Maskless Fans Flood Tampa Streets After Super Bowl Win

USA Today: Thousands Of Fans, Many Without Masks, Flood Tampa Streets After Buccaneers Win Super Bowl 55
Thousands of people took to the roads and the streets across this city Sunday night after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl 55. What many didn’t bring to the impromptu celebration was masks. The festivities turned especially raucous outside the Tampa Convention Center downtown, where college-aged revelers cheered, guzzled alcohol and sometimes surrounded cars that were blaring music. There was little sign of masks. (Peter, 2/8)

North Carolina Health News: COVID Instability Fuels A Surge In Opioid Use 
Though attention has shifted to combating the coronavirus pandemic, the opioid crisis in North Carolina has not gone away. The stressors caused by COVID-19 — such as homelessness and job loss — have contributed to an increase in drug overdoses in the last year. (Knopf and Engel-Smith, 2/5)

The Washington Post: Companies Are Charging Hidden ‘Covid Fees’ To Make Up For Lost Profits. They May Be Illegal.
Nearly a year into the pandemic’s gutting of the economy, businesses across the country are increasingly charging coronavirus-related fees, ranging from a $5 disinfection charge in a hair salon to $1,200 for extra food and cleaning in a senior living center, which are often undisclosed until the customer gets a bill. According to a survey by The Washington Post of attorney general offices and financial departments in 52 states and territories, U.S. consumers in 29 states have filed 510 complaints of coronavirus-related surcharges at dentist offices, senior living facilities, hair salons and restaurants. (Denham, 2/5)

KHN: Schools Walk The Tightrope Between Ideal Safety And The Reality Of Covid 
California mom Megan Bacigalupi has had enough. She wants her kindergartner and second grader back in their Oakland classrooms. But the coronavirus is spreading too quickly to open schools in Alameda County, based on the current state standards. And the local teachers union hasn’t agreed to go back — even after teachers have been vaccinated. So she expects her kids will be logging on to school from home for a while. (Ungar and Young, 2/8)

The Washington Post: What If You Test Positive For Covid-19 Abroad? Here’s What Travelers Need To Know.
Now that entry into the United States requires a negative coronavirus test result taken within 72 hours, travelers have been scrambling to secure coronavirus tests abroad — with many opting for speedier, though less-accurate, rapid tests. And most travelers probably do so under the assumption that their test will come back negative, allowing them to board their flight home without issue. But what if that test comes back positive? (McMahon, 2/6)

In other public health news —

North Carolina Health News: Monthly Shot To Treat HIV Available In NC 
The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of monthly shots for treating HIV last week. For the first time, people living with HIV, a virus that if untreated can lead to AIDS, have an option outside the daily pills traditionally used/taking a pill daily/taking pills daily to suppress the virus. (Critchfield, 2/8)

CIDRAP: Poll Finds Older US Adults Often Use Leftover Antibiotics
A new poll of US adults aged 50 to 80 years indicates that taking leftover antibiotics without consulting a healthcare professional is a common practice, University of Michigan researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Among 2,256 respondents to the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, 47.7% reported receiving an antibiotic prescription in the previous 2 years. The most common indications were respiratory (49.7%), dental (17.6%), urinary tract (16.6%), and skin (11.7%) infections. (2/5)

Boston Globe: Firefighters May Be Wearing Gear That Contains Toxic Chemicals, Researchers Find
The heavy turnout gear firefighters use to protect themselves from flames and other hazards is highly likely to contain a range of carcinogenic chemicals, according to a new study. Harvard University researchers took dust samples at 15 fire stations in Eastern Massachusetts and found significant amounts of toxic compounds known as PFAS. The so-called “forever chemicals,” which never fully degrade, have been linked to cancer, low infant birth weights, and suppression of the immune system. Researchers found the highest concentrations of the chemicals in rooms where turnout gear was stored. The stations rarely, if ever, used foam, a known source of PFAS, to fight fires. (Abel, 2/5)

Modern Healthcare: Digital Check-Ins, Connected Inhalers Help Control Asthma
A core challenge for asthma management is teaching patients how to properly use an inhaler. Asthma patients, many of them children, could avoid emergency department visits or using a rescue inhaler, if only they followed proper inhaler technique. To take on that problem, LifeBridge Health in early 2020 enrolled 24 children at a Baltimore primary-care clinic in a two-month pilot program that uses asynchronous telehealth. It’s an example of the growing arsenal of digital health tools physicians are using to tackle medication adherence—a particular challenge for asthma patients. (Kim Cohen, 2/6)

The New York Times: Celebratory Cannon Salute At Baby Shower Ends In Death, Police Say 
A 26-year-old Michigan man died on Saturday after he was hit with shrapnel from “a small cannon type device” that exploded when it was fired in celebration at a baby shower, the Michigan State Police said. The man, Evan Thomas Silva, a guest at the party, was about 10 to 15 feet from the device when it blew up in the backyard of a home. Metal shrapnel hit Mr. Silva, three parked cars and the garage where the shower was being held, the police said. (Paybarah, 2/7)