First Edition: April 4, 2022

KHN: Patients’ Perilous Months-Long Waiting For Medicaid Coverage Is A Sign Of What’s To Come
Korra Elliott has tried to avoid seeing a doctor while waiting to get on Medicaid. She worries she can’t afford more bills without any insurance coverage. But in early March — five months, she said, after applying and with still no decision about her application — a suspected case of the flu sent her blood pressure soaring and landed her in the emergency room. The 28-year-old mother of four from Salem, Missouri, is among the tens of thousands of uninsured Missourians stuck waiting as the state slogs through a flood of applications for the state-federal health insurance program. Missouri expanded the program last year after a lengthy legal and political battle, and it now covers adults who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level — about $18,800 annually for an individual. (Sable-Smith and Pradhan, 4/4)

KHN: Insulin Copay Cap Passes House Hurdle, But Senate Looks For A Broader Bill
The chances of passing election-year legislation to help people afford insulin — which weeks ago seemed mired in political fighting — are looking brighter as a bipartisan effort to tackle the issue takes root in the Senate. That effort is still in the early stages, but it is moving forward with the support of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who tapped Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to craft a compromise that members of both parties could accept. Adding pressure to the Senate’s efforts was a vote by the House on March 31 to pass a different bill that caps out-of-pocket insulin costs for many patients with insurance at $35 a month. (McAuliff, 4/4)

KHN: Record Fines Might Mean California Is Finally Serious About Improving Medi-Cal
Is California getting tougher on health plans that participate in Medi-Cal, the state’s insurance program for low-income residents? A few weeks ago, state regulators imposed a record $55 million in fines on L.A. Care, California’s largest Medi-Cal managed-care plan, for failing to ensure adequate care and allowing treatment delays that threatened enrollees’ health. Patient advocates hope the move signals stricter enforcement against other Medi-Cal insurers, which have many of the same shortcomings for which the regulators just fined L.A. Care. (Wolfson, 4/4)

KHN: Travel In The Time Of Covid: Getting There Is Easy — It’s Getting Home That’s Hard 
I’m being held captive in England by the U.S. government. On the day my wife and I were to fly home from London after a brief visit, we took a covid-19 test, as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to travel to the U.S. The United States will not allow anyone to fly into the country who has tested positive for covid, and it is up to the airlines to enforce that. My wife’s test was negative. My test was positive. She flew out. I stayed put. (Darlin, 4/4)

KHN: Journalists Discuss How Legislation Affects Mental Health Care And Abortion Training 
KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney discussed how state abortion restrictions are limiting training options for medical students and residents who want to learn how to perform abortion procedures on Newsy’s “Evening Debrief” on March 30. ... KHN interim Southern bureau editor Andy Miller discussed a groundbreaking mental health bill on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Lawmakers” on March 28. (4/2)

Bloomberg: House Votes To Decriminalize Marijuana, Expunge Convictions
The House voted Friday to decriminalize marijuana, expunge federal convictions on pot-related charges and impose taxes on cannabis producers and importers. The legislation passed 220-204 with support from most House Democrats and three Republicans. Two Democrats voted against the bill. The House had passed a version of the bill in 2020, but it was never considered in the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to introduce a separate marijuana legalization bill this month. (Dillard, 4/1)

The New York Times: House Votes To Decriminalize Cannabis 
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, which passed 220-204, is unlikely to secure 60 votes to pass the Senate, despite the backing of the majority leader, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. But supporters of marijuana decriminalization — even some Republicans who voted against the Democratic legislation — said on Friday that the vote was a necessary step toward building consensus on something that can become law. The Democrats’ bill would remove marijuana from the federal government’s list of controlled substances, impose an 8 percent tax on cannabis products, allow some convictions on cannabis charges to be expunged and press for sentencing reviews at the federal and state levels. (Weisman, 4/1)

CNN: House Passes Bill To Federally Decriminalize Marijuana
Republicans Tom McClintock of California, Brian Mast and Matt Gaetz, both of Florida, joined the majority of Democrats in supporting the bill, while Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire voted against. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, will prevent federal agencies from denying federal workers security clearances for cannabis use, and will allow the Veterans’ Administration to recommend medical marijuana to veterans living with posttraumatic stress disorder, plus gains revenue by authorizing a sales tax on marijuana sales. (Wilson, 4/1)

The Hill: Obama To Make White House Return To Tout ACA Successes
Former President Barack Obama is set to participate in an event celebrating the Affordable Care Act at the White House on Tuesday, his first public appearance in his former home since leaving office. Obama, alongside President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, is scheduled to “deliver remarks celebrating the success of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid in extending affordable health insurance to millions of Americans as part of the President’s agenda to cut costs for American families,” according to a White House agenda. (Beals, 4/3)

NBC News: GI Symptoms? It's Probably Not Covid, But It Could Be Norovirus
As Covid-19 cases continue to fall in the United States, cases of another virus are rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. Outbreaks of norovirus, the bug responsible for the dreaded stomach flu, have been on the rise since January, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From August 2021 through the beginning of last month, the CDC reported 448 norovirus outbreaks. During the same time period the previous year, just 78 were reported. (Edwards, 4/1)

CIDRAP: Flu Activity Shifting To Northern Corners Of US
Flu levels in the Northeast and Northwest rose last week, and although activity is still highest in central and southeast regions, markers there showed signs of decline, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update. The percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness held steady, at 1.8%, and is still below baseline. At public health labs, all respiratory samples that were positive for flu were influenza A, and, of subtyped influenza A samples, all were H3N2. (4/1)

FOX 56 News: Flu Cases On The Rise In Kentucky 
As COVID-19 cases decline, flu cases are on the rise. The uptick is being seen across the country and here in Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Department of Public Health, 3500 flu cases have been reported so far this season. Lexington is currently dealing with 157 cases, up 7 cases from last week. Baptist Health Lexington Chief Medical Officer Dr. James Borders said over the last week his hospital has seen twice the number of flu cases compared to the week before and are also seeing an uptick in cases compared to last year. Still, he said the numbers are lower than pre-pandemic levels. (Payne, 4/1)

Cincinnati Enquirer: First Pediatric Flu Death Of 2022 Recorded In Ohio
An 8-month-old boy from Ashland County is the first pediatric flu death of the season, the Ohio Department of Health reported Friday. Following an unusually slow season that saw only 108 hospitalizations statewide in 2020-2021, Ohio has reported 972 flu-associated hospitalizations so far this season. At this point during the 2019-2020 flu season for example, the state saw 10,540 hospitalizations related to the flu. Abnormally low numbers from 2020-2021 were a product of COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing efforts, experts say. (Sutherland, 4/2)

KWTX: Experts Warn Of Severe Flu Season As Central Texas School District Is Forced To Shut Down
Experts warn this year’s flu season is proving more intense than in recent years and the spike in flu cases has already shut down a Central Texas school district. The Mart Independent School District canceled classes on Thursday and Friday after it experienced an outbreak of flu cases across multiple campuses. (Crown, 4/1)

KOAA: How To Spot The Difference Between The Stomach Flu And Covid
A local doctor says the stomach flu has been going around Colorado Springs, and he has been helping more sick children. I spoke with Dr. Vu, a medical physician at Matthews-Vu, Healthcare for Children and Adults in the Springs. He says he has noticed a rise in the number of stomach flu cases, especially among children. (Peters, 4/1)

The Boston Globe: Amid Climbing Mass. COVID-19 Cases, Health Experts Urge Booster Shots
More than two years into the pandemic, local health experts are closely watching an increase in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts driven by a more transmissible subvariant of the virus, while rates of new vaccinations and booster shots have leveled off. Amid the rise in cases locally, specialists encouraged vaccinated people to get their booster shots to help reduce the chance of severe infection and to ease pressure on an already beleaguered health system. Dr. Paul Sax, clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said a third shot of a two-dose vaccine is critical for reducing the risk of hospitalization and death. (Hilliard, 4/3)

The New York Times: U.S. Nursing Home Deaths Appear To Be At Pandemic Lows
Deaths at American nursing home residents from Covid appear to be at their lowest levels since the coronavirus first swept the United States more than two years ago, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 67 residents died during the week ending March 27. While that number could be adjusted in the coming weeks, it mirrors the lows last reached during June 2021 before facilities were hit with the Delta and Omicron variants. Although cases among residents climbed much more sharply in the fall and winter, deaths still reached roughly 1,500 in January before steadily dropping. (Abelson, 4/4)

NPR: New Laws Say Patients Can Have Visitors Even In An Outbreak
Jean White's mother has dementia and moved into a memory care facility near Tampa, Fla., just as coronavirus lockdowns began in the spring of 2020. For months, the family wasn't allowed to go inside to visit. They tried video chats and visits from outside her bedroom window, but White said that just upset her mom, who is 87. White's mother couldn't grasp why she could hear familiar voices but not be with her loved ones in person. When the family was allowed in to see her, disruptions continued. White said the facility kept shutting down anytime a resident or staff member had the virus. (Colombini, 4/3)

The New York Times: How Covid And Diabetes Collide In A Public Health Train Wreck
After an insect bite on his back became infected, David Donner, a retired truck driver in rural Alabama, waited six hours in a packed emergency room with his wife, before coronavirus vaccines were widely available. A few days later, they both began experiencing the telltale symptoms of Covid-19.Debra Donner quickly recovered, but Mr. Donner, 66, landed in the I.C.U. “The virus barely slowed her down, but I ended up surrounded by nurses in hazmat suits,” he said. His halting recovery has left him dependent on a wheelchair. “I walk 20 feet and I’m huffing and puffing like I ran 20 miles.” (Jacobs, 4/3)

The Washington Post: How Long Covid Is Accelerating A Revolution In Medical Research 
When Liza Fisher’s body became racked by tremors shortly after she was hospitalized with covid-19 in 2020, she began an 18-month medical odyssey, consulting immunologists, cardiologists, neurologists and countless other -ologists in the hope they would know how to treat the crippling convulsions. “They had no experience,” said Fisher, 38, a former flight attendant and part-time yoga instructor who now uses a wheelchair. So Fisher sought out fellow sufferers online, joining an increasingly vocal group of citizen scientists in their bid for research targeted at treating long covid. (Stead Sellers, 4/3)

CIDRAP: Molnupiravir Reduces COVID-19 Symptoms, Virus By Day 3, Data Show
Three new studies to be presented at the upcoming European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) conference at the end of the month demonstrate benefits of the antiviral molnupiravir against COVID-19 infections, including evidence that Merck's pill reduces symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by day 3 of administration. All three studies are based on results seen in the MOVe-OUT study, which was conducted throughout 2021 to determine the drug's efficacy against COVID-19 infections. (4/1)

NBC News: Study: Covid's Racial Disparities Made Some White People Less Vigilant About The Virus
A new study ... published in Social Science & Medicine, found that white people surveyed in the United States in fall 2020 cared less and were even more likely to shun pandemic safety precautions after learning about the disproportionate ways it impacts Black communities and other communities of color. “When white people in the U.S. were more aware of racial disparities in Covid-19, they were less fearful of Covid-19,” said Allison Skinner-Dorkenoo, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Georgia and co-author of the study. “We found evidence of less empathy for people who are vulnerable to Covid-19 and we also found evidence of reduced support for safety precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.” (Adams, 4/1)

USA Today: Some People Don't Catch COVID-19. Researchers Are Working To Know Why
One of the lingering mysteries of the COVID-19 pandemic is why some people get infected without getting sick and others don't get infected at all, despite exposure. Beyond a few known risk factors, it's mostly dumb luck that determines how someone will fare if they are exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, a handful of researchers said. But they're still trying for more scientific answers by studying people who are intentionally exposed to the virus and those who escape its effects. People like Faith Paine. Paine, 26, of London, volunteered for a "challenge trial" – meaning researchers dribbled the virus that causes COVID-19 up her nose, intending to get her sick. (Weintraub, 4/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: This Bay Area School Is Reinstating Its Mask Mandate After A COVID-19 Spike
A Bay Area elementary school has restored its mask mandate after reporting a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases. Since March 22, Coleman Elementary School in San Rafael has confirmed 23 total cases of the coronavirus across the school — 17 in students and six in employees — the district said. In response, the school informed families that it would be reinstating an indoor mask mandate through April 15. Marin County schools aligned with state guidelines that allowed lifting indoor mask mandates on March 12, though face coverings were still strongly recommended. (Vainshtein, 4/1)

Fox News: All 5 Dems Removed From Pennsylvania School Board For Requiring Masks Reinstated
All five Democrats removed from a Pennsylvania school board last week for voting to require masks have been reinstated, the district says. "Removal of school board members cripples the school district," Court of Common Pleas Judge William Mahon said in a courtroom packed with hundreds of parents, teachers and community members, Patch reports. Mahon vacated his order just three days after his earlier order in response to a parent-filed petition to the West Chester Area School District in February, arguing that under the Pennsylvania school code districts have no authority to require students to wear masks. (Arias, 4/3)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Omicron Raised Nursing And Other Costs For Philadelphia Health Systems
The University of Pennsylvania Health System typically spends $9 million to $10 million a quarter on overtime, agency staff, and bonus pay encouraging workers to take extra shifts, a health system executive said this month. But those costs reached an astounding $49 million, a five-fold increase, in the last three months of 2021, capped by the onset of the omicron surge. “Our costs at the bedside have just gone up and they’re not going down,” the health system’s chief financial officer, Keith Kasper, told University of Pennsylvania trustees during a budget committee meeting March 3. He said the system has to adjust. (Brubaker, 4/1)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Employment Stalls In March Following Large Boost
Healthcare industry hiring in March saw the smallest increase in a year, as providers continue to experience staffing shortages and COVID-19 cases are on a slow decline. Healthcare companies added an estimated 8,300 jobs in March, down from 66,400 in February, according to preliminary data the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday. The industry contributed to a total of 431,000 new jobs across the economy. Last month saw the smallest uptick in helathcare hiring since March 2021, when the industry gained 6,000 jobs. (Devereaux, 4/1)

Stat: Mark Cuban's Drug Company Is Building A ‘Parallel Supply Chain’
Mark Cuban’s drug company started with an ambitious premise: to circumvent middlemen to offer cheaper costs to patients. To do so, the company has had to grapple with which parts of the supply chain to develop themselves, and which to outsource using unusually transparent contracts, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company Founder and CEO Alex Oshmyansky said Thursday at STAT’s Breakthrough Science Summit. “We decided that the only way to really ensure that pricing for our products actually reaches the patient, the most important part at the end of the day, was to build essentially a parallel supply chain,” Oshmyansky said. (Cohrs, 4/1)

Stat: Xenotransplantation Trials Will Require Adjusting Expectations, Experts Say
On the heels of some important “firsts” this past year, xenotransplantation — grafting animal organs into humans — is on the cusp of crossing over into new territory: human trials. In January, University of Maryland surgeons transplanted a pig heart into a 57-year-old man, who survived two months. And last fall, New York University doctors implanted pig kidneys into recently deceased individuals to show there wouldn’t be immediate rejection of the organs. As exciting as these procedures were for researchers who have been trying to make xenotransplantation a reality, they highlighted the slow pace of clinical development, which has been stalled in primate studies for decades. (Cueto, 4/1)

Houston Chronicle: UT Health Doctor Hopes Pitch Contest Stirs Interest In Implantable Blood Pump
A UT Health Houston doctor is helping develop a fully implantable blood pump, which early research shows may have reduced risks for contributing to strokes, infection and rehospitalizations than similar products already available. Dr. Richard Smalling, a cardiologist at UT Health in Houston, has spent nearly two decades helping develop the the Pulsatile Flow Torroidal Left Ventricular Assist Device. He will be in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to pitch the device at a national competition hosted by the American College of Cardiology and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. (Carballo, 4/2)

The Boston Globe: Eight Studies By Former Harvard, BIDMC Researcher Retracted Over Ethics Review
A former Harvard professor and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center doctor has had eight research studies or abstracts retracted by three different medical journals for problems with critical oversight approvals for the research. The retracted studies, led by ophthalmologist Dr. Jorge Arroyo, include one published in Wiley Online Library in June 2021 that was retracted in February because the study was conducted in a way that differed from the protocol approved by BIDMC. Another study, published in March 2021 in Translational Vision Science & Technology, was retracted in March for failing to obtain institutional approval at all. (Bartlett, 4/3)

AP: West Virginia Lawsuit Against Opioid Makers Set To Start
Opening statements are set in a lawsuit in West Virginia accusing several drugmakers of misrepresenting the risks and benefits of opioids. The bench trial starts Monday in Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., Allergan and their family of companies. (4/4)

AP: States Look For Solutions As US Fentanyl Deaths Keep Rising 
As the addiction and overdose crisis that has gripped the U.S. for two decades turns even deadlier, state governments are scrambling for ways to stem the destruction wrought by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. In statehouses across the country, lawmakers have been considering and adopting laws on two fronts: reducing the risk to users and increasing the penalties for dealing fentanyl or mixing it with other drugs. Meanwhile, Republican state attorneys general are calling for more federal action, while some GOP governors are deploying National Guard units with a mission that includes stopping the flow of fentanyl from Mexico. (Mulvihill, 4/3)

AP: Mixed Results For Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization 
Oregon voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 to decriminalize hard drugs after being told it was a way to establish and fund addiction recovery centers that would offer people aid instead of incarceration. Yet in the first year after the new approach took effect in February 2021, only 1% of people who received citations for possessing controlled substances asked for help via a new hotline. (Selsky, 4/3)

AP: Californians Warned About Risk From British Columbia Oysters 
At least 34 people statewide have contracted norovirus in the past few weeks in California after eating raw oysters harvested in British Columbia, Canada, state health officials said Saturday. The state Department of Health issued a warning not to eat raw oysters imported from British Columbia where officials have closed multiple growing regions for sanitary contamination. (4/2)

AP: Lawmakers Aim For More Emergency Rooms In Rural Mississippi 
Mississippi lawmakers have approved a bill aimed at bolstering health care in rural Mississippi. The bill recently approved by both chambers of the state Legislature would permit the construction of “freestanding” emergency rooms in rural counties. The freestanding ERs would not have to be attached to hospitals. (4/2)

Houston Chronicle: DOJ Says State Policies Blocking Gender-Affirming Care For Children Violate The Constitution
The Department of Justice is warning states like Texas that policies meant to block transgender children from receiving gender-affirming care violate their constitutional rights. “Intentionally erecting discriminatory barriers to prevent individuals from receiving gender-affirming care implicates a number of federal legal guarantees,” DOJ officials wrote in a letter sent Thursday to state attorney generals. The letter comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton authored a nonbinding legal opinion that some gender-affirming care may constitute child abuse and Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state’s child welfare agency to investigate parents who get such care for their children. (Wermund, 4/1)

Stateline: Blue States Enact New Laws To Create Abortion Havens
If the U.S. Supreme Court decides in June, as expected, that all states can limit abortions to the earliest stages of pregnancy or ban the procedure altogether, hundreds of thousands of Americans are likely to start traveling to states where abortion remains legal. In preparation, lawmakers in those states are considering bills that would remove hurdles such as waiting periods and parental notifications, and some are proposing to help low-income patients by paying for travel and other practical expenses that add to the true cost of abortion care. (Vestal, 4/1)

Politico: ‘Back To The Giuliani Era’: Adams’ Order To Clear Homeless Camps Ignites Fury In New York 
A series of violent encounters in New York’s subway system this year pushed the city’s new tough-on-crime mayor to take decisive action. Eric Adams sent NYPD officers into transit hubs and onto trains to force homeless people out. Now the mayor has a new target: Makeshift shelters built up by homeless people all over New York. He’s again sent city police officers in, this time to clear out those living in tents, under boxes or in other homes on the street. Officers have already broken down nearly 250 encampments and Adams is now launching another round sweeps. (Chadha and Eisenberg, 4/2)

AP: With Students In Turmoil, US Teachers Train In Mental Health
As Benito Luna-Herrera teaches his 7th grade social studies classes, he is on alert for signs of inner turmoil. And there is so much of it these days. One of his 12-year-old students felt her world was falling apart. Distance learning had upended her friendships. Things with her boyfriend were verging on violent. Her home life was stressful. “I’m just done with it,” the girl told Luna-Herrera during the pandemic, and shared a detailed plan to kill herself. (Gecker, 4/4)

ABC News: Later School Start Times Eyed To Address Youth Mental Health Crisis
California was the first state to mandate that high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Pediatrician Dr. Bert Mandelbaum hopes New Jersey will be the second. New Jersey is one of several states exploring later school start times, as educators and health professionals grapple with concerns about the pandemic's impact on youth's mental health. (Deliso, 4/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Why So Many Women In Middle Age Are On Antidepressants 
For years, middle-aged women have had some of the country’s highest rates of antidepressant use. Now, scientists are starting to better understand why—and to develop more targeted treatments for women’s midlife depression. About one in five women ages 40 to 59 and nearly one in four women ages 60 and over used antidepressants in the last 30 days during 2015 to 2018, according to the latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Among women ages 18 to 39, the figure was about one in 10. Among men, 8.4% of those ages 40 to 59 and 12.8% of those 60 and older used antidepressants in the last 30 days, according to the NCHS data. (Petersen, 4/2)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pregnant Women With Mild High Blood Pressure Benefit From Treatment
Pregnant women with mild high blood pressure and their babies can benefit from treatment, according to a large study co-authored by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Current national guidelines only suggest treating pregnant women with severe high blood pressure, but that could change following the new study, which was published Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Guidelines are set by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (Johnson, 4/2)

USA Today: Terry Wallis, Arkansas Man Who Woke Up After Nearly 2 Decades In A Coma, Dies At 57
Terry Wayne Wallis, the Arkansas man who spent 19 years in a coma before regaining awareness and speaking in 2003, died last week, according to an obituary. He was 57. Wallis was in an automobile accident in his home state of Arkansas with a friend in July 1984, six weeks after his daughter, Amber, was born, according to the obituary in Roller Funeral Homes. The car plunged into a creek, and the two weren't found until the following day, underneath a bridge, the Associated Press reported in 2003. Wallis' friend was killed while Wallis was put into a coma. The accident had left him a quadriplegic. Wallis remained in the coma for 19 years, until June 12, 2003, when we said "mom," his first word since he was comatose. (Mendoza, 4/3)

NPR: Unilever Recalls Suave Antiperspirants Because Benzene Was Found
Unilever is voluntarily recalling two Suave aerosol antiperspirant products after identifying elevated levels of benzene in some samples of the products during an internal review. It's the latest company to recall consumer products because the carcinogen was found in samples. The nationwide recall covers lots of two antiperspirants with expiration dates through September 2023: Suave 24-Hour Protection Aerosol Antiperspirant Powder in 4 oz. and 6 oz. sizes and Suave 24-Hour Protection Aerosol Antiperspirant Fresh in the 6 oz. size. You can check if any of your products are affected here. If you have an affected product, Unilever says you should stop using it and throw it away. (Torchinsky, 4/1)

AP: UK Hits Record COVID-19 Levels; Nearly 5 Million Infected
The prevalence of COVID-19 in the U.K. has reached record levels, with about 1 in 13 people estimated to be infected with the virus in the past week, according to the latest figures from Britain’s official statistics agency. Some 4.9 million people were estimated to have the coronavirus in the week ending March 26, up from 4.3 million recorded in the previous week, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. The latest surge is driven by the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2, which is the dominant variant across the U.K. (Hui, 4/2)

The New York Times: Cuts In Britain Could Cause A Covid Data Drought 
The British government on Friday shut down or scaled back a number of its Covid surveillance programs, curtailing the collection of data that the United States and many other countries had come to rely on to understand the threat posed by emerging variants and the effectiveness of vaccines. Denmark, too, renowned for insights from its comprehensive tests, has drastically cut back on its virus tracking efforts in recent months. (Zimmer, 4/2)

The Wall Street Journal: In Shanghai, Strict Covid Rules Separate Children From Parents
As a viral video ricocheted around China’s internet, showing toddlers and infants in a Shanghai medical facility, crying as they were crammed in threes and fours on metal-barred beds, one 39-year-old mother was particularly distraught. “I searched for any sight of my daughter in the video but couldn’t find her,” said the mother, who asked to be identified only by her surname, Zhu. Ms. Zhu said she had been separated from her 2½-year-old daughter on Tuesday after they tested positive for Covid in Shanghai, home of what is quickly becoming China’s biggest coronavirus outbreak in more than two years. (Xie and Qi, 4/3)

Bloomberg: China's Covid Variants: New Omicron Virus Subtype Discovered
China added more than 13,000 new Covid-19 infections with state media reporting a case infected with a new subtype of the omicron variant. The new iteration of the virus, isolated from a mild Covid-19 patient in a city less than 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Shanghai, evolves from the BA.1.1 branch of the omicron variant, Global Times reported, citing sequencing data from local health authorities. The report said the subtype doesn’t match other coronavirus that’s causing Covid in China nor those submitted to GISAID, where scientists around the world share the coronavirus they sequenced as a way to monitor mutations. (4/3)

Bloomberg: Natural Remedies For Covid: China Tries To Promote Traditional Herbal Medicine
As Hong Kong’s outbreak became the deadliest in the world, among the aid Beijing sent to the financial hub were 1 million packets of honeysuckle, rhubarb root, sweet wormwood herb and other natural ingredients, all mixed according to principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Practitioners of the centuries-old medicinal system argue such herbal combinations can be just as effective as antiviral pills like Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid. (4/3)

AP: Man In Germany Gets 90 COVID-19 Shots To Sell Forged Passes 
A 60-year-old man allegedly had himself vaccinated against COVID-19 dozens of times in Germany in order to sell forged vaccination cards with real vaccine batch numbers to people not wanting to get vaccinated themselves. ... He was caught at a vaccination center in Eilenburg in Saxony when he showed up for a COVID-19 shot for the second day in a row. Police confiscated several blank vaccination cards from him and initiated criminal proceedings.(Grieshaber, 4/3)

Bloomberg: WHO Suspends Procurement, Supply Of Bharat Biotech Covid Vaccine
The World Health Organization suspended procurement and supply of Covaxin, a Covid-19 vaccine made by Bharat Biotech International Ltd., citing issues following an inspection at the company’s facilities. The Indian vaccine maker has committed to address deficiencies in good manufacturing practices and is developing a corrective and preventive action plan, the World Health Organization said, without specifying when the suspension will be lifted. It recommended countries which have received the vaccine to “take actions as appropriate.” (Trivedi and Kay, 4/3)

The Hill: Taliban Announces Official Ban On Poppy Cultivation
The Taliban on Sunday announced a ban on cultivating poppy flowers, which are used to make heroin, in a move seen as courting global approval while also putting farmers’ livelihoods at risk. The order also forbids the production, use and transit of other narcotics. (Beals, 4/3)