First Edition: Oct. 22, 2020

KHN: Even With ACA’s Fate In Flux, Open Enrollment Starts Soon. Here’s What’s New.
Facing a pandemic, record unemployment and unknown future costs for COVID-19 treatments, health insurers selling Affordable Care Act plans to individuals reacted by lowering rates in some areas and, overall, issuing only modest premium increases for 2021. “What’s been fascinating is that carriers in general are not projecting much impact from the pandemic for their 2021 premium rates,” said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (Appleby, 10/22)

KHN: Biden’s Big Health Agenda Won’t Be Easy To Achieve 
If Joe Biden wins the presidency in November, health is likely to play a high-profile role in his agenda. Just probably not in the way he or anyone else might have predicted. Barring something truly unforeseen, it’s fairly certain that on Jan. 20 the U.S. will still be in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic — and the economic dislocation it has caused. Coincidentally, that would put a new President Biden in much the same place as President Barack Obama at his inauguration in 2009: a Democratic administration replacing a Republican one in the midst of a national crisis. (Rovner, 10/22)

KHN: Californians Asked To Pony Up For Stem Cell Research — Again 
In an election year dominated by a chaotic presidential race and splashy statewide ballot initiative campaigns, Californians are being asked to weigh in on the value of stem cell research — again. Proposition 14 would authorize the state to borrow $5.5 billion to keep financing the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), currently the second-largest funder of stem cell research in the world. Factoring in interest payments, the measure could cost the state roughly $7.8 billion over about 30 years, according to an estimate from the nonpartisan state Legislative Analyst’s Office. (Bluth, 10/22)

KHN: Analysis: Winter Is Coming For Bars. Here’s How To Save Them. And Us. 
If we really want to stem the spread of the coronavirus as winter looms and we wait for a vaccine, here’s an idea: The government should pay bars, many restaurants and event venues to close for some months. That may sound radical, but it makes scientific sense and even has a political precedent. We pay farmers not to cultivate some fields (in theory, at least, to protect the environment), so why not compensate owners to shut their indoor venues (to protect public health)? (Rosenthal, 10/22)

AP: CDC Redefines COVID-19 Close Contact, Adds Brief Encounters
The definition change was triggered by a report on that case of a 20-year-old Vermont correctional officer, who was diagnosed with a coronavirus infection in August. The guard, who wore a mask and goggles, had multiple brief encounters with six transferred prisoners before test results showed they were positive. At times, the prisoners wore masks, but there were encounters in cell doorways or in a recreational room where prisoners did not have them on, the report said. An investigation that reviewed video footage concluded the guard’s brief interactions totaled 17 minutes during an 8-hour shift. (Stobbe, 10/21)

Politico: CDC Broadens Definition Of Who's At Risk Of Getting Coronavirus 
The CDC on Wednesday ramped up its criteria for who's at risk of contracting the coronavirus, in a move with major implications for school and workplace reopenings. The updated guidance defines a “close contact” as anyone who spends at least 15 minutes within six feet of an infected individual over a 24-hour period. The agency previously applied that designation to people who spent 15 consecutive minutes within six feet of someone with Covid-19. (Ehley, 10/21)

The Washington Post: CDC Expands Definition Of Who Is A ‘Close Contact’ Of An Individual With Covid-19 
The change by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is likely to have its biggest impact in schools, workplaces and other group settings where people are in contact with others for long periods of time. It also underscores the importance of mask-wearing to prevent spread of the virus, even as President Trump and his top coronavirus adviser continue to raise doubts about such guidance. (Sun, 10/21)

Stat: CDC Expands Definition Of ‘Close Contacts,’ After Study Suggests Covid-19 Can Be Passed In Brief Interactions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday expanded how it defines a “close contact” of someone with Covid-19 as it released new evidence showing the coronavirus can be passed during relatively brief interactions. Previously, the CDC described a close contact as someone who spent 15 minutes or more within six feet of someone who was infectious. Now, the agency says it’s someone who spent a cumulative 15 minutes or more within six feet of someone who was infectious over 24 hours, even if the time isn’t consecutive, according to an agency spokesperson. (Joseph, 10/21)

CNN: CDC Updates Its Guidelines For Close Covid-19 Contact After Prison Guard Gets Infected 
Redfield said it's an example of real-world science informing policy. The CDC has now updated its definition of what constitutes a close contact. "As we get more data and understand the science of Covid, we are going to incorporate that in our recommendations," Redfield said at a news conference held at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. (Fox and Mascarenhas, 10/21)

The Washington Post: Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty To Federal Criminal Charges
The Justice Department announced a historic $8.3 billion settlement Wednesday with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma, capping a long-running federal investigation into the company that, for critics, became a leading symbol of corporations profiting from America’s deadly addiction to opioid painkillers. As part of the deal — the largest such settlement ever reached with a pharmaceutical company, officials said — Purdue Pharma agreed to plead guilty to three felonies. (Kornfield, Rowland, Bernstein and Barrett, 10/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Purdue Pharma Reaches $8.34 Billion Settlement Over Opioid Probes 
Steve Miller, the chairman of Purdue’s board, said the company regrets and accepts responsibility for the misconduct cited by prosecutors, which includes illegal kickbacks and misrepresentations made to the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Purdue today is a very different company,” he said. “We have made significant changes to our leadership, operations, governance, and oversight.” (Randazzo, 10/21)

AP: OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma To Plead To 3 Criminal Charges
The deal does not release any of the company’s executives or owners — members of the wealthy Sackler family — from criminal liability, and a criminal investigation is ongoing. Family members said they acted “ethically and lawfully,” but some state attorneys general said the agreement fails to hold the Sacklers accountable. (Balsamo and Mulvihill, 10/21)

Politico: DOJ Announces $8B-Plus Settlement With OxyContin Maker 
The resolution with the Trump administration also includes a mandate to dissolve Purdue, with the Sacklers relinquishing all ownership and control. The company's assets, pending the approval of a bankruptcy court, will be redirected to a government-owned "public benefit company" that will still produce OxyContin and opioid addiction treatment. Last week, 25 state attorneys general wrote a letter urging the Justice Department against making such a move, saying the government shouldn't benefit from sales of OxyContin, the 25-year-old drug that helped power the addiction crisis. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen defended the plan against those criticisms. (Luthi, 10/21)

The New York Times: Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty To Criminal Charges For Opioid Sales 
Members of the Sackler family said in a statement that they “acted ethically and lawfully.” Issued on behalf of members who had served on the company’s board, the family statement added: “The board relied on repeated and consistent assurances from Purdue’s management team that the company was meeting all legal requirements. ”OxyContin, which came on the market in the mid-90s, is seen as an early, ferocious driver of the opioid epidemic and Purdue is regarded as the architect of muscular, misleading drug marketing. (Hoffman and Benner, 10/21)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Grants Alabama’s Request For Ban On Curbside Voting 
The Supreme Court said Wednesday night that Alabama state officials can prohibit counties from offering curbside voting to people with disabilities and others worried about the coronavirus pandemic. The court’s conservative justices granted a request by Alabama’s secretary of state to put on hold decisions by lower courts allowing counties that wanted to provide the service to proceed. The vote was 5 to 3, with the court’s liberals dissenting. (Barnes, 10/21)

NPR: Supreme Court Blocks Curbside Voting In Alabama, An Option During Pandemic
The Supreme Court has sided with Alabama state officials who banned curbside voting intended to accommodate individuals with disabilities and those at risk from the COVID-19 virus. The high court issued its order Wednesday night, without explanation, over the dissent of the court's three liberal justices. (Totenberg, 10/21)

The New York Times: Supreme Court Bars Curbside Voting In Alabama 
In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Elena Kagan, said the state’s policy discriminated against older and disabled voters. “If those vulnerable voters wish to vote in person,” Justice Sotomayor wrote, “they must wait inside, for as long as it takes, in a crowd of fellow voters whom Alabama does not require to wear face coverings,” referring to masks that help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. (Liptak, 10/21)

Politico: Senate Democrats To Boycott Barrett’s Judiciary Committee Vote Thursday
Senate Democrats plan to boycott Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s Judiciary Committee vote Thursday in an act of protest, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday. “We will not grant this process any further legitimacy by participating in a committee markup of this nomination just 12 days before the culmination of an election that is already underway,” the New York Democrat said. (Levine, 10/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Democrats To Boycott Committee Vote On Amy Coney Barrett 
The Judiciary panel’s chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), told reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday night that there would be a vote Thursday without Democrats, even if that meant breaking committee rules. Committee rules require the presence of two members of the minority party to conduct business and a majority to be “actually present” in order to vote on a nominee. There are 10 Democrats serving on the Judiciary Committee and 12 Republicans. But the chairman could override the rules if he wanted. The bigger impediment is a rule of the full Senate that requires a majority of the committee to be physically present in order to send a nomination to the Senate floor. Because a majority would be 12, all Republicans must show up in person for the nomination to proceed. (Wise, 10/21)

Politico: Obama Skewers Trump As Former President Hits Campaign Trail
Former President Barack Obama unloaded on his successor Wednesday in Philadelphia as Democrats’ biggest luminary hit the campaign trail in support of his onetime vice president. Obama lambasted President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 Americans and infected nearly 8.4 million — including the president, members of his family and many of his top aides. ... Obama also sought to reclaim credit for the economy that, prior to the virus’ arrival, Trump and his allies frequently touted and used it as a cudgel against the current president. “Now, he did inherit the longest streak of job growth in American history,” Obama said. “But just like everything else he inherited, he messed it up.” (Niedzwiadek, 10/21)

USA Today: Barack Obama Blasts Trump In Philly Speech Supporting Biden
Much of Obama's speech was leavened with humor. Obama said his administration left a pandemic playbook for how to respond to the emergency, but with the number of cases rising again after eight months, Trump “probably used it to prop up a wobbly table somewhere.” “Donald Trump isn’t suddenly going to protect all of us,” Obama said of the president who became infected. “He can’t even take the basic steps to protect himself.” Obama said the pandemic would have challenged any president. But he said other countries demonstrated how to deal with it better, including South Korea with 1.3% of the per capita U.S. death toll and Canada with 39%. “If he’d have been working the whole time, it never would have gotten this bad,” Obama said. “But this idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this up is just not true.” (Jansen, 10/21)

NPR: Entreating Pa. Residents To Vote, Obama Delivers Rebuke Of Trump 
He admonished the Trump administration for dismantling environmental protection programs and its efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He also reprimanded Trump for his rhetoric and spreading misinformation. "America is a good and decent place," Obama said. "But we've just seen so much noise and nonsense that sometimes it's hard for us to remember. Philadelphia, I'm asking you to remember what this country can be." (Sprunt, 10/21)

The Washington Post: In Five States, More Early Votes Have Been Cast Than Trump Received In 2016 
There are a lot of reasons that the country has seen a surge in early voting in 2020. The most obvious is the coronavirus pandemic, which has spurred voters to seek out ways to reduce or eliminate the need to interact with other people when voting. There’s also likely an element of partisanship. President Trump’s false assertions about the risk posed by mail-in voting has pushed a divide between Democrats and Republicans on the process. Polling has consistently shown that Democrats are embracing absentee and early voting, perhaps in part because Trump rejects it. And then there’s the other, subtler reason: A lot of voters appear to want to simply put this whole election behind them, casting ballots now just to be done with the whole thing. (Bump, 10/21)

Politico: Government Watchdog Knocks Postal Service For Operational Changes 
The independent government watchdog for the United States Postal Service has concluded that a sweeping series of operational changes implemented at the agency by President Donald Trump’s postmaster general “negatively impacted the quality and timeliness of mail delivery” across the country. In a report released this week in response to various congressional requests, the USPS Office of Inspector General analyzed the cost-cutting measures Postmaster General Louis DeJoy put in place after assuming control of the agency in June — as well as the nearly six dozen strategies initiated by USPS operations executives to achieve financial targets. (Forgey, 10/21)

The New York Times: Presidential Elections May Be Bad For Your Health
The stress of presidential elections may increase the incidence of heart attacks and strokes, researchers report. Scientists tracked hospitalizations for acute cardiovascular disease in the weeks before and after the 2016 presidential election among about three million adults who were enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health care system. (Bakalar, 10/20)

Politico: Senate Dems Block Republicans’ Narrow Covid Relief Plan
Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a narrow $500 billion Republican-led coronavirus relief proposal, as the path forward on a broader deal still remains elusive just two weeks before the election. The Republican measure, which failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to move forward, was nearly identical to the Senate GOP bill Democrats rejected in September. Republicans are accusing Democrats, who are pushing for a multi-trillion dollar plan, of taking an all-or-nothing approach to coronavirus relief, while Democrats dismissed Wednesday’s vote as nothing more than a political stunt. (Levine, 10/21)

Politico: Pelosi Suggests Coronavirus Relief Deal Could Slip Past November Elections 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Wednesday that a deal on a coronavirus relief package may not come together before the Nov. 3 elections. “I’m optimistic, because even with what Mitch McConnell says — we don’t want to do it before the election — but let’s keep working so that we can do it after the election,” she said on MSNBC. (Niedzwiadek, 10/21)

The Washington Post: Trump Slams Democratic Leaders As Hopes For Pre-Election Stimulus Deal Fizzle 
President Trump accused congressional Democratic leaders Wednesday evening of blocking a new economic relief deal, further narrowing the path for any agreement to emerge ahead of the election. “Just don’t see any way Nancy Pelosi and Cryin’ Chuck Schumer will be willing to do what is right for our great American workers, or our wonderful USA itself, on Stimulus. Their primary focus is BAILING OUT poorly run (and high crime) Democrat cities and states … Should take care of our people,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday evening. (Werner and Min Kim, 10/21)

The Hill: Nearly 1 Million People Have Run Out Of Unemployment Payments: Analysis 
Nearly 1 million people have exhausted their unemployment benefits since March after losing their jobs to the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis published Wednesday by a progressive think tank. The Century Foundation calculated that 933,731 people received their maximum allotment of unemployment insurance payments by Aug. 31, according to Labor Department and Treasury Department data. The number and size of unemployment insurance payments are determined by each state. (Lane, 10/21)

The Washington Post: Trump Administration Considers Labeling Top Humanitarian Groups ‘Anti-Semitic’
The Trump administration is considering labeling some of the most prominent humanitarian organizations in the world, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, as “anti-Semitic,” according to two people familiar with the discussions. A declaration by the State Department could come as early as this week, the individuals said, adding that it might encourage other governments not to support the groups’ work. ... Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam each strenuously denied any accusation of anti-Semitism. “Any insinuation that Oxfam supports anti-Semitism is false, baseless, and offensive,” Noah Gottschalk of Oxfam America said. (Hudson, 10/21)

USA Today: COVID Vaccine Is Coming In 'A Matter Of Weeks Or Months,' HHS Says
At least one COVID-19 vaccine should be available as soon as the end of this year, and the general public should be able to get vaccinated by early spring, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday. “There is hope on the way in the form of safe and effective vaccines in a matter of weeks or months,” said Azar, speaking in Atlanta at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the rare public briefing, Azar laid out a specific timetable that didn't exactly match what the government has previously said.  (Weintraub, 10/21)

The Washington Post: Unprecedented Vaccine Trials On Track To Begin Delivering Results 
In a matter of weeks, one of the most closely watched human experiments in history will start to report early results, with data on prospective coronavirus vaccines possibly coming this month or in November from the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the biotechnology company Moderna. Amid the turmoil, chaos and misinformation that have defined the U.S. response to the pandemic, progress toward a vaccine, or vaccines, has been steady, reassuring and scientific. Political meddling has so far been largely deflected. Drug companies, working closely with the U.S. government and fueled by an infusion of more than $10 billion of taxpayer money, have developed, tested and scaled up a half-dozen potential vaccines at unprecedented speed. (Johnson, 10/21)

AP: Regulators, Experts Take Up Thorny Vaccine Study Issues
The U.S. regulators who will decide the fate of COVID-19 vaccines are taking an unusual step: Asking outside scientists if their standards are high enough. The Food and Drug Administration may have to decide by year’s end whether to allow use of the first vaccines against the virus. Thursday, a federal advisory committee pulls back the curtain on that decision process, debating whether the guidelines FDA has set for vaccine developers are rigorous enough. “We will not cut corners, and we will only use science and data to make that determination,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn pledged at a meeting of the Milken Institute Wednesday. (Neergaard and Perrone, 10/22)

Stat: Watching This FDA Hearing Can Help Ease Your Covid-19 Anxieties 
The Covid-19 pandemic has turned obscure regulatory bodies into front-page news. Among these is the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, the group that reviews the safety and effectiveness of vaccine candidates and then makes recommendations to the FDA about whether to authorize and license vaccines. (Nachlis, 10/21)

The Washington Post: Volunteer In Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Dies, Reportedly Did Not Receive Experimental Vaccine
A Brazilian who participated in the clinical trial of an experimental coronavirus vaccine has died, officials here said Wednesday. Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency, which is overseeing multiple vaccine trials in a country suffering one of the world’s worst outbreaks, said the individual volunteered to receive the vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University and produced by AstraZeneca. The Brazilian newspaper O Globo, citing unnamed sources, reported that the volunteer was in a control group that did not receive the experimental vaccine and died of covid-19. The news service G1 said the volunteer was a 28-year-old physician who treated coronavirus patients in Rio de Janeiro. (McCoy, Traiano and Johnson, 10/21)

The Hill: COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Will Continue After Subject Given Placebo Dies In Brazil 
AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine trial will continue after officials found no safety issues despite the death of a Brazilian subject, the University of Oxford announced Wednesday. Oxford, which is developing the drug with AstraZeneca, said that officials have conducted an assessment of the death and “there have been no concerns about safety of the clinical trial.” (Budryk, 10/21)

NPR: Promising Antibody Drugs For COVID-19 Would Have To Be Rationed
The Food and Drug Administration is evaluating two potential drugs that could help keep people healthy after they've been infected with the coronavirus. So far, there's no clear system to make sure they would be allocated fairly or how to pay for these expensive drugs over the long haul. "Demand is going to far outstrip supply here," says Rena Conti at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. (Harris, 10/21)

Stat: As Covid-19 Intensifies, Shortages Of Staple Drugs May Grow Worse
You can add a new worry to the health concerns caused by Covid-19: a sustained shortage of a medicines needed to combat the coronavirus and countless other illnesses. Across the U.S. and Europe, 29 out of 40 drugs used to combat the coronavirus are currently in short supply. And those shortages are expected to grow even worse as the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations surge in the coming winter months, according to a new report by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. (Silverman, 10/21)

CIDRAP: Report Details COVID-19 Drug Shortages—And Solutions
Researchers lay out not only how the US drug supply chain has been vulnerable for years, but how those vulnerabilities are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To transform what the authors call a "fail and fix" approach to a "predict and prevent" paradigm, they offer nine specific recommendations that involve a more coordinated national policy framework to track, identify, mitigate, and prevent drug shortages using a transparent database of drug supply chains. This public database would encompass all prescription drug products in the US market, and analysis of the data would focus on the most critical drugs and the consequences that would likely be experienced if there is a shortage. (McLernon, 10/21)

Reuters: 'Please Stay Home:' COVID-19 Tightens Grip On U.S. Midwest 
Six U.S. states reported record day-over-day increases in COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, according to a Reuters analysis, as infections rose across the Midwest and elsewhere, prompting new clampdowns on residents, schools and businesses. Deaths attributed to COVID-19 hit daily records in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Kansas, Hawaii and Wisconsin, Reuters found. Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Colorado and Ohio reported record daily increases in new infections, the tally showed. ... “Folks, please stay home,” Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said in a statement on Wednesday. “Help us protect our communities from this highly-contagious virus and avoid further strain on our hospitals.” (Shumaker and Caspani, 10/21)

The Hill: CDC: 75 Percent Of US Seeing Increases In COVID-19 Cases In 'Critical Phase' Of Pandemic 
The number of COVID-19 cases is increasing in 75 percent of the country as the U.S. approaches a “critical phase” of the pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials said Wednesday. “Unfortunately we're seeing a distressing trend here in the United States,” Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for infectious diseases, said at a media briefing at the agency's headquarters in Atlanta. (Hellmann, 10/21)

AP: Whitmer: Michigan At 'Dangerous Moment' As Virus Cases Spike
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned Wednesday that Michigan has more confirmed daily cases of the coronavirus than ever, noting a sharp increase since the state Supreme Court invalidated her sweeping orders earlier this month. The number of COVID-19 cases had been gradually rising for months prior to the Oct. 2 ruling, from a seven-day average of 119 in June to 984 — as the Democratic governor loosened economic restrictions and allowed schools to reopen. Since the court decision, the seven-day average is up to 1,818 — surpassing the April peak and nearly double what it was almost three weeks ago — though surrounding states without legal rulings have also seen similarly big spikes over the same time period. (Eggert and White, 10/22)

The Hill: Rising COVID-19 Cases Raise Worries About Trump Rallies 
The Trump campaign is facing criticism for holding packed outdoor rallies and some indoor events where people don’t wear masks, even as cases of COVID-19 increase in most states ahead of an anticipated winter surge. Outbreaks are particularly bad in midwestern states like Wisconsin, where the Trump campaign has ramped up its efforts as he seeks to win a second term. Wisconsin is one of the key states the president needs to win to secure four more years. (Hellmann, 10/21)

USA Today: COVID Cases May Surge After Thanksgiving, Christmas Gatherings
Dr. Eric Cioe-Peña and his wife come from large families and typically split the holiday festivities, getting together with one group of relatives for Thanksgiving and another one at Christmas. This year, they’ll reluctantly keep their distance from both. "We’re going to have to make sacrifices," said Cioe-Peña, an emergency room physician and director of Global Health at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York. "My wife and I decided this year’s going to be nuclear family, and we’re not inviting anybody over." (Ortiz, 10/21)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Infectious Period Ranges From 10 To 20 Days, Study Finds
A study yesterday in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found that individuals with mild or no COVID-19 symptoms may be infectious for no more than about 10 days, while those with severe illness may be able to spread the virus for as long as 20 days. The infectious periods align with US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for isolation time. An accurate understanding of the infectious period duration is vital for COVID-19 infection control practices, according to the study authors. The meta-analysis reviewed 77 studies worldwide that evaluated duration of viral shedding as detected via replication through polymerase chain reaction. (10/21)

The New York Times: No, Mouthwash Will Not Save You From The Coronavirus 
A rash of provocative headlines this week offered a tantalizing idea: that mouthwash can “inactivate” coronaviruses and help curb their spread. ... But outside experts warned against overinterpreting the study’s results, which might not have practical relevance to the new coronavirus that has killed more than 220,000 Americans. Not only did the study not investigate this deadly new virus, but it also did not test whether mouthwash affects how viruses spread from person to person. (Wu, 10/21)

AP: Next Up In Hunt For COVID-19 Vaccine: Testing Shots In Kids
The global hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine for kids is only just beginning — a lagging start that has some U.S. pediatricians worried they may not know if any shots work for young children in time for the next school year. Older adults may be most vulnerable to the coronavirus, but ending the pandemic will require vaccinating children, too. Last week, Pfizer Inc. received permission to test its vaccine in U.S. kids as young as 12, one of only a handful of attempts around the world to start exploring if any experimental shots being pushed for adults also can protect children. (Neergaard, 10/21)

AP: Virus Spikes Have Officials Looking To Shore Up Hospitals
Hospitals across the United States are starting to buckle from a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with several states setting records for the number of people hospitalized and leaders scrambling to find extra beds and staff. New highs in cases have been reported in states big and small — from Idaho to Ohio — in recent days. The rise in cases and hospitalizations was alarming to medical experts. Around the world, disease trackers have seen a pattern: First, the number of cases rises, then hospitalizations and finally there are increases in deaths. Seeing hospitals struggling is alarming because it may already be too late to stop a crippling surge. (Pane, Johnson and Peters, 10/21)

Stat: CRISPR Therapeutics' CAR-T Treatment Shows Encouraging Results
An off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy developed by CRISPR Therapeutics induced complete remissions in some patients with advanced B-cell lymphoma, but a patient death was also deemed to be related to the treatment, the company said Wednesday. The clinical trial results are preliminary and represent an effort by CRISPR Therapeutics to expand CRISPR-edited treatments into cancer care. The company, in partnership with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, is also conducting clinical trials of CRISPR-based therapies for patients with rare, inherited blood disorders. (Adam Feuerstein, 10/21)

Stat: Covid-19 Is Pushing Pharma Companies To The Cloud
The drug industry has been gradually migrating to the cloud for years. But the Covid-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated that shift for a simple reason: Researchers needed to run the biggest experiment of their lives in record time, and they lacked the power to launch it. (Ross, 10/22)

AP: US Surgeon General To Plead Not Guilty In Hawaii Virus Case
A lawyer for U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Wednesday that his client, who is charged with illegally entering a Hawaii public park that was closed because of the coronavirus, will plead not guilty. The criminal complaint against Adams, who was on Oahu in August helping with surge testing amid a spike in coronavirus cases, says he and two other men were looking at the view and taking pictures at Kualoa Regional Park on the island’s northeastern coast. The rural park offers a view of the famed Mokolii island, also known as Chinaman’s Hat for its cone shape. (Jones, 10/21)

The New York Times: As Schools Across The U.S. Move To Reopen Doors, Boston Does An About-Face
One moment Boston parents were looking forward to school doors reopening sooner or later for kindergartners and pre-kindergarteners. The next they were learning that those few students who had already been allowed back in person were being sent back home. “I am heartbroken that today we have to close our doors to our highest-need students,” Boston’s schools superintendent, Brenda Cassellius, said Wednesday. (10/22)

The Washington Post: Fresno City College Professor Told Student She Can’t Breastfeed During Virtual Class 
One month into the semester, Marcella Mares got an email from her professor at Fresno City College. It said that going forward, cameras and microphones would have to be turned on for her virtual statistics class. Mares knew that would be a difficult adjustment with her then-10-month-old baby at home with her during the pandemic. “I emailed him back privately and I had told him that I didn’t have a problem with turning on my camera and microphone, but I would need to turn it off if I needed to feed my baby,” Mares said of the Sept. 23 incident. His email reply, she says, shocked her: It said she shouldn’t breastfeed during class and should instead wait until after the four-hour instruction is over. (Youn, 10/21)

The Washington Post: U Of Michigan Hit With Emergency Stay-At-Home Order Amid Coronavirus Spike. But The Football Team Will Play On.
As health officials in Washtenaw County, Mich., recorded hundreds of new coronavirus cases in recent weeks, they found a common thread: the University of Michigan campus, where officials have blamed the rising infections on students ignoring coronavirus restrictions. On Tuesday, local health authorities issued an emergency stay-at-home order for the campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... Athletics, though, are exempt — meaning that the Wolverines’ football team will keep preparing for a road game in Minnesota on Saturday and an Oct. 31 home opener against rival Michigan State University. (Elfrink, 10/21)

AP: Wanna Go For A Walk? Westminster Dog Show Leaves NYC For '21
The Westminster dog show is set to take a long walk. The nation’s top pooch pageant will be held outdoors at an estate about 25 miles north of Manhattan on June 12-13 because of the pandemic, the Westminster Kennel Club said Wednesday. The shift to the Lyndhurst site along the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York, will mark the first time in more than 100 years that best in show at Westminster hasn’t been awarded at Madison Square Garden. In 1920, the top prize was presented at Grand Central Palace in New York. (10/22)

Politico: Murphy Begins Self-Quarantine After Senior Staffer Tests Positive For Covid
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy abruptly left a press event in Camden County on Wednesday minutes after learning that one of his senior staffers had tested positive for the coronavirus. Though Murphy has tested negative for the virus, he and First Lady Tammy Murphy will quarantine until the end of the weekend, Communications Director Mahen Gunaratna said in a statement. (Landergan and Sutton, 10/21)

The New York Times: Is A Second Wave Starting? New Yorkers Are Steeling Themselves 
A father of three in Brooklyn is back to stockpiling medicine and rubbing alcohol. A publicist has put her plan to return to her office in Manhattan on hold indefinitely. And a mother in Central Park has again — and again — delayed taking her 15-month-old daughter back to the toddler music classes she loved. “Big groups of kids, we’re not doing any of that,” said the mother, Aneya Farrell, 34. “She hasn’t seen a lot of babies over the past six months.” (Wilson, 10/21)

The New York Times: Cuomo Lifts Some Lockdown Rules In N.Y.C. Hot Spots As Rates Drop
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday that some lockdowns in New York City neighborhoods with rising coronavirus cases would be eased, allowing the reopening of schools and businesses that had been shuttered. But stringent restrictions remained in place for other neighborhoods at the heart of the outbreaks in Brooklyn, as well as for several communities in Rockland and Orange Counties. Another neighborhood, Ozone Park in Queens, was added to the list requiring limitations on activity. (McKinley and Goodman, 10/21)

AP: 2 Dead From COVID-19 Cases Tied To N Carolina Church Event
A COVID-19 outbreak linked to a multi-day church event in North Carolina has left at least two people dead, health officials said Wednesday. Mecklenburg County authorities said there are now 68 cases since the local health department initially reported the outbreak on Saturday, The Charlotte Observer reported. That was one week after the conclusion of the Oct. 4-11 event at the United House of Prayer for All People in Charlotte. The county said at least four people have been hospitalized. (10/21)

AP: Court Orders California To Cut San Quentin Inmates By Half
A California appeals court has ordered state corrections officials to cut the population of one of the world’s most famous prisons to less than half of its designed capacity, citing officials’ “deliberate indifference” to the plight of inmates during the coronavirus pandemic. State prison officials said Wednesday that they are deciding whether to appeal the order, which otherwise will force them to parole or transfer about 1,100 inmates serving time in San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco. (Thompson, 10/22)