First Edition: July 9, 2021

KHN: Federal Speech Rulings May Embolden Health Care Workers To Call Out Safety Issues 
Karen Jo Young wrote a letter to her local newspaper criticizing executives at the hospital where she worked as an activities coordinator, arguing that their actions led to staffing shortages and other patient safety problems. Hours after her letter was published in September 2017, officials at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth, Maine, fired her, citing a policy that no employee may give information to the news media without the direct involvement of the media office. (Meyer, 7/9)

KHN: Drugmakers’ Spending On Stock, Dividends And Executive Pay Exceeds Research, Democrats Say
The largest drug companies are far more interested in enriching themselves and investors than in developing new drugs, according to a House committee report released Thursday that argues the industry can afford to charge Medicare less for prescriptions. The report by the House Oversight and Reform Committee says that contrary to pharmaceutical industry arguments that large profits fund extensive research and innovation, the major drug companies plow more of their billions in earnings back into their own stocks, dividends and executive compensation. (McAuliff, 7/9)

KHN: Effort To Decipher Hospital Prices Yields Key Finding: Don’t Try It At Home 
A federal price transparency rule that took effect this year was supposed to give patients, employers and insurers a clearer picture of the true cost of hospital care. When the Trump administration unveiled the rule in 2019, Seema Verma, then chief of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, promised it would “upend the status quo to empower patients and put them first.” I set out to test that statement by comparing prices in two major California hospital systems. I am sorry to report that, at least for now, that status quo — the tangled web that long has cloaked hospital pricing — is alive and well. (Wolfson, 7/9)

KHN: Doctors Weigh Pros And Cons Of Prescribing Hot-Button Alzheimer’s Drug
As physicians and health policy experts debate the merits of Aduhelm, the first new drug for Alzheimer’s disease approved in 18 years, patients want to know: “Will this medication help me — and how much?” Doctors explaining the pros and cons of Aduhelm won’t have a definitive answer. “On an individual basis, it will be absolutely impossible to predict,” said Dr. Allan Levey, director of the Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Emory University. (Graham, 7/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer To Ask Regulators To Authorize Covid-19 Vaccine Booster 
Pfizer Inc. will seek clearance from U.S. regulators in coming weeks to distribute a booster shot of its Covid-19 vaccine to heighten protection against infections, as new virus strains rise. The company also said it plans to start clinical trials in August of an updated version of its vaccine that would better protect against the Delta variant. (Walker, 7/8)

The Hill: Pfizer To Seek FDA Authorization For Booster Of COVID-19 Vaccine 
"As seen in real world data released from the Israel Ministry of Health, vaccine efficacy in preventing both infection and symptomatic disease has declined six months post-vaccination, although efficacy in preventing serious illnesses remains high," Pfizer said. "Based on the totality of the data they have to date, Pfizer and BioNTech believe that a third dose may be beneficial within 6 to 12 months following the second dose to maintain highest levels of protection," the companies said. (Sullivan, 7/8)

AP: Pfizer To Seek OK For 3rd Vaccine Dose; Shots Still Protect
Two doses of most vaccines are critical to develop high levels of virus-fighting antibodies against all versions of the coronavirus, not just the delta variant -- and most of the world still is desperate to get those initial protective doses as the pandemic continues to rage. But antibodies naturally wane over time, so studies also are underway to tell if and when boosters might be needed. On Thursday, Pfizer’s Dr. Mikael Dolsten told The Associated Press that early data from the company’s booster study suggests people’s antibody levels jump five- to 10-fold after a third dose, compared to their second dose months earlier. (Neergaard, 7/9)

Bloomberg: Pfizer Outlines Booster Plans While Regulators Signal Caution
Pfizer Inc. plans to request U.S. emergency authorization in August for a third booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine, based on early data showing that it can sharply increase immune protection against the coronavirus. At the same time, however, federal health officials signaled that they would take a cautious approach to potential booster shots, and underlined that the currently available vaccines are effective at keeping people from being sickened by the coronavirus. (Langreth and Wingrove, 7/8)

The Boston Globe: Fully Vaccinated Americans Don’t Need A Booster Shot At This Time, FDA, CDC Says
Americans who are fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. In a joint statement issued late Thursday, the two federal regulators said they are engaged in a “science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary.” The statement stressed that available vaccines are effective, and that nearly all people hospitalized or dying from the virus are unvaccinated. The announcement came in the wake of news that Pfizer is about to seek US emergency authorization for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying Thursday that another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity, and “maybe” help ward off the latest worrisome delta mutant. (Bowker, 7/8)

NPR: Despite New COVID Variants, CDC Says You Don't Need Any Booster Doses Right Now
As new coronavirus variants test the protections of the available vaccines, federal health officials say there's no need for booster doses right now. "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time," read a joint statement sent Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. The agencies added that people who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe illness and death, including from emerging variants like the highly contagious delta variant that's now the dominant strain in the U.S. and in other countries. (Bowman, 7/8)

Politico: Calls Mount On FDA To Formally Endorse Covid Vaccines As Delta Surges
Pressure is growing for the FDA to grant full approval to the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines — or to at least more clearly explain to the public its decision-making process — to help convince more Americans to get their shots. Some medical experts have sounded off on social media in recent days, calling on regulators to endorse what they say the data already shows — that the two vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna made with messenger RNA technology safely and effectively prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death from the coronavirus. (Gardner, 7/8)

The New York Times: In Reversal, F.D.A. Calls For Limits On Who Gets Alzheimer’s Drug 
Under fire for approving a questionable drug for all Alzheimer’s patients, the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday greatly narrowed its previous recommendation and is now suggesting that only those with mild memory or thinking problems should receive it. The reversal, highly unusual for a drug that has been available for only a few weeks, is likely to reduce the approximate number of Americans who are eligible for the treatment to 1.5 million from six million. (Robbins and Belluck, 7/8)

Stat: FDA Revises Prescribing Information For Biogen's Alzheimer's Drug
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday changed the prescribing label for Biogen’s Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm — narrowing its recommended use to patients with milder forms of the disease. Biogen and the FDA described the Aduhelm label update as a clarification meant to better reflect data from clinical trials. But changing the label so soon will be seen as the FDA yielding to outside criticism that the drug’s approval — just one month ago — was overly permissive. (Feuerstein, 7/8)

Stat: FDA’s Expansive Aduhelm Approval Surprised Even Top Agency Officials
The Food and Drug Administration’s contentious decision to approve a new Alzheimer’s drug for every single patient with the disease surprised even top FDA officials involved in deliberations about the approval process, two senior staffers told STAT. One of the sources went further, saying they would never have supported the faster approval process that the FDA employed had they known the agency was considering such a broad patient population. (Florko, Silverman, Cohrs and Garde, 7/8)

Reuters: U.S. COVID-19 Cases Rising, Mostly Among Unvaccinated - Officials
U.S. COVID-19 cases are up around 11% over the previous week, almost entirely among people who have not been vaccinated, officials said on Thursday, as the highly infectious Delta variant becomes the dominant COVID-19 strain in the country. Around 93% of COVID-19 cases in recent days have occurred in counties with vaccination rates of less than 40%, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky told a media briefing. (O'Donnell and Mason, 7/8)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Covid-19 Hospitalizations Rise As Delta Variant Spreads
Hospitalizations related to Covid-19 are rising in the U.S. after a long decline, federal data showed, providing evidence of the human toll the Delta virus variant is taking on unvaccinated Americans. Just under 2,000 new patients were admitted to hospitals each day over the week ending July 5, a 6.8% increase over admissions during the previous week and an 88% decrease over a seven-day average of 16,492 patients admitted daily in early January, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (McKay, 7/8)

Politico: Delta Variant Said To Be Far More Widespread Than Federal Estimates 
The more-transmissible Delta coronavirus variant is believed to be significantly more widespread than the current federal projections, according to two senior Biden administration health officials with knowledge of the situation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released late Tuesday shows the Delta strain accounted for more than 51 percent of new Covid-19 cases from June 20 to July 3. But the reality on the ground is likely much higher because states and private labs are taking weeks to report testing results to the CDC, the officials said. (Banco, Goldberg and Lim, 7/8)

NPR: The Delta Variant Isn't Just Hyper-Contagious. It Also Grows More Rapidly Inside You
After months of data collection, scientists agree: The delta variant is the most contagious version of the coronavirus worldwide. It spreads about 225% faster than the original version of the virus, and it's currently dominating the outbreak in the United States. A new study, published online Wednesday, sheds light on why. It finds that the variant grows more rapidly inside people's respiratory tracts and to much higher levels, researchers at the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported. On average, people infected with the delta variant had about 1,000 times more copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts than those infected with the original strain of the coronavirus, the study reported. (Doucleff, 7/8)

NPR: Fauci Says Current Vaccines Will Stand Up To The Delta Variant
Coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. are down dramatically from last winter's peaks, but the road ahead could still be a long one, with the rapid spread of the delta variant — now the dominant strain of the virus in the U.S. — and mounting questions over how effective current vaccines are against it. Addressing those concerns in an interview Thursday with NPR's All Things Considered, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said studies continue to show that vaccines are not only effective against the virus, they're also highly effective at preventing serious disease or hospitalization. (Louise Kelly, 7/8)

The Washington Post: New Study On Delta Variant Reveals Importance Of Receiving Both Vaccine Shots, Highlights Challenges Posed By Mutations 
New laboratory research on the swiftly spreading delta variant of the coronavirus is highlighting the threats posed by viral mutations, adding urgency to calls to accelerate vaccination efforts across the planet. A peer-reviewed report from scientists in France, published Thursday in the journal Nature, found that the delta variant has mutations that allow it to evade some of the neutralizing antibodies produced by vaccines or by a natural infection. A single shot of a two-dose vaccine “barely” offers any protection, researchers reported. (Achenbach, 7/8)

AP: Arkansas Virus Cases Spike By More Than 1,200 In A Day
Arkansas’ coronavirus cases increased by more than 1,000 for the second day in a row Thursday as the state saw another spike in its hospitalizations and deaths. The Department Health reported 1,210 new virus cases, bringing its total since the pandemic began to 354,305. The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations rose by 49 to 481 and deaths increased by 11 to 5,944. (7/8)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Surge In Louisiana COVID Cases Traced To Delta Variant, Low Vaccination Rate: 'We're In It'
For weeks, experts have been bracing for the effects of the Delta variant, a version of the coronavirus first discovered in India that is twice as contagious and has an enhanced ability to evade protective antibodies. Now, a startling new surge in cases suggests that Delta is established in Louisiana and the previously beaten-back virus is once again on the rise.“I do think we’re in it,” said Dr. Joe Kanter, assistant secretary of health. “We are seeing what is likely the beginning of increases.” (Woodruff and Adelson, 7/8)

CNN: Los Angeles County Sees Exponential Growth In Covid-19 Cases As Delta Variant Becomes Dominant, Worrying Officials 
Los Angeles County -- the most populous county in the US -- is seeing "exponential growth" of Covid-19 cases as Delta takes over as the dominant strain, according to local health officials. The jump mirrors upticks in other parts of the country over the past week, as experts warn of Delta's high transmissibility. "We do continue to see an uptick in cases and hospitalizations," Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. "Deaths, fortunately continue to be relatively low, but as hospitalizations continue to increase we anticipate that deaths might also increase." (Elamroussi, 7/9)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Sees Small Spike In Positive COVID-19 Cases, Delta Variant
Wisconsin saw its highest number of positive COVID tests since early June yesterday, with over 200 new cases, according to the state Department of Health Services. Updated statistics show a rise in several new variants of the virus, including the Delta variant — a strain of the coronavirus that seems to be more transmissible and result in more severe disease — which grew by 12 cases in the last week. DHS said the Epsilon variant is no longer a variant of concern and will no longer be tracking it. Wisconsin had seen 649 total cases of that variant. (McDermott, 7/8)

AP: Missouri Governor Doesn’t Want Door-To-Door Vaccine Help
Federal officials are pushing back after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he doesn’t want government employees going door-to-door in his state to urge people to get vaccinated, even as a COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms some hospitals. Missouri asked for help last week from newly formed federal “surge response” teams as it combats an influx of cases that public health officials are blaming on fast-spreading delta variant and deep-seated concerns about the vaccine. After President Joe Biden mentioned the possibility of door-to-door promotion of the vaccine, Parson tweeted: “I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!” (Hollingsworth, 7/8)

Modern Healthcare: Trinity Health To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccinations For Workers
All 117,000 employees at the Trinity Health system must get vaccinated against COVID-19 by this fall, the not-for-profit health system announced Thursday. The mandate covers everyone, from clinical staff to contractors to anyone else working in the not-for-profit Catholic system's 91 hospitals and 113 continuing care locations. Leaders and new hires will need to be fully vaccinated by Aug. 24, and all other employees will have until Sept. 21. Workers who refuse a vaccine face termination, said Mike Slubowski, president and CEO of Livonia, Michigan-based Trinity Health. The company allows for exceptions on religious or medical grounds. (Christ, 7/8)

AP: Big Idaho Health Care Providers Mandate Staff COVID Vaccines
Three of Idaho’s largest medical care providers announced Thursday that they would require COVID-19 vaccines for eligible employees. The mandates from Primary Health Group, Saint Alphonsus Health System and St. Luke’s Health System are an effort to keep staffers and patients safe ahead of the busy cold and flu season and as coronavirus variants continue to spread in parts of the U.S. (Boone, 7/8)

AP: Man Who Refused To Wear Mask On Flight Fined $10,500
A man who refused to wear a mask on an Allegiant flight departing from Utah has been fined $10,500.The passenger refused to wear a mask over his mouth and nose on the Feb. 27 flight from Provo, Utah, to Mesa, Arizona, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday. Flight attendants said they instructed the man to wear his mask properly seven times, but he removed it each time they walked away. (7/8)

USA Today: COVID-19: Genetics Play Role In Why Some People Escape Effects: Study
It is among the lingering mysteries of COVID-19: Why do some people catchit while others – sometimes even sleeping in the same bed – escape without symptoms? Some of the factors that explain these differences have long been clear: Older adults are more likely to fall seriously ill, particularly if they smoke, are obese or have diabetes. People never exposed to the coronavirus won't get sick, of course, and exposure to a high concentration poses a higher risk for infection. The virus itself matters, too. The delta variant seems to be more contagious than earlier ones. (Weintraub, 7/8)

The Boston Globe: Genetics May Play Role In Severe Cases Of COVID-19, Study Says
Why do some people with COVID-19 end up in the hospital with life-threatening infections while others develop only mild symptoms or none at all? Well into the second year of the pandemic, doctors have identified a number of risk factors that make someone more likely to develop a severe case, including old age; diabetes; chronic kidney, liver, or lung disease; and being overweight or a smoker. (Saltzman, 7/8)

Stat: Gene Hunters Turn Up New Clues About Covid-19 
On March 16, 2020, five days after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic, Andrea Ganna, a geneticist at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, took to Twitter to make an announcement: “We are launching the ‘COVID-19 host genetics initiative,’” he wrote. He asked other scientists to join him and institute director Mark Daly in probing the world’s stores of human DNA to help answer a complicated but pressing question: Why do some unlucky people infected by the coronavirus end up gasping for air in an intensive care unit, while many others catch and spread the disease without having so much as a cough? (Molteni, 7/8)

The Wall Street Journal: In Children, Risk Of Covid-19 Death Or Serious Illness Remains Extremely Low, New Studies Find
Children are at extremely slim risk of dying from Covid-19, according to some of the most comprehensive studies to date, which indicate the threat might be even lower than previously thought. Some 99.995% of the 469,982 children in England who were infected during the year examined by researchers survived, one study found. (Roland, 7/8)

Axios: Some Clinical Trial Participants Stuck In Coronavirus Vaccine Limbo 
Tens of thousands of Americans who stepped up to help test coronavirus vaccines through clinical trials are now stuck without a standard vaccine card to prove it. State of play: Two vaccine candidates — created by Novavax and AstraZeneca, respectively — have clinical trial data suggesting they're effective, but have yet to be authorized for use in the U.S. That leaves clinical trial participants in a potentially tough spot. (Caitlin Owens, 7/9)

CIDRAP: Heart Rate Might Remain Abnormal For 79 Days During Long COVID-19
For 234 COVID-19 patients, resting heart rates (RHRs) did not return to baseline until a mean of 79 days, reports a JAMA Network Open research letter yesterday. Step counts and sleep duration both took about a month to return to normal. The researchers derived their COVID cohort from the Digital Engagement and Tracking for Early Control and Treatment (DETECT) study and analyzed data from Mar 25, 2020, to Jan 24, 2021. As a comparison, they also looked at 641 participants who had acute respiratory illness but not COVID-19. (7/8)

AP: Cold Weather Virus In Summer Baffles Docs, Worries Parents
The recent emergence of a virus that typically sickens children in colder months has baffled U.S. pediatricians and put many infants in the hospital with troublesome coughs and breathing trouble. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but can be serious for infants and the elderly. Cases dropped dramatically last year, with people staying home and social distancing, but began cropping up as pandemic restrictions eased. (Tanner, 7/8)

Fox News: Moderna Testing MRNA Flu Vaccine In Clinical Trial
Moderna has begun testing an mRNA flu vaccine in clinical trials, with the company announcing Wednesday that the first participants had been dosed in the Phase 1/2 study. The vaccine, mRNA-1010, is Moderna’s first seasonal flu vaccine candidate to enter clinical trials and will target influenza A H1n1, H3N2, and influenza B Yamagata and Victoria. The company is aiming to enroll 180 participants ages 18 years and older in the trial, and eventually aims to study combination vaccines to target multiple respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. (Hein, 7/8)

Philadelphia Inquirer: A Dog Disease Resembling Human Multiple Sclerosis May Help Treatment For Both, Penn Vet Study Suggests
Seizures, vision problems, sluggishness, a strange head tilt — every year, veterinarians at Penn Vet encounter about a dozen dogs with these perplexing symptoms. By the time that owners notice this strange behavior, the dogs have already begun a mental decline, and one third soon die. “That is in general something that’s frustrating about veterinary medicine,” said Molly Church, an assistant professor of pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “Dogs can’t tell you when they have a headache. They tend to present once the signs have gotten pretty severe.” (Nathan, 7/8)

Modern Healthcare: Leapfrog Releases Data On HCAHPS, ASCs And Children's Hospitals
New cumulative data on hospitals, children's hospitals, outpatient surgery departments and ambulatory surgical centers is out from the Leapfrog Group. Here are the five big takeaways: 1. An average of 62% of parents and caregivers gave high marks for feeling equipped on reporting concerns over preventing potential medical errors. Leapfrog Group said caregivers are almost always at their child's bedside, and are apt to notice when something is wrong and should feel empowered to speak freely. This decreases the chances of a medical error. (Gillespie, 7/8)

Modern Healthcare: Regional Hospital M&A Is On The Rise
Hospital merger and acquisition activity is rebounding as systems pursue regional combinations, according to a new report. The total revenue among hospitals that announced deals in the first half of 2021 was $17.2 billion, which was the second-highest tally since 2015, Kaufman Hall data show. There were only 27 transactions announced through the second quarter of this year—down from between 40 to 60 deals over the same span since 2015—signaling that larger health systems aim to join forces. The average size of the smaller hospital involved in the transaction was $638.6 million, which doubled the trailing five-year average. (Kacik, 7/8)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Temple Health Discloses The Deal It Got For Cancer Treatment Centers Of America’s Philly Campus
Temple University Hospital Inc. paid $12 million for the buildings, equipment, and supplies of the former Cancer Treatment Centers of American location at 1331 E. Wyoming Ave. in Northeast Philadelphia, Temple executives told bondholders Thursday. “This opens a significant and historic new chapter in our health system’s history — one which speaks to our improving clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, positive financial performance, and long-term strength of our organization,” Michael A. Young, president and chief executive of Temple University Health System, said in a June 29 news release on the completion of the acquisition. (Brubaker, 7/9)

Bloomberg: Philip Morris Beats Carlyle Bid for Asthma Drugmaker Vectura
Philip Morris International Inc. agreed to buy U.K. asthma drug maker Vectura Group Plc for $1.2 billion, one of the biggest moves yet by a tobacco company toward treating conditions that its cigarettes can help cause. Philip Morris is offering 150 pence in cash for every Vectura share, the companies said in a statement Friday. That’s 11% higher than Thursday’s closing price, and beats an offer from Carlyle Group Inc. that management had agreed to in May. Vectura shares rose as much as 13%, trading above the new bid. Carlyle said it’s considering its options. As an increasing number of people across the developed world quit smoking to improve their health, Philip Morris has focused its investment on IQOS heated-tobacco devices. Chief Executive Officer Jacek Olczak is also targeting at least $1 billion in sales outside nicotine by 2025. (Gretler, 7/9)

Modern Healthcare: Devicemaker To Pay Feds $38M Over Defective Blood Monitoring Strips
Medical device manufacturer Alere on Thursday agreed to pay the Justice Department $38.75 million to settle allegations that it knowingly sold defective blood monitoring test strips to Medicare beneficiaries. Alere and its subsidiary Alere San Diego allegedly failed to inform the Food and Drug Administration, patients and providers of issues with its INRatio blood coagulation monitor's test results. Many consumers billed Medicare to purchase the strips, which violates the False Claims Act. (Gellman, 7/8)

Stat: FDA Extends Shelf Life For Glaucoma Drug Discontinued By Pfizer
In a bid to calm anxious patients, the Food and Drug Administration has extended the shelf life of a drug used to treat a rare form of glaucoma, which Pfizer (PFE) recently discontinued and which may disappear altogether unless the company finds a suitable buyer. The agency sent a notice to health care providers on Wednesday indicating that the shelf life for the medicine, known as phospholine iodide, would now run 12 months beyond the date stamped on its packaging, which would make “additional limited inventory of product available.” (Silverman, 7/9)

The Washington Post: Western U.S. Readies For Scorching Heat This Weekend 
Days after an unprecedented heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest, killing scores, officials in the western United States on Thursday were preparing for a another round of scorching heat expected to hit this weekend. While not expected to be as deadly as the wave that caused widespread highs of 100 or more, including 116 in Portland and 108 in Seattle, temperatures in the West are likely to be up to 25 degrees above average for this time of year, according to forecasts. (Foster-Frau, Suggs and Kreidler, 7/8)

The New York Times: California Braces For Dangerous Weekend Of Record-Setting Heat 
California is bracing for another dangerous heat wave and record-breaking temperatures this weekend, just two weeks after a heat dome descended on the normally temperate Pacific Northwest, killing hundreds of people and capping North America’s hottest June on record. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for much of California beginning Friday at noon and extending into Monday night. Forecasters are predicting dangerous triple-digit highs and warm overnight lows for much of the state’s inland regions. (Paz, 7/8)

AP: Death Toll From Recent Heat Wave Climbs To 78 In Washington
Washington state’s death toll from last month’s record-breaking Pacific Northwest heat wave has risen to 78.A year earlier, Washington had just seven heat-related deaths from mid-June to the end of August, the state Department of Health said Thursday. From 2015 to 2020, there were a total of 39 deaths. (7/9)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Las Vegas Sets July 8 Heat Record At 114; All-Time Records Possible This Weekend
There is a chance that all-time temperature records could fall in the Las Vegas region this weekend, according to the latest National Weather Service forecast. Death Valley is forecast to reach 131 on Sunday, which would surpass its year-old record for the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. The Saturday high is expected to be 130. Last August 16 a high of 130 was reached at the Death Valley visitor’s center. The reading remains under review by the Climate Extreme Committee, that studies and rules on the world’s extreme temperatures. (Clemons, 7/8)

AP: Oregon Adopts Most Protective Heat Rules For Workers In US
Oregon adopted an emergency rule Thursday that strengthens requirements for employers to safeguard workers from extreme heat, including expanding access to shade and cool water in what advocates called the nation’s most protective heat rules following deadly record-high temperatures in the Pacific Northwest. “With these new rules, Oregon has a chance to lead the country in ensuring workplaces are safe from high heat, especially for those doing the most demanding and dangerous jobs like farming and construction,” said Kate Suisman, an attorney with the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project. (Selsky, 7/8)

USA Today: Tyson Recall: 9 Million Pounds Of Chicken Recalled For Listeria Risk
More Tyson Foods chicken is being recalled for possible listeria contamination. The massive recall, first announced Saturday, grew by nearly 500,000 pounds Thursday, according to an update posted on the recall notice on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service website.Approximately 8,955,296 pounds of frozen and cooked chicken products are part of the recall. (Tyko, 7/8)

The New York Times: How Weight Training May Help With Weight Control 
Lifting weights a few times a week might help us stave off obesity, according to an interesting new study of resistance exercise and body fat. It shows that people who regularly complete muscle-strengthening exercises of any kind are about 20 to 30 percent less likely to become obese over time than people who do not, whether they also work out aerobically or not. The findings indicate that weight training could be more consequential for weight control than many of us might expect, and a little lifting now may keep us lighter, later. (Reynolds, 7/7)

Los Angeles Times: Naomi Osaka Felt Pressured To Reveal Mental Health Struggles
Naomi Osaka says she felt “a great amount of pressure” to reveal her struggle with mental health issues earlier this year during an ordeal that led to her withdrawing from the French Open and taking a temporary break from the sport. The 23-year-old tennis star wrote in a first-person account for Time magazine about the series of events that started in May when she announced she would not take part in the required post-match news conferences at the French Open, citing a “disregard for athletes’ mental health.” (Schilken, 7/8)

Houston Chronicle: Fort Bend County Cities Push Mosquito-Control Efforts Amid West Nile Virus Confirmation
Now that West Nile virus has been confirmed in the mosquito population in Fort Bend County, area cities are being proactive in controlling the pests. According to one report last week, the city of Sugar Land “confirmed the presence of West Nile virus at a mosquito trap located on Morrisons Place in the New Territory subdivision.” Dr. Joe Anzaldua, the city’s medical director and health authority, is urging residents to take precautions to reduce West Nile exposure. (Kent, 7/8)

Bloomberg: Africa Had Worst Week Of Coronavirus Pandemic, Worse To Come
Africa had its worst week of the coronavirus pandemic, with cases jumping 20% in seven days, and the situation is expected to intensify, according to Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s Africa director. “For Africa the worst is yet to come as the fast moving third wave continues to gain speed and new ground in countries,” Moeti said on a conference call. The end of this wave “is still going to be several weeks away.” During the week to July 4, a record 251,000 coronavirus cases were recorded in Africa and infections are now doubling every 18 days, she said. (Kew, 7/8)

The Washington Post: South Korea Increases Social Distancing Measures As Covid Infections Hit Record 
South Korea is increasing social distancing curbs in its capital to the highest level after a steep rise in covid-19 infections amid a slow vaccine rollout. The country reported 1,316 new coronavirus cases on Friday, setting a record for the second day running. Friday’s figure is twice as high as the daily average across the first seven days of July. (Kim, 7/9)

Reuters: Cuba Says Second COVID-19 Vaccine Soberana 2 Boasts 91.2% Efficacy
Cuba said on Thursday its two-shot Soberana 2 vaccine, delivered with a booster called Soberana Plus, had proven 91.2% effective in late stage clinical trials against the coronavirus, following similar news about its Abdala vaccine. The announcement came from state-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma, which oversees the Finlay Institute, the maker of Soberana 2, and the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the producer of Abdala. Last month, Abdala was found to have a 92.28% efficacy. (Frank, 7/8)

Bloomberg: Countries Using China, Astra Shots Increasingly Eye Boosters
Growing concern that Covid-19 vaccines being deployed across much of the developing world aren’t capable of thwarting the delta variant is prompting some countries to look at offering third doses to bolster immunity against more-infectious virus strains. Though definitive evidence is yet to emerge backing the need for so-called “booster” shots, health officials from Thailand to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have already decided to offer the extra doses to some people already inoculated with vaccines from Chinese makers Sinovac Biotech Ltd., Sinopharm and from AstraZeneca Plc. (7/8)

Bloomberg: Quebec Backs Vaccine Passport To Keep Economy Open Despite Covid-19 Variants
Quebec, which had some of the toughest restrictions in North America during the pandemic, says it won’t close its economy again if there’s another outbreak. Instead, Canada’s second-most populated province will only allow fully vaccinated people to access non-essential places like bars and gyms. The passport-based approach, which is still rare in Canada, will take effect on Sept. 1, leaving Quebeckers enough time to get a second jab, Health Minister Christian Dube said. (Rastello, 7/8)

Modern Healthcare: McKesson To Sell European Businesses, Focus On Growth In The U.S. And Elsewhere
Pharmaceutical distributor McKesson Corp. plans to sell its European businesses in six countries to the Phoenix Group in order to prioritize its services in the U.S. The sale includes its businesses in France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium and Slovenia, McKesson AG's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, its German wound-care business Recucare GmbH, its shared services center in Lithuania and its 45% ownership stake in Brocacef, the company's joint venture based in the Netherlands. (Devereaux, 7/8)

AP: Oxfam: 11 People Die Of Hunger Each Minute Around The Globe
The anti-poverty organization Oxfam says 11 people die of hunger each minute and that the number facing famine-like conditions around the globe has increased six times over the last year. In a report titled “The Hunger Virus Multiplies,” Oxfam said Thursday that the death toll from famine outpaces that of COVID-19, which kills around seven people per minute. (Elhennaway, 7/9)

AP: Pope Temporarily Had Fever 3 Days After Intestinal Surgery
Pope Francis temporarily had a fever three days after intestinal surgery, but routine tests and scans proved negative, the Vatican said Thursday. The Vatican’s daily update said Francis was continuing to eat and move around unassisted, and had even sent his greetings to young cancer patients at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic hospital. But spokesman Matteo Bruni said Francis did have a “fever episode” temporarily Wednesday evening. (Winfield, 7/8)