First Edition: November 8, 2021

KHN: Texas Providers See Increased Interest In Birth Control Since Near-Total Abortion Ban
In September, when Texas’ near-total abortion ban took effect, Planned Parenthood clinics in the Lone Star State started offering every patient who walked in information on Senate Bill 8, as well as emergency contraception, condoms and two pregnancy tests. The plan is to distribute 22,000 “empowerment kits” this year. “We felt it was very important for patients to have as many tools on hand to help them meet this really onerous law,” said Elizabeth Cardwell, lead clinician at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, which has 24 clinics across the northern and central regions of the state and provides care to tens of thousands of people annually. (Michell Gomez, 11/8)

KHN: As Constituents Clamor For Ivermectin, Republican Politicians Embrace The Cause
When state senators in South Carolina held two hearings in September about covid-19 treatments, they got an earful on the benefits of ivermectin — which many of the lawmakers echoed, sharing experiences of their own loved ones. The demands for access to the drug were loud and insistent, despite federal regulators’ recent warning against using the drug to treat covid. Ivermectin is a generic drug that has been used for decades to treat river blindness, scabies and even head lice. Veterinarians also use it, in different formulations and dosages, to treat animals for parasites like worms. (Farmer, 11/8)

KHN: Journalists Follow Leads On Curbing Violence, Improving Psych Care And Crowdsourcing Covid Safety
KHN’s Peggy Girshman fellow Amanda Michelle Gomez discussed how Washington, D.C., is adopting public health tools to help curb gun violence on Newsy’s “Morning Rush” on Wednesday. KHN interim Southern bureau editor Andy Miller discussed the shortage of beds at state psychiatric facilities on Newsy on Wednesday. KHN freelancer Morgan Gonzales discussed how vigilantes are crowdsourcing covid safety information about local businesses on Newsy on Tuesday. (11/6)

The New York Times: Biden Administration Is ‘Prepared To Defend’ Vaccine Rules, Surgeon General Said
The Biden administration is “prepared to defend” sweeping new coronavirus vaccine rules for large companies amid new legal challenges, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, said on Sunday. The administration last week set Jan. 4 as the deadline for companies with 100 or more employees to mandate Covid vaccinations or implement weekly testing of workers. The mandate would allow for medical or religious exemptions, and companies that fail to comply may be fined.“ The president and the administration wouldn’t have put these requirements in place if they didn’t think that they were appropriate and necessary,” Dr. Murthy said on ABC’s “This Week.” (Imbler, 11/7)

Politico: Surgeon General Defends Embattled Vaccine Mandate
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s workplace rules on vaccine mandates after a federal court blocked a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration policy. Citing historical precedents dating back to George Washington during the American Revolution, Murthy said President Joe Biden had faith in both the legality of the mandate and the effectiveness of such requirements. “The president and the administration wouldn't have put these requirements in place if they didn't think they were appropriate and necessary,” Murthy told host Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week.” “And the administration is certainly prepared to defend them.” (Cohen, 11/7)

The Washington Post: Thousands Of Federal Workers Seek Religious Exemptions To Avoid Coronavirus Vaccines
Federal agencies have yet to act on the requests piling into managers’ inboxes from vaccine resisters seeking accommodations that would allow them to continue their jobs unvaccinated rather than face the possibility of being fired as the administration has threatened. A far smaller number of employees have asked for exemptions on medical grounds, officials said, prompting what are likely to be more clear-cut decisions on whether to grant them. The number of religious objectors ranges from a little more than 60 people at the Education Department to many thousands among the 38,000-strong workforce at the Bureau of Prisons, according to federal employee union officials. (Rein, Duncan and Horton, 11/7)

The New York Times: House Passes $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill, Putting Social Policy Bill On Hold
The House passed a $1 trillion bill on Friday night to rebuild the country’s aging public works system, fund new climate resilience initiatives and expand access to high-speed internet service, giving final approval to a central plank of President Biden’s economic agenda after a daylong drama that pitted moderate Democrats against progressives. But an even larger social safety net and climate change bill was back on hold, with a half-dozen moderate-to-conservative Democrats withholding their votes until a nonpartisan analysis could tally its price tag. (Weisman, Cochrane and Edmondson, 11/6)

The Hill: Spending Bill Faces Senate Scramble
President Biden’s climate and social spending bill is facing the threat of changes in the Senate as Democrats navigate a slim majority and tricky budget rules. Even as House Democrats have spent days agonizing over trying to work out an agreement that could win over nearly all of their members — ultimately punting until at least mid-November as moderates push for an analysis of the bill — Senate Democrats are warning that it is likely to change once it reaches their chamber. The bill faces multipronged challenges in the Senate: An even narrower majority, complex rules governing what can be in the legislation and a chaotic process that lets Republicans try to peel off enough Democrats to inject changes into the legislation or sink it altogether. (Carney, 11/7)

Reuters: U.S. Democrats Pass $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill, Ending Daylong Standoff
After a daylong standoff, Democrats set aside divisions between progressives and centrists to pass a $1 trillion package of highway, broadband and other infrastructure improvement, sending it on to President Joe Biden to sign into law. The 228-to-206 vote late on Friday is a substantial triumph for Biden's Democrats, who have bickered for months over the ambitious spending bills that make up the bulk of his domestic agenda. (Cornwell and Brice, 11/6)

The Hill: Gottlieb Not Expecting Travel From Outside US To 'Feed A Lot Of Additional Infections'
Asked if the resumption of international travel will feed into the delta variant wave of COVID-19 infections the U.S. is experiencing, Gottlieb told host Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he does not think the new policy will have a significant effect on cases in the U.S. because of the vaccine requirement and individuals not wanting to be trapped in a foreign country with the virus. “I don't think the travel coming in from outside the U.S. is gonna feed additional infections or a lot of additional infections,” Gottlieb said. (Schnell, 11/7)

CNBC: Medicare Has Coverage Gaps Despite Congressional Effort To Expand It
If Democratic lawmakers get their way, Medicare will start covering hearing services for the first time in the program’s history. The coverage, which would take effect in 2023, is included in Democrats’ proposed $1.85 trillion spending bill, dubbed the Build Back Better Act and aimed partly at strengthening the social safety net. The legislative package still needs approval in both the House and Senate before it could be signed into law by President Joe Biden. (O'Brien, 11/6)

The New York Times: Congress Is Investigating McKinsey Over Its Role In The Opioid Crisis
In a new assault on the global consulting giant McKinsey & Company, Congress on Friday started an investigation into the firm’s role in the opioid crisis, sending a letter demanding records related to its “business practices, conflicts of interest and management standards.” The 12-page letter, which was sent by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, asked for names of McKinsey clients in the health care industry as well as documents connected to its work with opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers. The committee is also looking at how McKinsey’s consulting for drugmakers may conflict with work it has done for the Food and Drug Administration. (Bogdanich and Forsythe, 11/5)

Stat: Walensky’s Efforts To Resuscitate The CDC Are Faltering
Operating via Zoom from her home office in Newton, Mass., Rochelle Walensky is facing down a challenge that would sound herculean for even the most hardened players in the federal bureaucracy: resuscitating the CDC. Her challenge is especially tough because as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Walensky is a political outsider and finds herself playing second fiddle to Anthony Fauci, the face of the U.S. pandemic response who has advised presidents for decades. And there’s this: The White House has not hesitated to undercut Walensky’s scientific expertise, and the agency’s scientific process. (Facher, 11/8)

The Washington Post: Pete Buttigieg’s Infant Son Home From Hospital After Spending A Week On A Ventilator
The infant son of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg returned home Friday after three weeks of medical treatment, 125 miles in an ambulance, and a “terrifying” period spent on a ventilator, Buttigieg’s spouse said. Chasten Buttigieg and his husband, who is the nation’s first openly gay Cabinet Secretary, adopted Joseph August and his sister Penelope Rose in late summer. It was only in recent weeks that the couple revealed that their son, whom they refer to as “Gus,” was in poor health. (Jeong, 11/6)

CIDRAP: Survey Reveals Entrenched US COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
A detailed national survey of Americans, which included residents of the four largest US metropolitan areas, found that about half of those unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID-19 were unlikely to change their minds. A research team based at Emerson University published their findings yesterday in Scientific Reports. The 36-question survey of 6,037 Americans was conducted in April 2021, roughly a year into the pandemic. One third of the respondents were part of the national sample, and two thirds were from Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. (11/5)

AP: Pfizer Says COVID-19 Pill Cut Hospital, Death Risk By 90%
Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, as the drugmaker joined the race for an easy-to-use medication to treat the coronavirus. Currently most COVID-19 treatments require an IV or injection. Competitor Merck's COVID-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it. (11/5)

CBS News: When Will Americans Be Able To Get A COVID-19 Antiviral Pill?
As the U.S. braces for a potential new wave of the virus this winter, there are promising signs that the first pill to treat COVID-19 in some at-risk Americans could be available by the end of the year. A panel of the Food and Drug Administration's outside advisers is scheduled to meet on November 30 to weigh a potential emergency use authorization for molnupiravir, an antiviral drug developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics that recently won authorization in the United Kingdom. (Tin, 11/5)

The Boston Globe: Pregnant Women With COVID-19 Face Higher Rates Of Severe Illness And Preterm Birth. Why Are So Few Vaccinated?
During the final month of her pregnancy last March, Amanda Piantedosi faced a dilemma. Her doctor urged her to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Her husband, parents, in-laws, and friends argued strongly against it. Pregnant women infected with COVID-19 face higher rates of severe illness, preterm birth, and other complications. But her family members, although willing to get vaccinated themselves, worried about whether a new vaccine would be safe for the baby. (Freyer, 11/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccines And Myocarditis Link Probed By Researchers
Some theories center on the type of spike protein that a person makes in response to the mRNA vaccines. The mRNA itself or other components of the vaccines, researchers say, could also be setting off certain inflammatory responses in some people. One new theory under examination: improper injections of the vaccine directly into a vein, which sends the vaccine to heart muscle. To find answers, some doctors and scientists are running tests in lab dishes and examining heart-tissue samples from people who developed myocarditis or pericarditis after getting vaccinated. (Loftus, 11/7)

AP: NBA To Players, Coaches, Refs: Booster Shots Are Recommended
The NBA told its players, coaches and referees on Sunday that they should receive booster shots against the coronavirus, with particular urgency for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The league and the National Basketball Players Association — working jointly based on guidance from the NBA’s public health and infectious disease experts — said those who received Johnson & Johnson shots more than two months ago should get a booster. The booster recommendation also was made for those who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine at least six months ago. (Reynolds, 11/7)

CIDRAP: College Football Didn't Fuel COVID-19 Spread Among Players, Study Suggests
COVID-19 didn't appear to spread efficiently within and among teams competing in the fall 2020 Southeastern Conference (SEC) college football season, finds an observational study published late last week in JAMA Network Open. The study, led by a Texas A&M University researcher, analyzed close contacts (within 6 feet) among opposing players during official games and COVID-19 athlete testing data from Sep 26 to Dec 19, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 11/3)

Axios: Study Finds In-Person Class Benefits Outweigh COVID Risks For Kids 
A new study looked at COVID-19 spread among schools and found that kids can safely remain in class with the proper mitigation measures. The toll of learning loss due to the pandemic has been enormous. With vaccines now approved for almost everyone older than 4 — and clear evidence that spread can be controlled in schools — classes should be able to remain open. (Walsh, 11/6)

CIDRAP: Pets Also Vulnerable To COVID-19 Cardiac Complications
Domestic pets are susceptible to the Alpha SARS-CoV-2 variant (B117) and can experience severe illness, according to a case series of cats and dogs published by researchers from the United Kingdom yesterday in Veterinary Record. The study examined illnesses in six pets, which included four cats and two dogs. All had experienced acute cardiac disease onset, including severe myocarditis. The animals tested positive for the Alpha variant or had antibodies 2 to 6 weeks after illness. Many of the owners had been sick with COVID-19 before their pets became ill. (11/5)

The New York Times: Two Spotted Hyenas At The Denver Zoo Are The First Known To Have Covid-19
Two spotted hyenas at the Denver Zoo have tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the first known cases in the world among hyenas, zoo and veterinary services officials announced on Friday. The adult hyenas, 22-year-old Ngozi and 23-year-old Kibo, have so far exhibited mild symptoms of Covid, including “a little bit of coughing and sneezing,” and nasal discharge and lethargy, but they are believed to be “in good shape and improving,” Jake Kubié, a spokesman for the Denver Zoo, said on Saturday. (Manuel Ramos, 11/7)

CBS News: SAINT: Hope For New Treatment Of Depression
A new experimental treatment using a fast-acting approach with targeted magnetic stimulation of the brain, called Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy, has achieved significant success in trials. (11/7)

CNN: Discrimination Could Lead To Higher Risk For Mental Problems, Study Finds 
Young adults who experience discrimination about their bodies, race, age or sex have a greater risk of dealing with mental health problems than those who do not, a new study has found. Encountering discrimination -- especially racism -- has long been associated with negative effects on overall well-being, such as higher levels of stress, poor cognitive function, anxiety, depression and substance use, previous studies have found. Those who faced discrimination frequently -- at least a few times per month -- were around 25% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder and twice as likely to develop severe psychological distress than people who didn't experience discrimination or did less often, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. (Rogers, 11/8)

Bloomberg: LGBTQ People Were More Likely To Lose Income During The Pandemic
In a first-of-its-kind survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly a quarter of LGBTQ people reported losing income during the Covid-19 pandemic, a higher share than non-LGTBQ respondents. U.S. unemployment and income statistics don’t specifically measure the LGBTQ experience. This past July, the U.S. Census Bureau for the first time collected information about sexual orientation and gender identity of respondents to its Household Pulse Survey. Across four surveys about emotional and economic well-being, LGBTQ respondents reported higher levels of food insecurity, anxiety and depression than non-LGBTQ people. (Silvan, 11/5)

AP: Food Banks Embark On Expansions With Lessons From COVID
Food banks across the country are pursuing major expansion projects driven in part by their experiences during the pandemic, when they faced an explosion of need. “So many people who had never had to ask for help found themselves in a position of needing it and not knowing where to go,” said Ginette Bott, president and chief executive of the Utah Food Bank. “It was like somebody flipped a switch.” Even though demand for fresh and packaged provisions has dropped from pandemic peaks, the need remains far above pre-pandemic levels. (Thanawala, 11/5)

The Daily Yonder: ‘No Surprises’ Legislation Benefits Rural Residents Starting January 1
Imagine for a moment you are a rural teacher driving home on a wintery day. As you navigate the icy roads, your car runs off the road and into a ditch. A passing motorist sees the accident and calls 9-1-1. Unconscious, you aren’t aware what is happening. When the emergency medical crew shows up to treat you, there’s no one around to give consent for you. (11/6)

CIDRAP: Report Highlights Need For Maternal Group B Strep Vaccine
A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is calling for more urgency on efforts to develop a maternal vaccine against group B Streptococcus (GBS) to prevent newborn deaths, neurodevelopmental problems, and maternal complications. Although the GBS bacterium is common in the human microbiome and is carried by an average of 15% of all pregnant women worldwide (approximately 20 million women globally), it can be passed to newborns during labor and delivery and cause serious invasive infections, including meningitis, bacterial pneumonia, and sepsis. (Dall, 11/4)

NPR: Cost and controversy are limiting use of new Alzheimer's drug
The new Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm isn't reaching many patients. And doctors say reasons include its high cost, insurers' reluctance to cover it, and lingering questions about whether it actually slows memory loss. "The pendulum of public opinion has swayed strongly against this drug," says Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, an Alzheimer's specialist at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Ariz., who has worked as an advisor to Biogen, which makes the drug. (Hamilton, 11/8)

NPR: Drugmaker Drops Cheaper Version Of Drug, Leaving Patients Stuck With Pricier One
Sudeep Taksali thought his battle to avoid a medication's steep price tag was over. He was wrong. In 2020, he'd fought to get insurance to cover a lower-priced version of a drug his then 8-year-old daughter needed. She'd been diagnosed with a rare condition called central precocious puberty, which would have caused her to go through sexual development years earlier than her peers. NPR and KHN wrote about Taksali and his family as part of our Bill of the Month series. (Lupkin, 11/6)

Modern Healthcare: House Bill Calls For Biggest Increase In GME Slots In Decades
The House's version of President Joe Biden's domestic policy package includes something hospitals have been pushing for for decades: thousands more residency slots paid for by Medicare. If enacted, this would be the biggest expansion of the Graduate Medical Education program in decades and a win for hospital groups that are projecting looming doctor shortages sparked by an aging population and retiring physicians. (Hellman, 11/5)

Stat: Clinical Trial Sites Face Challenges In Diversifying Personnel And Participants
As demands for diversity and equity increase across the globe, a new analysis finds nearly 75% of patients who are enrolled in industry-sponsored clinical trials in academic medical centers and community hospitals are white. Yet the proportion of a given race or ethnicity among clinical trial personnel closely aligns with the corresponding race or ethnicity of study participants, according to the Center for Study of Drug Development at Tufts University, which conducted the analysis of nearly 3,200 trial sites that are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The findings suggest that clinical research organizations and drug makers face stiff challenges in order to diversify both trial personnel and participants, according to center director Ken Getz. (Silverman, 11/5)

Bloomberg: A Video Game Only A Pharmacist Could Love Ferrets Out Drug Fraud
Robert Lodder, a professor at the University of Kentucky’s School of Pharmacy and a biopharmaceutical entrepreneur, has long enjoyed a good video game. Now he’s turning his passion for gaming into a powerful tool to identify defective and dangerous drugs. Together with Heather Campbell, an engineer in the pharmaceutical industry who has a penchant for software coding, Lodder has created a video game to help hospitals and pharmacies ferret out shoddy drugs. The pair have already deployed their game to lead them to a disturbing insight: Some pharmaceutical firms may be skimping on active ingredients to save money at the expense of drug quality. For someone with a headache, that could mean a bit of added discomfort. For a patient recovering from heart surgery, a weakened drug could cause serious harm. (Edney, 11/7)

Crain's Chicago Business: Why One Small Hospital System Stands Pat While Others Bulk Up
Loyola Medicine has reached a strategic crossroads in a consolidating market. Anchored by an academic medical center, Maywood-based Loyola has long stood out in the local market by providing more advanced care than other hospitals in the western suburbs. But its future is less clear as behemoths like Advocate Aurora Health, NorthShore University HealthSystem and Northwestern Medicine build sprawling regional networks with more than three times as many hospitals. (Goldberg, 11/5)

The Wall Street Journal: Blackstone To Invest Up To $250 Million In Autolus Therapeutics Of U.K.
Blackstone Inc. BX -1.37% is investing as much as $250 million in U.K. biotechnology company Autolus Therapeutics AUTL -1.59% PLC to fund the final stages of development of a new therapy to treat a serious form of leukemia, the companies said. Of the total investment, as much as $150 million will support the development and commercialization of obecabtagene autoleucel, a cell therapy that targets a condition called acute lymphoblastic leukemia. London-based Autolus will receive $50 million of that upfront, with the rest to be paid as the company achieves certain milestones. In return, Blackstone’s life-sciences unit will receive a portion of the therapy’s royalties. (Gottfried, 11/7)

The Hill: Protesters Clash In Boston Over Mask And Vaccine Mandates
A rally against COVID-19 public safety measures like mask and vaccine mandates brought dozens of protesters and even more counter-protesters to Boston Common on Sunday, where the participants breached police barricades and repeatedly clashed, according to The Boston Globe. Police said two people were arrested, the Globe reported. The newspaper estimated that "scores" of right-wing protesters turned out, while hundreds of counter-demonstrators showed up — along with hundreds of police trying to keep them apart. (Beals, 11/7)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia’s Legal Battle With Biden Over Vaccine Mandates Grows
Georgia’s top Republicans have expanded their legal battle against President Joe Biden’s vaccine requirements with a new lawsuit that challenges the administration’s plan to mandate vaccinations for millions of employees of private companies. Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, along with Alabama and Florida officials, filed the lawsuit on Friday to challenge a federal order requiring companies with 100 or more employees to impose mandatory coronavirus vaccinations of their staff or weekly testing by Jan. 4. (Bluestein, 11/7)

The Boston Globe: R.I.’s Eleanor Slater Hospital, Landmark Medical Center Receive Violation Notices Due To Unvaccinated Staff
The state’s deadline to get every health care worker in the state vaccinated passed nearly a week ago, but two Rhode Island hospitals are still not in compliance with the mandate. The Globe has confirmed that state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital and Prime Healthcare’s Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket have received Notices of Violation from the state health department for being out of compliance with the health care worker vaccination requirement for COVID-19. (Gagosz and Amaral, 11/5)

AP: Arizona Reports 3,000-Plus COVID Cases For 4th Day In A Row
Health officials in Arizona on Sunday reported over 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day. The state Department of Health Services’ coronavirus dashboard reported 3,231 additional cases but just one death. The latest numbers increased Arizona’s pandemic totals to 1,189,708 cases and 21,409 known deaths. State health officials had reported 3,352 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, then 3,813 more cases Friday and 3,592 additional cases Saturday. (11/7)

AP: 3 Tennessee School Districts Land $4.6M Mental Health Grant
Tennessee officials say three school districts will receive more than $4.6 million in federal mental health program funding. The Tennessee Department of Education says Bledsoe County Schools, Haywood County Schools and Scott County Schools are receiving Project AWARE funding through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The project trains school workers and other adults in the community who interact with school-aged children on mental health and offers more services to students and parents. (11/8)

NBC News: These Southern California Groups Are Fighting To Close Latino Vaccination Gaps
A Latino Covid-19 vaccination gap in California's third largest county has medical workers and community groups scrambling to close the disparities before the holidays. Latinos are the second largest demographic group in Orange County, making up 35 percent of the population, but they have the lowest vaccination rate — 21.8 percent —according to OC Health Care Agency data. (Flores, 11/5)

AP: Strict Mandate Takes Effect In LA. Business Patrons Must Show Proof Of Vaccination
LOS ANGELES — Yoga studio owner David Gross felt relieved after Los Angeles passed a vaccine mandate that is among the strictest in the country, a measure that took effect Monday that requires proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons. (11/8)

The Boston Globe: Five Years Later, Legal Marijuana Remains Unfinished Business In Massachusetts
On Nov. 8, 2016, Massachusetts voters legalized marijuana, closing a door on more than a century of prohibition and opening one to an uncertain new era. In doing so, they brushed past gloomy prophecies from opponents — a spike in youth consumption, a rash of stoned driving accidents, ultra-conspicuous pot shops next to toy stores — and heeded arguments from legalization advocates that a tightly regulated cannabis market would be safer, fairer, and more lucrative for government coffers than the sprawling illicit one. (Adams, 11/7)

AP: German COVID Infection Rate At New High As Vaccinations Slow
Germany’s coronavirus infection rate climbed to its highest recorded level yet on Monday as what officials have called a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” gathers pace. The national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said the country has seen 201.1 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. That was above the previous record of 197.6 from Dec. 22 last year. While it’s still a lower rate than in several other European countries, it has set alarm bells ringing. (11/8)

AP: New Infections Hit Record As Russia's COVID-19 Wave Persists
Russia’s COVID-19 cases hit another one-day record as the country struggles to contain a wave of infections and deaths that has persisted for more than a month. The national coronavirus task force on Saturday reported 41,335 new cases since the previous day, exceeding the previous daily record of 40,993 from Oct. 31. The task force said 1,188 people with COVID-19 died, just seven fewer than the daily death record reported Thursday. (11/6)

The Washington Post: Spain To Pay For IVF For Lesbians, Bisexual Women And Some Trans People
Spain’s health minister on Friday signed an order making available free fertility treatment for women regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status, as well as for transgender people who can become pregnant. The move, which Madrid said is likely to benefit some 8,500 people, was applauded by LGBTQ advocacy groups that have long called for the public health system to pay for procedures such as in vitro fertilization for individuals who can become pregnant. State-funded fertility treatment had previously been limited to heterosexual women who had trouble conceiving children, according to the Associated Press. (Cheng, 11/6)

AP: Poles Protest Strict Abortion Law After Pregnant Woman Dies
Protesters turned out in Warsaw and in many other Polish cities Saturday to decry the country’s restrictive abortion law, which they say has led to the death of a young mother with pregnancy that had medical problems. The protesters held portraits of the woman, 30-year-old Iza, who died in hospital in Pszczyna, southern Poland, from septic shock. She died in September but her death just became known in the last week. Doctors at the hospital held off terminating her 22-week pregnancy despite the fact that her fetus lacked enough amniotic fluid to survive, her family and a lawyer say. The doctors have been suspended and prosecutors are investigating. (11/6)

Reuters: Japan Has Zero Daily COVID-19 Deaths For First Time In 15 Months
Japan recorded no daily deaths from COVID-19 for the first time in more than a year on Sunday, local media said. Prior to Sunday, there had not been a day without a COVID-19 death since Aug. 2, 2020, according to a tally by national broadcaster NHK. COVID-19 cases and deaths have fallen dramatically throughout Japan as vaccinations have increased to cover more than 70% of the population. (11/8)

The New York Times: Britain’s Health Secretary Urges People To Get Booster Shots Amid A Surge
Britain’s health secretary is urging eligible residents to get booster shots of the coronavirus vaccine, aiming to reduce pressure on the country’s health system as winter approaches. Ten million Britons, largely those over age 50, have received booster shots since the government began offering them, and millions more will be invited in the coming weeks to book appointments. (Kwai, 11/7)