First Edition: Oct. 23, 2020

KHN: Workers Fired, Penalized For Reporting COVID Safety Violations
When COVID-19 began making headlines in March, Charles Collins pulled out a protective face mask from the supply at the manufacturing company in Rockaway, New Jersey, where he was the shop foreman and put it on. The dozen or so other workers at the facility followed suit. There was no way to maintain a safe distance from one another on the shop floor, where they made safety mats for machines, and a few of the men had been out sick with flu-like symptoms. Better safe than sorry. Management was not pleased. Collins got a text message from one of his supervisors saying masks were to be used to protect workers from wood chips, metal particles and other occupational safety hazards. “We don’t provide or for that matter have enough masks to protect anybody from CORVID-19 [sic]!” If workers didn’t stop using the masks for that purpose, the supervisor texted, “we’ll have to store them away just like the candy!” “I was shocked,” said Collins, 38. “They weren’t taking it seriously.” (Andrews, 10/23)

KHN: Travel On Thanksgiving? Pass The COVID
Molly Wiese was truly stumped. Her parents and siblings live in Southern California, and Wiese, a 35-year-old lawyer, has returned home every Christmas since she moved to Minnesota in 2007. Because of the pandemic, Wiese thought it would be wiser to stay put for once. But in June, Wiese’s father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and they feared this could be his final holiday season. (Almendrala, 10/23)

KHN: KHN On The Air This Week 
KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed the impact of the election and the upcoming Supreme Court challenge on the Affordable Care Act with New Hampshire Public Radio’s “The Exchange” and WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” on Wednesday. Rovner also spoke with Newsy’s “Morning Rush” on Thursday about the roles of health care and COVID-19 in the presidential campaign. (10/23)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: A Little Good News And Some Bad On COVID-19 
For the first time in a long time, there is some good news about the coronavirus pandemic: Although cases continue to climb, fewer people seem to be dying. And there are fewer cases than expected among younger pupils in schools with in-person learning. But the bad news continues as well — including a push for “herd immunity” that could result in the deaths of millions of Americans. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is doubling down on efforts to allow states to require certain people with low incomes to prove they work, go to school or perform community service in order to keep their Medicaid health benefits. The administration is appealing a federal appeals court ruling to the Supreme Court and just granted Georgia the right to impose a work requirement. (10/22)

USA Today: FDA Approves Remdesivir As Treatment For COVID-19 Hospital Patients
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved the antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization. Given through an IV, remdesivir works to stop replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the drug's manufacturer, California-based Gilead Sciences, Inc. Previously authorized by the FDA for emergency use to treat COVID-19, the drug is now the first and only approved COVID-19 treatment in the United States, Gilead said in a release. (Rice, 10/22)

Politico: FDA Approves Remdesivir As First Coronavirus Drug 
The FDA on Thursday approved Gilead's coronavirus drug remdesivir — making it the only Covid-19 treatment to win full approval from U.S. regulators. The agency based its decision on three randomized, controlled trials that showed remdesivir can reduce the length of hospital stays and the likelihood that patients will require oxygen. None of those trials, including a large study run by the National Institutes of Health, found that the drug could reduce the risk of death, however. (Brennan, 10/22)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Approves First Drug For Treating Coronavirus Patients 
The F.D.A. said the antiviral drug had been approved for adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) who require hospitalization for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, which has killed more than 220,000 people in the United States. ... The drug does not prevent deaths in Covid-19 patients. The formal approval now granted by the F.D.A. indicates that the drug cleared more rigorous regulatory hurdles involving a more thorough review of clinical data and manufacturing quality since it was given emergency authorization in May. (10/22)

AP: FDA Approves First COVID-19 Drug: Antiviral Remdesivir
The drug, which California-based Gilead Sciences Inc. is calling Veklury, cut the time to recovery by five days — from 15 days to 10 on average — in a large study led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It had been authorized for use on an emergency basis since spring, and now becomes the first drug to win full Food and Drug Administration approval for treating COVID-19. President Donald Trump received it when he was sickened earlier this month. (Marchione, 10/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump, Joe Biden Clash Over Covid, Ethics In Calmer Presidential Debate
Mr. Trump was reminded by the moderator of his criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement as a “symbol of hate,” but said he had enacted policies to help minorities, including sentencing reform. He attacked Mr. Biden’s role in crafting tough crime laws in the 1990s. Mr. Biden conceded that the 1994 crime law was a mistake, but sarcastically referred to Mr. Trump as “Abraham Lincoln” and mocked the president’s claim that he was the least racist person in the room. “He pours fuel on every single racist fire, every single one,” Mr. Biden said, citing Mr. Trump’s comments on Mexican immigrants and his restrictions on travel from several Muslim-majority countries. “This guy is a dog whistle about as big as a fog horn.” (McCormick and Leary, 10/23)

USA Today: Biden Says He'd Create 'Bidencare' If Supreme Court Strikes Down Affordable Care Act
Former Vice President Joe Biden cast aside attacks from President Donald Trump over what health care could look like under a Democratic president, saying his plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, should it be dismantled, would be dubbed "Bidencare." (Hayes, 10/22)

USA Today: ‘Learning To Live’ With COVID-19, Bidencare And Other Top Moments From The Final Presidential Debate
Trump, who took the first question on how his administration is going to deal with the latest surge in [COVID] cases, said the mortality rate has decreased and that the surges will go away. “We’re fighting it, and we’re fighting it hard,” Trump said. “There’s some spikes and surges in other places, and they will soon be gone.” Biden responded by criticizing the president for not doing more to prevent the deaths of 220,000 Americans from the virus so far. “Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America,” Biden said. (Morin and Santucci, 10/22)

The New York Times: In Calmer Debate, Biden And Trump Offer Sharply Different Visions For Nation 
Mr. Biden, for his part, stuck to the core of the argument that has propelled his campaign from the start, denouncing Mr. Trump as a divisive and unethical leader who has botched the federal response to a devastating public-health crisis. ... “We’re about to go into a dark winter, a dark winter, and he has no clear plan,” Mr. Biden said. Mr. Trump shot back: “I don’t think we’re going to have a dark winter at all — we’re opening up our country.” But when the president said “we’re learning to live with” the coronavirus, Mr. Biden pounced. “We’re learning to die with it,” he said. (Burns and Martin, 10/22)

AP: Trump, Biden Fight Over The Raging Virus, Climate And Race
The president, who promised a vaccine within weeks, said the worst problems are in states with Democratic governors, a contention at odds with rising cases in states that voted for Trump in 2016. Biden, meanwhile, vowed that his administration would defer to scientists on battling the pandemic and said that Trump’s divisive approach on suffering states hindered the nation’s response. (Lemire, Price, Superville and Weissert, 10/23)

Stat: As Trump Misleadingly Boasts Of ‘Rounding The Turn’ On Covid-19, Biden Warns Of ‘Dark Winter’
Trump, as he has throughout the pandemic, largely glossed over the country’s death toll and painted an optimistic picture about the availability of Covid-19 vaccines. ... Biden attempted to throw cold water on Trump’s boasts, warning Americans they likely wouldn’t have access to a Covid-19 for several months, if not longer. “We’re about to go into a dark winter,” Biden said. “He has no clear plan, and there’s no prospect that a vaccine is going to be available for the majority of the American people before the middle of next year.” (Facher, 10/22)

Time: As Joe Biden Touts 'Bidencare,' Donald Trump Promises a Health Care Plan That Doesn't Exist
Biden took the opportunity to plug his own health care plan, which he called “Bidencare” multiple times on stage, a sign that he is growing more confident in the popularity of the proposal. The former Vice President would boost the ACA’s subsidies to help more people buy health coverage and would create a government-run public option. The idea of a public option for health insurance has gotten significantly more popular in recent months. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that 67% of likely voters support a public option, even more than the 55% who support Obamacare. (Abrams, 10/22)

NPR: Trump Vs. Biden On Health Care: Compare Their Platforms
Health care was going to be the defining issue of the 2020 election before a pandemic and economic upheaval eclipsed pretty much everything else. But of course, the pandemic has highlighted many health policy issues. With a highly contagious virus spreading around the world, "you might be thinking more about the importance of health insurance, or you may be worried about losing your job, which is where you get your health insurance," says Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. "The COVID pandemic and health policy are intertwined." (Simmons-Duffin, 10/22)

Business Insider: What Is Trump's Healthcare Plan? It Looks A Lot Like Obamacare. 
Ezekiel Emanuel, a health policy expert who was an architect of the original ACA in the Obama administration, is skeptical that any major Republican changes to his legislation are truly in the works. "They've had 10, almost 11 years now, after passage of the Affordable Care Act to put in place an alternative, and they haven't done it," Emanuel told Insider. "They don't have a plan." Perhaps that's because Republicans don't really want to get rid of the whole ACA.  (Brueck and Leonard, 10/22)

The Hill: Trump Says He Hopes Supreme Court Strikes Down ObamaCare 
President Trump says in an interview with “60 Minutes” that he would like to see the Supreme Court “end” the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and that he would announce his own health care plan after the case is ruled on. “It is developed. It is fully developed. It is going to be announced very soon when we see what happens with ObamaCare, which is not good,” Trump said when questioned by CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl on why he hasn’t released the health care plan that he has long promised. (Chalfant, 10/22)

Forbes: Trump Presented CBS With Book On His Health Care Record – Opened To A Blank Page
President Trump on Wednesday tweeted photos of 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl holding a large book ostensibly documenting his healthcare accomplishments – but one photo showed Stahl opening the book to a blank page, underscoring Democratic attacks against Trump’s health care record. (Solender, 10/21)

The Washington Post: U.S. Signs International Declaration Challenging Right To Abortion And Upholding ‘Role Of The Family’
The United States joined Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia and Uganda on Thursday to co-sponsor a nonbinding international antiabortion declaration, in a rebuke of United Nations human rights bodies that have sought to protect abortion access. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar participated in the virtual signing ceremony. The Geneva Consensus Declaration aims to promote women’s health, “defends the unborn and reiterates the vital importance of the family,” Pompeo said at the ceremony. (Berger, 10/22)

The Hill: US Joins Countries Including Egypt, Uganda In Asserting 'No International Right To Abortion' 
The U.S. joined Egypt, Uganda and three other countries in signing a declaration on Thursday that asserts there is no “international human right to abortion.” The declaration is intended as a rebuke of the United Nations’s support for “sexual and reproductive rights,” language the U.S. argues endorses abortion. (Hellmann, 10/22)

USA Today: Amy Coney Barrett: What Happens Next In Her Supreme Court Confirmation
The Senate panel charged with vetting Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination voted to approve her Thursday, an important step in her confirmation to the high court. ... The full Senate plans to vote on Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court on Monday, likely allowing Barrett to take her place as the ninth justice just days before Election Day. (Hayes, 10/22)

The Washington Post: Senate Republicans Fume As Mnuchin Gives Ground To Pelosi In Search Of Deal 
Senate Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as he makes what they see as unacceptable compromises in his quest for a stimulus deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, multiple people familiar with the talks said Thursday. Mnuchin has committed to a top-line figure of around $1.9 trillion, much too high for many Senate Republicans to swallow. That includes at least $300 billion for state and local aid, also a non-starter for many in the GOP. (Werner and Stein, 10/22)

The Hill: McConnell Says 'No Concerns' After Questions About Health 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday there were "no concerns" about his health, after bandages and what appeared to be bruises on his hands drew widespread attention this week. McConnell, 78, batted down questions from reporters in the Capitol about if he had health concerns, which would come as he is running for a seventh term. (Carney, 10/22)

AP: US Regulators Seek Advice On Thorny Issues As Vaccines Near
Scientific advisers told U.S. regulators Thursday they’re concerned that allowing emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine could damage confidence in the shots and make it harder to ever find out how well they really work. The Food and Drug Administration may have to decide by year’s end whether to allow use of the first vaccines against the coronavirus. Facing growing public fears that politics may override science, the FDA took the unusual step of assembling more than a dozen independent scientists to review if its standards are high enough to judge the shots. The panelists generally supported guidelines for the vaccines that the FDA recently issued, over White House objections. (Neergaard and Perrone, 10/23)

The Washington Post: FDA Advisory Committee Debates Safety And Efficacy Standards For A Coronavirus Vaccine
Vaccine experts on Thursday rigorously debated the Food and Drug Administration’s planned standards for clearing a coronavirus vaccine quickly for broad use, discussing what level of evidence would be sufficient to establish safety and effectiveness. The FDA advisory committee, in an all-day virtual meeting, did not consider any specific vaccine. The session served in large part as a venue for the agency to try to reassure the public that any vaccine will be held to a high standard, not the relatively low bar used this year for emergency use authorization for treatments. The FDA said that though it probably will grant emergency use authorizations — which can be handed out faster than full approvals — for the early vaccines, it will use robust criteria similar to those applied in regular approvals. (McGinley and Johnson, 10/22)

The New York Times: Experts Tell F.D.A. It Should Gather More Safety Data On Covid-19 Vaccines 
The meeting, which lasted all day and was broadcast on YouTube, also included a presentation by a nonprofit group that interviewed people about their views about a coronavirus vaccine. Several people of color expressed concern about whether the vaccine had been studied in people who are Black, Latino or Native American. Others said their skepticism had historical roots dating to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, in which government scientists lied to Black men and allowed them to go untreated for syphilis. “I firmly believe that this is another Tuskegee experiment,” one participant said. (Thomas, 10/22)

Politico: An Angry Azar Floats Plans To Oust FDA’s Hahn 
Infuriated by the FDA’s defiance in a showdown over the Trump administration’s standards for authorizing a coronavirus vaccine, health secretary Alex Azar has spent recent weeks openly plotting the ouster of FDA chief Stephen Hahn. Azar has vented to allies within the Health and Human Services Department about his unhappiness with the top official in charge of the vaccine process, and discussed the prospect of seeking White House permission to remove him, a half-dozen current and former administration officials said. (Cancryn and Diamond, 10/22)

The Washington Post: Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Is Fully Enrolled; 37 Percent Of Participants Are Minorities 
Moderna, the biotechnology firm partnering with the National Institutes of Health to develop a coronavirus vaccine, announced Thursday that it has fully enrolled its trial, with 30,000 participants — more than a third of whom are minorities. The coronavirus vaccine trials have been closely watched to ensure they reflect the diversity of the U.S. population at a minimum, and Moderna’s enrollment was slowed in September to recruit more minorities. A fifth of the participants are Hispanic and 10 percent are Black, according to data released by the company. People over 65, a population also at high risk for coronavirus, make up 25 percent of the study population. (Johnson, 10/22)

USA Today: Pfizer Has Expanded Its COVID-19 Vaccine Trial To Include Teens. Some Say It's Risky. Others Argue It's Necessary.
Pfizer is the only one of the leading drug companies to allow minors into a vaccine trial. Some pediatric vaccine experts say drugmakers and federal regulators should wait until the vaccines have been proven safe and effective in adults before moving to children. ... But Dr. Barbara Pahud, director of research in the infectious diseases department at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, said it's immoral not to get kids into trials as soon as possible. "We should not allow children to die," she said. "That's our job as pediatricians to make noise and make sure people are noticing." (Weintraub, 10/22)

The New York Times: Schoolchildren Seem Unlikely To Fuel Coronavirus Surges, Scientists Say
Months into the school year, school reopenings across the United States remain a patchwork of plans: in-person, remote and hybrid; masked and not; socially distanced and not. But amid this jumble, one clear pattern is emerging. So far, schools do not seem to be stoking community transmission of the coronavirus, according to data emerging from random testing in the United States and Britain. Elementary schools especially seem to seed remarkably few infections. (Mandavilli, 10/22)

CIDRAP: Down Syndrome Tied To 10 Times The Risk Of COVID-19 Death 
In findings that could place another group onto the COVID at-risk list, researchers in the United Kingdom estimated in a research letter published yesterday that adults with Down syndrome are at almost five times the risk for COVID-19–related hospitalization and 10 times the risk for related death. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and led by researchers from the University of Oxford, involved 8.26 million adults, 4,053 of them diagnosed as having Down syndrome. The team analyzed information from a primary care database to determine if the abnormal immune responses, congenital heart disease, and lung abnormalities common in people who have the syndrome could be risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness. (Van Beusekom, 10/22)

The Washington Post: Stop Wiping Down Groceries And Focus On Bigger Risks, Say Experts On Coronavirus Transmission
Although studies continue to show that the novel coronavirus can be detected on contaminated objects after days or weeks, a consensus has emerged among scientists that the virus is rarely transmitted through contact with tainted surfaces and that it’s safe to stop taking such extreme measures as quarantining your mail and wiping down your groceries. “To the best of my knowledge, in real life, scientists like me — an epidemiologist and a physician — and virologists basically don’t worry too much about these things,” said David Morens, a senior adviser to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony S. Fauci. (Chang, 10/22)

Stat: Blood Plasma Showed No Benefit In Covid-19 Patients In Trial
Infusing hospitalized Covid-19 patients with blood plasma from people who recovered from the disease had no effect on whether patients got sicker or died, according to the first completed randomized trial of the treatments. The study, published Thursday in BMJ, could re-energize the debate over whether blood plasma is an effective treatment for the disease. An earlier study, run by the Mayo Clinic, showed blood plasma did yield some benefit, leading the Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency access to the therapy in August. That trial, however, did not have a control arm. (Garde and Herper, 10/22)

The Atlantic: The Coronavirus Surge That Will Define the Next 4 Years
The United States is sleepwalking into what could become the largest coronavirus outbreak of the pandemic so far. In the past week alone, as voters prepare to go to the ballot box, about one in every 1,000 Americans has tested positive for the virus, and about two in every 100,000 Americans have died of it. Today, the United States reported 73,103 new cases, the third-highest single-day total since the pandemic began, according to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic. ... This third surge is far more geographically dispersed than what the country saw in the spring or summer: The virus can now be found in every kind of American community, from tiny farm towns to affluent suburbs to bustling border cities. This is the first of the American surges with no clear epicenter: From North Carolina to North Dakota, and Colorado to Connecticut, more Americans are contracting COVID-19. (Meyer, 10/22)

The Colorado Sun: Coronavirus Is A Historic Health Crisis. So Why Isn’t It Increasing Colorado Health Insurance Prices? 
Amid a historic public health crisis, something curious has happened with health insurance prices: Nothing. When state officials this month unveiled the approved rates for next year’s health insurance plans, they announced the smallest change in years. Average prices for plans in the individual market — where people shop for insurance if they don’t get coverage through an employer — are set to decline by 1.4%. Average prices in the small-group market — where small employers buy plans for their workers — are set to rise by 3.8%. ... It raises a question. Why hasn’t the coronavirus pandemic — and all the costly medical care that can go along with it — led to higher insurance prices? (Ingold, 10/22)

NPR: Hospital Bills For Uninsured COVID-19 Patients Are Covered Under The CARES Act 
When Darius Settles died from COVID-19 on the Fourth of July, his family and the city of Nashville, Tenn., were shocked. Even the mayor noted the passing of a 30-year-old without any underlying conditions — one of the city's youngest fatalities at that point. Settles was also uninsured and had just been sent home from an emergency room for the second time, and he was worried about medical bills. An investigation into his death found that, like many uninsured COVID-19 patients, he had never been told that cost shouldn't be a concern. (Farmer, 10/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Palantir To Help U.S. Track Covid-19 Vaccines 
Data-mining company Palantir Technologies Inc. is helping the federal government set up a system that will track the manufacture, distribution and administration of Covid-19 vaccines, state and local health officials briefed on the effort said. Palantir has been developing software that federal health officials would use to manage the various vaccine data and identify any issues that could prevent Americans from getting the shots, according to the health officials and materials reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. (Loftus and Winkler, 10/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Makers To Face Challenges When Recognizing Revenue 
Drugmakers developing Covid-19 vaccines can add one more challenge to their list: how to account for the sales. The companies will face challenges recognizing revenue due to a lack of specific guidance from U.S. regulators and standard-setters on Covid-19 vaccines and the sheer scale of the production effort. (Maurer, 10/22)

Reuters: As COVID-19 Cases Spike, Pneumonia Vaccine Demand Rockets And Europe Runs Low
As COVID-19 infections rise, people seeking to avoid one lung disease compounding another are queuing up to get inoculated against bacterial pneumonia, causing shortages of a Merck & Co vaccine in parts of Europe. Demand for Merck’s Pneumovax 23, which is used to prevent pneumococcal lung infections, has hit record highs across the world, the company said. (Parodi, Burger and Erman, 10/23)

Stat: FDA Wants Pharma To Include Younger Women In Breast Cancer Drug Trials 
The Food and Drug Administration is pushing drug companies to include younger people in drug trials for breast cancer drugs — a boon for the more than 16,000 American women under the age of 40 who are diagnosed with the condition each year. The FDA’s new guidance, published in draft form earlier this month, encourages drug companies that are investigating hormonal treatments for breast cancer to include people who are premenopausal in the drug trials, provided they take adequate hormone-suppressing drugs. (Ritzel, 10/23)

The Wall Street Journal: Walmart Files Pre-Emptive Lawsuit Against Federal Government In Opioid Case 
Walmart Inc. sued the federal government in an attempt to strike a pre-emptive blow against what it said is an impending opioid-related civil lawsuit from the Justice Department. The retail giant said in a lawsuit filed Thursday that the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration are seeking to scapegoat the company for the federal government’s own regulatory and enforcement shortcomings in combating the opioid crisis. Walmart said the government is seeking steep financial penalties against the retailer for allegedly contributing to the opioid crisis by filling questionable prescriptions. (Kendall and Randazzo, 10/22 )

The Washington Post: Virus Shutdowns Took A Grim Toll On Amputee Veterans Who Died By Suicide, Families Say
As coronavirus restrictions unfurled a dangerous mix of depression and anxiety, the scourge of suicide cut through a tiny community of amputee veterans in recent months, claiming at least three in a group where isolation is already a potent risk factor. (Horton, 10/22)

Arizona Republic: Even At School For Deaf Kids, Online Learning A Struggle For Deaf Boy
Marci Barenburg's 8-year-old son, Eric Cardenas, is deaf and attends the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind's Phoenix campus. Eric has been with the same cohort of kids since kindergarten, forming "really tight" bonds that Barenburg doesn't believe would be as plentiful in a school not specifically designed for kids like him. She said all students and staff on campus know sign language. ... Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The school sent kids home and went fully remote on March 16. "He went from being the kid whose favorite thing in the world was school to ... absolutely hating school," she said. "He would beg not to do schoolwork and do online school. He would do it, but it would take a lot of work and he would have a lot of fits." (Frank, 10/21)

The Washington Post: Target Offering Shopping Appointments During Holiday Season 
At a time when the thought of holiday crowds might be more frightening than festive, Target is introducing a new safety measure: reservations. ... During the holidays, shoppers can visit Target.com/line to see if there is a line outside their local store and reserve a spot. They’ll be notified when it’s their turn to shop. (Telford, 10/22)

The Washington Post: Southwest Will Start Filling Middle Seats Dec. 1 
Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines, which has been limiting the number of seats sold on its flights since May, announced in its third-quarter earnings report today that it will halt the practice beginning Dec. 1. The policy will go into effect after Thanksgiving, which typically brings the busiest air travel day of the year. (McMahon, 10/22)

Politico: Murphy: Exposure To Staffer Who Tested Positive For Covid Occurred Over Drinks
A trip to a German beer hall in Hoboken, N.J., will cost New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy his weekend. Murphy, who on Wednesday announced he would be entering quarantine after being alerted during a press conference that Mike DeLameter, his deputy chief of staff, had tested positive for coronavirus, said Thursday morning that his exposure to DeLameter happened over drinks. “At the table, you're having a drink, you're eating something. By definition, you're taking your mask off,” Murphy said during an interview on radio station 1010 WINS. (Sutton and Landergan, 10/22)

The Hill: Alabama Lieutenant Governor Tests Positive For COVID-19 
Alabama’s lieutenant governor tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday after previously criticizing a statewide mask mandate. “After being notified this afternoon that a member of my Sunday school church group had acquired the coronavirus, I was tested out of an abundance of caution and received notice that the results proved positive,” Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth (R) said in a statement. (Jenkins, 10/22)

Chicago Tribune: Some Restaurants In Illinois Are Defying Closure Orders As Ban On Indoor Service Spreads To Chicago Suburbs 
Despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recent order to shut down indoor service at bars and restaurants in northwest Illinois due to the coronavirus, Fozzy’s Bar and Grill near Rockford was among those that stayed open.Owner Nick Fosberg said he had to leave the doors open to keep his employees working, pay his bills and stay in business. He says the workers wear masks, and customers wear masks on their way in and out, while tables are spaced 6 feet apart, at 25% capacity. “We’re sticking to what we were doing and being safe about it,” he said. “We’re getting a ton of support. People are happy someone finally stood up and said, ‘I’m not closing.’” (McCoppin, 10/22)

Anchorage Daily News: COVID-19 Outbreak Expands In Overcrowded Fairbanks Jail
A coronavirus outbreak in an overcrowded Fairbanks jail is growing, with 55 inmates now testing positive. The Alaska Department of Corrections first acknowledged the outbreak on Saturday, when the DOC said that 33 people had tested positive for COVID-19 at Fairbanks Correctional Center, which houses a mix of people arrested but awaiting trial and sentenced prisoners. The jail also serves as an intake facility for people from all over northern Alaska entering DOC custody. (Theriault Boots, 10/21)

The Salt Lake Tribune: Gov. Herbert Warns Utah Hospitals ‘Starting To Fill Up’ As State’s COVID-19 Cases Continue To Soar 
Gov. Gary Herbert told reporters Thursday that as the state experiences record-high coronavirus hospitalizations and case counts continue to climb, the health care system is at or near capacity.As 1500 new cases were reported, Herbert warned “our hospitals are starting to fill up.” (Rodgers, Alberty and Means, 10/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Poland’s Top Court Tightens Strict Abortion Laws 
Poland’s top court declared abortions unconstitutional when conducted because of fetal abnormalities, a victory for the Catholic conservative ruling party in its yearslong struggle to further tighten some of Europe’s strictest such laws. Poland will now only allow abortions in cases of rape, incest, or when the health of the woman is at stake. Its laws make the majority Catholic country nearly the hardest place in the European Union to terminate a pregnancy, excluding tiny states such as Malta or in jurisdictions such as Northern Ireland, where such procedures are illegal. (Hinshaw and Ojewska, 10/22)

CIDRAP: PTSD Symptoms Noted In 29% Of Norwegian Health Workers
A survey of healthcare and public service providers in Norway shows high rates of mental health problems, especially among those with direct COVID-19 patient care, highlighting the need for mental health monitoring and support. Previous studies have identified higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among healthcare workers during pandemics due to fear of infection, higher patient deaths, responsibility for difficult decisions, and disruption of social support. The risk of pandemic-associated mental health problems has also been shown to be higher for women, younger workers, people previously diagnosed as having a mental disorder, and those lacking social support. (10/22)

AP: WHO Africa: New Rapid Tests A 'Game Changer' Against COVID
Health officials in Africa say the rollout of rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 could be a “game changer” for their fight against the coronavirus but also warned Thursday that increased testing could drive up confirmed cases on a continent that has seen them decline or plateauing as case numbers soar in the West. Some experts worry that Africa so far has lacked the ability to test widely enough, especially in hard-to-reach rural areas, and that its case counts therefore don’t reflect reality and impede tracking the virus. (Keaten, 10/22)