First Edition: Feb. 5, 2021

KHN: The State Of Vaccine Supply: ‘Opaque.’ Unpredictable. ‘Hard To Pin Down.’ 
Even as the pace of vaccination against covid-19 has steadily accelerated — hitting an average of 1.3 million doses a day in the last days of January — the frustration felt by many of those unable to secure an appointment hasn’t waned. Why, they wonder, can’t I get one if 100 million shots will soon be administered? (Appleby, 2/5)

KHN and NPR: Comparing Death Tolls From Covid To Past Wars Is Fraught 
Counting the dead is one of the first, somber steps in reckoning with an event of enormous tragic scope, be it war, a natural disaster or a pandemic. This dark but necessary arithmetic has become all too routine during the covid-19 outbreak. The total U.S death toll has now surpassed 450,000. (Stone and Feibel, 2/5)

KHN: As Demand For Mental Health Care Spikes, Budget Ax Set To Strike
When the pandemic hit, health officials in Montana’s Beaverhead County had barely begun to fill a hole left by the 2017 closure of the local public assistance office, mental health clinic, chemical dependency center and job placement office after the state’s last budget shortfall. Now, those health officials worry more cuts are coming, even as they brace for a spike in demand for substance abuse and mental health services. That would be no small challenge in a poor farming and ranching region where stigma often prevents people from admitting they need help, said Katherine Buckley-Patton, who chairs the county’s Mental Health Local Advisory Council. (Volz, 2/5)

KHN: California’s Rural Counties Endure A Deadly Covid Winter
Covid-19’s fierce winter resurgence in California is notable not only for the explosion in overall cases and deaths in the state’s sprawling urban centers. This latest surge spilled across a far greater geographic footprint, scarring remote corners of the state that went largely unscathed for much of 2020. In the past two months, covid-related infection and death rates have jumped exponentially in California’s least populated counties. (Reese, 2/5)

KHN: Journalists Explore Inefficiency And Inequities Of Vaccine Rollout
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber spoke about the covid-19 vaccine rollout for WAMU’s “1A” on Jan. 29. ... KHN social media manager Chaseedaw Giles discussed racial disparities in covid vaccine distribution with NBC LX News on Feb. 3. ... KHN senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble discussed why President Joe Biden’s use of the Defense Production Act might not get more vaccines to market faster with NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday” on Jan. 30. (2/5)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Covid And Kids 
Nearly a year into the pandemic, many public schools are still closed to in-person instruction. But while there is increasing evidence that schools are not a major source of infection, teachers and staffers remain concerned about going back to class before they are vaccinated. Meanwhile, people who have lost their health insurance will have another chance to sign up under the Affordable Care Act starting Feb. 15. The official enrollment period ended in December. This time, the Biden administration is planning a major outreach effort to inform millions of Americans that they may be eligible for free or low-cost coverage. (2/4)

The New York Times: Johnson &Amp; Johnson Applies For Emergency Authorization For A Single-Shot Vaccine
Johnson & Johnson on Thursday submitted to the Food and Drug Administration an application for emergency authorization for its one-dose coronavirus vaccine, putting the company on track to potentially begin shipping it by early March. The agency has scheduled a meeting with its outside advisory panel, which will vote on whether the F.D.A. should authorize the vaccine on Feb. 26, according to people familiar with the planning. (Weiland, 2/4)

Politico: Johnson & Johnson Files For Emergency Use Of Covid-19 Shot 
The J&J shot is 66 percent effective broadly against moderate to severe infection but provides strong protection against hospitalization and death, according to a global study. ... But the J&J shot also proved less effective against a virulent Covid-19 strain first found in South Africa, falling to just 57 percent efficacy in a trial run in that country. Cases of the strain, dubbed B.1.351, have already popped up in the U.S. while scientists meanwhile warn that other variants, like the one first found in the United Kingdom, could soon adopt the strain’s hardiness against vaccines. (Owermohle, 2/4)

NPR: Johnson & Johnson Applies For Emergency Use Authorization For COVID-19 Vaccine
In a statement released Thursday, the company said if emergency use is granted, it aims to supply 100 million doses in the first half of 2021. Unlike Pfizer and Moderna, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine can be stored for at least three months at 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit, compatible with standard vaccine distribution channels, the company said. (Jones, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Johnson & Johnson Asks U.S. Regulators For Emergency Approval Of Its Covid-19 Vaccine 
The addition of J&J’s vaccine could jump-start a U.S. mass-vaccination campaign that has been choppy since it began in December. There has been a limited supply of the first two vaccines, from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer, with its partner BioNTech SE, and distribution roadblocks have caused a slower-than-expected pace of vaccinations. J&J’s shot wouldn’t only boost the overall supply of Covid-19 vaccine doses, but also could simplify vaccinations for many because it is given in one dose. (Loftus, 2/4)

The New York Times: Some Baby Food May Contain Toxic Metals, U.S. Reports
Ingredients in many baby foods, including some organic fare, are contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic, lead and cadmium at levels that are far higher than those allowed in products like bottled water, congressional investigators said on Thursday. Their report underscored the federal government’s persistently lax approach to overseeing the safety of baby food, some experts said, despite clear risks to infants and toddlers. Exposure to heavy metals in particular has been linked to behavioral impairments, brain damage and even death. (Rabin, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Toxic Heavy Metals Found In Some Baby Food, Congressional Report Says 
A congressional investigation found high levels of toxic metals in several top baby food brands and called on federal regulators to set stricter standards on the food manufacturers. Gerber, Beech-Nut, Walmart Inc.’s store brand and several organic lines of baby foods contained “dangerously high levels” of arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, according to a report by the House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy issued Thursday. Consumer advocacy groups have reached similar conclusions in recent years. (Gasparro and Terlep, 2/4)

The Hill: Congressional Investigators Find 'Dangerously High' Levels Of Heavy Metals In Some Baby Food 
A congressional investigation found “dangerously high” levels of heavy metals in some baby foods. A staff report from the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy released Thursday found that some internal company standards “permit dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals.” (2/4)

Politico: Biden Health Team Hatches New Vaccine Strategy As Variant Threat Builds 
The Food and Drug Administration is preparing to release new standards for Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, tests and drugs in the coming weeks — all aimed at preparing the country to beat back fast-spreading virus variants that are less susceptible to existing shots. The agency confirmed Thursday that it plans to release draft guidance. It could come in two to three weeks, according to four people familiar with the discussion. In the meantime, federal and state officials are scrambling to track how widely the coronavirus variants first found in South Africa, Brazil and the United Kingdom are spreading in the United States. (Owermohle and Lim, 2/4)

USA Today: FDA Announces Plan To Draft Guidance To Contend With COVID-19 Variants
Concerned about new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late Thursday that it is developing guidance to help vaccine, drug and testing manufacturers adapt. Existing vaccines, treatments and tests still work well, emphasized the FDA's acting commissioner Janet Woodcock. But now is the time to get ready for a future when they may not. "We must prepare for all eventualities," she said in a call with reporters. Within the next few weeks, the FDA will provide draft guidance to manufacturers on how to adapt their products as needed, Woodcock said. Feedback from companies and others will help refine that guidance. (Weintraub, 2/4)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Gearing Up For Rapid Review Of Potential COVID-19 Booster Shots
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning a rapid review process for quick turnaround of new COVID-19 booster shots if variants of the coronavirus emerge against which the vaccines do not provide protection, the agency’s top official said on Thursday. Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the FDA, said that if new variants of the coronavirus emerge that require booster shots or changes to vaccines, the agency will not require the type of large trials that were required for emergency use authorization or approval. (2/4)

Boston Globe: New CDC Chief Rochelle Walensky Says Staff At Agency Have Been ‘Muzzled’ And ‘Beaten Down’
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, described low morale among staff at the agency after Donald Trump spent months downplaying the severity of COVID-19, flouting the agency’s recommendations, and sidelining public health experts. In an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday, Walensky said staff at the CDC have been “muzzled, they have been beaten down, but they are still there, and they are working hard, long hours.” Walensky, formerly chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, described staff at the agency as “career public health officials, stewards of the health of this nation and really of the world” who are “doing the hard work that is about to protect the rest of the country and that has been working to protect the rest of the country.” (Kaufman, 2/4)

Politico: Frontrunner Emerges For Biden’s Medicare And Medicaid Chief
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, a longtime Democratic health policy expert, has emerged as the leading candidate to run President Joe Biden’s Medicare and Medicaid agency, according to three sources familiar with the Biden team’s discussions. The eventual head of the trillion-dollar agency will be charged with overseeing Biden’s pledge to expand Obamacare and reverse Trump-era restrictions on the health care safety net. (Roubein, Luthi and Cancryn, 2/4)

The Hill: Pentagon Mandates Masks For All Personnel Working Indoors And Outdoors 
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday ordered all military personnel to wear masks while on Defense Department property or while working anywhere outside their homes for the department, a move intended to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. (Mitchell, 2/4)

AP: Wisconsin Governor Issues New Mask Mandate After GOP Repeal
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued a new statewide mask order on Thursday, an hour after the Republican-controlled Legislature voted to repeal his previous mandate saying he didn’t have authority to make such a decree. Evers and the Legislature have been at odds throughout the pandemic but the latest moves created an unprecedented level of whiplash. Republican lawmakers last year persuaded the state Supreme Court to scrap Evers’ stay-at-home order and a state appeals court halted the limits he placed on indoor gatherings. (Bauer, 2/4)

The Washington Post: Iowa’s House Speaker Said He Can’t Make Lawmakers Wear Masks — But He Did Enforce A Ban On Jeans
Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley (R) has repeatedly pushed back against imposing a mask mandate inside the legislature, saying that he cannot force lawmakers to cover their faces — just as he cannot stop someone from voting on the House floor in their bathing suit. But when one Democratic lawmaker attempted to speak during a floor debate on Tuesday — not in a bikini or one-piece but in jeans — Grassley called her out for violating the chamber’s dress code. (Armus, 2/4)

AP: US Leaders Urge Military To Get Vaccine Shots
With more than half of America reluctant or flatly opposed to getting a COVID-19 vaccine, a VIP-filled video call on Thursday targeted the nation’s military families with an urgent plea: Get the shot. “We need your help,” first lady Jill Biden told hundreds of listeners on a call set up by Blue Star Families. ”That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to mask up, socially distance and get the vaccine when it’s your turn.” (Baldor, 2/4)

The Hill: Navy Sailor Dies Of COVID-19 In Florida 
A sailor assigned to the USS Tennessee battleship died Thursday in Florida from complications related to COVID-19, bringing the official number of service members killed by the coronavirus to 20. (Mitchell, 2/4)

The New York Times: Senate Votes Against Minimum Wage Hike During Pandemic As Biden’s Economic Plan Moves Forward
As lawmakers advanced President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package on Thursday, the Senate dealt a setback to a major tenet of the plan: raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. By a voice vote, senators backed an amendment from Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, to “prohibit the increase of the federal minimum wage during a global pandemic.” It was a signal that the wage hike would be difficult to pass in an evenly split Senate, where at least one Democrat, Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, was on record opposing it. (Broadwater, Fuchs and Tankersley, 2/4)

Politico: Senate Vote Indicates More Targeted Stimulus Checks For Biden 
The Senate overwhelmingly approved a proposal led by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) barring "upper-income taxpayers" from eligibility for stimulus checks proposed by President Joe Biden, the latest sign that the next round of direct payments will be far more targeted than previous rounds. "The question before us is quite simple. Do we want stimulus checks to go to households with family incomes of $300,000? Or do we want to target the assistance to struggling families who need the help and provide a boost for the economy?" asked Collins. (Everett, 2/4)

Politico: Romney Proposes Child Care Benefit For Families, Fueling Democrats' Push 
Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Thursday released a plan to provide families with a monthly cash benefit of as much $350 for each child, embracing calls by President Joe Biden and Democrats to increase the child care tax credit to help low-income Americans struggling during the pandemic. Romney’s Family Security Act would replace the Child Tax Credit with a $3,000 yearly benefit per child — $4,200 for kids under the age of 5 — spread out in monthly installments that begin four months before a child’s due date, according to a summary of the proposal. (Rainey, 2/4)

The Washington Post: Airlines Warn Employees They Could Be Furloughed At The End Of March 
Two of the nation’s largest airlines said tens of thousands of workers again could face furloughs as demand for air travel continues to lag amid the slow rollout of coronavirus vaccines and new testing requirements for international travelers. Recent announcements by United Airlines and American Airlines come as aviation unions have begun to push for a second extension of the Payroll Support Program that has kept many workers on the job. The renewed effort, backed by the airlines, is an acknowledgment that a recovery the industry had hoped would come this spring isn’t likely to happen. (Aratani, 2/4)

Houston Chronicle: Galveston County Looking For Volunteers To Administer COVID Vaccine
The Galveston County Office of Emergency Management is seeking volunteers to help administer COVID-19 vaccinations. And, it turns out, volunteering to dish out vaccines could be the key to obtaining one yourself. The county’s vaccine hub, located at Walter Hall Park, was originally staffed by health care workers from the University of Texas Medical Branch. “As we’ve gotten more doses and moved forward, they still have jobs at UTMB to do,” said OEM spokesperson Zach Davidson. “So we’ve started reaching out to the community and the response has been incredible.” (Gordon, 2/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: More Bay Area Women Are Getting Vaccinated Than Men. Here's Why
These early numbers reflect a national trend: Of people vaccinated nationally from mid-December to mid-January, 63% of people were women, according to federal data released Monday. Experts said the disparity in part reflects data that women live longer than men: In the five Bay Area counties that provided gender breakdowns, women over 65 outnumber their male counterparts, though women accounted for half or just over half of the total population. Also, more women work in health care in California due to the high proportion of nurses who are women. (Moench, 2/4)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Black Americans May Have To Travel Farther To Get A COVID-19 Vaccination, Pitt Researchers Find
As states prepare COVID-19 inoculations for a wider swath of the population, researchers who have been mapping potential vaccine distribution sites found that, in dozens of counties across the country, Black residents are more likely than white residents to live farther away from a site. Long drives to vaccination sites may keep people from getting the vaccine, and could widen the already-significant health disparities between Black and white Americans, wrote the researchers, from the University of Pittsburgh and the West Health Policy Center. Researchers hope health departments around the country will use the mapping project to pinpoint under-served areas of their communities and open more convenient facilities like mobile clinics or mass vaccination sites at gyms and stadiums. Many counties, including in the Philadelphia region, have already begun to open such sites. (Whelan, 2/4)

The Washington Post: D.C. Officials Knock On Doors To Reach Seniors Amid Push For Vaccine Equity 
D.C. officials have a new tactic in their push to vaccinate residents in neighborhoods hit hardest by the coronavirus, while officials across the Washington region on Thursday continued to manage the ongoing fallout from the pandemic. Ensuring that the limited supply of vaccine doses is being distributed equitably among residents has been a key focus for elected officials across the region. Fairfax County is offering free transportation to vaccination sites for some residents who live farther away. Montgomery County is prioritizing residents from Zip codes with high infection rates. The District on Thursday announced its newest method to reach residents: knocking on their front doors. (Zauzmer, Natanson and Tan, 2/4)

The Hill: Drones Could Begin Vaccine Deliveries In April, Firm Says 
Drone delivery service Zipline announced Thursday that it is partnering with “a leading manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccines” to begin distributing shots to its global partner locations as soon as April. (Castronuovo, 2/4)

Boston Globe: Artificial Intelligence Could Help ‘Fine-Tune’ Vaccine Priority Lists, Predict Mortality, Study Reports
Much of the debate around vaccine prioritization hinges on one question: Who faces the greatest risk of dying if they become infected with COVID-19? Thus far, it is a question without a definitive answer. Age is one way to gauge risk, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that people aged 75 and older be among the first members of the general public to have access to the vaccine. But in the next phase of distribution, as the CDC tries to factor in underlying medical conditions, the calculation becomes much more complex. Artificial intelligence, when applied to standard patient medical records, can help untangle that web, a new study by Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard researchers found. (Moore, 2/4)

The Hill: CDC: LGBT Community At Greater Risk To Experience Severe COVID-19 Symptoms 
Members of the LGBT community are at greater risk of of experiencing severe symptoms of COVID-19, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday. According to the report, the CDC found that members of the LGBT community are more likely to have underlying health conditions that put them at an increased risk to contract the coronavirus and experience severe symptoms of the disease. (Vella, 2/4)

Bloomberg: Prior Pneumonia Cases May Pose Unseen Covid Dangers, Study Finds
An earlier case of pneumonia appears to be a surprisingly strong indicator of whether someone infected with Covid-19 faces a higher risk of severe disease and death, Harvard University researchers said. A prior episode of pneumonia was the second-greatest overall risk factor for death from Covid-19, according to a study of medical records from almost 17,000 patients. The top predictor of risk is age, with the risk increasing as people get older. By itself, a single pneumonia case probably doesn’t put someone at high risk, the researchers cautioned. Rather, it’s more likely an indicator of underlying chronic disease -- such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or interstitial lung disease -- that’s gone undiagnosed, they said. (Lauerman, 2/4)

CIDRAP: Dialysis Patients At Nearly 4 Times The Risk For COVID Death 
Patients undergoing long-term dialysis were more than five times likelier to be infected with COVID-19 and nearly four times as likely to die than the general population, suggesting that they should be prioritized for vaccination, according to a Canadian study published today in CMAJ. In the study, researchers from the Ontario Renal Network at Western University in London, Ontario, compared disease characteristics and death rate between long-term dialysis patients with and without COVID-19 infection using linked datasets from Mar 12 to Aug 20, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 2/4)

USA Today: Vaccine Court Rule Change Would Eliminate Pay For Shoulder Injuries
The most common injury from errant vaccine shots might no longer be paid through a federal program due to a rule change ushered in during the final days of the Trump administration. ... Federal vaccine court, established under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, handles rare cases of people who have serious side effects from a recommended vaccine. ... The court has a list of "table injuries" making people eligible for compensation if they show they received the covered vaccine and document side effects within a set period. If an alleged harm is not listed as a table injury, a person must prove a vaccine caused the injury. (Alltucker, 2/4)

The New York Times: Burned By Low Reimbursements, Some Doctors Stop Testing For Covid 
Dr. Robin Larabee was thrilled to start offering coronavirus testing at her pediatrics practice in Denver last fall. Testing for children is often scarce, and her new machines could return results within minutes. She quickly discovered an unexpected obstacle: a major health insurer that paid her less than the cost of the test itself. Each kit Dr. Larabee purchased for her machines cost about $41, but the insurer sent back half that amount each time she submitted a claim. (Kliff, 2/3)

Stat: ‘A Waste Of Money’: The Home Covid-19 Test Funded By The Biden Administration Is Too Costly And Complex, Critics Say
or months, U.S. public health experts have called on the federal government to approve and fund cheap and fast at-home Covid-19 tests, to help bring the spread of infection under control. But when the Biden administration this week announced a $231.8 million deal to ramp up production of the first fully at-home test, the experts’ response was, to say the least, unenthusiastic. One dismissed it as “a spit in the ocean.” It’s not that home testing with a 15-minute turnaround time isn’t a good idea, they said, it’s just that the rollout of this initial kit is too little and too late, and the test too expensive and complicated, to help extinguish the raging pandemic fire. A number of experts called on the Biden administration to subsidize the home test for consumers, and said the Food and Drug Administration needs to do more to make such tests widely available. (McLaughlin, 2/5)

Los Angeles Times: What’s The Difference Between A Variant And A Strain? 
Confusion over the terms “variant” and “strain” predate this coronavirus. It seems virologists never got around to defining their terms. ... The distinction between a variant and a strain hinges on whether the virus in question behaves in a distinct way, according to Dr. Adam Lauring, who studies the evolution of RNA viruses at the University of Michigan, and Emma Hodcroft, an expert on viral phylogenetics at the University of Bern in Switzerland. (Kaplan, 2/4)

PBS NewsHour: Why New Coronavirus Variants Emerge, And What That Means For You
The devastating spike in new daily COVID-19 cases in the United States has slowly begun to come down, and vaccinations are starting to protect millions of the country’s most vulnerable people. But any respite from the pandemic’s worst chapter so far could be turned back — or made worse — by new coronavirus variants that experts say may present a variety of challenges to getting the virus under control. Three specific variants have raised alarm bells so far: B.1.1.7, which was identified in the United Kingdom, B.1.351 in South Africa, and P.1 in Brazil, all of which have been detected in the U.S. Experts believe that B.1.1.7. could be as much as “50 to 70 percent more contagious” compared to past variants, which means more people are likely to get infected. (Isaacs-Thomas, 2/4)

Stat: What Scientists Know About The New Variants And The Covid-19 Vaccines
There is now real evidence that at least one coronavirus variant seems to elude some of the power of Covid-19 vaccines. What, exactly, that means for the pandemic is still being sussed out. (Joseph, 2/5)

Bloomberg: When Will Covid Pandemic End? Vaccine Calculator Shows 7 Years At Current Rate
When will the pandemic end? It’s the question hanging over just about everything since Covid-19 took over the world last year. The answer can be measured in vaccinations. Bloomberg has built the biggest database of Covid-19 shots given around the world, with more than 119 million doses administered worldwide. U.S. science officials such as Anthony Fauci have suggested it will take 70% to 85% coverage of the population for things to return to normal. Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker shows that some countries are making far more rapid progress than others, using 75% coverage with a two-dose vaccine as a target. (Randall, 2/4)

CIDRAP: ED Visits For Overdose, Mental Health, Child Abuse Rose During COVID-19
Except for a slight decrease from Mar 29 to Apr 11, 2020, emergency department (ED) visits involving drug and opioid overdoses (ODs) were 1% to 45% more frequent than in 2019, according to a JAMA Psychiatry study published yesterday. The researchers also found that the median number of ED visits per 100,000 involving mental health conditions (MHCs), suicide attempts (SAs), and suspected child abuse and neglect (SCAN) cases also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the decrease in overall visits. (2/4)

Stat: Study: Fecal Matter Transplants Could Help Cancer Drugs Work More Broadly
Checkpoint inhibitors like Keytruda and Opdivo can be incredibly powerful cancer-killing drugs — when they work, that is, which is less than 70% of the time. For years, scientists have hoped to find a way to identify a combination of therapies that might help these drugs work for a larger number of people. (Sheridan, 2/4)

CIDRAP: Report Highlights Lack Of Progress Against Antimicrobial Resistance 
A new report indicates global antibiotic consumption and resistance levels continue to rise, with many countries in the developing world facing worrisome drug resistance rates. Among the findings from the State of the World's Antibiotics in 2021 report is that, while per capita antibiotic consumption in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains lower than in wealthier nations, consumption rates are converging. (Dall, 2/4)

Stat: 23andMe To Go Public Via Richard Branson's SPAC
The genetics testing company 23andMe will enter the public markets via a special purpose acquisition corporation sponsored by Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, a deal that values the company at $3.5 billion. The transaction with VG Acquisition Corp. will provide a burst of capital to 23andMe as it seeks to expand its business beyond direct-to-consumer genetic testing to develop novel therapeutics. (Ross and Herper, 2/4)

Stat: The Pajama Interview: A Q&A With Anne Wojcicki And Richard Branson
When consumer genetics firm 23andMe announced Thursday that it will go public through a deal with the special purpose acquisition corporation VG Acquisition Corp, STAT hopped onto a Zoom call with two of the most prominent and colorful people in the business world: 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki, who has run the company from its start, and Richard Branson, the billionaire idea-man behind everything emblazoned with the word Virgin. (Herper, 2/4)

Stat: Google Expands Health Goals With New Wellness Features For Pixel Phones
Google is taking a bite out of another piece of the health care pie. On Thursday, the tech giant announced plans to debut two wellness features that allow users of its Pixel smartphone to measure their heart and respiration rate using the device’s camera. (Brodwin, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: Largest Catholic Health Systems Pledge To Confront Racism
Ascension, CommonSpirit Health, Trinity Health and 20 other Catholic health systems have pledged to confront systemic racism in part through top-down examinations of their operations to ensure they're promoting diversity and inclusion. The systems, which together treat more than 4 million patients annually and employ almost half a million people in the U.S., unveiled the initiative Thursday alongside leaders from the Catholic Health Association. A big part of the undertaking will be addressing the disparities that led to COVID-19's disproportionately devastating impact on communities of color. They'll also ensure COVID tests are accessible in minority communities and vaccinations are prioritized for those at higher risk. (Bannow, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: States Pressure Drugmakers After McKinsey’s $600 Million Opioid Settlement 
State attorneys general intensified pressure on drug companies to settle claims over the opioid crisis, following consulting firm McKinsey & Co.’s agreement to pay nearly $600 million over its advice to pharmaceutical companies to rev up sales. McKinsey’s settlements, reached with every state but Nevada, are an unexpected first source of revenue to stem from yearslong investigations into drug industry players that states say helped exacerbate an opioid epidemic. It has killed at least 400,000 people in the U.S. since 1999. (Randazzo and Randles, 2/4)

Stat: Merck's Frazier, Biopharma's Irreplaceable Voice, To Step Down As CEO
Kenneth Frazier is stepping down as the CEO of Merck, leaving a giant hole in the fabric of the pharmaceutical industry. The decision, announced Thursday, has been telegraphed for more than a year, but is still a landmark moment. (Herper, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: Health Tech Industry Mulls HIMSS21 Attendance Amid Pandemic
Healthcare technology executives are weighing whether to attend the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's annual trade show amid the COVID-19 pandemic and following cancellation of the 2020 event. HIMSS21, which is slated for Aug. 9-13 in Las Vegas, hasn't opened registration for attendees yet. The conference and exhibition has traditionally been one of the largest gatherings of health IT professionals, drawing in tens of thousands of attendees. But some companies, like Cerner Corp., have already said they won't have a booth at the 2021 event. (Kim Cohen, 2/4)

AP: Record Virus Fine Hits California Prison With Worst Outbreak
California workplace safety regulators announced Thursday that a state prison rocked by one of the nation’s worst coronavirus outbreaks has been hit with by far its largest pandemic-related fine yet against an employer. The $421,880 fine against San Quentin State Prison is several times higher than any others levied by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, commonly known as Cal/OSHA. Only a few others exceed $100,000, and most are several thousand dollars. (Thompson, 2/5)

The Hill: Former Ohio Health Director To 'Carefully Consider' Next Steps Amid Senate Speculation 
Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, said Thursday she was stepping down from her position at a nonprofit and will “carefully consider” her future amid speculation that she may run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Rob Portman (R). (Axelrod, 2/4)

The New York Times: George McDonald, Power Broker For The Powerless, Dies At 76 
George McDonald, who walked away from a corporate career and spent 700 lonely nights feeding mendicants, crack addicts and runaways in Grand Central Terminal, laying the foundation for a second act as the founder of the Doe Fund, a nonprofit that has provided housing and jobs to thousands of formerly incarcerated and homeless New Yorkers, died on Jan. 26 in Manhattan. He was 76.His wife, Harriet Karr-McDonald, said the cause was cancer. (Traub, 2/4)

Boston Globe: Should Psychedelic Drugs Be Decriminalized In Mass.? Advocates See Opening
Somerville in January became the first jurisdiction in Massachusetts to move toward decriminalizing plant-based psychedelic drugs, with city leaders voting unanimously to recognize the medical uses of natural entheogens — including psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms” — and make them among the lowest enforcement priorities for local police. Fresh off that victory, advocates for decriminalizing such drugs are now bringing their fight to Beacon Hill. State Representative Mike Connolly, whose district includes large swaths of Somerville and Cambridge and who has been working with the reformers, told the Globe he is planning to file a preliminary bill that would create a committee of public officials, scientists, criminal justice experts, and others to study whether Massachusetts should decriminalize natural psychedelics and legalize their administration in therapeutic settings statewide. (Adams, 2/4)

Reuters: 'I Thought I Had COVID, But It Was Cancer,' Says Suarez Navarro
When Spanish player Carla Suarez Navarro had stomach pains and sickness last summer she suspected it was COVID-19. After tests, however, the news was far worse than she could have imagined as she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer, and would need months of chemotherapy. The former world number six, known for one of the best backhands in tennis, had already decided earlier in the year to retire, but this was not how she wanted to bow out. A few months since that anxious September news she has made a strong recovery and is targeting a proper farewell to the sport at the re-scheduled Tokyo Olympics. (2/3)

The Guardian: Up To 100 UK Children A Week Hospitalised With Rare Post-Covid Disease
Up to 100 children a week are being hospitalised with a rare disease that can emerge weeks after Covid-19, leaving them in intensive care, doctors have said. In a phenomenon that is worrying paediatricians, 75% of the children worst affected by paediatric inflammatory multi-system syndrome (PIMS) were black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME). Almost four out of five children were previously healthy, according to an unpublished snapshot of cases. (Campbell and Bannock, 2/5)

Bloomberg: U.K. To Bring In Mandatory Quarantine For Travelers From Feb. 15
The U.K. will require travelers from coronavirus hot spots to quarantine starting Feb. 15, the government said, adding flesh to a policy first announced last month. Arrivals from countries on the U.K.’s travel ban list will be required to isolate for 10 days in government-approved accommodation, the Department for Health and Social Care said Thursday in a statement. The government said it’s seeking bids from hotels near airports and ports to support the program. The announcement comes after days of confusion over how soon the government would implement a policy it announced last month as a key tool to stop mutations of the coronavirus that may be more resistant to vaccines from entering the country. (Morales, 2/4)