First Edition: Nov. 20, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
These Front-Line Workers Could Have Retired. They Risked Their Lives Instead.
Sonia Brown’s husband died on June 10. Two weeks later, the 65-year-old registered nurse was back at work. Her husband’s medical bills and a car payment loomed over her head. “She wanted to make sure all those things were taken care of before she retired,” her son David said. ... But her invincibility couldn’t withstand COVID-19, and on 29 July she died after contracting the deadly virus. (Dubnow, 11/20)
KHN:
Florida’s New Hospital Industry Head Ran Medicaid In State And Fought Expansion
With its choice of a new leader, the Florida Hospital Association has signaled that seeking legislative approval to expand Medicaid to nearly 850,000 uninsured adults won’t be among its top priorities. In October, Mary Mayhew became the association’s CEO. Mayhew, who led the state’s Medicaid agency since 2019, has been a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion adopted by 38 other states. She has argued that expansion puts states in a difficult position because the federal government is unlikely to keep its financial commitment to pay its share of the costs. (Galewitz, 11/20)
KHN:
Fear Of Flying Is A COVID-Era Conundrum
The holidays are approaching just as COVID-19 case rates nationwide are increasing at a record-breaking pace, leading to dire warnings from public health experts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued cautions and updated guidelines related to family gatherings. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a White House coronavirus adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in interviews that his kids won’t be coming home for Thanksgiving because of coronavirus risks. “Relatives getting on a plane, being exposed in an airport,” he told CBS News. “And then walking in the door and saying ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ — that you have to be concerned about.” (Knight, 11/20)
KHN:
Trump’s Lame-Duck Status Leaves Governors To Wing It On COVID
Not long after the world learned that President Donald Trump had lost his reelection bid, states began issuing a new round of crackdowns and emergency declarations against the surging coronavirus. Taking action this time were Republican governors who had resisted doing so during the spring and summer. Now they face an increasingly out-of-control virus and fading hope that help will come from a lame-duck president who seems consumed with challenging the election results. (Volz, 11/20)
KHN:
KHN On The Air This Week
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed COVID-19 surges in Wisconsin with Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Central Time” on Nov. 13. ... California Healthline correspondent Angela Hart and editor Emily Bazar discussed how the Supreme Court case about the Affordable Care Act could affect California with the CalMatters and Capital Public Radio’s “California State of Mind” podcast. (11/20)
The Hill:
Pfizer And BioNTech To Seek Emergency Authorization Of COVID-19 Vaccine Friday
Pfizer and its German partner company BioNtech will apply for emergency authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday. Azar made the announcement during a rare public appearance of the White House coronavirus task force. (Weixel, 11/19)
NPR:
Pfizer CEO Says Company Will Seek Emergency Use Authorization As Early As Friday
After announcing that its COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is on the verge of filing with the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization. Albert Bourla, the chairman and CEO of Pfizer, is calling it an important step in an historic eight-month journey to produce a vaccine — with its partner, BioNTech — to help end the pandemic. ... The company hopes to file with the FDA as soon as Friday, says Bourla. Once the company receives that authorization, he says, "we will be ready to start distributing our vaccine within hours." (Kelly and Pao, 11/19)
Bloomberg:
Covid Vaccines in FDA Express Lane Still Have Hurdles to Clear
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE are on the brink of requesting emergency authorization of their Covid vaccine, and it could take at least three weeks for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision as trial data is probed by agency staff and outside advisers. Shown to be 95% effective and without any major safety issues, their vaccine could be the first to be cleared for use, but first it must undergo a thorough vetting. (Edney, 11/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
Next Stop For Covid-19 Vaccines: FDA Review
As part of that review, FDA scientists are expected to look at data from individual patients, such as for indications of any troubling side effects. After the FDA staff review, an independent panel of doctors from major U.S. academic centers will meet to advise the FDA on the vaccines’ efficacy—likely in early December. ... After the review, the FDA then will decide whether to grant an “emergency use authorization,” a quicker version of the normal FDA approval. (Burton and Walker, 11/19)
The Atlantic:
America Is On Track To Hit A COVID-19 Death Record
The United States has made huge advances in fighting the coronavirus. The astonishingly high death rates the country saw during the spring have fallen, and Americans are much more likely now than they were then to survive a COVID-19 hospitalization. New treatments have, in some cases, helped speed recovery—President Donald Trump has trumpeted his own bout with the virus as proof that there is a “cure” for the illness. (There is not.) These developments have given Americans the impression that no matter how high cases surge, deaths might not reach the heights of the spring. But the truth is grimmer. The story people want to believe about how much treatments have improved in recent months does not hold up to quantitative scrutiny. (Madrigal and Moser, 11/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Infections Set Another Daily Record
The U.S. logged its highest number of newly reported Covid-19 infections in a day and reported record hospitalizations for the 10th day in a row, as the coronavirus pandemic surges through the country. The U.S. reported 187,833 new cases for Thursday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, exceeding its last daily record by more than 10,000. That record was set last Friday, when the U.S. reported 177,224 new cases. (Martin, 11/20)
CNN:
The US Just Recorded More Than 2,000 Covid-19 Deaths In A Day. One Model Predicts That Number Will Keep Growing
More than 2,000 American deaths were recorded by Johns Hopkins University on Thursday -- the highest number since early May. And as the virus runs unabated across US communities, experts warn the coming weeks will likely be brutal and the pandemic's death toll will keep climbing. (Maxouris, 11/20)
NPR:
COVID-19 Denial Still Rampant In Some Coronavirus Hot Spots
Signs posted at the entrance to the grocery store in northwest Montana told customers to wear a mask. Public health officials in Flathead County urged the same. Coronavirus infection rates here are among the highest in the state. Infection rates in the state are among the highest in the United States. And still, Craig Mann walked out of the grocery store, past the signs and toward his truck, maskless and resolute. The pandemic that everyone's talking about? "It's absolute garbage," he said. (Rott, 11/19)
Los Angeles Times:
California Imposes 'Limited' Curfew Amid COVID-19 Surge
Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a mandatory overnight stay-at-home order that will be instituted throughout most of California to combat a surge in new coronavirus cases, a measure that comes just days after the governor enacted a dramatic rollback of reopening in much of the state. The order issued by the California Department of Public Health will prohibit most nonessential activity outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in counties in the strictest tier of the state’s reopening road map — the purple tier. The restriction goes into place on Saturday and lasts through Dec. 21, though it could be extended. (Willon, Luna and Reyes-Velarde, 11/19)
The Hill:
New Hampshire To Issue Statewide Mask Mandate
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) on Thursday issued an executive order implementing a statewide mask mandate beginning Friday amid a new surge in coronavirus infections. According to the order, everyone within the state over the age of five must wear facial coverings while in public, both outside and indoors, “where they are unable to or do not consistently maintain a physical distance of at least six feet from persons outside their own households.” (Castronuovo, 11/19)
The New York Times:
States That Imposed Few Restrictions Now Have The Worst Outbreaks
Coronavirus cases are rising in almost every U.S. state. But the surge is worst now in places where leaders neglected to keep up forceful virus containment efforts or failed to implement basic measures like mask mandates in the first place, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the University of Oxford. ... Outbreaks are comparatively smaller in states where efforts to contain the virus were stronger over the summer and fall — potential good news for leaders taking action now. States and cities are reinstating restrictions and implementing new ones: In recent days, the governors of Iowa, North Dakota and Utah imposed mask mandates for the first time since the outbreak began. (Leatherby and Harris, 11/18)
Politico:
CDC Urges Against Thanksgiving Travel
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday advised Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and to limit gatherings to people within the same household as coronavirus cases continue to surge. The agency's guidance is at odds with recent messaging from the White House, including fierce criticism of state-level mitigation efforts from President Donald Trump's press secretary. But it lines up with a growing number of new state Covid-19 restrictions that are being imposed in response to record numbers of new cases and more than 250,000 U.S. deaths. (Ehley, 11/19)
The Hill:
CDC Recommends Americans To Avoid Traveling For Thanksgiving
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending people avoid traveling to see friends and family during the Thanksgiving holiday as COVID-19 cases continue to surge, with millions of people currently infected, many of whom are not showing symptoms and don't know they are contagious. (Hellmann, 11/19)
NPR:
Don't Travel For Thanksgiving, CDC Warns
The C.D.C.’s warning runs counter to messages from administration officials, who have denounced concerns that Thanksgiving celebrations will speed the virus’s spread. ... Members of the White House coronavirus task force did not even mention Thanksgiving at a news conference on Thursday, even as they warned of the hazards associated with indoor gatherings and urged “vigilance” in the face of rampant infections. (Rabin, 11/19)
The Hill:
Medical Groups Urge Americans To Scale Back Holiday Plans Amid COVID-19 Surge
Leading medical societies on Thursday urged Americans to scale back Thanksgiving gatherings because spiking coronavirus cases are overwhelming hospitals across the country. "In the strongest possible terms, we urge you to celebrate responsibly," the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and the American Nurses Association said in an open letter to the public. (Weixel, 11/19)
AP:
Oklahoma Governor's Holiday Plans Flout CDC, Virus Surge
Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday he planned to attend a college football game over the weekend and spend Thanksgiving with his parents, even as coronavirus cases in the state continued to surge this week and the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for the holidays. During a press conference with state health officials, Stitt said he planned to watch the annual Bedlam matchup between the University of Oklahoma-Oklahoma State University in Norman in person Saturday and spend time with family members he doesn’t live with next week. (Murphy, 11/20)
The New York Times:
After A Long Absence, The U.S. Coronavirus Task Force Returns With A Plea For Vigilance.
The Trump administration’s coronavirus response coordinator, appearing at the White House with other top federal health officials for the first time in months, issued a dire assessment of the pandemic on Thursday, along with an urgent warning for Americans to “increase their vigilance” as they await the approval of a vaccine. Dr. Deborah L. Birx made the remarks after the White House coronavirus task force met with Vice President Mike Pence — who offered a far rosier assessment as he defended the administration’s handling of a pandemic that has now claimed more than 250,000 lives in the United States, and killed nearly 2,000 Americans on Wednesday alone. (11/20)
The Hill:
Fauci, Birx Urge Americans To Take Precautions Against Virus In Rare White House Appearance
Top Trump administration health officials made a rare appearance at the White House on Thursday to plead with Americans to redouble their efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. But — even with the country facing a worsening pandemic and ongoing attacks on the electoral process from President Trump — Vice President Pence, Anthony Fauci, Deborah Birx and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield did not take questions from the press. It was the first time they had delivered remarks from the White House briefing room in several months. (Samuels, 11/19)
NPR:
White House Urges Vigilance On Coronavirus But Rejects Lockdowns As Solution
The White House Coronavirus Task Force and President-elect Joe Biden separately gave updates on the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and how their teams were working to defeat it as health officials on Thursday warned against holiday travel to limit the virus's spread. Speaking from the White House briefing room, members of the coronavirus task force, led by Vice President Pence, spoke encouragingly about the process of vaccine development. The task force acknowledged the rise in cases across the country, but speakers said the administration still would not support a national lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus. (Wise, 11/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration To Release New Rules Reducing Drug Costs
The Trump administration is planning on Friday to roll out two final rules aimed at lowering drug prices—one curbing rebates paid to middlemen in Medicare and another pegging the prices of certain prescription drugs in the U.S. to their prices in other developed countries, according to a person familiar with the planning. The plans, slated to be announced in the White House Rose Garden, have been a signature pledge of President Trump’s since his 2016 election campaign. Both rules are expected to be final, meaning they have completed the required public comment period and can take effect immediately. (Armour, 11/19)
Politico:
Senior Pentagon Official Tests Positive For Covid
A senior civilian Pentagon official has tested positive for Covid-19 after meeting with the Lithuanian defense minister last week, who also tested positive for the virus, the Pentagon announced Thursday. The Pentagon official, Anthony Tata, tested positive after the visit of Lithuanian Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis and will isolate at home for 14 days, the Defense Department said. (Seligman, 11/19)
Politico:
Trump Team To Yank Emergency Economic Support, Triggering Public Fed Dissent
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday asked the Federal Reserve to return all unused coronavirus relief funds set aside for its emergency lending programs by the end of the year, taking away a lifeline even as a resurgence in Covid cases threatens to upend the budding economic recovery. Mnuchin said the programs are no longer needed, but the move goes against the Fed’s desire to keep them going, according to a statement from the central bank, in a rare show of public disagreement between the two government agencies. (Guida, 11/19)
The Washington Post:
Fed Criticizes Treasury Move To End Emergency Lending Programs
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday said he would not extend most of the emergency lending programs run in tandem with the Federal Reserve, a move the central bank immediately criticized, citing the fragile recovery. The Fed’s exceedingly rare public response reflected a government divided on how to act as the pandemic surges across the nation, threatening a new wave of shutdowns and marking an inflection point of the economic recovery. (Siegel and Stein, 11/19)
The Washington Post:
Weekly Unemployment Claims Rose Last Week For The First Time In A Month
The number of new unemployment claims rose last week to 742,000, an increase of 31,000 from the previous week, as rising coronavirus cases have spurred a new wave of restrictions and closures begin to weigh on parts of the economy. Since Oct. 10, weekly jobless claims have been slowly trending downward or remaining flat, according to Labor Department data. (Rosenberg, 11/19)
Politico:
Schumer Hints At Movement On Covid Relief
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) suggested on Thursday that coronavirus relief talks might be coming back to life, after months of impasse. During a news conference in New York, Schumer told reporters that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had agreed to staff-level talks on another aid package. (Levine, 11/19)
AP:
Birthday Time: Biden Turns 78, Will Be Oldest U.S. President
President-elect Joe Biden turned 78 on Friday. In exactly two months, he’ll take the reins of a politically fractured nation facing the worst public health crisis in a century, high unemployment and a reckoning on racial injustice. As he wrestles with those issues, Biden will be attempting to accomplish another feat: Demonstrate to Americans that age is but a number and he’s up to the job. (Madhani, 11/20)
The Hill:
Biden Vows He Will Not Implement A Nationwide Shutdown
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday said he would not implement a nationwide shutdown as part of his effort to control the spread of the coronavirus. "I’m not going to shut down the economy, period. I’m going to shut down the virus," Biden said. "I’ll say it again. No national shutdown." (Easley, 11/19)
AP:
Biden Chides Trump For Lack Of Cooperation On Vaccine
President-elect Joe Biden met Thursday with governors from both parties and criticized President Donald Trump’s unprecedented attempt to block the peaceful transition of power, saying it was hindering the flow of information about programs to develop a vitally important coronavirus vaccine. “Unfortunately, my administration hasn’t been able to get everything we need,” Biden said during a video conference with the National Governors Association’s leadership team, which consists of five Republicans and four Democrats. (Peoples and Weissert, 11/20)
The Washington Post:
Biden Paints Trump As Reckless As Pence And Science Advisers Cheer Vaccine News
President Trump will be remembered as one of the nation's most reckless leaders for holding up cooperation on the deadly coronavirus pandemic after losing his bid for reelection, President-elect Joe Biden said Thursday. At the White House, Vice President Pence tried to apply a veneer of calm to a tumultuous outgoing administration as he and federal health officials held what has become a rare public discussion of the federal government’s efforts to address the pandemic. (Gearan and Min Kim, 11/19)
Politico:
Biden Pledges To Pay For National Guard’s Covid Work
President-elect Joe Biden pledged Thursday to fully fund the National Guard's coronavirus relief work once he's sworn in, and criticized the Trump administration for making most states pick up 25 percent of the cost of having soldiers and airmen run testing sites, staff hospitals, conduct contact tracing and do other work amid the pandemic. “It costs a lot of money and governors need that paid for,” Biden said after a video call with a bipartisan group of governors. “The fact is that this is a national emergency — that’s what FEMA is supposed to deal with. Our view is that should be done. When it comes to deploying the National Guard for Covid relief, that should be paid for.” (Ollstein, 11/19)
The Washington Post:
Inauguration Day: Officials Are Trying To Plan Amid Pandemic
The inaugural platform is going up near the Capitol, and the District has repaved Pennsylvania Avenue for the traditional parade. But the crowds huddled together enjoying a concert on the Mall and the celebratory balls that go late into the night? They are less certain. In fact, much remains unknown about how the coronavirus pandemic will change the inaugural celebration that normally transforms the city every four years. Nine weeks away from the 59th presidential inauguration, officials are under pressure to stage an event that will begin to heal a nation bruised by its deep partisan divides. But they are also operating under the constraints of a health crisis that has upended traditions dependent on massive gatherings and cross-country travel. The result is citywide preparation for a ceremony still shrouded in uncertainty as constituents clamor for tickets and the coronavirus continues to surge around them. (Davies and Jouvenal, 11/19)
The Washington Post:
Democrats Say ICE Must Not Deport Women At Georgia Facility Who Accused Gynecologist
A group of more than 100 congressional Democrats demanded Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement release female detainees from a Georgia detention facility who allege they received subpar gynecological care while detained there. The lawmakers say the women may be potential witnesses in an ongoing federal investigation into Mahendra Amin, a physician who the women allege conducted “nonconsensual and medically unnecessary” gynecological procedures on female detainees at Irwin County Detention Center. Their letter calls for the women to receive necessary certifications for a chance to apply for U-visas, which allow undocumented immigrants who have assisted law enforcement to apply to stay in the country legally. (Armus, 11/19)
Forbes:
FDA Gives Emergency Approval To Covid-19 Treatment That Combines Eli Lilly Arthritis Drug With Remdesivir
The Food and Drug Administration Thursday issued an emergency use authorization for Eli Lilly’s rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib and remdesivir for coronavirus treatment, the first drug combination authorized by the FDA as a therapeutic for the virus. (Sandler, 11/19)
Stat:
WHO Recommends Against Remdesivir For Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients
A World Health Organization panel is now recommending against the use of the antiviral remdesivir in hospitalized Covid-19 patients, saying there is no evidence that the drug — which U.S. regulators have approved for the treatment of the coronavirus — improves mortality. (Joseph, 11/19)
Reuters:
WHO Advises Against Gilead's Remdesivir For All Hospitalised COVID-19 Patients
Gilead’s remdesivir is not recommended for patients hospitalised with COVID-19, regardless of how ill they are, as there is no evidence the drug improves survival or reduces the need for ventilation, a World Health Organization panel said on Friday. “The ... panel found a lack of evidence that remdesivir improved outcomes that matter to patients such as reduced mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, time to clinical improvement, and others,” the guideline said. (Kelland, 11/19)
Modern Healthcare:
Gilead Applied For Hospital Add-On Payment For Remdesivir
Gilead has applied to CMS for a Medicare add-on payment for the FDA-approved COVID-19 treatment remdesivir, according to federal filings. If the normal timeline for obtaining a New Technology Add-On Payment applies, the earliest a payment would be effective is October 2021. There's a chance that the prevalence of the coronavirus could be mitigated by that time if vaccines are effective and distributed quickly, but the payment would still apply if CMS approves it. (Cohrs, 11/19)
AP:
Health Experts Clash Over Use Of Certain Drugs For COVID-19
Health officials around the world are clashing over the use of certain drugs for COVID-19, leading to different treatment options for patients depending on where they live. On Friday, a World Health Organization guidelines panel advised against using the antiviral remdesivir for hospitalized patients, saying there’s no evidence it improves survival or avoids the need for breathing machines. But in the U.S. and many other countries, the drug has been the standard of care since a major, government-led study found other benefits — it shortened recovery time for hospitalized patients by five days on average, from 15 days to 10. (Marchione, 11/20)
Stat:
Hospitals Scramble To Solve Challenges With New Covid-19 Drug
When the federal government started handing out a newly authorized Covid-19 treatment last week, some hospitals weren’t sure they should accept their share. On the surface, it sounded crazy. Decline a medication that might keep patients from getting severely ill? But like so many other pandemic-time medical decisions, this one offered only flawed choices. (Boodman, 11/20)
AP:
'Help Us': Doctors Implore Minnesotans To Follow Virus Rules
Doctors urged Minnesotans on Thursday to take COVID-19 seriously and to comply with new restrictions that take effect Friday night as they provided dramatic accounts of how the state’s health care system — especially its health care workers — is at a breaking point. Dr. Carolyn McClain, an emergency physician at Twin Cities hospitals, said the pandemic has been one of the hardest times of her life. She worked in Haiti after the catastrophic earthquake of 2010 but said that she could at least go home after that. (Karnowski and Forliti, 11/20)
AP:
Oxford Scientists Expect COVID-19 Vaccine Data By Christmas
University of Oxford scientists expect to report results from the late-stage trials of their COVID-19 vaccine by Christmas, a key researcher said Thursday as he discussed the team’s latest findings. Dr. Andrew Pollard, an expert in pediatric infection and immunity at Oxford, said research was slowed by low infection rates over the summer, but the Phase III trials are now accumulating the data needed to report results as a renewed surge of the pandemic hits countries around the world. Oxford is developing its vaccine in conjunction with the drugmaker AstraZeneca. (Kirka, 11/19)
Reuters:
Exclusive: EU Could Pay Over $10 Billion For Pfizer And CureVac Vaccines - Source
The European Union could pay more than $10 billion to secure hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine candidates being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac, an EU official involved in the talks told Reuters. The bloc has agreed to pay 15.50 euros ($18.34) per dose for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, according to the official. (Guarascio, 11/20)
Modern Healthcare:
Delirium Is A Lesser Known COVID-19 Symptom For Seniors
A new study suggests patients with coronavirus — particularly those over 65 — may present to healthcare settings with only symptoms of delirium rather than well-known signs of the virus like fever and shortness of breath. New research published Thursday in JAMA Network Open found of 817 patients 65 years and older who tested positive for coronavirus and presented to the emergency department, 28% had delirium. Among those patients, 16% had delirium as a primary symptom and 37% had no typical signs of COVID-19. (Castellucci, 11/19)
CIDRAP:
Delirium Fairly Common In Older COVID-19 Patients
A study published today in JAMA Network Open shows that 28% of older COVID-19 patients at seven US emergency departments (EDs) had delirium, putting them at higher risk of an intensive care unit (ICU) stay and death. A research team led by Massachusetts General Hospital scientists found that, of 817 COVID-19 patients 65 and older arriving at EDs, 226 (28%) had delirium, which was the sixth most common of all signs and symptoms. Delirium was a primary symptom in 37 (16%) of patients with delirium. Eighty-four patients with delirium (37%) had no typical COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever or shortness of breath. (Older adults are less likely than younger people to respond to infection with a fever.) (Van Beusekom, 11/19)
The New York Times:
Hospitals, Health Care Workers Issue A Call To Arms For Wearing Masks
“Our shields are worn. Our resolve is being tested.” So say the most immediate, frontline health care workers in a new ad campaign as the coronavirus pandemic rages across the United States, breaking records nearly every day for deaths — and cases — in state after state. The campaign, in print and video, by about 100 of the nation’s largest and best-known hospital groups begins on Thursday, and aims to counter public resistance to mask-wearing. (Abelson, 11/19)
NPR:
A National Group For Christian Doctors Pleads With Churches To Worship At Home
As coronavirus cases spike, a national group that represents thousands of evangelical Christian doctors and other healthcare providers is asking churches to stop holding services in person. In a statement provided to NPR, titled, "A Plea to Our Churches," leaders of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations say that Christians who persist in holding large gatherings at this time could "appear to care only about our individual freedoms and don't care that we may be contributing to others getting this illness because of our selfishness." (McCammon, 11/19)
The New York Times:
H.I.V. Death Rates Fell By Half 2010-2018, C.D.C. Says
Deaths related to H.I.V. in the United States fell significantly from 2010 through 2018, regardless of sex, age, race or region, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday. The death rate declined over all by about half, a welcome sign in the fight against the virus, experts said. But the data also highlighted some troubling trends: Gains among women, Black people and those of multiple races were much smaller. And the rate of death was about twice as high in Southern states as in the Northeast. (Mandavilli, 11/19)
Stat:
Cancer Vaccine Cocktail Boosts Immune Response After Surgery, Study Says
Immunotherapies have transformed cancer care by enlisting the body’s own immune system to fight tumors that have evaded or hijacked normal defenses. But while checkpoint inhibitor drugs and bespoke CAR-T treatments have gained significant ground in recent years, another type of immunotherapy — cancer vaccines — have seen far less success. (Cooney, 11/20)
AP:
US Adult Smoking Rate Looks Unchanged, Vaping Rate Higher
The U.S. decline in cigarette smoking could be stalling while the adult vaping rate appears to be rising, according to a government report released Thursday. About 14% of U.S adults were cigarette smokers last year, the third year in a row the annual survey found that rate. But health officials said a change in the methodology make it hard to compare that to the same 14% reported for 2017 and 2018.The adult smoking rate last saw a substantial drop in 2017, when it fell from 16% the year before. (Stobbe, 11/19)
Reuters:
Big Tobacco Gets A Pandemic Pick-Me-Up
In homes across the world, people ... are giving Big Tobacco a boost during the pandemic, despite public health advice that smoking increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. A combination of anxiety, boredom, stress, and the unexpected freedoms of social isolation are among reasons they give. In recent weeks, tobacco companies Philip Morris International Inc, Japan Tobacco Inc (JT), Imperial Brands Plc and Altria Group Inc all raised their sales or profit targets, saying the industry had done better than expected, mostly in the United States and Europe. Imperial said staying home in the pandemic gave people more chances to smoke and more cash to spend. (Geller and Cavale, 11/19)
Crain's New York Business:
Newer Drugs Improve Health Outcomes, Lower Care Costs: NYC Study
Prescription drug costs have skyrocketed in the U.S. in recent years. But research from Columbia Business School in Morningside Heights found that access to newer medications increases patients' likelihood of taking them, improving health outcomes and decreasing care costs. The research, which was announced this week, from Frank Lichtenberg, professor of healthcare management, found that patients are 2.5% more likely to start and stay on a course of treatment for every 10-year decrease in a drug's time on the market. That's equivalent to a $0.35 reduction in copayment for each day of a patient's therapy. (Henderson, 11/19)
Stat:
Purdue Was Advised To Pay Rebates To Insurers For Each Overdose
As Purdue Pharma faced serious challenges to OxyContin sales, the company was advised to consider paying rebates of up to $14,000 to health insurers for each patient who was harmed by its opioid painkiller in order to maintain those crucial business relationships, according to court documents. (Silverman, 11/19)
Dayton Daily News:
Air Force Needs Volunteers To Test New Maternity Uniform
The Air Force Uniform Office is asking for for pregnant service members at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to try out the new Maternity Flight Duty Uniform in fit-and-wear tests in January. ... In September last year, the Air Force updated its policy to reduce barriers on pregnant aviators who perform flight duties and have uncomplicated pregnancies. This update allows the continuation of flight duties during pregnancy, said the office, part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, which is based at Wright-Patterson. (Gnau, 11/19)
USA Today:
Schools Are Closing For Millions Of Kids As Teachers Get Sick And COVID Cases Surge. Some Districts Are Holding Out.
The dominos are beginning to fall at America's schools. After weeks or months of operating in person, schools are shifting students back to remote learning as the nation grapples with soaring COVID-19 infections. Starting Monday, millions more students will be connected to their teachers only by whatever internet or phone connection they can secure. (Richards and Aspegren, 11/20)
The Washington Post:
A Maskless Teacher With Covid-19 Came To Work. The Day Care Told Parents Covid Was A Hoax.
The complaints started to mount after a teacher who tested positive for the coronavirus had been at work maskless — working with toddlers and infants. In fact, no one was wearing masks at Little Lambs Christian Dayschool, the day care at Fairlawn Christian Academy in Radford, according to Virginia Department of Health records. But on Monday, Pastor Stephen Phillips sent a memo to parents, telling them that there was nothing to be worried about — and that they shouldn’t trust federal health authorities. (Flynn, Pulliam Bailey and Boorstein, 11/19)
NPR:
Use It Or Lose It: Parents Set Wages Aside For Child Care. Now It's At Risk
Norah Perez's children had been going to day care since they were four months old. That came to an abrupt end this spring when the coronavirus hit and their day care closed. Like many parents, Perez initially thought it might last a few weeks. Turns out, that was wishful thinking. Now, she could lose some of the money she set aside from her paycheck, pre-tax, to pay for day care. She has $2,200 stuck in what's called a dependent-care flexible spending account, money that is "use it or lose it" unless Congress or the IRS act. (Hsu, 11/19)