First Edition: April 8, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN and The Guardian:
12 Months Of Trauma: More Than 3,600 US Health Workers Died In Covid’s First Year
More than 3,600 U.S. health care workers perished in the first year of the pandemic, according to “Lost on the Frontline,” a 12-month investigation by The Guardian and KHN to track such deaths. Lost on the Frontline is the most complete accounting of U.S. health care worker deaths. The federal government has not comprehensively tracked this data. But calls are mounting for the Biden administration to undertake a count as the KHN/Guardian project comes to a close today. (Spencer and Jewett, 4/8)
KHN and The Guardian:
Calls Mount For Biden To Track US Health Care Worker Deaths From Covid
Calls are mounting for the Biden administration to set up a national tracking system of covid-19 deaths among front-line health care workers to honor the thousands of nurses, doctors and support staffers who have died and ensure that future generations are not forced to make the same ultimate — and, in many cases, needless — sacrifice. Health policy experts and union leaders are pressing the White House to move quickly to fill the gaping hole left by the Trump administration through its failure to create an accurate count of covid deaths among front-line workers. The absence of reliable federal data exacerbated critical problems such as shortages of personal protective equipment that left many workers exposed, with fatal results. (Pilkington, 4/8)
KHN:
‘Go Ahead And Vote Me Out’: What Other Places Can Learn From Santa Rosa’s Tent City
They knew the neighborhood would revolt. It was early May, and officials in this Northern California city known for its farm-to-table dining culture and pumped-up housing prices were frantically debating how to keep covid-19 from infiltrating the homeless camps proliferating in the region’s celebrated parks and trails. For years, the number of people living homeless in Santa Rosa and the verdant hills and valleys of broader Sonoma County had crept downward — and then surged, exacerbated by three punishing wildfire seasons that destroyed thousands of homes in four years. (Hart, 4/8)
NBC News:
One In 4 U.S. Adults Is Now Fully Vaccinated
The U.S. reached a milestone in its vaccination efforts on Wednesday, with new data showing that close to 25 percent of adults in the country have been fully vaccinated. The data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also show that 40 percent of adults and 75 percent of seniors have received at least one dose. (Ramos, 4/7)
Reuters:
U.S. Allotting 85% Less J&J Vaccines To States Next Week, Data Shows
The U.S. government will allot nearly 85% less Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to states next week, data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed. Only 785,500 J&J doses will be allocated, compared to 4.95 million doses this week. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and J&J did not immediately respond to requests, made outside regular hours, for comment on the drop in numbers. (4/8)
Stat:
Biden Officials Won’t Surge Vaccine Supply To Michigan, Despite Covid Spike
Amid Michigan’s worst-in-the-nation coronavirus surge, scientists and public health officials are urging the Biden administration to flood the state with additional vaccine doses. So far, though, their plea has fallen on deaf ears. Instead, the federal government is sticking to a vaccine-allocation strategy that largely awards doses to states and territories based on their population. As a result, most jurisdictions are still receiving similar per-capita vaccine supplies, regardless of how many people there are getting sick — or how many excess vaccine doses they have. (Facher, 4/8)
Axios:
College Students Are Eager To Get Vaccinated
Nearly 90% of college students say they probably or absolutely will get vaccinated, according to a Generation Lab poll exclusive to Axios. College students have contributed to the nationwide spread of the virus, and their vaccination is necessary in bringing the pandemic under control before variants spread any further. (Fernandez, 4/8)
NBC News:
U.K. Coronavirus Variant Is Now The Dominant Strain In The U.S.
The spread of the U.K. variant, which scientists have found to be more contagious, adds to growing concerns that the country may be on the cusp of another surge. Both case numbers and hospitalizations are increasing, even as the U.S. is vaccinating an average of nearly 3 million people each day. Walensky reported that some of the recent clusters of cases have been linked to day care centers and youth sports, adding that the uptick in infections seem to be driven by young people. (Chow, 4/7)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Vaccines Work Well Against California Variant
As the California coronavirus variant continues to spread across the Golden State and beyond, new research suggests that several vaccines should continue to provide an effective defense against it. The findings, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, offer good reason for Californians to keep rolling up their sleeves as the vaccination campaign picks up steam across the state. “We’re not expecting this variant to be a problem for the vaccines — so that’s really good news,” said study leader David Montefiori, a virologist at Duke University. (Khan, 4/7)
Politico:
The Big Hole In America's Plan To Fight Covid-19 Variants
The global scramble to produce enough Covid-19 vaccine for 7 billion people is about to get even tougher, as drugmakers and countries ready a second round of shots to combat the growing threat of virus variants. Finding vaccines that can ward off more contagious or virulent strains is only half the battle. The United States has virtually no capacity to manufacture revised vaccines or booster shots alongside the original versions, according to a half-dozen vaccine experts and Biden administration health officials. Setting up additional facilities could take months or even years. (Owermohle, 4/7)
CNN:
Fauci Says New Covid-19 Cases Are At A Disturbing Level As The US Is Primed For A Surge
The number of new Covid-19 cases has plateaued at a "disturbingly high level," and the US is at risk from a new surge, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned on Wednesday. Although off the highs of earlier this year, there were still more than 61,000 new cases reported on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And the lack of continued significant decreases in infections is a concern, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN's Anderson Cooper, particularly given the spread of variants. (Holcombe, 4/8)
The New York Times:
Upper Midwest Covid-19 Surge May Signal Problems Ahead For U.S.
As states lift restrictions and worrisome coronavirus variants spread, scientists and federal health officials have been warning that a new wave of cases could arise in the United States even as the nation’s vaccination campaign gathers speed. The seeds of such a surge may now be sprouting in the Upper Midwest and the Northeast. Michigan is already in tough shape. New cases and hospitalizations there have more than doubled in the last two weeks. The six metro areas in the United States with the greatest number of new cases relative to their population are all in Michigan. (Ngo and Stolberg, 4/8)
CNBC:
Hospitals Are Seeing More Young Adults With Severe Covid Symptoms, CDC Says
Hospitals are seeing more and more younger adults in their 30s and 40s admitted with severe cases of Covid-19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. “Data suggests this is all happening as we are seeing increasing prevalence of variants, with 52 jurisdictions now reporting cases of variants of concern,” Walensky said at a press briefing on the pandemic. (Mendez, 4/7)
Stat:
In The Covid-19 Vaccine Push, No One Is Speaking Gen Z’s Language
Useful Covid-19 information isn’t reaching the Instagram generation. There’s almost no messaging specifically tailored to them from federal or state public health officials. There’s hardly anything official on Tik Tok. And even the limited efforts to reach them where they are — like Instagram’s links to its “Covid-19 information center”— aren’t working. (Florko, 4/8)
The Hill:
Georgia To Lift All Remaining COVID-19 Restrictions
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced on Wednesday that all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in the state will be lifted starting Thursday. “We know hard-working Georgians cannot endure another year like that last. That is why beginning tomorrow we are loosening the remaining restrictions on our economy here in Georgia,” Kemp said in a video statement Wednesday. (Lonas, 4/7)
AP:
Senate OKs Bill To Prohibit State From Requiring Masks
North Dakota’s Republican-led Senate endorsed a measure Wednesday that would prohibit the state from mandating face coverings. Senators approved the bill 30-17, but amended it to give local governments, schools and employers the option of requiring masks. (4/7)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Ohio GOP Lawmakers Want To Protect Those Refusing COVID-19 Shot From Discrimination
If you don't want a COVID-19 shot, several Republican lawmakers want to make sure you don't face any penalties because of that decision. House Bill 248, introduced Wednesday, would allow Ohioans to decline a COVID-19 shot – or any other vaccine – because of religious reasons, medical reasons or natural immunity. The proposal would prevent anyone who chooses not to be vaccinated from facing discrimination, being denied services or forced to follow a requirement that they wear masks or other penalties financial or social from businesses, schools or government. (Balmert, 4/7)
Stateline:
Biden Revokes Medicaid Work Requirements In 2 More States
The Biden administration has rescinded permissions for Michigan and Wisconsin to require Medicaid beneficiaries to either work or attend school or job training in order to enroll in the public health program for lower-income Americans. The administration’s actions follow recissions of similar requirements in Arkansas and New Hampshire. (Ollove, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Wants To Boost Payments Over 2% For Inpatient Rehabilitation, Psychiatric
CMS wants to boost Medicare payments for inpatient rehabilitation facilities by 2.2% and inpatient psychiatric facilities by 2.3% next year, the agency said Wednesday. According to CMS, the changes would increase federal spending on inpatient rehab by $160 million compared to 2021. Likewise, federal spending on inpatient psychiatric facilities would go up by about $90 million. Regulators plan to require inpatient rehabilitation and psychiatric facilities to report COVID-19 vaccine coverage among their healthcare personnel. (Brady, 4/7)
NPR:
New Drugs To Treat COVID-19 Show Promise, Researchers Say
Researchers are reporting some progress in their search for drugs that tamp down the overwhelming immune reaction that can kill a patient with COVID-19. These reactions are triggered by coronavirus infections and can veer out of control in some people. It's this reaction, rather than the virus itself, that is the real peril for people seriously ill with COVID-19. Doctors last year recognized that a cheap and readily available steroid drug called dexamethasone can often rein in this overreaction, which is a form of inflammation. In fact, it's the only COVID-19 drug so far that clearly saves lives. (Harris, 4/7)
CIDRAP:
COVID-19 Tied To Spikes In Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests
An international study that identified a dramatic increase in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) preceding and paralleling the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that OHCA is yet another example of the virus's myriad multisystemic effects and a signal of upcoming community surges. In the observational study, published today in the Lancet's EClinicalMedicine, emergency services medical directors in 50 large cities in the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and New Zealand reported tallies of monthly OCHAs among adults in their respective jurisdictions from January to June 2020 and compared them with numbers from the same periods in 2018 and 2019. (Van Beusekom, 4/7)
CIDRAP:
Some Patients Halted Drugs For Chronic Conditions During Pandemic
Most US patients saw an increase in days of supply (DOS) for medication for chronic conditions during the pandemic, but prescription data still showed an increased likelihood of drug discontinuation, according to a study published last week in PLOS One. The researchers chose an example drug with available generics from six therapeutics classes less likely to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: hormonal contraception, immunosuppression, serotonin regulation, and drugs to address attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and psychoses. They determined that patients had discontinued a drug if the DOS were not sufficient to cover a given month. (McLernon, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare:
Doctors Say Prior Authorization Led To Life-Threatening Delays In Care
While providers expected insurers to relax prior authorization policies during the pandemic, 70% of surveyed physicians reported the changes were brief, if made at all, and did not relieve some of their burdens. Slow prior authorization protocols contributed to care delivery delays and poor treatment outcomes for some patients during the surge in COVID-19 cases last winter, according to American Medical Association survey. (Gellman, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare:
Wide Variation In C-Section Rate Improvement In Hospitals
Hospitals nationwide are making progress in meeting national standards in caring for women who are giving birth, though there's been less progress in lowering C-Section rates, according to quality and safety not-for-profit Leapfrog Group. A little over half of 2,200 surveyed hospitals voluntarily reported that less than 23.9% of their first-time pregnant women gave birth via C-section, a change that's been slowly decreasing over the past five years. (Gillespie, 4/8)
Modern Healthcare:
Home Improvement To Be Provided By ProMedica's New Healthy Homes Initiative
ProMedica has launched an initiative addressing the health impact of unsafe housing conditions, one of the first health systems to do so. The Toledo, Ohio-based health system announced Wednesday it was entering into a multi-year, multi-city partnership to reduce the health hazard caused by substandard housing conditions with the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, a Baltimore-based, not-for-profit organization that provides support services and technical assistance to create healthy housing environments. (Ross Johnson, 4/7)
Bloomberg:
Pharmacies Face Peril Without Opioid Settlements, Judge Says
CVS Health Corp., Walgreens Boots Alliance and other pharmacy chains face mounting pressure to settle thousands of government lawsuits over their role in the U.S. opioid epidemic, after a federal judge warned the companies they risk financial peril. As drug makers and distributors work to resolve similar complaints, mediation has failed with pharmacies, which are accused of ignoring red flags about suspicious painkiller prescriptions. The first trials are set to start this year, and a judge on Wednesday may expand the number of early cases going before juries to help gauge the potential cost of settling all the cases. (Feeley, 4/7)
KQED:
JAMA And Other Medical Journals Under Fire After Disastrous Podcast On Racism In Medicine
Weeks after it was scrubbed from the Journal of the American Medical Association's website, a disastrous podcast — whose host, a white editor and physician, questioned whether racism even exists in medicine — is surfacing complaints that JAMA and other elite medical journals have routinely excluded, minimized, and mishandled issues of race. Recent examples include research blaming higher death rates from COVID-19 in African Americans on a single gene in their nasal passages; a letter claiming structural racism doesn’t play a role in pulse oximeters working less well on patients with dark skin because machines can't exhibit bias; and an article claiming that students of programs designed to increase diversity in medicine won’t make good doctors. (Lee McFarling, 4/7)
CBS News:
South Carolina Shooting Leaves Five Dead Including Prominent Doctor And Two Kids
A suspect was found after an hours-long search following a South Carolina shooting Wednesday evening that left five people dead, including two children and a prominent doctor, authorities said. ... The York County coroner's office said Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69, were pronounced dead at the scene along with grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5. A fifth victim, James Lewis, 38, from Gaston, was found dead outside. ... Dr. Robert Lesslie has been practicing in Rock Hill since 1981, according to the Riverview website. He received his degree at the Medical University of South Carolina and has worked in the surrounding Rock Hill area and Charlotte, North Carolina. (4/8)
AP:
Medic Who Shot 2 Was Assigned To Medical Research Center
A Navy medic who shot and wounded two U.S. sailors before he was killed by police on a nearby Army base was a laboratory technician assigned to a Naval medical research center on the base, according to his service record and a military official. Fantahun Girma Woldesenbet, 38, and the two men he shot Tuesday at a government-leased military warehouse were all assigned to Fort Detrick in Frederick, authorities have said. (Burns and Kunzelman, 4/7)
The Washington Post:
Overdose Deaths May Have Topped 90,000 In 2020
Early data indicate President Biden faces an even worse opioid abuse epidemic than former president Donald Trump. Biden's administration has signaled some initial indications of how it intends to approach the problem of drug abuse — a crisis that will get renewed attention as the threat of the coronavirus recedes. Overdose deaths in the United States last year may have topped 90,000.Final data won’t be available until near the end of this year. But an analysis of preliminary data by the Commonwealth Fund found that shortly after the pandemic started, monthly overdose deaths spiked 50 percent to more than 9,000 deaths in May. (Cunningham and Ellerbeck, 4/7)
Stat:
Purdue Can Be Questioned On Research On OxyContin Exposure In Utero
A federal judge has given a green light to lawyers representing children with birth defects — allegedly due to exposure to opioids in utero — to question Purdue Pharma over efforts to provide documents concerning any links to its addictive painkiller and birth defects. The decision is a modest, but potentially significant victory in a long-running battle to connect OxyContin with neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, a group of conditions caused when a baby withdraws from certain drugs while exposed in the womb. NAS is most often caused by opioid use during pregnancy. (Silverman, 4/7)
NBC News:
Suicidal Thoughts Are Increasing In Young Kids, Experts Say. It Began Before The Pandemic.
While suicidal thoughts and self-harm have been well documented in teenagers, mental health experts say too little attention has been paid to young children, despite growing evidence that more elementary and middle school students are in crisis. ... In interviews, more than a dozen mental health professionals, including school counselors, social workers, psychiatrists and suicidologists, said they are seeing more children as young as kindergarten who are in dire need of support. (Kingkade and Chuck, 4/8)
AP:
COVID Testing Blitz Undermined Screening, Fight Against STDs
After an unprecedented push to test and track COVID-19, public health workers are grappling with a worrisome side effect: a collapse in screening for sexually transmitted diseases that have been on the rise for years. Testing for diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea plummeted in many parts of the U.S. last year as COVID-19 sapped away resources and staff. Health officials say this testing gap left them unable to track or control outbreaks of the diseases, which were already at record levels before the pandemic. (Perrone, 4/7)
ScienceDaily:
Womens' Pain Not Taken As Seriously As Mens' Pain
Researchers found that when male and female patients expressed the same amount of pain, observers viewed female patients' pain as less intense and more likely to benefit from psychotherapy versus medication as compared to men's pain, exposing a significant patient gender bias that could lead to disparities in treatments. (4/6)
CBS News:
Celebrity Zookeeper Jack Hanna Diagnosed With Dementia, Family Says
Jack Hanna, celebrity zookeeper and wildlife conservationist, has been diagnosed with dementia, his family said Wednesday. The former director of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will be retiring from public life. Hanna's three daughters — Kathaleen, Suzanne and Julie — announced their 74-year-old father's diagnosis in a letter posted on social media. Doctors believe his condition, which progressed much faster than anticipated, to be Alzheimer's. (Goel, 4/7)
The Washington Post:
New Cookbook Helps People Who Lost Taste And Smell Due To Covid
Ryan Riley is a British chef who has spent the past several months concocting an array of science-based recipes to help people like Dixon enjoy food even though their sense of smell and taste is compromised. He co-wrote the cookbook “Taste & Flavour,” which has recipes that elevate flavor combinations, textures and other sensory elements that might stimulate a long-hauler’s dulled senses. (Page, 4/7)
The Washington Post:
This College Gymnast Stuck The Landing — Then Whipped Out His Coronavirus Vaccine Card
It was a move that put other vaccine selfies to shame. In a March meet against Minnesota, University of Illinois gymnast Evan Manivong sprinted toward the vault, launched into the air, spun and stuck the landing, nailing his routine and tying his career-high. As his teammates cheered, Manivong clapped and celebrated and then whipped out a coronavirus vaccination card that was tucked in his leotard and flashed it for the cameras. (Kornfield, 4/6)
Politico:
Virginia Legislature Speeds Up Pot Legalization To This Summer
The Virginia Legislature voted Wednesday to accelerate its timeline for marijuana legalization to July 1 instead of January 2024. Personal possession and home cultivation would be legal starting in July. Marijuana sales still wouldn’t start until 2024, giving the government time to set up a cannabis regulatory agency to oversee the new industry. (Zhang, 4/7)
AP:
Alabama House Committee Advances Medical Marijuana Bill
A medical marijuana bill on Wednesday cleared its first major hurdle in the Alabama House of Representatives. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill after lengthy debate and multiple amendment attempts. The bill now goes to the Health Committee after House leaders decided the controversial bill must go through two committees before going to a floor vote. A version of the proposal has already passed the state Senate. (Chandler, 4/7)
AP:
Wisconsin Court Ruling Means Food Aid Cuts Will Begin In May
One day will likely cost some Wisconsin residents one month’s worth of food aid. Last week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling striking down Gov. Tony Evers’ COVID-19 emergency order means that next month the state will begin losing more than $50 million per month in emergency supplemental FoodShare benefits, the state Department of Health Services confirmed Wednesday. (4/7)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas House Pushes Bipartisan Bills Expanding Telemedicine And Postpartum Care
Leaders in the Texas House on Wednesday unveiled a suite of health care initiatives aimed at boosting access for new moms, children, Texans in rural areas and those who depend on costly prescription drugs. The bills, many of which have bipartisan backing, are among what was suggested to be the first wave of measures the lower chamber hopes to pass this session amid the coronavirus pandemic. Texas has long had some of the worst health outcomes in the country, as well as the highest uninsured rate. (Blackman, 4/7)
AP:
Georgia Warns Of Fentanyl Overdoses From Counterfeit Pills
Georgia officials are warning that some people may be overdosing on fentanyl pills that were falsely sold to them as Xanax or Percocet. The suspected overdoses began in January and have continued through March. Of 137 suspected incidents reported to hospital emergency rooms statewide, 99 have come from Augusta or neighboring Columbia County, and another 26 have been in the broader 13-county health district that includes Augusta. (4/7)
AP:
Lawmaker Panel Advances Two Anti-Abortion Bills To Senate
A panel of Idaho lawmakers advanced two bills targeting abortion Wednesday. The first bill attempts to dissuade women from having abortions if the fetus is diagnosed with Down syndrome. The other bill would eliminate government funding from health care providers, schools or other entities if they provide abortions, refer someone to an abortion provider or even contract with someone affiliated with an abortion provider for non-abortion services. (Boone, 4/7)
Des Moines Register:
Iowa Senate Passes Tax Bill With Mental Health Funding Changes
The Iowa Senate has passed a sweeping tax proposal that would revise Iowa's mental health funding system, phase out property tax replacement payments to local governments and ensure Iowans see a series of income tax cuts begin in 2023. The bill, Senate File 587, also includes a handful of changes affecting school funding and various state tax credit programs. It passed Tuesday evening on a 30-17 party-line vote. (Richardson, 4/7)
The New York Times:
AstraZeneca Vaccine Faces New Setbacks in U.K. and European Union
Britain said on Wednesday that it would curb the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine in adults under 30 because of the risk of rare blood clots, a blow to the efforts of scores of countries reliant on the vaccine to stamp out the coronavirus pandemic amid a global surge in cases. Adding to the unease, the European Medicines Agency outlined a “possible link” between the vaccine and rare clots, even as it said that Covid-19 remained the far greater threat, leaving decisions about how to use the vaccine in the hands of the 27 member states of the European Union. (Mueller, 4/7)
CNN:
Customs Officials Have Seized Over 20 Million Counterfeit Masks Since The Beginning Of The Year
Millions of counterfeit masks have been seized by Customers and Border Protection (CBP) officials since the start of the pandemic. But the last few months have seen an "exponential increase" in counterfeit mask seizures, a CBP official told CNN. Since the start of the pandemic, CBP has seized more than 34 million counterfeit masks, most of them modeled to resemble N95 or KN95 masks. Around 20 million of those masks were caught in 2021, said John Leonard, acting executive assistant commissioner of the agency's Office of Trade. (Andrew, 4/8)
CNBC:
Covid Vaccine Maker CureVac Hopes Shot Will Get EU Approval In June
Coronavirus vaccine maker CureVac has said it hopes its Covid shot will receive European approval in the second quarter. CureVac’s CEO Franz-Werner Haas told CNBC Thursday that the vaccine maker was close to finalizing the recruitment for the vaccine’s Phase 3 clinical trial. Approval could come not long after, he said, given the urgent need for additional effective coronavirus vaccines and the expedited regulatory approval process. (Ellyatt, 4/8)
AP:
Afghans Work To Stem Polio Rise Amid Violence, Pandemic
Afghanistan is trying to inoculate millions of children against polio after pandemic lockdowns stalled the effort to eradicate the crippling disease. But the recent killing of three vaccinators points to the dangers facing the campaign as turmoil grows in the country. The three women were gunned down in two separate attacks on March 30 as they carried out door-to-door vaccinations in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (Faiez, 4/8)
Stat:
Merck Reaches Deal With Regulators Over 'Predatory' Pricing For Cancer Drug
Following a three-year probe, Merck (MRK) reached a deal with Austrian regulators to end a “predatory” pricing strategy for a brain cancer treatment, the latest instance in which European authorities have scrutinized the pharmaceutical industry over anticompetitive practices. The focus of the investigation was Temodal, which is used to treat such brain tumors as glioblastoma, the most frequent type of brain tumor in adults. Approximately 350 people develop this malady in Austria each year, but the Federal Competition Authority determined the company was making it difficult for lower-cost generic versions to reach the market. (Silverman, 4/7)