ABC News: CDC Director Grilled Over Mask Guidance In Heated Capitol Hill Hearing 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky was forced to defend her agency's guidance and even its integrity on Tuesday as Senate Republicans grilled her over CDC messaging on masks and other restrictions, arguing it's frustrating and unreasonable as more Americans get vaccinated. The Senate Health Committee hearing came hours after the Food and Drug Administration authorized coronavirus vaccinations for children ages 12 and up, widening the U.S. population that will be protected against the virus and bolstering chances for a safe return to full-time school in the fall. (Cathey, Haslett and Ebbs, 5/11)

The New York Times: CDC Chief Defends Coronavirus Pandemic Guidance As Impatience Mounts 
At a Senate hearing with other top federal health officials on the federal government’s pandemic response, Republicans accused the C.D.C.’s director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, of accommodating special interests in the agency’s guidance for schools and of failing to recognize the low risk of outdoor transmission of the coronavirus. They said that the agency had lost the trust of Americans looking to return to normal life. Their complaints echoed mounting exasperation — even among some public health experts — with the federal government’s pace in relaxing its recommendations as states across the country move to reopen their economies. (Weiland, 5/11)

National Review: CDC Director Defends Agency's Use Of Inflated Outdoor COVID Transmission Rate
During a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky defended her agency’s claim that less than 10 percent of COVID-19 cases are transmitted outdoors amid criticism from scientists who believe the figure is misleading. Senator Susan Collins pressed Walensky on the CDC’s use of the 10 percent stat, citing Tuesday New York Times reporting which suggested the benchmark for outdoor transmission is actually much lower than 10 percent. (Downey, 5/11)

Read the The New York Times piece report and related coverage —

The New York Times: A Misleading C.D.C. Number 
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines last month for mask wearing, it announced that “less than 10 percent” of Covid-19 transmission was occurring outdoors. Media organizations repeated the statistic, and it quickly became a standard description of the frequency of outdoor transmission. But the number is almost certainly misleading. It appears to be based partly on a misclassification of some Covid transmission that actually took place in enclosed spaces. (David Leonhardt, 5/12)

Fox News: CDC Risk Of Coronavirus Transmission Outdoors Greatly Exaggerated, Bombshell Report Finds
A stunning New York Times report claims that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's estimate that the risk of coronavirus transmission while outdoors is around 10% is greatly exaggerated. The CDC has cited the estimate to back up its recommendation that vaccinated individuals do away with masks in certain outdoor situations, but should keep wearing masks during others. (Hein, 5/11)

And more from the hearing on vaccines —

Roll Call: Biden Health Team Plans For Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots 
Senators on Tuesday pressed President Joe Biden’s top health officials to address the slowing pace of COVID-19 vaccinations as an administration adviser raised the possibility that booster shots may be needed within the next year. “Everyone must have the opportunity to get vaccinated regardless of race, zip code, disability, primary language, or internet access,” said Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash. “We are also seeing the vaccination rate slow — a reminder that making sure people can get vaccines is just half the battle. We need to make sure they do get them.” (Kopp, 5/11)

The Hill: US Reaching Turning Point In Pandemic Amid Vaccination Concerns 
The U.S. appears to be reaching a turning point in the pandemic, as the country sees sharply declining cases amid an increase in vaccinations providing Americans with a sense of hope. The country reached its lowest seven-day average for deaths on Monday since July 2020, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures, and the average of new cases per day fell below 40,000 for the first time since September. (Coleman and Sullivan, 5/11)

Fox News: Rand Paul, Fauci Again Spar Over COVID Origins, Controversial Wuhan Lab 
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Dr. Anthony Fauci sparred once again at a Senate hearing Tuesday, this time over the funding of the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology -- the Chinese lab that is believed to have played a role in the initial outbreak of COVID-19. Fauci and Paul have come to verbal blows before over both COVID-19 and related restrictions such as lockdowns and mask-wearing. On Tuesday, Paul zeroed in on gain of function research -- which works on making pathogens deadlier or more easily transmissible. He alleged that a U.S. virologist had been working with the Chinese institute on such research and said it was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH). (Shaw, 5/11)

The Hill: Rand Paul Clashes With Fauci Over Coronavirus Origins
Paul pressed Fauci on the theory that the novel coronavirus was created in the Wuhan lab, and then somehow escaped, either because of an accident or because it was deliberately released. "Sen. Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely, entirely and completely incorrect," Fauci said. "The NIH has not ever, and does not now, fund 'gain of function research' in the Wuhan Institute." (Weixel, 5/11)

The Washington Post: Rand Paul And The GOP Effort To Blame Fauci For The Coronavirus
For much of the past year, Republicans have decried lead government coronavirus expert Anthony S. Fauci’s prescriptions for mitigating the pandemic — including masks, social distancing and keeping society shut down. But increasingly in the past week, the effort has taken on a new flavor — with suggestions that Fauci might be personally to blame for the advent of the virus itself. (Blake, 5/11)

The Washington Post: Ron Johnson’s Unscientific Use Of Vaccine And Death Data 
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) this year has been making scientifically dubious claims about covid-19 vaccines, arguing that U.S. health officials and agencies are not disclosing all the relevant risks and open questions to the public. (Rizzo, 5/12)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

Axios: Pelosi Says Members Can Remove Masks When Addressing The House 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that members will be allowed to remove their masks on the House floor while recognized to address the chamber. The move is a relaxing of the House's COVID-19 safety guidelines. Pelosi introduced a mask requirement in July 2020 after several Republican members refused to wear them. (Saric, 5/11)

Roll Call: More Lawmakers Ditch Masks As The Capitol Gets Busy Again
Capitol Hill has felt like a ghost town for most of the pandemic, empty hallways wrapped in unnatural quiet. Now it’s been 100 days since a member of Congress announced a positive test for COVID-19, and something has changed. There wasn’t a distinct moment when the hallways sprang back to life, but the past few weeks have felt almost normal, according to several congressional staffers. (Cioffi, 5/11)

The Hill: Medicare Requiring Nursing Homes To Report Weekly Vaccination Statistics
Federal health officials instituted a rule mandating long-term care facilities report residents’ and staff’s COVID-19 vaccinations every week to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) starting in two weeks. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the vaccination reporting requirement on Tuesday, directing the facilities to report the data to the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), a national infection tracking system.  (Coleman, 5/11)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Requires Nursing Homes To Offer COVID-19 Vaccines, Education
Long-term and intermediate care facilities will have to educate their residents, clients and staff about COVID-19 vaccines and offer such vaccines to those populations when available, according to a CMS interim final rule published Tuesday. If those facilities don't provide the required education and vaccinations, the agency could bar them from participating in Medicare or Medicaid. The rule also requires long-term and intermediate care facilities to report the COVID-19 vaccination status of their residents and staff to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Brady, 5/11)

In other nursing home news —

Modern Healthcare: Congress Eyes Private Equity In Nursing Homes After COVID Deaths
Congress is renewing its scrutiny of the nursing home industry, arguing there is a lack of transparency around the ownership and finances of chains, especially those owned by private equity. About 40% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. occurred in nursing homes, partly due to the nature of congregate settings that make it hard to control the spread of infections. But Democrats want more information about the roles private equity and chain ownership of nursing homes plays in patient outcomes, pointing to studies that show more deaths and worse care in facilities owned by investors. (Hellmann, 5/11)

In other Medicare news —

Roll Call: Medicare Cost Crunch Raises Questions In Telehealth Debate
Telehealth advocates are struggling to allay lawmakers’ fears about increased Medicare costs as they seek to capitalize on momentum from the pandemic’s shutdown on in-person care. Expanding telemedicine is a rare unifying force among industry giants that want to broaden digital health for the entitlement program’s 61 million enrollees. But telehealth advocates are battling twin fears about potentially higher spending and fraud — two concerns they call unfounded. (Clason, 5/12)

Stat: Telehealth Companies Fuel Lobbying Frenzy To Protect Covid Boom 
Telehealth companies, flush with cash after the Covid-19 pandemic spiked both demand and investment, are now embarking on massive lobbying efforts to secure their interests on Capitol Hill. The goal is clear: Lawmakers are weighing whether to permanently loosen regulations that were temporarily eased during the pandemic. Among other changes, providers have been allowed to practice in states where they are not licensed, and Medicare has been permitted to pay providers the same for virtual visits as in-person ones. Lobbyists for the rapidly growing industry are determined to keep those changes intact. (Cohrs and Ross, 5/12)

CNN: Americans As Young As 12 Begin To Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19 After FDA's Authorization 
Some vaccine sites began to inoculate 12-to-15-year-olds against Covid-19 on Tuesday morning, a day after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's vaccine for the age group. Jacob Laney, 14, was in line at a Decatur, Georgia, vaccine site early Tuesday in hopes of getting the vaccine. "My friend got Covid and it looked really bad, and I just did not want to get it," he told CNN. Once he gets both doses of Pfizer's two-dose vaccine, "I think I'll be less scared of getting it and less scared of having issues with Covid-19," he said. (Holcombe, Levenson and Valencia, 5/12)

Bangor Daily News: Janet Mills Says Maine Providers Can Now Administer Pfizer Vaccine To Children As Young As 12
Gov. Janet Mills said Monday night that Maine providers can now administer Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to children as young as 12. That comes immediately on the heels of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to authorize the vaccine for use for 12- to 15-year-olds. The race to vaccinate them will begin as soon a federal advisory commission releases guidelines as early as Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “I encourage parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible to protect their health, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our state, and to help us get back to normal sooner,” Mills said. (Burns, 5/11)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Governor Clears Kids 12-Up To Get Vaccine
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday that Arkansans age 12-15 had been cleared to receive coronavirus vaccine, although he acknowledged that many health care providers would likely wait until later in the week to begin immunizing that age group. "This is an important news announcement so that parents can make plans to vaccinate their 12 through 15-year-old" in addition to those 16 and older who became eligible for the shots earlier, Hutchinson said. (Davis and Herzog, 5/12)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments For Californians 12-15 Could Begin Thursday
COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Californians ages 12 to 15 could become available as soon as Thursday. If everything goes to plan, California’s MyTurn site will begin making appointments available on Thursday morning, state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said. The timing for when other vaccine providers will begin to offer appointments will vary. (Lin II, 5/11)

The Oregonian: When Can Oregonians Ages 12 To 15 Get COVID-19 Vaccine Shots? 
The Oregon Health Authority first must give the green light for 12- to 15-year-olds to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, health officials said -- after the federal government receives additional approvals. Officials in Oregon plan to make an announcement when COVID-19 immunizations of this group can begin. The Oregon Convention Center, Portland International Airport and Hillsboro Stadium are expected to serve as options for the new wave of Oregonians -- ages 12 to 15 -- when they become eligible for Pfizer vaccinations as early as this week. (5/11)

In related news —

AP: Dr. Walensky Encourages Youth To Ask For Vaccine
The director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “encouraging children to ask for the vaccine” after regulators on Monday expanded the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12. “I would encourage all parents to get their children vaccinated,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a Senate hearing on Tuesday. “I have a 16 year old myself and I can tell you he wanted to get the vaccine. He wants his life back. These kids want to go back to school. They want to go back to the things they love.” (5/11)

CNN: This Is How Officials Are Trying To Rally Teens To Get Covid-19 Vaccinations
With a new demographic now eligible for Covid-19 vaccines, public health officials hoping to fight variants will have to adjust their strategy to convince 12 to 15-year-olds and their parents to sign up for inoculations. "Here we have to speak not only to the patient, the adolescent, but also their parents and guardians to make the case simultaneously to both," Dr. Nirav Shah, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said Tuesday. "It's just an added nuance, it's not any more difficult, it's just something we've got to think through and get right." (Holcombe, 5/12)

The Washington Post: With Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Authorized For Adolescents, Some Parents Scramble To Make Appointments While Others Are Wary
Judy Fisher has been trying frantically to get a coronavirus vaccine appointment for her twin 12-year-olds. She has downloaded apps for every drugstore chain in New York City, is strategizing on multiple text chains and looking into out-of-state appointments, hoping to get her daughter and son fully vaccinated so they can see their friends and go to summer camp. “I’m foaming at the mouth to get them vaccinated so they can have some semblance of a normal summer,” Fisher said. “I cry when I think about all they have missed already.” (Wan, Sun and Meckler, 5/11)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Data On Children Under 12 Expected By Late Fall, Officials Say 
There will likely be enough evidence by late fall this year to potentially extend the use of Covid-19 vaccines to many children under age 12, Biden administration health officials told a U.S. Senate panel Tuesday. “We expect to have data on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines for children under 12” by that time, David Kessler, the administration’s chief Covid-19 scientific officer, told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. (Burton, 5/11)

NPR: Uber And Lyft Will Give Free Rides To COVID-19 Vaccination Spots, White House Says
Anyone needing a ride to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot will be able to get a free trip from the ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber, the White House announced Tuesday, in the latest push to encourage Americans to get vaccinated. "The feature will launch in the next two weeks and run until July 4," the White House said. People who want to use the program would need to select a vaccination site near them and then redeem the companies' offer of a free ride. The two ride-sharing firms will promote the offer in their apps. (Chappell, 5/11)

In other news about the rollout —

ABC News: In NYC, Vaccinations Are Coming To A Subway Station Near You 
In an effort to meet New Yorkers where they are, the state is offering pop-up COVID-19 vaccination sites at some subway and commuter stations this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday. The eight sites include Penn Station, Grand Central, Coney Island, Myrtle-Wyckoff in Brooklyn, E.180 St. in the Bronx, 179 St. in Queens, LIRR Hempstead and MetroNorth Ossining. They will be open from May 12 to May 16. (Schumaker, 5/11)

The Baltimore Sun: Memes, Gifs And Vaccine Clapbacks: How The Baltimore Health Department Is Making Public Health Messaging Fun 
The Baltimore City Health Department prides itself on being the oldest health department in the nation, having been around since 1793. But you wouldn’t think of them as old if you follow them on Twitter. In the past week, @BMore_Healthy has been racking up praise — and calls for a pay raise — for its expert use of memes, gifs and epidemiologist-approved graphics to share the latest public health information and encourage Baltimore residents to get the COVID vaccine. (Kamidi, 5/11)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Nearly Half Of Philly’s Firefighters, Police Have Skipped COVID-19 Vaccines, Unions Say
Nearly half of Philadelphia’s fire and police workers are unvaccinated despite being eligible to receive the shot for months, according to unions representing both groups. Philadelphia Firefighters Local 22, which represents about 2,800 firefighters and EMTs, reported 51% of its members have been vaccinated. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge Five reported 3,562 members have been vaccinated, more than half the force. The union did not offer any demographic breakdowns of that number and was not able to distinguish between officers and civilian employees. (Laughlin and Orso, 5/12)

Los Angeles Times: Hundreds In Orange County Protest COVID Vaccine Passports
On the same day that Orange County recorded some of its most positive coronavirus statistics to date — nearing the least restrictive yellow tier in the state’s reopening blueprint — hundreds of protesters gathered to blast the Board of Supervisors for a proposal to create “vaccine passports,” or digital records that document COVID-19 vaccination status. The public backlash began in April after the county announced plans to launch a pilot program for credentialing. Almost immediately, a vocal group of opponents expressed concern that the digital records would be used to “track” people and reveal private healthcare information. Opponents also said it would allow the county to favor residents who chose to get vaccinated. (Smith and Vega, 5/11)

The Mercury News: Videos Show 'Sovereign Citizen' Stealing Vials Of COVID-19 Vaccine. He Posted The Videos On Social Media
A 32-year-old St. Paul man twice last week recorded and posted videos on social media that showed him pretending that he wanted a COVID-19 vaccine, but instead walking off with the vials that he said were “poison” and wanted to have tested in a lab. Thomas Edward Humphrey, who touts his involvement with an anti-governmental group, has gained national attention since making the videos and posting them on Facebook. He also has the attention of local law enforcement. (Ferraro, 5/11)

Also —

The Oregonian: Gov. Kate Brown Outlines Path To Reopening: When 70% Of Oregon Gets Partially Vaccinated, She’ll Lift Most COVID-19 Restrictions 
Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday laid out a specific roadmap for fully reopening Oregon’s economy and making a big step toward normalcy: When 70% of the state’s residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, she’ll eliminate most statewide restrictions meant to hamper the spread of the disease. That includes the lifting of capacity limits on restaurants, bars, stores, gyms, sporting venues, movie theaters and limitations on the number of people who can gather indoors or out for events such as road races and festivals. No counties will remain under the current “risk level” tiers based on their rates of infections. (Green, 5/11)

CNN: McDonald's Is Changing Its Coffee Cups To Promote The Covid-19 Vaccine
McDonald's is partnering with the White House to promote vaccination information on its coffee cups as hesitancy grows about taking the potentially life-saving shot. Beginning in July, customers in the United States will see redesigned McCafe cups and delivery seal stickers that features "We Can Do This," a slogan created by the US Department of Health and Human Services to promote vaccine confidence. It also includes a website address (vaccines.gov) that directs people to nearby appointments and safety information. (Valinsky, 5/11)

ABC News and GMA: McDonald's Teams Up With Biden Administration To Share Vaccine Information
McDonald's is teaming up with the White House to help get the word out on COVID-19 vaccines. The fast-food chain announced Tuesday it has partnered with the Biden administration to provide customers with access to trusted, independent information on vaccines. The partnership is part of the company's ongoing efforts to support communities and neighborhoods during the COVID-19 pandemic. (McCarthy, 5/11)

In other national news on the vaccine rollout —

Politico: States Won't Get Johnson & Johnson Vaccines Next Week
States won’t receive any doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine next week, the latest sign of how production problems are hurting output of the single-dose shot, according to four sources with knowledge. White House officials told governors on a private call Tuesday that new supply of the J&J shot wasn't immediately available for ordering, POLITICO has learned. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the federal government would ship out J&J doses through federal distribution channels, such as those for pharmacy chains and community health centers. (Roubein, 5/11)

The Atlantic: 3 Explanations For The Vaccine Slowdown
For a few weeks this spring, the United States was a world leader in vaccines, administering shots to a larger share of its population than even the United Kingdom or Israel. But since the middle of April, our vaccine campaign has stalled. The average number of people getting a first or single dose is down almost 50 percent from its peak on April 13. What’s notable about that date? Well, it just happens to be the same day that the CDC and the FDA recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Thompson, 5/11)

USA Today: Most Unvaccinated Adults Don't Want The Shot
Vaccine hesitancy has become the predominant mindset of Americans who have not yet been inoculated, making the drive for herd immunity ever more elusive. Just 11% of American adults who remain unvaccinated for COVID-19 say they definitely will get the shot, while 34% say they definitely won’t, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Another 27% say they probably will and 27% say they probably won’t. The vaccination rush has slowed, and President Joe Biden met virtually with six governors Tuesday to discuss how to revive momentum. Biden wants 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July. That's about what some experts say is needed to get the pandemic under control. Right now less than half of Americans have received at least one shot. (Bacon, Ortiz and Aspegren, 5/11)

KHN: Biden Boasts About Equitable Senior Vaccination Rate By Race Without Data To Back It Up
During May 3 remarks on the American Families Plan, President Joe Biden boasted that there was not much disparity in the vaccination rates for white Americans and Americans of color who are at least 65. “And what’s happening now is all the talk about how people were not going to get shots, they were not going to be involved — look at what that was — we were told that was most likely to be among people over 65 years of age,” said Biden. “But now people over 65 years of age, over 80%, have now been vaccinated, and 66% fully vaccinated. And there’s virtually no difference between white, Black, Hispanic, Asian American.” (Knight, 5/12)

CNBC: Despite FDA Approval, Some Schools Won't Mandate Covid Vaccinations
Now that Pfizer’s Covid vaccine has been approved for children ages 12 to 15, more schools may be able to reopen fully in person this fall. Yet the question remains whether schools will require students to get vaccinated. “It’s always better to reinforce positive behavior rather than mandate,” said Bob Bollinger, a professor of infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and inventor of the emocha Health app. “But we have a precedent of requiring vaccinations to go to school.” (Dickler, 5/11)

The Star Tribune: Schools Step Up Virus Testing, Despite Some Parent Pushback 
At least 178 schools or districts have taken up Minnesota's offer of free COVID-19 test kits for students — a demographic seeing higher pandemic infection rates and lower vaccination coverage. The requests came in the two weeks since the Minnesota Department of Health offered saliva test kits to middle schools, high schools and sports organizations to increase surveillance of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Twenty clubs representing six sports have requested 1,013 kits as well. (Olson, 5/9)

New Hampshire Union Leader: State Outlines Program To Test For COVID-19 In Schools, Overnight Camps 
With a federal grant, New Hampshire will make COVID-19 tests available to children and staff in schools, overnight camps and some day care centers in the coming weeks — but regular testing will largely be limited to people at higher risk for contracting COVID-19, including students who play contact sports. More than 90 schools have already signed up to participate in the program for asymptomatic testing, according to the Department of Education. (Albertson-Grove, 5/11)

The Baltimore Sun: COVID Testing Program Helping Baltimore City School System Track And Contain Infections 
Baltimore City’s school system is now testing more than 15,000 people each week for COVID-19 — frequently before students and staff show any symptoms — in an effort to prevent the spread of infections within schools. The school system is now one of the city’s largest COVID testing sources, and has become a model for districts around the country. The schools employ saliva-based molecular testing for high school students and staff, but use pooled tests for those in kindergarten through eighth grade. (Bowie, 5/12)

In related news about covid and schools —

The Texas Tribune: Study Shows COVID-19 Cases Rose After Texas Students Went Back To School 
When Texas schools returned to in-person education last fall, the spread of the coronavirus “gradually but substantially accelerated,” leading to at least 43,000 additional cases and 800 additional deaths statewide, according to a study released Monday. The study was done by University of Kentucky researchers for the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and tracked weekly average COVID-19 cases in the eight weeks before and eight weeks after the state’s school districts sent students back to school in the fall. (Martinez, 5/10)

Mother Jones: Hundreds Of Schools Are Using This Air Purifier To Fight COVID. A Lawsuit Says It Releases Toxic Chemicals. 
Researchers have long known that the coronavirus is airborne, lingering in floating particles that spread whenever an infected person coughs, sneezes, or simply exhales. It’s the reason public health authorities have been urging schools to improve ventilation as part of their reopening plans: Bringing in more clean outside air can dilute the virus in classrooms, hallways, and cafeterias, helping to prevent spread. But thousands of schools across the country have gone a step further, using high-tech air cleaning systems in an attempt to fight COVID-19—often paying for air purifiers with federal CARES Act money intended to make schools safer during the pandemic. Now, a top seller of one of the most popular high-tech air purification technologies among schools is facing a federal class action lawsuit claiming that its devices could produce toxic chemicals in classroom air and do not work as advertised to fight COVID, according to a court filing. (Pauly, 5/11)  

KHN: Covid Fears Keep Many Latino Kids Out Of Classrooms
For the past year, 13-year-old twins Ariel Jr. and Abraham Osorio have logged on to their online classes from their parents’ flower shop. Ariel nestles in a corner among flowers, bows and stuffed animals. Abraham sets up on a small table in the back, where his dad used to work trimming flowers and keeping the books. It’s not ideal for learning: It’s loud. It’s cramped. It’s bustling with people. Still, when the twins’ mother, Graciela Osorio, recently had the chance to send her kids back to Brightwood Elementary in Monterey Park, California, she decided against it. (de Marco, 5/12)

CNN: Covid Vaccines Do Not Harm Placenta, Contrary To Social Media Misinformation, Study Finds 
There's no biological basis behind ongoing social media claims that Covid-19 vaccines can harm the placenta, the organ that provides a growing baby oxygen and nutrients during pregnancy. "There's no theoretical reason to believe these vaccines would be harmful," Dr. Richard Beigi, who sits on the Immunization, Infectious Disease, and Public Health Preparedness Expert Work Group of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told CNN in a Q&A on the subject. "There's never been any vaccine that's been linked with infertility," he said. (LaMotte, 5/11)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Death Rates Low In Pregnant, Hospitalized Women, Study Finds
Compared with non-pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19, pregnant women with COVID-19 had lower in-hospital death rates, according to a research letter in the Annals of Internal Medicine today. University of Texas (UTHealth) and University of Maryland researchers looked at 1,062 pregnant and 9,815 non-pregnant patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and viral pneumonia from April to November 2020. All were 15 to 45 years old. (5/11)

In other covid research news —

CIDRAP: Data Show 2% Of COVID Patients May Carry 90% Of Community's Virus
Just 2% of COVID-19–infected individuals could carry 90% of the SARS-CoV-2 virions circulating within communities, according to a Proceedings of the National Academy of Science study comparing presymptomatic and asymptomatic patients with hospitalized patients. The results, published yesterday, included 1,405 positive COVID-19 cases from the University of Colorado Boulder's 2020 fall semester testing program and compared them with 404 data points from previous research on hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Overall, more than 72,500 saliva samples were tested for COVID-19 on the college campus, all from people who were asymptomatic or presymptomatic. (5/11)

CIDRAP: Those With Mild COVID-19 Seek More Primary Care Than Uninfected Peers
Although nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients are at low risk for delayed complications, they visit their general practitioner or clinic more often than their uninfected peers in the 6 months after testing positive, finds a population-based study published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The study, led by researchers from the University of Southern Denmark, involved comparing 8,983 living, nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients with 80,894 Danish residents who tested negative for the virus from Feb 27 to May 31, 2020. Both groups were followed for 2 weeks to 6 months after testing. (Van Beusekom, 5/11)

Axios: Study: 99.75% Of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Weren't Vaccinated 
The Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday released a study showing that 99.75% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between Jan. 1 and April 13 were not fully vaccinated, according to data provided to Axios. Real-world evidence continues to show coronavirus vaccines are effective at keeping people from dying and out of hospitals. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been found to be 95% and 94% effective, respectively, at preventing symptomatic infections. (Gonzalez, 5/11)

Also —

The New York Times: Is It Covid Or The Flu? New Combo Tests Can Find Out
In January, a man in his 60s with heart disease and diabetes went to a South Dakota hospital with a cough and fever, worried he had Covid. A nurse swabbed the inside of his nose, and the sample went into a small device resembling an inkjet-printer cartridge, which was then placed into a machine about the size of a printer. This so-called quad test, now available at thousands of hospitals and clinics around the country, could detect not only the coronavirus, but two types of influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V. A little more than a half-hour later, Dr. Blake Gustafson had the patient’s result: He had the flu. (Khamsi, 5/11)

Stat: Health Execs Weigh In On How Tech Can Help With Covid — And How It Can’t
For all the progress on Covid-19, we are still far from a post-pandemic world. “If you’re living on Planet Earth, I assure you the pandemic is not over,” Geeta Nayyar, executive medical director of Salesforce, said at the 2021 STAT Health Tech summit on Tuesday. “India and Brazil are great examples of the forest still being on fire. When we don’t go to help our fellow global neighbors, we can rest assured that the fire is spreading.” (Goldhill, 5/11)

CNBC: Abbott CEO Says It Has A Team Of 'Virus Hunters' On New Covid Variants
Abbott Labs has a team of “virus hunters” working with health officials around the world to monitor Covid-19 variants, as some mutated strains show an ability to evade detection, CEO Robert Ford said during an interview that aired Tuesday as part of CNBC’s Healthy Returns event. “They’re constantly looking for new viruses, and in this case we set up a team to be able to monitor all the mutations that could exist,” he said of its pandemic defense coalition. “It can’t just be a U.S. thing, you have to partner with all the countries, all the universities, all the different collection sites, then I think that’s the way to go.” (Mendez, 5/11)

AP: US Doctors Group Issues Anti-Racism Plan For Itself, Field
The nation’s largest doctors group Tuesday released a comprehensive plan aimed at dismantling structural racism inside its own ranks and within the U.S. medical establishment. The American Medical Association’s plan has been in the works for more than a year. The group’s leaders said health inequities highlighted by the pandemic, ongoing police brutality and recent race-based crimes have given the effort a sense of urgency. (Tanner, 5/11)

Stat: AMA Pledges In New Plan To Dismantle Causes Of Health Inequities 
Saying it needs to “pivot from ambivalence to urgent action” and hold itself accountable for deeply embedded health inequities, the American Medical Association has vowed in a new strategic plan to use its influence as one of the world’s most powerful medical organizations to fight and dismantle white supremacy and racism in the U.S. health care system — and within its own walls. The 83-page report on racial justice and health equity, which is the culmination of two years of work and was scheduled to be released on Wednesday, was obtained by STAT and has now been released by the AMA. (McFarling, 5/11)

In other news about health care personnel —

AP: Maine Gives Nurse Award Award To All School Nurses
Maine has decided to hand its “School Nurse of the Year” award to all the school nurses in the state. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, and the Maine Department of Education said Wednesday they and the Maine Association of School Nurses are recognizing all school nurses as the “School Nurse of the Year” for the 2020-21 school year. Mills said school nurses “have helped adapt with grace and grit to protect the health of our children.” (5/12)

Georgia Health News: ‘The Right Time’: Georgia Nurses To Honor Their Colleagues
The COVID-19 pandemic has showcased the heroic sacrifices and day-to-day service of nurses in an unprecedented way.With their tireless work in mind, the Georgia Nurses Association (GNA) is planning to launch a Nurses Hall of Fame this fall, with about 10 inaugural members inducted. (Kanne and Miller, 5/11)

AP: NIH Vaccine Designer Takes Coronavirus Research To Harvard
The U.S. government scientist who helped design one of the first COVID-19 vaccines and then tackled skepticism of the shots in communities of color is moving to Harvard in June. Kizzmekia Corbett of the National Institutes of Health will take her research into next-generation vaccines for coronaviruses to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the school announced Tuesday. (Neergaard, 5/11)

AP: COVID-19 Pet Boom Has Veterinarians Backlogged, Burned Out
During the gloomiest stretches of the pandemic, Dr. Diona Krahn’s veterinary clinic has been a puppy fest, overrun with new four-legged patients. Typically, she’d get three or four new puppies a week, but between shelter adoptions and private purchases, the 2020 COVID-19 pet boom brought five to seven new clients a day to her practice in Raleigh, North Carolina. Many are first-time pet owners. Like many veterinarians across the country, she’s also been seeing more sick animals. (Kennedy, 5/12)

Modern Healthcare: Most Medical Residents Prefer Hospital Employment In Urban Areas, Survey Shows
Most medical residents are interested in practicing for hospital systems in metro areas, which will exacerbate staffing shortages in rural communities, new survey data show. Nearly half of 103 final-year medical residents surveyed preferred to work for hospital systems, while only 10% wanted to partner with another physician, according to Merritt Hawkins' April poll. That marks a drastic shift from the staffing firm's 2011 survey, when almost an equal share of residents preferred hospital employment versus partnering with another physician. (Kacik, 5/11)

Also —

The Washington Post: Michigan Failed To Act On Warning Signs As Doctor Molested Athletes For Decades, Report Finds
A longtime University of Michigan doctor, now dead, molested hundreds of patients, including many former athletes, and top university officials failed to act on warning signs and ignored complaints dating from 1975, according to a law firm’s report released by the university Tuesday. The 240-page report, produced by D.C. law firm WilmerHale, largely supports allegations made in lawsuits and news accounts over the past year against Robert Anderson, who worked for the university from 1966 to 2003 and died in 2008. (Hobson, 5/11)

The Washington Post: Former VA Nursing Aide Sentenced To Seven Life Sentences For Killing Veterans With Insulin At West Va. Hospital 
A former nursing aide was sentenced Tuesday to seven consecutive life terms and an additional 20 years in federal prison after confessing to injecting lethal doses of insulin into frail, elderly veterans in her care at a West Virginia Veterans Affairs hospital. “You’re the monster that no one sees coming,” U.S. District Judge Thomas Kleeh told Reta Mays before announcing the sentence in a courtroom in Clarksburg, W.Va., dismissing her lawyers’ arguments that she deserved leniency because of a long history of medical and mental health issues stemming from her childhood and military service. (Rein, 5/11)

Boston Globe: Dana-Farber Receives $50 Million Gift To Study Pancreatic Cancer 
Dr. Laurie Glimcher often gets calls from people she knows around the world asking if Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she is CEO, can help a friend or relative with pancreatic cancer. It’s a rare cancer but one that is almost always fatal, with silent tumors that tend to go undetected until they’re too advanced to treat. “It’s devastating. … We can help for a while, but ultimately these people are going to die,” Glimcher said. Now, Dana-Farber’s effort to better understand, detect, and treat pancreatic tumors is getting a big boost with a $50 million donation. (McCluskey, 5/11)

Stat: Illumina CEO Insists GRAIL Merger Won't Harm Competition
Before the pandemic, most people had never heard of Illumina, the California-based sequencing behemoth whose machines generate upwards of 90% of the world’s DNA data. And while Illumina might still not be a household name, over the last 15 months the technology it sells has become standard dinner table fare. Genetic vaccines, coronavirus variants, wastewater surveillance — never before has the world of sequencing spilled over so forcefully into mainstream public consciousness. (Molteni, 5/11)

Stat: How Digital Pharmacies Can Expand Access To Specialized Care
Even the most aggressive proponents of telehealth must concede that while technology can open the door to health care for some, it can also become an obstacle for others. “It’s true, the technology is not accessible to everyone,” A.G. Breitenstein, the CEO and co-founder of FOLX Health, said Tuesday at the STAT Health Tech Summit. “But it’s a lot more accessible than the system that we have today.” (Aguilar, 5/11)

Stat: A Health Care Leader Pushes For A Patient-Centric Approach To Technology
Each step in the career of Ashwini Zenooz is less comfortable than the last. She started as a radiologist, moved to toil over government medical records, and then took a leading health care role at the cloud technology company Salesforce. Now she is joining a California startup called Commure, hoping to agitate for the change that has eluded her. (Ross, 5/11)

Stat: Former Google CEO Schmidt Says AI To Have ‘Biggest Impact’ In Health
For the myriad applications of artificial intelligence, Eric Schmidt, the onetime Google CEO, sees one area where it’s poised to unleash the most sweeping changes. “When I try to market the importance of AI, I say that AI will have its biggest impact in biology and health, because biology is so complicated,” Schmidt said Tuesday at STAT’s Health Tech Summit. (Joseph, 5/11)

In nursing home news —

Modern Healthcare: Amedisys To Buy Visiting Nurse Association's Home Health And Hospice Services
Visiting Nurse Association signed an agreement to sell its home health and hospice services to Baton Rouge, La.-based Amedisys. The deal is expected to close around July 1, according to a news release. VNA, which provides home health and hospice care in Omaha, Neb. and Council Bluffs, Iowa, said company leadership has realized they would need external investors to ensure the home health and hospice programs would remain financially strong. As a provider of home health, hospice and personal care, Amedisys fit the bill. (Christ, 5/11)

Health News Florida: Most Florida Long-Term Care Facilities Meet Backup Power Rules 
Headed into the 2021 hurricane season, the vast majority of Florida nursing homes and assisted living facilities are in compliance with rules requiring them to have emergency backup generators and 72 hours of fuel on-site. The state Agency for Health Care Administration website shows that 17 nursing homes and eight assisted living facilities have not fully complied with the backup power requirements. (Sexton, 5/11)

AP: AIDS Virus Used In Gene Therapy To Fix 'Bubble Baby' Disease
A gene therapy that makes use of an unlikely helper, the AIDS virus, gave a working immune system to 48 babies and toddlers who were born without one, doctors reported Tuesday. Results show that all but two of the 50 children who were given the experimental therapy in a study now have healthy germ-fighting abilities. (Marchione, 5/11)

Fox News: Mediterranean Diet Could Reduce Alzheimer's Risk, Study Suggests
Following a Mediterranean-like diet could help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's, suggest the findings of a new study. The study, published May 5 in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, concluded that eating a Mediterranean-like diet — one that is rich in fish, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, and low in dairy and red meat, can have a "cleansing" effect on the brain, helping to rid the organ of proteins that are linked to memory loss. For the study, researchers analyzed more than 500 seniors with an average age of 69. About 343 of the 512 participants were considered high risk of developing Alzheimer’s, per the study. (Farber, 5/11)

NBC News: Prescription Sleep Pills Not Likely To Help Women In The Long Run, Study Finds
Prescription sleep medications can help women struggling with occasional insomnia but probably won't help with chronic sleep problems, new research finds. Two years of data from nearly 700 middle-age women showed that long-term use of medications such as Ambien, Lunestra or some anti-anxiety prescriptions didn't help women sleep better in the long run compared to women who didn't use prescription pills, according to the report published Tuesday in BMJ Open. (Carroll, 5/11)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: New Research Points To How Women Can Lower Heart Disease Risk
A strong link has been found between thin, brittle bones and women’s risk of heart disease, new research shows. In particular, thinning of the lower spine, top of the thigh bone and hip are indicative of an increased risk for heart attack and stroke. The findings come from research published in the specialist journal Heart in April. Being over 50 and menopausal are two of the uncontrollable risk factors for osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle. There’s also a greater risk of bones breaking. (Willis, 5/11)

Axios: Employees Grapple With Re-Entry Anxiety As Jobs Call Them Back 
Pandemic-related anxieties are entering a new phase as more employers start to call vaccinated workers back into their offices. Some employees simply don't want to go back to the office; some are desperate to. Some are struggling to rearrange their routines yet again; some don't have that flexibility. And everyone — employers and employees alike — is figuring out on the fly how to make it work. (Reed, 5/12)

AP: Emergency Program To Give People $50 Off Internet Bill
Americans can begin applying for $50 off their monthly internet bill on Wednesday as part of an emergency government program to keep people connected during the pandemic. The $3.2 billion program is part of the $900 billion December pandemic-relief package. The government is increasing spending on broadband as the pandemic made stark that millions of Americans did not have access to, and could not afford, broadband at a time when jobs, school and health care was moving online. (Arbel, 5/12)

AP: California Governor Proposes $12B To House State's Homeless
Buoyed by a large budget surplus and swimming in federal pandemic recovery money, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday proposed $12 billion to get more people experiencing homelessness off the streets and into homes of their own. Newsom’s proposal includes $8.75 billion over two years to create an estimated 46,000 housing units, expanding on a program he launched last year to convert motels and other properties into housing. Nearly half the money would go toward housing in places where people with mental health and other behavioral issues can get services onsite. (Watson and Har, 5/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Is Rapidly Losing Care Facilities For The Mentally Ill And Elderly. But A Plan To Save Them Is Promising
In San Francisco, the number of assisted living facilities for seniors and adults with disabilities dropped 38% since 2012, with beds dropping 17%, according to city reports. Hardest hit were the smallest facilities serving low-income residents. At least 100 people were waiting to get a spot in a facility, according to the most recent count. Advocates say the shortage means more people are sent out of county, which is hard for families, or end up on the streets. “If we are serious about ending homelessness for seniors and people with disabilities, we need residential care facilities,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. (Moench, 5/11)

Axios: Tennessee Governor Orders End To Federal COVID Unemployment Benefits 
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) announced Tuesday that his state will withdraw from federally funded pandemic unemployment benefits on July 3. Tennessee joins a growing list of states with Republican governors that are turning down the federal benefits citing worker shortages. Some experts say, however, it's the job climate and not unemployment benefits that is determining when and how people return to work. (Saric, 5/11)

The Baltimore Sun: Audit Finds Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Has Continued Problems In Verifying Some Applicants’ Medicaid Eligibility 
For the second time in three years a state audit of Maryland’s health insurance exchange system found continued problems in the program’s verification of some applicants’ income to determine their eligibility for Medicaid over a three-year period. A 2018 audit of the quasi-governmental agency that oversees the Maryland health exchange found similar problems with Medicaid eligibility screenings over fiscal years 2015 to 2017. (Miller, 5/11)

The Washington Post: Prosecutor To Seek Hate-Crime Charges Against White Man Accused In Atlanta-Area Spa Killings
Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty and hate-crime charges against the White man accused of fatally shooting eight people — mostly Asian women — in a March rampage across Atlanta-area spas that authorities are calling domestic terrorism. Robert Aaron Long, 22, was indicted on murder charges Tuesday by grand juries in Fulton County and Cherokee County, where authorities say Long fired on employees and customers at three Asian-run businesses. (Knowles and Willis, 5/11)

North Carolina Health News: After Tragedy, Families Want Stronger Good Samaritan Law 
Members of five families, united in grief from a common experience, made a heartbreaking trek to Raleigh on Tuesday to talk to their legislators. Their common experience is one that no family should have to endure – the loss of a beloved child. What’s worse for these families is knowing that someone had been with their son or daughter as they neared death. In each case, their friends ran away, fearful of getting into trouble because their friend had overdosed on an opioid or because they all were drinking alcohol under the legal age. (Hoban, 5/12)

AP: UPS Drivers Plan Action Against Company In Auburn
United Parcel Service drivers represented by the Teamsters union are planning to picket at a distribution hub in Maine. The 80 to 100 drivers based in Auburn are protesting about being overworked during the pandemic, said Brett Miller, president of Local 340. The goal is to get the attention of management, he said. “They are working Christmas hours and they’ve been doing this for 14 months straight. They’re wearing down,” he said. (5/12)

Mississippi Clarion-Ledger: EPA To Jackson, Mississippi: Water Safe To Drink Despite Problems
Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday spelled out significant concerns with the city's water system, including necessary fixes to maintain safe drinking water, following the worst water crisis Jackson has seen in recent history. EPA administrators in their first public appearance with city officials said it will take both short-term and long-term fixes to remedy the system, a prospect that will require millions of dollars of funding. The visit follows an inspection by the federal agency, along with the state Department of Health, in February of last year that found several severe violations at the city's two water treatment plants, the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Facility and the J.H. Fewell Water Treatment Facility. (Vicory, 5/11)

The Advocate: Bill To Decriminalize Small-Time Marijuana Possession OK'd By Louisiana House; Next Up: Senate
The Louisiana House has approved a bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, taking away the possibility of jail time and reducing the maximum penalty to a $100 fine for possession offenses. The move, on a 67-to-25 vote Tuesday, would represent a significant step in the effort to loosen Louisiana’s prohibition on marijuana. If approved by the Louisiana Senate, where the legislation heads next, and Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana would become the latest in a string of states to eliminate the possibility of jail time for people caught with small amounts of marijuana. (Karlin, 5/11)

The Advocate: Proposal To Limit, Ban Doctor Non-Competes Moves Forward; Here's What's Next In The Process
The state House on Tuesday approved legislation to roll back the use of noncompete agreements for doctors, amid a fierce battle between Ochsner Health System, which is fighting the bill, and doctors groups and other hospital systems pushing for it. The House voted 56-38 to approve House Bill 483, by Rep. Mark Wright, to restrict the use of noncompete provisions for doctors. Members voted 68-23 for another bill by Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall, to ban their use entirely for public employees – a bill that arose out of LSU Health Shreveport's use of the provisions at that public institution, which is run in conjunction with Ochsner. House Speaker Clay Schexnayder voted in favor of both bills. (Karlin, 5/11)

KHN: Don’t Eat The Yellowstone Snow: Elite Ski Resort Aims To Turn Sewage Into Powder
An exclusive Montana resort wants to turn sewage into snow so that its rich and famous members can ski its slopes in a winter season that’s shrinking because of climate change. The Yellowstone Club — a ski and golf resort just north of Yellowstone National Park that counts Bill Gates, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel among its members — has asked the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for a permit to allow it to use wastewater for snowmaking operations on its ski slopes. (Franz, 5/12)

And in updates on the opioid trial in West Virginia —

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Data Analyst Says Potency Of Opiates Shipped Increased Over Time, Defense Questions His Credibility
Drug wholesalers accused of fueling the opioid epidemic by shipping millions of opiates to Cabell County over a nine-year period continued to blame federal regulators in court Tuesday and attempted to discredit years of work completed by a data analyst. The city of Huntington and Cabell County argued that the defendants — AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp. — became culpable when 127.9 million opiate doses were sent to the county from 2006-14. When the number of shipped doses decreased around 2012, users turned to illicit opiate drugs, such as heroin, the plaintiffs said. (Hessler, 5/11)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: More-Contagious Indian Coronavirus Variant Detected In Clark County
The Southern Nevada Health District said Tuesday that it had detected the first known case in Clark County of a potentially more infectious coronavirus strain first spotted in India. The strain, or variant, was detected in a COVID-19 test sample whose genetic code was analyzed, or “sequenced,” by the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory. The Clark County resident who tested positive for what is officially known as the B.1.617.2 variant is a woman in her 20s who did not report any recent travel. The woman, who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, did not require hospitalization. (Hynes, 5/11)

The Washington Post: More Virulent Indian Coronavirus Variant Found In 49 Countries, Says WHO 
The variant of the coronavirus first detected in India, which is believed to be driving the explosion of cases there, has now been found in 49 countries, according to the World Health Organization. The version, which has been named B.1.617, was upgraded on Monday to a “variant of concern” by the WHO amid evidence that it transmits faster than the original virus and may be more resistant to some covid treatments as well as antibodies. Lab testing has still shown some degree of vaccine effectiveness against it. Britain has reported the most cases of the variant outside India. (Schemm, 5/12)

Fox News: Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Likely Effective Against Indian Coronavirus Variant, Researchers Suggest
Coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna appeared to remain effective against a subtype of the Indian virus variant, according to early findings presented Tuesday from researchers at Emory University. The findings, posted to bioRxiv late Monday ahead of peer review, suggested the B.1.617.1 variant dealt an approximate seven-fold reduction in protection from prior infection and vaccination. However, the majority of blood samples from prior infection and all samples from vaccinated individuals appeared to remain effective at blocking the variant. (Rivas, 5/11)

AP: Scientists Race To Study Variants In India As Cases Explode
A potentially worrisome variant of the coronavirus detected in India may spread more easily. But the country is behind in doing the kind of testing needed to track it and understand it better. On Monday, the World Health Organization designated the new version of the virus a “variant of concern” based on preliminary research, alongside those that were first detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil but have spread to other countries. (Ghosal and Pathi, 5/12)

In continued coverage of the covid surge in India —

Reuters: India’s COVID-19 Deaths Cross Quarter Million As Virus Ravages Countryside 
India’s coronavirus deaths crossed a quarter million on Wednesday in the deadliest 24 hours since the pandemic began, as the disease rampaged through the countryside, overloading a fragile rural healthcare system. Boosted by highly infectious variants, the second wave erupted in February to inundate hospitals and medical staff, as well as crematoriums and mortuaries. Experts are still unable to say with certainty when the figures will peak. (Siddiqui and Miglani, 5/12)

The New York Times: Covid Desperation Is Spreading Across India 
Dozens of bodies washed up on the banks of the Ganges this week, most likely the remains of people who perished from Covid-19. States in southern India have threatened to stop sharing medical oxygen with each other, fiercely protective about holding on to whatever they have as their hospitals swell with the sick and infections skyrocket. (Gettleman and Raj, 5/11)

Reuters: Indian Health Agency Chief Says Most Of Country Should Remain Locked Down For 6-8 Weeks 
The head of the main Indian health agency responding to the coronavirus has said districts reporting a high number of infections should remain locked down for another six to eight weeks to control the spread of the rampaging disease. Dr. Balram Bhargava, head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said in an interview that lockdown restrictions should remain in place in all districts where the rate of infection is above 10% of those tested. (Das, Ghoshal and Kalra, 5/12)

Reuters: Volunteers Collect Unclaimed Ashes Of India's COVID-19 Dead For Final Farewell
Volunteer Ashish Kashyap carefully shovels the ashes of India's unclaimed COVID-19 dead from a large pile into sacks at Nigambodh ghat crematorium in Delhi, where the pyres have been burning round-the-clock because of a surge of deaths. Kashyap will then take the ashes to be immersed in the Ganges river. Families of the victims are often too afraid to come and collect the ashes after cremation because they fear contracting the virus in crowded sites. (Abidi, 5/11)

Fox News: Brazilian States Halt AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine For Pregnant Women After Death
Several Brazilian states halted AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations among pregnant women Tuesday after the national regulator, Anvisa, recommended an immediate suspension following a death in Rio de Janeiro. Anvisa issued a statement late Tuesday, citing "constant monitoring of adverse events on Covid vaccines in use in the country." Sao Paulo state halted COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women with comorbidities and Rio state suspended inoculations of all women, citing the Anvisa guidance, Reuters reported. (Rivas, 5/11)

New York Post: New Mutation Of Brazilian Coronavirus Variant Found In Florida
A new mutation of the highly contagious Brazilian COVID-19 variant has emerged in Florida, health officials said. The newest variant, dubbed P2 or P.1.1, has a slightly different sequence than Brazil’s P1 strain, which has been found to be more likely to reinfect people who have already had the virus, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. The variant has been detected in a 74-year-old man in Broward County and a 51-year-old woman in Duval County, according to the state Department of Health. (Salo, 5/11)

In other global news —

Bloomberg: China Sinovac Shot Seen Highly Effective In Real World Study
Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s vaccine is wiping out Covid-19 among health workers in Indonesia, an encouraging sign for the dozens of developing countries reliant on the controversial Chinese shot, which performed far worse than western vaccines in clinical trials. Indonesia tracked 128,290 health workers in capital city Jakarta from January to March and found that the vaccine protected 98% of them from death and 96% from hospitalization as soon as seven days after the second dose, Pandji Dhewantara, a Health Ministry official who oversaw the study, said in a Wednesday press conference. (5/11)

Bloomberg: Covid-19 In Canada: Trudeau’s ‘One-Dose Summer’ Pitch Raises Hope For Reopening
Justin Trudeau began to set the stage for looser public-health restrictions, but cautioned that Canada must first focus on getting past a third wave of Covid-19. With the country’s most populous province under a stay-home order, the prime minister said keeping tougher rules in place now is necessary to lower case counts. Offering everyone a first dose of vaccine by summer, however, should allow Canadians to enjoy more social interactions and set the stage for a return to schools and offices in the fall after second shots are administered. (Bolongaro, 5/11)

Bloomberg: U.K. Unveils Junk Food Ad Ban Online To Help Curb Obesity
Junk food commercials will be banned on British television before 9 p.m. and outlawed completely online, under new government proposals to curb rising obesity levels. Boris Johnson’s administration will also force firms with more than 250 employees -- including restaurant and pub chains -- to list calories on food. Promotions like “buy one get one free” on high fat, salt and sugar food and drinks will be restricted in supermarkets from next April. (Ashton, 5/11)

Politico: Pelosi Drug Price Plan Threatened By Centrist Defections
House Democrats’ push to tack a sweeping drug price negotiation bill to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package was always going to face a fight in the evenly divided Senate. But the legislation is also hitting troubled waters in the House. At least 10 caucus moderates are signaling opposition to Democrats’ drug pricing negotiation bill — more than enough to potentially force House Speaker Nancy Pelosi into dropping the reforms from infrastructure legislation Democrats hope to pass along party lines. Pelosi can only spare two Democratic defections on partisan legislation because of the party’s slim House majority. (Ollstein and Luthi, 5/11)

Stat: Key House Democrats Demand A ‘Bipartisan’ Drug Pricing Bill
A group of 10 moderate Democrats is urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pursue drug pricing reform that is “bipartisan” and has “bicameral support, with buy-in from a majority of Americans and stakeholders in the public and private sectors,” according to a copy of a May 3 letter obtained by STAT. Pharmaceutical industry lobbyists say the letter, which was spearheaded by Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) calls into question whether Pelosi has the votes to pass her signature drug pricing bill, H.R. 3. That bill would let Medicare negotiate over drug prices and threaten huge fines for drug companies that don’t comply. (Florko, 5/11)

Fox News: Pro-GOP Group 'Doubles Down' On New Campaign Targeting Pelosi's 'Radical' Drug Plan 
A conservative advocacy group that backs Republican causes is expanding a major ad blitz in dozens of congressional districts controlled by House Democrats that targets House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "radical plan" to lower prescription drug prices through government regulation. The American Action Network (AAN) on Monday is announcing that it’s adding another $1 million to an existing $4 million ad campaign that it launched last week in 40 congressional districts represented by Democrats. And it's going up with ads in another five districts, bringing to 45 the number of districts targeted. (Steinhauser, 5/10)

Also —

Fast Company: Can We Lower Drug Prices Without Sacrificing Innovation?
Congress is again attempting to control the overwhelming cost of drugs in the United States. Last week, government committees revived conversations about House Resolution 3 (H.R.3)—a bill that, if enacted, would give Medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices, cap out-of-pocket spending on medications, and fine drug manufacturers for increasing drug prices faster than the rate of inflation. The main argument against the bill is that it will curb drug industry profits, therefore limiting the industry’s ability to invest money in what it does best: innovating. So do Americans have to sacrifice innovation to get cheaper drugs? (Reader, 5/11)

The Hill: Health Care And Prescription Drug Costs Top Voter Concerns In New Poll 
Americans say lowering prescription drug prices and other health care costs should be at the top of lawmakers' to-do list, according to a new survey. In the Morning Consult-Politico poll, 88 percent of Americans said that Congress should make lowering health care costs a priority, including 59 percent who said it should be a top legislative priority. Eighty-five percent said lawmakers should prioritize passing a bill to bring down prescription drug costs, with 50 percent saying it should be a top priority. (Bowden, 5/5)

Healthline: Out-Of-Pocket Costs, Prescription Drug Prices Hikes
People in the United States end up paying more for prescription drugs over time due to rising list prices, according to new research. In a paperTrusted Source published this month in JAMA Network Open, a team of researchers led by Dr. Benjamin Rome, an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, reported that the list price of 79 brand-name drugs rose by more than 16 percent while average out-of-pocket costs went up by more than 3 percent from 2015 to 2017. (Gray, 5/9)

WTOL: Ohioans Advocating For Congress To Lower Prescription Drug Prices 
During a virtual webinar held Thursday morning, Ohio leaders said their hands are tied at the state level, which is why they're calling on Congress to pass a bill to reduce drug prices for Ohioans and all Americans by giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drugs costs. "We know from polling that 1 in 4 Americans have trouble affording their medications. We also know already that 1 in 10 Americans are regularly rationing their drugs," said Ohio Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington. (Cohen, 5/7)

CNBC: Cost And Accessibility Of Mental Health Care In America
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans has some type of mental health condition. Spending on mental health treatment and services reached $225 billion in 2019, according to an Open Minds Market Intelligence Report. That number, which is up 52% since 2009, includes spending on things like therapy and prescription medications as well as stays in psychiatric or substance abuse rehabilitation facilities. (Leonhardt, 5/10)

Bangor Daily News: People Should Not Die Because They Can’t Afford Their Medication
Years ago, Maine seniors boarded buses to Canada, where they purchased lower-cost prescription medications. Now, patients young and old skip doses of essential prescriptions that they struggle to afford, sometimes with tragic consequences. High prescription drug prices have been in the headlines for at least a generation. Some important steps have been taken to lower the costs of some medications. Yet, far too many Americans struggle to afford the medication they need, in some cases very literally to survive. (5/10)

The Hill: Medicare Beneficiaries Can't Wait For Lower Drug Prices
Medicare beneficiaries have been among the hardest-hit populations by the pandemic for the last 13 months — about eight in 10 COVID-19 deaths were among people 65 and older. But the pandemic is not the first or only crisis our nation’s older adults have faced over the last several years. Seniors who depend on the Medicare Part D drug benefit are also the most likely to need life-saving prescriptions that they can’t afford. It has been 15 years since the Part D prescription drug benefit was created, and although the program is popular, it has not kept pace with the needs of patients with life-threatening, chronic and rare diseases. The Medicare Part D benefit requires thoughtful updates to ensure the more than 46 million people who rely on the program can afford their prescribed medications. (Amy Niles and Michael Ward, 5/7)

Times Herald-Record: Senators: Rein In Pharma Middlemen To Ensure Fair Drug Prices
Over the past two years, three small locally owned pharmacies in Orange County have closed, largely because of the economic pressures from pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) companies, said Good NeighboRx owner Al Squitieri.  “Orange County, New York, we deserve better than that,” he said.  PBMs are hired by health plans or insurers to negotiate drug prices with manufacturers and distributors, and to negotiate pharmacy pricing. The industry says the negotiations lead to overall lower prescription drug costs. Critics, including Skoufis, say PBMs have not cut costs for health plans or for consumers. (Heather Yakin, 5/7)

MarketWatch: Brace Yourself — You’ll Need $300,000 To Pay For Healthcare In Retirement  
Got an extra $300,000 lying around? That’s how much an average couple retiring at age 65 can expect to pay out of pocket for healthcare over the remainder of their lives. That’s the annual estimate courtesy of Fidelity Investments, and it’s up 1.7% from a year ago. Fidelity says single men retiring at 65 can expect to fork over $143,000 in retirement. Because women typically live longer, their figure is $157,000. (Paul Brandus, 5/7)

Canon City Daily Record: Bill Could Make Critical Drugs Completely Unavailable 
The Senate had a long debate last Thursday and Friday on SB-175, the Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board bill. No doubt the sponsors’ hearts are in the right place, but…In a nutshell, the bill creates a board of appointed officials with no accountability to the citizens to review prescription drug prices and cap those prices that they believe are too high. This board’s decision carries the weight of the law, each violation results in a $1,000 fine. (Sen. Dennis Hisey, 5/10)

Stat: My 'Postmortem' Folder Made This Covid-19 Surge Extra Personal 
Each morning when I arrive at my primary care clinic, the first thing I do is open the electronic medical record and hunt through my inbox. It’s a hodgepodge of folders — patient calls, patient messages, outside messages, contact center messages, staff messages, prescription messages — that often overlap and are frequently overloaded with the medical equivalent of spam. But there’s one folder, Postmortem, that’s unambiguous in its content and purpose. As the pandemic raged from the winter surge through to the spring slog, Postmortem lit up with a dispiriting regularity. I opened it with dread as it revealed which of my patients had perished that week. (Danielle Ofri, 5/12)

Bloomberg: The Real Covid Variant Risk From India's Pandemic Wave Is Being Missed 
If you haven’t heard of B.1.617 yet, chances are you soon will. This particular Covid-19 variant is at least partly behind the overwhelming second wave in India, the current global epicenter of the pandemic. The World Health Organization has now raised B.1.617 from a “variant of interest” to a “variant of concern.” Authorities like Public Health England are already treating it as the latter, meaning there’s something worrying about one or more of the criteria on which a virus is judged — including how fast it transmits, how many it kills, and whether it evades detection or makes vaccines less effective. (Andy Mukherjee, 5/11)

The Washington Post: Teens Could Become The Ambassadors For Vaccination That We Need 
The Food and Drug Administration has just authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a decision that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to affirm on Wednesday. The first adolescents in this age group could be getting their inoculations as early as Thursday. This is not just big news for teens and their parents. It could be transformative in the race to vaccinate America. (Leana S. Wen, 5/11)

The Baltimore Sun: Media Need To Answer This Question: What Do We Know To Be True About COVID Safety, Especially Masks? 
There have been few stories as big and complicated in my lifetime as the pandemic, and we in the media are once again at a point in covering it where clarity and exactitude are needed perhaps more than ever. For the most part, though, we are not following through on that, especially on wearing masks and relaxed mandates. There is a lot of talk on TV news programs about masks and when and where they need to be worn, and I think a lot of people are confused about it. (David Zurawik, 5/11)

Los Angeles Times: Welcome To America — For A COVID-19 Vaccine Shot 
Vaccine tourism started cropping up in the U.S. at the beginning of the year, but only unofficially; state governments didn’t endorse it, and foreigners preferred not to discuss it out loud. Now that millions of Americans have gotten their shots, though, the situation has changed. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced his plans to offer shots to tourists. Once approved, mobile vans with Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be placed at famous sights: the Empire State Building, Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the High Line and Central Park. (Yana Pashaeva, 5/11)

The New York Times: Are We Following The Science Or Our Tribes? 
As vaccinations pick up, coronavirus cases drop and immunity broadens, our communities nationwide are reopening — but at wildly different paces. And a time that should mostly be dominated by relief and celebration has been overtaken by vitriol and smug regional comparisons. Much of the bickering plays out on the battleground of social media, where competing data sets and cherry-picked anecdotes become fodder for justifying what we already believe. (Carrie McKean, 5/12)

Stat: Induced Proximity Opens New Ways To Treat 'Undruggable Diseases' 
So-called undruggable proteins — those that supposedly can’t be targeted by pharmaceuticals — represent a big barrier in discovering new drugs for complex diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders, and others that continue to be major causes of disability and death. As someone who has spent decades in academic research and more recently in the biotech industry, I’m betting that the biopharmaceutical research community will overcome this problem to treat, and potentially cure, these and other diseases. (Raymond Deshaies, 5/12)

Modern Healthcare: How COVID-19 Accelerated The Move To Home Healthcare
Urgency has been the defining condition of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overnight, home healthcare workers became the front-line force for COVID patients as hospitals, long-term care facilities and skilled-nursing facilities were devastated by the virus. More than 130,000 LTC residents died of COVID-19 and occupancy rates dropped to historic lows. Any way to keep patients home became the go-to medical order, and it required home healthcare companies to respond with a level of coordination and clinical sophistication that the severity of the public health crisis demanded. (Jennifer Southwell, 5/11)

Stat: Pharma Needs To Measure Patient Experience From Patients' Perspectives
The relationship between clinical outcomes and the patient experience — the sum of all of interactions of an individual related to managing his or her health — has long been established and documented. Yet many elements that are typically described as having an impact on overall experience are related to quality of care and the patient-physician relationship, things largely outside the control of pharmaceutical companies. So how do pharma programs, which can include patient support services, direct-to-consumer advertising, and collaborations with patient advocacy groups, among other things, contribute to the patient experience? (Hensley Evans and Sharon Suchotliff, 5/10)