First Edition: May 13, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
You’ve Added Your Kids To Your Health Plan. What About Mom?
When Laura Chavez’s 74-year-old mom needed eye surgery last month, Chavez paid cash for the procedure. The cost? $15,000 — and that was for just one eye. She couldn’t afford both. Her mom, Esperanza Chavez, doesn’t qualify for Medicare because of her immigration status. And she can’t find a private health insurance plan under $1,000 a month. (Young, 5/13)
KHN:
Another Pandemic ‘To Do’ On The List For Schools: Contact Tracing
Chris Hodges, the principal of Gaylord High School in Otsego County, Michigan, never thought he’d be a contact tracer. “I definitely thought, you know, ‘Why — why am I doing this?’” he said with a laugh. “That’s not what I went to school for.” In what has become a regular part of his school day, Hodges fields reports on his charges such as hearing from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan that a student had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was in school for three days when she might have been contagious. (Dahlberg, 5/13)
KHN:
Behind The Byline: The Quest To Bring Spanish Language To KHN
About 37 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home and consume information in Spanish, according to one estimate. Knowing this, and building on decades of experience as a health journalist, ethnic media editor Paula Andalo developed a strategy to bring KHN’s coverage to Spanish speakers. She has forged partnerships with Spanish-language news outlets across the United States and in Latin American countries. (Andalo, 5/13)
Stat:
Advisory Group Gives Green Light To Pfizer's Covid Vaccine For Adolescents
An expert panel on Wednesday recommended that Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine be offered to adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, opening the door to vaccinating this age group in coming weeks — and before the start of the next school year. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 14 to 0 in support of the recommendation, making the Pfizer vaccine the first to be offered to children under the age of 16. (Branswell, 5/12)
Politico:
CDC Panel Endorses Use Of Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine In Young Teens
The advisory committee’s recommendation, which CDC Director Rochelle Walensky officially adopted Wednesday night, clears the way for roughly 17 million young teens to be vaccinated nationwide starting this week. It's a significant step towards sending children back to school and delivering on President Joe Biden’s promise of broad vaccination by this summer. "We're ready," Biden said at the White House shortly after the vote. "This new population is going to find the vaccine rollout fast and efficient." (Owermohle and Foley, 5/12)
The New York Times:
C.D.C. Advisers Endorse Pfizer Vaccine For Children Ages 12 To 15
Vaccinations of adolescents have already begun in a few states, like Maine. Others plan to offer the vaccine as early as Thursday. There are nearly 17 million 12- to 15-year-olds in the United States, accounting for 5.3 percent of the population. Nearly all states now have a supply of vaccine doses that could be quickly redirected to adolescents. The dose used to immunize adults is also safe and effective for these adolescents, clinical trials have shown. (Mandavilli, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
Biden Hails Coronavirus Vaccine For 12- To 15-Year-Olds As ‘One More Giant Step’ In Fight Against The Pandemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday endorsed the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in children as young as 12, paving the way for millions of adolescents to get the shots and making it easier for state and local officials to reopen schools and summer camps. The decision was hailed by President Biden “as one more giant step in our fight against the pandemic,” and he called on parents to get their children inoculated. “The bottom line is this: A vaccine for kids between the ages of 12 and 15 … [is] safe, effective, easy, fast and free,” he said. “So my hope is that parents will take advantage of the vaccine and get their kids vaccinated.” (Sun and Nirappil, 5/12)
AP:
EXPLAINER: How COVID-19 Vaccines Will Work For Kids In US
Parental consent will be needed, but exactly how it’s obtained could vary. For vaccinations at school-based clinics, for example, parents might be able to give consent by signing a form, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and president of Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Walgreens said a parent or guardian will need to be present and sign a consent form, but noted guidelines on parental consent vary by jurisdiction. (Choi, 5/12)
The Boston Globe:
COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available At CVS For Kids Age 12-15 Nationwide
CVS Health announced Wednesday that COVID-19 vaccines appointments for young teenagers ages 12 to 15 years old are now available for scheduling at more than 5,600 pharmacy locations nationwide. The news follows the Food and Drug Administration approving the two-shot vaccine for Emergency Use Authorization for this age group Monday. Starting Thursday, 23 CVS retail pharmacy locations in Rhode Island and 154 in Massachusetts will begin administering the Pfizer vaccine to this newly eligible population. Parents or legal guardian consent is required and children must be accompanied by an adult. (Gagosz, 5/12)
Houston Chronicle:
Houston Teens Line Up As CDC Approves COVID Shots For 12-15 Year Olds
Five teens on Wednesday joined more than 20 million Texans who have received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, less than two hours after federal health officials officially recommended the distribution of the vaccine to 12- to 15-year-olds nationwide. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use in 12- to 15-year olds on Monday, in a move that experts expect to boost flagging vaccination rates across the country. Under the new guidelines, 17 million adolescents, or more than 5 percent of the U.S. population, are now eligible for the vaccine. (Wu and Garcia, 5/12)
Detroit Free Press:
Michigan 'Ready To Go' As COVID-19 Vaccine Cleared For Kids 12-15
“We are ready to go," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at a Wednesday morning news conference, acknowledging that state health care providers "will begin administering vaccines to Michiganders 12-15 so that they can be safe from COVID-19 as well" as soon as it won authorization. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state's chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health, called the expansion "an important milestone for our children." (Jordan Shamus and Hall, 5/12)
NBC News:
Pediatricians Primed To Lead Covid Vaccination Efforts As Kids Become Eligible
Now that both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have green-lighted Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in kids ages 12 to 15, pediatricians will soon find themselves on the front lines of the country's vaccination efforts, playing an essential role in communicating to parents the safety and importance of getting their kids the shot. That's a tall order for pediatricians who say they're facing skyrocketing vaccine hesitancy among families. (Edwards, 5/13)
Bloomberg:
J&J Vaccine Leads To 28 Cases Of Blood Clots After 8.7 Million Doses
The 28 cases were identified out of 8.7 million doses of J&J’s vaccine administered in the U.S., the CDC said in a presentation posted online Wednesday ahead of a meeting of the agency’s immunization advisory committee. The panel will review the new data on the condition, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome. ... All 28 confirmed cases occurred before the pause began on April 13, according to the new presentation. The median age of patients was 40 and their ages ranged from 18 to 59. Of the 28 cases, 22 occurred in women and six occurred in men. (LaVito and Griffin, 5/12)
CNN:
Risk Of Dying From Covid-19 40 Times The Risk Of Rare Blood Clot After Receiving J&J Vaccine
The risk of dying from Covid-19 is 40 times the risk of developing a rare blood clotting condition after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a CNN analysis shows. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday it has received reports of 28 people who have developed a rare blood clotting syndrome out of 8.7 million given J&J's Janssen coronavirus vaccine. Three of them have died from the condition, known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). (McPhillips and Fox, 5/12)
CNN:
Mixing Covid-19 Vaccines Tied To More Side Effects, Early UK Data Suggests
People who got mixed doses of coronavirus vaccines -- receiving a different vaccine type as a second dose than the first dose -- appear to be more likely to experience mild side effects such as fever, chills, fatigue or headache, researchers in the UK reported Wednesday. But the side effects following mix-and-match vaccinations were short-lived and there were no other safety concerns, the researchers reported in the Lancet medical journal. (Howard, 5/12)
NPR:
CDC And FDA Trusted By Only Half Of Americans
"I don't trust them — I don't," says Sandra Wallace. She's 60 and owns a construction company in Arizona. To her, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance has been inconsistent. "It's all over the board," she says. "They say one thing one minute and then turn around and say another the next minute." Wallace was one of the respondents in a poll published Thursday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The survey of 1,305 people was conducted from mid-February to mid-March of this year. The foundation funds coverage of health and health care on NPR. (Simmons-Duffin, 5/13)
Stat:
Most Americans Believe Biden Is Correct To Support A Vaccine IP Waiver
Nearly two in three Americans believe the Biden administration is correct to support a waiver of intellectual property rights in order to widen access to Covid-19 vaccines to low and middle-income countries, according to a new survey from STAT and The Harris Poll. The majority of those surveyed — 63% — think that such a move would help address the pandemic more quickly. However, the survey, which polled 2,062 people between May 7 and 9, found a notable divide along party lines, with a sizeable majority of Democrats supporting a waiver, compared to a far smaller share of Republicans who agreed. (Silverman, 5/13)
The New York Times:
White House To Investigate Brain Injuries Within C.I.A.
Mysterious episodes that caused brain injuries in spies, diplomats, soldiers and other U.S. personnel overseas starting five years ago now number more than 130 people, far more than previously known, according to current and former officials. The number of cases within the C.I.A., the State Department, the Defense Department and elsewhere spurred broad concern in the Biden administration. The initial publicly confirmed cases were concentrated in China and Cuba and numbered about 60, not including a group of injured C.I.A. officers whose total is not public. (Barnes, Wong and Schmitt, 5/12)
Roll Call:
Democrats Unveil Bill To Expand Immigrant Health Care Access
A group of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday are introducing legislation that would make health care coverage more accessible to immigrants, citing the ongoing pandemic and its impact on immigrant frontline workers. The bill would lift a current five-year waiting period legal immigrants must undergo before enrolling in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. It also would expand access to various types of health coverage for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The measure also would remove restrictions to prevent undocumented immigrants from purchasing health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. (Simon, 5/12)
Roll Call:
Delayed COVID-19 Worker Protections Attract Crush Of Lobbyists
A swarm of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington is circling as the White House reviews long-anticipated rules to protect workers from COVID-19 — with meatpacking, hospital and retail industries working to delay the regulations while unions push for more urgency. The businesses have been winning so far on the timing. The rules are meant to respond to the clusters of infections in crowded workplaces that drive up infections and deaths but arrive more than a year after outbreaks began. (Kopp, 5/12)
The Hill:
More Than 75 Asian, LGBTQ Groups Oppose Anti-Asian Crime Bill
More than 75 Asian and LGBTQ groups are opposing an anti-Asian crime bill that recently passed through the Senate. In a statement posted to the blog “Reappropriate,” the groups said they opposed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act because it “relies on anti-Black, law enforcement responses to the recent rise in anti-Asian bias incidents across the US.” (Williams, 5/12)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Disabled Voters Say GOP Bills Will Make It Harder To Vote In Wisconsin
Wisconsinites with disabilities lashed out Wednesday at Republican lawmakers for passing bills that they said would make it harder for them to vote. “This is a form of bullying and it’s absolutely unacceptable,” said Melanie Ramey of Madison, who faces challenges with voting because she is visually impaired by macular degeneration. “They should be ashamed of themselves for trying to have bills and trying to pass legislation that seeks to disenfranchise some of Wisconsin’s most vulnerable citizens.” (Marley, 5/12)
Politico:
A Shot At A Million: Ohio Offers Vaccinated A Chance To Win Big Bucks, College Scholarships
Ohio will give away $1 million each to five vaccinated adults within the coming weeks as an incentive for residents to get the shot, Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday. The first drawing will occur on May 26, with subsequent drawings occurring each Wednesday for a total of five weeks. To win, participants must be 18 or older, an Ohio resident and vaccinated with at least one Covid vaccine dose before the lottery takes place. The five winners will receive $1 million from existing federal coronavirus relief funds, DeWine said. (Carrasco, 5/12)
The Hill:
Ohio To Lift Most COVID-19 Restrictions June 2
Ohio is set to lift most of its coronavirus restrictions in less than a month, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced the new guidelines Wednesday, saying that the mask mandate and remaining coronavirus health orders will be lifted on June 2. Social distancing and capacity restrictions will no longer be required, although schools and businesses will have the ability to put their own rules into place. (Polus, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
Maryland's Hogan Lifting Restrictions On Restaurants And Public Venues
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday that all businesses in the state, including restaurants and entertainment and sporting venues, can resume normal operations on Saturday after more than a year of pandemic-related capacity restrictions. Hogan (R) also said he plans to lift the state’s indoor mask mandate when 70 percent of residents have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, which he said was expected to occur by Memorial Day weekend. (Wiggins, Tan and Chason, 5/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom Says California's Mask Mandate Will End June 15
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that California could significantly ease its mask mandates in the coming weeks as COVID-19 cases continue to decline and vaccinations increase. State health officials have not offered guidance, but Newsom said it could come soon. (Smith, 5/12)
CNN:
These Long-Awaited Milestones Could Soon Return As More Young Americans Get Vaccinated, CDC Director Says
Americans could soon see milestones like a full return to in-person classrooms now that Covid-19 vaccinations are open to young teens, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. "I think we should be five days a week everybody present in school in the fall," CDC director Rochelle Walensky told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "I think we will be in a place in this pandemic that we will be able to do that. I think we should all be leaning in." (Holcombe, 5/13)
ABC News:
Schools Ditch Student Mask Requirements In Growing Numbers
Even as a number of U.S. schools remain closed to minimize infections, districts in states from Alabama to Wyoming decided to ditch student mask mandates. Many more are likely to do the same before the next school year starts, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance that schools “should prioritize universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing.” Some public health experts are alarmed. (Amy and Whitehurst, 5/13)
ABC News:
New Hawaii Vaccine Pass Allows Vaccinated Residents To Travel Between Islands
Starting this week, fully vaccinated Hawaii residents can skip COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements when flying between the islands. According to the new rules, which Gov. David Ige announced last month, Hawaii residents who were vaccinated in the state are exempt from testing and quarantine on the 15th day after their final vaccine shot. (Schumaker, 5/12)
AP:
Nurses, Nonprofits, Others Take Vaccine To Homebound People
For months, Victoria McAllister searched online to make a vaccination appointment. Unlike other people who can hop into a car, though, she has ruptured discs that could slice her spinal cord if she hits a pothole or her wheelchair bumps floor molding. So McAllister, 64, was over the moon when the county health department in Hayward, California, where she lives, called offering to inoculate her against COVID-19 at home. Two paramedics with Hayward Fire came last month, jabbed her arm with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and stuck around to make sure she was alright. (Har, 5/13)
Los Angeles Times:
Latino, Black Californians Less Likely To Get COVID Vaccine
Only about one-third of Latino and Black Californians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while majorities of white and Asian American Pacific Islander Californians have, according to a Times analysis. The Times analysis found that 33% of Latino residents and 34% of Black residents of the state have received at least one dose of vaccine. By contrast, 50% of white residents, 46% of Native American residents and 60% of Asian American Pacific Islander residents have received a dose. (Greene and Lin II, 5/12)
AP:
Covid Deaths In U.S. Hit Lowest Level In 10 Months
Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. have tumbled to an average of around 600 per day — the lowest level in 10 months — with the number of lives lost dropping to single digits in well over half the states and hitting zero on some days. Confirmed infections, meanwhile, have fallen to about 38,000 day on average, their lowest mark since mid-September. While that is still cause for concern, they have plummeted 85 percent from a peak of more than a quarter-million cases per day in early January. (5/12 )
The New York Times:
Many U.S. States With Bad Recent Outbreaks Show Case And Hospitalization Drops
Many of the states that have suffered the worst recent coronavirus outbreaks have seen notable declines both in new cases and in hospitalizations over the last two weeks, according to a New York Times database. For example, in Michigan, which has had one of the country’s steepest drops, the average number of daily cases sank 44 percent and hospitalizations tumbled 33 percent over that time period, as of Tuesday. (5/13)
Los Angeles Times:
As California COVID-19 Cases Drop, Who Is Still Dying?
Despite a statewide mood of optimism as more people get vaccinated and case rates improve, an average of 57 Californians a day are still succumbing to COVID-19. An average of about 12 of those daily deaths are in Los Angeles County, according to data from the past seven days. On the one hand, that’s a huge cause for celebration. During the worst days of the pandemic, California was seeing an average of nearly 600 people per day dying. But the sharp drop in deaths also raises a question: Who is still dying and why? And for families losing loved ones today, the usual pain of loss is compounded by its arrival at a time when the death rate is plummeting. (Smith and Karlamangla, 5/12)
The New York Times:
Yankees’ Covid Case Count Rises To Seven
The Yankees’ coronavirus outbreak increased to seven confirmed cases on Wednesday. Three of the team’s coaches and four of its support staff members — all seven people are fully vaccinated, and thus considered breakthrough cases — have tested positive and are in quarantine. All but one of them are asymptomatic, Manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 1-0, on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Wagner, 5/12)
CIDRAP:
Study: 80% Of Hospital COVID-19 Patients Have Neurologic Complications
Eight of 10 hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed neurologic complications and were six times more likely than their peers to die, according to early results from a global study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. Many of the conditions were mild to moderate, but half of the patients had altered brain function or structure, and almost one in five were in a coma. (Van Beusekom, 5/12)
Reuters:
Delaying Second COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Can Help Reduce Deaths - Study
Giving a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine but delaying a second dose among people younger than 65 could lead to fewer people dying of the disease, but only if certain conditions are met, a predictive modelling study showed. ... For example, Pfizer (PFE.N) has said there is no clinical evidence to support Britain’s decision to extend the gap between doses of its vaccine to 12 weeks, but data from the rollout in England shows protection against death of around 80% from one dose, with a 70% decline in infections. (5/13)
CIDRAP:
Blood Analysis Shows Cats Contact COVID-19 At Higher Rates Than Dogs
COVID-19 seroprevalence—or the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood—is higher in cats than in dogs and higher in general in pets living with people who have the disease, according to a study yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Italian scientists analyzed 198 serum samples, 130 from dogs and 68 from cats, collected during March through June of 2020, as well as 100 serum samples, 65 from dogs and from 35 cats, collected in different regions of Italy before 2019 to use as prepandemic controls. (5/12)
Stat:
Sanofi Accused Of Destroying Company E-Mails Tied To Zantac Recalls
As litigation proceeds over the Zantac heartburn pill and a possible carcinogen, a court filing contends that Sanofi (SNY) destroyed countless employee emails tied to the 2019 recall of the widely used medicine. The “widespread destruction” has delayed the proceedings and could make it more difficult for consumers to prove Sanofi and other manufacturers knew their medicines could produce high levels of NDMA over time, according to a document filed by lawyers who represent more than 70,000 people who filed claims in federal court. (Silverman, 5/12)
Stat:
A Clinical Trial Coordinator Is Indicted For Falsifying Data In A Glaxo Study
A former study coordinator at a company hired to run a clinical trial of a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) asthma medication has been indicted for falsifying data, the fourth individual to run afoul of authorities in connection with the research. The employee, Jessica Palacio, 34, worked at Unlimited Medical Research, which is based in Miami and was one of several companies tapped to help with a study designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of Advair Diskus for children between 4 and 11 years old, according to court documents. Glaxo had hired Parexel, a clinical research organization, to coordinate the trial. (Silverman, 5/12)
Modern Healthcare:
Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente Invest $100 Million In Hospital-At-Home Model
Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente invested $100 million in Medically Home as they map out a national blueprint for complex in-home care, the organizations announced Thursday. The hospital-at-home model can treat routine infections to chronic diseases, including emergency care, cancer, acute COVID-19 cases, infusions, lab and imaging tests, rehabilitation, behavioral health and transfusions. Nurses, physician assistants and community paramedics will deliver in-person care with the help of a 24/7 command center staffed by clinicians and an integrated care team. (Kacik, 5/13)
Modern Healthcare:
Hospitals In Non-Expansion States Sue HHS For DSH Payments
Hospitals in states that did not expand Medicaid are suing HHS, arguing that they unfairly receive lower Medicare disproportionate share hospital payments because the agency does not consider some patients eligible for Medicaid in non-expansion states. In their complaint, 32 hospitals that include Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Regional One Health, and Houston Methodist Hospital, allege HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is discriminating against states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. (Gellman, 5/12)
Modern Healthcare:
HHS Considering Extending Provider Relief Fund Deadline, Secretary Tells Congress
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday said the agency is considering extending the deadline that providers have to spend relief funds by but did not provide a timeline of when more aid might be delivered. Provider Relief Funds must be spent by June 30 or returned to the federal government but the American Hospital Association (AHA) and some lawmakers have called on HHS to extend that deadline through at least the end of the year. (Hellmann, 5/12)
Stat:
Can New Tools Better Predict Success For A Novel Scoliosis Surgery?
Mia Schloegel was 11 when they found the curve in her spine. She was at her yearly pediatrician’s visit when her uncle — also her doctor — had her lean over, in a standard childhood check for scoliosis. “He noticed I had kind of a hump on one side and not the other,” said Schloegel, a sign of the rib cage rotation that often occurs when the spine is curved side-to-side. At her uncle’s urging, she and her mother went to get an X-ray at a Kansas City hospital that same day. (Palmer, 5/13)
Modern Healthcare:
Aetna Launches Virtual Group Therapy Series For Women
Aetna has launched a virtual group therapy program for women, as part of its work to increase behavioral health access to populations disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Throughout the month of May, the insurer will host six free, virtual group therapy sessions for women-identifying enrollees, under a program named Here 4 U. These sessions will be led by an experienced mental health professional and are aimed at creating a space for beneficiaries to anonymously share how COVID-19 has impacted them. (Tepper, 5/12)
Stat:
There’s A Gold Rush In Health Tech. Here’s How Smart Money Stays Ahead
Investors are pouring into the health tech sector, with venture funding roughly doubling in 2020. That’s good for individual companies, but when valuations begin to depart from reality, it takes discerning investors to pick winners in the space. “It wasn’t always such a clear return profile, and there was a lot of skepticism,” Deena Shakir, a partner at Lux Capital, said Wednesday at the STAT Health Tech Summit. “But now everyone’s jumping on the train.” (Garde, 5/12)
Stat:
How Cityblock Is Tapping Into Tech To Better Care For Medicaid Patients
Health tech startup Cityblock Health, with its mission of delivering stepped-up primary care to Medicaid patients, is finding its footing in the very cracks that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed. It’s leveraging its signature technology to help this highly marginalized population. (Chakradhar, 5/12)
Roll Call:
Medicare Cost Crunch Raises Questions In Telehealth Debate
Telehealth advocates are struggling to allay lawmakers’ fears about increased Medicare costs as they seek to capitalize on momentum from the pandemic’s shutdown on in-person care. Expanding telemedicine is a rare unifying force among industry giants that want to broaden digital health for the entitlement program’s 61 million enrollees. But telehealth advocates are battling twin fears about potentially higher spending and fraud — two concerns they call unfounded. (Clason, 5/12)
Stat:
Amazon Pharmacy Exec Outlines Company’s Strategy For Prescription Drugs
Amazon’s objectives for its nascent pharmacy business are straightforward: “better selection, better convenience, and better prices,” according to TJ Parker, the vice president of pharmacy at the company. “It really is the Amazon playbook,” he said during a Wednesday panel at STAT’s Health Tech Summit. (Sheridan, 5/12)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Hyatt Hotel Heir Donates $60 Million For UCSF Psychiatric Hospital
Hyatt Hotel heir John Pritzker was 19 when his older sister took her own life in 1972. The family didn’t discuss or even mention her mental illness for years. And that is the motivation behind the planned Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood. The Lisa and John Pritzker Family Fund has donated $60 million toward construction of a five-story structure a block from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. (Whiting, 5/12)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Fewer New Prescriptions For Addiction Treatment Drug Were Written During The Pandemic, As Overdose Deaths Have Spiked
Even as overdose deaths rose nationwide last year, new prescriptions for buprenorphine -- widely considered the gold standard for opioid addiction treatment -- were lower than usual, a Princeton University study has found. The study, published recently in JAMA Network Open, projected what prescribing levels for buprenorphine and opioid painkillers would have been in 2020 had the COVID-19 pandemic not taken place, based on prescribing data from previous years. (Whelan, 5/12)
Stat:
Ginkgo Plans A $17.5 Billion Merger With SPAC That Took DraftKings Public
Ginkgo Bioworks, one of the hottest biotech startups in Massachusetts, said Tuesday that it plans to go public through a merger with a so-called blank check company backed by Harry Sloan and Jeff Sagansky, the veteran media industry executives who helped take the Boston sports-betting company DraftKings public last year. The deal values Ginkgo at $15 billion, making the merger one of the biggest of its kind. (Saltzman and Gardizy, 5/12)
Stat:
Measuring Blood Sugar In Real Time Is A Game Changer For Patients
Kylene Redmond and Deb Foerster both are converts to their continuous glucose monitors, quarter-size devices that measure their blood sugar in real time so they can adjust their diet, their activity, and the medications they take to manage their diabetes. The automated sensors give both women feedback they can use to better control their disease and manage their daily lives, they said Wednesday at the STAT Health Tech Summit, making the devices a bellwether for other wearables beyond diabetes that are gaining traction in both consumer and clinical markets. (Cooney, 5/12)
AP:
Legionella Bacteria No Longer At West Virginia Hospital
Recent tests show bacteria that causes the severe form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease is no longer found at a West Virginia-run hospital two weeks after it was detected, hospital officials said. Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital in Huntington replaced all of its faucets, a hot water heater and installed a recirculation pump, according to a statement Wednesday by the Department of Health and Human Resources. (5/12)
NPR:
Neural Interface Lets Man Type On Computer By Imagining Handwriting
An experimental device that turns thoughts into text has allowed a man who was left paralyzed by an accident to construct sentences swiftly on a computer screen. The man was able to type with 95% accuracy just by imagining he was handwriting letters on a sheet of paper, a team reported Wednesday in the journal Nature. "What we found, surprisingly, is that [he] can type at about 90 characters per minute," says Krishna Shenoy of Stanford University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. (Hamilton, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
JetBlue Passenger Faces $10,500 Fine After Coughing And Blowing His Nose Into A Blanket
The Federal Aviation Administration announced this week that it had proposed a civil penalty of $10,500 against a JetBlue passenger whose disruptive behavior on a flight included coughing and blowing his nose into a blanket. “The FAA alleges the passenger repeatedly ignored, and was abusive to, flight attendants who instructed him to wear a face mask,” the agency said in a news release. “The passenger’s disruptive behavior diverted flight crew members from their duties.” (Sampson, 5/12)
AP:
Report On Campus Doctor Raises Flags About Iconic Coach
A report about the stunning lack of action at the University of Michigan while a rogue doctor was sexually assaulting hundreds of young men has cast an unflattering light at one of the school's giants, the late football coach Bo Schembechler, whose bronze statue stands on campus. Schembechler, who led the team from 1969-89, was vividly told by at least four people that Robert Anderson had molested them during routine physicals or other exams, according to the report commissioned by the university. Yet, the report says, he took no direct steps and even told one man to "toughen up." (White and Householder, 5/12)
Fox News:
Pfizer Seeks UK Approval For COVID-19 Vaccine In Teens
Pfizer has asked U.K. regulators to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for teens ages 12 to 15 following the FDA’s decision to do so earlier this week. A spokesperson told Fox News that the company submitted data to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for review. It was not clear when the MHRA would issue a decision, or how quickly shots would be made available to teens if authorized. "We cannot speculate on the timing of the MHRA’s decision," a Pfizer spokesperson said. (Hein, 5/12)
Fox News:
UK Mask Wearing, Social Distancing To Be Relaxed On June 21
Following a sharp fall in new coronavirus infections, it is expected the wearing masks in shops and offices as well as social distancing will be relaxed starting on June 21. First, the UK will attempt some lockdown easing on Monday, May 17 that will include dining and drinking indoors and reopening movie theaters. In addition, going mask-less will get its first test at secondary schools and colleges where students will no longer be required to wear face coverings in classrooms or communal areas. (Miles, 5/12)
CIDRAP:
UK COVID-19 Contact Tracing App May Have Reduced Cases 2%
The United Kingdom's National Health Services app for COVID-19 contact tracing may have reduced England's and Wale's cases from 0.8% to 2.3%, or by almost 300,000 to 600,000 patients, according to a study in Nature today. The app was launched Sep 24, 2020, and through the end of December, 16.5 million people regularly used it, or about 28% of the total population. Besides monitoring proximal exposures, the app also automatically updated any COVID-19 diagnosis test results and sent them to applicable contacts, provided a platform for venues to conduct contact tracing, and gave localized COVID-19 quarantine, symptom, and testing information. (5/12)