First Edition: Feb. 2, 2021

KHN and WHYY: In Philadelphia, A Scandal Erupts Over Vaccination Startup Led By 22-Year-Old 
It started as a group of college friends who wanted to help during the pandemic. They had tech skills, so they used 3D printers to make face shields. Then they organized as a nonprofit, Philly Fighting Covid, and opened a testing site in a Philadelphia neighborhood that didn’t have one yet. The organization’s leader, Andrei Doroshin, had bigger ambitions. Even before the first coronavirus vaccine was authorized, the 22-year-old graduate student at Drexel University planned to get involved, although he has no background in health care. (Feldman, Marin and Yu, 2/2)

KHN: With Demand Far Exceeding Supply, It Matters That People Are Jumping The Vaccine Line 
The Biden administration’s much-needed national strategy to end the covid-19 pandemic includes plans to remedy the chaotic vaccination effort with “more people, more places, more supply.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency will open more vaccination sites, the government will buy more doses, and more people will be immunized. Still, by all estimates, the demand for vaccines will far exceed the supply for months to come. For weeks, Americans have watched those who are well connected, wealthy or crafty “jump the line” to get a vaccine, while others are stuck, endlessly waiting on hold to get an appointment, watching sign-up websites crash or loitering outside clinics in the often-futile hope of getting a shot. (Rosenthal, 2/2)

KHN: Long-Haul Covid Cases Cast New Light On Chronic Fatigue Sufferers 
Four weeks after San Diego pediatric nurse Jennifer Minhas fell ill with covid-19 last March, her cough and fever had resolved, but new symptoms had emerged: chest pain, an elevated heart rate and crushing fatigue. Her primary care physician told her she was just anxious, and that none of her other covid patients had those issues. “That wasn’t what I needed to hear,” Minhas said. At times, she’s been too exhausted to hold up her head. “I was kind of a zombie for months, shuffling around unable to do much of anything.” (Cool, 2/2)

KHN: When Your Chance For A Covid Shot Comes, Don’t Worry About The Numbers 
When getting vaccinated against covid-19, there’s no sense being picky. You should take the first authorized vaccine that’s offered, experts say. The newest covid vaccine on the horizon, from Johnson & Johnson, is probably a little less effective at preventing sickness than the two shots already being administered around the United States, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. On Friday, Johnson & Johnson announced that, in a 45,000-person trial, its vaccine was about 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe covid illness. No one who received the vaccine was hospitalized with or died of the disease, according to the company, which said it expected to seek Food and Drug Administration authorization as early as this week. If the agency authorizes use of the vaccine, millions of doses could be shipped out of J&J’s warehouses beginning in late February. (Allen and Szabo, 2/1)

KHN: Head-Scratching Over Newsom’s Choice Of Blue Shield To Lead Vaccination Push 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, struggling to salvage a once-bright political future dimmed by his mishandling of the covid crisis, tapped nonprofit health insurer Blue Shield of California last week to allocate the state’s covid vaccine. The company has thus far said little about how it plans to reorganize a gargantuan and complicated vaccination campaign that has befuddled and frustrated public health officials and vaccine seekers alike. (Wolfson, 2/1)

Bloomberg: U.S. Hits Pandemic Milestone With More Vaccinated Than Cases
More Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine than have tested positive for the virus, an early but hopeful milestone in the race to end the pandemic. As of Monday afternoon, 26.5 million Americans had received one or both doses of the current vaccines, according to data compiled by the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Since the first U.S. patient tested positive outside of Seattle a year ago, 26.3 million people in the country have tested positive for the disease, and 443,000 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. (Fay Cortez and Court, 2/1)

Reuters: New U.S. Transit Mask Rules Ordered By Biden Take Effect 
New rules took effect just before midnight Tuesday requiring millions of travelers in the United States to wear masks on airplanes, trains, buses, ferries, taxis and ride-share vehicles and in airports, stations, ports and other transit hubs. ... American Airlines said customers with disabilities unable to wear a mask must notify the airline 72 hours prior to departure to request an exemption and show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of departure or proof of recovery to board. (Shepardson, 2/2)

The Washington Post: Transportation Agencies Wrestle With New Federal Mask Mandate 
A new federal order requiring masks at airports and aboard trains and buses creates a layer of protection for federal safety screeners while putting added pressure on transit drivers and operators on the front lines to enforce the mandate, transit officials say. Across the Washington region, airports and transportation agencies have required passengers to wear face coverings for months, enforcing those rules to varying degrees. The new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order, effective at 11:59 p.m. Monday, requires a new level of enforcement, telling drivers and operators to act as gatekeepers, denying entry to riders who try to board without their faces shielded. (Lazo, Aratani and George, 2/1)

The Hill: Airline Employees Applaud New Federal Mask Mandate 
Airline and airport workers are praising a new rule that authorizes the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to fine passengers who refuse to wear masks. Labor unions and airport administrators for months have been calling on the federal government to impose nationwide health policies for air travel. (Gangitano, 2/1)

The New York Times: Moderna Could Boost Vaccine Supply By Adding Doses To Vials 
U.S. regulators could decide within a few weeks whether to allow Moderna, the developer of one of the two federally authorized Covid-19 vaccines, to increase the number of doses in its vials — which could accelerate the nation’s vaccination rate. Moderna is hoping to raise the number of doses in its vials to as many as 15 from the current 10 doses, a potential 50 percent increase. The proposal reflects the fact that the company has been ramping up production of its vaccine to the point where the final manufacturing stage, when it is bottled, capped and labeled, has emerged as a roadblock to expanding its distribution. (2/2)

Politico: Biden Covid Adviser Tells Providers To Stop Stockpiling Vaccine 
The Biden administration is advising health care providers across the country against holding back doses of Covid-19 vaccines, amid reports that hospitals are reserving limited supply to ensure that patients receive doses. Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to the White House's Covid response team, said providers should be confident that there will be a steady supply of doses and that stockpiling "does not need to happen and should not happen." (Ehley, 2/1)

The Hill: Biden Officials Defend Two-Dose Strategy Amid Fears Of Variants 
Top Biden administration health officials made clear Monday that they are not changing strategy to give people only one dose of vaccine instead of two in an effort to speed the process, but at the same time urged health care providers not to be overly cautious in holding second doses in reserve. (Sullivan, 2/1)

CIDRAP: Experts Tout Delaying 2nd COVID Vaccine Dose As US Deaths Mount
Following record COVID-19 deaths in January, several US experts extolled the benefits of vaccinating as many people as possible with one dose of COVID vaccine before ensuring people receive the recommended second dose. ... "The maximum public health benefit would come from giving a single dose to as many people as possible, and following up with a second dose when supply improves," said Neal Halsey, MD, of Johns Hopkins University, in an interview. Halsey and Stanley Plotkin, MD, co-authored a letter in Clinical Infectious Diseases last week explaining how delaying a second dose of vaccine would accelerate the US vaccine rollout. (Soucheray, 2/1)

The New York Times: Have You Had Covid-19? Study Says You May Need Only One Vaccine Dose 
In a study posted online on Monday, researchers found that people who had previously been infected with the virus reported fatigue, headache, chills, fever, and muscle and joint pain after the first shot compared more frequently than did those who had never been infected. Covid survivors also had far higher antibody levels after both the first and second doses of the vaccine. (Willyard, 2/1)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Reaches Deal For At-Home Covid-19 Tests 
The Food and Drug Administration previously authorized the test. So far, the FDA has cleared three Covid-19 tests that can be processed entirely at home, but Ellume’s is the only one that doesn’t require a prescription. None are widely available at this point. The company is expected to produce 19 million tests a month by the end of the year, Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House Covid-19 response team, said Monday. Based on the agreement, 8.5 million tests will be guaranteed to the U.S. government. (Parti and Abbott, 2/1)

The Washington Post: Rapid At-Home Coronavirus Tests Will Soon Be More Widely Available To Americans 
The White House announced Monday it is buying 8.5 million rapid coronavirus tests that can be taken at home without a prescription and that yield immediate results. The $231.8 million contract will allow the Australian company Ellume, which manufacturers the tests, to quickly scale up its production and create a manufacturing facility in the United States. Once running, that factory will be able to produce 19 million tests per month. (Wan, 2/1)

NPR: U.S. Cuts $231 Million Deal To Provide 15-Minute COVID-19 At-Home Tests
In a press release, the company said its contract, with the U.S. Defense Department, will help fund construction of Ellume's first manufacturing plant in the U.S. Once completed, it will produce more than 500,000 tests per day, according to the company. The test uses a relatively short nasal swab to collect a sample. The sample is put into a digital analyzer linked to a smartphone app. In December, the company told NPR that the test would be available for about $30. (Simmons-Duffin and Chappell, 2/1)

The Washington Post: Judge Throws Out Trump Rule Limiting What Science EPA Can Use
A federal judge on Monday vacated the Trump administration rule limiting which scientific studies the Environmental Protection Agency can use in crafting public health protections, overturning one of the last major actions taken by the agency before President Biden took office. The ruling by Judge Brian Morris, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, Great Falls, marked a victory for environmental groups and public health advocates. Just two weeks before Biden’s inauguration, EPA finalized a rule requiring researchers to disclose the raw data involved in their public health studies before the agency could rely upon their conclusions. (Eilperin, 2/1)

AP: Biden Meets Republicans On Virus Aid, But No Quick Deal
President Joe Biden told Republican senators during a two-hour meeting he’s unwilling to settle on an insufficient coronavirus aid package after they pitched their slimmed down $618 billion proposal that’s a fraction of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking. No compromise was reached in the lengthy session Monday night, Biden’s first with lawmakers at the White House, and Democrats in Congress pushed ahead with groundwork for approving his COVID relief plan with or without Republican votes. Despite the Republican group’s appeal for bipartisanship, as part of Biden’s efforts to unify the country, the president made it clear he won’t delay aid in hopes of winning GOP support. (Mascaro, Boak and Lemire, 2/2)

The Hill: Biden, GOP Senators Agree To More COVID-19 Talks After 'Excellent' First Meeting 
President Biden and a group of 10 GOP senators agreed on Monday to hold additional negotiations on coronavirus relief, as they look to find room to craft a bipartisan agreement. The group of Republicans met with Biden at the White House on Monday for roughly two hours, significantly longer than either side had expected the meeting would last. (Carney, 2/1)

Politico: Biden Takes A Fine-If-We-Get-It Approach To Bipartisanship 
Joe Biden was eager to meet with Republican senators Monday to discuss Covid relief legislation. But the show of bipartisanship is likely to be just that — a show. Advisers to the president say they are mindful of getting bogged down in talks with Republicans, whose offer didn’t even meet the president halfway on his $1.9 trillion package. And current White House aides who served in the Obama administration confess to being particularly wary after Republicans drew out negotiations and stonewalled much of the former president’s agenda. (Pager, Kumar and Barron-Lopez, 2/1)

The Washington Post: How Biden Could Use Reconciliation To Get Americans Coronavirus Relief Checks 
Two paths have emerged for the next round of coronavirus relief — putting President Biden’s stated desire to reach across the aisle to get legislation passed to an early test, and setting up Democrats to find out how united really is their slim 50-50 Senate majority. Most bills require 60 votes to pass in the Senate; that’s why Biden on Monday is meeting with a group of 10 GOP senators who have a $618 billion counterproposal, a package less than a third of the size he is seeking. (Stevenson, 2/1)

The Washington Post: CBO: U.S. Unemployment Rate To Remain Above Pre-Pandemic Level Through Decade 
The nation’s unemployment rate will not return to its pre-pandemic levels through the rest of this decade, meaning millions could be out of work even after vaccines are widely distributed, according to a projection released Monday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The nonpartisan budget office also projected a faster-than-expected rebound in economic growth as the nation’s economy recovers more quickly than analysts had initially expected. (Stein and Van Dam, 2/1)

The Washington Post: Poor Handling Of Virus Cost Trump His Reelection, Campaign Autopsy Finds
Former president Donald Trump lost the 2020 election largely due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a post-election autopsy completed by Trump campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio. The 27-page document shows that voters in 10 key states rated the pandemic as their top voting issue, and President Biden won higher marks on the topic. The report also indicates that Trump lost ground among key demographic groups he needed. (Dawsey, 2/1)

Politico: Trump Pollster's Campaign Autopsy Paints Damning Picture Of Defeat 
Former President Donald Trump has blamed the election results on unfounded claims of fraud and malfeasance. But at the top levels of his campaign, a detailed autopsy report that circulated among his political aides paints a far different — and more critical — portrait of what led to his defeat. The post-mortem, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, says the former president suffered from voter perception that he wasn’t honest or trustworthy and that he was crushed by disapproval of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. And while Trump spread baseless accusations of ballot-stuffing in heavily Black cities, the report notes that he was done in by hemorrhaging support from white voters. (Isenstadt, 2/1)

NPR: Meatpacking Companies, OSHA Face Investigation Over Coronavirus In Plants
A U.S. House subcommittee is investigating coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants, citing the deaths of more than 250 employees nationwide and accusing the Trump administration of failing to enforce worker safety laws. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, announced the probe in a press release on Monday. He said he sent letters requesting documents from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the Department of Labor, as well as three of the country's largest meatpacking companies: Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods and JBS USA. (Treisman, 2/1)

Politico: New CDC Data Shows Stark Disparities In Coronavirus Shots 
Why it matters: President Joe Biden wants an equitable distribution of the coronavirus vaccine, but preliminary reports showcase just how much ground will need to be made up. (Roubein, 2/1)

Fox News: Nearly Half Of US Coronavirus Case, Vaccination Race/Ethnicity Data Is Missing
"These insights from our data are critical for our ability to target and triage our response," Nunez-Smith said at the briefing Monday. "Without good data, we are at a disadvantage in terms of equity planning." "We must address these insufficient data points as an urgent priority," she added. The coronavirus pandemic has emphasized deep-rooted and long-standing inequities; racial minorities suffer a heightened risk of hospitalization and death due to the novel virus compared to white individuals, though the rates vary by race/ethnicity. (Rivas, 2/1)

The Washington Post: Race And Ethnicity Data Missing For Nearly Half Of Coronavirus Vaccine Recipients, Federal Study Finds 
Race and ethnicity data was missing for nearly half of all coronavirus vaccine recipients during the first month shots were available, further stymieing efforts to ensure an equitable response to a pandemic that continues to unduly burden communities of color, federal researchers reported Monday. The findings on vaccination data illustrate that a long-standing lack of information on the race and ethnicity of who has been diagnosed with covid-19, the illness caused by the virus, has carried over to who has been inoculated. (Johnson, 2/1)

AP: US Won't Make Immigration Arrests At Virus Vaccination Sites
The U.S. government says it won’t be making routine immigration enforcement arrests at COVID-19 vaccination sites. Vaccination sites will be considered “sensitive locations” and generally off limits for enforcement actions, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Monday. (2/1)

The Hill: DHS Encourages Vaccination Regardless Of Immigration Status 
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday said it would not conduct enforcement activities near COVID-19 vaccination sites as a way to encourage immigrants to seek the vaccine regardless of their status. “It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States have access to the vaccine,” the agency wrote in a release. “DHS is committed to ensuring that every individual who needs a vaccine can get one, regardless of their immigration status.” (Beitsch, 2/1)

Houston Chronicle: FEMA Is Stepping In To Help With Texas' COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
As part of President Joe Biden's plan to give 150 million vaccinations over 100 days, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is deploying or supporting vaccination efforts in 11 states, including Texas. Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Washington are currently home to nine federally supported vaccination sites as of Jan. 27, NBC News' Laura Strickler and Dennis Romero reported over the weekend.(Rosenthal, 2/1)

Stateline: Without A Ride Many In Need Have No Shot At COVID-19 Vaccine
While state and local governments have been busy planning for and distributing vaccines, many have left out an important piece: how to provide transportation to people who can’t get to those sites. Millions of older adults and low-income people of color who are at higher risk of contracting the virus don’t have cars, don’t drive or don’t live near public transit. Some are homebound. Some live in rural areas far from vaccination sites. “It’s incredibly complicated how the vaccine planning played out across the country. Transportation was overlooked,” said Denny Chan, a senior staff attorney at Justice in Aging, a national legal advocacy organization for low-income older adults. (Bergal, 2/1)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Plans To Launch Web Portal For Scheduling Second Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine
Houston officials plan to launch a website this week that will let people schedule appointments for their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Health Director Stephen Williams on Monday said officials plan to send out that link to people who got their first shot from the city “later this week, and maybe even as soon as tomorrow.” The new process would be welcome news to people waiting on their second doses, many of whom have grown uneasy as their windows for the booster shot approach. Currently, city health workers call vaccinees to schedule their shots in the week before the 28-day window when the second dose is recommended. (McGuinness, 2/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccines To Stress-Test Grocery Stores And Pharmacies 
Some of America’s biggest retailers are preparing to take a central role in administering Covid-19 shots, hoping to avoid logjams and other complications that have slowed the vaccine rollout’s early days. The U.S. fell far short of its initial goal of inoculating 20 million people by the end of 2020, with health departments, hospital systems and long-term-care facilities beset by supply-chain bottlenecks, vaccine hesitancy and confusing, scattershot systems for making appointments. (Terlep and Kang, 2/1)

Modern Healthcare: Optum Says It Erroneously Billed 249 People For COVID-19 Vaccine
Optum accidentally charged 249 Medicare Advantage enrollees for the COVID-19 vaccine. The New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance Office said that the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary accidentally charged enrollees $34 for the administration of the vaccine and $0.05 for the vaccine itself. An Optum spokesperson said the company is contacting anyone who was sent an invoice to tell them that they do not need to pay any fees associated with the coronavirus vaccine, and all members who have already paid the bill will receive a refund. (Tepper, 2/1)

The Washington Post: As Teachers Struggle For Vaccines, A Celebrity SoulCycle Instructor Hopped The Line By Calling Herself An ‘Educator’
After driving an hour to a Staten Island coronavirus vaccination site on Friday, SoulCycle celebrity instructor Stacey Griffith made her case to officials as to why she should receive a first dose of the Moderna vaccine. What qualified Griffith, a spin instructor with a cult following among New York’s wealthy gym-goers, for the hard-to-come-by vaccine? The 52-year-old was an “educator,” she told the Daily Beast this weekend. (Shepherd, 2/2)

The Wall Street Journal: After The Covid Vaccine, People Find Joy In Little Things 
Sergio Tristán, a 65-year-old retired State Department employee, really missed squeezing his own tomatoes at the grocery store. He recently received the first dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine and the second is scheduled for early February. Suddenly, life’s little joys, the kind that have been shelved for many people for almost a year, are back on the horizon. “Picking up the tomatoes at the store makes a big difference,” he says. (Bartholomew, 2/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid Wears On, Essential Workers Carry On: ‘Everybody Forgets That You’re Still On The Front Line’ 
When the state shut down around her in March, 67-year-old Joyce Babineau, a supermarket employee in Dartmouth, Mass., was among the many workers who stayed on the job providing basic needs during the pandemic. She felt pride walking into Stop & Shop at 6 a.m. five days a week. She also felt constant dread knowing she was risking the health of her husband, who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (Levitz, Bauerlein and Lazo, 2/1)

The Washington Post: New Diabetes Cases Linked To Covid-19 
Although covid-19 often attacks the lungs, it is increasingly associated with a range of problems including blood clots, neurological disorders, and kidney and heart damage. Researchers say new-onset diabetes may soon be added to those complications — both Type 1, in which people cannot make the insulin needed to regulate their blood sugar, and Type 2, in which they make too little insulin or become resistant to their insulin, causing their blood sugar levels to rise. But scientists do not know whether covid-19 might hasten already developing problems or actually cause them — or both. (Blakemore, 2/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19’s Effects May Linger In Your Body, Even After Asymptomatic Cases
Even people with asymptomatic Covid cases can have after-effects in their bodies, research indicates, raising questions about possible risks later in life. An estimated one-quarter to one-third of Covid infections are asymptomatic, according to recent studies. Multiple studies have shown asymptomatic patients can have irregular lung scans. A couple of small studies have found cardiac issues in student athletes, including those with asymptomatic infections. And a study looking at asymptomatic and mild cases of Covid in children found signs of possible small blood vessel damage. (Reddy, 2/1)

The New York Times: Alzheimer’s Prediction May Be Found In Writing Tests 
Is it possible to predict who will develop Alzheimer’s disease simply by looking at writing patterns years before there are symptoms? According to a new study by IBM researchers, the answer is yes. And, they and others say that Alzheimer’s is just the beginning. People with a wide variety of neurological illnesses have distinctive language patterns that, investigators suspect, may serve as early warning signs of their diseases. (Kolata, 2/1)

NPR: Tony Bennett Has Alzheimer's Disease
The family of legendary singer Tony Bennett — a staple presence who introduced generations to the American songbook and pop standards — says he has Alzheimer's disease. The announcement was made in a profile of Bennett published by AARP The Magazine on Monday; his wife, Susan Benedetto, says that he was diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 2016. On Monday morning, Bennett's Twitter account posted a note in the singer's name, writing: "Life is a gift - even with Alzheimer's. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and AARP The Magazine for telling my story." (Tsioulcas, 2/1)

Modern Healthcare: Humana Partners With In-Home Provider For 24/7 Care
Humana has partnered with in-home service provider DispatchHealth to offer in-home emergency and acute care to its 8.4 million Medicare members, as demand for out-of-office treatment rises during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among those living with chronic conditions. The Louisville, Ken.-based insurer will immediately roll out DispatchHealth's services to enrollees in Denver, Colo. and Tacoma, Wash., with plans to expand to cities in Texas, Arizona, and Nevada by the end of the year. The Denver, Colo.-based home healthcare provider offers patients 24/7 remote monitoring by an internal medicine physician specialized in ER training, a physician's assistant and a nurse practitioner, along with daily visits from providers, including bedside nursing. (Tepper, 2/1)

Stat: Survey: Majority Of Docs Hold Misconceptions About People With Disabilities
A new survey of U.S. doctors finds that more than 80% believe people with a significant disability have a worse quality of life than those who are not disabled, underscoring how physicians’ perceptions across specialties could negatively influence the care of the more than 61 million Americans with disabilities. (Sohn, 2/1)

Bloomberg: Humana To Join Cigna Drug-Buying Group For Some Members
Humana Inc. has agreed to join a purchasing group run by rival Cigna Corp. in a move that the health insurer says will help drive down its drug costs for its commercial members. Beginning April 1, Humana will join a Cigna purchasing organization called Ascent Health Services to give it access to greater discounts from drugmakers, the companies confirmed to Bloomberg News. Ascent manages commercial rebates, the payments that drugmakers make to health plans. The agreement covers drug contracting and negotiations for Humana’s commercial business. (Tozzi, 2/1)

Stat: PBMs Take Heavy Criticism From A New Source: Local Officials
In what is being described as an unusual move, a Pennsylvania county is openly blaming pharmacy benefit managers for high prices in the opaque pharmaceutical pricing system, a move that suggests more local officials may start scrutinizing these controversial middlemen. (Silverman, 2/1)

The New York Times: How Rich Hospitals Profit From Patients In Car Crashes 
When Monica Smith was badly hurt in a car accident, she assumed Medicaid would cover the medical bills. Ms. Smith, 45, made sure to show her insurance card after an ambulance took her to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. She spent three days in the hospital and weeks in a neck brace. But the hospital never sent her bills to Medicaid, which would have paid for the care in full, and the hospital refused requests to do so. Instead, it pursued an amount five times higher from Ms. Smith directly by placing a lien on her accident settlement. (Kliff and Silver-Greenberg, 2/1)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pandemic-Weary People Are Still Having Risky Sex, But STD Test Kits Are In Short Supply, Philly Experts Say
Public health experts say their fears about pandemic-related testing supply shortages are coming true as tests for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) decline even as risky sex behavior may be more prevalent. Last summer, sexual health centers sounded the alarm that the pandemic was affecting their ability to screen patients for STDs. The issue is particularly concerning in Philadelphia, where rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia have for years far exceeded national averages. Many centers had to temporarily suspend their walk-in testing services — some of which serve patients who don’t have health insurance — and saw a drop in the number of people getting tested. (Ao, 2/2)

The Hill: CDC Issues Guidelines On Attending Super Bowl Celebrations Amid Coronavirus Pandemic 
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidelines on attending celebrations and watch parties for and ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday. The CDC advised that “attending large gatherings like the Super Bowl increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19,” calling on fans to watch the game at home with the people who live with them instead of hosting or attending a gathering. (Pitofsky, 2/1)

The New York Times: What To Know About Covid-19 And The 2021 Super Bowl 
But like everything else in the year since the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Fla., has been adapted to Covid-19 health guidelines and scaled down, despite the excitement over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers becoming the first N.F.L. team to play in the championship game in its home venue — Raymond James Stadium. While the football being played on Sunday will look largely the same as in other years, nearly everything else surrounding the Super Bowl will be different. (Belson, 2/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Chicago Schools Make Progress In Talks With Teachers On Reopening 
City leaders cited progress in its talks with the teachers union over a plan to reopen elementary schools amid the coronavirus pandemic and called for a two-day cooling-off period to resolve remaining issues. The nation’s third-largest school district also said it wouldn’t take away teachers’ access to remote learning software, a step the teacher’s union has said could trigger a strike. (Barrett, 2/1)

The New York Times: 9 Top N.Y. Health Officials Have Quit As Cuomo Scorns Expertise 
The deputy commissioner for public health at the New York State Health Department resigned in late summer. Soon after, the director of its bureau of communicable disease control also stepped down. So did the medical director for epidemiology. Last month, the state epidemiologist said she, too, would be leaving. The drumbeat of high-level departures in the middle of the pandemic came as morale plunged in the Health Department and senior health officials expressed alarm to one another over being sidelined and treated disrespectfully, according to five people with direct experience inside the department. Their concern had an almost singular focus: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. (Goodman, Goldstein and McKinley, 2/1)

Politico: 'F---Ing Livid': Florida Democratic Party Chair Pledges To Fix Insurance Lapse That Blindsided Staff
The cash-strapped Florida Democratic Party allowed health insurance for its employees to lapse late last year, leaving some staff unable to pay medical bills and rattling the already struggling organization anew. Insurance for employees of the state party ended on Nov. 30, according to records and staffers interviewed by POLITICO. The decision left many staff unknowingly without health coverage for weeks. Some had piled up medical bills they'd later be on the hook for as they scheduled post-election procedures and appointments believing they had coverage, according to interviews with seven current and former party staffers and officials. (Dixon, 2/1)

The Washington Post: Anti-Vaccine Protest At Dodger Stadium Was Organized On Facebook, Including Promotion Of Banned ‘Plandemic’ Video 
The anti-vaccine protest that temporarily cut off access to a mass vaccination site at Dodger Stadium was organized on Facebook through a page that promotes debunked claims about the coronavirus pandemic, masks and immunization. The Facebook page, “Shop Mask Free Los Angeles,” issued a call last week to gather Saturday at the baseball park. Health authorities have been administering shots to as many as 8,000 people a day at the site, one of the largest vaccination centers in the country. Such venues form a critical component of the effort to corral the pandemic, which has lashed Los Angeles County so brutally in recent weeks that oxygen for patients has been in short supply. (Stanley-Becker, 2/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: State Report Details How Botched Inmate Transfers Sparked 'Public Health Disaster' At San Quentin
California prison officials and medical staff sparked a “public health disaster” with their botched handling of prisoner transfers to San Quentin and Corcoran state prisons last year, the state’s Office of Inspector General said in a blistering report Monday. Prison operators also failed to contain the disaster after inmates starting falling sick from coronavirus infections, the report said. The OIG is responsible for oversight and monitoring of the state’s correctional system. The 60-page report said executives from California Correctional Health Care Services pressured officials at the California Institute for Men in Chino to rush the medical screenings of 189 incarcerated people before transferring them to Corcoran State Prison and San Quentin State Prison. (Williams, 2/1)

The Hill: Michigan County Prosecutor Dismissing All Charges Related To Violating Whitmer's COVID-19 Orders
The Wayne County, Michigan, prosecutor declared on Monday that she will dismiss all charges related to  the violation of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) COVID-19 executive orders after a state Supreme Court ruling. Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office released a statement announcing that the almost 1,700 cases in the county involving violations of Whitmer’s coronavirus restrictions, most of which were in Detroit, would be dismissed. (Coleman, 2/1)

AP: Bill Requires North Dakota's Health Officer To Be A Doctor
The North Dakota Legislature is considering a measure that would require the state’s health officer to be a practicing licensed physician .The Republican-backed bill comes after a trio of health officers hand-picked by GOP Gov. Doug Burgum quit while the coronavirus pandemic was worsening in the state. Dirk Wilke, who has no medical training, has been the interim state health officer since September. (MacPherson, 2/1)

AP: Nebraska To Start Issuing Emergency SNAP Benefits On Feb. 9
Nebraska will start issuing emergency supplemental nutrition benefits to people who qualify on Feb. 9, state officials said Monday. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, will get increased money on their EBT cards. The extra assistance comes from the federal government. (2/1)

Reuters: UK Begins Door-To-Door Testing Of 80,000 People As New COVID Variants Spread 
Britain begins a door-to-door COVID-19 testing of 80,000 people on Tuesday in a bid to stem the spread of a new highly infectious so called South African variant of the novel coronavirus. Public Health England said it had identified a total of 105 cases of the South African variant since Dec. 22, and to contain new outbreaks, residents in eight areas of the country will now be tested whether or not they are showing symptoms, a process known as “surge testing”. (McKay, 2/2)