First Edition: Jan. 4, 2022

KHN: Why An HBCU Med School Decided To Put CARES Act Money Into Students’ Pockets 
Just before students at Meharry Medical College went home for Thanksgiving, Dr. James Hildreth, the school’s president, emailed them a video message that he acknowledged seemed hard to believe. Or at least they had to give it a second listen. “We’ll gift each of you $10,000 in cash,” he said, looking at the camera. “You heard me right.” They were told to expect a direct deposit the next day or pick up a check in person. Hildreth, an expert in infectious diseases who helped lead Nashville’s pandemic response, explained that this gift with no strings attached was money from the CARES Act, a major covid-19 relief law passed by Congress in 2020. He asked only that they be “good stewards” of the windfall. (Farmer, 1/4)

KHN: As Covid Hits Nursing Homes’ Finances, Town Residents Fight To Save Alzheimer’s Facility
Marvin Querry, 86, was on his tractor, planting rye on his 770-acre western Missouri farm, when the call came in early November. It was the social worker from Barone Alzheimer’s Care Center, where Querry’s wife, Diane, is a resident. The facility would be closing because of financial hardship, she said, reading from a statement. (Graham, 1/4)

KHN: ‘Then The Bill Came’: Year 4 Of KHN-NPR’s Bill Of The Month Is A Wrap 
In 2021, more than 880 of you submitted ideas for KHN-NPR’s Bill of the Month investigative series, trusting us with two of the most personal topics in life: your health and your money. We are deeply grateful. Our trove of bills and stories — building steadily to nearly 5,000 since February 2018 — tells us that American health care’s financial toll is a burden for far too many people, and that our health system is often better at promoting its own financial interests than protecting the public. (12/25)

KHN: Laws Shield Hospitals From Families Who Believe Loved Ones Contracted Covid As Patients 
After Amanda Wilson lost her son, Braden, 15, to covid-19 in early 2021, she tried to honor his memory. She put up a lending library box in his name. She plans to give the money she saved for his college education to other teens who love the arts and technology. But in one area, she hit a brick wall: attempting to force change at the California hospital where she believes her son contracted covid in December 2020. While seeking treatment for a bleeding cyst, Braden was surrounded for hours by coughing patients in the emergency room, Wilson said. Yet, she said, she has been unable to get the hospital to show her improvements it told her it made or get a lawyer to take her case. (Weber and Jewett, 12/24)

Stat: FDA Authorizes First Covid-19 Booster Shot For Teens Aged 12 To 15
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday extended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 booster shot to include teens aged 12 to 15, paving the way for them to be eligible for the jabs later this week. It is the first booster shot to be authorized for this age group. A panel of independent experts that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccination policy will meet Wednesday to discuss the policy change. It’s possible the ACIP will issue what’s known as a permissive recommendation — saying youths aged 12 to 15 may get a booster if they wish, but stopping short of urging them to do so. (Branswell, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech Booster For 12- To 15-Year-Olds 
A panel of vaccine experts advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to meet Wednesday to discuss the FDA’s authorization. Many doctor’s offices, schools and other vaccination sites could start providing the shots to adolescents if the panel and then the CDC director sign off. There should be sufficient supply, since the adolescents get the same dose already in use. (Hopkins, 1/3)

NPR: CDC Could Add A Negative Test To Its New Isolation Guidelines, Fauci Says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering altering its recommendations for people with COVID-19 after it got pushback on its new guidelines, Dr. Anthony Fauci said. President Biden's chief medical adviser said there was "some concern" that the CDC told people to isolate for five days but did not recommend that they get a negative test before leaving isolation. "That is something that is now under consideration," Fauci said Sunday during an interview on ABC's This Week. On Monday the CDC cut the number of days it recommends COVID-positive people remain in isolation from 10 days to five if they are no longer showing symptoms. People are urged to wear masks for another five days after that to avoid infecting others. (Hernandez, 1/2)

USA Today: Biden Addresses Nation Amid Rising COVID Cases Following The Holidays
President Joe Biden will address the American public Tuesday about the omicron variant as COVID-19 cases continue multiplying to record levels following the holidays. Nearly 1 in 100 Americans have tested positive for the virus in just the last week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Over one million cases were reported in the U.S. on Monday alone, although many of the cases were likely backlogged from the New Year's weekend. (Tebor, 1/4)

The Washington Post: More than 103,000 Americans hospitalized with covid, matching worst of summer surge
More than 103,000 Americans were hospitalized with covid-19 on Monday, according to Washington Post figures, the highest number since late summer, when the delta variant of the coronavirus triggered a nationwide surge in cases. The figure reflects the 27 percent rise in covid-19 hospitalizations in the United States in the past week, while the daily average of new cases during the same period more than doubled. Average daily new deaths from covid-19 declined by 8 percent. (Jeong and Hassan, 1/4)

NBC News: Kids Hospitalized In Record Numbers
The number of children hospitalized with Covid-19 is soaring nationwide, especially as the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across the country. According to an NBC News analysis, at least nine states have reported record numbers of Covid-related pediatric hospitalizations: Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as Washington, D.C. (Edwards, 1/3)

AP: 1st Case Of The Omicron Variant Is Detected On Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation reported 10 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and no deaths Monday, but tribal health officials say the first case of the omicron variant has been detected on the vast reservation. ... The reservation covers 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) and extends into parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. (1/4)

The New York Times: How Full Are Hospital I.C.U.s Near You? 
See how the pandemic has affected recent hospital capacity in the map below, which shows data reported by individual hospitals. Health officials have said that the data should not discourage sick people from seeking care. (Conlen, Keefe, Sun, Leatherby and Smart, 1/4)

The Washington Post: USS Milwaukee Covid Outbreak: Navy Ship Returns To Sea With Coronavirus-Positive Sailors Isolated On Board 
The U.S. Navy combat ship that was sidelined by a coronavirus outbreak among its crew last month has returned to sea, even as some sailors on board remain positive for the virus, officials said on Monday. The USS Milwaukee, a littoral combat ship with a crew of 105 plus a detachment of Coast Guard personnel and an aviation unit, had been at port in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, since Dec. 20, after stopping at the U.S. military base there to refuel. The Associated Press reported that about 25 percent of the ship’s sailors had tested positive. (Thebault and deGrandpre, 1/3)

The New York Times: Federal Judge Blocks The Defense Dept. From Punishing Navy Forces Who Refuse The Vaccine.
A federal judge on Monday granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Defense from taking “any adverse action” against 35 Navy sailors who have refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, arguing that it violated their religious freedoms. The service members — including Navy SEALs and members of the Naval Special Warfare Command — had filed suit against the Biden administration arguing that their “sincerely held religious beliefs forbid each of them from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for a variety of reasons based upon their Christian faith.” The Pentagon had mandated that all active-duty troops receive the vaccine. (Albeck-Ripka, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Despite Omicron Surge, Schools Reopen With In-Person Classes 
Even as coronavirus caseloads hit record levels, school districts across the country are reopening for in-person learning this week, mindful of the damage that remote education inflicted last year and determined to avoid a repeat. ... Some districts announced a return to online school due to a spike in cases, including large systems in Cleveland, Atlanta and Newark. But the vast majority of schools opened Monday or plan to reopen this week, determined to avoid the academic, logistical and social-emotional disruptions that came with remote learning. (Meckler and Strauss, 1/3)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Promised 6 Million COVID Tests For Students. Half Arrived
Gov. Gavin Newsom promised that schools would receive at-home COVID-19 tests in time for students to safely return to campuses after winter break, as health officials warned of a surge in cases over the holidays. But as many school districts resumed classes on Monday, they did so without having received a single test from the state. Just half of the 6 million tests Newsom said the state would purchase for schools have been delivered, while an additional 1 million tests are en route and expected to be delivered within 24 hours, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Public Health said Monday. An additional shipment of 1.5 million tests was expected to arrive Monday to the state’s warehouse before being directed to counties, while the remaining 500,000 tests have been ordered and are expected to arrive later this week, the agency said. (Mays and Gutierrez, 1/3)

AP: Tennessee Appeals Order Blocking School Mask Mandate Limits 
Tennessee officials are appealing a judge’s order that blocked the state’s new severe limits on when public schools can require masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and its ban against local officials making decisions about quarantines in schools. The state filed its notice of appeal last week in U.S. District Court in Nashville. Judge Waverly Crenshaw blocked the education provisions of the sweeping new law last month while the court case proceeds, saying the law “offers no protection to students, let alone those that are disabled.” (1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Starbucks Imposes Covid-19 Vaccine, Testing Requirements For U.S. Workers 
Starbucks Corp. is requiring its U.S. employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 or submit to regular testing, one of the first large restaurant chains to take such a step ahead of potential federal vaccination mandates for large employers. Starbucks said Monday that workers in its U.S. cafes, offices and manufacturing plants must be vaccinated by Feb. 9 or get tested weekly. (Haddon, 1/3)

The Hill: Pence Group Files SCOTUS Brief Opposing Biden Vaccine Mandate
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday announced his advocacy group has filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to reject the Biden administration's attempt to require large businesses to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for its workers or require frequent testing. Pence filed the brief, which was shared with The Hill, through his political advocacy group Advancing American Freedom.  (Samuels, 1/3)

The Hill: DeSantis Calls For States To Be Allowed To Buy Monoclonal Antibody Treatments
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called on the federal government to allow states to purchase monoclonal antibody treatments on Monday as his state and the country are slammed with COVID-19 cases. The governor said during a press conference in Fort Lauderdale that the state is waiting to obtain enough doses to open five to 10 more monoclonal antibody treatment sites. But with the federal government in “control” of the supply, that plan is “all contingent on the federal government sending the doses we need,” he said. (Coleman, 1/3)

NPR: Congress' Doctor Urges Lawmakers To Work Remotely And Upgrade Masks As Omicron Rages
The chief doctor for Congress is urging lawmakers and staff to take greater precautions in protecting themselves from the coronavirus as the Capitol grapples with an explosive spike in COVID-19 cases. The Capitol's attending physician Brian Monahan said on Monday that the Capitol COVID-19 testing center's seven-day "positivity rate went from less than 1 percent to greater than 13 percent" since the end of November. In a letter to congressional offices, Monahan advised members to shift towards remote work, noting that hundreds of people have been infected. For those choosing to remain on the Hill, he suggested cloth face coverings should be swapped out with more robust N95 or KN95 masks. (Romo, 1/3)

Reuters: Walmart Temporarily Shut Nearly 60 U.S. Stores For COVID Cleaning In December
Walmart temporarily shut almost 60 U.S. stores in COVID-19 hotspots in December to sanitize them against the virus, in a sign the new Omicron variant is disrupting the retail industry. The Walmart stores – in locations including Texas and New Jersey – were closed for two days for cleaning “to present a safe and clean in-store environment for our associates and customers," a company spokesperson told Reuters in a statement. Walmart has more than 4,700 U.S. locations in total. (Naidu and Kaye, 1/3)

Reuters: Virus Leaves Antibodies That May Attack Healthy Tissues
Months after recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection, survivors have elevated levels of antibodies that can mistakenly attack their own organs and tissues, even if they had not been severely ill, according to new findings. Among 177 healthcare workers who had recovered from confirmed coronavirus infections contracted before the availability of vaccines, all had persistent autoantibodies, including ones that can cause chronic inflammation and injury of the joints, skin and nervous system. (Lapid, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: The Elizabeth Holmes Verdict: Theranos Founder Is Guilty On Four Of 11 Charges In Fraud Trial 
A federal jury convicted Elizabeth Holmes, the startup founder who claimed to revolutionize blood testing, on four of 11 charges that she conducted a yearslong fraud scheme against investors while running Theranos Inc., which ended up as one of Silicon Valley’s most notorious implosions. The verdict caps a steep fall for the former Silicon Valley star who once graced magazine covers with headlines such as “This CEO is Out for Blood” and emulated Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs by wearing black turtlenecks. (Randazzo and Somerville and Weaver, 1/3)

The New York Times: What Happens Next To Elizabeth Holmes 
After the verdict was read, defense and prosecution lawyers discussed plans for Ms. Holmes’s sentencing, the status of her release and the fate of the three hung charges. Judge Edward J. Davila of the Northern District of California, who oversaw the case, said he planned to declare a mistrial on those charges, which the government could choose to retry. The parties agreed that Ms. Holmes would not be taken into custody on Monday. A sentencing date is expected to be set at a hearing on the three hung charges next week. (Woo, 1/3)

AP: What Will Silicon Valley Learn From Holmes' Conviction?
The fraud conviction of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes could offer Silicon Valley’s culture of hubris and hype some valuable lessons. Will anyone in the tech industry actually take this moment to heart? Don’t count on it. (Liedtke, 1/4)

AP: Nurses Ratify New Contract, End Nearly 10-Month Strike
The longest nurses strike in Massachusetts history came to an end Monday when unionized nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester voted to ratify a new four-year deal with management. The agreement was overwhelmingly approved 487 to 9 in favor of ratification, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association union. The 301-day strike was the longest in the nation in the past 15 years, the union said. (1/4)

Stat: Drug Makers Ring In The New Year With 5% Price Hikes
As 2022 gets under way, pharmaceutical companies have so far raised wholesale prices by a median of 4.9% on more than 450 prescription medicines, an overall annual increase that is comparable to the price hikes seen over the past three years, according to a new analysis. The numbers are preliminary, though, because still more price increases are expected to be disclosed by drug makers later this month, since not every company has reported their latest prices to industry databases. Nonetheless, the early indication is that many drug makers are keeping price hikes in check due to ongoing bad publicity that has sparked sustained political pressure. (Silverman, 1/3)

Axios: Gilead, Pfizer Among Drugmakers Raising Prices In 2022 
Drug companies raised the prices on hundreds of medications on Jan. 1, with most prices up 5% to 6% on average. The start of the new year is the most popular time for drug companies to hike prices, and even though high drug prices remain one of the biggest political health care issues, increases in 2022 are tracking in line with other recent years. (Herman, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: U.S. Saw Significant Drop In Telehealth Use During 2021
Telehealth utilization declined by an average of 40.3% a month last year compared to 2020, an analysis published last month shows. Telemedicine skyrocketed in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic's peaks starting in 2020, but patient declined as people returned to physician offices last year, according a review of commercial, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care claims by the analytics firm Trilliant Health. The company compared telehealth utilization during the March through December 2020 period to 2021 to determine the trends. (Devereux, 1/3)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County See Delays In 911 Ambulance Calls
Los Angeles County is beginning to see delays in ambulance response to 911 calls, as more employees are unable to work due to COVID-related illnesses and ambulances are forced to wait to offload patients at hospitals, health officials said Monday. “People should reach out to their physicians for suggestions to treat mild COVID symptoms,” the county Department of Health Services said in a statement to The Times. “Do not seek COVID testing at emergency departments but at established sites.” Meanwhile, hospitalizations of children with coronavirus infections in L.A. County have tripled in the last month. (Lin II, Money, Blume and Alpert Reyes, 1/3)

Stat: Emergency Medics Remain Locked Out Of Electronic Health Records 
A few years back, Travis Ogden’s ambulance crew raced to revive a 4-year-old who’d drowned, the color starting to return to her lips as they rushed to the hospital. Normally, their arrival would mark the end of the run: What happens beyond the emergency room doors by and large remains a mystery. But that day, Ogden’s crew couldn’t accept that reality. They cleaned the rig and restocked its medical supplies in slow motion, trying to stick around and find out whether she survived. When a doctor walked over to her family and knelt, they quietly realized she hadn’t. (Renault, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Officially Tosses 'Most-Favored Nation' Drug Pay Model
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services officially tossed out a Trump-era policy that would have prevented Medicare from paying more for certain outpatient drugs than the lowest price paid by other wealthy countries, according to a final rule released last week. All but one of the 34 commenters on the proposed rule supported rescinding the policy, according to CMS. "We will continue to carefully consider this commenter's feedback and other stakeholders' feedback that we received as we explore all options to incorporate value into payments for Medicare Part B drugs, improve beneficiaries' access to evidence-based care, and reduce drug spending for consumers and throughout the healthcare system," the final rule said. (Goldman, 1/3)

Bay Area News Group: Keanu Reeves Donated 70% Of 'Matrix' Pay To Cancer Research
While Keanu Reeves’ new installment in “The Matrix” franchise wasn’t quite the blockbuster that Warner Bros’ hoped, a new report shows the actor continues to win praise for being one of Hollywood’s most decent and well-liked celebrities. The new report, from Lad Bible, said that the 57-year-old “Resurrections” actor donated up to 70% of his salary from the original “Martrix” movie to cancer research. The New York Post added that Reeves was reportedly paid $10 million upfront for the groundbreaking 1999 science fiction film, before earning another $35 million when the movie became a box office blockbuster. Seventy-percent of those earnings meant that $31.6 went to leukemia research. (Ross, 1/3)

AP: More Beaches Reopen After Southern California Sewage Spill
More Southern California beaches have been reopening after a large sewage spill shut off large segment of the coastline before New Year’s Day. Orange County’s health care agency on Monday lifted closures for Seal Beach and Sunset Beach once testing showed the water quality was acceptable, said Julie MacDonald, an agency spokesperson. (1/4)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rib Mountain Shuts Down Drinking Water Well Due To 'Forever Chemicals'
Another Wisconsin town is now waging a battle against "forever chemicals" after finding the toxic compounds during voluntary testing. The Town of Rib Mountain discovered PFAS in municipal drinking water wells during testing in November and December, according to a press release. The compounds were found in four wells, with levels about the recommended standard in only one. The other three wells tested had low levels of PFAS. Well #1, which had the elevated level of the compounds, has been shut off — meaning residents and businesses are getting their water from other wells within the system. (Schulte, 1/3)

AP: US Close To Ending Buried Nuke Waste Cleanup At Idaho Site
A lengthy project to dig up and remove radioactive and hazardous waste buried for decades in unlined pits at a nuclear facility that sits atop a giant aquifer in eastern Idaho is nearly finished, U.S. officials said. The U.S. Department of Energy said last week that it removed the final amount of specifically-targeted buried waste from a 97-acre (39-hectare) landfill at its 890-square-mile (2,300-square-kilometer) site that includes the Idaho National Laboratory. (Ridler, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Promotes Plan Aimed At Tackling Meat Prices 
The Biden administration on Monday outlined tighter regulations for U.S. meatpackers, accusing the industry of inflating Americans’ food bills, as meat companies say they are experiencing persistent supply chain problems and labor shortages as the economy recovers from the pandemic. President Biden’s push to tackle meat prices comes as his administration seeks to ease inflation, which hit a nearly four-decade high in November. Inflation has emerged as a pressing concern for American voters, a Wall Street Journal poll released last month found, and Republicans have been criticizing Mr. Biden over high prices for months. (Thomas and Lucey, 1/3)

AP: Biden: More Competition In Meat Industry Can Ease Food Costs 
President Joe Biden met virtually with independent farmers and ranchers Monday to discuss initiatives to reduce food prices by increasing competition within the meat industry, part of a broader effort to show his administration is trying to combat inflation. “Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism — it’s exploitation,” Biden said. (Boak and Superville, 1/3)

The Washington Post: The USDA’s new labeling for genetically modified foods goes into effect Jan. 1. Here’s what you need to know.
Starting Jan. 1, labels at the grocery store are about to get a makeover on foods that have been genetically modified. The goal was to get rid of the patchwork of different labels for foods and ingredients that have been scientifically tinkered with, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, the move also puts a greater burden on consumers to do their homework to understand what the labels mean, food advocates say. Foods that previously were labeled as containing “genetically engineered” (GE) ingredients or “genetically modified organisms” (GMOs) will now be labeled as “bioengineered,” or come with a phone number or QR code guiding consumers to more information online. (Reiley, 1/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Asked To Open Way For Challenge To Texas Abortion Law 
Abortion providers in Texas asked the Supreme Court Monday to clear the way for the lawsuit they filed in July against the state law forbidding women from ending unwanted pregnancies after six weeks. In legal papers, the abortion providers argued that a federal appeals court overseeing the case is obstructing their challenge with superfluous proceedings. (Bravin, 1/3)

USA Today: Shoveling Snow Can Trigger Heart Attacks: At What Age Should You Stop?
Shoveling snow isn't for everyone. Thousands of people get injured and dozens die every year while taking care of the maligned winter chore. And for those of a certain age or health status, experts say it might be best to leave the shoveling for someone else. As much as it can seem like a mundane outdoor job, shoveling snow has resulted in thousands of injuries and can even bring on a fatal heart attack. A peer-reviewed study published in 2010 estimated that nearly 200,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for snow-shoveling-related incidents from 1990 to 2006, or an average of roughly 11,500 people a year. (Cannon, 1/3)

The Washington Post: Israel Now Offering Fourth Covid Shot To Anyone 60 And Older
Israel on Monday began offering anyone over 60 a chance to get a fourth shot of a coronavirus vaccine, greatly expanding a double-booster effort that previously included just older residents with compromised immune systems and some health-care workers. The initiative puts Israel at the forefront of aggressive vaccination strategies as the omicron variant drives up infection rates around the world. (Hendrix, 1/3)

Fox News: Israel Detects Case Of 'Flurona' In Unvaccinated Pregnant Woman
Flu cases were at historic lows during last year's season as schools shut down and workplaces went remote, but with a resurgence of influenza, concerns about a "twindemic" caused by "flurona" are high. Israel recently confirmed what is believed to be one of the first documented cases of an individual infected with both the flu and COVID-19. An unvaccinated pregnant woman tested positive for both illnesses last week at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, the Times of Israel reports. (Best, 1/3)