First Edition: July 15, 2021

KHN: How ERs Fail Patients With Addiction: One Patient’s Tragic Death 
Jameson Rybak tried to quit using opioids nearly a dozen times within five years. Each time, he’d wait out the vomiting, sweating and chills from withdrawal in his bedroom. It was difficult to watch, said his mother, Suzanne Rybak, but she admired his persistence. On March 11, 2020, though, Suzanne grew worried. Jameson, 30 at the time, was slipping in and out of consciousness and saying he couldn’t move his hands. (Pattani, 7/15)

KHN: Can Biden’s Plan To Remove Urban Highways Improve The Health Of American Cities? 
Mandela Parkway, a four-lane boulevard enhanced by a median with trees and a curving footpath, stretches along a 24-block section of West Oakland. It’s the fruit of a grassroots neighborhood campaign to block reconstruction of an elevated freeway leveled by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and reimagine the thoroughfare to replace it. Since the parkway’s 2005 completion, 168 units of affordable housing have sprung up along its route. The air is measurably freer of pollutants than it was when the Cypress Freeway ran through the area. (DiGiulio, 7/15)

KHN: Influx Of Medical School Students Could Overwhelm Montana Resources, Program Leaders Warn 
Opening two new medical schools in Montana would stretch and possibly overwhelm the state’s physicians who provide the clinical training that students need to become doctors, according to leaders of a University of Washington medical school program that relies on those teaching physicians. The University of Washington School of Medicine’s WWAMI program in Montana requires its students who have finished their academic work to complete clerkships and clinical rotations to graduate, and then those graduates must be matched with residencies. WWAMI — an acronym of the five states participating in the program: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho — uses hundreds of Montana physicians for that hands-on training, in addition to physicians in the other four states. (Halland, 7/15)

KHN: Senate Democrats’ Plan Boosts Spending On Medicare, ACA Subsidies, Long-Term Care 
The budget package Democrats are assembling in Congress would likely provide the biggest jolt to the American health care system since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, according to sources familiar with work on the plan. Democrats in the Senate announced Tuesday night that they had reached a framework for a $3.5 trillion budget plan that would cover health care, education, climate and tax changes sought by lawmakers and President Joe Biden. (McAuliff, 7/15)

NPR: Drug Overdoses Killed A Record Number Of Americans In 2020, Jumping By Nearly 30%
More than 93,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S. last year — a record number that reflects a rise of nearly 30% from 2019, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials said the increase was driven by the lethal prevalence of fentanyl as well as pandemic-related stressors and problems in accessing care. "This is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, and the largest increase since at least 1999," Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told NPR. (Chappell, 7/14)

AP: US Overdose Deaths Hit Record 93,000 In Pandemic Last Year
That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29% increase. “This is a staggering loss of human life,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University public health researcher who tracks overdose trends. The nation was already struggling with its worst overdose epidemic but clearly “COVID has greatly exacerbated the crisis,” he added. (Stobbe, 7/15)

Roll Call: Senate Democratic Leaders Unveil Draft Bill To Legalize Marijuana 
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer unveiled draft legislation Wednesday that would decriminalize cannabis and expunge federal sentences tied to the drug, which has been legalized in states across the country. The bill would erase the records of nonviolent marijuana offenders and allow those currently serving time to petition a court for resentencing. Federal tax revenues would support a trust fund to reinvest in communities most affected by enforcement involving the drug. (Clason and Kopp, 7/14)

AP: Senate Leader Lends Clout To Marijuana Legalization Push
“I will use my clout as majority leader to make this a priority in the Senate,” said Schumer, of New York, who is the first Senate leader to support such an effort. “It’s not just an idea whose time has come, it’s long overdue.” The bill would treat marijuana much like alcohol or tobacco, allowing it to be taxed and regulated. States could still outlaw its use. And those under the age of 21 couldn’t purchase it. It would remain illegal to sell significant quantities without proper licensing and authorization, much like bootlegging alcohol. It would also clear the path for additional cannabis medical research. (Slodysko, 7/15)

Politico: Psaki: Biden Unmoved On Marijuana Legalization Despite Schumer Legislation 
President Joe Biden still opposes marijuana legalization, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday, putting him at odds with Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill as it advances legislation to end the federal prohibition on pot. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled draft legislation Wednesday that would legalize marijuana as well as expunge non-violent criminal records related to marijuana. Schumer's proposal, cosponsored by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) would allow states to decide whether or not to legalize the drug. (Sheehey, 7/14)

CNN: Obamacare: More Than 2 Million Americans Sign Up For Coverage Under Biden's Special Enrollment Period 
In addition, among new and returning consumers who have selected a plan since April 1, some 1.2 million, or 34%, picked policies that cost $10 or less per month when factoring in the enhanced premium subsidies made available by the Democrats' $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. About 2.5 million enrollees have returned to the exchange to see what's available, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said. (Luhby, 7/14)

Roll Call: HHS: 2 Million People Chose Health Plans During Enrollment Period
The report includes the 600,000 people who signed up for a plan on one of the 15 state-based exchanges, who were not included in last month's report that found 1.2 million people had selected a plan on the federal HealthCare.gov website. As of the end of last month, that number rose to 1.5 million. (McIntire, 7/14)

The Washington Post: Multi-Billion-Dollar Records System For Veterans Halted Due To Serious Flaws.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough on Wednesday acknowledged fundamental flaws in the agency’s troubled $16 billion effort to modernize veterans’ medical records, a project championed by former president Donald Trump and his son-in-law that is beset by cost overruns, delays, misrepresentations to Congress and a disastrous rollout at its first hospital. McDonough told Senate lawmakers that a three-month internal review of the electronic health records system found so many structural problems that he cannot continue to deploy it at other hospitals until VA leaders are confident of success. He could not say when the rollout will resume. (Rein, 7/14)

CNBC: Democrats' $3.5 Trillion Budget Funds Family Programs, Clean Energy, Medicare Expansion
Senate Democrats released the framework Wednesday for their $3.5 trillion budget resolution bill, which they hope to pass later this summer on a party-line vote. The bill will contain nearly all of President Joe Biden’s American Families Plan bill, plus the addition of expanded Medicare coverage for hearing, vision and dental care. (Wilkie, 7/14)

Stat: Senate Democrats Eye Drug Pricing Policies To Fund $3.5 Trillion Budget Deal
Senate Democrats intend to include several drug pricing policies in their $3.5 trillion partisan push to pass a slew of major Biden administration priorities, according to a framework of the draft package obtained by STAT. The draft suggests that certain drug pricing provisions could be used to help offset the costs of other, pricier parts of the sweeping proposal, which will include initiatives on clean energy, early childhood tax credits, and expanding safety net programs. (Cohrs, 7/14)

CNBC: Medicare Would Cover Dental, Vision Hearing Under Democrats' Budget
Medicare — the health insurance program relied on by most older Americans — would cover dental, vision and hearing under a budget agreement announced late Tuesday by Senate Democrats. The proposal for expanded coverage was included as part of a plan to spend $3.5 trillion over the next decade on climate change, health care and family-service programs, all part of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda. Although there’s no certainty that everything in the budget blueprint will make it through the full congressional process, Medicare advocates are hopeful that coverage of the extra benefits will come to fruition. (O'Brien, 7/14)

The Washington Post: His Voice Silenced For Years, A Man Can Now Communicate Using Only The Electrical Impulses From His Brain 
The 38-year-old man, who chose to remain anonymous but is dubbed BRAVO-1 in the study, suffered a brain stem stroke 15 years ago that severed the neural connection between his brain and his vocal cords. He is paralyzed from the neck down and has been communicating by painstakingly tapping letters on a keyboard with a pointer attached to the bill of a baseball cap. Now, merely by trying to utter words, he has 50 at his disposal and can create short sentences that primarily concern his well-being and care. A computer decodes his brain activity and displays the sentences on a screen with a median accuracy of about 75 percent, at a rate of more than 15 words per minute. Average conversational speech occurs at about 150 words per minute. (Bernstein, 7/14)

The New York Times: Tapping Into The Brain To Help A Paralyzed Man Speak 
He has not been able to speak since 2003, when he was paralyzed at age 20 by a severe stroke after a terrible car crash. Now, in a scientific milestone, researchers have tapped into the speech areas of his brain — allowing him to produce comprehensible words and sentences simply by trying to say them. When the man, known by his nickname, Pancho, tries to speak, electrodes implanted in his brain transmit signals to a computer that displays them on the screen. His first recognizable sentence, researchers said, was, “My family is outside.” (Belluck, 7/14)

USA Today: Missouri Requests Field Hospital
Forty-seven states reported more new COVID-19 cases last week than in the week before, and deaths rose in 30 states compared to a week earlier, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In Missouri, where cases are surging, one county asked the state for funding Wednesday to establish an "alternate care site" for COVID-19 patients. "Over the past week, we have seen dramatic increases in COVID-19-related cases," Katie Towns, interim director for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said at a press conference. "We need help." (Aspegren, Vargas and Hauck, 7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Another California County Urges Vaccinated People To Mask Up Indoors
The highly transmissible delta variant has prompted Yolo County to urge residents to wear masks indoors again. “I am erring on the side of caution to slow the spread of the highly infectious delta variant,” said Dr. Aimee Sisson, the health officer for the county, in a press release on Wednesday. Sisson “strongly recommended” that fully vaccinated people, along with those who are 65 and older or immunocompromised, wear masks in indoor public areas as a “precautionary measure,” according to the press release. (Hwang, 7/14)

AP: Arizona Blames Rise In COVID-19 Cases On 'Reporting Issue'
Arizona on Wednesday reported its largest daily number of COVID-19 infections in four months, but public health officials attributed the rise to an “electronic reporting issue” that had lowered the numbers the two previous days. The 1,945 cases reported Wednesday was the largest daily increase since 2,276 infections were reported on March 5, at the tail end of the winter surge, according to data from the state’s coronavirus dashboard. The rise follows daily case reports of 122 and 345 on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. (Davenport, 7/14)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Home Staff Size Correlates With COVID-19 Outbreaks
Larger nursing home staffs are a strong predictor of COVID-19 outbreaks at those facilities, according to research published Wednesday. Summer 2020 COVID-19 case rates at nursing homes with the most unique staff members were 92% higher than at facilities with the lowest numbers of staff, the Health Affairs study found. Those same nursing homes with large staff volumes also had cumulative staff and resident death rates that were 69% and 133% higher than their counterparts, respectively. The study controlled for staffing ratios, skill mixes and community spread. It calculated historical turnover but didn't find it to be a predictor or one of the key reasons nursing homes' daily staff sizes change. (Christ, 7/14)

AP: As COVID Rises, A Vexing Hunt For Nursing Home Vaccine Stats
With COVID-19 on the rise again and many nursing home staffers unvaccinated, families still lack easy access to crucial Medicare immunization data that will help them pick the right facility for their loved one. Medicare has a “Care Compare” website for consumers it has spent years refining. But that’s not where the agency is posting vaccination numbers for residents and staff at individual nursing homes. Instead Medicare is relying on a COVID-19 data page geared to researchers. One way to navigate it involves scouring a map for little red dots that represent nursing homes. There’s also a huge spreadsheet. It’s not seen as particularly user-friendly. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/14)

The Washington Post: Fort Rucker In Alabama Is First In U.S. To Require Vaccination Proof Amid Rising Covid-19 Rates 
An Alabama military base is taking increased actions to combat the ongoing prevalence of coronavirus infections, authorizing leaders to ask for proof of vaccination of service members not wearing a mask while on duty. It is the first military base in the continental United States to allow leaders to check the vaccination status of those in uniform. The new guidance at Fort Rucker comes as the new delta variant of the virus continues to drive infection rates and now accounts for a majority of cases in the United States. (Hauptman, 7/14)

The New York Times: Some Republican Leaders Speak Up For Vaccines 
As the Delta variant rips through conservative swaths of the country, some elected Republicans are facing growing pressure from public health advocates to speak out — not only in favor of their constituents being inoculated against the coronavirus but also against media figures and elected officials who are questioning the vaccines. “We don’t control conservative media figures so far as I know — at least I don’t,” Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, said in an interview on Wednesday. “That being said, I think it’s an enormous error for anyone to suggest that we shouldn’t be taking vaccines. Look, the politicization of vaccination is an outrage and frankly moronic.” (7/15)

Fox News: MRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Effective In Cirrhosis Patients, Study Finds
U.S. veterans experiencing cirrhosis, or damage to the liver, and who also received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine saw high levels of protection against virus-related hospitalization and death, a study found. The findings come as federal health authorities said the two groups of concern relating to potential use of booster shots include people 75 and older and those with a weakened immune system, or immunocompromised patients. The study authors at hand noted "patients with cirrhosis have immune dysregulation that is associated with vaccine hyporesponsiveness." Ongoing research by the FDA and a CDC panel is working to determine if, when and for whom booster shots could be necessary. However, for now, the FDA and CDC said "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time," citing highly effective vaccines. (Rivas, 7/14)

Fox News: COVID-19: At Least 8 Fully Vaccinated Vegas Hospital Workers Test Positive In 'Breakthrough' Cluster
At least eight fully-vaccinated Nevada health care workers tested positive for the coronavirus last month in a rare cluster of "breakthrough" cases, according to a report. In all, 11 coworkers were infected after an off-site pool party, the vast majority came down with the Delta variant, which is believed to spread more easily, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, citing emails obtained from the Southern Nevada Health District. Two out of the three who weren’t fully vaccinated had received at least one dose of the vaccine, the newspaper reported. (Stimson, 7/15)

CIDRAP: Doctor-Delivered COVID Messages May Boost Protective Steps
A JAMA Network Open study today describes successful deployment of a video tool to improve COVID-19 knowledge, beliefs, and risk-reduction behaviors of Black and White adults. In the randomized clinical trial, a team led by Harvard Medical School researchers randomly assigned a video message about COVID-19 to 18,233 Black and White adults with less than a college education recruited from Aug 7 to Sep 6, 2020. The goal was to assess whether the messages would increase coronavirus knowledge, information seeking, and protective behaviors if they were tailored to Black adults. (Van Beusekom, 7/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Doctor Arrested For Allegedly Selling Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Cards
A Napa homeopathic doctor was arrested Wednesday for allegedly selling what she claimed was a COVID-19 antibody treatment and fake vaccination cards, according to federal authorities. Juli A. Mazi, 41, allegedly sold immunization pellets to patients, claiming it would provide “lifelong immunity to COVID-19,” and give customers fake vaccination cards with instructions on how to falsify they received two shots of the Moderna vaccine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. (Flores, 7/14)

CBS News: Olympic Swimmer Michael Andrew Defends Decision To Not Get Vaccinated Before Tokyo, Calls It A "Risk" He's Willing To Take 
Star American swimmer Michael Andrew says he is standing by his decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine before the Tokyo Olympics. Andrew, an Olympic gold medal favorite, said in an interview on the Fox Business show "Varney & Co." on Tuesday that remaining unvaccinated is a "risk" he's willing to take. "Everything we take and put in our body is very calculated," he said. "You know, with the period going into Olympic trials, I didn't want to risk any time out of the pool." (Brito, 7/14)

Modern Healthcare: Oscar Health Unveils Tool For LGBTQ+ Community
Oscar Health has updated its user interface to allow members to input their name, pronouns and gender identity, in a move to be more inclusive of members who identify as transgender or non-binary. "Since day one, Oscar has been focused on building a system of healthcare that is centered around our members," CEO Mario Schlosser said in a statement. "While there is still more work to be done, I am proud of our team of engineers who, through our unique full-stack technology, are able to quickly and proficiently meet the needs of our transgender and non-binary members to help them feel both seen and heard." (Tepper, 7/14)

Stat: Apple Provides Glimpse At Research Behind New Walking Steadiness Feature
Apple is gearing up to release a new metric called Walking Steadiness aimed at preventing falls in older people. But the potentially transformative feature raises a nagging question: How much does a tech company need to divulge about its health research? So far, the company has only shared a narrow glimpse of studies underpinning the tool. While such relative secrecy might be typical for Apple and other consumer tech giants, their growing presence in health care is prompting an increasingly loud refrain from health researchers who want to see the data and decide for themselves. (Aguilar, 7/15)

Modern Healthcare: Providers Vow To Fight Medicare Pay Freeze
The lobbying began just minutes after CMS released a physician payment rule for next year that doesn't include pay raises for doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and others. Provider groups are geared up for a rerun of the battle over this year's physician fee schedule, which originally financed a pay increase for primary care providers by cutting payments to specialists. Congress intervened after a sustained lobbying effort that culminated in an across-the-board 3.75% pay rise for the 2021 calendar year, at a cost of $3 billion to taxpayers. CMS issued the proposed rule for 2022 on Tuesday. (Brady, 7/14)

Modern Healthcare: Kindred Healthcare Adds Inpatient Rehab Units At Hospitals
Kindred Healthcare will add acute inpatient rehabilitation units to three of its long-term acute care hospitals to help patients recover quicker, the provider said Wednesday. The units, with a total of 33 beds, are expected to start serving patients in September 2021 and will be located at Kindred Hospital Denver, Kindred Hospital Melbourne, and Kindred Hospital Philadelphia – Havertown. They will provide intensive, interdisciplinary clinical and rehabilitation services. Patients in physical rehab will receive 24/7 nursing care and at least three hours of therapy a day for five days a week from physicians trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation. (Devereaux, 7/14)

Stat: With Fewer Than 400 Progeria Patients Worldwide, Testing A CRISPR Cure Will Be Challenging
When Sammy Basso was diagnosed with progeria at 2, it seemed likely that the disease’s hyper-accelerated aging would kill him before he graduated high school. “There was nothing. Nothing. No cure, of course, no treatments, no information. It was catastrophic,” said Basso, spokesperson for the Progeria Research Foundation, at STAT’s Breakthrough Science Summit on Wednesday. “Nobody could believe that we will be able to arrive at this point. But here we are.” (Boodman, 7/14)

Stat: FDA Scolds Amgen Over A Misleading Ad That Could Deter Biosimilar Use
In an embarrassing rebuke, the Food and Drug Administration has scolded Amgen (AMGN) over a drug advertisement that made misleading claims and, as a result, might confuse physicians and thwart the use of lower-cost biosimilar versions. The agency noted that a banner ad for the Neulasta bone marrow stimulant cited a study claiming there is a statistically significant higher risk of developing febrile neutropenia — a life-threatening complication of cancer treatment — when using a pre-filled syringe than an injector placed on the patient’s body. Amgen markets the OnPro injector kit, which was the subject of the animated ad. (Silverman, 7/14)

The New York Times: Cleveland Clinic and Mount Sinai Won’t Administer Aduhelm to Patients
In a striking reflection of concern over the approval of the controversial new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, two major American health systems have decided that they will not administer it to patients. The Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest and most respected medical centers in the country, said in a statement that a panel of its experts had “reviewed all available scientific evidence on this medication,” which is also called aducanumab. (Belluck, 7/14)

Stat: Woodcock: FDA May Have Misstepped Before Alzheimer’s Drug Approval
Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock acknowledged on Wednesday her agency may have misstepped in its handling of its polarizing approval of a new Alzheimer’s drug. She was emphatic in her defense of the therapy and the agency’s approval decision in an interview at STAT’s Breakthrough Science Summit, but said “it’s possible that the process could have been handled in a way that would have decreased the amount of controversy involved.” (Cohrs, 7/14)

AP: Johnson & Johnson Recalling Sunscreens Due To Benzene Traces
The recall includes all can sizes and all levels of sun protection factor, or SPF. The products were distributed nationwide through retailers. The health care giant said the benzene was found after testing by the company and an independent laboratory. It is investigating how the chemical got into the products. J&J said it’s working to get all lots of the five products removed from store shelves. It urged consumers to stop using the sunscreens immediately and said customers can get a refund by calling J&J’s Consumer Care Center at 1-800-458-1673. More information is available at the websites for Neutrogena and Aveeno. (Johnson, 7/14)

The New York Times: Johnson & Johnson Recalls Sunscreen Because Of Benzene Traces 
Johnson & Johnson issued a voluntary recall on Wednesday for five of its sunscreen sprays after testing found low levels of benzene, a carcinogen, in the products. Consumers were told to stop using the products and throw them out. The recall included four Neutrogena aerosol sprays — Beach Defense, Cool Dry Sport, Invisible Daily and Ultra Sheer — and the Aveeno Protect + Refresh spray. (Jimenez, 7/14)

The Hill: Most Oregon Heat Wave Victims Were Elderly, Had No Central AC, Lived Alone 
A preliminary report by Oregon’s ​Multnomah County found that a majority of the deaths reported during the record-breaking heat wave that began late last month were elderly men who lived alone and did not have central air conditioning. In Portland, which is in Multnomah County, from June 25 and June 28 the city reached triple-digits, even hitting a high of 116 degrees. (Romaine, 7/14)

The Washington Post: Federal Regulators Sue Amazon Over Firm’s Refusal To Recall Dangerous Products
Federal safety regulators filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Wednesday that accuses the retail giant of refusing to recognize regulators’ authority to force the company to recall defective and unsafe products, setting up a fight over how much responsibility Amazon should take for the products it sells on its website. The action by the Consumer Product Safety Commission comes after months of behind-the-scenes negotiations between regulators and Amazon as the agency tried to persuade the company to follow the CPSC’s rules for getting dangerous products off the market, according to a senior agency official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment on internal discussions. (Frankel and Greene, 7/14)

CIDRAP: Report: Restaurant Chains Still Failing On Antibiotics In Beef 
The latest evaluation of how the nation's major restaurant chains are faring when it comes to responsible use of antibiotics in beef shows most continue to get a failing grade. The sixth annual Chain Reaction Scorecard, which grades the top 20 US fast food and casual sit-down restaurants on their antibiotic use policies for beef sourcing, and how those policies are implemented and monitored, gave 12 chains "F" grades for taking no public action to reduce routine antibiotic use in their beef supplies. Three companies earned "D" grades, while three chains earned "C" grades. (Dall, 7/14)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Lifts Swimming Ban At Dockweiler, El Segundo Beaches
Los Angeles County public health officials late Wednesday lifted restrictions on swimming around El Segundo Beach and Dockweiler State Beach that were put in place after an emergency discharge of 17 million gallons of sewage Sunday night raised concerns about contamination. In a news release, the county Department of Public Health said it had authorized the reopenings after results from ocean water samples collected over the last two days met state standards for water quality. (Miller, 7/14)

Houston Chronicle: City Continues To Find Evidence Of West Nile
West Nile continues to make its way through Sugar Land, with the city confirming the presence of the virus in East River Park. The mosquitoes were caught last week at a trap located on East River Park in the River Park subdivision. Sugar Land was notified Tuesday evening that at least one had tested positive. Accordingly, the city has increased mosquito spraying to twice a week citywide with the goal of eliminating the infestation. Sugar Land will also continue working with the Texas Department of State Health Services to trap and test more mosquitoes. (Varma, 7/14)

CIDRAP: Global COVID-19 Deaths On The Rise Again 
In its weekly pandemic snapshot yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said COVID-19 deaths are increasing again after falling for 9 weeks, with the sharpest upticks in Africa and Southeast Asia. Deaths are often a lagging COVID-19 marker, and global illnesses last week jumped 10% over the previous week, marking the fourth consecutive weekly rise. With no end in sight to the world's latest COVID-19 surge, several countries from diverse regions today reported new daily highs for cases. (Schnirring, 7/14)

Reuters: Singapore Sees Most COVID-19 Cases In 10 Months After Karaoke Cluster
Singapore reported its highest number of local coronavirus cases in 10 months on Wednesday, after the discovery of a cluster among hostesses and customers of KTV karaoke lounges. Of the 56 new community infections, 42 were linked to the KTV outbreak, the health ministry said. (7/14)

AP: Haiti Gets 500K Vaccine Doses; Its First Of The Pandemic
Haiti on Wednesday received its first coronavirus vaccine since the pandemic began, welcoming 500,000 doses as the country battles a spike in cases and deaths. The Pan American Health Organization said the United States donated the doses via the United Nations’ COVAX program for low-income countries. Spokeswoman Nadia Peimbert-Rappaport told The Associated Press that the shipment was Moderna vaccine. (Coto, 7/15)

AP: Olympic Athletes To Put On Own Medals At Tokyo Ceremonies 
Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus. The “very significant change” to traditional medal ceremonies in the 339 events was revealed Wednesday by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. (7/14)

Reuters: Cuba Lifts Food, Medicine Customs Restrictions After Protests 
Cuba announced on Wednesday it was temporarily lifting restrictions on the amount of food and medicine travelers could bring into the country in an apparent small concession to demands by protesters who took to the street last weekend. Thousands joined a wave of nationwide protests over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the government's handling of a surge in COVID-19 infections on Sunday, in the most significant unrest in decades in the Communist-run country. (Marsh and Acosta, 7/15)