First Edition: May 7, 2021

KHN: Covid Testing Has Turned Into A Financial Windfall For Hospitals And Other Providers 
Pamela Valfer needed multiple covid tests after repeatedly visiting the hospital last fall to see her mother, who was being treated for cancer. Beds there were filling with covid patients. Valfer heard the tests would be free. So, she was surprised when the testing company billed her insurer $250 for each swab. She feared she might receive a bill herself. And that amount is toward the low end of what some hospitals and doctors have collected. (Hancock and Norman, 5/7)

KHN: ‘I Just Feel Like Myself’: A Nonbinary Child In Their Own Words 
It’s 7:30 a.m. on a school day. Two parents are racing to get their three young children dressed, fed, packed for the day, into coats and out the door when 6-year-old Hallel runs downstairs, crying. Ari, Hallel’s father, is the first to ask “What’s wrong?” The answer launched a journey these parents never envisioned, described by words they’d not heard and questions they never thought they’d ask. (We’re using only first names for the family members in this story due to Hallel’s age.) (Bebinger, 5/7)

KHN: 5 Things To Know About Health Care Changes In Montana
The 2021 Montana legislative session will be remembered as one of the state’s most consequential as a Republican-led legislature and governor’s office passed new laws restricting abortions, lowering taxes and regulating marijuana. But the debate over those and other highly publicized issues may have caused other meaningful legislation related to health care to slip off the public’s radar. Here are five substantial health-related policies that emerged from the recently ended session. They include bills that Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed or is expected to sign into law. (Volz, 5/7)

KHN: This Small Canadian Drugmaker Wants To Make J&J Vaccines For Poor Nations. It Needs More Than A Patent Waiver.
Biolyse Pharma Corp., which makes injectable cancer drugs, was gearing up to start making generic biologic drugs, made from living organisms. Then the pandemic hit. Watching the covid death toll climb, the company decided its new production lines and equipment could be converted to making vaccines for poorer countries without the means to do so. (Tribble and Allen, 5/6)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Sharing Vaccines With The World 
The Biden administration — keeping a campaign promise — announced it would back a temporary waiver of patent protections for the covid-19 vaccines, arousing the ire of the drug industry. The administration is also picking a fight with tobacco companies, as the Food and Drug Administration prepares to ban menthol flavorings in cigarettes and small cigars. Tobacco makers have long promoted menthol products to the African American community, and the action is controversial. (5/6)

The Washington Post: ‘It’s Pretty Marginal': Experts Say Biden’s Vaccine Waiver Unlikely To Boost Supply Quickly 
The Biden administration’s support of a petition to ease patent protections for vaccines elevated the global battle against the coronavirus as a central plank of U.S. foreign policy, but myriad hurdles remain before that stance could become international policy — if ever. As a result, it could be months, or longer, before the World Trade Organization reaches an agreement to temporarily waive the protections and years before countries build factories and amass the materials and expertise to produce the vaccines, experts say. (Pager, Diamond and Stein, 5/6)

NBC News: U.S. Reversal On Vaccine Patents Offers Countries In Crisis Hope, But Hurdles Persist
The Biden administration's decision to support waiving intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines was hailed by activists and health officials Thursday as a decisive move that could upend the cozy relationship between rich countries and pharmaceutical giants and mark a crucial step toward addressing global vaccine inequality. The move drew strong criticism, however, from leading drugmakers and some experts, who are skeptical about its impact on the world's efforts to fight the coronavirus. And the dramatic shift from Washington also raised questions about what comes next, with focus turning to whether others will follow the United States' lead. (Smith, 5/6)

Reuters: U.S. Move To Loosen Vaccine Patents Will Draw Drug Companies To Bargain - Lawyers 
U.S. support for waiving intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines could be a tactic to convince drugmakers to back less drastic steps like sharing technology and expanding joint ventures to quickly boost global production, lawyers said on Thursday. "I think the end result that most players are looking for here is not IP waiver in particular, it’s expanded global access to the vaccines," said Professor Lisa Ouellette of Stanford Law School. (Erman and Brittain, 5/7)

The New York Times: Patent Waiver For Covid Vaccines Will Be Considered, E.U. Says 
President Biden’s about-face on pushing pharmaceutical companies to share vaccine patents, in an attempt to help poorer countries, faces a considerable challenge in Europe. Under growing pressure, the European Union — whose approval would be needed — said on Thursday it would consider the Biden administration’s decision to reverse course and support a waiver of patents for Covid-19 vaccines as many poor and middle-income nations struggle to secure lifesaving doses. (Stevis-Gridneff, 5/6)

Bloomberg: Merkel Pushes Back On Vaccine Patent Waiver In Row With U.S.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in against a U.S. proposal to waive patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, casting doubt on whether the idea has enough international support to become a reality. The U.S. plan would create “severe complications” for the production of vaccines, a German government spokeswoman said Thursday in an email. Without the incentive of profits from research and development spending, drugmakers might not move as aggressively to make vaccines in the future, the industry has argued. (Delfs and Martin, 5/6)

The Boston Globe: Moderna’s CEO Says He ‘Didn’t Lose A Minute Of Sleep’ Over Potential Waiver Of Vaccine Patents
Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel on Thursday shrugged off the Biden administration’s support for suspending patents for coronavirus vaccines, saying drug firms in other countries would struggle to mass-produce a rival to the blockbuster vaccine that has made his company a household name. Speaking during a first-quarter earnings call, the head of the Cambridge biotech said he “didn’t lose a minute of sleep” after the administration said it would endorse the temporary waiver of patents to bolster vaccine production in developing nations as a way to hasten an end to the pandemic. (Saltzman, 5/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Fed Says Covid Is Major Financial Risk, Asset Prices Vulnerable To ‘Significant Declines’ 
The Covid-19 pandemic remains one of the biggest near-term risks to the stability of the financial system, the Federal Reserve said, while noting that asset prices are vulnerable to significant declines if investor sentiment shifts. (Kiernan, 5/6)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Unemployment Claims Reach New Covid-19 Pandemic Low
Worker filings for unemployment benefits in the U.S. reached a new low since the Covid-19 pandemic began more than a year ago—the latest sign that the labor-market rebound is gathering force. Jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell 92,000 last week to 498,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That brings the four-week average of initial claims, which smooths out volatility in weekly data, to the lowest point since the pandemic took hold, though still well above pre-pandemic levels. (Guilford, 5/6)

CNN: South Carolina And Montana To End All Pandemic Unemployment Benefits For Jobless Residents 
South Carolina is joining Montana in ending federal pandemic unemployment benefits for its residents next month. The Republican governors of both states say the enhanced jobless programs are dissuading people from returning to the workforce and are creating labor shortages. They are the first two states to halt participation in the historic federal expansion of jobless benefits, which Congress enacted last spring as the coronavirus pandemic began upending the national economy and costing millions of Americans their jobs. (Luhby, 5/6)

Modern Healthcare: HealthCare.Gov Sign-Ups Spike During Special Enrollment
Nearly one million people have signed up for insurance through HealthCare.gov and premiums have fallen for many enrollees during the current special enrollment period, according to HHS on Thursday. The 940,000 new enrollees on HealthCare.gov from February 15 through April 30 represents an approximately 549,000 enrollee increase from the same period in 2020. HHS credited the American Rescue Plan for creating a special enrollment period. Those figures represent 36 states using the federal healthcare exchange platform. (Gellman, 5/6)

CBS News: Overcrowding Reduced At Largest Border Facility For Migrant Children, But Challenges Remain
Conditions inside U.S. Border Patrol's largest holding facility for migrant children have changed dramatically over the past several weeks. In March and early April, the Donna complex was acutely overcrowded, at one point surpassing 1,600% of its pandemic-era capacity. On April 2, for example, there were about 4,300 migrants held there, including 3,700 unaccompanied minors, the Border Patrol chief in Texas' Rio Grande Valley told reporters Thursday. On Thursday, when a small group of journalists were allowed to tour the Donna tents, the facility was holding about 800 migrants, including 330 unaccompanied children — an 80% drop, according to Brian Hastings, the Border Patrol chief. (Montoya-Galvez, 5/6)

The Hill: House To Consider Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Bill, Protections For Pregnant Workers This Month 
The House is set to vote this month on bills to ensure workplace protections for pregnant employees, reform debt collection practices and combat a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced Thursday. ... The House will take up bills next week to bolster mental health services, particularly for underserved and high-poverty communities, as well as a package to reform the debt collection industry.   (Marcos, 5/6)

Los Angeles Times: Black Moms Are More Likely To Die In Childbirth. Will Congress Do Anything About It?
Lawmakers pushing to address the nation’s rising maternal death rate — particularly among Black women — heard testimony Thursday on what Congress can do to address the problem. The rate of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. is the worst of any industrialized country, and the number of such deaths has steadily risen over the last 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, the most recent year for which data are available, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. was 20.1 per 100,000 live births, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. (Wire, 5/6)

USA Today: Moderna Says Its Vaccine Shows A 96% Effectiveness Rate For Kids
Encouraging data on the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines for kids is a welcome sign for summer vaccinations and the 2021-22 school year that will begin in little more than three months for some of the nation's districts. The good numbers also could ignite much-needed momentum in the lagging national vaccination effort, experts say. Moderna reported Thursday that its vaccine is showing a 96% effectiveness rate in Phase 2/3 testing of adolescents ages 12 to 17. Pfizer has reported its COVID-19 vaccine was 100% effective in a study of adolescents ages 12 to 15. Emergency use authorization for its vaccine is expected soon. (Bacon, 5/6)

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Vaccination Reduces Asymptomatic Infection Risk
Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination dramatically reduces the chances of contracting the virus, either in symptomatic or asymptomatic form.That's according to new research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital published in JAMA on Thursday. Almost 8,000 hospital workers—both vaccinated and unvaccinated—were regularly tested between Dec. 2019 to March 2020. The results come as demand for the vaccine slows in part due to hesitency, and a recent White House push to get at least 70% of U.S. adults one dose by July 4th. (Gillespie, 5/6)

Los Angeles Times: Studies Of Hospital Workers Suggest COVID-19 Vaccines Really Do Prevent Coronavirus Infections
The COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the U.S. were authorized for use because they dramatically reduced the risk of getting the disease when tested in clinical trials. However, those trials didn’t test the vaccines’ ability to prevent a coronavirus infection — the first step on the road to COVID-19. Scientists suspect the vaccines do thwart infections to some extent. Two new studies bolster their case. Both studies compare coronavirus infection rates among vaccinated and unvaccinated people who work at a single medical center. And in both cases, being vaccinated was indeed associated with a significantly lower risk of testing positive for an infection. (Kaplan, 5/6)

CIDRAP: Clotting, Bleeding Issues Uncommon With AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine
The AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine is associated with some increases in bleeding and clotting events, according to a BMJ study yesterday, but experts say the benefits outweigh the risks. The researchers compared 28-day post-vaccination comorbidities in 291,264 Danish and Norwegian adults under 65 with the general population. Most (79.0%) were women, with a median age for all patients of 44 to 45. People who had experienced any adverse events in the past year were excluded. (5/6)

Politico: ‘Doomsday Scenario’: Lagging Vaccine Rates Stir Fears Of Dangerous Variants 
Health officials are worried that pockets of the country slow to get vaccinated against Covid-19 could turn into breeding grounds for more dangerous virus variants, mimicking the experience in South Africa and Brazil. Vaccination rates have been falling for weeks in parts of the South and mountain West, prompting the White House to rethink its vaccination strategy to reach those reluctant or unwilling to get the shots. (Goldberg and Ollstein, 5/6)

Fox News: Over Quarter Of New Coronavirus Cases In Colorado Involve Kids, Data Shows
Over a quarter of new coronavirus cases in Colorado at the end of last month occurred in kids and teens through age 19. The 0-19 age bracket accounted for more cases than the 40-59 group, but it was the 20-39 bracket that saw the majority of cases 38.09%. The 26.36% of new cases that occurred in the 0-19 population is the greatest amount seen since September 2020, when the bracket accounted for 26.92% of new cases. The trend of new cases in younger age groups is not unlike those seen in other parts of the country as greater numbers of older age brackets become fully vaccinated. (Hein, 5/6)

The Wall Street Journal: New York City To Offer Covid-19 Vaccine Jabs To Tourists 
New York City plans to offer tourists a shot of the Covid-19 vaccine as part of a push to draw more foot traffic to city attractions, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. Mobile vans would be set up to jab visitors at Central Park, the Empire State Building and other sight-seeing locations, the Democratic mayor said at a press conference. Tourists would be offered the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Mr. de Blasio said the vaccinations would offer a positive message to people looking to travel to the city, which saw tourism plummet during the pandemic. (Honan, 5/6)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Get Out the Vax Campaign Enters Third Weekend With 49% Vaccinated
This weekend is the first of two in May for a full-on Get Out the Vax campaign, where Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky health care organizations, community groups and private businesses are encouraging people to get COVID-19 vaccines. Free public transit will be available again as part of the goal to get 80% of people in the region who qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine inoculated by July 4. As of Wednesday, 49% were vaccinated, according to the Health Collaborative, the region's consortium of health systems. (DeMio, 5/6)

Houston Chronicle: A Half-Million Texans Haven't Returned For Their Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose. Why?
As of late last month, roughly 51,000 people who received their first inoculation through the Houston Health Department were “overdue” for their second dose. The department’s number is preliminary but includes any person who has gone at least 42 days since their first round without returning for a second shot. Statewide, more than 630,000 of the roughly 11 million people who’ve received one dose are more than six weeks overdue, the Texas Department of State Health Services told the Houston Chronicle. (Downen, 5/6)

The New York Times: Parents Are Reluctant To Get Their Children Vaccinated For Covid-19, Poll Shows
The Pfizer vaccine is expected to be authorized for children ages 12 through 15 within days. Among parents who were surveyed, three in 10 said they would get their children vaccinated right away, and 26 percent said they wanted to wait to see how the vaccine was working. Those figures largely mirrored the eagerness with which those parents themselves sought to get vaccinated. (Hoffman, 5/6)

ABC News: California Mayor Offers Scholarship Raffle For Vaccinated Teens 
The mayor of Lancaster, California, is offering a raffle for scholarships, including a grand prize of $10,000, for teens who get the COVID-19 vaccine. The raffle is the city’s effort to combat vaccine hesitancy among young people as the state reports declining vaccinations over the last few weeks. (Lenthang, 5/6)

Bloomberg: From Beer To Cash, Cities Dangle Vaccination Perks
Though West Virginia got a fast start on its vaccination rollout and expanded Covid-19 vaccine eligibility to residents as young as 16 on March 22, the pace of vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks, especially among young adults. With less than half of its eligible population one dose in, this cohort represents a major threat to tamping down disease — and a barrier to reaching Governor Jim Justice’s goal of inoculating more than 70% of the state. “West Virginians from 16 to 35 years of age are transmitting this thing faster than anyone,” Justice said in a press conference on April 28. “How many people are we going to have to put in body bags? How many people are going to have to die?” (Holder, 5/6)

Los Angeles Times: O.C., Other California Sites Closing Mass COVID Vaccine Hubs
Officials in Orange County and elsewhere in California are preparing to close a number of COVID-19 mass vaccination sites as bookings for appointments continue to drop dramatically and authorities look to shift doses to mobile vaccine clinics, pharmacies and doctor’s offices. Orange County officials said the demand for first doses has dropped by over 75% since the end of April. As a result, efforts will be made to boost vaccine clinics in neighborhoods. The county said that on June 6, it will close mass vaccination sites at the Anaheim Convention Center, OC Fair & Event Center, Soka University and Santa Ana College. (Lin II, 5/6)

AP: Kentucky Governor Relaxing Virus-Related Capacity Limits
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday laid out the next phase for relaxing pandemic-related restrictions and said he hopes to lift any remaining capacity limits on gatherings this summer. “We’re very close to the end of this,” the Democratic governor said. (Schreiner, 5/6)

The Hill: Utah Governor Says State Won't Mandate Masks In Schools This Fall
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said Thursday that he won't force students to wear masks in public schools this fall as in-person classes resume across the state. Citing rising vaccination rates and the high availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, Cox told The Associated Press that those with concerns about their children contracting COVID-19 had ample resources to ensure that their children were protected. (Bowden, 5/6)

Politico: Millions Head Back To Work Amid Employer Confusion Over Masks, Vaccines 
Millions of people are flooding back to work as the coronavirus ebbs, but businesses say the federal government's failure to answer pressing questions over masks and vaccinations are complicating their reopening efforts. Despite President Joe Biden’s new goal of getting 70 percent of Americans vaccinated by July 4, and his call for every employer to offer paid time off for workers to recover from the shot, the government has yet to answer whether it’s legal for businesses to offer vaccine incentives to their staff. (Rainey, 5/6)

NPR: Some Call Hospital Visitation Bans During Pandemic Too Strict
Kenneth Newton never imagined his mom would die alone. He lives in Petaluma, Calif. Last winter his mother developed a tumor while she was living in a nursing home in Tennessee. Her health declined quickly. Newton longed to visit, but it was against the rules. His mom saw people who delivered food and those who made sure she took her medicine. But otherwise she was alone, though Newton and his four siblings talked with her regularly. Then, last January, they received the dreaded call. His mom had died at age 92 without any family present. (McClurg, 5/6)

NBC News: Nurse Burnout Remains A Serious Problem, Putting Patients In Danger, Experts Say
Joanna Engman always believed a career in nursing was her calling ."I loved working in the hospital," said Engman, a nurse in Colorado who entered the health care field a decade ago. "I wanted to be at the bedside of the disadvantaged, the sick, the dying, to be present with them in their most vulnerable times. "But Engman said that when Covid-19 reached the U.S. last year, her love of nursing came under unprecedented strain. "It's almost like you're in ethical warfare," Engman said of treating critically ill Covid-19 patients. "You're seeing someone who is scared and suffering, and you're not able to be present with them because you're so overworked." (Plum, 5/6)

The New York Times: Covid Pandemic Forces Families To Rethink Nursing Home Care 
The pandemic’s toll on nursing homes drove occupancy down significantly — not just from the 132,000 deaths but also because of a decline in admissions. The 14,000 skilled nursing facilities in the United States now have on average a vacancy rate of slightly more than 25 percent, according to figures from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care. But as immunization campaigns inside them began taking priority in the winter this year, with nearly three million residents and staff members fully vaccinated, the outlook improved somewhat. Nursing homes point to the steep decrease in Covid-related deaths, saying they have dropped by 91 percent since December. (Abelson, 5/6)

Bay Area News Group: CA Sues Mariner Nursing Homes For Poor Care, Dumping Patients
The state and four district attorneys have sued the operator of 19 nursing homes, including several in the Bay Area where dozens of patients and employees died of COVID-19, accusing it of “trading people for profits at every turn.” Mariner Health Care Services has “siphoned off funds necessary for appropriate staffing,” according to the lawsuit filed by the California Department of Justice and the district attorneys of  Alameda, Marin, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles counties. The unacceptably low staffing levels have resulted in insufficient care, leading to unnecessary leg amputations, bone ulcers, spread of infections and unreported sexual and physical assaults, the suit says. (Sciacca, 5/6)

Stat: Amazon Care Signs First Customer For Burgeoning Health Business
Amazon Care signed its first enterprise customer this week, a significant milestone as the virtual-first health care platform looks to expand its footprint. The client, Precor, is a fitness business that was recently acquired by fitness technology company Peloton for $420 million in cash. Although small financially, the deal is a significant opener for Care, which in recent months has laid the groundwork for a national expansion, as STAT first reported in March. (Brodwin, 5/6)

The Boston Globe: Mass General Brigham’s Plan For Surgical Centers In Suburbs Stirs Controversy
An ambitious plan by Mass General Brigham to expand into affluent suburbs miles from Boston has set off a fight about the future of outpatient health care in Massachusetts. A group of rival health care companies has mounted an opposition campaign to block the expansion plan, worried that the state’s biggest health care provider will become even more powerful at their expense. They argue that Mass General Brigham’s plan to build outpatient surgery centers in Westborough, Westwood, and Woburn will encroach on the turf of important community health care providers and raise costs for the state by drawing patients away from these less expensive providers. (Dayal McCluskey, 5/6)

Modern Healthcare: Providers Fear HIPAA Changes Conflict With Interoperability, Info Blocking Rules
Providers, patient advocates and app developers broadly support a Trump-era rule that would make it easier to share patient health information, but they remain divided over how far the changes should go and concerned about inconsistencies across regulations, according to comments on the proposed rule due Thursday. Hospitals and medical groups said that easing the exchange of health information and allowing patients greater access to and control of their health records could enable better care coordination and management. But they're worried about giving more access to smartphone apps and other entities that aren't covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. (Brady, 5/6)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Methodist To Bring New Hospital To Cypress
The new hospital — to be modeled after Houston Methodist West and The Woodlands locations — is expected to have 400 beds, as well as medical office buildings and room for expansion. “We look forward to bringing our promise of leading medicine by adding a hospital to a rapidly growing area, and we understand the importance of offering comprehensive services in areas such as cancer, heart, neurosciences, woman’s services, orthopedics and sports medicine,” Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist, said in the press release. “The population of this area is predicted to grow almost 9% over the next five years, and we are committed to providing the highest quality care, like we have for more than 100 years.” (Feuk, 5/6)

Stat: Incyte Pays $12.6 Million To Resolve Charity Kickback Claims
Incyte (INCY) agreed to pay $12.6 million to settle allegations that donations amounted to kickbacks paid to Medicare patients as a way to cover their out-of-pocket costs, the latest in a growing list of drug makers to reach such a deal with the U.S. government. At issue is a federal law known as the Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits pharmaceutical companies from offering or paying — whether directly or indirectly — money or anything else of value to induce Medicare or other federal programs to purchase their drugs. The Department of Justice has previously alleged some charities made it possible for drug companies to evade the law. (Silverman, 5/6)

Boston Globe: Dyno Raises $100 Million To Bring Artificial Intelligence To Gene Therapy
Dyno Therapeutics, a Cambridge biotech that uses artificial intelligence techniques to develop gene therapies, said Thursday that it has raised $100 million from investors. The company uses machine learning to design a type of gene therapy “vector,” or carrier, aiming to make treatments that are easier to deliver and more effective. Dyno said the funding would speed up the development of its vectors, which can be used to target liver, muscle, eye, and central nervous system diseases. The company also plans to explore new disease areas, including those that affect the heart and lungs. (Anissa Gardizy, 5/6)

Stat: CRISPR Therapeutics, Nkarta To Develop Engineered Natural Killer Cells
Off-the-shelf treatments for cancer made from genetically engineered T cells and natural killer, or NK, cells have each shown promise in clinical trials. On Thursday, two biotech companies — Nkarta and CRISPR Therapeutics — announced a partnership that aims to merge the two immune-cell approaches together. (Feuerstein, 5/6)

Stat: Mass. Sues Publicis Over 'Marketing Schemes' To Boost OxyContin Sales
The Massachusetts attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Publicis Health, one of the world’s largest health care communications companies, for allegedly designing and placing unfair and deceptive “marketing schemes” to help Purdue Pharma sell more of its OxyContin painkiller. The state claimed that, from 2010 through 2019, Publicis (PUBGY) collected more than $50 million in exchange for creating plans that convinced doctors to prescribe Purdue opioids to more patients — and at higher doses for longer periods of time. (Silverman, 5/6)

CNBC: Norwegian Cruise CEO Says U.S. Ships Are Unlikely To Sail This Summer
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is allowing cruise ships to resume operations this summer, but Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Frank Del Rio says that will be unlikely given the agency’s tough requirements. “I seriously doubt we will be able to stand up a vessel out of a U.S. port in July. August is also in jeopardy and it’s all because of the disjointed guidelines from the CDC,” Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Frank Del Rio said on CNBC’s Closing Bell. “What we received yesterday was anything but a clear path to restarting.” (El-Bawab, 5/6)

CNN: Norwegian Cruise Line May Avoid Florida If State Doesn't Permit Covid-19 Vaccination Checks, CEO Says
Florida's new law prohibiting businesses from asking whether employees or customers have been vaccinated against Covid-19 may take a toll on its cruise business. The CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. said Thursday it could cause the company to suspend Florida departures and move its ships elsewhere. (Kallingal and Rose, 5/7)

Stat: Experts Brace For A Long-Term Impact On Mental Health After The Pandemic
The end of the emergency phase of the pandemic is in sight in the United States, at least for now. But as the weight of the crisis is lifted, experts are also anticipating a long-term impact on people’s mental health. For some people, the feelings of anxiety and depression that emerged during the pandemic will resolve as routines resume — people go back to the office, social connections are reformed, the seeming danger of activities dissipates. But others will face new or worse mental health issues that persist or even appear down the road, a number that could be quite large given the magnitude of despair and disruption. (Joseph, 5/7)

NPR: Why We Feel Exhausted And Irritable And Lack Focus During The Pandemic
In recent weeks, Dr. Kali Cyrus has struggled with periods of exhaustion. "I am taking a nap in between patients," says Cyrus, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University. "I'm going to bed earlier. It's hard to even just get out of bed. I don't feel like being active again." Exhaustion is also one of the top complaints she hears from her patients these days. They say things like, "It's just so hard to get out of bed" or "I've been misplacing things more often," she says. Some patients tell Cyrus they've been making mistakes at work. Some tell her they can "barely turn on the TV. 'All I want to do is stare at the ceiling.' " Others say they are more irritable. (Chatterjee, 5/6)

NPR: How Systemic Racism Continues To Determine Black Health And Wealth In Chicago
There is a 30-year gap in the life expectancies of Black and white Chicagoans depending on their ZIP code. On average, residents of the Streeterville neighborhood, which is 73% white, live to be 90 years old. Nine miles south, the residents of Englewood, which is nearly 95% Black, have a life expectancy of 60. Journalist Linda Villarosa says the disparity in life expectancies has its roots in government-sanctioned policies that systematically extracted wealth from Black neighborhoods — and eroded the health of generations of people. She writes about her family's own story in The New York Times Magazine article "Black Lives Are Shorter in Chicago. My Family's History Shows Why." (Gross, 5/6)

Bloomberg: McKinsey Targeted By School Districts Over Opioid-Related Costs
McKinsey & Co. faces Kentucky and West Virginia school districts’ lawsuits alleging the company’s work for opioid makers fed an epidemic that harmed children and drove up educational costs, in the first such cases by educators against the consulting firm. McKinsey’s advice to opioid makers such as Purdue Pharma LP on ramping up sales of the highly addictive painkillers made it the “primary architect” of marketing campaigns that resulted in millions of opioid users’ addictions over the last 20 years, the suit on behalf of more than 170 Kentucky school districts says. (Feeley, 5/6)

AP: Family Of Chris Cornell Settles With Doctor Over His Death
The family of Chris Cornell and a doctor who they alleged over-prescribed him drugs before he died have agreed to a settle a lawsuit. Court documents filed by attorneys for the rock singer’s widow, Vicky Cornell, and their children, Toni and Christopher Nicholas Cornell, said a confidential settlement had been reached. The documents were filed in April, but they had gone unnoticed before City News Service reported on them Thursday. (Dalton, 5/7)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. Can’t Fine Addiction Treatment Facilities That Break Rules. Some Lawmakers Want To Change That
On his drive to and from the state Capitol, state Rep. Mark Gillen often sees a state trooper’s vehicle.“ They usually don’t yell out the window to slow down,” said Gillen, a Berks County Republican. “If you’re going too fast, you’re going to get stopped, and you’re going to get fined, and it changes behavior.” That’s the argument Gillen is making as he tries to convince fellow lawmakers to give the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs the power to fine licensed addiction treatment facilities for violating state rules. (Mahon, 5/7)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana House OKs Bill To Let Nurse Practitioners Work Without Doctors
The Louisiana House of Representatives has paved the way for nurse practitioners to practice independently of doctors, approving a bill Wednesday to keep in place an emergency executive order that Gov. John Bel Edwards issued earlier in the pandemic. The bill passed with a 60-41 vote and will proceed to the Senate. House Bill 495 has divided medical professionals. Doctors say patient safety is at stake, and nurses say they already practice relatively independently and that giving them more leeway will fill a worrisome gap in a state with a shortage of physicians. (Woodruff, 5/6)

USA Today: Alabama Lawmakers Approve Medical Marijuana Bill After Historic Votes
The Alabama Legislature Thursday gave final approval to a bill that would create a statewide medical marijuana program, following two historic votes and a House debate spanning more than two days. Alabama's House of Representatives voted 68 to 34 to approve the measure, sponsored by state Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, despite a lengthy filibuster from about a half-dozen dedicated opponents that delayed a vote on the bill on Tuesday. The state Senate concurred in changes to the bill late Thursday on a 20 to 9 vote. (Lyman, 5/6)

The Washington Post: North Carolina’s 20-Week Abortion Ban Challenged In Federal Court
North Carolina abortion providers and abortion rights advocates asked a federal appeals court Thursday to invalidate a state statute that generally bars women from terminating their pregnancies after 20 weeks, a law similar to those on the books in more than a dozen states. Two of the three judges on the panel expressed doubts about the state’s defense that the lawsuit is a case without a controversy because no abortion providers in North Carolina have ever been prosecuted under the decades-old law. (Marimow, 5/6)

CNBC: India's Covid Crisis: Daily Cases Rise Above 400,000 Again
India’s daily new Covid-19 cases crossed 400,000 for the third time this month as the country struggles to contain a devastating second wave. Health ministry data released Friday showed there were 414,188 new cases over a 24-hour period, where at least 3,915 people succumbed to the disease. But reports of overwhelmed crematoriums and cemeteries as well as a growing number of obituaries in local papers suggest the official figures undercount the true death toll. (Choudhury, 5/7)

PBS NewsHour: How Social Media Is Saving Lives During India’s COVID Crisis
In the midst of a brutal second wave and a shortage of crucial life saving supplies, India’s COVID-19 patients and their loved ones are turning to social media to save lives. As India set a grim global record with multiple daily case counts of over 400,000, its underfunded health system has struggled to handle the rising number of people in desperate need for help. Searching madly for hospitals with open beds, flowing oxygen and antiviral drugs, Indian citizens and even hospitals themselves have taken to Twitter to plead for supplies. (Sharma, 5/6)

ABC News: New Jersey Doctor Who Was 'Giant' In Field Of Infectious Diseases Dies Of COVID-19 In India 
A distinguished New Jersey doctor considered a "giant in the field of infectious diseases" has died of COVID-19.Dr. Rajendra Kapila was a professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and was a founding member of the New Jersey Infectious Disease Society. The 81-year-old died in India on April 28, nearly three weeks after testing positive for COVID-19, according to the Hindustan Times. (Shapiro, 5/6)