First Edition: Jan. 21, 2021

KHN: Biden Takes The Reins, Calls For A United Front Against Covid And Other Threats 
Joe Biden on Wednesday took the oath to become the 46th president of the United States, vowing to bring the nation together in the midst of an ongoing pandemic that has claimed more than 400,000 lives, enormous economic dislocation and civil unrest so serious that the U.S. Capitol steps where he took his oath were surrounded not by cheering crowds, but by tens of thousands of armed police and National Guard troops. In his inaugural address, given outside despite concerns for his physical security, Biden emphasized unity, the driving theme of his campaign. “My whole soul is in this, bringing America together, uniting our nation,” he said. “And I ask every American to join me in this cause.” (Rovner, 1/20)

KHN: After A Decade Of Lobbying, ALS Patients Gain Faster Access To Disability Payments
Anita Baron first noticed something was wrong in August 2018, when she began to drool. Her dentist chalked it up to a problem with her jaw. Then her speech became slurred. She managed to keep her company, which offers financing to small businesses, going, but work became increasingly difficult as her speech worsened. Finally, nine months, four neurologists and countless tests later, Baron, now 66, got a diagnosis: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the New York Yankees first baseman who died of it in 1941, destroys motor neurons, causing people to lose control of their limbs, their speech and, ultimately, their ability to breathe. It’s usually fatal in two to five years. (Andrews, 1/21)

KHN: Door To Door In Miami’s Little Havana To Build Trust In Testing, Vaccination
Little Havana is a neighborhood in Miami that, until the pandemic, was known for its active street life along Calle Ocho, including live music venues, ventanitas serving Cuban coffee and a historic park where men gather to play dominoes. But during the pandemic, a group called Healthy Little Havana is zeroing in on this area with a very specific assignment: persuading residents to get a coronavirus test. (Zaragovia, 1/21)

KHN: Yurts, Igloos And Pop-Up Domes: How Safe Is ‘Outside’ Restaurant Dining This Winter? 
With the arrival of winter and the U.S. coronavirus outbreak in full swing, the restaurant industry — looking at losses of $235 billion in 2020 — is clinging to techniques for sustaining outdoor dining even through the cold and vagaries of a U.S. winter. Yurts, greenhouses, igloos, tents and all kinds of partly open outdoor structures have popped up at restaurants around the country. Owners have turned to these as a lifeline to help fill some tables by offering the possibility at least of a safer dining experience. (Stone, 1/21)

Stat: Biden, In Inaugural Address, Pledges The U.S. ‘Can Overcome’ Covid-19
President Biden on Wednesday pledged that the United States “can overcome” the Covid-19 pandemic, even as he warned that it is entering “what may be the toughest and deadliest period” of the crisis. The remarks, made during key moments in his inauguration address on the west front of the Capitol, represented a forceful pledge that the country can bring the pandemic to an end. (Facher, 1/20)

Politico: Biden Signs Spate Of Executive Orders 
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a number of executive orders, from rejoining the Paris Climate Accord to mandating the wearing of masks in federal spaces, in one of his first public acts since taking office just hours earlier. Biden’s team had been previewing a battery of executive actions from his first day in office to counter many of the policies of President Donald Trump. The actions he’d planned covered a swath of policy issues, from immigration to racism to the economic crisis. (Choi, 1/20)

The New York Times: President Biden's 17 Executive Orders In Detail 
Despite an inaugural address that called for unity and compromise, Mr. Biden’s first actions as president are sharply aimed at sweeping aside former President Donald J. Trump’s pandemic response, reversing his environmental agenda, tearing down his anti-immigration policies, bolstering the teetering economic recovery and restoring federal efforts to promote diversity. Here’s a look at what the measures aim to accomplish. (Kavi, 1/20)

The Washington Post: Biden's First Executive Orders Will Reverse Trump Policies 
The most pressing of his priorities are measures to combat the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Biden signed executive actions to require masks on all federal grounds and asked agencies to extend moratoriums on evictions and on federal student loan payments. He urged Americans to don face coverings for 100 days, while reviving a global health unit in the National Security Council — allowed to go dormant during the Trump administration — to oversee pandemic preparedness and response. Biden also began to reverse several steps taken by President Donald Trump by embracing the World Health Organization, revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and rejoining the Paris climate agreement. (Min Kim, 1/20)

Reuters: Biden Will Order Masks On Planes And Trains, Increase Disaster Funds To Fight Coronavirus 
One order will require mask-wearing in airports and on certain modes of public transportation, including many trains, airplanes and intercity buses, officials said. He also plans to sign orders on Thursday to establish a COVID-19 testing board to ramp up testing, address supply shortfalls, establish protocols for international travelers and direct resources for minority communities hit hard by the infectious disease. (Bose and Mason, 1/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden’s Agenda Depends On Success In Curbing Covid-19 Pandemic 
The [executive] orders also call for studies, including large-scale randomized trials, to identify treatments and Mr. Biden’s administration will create public dashboards with state-by-state and national information on testing, vaccinations and hospital admissions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make vaccines available in local pharmacies beginning next month, and agencies will work on guidance for reopening schools and emergency temporary standards requiring employers to take steps to keep workers safe from Covid-19. (Armour and Siddiqui, 1/21)

The New York Times: Biden Restores Ties With The World Health Organization That Were Cut By Trump. 
Seeking to unify the global response to the coronavirus, President Biden on his first day in office retracted a decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the World Health Organization. The Biden administration announced that Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, would be the head of the U.S. delegation to the agency’s executive board. Dr. Fauci will begin that role with a meeting this week. (Morales, 1/20)

The Hill: Biden Moves To Halt US Exodus From World Health Organization 
House Republicans on Wednesday blasted the move, saying the WHO was an echo chamber for China's propaganda and should not receive American taxpayer dollars. China has been far from transparent in its investigations into the origins of COVID-19 and has muzzled doctors and other whistleblowers. While the WHO has been reluctant to call attention to these issues, experts said the absence of U.S. participation created a void that China happily filled. (Weixel, 1/20)

The Washington Post: Biden To Re-Engage With World Health Organization, Will Join Global Vaccine Effort 
There is no question that the WHO will continue to work with the United States, its largest donor, experts said. But it remains to be seen whether the appetite for U.S. leadership remains the same. “I think it’s mixed emotions,” said J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The WHO is going to welcome them,” he said. “But there’s going to be an edge to it.” (Rauhala, 1/20)

CNBC: Dr. Fauci Says U.S. Will Remain A WHO Member And Join Global Covid Vaccine Plan
The U.S. will remain a member of the World Health Organization under President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Thursday, and intends to join a global alliance that aims to deliver coronavirus vaccines to low-income countries. Speaking from Washington by videoconference one day after Biden was sworn into office, U.S. Chief Medical Advisor Fauci told the WHO’s executive board: “President Biden will issue a directive later today which will include the intent of the United States to join COVAX and support the ACT-Accelerator to advance multilateral efforts for Covid-19 vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostic distribution, equitable access, and research and development.” (Meredith, 1/21)

AP: Fauci Lays Out Biden's Support For WHO After Trump Criticism
President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser on COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Thursday announced renewed U.S. support for the World Health Organization after it faced blistering criticism from the Trump administration, laying out new commitments to tackle the coronavirus and other global health issues. Fauci, speaking by videoconference from pre-dawn United States to WHO’s executive board, said the U.S. will join the U.N. health agency’s efforts to bring vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to people in need, whether in rich or poor countries. He said the U.S. will also resume full funding and staffing support for WHO. (Keaten, 1/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Extends Student Loan Payments Pause, Moratorium On Evictions 
On his first day in office, President Biden signed a range of executive actions including two that will affect the financial lives of millions of Americans. One directs the Education Department to extend the pause on federal student loan payments, and the other directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to extend the federal eviction moratorium. Both measures were put in place last year in response to economic hardships caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. (Lam, 1/20)

The New York Times: On Day 1, Biden Moves to Undo Trump’s Legacy
One of Mr. Biden’s first acts was to sign an executive order making Mr. [Jeff] Zients the government’s official Covid-19 response coordinator, reporting to the president. The order also restored the directorate for global health security and biodefense at the National Security Council, a group that Mr. Trump had disbanded. (Shear, 1/20)

Reuters: Biden To Tackle Coronavirus Pandemic On First Full Day In White House
President Joe Biden will launch an array of initiatives on Thursday to rein in the raging coronavirus pandemic, tackling his top priority on his first full day in the White House as he tries to turn the page on Donald Trump’s tumultuous leadership. Biden will sign 10 executive orders to fight the pandemic, including ordering the use of disaster funds to help re-open schools and mandating the wearing of protective masks on planes and buses, officials said. (Hunnicutt and Bose, 1/20)

The Washington Post: Biden Issuing Pandemic Plan That Aims To Expand Access To Testing And Vaccines, Reopen Schools
President Biden plans Thursday to issue a new national strategy to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and to take executive actions intended to make tests and vaccines more abundant, schools and travel safer, and states better able to afford their role in the path back to normal life. On his second day in office, aides said, Biden will sign an additional 10 executive orders, plus presidential memorandums, dealing with many aspects of the public health crisis the new president has defined as his top priority. (Goldstein, Stanley-Becker and Meckler, 1/21)

The Washington Post: Biden Issuing Pandemic Plan That Aims To Expand Access To Testing And Vaccines, Reopen Schools 
[The plan includes] the creation of a Pandemic Testing Board that can spur a “surge” in the capacity for coronavirus tests. Other orders will foster research into new treatments for covid-19, the disease caused by the virus; strengthen the collection and analysis of data to shape the government’s response to the crisis; and direct the federal occupational safety agency to release and enforce guidelines to protect workers from getting infected. Other aspects of the plan are intended to steer more money to states, which have complained they need more funding to carry out the work placed on them for testing, vaccinating residents and other functions. (Goldstein, Stanley-Becker and Meckler, 1/21)

CNN: School Reopening: Biden Pushes To Reopen Most Schools In 100 Days 
President Joe Biden is pledging to reopen most K-12 schools within 100 days -- an ambitious goal as Covid cases surge and teachers across the country fight some plans to reopen. Teachers' union leaders say they are pleased with Biden's sense of urgency and focus, but they warn that the 100-day pledge may need to be a goal rather than a fixed target. (Lobosco, 1/21)

CNBC: Biden To Sign 10 Executive Orders To Combat Covid Pandemic; Invoke Defense Production Act
Biden will also use his executive powers to direct agencies to use the Defense Production Act to compel companies to prioritize manufacturing supplies that are necessary to the pandemic response. That could include protective equipment like masks, supplies needed to administer vaccines and testing supplies, the plan says. The Trump administration also invoked the DPA to make ventilators and other supplies on several instances as part of its response to the pandemic. The executive order, called “A Sustainable Public Health Supply Chain,” will also “direct the development of a new Pandemic Supply Chain Resilience Strategy” in an effort to bolster domestic manufacturing of critical supplies. (Feuer, 1/21)

The Hill: Biden To Order Agencies To Use Defense Production Act In Coronavirus Fight 
President Biden will issue an executive order on Thursday directing agencies to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) and other powers to speed up the manufacturing of testing and vaccine supplies and other items needed to fight COVID-19. Biden administration officials signaled they would be more aggressive than the previous administration in invoking the DPA, which allows the federal government to force companies to increase production of critical supplies during national emergencies. (Hellmann, 1/21)

Stat: The 10 Biden Officials To Watch On The Covid-19 Response 
President Biden has promised to listen to the experts on Covid-19, but their messages may be hard to hear if too many are talking at once. Already, Biden has tasked dozens of scientists, administrators, and policymakers with reining in a raging pandemic. As the Biden transition segues from planning to governing, those individuals will have to coalesce into a cohesive unit for them to enjoy the success the new president has promised. (Cohrs, 1/21)

Modern Healthcare: Elizabeth Richter Will Serve As Acting CMS Administrator
Elizabeth Richter will serve as acting administrator for CMS, according to the agency's website on Wednesday. The career civil servant previously served as CMS' deputy center director, leading policy development and operations management for Medicare's fee-for-service program since 2007. She has held several roles focused on Medicare payment issues since she joined the agency in 1990. Healthcare insiders have waited with bated breath for Biden to announce his pick for CMS administrator. But he hasn't done it yet, even though the agency's Medicare and Medicaid programs cover nearly 1 in 3 Americans. CMS' budget is more than $1 trillion, accounting for over a quarter of federal spending. (Brady and Kim Cohen, 1/20)

Stat: Longtime Becerra Aide And Two Health Policy Experts Tapped For Key Posts
President-elect Biden and his top health deputies are expected to make a slew of new political appointments Wednesday. Sean McCluskie, a longtime deputy of health secretary nominee Xavier Becerra’s, will be the agency’s chief of staff, three health industry lobbyists, a consultant for the transition, and a health care expert tell STAT. (Florko and Facher, 1/20)

Boston Globe: Former MGH Doctor Rochelle Walensky, Now Head Of CDC, Says There’s Work To Be Done But Better Days Lie Ahead
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday that coronavirus testing, surveillance, and vaccinations must be stepped up to stop a pandemic that has had a “truly heartbreaking” impact on the country. Walensky, formerly chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said she recognized “the seriousness of the moment. The toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on America is truly heartbreaking — for the loss of our loved ones and our beloved ways of life.” “At Massachusetts General Hospital, I saw firsthand the many difficulties this pandemic brings to our frontline workers and first responders, hospitals and public health systems, communities, and loved ones,” she said in a statement on her first day as CDC director. (Finucane, 1/20)

AP: New CDC Director Takes Over Beleaguered Agency Amid Crisis
The task falls to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, 51, an infectious-diseases specialist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, who was sworn in Wednesday. She takes the helm at a time when the virus’s U.S. death toll has eclipsed 400,000 and continues to accelerate. While the agency has retained some of its top scientific talent, public health experts say, it has a long list of needs, including new protection from political influence, a comprehensive review of its missteps during the pandemic and more money to beef up basic functions like disease tracking and genetic analysis. (Stobbe, 1/21)

Stat: Biden Dissolves Covid-19 Panel That Advised His Transition
President Biden’s coronavirus advisory board is disbanding, according to two of its members. The group, which Biden introduced almost immediately after he was elected president in November, consisted of leading doctors, researchers, and public health experts. (Facher, 1/20)

The Hill: Pence Delivers Coronavirus Task Force Report To Biden 
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday delivered a comprehensive report to newly sworn in President Biden detailing the work of the White House coronavirus task force as Biden prepares to reshape aspects of the federal government’s pandemic response. The 140-page report, a copy of which was obtained by The Hill, outlines the Trump administration’s pandemic response dating back to when China first reported a cluster of pneumonia cases originating in Wuhan. (Samuels, 1/20)

Politico: Surgeon General To Step Down As Biden Requested 
[President] Joe Biden has asked for the resignation of Surgeon General Jerome Adams, bringing the tenure of the nation's top doctor to an abrupt end as Biden looks to reboot the federal government's pandemic response. Adams confirmed his plans to step down in a tweet on Wednesday morning, calling it the “honor of my life to serve this Nation.” (Cancryn and Ollstein, 1/20)

AP: Judge Drops Virus Related Case Against US Surgeon General
A judge in Honolulu dismissed charges Wednesday against U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams after he was cited for allegedly violating local coronavirus restrictions while in Hawaii to help with COVID-19 surge testing efforts. Honolulu prosecutors submitted a motion Tuesday to dismiss charges against Adams after he was charged with being in a closed park during Hawaii’s summertime spike in coronavirus cases. (1/21)

The Hill: Amazon Offers To Help Biden With Vaccine Distribution 
Amazon sent a letter to President Biden in his first hours of office Wednesday offering to assist the new administration with its coronavirus vaccine distribution. Dave Clark, Amazon's CEO of consumer business, said the company is willing to help by leveraging Amazon’s “operations, information technology, and communications capabilities” to assist Biden with his goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans within his first 100 days in the White House. (Klar, 1/20)

Stat: Here’s The Letter Amazon Sent Biden Offering Covid-19 Vaccination Support
Amazon has reached out to President Joe Biden to offer logistical and technical support for his goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans within his first 100 days in office. In a letter sent Wednesday to Biden and shared with STAT, Dave Clark, chief executive of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, said the company is “prepared to leverage our operations, information technology, and communications capabilities and expertise to assist your administration’s vaccination efforts.” (Brodwin, 1/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Says It’s Safe To Use Huge Lot Of Moderna Vaccines Paused After Allergic Reactions
“Yesterday, we convened the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup and additional allergy and immunology specialists to examine the evidence collected,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement Wednesday night. “We had further discussions with the County of San Diego Department of Public Health, the FDA, CDC and manufacturer, and found no scientific basis to continue the pause. Providers that paused vaccine administration from Moderna Lot 41L20A can immediately resume.” The vaccines in question were from a batch of 330,000 Moderna vaccines that were sent to 287 health care providers in California earlier in January, and were halted Sunday because six health care workers who got the vaccine in San Diego last week apparently developed allergic reactions after receiving it. The six people were treated and have recovered. (Ho, 1/20)

Los Angeles Times: California Will Resume Using Questioned Doses Of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
California’s top epidemiologist, Dr. Erica Pan, said late Wednesday that an expert panel’s review of apparent allergic reactions believed to be tied to a specific lot of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine found “no scientific basis” for continuing to withhold the doses. The state had received about 330,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine from the specific lot, which were distributed across the state. Last week, seven people experienced reactions at a drive-through clinic in San Diego, some of which involved rapid swelling. But none were anaphylaxis or life-threatening reactions, according to the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. (Gutierrez, 1/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Says Vaccinating Everyone Over 65 Could Take Four Months 
California recently said people 65 and older were eligible to get coronavirus vaccines. But getting two shots into everyone in that age group could take another four to five months, state health officials said Wednesday. Given the current rate of vaccines coming into the state — between 400,000 doses and 500,000 doses a week, in a good week — it will take an estimated 20 to 22 weeks to vaccinate the 65-and-over population alone, state health officer Dr. Erica Pan said during a state vaccine advisory committee meeting. (Ho, 1/20)

Politico: ‘Come With Me If You Want To Live’: Schwarzenegger Gets Vaccinated
Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, making him among the first residents 65 and older to get the shot in Los Angeles County. Schwarzenegger, 73, booked an appointment himself at one of the city’s large-scale vaccination sites Tuesday after county health officials announced that individuals 65 and older could begin receiving vaccines Thursday, according to his spokesperson Daniel Ketchell. (Nieves, 1/20)

Fox News: Woman Will Get Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Second Dose Despite Allergic Reaction To First
One woman who suffered an allergic reaction to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine said she will "absolutely, positively" get the second dose citing concerns about the virus itself. Cheryl Brennan, who received the dose at Petco Park in San Diego last week, said her reaction started about 18 minutes after receiving the first dose. Moderna on Tuesday said that it has received a report from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that several individuals were treated for possible allergic reactions at a vaccination center after receiving a dose from one lot of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine. The state epidemiologist has already recommended that providers stop administering remaining doses from the lot. (Hein, 1/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Cuomo Implores Biden Administration To Boost Covid-19 Vaccine Supplies 
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on the Biden administration to ramp up production of the Covid-19 vaccine, warning that New York will exhaust its allotted doses on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future. ... New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also said Wednesday at a separate news conference that the city had to reschedule 23,000 vaccine appointments this week because of a vaccine shortage. (De Avila, 1/20)

The Hill: New York City Reschedules 23,000 Vaccination Appointments Due To Supply Issues 
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers had their coronavirus vaccine appointments rescheduled this week due to a lack of supply, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Wednesday. According to the mayor, a delay in the delivery of Moderna's vaccine contributed to the supply issues, which puts the city's goal of 1 million vaccinations by the end of the month in jeopardy. (Weixel, 1/20)

Politico: States’ New Vaccine Worry: Not Enough Doses 
More than a dozen states say they are starting to run out of supplies of coronavirus shots as they ramp up the pace of vaccinations, the latest hitch in a struggling nationwide inoculation effort. New York City on Wednesday canceled at least 23,000 vaccine appointments with supplies running low for first doses. Some states, like Colorado and Oregon, are scaling back eligibility for vaccinations or rejecting new, expansive federal guidelines in an effort to ration scarce shots. (Roubein and Ehley, 1/20)

AP: States Report Vaccine Shortages And Cancel Appointments
The push to inoculate Americans against the coronavirus is hitting a roadblock: A number of states are reporting they are running out of vaccine, and tens of thousands of people who managed to get appointments for a first dose are seeing them canceled. Karen Stachowiak, a first-grade teacher in the Buffalo area, spent almost five hours on the state hot line and website to land an appointment for Wednesday, only to be told it was canceled. The Erie County Health Department said it scratched vaccinations for over 8,000 people in the past few days because of inadequate supply. (Hill and Peltz, 1/20)

Crain's Detroit Business: 11,900 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Ruined En Route To Michigan
The majority of 21 shipments of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday were spoiled en route to Michigan, likely delaying the state's vaccination efforts this week, the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The vaccine's distributor, McKesson Corp., notified the state that the majority of the 11,900 doses in the shipments got too cold and are now unusable. The Moderna vaccine is stored and shipped at roughly 4 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Once on site, the vaccine can be kept at temperatures between 36 degrees and 77 degrees Fahrenheit for up to six hours before being administered to a patient. (Walsh, 1/20)

Fox8.com: Ohio Department Of Health Suspends Provider After 890 COVID-19 Vaccines Wasted
The Ohio Department of Health is investigating after 890 COVID-19 vaccines went to waste. The health department said SpecialtyRX, a vaccine provider in Columbus, was given 1,500 vacines for residents at eight long-term care facilities. “After administering the first doses, SpecialtyRX had 890 doses remaining. The company was exploring a transfer of the doses to another provider when it was discovered that they had failed to appropriately monitor temperatures in their refrigerator and freezer,” the Ohio Department of Health said. The ODH immunization program investigated and found 890 doses of the Moderna vaccine were no longer viable because they were not stored properly, according to the health department. (Steer, 1/20)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Seniors, Others Eligible For Coronavirus Vaccine Frustrated By Communication Void, Wait 
Like it did for many Maryland seniors, Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement last week offered hope for Stephen Poe. It meant the 80-year-old who lives near Edgewater would be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in a few days. So Poe visited the Anne Arundel County Department of Health’s website and filled out a preregistration form. He got an automated confirmation email saying his information had been received, and then tried signing up through his hospital and two other counties. (Mann and Miller, 1/21)

North Carolina Health News: Vaccines Arrive To NC’s Prisons
North Carolina began vaccinating state prisoners Wednesday after its prison agency received its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the state health department. Correctional staff who work with COVID-19-positive incarcerated people or in prison units with outbreaks, as well as the health care staff administering shots, are also receiving the vaccine. (Critchfield, 1/21)

The Hill: Three COVID-19 Vaccines Under Late-Stage Review For WHO Emergency Approval 
The World Health Organization (WHO) is reportedly in the final stages of reviewing three coronavirus vaccines for international emergency distribution. Reuters reported Wednesday that an internal document obtained by the newswire indicated that the WHO could in the coming weeks or months give the green light to the inoculations developed by Moderna, AstraZeneca and China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac. (Castronuovo, 1/20)

CNBC: Here Are 7 Of The Biggest Coronavirus Vaccine Myths Busted By Experts
Vaccine skepticism and outright anti-vaccination sentiment has become rife in recent months, with more members of the public questioning not only the efficacy of vaccines, but their development practices, safety standards and their objectives. (Ellyatt, 1/21)

AP: New Studies Clarify Which Genes May Raise Breast Cancer Risk
Two large studies give a much sharper picture of which inherited mutations raise the risk of breast cancer for women without a family history of the disease, and how common these flawed genes are in the general population. Doctors say the results published Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine can help women make better decisions about screening, preventive surgery or other steps. (Marchione, 1/20)

Houston Chronicle: Another Cancer Cluster Found In Houston Neighborhood
Another cancer cluster in Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens has been identified by a state investigation in a newly released report, which found that children contracted leukemia at nearly five times the expected rate of the general population. The Department of State Health Services report found the number of cases of leukemia in children was significantly higher in one census tract in particular -- a stretch of land where state environmental records show a toxic plume is located beneath more than 100 homes. Mayor Sylvester Turner, as well as current and former residents of the neighborhood, are asking for accountability from those responsible for the pollution. (Dellinger, 1/20)

The New York Times: A Living Legacy In Pediatric Cancer Research
Approximately 85 percent of children with cancer are cured. However, about 15 percent confront the sort of aggressive disease that cut short the life of Tyler Trent at the age of 20 on Jan. 1, 2019. “One hundred years down the line, maybe my legacy could have an impact”: so Tyler said about his efforts to raise awareness of the need for further research in pediatric oncology. Two years after his death, Tyler’s physicians continue to help incurable as well as cured children lead longer and better lives. (Gubar, 1/21)

The Wall Street Journal: UnitedHealth’s Profit Slips As Health-Care Visits Return
UnitedHealth Group Inc. recorded a smaller profit for the last quarter of 2020 as the company saw rising medical costs tied to Covid-19.The Minnetonka, Minn., health-care company, the parent of insurer UnitedHealthcare as well as the Optum health-services business, said Wednesday that the pandemic dragged on revenue growth from commercial insurance customers last year as its economic fallout disrupted the labor market. But revenue grew overall for the company’s insurance business in the year amid expansion of its programs to serve communities and seniors. (Grossman and Wilde Mathews, 1/20)

Stat: Hospitals Mark Up Some Medicines By 250% On Average
As Americans grapple with the rising cost of prescription drugs, a new analysis found that some hospitals mark up prices on more than two dozen medicines by an average of 250%, underscoring the incentives to use more expensive brand-name treatments than lower-cost biosimilars. For instance, hospitals charged more than five times the purchase price for Epogen, which is used to treat anemia caused by chronic kidney disease for patients on dialysis. (Silverman, 1/20)

Stat: CEO Of Mark Cuban's Generics Company Talks Drug Pricing, Manufacturing
In a surprise move, Mark Cuban last week announced plans to enter the generic drug business with a new company bearing his name. The famed investor – known widely for his appearances on Shark Tank – has actually been eyeing the pharmaceutical world for a while. Two years ago, Cuban decided to work with Alex Oshmyansky to sell low-cost medicines. (Silverman, 1/21)

AP: Chicago Teachers To Vote On Walkout Over Reopening Dispute
The Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates on Wednesday approved a resolution that would have its members stay out of the classroom until it reaches an agreement on health and safety protocols with the school district. The resolution now goes to the union’s 25,000 members for a vote. If a majority approve the resolution by Saturday, teachers would stay at home Monday. However, they could continue to teach their students remotely. (1/21)

AP: Louisiana Police Chief Recovering, Fire Chief Dies Of COVID
A Louisiana police chief is recovering from COVID-19 while a longtime fire chief has died of complications from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Bruce Cutrer, who led Tangipahoa Fire District #1 in Amite, died Tuesday of COVID-19 complications, the Louisiana State Fireman’s Association said. (1/20)

AP: Missouri Republicans Move To Limit Health Officials' Power
Republican senators in Missouri on Wednesday debated ways to check health officials’ power in response to their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. One proposal would ensure there are no government-imposed occupancy limits on churches and other places of worship during public health emergencies. Another bill would take the authority to make public health rules away from county health boards and instead leave those decisions to county commissioners. (1/20)

ABC News and AP: Fire Hits Building At Indian Producer Of COVID-19 Vaccines 
A fire broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, possibly affecting its future expansion of COVID-19 vaccine production. Firefighters were extinguishing the flames, the fire office in Pune city in southern Maharashtra state said. The cause of the fire and extent of damage were not immediately clear. (Maqbool, 1/21)

AP: Delay In Pfizer Vaccine Shipments Frustrate Europe, Canada
Frustration is mounting from Europe to North America over reduced shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine while the U.S. pharmaceutical company increases production capacity at its Belgian plant. Governments say it is costing critical time during the early stages of the rollout to care homes and hospital personnel. Italy has threatened legal action. The leader of Canada’s most populous province said Pfizer’s chief executive should be chased “with a firecracker.” A top European Union official icily invoked the principle of “pacta sunt servanda,” a Latin phrase meaning “agreements must be kept.” (Casert, 1/20)