The Wall Street Journal: Fully Vaccinated People Can Stop Wearing Face Masks And End Physical Distancing In Most Settings, CDC Says 
Fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear a mask or physically distance during outdoor or indoor activities, large or small, federal health officials said, the broadest easing of pandemic recommendations so far. The fully vaccinated should continue to wear a mask while traveling by plane, bus or train, and the guidance doesn’t apply to certain places such as hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. (Abbott, 5/13)

The Washington Post: Masks Required On Airlines, Trains And Buses In New CDC Guidance
Fully vaccinated people traveling in buses, trains and airplanes must continue to wear a mask, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, even as it said they could go without one in most other indoor settings. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the agency is continuing to review its travel policies, but she did not explain the reasoning during a briefing Thursday on the new recommendations. (Duncan, 5/13)

NBC News: Here’s The Science That Convinced The CDC To Lift Mask Mandates
In announcing the agency's updated guidelines, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said there are "numerous reports in the literature" to demonstrate the safety and real-world effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines. (Chow, 5/13)

AP: 'Great Day For America': Vaccinated Can Largely Ditch Masks
The new guidance is likely to open the door to confusion, since there is no surefire way for businesses or others to distinguish between those who are fully vaccinated and those who are not. “Millions of Americans are doing the right thing and getting vaccinated, but essential workers are still forced to play mask police for shoppers who are unvaccinated and refuse to follow local COVID safety measures,” said Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. “Are they now supposed to become the vaccination police?” (Miller and Balsamo, 5/14)

The New York Times: Vaccinated Americans May Go Without Masks In Most Places, Federal Officials Say
The new recommendations caught state officials and businesses by surprise and raised a host of difficult questions about how the guidelines would be carried out. But the advice came as welcome news to many Americans who were weary of restrictions and traumatized by the past year. “We have all longed for this moment,” Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a White House news conference on Thursday. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.” (Rabin, Mandavilli and Weiland, 5/13)

Politico: CDC: Vaccinated People Can Now Remove Masks In Most Group Settings
The announcement by the CDC Thursday marked a massive shift in the Biden administration’s thinking about Covid-19. Six weeks ago, senior health officials warned of rising Covid-19 infection rates and pleaded with all Americans to continue to adhere to the strictest of public health measures. [CDC Director Rochelle] Walensky went as far as saying she was “scared” about the rising case counts. (Banco and Lim, 5/13)

CBS News: CDC Updates Guidance, Says Fully Vaccinated People Can Go Maskless In Most Settings
The president praised those who have gotten vaccinated for doing their "patriotic duty." "For more than a year, you've endured so much, and so many lost jobs, so many businesses lost, so many lives upended, and so many months that our kids couldn't be in school. You couldn't see your friends and family," the president said. (Watson, Cook and Erickson, 5/13)

CNN: America's Unmasking Brings Liberation But Also Trepidation As Huge Questions Loom 
Americans stripped off their masks Thursday as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the sudden announcement that vaccinated people no longer need to wear them indoors or outdoors. It was a great moment of liberation after a year of intense stress and fear, but also one of trepidation for many as the policy created a whole new set of complex questions for parents, employers, business owners and the millions of Americans who are still hesitant to get shots. (Reston and Collinson, 5/14)

The New York Times: What Does the New Mask Guidance Really Mean?
Does this mean masks are no longer recommended anywhere? Not quite. The federal guidance is expansive: Fully vaccinated people — those who have received their final Covid-19 vaccination at least two weeks ago — no longer need to wear masks outdoors or in most indoor settings. But there are limits. (Smith, Mervosh and Bosmna, 5/13)

CNN: Wait, Does This Mean The Pandemic Is Over For Vaccinated People? 
Though he wouldn't go so far as to say the pandemic is over, for those who are fully vaccinated, the guideline change means a return to something very close to normalcy, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN after the announcement. "Being able to go around without a mask, indoors as well as outdoors, is really a big step in that direction," Fauci said. "I wouldn't want to declare victory prematurely, but I'm saying this is clearly a step in the direction that we want to go." (Waldrop, 5/13)

The Washington Post: Is It Now Reasonable To Discuss The End Of The Pandemic? Yes, But With Caveats. 
For more than a year, everyone has wondered when this dreadful pandemic will end. The answer has always been “not for a long time.” That answer, however, has been overtaken by events — at least in the United States. The end of the pandemic may not be near, exactly, but it’s no longer rash, impolitic or scientifically dubious to broach the topic. (Achenbach, 5/13)

CNN: CDC Mask Guidance Opens Doors For The Vaccinated, But A Long Road Is Ahead For Those Who Are Not, Experts Say 
For Americans vaccinated against Covid-19, daily life may look increasingly different than for those who aren't inoculated yet following Thursday's mask guidance, experts said. "We are on the right path that people who are fully immunized," National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins told CNN's Erin Burnett. "You can take your mask off indoors as well as outdoors." But he added: "We are not at the end of this story. There are still a lot of people who haven't gotten that shot." (Holcombe, 5/14)

Also —

The New York Times: Hundreds Of Epidemiologists Expected Mask-Wearing In Public For At Least A Year 
When federal health officials said on Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks in most places, it came as a surprise to many people in public health. It also was a stark contrast with the views of a large majority of epidemiologists surveyed in the last two weeks by The New York Times. In the informal survey, 80 percent said they thought Americans would need to wear masks in public indoor places for at least another year. Just 5 percent said people would no longer need to wear masks indoors by this summer. (Miller, Quealy and Sanger-Katz, 5/13)

The New York Times: Should We Stash Our Masks For Cold And Flu Season?
Once Americans return to crowded offices, schools, buses and trains, so too will their sneezes and sniffles. Having been introduced to the idea of wearing masks to protect themselves and others, some Americans are now considering a behavior scarcely seen in the United States but long a fixture in other cultures: routinely wearing a mask when displaying symptoms of a common cold or the flu, even in a future in which Covid-19 isn’t a primary concern. (Victor and Ives, 5/13)

The Washington Post: ‘Better Days Are Ahead’: Maskless Biden Marks Milestone In Virus Battle 
President Biden on Thursday afternoon strolled out of the White House with a triumphant demeanor — notably without wearing a mask — and declared the country on the precipice of defeating a pandemic that has killed more than 580,000 Americans, damaged the economy and been the single-most dominant issue of his young presidency. The occasion was the surprise announcement by federal health officials that Americans who are fully vaccinated can go without masks or physical distancing in most cases — marking a crucial milestone in the nation’s battle against the pandemic. (Viser and Linskey, 5/13)

The New York Times: Removing Masks Becomes The First Bipartisan Activity Of Biden’s Washington
Mr. Biden, who last month had been criticized for not removing his mask in the days after the C.D.C. recommended that vaccinated Americans could go without them outdoors, this time promptly addressed the public after the announcement was made. ... It was a quick pivot for a White House that had been strict and to the letter about mask wearing. ... But during a meeting on infrastructure, held in the Oval Office with a bipartisan group of senators earlier in the day, Mr. Biden removed his face covering. So did the lawmakers, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia, told reporters. (Rogers and Fandos, 5/13)

Axios: Vaccinated White House Staff No Longer Required To Wear Masks On Grounds 
The White House emailed staff on Thursday saying those who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus are no longer required to wear face masks on the premises. The move follows new COVID-19 guidelines from the CDC which allow fully vaccinated people to participate in indoor and outdoor activities without masks or physically distancing. (Saric, 5/13)

The Hill: Jill Biden, Jennifer Garner Go Mask-Free On Vaccine-Promoting West Virginia Trip 
Jill Biden added a shot of star power in her push to encourage vaccines among young teens, teaming up Thursday with actress Jennifer Garner for a trip to a West Virginia school's vaccination clinic. "Things are getting better every day," said Biden in what are believed to be her first mask-less public remarks at an in-person event since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. (Kurtz, 5/13)

The Hill: Masks Shed At White House; McConnell: 'Free At Last'
On Capitol Hill, Republicans rejoiced at the updated guidance. “Free at last,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters as he walked out of the chamber without a mask. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) removed their masks and yelled "freedom" in celebration of the news. (Samuels, 5/13)

Axios: Pelosi Says Masks Will Still Be Required On House Floor, Despite CDC Guidance 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told CNN Thursday that members will still be required to wear masks on the House floor, despite new CDC guidance allowing fully vaccinated people to remove their masks indoors. “No,” Pelosi told CNN when asked if the rule would change. "Are they all vaccinated?” (Saric, 5/13)

In other news about the spread of covid on Capitol Hill —

The Washington Post: Former Aide Says Congressman Recklessly Exposed Staff To Coronavirus, Let Son Live In Capitol Basement
A former aide accused U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) of allowing his son to live in a storage space in the basement of the U.S. Capitol for several weeks and recklessly exposing staffers to the novel coronavirus, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday. Former aide Brandon L. Pope accused Lamborn, 66, of Colorado Springs, of consistently disregarding “ethical rules and guidelines” for lawmakers, including taking a “reckless” approach to the pandemic and retaliating against Pope when he raised objections. (Hsu, 5/13)

Politico: Eye-Popping Lawsuit Portrays GOP Lawmaker’s Office As A Covid-19 Petri Dish
“Well, I don’t care about you guys getting it.” That’s what Rep. Doug Lamborn (R–Colo.) allegedly told a staffer in October 2020, right after discovering that his Capitol Hill office was turning into a hotbed of Covid-19 infections. It’s one of the many eye-popping accusations in a new lawsuit filed Thursday afternoon in the District Court for the District of Columbia by Brandon Pope, a former Lamborn staffer who says he vocally pushed back on what he called the congressman’s “reckless and dangerous approach” to the pandemic — and was fired for it. (Bade, 5/13)

The New York Times: C.D.C. Guidance Prompts Caution In Some States 
As federal health officials on Thursday cleared the way for Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to drop mask wearing in most situations, some states lifted mask mandates, while others took a more cautious approach. ... Most of the state officials who responded to the shift were Democrats. Half of the country’s governors — most of them Republicans — had already lifted mask mandates in some form. (Tumin, Rabin, Mandavilli and Weiland, 5/14)

AP: Gov.: Mask Requirement Lifted For Fully Vaccinated In Oregon
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has announced that the state will immediately follow guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which ease indoor mask-wearing and social distancing for fully vaccinated people. Brown said in a video statement Thursday that the new CDC guidance means Oregonians who are fully-vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or social distance in most public spaces. (5/14)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. Says Fully Vaccinated People Can Stop Wearing Masks After Surprise CDC Announcement; N.J. Holds Off On New Guidance
Pennsylvania health officials immediately updated their guidance to align with the CDC’s, while New Jersey officials said they were reviewing the new advice. “Today’s guidance from the CDC affects only people who are fully vaccinated,” said Pennsylvania acting Health Secretary Alison Beam. “This is another incentive to get the vaccine that is now easily and conveniently available. Once 70% of Pennsylvanians over 18 are fully vaccinated, we can completely lift the masking order.” (McCullough, Silverman and Whelan, 5/13)

The Boston Globe: Mass., Boston To Maintain Mask Requirements For Now In Wake Of New CDC Guidance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that those fully vaccinated for COVID-19 can stop wearing masks in most indoor and outdoor settings, though Massachusetts and some other states said they would keep their local restrictions in place for now. President Biden and federal officials lauded the announcement as a major turning point in the country’s fight against the virus, even as some medical experts questioned its timing and cautioned that masks will remain a part of daily life for some time to come. (Platoff, Fox and Mui, 5/13)

Anchorage Daily News: Health Officials Urge Alaskans To Keep Following Local Mask Rules After CDC Relaxes Guidance For Vaccinated Individuals
State health officials are urging Alaskans to continue to follow local mask requirements and business-specific rules after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday relaxed its guidance for those who are fully vaccinated. In a significant shift, the CDC said Thursday that fully vaccinated people can now go safely without face coverings in most indoor and outdoor settings. But many communities across the state — including Anchorage and Juneau — still require mask-wearing in most public settings, and most as of Thursday afternoon had yet to make any changes based on the latest guidance. (Berman, 5/13)

AP: California Counties Await Mask, Social Distancing Guidance
It wasn’t clear heading into Friday when and whether California would adopt new health guidelines after the federal government said fully vaccinated people can quit wearing face coverings and social distancing in most situations outside or inside. Counties across California are waiting for word from the state on potential new guidance following Thursday’s announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings, such as buses, planes, hospitals and prisons, and says residents should follow local rules. California’s Department of Public Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Weber and Har, 5/14)

Indianapolis Star: CDC Mask Update: Indianapolis Won't Lift Mask Mandate Despite CDC Take
The Marion County Public Health Department will review the guidance along with local COVID-19 case and vaccination rates and make a recommendation to the City-County Council, said Dr. Virginia A. Caine, department director and chief medical officer. The revisions in the CDC guidelines speak to the vaccine’s efficacy when it comes to preventing serious illness and death, Caine said in an emailed statement. “In Marion County, the outlook is good — but efforts to get more people vaccinated and reduce the impact of COVID-19 continue,” she said. (Rudavsky, 5/13)

New York Post: Gov. Cuomo Says NY Isn't Ready To Follow Federal Advice On Going Maskless
Pandemic-weary New Yorkers had their hopes deflated Thursday when Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he wasn’t ready to ease the state’s mask mandate — even though the feds gave the green light for vaccinated Americans to finally show their faces and gather indoors again. (Hogan and Golding, 5/13)

In related news from Florida —

CBS News: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Says He'll Pardon Residents Charged With Breaking COVID-19 Protocols 
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Thursday that he'll pardon anyone in the state who has been charged for violating COVID-19 safety measures like masking and social distancing. DeSantis made the announcement on Fox News while discussing the case of two gym owners who faced criminal penalties for refusing to enforce social distancing and mask mandates in their establishment. (Powell, 5/13)

CNN: Stores Like CVS, Walgreens And Macy's Review Mask Policies After New CDC Guidance 
CVS, Walgreens and Macy's said they are reviewing their requirements for facial coverings following new CDC guidance easing mask wearing for people vaccinated against Covid-19. The CDC said Thursday that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances such as in healthcare settings, on public transportation, or in areas where governments require masks. The CDC also said people will still need to follow workplace and local businesses' mask guidance. (Meyersohn and Wiener-Bronner, 5/13)

Bloomberg: CDC’s U-Turn Puts Business In ‘Damned If You Do’ (Or Don’t) Bind
Companies are rushing to assess their mask policies after a sudden announcement by U.S. officials put newly relaxed federal guidelines in conflict with the rules at many businesses. Home Depot Inc. and TJX Cos. said they don’t immediately plan to change their policies advising face coverings be worn inside their stores, while Macy’s Inc., Levi Strauss & Co. and Gap Inc. said they’re reviewing the new guidance. The National Restaurant Association is also looking at the recommendations and is evaluating its Covid-19 operating guidance and best practices for restaurants, while some banks are indicating they’ll continue to require face coverings -- at least for now. (Clough, Boyle and Court, 5/13)

NPR: Shopping Without A Mask Depends On Where You Live, Despite New CDC Guidelines
"Now is the moment" to relax the guidance for vaccinated Americans, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Thursday. She credited a drop in infections, effective vaccines and availability of the shots to nearly everyone who wants one. But local and state leaders in some places are still telling people to adhere to existing face-covering and social distancing guidelines, and businesses generally need to stick with the restrictions. It's no surprise then that the sweeping reversal is causing some confusion about how people should behave out in the world — specifically in grocery stores. (Romo, 5/13)

The Wall Street Journal: With Busy Airports And Restaurants, U.S. Moves Closer To Full Reopening
The return to a pre-pandemic normal in the U.S. is gaining speed. The New York City subway hit its highest daily ridership since March 13, 2020, with some 2.2 million riders last Friday. More than 1.7 million people traveled through the nation’s airports on Sunday, the most since the start of the pandemic. The San Francisco Symphony held its first in-person performance in more than a year, and the Kansas City Symphony plans to return later this month to its concert hall. (West, 5/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Newly Reported U.S. Infections Edge Up 
Newly reported coronavirus cases in the U.S. edged up, as federal health officials revised their recommendations for fully vaccinated people. The U.S. reported more than 38,000 new cases for Thursday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University that was published early Friday. The data may update later. Thursday’s figure was slightly higher than the 35,878 new cases reported on Wednesday but marked the sixth consecutive day that the daily total was below 40,000. (Hall, 5/14)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada COVID-19 Cases, Deaths Above Average Again
Updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 320,150 cases and 5,523 deaths. New cases remained higher than the 14-day moving average of daily reported cases, which dropped slightly to 213. Deaths were also higher than the average daily total of three recorded over the same period. State officials have said that due to delayed reports and redistributed data, it is normal for daily increases to be higher than the moving averages. State and county health agencies redistribute the daily data after it is reported to better reflect the date of death or onset of symptoms, which is why the moving-average trend lines frequently differ from daily reports and are considered better indicators of the direction of the outbreak. (Newberg, 5/13)

Arkansas Online: State's Covid Hospitalizations, New Cases Inch Up; Ventilator Use Falls
The number of Arkansans hospitalized with covid-19 rose Thursday to its highest level in a week, while the state's count of cases rose by 192. The increase in cases was the first one in three days that was higher than the one a week earlier, although it was only higher by four. The state's official death toll from the virus since March 2020, as tracked by the Arkansas Department of Health, rose by six, to 5,783. "Our case numbers and hospitalizations continue to remain at the levels we’ve seen over the past week," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet. "We still have work to do on the vaccination front, but we had a good day with an increase of over 10,000 doses administered. I hope you’ll do your part to protect your community." (Davis, 5/13)

In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —

Reuters: COVID-19 Lab Leak Theory Cannot Be Ruled Out, Leading Scientists Say 
The origin of the novel coronavirus is still unclear and the theory that it was caused by a laboratory leak needs to be taken seriously until there is a rigorous data-led investigation that proves it wrong, a group of leading scientists said. COVID-19, which emerged in China in late 2019, has killed 3.34 million people, cost the world trillions of dollars in lost income and upended normal life for billions of people. (Faulconbridge, 5/14)

CNN: NY Yankees Covid-19: How Vaccinated Members Tested Positive For Coronavirus
Eight members of the New York Yankees have tested positive for coronavirus this week despite being inoculated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the baseball team said Thursday. The eight infected Yankees include coaches, staff members and a player. Seven do not have symptoms, said Jason Zillo, the team's vice president of communications. The Yankees said the eight infected members received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two weeks ago. (Yan, De La Fuente and Close, 5/14)

Deadline: ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ Cancels This Week’s Show After HBO Host Tests Positive For Covid-19
HBO has scrapped this week’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher after the comedian tested positive for Covid-19. Maher, who is vaccinated and asymptomatic, tested positive during the premium cable network’s weekly PCR testing ahead of the show. ... After the story broke, Maher posted on social media that he was upset about ending his streak, going back to 1993, to have never missed an episode of Politically Incorrect or Real Time. (White and Pedersen, 5/13)

In other covid updates —

The Wall Street Journal: New York City Begins Burial Plans For Bodies In Covid-19 Mortuary
New York City officials say they will soon begin interment plans for hundreds of bodies of people who died during the Covid-19 pandemic and have been stored for months—and in some cases a year—in freezer units in a temporary mortuary. Earlier this week, a team of 10 forensic investigators in the city’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner began a final push to contact next of kin for the deceased, the officials said. (Berger, 5/13)

Fox News: Pennsylvania Attorney General Investigating Massive Coronavirus Contact Tracing Data Breach
The Pennsylvania attorney general said Wednesday his office launched investigations into a data breach stemming from coronavirus contact tracing efforts that potentially exposed the personal information of over 72,000 people. "Any allegations of sensitive personal information being mismanaged or leaked is a serious matter. My office has opened investigations into this data breach on multiple fronts and as such we will have no further comment at this time," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a written statement shared with Fox News. (Rivas, 5/13)

CIDRAP: Most Long-Haul COVID-19 Patients Younger, Healthier, Mayo Clinic Says
The inaugural cohort of Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 Activity Rehabilitation Program (CARP) for post–COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) were mostly women, younger, had few pre-existing comorbidities, and experienced milder forms of COVID-19, but only a third were able to return to full-time work. The descriptive study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, involved 100 CARP participants from June to December 2020 and found the most common ailments to be fatigue (80%), neurologic complaints like headaches (59%), and respiratory complaints like breathlessness (59%). Other symptoms included cognitive impairment, sleep disturbance, and mental health symptoms. A little over a third of patients (34%) said they had difficulties performing basic daily activities, and only one in three who had been employed had fully returned to unrestricted work by the time they were evaluated. (5/13)

Fox News: Erectile Dysfunction Linked To Prior Coronavirus Infection In Small Study
Researchers say penile tissue samples collected from two men who had recovered from coronavirus months prior suggest that the impact of the illness may contribute to erectile dysfunction. The study, which only involved four men, was conducted by University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers who said it’s the latest evidence suggesting a link between the two. "Our research shows that COVID-19 can cause widespread endothelial dysfunction in organ systems beyond the lungs and kidneys," Ranjith Ramasamy, M.D., associated professor and director of the Miller School’s Reproductive Urology Program, said in a news release posted on EurekAlert.org. "In our pilot study, we found that men who previously did not complain of erectile dysfunction developed pretty severe erectile dysfunction on after the onset of COVID-19 infection." (Hein, 5/13)

The New York Times: ‘I Just Got My Vaccine’: U.S. Rollout Expands to Children Ages 12 to 15 
Eduardo Torres, 53, was up early in Chicago on Thursday when he heard the news on the television: younger adolescents, including his 14-year-old daughter, Raquel, were now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. It was a moment his family had been waiting for. “I told my wife, ‘I’ve got to take her to get vaccinated, immediately,’” said Mr. Torres, who pulled his daughter out of school and hurried her to a vaccination site near Wrigley Field, where Raquel became among the first children in her age group in the country to get vaccinated. (Mervosh, 5/13)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis-Area Parents Line Up Early, Eager To Get Young Teens Vaccinated 
Upon hearing the news that children ages 12 through 15 would be able to get COVID-19 vaccine shots as soon as Thursday, Kerri Alper of Chesterfield immediately booked 7:40 a.m. appointments at Mercy for her two young teens. After more than a year of not doing much outside of going to school or work, “getting the girls vaccinated is the last piece of the puzzle to safely return to more normal,” said Alper, 48. (Munz, 5/13)

Detroit Free Press: Shot In The Arm For Teens Getting First COVID Vaccines In Detroit
Lisa Sanchez Metropoulos spent the last year in the coronavirus pandemic telling her 12-year-old son, who has asthma, no — no to sports, no to friends, no to family. "As a mom to look at him and say that every time ... it's heartbreaking," the Genesee County mother of two said Thursday. "So, when we heard the news that the (Pfizer COVID-19) vaccine would be available to kids 12 and up, I mean, I have to say, honestly, I did a little happy dance. And I had tears in my eyes." (Hall and Shamus, 5/14)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Teens And Preteens Join Fight Against Pandemic As Kids 12-15 Start Getting COVID Vaccine 
Over the last 15 months, 12-year-old Jonas Soriano has rounded the corner from childhood into adolescence, but mostly behind closed doors and under the cover of a face mask. The St. Paul’s School for Boys sixth-grader has watched the clock tick away, mostly at home, where he spent just about all his time outside of school. On Thursday, just after noon — moments before he rolled up his sleeve for the COVID-19 vaccine — he recalled the feeling of having to wear masks inside the house as his Reisterstown family struggled to navigate what the public health crisis meant for them. (Miller, 5/13)

CBS News: Fauci Says "We Should Be Encouraging" Kids To Get Vaccinated, But Requiring It Is "Debatable" 
Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging parents to get their kids vaccinated against COVID-19 — but stopped short of saying they should be a requirement for going back to school. "Whenever you're talking about requiring something, that's always a charged issue. So I'm not so sure we should be requiring children at all," President Biden's chief medical adviser said on "CBS This Morning" Thursday. "We should be encouraging them." (Elkind, 5/13)

In related news about vaccines for children —

The Baltimore Sun: Novavax Begins Vaccinating Children In Trial At University Of Maryland School Of Medicine 
Another COVID vaccine maker, Gaithersburg-based Novavax, has begun testing its inoculation’s effectiveness in adolescents, and the first kids ages 12-17 were injected this week at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The trial launched earlier this month nationwide. It will test the coronavirus vaccine on 3,000 kids at 75 sites and increase the likelihood that one more vaccine will soon be available for children. (Cohn, 5/13)

The Hill: Fauci Says School Should Be Open 'Full Blast' Five Days A Week In The Fall
Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said Thursday that schools in the fall should be open “full blast” five days a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 resume life without masks or other restrictions. When asked by host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” if he agreed with CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and the president of the American Federation of Teachers that schools in the fall should be 100 percent open and in-person five days a week, Fauci said he did. (Schnell, 5/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Teachers Union Head Calls For Schools To Be Open Full Time This Fall 
The president of one of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions said school should reopen five days a week this fall, pointing to improving conditions and the academic, emotional and social effects that more than a year of disrupted school have had on students. “There is no doubt: Schools must be open, in person, five days a week, with the space and facilities to do so,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a speech streamed online. “Given current circumstances,” she added, “nothing should stand in the way of fully reopening our public schools this fall and keeping them open.” (Calfas, 5/13)

The New York Times: President Of Key Teachers’ Union Shares Plea: ‘Schools Must Be Open’ In Fall 
But her remarks came on the same day that federal health officials advised that fully vaccinated individuals could stop masking and distancing in most indoor and outdoor settings. The timing seemed to underscore just how cautious schools have been and the pressure they will be under to reopen. It is not entirely clear how the guidance will apply to schools, since it is not known when vaccines will be approved for students under 12 and what percentage of older students will be vaccinated when schools open in the fall. (Goldstein, 5/13)

In updates from Washington state —

Seattle Times: All Washington Districts Will Open Schools This Fall, State Says 
Washington schools are expected to fully open to in-person learning in the fall, the state’s top education official, Chris Reykdal, announced Thursday afternoon. The move comes as part of a sweeping plan by government officials on Thursday to soon lift several COVID-19 restrictions in Washington and nationwide. Returning to school buildings full time would restore some sense of normalcy for Washington’s 1.1 million schoolchildren after more than a year away from classrooms during the pandemic. (Furfaro, 5/13)

The Washington Post: Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine Allocation For States Dwindles To Zero
The Biden administration will stop shipping doses of Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to states next week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as a contamination incident two months ago at a Baltimore subcontractor continues to disrupt domestic production. No new shipments for the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine were included Thursday in the CDC’s weekly update on expected vaccine shipments. Shipments of the first and second doses of the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will continue next week uninterrupted, according to the CDC shipment schedules. (Rowland and Stanley-Becker, 5/13)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

Salt Lake Tribune: One In Three Utahns Is Now Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Almost 2.36 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Utah, and 1.084 million people are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. That’s a third of the state’s total population who have received either both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. According to the Utah Department of Health, 1.37 million Utahns have received at least one dose. The state also reported six more deaths caused by COVID-19. Three of those occurred before April 13 and were only recently confirmed to be the result of the coronavirus. (Pierce, 5/13)

KHN: Latinos Are The Most Eager To Get Vaccinated, Survey Shows — But Face Obstacles
Hispanics who have yet to receive a covid shot are about twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites or Blacks to say they’d like to get vaccinated as soon as possible, according to a survey released Thursday. The findings hint at fixable, though difficult, vaccine access problems for the population. One-third of unvaccinated Hispanics say they want the shots, compared with 17% of Blacks and 16% of whites, according to the survey released Thursday by KFF. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.) (Almendrala, 5/13)

Stat: Uncertain Protection From Covid Vaccines Leaves Cancer Patients In Limbo
After 14 long months of near-isolation, Michele Nadeem-Baker was ready for her Covid-19 vaccination. Diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2012, she knew her cancer made her more vulnerable to severe illness should she become infected with Covid-19. She would leave her home in Charlestown, Mass., only to walk her chocolate lab, Gabby, with her husband, dreaming of a day when she would no longer need to keep her distance from other family and friends. She’s fully vaccinated now, but Nadeem-Baker feels left behind by the vaccine euphoria sweeping the country as it resumes something like normal life. (Cooney, 5/14)

In updates on vaccine requirements and 'passports' —

Detroit Free Press: Michigan House, Senate GOP Take Steps To Ban Vaccine Passports
Michigan Republican lawmakers took additional steps Thursday to ban the government from mandating COVID-19 vaccinations, despite having no indication that any state or local agency is pursuing such a requirement. The House Oversight Committee approved an overhauled version of a measure prohibiting a governmental entity from producing or distributing a vaccine passport. The measure also disallows a governmental entity from fining someone for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine. (Boucher, 5/13)

The New York Times: As Broadway Plans Its Return, ‘Hamilton’ Will Require Vaccines Backstage 
As Broadway prepares for a fall reopening, the “Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller said he will mandate that all of his show’s employees, including the cast and the backstage crew, be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Seller is the first producer to make such a declaration publicly, and it is not clear whether any of Broadway’s many labor unions could or would challenge such an effort. (Paulson, 5/13)

Axios: Travel Bookings Are Surging As Vaccines Unleash Pent-Up Demand 
Multiple indicators now show how pent-up travel demand is playing out, as the U.S. exits lockdown mode. Close to half of all Americans have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, enabling a growing economic recovery in the hard-hit travel and leisure sectors. (King, 5/13)

NPR: Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows
Researchers have found just 12 people are responsible for the bulk of the misleading claims and outright lies about COVID-19 vaccines that proliferate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. "The 'Disinformation Dozen' produce 65% of the shares of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms," said Imran Ahmed, chief executive officer of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which identified the accounts. (Bond, 5/13)

CBS News: The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine Is A Top Target Of Conspiracy Theories 
The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine became a target of conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns as soon as it was announced, reaching millions of people on sites like Twitter, Reddit and 4chan, according to a recent analysis from a cyber defense firm. COVID-19 conspiracy narratives, like the false belief that the vaccine was delayed for political reasons, flourished on social networks in the fall and early winter, according to the New York tech security firm Blackbird. The firm created an algorithm to analyze posts in real-time by hunting for signals of what CEO Wasim Khaled calls "synthetic amplification," which indicate activity by botnets and anti-vaccination influencers. (Patterson, 5/13)

Axios: Misinformation Is Just One Part Of A Vaccine Trust Problem 
COVID-19 is the first major pandemic in the social media era — offering experts a rare opening to study the relationship between online misinformation and human behavior on a large scale. As misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines runs rampant, researchers are trying to measure how much memes and messages with false information can alter someone's decision to get vaccinated. (Snyder and Fischer, 5/13)

Fox News: Prince Harry Slams Joe Rogan Over Spreading COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation 
Prince Harry wasn't happy with the comments fellow podcast host and comedian Joe Rogan made about the coronavirus vaccine. The Duke of Sussex, who appeared on Dax Shepard and Monica Padman’s "Armchair Expert" podcast on Thursday, slammed Rogan for spreading misinformation. "The issue is in today’s world with misinformation endemic, you’ve got to be careful about what comes out of your mouth," Harry said.  (Napoli, 5/13)

The Washington Post: Biden Announces $7.4 Billion To Hire More Public Health Workers Amid Pandemic 
The White House announced Thursday that it is investing $7.4 billion to hire more public health workers to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and future health crises. The money will come from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which Congress passed in March. The funds could give a much-needed boost to America’s crumbling public health infrastructure. After decades of chronic underfunding, U.S. public health departments last year showed how ill-equipped they are to carry out basic functions, let alone serve as the last line of defense against the most acute threat to the nation’s health in generations. (Wan, 5/13)

In news about vaccine patents —

The Wall Street Journal: Surgeon General Says Covid-19 Vaccine Waiver Is A Step To Increase Global Supply 
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said the world is in a race to stop Covid-19 variants like the one spreading through India, saying that a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights for vaccines was one step toward increasing supply and that booster shots might also be needed. Dr. Murthy said during The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival that the three vaccines used in the U.S. have so far proven to be effective against severe infection and death when it comes to variants like the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the U.K. But he said more research was needed to determine the level of protection those vaccines offer against B.1.617, which originated in India and was classified this week by the World Health Organization as a global “variant of concern.” (Parti, 5/13)

Axios: Pfizer Makes Case To Congress Against Waiving Vaccine Patent Rights 
Waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines won't do much to help with global access issues, and could actually cause setbacks to the world's vaccination effort, Pfizer wrote to a group of Democratic senators in a letter obtained by Axios. Pfizer — and the drug industry writ large — is on the defensive after the Biden administration announced it would support waiving vaccine patent rights. Pfizer alone likely has billions of dollars at stake. (Owens, 5/13)

KHN: Listen: Pandemics, Patents And Profits 
President Joe Biden has thrown his support to an international effort to waive drugmakers’ patent rights on the covid vaccines, but the pharmaceutical industry vows to fight back. Julie Rovner, KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, joins The Atlantic’s “Social Distance” podcast, hosted by Dr. James Hamblin and Maeve Higgins, to talk about the current patent controversy and how the drug industry has protected itself over the years with vibrant campaigns about the needs for high profits to support drug development. (5/14)

In other news about the federal government —

New Orleans Times-Picayune: LSU Medical School Whistleblower Placed On Leave, Says It's Retaliation In Sexual Harassment Case
LSU has placed a whistleblower at its Shreveport medical school on administrative leave in what her attorney charges is retaliation for filing a formal complaint with the Biden administration over alleged sexual harassment and discrimination by the school’s now suspended chancellor and two former employees. “She is being unfairly targeted in a malicious and retaliatory move that we believe was orchestrated by [Chancellor Dr. Ghali E. Ghali] because of her brave involvement in the protected activity of whistleblowing and opposing discrimination both for herself and for protected learners,” attorney Allison Jones said in a press release released Thursday morning. (Poche, 5/13)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Drug Price Effort Hits A Snag 
The high cost of prescription drugs is a top health issue for the public and politicians, but concerns raised by a group of moderate Democrats threaten to derail a bill being pushed by House Democratic leaders. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine for everyone age 12 and up, and Pfizer is applying for full licensure of that vaccine. It is currently being distributed under emergency authorization. Full approval could open the door to vaccine requirements in some workplaces, schools or other gathering spots, which will likely touch off more controversy. (5/14)

Modern Healthcare: Bill Would Revamp Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization
Congress is eying changes to Medicare Advantage that would crack down on prior authorization tactics insurers use to rein in healthcare costs but can affect how providers care for patients. Rep. Susan DelBene (D-Wash.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.) and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) reintroduced a bill Thursday that aims to quicken the prior authorization process and require more transparency about how often plans deny providers' requests. Healthcare lobbyists believe the proposal could see movement this year. (Hellmann and Tepper, 5/13)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Guides States On Securing Funding For Home- And Community-Based Services
CMS on Thursday issued guidance to states on how they can get additional federal funding to increase access to home and community-based services for Medicaid beneficiaries. Congress temporarily increased states' federal matching funds for such benefits by 10% in March's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, also known as the American Rescue Plan. The funds should help Medicaid beneficiaries maintain access to long-term services and support in their home and other nearby care settings. (Brady, 5/13)

In corporate news —

Axios: Mayo Clinic And Kaiser Permanente Team Up To Scale Hospital-At-Home 
Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente announced Thursday they've teamed up to scale the use of hospital care in patients' homes, starting with a shared investment in Boston-based company called Medically Home Group. After seeing hospital capacity strained to the max amid the pandemic along with the simultaneous rise of telehealth, more patients could find themselves getting acute care in their own beds in the future. (Reed, 5/13)

Modern Healthcare: Cedar Pays $425 Million To Buy Insurance Fintech Platform
Healthcare fintech provider Cedar paid $425 million to acquire insurance fintech OODA Health on Thursday, in another example of single-point technology startups coming together to expand their reach. The New York City-based Cedar provides a direct-to-consumer platform that providers can use to translate to consumers how much they will be billed after a visit, and create custom payment plans based on individuals' credit history. OODA Health, meanwhile, offers the same service to insurer members. The combined company will use insights gained from both providers' and payers' perspective to build additional products to help insured patients the financial responsibility related to their benefits, navigate "administrative resolution" processes, automate prior authorization and more going forward, Cedar CEO Florian Otto said. (Tepper, 5/13)

Modern Healthcare: Piedmont Healthcare Grabs Market Share In Back-To-Back Hospital Deals
HCA Healthcare and University Health didn't see a way to meaningfully expand their market share in the competitive Atlanta market, leading to a string of recent hospital deals that are poised to benefit Piedmont Healthcare, merger and acquisition experts said. Piedmont will add seven hospitals to its current 11-hospital footprint via back-to-back transactions, courtesy of HCA and University Health. HCA sold its last Atlanta-area hospital to AdventHealth Thursday. (Kacik, 5/14)

In other health care industry news —

Stat: Charles River Loses A Battle Over Harvesting Horseshoe Crabs For Testing
In a setback to Charles River Laboratories (CRL), a federal judge temporarily blocked its contractors from commercially harvesting horseshoe crabs — whose blood is used for reagents — from a national wildlife refuge because the federal government did not properly authorize the work. The preliminary injunction was issued in a lawsuit filed by an environmental group that claimed the harvesting harms the crabs and threatens migratory birds that depend on crab eggs. (Silverman, 5/13)

AP: Connecticut Nursing Home Workers Postpone Planned Strikes
Unionized nursing home workers agreed to postpone strikes planned for Friday at 26 facilities across Connecticut after Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration reached an agreement with union leaders and nursing homes operators that includes $267 million in state funds to help pay for historic wage increases. The workers including nurses, nurses aides, housekeeping staff and laundry workers have threatened to walk out over what they call poverty-level wages and dangerously low staffing levels. (Haigh, 5/14)

Noticias Telemundo: Latino Mental Health Crisis Grows During Pandemic 
Over 40% of Latino adults have reported symptoms of depression during the pandemic, in contrast to 25% of white non-Hispanics, the CDC reports. The emotional distress is especially acute for Latinos who had COVID-19, some of them tell Noticias Telemundo. (Franco, 5/13)

Axios: Eva Longoria To Help With Farmworkers Mental Health Project 
Actor and filmmaker Eva Longoria Bastón is lending her name to help bring mental health services to farmworkers in the U.S. A new program called "Healing Voices," launching this month in California and Florida, will study the needs of 100 farmworkers and determine how to bring more services to workers in the fields. (Contreras, 5/13)

In other public health news —

WJCT 89.9 FM Jacksonville: FDA OKs First Overnight Contact Lenses For Myopia Management 
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first overnight orthokeratology contact lenses that manage myopia, also known as nearsightedness. The Acuvue Abiliti Overnight Therapeutic Lenses, produced by Jacksonville-based Johnson & Johnson Vision,  temporarily reshapes a patient’s cornea to reduce the rate of axial elongation. Myopia worsens when there is axial elongation in a person’s eyes, or when their eyeball’s length grows. (Wood, 5/13)

CNN: How Processed Food Drives Diet-Related Diseases 
As a nutritionist, I have been privy to lot of debate in the nutrition world about which foods keep us healthy and which foods actually cause disease. Different foods offer different nutrient benefits for overall health. And even packaged foods can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet. "The food industry works diligently to deliver a consumer marketplace full of healthy, accessible, nutrient-dense food and beverage choices," said Krystal Register, registered dietition and director of health and well-being at FMI -- The Food Industry Association, in a statement to CNN. But I know the unhealthy eating habits I see are often related to eating too many ultraprocessed foods rich in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. (Drayer, 5/13)

The New York Times: How Exercise May Help Us Flourish
Our exercise habits may influence our sense of purpose in life and our sense of purpose may affect how much we exercise, according to an interesting new study of the reciprocal effects of feeling your life has meaning and being often in motion. The study, which involved more than 18,000 middle-aged and older men and women, found that those with the most stalwart sense of purpose at the start were the most likely to become active over time, and vice versa. The findings underscore how braided the relationship between physical activity and psychological well-being can be, and how the effects often run both ways. (Reynolds, 5/12)

NBC News: Two Boys, 11 And 17, Arrested In Connection With Violent Robbery Of Elderly Asian Man
Two boys, including an 11-year-old caught driving a stolen car, were arrested Wednesday after a violent robbery of an elderly Asian man in Northern California, officials said. The 80-year-old victim was strolling near the 14200 block of Acapulco Road in San Leandro, about 12 miles south of downtown Oakland, Saturday afternoon when two people in hoodies jumped him and swiped his Fitbit in an attack captured on a home security camera. (Li, 5/13)

The Hill: Accused Murderer Robert Durst Diagnosed With Bladder Cancer, Lawyers Ask For Indefinite Postponement Of Trial
Robert Durst, the subject of the HBO crime documentary “The Jinx” who is on trial for murder, has been diagnosed with bladder cancer that is not being treated, CNN reported on Thursday, citing Durst’s attorneys. Durst’s legal team is now asking that his trial, which is set to resume on Monday, be postponed indefinitely due to a “myriad of life-threatening health issues,” CNN reported. (Schnell, 5/13)

In news about covid's economic toll —

NBC News: Ohio, Georgia Join Growing List Of GOP-Led States Opting Out Of Federal Unemployment Benefits
The Republican governors of Ohio and Georgia announced on Thursday their respective states will opt out of receiving federal enhanced unemployment benefits, joining a growing list of GOP-led states dropping the pandemic-related benefit. (Clark, 5/13)

Bloomberg: McDonald’s, Amazon Accelerate Push Toward Higher Minimum Wage
As the U.S. economy rebounds from the ravages of Covid-19, the country’s biggest corporations find themselves in need of workers, putting upward pressure on pay. Retail giants, fast-food chains, and ride-hailing companies are offering higher wages and cash payments. Referral and signing bonuses, rarely needed before to fill entry-level, low-wage jobs, are now commonplace. These incentives represent a slow but steady march toward a goal that lawmakers and labor activists have pursued for years, with limited success: a higher minimum wage, approaching $15 an hour. (Sasso, 5/14)

NPR: Missouri Will Not Expand Medicaid Despite Voters' Wishes, Governor Says
The battle over Medicaid expansion in Missouri reached a new boiling point Thursday as Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, announced that the state will not implement expansion, in defiance of a ballot measure passed by voters last year. The decision stems from Republican state lawmakers' refusal to appropriate funds for the expansion to the state's Medicaid program, called MO HealthNet, in the state budget bill passed last week. (Sullivan, 5/13)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Legislature Passes 'Heartbeat' Anti-Abortion Bill
State lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to sweeping new legislation that would ban abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy and allow anyone to sue providers and others who violate the guidelines. The bill, a priority in the Republican-controlled Legislature, now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott for an expected signature as early as Friday. It would take effect in early September. (Blackman and Goldenstein, 5/13)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly Health Commissioner Resigns Over Cremating MOVE Victims Without Telling Family; Kenney Apologizes
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley resigned Thursday after admitting that he arranged for the cremation and disposal of remains from victims of the 1985 MOVE bombing found about four years ago in the city Medical Examiner’s Office, but without identifying the remains or notifying family members. Mayor Jim Kenney said he asked for Farley’s resignation after learning this week of the health commissioner’s actions in 2017. (McCrystal, Whelan and Goodin-Smith, 5/14)

Stateline: As Feds Push Menthol Cigarette Ban States Weigh Broader Measures
At least eight states are considering legislation this year that would ban sales of all flavored tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, vaping products and smokeless tobacco such as snuff or chew. But critics say the proposed bans on menthol cigarettes could prompt police to target Black adults, who disproportionately use menthol tobacco products. The state measures also have hit turbulence after the federal Food and Drug Administration announced in April that the agency would move within a year to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. While backers of the state legislation say the federal move boosts the momentum for bans, opponents from the tobacco industry now argue that since the FDA is set to take action, states don’t have to. (Povich, 5/13)

Los Angeles Times: Order To Offer Shelter To Everyone On L.A. Skid Row Paused
A panel of judges from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily froze the deadlines of a federal order to offer housing or shelter to everyone on Los Angeles’ skid row by October. Last month, the city and county of Los Angeles filed an appeal of a sweeping injunction from U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ordering urgent action to get people off skid row. In their appeal to the 9th Circuit, the city and county asked for the deadlines to be suspended while their appeal is heard. (Oreskes, 5/13)

Billings Gazette: Montana Mental Health Situation Worsened By COVID-19, Expert Says
The COVID-19 pandemic has made a bad Montana mental health situation worse and more health care employees are needed, a Billings treatment center CEO told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday. Every part of the mental health industry has been stretched to the max during the pandemic, said Lenette Kosovich, Rimrock Foundation CEO. She told the Senate Finance Committee’s subcommittee on Health Care that a federal funding commitment to staffing will be needed long after the pandemic ends. (Lutey, 5/12)

Georgia Health News: Will Mental Health Commission’s Ideas Be Ignored? 
Last year, as Georgia endured the strain of COVID-19, a blue-ribbon commission quietly held regular meetings about how to improve mental health services in the state. The panel issued its report in January, just as the state Legislature convened in Atlanta for its annual session. The experts had spent over a year developing more than 50 recommended changes to the state’s laws, policies and budgetary priorities that they believed would improve the mental health of Georgians. (Grapevine, 5/13)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Family Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit In Atlanta Teen’s Jail Death
The family of an 18-year-old who died two years ago at the Fulton County Jail has filed a lawsuit against the facility’s health care provider alleging the high schooler’s death could have been prevented. Tyrique Jameal Tookes was found dead in his cell May 4, 2019, after complaining of chest pain for about two weeks, the GBI said previously. The lawsuit recently filed by the teen’s parents alleges that Tookes would still be alive had the jail’s medical staff taken his complaints seriously and gotten him to the hospital for X-rays. (Abusaid, 5/13)

Yahoo News: Japan Expands Coronavirus Emergency As 350,000 Sign 'Cancel Olympics' Petition
Japan expanded a coronavirus state of emergency Friday, just 10 weeks before the Olympics, as campaigners submitted a petition with more than 350,000 signatures calling for the Games to be scrapped. With Tokyo and other areas already under emergency orders until the end of May, three more regions -- including northern Hokkaido, which will host the Olympic marathon -- now join them. (Hussein and Hasegawa, 5/14)

AP: EXPLAINER: Why Japan Has Been Slow To Roll Out Vaccinations
Japan’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines began belatedly in mid-February, months behind the United States and many other countries. Officials blamed a shortage of Pfizer Inc. vaccine from Europe as the main culprit in the delay. But three months later, with shipments stabilized and officials attempting to accelerate vaccinations, Japan remains one of the world’s least protected. Officials say there is a critical shortage of trained staff to give shots. Despite Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s pledge to have all eligible people fully vaccinated by the end of September, some officials say it could take until next year. It will be impossible for Japan to achieve protective “herd immunity” in the two months before the Tokyo Olympics are to begin. (Yamaguchi, 5/14)

In other global developments —

Roll Call: Vaccine Makers Pressed By Lawmakers, Investors To Speed Global Access To Shots 
Pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, are under pressure from governments and their own shareholders to ramp up access to COVID-19 vaccines as global distribution of the shots remains wildly unequal. The U.S. reportedly bought enough doses to fully vaccinate over 700 million people, more than twice its population. Meanwhile, nearly a dozen countries in Africa and elsewhere are still waiting to get vaccines, and many more have only enough for a fraction of their citizens, according to the World Health Organization. (Weiss, 5/13)

AP: When Will COVID-19 Vaccines Be Widely Available Globally?
When will COVID-19 vaccines be widely available globally? Experts say it could be 2023 or later before the shots are widely available in some countries. The United States, Israel and the United Kingdom are among the nations where about half or more of the population has gotten at least one shot. In some countries, including South Africa, Pakistan and Venezuela, less than 1% of people have been vaccinated. In nearly a dozen countries — mostly in Africa — there have been no jabs at all. (Milko, 5/13)

Axios: How Countries Are Faring On COVID Vaccinations 
About 150 million vaccine doses were administered globally over the past week, the highest weekly total yet and a jump from 130 million last week. In the U.S., daily vaccinations peaked in mid-April and fell sharply as demand waned, though they've ticked up over the past few days (46% of the population has at least one dose). (Lawler, 5/13)

CNBC: UK Prepares Surge Vaccinations To Tackle Covid Variant From India
The U.K. is preparing to deliver surge vaccinations and testing in areas where the new Covid-19 variant first detected in India is spreading. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told BBC TV on Friday that the government would “flex” its inoculation program to direct more doses to the most affected areas, while second doses could be brought forward. (Smith, 5/14)

The Washington Post: Singapore, Once Nearly Covid-Free, Tightens Restrictions To Fight New Pandemic Wave
For months, this Southeast Asian city-state recorded new daily coronavirus cases of zero or in the single-digits. Its vaccination program, while behind the United States and Britain, is one of Asia’s most advanced. But on Friday, Singapore said that it would significantly tighten restrictions in response to a new wave of infections. For a month from May 16, people will only be allowed to socialize in groups of two. Households will be similarly limited to two visitors daily, while dining venues will be restricted to offering takeaway and delivery. Most people will return to working from home. (Ang, 5/14)

Bloomberg: South Africa Covid Cases Rise With Third Wave Imminent
South Africa is on the brink of a third wave of coronavirus infections, driven by a steady increase in new cases after a four-day holiday weekend that saw millions of people travel to see family and friends and attend religious gatherings. New infections climbed 46% in the past week with cases rising fastest in the Northern Cape and Gauteng, the country’s most-populous province, the National Department of Health said Wednesday in a statement. “We have not yet hit the third wave, however, we are at risk and we hence need to be on heightened vigilance as a country,” it said. (Wilson, 5/13)

Reuters: Big Promises, Few Doses: Why Russia’s Struggling To Make Sputnik V Doses
Transforming the site of what once was a Soviet-era car factory into a state-of-the-art facility churning out Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V was the easy bit. Making doses in bulk, finding qualified staff and getting equipment have been much bigger headaches for Moscow-based biotech firm R-Pharm and other private Russian companies picked to make the country's flagship shot to fight the pandemic. (Ivanova and Nikolskaya, 5/14)

Also —

Bloomberg: Irish Health Service Shuts Down IT System Amid Cyber Attack
Ireland’s health service has shut down its computer systems amid what it described as a “significant” cyberattack. “There is a significant ransomware attack on the HSE IT systems,” the heath service said in a tweet. “We have taken the precaution of shutting down all our our IT systems in order to protect them from this attack and to allow us fully assess the situation with our own security partners.” Covid-19 vaccinations are not impacted by the attack, the HSE said. (Flanagan, 5/14)

The Washington Post: Muslim World Celebrates The End Of Ramadan Still Under The Covid Cloud
Muslims around the world gathered to pray Thursday at dawn to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr celebration. For the second year in a row, the normally joyous occasion of family visits and feasting was held under the cloud of social distancing and enhanced restrictions due to covid-19. In Indonesia, mosques were closed in high-risk areas and authorities instituted a travel ban like the previous year to stop people from flooding into the countryside to visit their relatives. In contrast to much of the rest of the world, cases in Southeast Asia as well as India, have been rising steadily in past weeks. (Schemm and Hassan, 5/13)

CNBC: India Covid Crisis: Cases Rise But Remain Below May 7 Peak
India’s total Covid-19 cases crossed 24 million as the country fights a devastating second wave of infections that has overwhelmed its health-care system. Government data released Friday showed there were 343,144 new reported cases over a 24-hour period, where at least 4,000 people died. It was the third consecutive day where the official death toll was 4,000 or higher. (Choudhury, 5/14)

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Send COVID-19 Relief To Hard-Hit India
Several U.S. hospitals have stepped up to provide India's frontl-ine healthcare personnel with much-needed protective equipment during the current COVID-19 outbreak. Last week, suburban Chicago-based Edward-Elmhurst Health partnered with local social support organization India Hub to donate five pallets of personal protective equipment, including 3,500 isolation gowns, 6,000 N95 masks and 72,000 exam gloves to emergency relief groups in India like the Red Cross. (Ross Johnson and Kacik, 5/13)

CIDRAP: India And Its States Seek To Fill COVID-19 Vaccine Gaps 
Amid a continued surge in cases and deaths, India's government and individual states are pursuing ways to boost vaccine supplies and make the most of the doses the country currently has. India, the world's second most populous country, has administered 176 million doses, with only 2.8% of the population fully vaccinated. Though global health officials have said vaccination isn't a tool to quickly drive cases down, it is part of a key middle- and longer-range strategy for bringing it to an end. Demand for vaccine amid the country's massive outbreak has led to shortages, with some states having to postpone immunization campaigns or modify groups eligible to receive it, targeting doses to higher-risk groups. (Schnirring, 5/13)

Axios: Modi Humbled By India's Coronavirus Crisis 
After mishandling the worst domestic crisis India has faced in decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approval ratings have plummeted … to 63%. While that’s down from 74% before India’s second wave struck, per Morning Consult’s tracker, it still makes him perhaps the most popular leader of any major democracy. But despite his enduring popularity, Modi no longer appears invulnerable. (Lawler, 5/13)

AP: Misinformation Surges Amid India's COVID-19 Calamity
The man in the WhatsApp video says he has seen it work himself: A few drops of lemon juice in the nose will cure COVID-19. “If you practice what I am about to say with faith, you will be free of corona in five seconds,” says the man, dressed in traditional religious clothing. “This one lemon will protect you from the virus like a vaccine.” False cures. Terrifying stories of vaccine side effects. Baseless claims that Muslims spread the virus. Fueled by anguish, desperation and distrust of the government, rumors and hoaxes are spreading by word of mouth and on social media in India, compounding the country’s humanitarian crisis. (Klepper and Mehrotra, 5/14)

In related news —

The Washington Post: Next Door To Hard-Hit India, Coronavirus Cases Surge In Nepal
Just one month ago, after dropping steadily since a spike in the fall, the rate of coronavirus infections across Nepal plateaued at around 100 cases per day. Many hoped the worst was behind them. But with vaccine programs languishing and thousands of workers returning from neighboring, hard-hit India, cases shot up to more than 2,000 a day in late April. By last week, that figure had soared to more than 8,000. (Constable, 5/14)

Nature: How COVID Broke The Evidence Pipeline
It wasn’t long into the pandemic before Simon Carley realized we had an evidence problem. It was early 2020, and COVID-19 infections were starting to lap at the shores of the United Kingdom, where Carley is an emergency-medicine doctor at hospitals in Manchester. Carley is also a specialist in evidence-based medicine — the transformative idea that physicians should decide how to treat people by referring to rigorous evidence, such as clinical trials. As cases of COVID-19 climbed in February, Carley thought that clinicians were suddenly abandoning evidence and reaching for drugs just because they sounded biologically plausible. Early studies Carley saw being published often lacked control groups or enrolled too few people to draw firm conclusions. (Pearson, 5/12)

The Washington Post: Chronic Pain Can Be Burdensome. Isolation During The Pandemic Can Make It Worse. 
Athena Knight, who served nearly 20 years in the Army, has undergone multiple surgeries for injuries related to her military service. As a result, she has had to cope with chronic pain for many years. She also struggles with debilitating migraines, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, having been inside the Pentagon during the 9/11 terrorist attack. Until the pandemic hit, she had been able to manage her pain with physical therapy, acupuncture, meditation, electro-stimulation, non-opioid medications and — for PTSD — in-person counseling. The coronavirus disrupted those strategies for her and many others. (Cimons, 5/9)

The Washington Post: Samantha Power Wants To Restore U.S. Prestige By Getting 'Vaccines Into Arms' Around The World 
Late last fall, as Joe Biden prepared to take office and act on his promise to restore America’s global leadership, Samantha Power had something to say.It was all well and good for Biden to declare “America is back.” But nothing would prove it more, after four years of Donald Trump, than a show of sheer American competence. ... The coronavirus pandemic, she argued, provided just such an opening. By spearheading global vaccine distribution, the United States could beat China at the biggest soft-power contest in generations, regain its reputation as the world’s “indispensable” nation and, not incidentally in Power’s view, do good. (DeYoung, 5/11)

Also —

The New York Times: The Psychedelic Revolution Is Coming. Psychiatry May Never Be the Same.
It’s been a long, strange trip in the four decades since Rick Doblin, a pioneering psychedelics researcher, dropped his first hit of acid in college and decided to dedicate his life to the healing powers of mind-altering compounds. Even as antidrug campaigns led to the criminalization of Ecstasy, LSD and magic mushrooms, and drove most researchers from the field, Dr. Doblin continued his quixotic crusade with financial help from his parents. Dr. Doblin’s quest to win mainstream acceptance of psychedelics will take a significant leap forward on Monday when the journal Nature Medicine is expected to publish the results of his lab’s study on MDMA, the club drug popularly known as Ecstasy and Molly. (Jacobs, 5/9)

Scientific American: Damage To A Protective Shield Around The Brain May Lead To Alzheimer's And Other Diseases
The blood-brain barrier deteriorates with aging, but animal studies indicate repairs can make old brains look young again. (Kaufer and Friedman, 5/1)

The New York Times: Palliative Care In The ICU: What To Know About Time-Limited Trials 
In 2019, Dr. Richard Leiter, a palliative care specialist, met a patient and the man’s wife in the intensive care unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The patient, in his 70s, had heart disease and kidney problems. But he had been living at home and doing reasonably well until sepsis, a life-threatening bloodstream infection, sent him to an emergency room. He had already spent several days on a ventilator, requiring drugs to keep his blood pressure from plummeting. Now, “his kidneys were no longer working and he wasn’t waking up at all,” Dr. Leiter recalled, adding, “We were very worried that he wasn’t going to survive.” (Span, 5/10)

PBS NewsHour: It’s Time To Recognize The Damage Of Childbirth, Doctors And Mothers Say
Generations of women have quietly endured the messy business of giving birth. Even after reading stacks of pregnancy books, faithfully following their health care provider’s advice and successfully delivering a healthy baby, women often enter motherhood with what suddenly feels like a broken body. They involuntarily pee when they sneeze or cough. It hurts to sit. They may feel consumed by anxiety or depression. Often, they feel too ashamed to ask for help, especially when they are laser-focused on trying to care for their brand-new baby. Many find that when they do speak up, their concerns are waved away as part of the healing process — one of the wide array of “normal” changes that happen to the body after giving birth. (Santhanam, 5/7)

The Washington Post: A Fire Drill Led A Teen To Fight For School Accessibility 
As Catherine Contreras tells it, a fire drill changed how she saw her school. The teenager doesn’t have a disability, but some of her closest friends do, and she was with two of them in a theater class at her Maryland high school when the fire alarm started blaring. ... Her friend was frightened by the steepness of the sidewalk and the unevenness of the grassy field that the group had to pass over to get to a designated meeting spot, Contreras says. (Vargas, 5/5)

The New York Times: New Drugs Could Help Treat Obesity. Could They End The Stigma, Too? 
If these new drugs allow obesity to be treated like a chronic disease — with medications that must be taken for a lifetime — the thought is that doctors, patients and the public might understand that obesity is truly a medical condition. “We all believe this drug will change the way we see obesity being treated,” said Dr. Caroline Apovian, an obesity specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. (Kolata, 5/11)

Modern Healthcare: It's Time To Require Healthcare Workers To Get Vaccinated
As COVID-19 vaccines become increasingly available to all segments of our population, a real balance must be struck between personal choice and public safety. Nowhere is this issue more significant than in the healthcare community itself.With rare exceptions, the vaccines have proved safe and effective in preventing symptomatic COVID as well as pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission of the infection. Still, the prospect of vaccinations engenders great hesitancy and resistance in many quarters. For some, it is a distrust of any governmentally sponsored program. For others it is a deep-seated belief in personal freedom. Still others reject the science. Conspiracy theories, fertility concerns and suspicions as to potentially adverse long-term effects are difficult to overcome, even in the face of persuasive evidence to the contrary. While these tensions may disappoint vaccine advocates in the public health community, it is time to accept this reality. It may well be impossible to convince broad segments of our society as to the necessity, indeed the social responsibility, of vaccination, but the debate sharpens when considering the discrete population of healthcare workers. (Dr. Bruce Farber, 5/13)

NBC News: CDC Says No Masks Are Needed If Vaccinated. But There Are Plenty Of Reasons To Wear Them.
We sat outside together to write this article, two fully vaccinated physicians. We showed up wearing masks and looked at each other as we sat down: “Do we take them off now? ”This is the Great Mask Debate. (Dr. Gunisha Kaur, physician and human rights researcher, and Dr. Natalia S. Ivascu, cardiac anesthesiologist and intensivist, 5/13)

Los Angeles Times: Time To Trash Your Face Mask? Not So Fast 
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday announced that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may participate in activities indoors without wearing face masks or observing social distancing, even those in crowded settings. It had previously said vaccinated people could lose the mask when outdoors, which is pretty safe even for unvaccinated people. “We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said during a media briefing Thursday. (5/13)

Bloomberg: The Covid-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver Debate Is A Distraction 
The U.S. decision to support a temporary waiver of intellectual-property protections for Covid-19 vaccines won’t end debate on the issue, much less end the pandemic. Reaching a formal agreement could take months and even then may not accelerate vaccine production; opposition from countries such as Germany could yet doom any compromise. Governments, pharmaceutical companies and activists should be doing everything in their power now to scale up manufacturing, rather than hoping a waiver will solve the problem. (5/12)

Houston Chronicle: Pandemic Hit Black And Latino Communities Hardest. Texas Must Address The Root Causes.
For nearly 20 years, Guadalupe had worked in the same accounting job for the same company in Fort Bend County. Still, when the firm announced cutbacks amid COVID-19 last May, Guadalupe’s name was on the layoff list. Losing a paycheck wasn’t her only concern. “How was I going to survive without my medicine?” asked Guadalupe, whose last name is being withheld to protect her medical privacy. (Shao-Chee Sim and Ezemenari M. Obasi, 5/14)

USA Today: COVID-19 New Normal Calls For New Slogan: 'No Shirt, No Shoes – No Vaccination – No Service'
A return to normalcy and life as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic is the Holy Grail for America. And while that remains months away with only 35% of the nation fully vaccinated, a semblance of normality is already possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, already pretty conservative about pandemic guidelines, says people who have received their shots can congregate even inside without masks or distancing. (5/13)

The Washington Post: Herd Immunity Is Not A Helpful Concept For Covid-19. It’s Time To Retire It. 
Americans are unlikely to achieve herd immunity for covid-19, as public health experts have noted lately. But they also don’t need to in order to resume life free of the virus. In fact, it’s long past time that we do away with the concept as a goal for the pandemic. The term herd immunity is primarily used in infectious-disease modeling, and it refers to the point at which enough people have immunity such that disease transmission can’t be sustained. But the concept is most useful in closed populations, such as a ship, a nursing home or a herd of cows, and it has little relevance in the real world, which is far more interconnected. There is no case in which herd immunity has been achieved through natural infections aside from select, contained circumstances, yet it has become an outsize talking point in public discourse for the coronavirus. (Abraar Karan and Julie Parsonnet, 5/13)

The New York Times: Antidepressants Almost Cost This Olympian Her Career
If you’re an elite athlete today and don’t want to risk being accused of doping, you might want to skip your medicine. Don’t eat liver the night before a race. In fact, consider dropping meat altogether. Maybe avoid sex, too. Tests required by the World Anti-Doping Agency are now so sensitive, they can pick up trace amounts of banned substances from unexpected sources. When Brenda Martinez, an Olympian and one of the top track and field athletes in America, tested positive for a banned substance in September 2020, the source was a prescription drug that is not athletically performance-enhancing or even prohibited: an antidepressant. Her pills were contaminated with a diuretic that was not listed on the label and is not allowed. The episode almost derailed her career. (Lindsay Crouse, 5/13)

The Baltimore Sun: New FDA Chief, When Chosen, Must Crack Down On Clinical Trial Transparency 
The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in instilling trust in authorized and approved therapies and vaccines. Recent, repeated missteps from AstraZeneca surrounding its characterization of COVID-19 vaccine trial results, as well as possible safety concerns, have led to a clamoring call for increased FDA scrutiny of and transparency around AstraZeneca’s clinical trial data. President Biden has yet to nominate a new FDA commissioner to take the helm of this critical agency. Whoever steps into this role should commit to enforcing clinical trial transparency. Doing so is simple, requires no congressional action and will meaningfully protect patients. ( Joe Rabinovitsj, Celine Rohr and Reshma Ramachandran, 5/13)

Modesto Bee: CA Must Decriminalize Psychedelics For Health Treatments
On Oct. 20, 2018, I took five grams of psychedelic mushrooms and experienced the Divine. I was 50-years-old, married, a businessman and a father of three. I felt it was my last chance to climb out of the sense of disconnection and emptiness I’d been experiencing since the death of my mother five years earlier. I’ve always been a good self-healer. The youngest of three children from a single mother in a Mexican American community, I’d seen more than my fair share of the trauma typical of the struggling communities of America — domestic abuse, violence, alcoholism, economic uncertainty and little to no stability. (Carlos Plazola, 5/13)