First Edition: Jan. 19, 2021

KHN: Black Americans Are Getting Vaccinated At Lower Rates Than White Americans 
Black Americans are receiving covid vaccinations at dramatically lower rates than white Americans in the first weeks of the chaotic rollout, according to a new KHN analysis. About 3% of Americans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine so far. But in 16 states that have released data by race, white residents are being vaccinated at significantly higher rates than Black residents, according to the analysis — in many cases two to three times higher. (Recht and Weber, 1/17)

KHN: Are Public Health Ads Worth The Price? Not If They’re All About Fear 
The public service announcement showed a mother finding her teenage son lifeless, juxtaposed with the sound of a ukulele and a woman singing, “That’s how, how you OD’d on heroin.” It aired locally during the 2015 Super Bowl but attracted national attention and has been viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube. (Berger, 1/19)

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: Host Dan Weissmann Talks Price Transparency On ‘Axios Today’
As we settle into the new year, we have two small doses of good news. First, a new federal rule could help cut through one health care issue. Host Dan Weissmann talked about the rule — which requires hospitals to make public the prices they negotiate with insurers — in a short conversation with his former public-radio colleague, Niala Boodhoo, for the daily-news podcast “Axios Today.” (Weissmann, 1/19)

KHN: Biden Terms Vaccine Rollout ‘A Dismal Failure’ As He Unveils Pandemic Response Plan
In the past 24 hours, President-elect Joe Biden has delivered two speeches focused on the nation’s covid response. Thursday night, he laid out a $1.9 trillion-dollar plan to address what he’s calling the “twin crises” of the covid-19 pandemic and the economy. (Knight, 1/15)

USA Today: 'Blood On His Hands': As US Nears 400,000 COVID-19 Deaths, Experts Blame Trump Administration For A 'Preventable' Loss Of Life
That total is fast approaching the 405,000 U.S. fatalities from World War II – thousands of them recorded when Harry Truman was president after Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in April 1945 – to rank as the third-deadliest event in the history of the republic. About 618,000-750,000 were killed in the Civil War of 1861-1865. Many public health experts and historians blame the Trump administration for the extent of the COVID-19 devastation. (Ortiz, 1/17)

The Washington Post: 400,000: The Invisible Deaths Of Covid-19
In a Connecticut hospital room, a woman less than 48 hours from death posted on Facebook: “It is now just a matter of trying to keep me comfortable till I pass.” A few days before Christmas, less than a week before he died at home, a California man texted his daughter: “Vaccines on the way. Gettin kinda close.” Nearly 400,000 Americans have now died of covid-19. It took 12 weeks for the death toll to rise from 200,000 to 300,000. The death toll has leaped from 300,000 to almost 400,000 in less than five weeks. (Fisher, Rozsa, Kreidler and Gowen, 1/17)

AP: California Becomes First State To Top 3 Million Virus Cases
California on Monday became the first state to record more than 3 million known coronavirus infections. The grim milestone, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, wasn’t entirely unexpected in a state with 40 million residents but its speed stunning. The state only reached 2 million reported cases on Dec. 24. The first coronavirus case in California was confirmed last Jan. 25. It took 292 days to get to 1 million infections on Nov. 11 and 44 days to top 2 million. (Jablon, 1/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Newly Reported U.S. Covid-19 Infections Fall For Third Day
Newly reported Covid-19 cases in the U.S. were down again from a day earlier, as were deaths and hospitalizations, as the nation ended a three-day weekend. The U.S. reported more than 137,000 new infections for Monday, taking the total to more than 24 million cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and made public early Tuesday morning. That represented a decline from the 177,918 cases reported a day earlier and was the third day in a row to register a day-over-day decrease. Monday’s figure was down from a week-earlier 213,304. (Martin, 1/19)

Deadline: Another New Covid-19 Variant Discovered In L.A. Might Be Vaccine Resistant, Researcher Says; Strain First Identified In Denmark
Dr. Charles Chiu, a virologist and professor of laboratory medicine at UCSF who, in concert with state authorities, has been genetically sequencing test samples to identify new variants said early indications are the L452R might be less susceptible to the currently approved vaccines, but more investigation is needed. “This variant carries three mutations, including L452R, in the spike protein, which the virus uses to attach to and enter cells, and is the target of the two vaccines that are currently available in the United States,” said Dr. Chiu. A spike protein mutation could, then, interfere with the vaccine’s efficacy. (Tapp, 1/18)

The Washington Post: Another Coronavirus Variant Linked To Growing Share Of Cases, Several Large Outbreaks, In California
A coronavirus variant first identified in Denmark has ripped through Northern California — including outbreaks at nursing homes, jails and a hospital in the San Jose area — prompting state and local officials to investigate whether it may be more transmissible. California officials disclosed the rise of the variant Sunday night after genetic monitoring linked it to a fast-growing share of new cases, as well as to the outbreaks in Santa Clara county, which includes San Jose. (Nirappil, 1/18)

San Francisco Chronicle: New Coronavirus Variant Found In Bay Area Linked To Massive Kaiser Outbreak
The variant, which is labeled L452R, is different from the highly-transmissible B.1.1.7 variant that was first found in the United Kingdom. ... Cody confirmed that the variant was identified in the massive outbreak at a Kaiser Permanente emergency room in San Jose, which sickened more than 90 staff and patients people and led to one death. An inflatable Christmas costume, powered by an air pump, may have helped the virus to spread. (Morris, 1/17)

Los Angeles Times: Another New Coronavirus Variant Found Across California 
The new variant has also been reported in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, San Bernardino, San Diego, Humboldt, Lake, Mono, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. Scientists say they don’t know how prevalent the strain is, because viral genomic sequencing isn’t performed everywhere across the state or the country. (Nelson, 1/17)

Politico: New Coronavirus Variant Identified In German Hospital 
A new variant of the coronavirus has been identified in a hospital in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a Bavarian ski town, local media reported Monday. Last Tuesday, the hospital discovered an "abnormality" for the first time in a coronavirus test device that indicated it was not one of the variants from the U.K., South Africa, or Brazil, said Clemens Stockklausner, deputy medical director at the hospital, during a press conference. (Gehrke, 1/18)

Bloomberg: South Africa’s New Virus Strain Is 50% More Infectious
South Africa’s genomic scientists have found the new coronavirus variant driving the country’s resurgence of new cases is about 50% more transmissible than earlier versions. The 501.V2 strain identified last month “can attach to human cells more efficiently” than its predecessors, Salim Abdool Karim, co-chair of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee, said in a presentation. However, data show it is not more likely to cause hospitalization or death, he said Monday. (Cele and Bowker, 1/18)

AP: A New COVID-19 Challenge: Mutations Rise Along With Cases
The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge. The coronavirus is becoming more genetically diverse, and health officials say the high rate of new cases is the main reason. Each new infection gives the virus a chance to mutate as it makes copies of itself, threatening to undo the progress made so far to control the pandemic. (Marchione, 1/19)

The Atlantic: The Coronavirus Variants Reveal A Troubling New Pattern
For most of 2020, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 jumped from human to human, accumulating mutations at a steady rate of two per month—not especially impressive for a virus. These mutations have largely had little effect. But recently, three distinct versions of the virus seem to have independently converged on some of the same mutations, despite being thousands of miles apart in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. (A mutation is a genetic change; a variant is a virus with a specific set of mutations.) The fact that these mutations have popped up not one, not two, but now three times—that we know of—in variants with unusual behavior suggests that they confer an evolutionary advantage to the virus. All three variants seem to be becoming more common. And all three are potentially more transmissible. (Zhang, 1/18)

The New York Times: Inside The B.1.1.7 Coronavirus Variant 
At the heart of each coronavirus is its genome, a twisted strand of nearly 30,000 “letters” of RNA. These genetic instructions force infected human cells to assemble up to 29 kinds of proteins that help the coronavirus multiply and spread. As viruses replicate, small copying errors known as mutations naturally arise in their genomes. A lineage of coronaviruses will typically accumulate one or two random mutations each month. (Corum and Zimmer, 1/18)

Fox News: UK Coronavirus Variant Identified In Massachusetts For First Time
Massachusetts health officials on Sunday announced the state’s first known case of the more contagious coronavirus variant initially detected in the U.K, known as B.1.1.7. The mutated strain was detected in a female Boston resident in her 20s who had traveled to the U.K., according to a statement from the public health department. Though the woman tested negative before leaving the U.K., she became sick one day after her arrival in the U.S. and later tested positive. The CDC currently requires passengers traveling from the U.K. to the U.S. to provide negative COVID-19 test results within three days of travel. (As of Jan. 26, all international passengers flying into the United States will need to provide the same, per the CDC.) The statement did not specify when the woman was tested. (Rivas, 1/18)

Fox News: UK Coronavirus Variant Seen In Louisiana For First Time: Officials
Yet another state has identified its first case of the more contagious coronavirus variant known as B.1.1.7 that was first discovered in the United Kingdom late last year. Louisiana health officials over the weekend announced the state’s first case of the mutation, which was identified "in an individual in the Greater New Orleans area." No other details were provided. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards urged state residents to "double down" on effective mitigation measures now that the state has identified its first case of the variant. (Farber, 1/18)

Los Angeles Times: California Warns Against Using A Batch Of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines After Allergic Reactions
California’s top epidemiologist told healthcare providers on Sunday to stop using a batch of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine after a “higher than usual” number of people had apparent allergic reactions at a San Diego vaccination clinic. Dr. Erica Pan, the state epidemiologist, said Sunday that “out of an extreme abundance of caution,” providers should stop using the doses until federal, state and company officials finish an investigation. (Nelson, 1/18)

The Hill: California Recommends Pause In Administering One Batch Of Moderna Vaccine Due To Possible Allergic Reaction 
California's state epidemiologist recommended that healthcare providers in the state pause administering one batch of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine due to possible allergic reactions. State Epidemiologist Erica Pan said in a statement on Sunday that “a higher-than-usual number of possible allergic reactions” were reported with doses from a lot by Moderna that was administered at a community vaccination clinic. (Williams, 1/18)

San Francisco Chronicle: Allergic Reactions That Caused California To Halt 330,000 Vaccine Doses Occurred At San Diego’s Petco Park
More than 330,000 doses from this batch, or lot, were sent to 287 providers across the state, including some in the Bay Area. The doses, which expire in July, will not be thrown out. They will be kept in storage until public health and Moderna officials who are investigating the cases know more about what caused the allergic reactions. The state hopes to provide more information this week. “It’s probably prudent to hold them, but every time a vaccine isn’t given out, it’s slowing us down,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at UCSF. (Ho, 1/18)

CBS News: Backlog Of Bodies Caused By COVID-19 Forces California Air Quality Agency To Suspend Cremation Limits 
The lack of storage space for those who have died of the coronavirus forced the agency which regulates air quality across the Southland to issue an emergency order Sunday night lifting the limit on the number of cremations allowed. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued the emergency order temporarily suspending permit requirements for crematoriums. CBS Los Angeles reports the order was issued at the request of both the Los Angeles County coroner's office and the L.A. County Department of Public Health. (1/18)

The New York Times: Trump Orders Lifting Of Virus Travel Ban, But Biden Aides Vow To Block Move 
President Trump on Monday ordered an end to the ban on travelers from Europe and Brazil that had been aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus to the United States, a move quickly rejected by aides to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., who said Mr. Biden will maintain the ban when he takes office on Wednesday. In a proclamation issued late Monday, Mr. Trump said that the travel restrictions, which apply to noncitizens trying to come to the United States after spending time in those areas, would no longer be needed on Jan. 26, the date on which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will start requiring all passengers from abroad to present proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight. (Shear, 1/18)

Bloomberg: Biden Rejects Trump Plan To Rescind EU, U.K., Brazil Travel Bans
President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration rejected a move by President Donald Trump to rescind coronavirus-related travel bans for non-American citizens arriving from the European Union, the U.K. and Brazil, which means the curbs will stay in effect. Trump said in a White House announcement Monday that the bans could be lifted because of a decision last week by the administration to require international travelers to present either the results of a negative recent coronavirus test or evidence that they had already recovered from the disease. The change would go into effect starting Jan. 26, six days after Biden takes office. (Sink and Levin, 1/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Rejects Trump’s Push To Lift Covid-19 Travel Restrictions 
But Mr. Biden’s incoming White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, wrote on Twitter on Monday night that the Biden administration wouldn’t lift the travel restrictions on Jan. 26. “With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel,” she wrote. “On the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26. In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of Covid-19.”. (Sider and Restuccia, 1/18)

Stat: Biden To Mobilize FEMA, National Guard To Ramp Up Vaccine Distribution
President-elect Biden’s newly released vaccine distribution plan promises to dramatically increase the number of vaccination sites in America by mobilizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard, relying on low-income community health centers, and pharmacies around the country. Biden unveiled the plan in a Friday afternoon speech in which he doubled down on his long-stated goal: Administering 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office. (Florko, 1/15)

CNBC: Biden Covid Advisor Challenges Cuomo's Letter To Buy Vaccine Directly
President-elect Joe Biden’s Covid Advisory Board member Dr. Celine Gounder slammed the Trump administration’s piecemeal Covid response as some states across the U.S. scramble to get the vaccine doses they need. “I think we’ve already had too much of a patchwork response across the states,” Gounder said in a Monday evening interview on “The News with Shepard Smith.” ... On Monday, Cuomo sent a letter to Pfizer asking if the state of New York could buy vaccines directly from the company. Last week, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made a similar request to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Gounder told host Shepard Smith that this approach could cause more problems than it solves. (DeCiccio, 1/18)

New York Post: ​HHS Chief Alex Azar Criticizes Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine Goal
Health and Human Services administrator Alex Azar said Monday if the incoming Biden administration achieves its goal of 100 million shots in arms in the first 100 days, that would be a “squandering of the opportunity” the Trump White House has laid out for them. Incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Team Biden is “inheriting a huge mess” when it comes to vaccine distribution and that they would set a goal of “100 million inoculations in 100 days.”  (Moore, 1/18)

The Denver Channel: Amid Alex Azar’s Resignation, He Admits There Isn’t A Reserve Coronavirus Vaccine Stockpile
As copies of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s resignation letter was published online on Friday, Azar conceded in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt that there is not a reserve coronavirus vaccine stockpile. Earlier this week, the federal government announced that coronavirus vaccine doses would begin being distributed as soon as they were ready. It turns out that has been the case for some time as the government has not been holding back doses for booster shots. The booster shots come three to four weeks after administering the first dose of the vaccine. (Boggs, 1/15)

ABC 27: Federal Government Isn't "Releasing The Entire Supply" Of COVID-19 Vaccines Says Azar
Several governors are accusing the Trump administration of lying that 20 million more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were about to become available. Earlier this week Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the federal government was “releasing the entire supply” to states “rather than holding second doses” in reserve. “Operation Warp Speed has asked us to start shipping second doses only recently,” Pfizer said in a statement. Pfizer said they are working “to ensure Americans receive their first and second doses of the vaccine on time.” (Brown, 1/16)

Vox: Alex Azar’s Resignation Letter Paints A Misleading Picture Of Trump’s Coronavirus Response 
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar this week warned President Donald Trump that, despite what he described as achievements by HHS under his watch, Trump’s “actions and rhetoric following the election ... threaten to tarnish these and other historic legacies of this administration.” “The attacks on the Capitol were an assault on our democracy,” Azar said in a letter released this week ahead of his departure from the government on January 20. “I implore you to continue to condemn unequivocally any form of violence ... and continue to support unreservedly the peaceful and orderly transition of power.” (Peters, 1/16)

NPR: CDC Director Robert Redfield Defends Pandemic Response
Redfield's departure on Wednesday, when President-elect Joe Biden will usher in a new administration, comes as a record surge in COVID-19 cases is sweeping across the country. The U.S. has far surpassed all other nations with more than 23 million virus-related cases and more than 391,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. But, even as the pandemic enters its deadliest stage yet, Redfield told NPR on Friday that the country is "about to be in the worst" months of the crisis. As his tenure winds down, the CDC director said in an interview with All Things Considered that he stands by his federal health agency's response to the pandemic despite what he characterized as an early "learning curve" and conflicting public health guidance from President Trump. (Louise Kelly, 1/15)

The New York Times: Without A National Strategy, U.S. States Were Left To Battle The Virus On Their Own.
For nearly the entire pandemic, political polarization and a rejection of science have stymied the United States’ ability to control the coronavirus. That has been clearest and most damaging at the federal level, where President Trump claimed that the virus would “disappear,” clashed with his top scientists and abdicated responsibility for a pandemic that required a national effort to defeat it, handing key decisions to states under the assumption that they would take on the fight and get the country back to business. (1/18)

Politico: The Crash Landing Of 'Operation Warp Speed'
As the nation’s Covid-19 response was careening off the rails in March and April 2020, about a dozen top health and defense department officials huddled in antiseptic meeting rooms to devise what they believed would be the Trump administration’s greatest triumph — a vaccine program so fast, so special, so successful that grateful Americans would forgive earlier failures and business schools would teach classes about it for decades. They dubbed their project "MP2," for a second Manhattan Project, after the race to create the nuclear weapons that ended World War II. Alex Azar, the Health and Human Services secretary who was often at odds with the White House and his own department, sounded like an Army general rallying his troops: “If we can develop an atomic bomb in 2.5 years and put a man on the moon in seven years, we can do this this year, in 2020," Azar would declare, according to his deputy chief of staff, Paul Mango, who helped lead the strategy sessions. (Diamond, 1/17)

The New York Times: Biden Will Kick Off Inaugural Events At A Ceremony Honoring Victims Of Covid-19 
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. will arrive in the nation’s capital on Tuesday evening for an inauguration eve ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool honoring the nearly 400,000 people who have died during the coronavirus pandemic that will be his first priority after he is sworn in the next day. The somber remembrance will kick off two days of in-person and virtual events as Mr. Biden takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, becoming the 46th president of the United States at a time of economic struggle and cultural upheaval in the wake of President Trump’s four years in the White House. (Shear and Thrush, 1/18)

Stat: Genome Sequencing Pioneer Eric Lander To Lead Science Policy For Biden
President-elect Biden on Thursday nominated Broad Institute president Eric Lander to serve as his science adviser and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, along with a slate of other top science adviser nominations. Biden also announced that he will elevate his science adviser to a Cabinet-level post, marking the first time in history that the OSTP head has served alongside the heads of federal agencies. (Facher and Joseph, 1/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Yellen Calls For More Aid To Avoid Longer, More Painful Recession 
Janet Yellen, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for Treasury secretary, plans to tell lawmakers that the U.S. risks a longer, more painful recession unless Congress approves more aid and urge them to “act big” to shore up the recovery. Ms. Yellen is set to testify Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee, which is considering her nomination, according to a copy of her prepared remarks that was viewed by The Wall Street Journal. (Davidson, 1/18)

The New York Times: Vaccine Critics Received More Than $1 Million In Pandemic Relief Loans 
The Paycheck Protection Program’s loose rules allowed virtually any small business or company in America to qualify for a government-backed relief loan. ... Now the federal loan program has drawn criticism for giving loans to organizations that have challenged the safety of vaccines. ... The groups that received the loans are Children’s Health Defense, an organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; the Informed Consent Action Network; the National Vaccine Information Center; Mercola.com Health Resources and Mercola Consulting Services, both affiliated with the prominent vaccine skeptic Joseph Mercola; and the Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center, a medical practice run by Sherri Tenpenny, a physician and author whose books include “Saying No to Vaccines: A Resource Guide for All Ages.” (Cowley, 1/18)

Stat: Will The FTC Get Tougher On Pharma Business Practices Under The Biden Administration? 
As the Biden administration begins setting priorities, the Federal Trade Commission is poised to take a tougher stand on some pharmaceutical industry practices, given the potential for anti-competitive behavior to influence prescription drug prices. (Silverman, 1/19)

Bloomberg: Covid Trials For Kids Get Underway With First Results By Summer
In the U.S., more than 14 million Covid-19 shots have been given since mid-December, mainly to health workers, the elderly and those at high risk. To defeat the pandemic and fully revive the economy, children will also have to be immunized, experts say. To that end, trials to make sure vaccines are safe for the young are beginning in earnest. Pfizer and Moderna Inc. started recruiting participants at the end of last year, and could have data from studies by summer. The University of Oxford, which developed a vaccine with AstraZeneca Plc, is planning initial tests in 12- to 18-year-olds next month. “If you want to get this under control, you need to vaccinate kids,” said Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson. He estimates J&J will start trials for children four to six weeks after receiving results from its adult studies, which are expected by early February. (Ring and Griffin, 1/19)

The New York Times: Children’s Screen Time Has Soared In The Pandemic, Alarming Parents And Researchers 
The day after New Year’s, John Reichert of Boulder, Colo., had a heated argument with his 14-year-old son, James. “I’ve failed you as a father,” he told the boy despairingly. During the long months of lockdowns and shuttered schools, Mr. Reichert, like many parents, overlooked the vastly increasing time that his son was spending on video games and social media. Now, James, who used to focus his free time on mountain biking and playing basketball, devotes nearly all of his leisure hours — about 40 a week — to Xbox and his phone. During their argument, he pleaded with his father not to restrict access, calling his phone his “whole life.” (Richtel, 1/16)

Stat: Covid-19 Vaccine Guidance For Lactating Individuals Is Flawed, Experts Say
Maggie Anthony didn’t have much time to deliberate before getting her Covid-19 vaccine. A labor and delivery nurse at Cambridge Hospital in Massachusetts, she suddenly heard from her manager that shots would be available the next day. But with an 8-month-old breastfeeding baby at home, she wasn’t sure whether to accept. Those who are pregnant and lactating haven’t been included in clinical trials for the Covid vaccines, so there’s no data on the vaccines’ safety for these groups. (Preston, 1/19)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid Face Masks Are Disrupting A Key Tool Of Human Communications, New Research Shows 
In a world of masks, it’s harder than ever to read the faces around us. Only now are scientists learning how we manage without the revealing tells of smiles, sneers, dimples and frowns that signal our state of mind, as masks in public settings become common in more than 50 countries. While a public health necessity, masks challenge our skill in understanding facial expressions, confusing our ability to distinguish disgust from anger or happiness from indifference, several new studies say. Scientists worry about the implications for infants and children who may lag in learning to recognize subtle facial signals of anger, fear, doubt, delight and sorrow. While data is sparse, one new study suggests that children have as much trouble reading facial expressions when people are wearing masks as when they are wearing sunglasses. (Hotz, 1/18)

The Washington Post: After Months Of Trauma, Vaccinated Health-Care Workers Welcome A Surprising Emotion: Hope
For weeks, the long-term care facility where Linda Green works as a nurse looked to her like a battlefield hospital, swathed in plastic drapes separating the ill from the uninfected. The coronavirus ripped through the western Maryland facility like wildfire at the end of 2020, deepening Green’s fear that she, at 73, might bring the virus home to her husband, who is 84.Then she received a coronavirus shot. It felt like any other vaccination, leaving her with mild upper arm soreness but no other physical side effects. The emotional effects, however, were remarkable. Even thinking of the vaccine, Green said two weeks after receiving the Moderna shot, makes her practically “cry with relief” as she pictures a brighter future for herself and those she cares for. (Brulliard, 1/18)

AP: Military Nurses, Tests Coming To Help Hard-Hit Arizona City
Exhausted nurses in rural Yuma, Arizona, regularly send COVID-19 patients on a long helicopter ride to Phoenix when they don’t have enough staff. The so-called winter lettuce capital of the U.S. also has lagged on coronavirus testing in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods and just ran out of vaccines. But some support is coming from military nurses and a new wave of free tests for farmworkers and the elderly in Yuma County — the hardest-hit county in one of the hardest-hit states. (Snow, 1/18)

The Hill: Health Workers Refusing Vaccine Is New Growing US Problem 
Scores of health care workers are still declining to take the COVID-19 vaccine, presenting problems to the pandemic response by sending the wrong message to the public and risking staff shortages if workers become sick. It’s all happening as a more contagious variant of the virus begins spreading in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday warned this strain could be the dominant one hitting the United States by March. (Hellmann, 1/18)

WRIC: Translation On Virginia Department Of Health’s Website Told Spanish Readers They Didn’t Need The COVID-19 Vaccine
A Google generated translation on the Virginia Department of Health’s website told Spanish-readers that the COVID-19 vaccine was “not necessary.” The Virginian Pilot first reported the issue on Monday after a member of the Virginia Vaccination Advisory Workgroup raised concerns about a faulty translation. The translation in question was part of VDH’s "Frequently Asked Questions" page that translated “the vaccine is not required” to “la vacuna no es necesaria” — “the vaccine is not necessary.” (Manzanares, 1/18)

GeekWire: Microsoft Campus Near Seattle Will Be Used To Administer COVID-19 Vaccine 
Microsoft is turning its empty campus into a COVID-19 vaccination site. The Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant is working with the state of Washington and local hospitals to open up buildings at its headquarters for vaccine administration. Microsoft President Brad Smith made the announcement Monday as part of Gov. Jay Inslee’s news conference detailing the state’s new COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. (Soper, 1/18)

Politico: L.A. Schools Chief Wants To Launch California's Largest Teacher Vaccine Effort
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner is calling on state and local health officials to immediately allow the district to turn its more than 1,400 schools into Covid-19 vaccination sites, focusing on shots for teachers and school staff in what would become California's biggest education vaccine push. California has prioritized teachers among vaccine recipients but left distribution up to counties, and there is no large-scale effort yet to inoculate school employees in the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom altered the state's vaccine course Wednesday when he announced residents 65 years and older could receive shots in a bid to accelerate vaccinations and protect a high-risk population. (Mays, 1/18)

Politico: Trump Admin Enlists Private Firm To Review Some Covid-19 Tests 
The Department of Health and Human Services is paying a private firm to review the accuracy of some Covid-19 tests — the latest example of the department’s political leadership attempting to bypass scientists at the Food and Drug Administration. The idea behind the last-minute contract, announced days before President Donald Trump leaves office, is that HHS would use the review to issue emergency use authorizations for the tests without input from FDA. (Lim, 1/17)

Houston Chronicle: Doctors, Patients Locked Out Of Heights Hospital
Doctors and patients were locked out of Heights Hospital on Monday after its management failed to pay rent, according to a letter posted on the door of the building. Heights Hospital, once an acute-care hospital, is now largely an outpatient clinic providing office space for primary care doctor and specialist offices. The lockout, which doctors said happened without notice, disrupted care, including COVID-19 tests. Doctors pulled a cart into the parking lot with some medical supplies to treat patients in the parking lot. (Carballo and Wu, 1/18)

Houston Chronicle: Job Offers Of Up To $12,000 A Week Lure Houston Nurses To COVID-19 Hot Spots
The recruitment goes over much better with the hospitals that hire the nurses than those who lose them. Hospital associations across the nation report receiving many complaints from member institutions about agencies “poaching” their staff. One hospital spokesman compares the landscape to one in which vendors hawked exorbitantly priced bottled water after Hurricane Harvey. Texas has indeed become one of the hottest destinations for nurse recruiting. Krucial, which in the spring led the effort to bring nurses to New York, is now focused on Texas, exemplified by recent travel job advertisements on its Facebook page for a Texas gig. Methodist reports a significant increase in nurses taking such offers in December. (Ackerman, 1/16)

AP: Exhausted Hospital Chaplains Bring Solace To Lonely, Dying
Inside hospital rooms across America, where the sick are alone without family to comfort them, the grim task of offering solace falls to overworked and emotionally drained hospital chaplains who are dealing with more death than they’ve ever seen. Last week nearly a dozen died on a single day at the 377-bed Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, a gleaming, modern medical facility that is tucked into the northwest corner of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. Three more passed — within a span of 45 minutes — the next day. (Rogers, 1/19)

The New York Times: Twins With Covid Help Scientists Untangle The Disease’s Genetic Roots 
Early last spring, [twin] sisters from Rochester, Michigan, checked themselves into the hospital with fevers and shortness of breath. While Kelly [Standard] was discharged after less than a week, her sister ended up in intensive care. Kimberly spent almost a month in critical condition, breathing through tubes and dipping in and out of shock. Weeks after Kelly had returned to their shared home, Kimberly was still relearning how to speak, walk and chew and swallow solid food she could barely taste. Nearly a year later, the sisters are bedeviled by the bizarrely divergent paths their illnesses took. (Wu, 1/18)

AP: Judge Orders Company To Take 3M's Trademarks Off N95 Masks
A federal judge has ordered a Florida company accused of selling counterfeit N95 face masks with 3M’s name on them to stop using the Minnesota company’s trademarks and representing itself as a distributor or authorized retailer for 3M. 3M sued Nationwide Source Inc. in late December, accusing the company of selling more than 10,000 of the counterfeit respirators to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. The hospital allegedly paid more than six times above 3M’s standard price for the mask used by medical workers and others to help protect against the coronavirus. (1/18)

Modern Healthcare: Wildfires Producing More Harmful Pollution
Wildfire smoke accounted for up to half of all health-damaging small particle air pollution in the western U.S. in recent years as warming temperatures fueled more destructive blazes, according to researchers at Stanford University
and the University of California at San Diego. Even as pollution emissions declined from other sources, including vehicle exhaust and power plants, the amount from fires increased sharply. “From a climate perspective, wildfires should be the first things on our minds for many of us in the U.S.,” said Marshall Burke, an associate professor of earth system science at Stanford and lead author of the study. (1/16)

CNN: The Rise Of The Fake Commute, And Why It's Good For Your Mental Health
If the blur between work and home is still a struggle, mimicking your route from the Before Times may be the solution you need. For many people, commuting to work can be the worst part of their day: There is the chance of sitting in standstill traffic. Or, railway problems might leave you disembarking and on an unexpected journey. For others, however, commuting may have been a ritual that was critical for their mental health and work-life balance. Enter the rise of the "fake commute," wherein people replace that daily transition with walks, runs, bike rides and more. (Rogers, 1/18)

The Hill: Florida Scientist Who Accused State Of Manipulating Coronavirus Data Tests Positive For COVID-19, Turns Herself In
The former Florida scientist who accused state officials of manipulating coronavirus data turned herself in on Sunday and then announced she has tested positive for the virus, according to a new report. Rebekah Jones, a state data scientist who was fired late last year, turned herself in to Leon County police days after a warrant was issued for her arrest. (Mastrangelo, 1/18)

AP: Nebraska COVID Hospitalizations Drop To Lowest Since Oct. 26
The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus in Nebraska has dropped to its lowest point in nearly three months, according to state statistics. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ online virus tracker shows 429 people were hospitalized Sunday with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. That’s the lowest number since Oct. 26, when 427 people were hospitalized. The number of new daily cases jumped on Sunday, to 1.061 from 741 on Saturday and 672 on Friday, but was still well below the record 3,440 cases recorded on Nov. 16. State officials have confirmed 181,978 cases and 1,837 deaths in Nebraska since the pandemic began. (1/18)