First Edition: Dec. 4, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
After A Deadly COVID Outbreak, Maryland County Takes Steps To Protect Health Workers
A Maryland health department is taking new steps to protect its workers six months after a COVID-19 outbreak killed a veteran employee who was twice denied permission to work from home. Chantee Mack, 44, died in May. More than 20 colleagues also caught the coronavirus, and some are suffering lasting problems. (Ungar, 12/4)
KHN:
What Happened When The Only ER Doctor In A Rural Town Got COVID
Kurt Papenfus, a doctor in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, started to feel sick around Halloween. He developed a scary cough, intestinal symptoms and a headache. In the midst of a pandemic, the news that he had COVID-19 wasn’t surprising, but Papenfus’ illness would have repercussions far beyond his own health. Papenfus is the lone full-time emergency room doctor in the town of 900, not far from the Kansas line. (Daley, 12/4)
KHN:
Think Your Health Care Is Covered? Beware Of The ‘Junk’ Insurance Plan
Looking back, Sam Bloechl knows that when the health insurance broker who was helping him find a plan asked whether he’d ever been diagnosed with a major illness, that should have been a red flag. Preexisting medical conditions don’t matter when you buy a comprehensive individual plan that complies with the Affordable Care Act. Insurers can’t turn people down or charge them more based on their medical history. But Bloechl, now 31, didn’t know much about health insurance. So when the broker told him a UnitedHealthcare Golden Rule plan would cover him for a year for less than his marketplace plan — “Unless you like throwing money away, this is the plan you should buy,” he recalls the agent saying — he signed up. (Andres, 12/4)
KHN:
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Who Will Run The Biden Health Effort?
The quadrennial guessing game about who will get what health job in a new presidential administration has taken on a new urgency in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage. Meanwhile, as two promising vaccine candidates inch closer to approval, the federal government is gearing up for the immense effort of delivering two shots to as many Americans as they can. (12/3)
KHN:
KHN On The Air This Week
KHN correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed how Black faith communities provide support in the face of racial unrest and COVID-19 with Newsy on Thursday. And KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed President-elect Joe Biden’s plans for health policy and pandemic response with WBUR’s “Here & Now” on Monday. She also discussed the rollout of COVID vaccines with WDET’s “Detroit Today” on Tuesday. (12/4)
The Atlantic:
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Have Doubled In One Month
As expected, our picture of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in the past week is muddied by incomplete and delayed data, the result of the Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. Although cases, tests, and deaths appear to have declined, we believe this is largely an artifact of data reporting and not reflective of the true toll the coronavirus is taking on the nation right now. The one metric not substantially affected by holiday reporting makes clear exactly how severe the pandemic is: More than 100,000 people in the United States—that’s one in 3,300 people—are now hospitalized with COVID-19. (12/3)
The Hill:
US Records Over 14 Million Coronavirus Cases
The United States has officially recorded more than 14 million coronavirus cases as of Thursday, less than a week after the country topped the 13 million-infection threshold, a sign that the virus is spreading at an alarming rate. According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has had a total of 14,102,562 coronavirus infections, with at least 275,729 deaths as a result of the virus. (Castronuovo, 12/3)
Reuters:
Coronavirus Claims 1.5 Million Lives Globally With 10,000 Dying Each Day
Over 1.5 million people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 with one death reported every nine seconds on a weekly average, as vaccinations are set to begin in December in a handful of developed nations. Half a million deaths occurred in just the last two months, indicating that the severity of the pandemic is far from over. Nearly 65 million people globally have been infected by the disease and the worst affected country, United States, is currently battling a third wave of coronavirus infections. (Ahluwalia and Sangameswaran S, 12/3)
AP:
Data Shows Americans Couldn't Resist Thanksgiving Travel
Americans couldn’t resist the urge to gather for Thanksgiving, driving only slightly less than a year ago and largely ignoring the pleas of public health experts, who begged them to forgo holiday travel to help contain the coronavirus pandemic, data from roadways and airports shows. The nation’s unwillingness to tamp down on travel offered a warning in advance of Christmas and New Year’s as virus deaths and hospitalizations hit new highs a week after Thanksgiving. U.S. deaths from the outbreak eclipsed 3,100 on Thursday, obliterating the single-day record set last spring. (Groves, 12/4)
AP:
States Plan For Vaccines As Daily US Virus Deaths Top 3,100
States drafted plans Thursday for who will go to the front of the line when the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine become available later this month, as U.S. deaths from the outbreak eclipsed 3,100 in a single day, obliterating the record set last spring. With initial supplies of the vaccine certain to be limited, governors and other state officials are weighing both health and economic concerns in deciding the order in which the shots will be dispensed. (Metz and Foley, 12/4)
The Washington Post:
Coronavirus Vaccine: VA Will Distribute Inoculations Within Weeks
The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to distribute coronavirus vaccines within a week or two, with a focus on inoculating high-risk veterans and staff members, VA officials told veteran group leaders on a call Thursday. Physicians and doctors treating veterans in covid-19 wards will be a priority for the vaccine, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, who oversees the nation’s largest integrated health network, said on the call. (Horton, 12/3)
AP:
Facebook To Remove COVID-19 Vaccine-Related Misinformation
Facebook said Thursday it will start removing false claims about COVID-19 vaccines, in its latest move to counter a tide of coronavirus-related online misinformation. In the coming weeks, the social network will begin taking down any Facebook or Instagram posts with false information about the vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts. (12/3)
NPR:
Facebook Bans Debunked Claims About COVID-19 Vaccines
That includes posts that make false claims about how safe and effective the vaccines are, and about their ingredients and side effects. "For example, we will remove false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips, or anything else that isn't on the official vaccine ingredient list," Facebook's head of health, Kang-Xing Jin, said in a blog post. "We will also remove conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines that we know today are false: like specific populations are being used without their consent to test the vaccine's safety." (Bond, 12/3)
The Hill:
Facebook Says It Will Begin Removing Coronavirus Vaccine Misinformation
Posts containing false claims about “safety, efficacy, ingredients or side effects” about the vaccines can be taken down, the social media giant said in a blog post. “For example, we will remove false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips, or anything else that isn’t on the official vaccine ingredient list,” it said. (Rodrigo, 12/3)
AP:
Among First Acts, Biden To Call For 100 Days Of Mask-Wearing
Joe Biden said Thursday that he will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president, stopping just short of the nationwide mandate he’s pushed before to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The move marks a notable shift from President Donald Trump, whose own skepticism of mask-wearing has contributed to a politicization of the issue. That’s made many people reticent to embrace a practice that public health experts say is one of the easiest ways to manage the pandemic, which has killed more than 275,000 Americans. The president-elect has frequently emphasized mask-wearing as a “patriotic duty” and during the campaign floated the idea of instituting a nationwide mask mandate, which he later acknowledged would be beyond the ability of the president to enforce. (Jaffe, 12/4)
The New York Times:
Biden Transition Highlights: Biden Says He Will Ask Americans To Wear Masks During First 100 Days
Mr. Biden said that on his first day as president, he would ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days. “Just 100 days to mask,” he said. “Not forever. 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction.” He also expressed support for the bipartisan stimulus compromise under discussion in Congress. He said it was a “start,” even as he said that more relief would be needed as the nation reels from the pandemic’s economic fallout. (12/4)
NPR:
Biden Asks Fauci To Join His Team, Will Urge 100 Days Of Mask-Wearing
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday said he has asked the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to become his chief medical adviser and said he plans to call on Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration. In an interview with CNN, Biden said he'll urge Americans to wear masks starting Jan. 20 to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Biden said he would use his authority to require masks in federal buildings and on interstate transportation. "Just 100 days to mask, not forever, 100 days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction," Biden said. (Wise, 12/3)
The Washington Post:
Biden Picks Murthy As Surgeon General, Wants Fauci To Stay On
President-elect Joe Biden has selected a close adviser to help lead the nation's response to the coronavirus crisis, tapping a veteran of the Obama administration to serve as America's top doctor as the country suffers from a surging pandemic. Vivek H. Murthy, a former U.S. surgeon general, has been asked to reprise the role in an expanded version in the new administration, according to an individual familiar with the decision. (Olorunnipa and Goldstein, 12/3)
Reuters:
Biden Says He Has Asked Fauci To Stay On And Join COVID-19 Team
President-elect Joe Biden has asked top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci to continue in his job and serve as Biden’s chief medical adviser and on the COVID-19 team after Biden takes office on Jan. 20, Biden said on Thursday. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke to Biden and his team preparing to deal with the virus on Thursday, Biden said in an interview with CNN. (Hunnicutt, 12/3)
Politico:
Zients, Murthy Tapped To Head Up Biden’s Covid-19 Response
President-elect Joe Biden has tapped two close allies to oversee his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to two people familiar with the decision. Transition co-chair and former Obama administration official Jeff Zients is set to serve as the White House’s Covid-19 coordinator and Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. surgeon general under Obama, will return to that role, but with a broader portfolio that will include acting as the top medical expert and public face of the effort. (Ollstein and Pager, 12/3)
Politico:
Raimondo Says She Won't Be Biden's Health Secretary
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Thursday that she has taken herself out of contention to be President-elect Joe Biden’s health secretary. “I am not going to be President-elect Biden’s nominee for HHS secretary,” she said during a press conference on Thursday, declining to elaborate further. “My focus is right here in Rhode Island, as I have said.” (Cancryn and Ollstein, 12/3)
AP:
Next For Biden: Getting The Right Health Team As Virus Rages
Up soon for President-elect Joe Biden: naming his top health care officials as the coronavirus pandemic rages. It’s hard to imagine more consequential picks. Already two Democratic governors seen as candidates for health and human services secretary have faded from the frame. Rhode Island’s Gina Raimondo told reporters Thursday that she would not be the nominee and is staying to help her state confront a dangerous surge of COVID-19 cases. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/4)
Stat:
Health Groups Voice Concern Biden Won’t Pick Health Experts For Cabinet
Prominent public health experts are pressuring President-elect Biden and his team to include a doctor or experienced health professional in the Cabinet — and growing increasingly alarmed this week that their warnings will go unheeded. (Facher, 12/3)
Politico:
Wikipedia Page For Biden’s New Covid Czar Scrubbed Of Politically Damaging Material
Jeff Zients, the man President-elect Joe Biden has put in charge of his administration’s response to Covid-19, "fell in love with" the culture at Bain & Co. He later founded his own private equity firm, Portfolio Logic. He joined the board of Facebook after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. One chief executive on Obama’s Jobs Council remarked that he thought Zients, then a top Obama aide, was a Republican. That was the Jeff Zients people read about on Wikipedia. At least, until a few months ago. (Thompson and Meyer, 12/3)
USA Today:
Biden Says He'd Join Ex-Presidents In Taking COVID Vaccine Publicly
President-elect Joe Biden said he would publicly take a vaccine when it's available to encourage the public to get vaccinated, joining three former presidents who recently pledged to do the same. Biden said he'd "be happy" to join former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in getting the vaccine in public to prove it is safe. (Behrmann, 12/3)
The Hill:
Harris: 'Of Course I Will' Take COVID-19 Vaccine
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris confirmed Thursday that she would take the COVID-19 vaccine once it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration and made available to the public. During a joint interview with President-elect Joe Biden and Harris — their first since winning the election — CNN host Jake Tapper asked the vice president-elect if she would take the vaccine, to which she responded, "Of course I would." (Choi, 12/03)
The Hill:
Jimmy And Rosalynn Carter Encourage People To Take COVID-19 Vaccine
The Carter Center issued a statement Thursday saying former President Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter are encouraging Americans to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. “Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, said today that they are in full support of COVID-19 vaccine efforts and encourage everyone who is eligible to get immunized as soon as it becomes available in their communities,” the statement reads. (Coleman, 12/3)
AP:
Fauci Apologizes For Suggesting UK Rushed Vaccine Decision
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had sparked controversy with an earlier interview in which he said U.K. regulators hadn’t acted “as carefully” as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fauci said late Thursday that he meant to say U.S. authorities do things differently than their British counterparts, not better, but his comments weren’t phrased properly. “I do have great faith in both the scientific community and the regulatory community at the U.K., and anyone who knows me and my relationship with that over literally decades, you know that’s the case,” Fauci told the BBC. (Kirka, 12/4)
The New York Times:
After A Skirmish Over U.K. Vaccine Approval, Fauci Offers An Olive Branch
British and American officials sparred Thursday over how Britain had beaten the United States to authorizing a coronavirus vaccine, a debate touching upon both regulatory standards and politics that has heated up as wealthy countries vie to receive the first shipments of vaccines. Gavin Williamson, Britain’s education secretary, appeared to be crowing when he said that Britain had won the race to authorize the first fully tested coronavirus vaccine because its regulators were superior. (12/4)
The Hill:
Britain Will Compensate Citizens For Any COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects
Britain is set to provide payments to any citizen who experiences adverse side effects as a result of taking a coronavirus vaccine, the country announced Thursday. Pfizer and BioNTech will begin distributing their vaccines in the country soon, prompting the British government to line up precautionary measures. (Jenkins, 12/3)
The Washington Post:
Mask-Free President Trump Confers Medal To Mask-Free Lou Holtz, Who’s Recovering From Covid-19
Recognizing a man he described as “one of the greatest coaches in American history,” President Trump bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon former college football coach Lou Holtz during a ceremony Thursday at the Oval Office. ... Both Trump and Holtz have dealt with cases of covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Holtz, who is 83, revealed that he tested positive for coronavirus exactly two weeks before Thursday’s ceremony, telling a South Carolina television station that he didn’t “have a lot of energy right now.” Even so, and even though dozens of White House aides — including the chief of staff, the national security adviser and the press secretary — have contracted the virus, few were wearing masks during Thursday’s ceremony. (Bonesteel, 12/3)
Politico:
Trump Extends National Guard’s Covid Funding Through March
President Donald Trump on Thursday approved requests from nearly every state to extend federal funding for the National Guard’s Covid-19 relief work until the end of March. The authorization had been set to expire at the end of the year. The White House, however, denied requests for full federal funding and will instead require most states to continue picking up 25 percent of the tab. Florida and Texas, which had received a special carveout from the cost-sharing earlier this year — prompting accusations of political favoritism — will be cut back to 75 percent federal funding after Dec. 31. (Ollstein, 12/3)
Modern Healthcare:
HHS Boosts Telehealth Across State Lines, COVID-19 Liability Protection
The Trump administration on Thursday increased access to COVID-19 telehealth services and made it easier for providers to get liability protection for coronavirus-related medical countermeasures. HHS allowed healthcare professionals using telehealth to order COVID-19 diagnostic testing and other countermeasures for patients outside the state where they're already allowed to practice. According to the department, HHS' new policy overrides any state law that bans, or effectively bans, out-of-state healthcare professionals from delivering coronavirus-related medical countermeasures. (Brady, 12/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Next Steps For Telehealth Require Congressional Action, Experts Say
Telehealth advocates are homing in on the next big challenge to solidify virtual care's gains during the COVID-19 pandemic: urging congressional action. "That's really our No. 1 federal priority," said Kyle Zebley, director of public policy at the American Telemedicine Association. The latest Medicare physician fee schedule, released earlier this week, offers a powerful step forward for telehealth by adding more than 60 services to the list of telehealth services that Medicare will pay for in 2021. But experts noted that without new legislation, CMS' efforts to expand video-based telehealth will continue to be stifled by restrictions outside the agency's control. (Kim Cohen, 12/3)
Modern Healthcare:
HHS Calls For 'Holistic' Care Approach To Maternal Health
HHS unveiled a new action plan Thursday that outlined strategies for addressing maternal risk factors with an aim of reducing the country's maternal mortality rate by 50% by 2025. The action plan also eyes lowering the number of low-risk, cesarean deliveries by 25% over the next five years. Low-risk cesarean deliveries are first-time mothers delivering a single child headfirst at full term. Experts say these C-sections are mostly unnecessary and have been linked with longer hospital stays and higher risks of infection and bleeding. (Ross Johnson, 12/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Medicare Unveils Geographic Direct-Contracting Model
CMS' Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation on Thursday unveiled its highly anticipated Geographic Direct Contracting Model. The model—dubbed "Geo"—aims to improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs for Medicare's fee-for-service beneficiaries across entire geographic regions by encouraging participants to work together to improve care coordination and care management. So-called direct-contracting entities, the Innovation Center's new name for accountable care organizations, "will implement regionwide care delivery and value-based payment," CMS said in a fact sheet. (Brady, 12/3)
The Hill:
COVID-19 Relief Picks Up Steam As McConnell, Pelosi Hold Talks
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) held talks on Thursday about reaching a COVID-19 relief deal before Christmas, with both expressing a desire to quickly pass legislation, according to a senior aide to Pelosi. “The Speaker and Leader McConnell spoke at 12:45 p.m. today by phone about their shared commitment to completing an omnibus and COVID relief as soon as possible,” Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, said Thursday afternoon. (Bolton, 12/3)
The Hill:
Biden Backs $900B Compromise Coronavirus Stimulus Bill
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday described the $900 billion congressional stimulus proposal as a “good start” and said he believed Congress should pass it. “That would be a good start. It’s not enough,” Biden said during a Thursday interview with CNN host Jake Tapper. “I think it should be passed,” Biden continued. “I’m going to ask for more … when we get there to get things done.” (Chalfant, 12/03)
USA Today:
As COVID-19 Persists, More Americans Are Unemployed More Than Six Months. Is That A Stigma Even In A Pandemic?
As the health crisis drags on, a growing share of the workers it has idled have been jobless six months or longer, placing them among the ranks of the long-term unemployed. In October, 3.6 million Americans were unemployed for at least 27 weeks, up from 2.4 million in September and the most since March 2014. People in that category comprised one-third of the nation’s unemployed, and the November employment report, out Friday, is expected to show another surge in chronic joblessness.
Stat:
CDC Advisory Panel Member Explains Vote Against Vaccine Priority Plan
When a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee voted Tuesday to recommend residents of long-term care facilities should be at the front of the line — with health care providers — for Covid-19 vaccines, the lone dissenting voice came from a researcher who studies vaccines in older adults. Helen Keipp Talbot — who is known by her middle name — raised serious concerns during the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices about using the vaccines in the frail elderly, noting there are no data yet to suggest the vaccines work in this population. (Branswell, 12/3)
Bloomberg:
Covid Vaccine Side-Effects Could Sideline Health-Care Workers During Case Surge
Covid-19 vaccine side-effects that range from fevers and chills to headaches and joint pain could keep some doctors and nurses from working amid a nationwide surge in hospitalizations. Health systems are gearing up to vaccinate key hospital staff with the Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. coronavirus shots, which could start shipping in the U.S. in a matter of weeks, pending emergency-use authorizations. (LaVito and Griffin, 12/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Pfizer Slashed Its Original Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Target After Supply-Chain Obstacles
Pfizer and Germany-based partner BioNTech SE had hoped to roll out 100 million vaccines world-wide by the end of this year, a plan that has now been reduced to 50 million. The U.K. on Wednesday granted emergency-use authorization for the vaccine, becoming the first Western country to start administering doses. (Paris, 12/3)
Boston Globe:
Hospitals Work To Reduce Risk Of COVID Spread Among Employees
At Massachusetts General Hospital, the lobbies and atriums are dotted with small tables, about the size of school desks, where employees can eat lunch by themselves. The break rooms at Tufts Medical Center have stickers marking distances of 6 feet, so workers don’t have to guess how far apart they are when they remove their masks to eat a sandwich. And at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, plexiglass has taken over the cafeterias. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/3)
The Washington Post:
Besieged By Covid, Health-Care Workers Ask Governors To Impose Restrictions
With few options left, overwhelmed doctors and other caregivers are appealing directly to governors for relief from the staggering increases in hospitalized covid-19 patients as the virus surges across the country. In Connecticut, Tennessee, Missouri and Mississippi, physicians have issued unusually public pleas for stronger responses to the pandemic as hospitals and their staffs near a breaking point. The number of hospitalized covid-19 patients surpassed 100,000 on Wednesday, placing enormous strain on the nation’s acute care hospitals, where there are roughly 730,000 beds. (Bernstein, 12/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Many Healthcare Organizations Are Reusing PPE
Many infection preventionists working at hospitals and other healthcare organizations claim frontline workers are reusing personal protective equipment as surges of COVID-19 occur across the U.S. A survey released Thursday by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology found of the 1,083 infection preventionists who responded, 68.7% reported extended use or reuse was being applied to surgical masks while 73% said the policy was used for respirators. Additionally, 43.8% said isolation gowns and 10% said gloves were being worn more than once or for an extended time period. (Castellucci, 12/3)
CIDRAP:
WHO Trial Finds No Benefit Of 4 Drugs For Hospital COVID Patients
None of the four once-promising drugs evaluated for the treatment of COVID-19 in the ongoing World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity Trial—remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, or interferon-beta-1a—prevented in-hospital death, reduced the need for ventilation, or shortened the duration of hospitalization. The interim results of the open-label study, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved randomly assigning hospitalized COVID-19 patients equally to whichever trial drugs were available locally or to a control group from Mar 22 to Oct 4. (Van Beusekom, 12/3)
CIDRAP:
Study: Kids, Adults Equally Susceptible To In-Home COVID-19 Spread
A study published today in Pediatrics found that children in two states were just as likely as adults to become infected with COVID-19 within their households, and while kids spread the virus in one fifth of homes, their lack of severe symptoms may have allowed their infections to otherwise escape detection. Led by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the study enrolled 58 households with 120 adult and 68 pediatric contacts from March to May in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The study involved administering questionnaires and collecting blood and respiratory samples. (Van Beusekom, 12/3)
Stat:
With Few Generics, Medicare Spending On Inhalers Is Climbing
Over a recent seven-year period, Medicare Part D spending on inhalers used to control respiratory problems increased $2 billion, or a whopping 44%, as more people used the devices, according to a new study. However, a lack of lower-cost generic options has also allowed prices to remain high. (Silverman, 12/3)
Stat:
Ex-Uber Health Exec Launches Startup To Bridge Telehealth And Home Care
Telemedicine has become a lifeline during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is not enough help for many patients whose medical needs demand in-person care. It is that yawning gap in service that ex-Uber Health leader Dan Trigub and partner Inna Plumb are targeting with a new company called MedArrive, which was launched out of stealth mode Thursday. (Ross, 12/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Capital One CFO To Leave For Health-Insurance Startup
Capital One Financial Corp.’s finance chief is leaving the bank to take over the finance department at Oscar Health Insurance Corp., an insurance startup. McLean, Va.-based Capital One, which also offers credit cards, auto loans and savings accounts, on Thursday said Chief Financial Officer R. Scott Blackley resigned, effective March 1. He will take up his new post as the CFO of Oscar on March 16, the insurance provider said. (Maurer, 12/3)
Politico:
Teachers Should Be A Priority For Covid Vaccines, Unions And Others Say
Teachers should be near the front of the line for access to a coronavirus vaccine, according to unions, school officials and state lawmakers who say educators’ immunity is key to safely reopening schools for in-person classes. Giving educators their turn, just after the first wave of vaccines goes to health care workers and nursing home residents, would help schools get more students back in physical classrooms, said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which also represents health care workers. (Gaudiano, 12/3)
AP:
School Closings Threaten Gains Of Students With Disabilities
Without any in-school special education services for months, 14-year-old Joshua Nazzaro’s normally sweet demeanor has sometimes given way to aggressive meltdowns that had been under control before the pandemic. The teenager, who has autism and is nonverbal, often wanted no part of his online group speech therapy sessions, and when he did participate, he needed constant hands-on guidance from aides hired by his family. He briefly returned to his private Denville, New Jersey, school for two days a week, but surging coronavirus infections quickly pushed learning back online through at least Dec. 10. (Thompson, 12/3)
The Washington Post:
University Of Maryland Student Government Offers $400,000 To Support Students During Coronavirus Pandemic
When the University of Maryland’s Student Government Association decided to redistribute more than $400,000 to support classmates during the pandemic, there were no excuses, no delays, no political arguments. Students are struggling, said Dan Alpert, the student body president, and the choice to disburse thousands in unused dollars was a no-brainer. (Lumpkin, 12/3)
AP:
No Fans To Be Allowed At Rose Bowl For CFP Semifinal Game
No spectators will be allowed at the Rose Bowl for the College Football Playoff semifinal on Jan. 1 because of COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the state, county and city of Pasadena. The Tournament of Roses said Thursday that it requested special permission to allow for a limited number of spectators or a select number of guests of players and coaches at the 90,888-seat stadium but was denied. (Harris, 12/3)
The Washington Post:
Airbnb Announces Covid-19 Rules For New Year’s Eve
With the coronavirus pandemic breaking grim records in the United States, Airbnb has announced stringent restrictions for New Year’s Eve bookings to discourage unauthorized house parties and large gatherings in the interest of public health. “We have carefully developed this New Year’s Eve initiative informed by [host] feedback along with a review of our data, systems and tools,” Airbnb said in a statement. “We believe this plan will help prevent large gatherings while supporting the type of safe, responsible travel that benefits guests, hosts and the neighborhoods they call home.” (Compton, 12/3)
The New York Times:
Warner Bros. Says All 2021 Films Will Stream On HBO Max Right Away
In a startling move that marked the biggest challenge yet to Hollywood’s traditional way of doing business, Warner Bros. announced on Thursday that 17 movies — its entire 2021 slate — would each arrive simultaneously in theaters and on its sibling streaming service, the underperforming HBO Max. ... Even with a widely deployed vaccine, which is expected in the coming months, WarnerMedia does not believe that moviegoing in the United States will recover until at least next fall, an assessment that stands in sharp contrast with what other major movie studios and multiplex chains have signaled. (Barnes and Sperling, 12/3)
The Hill:
Fox News Co-Host Juan Williams Tests Positive For COVID-19
Juan Williams, co-host of the Fox News afternoon talk show “The Five,” has tested positive for COVID-19, the television personality confirmed with The Hill. Williams, who is also a columnist at The Hill, said he was informed that he had tested positive Thursday after a routine Monday weekly test at Fox News’s New York headquarters. Upon receiving the news, he took another test, which confirmed he was carrying the virus. (Castronuovo, 12/3)
The Washington Post:
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Day Of Prayer For Coronavirus Victims Draws Backlash
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's announcement has drawn a scathing backlash from critics seeking more stringent measures to slow the spread of the virus, rallying support for the mask mandates that have gained increasingly bipartisan traction across the country. Many ridiculed the [Republican] governor’s announcement online. Some of the most pointed critiques came from the faith communities Stitt appealed to with his proclamation. The Rev. Shannon Fleck, the executive director of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches, put out a statement saying that “prayer should be accompanied by a willingness to act.” (Knowles, 12/3)
The Hill:
Florida Officials Were Asked To Avoid Public Statements On Coronavirus Before Election: Report
Florida state officials were asked to avoid public statements regarding the coronavirus in the lead up to the 2020 election, according to an investigative report by the Sun Sentinel. Three Florida health officials, who told the Sentinel they wished to remain unidentified, said they were told not to speak about COVID-19 until after the Nov. 3 election. Instead, they were instructed to talk about other health issues like the flu and hearing loss. (Choi, 12/3)
AP:
Whitmer May Extend Partial Shutdown Of Schools, Businesses
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that her administration may extend portions of a three-week partial shutdown of schools and businesses next week because of the “sheer volume” of coronavirus cases in Michigan. The Democratic governor said no decision had been made, but that hospitals can’t be overrun with COVID-19 patients. Although the infection curve has leveled off, it is a “dangerous moment,” she said. The state reported 175 additional deaths, including 63 in the most recent 24-hour period and 112 from a records review. That total was the fifth-most during the pandemic, Whitmer said. (Eggert, 12/3)