First Edition: April 15, 2021

KHN: Airports Step Up Mental Health Assistance As Passenger Anxiety Soars 
Robin Hancock gently worked her steel tongue drum with a pair of mallets, producing a set of soothing, mystical tones. They blended with the soft sound of chirping birds and bubbling creeks pouring from a Bluetooth speaker. Her warm voice invited the two visitors in the dimly lit room to slip into a nature setting of their choosing. The 20-minute guided meditation took place at an unlikely location: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which until 2020 was the world’s busiest passenger hub. The airport interfaith chapel’s executive director, Blair Walker, introduced the meditation sessions last fall in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. (Ridderbusch, 4/15)

KHN: Biden Moves To Overturn Trump Birth Control Rules
The Biden administration Wednesday formally proposed the repeal of Trump-era regulations barring abortion referrals and making other changes intended to evict Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from the federal family planning program, Title X. The 2019 rules dramatically limited access to these family planning services for many low-income people. In promising to return to the pre-Trump rules for the program, the new regulations by the Department of Health and Human Services note that the Trump policy “has been devastating to the hundreds of thousands of Title X clients who have lost access to critical family planning and related preventive health services.” Since the Trump rules took effect, Planned Parenthood and many city and state health departments have dropped out of the program, resulting in six states with no Title X providers and six more with dramatically reduced services. (Rovner, 4/14)

KHN: The FDA Seeks A New Way To Review Old Drugs Without Causing Prices To Soar
Chuck Peterson of Omaha, Nebraska, recently experienced a swollen, painful knuckle caused by arthritis. He got a prescription for colchicine. Doctors have used the drug for treating gout and other rheumatic conditions for well over two centuries. When Peterson went to the pharmacy, he was shocked to discover that a two-month supply of 120 pills, distributed by Par Pharmaceutical, would cost him $225 out-of-pocket on his Medicare Part D drug plan. Taking it for an additional three months, as his rheumatologist wanted him to do, would cost him nearly $600 under his drug plan. (Meyer, 4/15)

Politico: CDC Vaccine Panel Unexpectedly Delays Decision On Johnson & Johnson Shot 
The committee’s recommendations are non-binding, but top Biden administration health officials have said they would look to the CDC panel and a separate probe by officials at the Food and Drug Administration to guide their decision making on the vaccine. While many of the committee members — who include public health experts, scientists and doctors — said they needed more information before making a call, others expressed frustration about the damage that continued uncertainty would do to public confidence and vaccination efforts among underserved populations. (Owermohle and Banco, 4/14)

Stat: CDC Advisory Panel Delays Decision On J&J Covid-19 Vaccine
The U.S. government’s recommended pause on use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is unlikely to be lifted for at least another week or 10 days, after a committee of independent experts declined Wednesday to vote on whether use of the vaccine should resume. ... Many members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said they felt they had too little information to be able to estimate the benefits and risks of the vaccine, or to recommend its use be restricted to people in certain age groups. (Branswell, 4/14)

The Washington Post: CDC Vaccine Advisers Seek More Data On Rare Blood Clots Before Deciding Whether To Resume Johnson & Johnson Shots
At a hastily arranged emergency meeting a day after federal officials recommended a pause in use of the vaccine, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed to reconvene within 10 days, acknowledging the urgency of making a decision about a vaccine that is a key part of the strategy to end the pandemic in the United States and globally. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reviewed details about six cases of blood clots in women who were between the ages of 18 and 48. The women developed symptoms, most often headaches, six to 13 days after vaccination. One vaccine recipient, a Virginia woman, died in March, and another is in critical condition, health officials have said. Two have been discharged and three remain in the hospital. (Sun and Johnson, 4/14)

CNN: Fauci Says This Is A Pause And Not A Cancellation Of The J&J Vaccine. Here's How Long A Final Decision May Take
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, says the recommended pause on the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is just that: a pause -- and not a cancellation -- and will likely last days to weeks. "I doubt very seriously if we're talking about weeks to months," he told CNN on Wednesday. And that pause, he added, should help underscore and confirm "how seriously we take safety even though it's a rare event." (Maxouris, 4/15)

CNBC: Covid Vaccine: White House Says U.S. Is Working To Accelerate Pfizer, Moderna Doses
The Biden administration is working to accelerate doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines after U.S. health officials advised states to hold off on using Johnson & Johnson’s shot while regulators investigate a rare blood-clotting issue, a top U.S. official said Wednesday. Jeff Zients, the White House’s Covid-19 coordinator, said the Food and Drug Administration’s recommended pause on J&J’s vaccine would not have a “significant impact” on the administration’s vaccination program. (Lovelace Jr., 4/14)

Politico: Sharpening Resistance: States Fret Pause In J&J Vaccine Could Drive Up Hesitancy 
The Biden administration says its decision to stop administering Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus shot should make Americans more confident vaccines are safe. A growing chorus of state officials says it could have just the opposite effect. Any interruption could harden skepticism among people who were ambivalent over getting vaccinated or scared about getting sick from side effects, some governors and state health officials say. That could make tamping down new outbreaks and ending the pandemic much harder, especially with public places reopening and travel on the rise. (Roubein and Goldberg, 4/14)

The Boston Globe: Baker Expects ‘Minimal Disruptions’ To Vaccine Appointments Despite Pause In Johnson & Johnson Shots
Seeking to reassure the public after an announced pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday that he doubted the issue would significantly hamper the state’s ongoing vaccination effort, which relies mainly on the Pfizer and Moderna shots. “The J&J supply in Massachusetts is currently a small portion of our supply,” Baker told reporters during a briefing from the vaccination site at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. “In the immediate future, we’re expecting minimal disruptions to schedule new appointments.” (Andersen, Ellement and Turner, 4/14)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly’s Biggest COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Will Get More Doses In Response To The J&J Pause
In a reversal prompted by the pause on one COVID-19 vaccine brand over safety concerns, federal authorities said Wednesday they will continue providing another type of vaccine to the Convention Center mass clinic that is distributing more doses than any other in Philadelphia. Losing, at least temporarily, thousands of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses was a new complication as the nation races to vaccinate its population amid rising case counts and the risk of variants developing that could prove vaccine-resistant. (Laughlin, McDaniel and Steele, 4/15)

The Atlantic: The mRNA Vaccines Are Looking Better and Better
A year ago, when the United States decided to go big on vaccines, it bet on nearly every horse, investing in a spectrum of technologies. The safest bets, in a way, repurposed the technology behind existing vaccines, such as protein-based ones for tetanus or hepatitis B. The medium bets were on vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, which use adenovirus vectors, a technology that had been tested before but not deployed on a large scale. The long shots were based on the use of mRNA, the newest and most unproven technology. The protein-based vaccines have moved too slowly to matter so far. J&J’s and AstraZeneca’s vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19—but a small number of recipients have developed a rare type of blood clot that appears to be linked to the adenovirus technology and may ultimately limit those shots’ use. Meanwhile, with more than 180 million doses administered in the U.S, the mRNA vaccines have proved astonishingly effective and extremely safe. The unusual blood clots have not appeared with Pfizer’s or Moderna’s mRNA technology. A year later, the risky bet definitely looks like a good one. (Zhang, 4/14)

The Atlantic: Johnson & Johnson Blood Clots Make MRNA Vaccines Look Great
The U.S. has ordered enough mRNA vaccines to inoculate its entire population. In that context, the CDC and FDA’s call to pause the J&J rollout this week is a blow to the American inoculation campaign, but hardly a devastating one. (J&J’s vaccine accounts for less than 5 percent of doses administered so far, and AstraZeneca’s has not yet been authorized in the U.S.) But the rest of the world has been banking on the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines, which are both cheaper and easier to distribute because they don’t require the same cold storage as mRNA vaccines. If the blood-clot risk is real, the divide between the mRNA-vaccine haves and have-nots will only grow. The U.S. will be fine; the rest of the world will face difficult questions about balancing the risks and benefits of an affordable, good-but-not-best vaccine against a disease that has killed nearly 3 million people. (Zhang, 4/14)

Bloomberg: Vaccine Hesitancy Down In U.S., But 1 In 7 Are Still Reluctant
Vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. is shrinking, though 1 in 7 residents remain wary about getting a Covid-19 vaccine, largely because of concerns about side effects. That segment is younger and less educated than average, according to a tracker released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau that uses Household Pulse Survey data. Residents were surveyed before U.S. regulators on Tuesday recommended pausing Johnson & Johnson vaccines because of concerns about rare blood clots. (Querolo, 4/14)

The Washington Post: Public Health Experts Double Down On Vaccine Education After J&J Vaccine Pause 
Community leaders and those in charge of vaccinating vulnerable populations said that the pause does not appear to have immediately deterred people who want to be vaccinated or have upcoming vaccine appointments. “My concern is the people who were already not planning to get the vaccine will latch on to this as further justification just for why they shouldn’t get it,” said Leana Wen, Baltimore’s former health commissioner and an emergency physician. (Portnoy, 4/14)

ABC News: Justices Sonia Sotomayor And Neil Gorsuch Agree: Misinformation Is Threat To America 
They are ideological opposites on the U.S. Supreme Court, but Wednesday Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch united in a rare, joint public appearance to declare the spread of misinformation on social media an urgent threat to national security. ... Sotomayor cited a recent study from MIT which found false news stories are 70% more likely to be retweeted than true stories are. "That's frightening, isn't it," she said, "that people don't learn about truthful statements as much as false statements through social media. That is a true threat to our national security." (Dwyer, 4/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Enrolls Children As Young As 2 In Pfizer Vaccine Trials
Stanford Medicine on Wednesday began administering shots to children ages 2 to 5 in a trial for the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, marking another step forward in getting younger children vaccinated. Stanford’s trial is part of a larger, nationwide Pfizer study that is testing the vaccine in children as young as 6 months old. The advancement of pediatric vaccine trials is important because even though children are at lower risk than adults of developing severe disease and dying from COVID-19, many have nonetheless fallen ill and died. It will also be critical to inoculate children in order to reach higher immunity levels in the overall population, since they can spread the virus to others even if they themselves do not become ill. (Ho, 4/14)

USA Today: COVID: California And Washington Open Vaccine Eligibility
California and Washington open up vaccines to all adults Thursday. It came as California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged all schools in the state to reopen, saying there are no health barriers to getting children back into classrooms and ending distance learning. His wishes, though, remain an expectation rather than a mandate because California’s decentralized education system lets the 1,200 school districts govern themselves. Speaking Wednesday, he said: “Money is not an object now. It’s an excuse.” (Aspegren, 4/15)

CNN: CDC Reports 5,800 Covid Infections In Fully Vaccinated People
About 5,800 people who have been vaccinated against coronavirus have become infected anyway, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells CNN. Some became seriously ill and 74 people died, the CDC said. It said 396 -- 7% -- of those who got infected after they were vaccinated required hospitalization. It's the first indication from CDC of how effective the vaccine is in real life -- and the first indication the vaccines do not protect completely against severe disease and death. (Tinker and Fox, 4/14)

AP: North Dakota Officials Say Virus Trend Headed The Wrong Way
North Dakota health officials say the number of confirmed variant cases of the coronavirus has doubled this month and are warning about the possibility of another wave of infections. The state lab has identified 79 total cases of four variants, said Kirby Kruger, director of the Health Department’s Disease Control Division. The includes 50 of the one first identified in the United Kingdom, 28 of the two California variants and one of the South African variant. (4/14)

AP: More COVID State Shutdowns Unlikely, Despite CDC Suggestion
When one of the nation’s top health officials this week suggested states dealing with a spring spike of coronavirus cases should “shut things down,” the remark landed with a thud. Even Democratic governors and lawmakers who supported tough stay-at-home orders and business closures to stem previous COVID-19 outbreaks say they’re done with that approach. It’s a remarkable turnaround for governors who have said from the beginning of the pandemic that they will follow the science in their decision-making, but it’s also a nod to reality: Another round of lockdown orders would likely just be ignored by a pandemic-weary public. (Lieb, 4/14)

AP: Biden Begins To Undo Trump-Era Ban On Abortion Referrals
The Biden administration on Wednesday began to undo a Trump-era ban on clinics referring women for abortions, a policy that drove Planned Parenthood from the federal family planning program and created new complications for women trying to get birth control. The proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services follows through on President Joe Biden’s campaign promise to reverse his predecessor’s family planning policy, which was branded a “gag rule” by women’s groups and decried by medical associations as violating the doctor-patient relationship. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 4/14)

NPR: Biden Administration Moves To Undo Trump Abortion Rules For Title X
The Biden administration is moving to reverse a Trump-era family planning policy that critics describe as a domestic "gag rule" for reproductive healthcare providers. The proposal published on Wednesday would largely return the federal Title X family planning program to its status before Trump took office. The current rules, implemented in March 2019 under Trump, forbid any provider who provides or refers patients for abortions from receiving federal funding through Title X to cover services such as contraception and STD screenings for low-income people. (McCammon, 4/14)

Roll Call: HHS Moves To Reinstate Aid To Family Planning Clinics That Perform Abortions 
The Biden administration released a proposed rule on Wednesday that would reinstate eligibility for federal family planning funds to organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals, a move that would directly affect groups like Planned Parenthood. Under current law, providers cannot use federal funds for abortions except in rare circumstances. (Raman, 4/14)

The New York Times: Senate Passes Anti-Asian-American Hate Crimes Bill 
The Senate voted on Wednesday to advance legislation that would strengthen federal efforts to address hate crimes directed at Asian-Americans, paving the way for passage of the measure and sending a bipartisan denunciation of the sharp increase in discrimination and violence against Asian communities in the United States. The vote came the same day that President Biden named a liaison from his administration to the Asian-American Pacific Islander community. (Edmondson, 4/14)

Axios: CMS Says Hospitals Cannot Use Code To Hide Treatment Costs From Google 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has told hospitals they can't hide their prices from web searches, the Wall Street Journal reports. New federal rules require hospitals to post their pricing information online, but some large systems were using code that prevented that information from appearing in search results. (Fernandez, 4/15)

Stat: FDA Urged To Move Faster To List Medicines Withdrawn Over Safety Concerns
Arguing patient safety is at risk, an advocacy group is urging the Food and Drug Administration to create a new policy for updating an official list of medicines that are withdrawn after being deemed unsafe or ineffective. In a petition filed with the agency, Public Citizen noted that the FDA has, in most cases over the past two decades, taken “at least several years” to update this list. Meanwhile, patients could be potentially harmed by compounded formulations that physicians and pharmacists are legally permitted to make in the interim. (Silverman, 4/14)

CBS News: FEMA Funeral Program Inundated By 1 Million Calls At Launch 
The federal government program designed to help cover funeral costs for people who have died of COVID-19 was inundated with more than 1 million calls on its launch day. The Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA) rolled out its hotline Monday, inviting Americans to apply for up to $9,000 per funeral and up to $35,500 per applicant to help with expenses related to coronavirus deaths occurring after January 20, 2020. (Sganga, 4/14)

KQED: FEMA's COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Phone Message Could Scare Off Applicants Who Need Help Most, Advocates Say
Starting this week, U.S. citizens and some lawful immigrants can apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for reimbursements of up to $9,000 for each COVID-related funeral. But when applicants call an agency phone line to request the aid, they first hear a prerecorded message on eligibility requirements warning that the information they provide may be shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, along with other government agencies. "FEMA may share your information with these partners to make sure you receive all disaster assistance available to you, prevent duplicating benefits or to prevent future disaster losses,” states the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance helpline. (Jhabvala Romero, 4/14)

Bloomberg: Airline Middle Seats Are COVID Risk, CDC Says, With Caveats
The risk of being exposed to the coronavirus on an airline flight drops by as much as half when airlines keep middle seats open, a new study published by the U.S. government concludes, but it’s a safety practice the carriers have abandoned. The study is the latest to roil the waters on a controversial topic: just how risky it is to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study did not attempt to estimate infection risks, and it was based on modeling done before the pandemic, so it didn’t consider rules that now require face masks on flights. (Levin and Schlangenstein, 4/14)

CIDRAP: Study Suggests Airline Passenger Spacing Will Slow COVID-19 Spread
Keeping middle seats vacant on air flights has the potential to cut transmission of virus particles by 57% when multiple passengers are infected and by 23% when a single passenger is infected, according to an aerosol dispersion study that included earlier data that modeled plane airflow. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Kansas State University reported the findings today in a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) study. (4/14)

CNBC: Regular Exercise Can Reduce Your Risk Of Severe Covid: Study
Research has long shown that regular exercise has a slew of health benefits like helping to prevent high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Now researchers say regular activity could help protect against severe Covid hospitalizations. (Scipioni, 4/14)

Fox News: Inactivity Increases Risk Of COVID-19 Death, Study Suggests
A recent study of nearly 50,000 coronavirus patients found that those who were consistently inactive were at greater risk of death due to the virus than those who engaged in exercise. The study, which relied on the "Exercise Vital Sign" measurement developed by Kaiser Permanente Southern California, found that even those who were active on an inconsistent basis were at lower odds for severe COVID-19 compared to those who were inactive. (Hein, 4/14)

Modern Healthcare: Massachusetts To Crack Down On Highest-Cost Hospitals, Insurers
Massachusetts providers and insurers that have exceeded the state's cost-growth benchmark will receive more aggressive oversight, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission said during its board meeting Wednesday. Hospital executives urged the HPC to adjust the 3.1% cost growth benchmark in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the commissioners said they will take those considerations into account, they voted to hold the benchmark at 3.1% and double down on performance improvement plans, particularly for organizations that have repeatedly and egregiously exceeded the benchmark. (Kacik, 4/14)

Crain's Cleveland Business: UH Reports $54.7M Operating Income For 2020 Despite Significant COVID-Related Costs
Despite the significant stress that COVID-19 added to health system finances, University Hospitals was able to hit its adjusted budget for last year. UH rounded out 2020 with operating income of $54.7 million on $4.5 billion in revenue. The numbers are in line with the adjusted budget projections the system set as the pandemic took hold. Mike Szubski, UH chief financial officer, called the system's recovery "nothing short of amazing." (Coutre, 4/14)

Modern Healthcare: Some Healthcare Associations Moving Full Steam Ahead With Conferences Starting In Summer
Some healthcare associations—eager to ramp up one of their most important revenue streams—are bringing back in-person events this summer. Trade groups that support healthcare providers pivoted to virtual events when the pandemic struck, but quickly learned they make far less money that way. Now that COVID vaccines are gaining momentum, some groups are betting their members will want to get together in person—with masks and plenty of space—as early as June. (Bannow, 4/14)

Stat: Digital Health Startups Want To Bring Glucose Monitors To The Masses
For the 1.6 million people in America living with type 1 diabetes, a continuous glucose monitor can be a lifesaver. Since the first CGM was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999, the diabetes community has advocated for lower prices and better insurance coverage for the quarter-sized devices, which regularly sample a proxy for blood glucose levels and can sound an alarm when they swing too high or too low. But the cost-cutting has had an unexpected side effect: Today, glucose monitors are so cheap they’ve spawned a new crop of digital health startups selling the devices to consumers, many of whom don’t have diabetes. (Palmer, 4/15)

Boston Globe: Tango Therapeutics To Go Public In $353 Million SPAC Deal
Cambridge biotech Tango Therapeutics is going public through a $353 million deal with a special purpose acquisition company, the precision cancer medicine firm announced on Wednesday. The SPAC, called BCTG Acquisition Corp., is backed by Boxer Capital, one of the biotech’s investors. (Gardizy, 4/14)

The Advocate: Amedisys Inks Deal To Expand Home Health Operations In North Carolina
Baton Rouge-based Amedisys signed a deal to acquire the rights to conduct home health care visits in another North Carolina county. Amedisys expects to close on the deal for the expanded North Carolina network by acquiring 'regulatory assets' by April 30. Financial terms were not disclosed. The company will be able to operate as a certified home health business in Randolph County and any areas within 50 miles. At the end of the month Amedisys expects to open a care center in the region. “Expanding our footprint into this key market further establishes Amedisys as America’s solution for aging in place," said Teonie Aurelio, president of home health at Amedisys in a news release. (Mosbrucker, 4/14)

CIDRAP: Sexually Transmitted Diseases In US Reached All-Time High In 2019
In 2019, rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) reached an all-time high in the United States after being on the rise for 6 consecutive years, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday. "Less than 20 years ago, gonorrhea rates in the U.S. were at historic lows, syphilis was close to elimination, and advances in chlamydia diagnostics made it easier to detect infections," said Raul Romaguera, DMD, MPH, acting director for the CDC's Division of STD Prevention, in a media statement. "That progress has since unraveled, and our STD defenses are down. We must prioritize and focus our efforts to regain this lost ground and control the spread of STDs." (4/14)

New York Post: Snoring Linked To Learning Hurdles In Kids, Study Finds
Children who snore on a regular basis show signs of structural changes in their brain that may lead to behavioral troubles, such as lack of focus, hyperactivity and cognitive challenges — much to the detriment of their education. The new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, observed for the first time that children who snore three or more times a week presented thinner gray matter in the brain compared to kids getting normal sleep. Poor sleep has been shown to reduce gray matter, the areas of the brain most densely packed with neurons, which play a critical role in day-to-day activities, particularly in terms of impulse control and reasoning skills. (Sparks, 4/14)

Stat: First Of Its Kind Study Pits Psilocybin Against A Common Antidepressant
Can psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, match the depression-combatting capabilities of a commonly prescribed antidepressant? The first head-to-head comparison, conducted by scientists at the Center for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London and published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicated that the psychedelic reduced the symptoms of condition at least as well as escitalopram, an antidepressant better known by the brand name Lexapro. Outside experts, though, said the study was designed in a way that made it impossible to know whether psychedelic mushrooms were actually more effective than escitalopram with regard to other measures of well-being, a limitation they described as “unfortunate.” (Brodwin, 4/14)

NBC News: Psychedelic Drug Worked For Depression As Well As Common Antidepressant, Small Trial Finds
A couple of doses of a psychedelic drug may treat depression as well as one of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, a small and short study published Wednesday shows. A Phase 2 clinical trial, conducted by researchers in London, was the first randomized trial to compare therapeutic doses of psilocybin — the psychedelic compound found in so-called magic mushrooms — with a daily medication. The results were released in The New England Journal of Medicine. (Sullivan, 4/14)

AP: Loneliness Is Rampant. A Simple Call, Or Hug, May Be A Cure
Rampant loneliness existed long before COVID-19, and experts believe it’s now worse. Evidence suggests it can damage health and shorten lives as much as obesity and smoking. In addition to psychological distress, some studies suggest loneliness may cause physical changes including inflammation and elevated stress hormones that may tighten blood vessels and increase blood pressure. Yet loneliness as a public health issue "has kind of been swept under the rug," said Dr. Ada Stewart, president of the American Association of Family Physicians. There’s no formal medical diagnosis and no mandate to screen for it. "Now the pandemic has unveiled it," Stewart said. "This is real." (4/14)

AP: Defense Expert: Floyd Died From Heart Trouble, Not Restraint
George Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance as a result of his heart disease, a forensic pathologist testified for the defense at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, contradicting prosecution experts who said Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen from the way he was pinned down. Dr. David Fowler, a former Maryland chief medical examiner who is now with a consulting firm, said Wednesday the fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd’s system, and possibly carbon monoxide poisoning from auto exhaust, were contributing factors in the 46-year-old Black man’s death last May. (Forliti, Karnowski and Webber, 4/15)

Politico: Florida House Passes Contentious Transgender Sports Ban
The GOP-controlled Florida House on Wednesday passed controversial legislation banning transgender athletes from playing girls’ sports, shifting attention to the state Senate where final approval is needed to send the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The 77-40 mostly party-line vote, with all but one Democrat opposing, came one day after House Democrats held up a floor session for hours attempting to scale back the measure. GOP lawmakers say the bill is needed to protect the sanctity of women’s sports, but opponents contend it would only “legalize bullying” for transgender students. (Atterbury, 4/14)

Houston Chronicle: Brushing Aside NCAA Warnings, Texas Republicans Plow Ahead With Transgender Sports Bill
Despite having so much to lose with the NCAA, the Texas Senate plowed ahead on Wednesday with a bill that would bar transgender girls from playing in girls’ scholastic sports. On Monday the NCAA issued a nationwide statement affirming its support for transgender athletes and warning it would monitor anti-transgender legislation and weigh future NCAA championship locations based on whether locations are “free of discrimination.” (Wallace, 4/14)

NBC News: Texas Bill Could Send Parents To Prison For Providing Gender-Affirming Care
A wave of anti-transgender bills across the country would ban health care providers from offering gender-affirming care to minors. But a smaller number are targeting parents who support their transgender kids’ desire to transition, levying punishments that critics say could range from jail time to having their children taken away. A bill heard in committee in the Texas Senate on Monday would redefine child abuse to include administering, supplying or consenting to provide puberty suppression drugs, hormone replacement therapy, or surgical or medical procedures to anyone under 18 “for the purpose of gender transitioning or gender reassignment.” (Avery, 4/14)

AP: Conservatives Propose Revised Sex Ed Rules In LGBTQ Pushback
Two years after Arizona lawmakers repealed a ban on any HIV/AIDS instruction that “promotes a homosexual lifestyle" as they faced a lawsuit, they have approved revamping the state's sex education laws to make them some of the strictest in the nation when it comes to teaching about LGBTQ issues. The measure pushed by a powerful social conservative group is framed as a parental rights issue and would require schools to get parents' permission for discussions about gender identity, sexual orientation or HIV/AIDS in sex education classes. (Christie, 4/14)

The Washington Post: D.C. Announces New Walk-Up Vaccine Clinics For Seniors
The District will offer walk-up coronavirus vaccination clinics for seniors starting Monday, furthering its efforts to reach residents who have not yet signed up through the city’s preregistration portal. The 10 vaccine clinics will administer either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, city health officials said in a news release, and will initially accommodate up to 30 walk-in appointments each day they are open. They are located at several city recreation centers as well as Arena Stage, Entertainment and Sports Arena and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Brice-Saddler, 4/14)

The Washington Post: Nebraska Corrections Official Hayden Thomas Resigns After Inmate Denied Abortion, Citing ‘Shame’ To Public Service 
A Nebraska corrections official resigned in protest this week after his superiors tried to block a recently admitted inmate from getting an abortion, highlighting tensions over health-care access for female prisoners at a time when women represent the fastest-growing part of the incarcerated population. Hayden Thomas, who served as disability coordinator at the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, wrote in a scathing resignation letter to the director Monday that it was unlawful and immoral for the department to deny the woman’s request for an abortion. (Hawkins, 4/14)

AP: Colorado Boy Dies After Taking Part In 'Blackout Challenge' 
A 12-year-old Colorado boy who was hospitalized after his family said he tried a TikTok challenge that dared people to choke themselves until they lose consciousness has died. Joshua Haileyesus died last Saturday, according to an obituary published online by Olinger Hampden Mortuary & Cemetery in Denver. (4/14)

AP: With 200,000 In 1 Day, India Skyrockets Past 14M Virus Cases
India reported more than 200,000 new coronavirus cases Thursday, skyrocketing past 14 million overall as an intensifying outbreak puts a grim weight on its fragile health care system. In the capital, New Delhi, more than a dozen hotels and wedding banquet halls were ordered to be converted into COVID-19 centers attached to hospitals. “The surge is alarming,” said S.K. Sarin, a government health expert in New Delhi. (Sharma, 4/15)

AP: Russian President Putin Gets 2nd COVID-19 Vaccine Shot
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he got his second COVID-19 vaccine shot, three weeks after getting the first dose. The Russian leader announced getting the jab, which was kept out of the public eye, at a session of the Russian Geographical Society, in which he took part via video link. (Litvinova, 4/14)

The Washington Post: Jump The Vaccine Line? In Germany, You Could Face Prosecution. 
Coronavirus vaccine line jumping in the United States has raised eyebrows and tested friendships. British Home Secretary Priti Patel has called people who skip ahead in the queue "morally reprehensible." But Germany has taken prioritization rules to another level, investigating and threatening to prosecute people who don't wait their turn. In various German cities, prosecutors have probed politicians, police officers and others. A mayor accused of deliberately circumventing the official vaccine priority list was suspended last week after having his office searched. (Noack, 4/14)

AP: Colorful Coffins Lighten Mood At New Zealand Funerals
When the pallbearers brought Phil McLean’s coffin into the chapel, there were gasps before a wave of laughter rippled through the hundreds of mourners. The coffin was a giant cream donut. “It overshadowed the sadness and the hard times in the last few weeks,” said his widow, Debra. “The final memory in everyone’s mind was of that donut, and Phil’s sense of humor.” (Perry, 4/15)

Reuters: New Zinc-Fortified Wheat Set For Global Expansion To Combat Malnutrition 
Scientists at a leading global grains research institute expect to sharply ramp up new wheat varieties enriched with zinc that can boost the essential mineral for millions of poor people with deficient diets, the institute’s head told Reuters. (Garcia, 4/15)

Reuters: Are The Olympics Canceled? Japan Official's Comments Sow Doubts 
A senior Japanese ruling party official said on Thursday that cancelling this year’s Olympics in Tokyo remains an option if the coronavirus crisis becomes too dire, dropping a bomb on a hot-button issue and sending social media into a frenzy. “If it seems impossible to do it any more, then we have to stop, decisively,” Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in comments to broadcaster TBS. (Nussey and Kim, 4/14)

Reuters: Sweden Faces Sperm Deficit As Pandemic Keeps Donors Away From Clinics
Sweden is facing an acute shortage of sperm for assisted pregnancy as would-be donors avoid hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic, halting inseminations in large parts of the healthcare system and driving up waiting times by years. “We’re running out of sperm. We’ve never had so few donors as during the last year,” said Ann Thurin Kjellberg, head of the reproduction unit at Gothenburg’s University Hospital. (Fulton, 4/15)