NPR: Drug Overdoses Killed A Record Number Of Americans In 2020, Jumping By Nearly 30%
More than 93,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S. last year — a record number that reflects a rise of nearly 30% from 2019, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials said the increase was driven by the lethal prevalence of fentanyl as well as pandemic-related stressors and problems in accessing care. "This is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, and the largest increase since at least 1999," Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told NPR. (Chappell, 7/14)

AP: US Overdose Deaths Hit Record 93,000 In Pandemic Last Year
That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29% increase. “This is a staggering loss of human life,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University public health researcher who tracks overdose trends. The nation was already struggling with its worst overdose epidemic but clearly “COVID has greatly exacerbated the crisis,” he added. (Stobbe, 7/15)

The New York Times: U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Spiked 30 Percent In 2020 
The deaths rose in every state but two, South Dakota and New Hampshire, with pronounced increases in the South and West. Several grim records were set: the most drug overdose deaths in a year; the most deaths from opioid overdoses; the most overdose deaths from stimulants like methamphetamine; the most deaths from the deadly class of synthetic opioids known as fentanyls.(Katz and Sanger-Katz, 7/14)

CNBC: Ease Of Covid Lockdown Restrictions May Help Diminish Drug Abuse, Doctor Says
Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith” that she’s hopeful that the spike in drug overdoses will not be lasting. “One of the reasons why I’m optimistic ... is that one of the factors that contributed to that increase in drug use was the isolation, social distancing, and that does not allow you to provide Narcan, which reverses overdoses,” said Volkow. “That despair that people felt, hopefully, will start to be mitigated.” (DeCiccio, 7/14)

Also —

New Orleans Times-Picayune: One Of The Nation's Worst Surges In Overdose Deaths Is Happening In Louisiana; Here's Why
Facing a proliferation of the potent opiate fentanyl, along with isolating lockdowns and other stressors related to the coronavirus pandemic, Louisiana endured the nation’s fifth-worst surge in drug overdose deaths last year, the federal government said Wednesday. About 1,930 people died of drug overdoses in Louisiana in 2020, an increase of nearly 48% from the roughly 1,300 such deaths reported in 2019, according to preliminary information from the National Center for Health Statistics. Only Vermont, West Virginia, Kentucky and South Carolina registered greater increases, with jumps ranging between 53% and 58%. (Antonio Vargas, 7/14)

KHN: How ERs Fail Patients With Addiction: One Patient’s Tragic Death 
Jameson Rybak tried to quit using opioids nearly a dozen times within five years. Each time, he’d wait out the vomiting, sweating and chills from withdrawal in his bedroom. It was difficult to watch, said his mother, Suzanne Rybak, but she admired his persistence. On March 11, 2020, though, Suzanne grew worried. Jameson, 30 at the time, was slipping in and out of consciousness and saying he couldn’t move his hands. (Pattani, 7/15)

NPR: Overdose Deaths Up By 600% In State Prisons
Prisons and jails in the United States have been increasingly deadly places in recent years, according to new federal data. But one cause of death has climbed most dramatically: overdoses. From 2001 to 2018, the number of people who have died of drug or alcohol intoxication in state prisons rose more than 600%, according to an analysis of newly-released data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In county jails, overdose deaths increased by more than 200%. (Schwartzapfel and Jenkins, 7/15)

HuffPost: Obamacare Marketplace Sign-Ups Pass 2 Million, Likely Pushing Down Uninsured Rate
More than 2 million people have signed up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplaces since Feb. 15, taking advantage of the Biden administration’s extended period for open enrollment that began on that day, the Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday. That figure means total marketplace enrollment is probably at an all-time high, while the number of uninsured Americans may be at an all-time low. In both cases, a big reason would be a set of temporary improvements to the Affordable Care Act that President Joe Biden and Democrats are now trying to make permanent. (Cohn, 7/14)

The New York Times: Obamacare Enrollments Have Risen By 2 Million Since February 
Total enrollment in the Obamacare marketplaces is now at a record high, though the final numbers are not yet available, said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in a call with reporters. The previous high was 12.7 million Americans who selected plans in 2016. (Sanger-Katz, 7/14)

Roll Call: HHS: 2 Million People Chose Health Plans During Enrollment Period
The report includes the 600,000 people who signed up for a plan on one of the 15 state-based exchanges, who were not included in last month's report that found 1.2 million people had selected a plan on the federal HealthCare.gov website. As of the end of last month, that number rose to 1.5 million. (McIntire, 7/14)

CNN: Obamacare: More Than 2 Million Americans Sign Up For Coverage Under Biden's Special Enrollment Period 
In addition, among new and returning consumers who have selected a plan since April 1, some 1.2 million, or 34%, picked policies that cost $10 or less per month when factoring in the enhanced premium subsidies made available by the Democrats' $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. About 2.5 million enrollees have returned to the exchange to see what's available, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said. (Luhby, 7/14)

The Hill: More Than 2 Million Sign Up During ObamaCare Special Enrollment Period 
When asked whether the enrollment period would be extended, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said, “that’s something we can discuss.” “The president obviously is very interested in getting as many Americans as possible to sign up,” he said. “Clearly, the record numbers that are taking advantage of the special enrollment period show that folks are interested, I don't believe the president wants to leave anyone behind. And so we'll take a close look.” (Coleman, 7/14)

AP: Biden Pitches Huge Budget, Says Dems Will 'Get A Lot Done'
President Joe Biden made a quick foray to the Capitol on Wednesday hunting support for his multitrillion-dollar agenda of infrastructure, health care and other programs, a potential landmark achievement that would require near-unanimous backing from fractious Democrats. His visit came a day after Senate Democratic leaders capped weeks of bargaining by agreeing to spend a mammoth $3.5 trillion over the coming decade on initiatives focusing on climate change, education, a Medicare expansion and more. That’s on top of a separate $1 trillion bipartisan compromise on roads, water systems and other infrastructure projects that senators from both parties are negotiating, with Biden’s support. (Fram and Mascaro, 7/14)

Stat: Senate Democrats Eye Drug Pricing Policies To Fund $3.5 Trillion Budget Deal
Senate Democrats intend to include several drug pricing policies in their $3.5 trillion partisan push to pass a slew of major Biden administration priorities, according to a framework of the draft package obtained by STAT. The draft suggests that certain drug pricing provisions could be used to help offset the costs of other, pricier parts of the sweeping proposal, which will include initiatives on clean energy, early childhood tax credits, and expanding safety net programs. (Cohrs, 7/14)

Axios: The Infrastructure Drug Deal
Senate Democrats have a new pay-for to finance a "soft" infrastructure bill: renegotiating Medicare prescription drug prices to save $600 billion — setting up a battle between progressives and well-capitalized drug companies. By targeting pharma, Democrats are opening up a funding stream President Biden didn't initially include in his $4 trillion Build Back Better agenda. It relied on hiking taxes on corporations and Americans earning over $400,000. (Nichols, 7/14)

Politico: Vulnerable House Democrats Call For Sweeping Drug Pricing Reforms In Spending Plan 
More than a dozen of the House’s most vulnerable Democrats are urging their leadership to include a major set of drug pricing reforms in their party’s upcoming multitrillion-dollar spending plan, a move that could help pay for the proposal. In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the 15 battleground-district House Democrats said the spending package should include a sweeping measure that would empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices and ultimately help slash costs across the health system. The same measure could also offset hundreds of billions of dollars of the $3.5 trillion total price tag. (Ferris, 7/14)

CNBC: Democrats' $3.5 Trillion Budget Funds Family Programs, Clean Energy, Medicare Expansion
Senate Democrats released the framework Wednesday for their $3.5 trillion budget resolution bill, which they hope to pass later this summer on a party-line vote. The bill will contain nearly all of President Joe Biden’s American Families Plan bill, plus the addition of expanded Medicare coverage for hearing, vision and dental care. (Wilkie, 7/14)

CNBC: Medicare Would Cover Dental, Vision Hearing Under Democrats' Budget
Medicare — the health insurance program relied on by most older Americans — would cover dental, vision and hearing under a budget agreement announced late Tuesday by Senate Democrats. The proposal for expanded coverage was included as part of a plan to spend $3.5 trillion over the next decade on climate change, health care and family-service programs, all part of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda. Although there’s no certainty that everything in the budget blueprint will make it through the full congressional process, Medicare advocates are hopeful that coverage of the extra benefits will come to fruition. (O'Brien, 7/14)

Politico: Climate, Immigration, Medicare Lead Progressive Highlights In Dems' $3.5T Budget Plan 
Senate Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending package will unleash a gusher of hundreds of billions of dollars for progressive priorities, from climate programs to an expansion of Medicare to promised green cards for some undocumented immigrants, according to new details released on Wednesday. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Budget Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), a moderate on the budget panel, briefed the rest of the Democratic caucus during lunch with President Joe Biden in the Capitol on Wednesday. They discussed some of the biggest components of the planned spending bill that Democrats aim to pass without Republican support using the budget process. That filibuster-proof process starts with a budget resolution, which Senate Democrats have agreed to set at a ceiling of $3.5 trillion. (Emma, Ferris and Adragna, 7/14)

Axios: Most Seniors Don't Have Dental Coverage, And Half Skip Dentist Visits 
Two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries don't have dental coverage, and half haven't been to the dentist in the past year. Democrats are pushing to have the program cover dental, hearing and vision benefits the same way it does other medical care. Lower-income beneficiaries, those in poor or fair health, and beneficiaries of color are most likely to report going without a dental visit over the last year, per KFF. (Owens, 7/15)

KHN: Senate Democrats’ Plan Boosts Spending On Medicare, ACA Subsidies, Long-Term Care 
The budget package Democrats are assembling in Congress would likely provide the biggest jolt to the American health care system since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, according to sources familiar with work on the plan. Democrats in the Senate announced Tuesday night that they had reached a framework for a $3.5 trillion budget plan that would cover health care, education, climate and tax changes sought by lawmakers and President Joe Biden. (McAuliff, 7/15)

In other news about Biden's infrastructure plan —

KHN: Can Biden’s Plan To Remove Urban Highways Improve The Health Of American Cities? 
Mandela Parkway, a four-lane boulevard enhanced by a median with trees and a curving footpath, stretches along a 24-block section of West Oakland. It’s the fruit of a grassroots neighborhood campaign to block reconstruction of an elevated freeway leveled by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and reimagine the thoroughfare to replace it. Since the parkway’s 2005 completion, 168 units of affordable housing have sprung up along its route. The air is measurably freer of pollutants than it was when the Cypress Freeway ran through the area. (DiGiulio, 7/15)

Roll Call: Senate Democratic Leaders Unveil Draft Bill To Legalize Marijuana 
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer unveiled draft legislation Wednesday that would decriminalize cannabis and expunge federal sentences tied to the drug, which has been legalized in states across the country. The bill would erase the records of nonviolent marijuana offenders and allow those currently serving time to petition a court for resentencing. Federal tax revenues would support a trust fund to reinvest in communities most affected by enforcement involving the drug. (Clason and Kopp, 7/14)

Politico: Schumer Launches Long-Shot Bid For Legal Weed
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released sweeping draft legislation Wednesday to legalize weed, officially kickstarting a difficult debate in his chamber that also makes a major splash for one of his campaign promises. The measure floated by the New York Democrat — along with Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) — proposes removing federal penalties on cannabis, expunging nonviolent federal cannabis-related criminal records and letting states decide if or how to legalize the drug. (Fertig, 7/14)

AP: Senate Leader Lends Clout To Marijuana Legalization Push
“I will use my clout as majority leader to make this a priority in the Senate,” said Schumer, of New York, who is the first Senate leader to support such an effort. “It’s not just an idea whose time has come, it’s long overdue.” The bill would treat marijuana much like alcohol or tobacco, allowing it to be taxed and regulated. States could still outlaw its use. And those under the age of 21 couldn’t purchase it. It would remain illegal to sell significant quantities without proper licensing and authorization, much like bootlegging alcohol. It would also clear the path for additional cannabis medical research. (Slodysko, 7/15)

Politico: Psaki: Biden Unmoved On Marijuana Legalization Despite Schumer Legislation 
President Joe Biden still opposes marijuana legalization, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday, putting him at odds with Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill as it advances legislation to end the federal prohibition on pot. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled draft legislation Wednesday that would legalize marijuana as well as expunge non-violent criminal records related to marijuana. Schumer's proposal, cosponsored by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) would allow states to decide whether or not to legalize the drug. (Sheehey, 7/14)

In related news —

NBC News: For Some Black Women, Cannabis Use Is A 'Radical Act' Of Self-Care
When Mary Pryor’s mother, 63-year-old Deborah Ann, was struggling with multiple sclerosis-induced pain in 2015, she turned to cannabis after morphine stopped being effective, her daughter said. As a result, before she died, her mother’s pain drastically reduced, and “she was able to eat some of her favorite foods,” said Pryor, 39, who lives in New York.  (McShane, 7/14)

CNN: US Is 'Losing Time' In Vaccination Race As Delta Variant Becomes More Pervasive, Expert Says
Covid-19 vaccination rates are down and cases are on the rise, exacerbated by the more transmissible Delta variant -- and an expert says the key to winning the race against the spread is getting more Americans vaccinated. "We're losing time here. The Delta variant is spreading, people are dying, we can't actually just wait for things to get more rational," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health told CNN Wednesday. (Holcombe, 7/15)

The New York Times: Covid-19 Delta Variant Widens Gulf Between Vaccinated And Unvaccinated
Even as many Americans celebrate the apparent waning of the pandemic, the thrum of concern over the so-called Delta variant grows steadily louder. The variant, the most contagious version yet of the coronavirus, accounts for more than half of new infections in the United States, federal health officials reported this month. The spread of the variant has prompted a vigorous new vaccination push from the Biden administration, and federal officials are planning to send medical teams to communities facing outbreaks that now seem inevitable. (Mandavilli and Mueller, 7/14)

Covid infections at nursing homes are still a problem —

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Home Staff Size Correlates With COVID-19 Outbreaks
Larger nursing home staffs are a strong predictor of COVID-19 outbreaks at those facilities, according to research published Wednesday. Summer 2020 COVID-19 case rates at nursing homes with the most unique staff members were 92% higher than at facilities with the lowest numbers of staff, the Health Affairs study found. Those same nursing homes with large staff volumes also had cumulative staff and resident death rates that were 69% and 133% higher than their counterparts, respectively. The study controlled for staffing ratios, skill mixes and community spread. It calculated historical turnover but didn't find it to be a predictor or one of the key reasons nursing homes' daily staff sizes change. (Christ, 7/14)

AP: As COVID Rises, A Vexing Hunt For Nursing Home Vaccine Stats
With COVID-19 on the rise again and many nursing home staffers unvaccinated, families still lack easy access to crucial Medicare immunization data that will help them pick the right facility for their loved one. Medicare has a “Care Compare” website for consumers it has spent years refining. But that’s not where the agency is posting vaccination numbers for residents and staff at individual nursing homes. Instead Medicare is relying on a COVID-19 data page geared to researchers. One way to navigate it involves scouring a map for little red dots that represent nursing homes. There’s also a huge spreadsheet. It’s not seen as particularly user-friendly. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/14)

In updates from Missouri —

USA Today: Missouri Requests Field Hospital
Forty-seven states reported more new COVID-19 cases last week than in the week before, and deaths rose in 30 states compared to a week earlier, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In Missouri, where cases are surging, one county asked the state for funding Wednesday to establish an "alternate care site" for COVID-19 patients. "Over the past week, we have seen dramatic increases in COVID-19-related cases," Katie Towns, interim director for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said at a press conference. "We need help." (Aspegren, Vargas and Hauck, 7/14)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Springfield Asks State For Site To Handle Surge Of COVID-19 Patients; Missouri Hospital Officials Warn Of ‘Ominous Fall And Winter’ 
“The increase in severe illness is projected to outpace hospital capacity,” they warned in a statement late Wednesday. Their request was submitted to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the State Emergency Management Agency. A location for the site has not been determined, but Greene County officials hope to use it to provide care for COVID-19 patients waiting to transition to long-term care and also offer shelter for homeless people who test positive for COVID-19. (Munz, 7/14)

In updates on the covid surge in Nevada, Arizona and Louisiana —

Fox News: COVID-19: At Least 8 Fully Vaccinated Vegas Hospital Workers Test Positive In 'Breakthrough' Cluster
At least eight fully-vaccinated Nevada health care workers tested positive for the coronavirus last month in a rare cluster of "breakthrough" cases, according to a report. In all, 11 coworkers were infected after an off-site pool party, the vast majority came down with the Delta variant, which is believed to spread more easily, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, citing emails obtained from the Southern Nevada Health District. Two out of the three who weren’t fully vaccinated had received at least one dose of the vaccine, the newspaper reported. (Stimson, 7/15)

AP: Arizona Blames Rise In COVID-19 Cases On 'Reporting Issue'
Arizona on Wednesday reported its largest daily number of COVID-19 infections in four months, but public health officials attributed the rise to an “electronic reporting issue” that had lowered the numbers the two previous days. The 1,945 cases reported Wednesday was the largest daily increase since 2,276 infections were reported on March 5, at the tail end of the winter surge, according to data from the state’s coronavirus dashboard. The rise follows daily case reports of 122 and 345 on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. (Davenport, 7/14)

The Advocate: Facing A 'Statewide Outbreak', Louisiana's Low Vaccination Rate Fuels New COVID Surge
The Louisiana Department of Health this week reported the most new coronavirus cases in the state since mid-February — a time when vaccines weren't available to a broad section of the population and the nation emerged from a crushing winter surge. Officials warned that the virus’s more-transmissible delta variant, first detected in India, is running rampant among unvaccinated residents and hospitals are reporting growing patient numbers. (Finn, Cobler and Woodruff, 7/14)

And from California —

CNN: L.A. County Hospitals Say Every Covid Patient Has Not Been Fully Vaccinated
Los Angeles County is seeing a surge in new Covid-19 coronavirus cases, topping 1,000 for the fifth straight day Wednesday, and though hospitalizations remain low, each infected patient admitted to a county hospital has not had all their vaccine shots, officials said. (Mossburg, 7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Outbreak Sweeps Through Sonoma County Homeless Shelter, Including Many Vaccinated Residents
At least 59 residents at Sonoma County’s largest homeless shelter have tested positive for the coronavirus, with another possible 26 positive cases, county officials said on Wednesday. Nearly half of those who tested positive were fully vaccinated, said Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s health officer. The shelter first reported 20 positive cases July 2. Since then, more than a third of the 156 residents at Samuel L. Jones Hall in Santa Rosa have tested positive. (Vaziri, 7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Another California County Urges Vaccinated People To Mask Up Indoors
The highly transmissible delta variant has prompted Yolo County to urge residents to wear masks indoors again. “I am erring on the side of caution to slow the spread of the highly infectious delta variant,” said Dr. Aimee Sisson, the health officer for the county, in a press release on Wednesday. Sisson “strongly recommended” that fully vaccinated people, along with those who are 65 and older or immunocompromised, wear masks in indoor public areas as a “precautionary measure,” according to the press release. (Hwang, 7/14)

The New York Times: Some Republican Leaders Speak Up For Vaccines 
As the Delta variant rips through conservative swaths of the country, some elected Republicans are facing growing pressure from public health advocates to speak out — not only in favor of their constituents being inoculated against the coronavirus but also against media figures and elected officials who are questioning the vaccines. “We don’t control conservative media figures so far as I know — at least I don’t,” Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, said in an interview on Wednesday. “That being said, I think it’s an enormous error for anyone to suggest that we shouldn’t be taking vaccines. Look, the politicization of vaccination is an outrage and frankly moronic.” (7/15)

The Hill: Anti-Vaxxers Gain Power On Right, Triggering New Fears 
Public health experts are growing increasingly concerned about a rise in anti-vaccination rhetoric among elected officials and right-wing media as a new wave of coronavirus infections begins to wash over Americans who have yet to get vaccinated. Legislators in more than 40 states have introduced measures to bar vaccine passports, and many Republican governors have signed executive orders or laws barring their use.  (Wilson, 7/14)

Los Angeles Times: Unvaccinated May Require Tougher Tactics Amid COVID-19 Surge
With coronavirus cases rising among the unvaccinated and efforts to get them shots lagging, there is growing belief in some public health circles that more aggressive tactics are needed to get more of the population inoculated. California has already tried prizes and game show-style events to encourage people to get vaccinated. But 41% of Californians of all ages have yet to be inoculated. And two troubling and related trends are bringing calls for fresh thinking. (Money and Lin II, 7/14)

Axios: 30% Of Immigrants In ICE Custody Have Refused A Coronavirus Vaccine 
Three in 10 immigrants in U.S. detention centers are saying no to the COVID-19 vaccine, Axios has learned. Vaccine hesitancy among detained immigrants has added an unlikely twist to the challenges of a pandemic-era increase in border migration. ICE did not provide the exact numbers of immigrants who were offered the shot but declined. But the 30% figure has been shared internally, according to sources familiar. (Kight, 7/15)

CIDRAP: Doctor-Delivered COVID Messages May Boost Protective Steps
A JAMA Network Open study today describes successful deployment of a video tool to improve COVID-19 knowledge, beliefs, and risk-reduction behaviors of Black and White adults. In the randomized clinical trial, a team led by Harvard Medical School researchers randomly assigned a video message about COVID-19 to 18,233 Black and White adults with less than a college education recruited from Aug 7 to Sep 6, 2020. The goal was to assess whether the messages would increase coronavirus knowledge, information seeking, and protective behaviors if they were tailored to Black adults. (Van Beusekom, 7/14)

And more on the vaccine rollout —

The Washington Post: Fort Rucker In Alabama Is First In U.S. To Require Vaccination Proof Amid Rising Covid-19 Rates 
An Alabama military base is taking increased actions to combat the ongoing prevalence of coronavirus infections, authorizing leaders to ask for proof of vaccination of service members not wearing a mask while on duty. It is the first military base in the continental United States to allow leaders to check the vaccination status of those in uniform. The new guidance at Fort Rucker comes as the new delta variant of the virus continues to drive infection rates and now accounts for a majority of cases in the United States. (Hauptman, 7/14)

Fox News: North Carolina County Launches 'Doses To Doors' Vaccine Campaign
Health department workers and community outreach groups have kicked off a "doses to doors" COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where just 49% of residents have received at least one jab. The program, which officials say offer a convenient way for residents to get the shot without having to worry about travel, was met with mixed reaction on Twitter. "They don’t move that fast to help people when they know a hurricane is coming," one Twitter user wrote. (Hein, 7/14)

Fox News: Popstar Olivia Rodrigo Visits White House, Promotes COVID-19 Youth Vaccination At Press Briefing
Teen pop star Olivia Rodrigo was looking happy and healthy at the podium of Wednesday’s White House press briefing to promote coronavirus vaccinations for young Americans. The "Drivers License" singer met with President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci and became the latest celebrity to assist in the administration’s vaccination efforts. Rodrigo spoke about vaccinating those who were apprehensive before joining Press Secretary Jen Psaki in addressing reporters on the matter. Rodrigo began her short speech stating how "humbled" she felt to be chosen as an advocate for the cause. (Stabile, 7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Doctor Arrested For Allegedly Selling Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Cards
A Napa homeopathic doctor was arrested Wednesday for allegedly selling what she claimed was a COVID-19 antibody treatment and fake vaccination cards, according to federal authorities. Juli A. Mazi, 41, allegedly sold immunization pellets to patients, claiming it would provide “lifelong immunity to COVID-19,” and give customers fake vaccination cards with instructions on how to falsify they received two shots of the Moderna vaccine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. (Flores, 7/14)

NBC News: Biden Administration Weakens Some Proposed Safety Rules For Public Housing, Alarming Advocates
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has backed away from new health and safety requirements for public housing that would require fire extinguishers, a minimum number of electrical outlets and other measures intended to protect residents from serious and potentially life-threatening hazards, according to the latest draft of the new standards. Housing industry groups had urged HUD to ease some of these requirements, saying they would be too burdensome for landlords — alarming some tenant advocates who were caught off guard by the recent changes. (Khimm, 7/14)

South Bend Tribune: From Fire Hazards To Roaches: South Bend Housing Authority Sites Are Among Indiana's Worst
Hundreds of violations found in South Bend include those classified as "life-threatening" by HUD, such as fire and electrical hazards. In 2020, inspectors found exposed electrical wiring, missing smoke detectors and sprinklers, bed-bug infestations and roaches, among other issues. (Parrott, Redsten and McKenna, 7/12)

KARE11.com: High-Rise Apartment Buildings In Minnesota Must Have Sprinklers Installed By 2033 
Public housing agencies in Minnesota will have 12 years at the most to add fire sprinklers to older residential towers, as part of a bill lawmakers passed in June. Rep. Mohamud Noor, the chief author of the sprinkler bill in the House, started working on the issue on Nov. 27, 2019, the same day five of his constituents lost their lives in an early morning fire at Cedar High apartments. (Croman, 7/15)

In updates on veterans' health care —

The Washington Post: Multi-Billion-Dollar Records System For Veterans Halted Due To Serious Flaws.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough on Wednesday acknowledged fundamental flaws in the agency’s troubled $16 billion effort to modernize veterans’ medical records, a project championed by former president Donald Trump and his son-in-law that is beset by cost overruns, delays, misrepresentations to Congress and a disastrous rollout at its first hospital. McDonough told Senate lawmakers that a three-month internal review of the electronic health records system found so many structural problems that he cannot continue to deploy it at other hospitals until VA leaders are confident of success. He could not say when the rollout will resume. (Rein, 7/14)

And the Justice Department criticizes the FBI's investigation of Larry Nassar —

Politico: Report Blasts FBI's Handling Of Sexual-Abuse Allegations Against Gymnastics Doctor 
The Justice Department’s internal watchdog issued a scathing report Wednesday blasting the FBI for “multiple failures and policy violations” during early inquiries into allegations of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar, who eventually admitted to serial sexual assault of girls in the USA Gymnastics program. “The OIG found that, despite the extraordinarily serious nature of the allegations and the possibility that Nassar’s conduct could be continuing, senior officials in the FBI Indianapolis Field Office failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did respond to them, and violated multiple FBI policies,” the long-awaited report from Inspector General Michael Horowitz concluded. (Gerstein, 7/14)

The Wall Street Journal: FBI Agents Disregarded Gymnasts’ Complaints About Nassar, Then Made False Statements To Cover Mistakes, Report Says
FBI agents disregarded allegations by Olympic gymnasts that they were sexually assaulted by former national team doctor Larry Nassar and later made false statements to cover their mistakes, Justice Department investigators said Wednesday in a long-awaited report on the bureau’s handling of one of the biggest abuse cases in U.S. sports history. The Justice Department’s inspector general detailed multiple failings in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s response to the gymnasts’ complaints, which were first brought into the Indianapolis field office on July 28, 2015, by USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body. For more than a year after that, the bureau did almost nothing in response. (Radnofsky and O'Brien, 7/14)

Stat: Woodcock: FDA May Have Misstepped Before Alzheimer’s Drug Approval
Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock acknowledged on Wednesday her agency may have misstepped in its handling of its polarizing approval of a new Alzheimer’s drug. She was emphatic in her defense of the therapy and the agency’s approval decision in an interview at STAT’s Breakthrough Science Summit, but said “it’s possible that the process could have been handled in a way that would have decreased the amount of controversy involved.” (Cohrs, 7/14)

The New York Times: Cleveland Clinic and Mount Sinai Won’t Administer Aduhelm to Patients
In a striking reflection of concern over the approval of the controversial new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, two major American health systems have decided that they will not administer it to patients. The Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest and most respected medical centers in the country, said in a statement that a panel of its experts had “reviewed all available scientific evidence on this medication,” which is also called aducanumab. (Belluck, 7/14)

Boston Globe: Several Private Insurers Won’t Cover Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Drug
At least half-a-dozen private health insurers in some of the nation’s largest states are balking at covering Biogen’s controversial drug for Alzheimer’s disease, saying it is an experimental and unproven treatment despite being approved by the federal government one month ago. Six affiliates of Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Florida, New York, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania say in newly adopted policies they will not cover the Cambridge biotech’s drug, Aduhelm, because they consider it “investigational” or “experimental” or because “a clinical benefit has not been established.” Aduhelm, which is priced at $56,000 a year, is intended to slow cognitive decline in patients with early Alzheimer’s symptoms, regardless of their age. (Saltzman, 7/14)

Stat: The Rare Tool Medicare Might Use To Pay For Biogen’s New Alzheimer’s Drug 
The Food and Drug Administration last month foisted a nearly impossible decision on insurers: Should they pay for an expensive new Alzheimer’s drug that may not actually help patients? Normally, if a drug gets FDA approval, that means it has some benefit to patients. But the FDA decided to greenlight Biogen’s controversial drug Aduhelm without that guarantee. That decision leaves patients, clinicians, and insurance companies in the dark. (Cohrs, 7/15)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Stat: FDA Scolds Amgen Over A Misleading Ad That Could Deter Biosimilar Use
In an embarrassing rebuke, the Food and Drug Administration has scolded Amgen (AMGN) over a drug advertisement that made misleading claims and, as a result, might confuse physicians and thwart the use of lower-cost biosimilar versions. The agency noted that a banner ad for the Neulasta bone marrow stimulant cited a study claiming there is a statistically significant higher risk of developing febrile neutropenia — a life-threatening complication of cancer treatment — when using a pre-filled syringe than an injector placed on the patient’s body. Amgen markets the OnPro injector kit, which was the subject of the animated ad. (Silverman, 7/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Brain Implant Lets Man ‘Speak’ After Being Silent For More Than A Decade 
Researchers in California reported Wednesday that they had developed and successfully tested an experimental brain implant that translates brain signals into words on a computer screen. The achievement, described in a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks a step toward technology that may one day help people speak by thinking. It also offers a glimmer of hope for the thousands of people who each year lose the ability to speak as a result of injury or illness. (Winkler, 7/14)

AP: Device Taps Brain Waves To Help Paralyzed Man Communicate
In a medical first, researchers harnessed the brain waves of a paralyzed man unable to speak — and turned what he intended to say into sentences on a computer screen. It will take years of additional research but the study, reported Wednesday, marks an important step toward one day restoring more natural communication for people who can’t talk because of injury or illness. “Most of us take for granted how easily we communicate through speech,” said Dr. Edward Chang, a neurosurgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, who led the work. “It’s exciting to think we’re at the very beginning of a new chapter, a new field” to ease the devastation of patients who lost that ability. (Neergaard, 7/14)

The New York Times: Tapping Into The Brain To Help A Paralyzed Man Speak 
He has not been able to speak since 2003, when he was paralyzed at age 20 by a severe stroke after a terrible car crash. Now, in a scientific milestone, researchers have tapped into the speech areas of his brain — allowing him to produce comprehensible words and sentences simply by trying to say them. When the man, known by his nickname, Pancho, tries to speak, electrodes implanted in his brain transmit signals to a computer that displays them on the screen. His first recognizable sentence, researchers said, was, “My family is outside.” (Belluck, 7/14)

The Washington Post: His Voice Silenced For Years, A Man Can Now Communicate Using Only The Electrical Impulses From His Brain 
The 38-year-old man, who chose to remain anonymous but is dubbed BRAVO-1 in the study, suffered a brain stem stroke 15 years ago that severed the neural connection between his brain and his vocal cords. He is paralyzed from the neck down and has been communicating by painstakingly tapping letters on a keyboard with a pointer attached to the bill of a baseball cap. Now, merely by trying to utter words, he has 50 at his disposal and can create short sentences that primarily concern his well-being and care. A computer decodes his brain activity and displays the sentences on a screen with a median accuracy of about 75 percent, at a rate of more than 15 words per minute. Average conversational speech occurs at about 150 words per minute. (Bernstein, 7/14)

Stat: Researchers Use Machine Learning To Translate Brain Signals Into Text
Assistive technologies such as handheld tablets and eye-tracking devices are increasingly helping give voice to individuals with paralysis and speech impediments who otherwise would not be able to communicate. Now, researchers are directly harnessing electrical brain activity to help these individuals. In a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, describe an approach that combines a brain-computer interface and machine learning models that allowed them to generate text from the electrical brain activity of a patient paralyzed because of a stroke. (Lloreda, 7/14)

Stat: Apple Provides Glimpse At Research Behind New Walking Steadiness Feature
Apple is gearing up to release a new metric called Walking Steadiness aimed at preventing falls in older people. But the potentially transformative feature raises a nagging question: How much does a tech company need to divulge about its health research? So far, the company has only shared a narrow glimpse of studies underpinning the tool. While such relative secrecy might be typical for Apple and other consumer tech giants, their growing presence in health care is prompting an increasingly loud refrain from health researchers who want to see the data and decide for themselves. (Aguilar, 7/15)

Stat: With Fewer Than 400 Progeria Patients Worldwide, Testing A CRISPR Cure Will Be Challenging
When Sammy Basso was diagnosed with progeria at 2, it seemed likely that the disease’s hyper-accelerated aging would kill him before he graduated high school. “There was nothing. Nothing. No cure, of course, no treatments, no information. It was catastrophic,” said Basso, spokesperson for the Progeria Research Foundation, at STAT’s Breakthrough Science Summit on Wednesday. “Nobody could believe that we will be able to arrive at this point. But here we are.” (Boodman, 7/14)

North Carolina Health News: DNA Source Testing Of E. Coli A New Tool For Riverkeepers 
In May, Katy Hunt jumped out of her truck alongside a small stream in Lenoir County and knew instantly that something was wrong. “I was smacked in the face with the smell of waste,” said Hunt, the Lower Neuse River riverkeeper. “The water smelled foul. The air smelled foul. The water looked funny. It had this reddish-like orange and brownish sheen to the surface.” Hunt said she took samples in the creek to test for Escherichia, a common type of fecal bacteria also known as E. coli, and reported her findings to the state Department of Environmental Quality. The samples exceeded 2,400 Most Probable Number of E. coli, more than 10 times what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for recreational waters. (Barnes, 7/15)

Stat: Extending Gene Therapy's Reach Means Hurdling Scientific And Price Barriers
While Covid-19 struck a blow to a vast number of clinical trials around the world, the pandemic may turn out to be a boon for bringing gene therapies to more people in the coming years. “Who would have predicted three years ago that we’d now be having billions of doses manufactured of mRNA packaged in a lipid nanoparticle?” Sekar Kathiresan, CEO of Verve Therapeutics said Tuesday during the STAT Breakthrough Science Summit. (Molteni, 7/14)

Philadelphia Inquirer: More Black Patients Are Participating In Clinical Trials For Cancer Treatment At Penn Thanks To This Effort
Health care professionals have been wrestling with various inequities in their field, with varying results. One success story is a five-year effort by the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania to enroll more Black patients with cancer in clinical trials. The trials give more Black patients access to the latest cancer treatments -- and promise wider benefits too. In 2014, Black residents comprised 19% of the 12-county area around and including Philadelphia. And 16.5% of cancer patients were Black. Yet at Abramson, only 12.2% of patients in cancer treatment trials were Black. After the five-year effort, the number of Black patients enrolled in the trials nearly doubled – to 20.9%. (Bauers, 7/14)

Modern Healthcare: Oscar Health Unveils Tool For LGBTQ+ Community
Oscar Health has updated its user interface to allow members to input their name, pronouns and gender identity, in a move to be more inclusive of members who identify as transgender or non-binary. "Since day one, Oscar has been focused on building a system of healthcare that is centered around our members," CEO Mario Schlosser said in a statement. "While there is still more work to be done, I am proud of our team of engineers who, through our unique full-stack technology, are able to quickly and proficiently meet the needs of our transgender and non-binary members to help them feel both seen and heard." (Tepper, 7/14)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Providers Vow To Fight Medicare Pay Freeze
The lobbying began just minutes after CMS released a physician payment rule for next year that doesn't include pay raises for doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and others. Provider groups are geared up for a rerun of the battle over this year's physician fee schedule, which originally financed a pay increase for primary care providers by cutting payments to specialists. Congress intervened after a sustained lobbying effort that culminated in an across-the-board 3.75% pay rise for the 2021 calendar year, at a cost of $3 billion to taxpayers. CMS issued the proposed rule for 2022 on Tuesday. (Brady, 7/14)

KHN: Influx Of Medical School Students Could Overwhelm Montana Resources, Program Leaders Warn 
Opening two new medical schools in Montana would stretch and possibly overwhelm the state’s physicians who provide the clinical training that students need to become doctors, according to leaders of a University of Washington medical school program that relies on those teaching physicians. The University of Washington School of Medicine’s WWAMI program in Montana requires its students who have finished their academic work to complete clerkships and clinical rotations to graduate, and then those graduates must be matched with residencies. WWAMI — an acronym of the five states participating in the program: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho — uses hundreds of Montana physicians for that hands-on training, in addition to physicians in the other four states. (Halland, 7/15)

Modern Healthcare: Kindred Healthcare Adds Inpatient Rehab Units At Hospitals
Kindred Healthcare will add acute inpatient rehabilitation units to three of its long-term acute care hospitals to help patients recover quicker, the provider said Wednesday. The units, with a total of 33 beds, are expected to start serving patients in September 2021 and will be located at Kindred Hospital Denver, Kindred Hospital Melbourne, and Kindred Hospital Philadelphia – Havertown. They will provide intensive, interdisciplinary clinical and rehabilitation services. Patients in physical rehab will receive 24/7 nursing care and at least three hours of therapy a day for five days a week from physicians trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation. (Devereaux, 7/14)

Modern Healthcare: ONC Seeks Comments On Draft EHR Reporting Criteria For Vendors
The first draft of a set of criteria that developers of electronic health records will be required to report on as part of certification with a federal program has been released for public comment, but the new reporting requirements likely won't take hold until at least 2024. The Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank contracted to create HHS' EHR reporting program, on Wednesday opened public comment for the draft version of interoperability measures that EHR software developers will have to report on, as mandated under the 21st Century Cures Act. (Kim Cohen, 7/14)

Modern Healthcare: ONC Releases Timeline For Interoperability Network
HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology announced the timeline for implementing its interoperability framework, which seeks to facilitate cost-effective data sharing across networks. ONC plans to have the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement's network open for participation in the first quarter of 2022. "We believe that it's really important for the market to know the timeline so everyone can think about how they want to participate," said ONC chief Micky Tripathi at a Health Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday. (Devereaux, 7/14)

Georgia Health News: N.C.-Based Atrium Clinches Deal For Another Georgia Hospital System 
A Charlotte-based health care system has finalized a deal to acquire a nonprofit hospital organization based in Rome. Floyd Medical Center, a hospital in Cedartown and one in Alabama will now become part of Atrium Health under the long-delayed agreement, announced Wednesday. It’s the second big foray into Georgia for Atrium Health, which in 2018 acquired the Navicent system in Macon. Atrium may now look to expand further in the state, experts say. (Miller, 7/14)

Axios: UnitedHealth Group To Kick Off Health Care's Q2 Earnings 
Corporate America is expecting big jumps in profits in the second quarter. That's especially the case in health care, an industry that hasn't really lost a lot of financial momentum throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Health care spending is basically back to pre-COVID levels. Expect big numbers across the board. (Herman, 7/14)

Politico: Health Costs Of Gun Violence Exceed $1 Billion A Year, GAO Says 
Treating firearm-related injuries in the U.S. costs more than $1 billion annually, with public health programs like Medicaid picking up most of the tab, according to new Government Accountability Office estimates shared with POLITICO. The assessment was requested by House and Senate Democrats last year and comes as the Biden administration is encouraging cities to spend unused Covid relief funds to address gun violence. (Ollstein and Wu, 7/14)

In other public health news —

The Washington Post: Federal Regulators Sue Amazon Over Firm’s Refusal To Recall Dangerous Products
Federal safety regulators filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Wednesday that accuses the retail giant of refusing to recognize regulators’ authority to force the company to recall defective and unsafe products, setting up a fight over how much responsibility Amazon should take for the products it sells on its website. The action by the Consumer Product Safety Commission comes after months of behind-the-scenes negotiations between regulators and Amazon as the agency tried to persuade the company to follow the CPSC’s rules for getting dangerous products off the market, according to a senior agency official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment on internal discussions. (Frankel and Greene, 7/14)

NPR: Johnson & Johnson Recalls 5 Aerosol Sunscreens After Finding Carcinogen Traces
Johnson & Johnson announced Wednesday that the company is recalling five of its aerosol sunscreen products due to the discovery of trace amounts of benzene, a carcinogen, in some samples. The company said consumers should stop using the affected cannisters, which include solely Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreen products. The recall covers all can sizes and SPF levels, which were distributed nationwide. (Diaz, 7/15)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Lifts Swimming Ban At Dockweiler, El Segundo Beaches
Los Angeles County public health officials late Wednesday lifted restrictions on swimming around El Segundo Beach and Dockweiler State Beach that were put in place after an emergency discharge of 17 million gallons of sewage Sunday night raised concerns about contamination. In a news release, the county Department of Public Health said it had authorized the reopenings after results from ocean water samples collected over the last two days met state standards for water quality. (Miller, 7/14)

Health News Florida: State Of Emergency Requested For St. Pete Red Tide Outbreak
St. Petersburg spokesman Ben Kirby said city officials had reached out for state help in dealing with red tide, which has resulted in 15 tons of dead fish hauled ashore by city crews. But they had not received a response by late Tuesday. That comes on the heels of a letter written by state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried asking the governor to declare a state of emergency. Fried, a Democrat running for governor, asked Republican Gov. Ron Desantis to issue an executive order that would help Tampa Bay counties affected by red tide. (Newborn, 7/14)

Roll Call: Lawmakers Push For Lyme Disease Research As Tick Population Climbs
Tick-borne disease is on the rise across the nation, and lawmakers are pushing to invest more this year in diagnostics and research to help the hundreds of thousands of Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease each year. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States, appearing in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Roughly 476,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of actual infections is likely higher, experts say, as many infected people do not receive a test and Lyme disease tests are often inaccurate. (Cohen, 7/14)

CIDRAP: Report: Restaurant Chains Still Failing On Antibiotics In Beef 
The latest evaluation of how the nation's major restaurant chains are faring when it comes to responsible use of antibiotics in beef shows most continue to get a failing grade. The sixth annual Chain Reaction Scorecard, which grades the top 20 US fast food and casual sit-down restaurants on their antibiotic use policies for beef sourcing, and how those policies are implemented and monitored, gave 12 chains "F" grades for taking no public action to reduce routine antibiotic use in their beef supplies. Three companies earned "D" grades, while three chains earned "C" grades. (Dall, 7/14)

The Hill: Most Oregon Heat Wave Victims Were Elderly, Had No Central AC, Lived Alone 
A preliminary report by Oregon’s ​Multnomah County found that a majority of the deaths reported during the record-breaking heat wave that began late last month were elderly men who lived alone and did not have central air conditioning. In Portland, which is in Multnomah County, from June 25 and June 28 the city reached triple-digits, even hitting a high of 116 degrees. (Romaine, 7/14)

NPR: Extreme Heat Is Worse For Low-Income, Nonwhite Americans, A New Study Shows
Urban areas are known to be hotter than more rural ones, but the research published Tuesday in the journal Earth's Future provides one of the most detailed looks to date at how differences in heat extremes break down along racial and socioeconomic lines. The authors used census data and measured land surface temperature with satellite imaging and focused on 1,056 counties that are home to about 300 million Americans. They found that in more than 70% of those counties, neighborhoods with more people of color and lower income people, "experience significantly more extreme surface urban heat than their wealthier, whiter counterparts." (Shivaram, 7/14)

In news from Texas, New Mexico and Kansas —

Houston Chronicle: City Continues To Find Evidence Of West Nile
West Nile continues to make its way through Sugar Land, with the city confirming the presence of the virus in East River Park. The mosquitoes were caught last week at a trap located on East River Park in the River Park subdivision. Sugar Land was notified Tuesday evening that at least one had tested positive. Accordingly, the city has increased mosquito spraying to twice a week citywide with the goal of eliminating the infestation. Sugar Land will also continue working with the Texas Department of State Health Services to trap and test more mosquitoes. (Varma, 7/14)

Albuquerque Journal: New Disabilities Program Draws Limited Response
New Mexico launched a plan last year to offer scaled-down support services to thousands of families who have been waiting years for more comprehensive help under a developmental disabilities program. But it didn’t have the immediate impact officials had hoped. Fewer than 100 individuals are now receiving the support services – out of about 2,000 invited to apply for the program. Another 180 are in the eligibility process to qualify. (McKay, 7/14)

The Washington Post: Frito-Lay Workers In Topeka Are On Strike, Citing Forced Overtime And 84-Hour Work Weeks 
Hundreds of striking Frito-Lay workers in Kansas are calling on one of the nation’s biggest snack makers to put an end to forced overtime and 84-hour workweeks brought on by a pandemic-era surge in demand. Workers at the Topeka plant have been pushed to the brink as the factory revved up operations during the pandemic according to the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 218.Many of the factory’s more than 800 workers are working seven days a week and up to 12 hours per shift, with just eight hours between clocking in and clocking out, according to the union’s international president, Anthony Shelton. (Telford, 7/14)

CIDRAP: Global COVID-19 Deaths On The Rise Again 
In its weekly pandemic snapshot yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said COVID-19 deaths are increasing again after falling for 9 weeks, with the sharpest upticks in Africa and Southeast Asia. Deaths are often a lagging COVID-19 marker, and global illnesses last week jumped 10% over the previous week, marking the fourth consecutive weekly rise. With no end in sight to the world's latest COVID-19 surge, several countries from diverse regions today reported new daily highs for cases. (Schnirring, 7/14)

Reuters: Grappling With 'Worst-Case Scenario', Indonesia Faces More COVID-19 Pain
Indonesia is already grappling with a "worst-case scenario" COVID-19 situation, a senior minister said on Thursday, adding the government was preparing for a further climb in cases as the more virulent Delta variant continues to spread. The world's fourth most populous country is struggling to slow virus transmission even after imposing its toughest mobility curbs so far. Indonesia began its vaccine rollout in January, but only about 5.8% of its 270 million people have received both shots. (Suroyo and Widianto, 7/15)

Bloomberg: Argentina Marks Somber Milestone As Covid Deaths Surpass 100,000
Argentina reached a somber milestone in its fight to control the pandemic as deaths caused by Covid-19 crossed 100,000 on Wednesday afternoon. Argentina added 19,697 new Covid-19 cases and 614 more deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 100,250, according to data published by the Health Ministry. The death count puts the South American nation in the company of 10 other countries that have suffered losses of 100,000 or more, according to data compiled by the World Health Organization. (Squires, 7/14)

Reuters: Singapore Sees Most COVID-19 Cases In 10 Months After Karaoke Cluster
Singapore reported its highest number of local coronavirus cases in 10 months on Wednesday, after the discovery of a cluster among hostesses and customers of KTV karaoke lounges. Of the 56 new community infections, 42 were linked to the KTV outbreak, the health ministry said. (7/14)

Axios: Victoria, Australia, To Lockdown 
Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, will enter a five-day lockdown just before midnight to combat a growing COVID-19 outbreak, officials announced on Thursday. It will be the fifth time such restrictions have been imposed on residents in Victoria's state capital, Melbourne — who last year endured one of the world's longest lockdowns (112 days), when the city was Australia's pandemic epicenter. (Falconer, 7/15)

AP: Vaccine Deliveries Rising As Delta Virus Variant Slams Asia
As many Asian countries battle their worst surge of COVID-19 infections, the slow-flow of vaccine doses from around the world is finally picking up speed, giving hope that low inoculation rates can increase and help blunt the effect of the rapidly spreading delta variant. With many vaccine pledges still unfulfilled and the rates of infection spiking across multiple countries, however, experts say more needs to be done to help nations struggling with the overflow of patients and shortages of oxygen and other critical supplies. (Rising and Milko, 7/15)

AP: Haiti Gets 500K Vaccine Doses; Its First Of The Pandemic
Haiti on Wednesday received its first coronavirus vaccine since the pandemic began, welcoming 500,000 doses as the country battles a spike in cases and deaths. The Pan American Health Organization said the United States donated the doses via the United Nations’ COVAX program for low-income countries. Spokeswoman Nadia Peimbert-Rappaport told The Associated Press that the shipment was Moderna vaccine. (Coto, 7/15)

In Olympics news —

AP: Olympic Athletes To Put On Own Medals At Tokyo Ceremonies 
Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus. The “very significant change” to traditional medal ceremonies in the 339 events was revealed Wednesday by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. (7/14)

CBS News: Olympic Swimmer Michael Andrew Defends Decision To Not Get Vaccinated Before Tokyo, Calls It A "Risk" He's Willing To Take 
Star American swimmer Michael Andrew says he is standing by his decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine before the Tokyo Olympics. Andrew, an Olympic gold medal favorite, said in an interview on the Fox Business show "Varney & Co." on Tuesday that remaining unvaccinated is a "risk" he's willing to take. "Everything we take and put in our body is very calculated," he said. "You know, with the period going into Olympic trials, I didn't want to risk any time out of the pool." (Brito, 7/14)

Also —

Politico: Trudeau Stresses Caution After State Legislators Demand Immediate U.S.-Canada Border Reopening
U.S. lawmakers are calling on Canada to open the border "immediately" to fully vaccinated travelers, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will proceed with caution. “We've seen a success where Canadians are able to come back to Canada if they're fully vaccinated and not have to quarantine,” Trudeau told reporters in Gaspé, Quebec on Wednesday, adding recent minor changes to restrictions have gone “extremely well.” (Lum, 7/14)

Reuters: Cuba Lifts Food, Medicine Customs Restrictions After Protests 
Cuba announced on Wednesday it was temporarily lifting restrictions on the amount of food and medicine travelers could bring into the country in an apparent small concession to demands by protesters who took to the street last weekend. Thousands joined a wave of nationwide protests over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the government's handling of a surge in COVID-19 infections on Sunday, in the most significant unrest in decades in the Communist-run country. (Marsh and Acosta, 7/15)

The Washington Post: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Hospitalized After 10 Days Of Hiccups
There’s holding your breath, getting spooked or sipping ice cold water — but Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro can’t seem to shake his case of hiccups. The hiccups have persisted for so long — more than 10 days — that the country’s far-right leader has been hospitalized so doctors can try to figure out the cause. (Westfall, 7/14)

ScienceDaily: Study Shows Benefits Of Early Anticlotting Therapy In Moderate COVID-19
New research shows that administering a full dose of a standard blood thinner early to moderately ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 could halt the thrombo-inflammation process and reduce the risk of severe disease and death. (Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, 7/13)

JAMA Network: Association Of BNT162b2 MRNA And MRNA-1273 Vaccines With COVID-19 Infection And Hospitalization Among Patients With Cirrhosis
Are COVID-19 mRNA vaccines associated with decrease in COVID-19 infections and death in a real-world setting among patients with cirrhosis of the liver? In this retrospective cohort study of US veterans with cirrhosis that compared 20 037 patients who received either a Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA or a Moderna mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine with 20 037 propensity score matched controls, receipt of 1 dose of either vaccine was associated with a 64.8% reduction in COVID-19 infections and 100% reduction in hospitalization or death due to COVID-19 infection after 28 days. (John et al, 7/13)

CIDRAP: Bacterial Infections Found In Higher-Risk, Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Half of 399 hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed bacterial infections 48 or more hours after hospitalization, according to a PLOS One study yesterday. The bacterial superinfections were associated most strongly with lung disease, encephalopathy, mechanical ventilation, hospital stay of 8 or more days, and steroid treatment. From March to August 2020, the researchers looked at hospitalized COVID-19 patients at two clinics in Medellín, Colombia, who had at least one of the following risk factors: age over 60 years, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, immunosuppression, or poor prognostic factors (eg, low white blood cells). The cohort consisted of 58.9% men, and 41.9% of the total was over 59 years. The most common comorbidities were high blood pressure (41.6%), diabetes (23.8%), obesity (15.0%), and hypothyroidism (13%). (7/14)

American Academy Of Pediatrics: Pediatric Vaccination During The COVID-19 Pandemic 
Pediatric vaccine uptake decreased dramatically during the pandemic, resulting in decreased vaccination coverage that persisted or worsened among several age cohorts during the reopening period. Additional strategies, including immunization tracking, reminders, and recall for needed vaccinations, particularly during virtual visits, will be required to increase vaccine uptake and vaccination coverage and reduce the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. (Ackerson et al, 7/1)

CIDRAP: Study Finds Well-Being Gap Between Remote, In-Person High School Learning
High school students taking remote classes had lower social, emotional, and academic well-being survey scores compared with high schoolers who attended in person during the pandemic, according to an Educational Researcher study yesterday. The researchers had given a 10-question survey to 6,576 high schoolers enrolled at Orange County public schools in Florida. Students first took the survey in February 2020 when they were in grades 8 through 11, and later the same students, then in 9th to 12th grade, took the survey in October 2020. The second survey occurred 1 to 2 months after 63.9% had chosen to continue remote learning for the 2020-21 school year and the remainder had chosen to attend in person. (7/14)

American Academy Of Pediatrics: Firearms Injuries Involving Young Children In The United States During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Increased rates of firearm ownership, school closures, and a suspected decrease in supervision during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic place young children at increased risk of firearm injuries. We measured trends in firearm injuries in children and inflicted by children discharging a firearm during the pandemic and correlated these changes with a rise in firearm acquisition. (Cohen, 7/1)

ScienceDaily: Progress Towards New Treatments For Tuberculosis 
A new study has uncovered how cells infected with tuberculosis bacteria can die, and that using new medicines to enhance particular forms of cell death decreased the severity of the disease in a preclinical model. (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, 7/13)

ScienceDaily: Our Genes Shape Our Gut Bacteria, New Research Shows 
Researchers discovered that most bacteria in the gut microbiome are heritable after looking at more than 16,000 gut microbiome profiles collected over 14 years from a long-studied population of baboons in Kenya's Amboseli National Park. The team also found that several of the microbiome traits heritable in baboons are also heritable in humans. (University of Notre Dame, 7/8)

Roll Call: In The Last Mile Of Our Battle Against COVID, The Enemy Is Us 
The rapid development of stunningly effective American vaccines against all variants of the coronavirus is the most glorious scientific breakthrough of this century. Compared to what has been achieved by Pfizer and Moderna, the braggadocio space race among bored billionaires is akin to a 9-year-old pretending to circle the globe with a balsa wood airplane. But, alarmingly, the government’s vaccination drive has stalled. Only 67 percent of adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and only 59 percent are fully vaccinated. (Walter Shapiro, 7/13)

CNN: Politics Is Causing Needless Deaths In The Fight Against Covid-19 
In what is now a pandemic of the unvaccinated, almost every adult American can make a choice not to die a needless death from Covid-19. But the task of persuading holdouts, skeptics and the merely disinterested to get their shots is being complicated by the further politicization of the pandemic -- a trend that will cost lives and exacerbate an already stark tragedy that has deepened the nation's ideological estrangement. (Stephen Collinson, 7/14)

Bloomberg: Why Republicans Are Turning Against Vaccines
Why are some Republican politicians suddenly turning against the coronavirus vaccines — and in at least one case, seemingly turning against vaccination in general? It seems to make no sense; it’s their own constituents who will suffer if their vaccination rates stay low. Indeed, that’s exactly what’s happening now, with more Republican states having the lowest vaccination rates and experiencing new surges of Covid-19. How can that work out for them? (Jonathan Bernstein, 7/14)

The New York Times: How America Can Unleash the Untapped Power of Its Regions
Last summer, when medical equipment was in short supply, a bipartisan group of governors from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin agreed to work in close coordination to share their resources in the fight against Covid-19 and to set standards for an economic reopening in the region. The idea was that if hospitals in Michigan lacked ventilators or personal protective equipment, they could borrow them from Illinois. Were they being good neighbors? Perhaps. But they were also recognizing the power of collaboration — a model for a new kind of institution at the regional level. After years of partisan gridlock, Washington has jumped back into exploring ambitious federal programs. But big programs help no one if they aren’t designed and carried out effectively. Unfortunately, the United States too often lacks the capacity to do exactly that. (Julius Krein, 7/14)

USA Today: Fully Vaccinated But Masking For Delta Variant, Health Of Unvaccinated
I was dashing into a grocery store the other day to pick up a few items. As I walked through the parking lot, I locked eyes with a pleasant-looking woman. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. Wait, something's wrong. I saw a smile. And she saw mine. I raced back to my car to grab one of the many masks I keep in the center console before going inside. I almost forgot the primary accessory I've been rocking for the past 15 months. Shame bullet dodged. Or was it?  (Suzette Hackney, 7/14)

The Washington Post: Want More People To Have Kids? Treat Trying To Have Children As A Right Worth Protecting.
California lawmakers are belatedly moving to provide $25,000 in reparations to women who were sterilized by the state. Texas is pursuing a nasty-minded law that would allow citizens to sue anyone involved in helping a woman obtain an abortion. A new wave of panic about population collapse is making headlines. These unnerving stories all illustrate just how important our society thinks it is for families to have more children — and just how little we back up that belief. We’re litigating who should have kids and trying to force those parents to reproduce for the greater good, rather than treating the effort to become a parent as a right broadly worth protecting. Do we value families? Or don’t we? (Alyssa Rosenberg, 7/14)

Los Angeles Times: Paying Sterilization Victims Is Least California Can Do 
As California prepares to pay reparations to the people who were sterilized in public hospitals and other state institutions by force or deception, the number of the compensated won’t be very high. That’s not because the state wronged only a few people by legalizing these eugenics-inspired medical injuries, but because it waited so long to do the right thing that most of the victims are no longer alive. Ours wasn’t the only state to embark on a campaign of involuntary sterilization; such efforts swept the nation during the early and mid-20th century. But California was especially prolific and persistent at it. A third of the 60,000 forced sterilizations nationwide occurred in this state, creating a particularly heavy burden of despicable acts to discharge. And to our shame here at The Times, our publisher during a good part of this time supported eugenics. Regular columns extolled the effort. (7/14)

Stat: My Pregnancy Made Me Fear For My Career. It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way
I cried when I found out I was pregnant with my second child. While I was happy to expand my family, I knew the task of growing a human was not easy. In addition to anticipating the grueling physical demand of pregnancy, multiple people in my family were dealing with medical issues and the Covid-19 pandemic had just turned the world completely upside down. I was overwhelmed, but it was my fear for my career that brought me to tears. (Jennifer Adaeze Okwerekwu, 7/14)

Stat: Sickle Cell Disease And A Pivotal Moment To End Health Inequality 
Covid-19 laid bare the long-standing vulnerability of minority and low-income communities in U.S. society and its health system even as we celebrated the power of scientific innovation to rein in the pandemic. It’s time to turn that innovation, driven by an even greater mind shift, to end inequality in treatment. In perhaps no condition is such inequality more evident than sickle cell disease — a genetic disease for which the molecular basis has been known since 1956 but for which innovative treatments have been elusive. (Ted W. Love, 7/15)

The Hill: Time For EPA To Come Clean On PFAS
PFAS are linked to cancer, high cholesterol, obesity, endocrine disruption and other serious health harms. This suppression of information and their identity and harm has led to the drinking water contamination and illness of communities near chemical plants across the country like the community depicted in “Dark Waters.” In an example reported this month, records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by Physicians for Social Responsibility reveal that in 2011 the EPA approved the use of three fracking chemicals it knew could break down into toxic and persistent PFAS. (Rebecca Fuoco and Arlene Blum, 7/14)