CNBC: Omicron: Pfizer CEO Says We May Need Fourth Covid Vaccine Doses Sooner Than Expected
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Wednesday that people might need a fourth Covid-19 shot sooner than expected after preliminary research shows the new omicron variant can undermine protective antibodies generated by the vaccine the company developed with BioNTech. Pfizer and BioNTech released results from an initial lab study Wednesday morning that showed a third shot is effective at fighting the omicron variant, while the initial two-dose vaccination series dropped significantly in its ability to protect against the new strain. However, the two-dose series likely still offers protection against getting severely sick from omicron, the companies said. (Ellyatt, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Omicron May Require Fourth Vaccine Dose, Pfizer Says
The new omicron variant could increase the likelihood that people will need a fourth coronavirus vaccine dose earlier than expected, executives at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said Wednesday. Boosters are likely to help control the variant, according to the company, which said early lab experiments suggest the standard two-dose regimen still provides some protection against severe illness from the variant. Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chief executive, had projected that a fourth dose might be needed 12 months after a third shot. But he said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the timeline might need to be moved up. One of the company’s top scientists recently said a fourth shot — possibly one targeting omicron — is likely to be necessary. (Jeong and Suliman, 12/9)

But a third dose offers protection, Pfizer says —

USA Today: COVID-19: Pfizer Says 3rd Dose Of Its Vaccine Protects Against Omicron
A third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine appears to be as effective against omicron as two doses were against the original variant, according to preliminary data from BioNTech. The same study showed that two doses may prevent severe disease, but aren'tnearly as effective against omicron as they were against earlier variants. "The first line of defense with two doses of vaccination might be compromised (by omicron), and three doses of vaccination are required to restore protection," Özlem Türeci, BioNTech's chief medical officer, said at a Wednesday news conference. (Weintraub, 12/8)

AP: Pfizer Says COVID Booster Shot Offers Protection Against Omicron Variant
Pfizer said Wednesday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine may offer important protection against the new omicron variant even though the initial two doses appear significantly less effective.Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said that while two doses may not be protective enough to prevent infection, lab tests showed a booster increased by 25-fold people's levels of virus-fighting antibodies against the omicron variant. (12/8)

Pfizer will have better efficacy data soon, the company says —

Bloomberg: Pfizer To Know Covid Shot’s Efficacy Against Omicron Before Year-End
Pfizer Inc. will have data telling how well its vaccine prevents infections with the omicron variant before the end of the year, Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said. The company is looking to data on the vaccine’s performance from health providers and other sources to give a clearer picture of effectiveness, Bourla said Wednesday in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power With David Westin.” “What I really think will be the final verdict will be the real-world data,” he  said. “We are expecting to see those toward the end of the year.” (Griffin, 12/8)

AP: The AP Interview: CDC Chief Says Omicron Mostly Mild So Far 
More than 40 people in the U.S. have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the CDC said Wednesday. But she said nearly all of them were only mildly ill. In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the data is very limited and the agency is working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the U.S. (Stobbe, 12/9)

Axios: Nearly All U.S. Cases Of Omicron Are Mild, CDC Director Says 
"The disease is mild" in most cases so far, Walensky told AP. Coughing, congestion and fatigue make up the bulk of reported symptoms. Though one person was hospitalized, there have been no deaths so far, per AP. Data remains limited, but the CDC is preparing an analysis on Omicron's likely impact in the U.S., Walensky added. "What we don't yet know is how transmissible it will be, how well our vaccines will work, whether it will lead to more severe disease," she told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. (Chen, 12/8)

In other news about the omicron variant —

NPR: Studies Suggest Sharp Drop In Vaccine Protection Vs. Omicron — Yet Cause For Optimism
With the omicron variant continuing to spread in a number of countries, including the U.S., scientists have been anxiously awaiting data to answer this question: How well will the vaccines work against this new variant? On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, scientists in South Africa and Germany released preliminary results from two small studies that begin to provide answers. The studies haven't been peer-reviewed. But together, their data strongly suggest the vaccines will be much less effective at stopping infections from the omicron variant but will still likely offer protection against severe disease. The study in Germany also indicates that a third shot, or a booster, will partially recover the effectiveness of the vaccines, at least for a few months. (Doucleff, 12/8)

The Washington Post: Early Studies Suggest Omicron Is Formidable — But Not Unstoppable
The need to understand omicron’s true threat is so urgent that data is leapfrogging the usual channels. Papers are being shared even before they are made available on preprint servers, with research findings posted on laboratories’ websites or on Twitter. The laboratory experiments offer an early glimpse of how omicron behaves. But such research has limitations. Scientists are exposing the virus, or in some cases a “pseudovirus” that has the superficial features of the virus, to blood samples from people with different levels of vaccination and antibodies. That does not predict, necessarily, how the virus will spread in the general population. (Johnson and Achenbach, 12/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: How A Stanford COVID Case Illustrates The Possible Connection Between Omicron And HIV
A prevailing theory as to how the omicron variant emerged so suddenly and jam-packed with mutations is that it was cultivated in an immune-compromised person — possibly someone with untreated HIV — with an extended coronavirus infection. That proposal seems especially plausible to a team of scientists at Stanford, who treated a patient diagnosed with uncontrolled HIV and COVID earlier this year, and saw a striking development of mutations in the coronavirus over just 15 days. (Allday, 12/8)

Also —

The Atlantic: Omicron’s Rapid Case Growth Is A Warning
A lot is still unknown around Omicron, but a worrying trend has become clear: This variant sure is spreading fast. In South Africa, the U.K., and Denmark—countries with the best variant surveillance and high immunity against COVID—Omicron cases are growing exponentially. The variant has outcompeted the already highly transmissible Delta in South Africa and may soon do the same elsewhere. According to preliminary estimates, every person with Omicron is infecting 3–3.5 others, which is roughly on par with how fast the coronavirus spread when it first went global in early 2020. (Zhang, 12/8)

CNBC: WHO Says Omicron Variant Could Change The Course Of The Covid Pandemic
The World Health Organization on Wednesday said the highly mutated omicron variant of Covid-19 could change the course of the pandemic. The exact impact is “still difficult to know,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a media briefing from the group’s Geneva headquarters. Scientists across the world are scrambling to determine just how contagious and lethal the mutated virus has become. (Constantino, 12/8)

The Wall Street Journal: How Blood Samples Are Helping Scientists Test Covid-19 Vaccines Against Omicron 
Human blood samples and the substance that makes fireflies glow are among the tools that scientists are using for early clues about whether Covid-19 vaccines retain their effectiveness against the new Omicron virus variant. (Loftus, 12/8)

CNN: Genomic Sequencing Is Crucial In The Battle Against Coronavirus. These Countries Do It Well 
When South African scientists announced they had detected a new coronavirus variant with a worryingly high number of mutations, they were applauded for how quickly they were able to spot it. The country was praised for having a robust genomic sequencing program, which allowed them to identify the potentially worrying properties of the variant now known as Omicron. (Kottasova and Shveda, 12/9)

AP: New COVID-19 Antibody Drug OK'd To Protect Most Vulnerable
Federal health officials on Wednesday authorized a new COVID-19 antibody drug for people with serious health problems or allergies who can’t get adequate protection from vaccination. Antibody drugs have been a standard treatment for treating COVID-19 infections for over a year. But the AstraZeneca antibody drug cleared by the Food and Drug Administration is different. It’s the first intended for long-term prevention against COVID-19 infection, rather than a short-term treatment. (Perrone, 12/8)

NBC News: FDA Clears AstraZeneca Covid Antibody Treatment For Immunocompromised
To date, such laboratory-produced antibodies have been authorized only as early treatment of Covid-19 or as preventive therapy for high-risk people immediately after close contact with someone who has tested positive. Evusheld can be used as PrEP by people ages 12 and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and may not get adequate immune responses from a Covid vaccine. The therapy is also an option for the rare people who have histories of severe adverse reactions to a Covid vaccine or its components. (Ryan, 12/8)

Also —

FiercePharma: Gilead Recalls 2 Lots Of COVID-19 Drug Veklury After Finding Glass Particulates In Vials 
Gilead Sciences' surprise blockbuster Veklury has braved its share of efficacy critiques. Now, the drug has run up against a manufacturing glitch. Gilead is recalling two lots of the COVID-19 antiviral Veklury, also known as remdesivir, after a customer complaint flagged the presence of glass particulates. Gilead confirmed the complaint through its own investigation, the company said Friday. (Kansteiner, 12/6)

CNBC: Pfizer Will Submit Full Data On Covid Treatment Pill To FDA In A Few Days: CEO
Pfizer will submit full data on its Covid treatment pill to the Food and Drug Administration in the coming days, CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC on Wednesday. Bourla said he’s confident the full results from the clinical trials will show that the oral antiviral pill, Paxlovid, reduces Covid hospitalization and death by 89% as interim data showed in November. Paxlovid is taken in combination with a popular HIV drug, ritonavir. (Kimball, 12/8)

AP: COVID Cases Spike Even As US Hits 200M Vaccine Milestone
The number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 reached 200 million Wednesday amid a dispiriting holiday-season spike in cases and hospitalizations that has hit even New England, one of the most highly inoculated corners of the country. New cases in the U.S. climbed from an average of nearly 95,000 a day on Nov. 22 to almost 119,000 a day this week, and hospitalizations are up 25% from a month ago. The increases are due almost entirely to the delta variant, though the omicron mutation has been detected in about 20 states and is sure to spread even more. (Tareen and McDermott, 12/8)

USA Today: Delta Drives Surge In US Cases Before Omicron Gains Foothold
Even before the omicron variant establishes a firm foothold in the U.S., coronavirus infections and hospitalizations are soaring again, including in highly vaccinated regions like New England. The combination of the late fall's colder weather, holiday gatherings, increased travel and pandemic fatigue has likely played a major role in the surge, as has the failure to vaccinate a larger portion of the population. More than 35% of eligible Americans, including 28% of adults, still aren't fully vaccinated. New cases in the U.S. climbed from an average of nearly 95,000 a day on Nov. 22 to almost 119,000 a day this week, and hospitalizations are up 25% from a month ago. The increases are almost entirely from the delta variant, though omicron has been confirmed in at least 21 states and is sure to spread even more. (Ortiz, Santucci and Yancey-Bragg, 12/8)

In related news about the spread of covid —

Brown Institute for Media Innovation/MuckRock: Why COVID Death Counts In America May Be Higher Than Officials Say
The new data, which provide cause of death information down to the county level for 2020 and January through October of this year, have more detail, more recently, on deaths during the pandemic than ever before. Information included – such as where someone died, what other causes of death were on the death certificate or whether a body was autopsied – can point to communities where COVID-19 deaths have been undercounted. Public health experts say the true death toll of the pandemic in the U.S. is upwards of 20% higher than the official tally. That’s based on research showing that deaths attributed to COVID-19 do not account for all of the increased deaths in 2020 and 2021 when compared to prior years. Researchers call the number of deaths above a typical year “excess deaths.” (Bergin, Ladyzhets, Chatterjee and Kravitz, 12/9)

The New York Times: Schools Are Closing Classrooms On Fridays. Parents Are Furious
Caitlin Reynolds, a single mother, was happy that her son, L.J., was finally settled into fourth grade after a rocky experience last year with remote learning. Then, on Wednesday, Nov. 17, an announcement: Detroit public schools would close their classrooms every Friday in December. There would be virtual school only. On Friday, a follow-up announcement: School was also canceled starting that Monday, for the entire week of Thanksgiving. This time, there would be no online option. ... After a few months of relative calm, some public schools are going remote — or canceling classes entirely — for a day a week, or even for a couple of weeks, because of teacher burnout or staff shortages. (Heyward, 12/8)

The Boston Globe: N.H., Maine Activate National Guard As Hospitals Strain Under COVID-19 Surge
Two New England states are turning to the National Guard to help manage the COVID-19 winter surge at hospitals and long-term care facilities struggling to treat high volumes of cases. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said the state’s Executive Council on Wednesday approved funding to bring in “strike teams” from outside the state to supplement staff at long-term care facilities, and the New Hampshire National Guard will deploy 70 members to hospitals to help with everything from clerical work to food service. (Brinker, 12/8)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Hospitals May Have To Ration Care For The 1st Time If Pandemic Worsens
Many of Maine’s hospitals have been making hard decisions for weeks about what kind of care they can provide. If the COVID-19 pandemic gets worse, they could be deciding who gets life-saving care and who does not. States including Idaho, Montana and Alaska have already activated their crisis standards of care, a last-resort blueprint that states use in emergency circumstances to allow hospitals and other health providers to prioritize care for people who are likeliest to live. (Andrews, 12/8)

AP: Wisconsin Requests Federal Help For Staff-Strapped Hospitals
Wisconsin’s top health official said Wednesday that 270 health care facilities have requested staffing help and the state has asked for medical reserve teams from the federal government to provide relief for long term care facilities facing worker shortages. The state reported three additional positive COVID-19 cases from the new omicron variant on Wednesday, after the first case was recorded on Saturday. The vast majority of cases, more than 99%, continue to be from the delta variant, said the state’s chief medical officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard. (Bauer, 12/8)

In related news —

Newsweek: PA Health System Runs Out Of Beds Due To COVID Surge, Patients Wait 10 To 20 Hours In ER
Geisinger, one of Pennsylvania's largest health systems has run out of beds due to the COVID surge, causing patients to wait 10 to 20 hours in the emergency department, officials said Wednesday. Officials said doctors and nurses are having to perform "waiting room medicine" on waiting patients. (Davis, 12/8)

Crain's Detroit Business: Michigan Medicine Cancels Surgeries In Midst Of COVID Surge
As of Wednesday, Michigan Medicine has canceled at least 40 surgeries this week as it deals with the latest surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. The Ann Arbor health system is pulling staff and resources from its surgical teams to aid in the treatment of the 93 COVID-19 inpatients and rising levels of patients in its emergency rooms, administrators told reporters on a media call Wednesday. The administrators held the call as a means to beg the public to get vaccinated. (Walsh, 12/8)

Billings Gazette: 40% Of Positions Open At Montana State Hospital, Staff Blame Administration
For months, workers at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs have raised the alarm about short staffing, inadequate training and an unqualified administration driving employees from the hospital, an exodus that they say puts patient care in jeopardy. (Larson, 12/8)

Also —

Stateline: Rural Midwives Fill Gap As Hospitals Cut Childbirth Services
For the past year or so, Toni Hill, a midwife in the lowlands of northern Mississippi, has received an influx of calls from women across the state who live in areas with no hospitals and only a smattering of health care providers. As COVID-19 rates increased, some pregnant women did not feel safe receiving care in a hospital or were unable to contact their providers. Others, who lived in the Mississippi Delta, did not have transportation for the three-plus hour trip to Jackson, the state capital. Hill quickly found herself very overwhelmed, she said. (Wright, 12/8)

The New York Times: The Coronavirus Attacks Fat Tissue, Scientists Find 
From the start of the pandemic, the coronavirus seemed to target people carrying extra pounds. Patients who were overweight or obese were more likely to develop severe Covid-19 and more likely to die. Though these patients often have health conditions like diabetes that compound their risk, scientists have become increasingly convinced that their vulnerability has something to do with obesity itself. Now researchers have found that the coronavirus infects both fat cells and certain immune cells within body fat, prompting a damaging defensive response in the body. (Rabin, 12/8)

In other news —

CIDRAP: High-Flow Oxygen Cuts Ventilator Use, Speeds COVID Recovery 
The use of high-flow oxygen through a nasal cannula significantly reduced the need for invasive mechanical ventilation and sped time to recovery among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, compared with conventional oxygen therapy, according to a multicenter randomized clinical trial published yesterday in JAMA. Researchers in Colombia and Brazil studied the outcomes of 220 patients with severe COVID-19 randomly assigned to either high-flow oxygen or conventional oxygen therapy in emergency and intensive care units in three Colombian hospitals from August 2020 to January 2021. Patients were followed until Feb 10, 2021. (Van Beusekom, 12/8)

The Baltimore Sun: Rapid COVID-19 Tests Show Better Than Expected Results In Large Baltimore Study
Those rapid COVID-19 tests actually do work pretty well, even if people don’t have symptoms, according to a large new study conducted in Baltimore. Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests are the gold standard for detecting COVID-19, certain to find the disease caused by the coronavirus. But rapid antigen tests, which people can now buy in a box for about $24 and conduct themselves, are becoming more common for their convenience as supplies begin to increase. (Cohn, 12/8)

The New York Times: As Covid Deaths Rise, Lingering Grief Gets A New Name 
Ms. Garza Tulip, 41, had endured so many losses — two miscarriages, and the virus taking her mother, uncle and great-aunt. It also debilitated her father. “I think the one thing I miss the most is feeling anything,” she said recently of life after the series of tragedies. She had thought the lack of emotion meant she was not grieving, unaware that numbness can be a symptom of grief. When a therapist diagnosed her with prolonged grief disorder, or P.G.D., a newly recognized condition, Ms. Garza Tulip, who lives in New Jersey, was relieved that what she suffered had a name. Recently added to the upcoming revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or D.S.M., it’s a syndrome in which people feel stuck in an endless cycle of mourning that can last for years or even decades, severely impairing their daily life, relationships and job performance. (MacKeen, 12/8)

Bloomberg: Pfizer Booster for More Teens Moves Closer to FDA Clearance
Food and Drug Administration authorization of Pfizer Inc.  booster vaccines for more teens took a step forward when the agency said further study by an advisory committee wasn’t necessary. Third doses for those age 16 and 17 do “not raise questions that would benefit from additional discussion by the members of the committee,” the FDA said in an email. The development on Wednesday signals the FDA has no particular safety concerns for the age bracket. (Rutherford, 12/8)

CNN: Some Teens May Get A Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Soon, But Younger Kids Might Not Get One At All
As more young children are getting their second doses of Covid-19 vaccine, another question is popping up: When will kids and younger teens need a booster shot? ... While adults have been eligible for Covid-19 vaccines since last year, younger kids got a later start. The emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine wasn't expanded to include children 12 through 15 years of age until May 10. For children 5 to 11, it was October 29. That means the research on the kids is running behind the adults. "Most people really aren't talking about this yet because we don't know how long kids respond to the vaccine," said Dr. Claudia Hoyen, director pediatric infection control at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. (Christensen, 12/7)

NBC News: Will Children Need Covid-19 Booster Shots?
During an appearance on CNN last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said it is possible that children ages 12 to 15 will need a booster shot, but he suggested it may not be necessary. Children in that age group have robust immune systems, Fauci said, adding that "healthy, strapping teenagers have a much better and stronger immune response" than older adults do. He said he would not be surprised if their vaccine protection lasts longer than six months. (Griffith, 12/8)

And more on the Pfizer vaccine —

NBC News: Pfizer Boosters Dominate The U.S. See A State-By-State Breakdown
The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine booster, which the companies say offers better protection against the new variant than an initial one or two-dose series,  accounts for about 55 percent of all booster shots in the U.S., according to an NBC News analysis of vaccine data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several states have exceeded the national average. In Hawaii, 70 percent of boosters were from Pfizer, and Pfizer shots accounted for about 60 percent of boosters in states such as Utah, Missouri and Indiana. Just under 25 percent of people in the U.S. have received a booster, the CDC says. (Ramos, 12/8)

Stat: Pfizer’s Vaccine Chief On Omicron, Boosters, And Preparing For The Unknown
Pfizer and partner BioNTech announced Wednesday that new data show that antibodies generated by their Covid vaccine appear less effective against the Omicron variant than other variants, but that a third booster dose likely provides sufficient antibody protection. Those data are very preliminary. But STAT took the opportunity to catch up with Pfizer’s head of vaccine research, Kathrin Jansen, who has been one of the main architects of the development program that has helped make the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine the most widely used of the Covid shots. Jansen emphasized that Pfizer is developing an Omicron-specific vaccine, but that she does not know exactly what strategy the world should or will take over the coming months. Instead, she is focused on being prepared for anything. (Herper, 12/8)

Detroit Free Press: COVID-19's Domino Effect Kills People With Other Health Problems, Too
Those who refuse to take COVID-19 vaccines are creating a deadly domino effect, said Dr. Marschall Runge, CEO of Michigan Medicine and dean of the University of Michigan Medical School. They are getting sick, spreading the virus to loved ones and the community, filling hospital beds and using up scarce medical resources, Runge said during a Wednesday news conference. (Shamus, 12/8)

Modern Healthcare: Low Staff Vaccination Rates Linked To More COVID-19 Cases, Deaths
Nursing home residents and workers have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinating more employees appears key to stopping the spread in those settings, according to New England Journal of Medicine article published Wednesday. Researchers reviewed COVID-19 case rates and deaths during a 10-week period this summer and concluded that 4,775 infections and 703 deaths would've been prevented over that time had more workers been vaccinated against the virus. They reported their findings in a letter to the journal's editor. (Christ, 12/8)

The Boston Globe: Hundreds Of Nursing Home Deaths Might Have Been Prevented With More COVID Shots, Study Finds
More than 4,770 COVID-19 cases and 700 COVID-related nursing home deaths might have been prevented in the United States over just a two-month period this summer had more nursing home staff been vaccinated, according to a new study. The findings, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that in counties with a high prevalence of infections, nursing homes with the lowest rates of staff vaccination had more than twice the COVID-19 cases among residents and nearly three times the number of COVID-19 deaths compared to nursing homes with the highest staff vaccination rates. The disparities were consistent despite different rates of vaccinations among residents, the study found. (Lazar, 12/8)

And pediatric vaccinations are slowing down —

The Hill: Pediatric COVID Vaccination Has Slowed Across The US: Analysis
The rate of COVID-19 vaccinations among children ages 5 to 11 has slowed considerably nationwide, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The analysis shows that a little more than a month since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off on pediatric COVID-19 vaccines, the rate of increase has leveled off. The drop-off began before Thanksgiving, and has continued since. (Weixel, 12/8)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

Idaho Statesman: Time Of Day You Get COVID Vaccine May Affect Antibody Levels
Each cell in your body can tell what time of day it is and adjust its behaviors accordingly, such as producing hormones at night that make you sleepy and telling your brain you’re hungry around noon. Decades of research have demonstrated your immune system follows your body’s 24-hour internal clock, formally called your circadian rhythm, in ways that could affect how you respond to medications, exposure to viruses and vaccinations. (Camero, 12/8)

Axios: Fauci: "Matter Of When, Not If" "Fully Vaccinated" Definition Changes
NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CNN Wednesday that in his personal opinion, "it's going to be a matter of when, not if," the definition of "fully vaccinated" changes. Fauci said he doesn't see the definition "changing tomorrow or next week," but he believes it's "going to be considered literally on a daily basis." (Doherty, 12/8)

Axios: Ex-FDA Chief: COVID Jabs Could Become As Common As Flu Shots 
Former FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn tells Axios that Americans may eventually require annual COVID vaccination boosters, although acknowledges that right now it's just his "best guess." COVID jabs could become as routine as flu shots. He says a key factor will be the virus' level of virulence as it mutates. (Primack, 12/8)

USA Today: Fauci Says Santa Got A COVID Booster Shot, Is 'Good' For Christmas
As Christmas approaches, Santa is making a list and checking it twice. He’s also ready to deliver presents around the world after receiving his COVID-19 booster shot, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert. “Santa already has great innate immunity," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told USA TODAY. "This year he is even more protected because he has been fully vaccinated and boosted. Santa will be just fine and is good to go!” That means children around the world can rest assured – Santa is ready to come down the chimney, eat cookies and participate in other traditions this holiday season. (Pitofsky, 12/8)

KHN: Health Experts Worry CDC’s Covid Vaccination Rates Appear Inflated 
For nearly a month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s online vaccine tracker has shown that virtually everyone 65 and older in the United States — 99.9% — has received at least one covid vaccine dose. That would be remarkable — if true. But health experts and state officials say it’s certainly not. They note that the CDC as of Dec. 5 has recorded more seniors at least partly vaccinated — 55.4 million — than there are people in that age group — 54.1 million, according to the latest census data from 2019. The CDC’s vaccination rate for residents 65 and older is also significantly higher than the 89% vaccination rate found in a poll conducted in November by KFF. (Galewitz, 12/9)

Politico: Senate Issues Rebuke Of Biden's Workplace Vaccine Mandate
The Senate issued a high-profile rebuke of President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate on large businesses Wednesday night, in a largely symbolic vote to get rid of a key component of the administration's Covid-19 response. Democrats Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Jon Tester (Mont.) joined all the Republicans present in the 52-48 vote after critics assailed the mandate as an example of federal overreach and dismissed its option of weekly testing for workers who refuse to get shots as an insufficient accommodation. (Ollstein, 12/8)

In other news about covid mandates —

Fox News: NYC Correction Officers Sue Over De Blasio’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Work Conditions
The union representing New York City correction officers, the department known as the city’s "boldest," took a stand Wednesday against Mayor Bill de Blasio’s "draconian" vaccine mandate and subsequent dangerous work conditions by filing a lawsuit against the city demanding that the jab policy be halted. Benny Boscio Jr., the head of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, told the New York Post that hundreds of correction officers were sent home last week and placed on unpaid leave for not rolling up their sleeves for the jab. The problem is compounded because 1,4000 other officers have resigned or retired since 2019, the report said. (DeMarche, 12/9)

Los Angeles Times: Judge Weighs Suit On LAUSD COVID-19 Student Vaccine Mandate
A judge said Wednesday he is inclined to deny a request by two parent groups for a preliminary injunction against the Los Angeles Unified School District’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students, but he took the case under submission after a raucous hearing in which he twice admonished the crowd against outbursts. In front of a packed courtroom, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said he wanted to study the issues further. His tentative ruling was to deny the injunction sought by the California Chapter of Children’s Health Defense as well as a second group, Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids, which filed the petition on Oct. 13. About 930 LAUSD parents are members of PERK and another 540 of CHD-CA, according to the court papers of the two nonprofit groups. (12/8)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma's Two Biggest Colleges Pause Their COVID Vaccine Mandates
Oklahoma's two largest universities have paused their COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employees. The decision follows a Georgia federal judge's decision Tuesday to temporarily block the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for all institutions that hold contracts with the federal government. The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University announced Wednesday employees are not required to be vaccinated or seek exemptions as long as the court order remains in place. (Martinez-Keel, 12/8)

PBS NewsHour: Tensions Rise Among Lawmakers, Parents As Louisiana Debates Vaccine Mandates In Schools
The debate around vaccine requirements for school children took center stage at the Louisiana State Capitol on Dec. 6 with parents and lawmakers passionately pushing back against a proposal by the Louisiana Department of Health to require the COVID-19 vaccine for most school children. State health officials said exemptions are available, and the proposal is not a mandate. Politics and growing political divides surrounding vaccines loom large across the country, but particularly in a state where the vaccination rate is still 36 percent in some areas, compared to the 49 percent statewide. (Chavez, 12/8)

ABC News: Head Of Instagram Grilled By Senate Panel Over Impact On Young Users 
Lawmakers on Wednesday grilled Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, in a wide-ranging hearing on the potential harms of social media use for young people. The senators pledged that the age of "self-regulation" for Big Tech is over and bipartisan legislation to protect kids online is imminent. Mosseri claimed a lot of the issues raised by the lawmakers are not unique to Instagram but are an "industry-wide challenge" that requires "industry-wide solutions and industry-wide standards." (Thorbecke, 12/8)

CBS News: Instagram CEO Says It's "Critical" To Have Multi-Platform Youth Safety Rules 
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri told a Senate subcommittee investigating the harmful effects of the photo sharing app on teenagers that "keeping young people safe online is not just about one company" and called for industry-wide solutions. "With teens using multiple platforms, it is critical that we address youth online safety as an industry challenge and develop industry-wide solutions and standards," Mosseri told lawmakers. He called for age verification tools at the phone level and said the social media platforms need an industry body to determine how to verify the age of minors, how to design specific experiences, and what kind of parental controls are needed. (Bidar, 12/8)

The Washington Post: ‘Baby Steps’ Won’t Fix Instagram, Lawmakers Say In First Hearing With Social Network Head
Lawmakers were unimpressed with the proposals that Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, made Wednesday to address revelations about the social network’s potentially detrimental effects on children and teens during his first congressional testimony. With political pressure from both parties mounting against the photo-sharing company, Mosseri came armed for the hearing with a series of proposals to respond to criticism. He called for a new industry body to create standards for age verification, age-appropriate experience and online parental controls. The body would receive input from civil society and parents, and some of tech companies’ legal protections could be contingent on compliance with the board sets, he said. (Zakrzewski, Lima and Oremus, 12/8)

In related news about mental health —

Stat: Independent Gatekeepers Need To Regulate Mental Health Apps 
From individuals to employers, there’s growing interest in using digital services to help people work through mental health issues. It’s a solid approach, given how difficult and costly it can be to find and work with an in-person therapist. Yet digital therapeutics currently represent a kind of “Wild West.” Gatekeepers need to be more methodical in how they assess these products. (Johnson, 12/9)

USA Today: More Young Children Are Killing Themselves: The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Making The Problem Worse
Many people have long been aware that teenagers can be subject to suicidal thoughts and attempts, but such thinking is increasingly affecting young children. Child suicides grew by 15% a year between 2012 and 2017, according to a July study published on JAMA Network Open. At emergency rooms in 38 children's hospitals across the nation, the number of suicide and self-injury cases in the first three quarters of 2021 was 47% higher among 5- to 8-year-olds and 182% higher among 9- to 12-year-olds than they were for the same period in 2016, according to statistics compiled by the Children's Hospital Association. (Keveney, 12/8)

NPR: How Lockdown Drills Might Harm Students' Mental Health, According To An Expert
Community members and national onlookers are still reeling from last week's deadly shooting at a high school in Oxford, Mich., for which one student and his parents are facing charges. The tragedy is highlighting an ongoing debate about school shooter drills and the best way to prepare students for the worst, while considering their mental well-being. Oxford High School's most recent safety drill was in early October, according to its website. The school is one of many across the country that uses the ALICE Training Program, a controversial method that goes beyond traditional lockdowns and whose name stands for "Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate." (Treisman, 12/8)

Also —

Stat: Eating Disorder Researchers Say CDC Data Gap Has Left Them Flying Blind
Eating disorders among youth have been on the rise since the pandemic started — adolescent wards in hospitals were full of patients with severe cases, and inpatient clinics saw dramatic rises in admissions. But researchers looking to investigate national trends over time are at a loss. For almost a decade, federal public health officials have not collected nationally representative data on disordered eating habits among young people. (Gaffney, 12/9)

The New York Times: Allergan Settles With N.Y. For $200 Million In Sprawling Opioid Case 
A large pharmaceutical manufacturer has agreed to pay $200 million in a settlement reached just before closing arguments began in a monthslong opioid trial in New York, the state’s attorney general announced on Wednesday. The settlement with Allergan, a company that has made opioids but whose most well-known product is Botox, is the latest agreement in a trial jointly argued by New York State and two counties that began in June. The case was the first of its kind brought against the entire opioid supply chain, from pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the pills to the distributors and pharmacy chains that filled the prescriptions. (Nir, 12/8)

Stat: AbbVie Unit To Pay $200 Million To Resolve Closely Watched Opioid Lawsuit In New York 
Allergan, which is a unit of AbbVie (ABBV) agreed to pay up to $200 million to resolve allegations made by New York state and two of its counties that the company helped fuel the opioid crisis and in the process, created a public nuisance that cost billions of dollars in public services. As a result, Allergan is no longer part of a trial that is close to completion. The case is continuing against Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA), which has denied the charges. Several other pharmaceutical makers and wholesalers previously settled with the state, including Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Endo International (ENDP), McKesson (MCK), Cardinal Health (CAH), and AmerisourceBergen (ABC). So far, the state has negotiated $1.7 billion in settlements over the opioid crisis. (Silverman, 12/8)

And the defense rests its case in the Theranos trial —

The Wall Street Journal: The Elizabeth Holmes Trial: The Defense Rests Its Case 
Elizabeth Holmes’s lawyers rested their case Wednesday in her criminal-fraud trial, after the founder of blood-testing startup Theranos Inc. gave testimony over seven days in which she acknowledged regrets but also placed blame on her former deputy and boyfriend. She asserted she never defrauded anyone. Among the final questions from her attorney on Wednesday, Ms. Holmes was asked whether she ever tried to mislead investors. “Never,” she said. (Somerville and Randazzo, 12/8)

AP: What Elizabeth Holmes Had To Say At Her Trial: 5 Takeaways
Once-lionized entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes wrapped up seven days of testimony in her criminal fraud trial Wednesday, having largely used the time to defend her actions as CEO of the startup Theranos. The company she founded had soared on the promise of innovative blood-testing technology only to crash in a sordid display of failure and alleged deceit. Holmes alternately took responsibility for her missteps as CEO and cast herself as the abused victim of her former lover and business partner Sunny Balwani. She also repeatedly said she couldn’t recall her actions at key points even when confronted with internal documents including her own emails. (Liedtke, 12/9)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Stat: Asthma Drug Study Failed To Include Children Who Could Benefit Most
If a drug maker tested an asthma treatment in children and found it significantly reduced attacks compared with a placebo, this would be considered good news, yes? But what if the children enrolled in the clinical trial were almost entirely white, even though asthma disproportionately affects Black and Puerto Rican children? This would dampen my enthusiasm, to say the least. And it would make me wonder why a company would fail to study enough of the children who are most in need. (Silverman, 12/8)

Stat: Biogen's Reckoning: How The Aduhelm Debacle Pushed It To The Brink
The shocking revelation came in a Saturday afternoon email, restricted to a tight circle of top executives within Biogen. Al Sandrock, the company’s most prominent scientist and chief of its entire research and development group, was leaving. There was no warning or explanation. After 23 years at Biogen, Sandrock, 64, had apparently decided it was time to retire. The real story, according to multiple people close to Biogen, is that Sandrock was pushed out by the company’s CEO, Michel Vounatsos — an effort to blame the scientist for the polarizing approval and disastrous commercial rollout of Aduhelm. Just five months earlier, the company heralded the drug as a revolutionary advance in Alzheimer’s disease, and the first new treatment in nearly two decades. (Feuerstein and Garde, 12/8)

Stat: Syrian Refugee Is Thriving Five Years After Last-Gasp Gene Therapy 
In the summer of 2015, a 7-year-old named Hassan was admitted to the burn unit of the Ruhr University Children’s Hospital in Bochum, Germany, with red, oozing wounds from head to toe. It wasn’t a fire that took his skin. It was a bacterial infection, resulting from an incurable genetic disorder. Called junctional epidermolysis bullosa, the condition deprives the skin of a protein needed to hold its layers together and leads to large, painful lesions. For kids, it’s often fatal. And indeed, Hassan’s doctors told his parents, Syrian refugees who had fled to Germany, the young boy was dying. (Molteni, 12/8)

Stat: City Of Hope To Buy Cancer Treatment Centers Of America For $390 Million
City of Hope, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit hospital system, said Wednesday that it will purchase Cancer Treatment Centers of America for $390 million. The deal, a study in contrasts, brings together a hospital system that is famous for research — City of Hope was instrumental in the development of synthetic insulin and the basic technologies behind many cancer drugs — with one better known for marketing that critics have described as overly aggressive and for controversies involving how it selects patients and their insurance. (Herper and Chen, 12/8)

In other health industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Memorial Sloan Kettering Paid $1.4 Million In Severance To Three Former Execs In 2020
Memorial Sloan Kettering paid $1.4 million in severance in 2020 to three top former executives, including its longtime chief information officer, the cancer center disclosed in its latest tax form. Some of the money went to Dr. Jose Baselga, MSK's former chief medical officer, who resigned in 2018 after failing to disclose industry ties in his research. The largest payment went to Patricia Skarulis, MSK's longtime chief information officer, who the tax form says left in 2019. Avice Meehan, the system's former chief communication officer, also got a payout. (Bannow, 12/8)

Modern Healthcare: Shareholder Sues Centene For Insight On Leadership's Role In Alleged Medicaid Fraud
A Centene investor is taking the nation's largest Medicaid managed care insurer to court, seeking access to company records to determine how much its leaders are to blame for the $1.25 billion the company expects to pay out in drug fraud settlements. Shareholder Robert Garfield filed the lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court Tuesday. Under state law, stock owners have the right to inspect corporations' internal books and records. The plaintiff aims to ascertain whether company leaders breached their fiduciary duties and engaged in wrongdoing, according to the complaint. (Tepper, 12/8)

Stat: At Biotech VCs, Collecting 'Consulting Fees' From Startups Is Widespread
Some of the biggest names in biotech venture capital have charged their startups millions of dollars in “consulting fees” over the past decade, effectively taking back a small portion of the money they invested in a company. The fees are usually charged in exchange for certain additional services — such as when a venture capital firm loans an experienced executive to a startup to lead the company through its early days. They are far more common for venture capital firms that fund life science companies than for those that focus on technology or other sectors, according to venture capital experts, and can range from a few dollars to tens or hundreds of thousands per year, according to a STAT review of Securities and Exchange Commission filings. (Sheridan, 12/9)

KHN: Some Montana Nonprofit Hospitals Fall Short Of Peers In Required Charitable Giving
Montana’s richest nonprofit hospitals receive millions of dollars in tax exemptions each year to operate as charities, but some fall short of other medical facilities in what they give back to their communities to get those breaks. Overall, Montana’s nearly 50 nonprofit hospitals directed, on average, roughly 8% of their total annual expenses toward community benefits, such as covering the treatment costs of people who can’t afford care. That’s according to a KHN analysis of the hospitals’ IRS filings ending in 2019, which provide a snapshot of hospitals’ financial picture from before the pandemic. The national average as of 2018 was 10%, according to the American Hospital Association. (Houghton, 12/9)

Roll Call: Health Care Industry Seeks Surprise Billing Changes This Month
Some health care industry groups are pressing the Biden administration to change its plan for implementing a law meant to shield patients from surprise medical bills that is set to take effect next month. Many of the arguments sent in letters to federal agencies by Monday night reflect the debate that stakeholders had last year as Congress drafted the law. The groups are also commenting on policies set to take effect next year designed to provide patients with more insight into what medical services and procedures cost. (McIntire, 12/8)

Also —

KHN: Never Mind Toys, It’s Time To Ask Santa For Crutches And Catheters
America’s hospitals, strained by nearly two years of fighting the covid-19 pandemic, are now scrounging for basic medical supplies. In another consequence of the global supply chain crisis, hospitals managing holiday covid surges and all their other patients are running short of many necessities of care: crutches, syringes, needles, tubing, gloves, catheters, drapes for surgery, suction canisters for medical waste and even urine cups. After the difficulties that health care workers faced in securing personal protective equipment in 2020, supply chain managers and other experts say shortages and delays of other common supplies escalated this year. (Pradhan, 12/9)

AP: Nobels For Medicine, Economics Given In California Ceremony 
The 2021 Nobel Prize laureates for medicine and economics received their awards in Southern California on Wednesday during a scaled-down ceremony adapted for pandemic times. Swedish Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter was on hand in Irvine, south of Los Angeles, to award the Nobel for physiology or medicine to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian and the prize for economic sciences to David Card, Joshua D. Angrist and Guido W. Imbens. Julius, a professor of physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, and Patapoutian, a molecular biologist at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, were honored for independently discovering key mechanisms of how humans sense heat, cold and other stimuli. (12/9)

AP: California Plans To Be Abortion Sanctuary If Roe Overturned
With more than two dozen states poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court gives them the OK next year, California clinics and their allies in the state Legislature on Wednesday revealed a plan to make the state a “sanctuary” for those seeking reproductive care, including possibly paying for travel, lodging and procedures for people from other states. The California Future of Abortion Council, made up of more than 40 abortion providers and advocacy groups, released a list of 45 recommendations for the state to consider if the high court overturns Roe v. Wade — the 48-year-old decision that forbids states from outlawing abortion. (Beam, 12/8)

The Wall Street Journal: California May Pay Expenses For Women Seeking Abortions From Other States
California political leaders are looking for ways to provide financial and logistical support to women who come to the state seeking abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned or severely curtailed, including possibly paying for gas, lodging, and child care, as well as compensating providers for services rendered to low-income patients. The proposals are some of the 45 recommendations put forth in a report by a group of abortion providers and advocates with input and support from leaders of the overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature. It comes as the state prepares for a possible influx of people from areas that could pass abortion restrictions if the Supreme Court limits or ends the constitutional right to abortion. (Mai-Duc, 12/8)

In other news about abortion —

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Ohio House Passes ‘Born Alive’ Abortion Bill That Would Likely Shutter Last Clinics In Dayton, Cincinnati 
The Ohio House passed a bill that would require doctors to perform life-saving care on fetuses that survive failed abortions and also would close Southeast Ohio’s last abortion clinics. The House passed Senate Bill 157 59 to 33, largely along party lines. The bill now heads to the Ohio, Senate which is expected to vote on some technical changes made in the Ohio House. If the Senate agrees to the changes, the bill will head to Gov. Mike DeWine. (Hancock, 12/8)

USA Today: 26 States Plan to Ban Abortion in Some Form if the Supreme Court OKs Mississippi's Ban. Here's Who Is Most at Risk.
While wealthier pregnant people will continue to have access to abortion regardless of what the Supreme Court decides in the spring, those who are low-income and nonwhite are expected to be most affected. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week on the constitutionality of Mississippi’s ban on abortions past 15 weeks in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case. Twenty-six states are poised to ban abortion in some form if the Supreme Court OKs the ban or decides to overturn Roe v. Wade altogether, dealing a blow to 50 years of legal precedent guaranteeing the right to an abortion, according to Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research and policy organization. (Hassanein, 12/8)

Also —

USA Today: With Roe V. Wade In Peril, Abortion Activists Ask: Where Are The Men?
Abortion rights activists worried the Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade are increasingly asking: Where are our male supporters? Although Americans widely support abortion access in the United States, many activists worried about preserving the right to abortion say a pending Supreme Court decision could effectively end access in at least 20 states almost overnight. If that day comes — and they increasingly predict it will — activists fear the lack of public support from a broad group of Americans may prolong their fight to restore abortion rights. (Hughes, 12/9)

Vox: Why Adoption Isn’t A Replacement For Abortion Rights 
Americans don’t need abortion because adoption exists. That, at least, was the implication of comments made by Justice Amy Coney Barrett last week, as the Supreme Court appeared to edge closer than ever to overturning the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade and stripping Americans of the right to an abortion before viability. During oral arguments December 1 in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which concerns Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, Barrett noted that all 50 states have safe haven laws, allowing a baby to be surrendered for adoption shortly after birth without criminal consequences for the parent. If abortion rights advocates are worried about the burdens of forced parenthood, she asked, “Why don’t the safe haven laws take care of that problem?” (North, 12/8)

AP: Federal Report: Iowa Violates Rights Of Disabled People 
The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday issued a strong condemnation of the way Iowa treats people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, telling the state it must find ways to care for people in community settings and not in institutions. In a letter and a 33-page report sent to state officials, Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said that after a yearlong investigation they have concluded there is reasonable cause to believe Iowa violates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide services that integrate people with intellectual disabilities into their communities. (Pitt, 12/9)

In other news from the Midwest —

Stat: In Minneapolis, Heavy Policing Is Tied To Higher Rates Of Preterm Births
The longstanding toll of police violence on Black communities came into sharp relief last year with the murder of George Floyd. Now, a research team from Minneapolis, a city traumatized by the police killings of Floyd and other unarmed Black men, has published a study showing that the impact of even routine policing extends deeply and pervasively into communities, and may adversely affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. (McFarling, 12/8)

Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Needs More Therapists But State Backlog Stalls Licensing
Jessie Richardson graduated in December 2020 with a master's degree and a job offer in hand. There was just one last step to officially start her career as a therapist, a profession in serious need of more bodies as a growing number of Americans need help with their mental health. In January, she turned in the paperwork to receive her training license for the job. (Heim, 12/8)

Indianapolis Star: Indy Hunger Network's Community Compass App Expands Statewide
A mobile app and website designed to help Marion County residents find food assistance has been expanded statewide. Community Compass, launched in Marion County in February 2020, is now available to Hoosiers across the state, Indy Hunger Network announced in a Wednesday news release. Users can map hunger relief resources such as food pantries and free meals or groceries and helps them determine eligibility for federal nutrition assistance programs. (Hays, 12/8)

In news from Rhode Island, Florida and Texas —

CIDRAP: Rhode Island Confirms Its First Jamestown Canyon Virus Case In 8 Years
Rhode Island has confirmed its first case of Jamestown Canyon virus infection since 2013, according to a Dec 6 news release. The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) said a person from Kent County in his or her 50s tested positive for the mosquito-borne disease. Symptoms first developed in September and led to hospitalization. (12/8)

Health News Florida: As Flu Season Begins, Blood Shortages Continue 
Donating blood is personal for Sydney Bednoski. After a family friend passed away due to complications involving a low platelet count, Bednoski said she realized how critical it is for healthy individuals to give blood and began to donate more often herself. However, the need for blood donations this year is more critical than most. The American Red Cross announced that it is experiencing a critical blood supply shortage this year, with its lowest supply of blood in more than a decade heading into the holidays and into flu season. (Blair, 12/8)

In news from California and Arizona —

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘They Ambushed Me’: California Medical Official Says She Was Stalked By COVID Misinformation Group
The president of California’s medical board said she was “followed and confronted” by members of a group under investigation by a U.S. House of Representatives panel for promoting dubious COVID-19 treatments, saying they flew a drone over her family’s Walnut Creek home and “ambushed” her outside her office. Kristina Lawson, chief executive of law firm Hanson Bridgett who has served on the state medical board since 2015, described the ordeal on Twitter, saying it started when strangers parked outside her home Monday morning and ended in a parking garage for her office “when four men jumped out of the SUV with cameras and recording equipment and confronted me as I tried to get into my car to drive home.” (Johnson, 12/8)

Albuquerque Journal: Group Urges Revision To Medical Malpractice Law
A group of independent physicians and medical practices say they are preparing to close their offices or curtail work Dec. 31 unless New Mexico revises its new medical malpractice law – a development they say would worsen the state’s chronic shortage of health care providers. The group is proposing revisions they say would clarify the law to respond to questions raised by their insurance carriers, not make wholesale changes. (McKay, 12/7)

CNN: New Zealand Plans To Ban Smoking For The Next Generation 
New Zealand plans to outlaw smoking for the next generation so they will never be legally able to buy tobacco in the country. Under proposed new legislation, the legal age of 18 for buying tobacco will be raised progressively, Associate Health Minister Dr. Ayesha Verrall said at a news conference Thursday. "We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offence to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth," she said. "People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco." (Mogul, 12/9)

And in covid news from around the world —

Politico: Boris Johnson Deploys England’s Coronavirus ‘Plan B’ To Curb Omicron Spread 
Boris Johnson announced a raft of new coronavirus restrictions Wednesday in the face of the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant. Under the new restrictions, proof of vaccinations or a negative COVID-19 test will be required to enter nightclubs and large venues from next week, while face masks will be mandatory in most indoor settings. People in England will also be asked to work from home "if you can" from next week. (McDonald and Casalicchio, 12/8)

Bloomberg: South Africa Research Council Gets Right To Access Vaccine Data 
The South African Medical Research Council won the right to access the country’s Covid-19 vaccination data, ending a standoff with the Department of Health. The council compiles a weekly excess deaths report and says access to the data would allow it to show the role of vaccines in reducing mortality. “If we are able to put the data together, we can get a picture of how well the vaccines work - which is particularly important in the context of a new variant,” said Debbie Bradshaw, a chief specialist scientist at the council, said in a statement on Wednesday. (Sguazzin, 12/8)

Bloomberg: Maker Of World’s Most-Used Shot Says Omicron Data To Take Time
China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, whose coronavirus vaccine is the most widely-used globally with 2.3 billion doses shipped out, said it’s testing its inactivated shot against omicron in a number of laboratory studies but that any results would take time. The update comes as Pfizer Inc., which makes the world’s second-most used vaccine with BioNTech SE, said that neutralizing antibody levels fell against omicron compared to the original strain of the virus, but that a booster shot should provide people sufficient protection. (12/9)

In other global news —

The Washington Post: China Clamps Down On Vasectomies In Bid To Boost Birth Rate 
Zhao Zihuan, a first-time mother in the Chinese city of Jinan, had two miscarriages before giving birth to a son last year. The seven-hour labor ended in an emergency Caesarean section. Exhausted by child care, the 32-year-old and her husband decided one kid was enough — so in April they began to inquire about a vasectomy. Yet they were turned down by two hospitals. One doctor told Zhao’s husband that the surgery was no longer allowed under the country’s new family-planning rules. (Chen, Li and Kuo, 12/9)

CIDRAP: Study Reveals Pandemic-Related Delays In Cancer-Related Diagnoses
The COVID-19 pandemic has likely caused delays in new cancer diagnoses, which in combination with disrupted cancer treatment could lead to poor patient outcomes, according to a national study of more than 9 million Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System patients published yesterday in Cancer. Led by University of Maryland at Baltimore researchers, the study measured decreases in patient visits related to prostate, lung, bladder, and colorectal cancers, related diagnostic procedures, and new cancer diagnoses before and after the emergence of COVID-19. The median age of patients having diagnostic or screening procedures for the four cancers was 67 years, 92% were men, 22% were Black, and 6.1% were Latino. (12/7)

JAMA Network: Association Between Cataract Extraction And Development Of Dementia 
Is cataract extraction associated with reduced risk of developing dementia? In this cohort study assessing 3038 adults 65 years of age or older with cataract enrolled in the Adult Changes in Thought study, participants who underwent cataract extraction had lower risk of developing dementia than those who did not have cataract surgery after controlling for numerous additional risks. In comparison, risk of dementia did not differ between participants who did or did not undergo glaucoma surgery, which does not restore vision. (Lee et al, 12/6)

ScienceDaily: Synthetic Tissue Can Repair Hearts, Muscles, And Vocal Cords
Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University developed a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine. (McGill University, 11/30)

CIDRAP: Study Links FDA Warnings To Fewer Fluoroquinolone Prescriptions
A new study suggests that the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) warnings about adverse events linked to fluoroquinolone antibiotics may have helped lower prescribing of the drugs, but not all physicians have been responsive to those warnings. The study, published this week in JAMA Network Open, looked at data on more than 1.2 million Medicare patients who received fluoroquinolones and found that overall fluoroquinolone prescribing started declining significantly in the 31 months before the FDA issued a warning on fluoroquinolones in 2013. The decline continued at a slower rate after the 2013 and 2016 warnings. (Dall, 12/3)

New England Journal of Medicine: Abortion Safety And Use With Normally Prescribed Mifepristone In Canada
After mifepristone became available as a normal prescription, the abortion rate remained relatively stable, the proportion of abortions provided by medication increased rapidly, and adverse events and complications remained stable, as compared with the period when mifepristone was unavailable. (Schummers et al, 12/18)

Stat: Ending The Pandemic Requires Global Solidarity, Not Blame
When historians write about the Covid-19 pandemic, they will certainly highlight the essential research behind safe and effective vaccines, the remarkable pace of vaccine development, and the sacrifices made by clinicians and clinical trial participants. They will also write about the gross neglect of global partners when designing a worldwide public health strategy, which has been plagued by vaccine inequity, nationalism, and fear. (Ingrid Katz and Abraar Karan, 12/8)

The New York Times: Omicron Threatens The Old. Nursing Homes Must Act Now. 
Lab studies, genomic analysis, and data from Botswana, South Africa and Europe strongly suggest that the Omicron variant will cause a lot more breakthrough cases by evading the antibodies generated by vaccines and prior infections. Based on very preliminary data, there have been suggestions that many such breakthrough infections could be mild and vaccines will continue to provide substantial protection against severe disease. Even if it is too early for conclusive answers, there are already many reasons to think Omicron could be a major threat to the elderly. (Zeynep Tufekci, 12/9)

USA Today: Focus COVID Vaccinations On High-Risk Populations To Stop Pandemic
Evidence that COVID-19 vaccine immunity can decline significantly after eight months suggests an urgent need to reassess what is meant by vaccinating the world. Ambitious global targets, set by the World Health Organization and President Joe Biden, aim to fully vaccinate 70% of the population of every country by next fall. If this is to have real impact, in terms of protecting lives and reducing transmission, then we need to ensure that 70% of people are not just vaccinated but also that those at highest risk are and remain protected. (Dr. Seth Berkley, 12/9)

Chicago Tribune: As We Wait To See Whether The Omicron Variant Causes Severe Disease, There Is Cause For Hope 
Now is the winter of our discontent, as 2021 draws to a close accompanied by some sobering COVID-19 statistics. Before the end of the year, the U.S. will pass two grim pandemic benchmarks: 50 million total cases diagnosed and 800,000 total deaths. We are in the middle of a new surge that began in early November, fueled by the unvaccinated and those who were vaccinated early on but have not yet gotten a booster and have waning immunity. And now comes the omicron variant. (Cory Franklin, 12/8)

The New York Times: Yes, Americans Should Be Mailed Free Tests 
The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, responded with exasperation this week to a question about distributing at-home tests to Americans: “Should we just send one to every American?,” she said. Yes, we should, and many more than one. Tests should be sent out week after week, free of charge. (Aaron E. Carroll, 12/8)

Stat: Vaccine Equity Is Essential. Vaccine Makers Need To Drop Barriers To Reaching Refugees And Other Displaced People
National-level Covid-19 vaccination figures can tell a lot about how the battle against the pandemic is going. But they say nothing about the populations most likely to be missed altogether: the many millions who aren’t part of any country’s vaccine roll-out plan: stateless people, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people, vulnerable migrants, and people living amid conflicts or humanitarian emergencies. The world now has a system in place that can reach them. Last month, 1.6 million vaccine doses landed in Tehran, earmarked for 800,000 Afghan refugees, migrants, and displaced people living within Iran’s borders. But the effort to deliver more doses to vulnerable populations is being hindered by some vaccine manufacturers. (Seth Berkley, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Dueling Opinions: What’s Challenging Access To Mental Health Services?
Nearly 53 million adults ages 18 and older in 2020 suffered from some type of mental illness in the previous year, federal data shows. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the situation. Where [do] you think the industry stands as far as mental health parity—compliance with the Mental Health Parity Act and subsequent legislation? (Shawn Coughlin and Indira Paharia, 12/7)

Los Angeles Times: New York City Is Saving People From Drug Overdose Deaths. Why Can't California? 
For years officials in U.S. cities hit hard by the opioid epidemic — San Francisco, Philadelphia and Boston, to name a few — have been trying to open facilities where addicts could safely self-administer their illicitly obtained substances without the fear of overdosing or of being arrested. These efforts have been stymied by a combination of misplaced fear from locals about “drug dens” and the heavy hand of the federal government, which last year blocked what would have been the nation’s first such facility from opening in Philadelphia for violating the “crackhouse provision” of the Controlled Substances Act. (12/8)

The Washington Post: Tough-On-Drugs Policies Have Failed. Supervised Injection Sites Will Save Lives. 
New York has become the first U.S. city to allow supervised injection sites for illegal drug users. This strategy may seem counterintuitive as U.S. drug overdose deaths reach unprecedented levels. In fact, a smart and compassionate approach, which other countries have already tested, will save lives where tough-on-drug policies have failed. (12/7)

Scientific American: Abortion Doesn't Have To Be An Either-Or Conversation 
We, as nurses, midwives and health researchers, know that using a both-and mentality instead of an either-or mentality makes space for multiple truths and nondichotomist positions concerning the decision to continue or terminate a pregnancy. A both-and approach is a hallmark of Black feminism and one that assumes multiple outcomes, multiple discussions or multiple futures as we work together to address the urgent reproductive health crisis in our country. (Amy Alspaugh, Linda S. Franck, Renee Mehra and Daniel Felipe Martin Suarez-Baquero, Nikki Lanshaw, Toni Bond, Monica R. McLemore, 12/8)

USA Today: Viability Standard Sounds Good But Is Arbitrary
In arguments over the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, one idea was front and center – viability. Mississippi's law bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, well before the court's "viability" line at 24 weeks. The idea that when a fetus can survive outside the womb is the point at which his or her right to life outweighs a potential mother's interest in making choices about her own life has an attractive logic to it. (David Mastio, 12/8)

The CT Mirror: Anthem Study On Social Drivers Of Health Is A Wake Up Call
For many of us in Connecticut, health and healthcare are at the top of the agenda. As Medical Director for the largest insurer in the state, this is especially true in my circles. Given this, you can imagine how surprised I was to learn that 55% of Connecticut residents were not familiar with the concept of social drivers of health (SDoH) when asked as part of a recent study conducted by Anthem, Inc., parent company to Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield affiliated health plans. (Dr. Michael Jefferson, 12/9)