NBC News: Biden Says Americans Can 'Remove Their Masks,' Resume Pre-Covid Work, Life Routines
President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night that the world had “reached a new moment” in the coronavirus pandemic and called on Americans to begin resuming their pre-Covid work and lifestyle routines. “Because of the progress we’ve made, because of your resilience and the tools we have, tonight I can say we are moving forward safely, back to more normal routines,” Biden said. “We can end the shutdown of schools and businesses. We have the tools we need,” he added a moment later. “It’s time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again. People working from home can feel safe to begin to return to the office. (Edelman, 3/1)

The Hill: Biden Says 'COVID-19 No Longer Need Control Our Lives' 
Biden cautioned, though, that the virus is not going to completely go away, a fine line for the administration to walk given the threat of a new, more dangerous variant in the future. The delta variant’s rise threw a wrench in the administration’s plans after Biden previously touted progress at the Fourth of July last year. “I know some are talking about ‘living with COVID-19,’” he said. “Tonight — I say that we never will just accept living with COVID-19. We will continue to combat the virus as we do other diseases. And because this virus mutates and spreads, we have to stay on guard.”  (Sullivan, 3/1)

AP: Analysis: Biden Seeks 'Reset' On Pandemic And His Presidency
Midway through his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Biden pleaded with the country to finally, after nearly 1 million deaths, stop viewing the coronavirus as a political fault line. “Let’s use this moment to reset,” he said. It was a phrase that applied to much more than the pandemic. After a first year that saw his most ambitious plans stall and his public approval ratings plunge, Biden delivered an address that sought to turn the page and prepare his party for midterm elections in November. (Megerian, 3/2)

The Washington Post: Biden Declares Pandemic Reset, Saying Covid ‘Need No Longer Control Our Lives’
The delicate balance Biden sought to strike — highlighting the wide availability of vaccines, treatments, masks and tests that people can use to protect themselves, while urging continued vigilance — underscores the challenge he faces in coming weeks and months. The administration is simultaneously under pressure to ease restrictions and enable a return to normalcy while polls show that most Americans still want some mitigation measures in place as the virus continues to circulate, if at lower levels. (Abutaleb, Sun and Diamond, 3/1)

Stat: Biden Walks A Fine Line On Covid Optimism In State Of The Union
In addition to the public health measures, Biden announced that the Department of Justice would soon appoint a chief prosecutor for pandemic fraud, with the intention of “going after the criminals who stole billions in relief money meant for small businesses and millions of Americans.” (Facher, 3/1)

KHN: Fact Check: Biden Sets High Bar In 1st State Of The Union Speech
What a difference a year makes. The speech was delivered to a largely unmasked crowd of lawmakers, justices, and Cabinet members in the House chamber. (Knight and DeGuzman, 3/2)

CNBC: People Who Test Positive For Covid Can Receive Antiviral Pills At Pharmacies For Free, Biden Says
President Joe Biden on Tuesday said the Americans who test positive for Covid-19 can receive antiviral pills for free at local pharmacies and community health centers under a new program that launches this month. “We’re launching the ‘Test to Treat’ initiative so people can get tested at a pharmacy, and if they’re positive, receive antiviral pills on the spot at no cost,” Biden said during his State of the Union speech Tuesday. The administration will launch hundreds of sites nationwide at CVS, Walgreens and Kroger as well as community health centers this month, a White House official said. (Kimball, 3/1)

The New York Times: Biden Announces Initiative To Pair Covid-19 Tests With Treatment
President Biden, looking to usher the nation out of the coronavirus crisis into what some are calling a “new normal,” used his State of the Union address Tuesday night to sketch out the next phase of his pandemic response, including a new “test to treat” initiative aimed at providing patients with new antiviral medications as soon as they learn they are infected. With caseloads declining across the country, the coronavirus — perhaps the biggest challenge of the first year of Mr. Biden’s presidency — took a back seat in the speech to Russian aggression in Ukraine and the economy. Still, the president did not miss an opportunity to give himself a pat on the back for the latest Covid-19 trends. (Stolberg, 3/1)

Axios: Biden Announces COVID "Test To Treat" Program
President Biden said tonight that more COVID antiviral treatments will become available sooner than expected and that his administration is launching a program to immediately get those pills to people who test positive for the virus. The pills dramatically reduce the chances that someone with COVID will become severely ill, making them a key tool for living with the virus. But that hinges on getting patients access to them in a timely manner after testing positive. (Owens, 3/1)

And more free tests are available from the government —

CNN: Americans Can Order Another Round Of Free At-Home Covid-19 Tests Next Week
Americans can order additional free at-home Covid-19 tests supplied by the US government starting next week. "If you already ordered free tests, tonight, I'm announcing you can order another group of tests. Go to Covidtest.gov starting next week and you can get more tests," President Joe Biden said during his Tuesday State of the Union address. In January, the government launched its effort to provide free rapid antigen tests to any household that requested them through that website or by calling 800-232-0233. There was a limit of four tests per residential address. (Dillinger and Mizelle, 3/1)

The White House may unveil more plans today —

Politico: White House To Unveil Blueprint For The Next Covid Phase 
The White House is planning to unveil its wide-ranging strategy for the next phase of the pandemic response on Wednesday morning, according to an internal document obtained by POLITICO. The Covid-19 strategy is expected to lay out how the nation can safely ease public health restrictions and restore some sense of normalcy as the U.S. enters what officials hope will be a less disruptive endemic stage of the virus. (Cancryn, 3/1)

AP: Biden Outlines COVID Plans, Says It's Time To Return To Work
His comments come ahead of the White House release of a new “National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan” on Wednesday. The White House said it would be “a roadmap that will enable us to move forward safely, and sustain and build on the progress we’ve made over the past 13 months.” In his remarks Tuesday, Biden said that in addition to starting the new antiviral initiative, his administration would allow people in the U.S. to order another round of free tests from the government. (Miller, 3/2)

Roll Call: COVID-19 Subvariants Not Expected To Slow Progress Against Pandemic
Public health experts expect the Biden administration to move carefully as it sets future pandemic policies and decides what to do with the current public health emergency because of a growing subvariant of the omicron variant of COVID-19. The new variant, known as BA.2, is more contagious than previous variants, including the original strain of omicron, BA.1, and is quickly picking up steam across the United States. But the new strain likely won’t slow the administration’s plans to ease some mitigation practices and return the country to a state of pre-pandemic normalcy. (Cohen, 3/2)

In related news about covid testing —

KHN: Covid Expert Joins Exodus Into Business, Where Science Parlays Into Profits
Millions of free covid-19 rapid tests arriving in Americans’ mailboxes are long-awaited vindication for Dr. Michael Mina, who, as a Harvard assistant professor, had been advocating for two years that the best way to limit covid is to identify it quickly, cheaply, and widely with rapid antigen tests so infected people know to isolate themselves. ... On Oct. 22, he was one of a small group of experts on a Zoom call to advise the Biden administration to urgently ramp up testing by purchasing and sending Americans free tests. But three weeks after that call, on Nov. 12, Mina announced he was leaving academia to become an executive at eMed, a startup that sells some of the most expensive rapid tests. (Hancock, 3/2)

CBS News: Biden Uses State Of The Union To Call For Focus On "Burn Pits," Which He Believes Affected His Son Beau 
President Biden on Tuesday used his first State of the Union address to issue a call to action for Congress to do more to assist veterans experiencing enduring health issues after exposure to burn pits while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, elevating a matter that hits close to home for him. Mr. Biden raised the long-term harms to veterans who were exposed to burn pit smoke while deployed overseas as he laid out his four-pronged so-called "unity agenda," which included enhanced support for veterans. (Quinn, 3/1)

Military Times: Biden Vows VA Will Do Better On Veterans’ Burn Pit Illnesses
“I’m calling on Congress: pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they deserve,” Biden said in his national address, calling it part of “a sacred obligation to equip all those we send to war and care for them and their families when they come home.” Earlier in the day, the White House announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs will recognize nine new respiratory illnesses as conditions presumed linked to veterans’ military service, fast tracking them for payouts and medical care. VA officials said the move will likely affect only about 100 veterans who were previously denied for claims linked to those rare cancers. (Shane III, 3/2)

Newsweek: What Is A Burn Pit? Joe Biden Unveils Plans To Help Veterans In State Of Union Address
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) says that burn pits were areas devoted to the open-air, uncontrolled, combustion of trash. The use of burn pits was a common waste disposal practice at military sites outside the United States, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan. Materials burned in these pits included chemicals, paint, medical and human waste, metal/aluminum cans, munitions, and other unexploded ordnance, petroleum and lubricant products, plastics and Styrofoam, rubber, wood, and discarded food. Some of the waste burned in these pits could give rise to toxic smoke-containing substances with potential to cause long and short-term health effects. The VA says that the burning of waste in such pits gives rise to more hazards than the burning of waste in controlled conditions such as commercial incinerators. (Lea, 3/2)

And more on Biden's plan to help nursing homes —

KHN: Biden’s Promise Of Better Nursing Home Care Will Require Many More Workers
The Biden administration has identified core impediments to better nursing home care in its proposed overhaul of the industry, but turning aspirations into reality will require a complex task: mandating adequate staffing levels for all homes without bankrupting those that can’t afford far higher labor costs. President Joe Biden’s proposals for the nation’s 15,000 skilled nursing facilities — released in advance of his State of the Union address Tuesday night — would lead to the most substantial increase in federal nursing home regulation since Congress reformed the industry in 1987. (Rau, 3/2)

Axios: Biden's Post-Pandemic Health Plans
President Biden used the State of the Union not only to project optimism about the direction of the pandemic, but also to launch new efforts focused on mental health care and nursing home quality — two areas that have been shown to be deeply in need of reform over the last two years. The pandemic exposed and exacerbated deep societal problems, including within the health care system, and the work of addressing them is likely just beginning. The White House announced a new strategy to address the nation's mental health crisis, including more funding to build up the mental health workforce and new ways of connecting people with the care they need. Biden also announced measures to improve nursing home quality, including minimum staffing levels. (Owens, 3/1)

NPR: Reynolds Says When It Comes To Masking And Schools, Republicans 'Actually Listened To The Science'
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds devoted a sharp paragraph or two in her speech to speak directly to the many parents in the United States who were clamoring months ago for an end to mask mandates in schools. Those parents, and the Republicans who supported them, "actually listened to the science," she said. Here Reynolds performed a deft sleight of hand — because, of course, up until last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government's arbiter of what the science actually says, supported universal masking in schools. Given the CDC's position, anyone who supported mask-free schools before the availability of vaccines or, arguably, during omicron's alarming rise, may have been listening to the science, but it's hard to argue they were following it. (Turner, 3/2)

The Atlantic: Republicans' State Of The Union Response Was A Message To Swing Voters 
Tonight was probably the first time that many Americans had ever heard of Kim Reynolds. It almost certainly won’t be the last. The 62-year-old governor of Iowa delivered the official Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address from outside the capitol in Des Moines. Reynolds has been involved in Iowa politics for more than a decade. But she’s a new face on the national stage—a female Republican leader who has managed to avoid engaging in Donald Trump’s wild-eyed conspiracy theories, while being praised by her own party for her mostly hands-off response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Godfrey, 3/1)

In remarks from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin —

The Hill: Manchin Pours Water On Biden's Attempt To Revive Build Back Better
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) poured cold water on President Biden’s attempt to revive the core elements of his Build Back Better agenda, questioning the president’s claim that passing a $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion spending package would “lower costs” for most Americans. “They just can’t help themselves,” Manchin quipped when asked by reporters after Biden’s State of the Union speech whether he was surprised by the president’s effort to try to use the moment to try to revive his stalled climate and social spending plan.  “I don’t know where that came from,” he joked. (Bolton, 3/1)

Axios: Manchin Sits With Republicans During State Of The Union
Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, opted to sit on the Republicans' side of the House chamber during President Biden's first State of the Union address. Manchin has been outspoken in recent days against what he has branded “hypocritical” policies on energy imports pursued by the Biden administration. Nonetheless, he stood repeatedly with his fellow Democrats to applaud policies outlined by the president. (Mucha, 3/1)

In other news from the State of the Union address —

The Hill: Boebert Shocks Democrats With Biden State Of The Union Interruption
In addition, [Rep. Lauren] Boebert said that she had ignored COVID-19 health protocols in place for Biden's speech. All attendees at Biden's State of the Union address, including lawmakers, staff and journalists, were required to get tested for COVID-19 the day before. Boebert said she didn't get tested and yet wasn't denied entry. (Marcos, 3/1)

NPR: State Of The Union Attendees Needed A COVID Test. 6 Legislators Tested Positive
At least six legislators announced Tuesday that they had tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the evening's State of the Union address. To attend Tuesday's speech, guests — even those who are fully vaccinated — are required to produce a negative test. Sen. Alex Padilla of California, Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida and Rep. Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania — all Democrats — announced by statements or tweets on Tuesday that they had tested positive. (Sullivan, 3/1)

NBC News: Long Covid Symptoms May Be Linked To Nerve Damage, A Small Study Suggests
A study published Tuesday could offer new clues about a potential cause of long Covid-19 symptoms — and possible avenues for treatment. The small, 17-person study, led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and the National Institutes of Health, examined the many symptoms behind long Covid and found they may, in part, be driven by long-term nerve damage. ... Evaluations of the 17 patients studied found evidence of peripheral neuropathy in 59 percent of them, or 10 people. (McCausland, 3/2)

Boston Herald: COVID Long-Hauler Says It’s Like Having ‘An Ice Pick’ In Your Brain
Nagging brain fog COVID long-haulers suffer from may be linked to nerve damage, MGH doctors suggest. “It was like having an ice pick in my brain,” one long-hauler told the Herald Monday. “I kept shivering and had chronic fatigue. I slept 13 hours at a time and the fear of not being able to breathe gave me PTSD. It was like having a spider across your lungs.” A new study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and the National Institutes of Health suggests that some patients with long-COVID have long-lasting nerve damage that appears caused by infection-triggered immune dysfunction. (Dwinell, 3/1)

NBC News: They Got ‘Long Covid.’ It Cost Them Dearly
Mike Heidenberg was forced to step away from his job at a New York college when he developed Covid-19 symptoms in the spring of 2020. Almost two years later, he still feels too sick to return to work. Heidenberg, 48, is one of an untold number of Americans grappling with the mysterious effects of what has become known as long Covid. His concerns now go beyond his health. “We can’t sustain living in this apartment we have called our home for 13 and a half years,” said Heidenberg, who had been working as a student adviser at Berkeley College in Westchester County. (Ramgopal, Schecter and McFadden, 3/1)

In other news about the spread of covid —

The Washington Post: Poll: Most Americans Say Coronavirus Is Not Yet Under Control And Support Restrictions To Curb Spread 
Most Americans say some restrictions on normal activities should remain in place to try to control the coronavirus, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, which finds that public wariness of the pandemic lingers even as federal health officials and a growing roster of governors have softened mask advice. (Goldstein and Guskin, 3/1)

Houston Chronicle: More Than Half Of Texans Have Been Infected By COVID-19, According To CDC Estimate
More than half of Texans had been infected by COVID-19 as of late January, according to a nationwide blood sample survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey was based on samples from 52 commercial laboratories across the country and included specimens that were collected as part of routine care and sick visits unrelated to the virus. The specimens were tested for a specific type of antibody developed in response to an infection but not vaccination. (Gill, 3/1)

Bangor Daily News: Almost A Quarter Of Mainers Have Likely Contracted COVID-19
Some 133,000 more Mainers may have contracted COVID-19 than the state’s official case count reflects, according to a new federal study that provides a greatly expanded picture of the number of people who may have been infected with the virus since it arrived nearly two years ago. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed blood samples taken through January in search of COVID-19 antibodies that would show people had been infected with the virus. It did not look at antibodies produced by vaccination. (Andrews, 3/2)

Fox News: Possible Deer-To Human COVID-19 Transmission Reported By Canadian Researchers 
Researchers in Canada believe they have found the "first evidence" of a deer passing the SARS-CoV-2 virus to a human. In a paper that was published last week on bioRxiv – which has yet to be peer reviewed – the authors wrote that through a "multidisciplinary research collaboration for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in Canadian wildlife," they had identified a new and "highly divergent lineage" of the virus. (Musto, 3/1)

The New York Times: Mardi Gras Resumes In New Orleans After Pandemic Lull 
Across New Orleans, in a combination of joy, defiance, trepidation and celebration, Mardi Gras returned on Tuesday with one eye on the pain of the past two years in a city especially hard hit by the pandemic and the other very much looking forward to strutting, parading and moving on. Last year, all Carnival parades were canceled, and celebrations were scaled back to small, same-household gatherings and decorated porches known as “house floats.” But this month, New Orleans’s Carnival celebration returned in full swing, raising hopes about the city’s resurgence from devastating pandemic losses. (Reckdahl and Kasakove, 3/1)

Stat: CDC Data Suggest Pfizer Vaccine Protection Holds Up In Kids 5-11
Does the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine provide less protection to children aged 5 to 11 than to adolescents 12 to 17? A study from New York state released Monday suggests that’s the case. But new data from 10 states released Tuesday tell a different story. The data, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggest that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine aren’t very protective against infection for either age group in the face of the Omicron variant, but that protection against severe illness appears to be holding up equally in both sets of children. They do not suggest more rapid waning, or more marked waning, among the younger group of children. (Branswell, 3/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine Protected Kids During Omicron, CDC Study Finds 
The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE was highly effective at reducing the risk of severe disease in children 17 years and younger during the Omicron surge but didn’t work as well at preventing infection, according to a new government study. The two-dose vaccine reduced the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization in children 5 to 11 years by 74% and by 92% or higher in children 12 to 17, according to the study published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Hopkins, 3/1)

AP: Pfizer Shots Protect Kids From Severe COVID Even In Omicron
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine gave children 5 and older strong protection against hospitalization and death even during the omicron surge that hit youngsters especially hard, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention come a day after a study of New York children suggested the vaccine may not be as effective in 5- to 11-year-olds as in older kids -- especially at blocking milder infections. That data raised the question of whether kid-sized doses given to those under 12 might be too low. (Neergaard, 3/1)

USA Today: Hawaii COVID Travel Requirements End: No More Test Or Proof Of Vaccine
Hawaii is lifting its strict COVID-19 entry requirements on March 26, Gov. David Ige announced Tuesday. Travelers will no longer need to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test to bypass a mandatory quarantine. The five-day quarantine, which has applied to those who don't show vaccine proof or a negative test, is going away, too. The state is keeping its indoor mask mandate, however. (Gilbertson, 3/1)

In related travel news —

The Wall Street Journal: Carnival And Norwegian Cruises Go Masks-Optional For Most
Major cruise lines including Carnival and Norwegian are loosening onboard mask rules starting Tuesday. Carnival Cruise Line recommends—but doesn’t require—masks on board starting March 1. The same policy goes for Norwegian Cruise Line ships departing from U.S. ports. Royal Caribbean Cruises relaxed its mask requirements for fully vaccinated guests in February. They are optional for fully vaccinated guests. (Pohle, 3/1)

And more on mandates —

The Boston Globe: Boston To Lift Mask Mandate For Some Indoor Spaces Saturday
In yet another sign of the city’s return to pre-pandemic life, the Boston Public Health Commission voted Tuesday to end the indoor mask mandate for businesses and other venues starting this weekend. The seven-member board cited a dramatic decline in rates of coronavirus infection and hospitalizations and increasing numbers of residents who are vaccinated and boosted. The unanimous vote came less than two weeks after Mayor Michelle Wu ended Boston’s proof-of-vaccination requirement for indoor dining, gyms, and entertainment venues. The face mask mandate ends on Saturday. (Fox and Gardizy, 3/1)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Likely To Drop Indoor Mask Order Friday
Los Angeles County will likely lift its universal indoor mask mandate Friday, a significant acceleration of the expected timeline following changes in federal face-covering guidance. While nothing is set in stone, the potential changes would align L.A. County’s mask rules with those unveiled Monday by the California Department of Public Health, meaning it would be strongly recommended — but not required — for both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents to wear masks in public indoor settings. (Money and Lin II, 3/1)

The Washington Post: D.C. Drops Outdoor Mask Mandate At Schools
The District will no longer require public school students and staff to wear masks while outside on school grounds, the school system’s chancellor informed families in a letter Tuesday. The new rule goes into effect immediately. (Stein, 3/1)

AP: Georgia Senate Seeks To Let Parents Nix Masks Through 2027 
Georgia senators want parents to be able to opt their children out of school mask mandates for five years, under a bill passed Tuesday. Senators voted 32-19 for an amended version of Senate Bill 514, backed by Gov. Brian Kemp. The original measure would have only allowed parents to exclude their children from face covering rules for a year, but an amendment adopted by the Senate sets a deadline of June 30, 2027. (Amy, 3/1)

AP: NYC To Wind Down Most Coronavirus Contact Tracing
New York City’s coronavirus contact tracing program will end its universal tracing efforts toward the end of the next month, with officials citing a significant caseload drop, high vaccination rates and new treatments as the rationale. “Having these strong protections in place defines a new phase in the pandemic where we can learn to live with COVID,” said Dr. Ted Long, executive director of NYC Test & Trace Corps, in an email sent to workers on Monday. (3/2)

Also —

CIDRAP: Childcare Workers Left Out Of State COVID Vaccine Mandates For Teachers
Fewer than half of US states requiring COVID-19 vaccination or routine testing of schoolteachers included childcare professionals in their mandates, leaving some young children vulnerable to infection by  unvaccinated caregivers, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics. Yale University researchers reviewed official archives of COVID-related executive orders for all 50 states and Washington, DC, as well as state COVID-19 databases, as of Nov 1, 2021. (3/1)

AP: Justices Seem To Favor Docs Convicted In Pain Pill Schemes 
In a case stemming from the opioid addiction crisis, the Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared ready to side with two imprisoned doctors who wrote thousands of prescriptions for pain medication in short periods. The justices signaled they would rule that the doctors’ trials were unfair because they were prevented from mounting a “good faith” defense that they did not intend any harm to patients. (Sherman, 3/1)

The Hill: Supreme Court Grapples With Drug-Dealing Convictions For Opioid Prescribers
The doctors, both sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, are challenging their convictions, arguing that medical professionals should not be tried as drug dealers when they believe they are prescribing medication for a legitimate medical purpose. ... The arguments on Tuesday focused on close readings of the criminal law around controlled substances, which ban the distribution of those medications unless prescribed by a licensed doctor "acting in the usual course of his professional practice." (Neidig, 3/1)

In other developments in the opioid crisis —

Stateline: States Likely To Resist CDC Proposal Easing Opioid Access
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month proposed new guidelines that would ease restrictions on prescription opioids, but states might balk at lifting limits on painkillers that have fueled the nation’s deadly overdose epidemic. The proposed recommendations aim to give millions of Americans suffering intractable and chronic pain better access to the opioid painkillers their doctors say they need. At the same time, the proposed guidelines caution against starting any new patients on the highly addictive painkillers unless nothing else works. (Vestal, 3/1)

The Hill: Synthetic Opioids Stronger Than Fentanyl Have Cropped Up In The US | TheHill
While fallout from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly contributed to the unprecedented spike in drug deaths, the highly potent synthetic opioid fentanyl — which is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine — is primarily fueling the nation’s drug overdose epidemic due to ease of production and its powerful effects.  But in recent years, there’s been a worrisome discovery in a number of states and the District of Columbia: A group of synthetic opioids called nitazenes, even more powerful than fentanyl in some of its forms, has begun to emerge.  (Guzman, 3/1)

Bloomberg: Endo Held Liable in U.S. Opioid Case After Default Judgment
A judge in Tennessee found Endo International Plc liable in an opioid-marketing case by default and is stripping the company of its legal defenses in an upcoming trial. In a rare move, the judge entered a so-called default judgment against Endo on Monday after finding the company intentionally concealed documents from Tennessee municipalities suing over its marketing of its opioid-based painkillers. The 13 counties want as much as $23 billion from Endo and other defendants in reimbursement of tax dollars spent fighting the public-health crisis. (Feeley, 3/1)

AP: Applications To Run Safe Injection Sites Being Accepted 
Organizations that want to operate so-called harm reduction centers in Rhode Island, where people dealing with addiction can take heroin and other illegal drugs under proper medical supervision, can now submit an application to the state Department of Health. (3/1)

AP: South Carolina Drug Overdose Deaths Increase 50% In 2020 
Drug overdose deaths in South Carolina increased by more than 50% after the COVID-19 pandemic started, state health officials said. Final figures from death certificates show 1,734 people died in drug overdoses in South Carolina in 2020, a 53% increase from the 1,131 deaths reported in 2019, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control said. (3/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: As Fentanyl Ravages San Francisco, There’s Been A Sudden Shift In The Debate Over A Get-Tough Method Of Rehab Emphasizing Abstinence
Desperate to combat a drug epidemic that’s cost more than 1,300 lives in the past two years, San Francisco officials are pushing to get more people into treatment and spending millions on expanding existing programs and creating new ones. Now, some city leaders and nonprofits are reviving talk of a get-tough method of rehab that has been largely rejected throughout the U.S. since the 1990s — placing a primary emphasis on requiring clients to shake their addictions without medication or relapses, loosely referred to as abstinence. (Fagan, 3/1)

North Carolina Health News: Pandemic Exacerbated Looming Nursing Shortage, Burnout 
“Family and friends say I look exhausted all of the time.” “Some days I absolutely dread going to work.” “I started having to take an (antidepressant) in order to function without breaking down every day.” These were just some of the dozens of responses to an anonymous survey in which the North Carolina Nurses Association queried registered nurses across the state on how they were doing two years into the pandemic. The survey, conducted last month, found that nurses continue to be affected by the effects of the pandemic. Many of the 229 nurses who responded to the questionnaire described themselves as experiencing burnout. (Hoban, 3/2)

AP: Senate-Passed Bill Aims To Overcome Nursing Shortage 
The Kentucky Senate took aim Tuesday at overcoming a chronic nursing shortage by boosting enrollment in nursing schools and luring out-of-state nurses into the state’s workforce. The measure cleared the Senate on a 36-0 vote and advances to the House. (Schreiner, 3/1)

In related news about nurses and nursing homes —

Cincinnati Enquirer: Cooper's Trace Skilled Nursing Center On U.S. Most Troubled List
A Blue Ash nursing center has been added by the federal government to the list of the worst facilities in the nation when it comes to quality of care. The goal of the list is to make poor-performing nursing homes improve or face the possibility of being kicked out of Medicaid and Medicare, an economic death sentence. But Cooper's Trace Skilled Nursing Center now is on the list for the second time since 2011, although the ownership has changed since the original listing. (Sutherland, 3/2)

The Boston Globe: Nurses At Roger Williams Medical Center Vote To Join Union
The nurses at Roger Williams Medical Center voted Tuesday to join the United Nurses and Allied Professionals, the state’s largest health care union. The nurses voted by a 2-1 margin in favor of joining the union. Polls closed at 4 p.m. The vote adds about 220 new union members, according to spokesman Brad Dufault. “The 2-1 margin of victory indicates deep dissatisfaction with Prospect CharterCare’s management,” said Lynn Blais, UNAP’s president. “This victory comes on the heels of hundreds of other CharterCare employees who have voted to join the UNAP over the last few years.” (Gagosz, 3/1)

Dallas Morning News: UTA Launches $4 Million Center To Improve Health Care In Rural Texas
The University of Texas at Arlington has launched the Center for Rural Health and Nursing to improve health care in rural Texas. Funded by a $4 million Texas legislative appropriation, the center is aimed at improving both rural nursing education and the health of rural residents. UTA’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation will run the center. Rural Americans face numerous health disparities compared to their urban counterparts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, respiratory disease and stroke. (Bahari, 3/1)

Miami Herald: Rules For Visiting Florida Nursing Homes May Soon Change 
Mary Shannon Daniel reads almost every comment in the Facebook support group. It’s meant for Florida families attempting to visit loved ones in long-term care, and the posts pile up quickly — especially in the last few months during the omicron wave of the coronavirus. “We haven’t seen our loved ones in 2 weeks.” “My dad is locked down as we speak. … No visits in, no visits out.” “It’s been over a month due to positive cases.” She answers all of the posts she can, informing families about current federal guidance that says families should be allowed to visit facilities, COVID-19 outbreak or not. (Critchfield and Wilson, 3/2)

And more about health care personnel —

Modern Healthcare: Primary Care Physician Turnover Costs Nearly $1 Billion Per Year, Study Finds
The U.S. healthcare industry annually spends $979 million on turnover among primary care physicians, a new study by the American Medical Association found. Of that, $260 million, or 27%, is tied to burnout-related turnover. Of the 11,339 primary care physicians included in the study, 3,006 left because of burnout, the study found. "Turnover of primary care physicians is costly to public and private payers, yet there is an opportunity to decrease unnecessary healthcare expenditures by reducing burnout-related turnover," Dr. Christine Sinsky, the study's lead author and AMA vice president of professional satisfaction, said in a news release. "Physician burnout is preventable and payers, healthcare organizations and others have a vested interest in making meaningful changes to reduce physician burnout." (Christ, 3/1)

AP: Missouri Gets New Health Chief After Backlash Over Last One 
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday named a longtime state health official as the agency’s new “acting director,” a designation that will allow her to begin work immediately without going through a potentially grueling Senate confirmation process that derailed the Republican governor’s last health chief. Parson picked Paula Nickelson, who has served in the Department of Health and Senior Services for more than 22 years, as the agency’s new leader. He said the acting title could last indefinitely, potentially through the remaining three years of his term as governor. (Lieb, 3/1)

Chicago Tribune: Dr. Ngozi Ezike Leaving Illinois Public Health Post 
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, who helped guide the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, will leave her post as Illinois’ top public health official days after the second anniversary of a pandemic being declared, a significant departure as Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration attempts to move on from coronavirus restrictions. Ezike joined the administration in early 2019 as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, typically a low-profile, bureaucratic role. But she became a familiar — and, for many, calming — presence on TV and computer screens in homes across Illinois in spring 2020 as she appeared with Pritzker at his daily briefings during the early days of the pandemic. (Petrella and Spaulding, 3/1)

Modern Healthcare: Feds Report $88B In Medical Debt On Credit Reports
Consumer credit reports contained $88 billion in medical debt as of June, a problem the federal agency that enforces financial protection rules vows to crack down on. Medical debt is far and away the most common type of liability on credit reports. On Tuesday, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials questioned whether it belongs there at all. As of last year, 58% of all third-party debt collections were for medical debt, the agency determined in a new report. About 20% of U.S. households owe medical debt, which appears on 43 million credit reports, the CFPB found. (Bannow, 3/1)

In related news about medical costs —

Axios: Higher Hospital Prices Don't Mean Better Outcomes, Study Finds
Getting care from higher-priced hospitals in an emergency doesn't necessarily result in better outcomes — at least in markets that have little competition, according to new findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Hospital prices vary considerably across regions, and persistent mergers in recent decades have been blamed for driving up the cost of privately insured patients' care. Understanding the relationship between hospital prices, market concentration and quality is important as some policymakers weigh price regulation. (Bettelheim, 3/1)

In other news from the health care industry —

Stat: In A Defamation Lawsuit, Digital Health Hype Clashes With Scientific Criticism
A retraction often marks the end of a dispute over published scientific research. But in the case of a $300 digital fertility tracker marketed by Valley Electronics, it was only the beginning. After a study on the effectiveness of its Daysy thermometer was retracted, Valley sued Chelsea Polis, a researcher who had publicly lambasted its findings, for defamation. When a federal judge threw out the case, Valley appealed, arguing that Polis went too far by calling the company “unethical” and labeling its study “junk science.” The appeal — set for March 22 — underscores the growing tensions between new, loosely regulated technologies and watchdogs insisting that published claims be supported by rigorous science. (Sheridan and Ross, 3/2)

Stat: Mental Health Tech Startups Face Pressure To Produce Strong Evidence
As smartphone apps that treat mental health conditions become more common, the companies making them are grappling with a growing imperative: If they want to succeed, they need to get a lot better at producing more compelling evidence. Interest in the mental health tech space has boomed as more stakeholders warm to the idea that software could be used to meet unmet demand for mental health treatment at a reasonable cost. Developers, fueled by unprecedented investment, are pursuing swelling product pipelines and putting out a steady flow of research papers claiming to show clinical efficacy and economic savings. But by and large, that evidence hasn’t been enough to convince highly skeptical health insurers and providers, who are still cautious to prescribe or pay for the products, broadly known as digital therapeutics. (Aguilar, 3/1)

Modern Healthcare: Humana Begins Rebrand Of $8.1 Billion Home Health Business
Humana officially kicked off the rebrand of its $8.1 billion Kindred at Home business on Tuesday, with the insurer initially focused on integrating the nation's largest home health business into its CenterWell brand in seven states. Humana, the nation's second-largest Medicare Advantage insurer with 4.9 million enrollees, said CenterWell is the nation's largest primary care group focused on older adults. In the year since CenterWell launched, the subsidiary has grown to include more than 206 primary care clinics that serve older adults insured through a variety of Medicare Advantage, traditional Medicare, Medicaid and commercial carriers—not just Humana. The company recently hired Dr. Andy Agwunobi to head this division as president, and expects to end the year with up to 260 centers, some of which are backed through a private equity partnership. (Tepper, 3/1)

In pharmaceutical and biotech developments —

The Washington Post: NIH Orders Sweeping Review Of Potentially Risky Experiments On Viruses And Other Pathogens 
The National Institutes of Health this week ordered a sweeping review of government policies for experiments involving potentially dangerous viruses and other pathogens, a move the agency said will balance the benefits and risks of such research but is unrelated to the debate over the coronavirus pandemic’s origin. The review will be conducted by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, and NIH hopes to have recommendations by the end of the year. In essence, this is a plea for help in deciding where to draw the line on research, identifying the experiments that require special safety measures or are too dangerous to be initiated. (Achenbach, 3/1)

Bloomberg: AstraZeneca Targets Global Warming Inhalers To Cut Emissions
Inhalers helping patients with chronic lung conditions breathe are also adding congestion to the Earth's atmosphere. This is spurring U.K. drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to develop a new line of devices that use a propellant with near-zero climate impact. The company isn’t alone. Rival GlaxoSmithKline Plc said last year it's working on similar planet-friendly technology. AstraZeneca is collaborating with Honeywell International Inc. on the next-generation inhalers and plans to introduce them in 2025, Ben Fenby, global head of AstraZeneca’s Aerosphere franchise, said in an interview. (Paton and Rathi, 3/2)

AP: Georgia Senate: Require In-Person Exams For Abortion Pills 
A Georgia woman would have to be examined by a physician in person and sign a consent form before she could be prescribed abortion pills under a bill passed Tuesday by the state Senate. Senate Bill 456, which passed 31-22 on a party-line vote, is part of a nationwide push by anti-abortion groups to limit the ability of physicians to prescribe abortion pills by telemedicine. It now moves to the House for more debate. (Amy, 3/1)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Senate Approves Bill To Ban The Mailing Of Abortion Pills
The Georgia Senate approved on a party-line vote a bill that would ban women from receiving the abortion pill through the mail. Senators voted 31-22 to approve the measure, with Republicans supporting the measure, which now goes to the state House. Senate Bill 456, filed by state Sen. Bruce Thompson, R-White, would require pregnant women to see a doctor in person before being able to obtain mifepristone, the abortion pill. Pills could not be sent through the mail or given on state property — or at any k-12 school or college that receives state funds. A doctor would also have to perform an ultrasound before the drugs could be prescribed and schedule a follow-up visit. (Prabhu, 3/1)

AP: House Panel Advances Bill To Regulate Medication Abortions
Kentucky lawmakers took a first step Tuesday toward putting more regulations on medication abortions, responding to the increased use of pills rather than surgery to terminate early pregnancies. A Republican-controlled House committee advanced a far-reaching abortion bill that would ban shipment of such medication by mail. It would require an in-person visit with a doctor, rather than using telehealth, before undergoing a medication abortion. (Schreiner, 3/1)

In other abortion news —

WFLA: Florida Abortion Ban: Dads Would Have To Pay Child Support At 15 Weeks Under New Amendment
More than a dozen amendments to Florida’s proposed 15-week abortion ban were filed Tuesday in its latest visit to a Senate committee. Among the proposed legislative add-ons were a requirement to start paying child support at 15 weeks. If abortions are banned at 15 weeks of gestation, the amendment proposed in the Florida Senate by Tina Scott Polsky, D-Palm Beach, would require the father of the child to start paying child support as soon as abortions are no longer legal. (Donovan, 3/1)

News5Cleveland.com: Ohio Clinics Sue To Bar New Abortion Bill
A lawsuit has been filed against the newest state abortion restriction and its regulation of doctors’ ability to practice medicine. The ACLU, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region and Women’s Med Dayton are asking a Hamilton County Common Pleas Court to keep the state from enforcing a law to create “onerous and unwarranted” restrictions to health care in Southwest Ohio in particular. (Tebben, 3/2)

The Hill: Anti-Abortion Group Targets Kelly In $1 Million Arizona Ad Campaign
The Susan B. Anthony List, a conservative anti-abortion group, launched a $1 million ad buy in Arizona on Tuesday, targeting Sen. Mark Kelly (D) over his abortion rights stance ahead of November's midterms. The buy consists of two 30 second ads, titled "Show Pony" and "Too Extreme", which paint Kelly as extreme on the issue. One of the spots hits Kelly for co-sponsoring the Women's Health Protection Act, which abortion opponents have dubbed the "Abortion on Demand Until Birth Act.” (Manchester, 3/1)

KTVB.com: Abortion Rights Protest Held At Idaho State Capitol Building 
Freeing Idaho, a coalition of organizations that support reproductive freedom, held a rally outside of the Idaho State Capitol Building on Monday, Feb. 28, at 9:00 a.m. The rally was planned after legislation, modeled after the Texas abortion ban, was introduced in the Idaho Senate. The Senate was scheduled to vote on the bill today but ended up rescheduling. (3/1)

NPR: Texas Abortion Law After 6 Months 
In the days after the new Texas abortion law known as SB 8 took effect last September, Anna was planning her wedding to her fiancé, Scott. They'd set a date for this coming May — until Anna realized her period was almost two weeks late. "I just remember laughing to myself because I was like, wow, for as responsible as I think I am all the time, I had no idea that I was pregnant — and that late," says Anna. NPR is using only her first name because of the sensitivity of her story. (McCammon and Hodges, 3/1)

CNN: Dementia Linked To Premature Menopause For Women, Study Says 
Entering menopause before age 40 is linked to a 35% higher risk of developing dementia later in life, a preliminary study finds. Premature menopause, as it is called, occurs when a woman's ovaries stop creating hormones and the menstrual cycle ends by age 40. That's about a dozen years earlier than the typical onset of menopause, which is age 52 in the United States, according to the US Department of Health and Human Service's Office on Women's Health. "What we see in this study is a modest association between premature menopause and a subsequent risk for dementia," said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, president of the American Heart Association. He was not involved in the study. (LaMotte, 3/1)

In related research about aging —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ‘Brain Clutter’ Can Impact Cognitive Health In Older Adults, Study Shows
The brains of older adults ― ages 60 to 85 — are full of so many facts, dates and so much other data. All of this knowledge translates into a lifetime’s worth of wisdom, but according to researchers, it may also be impacting memory. A study published in the March issue of Trends in Cognitive Science found that older adults are storing too much information in their brain, leading their memory to become “cluttered,” making certain types of information harder to retrieve. According to the study, older adults experience more difficulty recalling detailed information compared to younger adults. Important new information becomes knotted up with facts that are no longer relevant, leading to a jumbled storehouse of memories. (Ward, 2/28)

Fox News: Aging Faster In Adulthood Linked To Health Conditions In Adolescence
People who were obese, smoked daily or had a psychological disorder diagnosis during their adolescence years could age faster than their peers, according to researchers. In a study published at the end of last month in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, a group of international authors analyzed data from 910 participants of the New Zealand Dunedin study. The study tracked the health and behavior of residents of Dunedin, New Zealand who were born between April 1972 and March 1973, following the individuals from ages 3 to 45. The assessment later in life found at least one adolescent health condition and an outcome measure, including the pace of aging, gait speed, brain age and facial age. (Musto, 3/1)

More on the baby formula recall —

NBC News: Baby Formula Recall Spotlights Rare, Dangerous Cronobacter Sakazakii Bacteria
A recall of powdered baby formula from Abbott Laboratories is highlighting the danger of Cronobacter sakazakii, a bacterium that causes that causes rare but serious infections in infants. ... Cronobacter is found naturally in the environment and can live in dry foods, including powdered formulas, powdered milk and starches, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can affect people of all ages, but it is especially dangerous in infants. (Burke, 3/2)

NPR: Infant Formula Promoted In Misleading, Aggressive Ways, Says UNICEF/WHO Report
"Advertisements will make me buy infant formula, if I see a beautiful and chubby baby on TV, well-fed and smiling." That's the feedback from a mother in Lagos, Nigeria, one of 8,500 mothers and pregnant women in eight countries interviewed for a new report, How Marketing of Formula Milk Influences Our Decisions on Infant Feeding just released by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The report focuses on marketing practices employed by companies that make up the $55-billion-a-year global infant formula business. (Kritz, 3/1)

Health News Florida: Donated Breast Milk Is Expensive. Lawmakers Have A Plan To Help Babies Under Medicaid Get Access 
A bill moving through the Florida Legislature would help cut cost barriers when infants born prematurely need breast milk from a donation bank. “In the mommy blog world, breast milk is called liquid gold and it’s done so for a reason," said Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota. McFarland has a bill to help babies born into some of the state’s lowest-income families get access to breast milk when its needed. "In Florida, 58 percent of childbirth, the baby is on Medicaid and this donor breast milk is so helpful to those little, tiny babies to get healthy, to get out of the [neonatal intensive care unit] and back to their families quicker," McFarland said. (McCarthy, 3/1)

NPR: The ACLU Sues To Block Texas From Investigating Parents Of Trans Youth
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas and Lambda Legal have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a statewide directive that transgender rights advocates describe as an attempt to persecute trans children and their families. The suit, filed on Tuesday, is aimed at stopping the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services from enacting Gov. Greg Abbott's orders to investigate parents and doctors who provide trans children with gender-affirming care. Abbott has also suggested parents should be prosecuted. His order follows Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's nonbinding opinion last month saying that providing access to sex reassignment surgery, puberty blockers, testosterone and estrogen treatments all constituted child abuse. (Romo, 3/1)

Houston Chronicle: Family Of Trans Texas Teen Sues Abbott, DFPS As State Begins Identifying Gender-Affirming Care As Child Abuse
Three civil rights groups are swinging back at Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest offensive against transgender children with a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Republican incumbent accusing him of inflicting “terror and anxiety” among vulnerable children through discrimination and harassment. The suit follows Abbott’s edict, the week before a contentious primary election, stating that parents who allow their teenagers to seek gender-affirming care should be investigated as child abusers. The Travis County civil rights case was brought on behalf of a state employee who was put on leave from her job and had investigators show up at her home because she and her husband are supporting their 16-year-old daughter’s care for gender dysphoria. The suit targets the governor as well as the mother’s employer, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, seeking to halt the agency from treating parents as abusive if they support gender-affirming medical care for their teens. (Banks, 3/1)

The New York Times: Texas Investigates Parents Over Care For Transgender Youth, Suit Says 
Texas officials have begun investigating parents of transgender adolescents for possible child abuse, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, after Gov. Greg Abbott directed them last week to handle certain medical treatments as possible crimes. The investigations by the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services, which have not been previously reported, were started in response to an order from Mr. Abbott to the agency, the lawsuit says. (Goodman and Morris, 3/1)

In related news from Texas —

Fox News: Paxton Claps Back After Biden Condemns 'State Laws Targeting Transgender Americans'
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton responded after President Biden called on Congress to sign the Equality Act and condemned Republican state laws that he characterized as attacks on transgender Americans and their families in the State of the Union address Tuesday. "For our LGBTQ+ Americans, let’s finally get the bipartisan Equality Act to my desk," Biden began. "The onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is simply wrong. As I said last year, especially to our younger transgender Americans, I will always have your back as your president, so you can be yourself and reach your God-given potential." (O'Neil, 3/1)

In other news on transgender health care —

KCUR: Transgender Kids Testify Against Missouri Bill Banning Them From Sports: ‘They’re Playing For Fun’
The Missouri Senate Education Committee heard testimony on Tuesday on a bill that would bar transgender women from participating in sports teams that match their gender identity. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove, is called the “Save Women’s Sports Act.” It would prohibit students who were assigned male at birth from participating in middle school, high school and post-secondary teams for women or girls. Avery Jackson, a 14-year-old from Kansas City, told the committee that transgender kids like her should be able to play sports without the issue becoming politicized. (Fortino, 3/1)

Indianapolis Star: Politics: Senate Passes Ban On Transgender Girls Playing Girls Sports
The Indiana General Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill largely along party lines 32-18 that would ban transgender girls from playing girls school sports. House Bill 1041 now heads to Gov. Eric Holcomb to consider. Holcomb hasn't explicitly said if he'll sign the bill but did signal support for the measure when asked about it during a press availability last week."I agree adamantly that boys should be playing boys sports and girls should be playing girls sports," he said. (Herron, 3/1)

Salt Lake Tribune: A Utah Family Says They Are Leaving The State Because Of Lawmakers' Anti-Transgender Bills
Every day last spring, her young transgender son came home from elementary school crying. Emily reported the bullying, she said, but felt “nothing was happening.” And looking ahead, she worried about the ways her elected officials have worked “against the trans community,” she said, “versus having bills for the trans community.” The Wasatch Front mother decided she needed to find a more supportive place to raise her son. They’ve left the state — but they haven’t gone alone. In an extraordinary move of support, seven households of her family have relocated from Utah to the Pacific Northwest or plan to in coming months. (Jacobs, 3/1)

AP: Cooper Administration Delivers NC Medicaid Expansion Pitch 
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration made perhaps its most promising pitch yet to legislators on Tuesday to expand Medicaid, with a key health regulator calling it more advantageous than ever to cover hundreds of thousands of additional low-income adults. Addressing a House-Senate committee created specifically to study expansion, state Medicaid director Dave Richard said a surge in traditional Medicaid enrollment during the coronavirus pandemic and a fiscal sweetener from Washington make taking the step even more appealing. (Robertson, 3/1)

In updates on marijuana use —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Panel Passes Bill To Open Up Stalled Medical Marijuana Program
A proposal to revive Georgia’s stalled medical marijuana program cleared its first committee on a unanimous vote Tuesday. The legislation would attempt to break bureaucratic delays by issuing medical marijuana licenses to 22 companies, which would then be authorized to produce and sell cannabis oil to registered patients. Licenses would go to six companies that received tentative approval from a state board last year, along with 16 companies protesting that decision. State Rep. Alan Powell said he wants to fix a “terrible process” that has frustrated patients and businesses. (Niesse, 3/1)

The Boston Globe: R.I. House And Senate Unveil Bills To Legalize Recreational Marijuana
After failing to agree on competing proposals last year, the House and Senate on Tuesday unveiled legislation to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana for adults in Rhode Island, beginning Oct. 1. With support from legislative leaders, Senator Joshua Miller, a Cranston Democrat, and Representative Scott A. Slater, a Providence Democrat, introduced identical 115-page bills that would legalize the sale and possession of up to 1 ounce of cannabis for those age 21 and up. The bills would allow people to keep up to 10 ounces of marijuana at home for personal use, and they’d let people grow a small amount of marijuana at home. (Fitzpatrick, 3/1)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Legalizing Weed In Pennsylvania Faces Complicated Demands
Pennsylvania lawmakers researching a bill to legalize recreational marijuana received a barrage of information Tuesday during a spirited, two-hour hearing in West Philadelphia. They heard testimony espousing their instituting automatic and retroactive mass expungement of cannabis convictions and keeping the state’s “white cartel” of medical marijuana firms’ executives from taking over the recreational market. And there were calls to just legalize it already — from a medical marijuana patient who said he spent time in jail partly because of marijuana charges. (Brubaker, 3/2)

In other news from across the U.S. —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Senate Approves Bill Mandating Autopsies In Cases Of Maternal Deaths
In an effort to continue to try to better study Georgia’s high maternal mortality rate, the state Senate on Tuesday passed legislation that would require an autopsy be done every time a pregnant woman dies. Autopsies are currently required only in certain cases, such as when someone dies as a result of violence, an overdose or while an inmate. Senate Bill 496 would require a medical examiner to do an autopsy and determine the cause of death when someone dies while pregnant or within the first year after giving birth. Autopsies would not be required if the woman died in a car crash. (Prabhu, 3/1)

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Lawmakers Pass Bill Attempting To Close Rape Law Loophole
After years of failed attempts to change Indiana law, the Senate unanimously voted to pass language aimed at closing a rape loophole about the definition of consent. Under House Bill 1079, a person who has sexual intercourse with someone who attempts to "physically, verbally, or by other visible conduct refuse the person's acts" commits rape. Indiana law currently states that intercourse is only considered rape if it's done by force or if it occurs with someone who is mentally incapacitated or unaware that it’s happening. That means it's not always clear to jurors with no law experience if someone pulling up their clothes or saying "stop" falls under any of those categories. (Lange, 3/1)

Anchorage Daily News: Legislators Say They’re Unlikely To Stop A Split Of Alaska’s Health And Social Services Agency
Leading members of the state House and Senate say they are unlikely to stop a proposed split of Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services into two separate agencies. Under an executive order from Gov. Mike Dunleavy, the agency will be divided into a Department of Health and a Department of Family and Community Services. The split was proposed as an efficiency measure to aid Alaska’s largest state agency. Opponents call it rushed and say those served by the agency have not been adequately consulted, an assertion disputed by Adam Crum, the agency’s commissioner. (Brooks, 3/1)

KHN: Dangerous Levels Of Lead Were Found In The Water Of About Half The Schools Tested In Montana 
About half of Montana schools that had tested their water by mid-February under a new state rule had high levels of lead, according to state data. But the full picture isn’t clear because less than half of the state’s school buildings had provided water samples six weeks after the deadline. For many schools with high lead levels, finding the money to fix the problem will be a challenge. The options aren’t great. They can compete for a dwindling pool of state money, seek federal aid passed last year, or add the repairs to their long lists of capital improvement projects and pay for the work themselves. (Houghton, 3/2)

KHN: Desperate For Cash: Programs For People With Disabilities Still Not Seeing Federal Funds
Matthew Southern, 35, who has intellectual and developmental disabilities, is able to stay out of an institution because health aides paid through a Medicaid program assist him and his roommate with ordinary tasks. But amid a worker shortage worsened by the pandemic, Southern’s father, Dan, has had to step in to fill in gaps in his son’s care by volunteering at their home 45 minutes away from his northwestern Atlanta suburb. He blames the low pay across the industry. “No one wants to work for $12 an hour,” Dan Southern said. “People can work at Burger King and make more money.” (Weber and Miller, 3/2)

The Washington Post: Ukraine Conflict Could Spark Surges Of Covid, Polio, Other Diseases, Say Experts
For these Ukrainians, the focus is escaping the Russian invasion bearing down on their country — not on dodging diseases such as covid-19. But as more than half a million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, global health officials fear that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be the latest reminder of a grim lesson — that war and disease are close companions, and the humanitarian and refugee crises now unfolding in Eastern Europe will lead to long-lasting health consequences, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. As Russia’s military campaign accelerates, Ukraine’s hospitals are running out of critical medical supplies as travel is increasingly choked off by the conflict. The country’s health workers and patients are relocating to makeshift shelters, seeking to escape explosions. Meanwhile, officials at the World Health Organization, United Nations, U.S. State Department and other organizations warn of rising civilian casualties and new pressures on the region’s fragile health-care systems. (Morris and Diamond, 3/1)

People: Ukrainian Babies Born In Bomb Shelters During Russia Invasion
As Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, many in the country are seeking shelter, leaving some pregnant women hiding out in hospital basements and bomb shelters where their babies are now being welcomed to the world in an increasingly dangerous situation. One photo — shared by Ukrainian politician and former lawmaker Hanna Hopko to Facebook last week — showed a newborn girl born in a bomb shelter just as Russian troops began to move in to the country. "Life does not stop," Hopko wrote on Facebook, along with a photo of the baby in her mother's arms. "Hiding in a bomb shelter, a woman in Kyiv gave birth to a baby girl named Mia." (Chamlee, 3/1)

The Atlantic: Ukraine’s Surrogacy Industry Has Put Women In Impossible Positions 
Nothing crystallizes the “her body, my baby” conundrum of surrogacy quite like a war. Should a surrogate be tucked away somewhere safe, to protect the child she’s growing for someone else? Or should she be with her own family, or in her hometown, or even out on the streets defending her nation? That is a live question in Ukraine right now. Ukraine is an international surrogacy hub, one of only a handful of countries in the world that allows foreigners to enter into surrogacy arrangements. That means people from the United States or China or Germany or Australia can go there and hire a local woman to gestate their child. There are conditions—the parents have to be straight and married and have a medical reason for needing a surrogate—but surrogates are plentiful, paying them is legal, and establishing legal parenthood for the intended parents is uncomplicated. (Motluk, 3/1)

Also —

CNN: How To Talk To Your Kids About Ukraine, According To Psychologists
Russia's attack on Ukraine has caused international outrage, and people around the world are feeling the stress and fear of watching the violence and wondering what will come next. That includes your children. With so many images of violence and so few answers, your kids likely are aware of the fighting even if it's far away -- and they are probably terrified. It can be daunting to talk to kids, especially younger ones, about war, and it may feel better to preserve your little ones' bliss by keeping the topic out of their awareness. (Holcombe, 3/2)

And more on the Russian invasion of Ukraine —

The Boston Globe: ‘I Personally Think He’s Unhinged’: Analysts Question Putin’s Mental State After Ukraine Invasion
Less than a week before Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, world leaders gathering at a luxurious German hotel to talk global security indulged in a familiar pastime: discussing what they saw as the Russian president’s odd behavior. “We met with Chancellor Olaf Sholz, and he was telling us about his meeting that he had with Putin,” said Representative Bill Keating of Massachusetts, who attended the Munich Security Conference, where the new German chancellor complained about Putin’s unusual COVID protocols. “He wanted his own government’s health people to examine him before they would meet — it’s the chancellor of Germany!” Keating said. “And of course, he refused, but he thought that was something out of the norm.” (Bidgood, 3/1)

ABC News: Seizure Of Chernobyl By Russian Troops Sparks Health Concerns For People Near The Nuclear Plant
"Conventional war and nuclear power are not a good combination," Dr. Kate Brown, a professor of science, technology and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has been studying Chernobyl for more than 15 years, told ABC News. "Nuclear power requires security, stability and peace. It's a tall order." If any military activity sparks a fire, it could release radioactivity from the wooded areas of the exclusion zone, which could then spread, she said. "There's been hotter, drier weather with climate change in Ukraine and elsewhere," said Brown. "From 2017 to 2020, they've had pretty serious forest fires in the contaminated areas, and they've released a great deal of radioactivity that's stored in the leaf litter, in pine needles, in the wood itself and, when those burn, they volatilize and become ash and smoke and can travel long distances." (Kekatos, 2/26)

Medical Economics: Health Care Organizations Warned To Guard Against Additional Cyberattacks Because Of War In Ukraine
The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency of the U.S. government is warning all organizations, including those in health care, to be extra vigilant against cyber threats due to the war in Ukraine. Russia has launched cyberattacks against Ukraine, and the impacts may stretch beyond the region, especially as the United States implements sanctions against Russia. Every organization must be prepared to respond to disruptive cyber activity, according to CISA, which also asks that all cyber incidents be reported as soon as possible. (Shryock, 3/1)

ScienceDaily: Immunotherapy Drug Bolsters Head And Neck Cancer Treatment
A University of Cincinnati clinical trial that added an immunotherapy drug to standard of care treatment regimens has shown increased survival rates for head and neck cancer patients with intermediate risk features. (University of Cincinnati, 2/28)

ScienceDaily: New 'Cocktail' Drug Could Benefit Up To 45 Per Cent Of Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 
A new 'cocktail' drug under development could provide an effective and economical treatment to lessen symptoms for up to 45 per cent of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a chronic muscle-wasting disease. (University of Alberta, 2/23)

The Lancet: Safety And Efficacy Of Aspirin, Unfractionated Heparin, Both, Or Neither During Endovascular Stroke Treatment 
Aspirin and unfractionated heparin are often used during endovascular stroke treatment to improve reperfusion and outcomes. However, the effects and risks of anti-thrombotics for this indication are unknown. We therefore aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of intravenous aspirin, unfractionated heparin, both, or neither started during endovascular treatment in patients with ischaemic stroke. (van der Steen, MD, et al, 2/28)

New England Journal of Medicine: Reliever-Triggered Inhaled Glucocorticoid In Black And Latinx Adults With Asthma 
Among Black and Latinx adults with moderate-to-severe asthma, provision of an inhaled glucocorticoid and one-time instruction on its use, added to usual care, led to a lower rate of severe asthma exacerbations. (Israel, M.D., et al, 2/26)

CIDRAP: Stewardship In US Nursing Homes Tied To Less Antibiotic Use 
A new study of more than 400 US nursing homes found that participating in a quality improvement program that frames antibiotic use as a patient safety issue was associated with a reduction in antibiotic use and urine culture collection, researchers reported yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Dall, 3/1)

ScienceDaily: Plant Product Shows Promise In Mouse Model Of Parkinson’s Disease 
A natural product from the dried root of a pea-family plant, potentially combined with an enzyme inhibitor, may provide hope in alleviating neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease. (University Of California - Davis, 2/22)

The Lancet: Comparing Methotrexate Monotherapy With Methotrexate Plus Leflunomide Combination Therapy In Psoriatic Arthritis 
Conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are the preferred first-line treatment in patients with psoriatic arthritis, although there is a paucity of evidence for the efficacy of conventional synthetic DMARDs and especially their combination. We aimed to investigate whether a combination of methotrexate plus leflunomide is superior to methotrexate monotherapy at improving disease activity in patients with psoriatic arthritis. (Mulder, MD, et al, 2/28)

Jama Network: Association Between Generic-To-Generic Levothyroxine Switching And Thyrotropin Levels Among US Adults 
Is switching among generic levothyroxine sodium products made by different manufacturers associated with changes in serum thyrotropin (TSH) levels? (Brito, MD, Msc, et al, 2/28)

Jama Network: Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement Vs Supportive Group Therapy For Co-Occurring Opioid Misuse And Chronic Pain In Primary Care
Successful treatment of opioid misuse among people with chronic pain has proven elusive. Guidelines recommend nonopioid therapies, but the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions for opioid misuse is uncertain. (Garland, PhD, et al, 2/28)

New England Journal of Medicine: Addressing Vaccine Inequity — Covid-19 Vaccines As A Global Public Good 
The first peer-reviewed clinical trial evidence that a Covid-19 vaccine provided robust protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection was published in the Journal in December 2020,1 less than a year after the sequence of the viral genome was reported. This unprecedentedly rapid development of vaccines was a scientific triumph. In the year since, about 62% of the world’s population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and 54% have completed the primary vaccine series. This would appear to be a landmark success in global health mobilization. (David J. Hunter , et al, 2/23)

The New York Times: Were These Doctors Treating Pain Or Dealing Drugs? 
For years, Dr. Xiulu Ruan was one of the nation’s top prescribers of quick-release fentanyl drugs. The medicines were approved only for severe breakthrough pain in cancer patients, but Dr. Ruan dispensed them almost exclusively for more common ailments: neck aches, back and joint pain. According to the Department of Justice, he and his partner wrote almost 300,000 prescriptions for controlled substances from 2011 to 2015, filled through the doctors’ own pharmacy in Mobile, Ala. Dr. Ruan often signed prescriptions without seeing patients, prosecutors said. (Jan Hoffman, 2/28)

Daily Iowan: The Doctor Is In: Avoiding ADHD Substance Abuse 
Stimulant medications such as Adderall, Vyvanse, and Ritalin are effective treatment options for ADHD and other hyperactivity disorders. However, an increasing number of college students are misusing these medications. It is important for students and parents to understand what the potential risks are when using these medications, what role stimulants play in treatment, and what can help students stay sharp and focused during their studies. (John Voller, 2/27)

ACP Internist Weekly: Recommendations On Avoiding Drug-Drug Interactions, Data On Recovery After Ventilation 
Advice on avoiding drug-drug interactions (DDIs) when prescribing nirmatrelvir-ritonavir for patients with COVID-19 was provided by an Ideas and Opinions article published by Annals of Internal Medicine on March 1. (3/1)

The Atlantic: Stop Keeping Healthy Kids Home From School 
When America experiences a COVID surge, an increase in safety measures is expected, and wise. When a surge passes, we should decrease those measures. We have repeatedly failed to do so in schools, and children deserve better. In particular, school policies that keep healthy children home need to be relaxed—and soon. (Aaron E. Carroll, 3/1)

Newsweek: For Extra Protection From COVID's Worst Effects, Look To Lifestyle Medicine 
One encouraging result of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic is that it has elevated public awareness of the crisis of chronic disease—those underlying conditions so often associated with worse outcomes—and the urgent need to address it. Six in 10 U.S. adults have a chronic disease and 4 in 10 have two or more, many of them lifestyle related, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fortunately, for those looking to make positive lifestyle behavior changes, the growing field of lifestyle medicine can help them achieve their goals and improve their health. (Beth Frates, 3/1)

The CT Mirror: To Connecticut Parents 'New Normal' Means 'You Are On Your Own'
Since the beginning of the pandemic, parents and caregivers of small children have struggled. We have reached out to each other to share GIFs and Buzzfeed articles for levity and comfort, swapped names of recommended nannies and daycares, and turned to each other when the inevitable has happened: “another quarantine shutdown.” The phrase “the new normal” is like nails on a chalkboard, as we know firsthand the true nature of pandemic parenting: nothing is truly normal. Every day is a labyrinth of change, balancing parenthood and work while identifying and calibrating the relative amount of risk we can take to protect our health and our families. (Sana Shaikh, 3/2)

Also —

Bloomberg: Crispr Might Actually Live Up To Its Immense Hype 
From the dawn of Crispr in 2012, medical scientists have recognized the gene-editing tool’s potential to treat, or even cure, genetic diseases. New data from Intellia Therapeutics this week make their hope more realistic than ever. The company’s Crispr therapy was able to significantly lower patients’ levels of a misfolded liver protein and keep them low for months. (Lisa Jarvis, 3/1)

Stat: Rediscovering A Language Of Healing That Doesn't Require 'Cure' 
I am a biotech investor and entrepreneur. But more central to my worldview is that I am someone who lives with a rare genetic disease. This has sensitized me to the flippant ways that excited scientists and entrepreneurs toss around notions of “cures,” especially when genomic manipulation is involved. No matter what work is in front of me, I see it through the lens of life with a disease-causing typo in the six billion DNA letters that make up the story of my genome. I have a C (for cytosine) where there should be G (for guanine), an error that sits within a gene that is essential for building the heart’s electrical current. Such a defect can lead to potentially lethal irregularities in my heart’s rhythm. The condition is called long QT syndrome. (Lee D. Cooper, 3/2)

Stat: The Future Of Pharma And Health Care: Small Molecule Drugs 
Rightful accolades to Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech for the Covid-19 vaccines they created and developed in less than a year, along with plans to use their technologies to fight other infectious diseases, such as AIDS, and even to treat cancer, have renewed enthusiasm for complex therapies. But I believe that complex therapies, for all their wonders, represent only part of the future of medicine. (Neil Dhawan, 3/1)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Hospitals Are Pocketing Dollars Intended For Charity Care
The 340B Drug Pricing Program was intended to help make health care affordable for uninsured and low-income patients. It has not worked. (Lesley Jones, 3/1)