First Edition: Dec. 2, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
As Hospitals Fill With COVID Patients, Medical Reinforcements Are Hard To Find
Hospitals in much of the country are trying to cope with unprecedented numbers of COVID-19 patients. As of Monday, 96,039 were hospitalized, an alarming record that far exceeds the two previous peaks in April and July of just under 60,000 inpatients. But beds and space aren’t the main concern. It’s the workforce. Hospitals are worried staffing levels won’t be able to keep up with demand as doctors, nurses and specialists such as respiratory therapists become exhausted or, worse, infected and sick themselves. (Farmer and Feibel, 12/2)
The New York Times:
U.K. Approves Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine, A First In The West
Britain gave emergency authorization on Wednesday to Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, leaping ahead of the United States to become the first Western country to allow mass inoculations against a disease that has killed more than 1.4 million people worldwide. The decision kicked off a vaccination campaign with little precedent in modern medicine, encompassing not only ultracold dry ice and trays of glass vials but also a crusade against anti-vaccine misinformation. (Mueller, 12/2)
USA Today:
UK Authorizes Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine For Emergency Use
Two doses, three weeks apart, are required for protection and one of the distribution challenges is that the vaccine must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures. The U.K. government said frontline health care workers and nursing home residents, followed by older adults, will be prioritized for vaccination. (Hjelmgaard, 12/2)
The Washington Post:
United Kingdom Approves Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine
Britain granted emergency approval on Wednesday to the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, becoming the first country to do so. Distribution is expected to begin next week. In a statement, Britain’s Department of Health and Social Care said that the decision to approve the vaccine “follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data” by a panel of experts who concluded that it met the standards for safety and effectiveness. Data previously released from large-scale clinical trials showed that the vaccine had nearly 95 percent efficacy and people who were immunized displayed no serious side effects. (Adam and Noori Farzan, 12/2)
Stat:
U.K. Approves Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine, Putting Pressure On FDA
The vaccine is also the first to run the gauntlet of clinical studies normally required for approval. Russia and China have authorized vaccines without Phase 3 clinical trial data. The fact that the U.K. approved a vaccine developed by an American company — in partnership with a German one — before the United States could pour fuel on the already tense relationship between President Trump and the FDA, which has taken a more deliberative process in reviewing vaccine data. (Herper, 12/2)
Bloomberg:
The U.K. Has Approved a Vaccine. Here’s What Happens Next
Now that Britain has become the first western country to approve a Covid-19 shot, the spotlight shifts to the high-stakes rollout. Vaccinating the country’s roughly 67 million people won’t happen overnight. The U.K. has ordered enough doses of the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to immunize 20 million people. Who will get the vaccine first? The government will prioritize as it begins to deploy the vaccine, starting with residents and staff in care homes, then moving to people over 80 years old and health-care workers, documents show. (Paton and Kresge, 12/2)
AP:
EU Eyes Dec 29 Approval For 1st Virus Vaccine, Later Than US
The European Union drug agency said Tuesday it may need four more weeks to approve its first coronavirus vaccine, even as authorities in the United States and Britain continue to aim for a green light before Christmas. The European Medicines Agency plans to convene a meeting by Dec. 29 to decide if there is enough safety and efficacy data about the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for it to be approved. The regulator also said it could decide as early as Jan. 12 whether to approve a rival shot by American pharmaceutical company Moderna Inc, which submitted its request to U.S. and European regulators this week. (Jordans, Cheng and Petrequin, 12/1)
Politico:
CDC Panel Says First Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Should Go To Health Workers, Long-Term Care Residents
The lone dissenter: Helen Keipp Talbot, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was the only panel member to vote against the recommendation. She raised concerns that long-term care facilities do not have enough experience with using the government's system for reporting adverse events from vaccination, and that there is not enough data on the performance of Covid-19 vaccines in elderly populations. (Lim, 12/1)
NPR:
Health Care Workers, Nursing Home Residents To Be Prioritized For COVID-19 Vaccine
The CDC estimates that most people in these high-priority groups could be fully vaccinated by early next year if the Food and Drug Administration authorizes a vaccine by mid-December, as is currently anticipated. But because supplies will be short in the first few weeks after that authorization, individual health care and long-term care facilities will likely need to determine their own priority schedules for vaccination once they've obtained the vaccine. Long-term care facilities include nursing homes, assisted living and other residential facilities. (Huang, 12/1)
The Washington Post:
Health-Care Workers And Nursing Homes Should Get Covid Vaccine First
The recommendations for the highest-priority groups, known as Phase 1a, will be sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, who also informs Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. If the recommendations are approved, they will become official CDC recommendations on immunization in the United States and provide guidance to state officials, who are scrambling to meet a Friday deadline for vaccine distribution planning. (Sun and Stanley-Becker, 12/1)
Stat:
Health Workers, Long-Term Care Facilities Should Get Covid-19 Vaccine First, CDC Advisory Panel Says
A committee that advises the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to recommend that health care providers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities be at the front of the line for Covid-19 vaccine. The recommendation must still be accepted by CDC Director Robert Redfield. (Branswell, 12/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Hospitals Mixed On Imposing Staff COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates
Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has no plans to make a coronavirus vaccine mandatory for staff in the next year, according to Dr. John Segreti, a hospital epidemiologist and medical director of infection control and prevention at Rush. He said the provider's decision stems from supply and delivery uncertainties, as well as questions about potential adverse reactions from the vaccines. "I think the healthcare industry will strongly encourage their (healthcare personnel) to get vaccinated — I doubt many will mandate it this year," he said. (Ross Johnson, 12/1)
AP:
CDC To Shorten COVID-19 Quarantine To 10 Days, 7 With Test
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to shorten the recommended length of quarantine after exposure to someone who is positive for COVID-19, as the virus rages across the nation. According to a senior administration official, the new guidelines, which are set to be released as soon as Tuesday evening, will allow people who have come in contact to someone infected with the virus to resume normal activity after 10 days, or 7 days if they receive a negative test result. That’s down from the 14-day period recommended since the onset of the pandemic. (Miller, 12/2)
Reuters:
Interpol Warns That COVID-19 Vaccines Could Be Targeted By Criminals
The Interpol global police co-ordination agency warned on Wednesday that organised criminal networks could be targeting COVID-19 vaccines, and could look to sell fake shots. Interpol, which is headquartered in France, said it had issued a global alert to law enforcement across its 194 member countries, warning them to prepare for organised crime networks targeting COVID-19 vaccines, both physically and online. (12/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
North Korean Hackers Are Said To Have Targeted Companies Working On Covid-19 Vaccines
North Korean hackers have targeted at least six pharmaceutical companies in the U.S., the U.K. and South Korea working on Covid-19 treatments, according to people familiar with the matter, as the regime seeks sensitive information it could sell or weaponize. The firms include previously unreported targets in the U.S.: Johnson & Johnson and Maryland-based Novavax Inc., which are both working on experimental vaccines, the people said. The list also includes three South Korean companies with Covid-19 drugs in earlier clinical trials, Genexine Inc., Shin Poong Pharmaceutical Co. and Celltrion Inc., they added. (Jeong, 12/2)
The Washington Post:
With Covid-19 Vaccines Coming, Federal Investigators Grow Wary Of Fraud
Investigators at the Department of Homeland Security are bracing for a new wave of fraud attempts by criminal groups that officials expect will try to take advantage of the extraordinary demand for doses of the coronavirus vaccine. Pfizer and Moderna, the two drug companies that applied for emergency vaccine approval this week, have said they will produce enough doses for about 20 million people this month. Health-care employees, law enforcement personnel and other front-line workers are expected to be first in line. (Miroff, 12/1)
AP:
Pushed To Rush, FDA Head Says Feds Will Get Vaccine 'right'
The head of the agency responsible for authorizing COVID-19 vaccines said Tuesday that it would take the time needed to “get this right,” despite increasing pressure from President Donald Trump to speed up the process. “No one at FDA is sitting on his or her hands. Everyone is working really hard to look at these applications and get this done,” Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, told ABC in an interview on Instagram Live. “But we absolutely have to do this the right way.” (Lemire, Colvin, Perrone and Miller, 12/2)
Politico:
Trump To FDA: Why Is Europe Beating Us On Vaccine?
A president who preached "America First" is demanding to know why the United States could end up third, or worse, in the global vaccine race. President Donald Trump and his deputies are privately admonishing Food and Drug Administration officials for not moving faster to authorize promising coronavirus vaccines — a push partially motivated by Trump’s desire to claim credit for record-fast vaccine development, four officials said. (Diamond, Cancryn and Owermohle, 12/1)
Bloomberg:
Dry Ice Rules For Massive Covid-19 Vaccine Airlift Approved
Rules allowing the rapid shipment of Covid-19 vaccines by cargo aircraft have been approved by U.S. transportation regulators. The Transportation Department established safety requirements for carrying the potentially dangerous dry ice needed to keep some vaccines stable, the agency said in a press release Tuesday. It also set standards for carrying flammable batteries needed in the airlift and eased restrictions on how long flight crews involved in the effort can work. (Levin, 12/1)
Stat:
White House To Host Covid-19 Vaccine Summit, As Trump Seeks To Burnish Record
The Trump administration has invited leading vaccine manufacturers, drug distributors, and government officials to a “Covid-19 Vaccine Summit” next week, just two days before a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee meeting to consider the first U.S. application for a Covid-19 vaccine. (Facher, 12/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Renown Health CEO Responds To Trump Tweet Questioning COVID-19 Surge
The CEO of Reno-based Renown Health is speaking out against a tweet President Donald Trump posted Tuesday claiming the COVID-19 surge the health system is experiencing is exaggerated. Trump shared a tweet from an events website called Network in Vegas claiming that a parking garage Renown Health has transformed to an alternative care site for COVID-19 patients is "fake" and isn't treating any patients. Trump retweeted the caption with the comment: "Fake election results in Nevada, also." The tweet occurred as Nevada and the city of Reno experience a surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. According to the state, for the week of Nov. 20, COVID-19 cases grew at a rate of 1.5%, or 1,854 new cases per day. The positivity rate over the 14-day period was 15.8%. (Castellucci, 12/1)
CIDRAP:
GAO Calls For COVID-19 Medical Supplies, Testing Guidance
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) yesterday published a report calling for actions such as increasing transparency in COVID-19 vaccine and treatment development and meeting states' needs for scarce medical supplies. In its fourth report on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the GAO also recommended improved COVID-19 testing guidance, more accurate estimates of the number of people relying on unemployment benefits, better oversight of Veterans Affairs nursing homes, and more information on the status of economic impact payments to individuals. (Van Beusekom, 12/1)
The Hill:
Atlas Departure From White House Cheered By Public Health Officials
The exit of Scott Atlas from the White House coronavirus response task force comes at the pandemic’s worst point, with 170,000 new cases reported every day and deaths and hospitalizations increasing with no signs of stopping. It’s a departure being cheered by many in the public health world, who saw Atlas’s advice to the president as dangerous and anti-science. (Samuels and Hellmann, 12/1)
The Washington Post:
Bipartisan Group Of Lawmakers Announces $908 Billion Stimulus Plan, Aiming To Break Logjam
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a coronavirus aid proposal worth about $908 billion on Tuesday, aiming to break a months-long partisan impasse over emergency federal relief for the U.S. economy amid the ongoing pandemic. The new plan came amid a flurry of congressional jostling about the shape of economic relief, with House Democrats assembling a new proposal, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) creating a new plan and President-elect Joe Biden calling for a massive government response. The growing calls for action have not led to a unified approach, prompting political leaders to forge ahead in different directions. (Min Kim, Stein and DeBonis, 12/1)
The Hill:
McConnell Offering New Coronavirus Relief Bill After Talks With Mnuchin, Meadows
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday circulated a new coronavirus relief proposal that could garner support from the White House among Senate Republicans on Tuesday. McConnell, during a weekly press conference on Tuesday, said he had been speaking with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about what President Trump could sign. (Carney, 12/1)
Politico:
Coronavirus Urgency Grips Divided Capitol
After months of stalemate, there’s finally a flurry of congressional activity as the coronavirus crisis worsens. But with lawmakers proposing dueling measures and Hill leaders divided over the best path forward, a major relief package approved in December remains elusive. A bipartisan congressional group struck a broad coronavirus compromise on Tuesday, a significant breakthrough after months of failed negotiations. And Speaker Nancy Pelosi restarted her talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin after they fell apart before the November election. (Everett and Caygle, 12/1)
The Hill:
Rare Mnuchin-Powell Spat Takes Center Stage At COVID-19 Hearing
A rare public break between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell took center stage during a Senate hearing Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats sparred over the expiration of coronavirus relief. Democrats were eager to exploit the fallout from Mnuchin’s recent decision to close $454 billion in Fed emergency lending facilities set up through the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, a move that elicited public criticism from Powell. (Lane, 12/1)
NPR:
How The Coronavirus Has Affected Individual Members Of Congress
The coronavirus pandemic continues to upend the daily work of Congress, which has seen a series of outbreaks. By November, more than 25 members of Congress and at least 150 workers have tested positive, or were presumed so, for the coronavirus. And a Florida member's aide died this summer from COVID-19. As a result, both chambers of Congress have recessed multiple times throughout the year as the Capitol has largely gone without a widespread testing program. (Grisales and Carlsen, 12/1)
Bloomberg:
Biden Closes In On Top Health Leaders As Pandemic Ravages U.S.
President-elect Joe Biden’s front-runner for secretary of Health and Human Services is New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and he may announce several of his administration’s health leaders as soon as next week, according to people familiar with the matter. The position of HHS secretary is down to two possibilities, the people said, between Lujan Grisham and former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, a co-chair of the coronavirus advisory board Biden appointed shortly after he was elected. (Wingrove, Stein and Ruoff, 12/2)
The New York Times:
Biden Shows Off A New Accessory: A Walking Boot
The president-elect of the United States clomped across a flag-studded stage on Tuesday, intending to introduce the economic team that, he hopes, will steer the nation through turmoil. In the process, he introduced the country to a less welcome companion: his walking boot. (Glueck, 12/1)
AP:
Biden Adviser Says Race Central To Virus Fight
Addressing racial disparities in the U.S. coronavirus crisis cannot be an afterthought, a top adviser to President-elect Joe Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic response said Tuesday. That means when testing and vaccination programs are designed and implemented, for example, they must consider fairness and equity along with efficiency in order to be truly effective, said Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, an expert on health care inequality at Yale University, in an interview with The Associated Press. (Johnson, 12/2)
The New York Times:
It’s Holiday Party Season At The White House. Masks Are Encouraged, But Not Required.
The red and gold party invitations make no mention of the coronavirus, nor do they acknowledge the holiday message that public health officials have been trying to emphasize to Americans: Stay home. Instead, the invitations are the latest example of how President Trump is spending his final weeks in office operating in an alternative universe, denying the realities of life during the pandemic. (Karni, 12/1)
Stat:
How Nanotechnology Helps MRNA Covid-19 Vaccines Work
While the first two Covid-19 vaccines relying on messenger RNA technology speed toward regulatory approval in the U.S., it’s worth remembering the vehicle that gets them where they need to go in the body. Lipid nanoparticles are the fatty molecular envelopes that help strands of mRNA — the genetic messenger for making DNA code into proteins — evade the body’s biological gatekeepers and reach their target cell without being degraded. They are enabling some of the most advanced technologies being used in vaccines and drugs. (Cooney, 12/1)
The Atlantic:
The Long Haul of Vaccine Results Is Just Beginning
The first two coronavirus-vaccine trials ran as smoothly as anyone could hope. And when the results from both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna came back with more than 90 percent efficacy, easily surpassing the FDA’s bar of 50 percent, even people like me—who kept telling you to temper your vaccine expectations—reacted with uncharacteristic and unrestrained optimism. These results really were about as good as it gets. Then came the results for a third vaccine, from AstraZeneca, developed in collaboration with Oxford University. At a glance, these looked good, if not spectacular: an average of 70 percent efficacy. (Zhang, 12/1)
Stat:
How To Get The Most Of Covid-19 Vaccines — And Not Squander Our Chance
It appears science may have found the Covid-19 pandemic’s off-ramp. Two vaccines developed with stunning speed — and showing remarkable initial efficacy — are poised to be approved for emergency use in the United States in December. A number of other vaccines are expected to follow. (Branswell, 12/2)
The Washington Post:
Health-Care Workers Will Be Vaccinated First. For Now, They’re Handling A Surge In Hospitalizations.
Hospitals are confronting new and alarming levels of strain amid a surge of coronavirus patients, with nearly 100,000 hospitalized nationwide Tuesday. Now, even with the hope that vaccines will arrive soon, health-care workers who are already stretched thin are bracing for an unprecedented wave of illness. Good news arrived for medical staff on Tuesday, when a federal advisory panel recommended that an estimated 21 million health-care workers should be given the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine because the vaccine initially will be in extremely short supply after it is cleared by federal regulators. (Eunjung Cha, Bernstein, Sun and Del Real, 12/1)
The Hill:
Arizona Coronavirus Patient's Story Goes Viral: 'I'm 23 Years Old And I Just Had A Stroke'
An Arizona coronavirus patient’s story went viral this week after the 23-year-old experienced a mini-stroke due to COVID-19. Riley Behrens, of Tempe, Ariz., tweeted a thread Sunday evening detailing his medical experience, including his diagnosis that he suffered from a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), and encouraging young people to follow public health guidelines. (Coleman, 12/1)
The Washington Post:
Why Health Officials Are Terrified Of A Pandemic Christmas
Americans heard the pleas to stay home. They were told what would happen if they didn’t. Still, millions traveled and gathered during last week’s Thanksgiving holiday, either doubting the warnings or deciding they would take their chances. Now, like any partygoer waking from a raucous weekend — feeling a bit hung over and perhaps a tinge of regret — the nation is about to face the consequences of its behavior and will need to quickly apply the lessons before heading into the doubleheader of Christmas and New Year’s. (Wan and Shammas, 12/1)
Stat:
Ovid’s Treatment For A Rare, Untreatable Disease Fails In A Key Trial
Ovid Therapeutics’ experimental drug for a devastating rare disease proved no better than placebo in a pivotal clinical trial, the company said Tuesday, a bitter disappointment for families dealing with the untreatable condition. The study enrolled 97 children with Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes seizures and severe cognitive impairment, and randomized them to receive either Ovid’s drug, OV101, or placebo. (Garde, 12/1)
Stat:
Agios Drug For Rare Form Of Anemia Achieves Main Goal Of Late-Stage Trial
Agios Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday that its experimental drug mitapivat increased hemoglobin levels in patients with a rare form of anemia — achieving the primary goal of a Phase 3 clinical trial. Mitapivat is the most important and closely followed medicine in Agios’ research pipeline because of its potential to treat a range of rare blood diseases defined by the destruction or malfunction of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. (Feuerstein, 12/1)
Modern Healthcare:
ONC To Create Industry Data Standard For Patient Addresses
HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on Tuesday unveiled plans to develop an industrywide data standard for documenting addresses in healthcare. The project, dubbed Project US@, will launch early next year. ONC plans to issue the standard for documenting patient addresses in 2021. "This a completable project within the year," Steve Posnack, ONC's deputy national coordinator for health IT, said at a virtual event spotlighting application programming interface projects Tuesday, where the agency announced the new project. (Kim Cohen, 12/1)
Bloomberg:
UnitedHealth Expects $2 Billion Covid Earnings Hit Next Year
UnitedHealth Group Inc. expects the pandemic to carve $2 billion out of its profits next year, with Covid-19 testing and treatment costs remaining steady even as more Americans return to their doctors’ offices for routine care. Executives said costs for virus testing and treatment won’t be offset by widespread deferrals in care in 2021, as they were in 2020 when U.S. medical providers shut down most non-urgent in-person care for weeks during the spring. (Tozzi, 12/1)
Modern Healthcare:
UPMC To Sell Part Of Pharmacy Operations For $400 Million
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center plans to sell its pharmacy operations to pharmacy management company CarepathRx for $400 million, the organizations announced Tuesday. The deal rounds out CarepathRx's acquisition strategy, adding the back-office operations of UPMC's Chartwell subsidiary to its portfolio of infusion treatment oversight, specialty drug prescription optimization as well as medication management services for chronically ill patients. The health system will become an investor in CarepathRx when the transaction closes in an estimated 30 to 45 days. (Kacik, 12/1)
Houston Chronicle:
CCEMS, Military Partnership Forges Forward With Firsts, Unique Approaches
When the United States Army expanded their EMS Fellowship partnership to include Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services more than a year ago, no one could have expected the extent of the benefit to both entities, but the rare union has explored techniques and uncommon practices that have resulted in lifesaving rescues that have brought headlines for both. (Taylor, 12/1)
AP:
Tennessee Expands COVID-19 Mental Health Hotline To Teachers
Tennessee officials have expanded a mental health hotline during COVID-19 times to extend support to teachers. The state Department of Education says the hotline provides free and confidential support from trained volunteer mental health professionals to people experiencing increased anxiety and stress due to the pandemic. (12/2)
The Washington Post:
Remote-Learning Strategies For Parents During Covid School Closures
When virtual school began in August, Brandi McPherson initially followed the remote-learning guidelines from her 13-year-old daughter’s school. “They told the kids to sit at a desk or table and leave the cameras on all day,” she said. “Classes are taught from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in 45-minute blocks with five-minute breaks.” It was too much for Tanner, a seventh-grader in the Northridge area of Los Angeles, who is twice exceptional — she is gifted and struggles with ADHD and generalized anxiety disorder. (Goldman, 12/1)
The New York Times:
Elliot Page, Oscar-Nominated ‘Juno’ Star, Announces He Is Transgender
Elliot Page, the Oscar-nominated star of “Juno,” announced on Tuesday that he is transgender. “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot,” Page, who as Ellen Page starred in several critically acclaimed films, wrote in a statement that he posted on Twitter and Instagram. “I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life.” (Salam, 12/1)
AP:
Louisville Mayor Declares Racism A Public Health Crisis
Louisville’s mayor, weathering heavy criticism in the wake of the Breonna Taylor shooting, has outlined a series of steps to improve racial disparities in Kentucky’s largest city. Mayor Greg Fischer signed an executive order Tuesday declaring racism a public health crisis. He said officials “need to do everything we can to repair distrust through action.” (12/1)
The Washington Post:
How To Talk To Loved Ones About Their Mental Health
The year 2020 has exacted a psychological toll on Americans. Levels of anxiety and depression have skyrocketed alongside increases in drug overdoses and alcohol consumption. Meanwhile, a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contained an alarming statistic: When young adults were asked if they had seriously considered suicide in the past 30 days, about 25 percent said they had. “The collective way a lot of people in the United States might be feeling right now is probably indicative of mental fatigue,” said Stephen O’Connor, a clinical psychologist and chief of the Suicide Prevention Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health. (Chiu, 12/1)
The Washington Post:
How To Change People’s Behaviors As The Coronavirus Surges
The coronavirus didn’t seem like a big deal to Craig Buescher at first. Still, he thought he was being careful.He wore a mask in public — most of the time. He limited his circle of friends, but still saw six or eight people. He largely followed the rules, but admits that he occasionally stretched them. Buescher was 69 and in good health. Surely, he thought, the virus wouldn’t be that bad if he came down with it. (Iati, 12/1)
NPR:
Psychologist Says Tailored Messaging Is Key For Effective Public Health Policy
For public health leaders, understanding different communication styles and preferences — and how people respond to them — is key to reducing the spread of the coronavirus. Humans often don't behave logically. Their decisions don't always follow the evidence. Those are among the ideas that Gaurav Suri considers in his work studying decision-making and motivation. He's an experimental psychologist and a computational neuroscientist at San Francisco State University. (Cornish, 12/1)
USA Today:
'Changed Our Lives': Tennessee Baby Born From 27-Year-Old Frozen Embryo Breaks Record
Tina and Ben Gibson spent years praying for a baby — but infertility stood in the way. Now, the couple has two babies thanks to ground-breaking medical science. The Gibsons' most recent child was born on Oct. 26, thanks to an embryo adoption that's put little Molly Everette Gibson into the world record books. Molly breaks the record of her older sister, Emma Wren Gibson, who was born in 2017 after a similar process of transferring a thawed then 24-year-old donated embryo for Tina to carry. (Grantham-Philips, 12/1)
Los Angeles Times:
California COVID-19 Cases Break Daily Record Again
Los Angeles County recorded a dramatic one-day rise in coronavirus cases Tuesday, shattering the single-day record and confirming some of the most dire forecasts about infections spreading ferociously as the holiday season gets underway. The surge in cases renewed worries about how the healthcare system will handle a crush of new patients, with some hospitals already approaching capacity. The numbers put more pressure on state and local officials to enact a tougher stay-at-home order in hopes of slowing the spread. Officials feared the Thanksgiving holiday period would bring a flood of new cases, and there are growing concerns the spike is far from over. (Money, Lin II and Oreskes, 12/1)
AP:
Maine Gets More Than $3M From FEMA For Protective Gear
Maine is set to receive more than $3.3 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with the costs of personal protective equipment incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic. FEMA officials said the grant is coming to the state as reimbursement for items including disposable non-sterile isolation gowns and disposable isolation units. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention distributed the items in response to emergency needs in the state. (12/2)
Boston Globe:
COVID Surge Reaches Maine, Which Reports 20 New Deaths
The surge in COVID-19 cases sweeping the country also has reached Maine, where state officials Tuesday reported 20 new deaths, the largest increase in coronavirus-related fatalities since the pandemic began in March. Although the deaths represent the most in any single update by the state, nearly all the fatalities occurred over a week-long span dating to Nov. 23. They had not been reported until Tuesday because of delays connected to the long holiday weekend, state officials said. (MacQuarrie, 12/1)
AP:
Iowa Governor Not Planning State Funds Use For Virus Relief
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday called for Congress to approve money for businesses and families struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic, but she said there are no plans to use available state funds as officials elsewhere have done. Some legislatures are considering allocating state funds as a stopgap measure until Congress agrees to additional federal relief. Asked Tuesday whether she was considering calling lawmakers back into session to approve such a move, she said no. (Pitt, 12/1)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Sees Increase In Number Of Residents Picking Affordable Care Act Plans
Texans are enrolling in health insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act exchange at significantly higher rates than last year. The number of Texans choosing plans during the first three full weeks of the open enrollment period that began Nov. 1 jumped 17 percent to about 383,000 from 326,000 during approximately the same period last year, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Open enrollment ends Dec. 15. (Wu, 12/1)
Reuters:
COVID-Free For Days, Australian State Resumes Singing, Dancing, Religious Services
Australia’s most populous state said that from Monday it would remove limits on the number of people at weddings, bars and religious services and end a ban on public venue dancing as a run of coronavirus-free days prompted a broad downgrade of social distancing rules. (Kaye, 12/2)
Bloomberg:
Japan Parliament Passes Bill To Provide Free Covid Vaccinations
Japan’s parliament passed a bill to provide coronavirus vaccinations free of charge with the central government covering the cost, offering a key plan to stem the virus as the country struggles with its worst-yet wave of infections. Wednesday’s passage in the upper house of parliament following approval in the more powerful lower house will bring the law into effect. It also makes local governments responsible for administering the immunizations, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. (Reynolds, 12/2)
The Hill:
Canada Not Ready To Lift Border Restrictions With US As COVID-19 Spikes
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that his country is not ready to loosen border restrictions with the United States given spiking U.S. coronavirus cases, though he said it was "welcome news" that President-elect Joe Biden was taking the situation seriously. “We are incredibly lucky that trade in essential goods, in agricultural products, in pharmaceuticals is flowing back and forth as it always has,” Trudeau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., according to The Washington Post. “It’s just not people traveling, which I think is the important thing.” (Budryk, 12/1)