First Edition: March 4, 2022

KHN: When Teens Blow Off Parents’ Pleas To Get Vaccinated, The Consequences Can Be Deadly
Kennedy Stonum, a high school junior, deflected repeated entreaties from her father to please just get vaccinated against covid-19. “I would send her articles. I would send her studies. I would send her whatever I thought might either scare her enough about covid to get the vaccine or allay her concerns enough about the vaccine,” said Lee Stonum, 41, a public defender in Orange County, California. His mother, who lives in Cleveland, also sent emails to her granddaughter urging her to get the shots. (Wolfson, 3/4)

KHN: California Governor’s Big Promises On Drug Prices Are Slow To Materialize 
When Gov. Gavin Newsom took office in 2019, he promised to lower prescription drug costs for all Californians. But now, as Newsom nears the end of his first term, his ambitious ideas — such as requiring California to make its own insulin and forging drug partnerships across state lines — have failed to get off the ground or haven’t produced the hefty savings he promised. (Hart, Bluth and Young, 3/4)

KHN: $35 Insulin Cap Is Welcome, Popular, And Bipartisan. But Congress May Not Pass It Anyway
Democrats in the Senate are primed this month to make their first attempt at salvaging one of the most popular elements of President Joe Biden’s stalled Build Back Better plan — the proposal to cap insulin costs at $35 a month. It might not go well. That’s true even though the idea of helping millions of Americans with diabetes afford a crucial medicine has immense public support and even bipartisan adherents. But then, there is politics — between Democrats and Republicans, of course, but also among Democrats. (McAuliff, 3/4)

KHN: ‘What The Health?’: A Health-Heavy State Of The Union
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine took the headlines for President Joe Biden’s first official State of the Union address, but Biden made a point to highlight several of the administration’s high-priority health issues, including covid, mental health, nursing home regulation, and ailments among military personnel from toxic burn pits. Also this week, the Biden administration unveiled a program aimed at getting the country better prepared should another covid surge take place. Congress is also starting work on pandemic preparation legislation, although some lawmakers might be reluctant to spend still more money on the effort. (3/3)

AP: Biden Seeks $10B For Aid To Ukraine, $22.5B For Coronavirus 
[Acting OMB director Shalanda] Young said in the blog post that the money was urgently needed. The $10 billion to Ukraine would be a rapid escalation of the $1.4 billion provided by the United States since 2021, a reflection of the crisis caused by the Russian offensive that began last month. ... Republicans have balked at the request for added COVID-19 funds. But if that money is included in a single, mammoth package also financing government agencies and helping Ukraine and NATO allies, that would be a tough bill to vote against. (Boak, 3/3)

Politico: Senate Votes To End Covid-19 Emergency Declaration, Biden Threatens Veto 
A bill by Senate Republicans to terminate the national emergency declaration for the Covid-19 pandemic passed 48 to 47 Thursday on a party-line vote. While the legislation has a slim chance of passing the Democrat-controlled House and President Joe Biden has already threatened to veto the bill, the vote is yet another rebuke of the administration’s pandemic policies at a time it is seeking billions from Congress to keep them going for several more months. (Ollstein, 3/3)

The Washington Post: House Passes Bill To Expand Health Care For Veterans Exposed To Toxins; 174 Republicans Oppose The Measure 
The House on Thursday passed a bill that would expand health-care eligibility for veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxins during their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill, which could provide health coverage for up to 3.5 million veterans, was passed on a vote of 256 to 174, with 34 Republicans joining all Democrats. The bill is known as the Honoring our PACT Act, the acronym denoting Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics. (Alfaro, 3/3)

CNN: Surgeon General Launches Effort To Get To The Bottom Of Covid-19 Misinformation 
The office of US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a request Thursday for information surrounding health misinformation, seeking input and data from tech companies, health care providers and community organizations. The request seeks to understand the scope and impact of misinformation on Covid-19 -- especially when it comes to health care and people's willingness to get vaccinated. "Misinformation has had a profound impact on Covid-19 and our response," Murthy told CNN. "Studies have demonstrated that the vast majority of the American public either believes common myths about Covid-19 or thinks those myths might be true. And many of those include myths around the Covid-19 vaccine, so we've seen firsthand how misinformation is harming people's health when it comes to Covid." (Nedelman and Bonifield, 3/3)

Politico: DeLauro Requests IG Investigation Into FDA's Handling Of Infant Formula Recall 
House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro today asked the Health and Human Services office of the inspector general to investigate whether the FDA “took prompt, appropriate, and effective action” in the lead up to the massive recall of Abbott Nutrition infant formula last month, POLITICO has learned. How we got here: The request comes after POLITICO reported that FDA, CDC and Abbott were told of the first infant with a Cronobacter sakazakii infection in September. (Evich, 3/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Purdue’s Sacklers, States Reach Opioid Deal Valued At Up To $6 Billion 
Members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma LP and grew wealthy from sales of OxyContin agreed to pay up to $6 billion to settle lawsuits accusing them of helping fuel the opioid-addiction epidemic, earning the unanimous support of state attorneys general to resolve the family’s liability and end the drugmaker’s bankruptcy case. The new settlement unveiled Thursday marks an increase from the $4.5 billion previously offered by the Sacklers, whose wealth has been estimated at roughly $11 billion. For the first time, the proposed deal has the support of a key group of state attorneys general who had opposed Purdue’s earlier efforts to resolve opioid-related liability, saying the Sacklers weren’t paying enough to fight opioid addiction and deter corporate wrongdoing. (Randles, 3/3)

NPR: Purdue Pharma And The Sackler Family Reach $6 Billion OxyContin Settlement
Nine state attorneys general have agreed to drop their objection to a deal granting immunity from opioid lawsuits to members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. In exchange, the family has agreed to increase the amount it pays from personal holdings from roughly $4.5 billion under a previous settlement to $6 billion. Washington state Attorney General Robert Ferguson described the terms of the new settlement as a victory. "Rather than join the majority of states in settlement, Washington chose to lead the fight against the Sacklers and Purdue," Ferguson said in a statement. (Mann and Bebinger, 3/3)

AP: West Virginia Sees Slight Decline In Overdose Deaths 
After facing an uptick in overdose deaths during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials in West Virginia are cautiously optimistic that numbers are on the decline. From January 2019 to January 2020, West Virginia saw 869 overdose deaths, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control. That number rose to 1,510 between April 2020 to April 2021. (3/4)

Politico: Florida Lawmakers Approve Strictest Abortion Ban In State’s History
The measure prohibits women from receiving abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. It provides no exceptions for victims of rape, incest or human trafficking. Existing Florida law restricts abortions after 24 weeks. The Florida House approved an identical measure two weeks ago. Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book said before Thursday’s vote that the bill destined for the governor’s desk has left victims of rape and incest out in the cold.(Sarkissian, 3/3)

The 19th: Idaho State Senate Votes To Enact Six-Week Abortion Ban Similar To Texas Law
Idaho’s state Senate voted Thursday to enact a six-week abortion ban modeled after the Texas law that has eliminated access to the procedure before many people know they are pregnant. The vote puts Idaho on the path to becoming the second state with a six-week ban in place. The bill, known as Senate Bill 1309,  will next go to Idaho’s House of Representatives, where abortion rights organizations expect it to pass. A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Brad Little declined to comment on whether he would sign the bill, saying the office does not comment on pending legislation, but recently reiterated to the Idaho Spokesman Review his opposition toward abortion in general. (Luthra, 3/3)

AP: S. Carolina Lawmakers Stall Abortion Bills Through Walkout
Two South Carolina state senators on Thursday delayed two abortion-related bills, including one that would ban all abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court says states can do so, by simply leaving the room. The departure by Sens. Brad Hutto and Sandy Senn left the Senate Medical Affairs committee with just a handful of members present — not enough for a quorum. (Liu, 3/3)

Los Angeles Times: More California Nurse Practitioners Could Offer Abortions Under Bill
California would allow nurse practitioners to more easily work independently of a doctor and perform abortions under legislation that expands reproductive care as other states move to restrict access. The bill is one of several introduced this year by California Democrats who have been preparing countermeasures to expand abortion access for those who live in and out of the state, a months-long effort that comes in response to the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn Roe vs. Wade, the nearly 50-year-old landmark decision that barred states from criminalizing abortions. (Gutierrez, 3/3)

AP: Arkansas Lawmakers OK $1M For Pregnancy Resource Centers 
Arkansas lawmakers approved setting aside in $1 million in state funds Thursday for private pregnancy resource centers that discourage pregnant women from getting an abortion. The majority-Republican House approved by a 75-19 vote legislation creating a grant program for the centers, which provide services to women with unintended pregnancies but do not perform abortions or refer women to abortion providers. The Senate approved the measure a day earlier, and it now heads to GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s desk. (DeMillo, 3/3)

NBC News: CDC Numbers Show More Than 90 Percent Of People In U.S. Can Ditch Masks
Data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that Covid-19 levels have dropped significantly enough that more than 90 percent of people in the U.S. can go without masks. The updated data, which show that nearly everyone in the country lives in areas with low to medium risk for Covid, were released days after the agency issued new guidance that tweaked how it measured that risk. (Stelloh, 3/3)

ABC News: With Millions Still Unboosted Against COVID, Public Health Experts Face Tricky Messaging Around Potential 4th Shot 
The number of Americans who are receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine now stands at a pandemic low, with fewer than 80,000 Americans initiating vaccination each day. Further, since December, the rate of people getting boosted has also fallen significantly, dropping from 1 million booster shots administered a day to less than 140,000. ... Amid the declining interest, some scientists and health officials say it is possible Americans could need an additional booster this fall, or seasonal boosters in the future, to address waning vaccine immunity or new coronavirus variants. (Mitropoulos, 3/3)

ABC News: Without COVID-19 Vaccines For Youngest Children, Families Feel Left Behind By 'Next Phase' 
While much of the country is relieved to move into a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of families with young, unvaccinated children have looked on with frustration, feeling forced to now raise their guard even higher. "Just going to the grocery store is less safe now, because we can't rely on other people protecting him by wearing a mask," said Rebecca Sanghvi, the mother of a 2-year-old son. (Haslett, 3/3)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Fewer Than 500 Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 For The First Time Since Midsummer
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wisconsin dropped below 500 Thursday for the first time since last August, according to data from the Wisconsin Hospital Association. The WHA reported 474 COVID-19 patients and 83 patients in intensive care. This is the lowest number of intensive care patients since the first week of August. Hospitalization totals have been in a steady decline since its record-breaking peak of 2,278 patients on Jan. 12. (Bentley, 3/3)

NPR: NFL And NFL Players Association Drop All COVID Protocols For 2022 Season
The NFL and the NFL Players Association announced Wednesday they have agreed to suspend all COVID-19 protocols going into the 2022 football season, effective immediately. In a memo released by the league, both the NFL and the players' association announced the suspension, meaning the NFL will no longer conduct mandatory testing for any of its players and staff. The league cites the "encouraging trends regarding the prevalence and severity of COVID-19, the evolving guidance from the CDC, changes to state law and the counsel of our respective experts" as reasons for the change in COVID protocols. (Franklin, 3/3)

AP: Vermont Going Mask-Optional As Of March 14 
Vermont is going mask-optional as of March 14, based on its low COVID-19 hospitalization rates and the majority of its population being vaccinated. “The decision to wear a mask will be up to each person based on their own circumstances and health needs,” Patsy Kelso, state epidemiologist, said at Gov. Phil Scott’s weekly news conference on Thursday. (3/3)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Will Lift Indoor Mask Rules Friday
Los Angeles County has officially exited the high coronavirus community level, as calculated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning it will lift its indoor mask order Friday. L.A. County was determined to be in a low coronavirus community level, according to CDC data published Thursday afternoon. Local health officials had been waiting for the CDC’s update before acting. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer confirmed Thursday that the county will issue a new health order — effective Friday — that will lift the indoor mask order, regardless of vaccination status, in places such as bars, stores, offices, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters. (Lin II and Money, 3/3)

AP: Masks Optional At Auto Plants Not In High Virus Risk Areas
Face masks will be optional for U.S. union auto workers, as long as their factories are in counties that are not at high risk for the novel coronavirus. A task force of officials from Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and the United Auto Workers union decided to drop a mask requirement at a meeting on Thursday. (3/4)

ABC News: Group Of Physicians Combats Misinformation As Unproven COVID-19 Treatments Continue To Be Prescribed 
In July 2020, as the country faced its first summer wave of coronavirus cases, a group of physicians stood in front of the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court and held their first self-titled "White Coat Summit" to tout the unproven benefits of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment. "It is called hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and Zithromax," Dr. Stella Immanuel, a Houston-based primary care physician, told the crowd. "I know you people want to talk about a mask. Hello? You don't need a mask. There is a cure." (Kim, Romero, Abdelmalek and Osunsami, 3/4)

ABC News: Ivermectin, Condemned By Experts As COVID-19 Treatment, Continues To Be Easily Accessible Through Telemedicine 
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, as hospitals became overrun, a group of doctors began touting an anti-parasitic medicine called ivermectin as a viable treatment for COVID-19, one going as far as calling it a "miracle cure" for the coronavirus, despite experts in the medical community urging caution and warning that science so far did not support its use in the treatment of COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial. "There is a drug that is proving to be a miraculous impact, and when I say miracle, I do not use that term lightly," Dr. Pierre Kory, a critical care physician, said at a congressional hearing in December 2020. "And I don't want to be sensationalized." (Kim, Romero, Abdelmalek and Osunsami, 3/3)

AP: Anti-Vaccine Doctor Pleads Guilty To Joining Capitol Riot
A California doctor known as a leading purveyor of coronavirus misinformation pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge on Thursday for joining the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last year. Dr. Simone Gold, founder of the anti-vaccine group America’s Frontline Doctors, entered the plea to a charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. (Kunzelman, 3/3)

Bloomberg: Arthritis Drug Reduced Deaths From Covid in Study
Eli Lilly & Co. and Incyte Corp.’s rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib reduced the risk of death from Covid-19 in a large U.K. study, bolstering evidence that the class of inflammation-fighting medicines can help infected patients. Adding baricitinib to standard treatments lowered the risk of death among hospitalized Covid patients by 13%, according to results from the U.K. trial, called Recovery, in 8,156 people with the disease. Most of the patients also received steroids, and about one-quarter also got a different type of arthritis drug, Roche Holding AG’s Actemra. (Kresge, 3/3)

The New York Times: Covid Invades Cells In The Penis And Testicles Of Monkeys, Study Says 
The coronavirus may infect tissue within the male genital tract, new research on rhesus macaques shows. The finding suggests that symptoms like erectile dysfunction reported by some Covid patients may be caused directly by the virus, not by inflammation or fever that often accompany the disease. The research demonstrated that the coronavirus infected the prostate, penis, testicles and surrounding blood vessels in three male rhesus macaques. The monkeys were examined with whole body scans specially designed to detect sites of infection. (Rabin, 3/1)

CIDRAP: Women Have Borne An Outsized Social, Economic Burden During Pandemic
From March 2020 to September 2021, women were more likely than men to lose their jobs, forego work to care for others, and report increasing violence, and women and girls were more likely than men and boys to drop out of school for reasons other than school closures, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet. University of Washington at Seattle researchers reviewing public datasets found that relative to men, women were more likely to report job loss (26.0% vs 20.4%) and staying home from work to care for others (1:8 ratio of men to women in March, 2.4 by September). They were also 1.23 times more likely to say that gender-based violence had increased during the pandemic. (3/3)

CIDRAP: Study: Spending Time Outdoors Lessened Pandemic Anxiety, Depression
Denver residents who spent significant time in green space during the pandemic had lower levels of anxiety and depression, according to a new study in PLOS One. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and tracked mood changes and green space use during the first year of the pandemic among 1,200 Denver residents. Respondents' answers were paired with satellite images of green space near residential addresses. (3/3)

CNN: Civica Rx Will Provide Insulin For No More Than $30 A Vial 
Civica Rx, a non-profit generic drug maker backed by hospitals, insurers and philanthropies, announced Thursday that it plans to manufacture and sell insulin for no more than $30 a vial. It is expected to be available as soon as early 2024, pending federal approval. Insulin, which more than 8 million Americans with diabetes depend on, has been a poster child for the soaring cost of prescription drugs. Though insulin was discovered more than a century ago and costs little to make, the list price of the brand name products that Civica Rx is targeting is roughly $300 per vial, according to the Gary and Mary West Foundation, which co-founded Civica Rx. The cost has nearly tripled since 2010. (Luhby, 3/3)

Stat: With Aduhelm In Limbo, Biogen Starts Laying Off Employees
Biogen’s largest-ever corporate restructuring began Wednesday, as employees around the world got word they would be laid off by the struggling biotech company, STAT has learned. A Biogen spokesperson confirmed the layoffs but would not provide an exact number of affected employees. People close to Biogen have said the company will cut about 1,000 jobs — more than 10% of its workforce — through layoffs, voluntary resignations, and the elimination of open positions. Biogen has said it hopes to save about $500 million a year in the process. (Feuerstein and Garde, 3/3)

The Boston Globe: Mass General Brigham Ads Touting Expansion Are Ruffling Feathers
The state’s largest health system wants to expand, and it wants your support. For weeks, Mass General Brigham has splashed its teal ads across newspaper pages, television screens, and the Internet to rally support behind its proposed $2.3 billion expansion. The campaign, which experts estimate cost millions of dollars, has angered competitors and a legislator, who say the health system is using its deep pockets to relay misleading information to regulators and the general public. Mass General Brigham, for its part, says it’s using the ads to dispel misinformation spread by critics and to speak directly to patients. “It is important people know the facts, and advertising is just one way to make sure those facts are publicly known and set the record straight from unfounded claims,” said Jennifer Street, a spokesperson for MGB. (Bartlett, 3/3)

Axios: A Drink A Day Could Be Associated With Brain Changes, Study Finds
Having even one drink a day could reduce one's overall brain size over time, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Communications. The study found the greatest risks with heavy drinking, but alcohol consumption was linked to reduced brain volume among far more moderate drinkers. The findings could throw cold water on other studies suggesting that lighter alcohol consumption has no impact on, or may even benefit, the brain. (Reed, 3/4)

NPR: As More Black Americans Buy Guns, Worries Grow Over Black Suicide Rates
When Russell and Sharis Lewis want to unwind, they pack up their guns and drive from their home in Florissant, a suburb north of St. Louis, to an indoor range called the SharpShooter on the city's south side. Russell dons big, protective headphones, carefully lays out his firearms and selects a Panzer Arms M4 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun. He takes aim at paper targets, including one labeled "Snowflakes," and squeezes the trigger. The gun gives off a deafening blast, and the recoil can be felt through the air from several feet back. "It's just something about the power and being able to release that and let it go downrange," Russell says. "It's just a nice thing to do. It relaxes me." (Smith, 3/3)

CBS News: "Rat Carcasses On The Conveyor Belt": Inside Family Dollar's Rodent-Infested Warehouse
Family Dollar closed more than 400 stores last month after more than 1,000 dead rodents were found at one of its distribution facilities. Now, details about the infestation are coming to light in a 22-page FDA inspection report that cited problems ranging from "four rat carcasses on the conveyor belt" to rodent droppings "too numerous to count." Several products sold at Family Dollar stores in six states were voluntarily recalled, the Food and Drug Administration said last month. (Picchi, 3/3)

AP: EPA Confirms Filters Reduce Lead In Michigan City's Water
The filters distributed in Benton Harbor, Michigan during the city’s recent lead water crisis worked properly, according to a study state officials said was conducted to give residents assurance. Michigan officials said the study was done “out of an abundance of caution” after residents and advocates in Benton Harbor slammed the state’s slow response to the city’s lead problem and requested more aggressive actions — including a study of the filters. (Phillis, 3/3)

AP: Fuel In Water Deepens Native Hawaiians' Distrust Of Military
A well-known adage in Hawaiian, ola i ka wai, means “water is life.” Native Hawaiians revere water in all its forms as the embodiment of one of the Hawaiian pantheon’s four principal gods. The resource is so valuable that to have it in abundance means prosperity. The Hawaiian word for water — wai — is repeated in the word for wealth — waiwai. (Kelleher, 3/3)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Unveils New Homelessness And Mental Health Plan
As California cities struggle to address a homelessness and mental health crisis on their streets, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration on Thursday unveiled a proposal to push more people with severe psychiatric disorders and addiction issues into court-ordered care that includes medication and housing. The proposal, which Newsom is calling the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court, is the state’s latest effort to address one of California’s greatest struggles, and a recognition that something more robust is needed to solve the problem. Newsom allocated $12 billion for homelessness in the state budget last year and proposed an additional $2 billion in his January financial blueprint. (Wiley, 3/3)

AP: Oklahoma House Passes Bill Targeting Transgender Girls 
An Oklahoma House panel passed a bill Thursday to prevent transgender girls from playing on female sports teams at Oklahoma schools. The House Rules Committee passed the bill on a 6-2 party-line vote with Republicans in support. The measure now heads to the full House for consideration. Civil rights groups and the gay rights organization Freedom Oklahoma immediately criticized the bill’s passage. (3/3)

AP: UN Atomic Agency: Strike At Nuke Plant Hit Training Center
The head of the United Nations’ atomic agency a Ukrainian nuclear plant was hit by a Russian “projectile” but that the building was a training center. Earlier reports conflicted over what part of the plant was affected by fire that broke out after shelling. Nuclear plant spokesman Andriy Tuz told Ukrainian television overnight that shells fell directly on the facility, and set fire to reactor that is not operating and to an administrative training building. (Heintz, Karmanau and Chernov, 3/4)

AP: Fire Out At Ukraine's Key Nuclear Plant Amid Russian Attacks
Ukrainian firefighters on Friday extinguished a blaze at Europe’s biggest nuclear plant that was ignited by Russian shelling, as Russian forces seized control of the site and pressed their campaign to cripple the country despite global condemnation. Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator said that no changes in radiation levels have been recorded so far after the Zaporizhzhia plant came under attack, and no casualties have been reported. But it caused worldwide concern — and evoked memories of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, at Ukraine’s Chernobyl. (Heintz, Karmanau and Chernov, 3/4)

The Washington Post: Mayor Of City Near Russian-Occupied Ukrainian Nuclear Plant Awkwardly Says Everything Is Fine
After Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and surrounding area early Friday, the mayor of the nearby city of Enerhodar said in a video address that the plant — part of which had earlier been on fire — was operational and running as usual, in a video address that Ukraine’s national atomic energy company said may have been made under duress. Following the Russian capture of the town, a visibly grimacing Mayor Dmytro Orlov put out an awkward video statement on Telegram calling on Ukrainians not to provoke Russian troops and saying that no shots had been fired at civilians. He also suggested, improbably, that Russian troops had fired blanks. (Stern and Suliman, 3/4)

USA Today: Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Fire Prompts Chernobyl Comparisons
Fears of an unprecedented nuclear disaster spread rapidly overnight when part of Europe’s largest nuclear plant caught on fire in Ukraine as Russian forces shelled the area. Amid a stream of confusing, alarming, and, at times, conflicting information about the incident, The International Atomic Energy Agency soon said the "serious situation" had not affected essential equipment at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and that there had been no change in radiation levels. Ukrainian authorities confirmed that the blaze was later extinguished by firefighters on Friday. That didn't stop Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from giving an emotional plea to his nation and all of Europe in an overnight video address. (Shannon and Weise, 3/3)

Reuters: U.S. Waives COVID Test For Americans Leaving Russia, Belarus 
The United States is waiving a requirement for negative COVID-19 tests from Americans leaving Belarus or Russia to travel home, the State Department said on Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it would exercise its discretion to allow travel by U.S. citizens, permanent residents and holders of valid immigrant visas who were in either country by a Feb. 28 cut-off date. (3/3)

The Washington Post: U.S. To Share Some Coronavirus Technologies With World Health Organization 
The Biden administration will share U.S. government-devised coronavirus technologies with the World Health Organization, a policy shift intended to allow other countries to replicate some American scientific breakthroughs and better fight the pandemic abroad, federal officials said Thursday. Under the plan, some technologies now being developed by the National Institutes of Health will be licensed to the WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool, senior NIH official Anthony S. Fauci told reporters. The technologies will also be sub-licensed to the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool. (Diamond, 3/3)

Reuters: S.Africa Risks Destroying 100,000 Vaccine Doses By End-March Due To Slow Uptake 
About 100,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine (PFE.N) are at risk of being destroyed by the end of this month due to slow uptake by citizens, South African health authorities said on Friday. South Africa has recorded the most coronavirus infections and deaths on the African continent, however inoculations have slowed and the country has ample vaccine stocks of about 25 million doses. (3/4)

NPR: Striking New Evidence Points To Seafood Market In Wuhan As Pandemic Origin Point
Over the weekend, an international team of scientists published two extensive papers online, offering the strongest evidence to date that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in animals at a market in Wuhan, China. Specifically, they conclude that the coronavirus most likely jumped from a caged wild animal into people at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where a huge COVID-19 outbreak began in December 2019. Scientists who weren't involved in the research papers are calling the new data "very convincing" and a "blow" to the lab-leak theory — that the virus somehow escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which does research on coronaviruses. In reaction to the papers, they say the newly published data is tipping the scales toward wildlife sold at the market. (Doucleff, 3/3)

Bloomberg: Mosquito-Borne Virus Spreads From Pigs To Humans In Australia
A mosquito-borne disease that can cause brain inflammation has emerged in Australia and infected at least one person, prompting officials to issue health alerts for people working with pigs and horses. The confirmed Japanese encephalitis case in Queensland state, along with three suspected human infections in Victoria, follows the detection of the virus earlier in the week across multiple pork farms. On Friday, the nation’s health department declared the situation a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance. (Gross, 3/4)