Maryland Infections Much Higher Than Reported, Autopsies Show

The Baltimore Sun: Autopsies In Maryland Show Much Higher Rate Of COVID-19 Than Expected 
A new study suggests that far more Marylanders have been infected with COVID-19 than previously thought, a proportion higher than what was reported in any area except for New York City. Johns Hopkins University researchers reported Monday that their look at 500 autopsy reports from several weeks in May and June in the state found 10% had antibodies for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. (Cohn, 12/21)

In news from Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and Arkansas —

The Advocate: Why One State Auditor Says Louisiana's Coronavirus Data For Positivity Rates May Be Incomplete
The legislative auditor says Gov. John Bel Edwards may not be getting complete-enough information on COVID testing to accurately determine the positivity rates used to decide when masks need to be worn, what businesses can open when and visitation to nursing homes. Numbers of positive tests and deaths are not being overreported on the Louisiana Department of Health online COVID dashboard, Auditor Daryl Purpera said Monday. But a substantial number of labs, whose results were tested in September-October, are not submitting how many tests are being taken and are turning in results late, which impacts the daily “positivity” rate calculations – how many positive tests among how many tests taken – upon which a number of state decisions are made as requested by the White House. (Ballard, 12/21)

The Hill: Georgia Megachurch Pastor Tests Positive For COVID-19 
A Georgia megachurch pastor has tested positive for the coronavirus, his fellow pastor announced on Sunday. Pastor Jentezen Franklin “is doing perfectly fine. He’s doing great,” pastor Javon Ruff said during a livestreamed service at Free Chapel in Gainesville. “He went and got tested, his test came back positive, and so he’s doing the right thing to do to quarantine and continue to be distant.” (Budryk, 12/21)

North Carolina Health News: Rise In Demand For Adult Diapers In Rural NC 
John Henry Jeter remembers a time when his agency’s adult diaper cache gathered dust on the shelf. But then the pandemic started, that’s when incontinence and hygiene products started flying off the shelves. (Engel-Smith, 12/22)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Abortion Laws Set For Return To Court Today
"Access to abortion care is already severely limited in Arkansas, and these laws would push reproductive care even further out of reach," said Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, in a statement. "We won't stand by while politicians try to punish, stigmatize, or deny people the freedom to make their own personal decisions about their families and their health." The plaintiffs represented by the ACLU are seeking a temporary restraining order and will seek a preliminary injunction, Dickson said, both of which would block the laws from taking effect. Today's hearing comes a week after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for those laws to take effect, dissolving a Baker ruling that had blocked their implementation. (Earley, 12/22)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Medical Marijuana Sales Remain Brisk
Medical marijuana sales in Arkansas have topped $200 million since the state's first legal sale of the drug in May 2019, the state revenue agency said Thursday. The sales report the Department of Finance and Administration released Thursday reported $200.7 million in sales on 30,648 pounds sold through Wednesday. Daily sales averaged $622,727 during the 22-day reporting period that ended Wednesday, beating the $562,500 reported during the 16-day reporting period that ended Nov. 24. (Showers, 12/21)

In news from Ohio, Michigan, New Mexico and California —

Cincinnati Enquirer: Lung Cancer Screenings Down In Region, UC College Of Medicine Study Finds
Another chilling insight into the cost of the medical shutdown in the spring comes in a new local study: Fewer people are getting screened for lung cancer, even since services resumed, and the tests done now are finding more lung nodules that could be malignant. The study from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, was published online by the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The findings contribute to a growing body of knowledge that other medical complications of the new coronavirus pandemic are rippling through communities. In October, The Enquirer reported that breast-cancer screening, also paused for six weeks in March and April, was down 40% below 2019 four months after doors reopened. (Saker, 12/21)

Detroit Free Press: Judge Promises To Listen To Flint Residents On Proposed Settlement
A federal judge promised Monday she will hear from all Flint residents with something to say about a proposed $600-million-plus payment to partially settle claims arising from the 2014 lead poisoning of the city's drinking water supply — even if it requires a court hearing that stretches over several days. U.S. District Judge Judith Levy said after a two-hour hearing that she hopes to issue a written opinion by mid-January on whether to give preliminary approval to the proposed settlement. The proposed settlement with the state of Michigan, McLaren hospitals and Rowe Professional Services Co. grew to $641.25 million early Tuesday when the Flint City Council voted to join the settlement during a lengthy meeting, using $20 million in city insurance funds, after earlier twice postponing a decision. (Egan, 12/21)

Albuquerque Journal: Veterans Home Administrator Put On Leave
The administrator of the New Mexico State Veterans Home has been placed on administrative leave while the state investigates whether proper procedures were followed before COVID-19 swept through the state-run home and turned deadly over the past two months. Juliet Sullivan, administrator of the state’s only nursing home for military veterans and their spouses, in Truth or Consequences, was placed on administrative leave Friday as a new leadership team deals with an outbreak of the coronavirus that has taken the lives of at least 21 residents. (Heild, 12/21)

KHN: California’s COVID Enforcement Strategy: Education Over Citations
Nearly six months since Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to target businesses that are flagrantly violating public health orders to control the spread of COVID-19, California regulators have issued just 424 citations and suspended two business licenses as of Monday, according to data from 10 state regulatory and law enforcement agencies. Instead of strictly penalizing businesses for violations, the Democratic governor and businessman with a portfolio of wineries, bars and restaurants under the brand name PlumpJack, has relied on educating owners about infectious disease mandates. State agencies have contacted establishments primarily by email, sending them 1.3 million messages since July 1 to urge them to comply with state and local public health rules. (Hart, 12/22)