First Edition: March 4, 2021

KHN: Coronavirus Deranges The Immune System In Complex And Deadly Ways 
There’s a reason soldiers go through basic training before heading into combat: Without careful instruction, green recruits armed with powerful weapons could be as dangerous to one another as to the enemy. The immune system works much the same way. Immune cells, which protect the body from infections, need to be “educated” to recognize bad guys — and to hold their fire around civilians. (Szabo, 3/4)

KHN: Reopening Of Long-Term Care Facilities Is ‘An Absolute Necessity For Our Well-Being’ 
For nearly a year, nursing homes and assisted living centers have been mostly closed to visitors. Now, it’s time for them to open back up and relieve residents of crushing isolation, according to a growing chorus of long-term care experts, caregivers, consumer groups and physicians. They’re calling for federal health authorities to relax visitation restrictions in long-term care institutions, replacing guidance that’s been in place since September. And they want both federal and state authorities to grant special status to “essential caregivers” — family members or friends who provide critically important hands-on care — so they have the opportunity to tend to relatives in need. (Graham, 3/4)

KHN: To Help Farmworkers Get Covid Tests And Vaccine, Build Trust And A Safety Net 
With more than 20 million acres of corn and soybeans, Illinois is among the top U.S. producers of those crops. To make it all happen, the state relies on thousands of farmworkers — some of whom travel to the state for seasonal work and others, like 35-year-old Saraí, who call Illinois home. Being an agricultural worker “is the most beautiful thing,” Saraí said in an interview in Spanish. (Herman and Cronin, 3/4)

KHN: Accidentally Trashed, Thawed Or Expired: Reports Of Covid Vaccine Spoilage
As the speed of covid vaccinations picks up, so do the reports of doses going to waste. And it’s more than just a handful at the end of the day because of a few appointment cancellations. Health officials are trying to rein in waste without slowing down vaccinations. The incidents range from 335 discarded doses in Lee County, North Carolina, that were damaged in shipping, to nearly 5,000 doses that went to waste in Tennessee in February, prompting additional federal oversight. (Farmer, 3/4)

CNBC: Biden Slams Governors For Lifting Mask Mandates, Calls It 'Neanderthal Thinking'
President Joe Biden on Wednesday slammed states that repealed Covid-19 restrictions on businesses and rescinded mask mandates for residents, calling the moves a “big mistake. ”Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, both Republicans, announced Tuesday they would allow businesses to reopen at 100% capacity and lift mask mandates. Biden’s remarks were in response to shouted questions from the press specifically about the two states. (Feuer, 3/3)

NPR: Neanderthal Thinking: Biden Says Too Soon To Stop Wearing Masks For COVID-19
President Biden said on Wednesday that states like Texas and Mississippi are making a big mistake by ending mandates to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at a time when the nation is making a push to boost vaccinations. "The last thing — the last thing — we need is the Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything's fine, take off your mask. Forget it. It still matters," Biden told reporters as he met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Oval Office. (Rascoe, 3/3)

Axios: Biden Slams States Lifting Mask Mandates For "Neanderthal Thinking" 
States that are relaxing coronavirus restrictions are making "a big mistake," President Biden told reporters on Wednesday, adding: "The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Wednesday he will end all coronavirus restrictions via executive order, although some businesses are continuing to ask patrons to wear face masks. Mississippi is lifting its mask mandate for all counties Wednesday, per Gov. Tate Reeves (R). (Rummier, 3/3)

Politico: 'Neanderthal Thinking': Biden Lays Into States Lifting Covid Restrictions 
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, laid into Biden for his comments Wednesday. "President Biden said allowing Mississippians to decide how to protect themselves is 'neanderthal thinking.' Mississippians don’t need handlers," Reeves wrote in a tweet. "As numbers drop, they can assess their choices and listen to experts. I guess I just think we should trust Americans, not insult them." (Leonard, 3/3)

CNN: Fauci Calls Loosening Covid-19 Restrictions Inexplicable As Variants Threaten Another Surge 
While tens of thousands of Americans are infected with the coronavirus each day and more research suggests variants threaten another surge, some state leaders are loosening Covid-19 restrictions against the recommendations of health experts. The decision to rollback measures is "inexplicable," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (Holcombe, 3/4)

CNN: Texas Gov. Abbott Faces Backlash After Lifting Coronavirus Restrictions 
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a torrent of criticism over his surprise decision to roll back his state's mask mandate and business restrictions -- moves that strategists and activists in both parties said are aimed at appeasing an impatient Republican base ahead of his 2022 reelection bid and with an eye on the 2024 presidential race. (Bradner, 3/3)

Houston Chronicle: As He Lifted Texas Mask Order, Gov. Abbott Sidelined Most Of His Health Advisers
Gov. Greg Abbott did not consult Dr. John Hellerstedt, the commissioner of the Department of State Health Services, before deciding to end the statewide mask mandate, Hellerstedt told state representatives on Wednesday. “I did not have a personal conversation with him prior to the decision,” Hellerstedt testified during a hearing before the state House’s committee on public health. The commissioner said he has daily discussions with the governor’s staff, though, and “both the governor and I are on the same page” regarding actions to prevent COVID-19, including mask-wearing and social distancing. Hellerstedt did not say whether those staff conversations included a timetable for lifting the state’s COVID restrictions. (Harris, 3/3)

Axios: Some Companies To Maintain Mask Mandates In Texas And Mississippi 
Some of the biggest chains in the U.S., including Target and Starbucks, will continue to require masks and limit capacity in Texas and Mississippi after the states lift coronavirus restrictions, Wall Street Journal reports. The Republican governors' move to reopen "100%" has divided the business community, with some welcoming the decision while others worry about risk of backslide on progress and put workers at risk. (Chen, 3/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Starbucks, Target Among Companies To Still Mandate Masks In Texas Despite Lift On Covid-19 Restrictions 
Some of the biggest U.S. retail, theater, hotel and restaurant chains say they will continue mandating masks and limiting capacity in Texas after the state drops Covid-related restrictions next week. The move by Gov. Greg Abbott to “open Texas 100%” has divided the business community, with some welcoming the move, while others say it puts the state at risk of a backslide and will make it harder for businesses to enforce safety protocols. (Terlep, 3/3)

The Washington Post: ‘Masks Required’ Signs Are Coming Down After Texas, Mississippi Lift Coronavirus Restrictions
Carrie Kizek and her mother, Sandra Breland, decided to skip masks while headed out to lunch Wednesday — the day after Mississippi’s governor said residents were no longer required to wear them. “If he says we don’t have to, then I’m not,” Kizek said of Gov. Tate Reeves (R).Reeves and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) rescinded coronavirus restrictions Tuesday, doing away with mask mandates and allowing businesses to operate at 100 percent capacity. The impact was immediate in both states and beyond, with “masks required” signs coming down, businesses trying to navigate the lack of restrictions, local officials pushing back and the White House weighing in. (Shammas, Wan, Fowler and Moravec, 3/3)

Politico: New Mask Wars Threaten Biden's Pandemic Response At Critical Moment 
The White House is on a collision course with red state governors over mask mandates and other coronavirus restrictions, testing the bipartisan unity that President Joe Biden has tried to tap in curbing Covid. Top administration officials on Wednesday pleaded with residents of Texas and Mississippi to remain vigilant, fearing that plans by those states’ governors to lift public health precautions will seed a resurgence of the virus. (Cancryn and Kumar, 3/3)

NBC News: Texas Doctors Say Gov. Greg Abbott's Decision To Scrap Mask Mandate Could Result In Another Covid-19 Surge
Some of Texas’ top doctors warned Wednesday that Gov. Greg Abbott’s sudden decision to ditch the mask mandate and lift coronavirus restrictions could result in a new surge of Covid-19 infections and deaths. And while they now have enough masks, ventilators and emergency room space to treat a new wave of patients, they say there is an acute shortage of staffers who aren’t already stressed out and exhausted from battling the pandemic for more than a year. (Siemaszko, 3/3)

CBS News: Doctors And Local Officials Call Texas Governor Greg Abbott's Reversal Of COVID-19 Restrictions "Premature" 
Texas Governor Greg Abbott's announcement on Tuesday to lift statewide COVID-19 restrictions was met with criticism from doctors and some local officials who say it comes too soon in the fight against the virus. "What I see here is a premature and misguided discussion putting our community at risk, and it's unnecessary because we're headed where we need to go," said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. (Novak, 3/3)

Houston Chronicle: Frontline Workers Fear Mask Chaos As Statewide Mandate Ends
Abbott relaxed requirements on businesses Tuesday, lifting statewide mask mandates and reducing capacity restrictions on restaurants and retailers. The order, effective March 10, sent chills through frontline workers across the region who say they still face risks on the job. Asking customers to wear masks means being met with a daily dose of attitude, said Stacy Brown, bakery manager at Phoenicia Specialty Foods, a grocery store on the ground floor of One Park Place downtown. Now she fears that attitude will spread. “We’re gonna have people come into the store, not wanting to comply just because of what (Abbott) says,” she said, noting she feels it’s especially important that her customers wear masks because as a diabetic she’s in a high-risk group. (Drane, 3/3)

AP: Texas Schools, Stores Divided On Masks As Mandate Ends
The end of Texas’ mask mandate is giving Lucy Alanis second thoughts about one of her occasional indulgences during the coronavirus pandemic: dining in at restaurants. “I guess I’m a little scared,” said Alanis, 27, a florist in Dallas. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s repeal of most COVID-19 restrictions — saying it was “time to open Texas 100%” — reverberated across the state and to the White House on Wednesday, a day after one of the country’s most dramatic rollbacks of rules intended to slow the spread of the virus. (Bleiberg and Weber, 3/4)

Houston Chronicle: Texas School Districts Still Can Require Masks, State Officials Confirm
Texas school districts can continue requiring students and staff to wear masks while on-campus, even after Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide mask mandate expires next week, state education officials confirmed Wednesday. “Under this updated guidance, a public school system’s current practices on masks may continue unchanged,” the Texas Education Agency said in a statement. “Local school boards have full authority to determine their local mask policy.” (Carpenter, 3/3)

The New York Times: Biden Administration Steps Up Push For School Reopenings 
Having told educators that they would soon be vaccinated, the Biden administration began an aggressive push on Wednesday to drum up support for reopening schools, putting on a show of unity with the leaders of teachers unions and highlighting measures to keep students and staff safe from the coronavirus. A day after President Biden announced a new federal program to give teachers nationwide access to at least a first dose of the vaccine by the end of March, the administration sought to position itself as intent on opening schools as soon as possible while also addressing the concerns of teachers that their fears were being ignored. (Rogers and Green, 3/3)

The Washington Post: Biden Announces Plan To Make Coronavirus Vaccine More Available To Teachers
In school systems where classrooms remain shuttered, or where children may only attend school once or twice a week, President Biden hopes his move to press states into prioritizing teachers for coronavirus vaccination will help them move toward normalcy. But his announcement Tuesday — and his pledge to make vaccination available to all educators and day-care workers by the end of March — was met with mixed emotions. Union leaders, who had lobbied hard for the move, applauded the action. But critics charged it comes far too late in the school year to make much of a difference for schoolchildren. (Balingit, Meckler and St. George, 3/3)

Politico: Biden Strikes Stimulus Deal With Senate Democrats 
Senate Democrats and President Joe Biden settled a last-minute debate over Biden's $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill on Wednesday, choosing to keep federal unemployment benefit payments at $400 per week but narrow the phaseout of the measure's $1,400 stimulus checks. The breakthrough came just hours before debate was expected to kick off on the bill. But a delayed response from the Congressional Budget Office on its budgetary impacts punted the first test vote on the legislation to Thursday. The Senate is waiting for the CBO to confirm that its bill doesn’t run afoul of the rules of budget reconciliation, the process that allows passage of the package with a simple majority. (Everett and Emma, 3/3)

The Hill: Senate Coronavirus Bill Delayed Until Thursday 
The Senate won't take up its coronavirus relief bill until Thursday, as Democrats wait to get the green light that the legislation complies with arcane budget rules.  The chamber had been expected to vote to proceed to the sweeping $1.9 trillion bill on Wednesday, but a Senate Democratic aide said they are still waiting for guidance from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that it complies with reconciliation rules that let them bypass the 60-vote filibuster. The Senate then subsequently wrapped until noon on Thursday afternoon.  (Carney, 3/3)

NBC News: Biden, Senate Democrats Agree To Limit Eligibility For $1,400 Checks
Senate Democrats plan to give $1,400 checks to fewer people under a deal struck with President Joe Biden, according to two sources familiar with it. Every American who filed individually and makes up to $75,000 would still get the full amount before it begins to reduce at incomes above that. But rather than zero out at $100,000 earnings, as the last Covid-19 relief bill does, the Senate bill would cut off payments at $80,000, the sources said. (Kapur, Thorp V, Haake and Caldwell, 3/3)

CBS News: Third Stimulus Check: Will You Get A Stimulus Check — And How Much? 
President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan would provide a third round of federal stimulus checks to millions of Americans. Yet a new agreement between Mr. Biden and moderate Democratic Senators would limit the number of households that would qualify for the $1,400 checks, cutting off millions of other Americans who had been hoping for the stimulus money. Under the pending deal, confirmed by CBS News, the $1,400 direct payments would begin to phase out at $75,000 for individuals, but would cut off eligibility for single people earning more than $80,000. For couples who file jointly, the phase-out will begin for those making $150,000 and end at $160,000. (Picchi, 3/3)

Stat: Health Care Lobbyists Score Wins In Senate Covid-19 Relief Package
Health care industry lobbying groups are poised to score big wins in the Senate version of President Biden’s Covid-19 relief package, according to draft text of the bill obtained by STAT. Senators will add $8.5 billion to help rural health care providers with costs related to the Covid-19 pandemic, which was not included in the House version of the package, according to a draft of the bill circulating among lobbyists and a Senate Democratic aide. (Cohrs, 3/3)

Politico: CDC Delays Guidelines For Vaccinated People 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not be releasing its guidance for vaccinated Americans on Thursday as originally planned, according to two senior administration officials with knowledge of the situation. After a series of meetings and calls with senior officials on the White House’s Covid-19 task force and the Department of Health and Human Services over the last two days, the CDC was told to “hold off on releasing” the recommendations, one of those sources said. The reason is still unclear but one senior administration official said the guidelines were still being finalized. (Banco, 3/3)

The Washington Post: More Than 200,000 Americans Sign Up For ACA Health Plans During Special Enrollment Period
More than 200,000 Americans signed up for Affordable Care Act health plans during the first two weeks of an extended enrollment period President Biden ordered to help more people find insurance amid the economic ripple effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Figures released Wednesday by federal health officials show the number of consumers who chose coverage through HealthCare.gov from Feb. 15 to Feb. 28 — 206,236 — was nearly three times higher than during the same period last year and roughly 3½ times greater than in 2019. (Goldstein, 3/3)

Axios: The U.S. Could Be In Danger Of A Fourth Coronavirus Wave
The U.S. may be on the verge of another surge in coronavirus cases, despite weeks of good news. Nationwide, progress against the virus has stalled. And some states are ditching their most important public safety measures even as their outbreaks are getting worse. (Baker, 3/4)

CNBC: WHO Warns Of Uptick In Covid Cases Globally After Weeks Of Decline
World Health Organization officials said Wednesday that scientists are trying to understand why Covid-19 cases are suddenly ticking up across much of the world after weeks of falling infections. There were 2.6 million new cases reported across the world last week, up 7% from the prior week, the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological update that reflects data received as of Sunday morning. That follows six consecutive weeks of declining new cases all over the world. (Feuer, 3/3)

CNN: Almost 90% Of Covid Deaths Are Happening In Countries With High Obesity Rates 
The risk of death from Covid-19 is about 10 times higher in countries where most of the population is overweight, according to a report released Wednesday by the World Obesity Forum. Researchers found that by the end of 2020, global Covid-19 death rates were more than 10 times higher in countries where more than half the adults are overweight, compared to countries where fewer than half are overweight. (Mascarenhas, 3/4)

AP: Multi-State Review Group Authorizes J&J Vaccine
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday. The group — comprised of public health experts from Washington, California, Oregon and Nevada — was created last year to independently review the safety and efficacy of any coronavirus vaccine approved by the FDA before any distribution occurs in those states. (3/3)

CNN: Seven-Day Average Of Covid-19 Vaccines Administered Surpasses 2 Million Per Day
About 80.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to data published Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reported that 80,540,474 total doses have been administered, about 75% of the 107,028,890 doses delivered. That’s about 1.9 million more administered doses reported since yesterday, for a seven-day average of more than 2 million doses per day for the first time. (McPhillips, 3/3)

The New York Times: A Welcome Logistical Challenge For States As More Vaccine Arrives 
There’s been a lot of hopeful news lately about the nation’s vaccine supply. A third vaccine, from Johnson & Johnson, received emergency authorization over the weekend, and a rival drugmaker, Merck & Co., has agreed to help manufacture it. President Biden announced on Tuesday that the country would have enough doses available for every American adult by the end of May. Now state and city governments face the challenge of getting all those doses into people. (Graham and Gold, 3/4)

AP: California To Give 40% Of Vaccine Doses To Vulnerable Areas
California will begin setting aside 40% of all vaccine doses for the state’s most vulnerable neighborhoods in an effort to inoculate people most at risk from the coronavirus and get the state’s economy open more quickly. Two officials in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration shared details Wednesday on condition of anonymity. The doses will be spread out among 400 ZIP codes with about 8 million people eligible for shots. Many of the neighborhoods are concentrated in Los Angeles County and the Central Valley. The areas are considered most vulnerable based on metrics such as household income, education level, housing status and access to transportation. (Ronayne, 3/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: Reports Of Underdosing At Coliseum Vaccine Site Are False, State Officials Say
State officials are pushing back against a TV report that said thousands of people vaccinated at the Oakland Coliseum this week received doses smaller than they should be. Citing two unnamed emergency medical technicians, KTVU reported Wednesday that about 4,300 people who were vaccinated at the Oakland Coliseum before 2 p.m. on Monday “received the wrong vaccine doses” of the Pfizer vaccine because the syringes left some vaccine in the bottom of the container instead of injecting it all. (Williams, Bobrowsky and Ho, 3/3)

CNBC: Insurers Launch Program To Get 2 Million American Seniors Vaccinated
More than a dozen health insurers are launching a pilot program aimed at getting 2 million American seniors vaccinated as quickly as possible, President Joe Biden’s senior advisor on the Covid-19 pandemic announced Wednesday. The pilot program — Vaccine Community Connecters — is designed to educate seniors on the vaccines, help schedule appointments for shots and arrange transportation, advisor Andy Slavitt told reporters. (Lovelace Jr., 3/3)

The Hill: CVS Pharmacies In Florida To Vaccinate Teachers Under 50 Despite State Age Limits
CVS pharmacies in Florida are vaccinating teachers under 50 years old despite age limits on vaccine recipients imposed by the state. The chain said that it is following new guidance from the Biden administration, The Associated Press reported. It also began vaccinating day care and preschool teachers. "We’ve aligned with updated Federal Retail Pharmacy Program guidelines by making appointments available to pre-K through 12 educators and staff and childcare workers in all 17 states where we currently offer COVID-19 vaccines. This includes Florida," a spokesperson for CVS told The Hill in a statement. (Williams, 3/3)

Axios: Firms Develop New Ways To Inoculate The Public From COVID 
British scientists are trying to develop a way to deliver COVID-19 vaccines without a needle, the Wall Street Journal reports. If annual booster shots ultimately become necessary, as some experts anticipate, alternate delivery systems could make them easier to administer, including at home, and increase uptake. (Fernandez, 3/4)

AP: Majority Of Small Businesses Not Requiring Vaccines, Tests 
A majority of small businesses are not requiring their employees to get tested for the new coronavirus or get any COVID-19 vaccines, though the health care and hospitality industries are ahead of the curve on this requirement, according to a report released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau's most recent Small Business Pulse Survey showed 70% of the small businesses surveyed said “no" when asked if they had required employees to test negative for COVID-19 before coming to work in the last week. Another 10% said “yes" and almost 20% said the question was not applicable. (Schneider, 3/3)

ABC News: New Google COVID-19 Database Could Hold Key To Disease's Mysteries 
A year into the pandemic, COVID-19 still puzzles researchers, but the public release of a new database may help scientists solve some of the mysteries lingering around this devastating disease. An international team of researchers from institutions including Boston Children's Hospital and the University of Oxford has partnered with Google to release Global. health, a platform that contains information about almost 10 million COVID-19 cases from over 100 countries. (Ou, 3/4)

USA Today: Convalescent Plasma Study: Treatment Doesn't Stop More Severe COVID-19
Convalescent plasma has been used widely to treat patients with COVID-19, under the assumption that the immune cells in a recovered person's blood would help the next patient fight off the virus. The Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of convalescent plasma last summer for hospitalized patients during the pandemic, though it said further research would be needed to confirm its effectiveness. A trial run by the National Institutes of Health was stopped early Tuesday, because an independent group of reviewers determined it was not providing benefit to COVID-19 patients treated and released from emergency rooms. (Weintraub, 3/3)

CIDRAP: Teens' Mental Health Claims Skyrocket In Pandemic
Mental health insurance claims for US teens roughly doubled early in the COVID-19 pandemic over the same period in 2019, according to a Fair Health report released yesterday. The white paper, the New York nonprofit's seventh in a series on the pandemic, is the result of analysis of more than 32 billion private healthcare claims filed on behalf of people aged 0 to 22 from January to November 2020 compared with those filed during the same period in 2019. (Van Beusekom, 3/3)

Axios: Centene CEO Michael Neidorff Made $59 Million In Pandemic Year
Michael Neidorff, CEO of health insurance company Centene, made almost $59 million in 2020, according to calculations from the company's preliminary financial documents. That amount was roughly 1.5 times more than what Neidorff made in 2019. Neidorff's compensation is an early sign of how corporate executives, especially those in health care, reaped large, stock-heavy paydays during the coronavirus pandemic, despite the broader economic turmoil. (Herman, 3/4)

Fox News: Avoid Indoor Gatherings This St. Patrick’s Day, CDC Warns
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising against close, indoor gatherings with non-household members ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, in an effort to prevent further coronavirus spread. "Attending gatherings to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19," the health agency says. "The safest way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year is to gather virtually, with people who live with you, or outside and at least 6 feet apart from others." (Rivas, 3/3)

Politico: Newsom Confident MLB Fans Can Return To California Stadiums In April
California fans can likely catch Major League Baseball games in person when the season begins in April, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. The Democratic governor said his administration is in the midst of "advanced" talks with MLB and county health officials about some fans attending games at outdoor ballparks. He said that could begin by opening day in April if California continues on its downward infection trajectory. (White, 3/3)

CIDRAP: Hotels Found Effective For COVID Isolation, Quarantine For Homeless People
The use of five isolation/quarantine (I/Q) hotels in San Francisco County may have contributed to better public health outcomes among people experiencing homelessness, according to a JAMA Open Network study published yesterday. The I/Q hotels were created so that people who were experiencing homelessness and who had suspected or confirmed COVID-19 could have a place to recover and physically distance. Staff and provided resources took care of residents' general health, dietary, hygiene, and child (eg, diapers, formula) needs, and those who had substance use disorders had access to methods for reducing harm. (3/3)

AP: 7-Year-Old Alabama Girl Helps To Fund Her Own Brain Surgery
Liza Scott, 7, started a lemonade stand at her mom’s bakery last summer so she could buy some frills like toys and sequined high-heel shoes. The bouncy little girl is still in business months later, yet the money is going toward something entirely different: surgery on her brain. Last month, doctors determined a series of seizures that Liza began suffering were caused by cerebral malformations that needed repair, said her mother, Elizabeth Scott. Always eager to help out and with an eye toward entrepreneurship after a childhood spent around a small business, the little girl volunteered to help raise money for her upcoming operation. (Reeves, 3/4)

Axios: COVID: Canada Vaccine Panel Recommends 4 Months Between Doses 
Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on Wednesday recommended extending the interval between first and second doses of COVID-19 to up to four months to boost inoculation numbers. The panel said taking such action would allow about 80% of Canadians over 16 to receive a single dose by the end of June. (Falconer, 3/4)

CNBC: Covid Vaccine: EMA Starts Review Of Russia Sputnik V Jab
The European Medicines Agency said Thursday it will start assessing the Russian coronavirus jab, Sputnik V, as the bloc looks to speed up its vaccination program. (Amaro, 3/4)

The Washington Post: Vaccinated Pope Francis Heads To Iraq Amid Covid Outbreak 
When Pope Francis embarks this week on his first trip abroad since the pandemic began, everybody on board, from priests to journalists, will be vaccinated. The plane will be packed. Aside from mask-wearing, it will look like any other papal voyage. But then Francis will arrive in Iraq — where the coronavirus is raging. (Harlan and Loveluck, 3/3)

Bloomberg: A Buggy Contact-Tracing App Is Latest Setback For Tokyo Olympics
Organizers for the Tokyo Olympics are asking athletes and teams to install a smartphone app that tracks their movements to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus when they arrive in Japan, but there’s just one problem. “It’s not a good app,” Minister for Digital Transformation Takuya Hirai said last month, following a series of high-profile glitches, including one in which the app didn’t notify users they were exposed to confirmed infections for more than four months. (Reidy, 3/3)