new recovery-focused system, a task that is particularly complicated due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Measure 110, which goes into effect Feb. 1, allows a maximum fine of $100 for possession of drugs including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines along with a mandatory health assessment. The first statewide law of its kind in the nation passed with support of 58% of voters this month. It also mandates new recovery centers, paid for by marijuana taxes and savings from less incarceration. (Morrison, 11/24)
Reuters:
Britain's Duchess Meghan Speaks About Miscarriage In Break With Royal Reserve
Meghan, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, has revealed that she had a miscarriage, an extraordinarily personal disclosure coming from a high-profile British royal. The wife of Prince Harry and former actress wrote about the experience in detail in an opinion article published in the New York Times on Wednesday, saying that it took place one July morning when she was caring for Archie, the couple’s son. (Shirbon, 11/25)
The New York Times:
Meghan Markle: The Losses We Share
It was a July morning that began as ordinarily as any other day: Make breakfast. Feed the dogs. Take vitamins. Find that missing sock. Pick up the rogue crayon that rolled under the table. Throw my hair in a ponytail before getting my son from his crib. After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right. I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second. (Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 11/25)
AP:
Trudeau: Canadians Won't Be Among The First To Get Vaccine
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday Canada will have to wait for a vaccine because the very first ones that roll off assembly lines are likely to be given to citizens of the country they are made in. Trudeau said the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany have mass vaccine-production facilities but Canada does not. (Gillies, 11/24)
AP:
EU Says First Virus Vaccinations Possible By Christmas
A top European Union official said Wednesday that the first citizens in the 27 nation bloc could be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Christmas, but she warned that member countries must urgently prepare their logistical chains for the rollout of hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccines. Claiming that “there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers that “the first European citizens might already be vaccinated before the end of December.” (11/24)
AP:
Virus Outbreak Delays Production At World's Top Glove Maker
Malaysia’s Top Glove Corp., the world’s largest maker of rubber gloves, said Tuesday it expects a two-to-four-week delay in deliveries after more than 2,000 workers at its factories were infected by the coronavirus, raising the possibility of supply disruptions during the pandemic. Top Glove said it has temporarily stopped production at 16 factories in Klang, a town outside Kuala Lumpur, since Nov. 17 to screen workers, with its remaining 12 facilities in the area operating at much reduced capacities. (11/24)
The Hill:
Top Epidemiologist Says Sweden Has No Signs Of Herd Immunity Curbing Coronavirus
Sweden's top infectious disease expert said Tuesday that the country has not seen evidence of herd immunity slowing the spread of the coronavirus in the country. “The issue of herd immunity is difficult,” Anders Tegnell, Sweden's state epidemiologist, said at a news briefing, according to Bloomberg News. (Bowden, 11/24)
The Hill:
Scotland Passes Bill To Make Menstruation Products Free In Public Facilities
Scotland's parliament on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that would require local governments to provide free menstruation products to all Scottish residents. The BBC reported that each of Scotland's 32 local government authorities, called councils, will provide tampons or sanitary pads to "anyone who needs them" free of charge, making Scotland the first country to put such a provision into law. (Bowden, 11/24)