First Edition: Feb. 18, 2022

KHN: ‘I Just Want To Stay In One Spot’: From Homeless To Housed In Rugged Del Norte 
On a rainy winter morning, Jamie Hayden stopped in to visit with Diane Timothio. A case manager in Del Norte County on California’s remote northern coast, Hayden comes by often, sometimes staying for hours, to work with Timothio. Work can mean different things: going to doctor’s appointments, building her comfort level with eating at a restaurant, or listening to Timothio recount stories about the past. Right now, the pair are working on using the internet, so there’s a lot of time spent on web searches. (Barry-Jester, 2/18)

KHN: Inmates Who Died Asked For Release Before Falling Ill With Covid 
Rory Adams did not know that Christmas in a small rural hospital in West Virginia would be the last time he saw his wife alive. She’d entered prison in early January 2021 to serve a 42-month sentence for failure to collect payroll taxes. She was supposed to return to North Carolina, their two adult children, and their quilting business this summer. But when he saw her, she was heavily sedated. A ventilator was helping her breathe as she struggled with covid-19. Rebecca “Maria” Adams, 59, died 18 days after Christmas in the same hospital bed. The pandemic has proved especially deadly behind bars. Inmates are more than twice as likely to die of covid as the general population. And the deaths continue to pile up. (Dawson, 2/18)

KHN: As Covid Slogs On, Seniors Find Fortitude Waning And Malaise Growing
Late one night in January, Jonathan Coffino, 78, turned to his wife as they sat in bed. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” he said, glumly. Coffino was referring to the caution that’s come to define his life during the covid-19 pandemic. After two years of mostly staying at home and avoiding people, his patience is frayed and his distress is growing. “There’s a terrible fear that I’ll never get back my normal life,” Coffino told me, describing feelings he tries to keep at bay. “And there’s an awful sense of purposelessness.” (Graham, 2/18)

KHN: Missouri Takes Months To Process Medicaid Applications — Longer Than Law Allows
Aneka French applied for Medicaid in October, not long after Missouri became the 38th state to expand eligibility for the program. But her application sat for months in a backlog with tens of thousands of others. While she waited, French, 45, an uninsured medical technician from St. Louis, paid out-of-pocket when she was treated at a health clinic for a knee injury last fall. (Sable-Smith and Galewitz, 2/18)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: It’s Health Costs, Stupid (2022 Edition)
The pandemic may be showing signs of winding down, but health care costs are not. In Massachusetts, a fight is shaping up over whether one of the most prestigious hospital systems needs to save money, while antitrust cases against other hospital systems have been filed in California, Connecticut, and North Carolina. Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed Dr. Robert Califf to head the FDA, finally filling out the Biden administration’s health leadership. Califf’s nomination was strongly opposed by anti-abortion groups, but, in the end, he won the votes of several Republicans who are not running for reelection. (2/17)

AP: FDA: Do Not Use Recalled Infant Formulas Tied To Infections 
U.S. health officials warned parents on Thursday not to use three popular powdered infant formulas manufactured at an Abbott plant in Michigan that investigators recently linked to bacterial contamination. The Food and Drug Administration said it is investigating four reports of infants who were hospitalized after consuming the formula, including one who died. The agency said one of the cases involved salmonella and three involved Cronobacter sakazakiim, a rare but dangerous germ that can cause blood infections and other serious complications. (Perrone, 2/18)

CBS News: Abbott Recalls Baby Formulas After Four Infants Reportedly Fall Ill 
Cronobacter bacteria can cause sepsis or meningitis, which can be severe and life-threatening illnesses, according to the FDA. Symptoms of sepsis and meningitis include poor feeding, irritability, temperature changes, jaundice, grunting breaths and abnormal movements. Salmonella can cause gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis, the FDA said. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Severe cases of salmonellosis can cause a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, rashes and blood in urine or stool. It can become fatal. (Reardon, 2/17)

Bloomberg: Covid Funding Is Drying Up, White House Warns U.S. Lawmakers
The Biden administration is warning lawmakers that the U.S. doesn’t have enough money on hand to respond to future Covid-19 variants, stockpile vaccines or develop new technologies. Funds for pandemic response -- including testing, vaccine distribution and other medical supplies -- have been either spent or set aside already for purchases, according to a Department of Health and Human Services document obtained by Bloomberg News. All funds provided so far have been spent or earmarked for use. (Griffin, 2/17)

Politico: Biden Wants Billions More In Covid Funding. Lawmakers Aren't Eager To Spend Big — Again
Lawmakers aren’t eager to spend big — again — on a pandemic many would just as soon declare over. President Joe Biden’s cabinet members and public health experts say they are running out of money to battle Covid-19 and need tens of billions more dollars to continue vaccination, testing and medicine distribution efforts at home and abroad. (Ollstein, 2/17)

NPR: Biden Administration Says It Will Distribute High-Quality Masks For Kids
The Biden administration will soon make more high-quality masks available for kids. Dr. Tom Inglesby, senior adviser to the White House COVID- 19 Response Team, said in a briefing on Wednesday that 230 million masks have already been delivered to pharmacies and community health centers. And now, he said, there will be an expanded effort focused on children. "We are now in the process of planning for the distribution of masks for children. And we'll have more to say about that in the days ahead. But there's a commitment to do that, and there's a process underway, certainly, for all adults to get masks now for free at pharmacies and community health clinics across the country," Inglesby said. (Wamsley, 2/17)

Houston Chronicle: Senate Blocks Ted Cruz’s Attempt To Defund Biden Vaccine Mandates
The U.S. Senate on Thursday shot down attempts by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to defund President Joe Biden’s federal vaccine mandates and strip funding from schools that require students to get vaccinated against COVID. Cruz was one of a handful of Senate Republicans who threatened to block a short-term government funding bill unless the Senate voted on amendments blocking funding for vaccine requirements. The Senate rejected both amendments and passed a bill funding the government through March 11, averting a shutdown ahead of a Friday deadline. (Wermund, 2/17)

Houston Chronicle: Federal Court Must Reconsider Religious Exception To United Employees’ Vaccine Mandate
A federal appeals court has ordered a lower court reconsider making an exception to United Airlines’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate for certain employees. The majority on the 5th U.S. Circuit panel ruled in favor of requiring the trial judge look again at allowing these workers to continue as normal in their jobs without getting the vaccine. The majority on a three-judge panel ruled on a very narrow question, but in a seething dissent, one judge said he would rather “hide my head in a bag” than join the unpublished ruling he indicated would not be upheld on the merits. (Banks, 2/17)

The Washington Post: Marine Charged In Jan. 6 Riot Is Arrested In N.Y. For Selling Forged Vaccine Cards To Unvaccinated, Including Other Military Members 
A Marine reservist already facing charges over alleged participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol was arrested Thursday on charges he acquired coronavirus vaccination cards to be sold to unvaccinated customers including other service members, according to federal prosecutors. Jia Liu, 26, was indicted on charges including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and conspiracy to commit forgery over his alleged efforts with a medical clinic nurse who was also charged. The pair allegedly distributed cards to at least 300 people who did not get vaccinated but who wanted proof that they had. They also made more than 70 false entries in immunization databases, the government said. (Jacobs, 2/17)

Los Angeles Times: California Lays Out Cautious Blueprint Forward As COVID Wanes
California officials on Thursday offered a cautious blueprint for the next phase of the pandemic, expressing optimism at the progress that has been made but stressing the state must be prepared for the potential for new variants and waves. The plan comes amid a growing push in some quarters to finally move on from two years of restrictions due to the coronavirus. While mask mandates have been easing, state officials essentially said that it’s unwise to fly a “mission accomplished” banner and that the most important thing now is to be prepared for any contingencies — and to learn from past lessons. (Money and Lin II, 2/17)

AP: California Adopts Nation's 1st 'Endemic' Virus Policy
California became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Thursday of a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and business shutdowns. The milestone, nearly two years in the making, envisions a return to a more normal existence with the help of a variety of initiatives and billions in new spending to more quickly spot surges or variants, add health care workers, stockpile tests and push back against false claims and other misinformation. (Thompson, 2/18)

Bloomberg: Colorado Health Officials End Covid Crisis Declaration
Colorado health officials Thursday ended a Covid-19 crisis declaration aimed at plugging hospital staffing shortages and allowing ambulance providers to impose stricter screening of 911 calls for assistance. “Crisis standards of care” provided guidelines for allocating resources and “the decision to deactivate these standards is based on recent modeling and steadily declining cases and hospitalizations,” Eric France, the state’s chief medical officer, said in a printed statement. (Del Giudice, 2/17)

AP: New Mexico Governor Lifts State's Indoor Mask Mandate 
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham lifted the state’s mask mandate for indoor public spaces on Thursday. She made the surprise announcement at a news conference that followed the end of the 30-day legislative session. The state’s top health official had said just last week that masks were effective and that New Mexico was still in “hot water.” (Bryan, 2/17)

AP: Washington State To Lift Indoor Mask Mandate March 21
Washington’s statewide indoor mask mandate, one of the few left in the country, will lift in most places on March 21, including at schools and child care facilities, Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday. And starting on March 1, vaccine verification or proof of a negative COVID-19 test will no longer be required for attendance at large events. (La Corte, 2/18)

AP: Indiana Schools Can Stop Masking, Reporting COVID Cases Soon
Indiana schools and child care programs will no longer have to conduct contact tracing or report COVID-19 cases to the state Department of Health as of next Wednesday, state officials announced Thursday. Students who are exposed to a COVID-19 case also won’t have to quarantine, regardless of their vaccination status or whether their schools require masks. (2/17)

AP: Arizona House Bills Ban Masks In Schools, Business Shutdowns 
Parents would have to give explicit permission for schools to be able to require their children to wear face masks under one of a series of bills approved by the Arizona House Thursday that target government rules imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. The school mask proposal passed with no Democratic support, as did proposals that block government agencies from requiring mask s to be worn on their property and repeal the power of local government officials to order business closures. (Christie, 2/17)

AP: NC Lawmakers OK Bill Giving Student Opt-Out To Mask Mandates
North Carolina parents could permit their K-12 students to opt out of mask-wearing mandates set by local education boards inside schools in legislation approved by the General Assembly on Thursday. The bill now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who as the final vote was being completed held a news conference to encourage local governments -- including boards of education -- to end broad mask requirements, as COVID-19 transmission rates and hospitalizations fall. (Robertson, 2/17)

The New York Times: Oscars Will Require Covid Tests For All, Vaccines For Most 
After much internal discussion, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has come to an agreement on coronavirus safety measures for attendees of the 94th Oscars, which will be held on March 27 in Los Angeles: The audience of 2,500 invited guests — including all nominees — will be required to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus and at least two negative P.C.R. tests. Performers and presenters also must undergo rigorous testing — but those people will not need to show proof of vaccination, a decision that an academy spokeswoman said on Thursday was in keeping with virus safety protocols on some television sets and return-to-work standards set by Los Angeles County. (Barnes, 2/17)

AP: CDC: NYC Anime Convention Did Not Spread Omicron Widely 
When a person tested positive for omicron after attending an anime convention in New York City late last year, health officials raced to determine if the indoor gathering was a superspreader event. It wasn’t, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded Thursday. Widespread masking, vaccinations and good air flow at the Javits Center prevented the highly contagious omicron variant from spreading widely. (Stobbe, 2/17)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: COVID-19 Cases Surged In Wisconsin Nursing Homes, But Not Deaths
The number of Wisconsin nursing home residents dying from COVID-19 has remained relatively low, despite a surge in omicron cases that recently buffeted nursing homes and is now waning. Last month, more nursing home workers in Wisconsin tested positive for COVID-19 in a single week than during any other week in the pandemic — a weekly record of 1,290 workers tested positive the week ending Jan. 9. It was unclear at that point whether COVID-19 cases in residents would follow and to what extent. (Volpenhein, 2/17)

CNN: As BA.2 Subvariant Of Omicron Rises, Lab Studies Point To Signs Of Severity 
The BA.2 virus -- a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant -- isn't just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests. New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta. And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely. BA.2 is also resistant to some treatments, including sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that's currently being used against Omicron. (Goodman, 2/17)

CIDRAP: Study: COVID-19 Vaccination Protective Against Developing Long COVID
A new review of 15 studies analyzed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows COVID-19 vaccination is protective against developing symptoms of long COVID, or symptoms lasting longer than 4 weeks after the initial infection. The UKHSA said approximately 2% of people in the United Kingdom with COVID-19 have gone on to develop long COVID, with the most common symptoms being lingering fatigue, shortness of breath, and muscle and joint pain. (2/17)

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccines Offer Lasting Protection Against Reinfection, Studies Find 
A pair of studies yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) suggest good, durable protection of COVID-19 vaccines against recurrent infection. Researchers from Clalit Health Services in Tel Aviv, Israel, retrospectively analyzed the electronic health records of 83,356 recipients of at least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after recovery from infection and 65,676 unvaccinated survivors. (Van Beusekom, 2/17)

The New York Times: Will Adults Need A Fourth Dose Of Covid Vaccine? It’s Too Soon To Know
Although new federal data suggests that the effectiveness of booster shots wanes after about four months, the Biden administration is not planning to recommend fourth doses of the coronavirus vaccine anytime soon. “We simply don’t have enough data to know that it’s a good thing to do,” Dr. Peter Marks, who heads the division of the Food and Drug Administration that regulates vaccines, said in an interview this week. (LaFraniere, 2/17)

Stat: Pfizer Criticized Over Patent Strategy For Covid-19 Pill
Although Pfizer (PFE) agreed to make its Covid-19 pill available in 95 low and middle-income countries, the company is simultaneously filing patents in dozens of other nations representing nearly half of the global population, raising fresh questions about restricted access, according to a new report. Such a patent strategy is expected given the potential for the pill, called Paxlovid, to generate significant revenue. Last week, Pfizer forecasted sales of $22 billion this year, although that could rise depending on whether additional contracts are signed or extended with countries not covered by the deal with the Medicines Patent Pool. (Silverman, 2/17)

The Atlantic: COVID Is More Like Smoking Than The Flu
It’s suddenly become acceptable to say that COVID is—or will soon be—like the flu. Such analogies have long been the preserve of pandemic minimizers, but lately they’ve been creeping into more enlightened circles. Last month the dean of a medical school wrote an open letter to his students suggesting that for a vaccinated person, the risk of death from COVID-19 is “in the same realm, or even lower, as the average American’s risk from flu.” A few days later, David Leonhardt said as much to his millions of readers in the The New York Times’ morning newsletter. And three prominent public-health experts have called for the government to recognize a “new normal” in which the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus “is but one of several circulating respiratory viruses that include influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and more.” (Mazer, 2/17)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Paid $6.6 Billion In Non-Hospice Care For Hospice Patients
Medicare may be paying twice for some items and services provided to hospice patients, according to a Health and Human Services Department Office of Inspector General report Wednesday. Medicare claims data shows the government paid out $6.6 billion in non-hospice claims for hospice patients between 2010 and 2019, primarily from costs associated with for-profit hospices. The findings indicate that Medicare could be double paying for these services if providers bill for non-hospice items and services that should already be covered through the hospice bundle, the OIG report said. (Goldman, 2/17)

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Medicaid Closer To Launching Reform For Severe-Needs Children
The Ohio Department of Medicaid took an important step Thursday toward its July rollout of a revamped and reformed Medicaid system, announcing the 20 organizations that would launch the OhioRISE program, short for Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellence. The program would fix the current situation where parents are at risk of giving up custody of their children to the state in order to get the required, unaffordable mental health and residential care needed by a child with severe behavioral and mental problems. (Wu, 2/17)

AP: Home Care Workers Block Hartford Street, Demand Better Wages
Unionized home care workers and their supporters blocked a major Hartford intersection near the state Capitol on Thursday, demanding Gov. Ned Lamont allocate more funding in his proposed state budget for better wages and basic benefits, including health insurance and paid sick days. Lt. Aaron Boisvert, a spokesperson for the Hartford Police, said 20 people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. A news release issued by the union SEIU District 1199NE said 21 people were arrested during the protest, which shut down the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Trinity, Washington and Lafayette streets. (2/18)

AP: Pharmaceutical Company To Add 400 Jobs In North Carolina 
An over-the-counter pharmaceutical company is expanding its facilities in North Carolina and adding nearly 400 jobs, officials said Thursday. News outlets report BestCo LLC is investing another $177 million in expanding its Mooresville facilities, according to an announcement from the Iredell County Economic Development Corporation and state officials. (2/17)

AP: No New Settlement Yet Of Opioid Claims Against Purdue Pharma 
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and a group of states have not been able to agree on a multibillion-dollar settlement of lawsuits over the drug's role in the opioid crisis after more than a month of mediation. A mediator could call for still more talks between the parties, Purdue lawyer Marshall Huebner said at a hearing Thursday, indicating there could be a call for further mediation. (Mulvihill, 2/17)

AP: High Levels Of 'Forever Chemicals' Found In Those Near Base
Residents living near an Air National Guard base in northern Delaware have average blood levels of certain toxic manmade chemicals that are significantly higher than the national average, according to a report by federal researchers. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry tested 214 people from 134 households for exposure to fluorinated chemical compounds that are collectively known as PFAS. The study included analyzing blood and urine samples, as well as testing tap water and dust samples from a small subset of homes. (Chase, 2/17)

CBS News: Sure And Brut Deodorant Sprays Recalled Nationwide After Benzene Detected 
Sure and Brut aerosol deodorant sprays sold nationwide are being recalled due to the presence of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, according to a notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration. The recall includes all lot numbers with expiration dates on or before August 2023, TCP Hot Acquisition dba HRB Brands, which markets the products, stated Wednesday in a news release. (Gibson, 2/17)

ABC News: Lead Contamination Found In Philadelphia Schools' Water: Report 
An environmental group said Philadelphia's school system needs to re-examine and rework its water pipes after a study found major lead contamination in school buildings. The report, which was released by the PennPIRG Education Fund, the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center and the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality, found that 61% of outlets tested across 65 schools were tainted with lead. (Pereira, 2/17)

ABC News: Sexual Assault Reports Increase At US Military Academies
Reported sexual assaults at the U.S. military academies increased sharply during the 2020-21 school year, as students returned to in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic. The increase continues what officials believe is an upward trend at the academies, despite an influx of new sexual assault prevention and treatment programs. (Baldor, 2/17)

The Washington Post: U.S. Will ‘Surge’ Vaccine Support To 11 African Countries 
The Biden administration will “surge” more than $250 million in coronavirus vaccine assistance to 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including several where the omicron variant was first identified, as it ramps up efforts to help vaccinate the world, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post and confirmed by global health officials. The Global VAX initiative, which the administration outlined in December, represents the latest effort to carry out President Biden’s vows to help end the pandemic and restore U.S. health leadership. (Diamond and Rauhala, 2/17)

The Washington Post: Africa May Have Been Hit Harder By The Coronavirus Pandemic Than Anyone Knew 
It’s one of the enduring mysteries of covid-19: Why didn’t the pandemic hit low-income African nations as hard as wealthy countries in North America and Europe? There is no simple answer to that question. But this week, two new studies added to our understanding of it. One suggested that the number of covid-19 cases may be vastly undercounted across the continent; another found good evidence that the number of deaths in at least one country could be significantly undercounted. (Taylor, 2/18)

Bloomberg: Malawi Has Its First Wild Polio Case In Three Decades
The first wild polio virus case in 30 years has been confirmed in Malawi, sparking concern that the disease that causes paralysis could spread from the only two countries where it is endemic, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Malawian case in the capital, Lilongwe, has been tied to a strain of the virus found in an outbreak in Pakistan’s Sindh province in 2019, the Global Polio Laboratory Network said in a statement on Thursday. The samples from the three-year-old girl were collected in late November after onset of paralysis. (Sguazzin, 2/18)