First Edition: Feb. 3, 2021

KHN: 100 Million Covid Shots In 100 Days Doesn’t Get Us Back To Normal 
April 30 will mark the end of the first 100 days of President Joe Biden’s tenure. That’s a benchmark presidents often set for making good on high-priority campaign promises. In early December, Biden announced that one promise would be to get 100 million covid-19 vaccines into the arms of Americans in the first 100 days, averaging about 1 million daily doses. The U.S. reached that pace around Inauguration Day but will have to maintain it for the next three months for Biden to reach his goal. If realized, how will everyday life change? We asked the experts. (Knight, 2/3)

KHN: Dispelling Vaccine Misinformation And Myths In California’s Breadbasket
Dust swirled in the air as Luz Gallegos parked her SUV on the side of a dirt road. She had just learned that her aunt died of covid-19 — the third family member to succumb to the disease in only two weeks. She stepped out of her car at about 11:30 a.m. onto a bell pepper farm in this agricultural community in the Coachella Valley, a little northwest of the Salton Sea. Gallegos, a daughter of farmworkers who had worked in the fields herself, had only 15 minutes to make what she considered a life-or-death pitch to roughly 20 workers who had just finished a break. The farm had already seen two workers fall ill to covid. “We’re losing people in our community each day,” she said. (de Marco, 2/3)

KHN and KUT: In Austin, Some Try To Address Vaccine Inequity, But A Broad Plan Is Elusive
Communities of color have been among the hardest hit during the pandemic. But advocates in Texas say those communities are likely to have a harder time getting the vaccine in the coming months, so they are urging local leaders to step in. Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the county executive in the Austin area, put together a vaccination event recently. Brown said he’d been hearing concerns that there weren’t enough places to get a covid-19 shot on the east side of Austin, which has more Black and Latino residents and more poverty than other parts of the city. (Lopez, 2/3)

The Washington Post: Russian Vaccine Sputnik V More Than 90% Effective In Interim Trial 
The Russian vaccine effort has been criticized for being too rushed, elevating nationalistic competition over scientific evidence. The publication in the Lancet, a British medical journal, marks the first large-scale, peer-reviewed results to be published showing the performance of Sputnik V — despite the fact that the vaccine has been in broad use in Russia and is being rolled out to other countries. Outside experts said the data convincingly shows the vaccine works. But because the trial was conducted in Russia in the fall, before the spread of virus variants that have shown signs of eroding vaccine effectiveness, questions loom about how protective the vaccine will be in the face of emerging threats. (Taylor and Johnson, 2/2)

CIDRAP: Russia's COVID Vaccine 92% Effective, Even In Those Over 60 
After the second dose, 16 of 14,964 (0.1%) of vaccine group participants tested positive for COVID-19, versus 62 of 4,902 (1.3%) in the placebo group. The observed vaccine effectiveness was higher than 87% in all age and sex subgroups, including a 91.8% efficacy in volunteers older than 60 years. Fifteen to 21 days after the first vaccine dose, efficacy was 73.6%, climbing to 100% after the second dose. No cases of moderate or serious COVID-19 were reported in the vaccine group, compared with 20 cases in the placebo group, for a vaccine efficacy of 100% against these disease severities. (Van Beusekom, 2/2)

AP: Russia's Coronavirus Vaccine Approved For Use In Mexico
Mexico approved the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V for use Tuesday, just hours after the publication of early results of an advanced study saying it is about 91% effective. Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell, the government’s pandemic spokesman, said the health ministry signed a contract Monday for 400,000 doses of Sputnik V that will arrive this month. That is still a tiny amount for Mexico’s 126 million people. (Delgado, 2/3)

The New York Times: Study Finds AstraZeneca Shots Drastically Cut Transmission 
The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca not only protects people from serious illness and death but also substantially slows the transmission of the virus, according to a new study — a finding that underscores the importance of mass vaccination as a path out of the pandemic. The study by researchers at the University of Oxford is the first to document evidence that any coronavirus vaccine can reduce transmission of the virus. (2/2)

The Washington Post: AstraZeneca Vaccine Shows Strong Effect Against Coronavirus With Just One Dose, While New Study Reveals Worryingly Stealthy Variants 
Researchers at the Oxford University released new results from their vaccine, which is being manufactured by AstraZeneca, showing it gives 76 percent protection for three months after just one dose. Testing also reveals that those vaccinated are much less likely to transmit the disease which will help stem the continuing spread of the virus. The good vaccine news comes amid worrying discoveries by scientists over a mutation in the coronavirus variant identified in Britain that makes it more resistant to the vaccines. The mutation, dubbed “Eeek” by scientists, alters the part of the virus targeted by most vaccines and antibodies — making it stealthier. (Schemm and Cunningham, 2/3)

Los Angeles Times: UK Says New Study Supports Delaying 2nd COVID Vaccine Dose
Britain’s health secretary says a new study showing that a single dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine provides a high level of protection for 12 weeks supports the government’s strategy of delaying the second shot so that initial doses can be delivered to more people. Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s comments Wednesday came after Oxford released a study showing that the vaccine cut transmission of the coronavirus by two-thirds and prevented severe disease. The study has not been peer-reviewed yet, but it was greeted with excitement by British officials under pressure to justify their decision to delay the second dose. (2/3)

AP: UK: New Study Vindicates Delaying 2nd Virus Vaccine Dose
The Oxford research was greeted with excitement by U.K. officials under pressure to justify their decision to delay the second dose for up to 12 weeks. “That reduction in transmission, as well as the fact there is no hospitalizations, the combination of that is very good news. And it categorically supports the strategy we’ve been taking on having a 12-week gap between the doses,” [Health Secretary Matt] Hancock told Sky News. (2/3)

The Wall Street Journal: U.K. Coronavirus Variant Acquires Mutation That Could Weaken Vaccine Defense 
Researchers say they have discovered 11 people around the southwest city of Bristol infected with the U.K.’s more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant that also has the E484K mutation. They also have found 32 cases in Liverpool of an older version of the virus that has also now acquired the extra mutation. (Sugden and Steinhauser, 2/2)

CIDRAP: New Variant COVID Findings Fuel More Worries About Vaccine Resistance 
The latest sequencing data as of Jan 26 revealed the E484K mutation in 11 of the B117 sequences and that initial analysis suggests more than one acquisition event. The same mutation is found in two other variants of concern from two other continents, B1351 and P1. Trials in South Africa—where the B1353 variant is dominant—of Novavax and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have hinted that they are less effective against the variant. (Schnirring, 2/2)

The Washington Post: Worrisome Mutation Seen In UK Variant And In Some Virus Samples In U.S. 
A coronavirus mutation that appears to limit the protection of vaccines against infection has appeared in the United Kingdom, which is already struggling with a highly transmissible and apparently more lethal virus variant. The worrisome mutation, at a site on the virus RNA called E484K, has drawn close scrutiny from infectious-disease experts, who have given it the nickname “Eeek.” (Achenbach and Booth, 2/2)

Reuters: GSK, CureVac Team Up To Develop Vaccine Against COVID-19 Variants 
Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline and German biotech firm CureVac have teamed up in a 150 million euro ($180 million) deal to develop a COVID-19 vaccine from next year that could target several variants with one shot. ... For GSK, the world’s largest vaccine maker by sales, the deal marks a fresh attempt to play a major role in fighting the pandemic after a COVID-19 alliance with Sanofi ran into delays and a collaboration with China’s Clover Biopharmaceuticals was ended. (Burger, 2/3)

Stat: GSK Teams Up With CureVac On Covid-19 Vaccines
Vaccine production giant GlaxoSmithKline announced Wednesday that it would partner with German biotech CureVac to help manufacture its messenger RNA vaccine — and jointly develop a separate vaccine to target new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (Branswell, 2/3)

AP: GSK, CureVac To Make COVID-19 Vaccines Aimed At New Variants
Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday it will work with a German biopharmaceutical company to develop new vaccines targeting emerging variants of COVID-19 amid concerns that some mutations are making the virus harder to combat. GSK plans to invest 150 million euros ($181 million) to support the research of the Tubingen, Germany-based CureVac, which is developing vaccines that use messenger RNA to attack the disease. GSK also said it will help make up to 100 million doses of the company’s existing COVID-19 vaccine candidate this year. (Kirka, 2/3)

NPR: White House Will Send Vaccines Directly To Retail Pharmacies
The program will begin on Feb. 11 on a limited basis, with vaccines sent to about 6,500 stores nationwide, Jeff Zients, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, told reporters on Tuesday. He said that the effort would then scale up and that eventually up to 40,000 retail pharmacies, including Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid locations, would receive doses directly from the federal government. Once the program starts, Zients said, those wishing to get vaccinated should follow their state's current eligibility requirements and, if eligible, then check with their local pharmacy to see if there is vaccine availability. (Swasey, 2/2)

Politico: Biden Administration To Begin Shipping Vaccine Doses Directly To Pharmacies 
The Biden administration said Tuesday it will begin distributing a limited number of Covid-19 vaccine doses directly to retail pharmacies across the nation. Many pharmacies are already administering vaccine doses that have been allocated to states. Under the new program, the federal government would ship doses directly to pharmacies. The new pharmacy initiative — which is aimed at broadening access to vaccines generally — is separate from an ongoing federal program to have Walgreens and CVS vaccinate residents of long-term care facilities. (Lim, 2/2)

CIDRAP: White House To Begin Shipping COVID-19 Vaccines To Drug Outlets 
President Joe Biden's coronavirus czar, Jeff Zients, announced the administration would send 1 million doses of mRNA vaccines to more than 6,500 pharmacies across the country next week in an effort to further expand vaccination in the United States. The 1 million doses represent a weekly shipment expected to ramp up quickly, Zients said during a press conference. The announcement builds on a federal partnership with commercial pharmacies first created under former president Donald Trump. Eventually, Zients said, 40,000 retail pharmacies, including Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid locations, will receive millions of vaccine doses to distribute. "Sites are selected based on their ability to reach some of the populations most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19, including socially vulnerable communities," said Zients, who said efforts were being made to reach communities of color. (Soucheray, 2/2)

Politico: ‘Let Them Take You To Court’: Biden Dares GOP To Obstruct Him 
Biden officials and allies are now practically daring Republicans to fight them, convinced that the public is firmly on the side of quick action. “It will save our majority if he takes that approach with everything that he does,” said House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), one of Biden’s closest allies in the House. “Don’t try to go around them. But if they refuse to do it, use his executive powers and do it. And let them take you to court.” It’s a remarkable turn from the Trump years, when Democrats were the ones doing the suing. (Korecki and Caputo, 2/2)

The Hill: Warren To Join Finance Panel Overseeing Taxes, Health Care 
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will join the Senate Finance Committee, giving her a prominent platform to push forward progressive proposals on tax policy and health care. Warren will be one of roughly a dozen Democrats to sit on the Finance panel, which has jurisdiction over taxes, trade policy, health insurance, Social Security and safety net programs. (Lane, 2/2)

Politico: Biden Signs Executive Orders On Family Separation And Asylum 
President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed executive orders to launch a long-awaited task force to reunite families separated at the border under the Trump administration, as well as begin a review of a Trump-era program that has forced tens of thousands of people to remain in Mexico while their asylum cases are processed. (Rodriguez, 2/2)

Modern Healthcare: Biden Admin To Review Rule Discouraging Immigrants From Using Medicaid
Health and immigration advocates cheered the Biden administration's announcement Tuesday that it will review a Trump-era rule that allowed immigrants' use of Medicaid and other public programs to weigh against their residency applications. The White House's instruction that agencies review the so-called public charge rule was tucked into a broader executive order the administration said is designed to restore faith in the country's legal immigration system and promote integration of new Americans. (Bannow, 2/2)

New York Times: Moderna’s Simple Fix To Vaccine Supply: More Doses In Each Vial
Moderna is asking United States regulators to approve what it says could be a remarkably simple proposal to speed up the immunization of Americans against the coronavirus: Fill empty space in its vials with as many as 50% more doses. The Food and Drug Administration could decide in a few weeks whether to allow Moderna, a Massachusetts-based biotech firm that is the developer of one of the two federally authorized COVID vaccines, to increase the number of doses in its vials to up to 15 from 10. Moderna has been ramping up production of its vaccine, but the process of filling, capping and labeling millions of tiny vials has emerged as a roadblock. The company could produce more if regulators allow it to make fuller vials, Ray Jordan, a Moderna spokesman, said late Monday. (LaFraniere and Weiland, 2/2)

The Hill: Moderna Wants To Increase Amount Of Coronavirus Vaccine In Each Vial 
Moderna is seeking permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase the amount of vaccine sealed within each vial in the hopes of relieving some pressure on the manufacturing and distribution process, according to a report from CNBC. An anonymous source told the news outlet that the change would allow Moderna to store 15 doses of the vaccine per vial, five more than the 10 that are currently packaged. (Choi, 2/2)

Houston Chronicle: CVS Will Start Administering COVID-19 Vaccines At 70 Pharmacies In Texas Next Week
COVID-19 vaccines are coming to CVS pharmacies in Texas. But, only 70 locations will roll them out starting Feb. 11. CVS Health announced the incoming vaccines are part of an 11-state rollout across approximately 335 CVS Pharmacy locations, according to a Tuesday news release from CVS. Supply for the limited rollout in the state, which is sourced directly from the federal pharmacy partnership program, will be approximately 38,000 total doses. (Aguirre, 2/2)

The Baltimore Sun: What Happens After You Get The COVID Vaccine? Here’s What You Should Do And Expect, According To Hopkins Experts
People who get the COVID-19 vaccine may notice some soreness in their arm and other side effects, which is normal. The good news is that the symptoms are usually short lived, according to experts in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. (Cohn, 2/2)

Stateline: These States Found The Secret To COVID-19 Vaccination Success
Most states’ vaccine distributions have been slow, confusing and erratic, with balky signup websites, arbitrary changes in eligibility and frequent mismatches between supply and demand. But a few states with smaller populations have fared better. They started planning early, called up the National Guard to help even before they knew how or when to set up mass vaccination sites and scrapped the idea of using big chain pharmacies for distribution, knowing that smaller local drug stores had better handles on their clients’ qualifications and needs. (Povich, 2/2)

Capital & Main: Data Reveals Dramatic Gap Between COVID Vaccinations And COVID Deaths Among Latinos In L.A. County 
Last week, Los Angeles County’s top public health official called the death toll exacted on Latinos by the COVID pandemic “frankly horrifying.” But, at least so far, a population that has performed so much of the essential work that has kept the region’s economy going has been vastly underrepresented among those receiving vaccinations. Preliminary data released by the county on Jan. 29 revealed that between the launch of the vaccination program on December 14 and Jan. 23, just 29% of the people receiving vaccines were Latino, while they make up 52% of COVID deaths in L.A. County, 47% of COVID cases and 49% of the county’s population. African Americans are likewise underrepresented among those receiving vaccines when compared to the rate at which they are dying. About 5% of the people receiving vaccines were Black, while Blacks make up 8% of the COVID deaths in the county, 3% of the cases and 8% of the population. (Goodheart, 2/2)

The Washington Post: Why The U.S. Still Has A Shortage Of N95 Masks 
Officials initially discouraged most people from buying medical masks such as N95s and KN95s, to try to protect the supply for health-care workers. Doctors and nurses have used individual medical-grade masks for far longer than recommended as shortages have continued during the pandemic. Although federal officials have not changed their guidance on medical masks, experts’ suggestions are prompting questions about whether and how to access these face coverings as the variants threaten the country’s progress against the virus. (Iati, 2/2)

Bloomberg: Illinois’s Covid Curve Drops More Sharply Than Peers After Surge
As the pandemic begins to recede in U.S. states, Illinois is among America’s most improved. The nation’s sixth-most-populous state has had a notable turnaround since its case curve peaked in November, compared with large peers including California, Georgia, New York, Florida and Pennsylvania. The improved metrics follow almost two months of tightened restrictions that Governor J.B. Pritzker enacted to avoid a holiday surge. (Singh and Querolo, 2/2)

Stat: Global Trends In Lung Cancer Show Continuing Disparities 
With over 2 million new cases globally in 2018, lung cancer remains the most prevalent cancer in the world. And with tobacco use accounting for somewhere between 80% and 90% of lung cancers, depending on region, it’s unsurprising that the World Conference on Lung Cancer this past weekend devoted an entire oral session to the “end-game” of a tobacco-free world. (Haelle, 2/2)

Stat: Verily Spinout Onduo Expands Virtual Care To Spanish Speakers
The virtual care company Onduo is widening its reach: On Tuesday, the Alphabet-owned company announced it was bringing its chronic disease management platform to patients with certain cardiometabolic conditions, including hypertension and prediabetes. (Palmer, 2/2)

Stat: Who Will Vertex Buy? And How Much Might It Spend?
Who (or what) is Vertex Pharmaceuticals going to buy? The question — asked many different ways by analysts — dominated the company’s year-end earnings conference call on Monday evening. (Feuerstein, 2/2)

Stat: Explore STAT’s Database Of FDA-Cleared Artificial Intelligence Tools
The Food and Drug Administration has cleared scores of AI tools for use in the clinic, but there remains little publicly available data on how well those tools work on different groups of patients, a STAT investigation has found. (Ross, 2/3)

Modern Healthcare: Anthem Picks Up Medicaid Plans In Puerto Rico
Anthem is acquiring InnovaCare Health's Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans in Puerto Rico. A spokesperson estimates the Indianapolis-based insurer's total number of members in the combined plans will reach 10.5 million once the deal is complete. Anthem, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in 14 states, will add more than 267,000 Medicare Advantage members and 305,000 Medicaid members to its rolls with the acquisition, making it the fourth-largest Medicare Advantage insurer behind Aetna. (Tepper, 2/2)

Modern Healthcare: 5G Installed At Seattle VA Medical Center
The Veterans Affairs Department plans to test how 5G internet connectivity can improve care delivery and hospital processes through a pilot at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. The VA is working with telecommunications company AT&T on the project through a public-private partnership, AT&T announced Tuesday. AT&T has already installed 5G infrastructure indoors throughout the Seattle VA Medical Center and plans to deploy 5G millimeter wave spectrum and technologies that use 5G this year. (Kim Cohen, 2/2)

Modern Healthcare: California Ends Fast-Tracked Hospital Staffing Ratio Waivers
The California Department of Public Health on Monday imposed stricter requirements on its staffing waiver requirements. Effective Feb. 1, the state's public health department stopped accepting expedited requests for staffing waivers, instead requiring hospitals to follow the standard waiver process. All existing staffing waivers will expire Feb. 8, unless the public health department deems there is an "unprecedented circumstance" for that hospital, according to a letter sent to general acute care hospitals. (Christ, 2/2)

Modern Healthcare: Most Consumers Hit With High Bills After Just One Healthcare Visit, Study Says
Healthcare costs exceeded $400 during at least one month for more than a quarter of Americans in 2017, ballooning far above the amount Federal Reserve estimates that most U.S. consumers have saved for surprise expenses, according to a new study in Health Affairs. By analyzing office, inpatient and pharmacist reports, study authors found that most consumers incurred the majority of their care costs in just two months of the year. Of the 18 million people studied using the 2017 IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database, researchers found that 83% of enrollees paid an average of $954 in out-of-pocket healthcare costs, while 17% reported no out-of-pocket healthcare costs. (Tepper, 2/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Advice On Raising Resilient Kids During The Covid-19 Pandemic 
The pandemic has dealt a tough hand to kids and their parents, with social isolation, distance learning and the constant threat of illness. Child and adolescent psychiatrist Harold S. Koplewicz says even small steps can help parents foster resilience and self-reliance in their children. Dr. Koplewicz, the president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute in New York and California, lays out his parenting approach in “The Scaffold Effect,” which is being published today. Parents, he says, should think of their role as that of a scaffold for a building under construction: their child. The scaffold doesn’t control the shape or style of the building and it eases its support as the structure rises. (Petersen, 2/2)

NPR: Is The Pandemic Fueling A Rise In Suicide Attempts Among Kids?
In recent months, many suicidal children have been showing up in hospital emergency departments, and more kids are needing in-patient care after serious suicide attempts. "Across the country, we're hearing that there are increased numbers of serious suicidal attempts and suicidal deaths," says Dr. Susan Duffy, a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Brown University. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between April and October 2020, hospital emergency departments saw a rise in the share of total visits that were from kids for mental health needs. (Chatterjee, 2/2)

The Washington Post: Bon Appetit Takes Down A ‘Dangerous’ Video On Canning Seafood After Experts Warn Of Botulism Risk
On his popular series for the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen video channel, “It’s Alive,” host Brad Leone walks viewers through the process of making foods that involve fermentation or preservation, such as kimchi, pickled onions and kombucha. But his latest installment on canned seafood proved to be a jar too far. Bon Appétit removed the video segment from its platforms over the weekend after experts pointed out that the method depicted on the show was dangerous and could result in the growth of the potentially deadly bacteria that causes botulism. (Heil, 2/2)

AP: Missouri GOP Proposal Would Shield Pre-Existing Conditions
Several Republican Missouri lawmakers on Tuesday filed legislation to ensure people with pre-existing conditions can access health insurance if the Affordable Care Act is undone. The proposals would amend the state Constitution to require that health insurance companies cover people with pre-existing medical conditions without charging them more. (2/3)

AP: Farmers Sue State Over COVID-19 Rules For Migrant Workers
Two farm groups are suing the state of Washington for failing to revise emergency regulations that seek to protect migrant farmworkers from the COVID-19 virus. The groups filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Yakima County Superior Court. It seeks to invalidate the recently renewed rules as arbitrary, capricious and not feasible. “We’re disappointed we had to take this step, but our farms are on the line and we had no other choice,” said John Stuhlmiller, chief executive officer of the Washington Farm Bureau. (Geranios, 2/2)

AP: 'New Chance At Life': Man Gets Face, Hands In Rare Surgery
Almost six months after a rare face and hands transplant, Joe DiMeo is relearning how to smile, blink, pinch and squeeze. The 22-year-old New Jersey resident had the operation last August, two years after being badly burned in a car crash. “I knew it would be baby steps all the way,” DiMeo told The Associated Press recently. “You’ve got to have a lot of motivation, a lot of patience. And you’ve got to stay strong through everything.” (Renault and Ritzel, 2/3 )

Politico: Yang Tests Positive For Covid-19
Andrew Yang has tested positive for Covid-19, his mayoral campaign announced Tuesday. “After testing negative as recently as this weekend, today I took a COVID rapid test and received a positive result,” Yang said in a statement Tuesday morning. “I am experiencing mild symptoms, but am otherwise feeling well and in good spirits.” Yang faced early criticism in his campaign for spending a significant chunk of the pandemic outside of New York City. Since kicking off his run last month he’s been fairly unique among the mayoral contenders in barnstorming the city on walking tours and holding in-person events — with staffers, press and supporters in tow. (Eisenberg, 2/2)

Politico: Pentagon: Trump Administration Laid Groundwork For Guantanamo Vaccinations 
The Pentagon on Tuesday said the Trump administration set in motion the now-reversed decision to vaccinate 40 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, after the plan initiated a sharp backlash as coronavirus vaccine doses remain scarce across the country. John Kirby, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson, said the vaccine plan was part of the Defense Department’s original rollout, rather than the result of a specific decision to vaccinate the detainees ahead of other people. (Seligman, 2/2)

Bloomberg: WHO Experts Visit Wuhan Lab At Center Of Virus Conspiracy Theory
A World Health Organization scientific team in China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus visited the Wuhan laboratory that’s been at the center of months of speculation over how the disease jumped to humans. The international group of scientists arrived at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, home to a high-tech laboratory that studies some of the world’s most infectious diseases, on Wednesday morning. The team is “looking forward to a very productive day and to asking all the questions that we know need to be asked,” Peter Daszak, a New York-based zoologist who is part of both the WHO and The Lancet teams trying to trace the virus’s origin, told reporters, Agence France-Presse reported. (2/3)

AP: China To Send 10 Million Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Abroad
China on Wednesday announced a plan to provide 10 million coronavirus vaccine doses to developing nations through the global COVAX initiative. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China is responding to a request from the World Health Organization as developing countries seek to fill shortages predicted to run through March. (2/3)

AP: China Arrests Suspects In Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Ring
Chinese police have arrested more than 80 suspected members of a criminal group that was manufacturing and selling fake COVID-19 vaccines, including to other countries. Police in Beijing and in Jiangsu and Shandong provinces broke up the group led by a suspect surnamed Kong that was producing the fake vaccines, which consisted of a simple saline solution, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The vaccines were sold in China and to other countries, although it was unclear which ones. The group had been active since last September, according to state media. (Wu, 2/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Capt. Tom Moore, U.K. Covid-19 Charity Hero, Dies At 100 
Capt. Tom Moore, a British military veteran who shot to fame last year after raising millions of pounds for charity by walking lengths of his garden during lockdown, has died at age 100 after contracting the coronavirus. Capt. Moore’s family said on Twitter that he had been fighting pneumonia and had tested positive for the coronavirus in January. During the last year, the World War II veteran became a mascot for a British nation plagued by Covid-19, raising millions for health workers, recording a No. 1 single, publishing a book and being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his efforts. (Colchester, 2/2)

Bloomberg: Myanmar’s Doctors Vow To Shut Hospitals In Anti-Coup Protests
Myanmar’s doctors have vowed to shut hospitals across the country as public protests intensified amid calls to defy the new military regime that took control of the government and seized civilian leaders in a coup on Monday. A “Civil Disobedience Movement” started by pro-democracy activists including medical professionals announced on social media Wednesday that more than 70 hospitals and medical departments would stop work in protest of what it called an “illegitimate” government. (Lin Kyaw and Heijmans, 2/3)

Bloomberg: Controversy Swirls Around India’s Homegrown Covid Vaccine
A year ago, Krishna Ella was simply known for running a small Indian pharmaceutical company with a reputation for scientific rigor. Then came the pandemic that put the scientist and his family at the center of one of the world’s loudest furors over a coronavirus vaccine. In June last year, India’s drug regulator permitted Ella’s firm -- Bharat Biotech International Ltd. -- to develop a homegrown vaccine in record time. Since then the company has been buffeted by controversies ranging from unrealistic government schedules to sporadic reports of adverse reactions. Matters came to a head last month after the government approved its shot before the completion of final human trials. (Kay, 2/2)

AP: France Says No AstraZeneca Virus Vaccine For People Over 65
France will only administer the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to people under age 65, President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday after the government’s health advisory body cited a lack of sufficient data about its effectiveness in older people. The decision could shake up the French vaccination strategy, because the country has prioritized nursing home residents and people over 75. France had counted on the AstraZeneca vaccine for a large part of its upcoming inoculations, until the company announced delays affecting countries around Europe and the world. (2/2)