Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Juul Settles Lawsuit For Allegedly Marketing To Young People In Arizona
Axios: JUUL To Pay Arizona $14.5 Million To Settle Lawsuit
E-cigarette giant Juul Labs will pay Arizona $14.5 million as part of a settlement for a lawsuit alleging it illegally targeted young people in its marketing. The company faces over 2,000 lawsuits related to its marketing practices, which included fruit-flavored liquid pods and ad buys on youth websites like Cartoon Network, per Reuters. State and local governments have said it fueled a vaping epidemic among teens. (Chen, 11/23)
AP: Juul To Pay $14.5 Million To Settle Arizona Vaping Lawsuit
E-cigarette giant Juul Labs will pay Arizona $14.5 million and vowed not to market to young people in the state to settle a consumer fraud lawsuit. The settlement announced by Attorney General Mark Brnovich Tuesday is the second Juul has reached with state prosecutors. It ends litigation the Republican U.S. Senate candidate filed in January 2020 against Juul and another maker of electronic cigarettes, alleging they illegally targeted young people in their marketing. Arizona previously obtained a $22.5 million judgment against defunct vaping product maker Eonsmoke but has not and is not likely to collect any of the money. (Christie, 11/24)
Health News Florida: Florida Supreme Court Sides With RJR And Rejects A $5 Million Punitive Award For A Smoker's Widow
Siding with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, the Florida Supreme Court last week rejected a $5 million punitive-damages award in a lawsuit involving the death of a smoker in 2007. It was one of thousands of cases filed against the tobacco industry after a 2006 Supreme Court ruling that established critical findings about issues such as the dangers of smoking and misrepresentation by cigarette makers. (11/23)
In other news around the states —
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Plans To Offer Financial Incentive To City Employees To Get Vaccinated Against COVID; Details Still In The Works
Baltimore plans to offer a financial incentive to employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Tuesday. The program would be the latest effort from the city to get its 14,000-member workforce vaccinated, although city officials offered few details about the effort. During a news conference Tuesday, Scott did not answer questions about how much money would be offered to employees in exchange for being vaccinated or the deadline to receive such an incentive. (Opilo, 11/23)
The New York Times: About 1.2 Million Extra Vaccine Doses Were Reported In Pennsylvania, According To The C.D.C.
In the largest revision of state vaccination numbers to date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated those for Pennsylvania, which had counted about 1.2 million more doses than had actually been administered. The C.D.C. said the data, updated almost every day on its website, had been corrected. As of Tuesday evening, about 81 percent of people in Pennsylvania had received at least one shot of a vaccine, according to C.D.C. data, whereas on Monday the data indicated that about 84 percent of people in the state had gotten a shot. The agency has been periodically revising vaccination numbers in states since July 14. Altogether, the C.D.C. and the states have reduced the number of reported doses in the U.S. by about 2 million. (Craig and White, 11/23)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: CHOP COVID Vaccine Videos Reach Millions, But Will They Persuade The Hesitant?
A spike-coated invader glides in for a landing on an alien landscape, poised to launch a penetrating attack. But wait — an army of three-pronged defenders swarms to the rescue, latching onto the spikes to neutralize the threat. Say hello to your immune system and the COVID-19 vaccines, Hollywood-style. (Avril, 11/24)
Meanwhile, in non-covid news —
Philadelphia Inquirer: A Staffing Crisis At Pa. Child Care Centers Is Upending Family Routines And Slowing The Economic Recovery
Baby giggles and occasional cries are supposed to spill from the infant room at The Willow School, where lyrics from “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” line the wall. But the mattresses propped up in cribs here haven’t nestled any little heads in some time. Before the coronavirus pandemic, this room was a daytime home to eight children and required the highest number of workers — one for every four sets of squishy little cheeks — to ensure diapers were changed, naps were taken, and everyone stayed safe. (Mahon, 11/24)
The Texas Tribune: Progressive Texas Faith Leaders Spiritually Support Abortion Seekers
Rev. Erika Forbes’ pastoral calling regularly brings her to the Whole Woman’s Health abortion clinic in Fort Worth. She blesses the clinic and escorts patients inside — sometimes past a crowd of protesters. The number of women going into the clinic has fallen since Texas' Senate Bill 8 took effect Sept. 1, prohibiting abortion if cardiac activity is present, except in medical emergencies. But the few Texans still eligible for abortion need spiritual support, Forbes said, and so do the many who are not. That’s why she regularly partners with Whole Woman’s Health to organize clergy to support their work. (McNeel, 11/24)
San Francisco Chronicle: Listen: Why Is San Francisco Shutting Down Its Homeless Hotels?
Since last spring, San Francisco has moved thousands of unhoused residents into hotel rooms as emergency shelter during the pandemic. The program, Project RoomKey, is federally funded and the Biden Administration has extended that support through April 1. But San Francisco has been closing the shelter-in-place hotels for months, despite protests from homeless advocates. (11/22)
