First Edition: Feb. 4, 2021

KHN: Hard Bargain: Biden And Congress Agree On Basic Relief, But Chasms Remain On Covid Plan 
President Joe Biden and a group of Republicans agreed this week on how much Congress should spend on vaccine distribution, covid-19 testing and other health investments that public health officials say are desperately needed to fight the pandemic. But agreement on those popular programs, which make up only 9% of Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief proposal, is not enough to dispense that money quickly. (Huetteman, 2/4)

KHN: ‘Cruel’ Digital Race For Vaccines Leaves Many Seniors Behind 
With millions of older Americans eligible for covid-19 vaccines and limited supplies, many continue to describe a frantic and frustrating search to secure a shot, beset by uncertainty and difficulty.  The efforts to vaccinate people 65 and older have strained under the enormous demand that has overwhelmed cumbersome, inconsistent scheduling systems. (Stone, 2/4)

KHN: A Recipe For Trouble? Reversal Of California Outdoor Dining Ban Has Heads Spinning
Outdoor dining is resuming in California under state and local orders issued last week — but with covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths still far higher than they were when the bans took effect, restaurant owners and workers are wary of reopening their patios and parking lots. Los Angeles County’s outdoor dining ban began Nov. 25, and a statewide ban, part of a broader stay-at-home order, took effect Dec. 5. No clear data from contact tracing could justify outdoor dining bans, public health officials acknowledged. (Almendrala, 2/4)

KHN: Covid-Certified Businesses Try To Woo Leery Patrons
On a sunny Saturday this month, Ruth Hatfield was sitting with a friend’s dog on a sidewalk bench in downtown Grand Junction. Back home in Snowmass Village, 120 miles away through winding Rocky Mountain roadways, local officials had just shut down indoor restaurant dining as covid cases reached some of the highest levels in Colorado. Here in Grand Junction, though, restaurants were open, and Hatfield had sought out those with the local health department’s “5-star certifications,” a designation meant to reassure people it is safe to patronize businesses during the pandemic. Those 5-star restaurants are part of an innovative program that allows businesses that agree to follow certain public health protocols to be open with less stringent rules than would ordinarily apply. (Aschwanden, 2/4)

The Washington Post: U.S. Infection Rates Are Dropping, Now Just ‘Lay Low And Cool It’ During The Super Bowl, Says Fauci
The numbers of new coronavirus infections, deaths and hospitalizations have been falling for the past week in a tentative sign that the situation is improving in the United States, but experts caution against renewed mingling — such as during Sunday’s Super Bowl. Past improvements have been derailed by holiday gatherings such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. In an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday, top infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci warned people to stay away from large Super Bowl parties and “just lay low and cool it” — pointing out that partying with people you don’t know could expose you to the infection. (Schemm and Cunningham, 2/4)

NBC News: Experts Warn Against Super Bowl Parties, Urge People To Enjoy The Game At Home
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued specific Super Bowl guidance this year as the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "The safest way to celebrate events is at home with the people who live with you," the CDC said. "We could have kind of mini superspreader events or little hot spots all around the country starting with those indoor gatherings or even potentially outdoor gatherings if we don’t follow the recommendations," health policy expert Dr. Kavita Patel said Wednesday. (Fieldstadt, 2/3)

CIDRAP: CDC: COVID-19 Cases Drop To Pre-Thanksgiving Levels 
After 2 months of record-setting case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today the United States has finally returned to pre-Thanksgiving levels of COVID-19 transmission. "We are now averaging 144,000 cases per day, and though deaths continue to increase, a recent decline in hospitalizations gives us hope those will also soon fall," said Rochelle Walensky, MD, during today's White House coronavirus press briefing. (Soucheray, 2/3)

CIDRAP: Adults 20 To 49 May Have Driven 72% Of US COVID-19 Surges 
Adults 20 to 49 years old may have kindled 72.2% of US COVID-19 resurgences starting in late summer 2020, with those 35 to 49 especially contributing, a study published yesterday in Science suggests. A team led by researchers from Imperial College London analyzed age-specific cell phone mobility data of more than 10 million Americans and linked them to age-specific COVID-19 death data starting on Mar 15, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 2/3)

AP: Britain To Test Mixing And Matching Of COVID-19 Vaccines
British scientists are starting a study Thursday to find out if it’s OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines being rolled out now require two doses, and people are supposed to get two shots of the same kind, weeks apart. Guidelines in Britain and the U.S. say the vaccines aren’t interchangeable, but can be mixed if the same kind isn’t available for the second dose or if it’s not known what was given for the first shot. (Cheng, 2/4)

Bloomberg: Astra, Pfizer Covid Vaccines To Be Combined In Oxford Trial
Mixing vaccines to create an enhanced immune response is common for inoculations targeting diseases such as hepatitis A and B. Combining shots can boost the immune response because the second shot won’t be limited by any immunity the body has built up to the platform delivering the first vaccine. Both the Astra and Pfizer shots target the spike protein that the virus uses to enter cells. The British drugmaker’s vaccine is carried by a weakened chimpanzee adenovirus, while the U.S. company’s shot uses genetic material called messenger RNA. (Ring, 2/4)

Reuters: Britain Trial To Test Combining Pfizer And AstraZeneca Vaccines In Two-Shot Regimen 
Over 800 participants [are] expected to take part, the researchers said. That makes it much smaller than the clinical trials that have been used to determine efficacy of the vaccines individually. The trial will not assess the overall efficacy of the shot combinations, but researchers will measure antibody and T-cell responses, as well as monitor for any unexpected side effects. (2/3)

The Washington Post: House Moves Toward Passage Of Budget Bill Unlocking Partisan Path For Biden Coronavirus Relief Bill
House Democrats voted Wednesday to set the stage for party-line approval of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, heeding the president’s calls for swift action on his first big agenda item — but without the bipartisan unity he promised. The 218-to-212 nearly party-line vote approved a budget bill that would unlock special rules in the Senate allowing Biden’s relief package to pass with a simple majority, instead of the 60 votes usually needed. The Senate is expected to take action on the same legislation later in the week. (Werner and Stein, 2/3)

Politico: Biden Plunges Fully Into Covid Relief Talks 
After two weeks of letting negotiations over a Covid relief package linger in Congress, Joe Biden hit the gas on Wednesday. The president worked the phones and hunkered down with fellow Democrats at the White House, in what aides described as an overt signal that he wants his massive “rescue” package passed and passed quickly. “If we are going to get our arms wrapped around Covid, we have to act fast, we have to act big and the sooner we can start the better,” said White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond. “That’s how the president looks at it.” (Korecki and Pager, 2/3)

AP: Stuck In DC, Biden Team Pitches Rest Of US On Big Virus Aid
Even as President Joe Biden gathers with senators and works the phones with Capitol Hill to push for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, his team is increasingly focused on selling the plan directly to voters. His administration has done 60-plus interviews with national TV and radio shows. There have been spots on local TV news and briefings last week with more than 50 groups that ranged from General Motors to Meals on Wheels America and Planned Parenthood. One of the main goals is to stop people from getting bogged down in the tangle of partisan deal-making and convince them that every penny of the “go big” package is needed. (Boak, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Open To Sending $1,400 Stimulus Checks To Smaller Group 
President Biden indicated in a call with House Democrats that he was open to sending $1,400 payments to a smaller group of Americans in the next round of coronavirus relief legislation and changing the overall price tag of his $1.9 trillion plan, according to people familiar with the call. Mr. Biden told House Democrats on Wednesday that he wouldn’t change the amount of the proposed $1,400 payments, saying people had been promised that amount, according to the people. (Duehren and Collins, 2/3)

Houston Chronicle: Judge Temporarily Blocks Texas From Kicking Planned Parenthood Out Of Medicaid Program
A Texas judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked Republican leaders from kicking Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid, as the nonprofit provider claims the effort did not follow procedure and could unjustly strip some 8,000 low-income women of critical care including birth control, STI treatments and cancer screenings. State health officials had given women on Medicaid until Wednesday to find alternatives to Planned Parenthood for the non-abortion services. Planned Parenthood and other women’s health advocates have warned there are few other providers willing to provide the care, in part because the state’s reimbursement rate is among the lowest in the country. (Blackman and Bureau, 2/3)

The Hill: Planned Parenthood Files Emergency Lawsuit To Stay In Texas Medicaid Program 
Planned Parenthood filed an emergency lawsuit Wednesday asking courts to block Texas officials from kicking its clinics out of the state’s Medicaid program. State officials had sent a notice to Planned Parenthood providers in January saying they would be terminated from Medicaid, the state-federal health program for the poor, beginning Thursday. (Hellmann, 2/3)

The Washington Examiner: Two More National Guard Members Die Of COVID-19: Pentagon
Two National Guard members died after contracting COVID-19, bringing the total virus-related death toll since the onset of the pandemic to 19 in the military, according to Department of Defense data. The two service members were an Alabama Air National Guard member and an Army National Guard member from California, a Pentagon spokesperson said, according to the Hill. Their identities have not yet been revealed. (Dima, 2/3)

The New York Times: McKinsey Settles For $573 Million Over Role In Opioid Crisis 
McKinsey’s extensive work with Purdue included advising it to focus on selling lucrative high-dose pills, the documents show, even after the drugmaker pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal criminal charges that it had misled doctors and regulators about OxyContin’s risks. The firm also told Purdue that it could “band together” with other opioid makers to head off “strict treatment” by the Food and Drug Administration. The consulting firm will not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, to be filed in state courts on Thursday, but it will agree to court-ordered restrictions on its work with some types of addictive narcotics, according to those familiar with the arrangement. McKinsey will also retain emails for five years and disclose potential conflicts of interest when bidding for state contracts. And in a move similar to the tobacco industry settlements decades ago, it will put tens of thousands of pages of documents related to its opioid work onto a publicly available database. (Forsythe and Bogdanich, 2/3)

Reuters: McKinsey To Pay $573 Million To Settle Claims Over Opioid Crisis Role: Source 
Consulting firm McKinsey & Co has agreed to pay at least $573 million to resolve claims by 40-plus U.S. states related to its role in the opioid epidemic and advice it gave to OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, according to a person familiar with the matter. The settlement is with 43 states, the District of Columbia and three territories, the person said on Wednesday. Several attorneys general said they planned announcements on the opioid epidemic on Thursday. (Raymond, 2/3)

The Wall Street Journal: McKinsey Agrees To $573 Million Settlement Over Opioid Advice 
Consulting giant McKinsey & Co. has reached a $573 million settlement with states over its work advising OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and other drug manufacturers to aggressively market opioid painkillers, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal, reached with 47 states and the District of Columbia and expected to be publicly announced Thursday, would avert civil lawsuits that attorneys general could bring against McKinsey, the people said. The majority of the money will be paid upfront, with the rest dispensed in four yearly payments starting in 2022. (Randazzo and Randles, 2/3)

Reuters: Exclusive: Merck Anti-Baldness Drug Propecia Has Long Trail Of Suicide Reports, Records Show 
Newly unsealed court documents and other records show that Merck & Co and U.S. regulators knew about reports of suicidal behavior in men taking the company’s anti-baldness treatment Propecia when they decided not to warn consumers of those potential risks in a 2011 update of the popular drug’s label. Internal records from Merck were made public in late January, when a federal magistrate in Brooklyn, New York, granted a 2019 Reuters motion to unseal 11 documents filed in years of litigation alleging Propecia caused persistent sexual dysfunction and other harmful side effects. (Levine and Terhune, 2/3)

The New York Times: After A Rocky Start, Novavax Vaccine Could Be Here By Summer 
The potential success of Novavax’s candidate carries global implications. Unlike Pfizer’s and Moderna’s shots, the Novavax vaccine can be stored and shipped at normal refrigeration temperatures. The company is setting up plants around the world to produce up to 2 billion doses per year. ... Novavax has signed up more than 20,000 people so far in its late-stage trial in the United States and Mexico, two-thirds of its goal of 30,000 participants. If it keeps enrolling volunteers at the same pace, it will complete recruitment more quickly than the Pfizer and Moderna trials did last year. (Thomas, 2/3)

Fox News: Johnson & Johnson Exec On Single-Shot Vaccine: 'Complete Protection Against Death And Hospitalization'
Johnson & Johnson executive Dr. Paul Stoffels addressed the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine compared to others already available to the public, saying it had revealed "complete protection against death and hospitalization." "We have done this study in the height of the pandemic with huge transmission in the presence of several different variants," the chief scientific officer told "America’s Newsroom," citing the variants in Brazil, South America and South Africa. "What we learned is that the high percent efficacy against severe disease as well as complete protection against death and hospitalization was basically the key finding," he added. (Kaplan, 2/3)

The Washington Post: Pfizer Spent Months Working To Extract Sixth Dose From Vials As Vaccine Production Shortfalls Loomed
Beginning in August, a half-dozen researchers at a Pfizer lab in Massachusetts sat down with vials of experimental coronavirus vaccine to learn how to transform the “overfill” in every vial — an extra amount of liquid that is standard for injectable pharmaceuticals — into a precious sixth dose. Over the next few months, they tested dozens of different combinations of syringes and needles, drawing out vaccine and squirting it into a beaker resting on a digital scale, repeating the experiments 5 to 10 times for each. By Jan. 6, the work paid off. (Rowland, 2/3)

Stat: With A Single Number, AstraZeneca Study Fueled Hopes That Eclipsed Data
A new paper released this week suggested that a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University not only protected clinical trial participants from developing disease, but also may significantly reduce transmission of the virus that causes the disease. In the recent burst of data on Covid-19 vaccines, that suggestion stood out. The question of whether Covid-19 vaccines reduce transmission has been a critical and unanswered one, creating uncertainty over whether people who have been vaccinated will still be able to be infected by and transmit onward SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid, to those who have not yet been vaccinated. (Herper and Branswell, 2/3)

Fox News: Cases Of ‘COVID Arm’ Following Vaccination Being Documented By Dermatologists
Cases of so-called "COVID arm" are seemingly on the rise, with some experiencing red, swollen skin days after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The American Academy of Dermatology Association has opened a registry for health care providers to report such reactions in their patients in an effort to better understand the "dermatologic manifestations" of the coronavirus vaccine, they said. Dr. Elizabeth Houshmand, a board-certified dermatologist in Texas, told local news station KXAS-TV that the swollen, red patches some may see on their arm days after receiving the vaccine indicate a "mounting immune response." (Farber, 2/3)

Boston Globe: State Officials Redirecting Unused COVID-19 Vaccines To Older Residents, High-Risk Communities
Disappointed with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination drive so far, Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday said officials are redirecting large quantities of unused doses now sitting in freezers to doctors and pharmacies, including many in communities hardest hit by the coronavirus. They’re also designating specific days for local residents, especially people of color, to get shots at the new mass vaccination site at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, following reports that many who booked initial appointments there were white people from surrounding communities. (Weisman and Andersen, 2/3)

Bloomberg: Covid Vaccine Drive Stumbles In Northeast US As Snow Storm Shuts Down Sites
The headlong rush to vaccinate U.S. residents bogged down this week, as snow blanketed the Northeast and appointments for life-saving shots were missed or canceled. The U.S. administered 868,000 doses Monday, 33% less than the seven-day rolling average of 1.3 million that day. Northeast states showed steep declines in daily rates, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. In Maryland, for instance, daily doses were a whopping 65% less than the state’s daily seven-day rolling average on Sunday and 58% less on Monday. (Shah, 2/3)

The Washington Post: Some States Are Racing Ahead Of Others With Their Coronavirus Vaccine Rollouts. Their Secret? Keeping It Simple. 
In South Dakota, distribution of the vaccine has been limited to a small number of health-care providers who meet via phone twice a week and can make decisions on the fly as conditions change. Connecticut has teamed with a well-established partnership network while using community ambassadors to advocate for the vaccine among populations where hesitancy runs high. And West Virginia has tightly coordinated its rollout, using the National Guard to speed supplies to where they are needed while streamlining the rules for who can get the shots. (Witte, 2/3)

The Washington Post: Montgomery County Teacher Vaccination Effort Left Out Private-School Educators At Start 
Cecilia Rajnic is eager to get vaccinated. But after the second-grade teacher heard about an immunization effort that involved thousands of slots for educators in suburban Maryland, she soon learned she was not eligible. She teaches at a Catholic school. “How is it even possible?” she recalled thinking. “I’m a teacher, too, and I’m teaching in person already, so why wouldn’t I have at least the same access?” (St. George, 2/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Sues Its Own School District, Board Over Reopening: 'They Have Earned An F'
The fight over reopening San Francisco’s public schools will take a dramatic, heated turn on Wednesday as the city becomes the first in the state — and possibly the entire country — to sue its own school district to force classroom doors open. City Attorney Dennis Herrera, with the blessing of Mayor London Breed, plans to sue the San Francisco Board of Education and the San Francisco Unified School District for violating a state law compelling districts to adopt a clear plan during the COVID-19 pandemic describing actions they “will take to offer classroom-based instruction whenever possible.” (Knight, 2/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Testing In Schools Bolsters Safety But Is Hard To Set Up, Studies Find 
Regularly testing for Covid-19 in K-12 schools can help identify cases and provide an extra layer of protection for staff and families, according to two reports commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation released on Thursday. Implementing testing, however, is an enormous, logistically complex undertaking, and most schools need significant resources to make it feasible, the reports also found. One of the reports, conducted by research firm Mathematica, assessed programs in six pilot locations that either already have started or are planning to implement rapid antigen testing with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, a philanthropic foundation that has focused on Covid-19 testing for much of the pandemic. Tests were provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. (Abbott, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: Walgreens Reviewing Procedures After Storage Error Leads To Revaccination In Five Ohio Long-Term Care Facilities
Walgreens on Tuesday notified Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine that vials of COVID-19 vaccine administered to patients in five nursing homes Monday were not stored at the proper temperature. In a statement, Walgreens said, "After completing vaccinations on Feb. 1 at five long-term care facilities in Ohio and following our internal controls processes, we discovered the vials containing the vaccine were subject to improper storage before being delivered to these facilities. There is no reason to believe any patients who received these doses will suffer any harm." (Christ, 2/3)

Houston Chronicle: One In Five Texans Do Not Want The COVID-19 Vaccine, University Of Houston Reports
Millions of Texans do not want to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new University of Houston survey. While 38 percent of those surveyed said they will be vaccinated when it becomes available to them or have already received the vaccine, about one-in-five (22 percent) of the 1,329 people surveyed said they definitely will not accept it. The survey was conducted by YouGov, a national poll service, and analyzed by the UH Hobby School of Public Affairs, a political science educational institution. (Garcia, 2/3)

AP: Judge Orders Oregon Inmates To Be Prioritized For Vaccine
A judge has ordered all inmates in the Oregon prison system to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations — a move that should make prisoners immediately eligible for inoculation. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the preliminary injunction issued Tuesday orders all Oregon Department of Corrections inmates be offered a vaccine as part of phase 1A, group 2, of Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccination plan — putting prison inmates in the same category as people living in nursing homes and other congregate care settings. (2/4)

The Washington Post: Amtrak Offers Cash Bonus To Workers Who Get Coronavirus Vaccine 
The country’s passenger railroad is spending $3 million in cash bonuses to encourage workers to get a coronavirus vaccine, an effort to speed protection of its workforce and passengers. Amtrak is joining a growing list of companies offering cash or other incentives to essential workers as distribution of vaccine expands across the country and is hailed as a way to restore normalcy. The railroad’s goal is to have all of its labor force vaccinated, the company said in a statement. (Lazo, 2/3)

Reuters: Vaccine Passports: Path Back To Normality Or Problem In The Making? 
Governments and developers around the world are exploring the potential use of “vaccine passports” as a way of reopening the economy by identifying those protected against the coronavirus. Those developing the technologies however, say such tools come with consequences such as potentially excluding whole groups from social participation, and are urging lawmakers to think seriously about how they are used. (Thomas, 2/4)

Stat: Thanks To Physical Distancing, Masks, Doctors See Fewer Cases Of A Polio-Like Condition In Children
Many of the respiratory viruses that normally spike in the United States in the fall and winter are circulating at notably low levels right now — a sunnier side effect of the precautions and policies meant to stem the spread of the coronavirus. (Joseph, 2/4)

AP: Family: Keyontae Johnson's Collapse Unrelated To COVID-19
Florida forward Keyontae Johnson’s collapse during a game nearly two months ago was not related to a positive COVID-19 test, his family said Wednesday. University of Florida Health physicians consulted with other local and national experts who reviewed the relevant imaging and testing related to this case, and Johnson’s family said: “The unanimous conclusion of all experts is that Keyontae’s medical emergency was not related to or a result of a previous or current Covid diagnosis.” (Long, 2/3)

Stat: Why Some Hospitals Have To Scramble For Oxygen To Treat Covid-19 Patients
As the number of patients at Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles reached 200 a day, the facility quickly began using six times its normal amount of oxygen. To cope, a 6,000-gallon tank was added as a backup to the usual 9,000-gallon tank, but finding that extra tank took two weeks. And once it was in place, it had to be refilled every day or two. (Silverman, 2/4)

NPR: COVID-19 Pandemic's Demands For Extra Oxygen Stretches Suppliers
The cold snap late last year hit El Paso at the exact wrong time; new COVID-19 patients were streaming into hospitals, many needing high flows of oxygen to breathe. That abrupt, massive draw on the gas created myriad problems: It froze the hospital's pipes and the vaporizers on oxygen tanks, restricting the flow by as much as 70%. So local companies built pop-up tents with new oxygen pipes in hospital parking lots. That wasn't the only hurdle; tubes, flow meters, nasal cannulas and portable cylinders needed to make the gas breathable were also in short supply. "When things got pretty bad in our area, we saw the demand for the cylinders at least triple," says Esteban Trejo, general manager of Syoxsa, an El Paso-based oxygen distributor. (Noguchi, 2/3)

Stat: Apple Watch Can Help Track Parkinson's Disease Symptoms, Study Shows
Researchers at Apple, working with specialists who treat Parkinson’s, designed a system that uses the Apple Watch to detect the motor symptoms that are a hallmark of the neurological disease. By monitoring resting tremors and other involuntary movements, the researchers were able to identify the characteristic “on” and “off” patterns of medication’s effects. Their findings were published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine. The research could be a boon to both clinical trials and care for the millions living globally with Parkinson’s. If further developed, the researchers’ system could be used to capture round-the-clock objective measurements of symptoms with the Apple Watch. Specialists often rely on infrequent clinical visits and self-reporting to monitor the disease’s progression and the impacts of medicine. While there are specialized devices in the market that can do such monitoring, there are advantages to using a gadget people recognize and feel comfortable around. (Aguilar, 2/3)

Modern Healthcare: Nurses Union Says HCA Should Invest Profits In COVID-19 Safety, Public Health
National Nurses United, a nurses' union, has criticized hospital chain HCA Healthcare for its $3.75 billion in profits in 2020, claiming that the company instead should have invested that money into public health and COVID-19 safety during the pandemic. The nurses' union called the Nashville-based company's 7.1% year-over-year jump in profits "a clear demonstration of the financial consequences of a year of short-staffing and other cuts affecting patient and worker safety despite a once-in-a-century pandemic." HCA said it is proud of its response during the pandemic and called the union exploitive. (Christ, 2/3)

Modern Healthcare: Cigna Eliminates Prior Authorization For Coronary CT Scans
Cigna will no longer require prior authorization for some CT scans of the heart, a move that providers said will relieve administrative burdens among physicians and result in better outcomes for patients. On Feb. 1, Cigna will end prior authorizations for CT angiogram of the heart, coronary arteries and bypass grafts with contrast material. This includes 3D image post-processing. Cigna also removed prior consent for fractional flow reserve-computed tomography. Patients must have stable chest pain and an intermediate risk of coronary artery disease for coverage under the policy. (Tepper, 2/3)

Modern Healthcare: Oregon Sets First Hospital-Specific Community Benefit Spending Floor
Oregon set its first community benefit spending floor for one of its health systems, establishing a more rigorous regulatory framework that more states may follow, experts said. As mandated by state bill HB 3076 passed in 2019, Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health will have to spend at least $253 million on community benefits in fiscal 2022 based on its three-year average of unreimbursed care; direct spending on the social determinants of health, health equity and other community benefits; and its operating margin. Oregon officials hope to address unmet needs and health inequities by setting minimum spending thresholds and tracking those investments. They believe a separate state bill to align and coordinate community benefit programs across providers, health plans and public health departments can also help. (Kacik, 2/4)

Stat: Jazz Pharma To Acquire GW Pharma, Maker Of CBD-Based Treatment
Jazz Pharmaceuticals said Wednesday that it is acquiring GW Pharma, adding an approved childhood epilepsy medicine derived from marijuana to its stable of neuroscience products. (Feuerstein, 2/3)

ESPN: Kansas City Chiefs' Barber Tests Positive Amid Haircuts, Sources Say
The Chiefs had 20 people, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, other players and staff members, in line for a haircut Sunday with a barber who tested positive for COVID-19, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Backup center Daniel Kilgore was in the chair when the Chiefs pulled the barber once his COVID-19 test results came in, Schefter reported. Kilgore and the barber both were wearing masks and because Kilgore was deemed a close contact, he told the barber to finish. A source initially had told ESPN that Kilgore was mid-haircut when the barber was pulled. The Chiefs on Monday placed Kilgore and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson on the reserve/COVID-19 list after they were considered to be close contacts. (Teicher, 2/3)

CIDRAP: Source Unknown In E Coli Outbreak Linked Infections In 5 States
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday that an investigation is under way into the source of an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak that has so far sickened 16 people in five states, 1 of them fatally. Affected states are Washington, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia, and New York. The first illness was reported on Dec 23, and the most recent symptom onset was Jan 7. Patient ages range from 10 to 95 years, and 88% are female. ... State and local health officials are interviewing people to see what they ate the week before they got sick.

AP: USDA Warns Illinois Consumers About Potentially Tainted Beef
Health officials are warning consumers in Illinois that they may have bought beef tainted with E. coli bacteria that was produced at a Nebraska plant last month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said the affected meat was sold by Art’s Food Market in Sandwich, Illinois, which is about 60 miles west of Chicago. The affected ground beef is no longer available for purchase, but officials said consumers could still have it in their refrigerators or freezers. (2/3)

The Washington Post: Kroger Is Closing Stores Rather Than Giving Workers An Extra $4 In Pandemic ‘Hero Pay’
Two grocery stores in Southern California will shutter in April in response to a local “hero pay” measure requiring a $4-an-hour increase for grocery workers during the pandemic. Kroger, which owns more than a dozen grocery chains, announced this week that it would close a pair of Long Beach stores — a Ralphs and a Food 4 Less — specifically citing the ordinance the city’s mayor signed into law late last month. The city was the first in the state to introduce a measure requiring some grocery retailers to give workers a temporary hourly pay bump during the pandemic. (Firozi, 2/3)

The Washington Post: Mother Of 9-Year-Old Rochester, N.Y. Girl Said Police Rebuffed Her Pleas For Mental Health Help For Her Daughter
The mother of the 9-year-old Rochester, N.Y., girl who was handcuffed and pepper-sprayed by police said Wednesday that she repeatedly told an officer that her daughter was having a mental health breakdown and she pleaded with them to call a specialist instead of trying to detain her. The officer said “no,” Elba Pope said. Pope, 30, said the incident, which sparked nationwide outrage and prompted fresh scrutiny of how law enforcement agencies deal with people in emotional distress, has left her rattled and fearful that her daughter could suffer long-term emotional trauma. “I was saying, ‘We need mental health out there,’ ” Pope said in an interview. “He ignored me.” (Craig and Edelman, 2/3)

AP: Wisconsin Mother Meets Baby Delivered During COVID-19 Coma
Nearly three months after Kelsey Townsend gave birth to her fourth child, the 32-year-old Wisconsin woman was finally face to face with her. Lucy, now bright-eyed and alert, flashed her a smile. “Hi. I love you. I love you so much. Yeah, I’ve missed you,” Kelsey Townsend told her. Townsend was in a medically-induced coma with COVID-19 when she gave birth to Lucy via via cesarean section on Nov. 4, not long after getting to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison. She ended up spending 75 days on life and lung support. She finally met Lucy on Jan. 27 — the day Kelsey was discharged from University Hospital in Madison. (Antlfinger, 2/3)

PBS NewsHour: Arizona Lawmakers Renew Push To Criminalize Abortions In Latest Challenge To Roe V. Wade
Abortion has been at the forefront of conservative politics since the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, in which the court ruled that the Constitution protects a woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. Now, with a 6-3 conservative majority in the nation’s highest court, reproductive rights advocates are worried that right will be chipped away as anti-abortion politicians push legal boundaries to challenge the decision. An Arizona bill proposed on the 48th anniversary of the landmark ruling is among the most direct challenges to Roe in nearly half a century: It calls for the decision to be ignored altogether. (Jones, 2/3)

The New York Times: Organizers Of The Tokyo Olympics Unveil An Early Plan To Protect Athletes And Visitors 
No cheering, singing or handshakes. And no riding public transportation without special permission. After nearly two months of relative silence amid new waves of coronavirus infection in Japan and many other countries, organizers of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday released the first of several so-called playbooks that will instruct athletes, officials and members of the news media on the protocols they must follow at this summer’s rescheduled Games. (Rich, Keh and Futterman, 2/3)

The Washington Post: How 9 Destinations Around The World Enforce Mandatory Quarantines
As new and more contagious variants of the coronavirus have emerged in recent months, more nations are implementing mandatory quarantine facilities for entry. Canada and England announced last week that they will closely monitor arrivals in quarantine facilities to prevent new variants from gaining traction, following examples set by nations like New Zealand early in the pandemic. Government-imposed quarantines have proved effective at detecting cases before they get into the country. They effectively halt travel for anyone unwilling to spend (and often pay for) a waiting period confined to a hotel room and monitored by health officials. (McMahon, 2/2)

Bloomberg: China To Donate Vaccines To Three African Countries
China will donate coronavirus vaccines to three African countries and plans to “assist” another 38 developing countries with shots in the future, according to its embassy in Kenya. Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone are among 13 nations worldwide that will receive the donations, an embassy spokesman said by email late Wednesday, without providing details. China is also part of Covax, a program that tries to ensure equitable access to shots around the world. (Herbling, 2/4)