First Edition: Dec. 16, 2020

KHN: How To Pull Off A COVID-Era Music Festival 
As the pandemic took hold and well-grooved music festivals canceled their mainstream events, Krista Selico saw an opening. She had been organizing the Helix Festival as an opportunity to give artists in the urban music community a chance to redefine the genre for themselves, as well as choose more racially diverse headliners. The industry’s destination festivals had excluded many diverse performers and types of music, she said, adding: “Urban music is so much more than what we hear on the radio.” (Giles, 12/16)

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: Shopping For Health Insurance? Here’s How One Family Tried To Pick A Plan
When host Dan Weissmann and his wife set out to pick a health insurance plan for next year, they realized that keeping the plan they have means paying $200 a month more. But would a “cheaper” plan cost them more in the long run?  It depends. And the COVID pandemic makes their choice a lot more complicated. After trying to puzzle it out, Weissmann debriefs with Karen Pollitz, a health insurance expert at KFF, who knows about the angst of medical bills from personal experience. (Weissmann, 12/16)

KHN: Trump’s Wrong. 15% ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Not On Par With Strength Of A Vaccine 
During a Dec. 8 press conference about Operation Warp Speed, President Donald Trump likened the spread of the coronavirus throughout the population — which experts agree bestows some immunity on the people who became ill — to having a COVID-19 vaccine. “You develop immunity over a period of time, and I hear we’re close to 15%. I’m hearing that, and that is terrific. That’s a very powerful vaccine in itself,” said Trump, who was responding to a reporter’s question about what his message to the American people was as the holidays approach and levels of COVID cases in the U.S. continue to rise. (Knight, 12/15)

The Washington Post: FDA Authorizes First Rapid, Over-The-Counter Home Coronavirus Test 
The FDA allowed the test under an emergency use authorization. The newly approved home test will cost about $30, and the first batches will be shipped out the first week of January, according to Ellume. “It’s a big deal, and a huge step for efforts to take back control from the virus,” said Mara G. Aspinall, a biomedical diagnostics professor at Arizona State University. (Wan, 12/15)

The New York Times: New At-Home Covid Test Gets Green Light From F.D.A.
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued an emergency authorization for the country’s first coronavirus test that can run from start to finish at home without the need for a prescription. People as young as 2 years old are cleared to use the test, which takes just 15 to 20 minutes to deliver a result. Unlike many similar products, which are only supposed to be used by people with symptoms of Covid-19, this test is authorized for people with or without symptoms. (Wu, 12/15)

NPR: FDA Authorizes Coronavirus Test You Can Take At Home Without Prescription
The test kit includes a special swab that enables users to collect a sample from just inside their nose. Because it can be used on adults and children as young as 2 years old, the swab comes with a special adapter that shortens the length when swabbing youngsters. Users add a few drops of liquid to the sample and place it into a small plastic device that looks like a home pregnancy test. Results are wirelessly transmitted to a smartphone app within about 15 minutes. (Stein, 12/15)

The New York Times: U.S. And Pfizer Are Negotiating Deal For More Vaccine Doses Next Year
The Trump administration is negotiating a deal to use its power to free up supplies of raw materials to help Pfizer produce tens of millions of additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for Americans in the first half of next year, people familiar with the situation said. Should an agreement be struck, it could at least partially remedy a looming shortage that the administration itself arguably helped create by not pre-ordering more doses of the vaccine Pfizer developed with its German partner, BioNTech. Pfizer agreed this summer to provide the United States with 100 million doses by the end of March, enough to inoculate 50 million people since its vaccine requires two shots. (LaFraniere, Thomas and Weiland, 12/16)

Politico: McEnany: White House In Talks With Pfizer For Additional Vaccine Doses 
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday the Trump administration is attempting to secure an additional run of coronavirus vaccinations from Pfizer. The United States has already committed to purchasing 100 million doses — enough to vaccinate 50 million people — from the company, which has begun sending out its first tranche of vaccines after the Food and Drug administration authorized its use late last week. The first batch has already gone out to designated sites throughout the country and the shots have started being administered. (Niedzwiadek, 12/15)

Reuters: U.S. COVID-19 Immunization Rollout Expands As Officials Avow Vaccine's Safety 
The United States expanded its rollout of the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine to hundreds of additional distribution centers on Tuesday, inoculating thousands more healthcare workers in a mass immunization expected to reach the general public in the coming months. ... At University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, emergency room nurse Maritza Beniquez on Tuesday became the first person in that state to receive the vaccine in one of numerous such made-for-TV moments playing out across the country. “I couldn’t wait for this moment to hit New Jersey. I couldn’t wait for it to hit the U.S.,” Beniquez said as she was vaccinated with Governor Phil Murphy looking on. (Munoz, 12/15)

The Washington Post: His Staff Cleans Covid-19 Hospital Rooms. He Got The Vaccine To Build Trust In The Shot.
Roy Dunlap told his family his plans as they sat down to a dinner of salmon, greens and white rice. “I’m going to take the vaccine tomorrow,” the director of environmental services at Howard University Hospital said. His 17-year-old son’s eyes bulged and he raised his eyebrows to the heavens, as he typically does when his father says something out of the ordinary. Then the teenager looked at his mother. “What do you mean?” Dunlap remembers his wife saying. “Your family needs you. Let somebody else take it.” But Dunlap had already made up his mind to get the coronavirus vaccine. He thought about the number of people who have died of covid-19, including one of the cleaning workers he supervised at the hospital. (Fadulu, 12/15)

AP: VA Hospital Nurse Is First To Receive COVID-19 Shot In MN
A nurse on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center was the first in Minnesota to receive a COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday. Thera Witte, who works in a coronavirus unit at the hospital, said she feels honored to be the first and did not hesitate to volunteer. “I’m feeling hopeful that this is the beginning of the end” of the pandemic, Witte said after receiving the first of two Pfizer doses. She will be vaccinated again in three weeks. (12/15)

AP: Virginia's Healthcare Workers Start Receiving Vaccinations
Healthcare workers in Virginia started receiving the state’s first doses of a coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, kicking off what is likely to be a months long process of inoculating people from the potentially deadly disease. The Ballad Health system broadcast live video of registered nurse Emily Boucher getting her first shot in an area of southwestern Virginia. “I will never stop trying to convince everyone about the reality of COVID-19,” Boucher said before pulling up her left sleeve at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon. (12/15)

Houston Chronicle: Registered Nurse Gets 'Momentous' First Houston-Area Vaccine At Memorial Hermann
Robert Luckey, a COVID ICU registered nurse at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, got the region’s first coronavirus vaccine today. “It’s momentous for this country,” he said of both the vaccination being developed and of being the first in the region to receive it. “This is honestly the light at the end of the tunnel.” Staff applauded as the vaccine was injected into Luckey’s upper left arm. (Dellinger, 12/15)

Boston Globe: ‘A Great Day, A Great Place’: Boston Medical Center Staff Celebrate The Arrival Of A Coronavirus Vaccine
Medical professionals working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic have dealt with a taxing year — from treating an overwhelming number of patients desperately ill with a new virus at once to facing uncertainty about personal protective equipment supplies. So when Boston Medical Center received one of the first nationwide shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine early Monday morning, it was a reason to celebrate. For the first time in months — and on the same day the nation surpassed 300,000 deaths from the virus — hope was on the horizon. (Larson, 12/15)

AP: 'I Feel Hope': Nurse Among 1st To Get Vaccine In Washington
With a quick, painless shot in the arm, health care workers in Washington began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, marking a turning point 10 months after the state confronted the first U.S. outbreak of the virus. “For the first time in a while, I feel hope,” Harborview Medical Center COVID-19 intensive care nurse Amy Fry said after becoming the first worker there to be vaccinated. “It’s been a long, exhausting road.” (Johnson, 12/16)

Des Moines Register: 'Feels Like A Beginning To The End': First Coronavirus Vaccinations Begin In Iowa
The COVID-19 vaccine didn’t feel any different from any of the other shots University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics registered dietitian Sarah Davis has received over the years. A quick needle stick, and no pain, she said immediately after her shot Monday morning. The only difference between this shot and her others was that the faces of intensive care unit patients for whom she’s cared were flashing through her head. “It’s been a rough six months,” she said. “(The vaccine) just feels like a beginning to the end of all this. A light at the end of the tunnel.” (Coltrain, 12/14)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: As Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Roll Out Across Louisiana, Here's Why Distribution Could Be Challenging
Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the New Orleans health director who has guided the pandemic response for City Hall, briefly closed her eyes as needle sunk into skin Tuesday at University Medical Center. As she received her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, she said, she was thinking of the people already lost to the disease. “Just sort of saying a prayer for them and feeling like this can prevent more,” said Avegno, who has watched three surges hit her hometown and kill more than 1,800 people in the region. (Woodruff, 12/15)

Bloomberg: Trump Sits Out Debut Of Covid-19 Vaccine That He Long Championed
The first shipments of a coronavirus vaccine created by Pfizer Inc. and German company BioNTech SE arrived on Monday, with front-line health-care workers receiving injections on live television to mark the occasion. The rollout coincides with the U.S. setting records for daily cases, daily deaths and hospitalizations. The president has had little to say about any of it, beyond a single congratulatory tweet buried among a stream of false assertions and conspiracy theories about the election he lost. He has not made a public appearance since Saturday, when he attended the Army-Navy football game at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. (Wingrove, 12/16)

The Hill: Pence Says He Will Receive Coronavirus Vaccine 'In The Days Ahead' 
Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that he looks forward to receiving the coronavirus vaccine “in the days ahead” as officials work to build public confidence in the product. Pence made the remarks Tuesday afternoon during a roundtable discussion on Operation Warp Speed with other officials in Indiana. (Chalfant, 12/15)

NPR: Biden, Pence Make Preparations To Get COVID-19 Vaccine
High-ranking officials, including President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President Pence, are making preparations to get the COVID-19 vaccine, hoping to instill trust and confidence in the vaccine ahead of its widespread distribution as the death toll climbs to new heights. Biden, who is set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, said Tuesday it was recommended he get the vaccine "sooner than later" by infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who will become the Democrat's chief medical adviser. "I want to just make sure we do it by the numbers. When I do it, you'll have notice, and we'll do it publicly," Biden said. (Wise, 12/15)

The Hill: Fauci Says Trump, Biden Should Be Vaccinated Immediately 
The nation's leading infectious disease doctor on Tuesday said it is imperative both President Trump and President-elect Joe Biden receive doses of the coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible. "For security reasons, I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can," Anthony Fauci said in an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America." (Mastrangelo, 12/15)

Stat: Misting The White House Won’t Kill Covid-19, Experts Say
The federal government is putting $29,000 in taxpayer funds toward a type of cleaning that many experts advise against: misting a disinfectant all over the White House. A Virginia-based contractor will spray a disinfectant mist throughout the East and West Wings before President-elect Biden moves in, according to a federal contract first reported by TMZ and Politico. The same contractor has done the same procedure for the Navy, including at a weapons station in Virginia. (Sheridan, 12/16)

AP: Biden's Challenge: Creating A COVID-19-Free White House
Three blocks from the White House, office space for more than 500 Biden transition staffers sits mostly idle. The government is shipping out laptops so staffers can work from home. President-elect Joe Biden, surrounded by just a handful of aides in Delaware, is using Zoom to oversee his plans to assume power. But Biden soon will be entering a no-Zoom zone at the White House — just one sign of the challenges his new administration will face when it moves to Washington in the midst of a pandemic. (Miller and Madhani, 12/16)

The Hill: Lawmakers Grapple With Implementing COVID-19 Vaccine On Capitol Hill 
Members of Congress are grappling with the question of whether they should be prioritized for receiving a coronavirus vaccine as the first doses begin to be distributed to health care workers across the country. Lawmakers are wary of appearing to privilege themselves over their constituents, a factor that also made congressional leaders slow to implement a testing regime in the Capitol. (Marcos, 12/15)

NPR: Fauci Predicts U.S. Could See Signs Of Herd Immunity By Late March Or Early April
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's senior official for infectious diseases, predicts the United States could begin to achieve early stages of herd immunity against the deadly coronavirus by late spring or summer. And if that happens, Fauci anticipates, "we could really turn this thing around" toward the end of 2021. In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday on Morning Edition, NPR's Rachel Martin asked Fauci how many Americans need to receive the vaccine to have an impact on the number of COVID-19 infections. "I would say 50% would have to get vaccinated before you start to see an impact," Fauci said. "But I would say 75 to 85% would have to get vaccinated if you want to have that blanket of herd immunity." (Booker, 12/15)

AP: Hopeful Sign: Midwestern States See Drop In New Virus Cases
After a punishing fall that left hospitals struggling, some Midwestern states are seeing a decline in new coronavirus cases. But the signs of improvement are offset by the virus’s accelerating spread on both coasts: In California, officials scrambled to distribute body bags and deploy mobile morgues as infections rose at an alarming rate. States including Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska have seen decreases in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 over the past couple of weeks. All, however, are still experiencing an alarming number of deaths and hospitalizations because of the earlier surge of cases. (Geller, 12/16)

Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘It’s Not Over Yet’: Pa. Hospitalizations And Deaths Keep Climbing As Vaccines Arrive In N.J. And Delaware
New Jersey and Delaware joined the list of states to administer their first coronavirus vaccinations Tuesday, as Pennsylvania officials worked to ensure the coming winter storm wouldn’t significantly disrupt the delivery of tens of thousands of doses statewide. The excitement over the vaccine, however, couldn’t slow the surge: Pennsylvania reported its highest single-day death toll from COVID-19 since May and said nearly 6,300 virus patients were hospitalized across the commonwealth, twice the total from the same point last month. With the United States reaching a record number of hospitalizations, the state was ranking fourth-highest per capita among all states, according to the COVID Tracking Project. (McDaniel, Laughlin and Silverman, 12/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Orders 5,000 Body Bags As COVID Deaths Surge
The number of Californians dying of COVID-19 has increased so rapidly that the state ordered 5,000 additional body bags to help hospitals cope with the surge, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Newsom said the need to prepare for the possibility of thousands of additional deaths shows the severity of the worst surge of the pandemic. California has averaged 163 deaths a day over the past week, compared with 41 deaths a day a month ago. “That should be sobering,” Newsom said during a news conference in Sacramento County. “This is not the flu. This is not something to be trifled with. This is a deadly disease.” (Gardiner, 12/15)

The Hill: Bipartisan Senators Urge Surprise Billing Deal's Inclusion In Year-End Package 
A group of 27 senators in both parties is urging Senate leadership to include a deal to protect patients from massive “surprise” medical bills in a year-end legislative package now being negotiated. Leadership of four committees in the House and Senate announced a deal on the legislation last Friday after months of negotiations, but the fate of the bill still hangs in the balance as it is unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will agree to include it in the final package. (Sullivan, 12/15)

The Hill: Pelosi Warns Lawmakers They'll Be Barred From Speaking On House Floor Without A Mask 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday announced an expansion of the House floor mask requirement which will now preclude lawmakers from removing them while speaking before the cameras during the pandemic. During a brief House pro forma session, Pelosi said while presiding over the chamber that lawmakers will be denied speaking time if they are not wearing a mask going forward. (Marcos, 12/15)

The Hill: Rep. Calvert Says He Tested Positive For COVID-19 
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) revealed Tuesday that he tested positive for COVID-19 late last month but has since recovered. Calvert said that he has returned to Washington, D.C., after missing votes, including on the annual defense policy bill last week, while quarantining. (Marcos, 12/15)

The Washington Post: Hundreds Of Invitees Skip Mike Pompeo’s Indoor Holiday Party At State Department 
Only a tiny fraction of the more than 900 guests invited to an indoor holiday party hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife Susan showed up on Tuesday following an outcry from public health officials and U.S. lawmakers warning that the reception bore all the hallmarks of a superspreader event, said two U.S. officials familiar with the event. Pompeo, whose name was on the invitation and who was scheduled to speak at the event, canceled his speech and tapped a substitute speaker, said the two officials. The event was dedicated to the family members of diplomats serving overseas in dangerous postings that require them to leave their spouses and children behind, such as in Iraq or Afghanistan. (Hudson, 12/15)

Bloomberg: U.S. Asks High Court To Halt Mail Delivery Of Abortion Pills
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a requirement that women visit a medical facility to obtain abortion-inducing pills, seeking to lift a lower-court order that has allowed delivery by mail during the pandemic. The filing Tuesday renews a request the court temporarily rejected in October, when it was shorthanded after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Supreme Court now has a stronger conservative majority with Justice Amy Coney Barrett having filled Ginsburg’s seat. (Stohr, 12/15)

AP: Justices Asked Again To Reinstate Rule For Abortion Pill
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court a second time to reinstate a rule that women must pick up an abortion pill in person during the COVID-19 pandemic. The request to the high court Tuesday comes just over a month before President Donald Trump leaves office. The rule has been on hold since July because of the pandemic and the new administration could suspend it during the public health emergency after Joe Biden takes office in January. (Sherman, 12/15)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Wants To Boost Interoperability For Medicaid And CHIP
HHS wants to make it easier for beneficiaries covered by Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program or individual market plans to access and share their health information and speed up prior authorization for such plans, according to a proposed rule on Monday. The proposal would require covered payers to follow specific implementation guidelines for application programming interfaces that increase access to patient health information and provider directories. It would also mandate that impacted payers force third-party app developers to agree to specific privacy requirements to access patient data and notify CMS about patient data requests every quarter. The proposal would apply to state Medicaid and CHIP fee-for-service programs, Medicaid managed care plans, CHIP managed care entities and qualified health plans available through federal marketplaces. (Brady, 12/15)

Bloomberg: Trump’s $200 Medicare Drug Cards Expected To Be Mailed Jan. 1
The Trump administration expects to begin sending $200 prescription drug discount cards to seniors by Jan. 1, a campaign promise to seniors that President Donald Trump was unable to fulfill before losing re-election, a person familiar with the matter said. A White House official described the time line for distributing the cards to Medicare beneficiaries, asking not to be identified discussing internal planning. Politico reported late Monday that an obscure industry panel that advises the Internal Revenue Service on administering benefit cards abruptly dropped its opposition to the drug cards. (Sink, 12/15)

The Washington Post: British Officials Identify Coronavirus Mutations, But Significance Remains Unclear
As vaccines are rolling out, the coronavirus is on the move as well, not merely spreading but also mutating, and possibly becoming more transmissible. There is no evidence that these changes are making the virus deadlier, but new research has provided evidence that the virus is not a static target of vaccines and will need to be watched closely to see how it responds to therapeutic interventions and the human immune system. The issue of mutations sparked headlines across the United Kingdom after a top government official, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, stood in the House of Commons on Monday and announced that more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in southeast England show a suite of genetic mutations that might be driving the surge in that region. (Booth and Achenbach, 12/15)

Fox News: Azar Warns Key COVID-19 Treatments 'Not Getting Used Enough' Amid Spike In Cases, Hospitalizations
A variant of coronavirus that has been reported in the United Kingdom is not expected to impact the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told "The Story" Tuesday. "We have seen many different what one might call 'strains' of COVID-19," Azar told host Martha MacCallum. "But here's what is really important for viewers to know as we now have these vaccines coming, these vaccines don’t appear to be impacted by some of these modifications." British officials confirmed Monday that a “new variant” of COVID-19 had been discovered after infecting close to 1,000 people in the south of England. (Halon, 12/15)

USA Today: COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Report Cases Of Brief Facial Paralysis. That's Not As Scary As It Sounds
Americans are increasingly concerned about vaccine safety after four people in Pfizer-BioNTech trials and three people in the Moderna trials developed Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles. While it may sound scary, experts say Bell’s palsy is more common and less severe than people think. Bell’s palsy, also known as peripheral facial nerve palsy, can occur at any age, according to the Mayo Clinic. The exact causes are unknown, but it’s believed to be the result of swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of the face, or a reaction after a viral infection. (Rodriguez, 12/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteers Note Occasional Harsh Side Effects 
Jocelyn Edwards wasn’t sure she got Moderna Inc.’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine or a placebo when she received her first of two doses in August. Hours after the second shot, she said she was sure it was the genuine article. “I woke up around midnight freezing,” said the 68-year-old retired nurse. “For the next 24 hours I had intense chills, serious neck pain, headache, all my joints were aching.” She had a fever that peaked at 102.4 and poured out so much sweat that she lost 3 pounds, she said. The following day she woke up and felt fine. (Winkler, 12/16)

Modern Healthcare: Traffic Crashes Indiana COVID Vaccine Sign-Up Site
A state website where Indiana healthcare workers sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine temporarily crashed Monday after being overwhelmed with traffic. The vaccination enrollment website crashed before the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the state, according to Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR, which first reported the news. "Due to a large amount of traffic, the site is currently down," reads a message from the state health department Monday morning and obtained by WTHR. "Check back this afternoon." (Kim Cohen, 12/15)

AP: Civil Air Patrol Helps Distribute Vaccine In South Dakota
The South Dakota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is assisting the state Department of Health in delivering the first allocation of coronavirus vaccines. The Civil Air Patrol said it’s flying the Pfizer vaccine to smaller communities in South Dakota with its fleet of single-engine Cessna aircraft, flown by its volunteer pilots and crews. Other volunteer members will assist with mission planning and logistical support, the patrol said. (12/15)

Modern Healthcare: Insurers, Providers Prepare For COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Costs
While the federal government is covering the cost of the COVID-19 vaccine for consumers during the public health emergency, some insurers may be left to foot the bill for providers' time administering the shot. Although several insurers have said their members won't be charged for the vaccine or its administration, some providers expect to shoulder some costs as well. "We greatly appreciate that the federal government is covering the cost of the vaccine, and the administration fee will be covered by individuals' health insurance, so the residents and staff will not have to pay," the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living said in an emailed statement. (Christ and Tepper, 12/15)

Los Angeles Times: National Commission Urges COVID-19 Vaccine For Prisons
With cases of COVID-19 continuing to spread through prisons, guards and inmates should be among the first to receive vaccinations against the virus that causes the illness, a national commission recommended Monday. The vaccine recommendation by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, whose members include former U.S. Attys. Gen. Loretta Lynch and Albert Gonzales, was the main takeaway in a set of findings released by the panel. The group also called for an increase in the number of prisoners released during the pandemic and for some incoming inmates to be diverted from prisons in order to slow the spread of the disease. (Winton, 12/15)

Houston Chronicle: Cy-Fair ISD, Fort Bend Officials Ask Texas To Give Teachers COVID Vaccine Priority
Some Houston-area officials have joined a growing chorus of education leaders and elected representatives this week in calling on the state to put educators closer to the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccines. Fort Bend County Judge KP George and Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, sent a letter to Gov. Abbott asking that teachers be among the first to get the vaccines, noting that as more students return to classrooms for in-person instruction, the risk of exposing teachers to the virus also rises. (Webb, 12/15)

CIDRAP: Low Risk Of Severe COVID-19 Noted For Young Kids
A French study in Pediatrics today reports a low risk of severe COVID-19 for children less than 3 months old and points to low blood oxygen levels and high levels of inflammatory proteins as reliable predictors of severe disease in children. Researchers conducted a surveillance study of 60 hospitals—representing 38.5% of French children hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2. ... Nearly all (92%) of these infants presented with a fever. (12/15)

Stat: For Some Rare Disease Patients, PPE Shortages Pose A Continued Threat
When the coronavirus sent cities across the United States into shutdown in March, Laura Bonnell realized that her family’s supply of masks and disinfectant wipes was quickly running out. “We didn’t have any N95 masks and we only had about 20 disposable masks,” said Bonnell, whose two daughters have cystic fibrosis, a rare genetic condition that makes infections easier to catch and harder to get rid of by producing a thick, sticky mucus that traps germs in the lungs. (Goshua, 12/16)

AP: Illinois Board Rejects Plan To Close A Chicago Hospital
A state board rejected a plan Tuesday to close a Chicago hospital after pleas from the community to keep the doors open. Trinity Health wants to close Mercy Hospital in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, saying the site is losing money as well as patients. It has proposed to open an outpatient clinic about two miles away. (12/15)

Houston Chronicle: 65,000 Blue Cross Patients To Lose In-Network Access At CHI St. Luke's On Wednesday
Roughly 65,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas members will lose in-network access to CHI's Texas locations, including its flagship Baylor-St. Luke’s Medical Center, by the end of Wednesday as negotiations stall in a dispute over health care costs. The hospital network and insurer announced in October that they would part ways. CHI St. Luke’s CEO Doug Lawson said at the time that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, along with another insurance carrier, Molina, were paying the hospital system "significantly" less than its competitors for the same services. (Wu, 12/15)

Modern Healthcare: Study: 1 In 5 Patients Report Discrimination When Getting Healthcare
New research has found more than one in five adults say they experienced discrimination when receiving healthcare, with such occurrences more common among racial and ethnic minorities, lower income, and less healthy patients. Racial discrimination was the most common type reported among patients included in a study published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. A higher proportion of Black and Brown patients, as well as adults with other non-white racial and ethnic identities, reported experiencing discrimination in their interpersonal encounters with healthcare staff compared to white respondents. (Ross Johnson, 12/15)

Stateline: US Population Grew Larger, Older, More Diverse In Past Decades
The U.S. population grew to about 332.6 million people in 2020, a 7.7% increase from 2010, and trended older and more diverse, the U.S. Census Bureau said today. The estimates, based on data such as birth and Medicare records, come in advance of actual counts from the 2020 census, which will be released at a still-unspecified time after pandemic-related delays. The numbers released today barely reflect the effects of the pandemic because they are based on data from April 1, 2020. (Henderson, 12/15)

The New York Times: Tom Cruise Erupts At ‘Mission: Impossible’ Crew Over Covid-19 Breach
The actor Tom Cruise recently erupted at crew members on the set of “Mission: Impossible 7” over a breach of Covid-19 protocols in an apparent effort to prevent further disruptions to a film whose production has already been delayed by the pandemic. “We are creating thousands of jobs,” Mr. Cruise, the star of the film, can be heard saying in a leaked audio clip that is littered with expletives. “I don’t ever want to see it again! Ever! And if you don’t do it, you’re fired!” (Ives, 12/16)

The New York Times: Santa Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Photo Session With 50 Children 
A Georgia couple who dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus for an outdoor photo session that was attended by about 50 children last week learned that they had tested positive for the coronavirus three days after the event, the county’s top elected official said on Tuesday. The event was on Thursday and was part of an annual Christmas parade and tree-lighting ceremony in Ludowici, Ga., about 235 miles southeast of Atlanta, said Robert D. Parker, the chairman of the Long County board of commissioners. (Vigdor, 12/15)

AP: Massachusetts House Seeks To Overturn Baker's Abortion Steps
Massachusetts House lawmakers are planning to meet Wednesday to overturn Gov. Charlie Baker’s efforts to roll back some of their actions aimed at expanding access to abortion in the state. The Legislature’s measure — which was included in its version of the state budget — would let women obtain an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases of “fatal fetal anomalies.” Current state law allows abortions after 24 weeks only to preserve the life or health of the mother. (LeBlanc, 12/15)

Stat: One-Quarter Of The World May Not Get A Covid-19 Vaccine Until 2022
As wealthy governments race to lock in supplies of Covid-19 vaccines, nearly a quarter of the world’s population — mostly in low and middle-income countries — will not have access to a shot until 2022, according to a new analysis. As of mid-November, high income countries, including the European Union bloc, reserved 51% of nearly 7.5 billion doses of different Covid-19 vaccines, although these countries comprise just 14% of the world’s population. Meanwhile, only six of the 13 manufacturers working on Covid-19 vaccine candidates have reached agreements to sell their shots to low and middle-income countries. (Silverman, 12/15)

Bloomberg: Younger People In Indonesia Get Covid Vaccines First In Unusual Rollout
Indonesia plans to vaccinate its young working-age population against the coronavirus before the elderly, in contrast to much of the world that’s planning on putting its vulnerable older people first in line. Southeast Asia’s first country to receive delivery of Covid-19 vaccines will focus on inoculating those between 18 to 59 years of age, starting with those working on the front lines of the pandemic such as health workers, the police, and the military. The U.K. started the Western world’s earliest vaccination program with a 91-year-old woman last week, in line with most other countries. (Aditya and Ho, 12/15)