First Edition: Dec. 18, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
No More ICU Beds At The Main Public Hospital In The Nation’s Largest County As COVID Surges
She lay behind a glass barrier, heavily sedated, kept alive by a machine that blew oxygen into her lungs through a tube taped to her mouth and lodged at the back of her throat. She had deteriorated rapidly since arriving a short time earlier. “Her respiratory system is failing, and her cardiovascular system is failing,” said Dr. Luis Huerta, a critical care expert in the intensive care unit. The odds of survival for the patient, who could not be identified for privacy reasons, were poor, Huerta said. (Wolfson and de Marco, 12/18)
KHN:
Pandemic-Related Paid Sick Days And Leave To Expire Dec. 31 — With No Extension In Sight
Like tens of millions of other parents nationwide, Jonathan and Sara Sadowski struggle to assist their four children, ages 5 to 11, with their online schooling at home. In addition, their eldest child, who has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair, needs special care. So to help the kids and keep them safe — especially their oldest child — Jonathan opted to take 12 weeks of paid leave from his teaching job under a program authorized by an emergency federal law enacted in March. (Findlay, 12/18)
KHN:
Ski Resorts Work To Stay Open As COVID Cases Snowball
The day after Thanksgiving, Dr. Jana Eller and Dr. Shiraz Naqvi were seated beside an outdoor fire pit at the base of Telluride Ski Resort, taking a short break from skiing. The two physicians from Houston had driven more than 18 hours to get here for the holiday weekend, and they were staying (and preparing meals) in a rented home. They traveled with another couple and their kids, colleagues they’ve been “bubbling” with in Houston. (Aschwanden, 12/18)
KHN:
More Americans — Of All Political Persuasions — Are Donning Masks
As apprehension about the pandemic intensifies, more Americans — nearly three-quarters — say they wear masks every time they leave the house, according to a poll released Friday. The poll from KFF also found that 68% of American adults were worried someone in their family will get sick from the coronavirus, the highest level since the nonprofit began tracking the question in February. The public was least worried in April, when 53% were concerned the infection might strike their family. Since April, fewer than half of Republicans have consistently expressed fear that a family member will be sickened by COVID-19. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.) (Rau, 12/18)
KHN:
KHN On The Air This Week
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed how the COVID-19 backlash undermines public health on Newsy on Thursday. ... California Healthline editor Arthur Allen discussed COVID vaccines with KIQI 1010AM’s “Hecho en California” on Thursday. (12/18)
AP:
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All I Want For Christmas Is A COVID Relief Bill
Congress appears to be inching ever closer to agreement on a long-delayed COVID-19 relief bill, which would extend unemployment insurance and other emergency programs set to expire in the next several days. That bill, however, apparently will not include the top-priority items for both political parties: business liability protections supported by Republicans and aid to states and localities sought by Democrats. The bill is likely to be part of a giant spending bill to keep the federal government funded for the rest of the fiscal year. And it might include a last-minute surprise: legislation to put an end to “surprise” medical bills sent to patients who inadvertently obtain care outside their insurance network. (12/17)
The Washington Post:
FDA Vows To Move 'Rapidly’ To Authorize Second Coronavirus Vaccine
The FDA intends to authorize the vaccine Friday, according to knowledgeable individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the schedule. “I just want to make the point of what a remarkable scientific achievement this is, and pay thanks to all the scientists, present and past, who contributed to this,” James E.K. Hildreth, president of Meharry Medical College and a member of the advisory panel, said at the close of the committee meeting on Thursday. “To go from having a [genetic] sequence of a virus in January, to having two vaccines available in December, is a remarkable achievement.” (McGinley and Johnson, 12/17)
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Panel Endorses Moderna's Coronavirus Vaccine
The Moderna vaccine can be distributed more widely because it can be stored at normal freezer temperatures and, unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, does not require ultracold storage. It also comes in much smaller batches, making it easier for hospitals in less populated areas to use quickly. (Grady, Goodnough, Zimmer and Wu, 12/17)
AP:
FDA Plans To OK 2nd COVID-19 Vaccine After Panel Endorsement
After eight hours of discussion over technical details of the company’s study and follow-up plans, nearly all panelists backed making the vaccine available to help fight the pandemic. One panel member abstained.“The evidence that has been studied in great detail on this vaccine highly outweighs any of the issues we’ve seen,” said Dr. Hayley Gans of Stanford University Medical Center. ... An unanswered question is whether the vaccine also prevents people from symptomless infection — but Moderna found a hint that it may. (Perrone and Neergaard, 12/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine Gets Backing From FDA Advisory Panel
There isn’t enough evidence regarding the use of the vaccine in a pediatric population younger than 18 or in pregnant or breast-feeding women, Rachel Zhang, an FDA medical officer, told the panel. Dr. Zhang said that there were three cases of serious side effects among Moderna vaccine recipients that appeared to be related to the vaccine. One was severe nausea and vomiting, and two involved facial swelling. Both cases of serious facial swelling happened in people who had prior dermal fillers for cosmetic purposes, and were successfully treated with medications. There was an additional case of lip swelling in another person who had prior dermal filler. (Burton and Loftus, 12/17)
Politico:
Upstart Moderna Takes On Outsized Role In U.S. Vaccine Effort
The nation’s second coronavirus vaccine, produced by Moderna, could be on its way to thousands of sites nationwide by this weekend — a major accomplishment for a company that has never before brought a product to market. ... While the maker of the first authorized shot, Pfizer, is a global pharmaceutical giant that has pumped out dozens of blockbusters including Viagra and even ChapStick, Moderna had never had a vaccine reach late-stage trials before it became the first of dozens of coronavirus vaccine hopefuls to hit that milestone this summer. The success of the country’s immunization campaign could depend on Moderna’s ability to deliver those shots without delay — a potentially tricky task for a firm without extensive manufacturing facilities of its own, with a vaccine based on cutting-edge technology. (Owermohle, 12/17)
NPR:
Moderna's Production Of Coronavirus Vaccine Leans Heavily On Outsourcing
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is expected to become the second to get the Food and Drug Administration's green light. A decision could come within days. But compared with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which was granted emergency use authorization last week, upstart Moderna doesn't have a track record when it comes to mass production. Pfizer makes hundreds of medicines and vaccines and operates at least 40 manufacturing facilities registered with the FDA around the world. Despite being founded a decade ago, Moderna has never had a product win FDA approval. And it only has one factory registered with the FDA — and the registration occurred just this week. (Lupkin, 12/17)
Fox News:
Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine's 2-Dose Regimen Elicits ‘Broad’ Immune Response
"The booster doses of the vaccine are both shown to induce stronger antibody responses than a single dose, with the standard dose / standard dose inducing the best response," reads the university release. Results published in The Lancet last week suggested the shot was safe and approximately 70% effective, though an earlier mix-up led some participants to get a half-dose followed by a full dose, instead of two full doses as intended. As a result of the mistake, preliminary findings showed with a half dose/full-dose regimen had 90% efficacy and two full doses showed 62% efficacy. (Rivas, 12/17)
Reuters:
Early Data Show Two Doses Of Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine Provoked Good Immune Response
Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has a better immune response when a two full-dose regime is used rather than a full-dose followed by a half-dose booster, the university said on Thursday, citing data from early trials. The developers of the vaccine candidate, which has been licensed to pharmaceuticals company AstraZeneca, have already published later stage trial results showing higher efficacy when a half dose is followed by a full dose, compared to a two full-dose regime. However, more work needs to be done to affirm that result. (12/17)
Reuters:
J&J Enrolls About 45,000 Participants For Late-Stage COVID-19 Vaccine Trial
Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday it has enrolled about 45,000 participants for the first late-stage trial of its COVID-19 single-dose vaccine candidate and that it expects interim data by late-January. ... J&J also said it plans to submit an emergency use authorization application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February if the data from the study is safe and effective. (12/17)
The New York Times:
States Complain Of Smaller Covid Vaccine Shipments Than Expected
Officials with Operation Warp Speed, the federal effort to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine to the public, also said Wednesday that they had allocated only 2 million doses for next week’s shipment, less than the 2.9 million that were delivered this week. The officials said they expect to ship 5.9 million doses next week of a vaccine developed by Moderna, which is expected to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday. The move sent some states scrambling to adjust their plans and raised questions about whether federal officials will be able to meet their goal of administering an initial shot of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to 20 million people by January 1, just two weeks away. (Thomas and LaFraniere, 12/17)
AP:
Some States Say Pfizer Vaccine Allotments Cut For Next Week
Little explanation was offered, leaving many state officials perplexed. “This is disruptive and frustrating,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter Thursday after learning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the state’s allocation would be cut by 40%. “We need accurate, predictable numbers to plan and ensure on-the-ground success.” California, where an explosion in cases is straining intensive care units to the breaking point, will receive 160,000 fewer vaccine doses than state officials had anticipated next week — a roughly 40% reduction. (Salter and Alonso-Saldivar, 12/18)
The Washington Post:
States Report Confusion As Government Reduces Vaccine Shipments, While Pfizer Says It Has ‘Millions’ Of Unclaimed Doses
Officials in multiple states said they were alerted late Wednesday that their second shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine had been drastically cut for next week, sparking widespread confusion and conflicting statements from Pfizer and federal officials about who was at fault. The reduction prompted concern in health departments across the country about whether Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine accelerator program, could distribute doses quickly enough to meet the target of delivering first shots to 20 million people by year’s end. (Stanley-Becker, Abutaleb, Sun and Dawsey, 12/17)
The Hill:
Governors Say CDC Cutting Vaccine Allocations
Governors in multiple states have been told by the Trump administration to expect fewer doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine next week than had been originally planned. The move has sparked confusion in states, which need to alert hospitals and nursing homes of how many doses to expect. (Wilson and Weixel, 12/17)
Bloomberg:
Pfizer, U.S. Wrangle Over Vaccine Pace While Working Toward Pact
Pfizer Inc. pushed back on claims it is experiencing problems producing its Covid-19 vaccine, as the company and the federal government continued to try to reach a deal that would eventually double the number of doses available for the U.S.’s vast immunization effort. Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific adviser to Operation Warp Speed, said in an interview on Thursday that the U.S. is close to a deal for another 100 million doses of the vaccine Pfizer developed in partnership with BioNTech SE. Through the agreement, Pfizer would deliver the additional supply in the second quarter of 2021, Slaoui said. (Griffin and Wingrove, 12/17)
Des Moines Register:
Iowa Nursing Homes Fear Vaccine Shortfall Could Delay Residents' Shots
A reported shortfall in coronavirus vaccine left Iowa nursing home leaders worried Thursday that their residents and staff would have to wait even longer before receiving shots to halt deadly outbreaks of COVID-19. “Any thought of a delay is just like bursting a bubble," said Linda Bowman, chief communications officer for the Western Home Communities care facility company. Bowman described herself as “a little crestfallen” by news Wednesday everning from the Iowa Department of Public Health, which said the state's initial allotments of vaccine could be short by up to 30%. (Leys, 12/17)
The Hill:
Hospitals Boost Security, Seek To Stop Vaccine 'Line-Jumping'
Hospitals and health care systems are taking unprecedented steps to safeguard the limited supplies of coronavirus vaccines amid concerns over security and the potential for black markets to emerge across the globe. Operation Warp Speed, the government drive to develop and distribute the vaccines, requires medical facilities to develop a security plan. Every dose of vaccine shipped from manufacturing centers in Michigan and Belgium is tracked from the warehouse to hospitals where they are injected in staffers, medical officials said. (Wilson, 12/17)
AP:
As US Rushes To Give Shots, Tennessee Builds Vaccine Reserve
As states rush to inoculate health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, only Tennessee has prioritized building its own emergency reserve of the coveted vaccine. An Associated Press review of each state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans shows that Tennessee alone has specified it will hold back a small portion in “case of spoilage of vaccine shipped to facilities.” The state’s initial shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that arrived Monday was not distributed for inoculation, so health care workers had to wait until the second shipment arrived days later. The move has baffled health care leaders, who say medical workers should take priority, especially as the state hits record case numbers. (Kruesi, 12/17)
The New York Times:
Pence Will Be Vaccinated On Live TV, Adding To Administration’s Mixed Virus Message
At 8 a.m. on Friday, Vice President Mike Pence will roll up his sleeve to receive the coronavirus vaccine, a televised symbol of reassurance for vaccine skeptics worried about its dangers. President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is scheduled to receive his injection on camera next week. Notably absent from any planned public proceedings is President Trump, who has said relatively little about the vaccine that may be seen as a singular achievement and has made it clear that he is not scheduled to take it himself. (Karni, 12/17)
AP:
Coronavirus Vaccine Provided To US Supreme Court
The justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are being provided with doses of the coronavirus vaccine. That is according to a letter by Capitol Physician Brian Monahan, which says the court, along with Congress and executive branch agencies are being given a limited supply of doses “for continuity of government operations.” The doses are being provided under a directive by President Donald Trump that established continuity of government as a reason for vaccine prioritization. The Supreme Court and the other branches of government are supposed to be treated “in parallel.” (12/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell Plan To Get Covid-19 Vaccine In Coming Days
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they would get the Covid-19 vaccine within days to ensure the continuity of government during the pandemic. In addition to the two leaders, all members of Congress will be able to receive the coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech SE in the coming days, according to a letter sent to lawmakers Thursday from congressional physician Brian Monahan. He said he was notified by the National Security Council that vaccines were available to members of Congress, the executive branch and the Supreme Court. (Andrews, 12/17)
Politico:
Congress To Receive First Batch Of Covid-19 Vaccines, But Uncertainty Lingers
Top congressional leaders will receive the coronavirus vaccine in the coming days with dozens of lawmakers planning to quickly follow suit — an effort designed to maintain a continuity of government while also instilling public confidence in the shot. The limited batch of doses, which is expected to soon arrive in the House and Senate and was first reported by POLITICO, marks a major development for lawmakers and frontline workers in a Capitol complex that has battled dozens of cases this year. (Zanona, Levine and Ferris, 12/17)
NPR:
Native Americans Receiving Coronavirus Vaccine After Struggle With Pandemic
Health officials are administering the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine in Indigenous communities across the U.S., one of the populations most vulnerable in the pandemic. About 68,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will initially be distributed among the population, the Indian Health Service said last week. Doses began to arrive this week and will first be given to the elderly and health care workers. (Oxner, 12/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Supreme Court Denies Kentucky Religious School Exemption From Virus Shutdown
The Supreme Court denied Thursday a Kentucky religious school’s request to be exempted from a public-health order closing all K-12 campuses across the state. But the court, noting that the order was soon to expire, said the school could raise new objections if restrictions are reinstated in the future. Two justices, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, dissented from the unsigned order, arguing that the court should have set aside an appeals-court decision allowing Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s public-health directive to remain in place. (Bravin, 12/17)
The Washington Post:
Supreme Court Won't Exempt Religious Schools From Kentucky's Covid-Closure Order
The Supreme Court on Thursday denied a Kentucky Christian academy’s plea that it should be exempt from the governor’s order requiring all K-12 institutions to temporarily cease in-person classes because of rising coronavirus cases. Danville Christian Academy, joined by Kentucky’s attorney general, said it should not be compared to other schools, but to businesses that have been allowed to remain open with reduced capacities, and doing otherwise was a violation of religious rights. (Barnes, 12/17)
The New York Times:
Supreme Court Rejects Religious School’s Challenge To Kentucky Virus Order
Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch each filed a dissent that was joined by the other. Justice Alito said the Supreme Court should have acted sooner to address the challengers’ application and said the courts could still address it. (Liptak, 12/17)
The Washington Post:
Sacklers Behind OxContin Maker Purdue Pharma Face Congressional Hearing
Testifying in public for the first time in decades, members of the family who led OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma apologized Thursday to victims of the national opioid epidemic but did not go as far as accepting personal responsibility for the health crisis. David Sackler, who served on Purdue’s board from 2012 to 2018, and Kathe Sackler, a board member from 1990 to 2018 and a former vice president, faced heated questioning from the House Oversight Committee about how much they knew about the addictive nature of opioids when they encouraged sales of the company’s blockbuster drug OxyContin and what their financial gains were. Purdue chief executive Craig Landau also testified. (Kornfield, 12/17)
AP:
Family Behind OxyContin Attests To Its Role In Opioid Crisis
Kathe Sackler, David Sackler’s cousin, told the House Oversight and Reform Committee that she knows “the loss of any family member or loved one is terribly painful and nothing is more tragic than the loss of a child.” “As a mother,” she said, “my heart breaks for the parents who have lost their children. I am so terribly sorry for your pain.” Asked about her role, she said she had done soul-searching. “I have tried to figure out if there’s anything I could have done differently knowing what I knew then, not what I know now,” she said. “There is nothing I can find that I would have done differently.” (Mulvihill, 12/17)
Stat:
In Rare Appearance, Two In Sackler Family Deny Responsibility For Opioid Crisis
In a first-of-its-kind appearance on Capitol Hill, two members of the Sackler family that controls Purdue Pharma apologized for the suffering caused by the opioid crisis but otherwise denied wrongdoing and failed to accept personal responsibility for their company’s role in it. Mostly, the session before the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform gave lawmakers the chance to angrily chastise Kathe Sackler and David Sackler, who were threatened with subpoenas after they first declined to testify. (Silverman, 12/17)
The New York Times:
Sacklers Deny Personal Responsibility For Opioid Epidemic In House Hearing
The singularity of the Sacklers’ appearance on Thursday was underscored by the likelihood that they may never testify in open court, because the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings and nationwide litigation may resolve in settlements rather than trials. ... During the tense, nearly four-hour hearing, David Sackler, 40, and his cousin, Dr. Kathe Sackler, 72, who both served on the company’s board for years, testified remotely and largely sidestepped would-be booby traps and deflected blame to “management” and independent, nonfamily board members. (Hoffman, 12/17)
Stat:
Opioid Prescribing Has Dropped Dramatically Since 2011, Analysis Finds
Although the opioid crisis in the U.S. continues to make headlines, a new analysis finds that prescription opioid use has dropped by 60% since 2011 — when prescribing was highest— and by the end of this year, usage is expected to drop to levels not seen in nearly two decades. (Silverman, 12/17)
The Washington Post:
Trump Wanted $2,000 Stimulus Checks But Aides Talked Him Out Of Last-Minute Demand
White House aides intervened Thursday to prevent President Trump from issuing a statement calling for substantially larger stimulus payments for millions of Americans, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the private exchange. On a phone call Thursday afternoon, Trump told allies that he believes stimulus payments in the next relief package should be “at least” $1,200 per person and possibly as big as $2,000 per person, the officials said. Congressional leadership is preparing a stimulus package that would provide checks of $600 per person. (Stein, 12/17)
The New York Times:
Congress Drops State Aid To Secure Stimulus, A Challenge For Biden
As lawmakers race to put the final touches on a $900 billion bipartisan stimulus package, one thing is becoming clear: Congress has left a significant challenge for the incoming president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., and his efforts to revive the faltering economy. To seal the deal after months of struggle, lawmakers agreed to exclude a direct stream of money for state and local governments, which Republicans objected to as a blue state “bailout” but Democrats said was needed to prevent job cuts and economic pain. (Tankersley and Cochrane, 12/17)
The Hill:
Congress Set To Blow Past Shutdown Deadline Amid Coronavirus Talks
Congress is barreling toward a rare weekend session as lawmakers race to wrap up a sweeping agreement to fund the government and provide badly needed coronavirus relief. Leadership is homing in on a deal that would attach roughly $900 billion in coronavirus relief to a $1.4 trillion bill to fund the government until Oct. 1, 2021, in what is the last major piece of legislation Congress needs to pass before it wraps up its work for the year. (Carney, 12/17)
Modern Healthcare:
Lawmakers Left Hospital, Insurer Contract Guardrails Out Of Year-End Proposal
Congress' end-of-year spending legislation is still in flux, but eight lawmakers that lead key committees didn't ask to curb gag clauses or various types of clauses that would make it difficult for plans to steer consumers to lower-cost or higher-quality providers. The practices targeted in a prior bipartisan healthcare reform package titled the Lower Health Care Costs Act are widespread, but have gained renewed attention since California Attorney General Xavier Becerra was chosen as President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for HHS secretary. Becerra sued Sutter Health for anticompetitive practices similar to those the legislation was designed to stop. (Cohrs, 12/17)
Politico:
'Cautiously Optimistic' On Obamacare Lawsuit, Becerra To Focus On Health Disparities At HHS
President-elect Joe Biden's designated health secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday that he's "cautiously" optimistic the Supreme Court justices will preserve Obamacare when they decide the high-stakes lawsuit challenging the law that's backed by President Donald Trump. “My sense is, if you keep your fingers crossed, the incoming Secretary of Health and Human Services will have a good law to work with to continue to expand health care to all Americans,” said Becerra, who as California's attorney general played a key role in that suit. (Luthi, 12/17)
The New York Times:
One Of Biden’s Closest Advisers, Cedric Richmond, Tests Positive For The Virus.
Representative Cedric L. Richmond, Democrat of Louisiana and one of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s closest advisers, has tested positive for the coronavirus and has started a 14-day quarantine, a spokeswoman for the transition said Thursday evening. Mr. Richmond, who has been a lawmaker since 2011, is the first announced member of Mr. Biden’s White House staff to test positive. He is slated to join Mr. Biden’s administration as a senior adviser and director of the Office of Public Engagement. A rapid test for the virus on Wednesday was positive, the transition said, and a more precise test on Thursday was also positive. (Shear, 12/17)
Politico:
HHS Secretary Tells Staff: My Wife Is Sick With Covid
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Thursday night informed staff that his wife, Jennifer, tested positive for Covid-19, according to an email shared by HHS. "Today, my family learned that my wife Jennifer has tested positive for Covid-19," Azar wrote in an email. He added that his wife "scrupulously followed public health guidelines" and immediately self-isolated after her initial symptoms and even after she received a negative diagnosis from an initial instant test. A subsequent molecular test, which is more reliable, revealed that she was positive, Azar added. (Diamond, 12/17)
Politico and AP:
U.S. Inmate Scheduled To Be Executed Tests Positive For Virus
A federal prisoner scheduled to be executed just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office has tested positive for coronavirus, his lawyer said Thursday. The Bureau of Prisons notified attorneys for Dustin John Higgs on Thursday that their client had tested positive for the virus, his attorney Devon Porter said during a court hearing Thursday afternoon. ... As of Thursday, there were more than 300 inmates with confirmed cases of Covid-19 among inmates at FCC Terre Haute. (12/17)
The Washington Post:
California Coronavirus Cases, Hospitalizations And Deaths Surging
California — the country’s most populous and richest state — is the new epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus crisis, with unprecedented surges of seriously infected patients threatening to overwhelm hospitals and overflow morgues. The state is reporting unnerving numbers: California has set nationwide records for new cases again and again in the past week — most recently on Thursday, when it posted more than 50,000 infections, over 100,000 in 48 hours. If California were a country, it would be among the world leaders in new coronavirus cases, ahead of India, Germany and Britain. And the state’s test positivity rate continues to climb, meaning the virus is spreading faster. The rate is now 11.5 percent, more than twice what experts consider high-risk. (Thebault, 12/17)
AP:
Hot Spot: California Hospitals Buckle As Virus Cases Surge
“I’ve seen more deaths in the last nine months in my ICU than I have in my entire 20-year career,” said Amy Arlund, a nurse at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center. While the surging virus has pushed hospitals elsewhere around the country to the breaking point in recent weeks, the crisis is deepening with alarming speed in California, even as the nationwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations this week and the impending release of a second vaccine have boosted hopes of eventually defeating the scourge. (Durkin Richer and Atnczak, 12/17)
NPR:
California Activates 'Mass Fatality' Program As State Sets New Virus Records
Confirmed coronavirus infections and virus-related deaths are soaring in California, the nation's most populous state, setting new records as hospitals struggle to keep up with the onslaught of cases. It has prompted the state to activate its "mass fatality" program, which coordinates mutual aid across several governmental agencies. On Thursday, California reported 52,281 new daily confirmed coronavirus cases and 379 new virus-related deaths, according to state data. This brings the state's total number of cases to more than 1.7 million, with 21,860 deaths since the pandemic began. (Booker, 12/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Southern California ICU Beds At 0% Amid COVID-19 Surge
The availability of intensive care unit beds throughout Southern California hit 0% Thursday, and officials warned that conditions in hospitals are expected to erode further if the coronavirus continues to spread unchecked. With ICUs filled, hospitals will step up measures to ensure the sickest patients still get the highest levels of care possible. That often means moving some patients who would typically be in the intensive care unit to other areas of the hospital, such as a recovery area, or keeping them in the emergency room for longer than normal. (Money, Lin II and Karlamangla, 12/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Hospitalizations Set Fresh Record
Newly reported cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. dipped from a record high a day earlier, as did deaths, but hospitalizations continued to set records, as a Food and Drug Administration panel recommended approving a second vaccine. The nation reported more than 233,000 new cases for Thursday, down from 247,403 a day earlier, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, but up from a week-earlier 226,684. Nationally, more than 17.2 million people have been infected. (Martin, 12/18)
Bloomberg:
Pandemic Is Starting To Hit North American Meat Plants Again
Meat packers across North America are bracing for a resurgence of coronavirus cases, trying to avoid the shutdowns that left supermarket shelves empty earlier in the pandemic. Cargill Inc. has temporarily idled one of its beef plants in Canada after some employees tested positive. JBS, the world’s top meat producer, sent thousands of vulnerable U.S. workers home on paid leave, while Sanderson Farms Inc. said it’s now facing higher absenteeism at its plants than earlier in the pandemic. (Almeida and Hirtzer, 12/18)
The Hill:
8 Nuns Die Of COVID-19 At Milwaukee Retirement Home In One Week
Eight residents of a Milwaukee retirement home for nuns have died of COVID-19, School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province announced. Provincial leader Debra Maria Sciano said the first died last week, with four dying just this Monday, according to The Associated Press. (Budryk, 12/17)
The Atlantic:
COVID-19 Is Hitting Spring And Summer Hot Spots Again
Back in the spring, before the first surge of the coronavirus had fully diminished, public-health experts were already warning of a second surge. Shutdowns were ending and public spaces reopening, but as the months turned cold, they said, cases could spike again—more dramatically, even, than in the first wave. The reprieve after the first wave, though, was short: By June, case numbers were climbing again. As northerners were headed outside, southerners were headed inside, where the virus spreads most easily, and the country’s summer surge began. (Moser, 12/17)
AP:
COVID-19 Cases Top 200 At Hospital As Layoffs Announced
As coronavirus cases top 200 at Washington state’s largest psychiatric hospital, officials are implementing new procedures to try to get it under control. Making matters worse, the economic downturn that resulted from the pandemic, and the loss of revenues needed to run state government, is forcing the Department of Social and Health Services to make budget cuts, including layoffs at Western State Hospital. (Bellisle, 12/17)
The Washington Post:
Atlanta Nurses Uniform Company Becomes An Essential Business As Covid Cases Surge
For months, Damion Childs stood behind the counter of his medical uniform store, dressed in a hazmat suit with a Bible on the counter, watching nervously as the nurses finished their shifts at the Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center South across the street and came in for a change of work clothes. “The people coming in here … they’re walking in fresh from work,” Childs said of the nurses from the hospital, which treats covid-19 patients. “I might’ve sweated about 10 pounds off during those two months. … It was scary.” (Beachum, 12/17)
AP:
Medical Specimen Kit Company To Hire 350, Investing $5M
A company that makes and assembles medical specimen kits will more than double its number of employees in Columbus, adding 350 workers as it invests $5 million. Path-Tec announced its plans Thursday. The expansion will bring its employment to 565 in Columbus, where the company began operations in 2005. (12/17)
Stat:
Biogen To Pay $22 Million For Illegally Using Charities To Pay Kickbacks To Medicare Patients
Biogen (BIIB) has agreed to pay $22 million to resolve allegations that donations it paid to charities were actually kickbacks to Medicare patients used to cover out-of-pockets costs for its multiple sclerosis medicines. This is only the latest instance in which federal authorities have cracked down on such arrangements between drug makers and patient assistance charities. (Silverman, 12/17)
Stat:
AbbVie Wins 21 Months Of Wrinkle-Free Competition For Botox Thanks To An ITC Ruling
In a victory for AbbVie (ABBV), the U.S. International Trade Commission decided that imports of a rival to its Botox wrinkle treatment must be halted for 21 months. The ruling came in response to a complaint filed last year by Allergan, which AbbVie has since acquired, alleging that a pair of rival companies — Evolus (ELOS) and Daewoong Pharmaceuticals — stole trade secrets that were used to develop a new wrinkle-smoothing product called Jeuveau. (Silverman, 12/17)
Modern Healthcare:
Highmark Health Inks Six-Year Cloud, Tech Deal With Google
Highmark Health, which owns health insurer Highmark and health system Allegheny Health Network, on Thursday formally unveiled its "Living Health" model, a project that the company has said is designed to provide patients with better coordinated and more personalized care and clinicians with technology that cuts down on time spent on administrative tasks. As part of the project, Highmark Health will work with Google Cloud to build a cloud-based platform that includes centralized scheduling, care management and analytics and artificial intelligence tools. Highmark Health and Google Cloud will also co-develop analytics tools that help create care plans from patients' health data and flag possible health issues for early intervention. (Kim Cohen, 12/17)
Modern Healthcare:
AHA Creates Senior Management Role To Oversee Health Equity Strategies
The American Hospital Association is adding a new position within its senior leadership that will be focused on promoting the organization's workforce diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. The AHA announced Thursday that current AHA Vice President of Strategic Policy Planning Joy Lewis has been promoted to the newly created role of senior vice president of health equity strategies. Lewis, who has been with AHA since 2018, will oversee the association's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to reduce health and healthcare disparities and build healthy communities. (Ross Johnson, 12/17)
Stat:
Pediatrician Network Puts Spotlight On Climate Change’s Effects On Children
As the effects of climate change play out worldwide, pediatricians see the evidence in their offices. There are the children with asthma who experience more frequent attacks as a result of excess heat and longer allergy seasons. And then there are kids who have missed vaccinations or other routine care because more frequent hurricanes or other natural disasters have displaced their families. (Chakradhar, 12/18)