First Edition: Feb. 11, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Health Workers And Hospitals Grapple With Millions Of Counterfeit N95 Masks
Thousands of counterfeit 3M respirators have slipped past U.S. investigators in recent months, making it to the cheeks and chins of health care workers and perplexing experts who say their quality is not vastly inferior to the real thing. N95 masks are prized for their ability to filter out 95% of the minuscule particles that can carry covid-19. Yet the fakes pouring into the country have fooled health care leaders from coast to coast. As many as 1.9 million counterfeit 3M masks made their way to about 40 hospitals in Washington state, according to the state hospital association, spurring officials to alert staff members and pull them off the shelf. The elite Cleveland Clinic recently conceded that, since November, it had inadvertently distributed 3M counterfeits to hospital staffers. A Minnesota hospital made a similar admission. (Jewett, 2/11)
KHN:
Flurry Of Bills Aim To Set Limits On Transgender Kids – And Their Doctors
Sam Edelman felt like a girl for as long as he could remember, his dad said. As Sam’s 18th birthday approached, and after years of researching hormone treatments, the high school senior scheduled an appointment with a doctor who treats transgender people. It was a big step for Sam, a musician, a runner, a snowboarder and a taekwondo black belt who still identified as a boy at that point and had shared his secret only with his family and closest confidants. (Loose, 2/11)
KHN:
Tech Companies Mobilize To Schedule Vaccine Appointments, But Often Fall Short
On Jan. 14 at 8:43 p.m., Patrick McKenzie tweeted a plea for tech engineers to help him set up a website to track covid-19 vaccine availability in California. McKenzie, who heads a Bay Area financial services tech company, issued the call to “anyone in California [who] wants to do a civtech project which matters.” The response was swift and resounding. In less than an hour, someone had set up a chat group for brainstorming the effort. By 12:24 a.m. the next day, 70 people had joined. By noon, the tracker was live. Now, just over two weeks later, the site, called VaccinateCA, involves about 300 volunteers. They operate what is essentially a call bank, dialing pharmacies and hospitals for updates about covid vaccine supplies and posting the results on the site. (Green, 2/11)
The Washington Post:
CDC Urges That People Double Mask Or To Wear Masks That Fit
Federal health officials Wednesday urged Americans to consider wearing two masks as one of several strategies to better protect themselves against the threat of more contagious variants of the coronavirus. Two methods substantially boost fit and protection, according to a CDC report and updated guidance on its website. One is wearing a cloth mask over a disposable surgical mask. The second is improving the fit of a single surgical mask by knotting the ear loops and tucking in the sides close to the face to prevent air from leaking out around the edges and to form a closer fit. (Sun and Nirappil, 2/10)
CNN:
Double Masking Can Block 92% Of Infectious Particles, CDC Says
Double masking can significantly improve protection, new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. Researchers found that layering a cloth mask over a medical procedural mask, such as a disposable blue surgical mask, can block 92.5% of potentially infectious particles from escaping by creating a tighter fit and eliminating leakage. (Enriquez, 2/10)
Politico:
South African Variant Detected In California For First Time
The more infectious variant of the coronavirus first identified in South Africa has surfaced in California for the first time, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday. The state has identified two cases of the variant, Newsom said: one in Alameda County and one in Santa Clara County, both of which are part of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. (White, 2/10)
Fox News:
California Man Tests Positive For COVID-19 Weeks After Second Jab: Report
A California man said he was diagnosed with COVID-19 three weeks after he received his second dose of the vaccine, reports said. CBS Los Angeles reported that Gary Micheal, who lives in Orange County’s Lake Forest, found out he had the virus after being tested for an unrelated health concern. His symptoms are relatively minor, the report said. He received the Pfizer vaccine, the report said. Patch.com reported that he got his first dose on Dec. 28 and his second jab on Jan. 18. (DeMarche, 2/11)
CNN:
Global Covid-19 Cases Declined 17% Worldwide Last Week, WHO Says
The number of new Covid-19 cases reported across the globe has declined for a fourth week in a row, according to data from the World Health Organization, offering a glimmer of hope that the world is turning a corner in its efforts to contain the pandemic. The number of Covid-19 deaths reported worldwide decreased for the second week running, with 88,000 new deaths reported last week, a 10% drop compared to the previous week, according to WHO. (Diaz and Smith-Spark, 2/10)
Reuters:
Britain's Coronavirus Variant A Concern, 'Likely To Sweep The World', Says Scientist
The coronavirus variant first found in the British region of Kent is a concern because it could undermine the protection given by vaccines against developing COVID-19, the head of the UK’s genetic surveillance programme said. She also said the variant was dominant in the country and was likely “to sweep the world, in all probability”. (Faulconbridge, 2/11)
Modern Healthcare:
Biden Administration Supports ACA At Supreme Court, Drops Trump-Era Challenge
During November oral arguments, the justices appeared unlikely to strike down the ACA in its entirety. All nine justices asked whether the GOP-led states or individuals they represented had standing to challenge the law, a pre-requisite for the court to eliminate either the individual mandate or all of Obamacare. Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh also indicated they would likely favor severing the challenged individual mandate from the rest of the law. Roberts expressed skepticism at the GOP states' argument that legislative findings related to the ACA constituted an inseverability clause. (2/10)
Politico:
Biden Admin Asks SCOTUS To Uphold Obamacare, Reversing Trump Support For Lawsuit
The Biden administration is withdrawing the federal government's support for a challenge to Obamacare, telling the Supreme Court that the law should remain on the books. The move by the Justice Department follows speculation on whether Biden would try to withdraw from the high-profile red state lawsuit — fully supported by the Trump administration — to strike down the entirety of the Affordable Care Act. (Luthi, 2/10)
The Hill:
Biden Administration Urges Supreme Court To Uphold ObamaCare
The Biden administration on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act, a reversal from the Trump administration's backing of a constitutional challenge to the sweeping health care law. In a two-page letter, the Department of Justice (DOJ) told the court that the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as ObamaCare, remains constitutional, even though a tax penalty meant to enforce the purchase of insurance by most Americans was zeroed out under the previous administration. (Kruzel, 2/10)
The Hill:
Health Care Industry Groups Back ObamaCare Reforms Proposed By Democrats
Powerful interests in the health care industry united behind a set of proposals Wednesday they argued would achieve universal insurance coverage, an apparent endorsement of similar plans offered by congressional Democrats and President Biden to build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). (Hellmann, 2/10)
AP:
'Overwhelm The Problem': Inside Biden’s War On COVID-19
The meetings begin each day not long after dawn. Dozens of aides report in, coffee in hand, joining by Zoom from agency headquarters, their homes or even adjacent offices. The sessions start with the latest sobering statistics meant to focus the work and offer a reminder of what’s at stake: new coronavirus cases, people in hospitals, deaths. But they also include the latest signs of progress: COVID-19 tests administered, vaccine doses shipped, shots injected. (Miller, 2/11)
The Hill:
Biden To Get Tested For Coronavirus Every Two Weeks After Receiving Vaccine
President Biden will undergo coronavirus testing every two weeks as a precaution despite receiving his second dose of the vaccine earlier this year, the White House said Wednesday. "There is 95 percent protection from the vaccine, but it’s not 100 percent protection," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. "So the president’s doctor believes it is reasonable and prudent to randomly test the president every two weeks as surveillance." (Samuels, 2/10)
The Washington Post:
Senator Attempts To Block D.C. Bill Allowing Vaccines Without Parental Consent
A Republican senator from Utah is trying to block D.C. Council legislation that would allow children as young as 11 to receive vaccinations without the consent of their parents. Passed 12 to 1 in October, the bill lets doctors decide whether minors are capable of informed consent for government-recommended vaccinations. Minors in the city could exercise this privilege if their parents cited a religious exemption or opted them out of vaccination, including for the human papillomavirus, which is transmitted through sexual contact. (Brice-Saddler and Flynn, 2/10)
AP:
Government Investigating Massive Counterfeit N95 Mask Scam
Federal authorities are investigating a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation in which fake 3M masks were sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. The foreign-made knockoffs are becoming increasingly difficult to spot and could put health care workers at grave risk for the coronavirus. These masks are giving first responders “a false sense of security,” said Steve Francis, assistant director for global trade investigations with the Homeland Security Department’s principal investigative arm. He added, “We’ve seen a lot of fraud and other illegal activity.” (Long, 2/10)
The Hill:
Widespread Fake N95 Mask Scam Under Investigation
The U.S. government is investigating a widespread counterfeit N95 mask operation, according to The Associated Press (AP). About 3 million fake N95 masks, a high-quality model of facial coverings used by medical professionals, were sold across at least five states to various hospitals, medical clinics, and government agencies. It is reportedly difficult to differentiate a knock-off N95 mask from a real one. (Kelley, 2/10)
USA Today:
Lancet Commission: Donald Trump Presidency Worsened US Health Care
About 40% of the nation’s coronavirus deaths could have been prevented if the United States’ average death rate matched other industrialized nations, a new Lancet Commission report found. While the Lancet Commission on Public Policy and Health in the Trump era faulted former President Donald Trump’s “inept and insufficient” response to COVID-19, its report said roots of the nation’s poor health outcomes are much deeper. (Alltucker, 2/11)
NPR:
AstraZeneca Vaccine Still A Good Bet Against Virus Variants, Says WH
The World Health Organization says countries should move forward with using the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID vaccine even in places with variant strains of the virus. WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, which is known as SAGE, today issued new interim recommendations for the AstraZeneca vaccine specifically to address concerns about its effectiveness in South Africa. This week South Africa announced that it was delaying the start of its first nationwide immunization campaign after a small study suggested that the AstraZeneca product is less effective against a form of the virus that now makes up nearly 90% of all cases in South Africa. (Beaubien, 2/10)
CIDRAP:
WHO Advisors Recommend AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine For Emergency Use
The World Health Organization (WHO) vaccine advisory group today recommended the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine for emergency use, a key development that clears the way for lower- and middle-income countries to receive their first deliveries from the COVAX program. In other global developments, the WHO said in a weekly update that overall cases and deaths show more signs of decline, a promising development, though cases are rising in some nations and more countries are reporting the detection of variant SARS-CoV-2 viruses. (Schnirring, 2/10)
Fox News:
WHO Says AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine OK To Use Despite Variant Concerns
The guidance follows news of South Africa halting rollout of AstraZeneca’s vaccine because early findings showed a marked reduction in protection against mild-to-moderate illness amid a variant strain. "Even if there is a reduction in the possibility of this vaccine having a full impact in its protection capacity, especially against severe disease, there is no reason not to recommend its use, even in countries that have the circulation of the variant," Dr. Alejandro Cravioto, chair of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), a panel of experts advising the WHO, said during a briefing. (Rivas, 2/10)
AP:
AstraZeneca Working To Adapt Vaccine To New Strains
AstraZeneca said Thursday it’s working with the University of Oxford to adapt its COVID-19 vaccine to protect against new strains of the virus as public health officials raise concerns about mutations that may make the virus more resistant to existing vaccines. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker worked with Oxford to develop one of the first COVID-19 vaccines authorized for widespread use. AstraZeneca said it hopes to cut the time needed to produce large amounts of any new vaccine to between six and nine months. (2/11)
The Hill:
Johnson & Johnson CEO: Vaccine Doses May Be Needed Annually For Several Years
Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky said people may be getting COVID-19 vaccines annually for the next several years. Gorsky made the comment at a CNBC event on Tuesday after he was asked if he felt that post-pandemic vaccines would be needed, specifically if people would require updated COVID-19 vaccines every year, similar to the flu. (Williams, 2/10)
CBS News:
The Factory That's Racing To Make Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 Vaccine
U.S. drug maker Emergent BioSolutions began speeding up its acquisition of drug supplies beginning early last year, as the coronavirus outbreak was erupting in China. In addition to producing drugs like the opioid overdose-reversing Narcan nasal spray, the firm develops vaccines and antibody therapeutics and had scored lucrative contracts for key biodefense medicines over the decades. (Tin, 2/10)
Reuters:
Merck In Talks With Governments, Other Drugmakers To Produce COVID-19 Shots
Merck & Co Inc said on Wednesday it was in talks with governments and companies to potentially help with manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines that have been already authorized. “Beyond our own candidates, we are actively involved in discussions with governments, public health agencies, and other industry colleagues to identify the areas of pandemic response where we can play a role, including potential support for production of authorized vaccines,” a company spokesman said. (2/10)
The New York Times:
How Merck's Vaccine Lost The Covid Race
From Ebola to H.I.V. to river blindness, the American pharmaceutical giant Merck has been on the front lines of the biggest public health emergencies in recent history. So when the company announced last May that it was a late entrant in the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, Merck was a popular pick to win. Even if the company wasn’t first, proponents argued, its expertise as the world’s second-largest vaccine maker gave it a good shot at developing the best product — and manufacturing it quickly. (Thomas, 2/10)
Bloomberg:
Covid Vaccines: Low Dead Space Syringe In Short Supply Could Help Speed Effort
In the race to get people immunized in the U.S., pharmacists made a key discovery -- that vials of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine contain an extra dose. Extracting that extra bit of vaccine, however, hinges upon the availability of a specialized syringe that is in short supply. When a medication or vaccine is injected, some amount of it can linger in the syringe in what’s known as the “dead space” between the plunger and needle. Low-dead space syringes are designed to minimize that, and with it, waste. That makes them a crucial tool in extracting six doses, instead of the five that were expected, from each Pfizer vial. (Court and Edney, 2/10)
NPR:
COVID-19 Vaccination Delays: Health Records May Be A Culprit
Why has it been so hard to get a COVID-19 vaccination? One reason may be the software that almost all medical records in the U.S. are built on. It makes up the systems nurses and doctors type patients' vital signs and prescriptions into — whether they're getting a routine physical or going to the emergency room with a broken arm. And it's the same type of program used to log patient data when COVID-19 shots are given. But those electronic health records often aren't connected and don't share information easily. (Popperl, Weiner and King, 2/10)
Boston Globe:
Mass. To Allow Vaccinations For Younger Companions Who Accompany Older Residents To Appointments
Massachusetts officials on Wednesday relaxed vaccine eligibility rules to let younger people who accompany older residents to mass vaccination sites get shots themselves. The new policy set off a rush by younger spouses, relatives, friends, neighbors, and caregivers of seniors 75 and over to book “companion appointments,” which start Thursday at sites ranging from Fenway Park to Gillette Stadium to the Eastfield Mall in Springfield. “We are trying to do everything we can to help people 75 and over,” said Marylou Sudders, the state’s health and human services secretary. (Weisman, 2/10)
AP:
Alaska Expands Eligibility For COVID-19 Vaccinations
The state is expanding eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations in Alaska to include individuals 50 and older with high-risk medical conditions, pre-kindergarten through grade 12 teachers and childcare workers, and those 50 and older in jobs considered essential who work in close proximity to others. The state health department announced the expansion Wednesday. It said people in those groups can start making appointments Thursday. (2/10)
Houston Chronicle:
Harris County Will Give Teachers Priority For 'Leftover' COVID-19 Vaccines
Teachers and school staff currently on Harris County Public Health's waiting list for COVID-19 vaccines now will be prioritized if there are any "leftover" doses at the end of each day. Dr. Maria Rivera, who is co-leading the Harris County Health Department’s school advisory group during the pandemic, told ABC 13 that educators will be called if others do not show up for their scheduled appointments. The teachers still will need to qualify for vaccines under phases 1A and 1B of Texas' vaccine allocation plan, which include those over the age of 65 and those with preexisting conditions that could make them more likely to suffer more severe cases of COVID-19. (Webb, 2/10)
Fox News:
Don’t Schedule Mammogram Near COVID-19 Vaccine, Doctors Warn
Women who recently received the COVID-19 vaccine may need to postpone their annual mammogram if they are due for one soon, say doctors in Utah. Some women who receive the coronavirus vaccine may experience axillary adenopathy, also known as swollen lymph nodes, following vaccination. A doctor in Ohio recently warned that this reaction could be confused for a sign of breast cancer, as many patients are finding swollen lymph nodes under the same arm that they received the jab. (Farber, 2/10)
ABC News:
LA's Dodger Stadium Vaccination Site To Temporarily Close Due To Lack Of Doses
Los Angeles' five city-run vaccination sites, including Dodger Stadium, will close on Friday and Saturday due to a lack of doses, Mayor Eric Garcetti said. The city will have exhausted its current supply of the Moderna vaccine for first-dose appointments by Thursday, forcing the temporary closures, he said. (Deliso, 2/10)
Oklahoman:
Walmart, Sam's Club To Offer COVID-19 Vaccines In Oklahoma
More than 40 Walmart and Sam's Club stores in Oklahoma will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines starting Friday, Feb. 12. State health leaders announced last week that some doses would start to be allocated to local pharmacies in an attempt to vaccinate more Oklahomans. Keith Reed, Oklahoma's deputy commissioner of health, praised the companies for stepping up to help administer vaccines. “In Oklahoma, partnerships like this will be crucial to the continued success of our vaccine rollout," he said in a news release. "This public-private partnership helps the Oklahoma State Department of Health continue to meet a core tenet of our vaccine plan: to ensure equitable distribution of the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine. (Forman, 2/10)
The New York Times:
Houston Doctor Fired For Giving Away Doses Of Covid Vaccine
The Texas doctor had six hours. Now that a vial of Covid-19 vaccine had been opened on this late December night, he had to find 10 eligible people for its remaining doses before the precious medicine expired. In six hours. ... For his actions, Dr. Gokal was fired from his government job and then charged with stealing 10 vaccine doses worth a total of $135 — a shun-worthy misdemeanor that sent his name and mug shot rocketing around the globe. (Barry, 2/10)
Boston Globe:
First Came The Vaccine, Then The Resentment
With rampant unhappiness with the bumpy vaccine rollout — and waiting harder now that the end is in sight — a monomania is setting in, even among mental health professionals. “I was consumed by vaccine envy,” confessed a Boston-area psychiatrist. That was in mid-January, when as a non-COVID-facing health provider she watched colleagues, some of whom were seeing COVID patients — but others who were working remotely — getting their shots. The doctor, who asked to remain anonymous to keep her life private from her patients, analyzed herself: “I think I was more stirred up with the randomness and inequity of the distribution, rather than my actual fear of contracting COVID,” she said. (Teitell, 2/10)
Stat:
Vaccination Rates Follow The Money In States With Big Wealth Gaps
The affluent town of Woodbridge, Conn., has less than half the population of neighboring Ansonia, and yet it’s home to more people who have received a Covid-19 vaccine. (Goldhill, 2/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Instagram Bans Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Over Covid-19 Vaccine Misinformation
Instagram removed the account of prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the highest-profile steps in parent company Facebook Inc.’s intensifying effort to combat false and misleading information about Covid-19. ... Mr. Kennedy, the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, is a longtime environmental activist who has criticized vaccines for years, including raising doubts about thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines. (Herrera, 2/11)
The Washington Post:
The Coronavirus Is Airborne. Here’s How To Know If You’re Breathing Other People’s Breath.
With its five wall-length windows, Nick Crandall’s restaurant, Railroad Pub & Pizza, can bring in a lot of outside air. In late December, though, Washington state regulators said the restaurant could not qualify as “outdoor” dining, and would have to close because of heightened coronavirus restrictions. So Crandall went to Facebook to protest, giving a video tour of the Burlington, Wash., pub and its vast, garage-door-style windows. “I’m just kind of curious on what the science is for outdoor dining, how much airflow you need to do,” he said. He took aim at the state’s Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, suggesting he use “common sense.” The video was viewed over 73,000 times. (Mooney, 2/10)
CIDRAP:
COVID-19 Aerosol Load Associated With Infection, Age, Obesity
The number of COVID-19 aerosol droplets a person exhales is positively associated with infection, age, and obesity, finds an observational study published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers looked at 194 healthy people to measure general aerosol rates as well as 8 COVID-infected nonhuman primates (NHPs) to look at how infection progression affected aerosol quantity and size. Human participants were asked to spend up to 30 minutes per session breathing into a mouthpiece connected to a particle detector. (2/10)
CIDRAP:
Fluid Dynamics Highlight Role Of Air Conditioning In Indoor COVID Spread
Computational fluid dynamics can help assess transmission risk of airborne COVID-19 particles, according to a study published yesterday in Physics of Fluids. The researchers, from the University of Minnesota, found that their modeling of a January 2020 COVID outbreak in a restaurant in Guangzhou, China, supports the idea that air conditioning contributed to disease transmission. After mapping out the general layout of the restaurant, its ventilation systems, and its occupants, the researchers discerned that the cyclical flow of air from the four heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units along the wall was disrupted by factors including hemispherical hot regions above each table due to food heat, the restaurant's occupants, and the presence of a fifth, floor-level HVAC unit on the adjacent wall. (2/10)
CIDRAP:
COVID Associated With More Hospitalizations, ICU Care, Mortality Than Flu
Hospitalized adults with COVID-19 are 3.5 times more likely to die than adults with the flu, reports a study today in CMAJ. The study also found that those with COVID were 1.5 times more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and have 1.5 times longer hospital stays. The researchers collected data from seven hospitals in Toronto and Mississauga in Canada and found that, from November 2019 through June 2020, 763 patients were admitted 783 times with the flu and 972 patients were admitted 1,027 times with COVID-19—the latter making up 23.5% of all hospitalizations during the study's duration. (2/10)
CIDRAP:
COVID Deaths 3 Times Higher In Nursing Homes With More Non-White Residents
Residents of US nursing homes with more than 40% non-white residents died of COVID-19 at 3.3 times the rate of those of those with higher proportions of white residents, a study today in JAMA Network Open shows. Using the Nursing Home COVID-19 Public File from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, University of Chicago researchers found that nursing homes with the lowest shares of white residents reported a mean of 5.6 deaths, compared with 1.7 in those with the highest proportions, as of Sep 13, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 2/10)
The New York Times:
Can’t Find An N95 Mask? This Company Has 30 Million That It Can’t Sell.
A year into the pandemic, the disposable, virus-filtering N95 mask remains a coveted piece of protective gear. Continuing shortages have forced doctors and nurses to reuse their N95s, and ordinary Americans have scoured the internet — mostly in vain — to get them. But Luis Arguello Jr. has plenty of N95s for sale — 30 million of them, in fact, which his family-run business, DemeTech, manufactured in its factories in Miami. He simply can’t find buyers. (Jacobs, 2/10)
The New York Times:
‘A Game Changer’: Drug Brings Weight Loss in Patients With Obesity
For the first time, a drug has been shown so effective against obesity that patients may dodge many of its worst consequences, including diabetes, researchers reported on Wednesday. The drug, semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk, already is marketed as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. In a clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago tested semaglutide at a much higher dose as an anti-obesity medication. (Kolata, 2/10)
Stat:
Equip, Startup Offering Virtual Care For Eating Disorders, Raises $13 Million
A vanguard of virtual behavioral health startups are attracting investor interest. The latest: Equip, which provides online treatment for eating disorders, announced Wednesday it has raised a $13 million Series A round. (Aguilar, 2/10)
Bloomberg:
Chicago’s Mercy Hospital Files Bankruptcy Amid Plans To Shut
The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing comes weeks after Illinois state health officials rejected plans by Mercy’s owner, Trinity Health Corp., to close the 258-bed medical center and open an outpatient center in Chicago’s South Side. “The quality of care at Mercy is an increasing concern as physicians and other colleagues have left Mercy and operating losses have accelerated to $7 million per month,” Trinity’s board of directors said in a resolution dated Feb. 5 that authorized the Chapter 11 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chicago. (Harrington and Coleman-Lochner, 2/11)
Modern Healthcare:
Trinity Health's Mercy Hospital Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday as the Chicago-area community continues to fight to keep the safety-net hospital open. Mercy Hospital has been largely operating in the red for years. Mercy's parent company, Trinity Health, has tried to find suitable merger partners for the hospital and either downsize or completely wind down its inpatient operations. But Bronzeville residents have fought to keep the 400-bed hospital that predominately serves Medicaid beneficiaries fully operational. (Kacik, 2/10)
Albuquerque Journal:
UNMH Gains Status As State’s First Comprehensive Stroke Center
University of New Mexico Hospital is touting its new status as the state’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center, a designation that could make a big difference for stroke patients who have a narrow window to get help before suffering permanent damage. That’s the highest designation from the Joint Commission, “the primary accrediting body that partners with the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association to certify centers in cardiac and stroke care,” UNMH neurosurgeon Dr. Andrew Carlson said on Wednesday. The certification indicates that UNMH has the 24-7 capability to perform surgical procedures to repair aneurysms in the brain, or endovascular procedures inside blood vessels to remove blood clots. (Nathanson, 2/11)
The New York Times:
College Student’s Simple Invention Helps Nurses Work And Patients Rest
During his day shift at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Anthony Scarpone-Lambert steps into a patient’s room. The lights are off, but he knows he has to change the IV without disturbing the patient. He has two choices: turn on the overhead lights or attempt to use some sort of hand-held light to navigate in the darkness. It’s this dilemma that he sought to fix by inventing what he and his co-founder call the uNight Light, a wearable light-emitting diode, or LED, that allows nurses to illuminate their work space without interrupting a patient’s sleep. (Waller, 2/10)
Stat:
Gilead’s Galapagos Deal Falls Apart, A Black Mark For CEO O’Day
The $5 billion deal that Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day presented as his signature move shortly after his arrival at the company two years ago has gone up in flames. Gilead announced Wednesday that it and partner Galapagos NV stopped the Phase 3 studies of a drug called zirataxestat, for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, because an independent data monitoring committee said the drug’s potential benefits were unlikely to outweigh its risks. (Herper, 2/10)
Stat:
Drop In Cancer Screening May Aid Research On Overdiagnosis
It’s counterintuitive, but catching cancer early isn’t always for the best. And the coronavirus pandemic might leave lessons for future cancer screening in its wake. (Cooney, 2/11)
Stat:
Will Breast Cancer AI Worsen Disparities? Spotty FDA Filings Raise Questions
The great hope of artificial intelligence in breast cancer is that it can distinguish harmless lesions from those likely to become malignant. By scanning millions of pixels, AI promises to help physicians find an answer for every patient far sooner, offering them freedom from anxiety or a better chance against a deadly disease. (Ross, 2/11)
CBS News:
Millions Of U.S. Subway Riders And Workers At Risk For Severe Side Effects From Air Pollution, Study Warns
Millions of people in the northeast U.S. ride or work on subway systems every day. But while they're doing so, they are breathing in dangerously high levels of particles that may cause heart attacks, aggravate asthma or even lead to premature death, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. (Cohen, 2/10)
The Washington Post:
Removing A Condom Without Consent Would Be Illegal If This California Bill Passes
The act of removing a condom during sex without consent — also known as “stealthing” — could become illegal in the state of California. A bill introduced this week by California Assembly member Cristina Garcia (D) would classify nonconsensual condom removal as sexual battery and would allow a victim to pursue a claim for damages under the state’s civil code. If passed, experts say, the measure would be the first such law in any state to explicitly address nonconsensual condom removal. (Firozi, 2/10)
AP:
Bill Would Make Mental Health Studies Mandatory
Lawmakers in North Dakota are considering a proposal to make mental health and wellness studies mandatory for middle and high school students. According to health officials, North Dakota’s rate of teen suicide is well above the national average. While some schools have elements of mental wellness in the classroom, a proposed bill would have mandated resources to help them and schools would be given standards on how to handle students who need help. (2/10)
AP:
Evers Renewing Call For Medicaid Expansion Opposed By GOP
Gov. Tony Evers will try again to expand Medicaid coverage in Wisconsin, announcing Wednesday that his state budget proposal will also have more than $150 million in other health initiatives, including bolstering student mental health support, addressing the opioid crisis and increasing telehealth accessibility. “The COVID-19 pandemic has only further exacerbated the need for and underscored the urgency of making sure we have affordable, accessible services available to folks when they need it most, and that’s why it’s a top priority in our budget,” Evers said in a statement. (Bauer, 2/10)
AP:
Documents Show Several Red Flags For Clinic Shooting Suspect
The suspect in the fatal shooting at a Minnesota medical clinic was able to enter the building despite threatening violence there two years earlier, posting a sign near his home about a doctor he disliked and frightening a nurse at a nearby hospital so much that a colleague hit a panic button for help. Despite these red flags, Gregory Paul Ulrich entered an Allina medical clinic northwest of Minneapolis on Tuesday and opened fire, killing one staff member and injuring four others before he was arrested, authorities said. Authorities also found a suspicious device at the clinic and other devices at a hotel where Ulrich, 67, had been staying. (Forliti and Ibrahim, 2/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Possible Early Covid-19 Cases In China Emerge During WHO Mission
About 90 people were hospitalized with Covid-19-like symptoms in central China in the two months before the disease was first identified in Wuhan in late 2019, according to World Health Organization investigators, who said they pressed Beijing to allow further testing to determine whether the new virus was spreading earlier than previously known. Chinese authorities performed antibody tests on about two-thirds of those patients in the past few months, according to the investigators, and said they found no trace of infection by the virus. But members of the WHO team probing the pandemic’s origins said any antibodies could have subsided to undetectable levels during the delay. (Hinshaw, Page and McKay, 2/10)