First Edition: Jan. 5, 2021

KHN: Eureka! Two Vaccines Work — But What About The Also-Rans In The Pharma Arms Race? 
As I prepared to get my shot in mid-December as part of a covid vaccine trial run by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, I considered the escape routes. Bailing out of the trial was a very real consideration since two other vaccines, made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, had been deemed safe and effective for emergency approval. Leaving the trial would be a perfectly sane decision for me or anyone who had volunteered for an ongoing covid experiment. Why risk getting covid-19 if I was given a placebo, a shot with no vaccine in it? The way tests are designed, I might not be told whether I received the vaccine until the clinical trial is over, months from now. (Allen, 1/5)

KHN and The Guardian: Covid ‘Decimated Our Staff’ As The Pandemic Ravages Health Workers Of Color In US 
Last spring, New Jersey emergency room nurse Maritza Beniquez saw “wave after wave” of sick patients, each wearing a look of fear that grew increasingly familiar as the weeks wore on. Soon, it was her colleagues at Newark’s University Hospital — the nurses, techs and doctors with whom she had been working side by side — who turned up in the ER, themselves struggling to breathe. “So many of our own co-workers got sick, especially toward the beginning; it literally decimated our staff,” she said. By the end of June, 11 of Beniquez’s colleagues were dead. Like the patients they had been treating, most were Black and Latino. (Renwick, 1/5)

KHN: Hospital Prices Just Got A Lot More Transparent. What Does This Mean For You?
Hospitals face the new year with new requirements to post price information they have long sought to obscure: the actual prices negotiated with insurers and the discounts they offer their cash-paying customers. The move is part of a larger push by the Trump administration to use price transparency to curtail prices and create better-informed consumers. Yet there is disagreement on whether it will do so. (Appleby, 1/5)

KHN: Many Health Plans Now Must Cover Full Cost Of Expensive HIV Prevention Drugs
Ted Howard started taking Truvada a few years ago because he wanted to protect himself against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. But the daily pill was so pricey he was seriously thinking about giving it up. Under his insurance plan, the former flight attendant and customer service instructor owed $500 in copayments every month for the drug and an additional $250 every three months for lab work and clinic visits. Luckily for Howard, his doctor at Las Vegas’ Huntridge Family Clinic, which specializes in LGBTQ care, enrolled him in a clinical trial that covered his medication and other costs in full. (Andrews, 1/5)

CNN: FDA Says People Need Both Doses Of Coronavirus Vaccines 
Anyone who receives the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine must get two full doses, two top US Food and Drug Administration officials said Monday. They also dismissed other ideas for stretching the vaccine supply and said people who are speculating about the possibility of making do with just one dose or cutting doses in half are misinterpreting the data. "We have been following the discussions and news reports about reducing the number of doses, extending the length of time between doses, changing the dose (half-dose), or mixing and matching vaccines in order to immunize more people against COVID-19," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn and Dr. Peter Marks, who heads FDA's vaccine division, said in a statement. (Fox, 1/4)

NPR: FDA Warns Health Officials Not To Mess With COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Schedule
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning health care workers that any changes to the authorized dosing schedules of COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered significantly place public health at risk and undermine "the historic vaccination effort to protect the population" from the coronavirus pandemic. The first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are approved to be delivered within a 21-day window, while the Moderna injections should be spread over 28 days. When given at those intervals, both vaccines are about 95% effective, according to the respective drugmakers. But the FDA has heard suggestions that the number of limited doses could be stretched by cutting them in half, extending the length of time between doses, or mixing and matching vaccines in order to immunize more people against COVID-19. (Romo, 1/4)

The Washington Post: U.S. Health Officials Say They Plan To Stick With Two-Dose Coronavirus Regimen 
The U.S. government’s top infectious-disease doctor, a leading drug regulator and the Health and Human Services secretary are dismissing suggestions that the second shot of authorized coronavirus vaccines could be delayed to make more doses available faster to more people. In recent days, some public health experts have debated whether it is worth taking a scientific gamble by altering the two-dose regimen that proved highly effective in trials to maximize the number of people partially protected with at least one shot as the pandemic surges. (Johnson, 1/4)

Politico: Cuomo Confirms First Case Of Covid-19 Variant In New York
New York state health officials have confirmed New York's first case of a new, more contagious strain of Covid-19 in Saratoga County, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday. The Wadsworth Lab in Albany identified the strain, which was first identified in the United Kingdom, in a Covid-19 sample submitted by Saratoga Hospital. Cuomo said the strain was found in a man in his 60s, who is affiliated with a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs. (Young, 1/4)

The Hill: Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Admits To 'Lag' In Vaccinations 
Operation Warp Speed's chief scientific adviser conceded Monday that there has been a “lag” in the administration of coronavirus vaccines, but defended the federal government's handling of their distribution. Moncef Slaoui initially said on CNN’s “New Day” that “nothing has gone wrong” in the vaccination process. “What we had committed to is to have 20 million doses of vaccine available for the American people to be immunized,” he added. (Budryk, 1/4)

Reuters: Most U.S. COVID-19 Vaccines Go Idle As New York, Florida Move To Penalize Hospitals 
In New York, hospitals must administer vaccines within a week of receiving them or face a fine and a reduction in future supplies, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, hours before announcing the state’s first known case of a new, more infectious coronavirus variant originally detected in Britain. “I don’t want the vaccine in a fridge or a freezer, I want it in somebody’s arm,” the governor said. “If you’re not performing this function, it does raise questions about the operating efficiency of the hospital.” (O'Donnell and Allen, 1/4)

Tampa Bay Times: DeSantis: If Hospitals Don’t Give Coronavirus Vaccines Fast Enough, They’ll Lose Their Shots
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that Florida is watching closely to see whether hospitals are handing out coronavirus vaccinations quickly enough. At a news conference in Longwood, DeSantis said any hospital chain that fails to meet its vaccination goal will have its supplies redistributed to more expedient providers. (Wilson, 1/4)

Tampa Bay Times: Pinellas County Suspends Coronavirus Vaccine Appointment Scheduling
The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County suspended registration for coronavirus vaccine appointments at the end of its first day, according to a tweet. The health department said registration for appointments by phone and online were suspended as of 6:49 p.m. Monday and that more details would come soon. (Ellenbogen, 1/4)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Halts COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments After Slots Fill Quickly
Houston’s Health Department launched an online portal for residents to apply for an appointment at its COVID-19 vaccine clinic Monday but quickly ran out of available slots for the remainder of the month. “The response to Houston’s first COVID-19 vaccine clinic was massive, quickly filling the appointment slots for the department’s current vaccine allocation,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a City Hall news conference where he was about to get his own shot in the arm. “The vaccine clinic appointments are booked for the rest of this month, and the department is not taking additional appointments at this time.” (McGuinness, 1/4)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom: California COVID Vaccine Rollout Has Been Too Slow 
Only about 35% of the COVID-19 vaccine doses that have arrived in California have been administered so far, a rate Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged Monday was “not good enough” as he pledged new funding and efforts aimed at ramping up the rollout. (Money, Luna and Shalby, 1/4)

Boston Globe: Massachusetts Is Ramping Up Vaccine Drive After What Governor Calls A Rollout With ‘Bumps’
Massachusetts officials Monday outlined plans to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations after what Governor Charlie Baker described as a state and national vaccine rollout burdened by “bumps.” Shots for more than 45,000 first responders, such as police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians, will start next Monday at sites across the state, including four regional vaccination hubs that later could be used to vaccinate others, Baker said. And in a change from priorities outlined last month, the governor said he’ll adopt a proposal from his COVID-19 advisory panel to move state residents age 75 and over — a population deemed to be at higher risk for coronavirus — to the front of the vaccine line, along with residents with two or more chronic health conditions, in the second phase of inoculations slated to begin in February. (Weisman, 1/4)

Columbus Dispatch: What's Taking So Long? COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout In Ohio Slowed By Holidays, Unpredictable Shipments
As Gov. Mike DeWine applies pressure to get COVID-19 vaccines administered faster throughout Ohio, those charged with inoculating people against the virus say a combination of factors has contributed to a slow rollout. ... “This is not your routine stop by the primary care office to get a flu shot. This is a whole different operation,” said Dr. Andy Thomas, chief clinical officer at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. (Rouan and Kovac, 1/4)

WTVR.com: It's A Slow Rollout For The COVID-19 Vaccine In Virginia
"This is a vaccination campaign that is just unprecedented in its size, scope, and complexity," Dr. Laurie Forlano, with the Virginia Department of Health, said. Those factors have contributed to Virginia administering less than 100,000 doses of the 450,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine received so far. (Covil, 1/4)

Fox19.com: Beshear Takes Aim At Slow Vaccine Rollout, Announces Change For Providers
A new goal for Kentucky’s vaccination providers will allow them to distribute some amount of excess vaccines to people outside the rollout’s rigid phases, meaning a member of the general population could receive a dose before an at-risk person, a healthcare provider or an essential worker. Gov. Andy Beshear and Department of Public Health Provider Steven Stack, MD, announced the new goal for vaccine providers Monday. The goal encourages providers to inject 90 percent of the vaccine doses they receive in a week. Those deemed highest priority according to the rollout’s phases (below) will still get that priority, but excess doses should be distributed rather than remain in storage. (Planalp, 1/4)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Frustration Growing Over Georgia COVID Vaccination Efforts
[Around] Georgia, there are people who want to be vaccinated and can’t find out when and how they’ll get the shots. Meanwhile, some health care providers say they received hundreds more doses than they requested. Those issues are fueling anger and frustration about the state’s vaccination program, as Georgia continues to lag behind most states in the vaccination rate and as the toll from COVID-19 mounts. On Monday, Georgia for the first time surpassed 5,000 people currently hospitalized with the virus. (Berard, Teegardin, Edwards and Stirgus, 1/4)

The Oregonian: Oregon Is No. 41 In Nation For Its Slow Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout, Trailing U.S. Average 
Oregon trails 40 other states for its slow pace of getting coronavirus vaccine shots in arms, federal data show, leaving the vaccine deployment lagging as the state’s death toll hit 1,500 Sunday. Oregon has given 48,725 vaccine shots since the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved Dec. 11. But Oregon has received 190,500 doses, meaning that about 141,000 doses are still sitting in boxes as the virus continues spreading and mutating. The state health authority said 1,700 doses were given yesterday and another 1,700 shots were recorded from earlier days. (Davis, 1/3)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Vaccine Reporting Delays Cited In D.C. Region 
Coronavirus vaccinations are off to a sluggish start across the greater Washington region, with only a fraction of allotted doses being administered in the past three weeks. Delays in reporting might make the problem look worse than it is, officials said. In Maryland, less than one-quarter of the state’s initial batch of 273,875 vaccines has been used, according to state data released Monday. In Virginia, only one-fifth of the state’s allotment of 451,075 doses, or 89,326 vaccinations, had been administered, according to state figures. (Schneider, Brice-Saddler and Cox, 1/4)

CNBC: Providence Hospital System Defies America's Slow Vaccine Rollout Trend
Providence Hospital System has defied the country’s slow rollout trend and has given the first dose of the vaccine to more than half of its 120,000 employees in 51 hospitals across seven states. Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, chief clinical officer for Providence, told “The News with Shepard Smith” that “planning is the antidote to panic.” She said that Providence began strategizing in September to identify caregivers with the highest risk and how to integrate technology like emails and texts to streamline the rollout process. (DeCiccio, 1/4)

CNBC: New York Governor To Propose Law Making It A Crime To Skip Vaccine Line
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he plans to propose a law that would make it a crime to sell or administer coronavirus vaccine shots to people who are trying to skip ahead in line. Providers in New York can already lose their license if they fraudulently administer vaccines, though the law would add criminal penalties if approved by the state legislature, he said. So far, health-care workers and people living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are eligible for Covid-19 vaccines. (1/4)

The New York Times: Pharmacist Accused Of Tampering With Vaccine Was Conspiracy Theorist, Police Say 
A pharmacist who was arrested on charges that he intentionally sabotaged more than 500 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine at a Wisconsin hospital was “an admitted conspiracy theorist” who believed the vaccine could harm people and “change their DNA,” according to the police in Grafton, Wis., where the man was employed. The police said Steven Brandenburg, 46, who worked the night shift at the Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wis., had twice removed a box of vials of the Moderna vaccine from the refrigerator for periods of 12 hours, rendering them “useless.” (Dewan and Nolan, 1/4)

AP: Prosecutor: Wisconsin Pharmacist Thought Vaccine Was Unsafe
A Wisconsin pharmacist convinced the world was “crashing down” told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he believed the shots would mutate people’s DNA, according to court documents released Monday. Police in Grafton, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Milwaukee, arrested Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg last week following an investigation into the 57 spoiled vials of the Moderna vaccine, which officials say contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people. Charges are pending. (Richmond, 1/5)

The Hill: Moderna To Add 100 Million Doses To COVID-19 Vaccine Supply This Year 
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna will increase its vaccine production from 500 million doses to 600 million for 2021 and allocate resources to hopefully produce one billion vaccine doses in total this year, the company announced on Monday. Previously, the company committed to 500 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for federal distribution. (Kelley, 1/4)

CNN: Coronavirus-Free Palau Could Become The First Country Vaccinated 
A cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean that's one of the few places on Earth entirely free from Covid-19 could become one of the first countries vaccinated against the disease. The Republic of Palau, an archipelago home to about 18,000 people, received its first shipment of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Moderna on Saturday. Vaccinations started the next day, Palau's Ministry of Health announced on Twitter. (Mogul, 1/5)

CIDRAP: Allergists Offer Guidance On COVID-19 Vaccines For Those With Allergies
The review, written by a team of US allergists, notes that despite some early reports of severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, safety data from the phase 3 trials of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are strong, and to date there have only been 12 reported allergic reactions to the vaccines across more than 2 million administered doses. But they recommend that those with a history of anaphylaxis to an injectable drug or vaccine containing polyethylene glycol or polysorbate speak with their allergists before being vaccinated. (1/4)

NPR: L.A. Paramedics Told Not To Transport Some Patients With Low Chance Of Survival
Speaking to the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, [Dr. Marianne] Gausche-Hill said personnel would continue to do everything possible to save the lives of patients, both at the scene and in the hospital. "We are not abandoning resuscitation," she said. "We are absolutely doing best practice resuscitation and that is do it in the field, do it right away." (Diaz, 1/5)

The New York Times: Covid-19: Virus Hammers California As Deaths And Hospitalizations Surge 
The state is also facing an oxygen shortage for patients, and it has deployed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the California Emergency Medical Services Authority to help deliver and refill oxygen tanks. In a sign of how dire that shortage is, Marianne Gausche-Hill, the medical director for Los Angeles County’s E.M.S. agency, issued guidelines to emergency workers on Sunday for administering the “minimum amount of oxygen necessary” to keep patients’ oxygen saturation level at or just above 90 percent. (A level in the low 90s or below is a concern for people with Covid-19.) (1/5)

Modern Healthcare: FDA Issues Alert About False Negative Results With Curative COVID-19 Test
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued an alert to patients and healthcare providers warning them of a risk of false negative results with a SARS-CoV-2 laboratory-based test from San Dimas, California-based Curative. The agency asserted that the test, to which it granted Emergency Use Authorization in April, must be performed in accordance with its labeling to ensure correct results. "When the test is not performed in accordance with its authorization or as described in the authorized labeling, there is a greater risk that the results of the test may not be accurate," the FDA wrote in a safety communication. (1/4)

CIDRAP: 7-Day Quarantine May Work For Some COVID Household Contacts
Interim study results published late last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) found that only 19% of people exposed to a COVID-19 patient in their home who had no symptoms nor a positive test result in the first 7 days of the patient's illness later tested positive—lending support for recently changed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. To shorten quarantine and improve compliance, a month ago the CDC revised its guidance and now recommends either 10 days of quarantine with no COVID-19 test or 7 days with a negative test result. But noting the risk of viral spread from people who develop symptoms or become infectious toward the end of the initially recommended 14-day quarantine, the researchers sought to quantify that risk. (1/4)

AP: A Final EPA Rollback Under Trump Curbs Use Of Health Studies
The Environmental Protection Agency has completed one of its last major rollbacks under the Trump administration, changing how it considers evidence of harm from pollutants in a way that opponents say could cripple future public-health regulation. ... The new rule would require the release of raw data from public-health studies whose findings the EPA uses in determining the danger of an air pollutant, toxic chemical or other threat. Big public-health studies that studied the anonymized results of countless people have been instrumental in setting limits on toxic substances, including in some of the nation’s most important clean-air protections. (Knickmeyer, 1/5)

The Wall Street Journal: EPA To Give Preference To Scientific Studies That Disclose Data 
Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the changes are aimed at increasing transparency so that the public has a chance to scrutinize findings that underlie major regulations. “By shining light on the science we use in decisions, we are helping to restore trust in government,” Mr. Wheeler wrote in a commentary published by The Wall Street Journal late Monday. “We want the EPA to be able to say, ‘you can check our work.’” (Puko, 1/5)

The New York Times: A Plan Made To Shield Big Tobacco From Facts Is Now E.P.A. Policy
Nearly a quarter century ago, a team of tobacco industry consultants outlined a plan to create “explicit procedural hurdles” for the Environmental Protection Agency to clear before it could use science to address the health impacts of smoking. President Trump’s E.P.A. embedded parts of that strategy into federal environmental policy on Monday when it completed a new regulation that favors certain kinds of scientific research over others in the drafting of public health rules. (Friedman, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Trump Administration Pumps New Money Into Farmers To Families Food Box Program 
The U.S. government is pumping $1.5 billion into the Farmers to Families Food Box program to help supply food lines, which were running low on food or had shut down completely in early December, through May. The $4.5 billion program, which launched amid great fanfare in the spring with the backing of President Trump’s daughter Ivanka, started to run out of money in early December, just ahead of the holidays. (Jaffe and Reiley, 1/4)

Bloomberg: U.S. Risks Years Of Higher Mortality On Covid’s Economic Fallout
The U.S. could see an elevated death rate for more than a decade as the economic fallout from the coronavirus persists, underscoring the long-term health impact of the deep recession. The nation’s mortality rate is forecast to increase 3% while life expectancy will drop 0.5% over the next 15 years, representing 890,000 more American deaths, according to a working paper from researchers at Duke, Harvard and Johns Hopkins universities. Over a 20-year period, that amounts to 1.37 million additional deaths. (Fanzeres, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Mar-A-Lago Should Be Shut Down After New Year’s Eve Party Violated Covid Rules, State Lawmaker Says 
A Florida state representative wants Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's private club, shut down for violating local coronavirus safety restrictions during a New Year's Eve bash where attendees celebrated without wearing masks. It was at least the second holiday event during which guests violated local restrictions and disregarded authorities’ advice against large gatherings. In December, the conservative student group Turning Point USA held two large events in Florida, including one at Mar-a-Lago. (Rozsa, 1/4)

Stat: Haven, Ambitious Health Venture Backed By Amazon, To Shut Down
Haven will cease operations at the end of February, Haven spokesperson Brooke Thurston confirmed to STAT. “The Haven team made good progress exploring a wide range of healthcare solutions, as well as piloting new ways to make primary care easier to access, insurance benefits simpler to understand and easier to use, and prescription drugs more affordable,” she said. Thurston said the three companies will “continue to collaborate informally” on programs for their individual employee populations. (Brodwin, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Berkshire Hathaway Disband Haven
Haven is ending about three years after Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway set out to improve outcomes and lower costs for their employees, the companies announced Monday. The independent company "free from profit-making incentives and constraints" aimed to improve employee satisfaction and reduce healthcare costs for Amazon, JPMorgan and Berkshire's around 1 million U.S. employees, but executives shared little detail about the joint venture. Haven will cease operations at the end of February, according to its website. (Kacik, 1/4)

Stat: How Haven's High Hopes Of Redefining Health Care Came To A Crashing Halt
The dissolution of Haven marks one of the most stunning collapses in modern health care history. The venture, led by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan Chase, was heralded immediately as a powerful new player to watch. Its January 2018 launch erased billions of dollars in value from health care companies within seconds. Even before it had a name, the company spawned a trade secrets lawsuit from the rival health care giant Optum. (Brodwin and Ross, 1/5)

CIDRAP: Med Societies Ask That Healthcare Infection Penalties Be Suspended 
Warning that persistent staff and supply shortages in hard-hit hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to disruptions that could result in an increase in drug-resistant hospital infections, the heads of three US medical professional societies last week sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting a suspension of reimbursement penalties for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)."As the number of COVID-19 cases surge, hospitals are becoming overwhelmed with more patients than can be managed with typical care standards," the presidents of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists (SIDP), and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) wrote in a Dec 28 letter to HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan. (Dall, 1/4)

Stat: HHS Rebukes Drug Makers For Curtailing Discounts To Hospitals That Serve Low-Income Populations
After months of controversy, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a stern rebuke to several large drug makers that have sought to curtail the discounts they offer through a federal program for safety-net hospitals and clinics. At issue is the 340B drug discount program, which requires drug makers to offer discounts that are typically estimated to be 25% to 50% — but could be much higher — on all outpatient drugs to hospitals and clinics that serve low-income populations. (Silverman, 1/4)

AP: Hospital COVID-19 Outbreak Remains Under Investigation
A top health official said Monday he doesn’t know how a COVID-19 outbreak spread to 30 patients and employees at a Vancouver hospital. The cause of the December outbreak at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center remains under investigation, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. But Dr. Lawrence Neville, chief medical center for PeaceHealth Columbia Network, said the hospital’s COVID-19 cluster can be traced to one patient who initially tested negative only to test positive days later. (1/5)

The Washington Post: ER Doctors On The Front Lines Against Covid Struggle To Find Jobs 
Owais Durrani does not have a job, a predicament that would have been almost unthinkable for a doctor with his skills a year ago.At University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he is training in emergency medicine, Durrani has treated hundreds of covid-19 patients. He has dosed them with steroids, given them oxygen and carefully turned them onto their bellies to relieve respiratory distress. ... Despite all that, the 29-year-old doctor cannot find a company in his hometown of Houston ready to hire him when he graduates next year. (Guarino, 1/4)

Stat: Proposed New Rules For A J-1 Visa Will Hinder U.S. Fight Against Covid-19
As Covid-19 infections once again surge across the United States, one of the biggest obstacles to saving lives is a shortage of doctors. A federal proposal to change the rules for foreign-born physicians working here will make the problem worse. (Davis, 1/5)

Stat: Pharma Rings In The New Year With 5% Price Hikes On Hundreds Of Medicines 
When it comes to prescription drug prices, what goes up often continues to go up – and 2021 is no exception. Each January, the pharmaceutical industry is known for raising prices. And this month, the median wholesale price increased 4.8% for 645 brand-name medicines in the U.S., according to a new analysis by 46Brooklyn, a market research firm. (Silverman, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: Some Drugmakers May Not Comply With HHS 340B Opinion On Contract Pharmacies
HHS on Dec. 30 advised drugmakers that they must provide 340B discount prices to pharmacies that contract with covered entities, but the advisory opinion doesn't have the force of law. Eli Lilly and Sanofi have indicated the new opinion may not change their behavior. "We've reviewed the statement from HHS and we disagree with their conclusion. We continue to believe our 340B distribution program complies with all applicable laws and regulations, and we will continue to advocate for fixes to 340B that will help people access affordable medicines instead padding the bottom lines of hospitals and contract pharmacies that pocket discounts for themselves," an Eli Lilly spokesperson said in a written statement. (Cohrs, 1/4)

Los Angeles Times: Hip Surgeon Lawrence Dorr, Founder Of Operation Walk, Dies
Lawrence Dorr, a surgeon who led early developments in joint replacement surgery and helped make Los Angeles an international destination for the repair of ailing hips and knees, has died at 79. Dorr also started the nonprofit Operation Walk to provide free joint replacement surgery for people in underserved countries such as Cuba, Nepal, and Guatemala. It has grown into an international charity. He retired from Keck Hospital of USC last year after a career spanning more than five decades. He died Dec. 28 in that same hospital from complications of bacterial pneumonia, his longtime nurse Jeri Ward said. (Vincent, 1/4)

The Washington Post: TSA On Sunday Screened Most Passengers Since The Coronavirus Pandemic Began 
More than 1.3 million people moved through U.S. airport security checkpoints Sunday — the most since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday. The number was far below what it was on the same day in 2019, when more than 2.4 million people were screened. Still, the increase came despite recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials that people not travel during the holiday season. (Aratani, 1/4)

CNBC: Dallas Flights Delayed For A Second Time In A Week After Air Traffic Controller Tests Positive For Covid
The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted departures at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday to clean a facility after an air traffic controller tested positive for Covid-19. The FAA routinely shuts certain facilities to clean if staff test positive. DFW, the busiest hub for American Airlines, was experiencing flight delays of up to an hour the FAA said. (1/4)

Tampa Bay Times: Tampa Airport Seeing ‘Widespread Delays’ As Jacksonville FAA Office Closes
Tampa International Airport and other Florida airports were experiencing numerous flight delays Monday evening due to the sudden closure of a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration office in Jacksonville. Tampa’s airport tweeted Monday that the airport was experiencing “widespread delays” among flights into and out of the city, and that passengers should check with their airlines for updates. (Cridlin, 1/4)

The Washington Post: March Madness 2021 Will Be Held Entirely In Indianapolis Area 
The NCAA announced Monday that its entire 2021 men’s basketball tournament will be held in the Indianapolis area amid the coronavirus pandemic, an expected development after the organization had announced in November that the event would be held in one location to cut down on travel and allow teams to play in a bubblelike environment. (Bonesteel, 1/4)

AP: NBA Tells Teams That Rules On Mask-Wearing Will Get Tougher
The NBA is adopting a tougher policy regarding masks, telling teams Monday that players on the active roster will have to wear the face coverings in the bench area until they enter games. That memo, obtained by The Associated Press, was released on the same day the Brooklyn Nets ruled All-Star forward Kevin Durant out for Tuesday’s game against Utah in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols for dealing with coronavirus. (Reynolds, 1/5)

The New York Times: Surging Virus Prompts Call To Halt In-Person TV And Film Production 
Seven people working on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” which was being shot at an NBC Universal stage in Studio City, Calif., tested positive for the coronavirus this fall. So did nine people working on the Netflix series “Colin in Black & White” in Gardena. And the Los Angeles County Public Health Department reported that a dozen people working on the sitcom “Young Sheldon” in Burbank got the virus, too. The entertainment industry is so vital to Los Angeles that film and television production were both allowed to continue even after outdoor dining was banned. But now, with the coronavirus surging across California and overwhelming hospitals, unions and industry groups are calling for in-person production to be suspended. (Stevens, 1/4)

The Hill: Alex Trebek Urges Compassion For COVID-19 Victims In One Of His Final 'Jeopardy!' Tapings 
Late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek urged viewers to practice compassion for COVID-19 victims in one of his final tapings of the show, which aired on Monday. Trebek, who died on Nov. 8 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, had pre-taped several weeks of shows that have aired since his death. Monday’s show started his last week of recorded programs. (Coleman, 1/4)

Houston Chronicle: Second-Trimester Abortions Increased 61% After Texas Lifted Temporary Ban, Study Shows
Texas’ temporary abortion ban this spring amid the pandemic prevented some women from obtaining the services and delayed others until later in their pregnancies, exposing them to increased health risks, a new study has found. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s March 22, 2020 executive order to clear space for COVID-19 patients put a stop to all surgeries and procedures that were not considered “medically necessary,” which by the state's definition included abortion care. Abortion providers sued to overturn the ban — resulting in dizzying back-and-forth decisions as the case wound its way through the courts — but the issue became moot when the order expired in April 2020 and clinics resumed offering care. (Goldenstein, 1/4)

AP: Louisiana Lawmakers Consider COVID-19 Plan For Next Election
Louisiana’s top elections official is asking lawmakers Tuesday to back his proposal to broaden the mail-in balloting options for spring municipal elections and two upcoming special congressional elections because of the coronavirus pandemic. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin wants to use the same expansion of absentee-by-mail voting that was in place for the summer and fall elections, including the November presidential competition. (Deslatte, 1/5)

AP: Mexico Approves AstraZeneca Vaccine For Emergency Use
Mexico approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for emergency use Monday, hoping to spur a halting vaccination effort that has only given about 44,000 shots since the third week of December, about 82% of the doses the country has received. The Pfizer vaccine had been the only one approved for use in Mexico, until Mexican regulators approved the AstraZeneca shot Monday. (1/4)

AP: EU Rejects Criticism For Slow Vaccine Rollout Across Bloc
The European Commission defended its coronavirus vaccination strategy Monday amid growing criticism in member states about the slow rollout of COVID-19 shots across the region of 450 million inhabitants. Vaccinations programs in the 27 nation-bloc have gotten off to a slow start and some EU members have been quick to blame the EU’s executive arm for a perceived failure of delivering the right amount of doses. In Finland, health authorities are reportedly unhappy that the country only received about 40,000 doses in December, instead of the 300,000 that were expected. (Petrequin, 1/4)