White House Defers Decision To Authorize Human Bird Flu Vaccine

NBC News: Biden Administration Has No Current Plans To Authorize A Bird Flu Vaccine For Humans
Biden administration officials said Wednesday they have no current plans to authorize a stockpiled bird flu vaccine, despite an escalating outbreak among livestock in the U.S. and at least 58 human infections across seven states. The move means any decisions about a bird flu vaccine will likely be left to health officials in the incoming Trump administration, who may be led by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. (Lovelace Jr., 12/11)

ABC News: California Child Tests Negative For Bird Flu, But Health Officials Continue To Warn Against Raw Milk
Health officials in Marin County, California are warning against raw milk consumption after a child there was suspected to have contracted bird flu after consuming raw milk. However, in an update Wednesday, the child appears to have tested negative for bird flu, a source close to the investigation told ABC News. "The child has recovered, and no other family members became sick, indicating no person-to person transmission," Marin County Public Health officials said in their initial statement. (Salzman and Benadjaoud, 12/11)

The New York Times: Could Cats Become a Carrier of Bird Flu?
Domestic cats could provide an unexpected new route for the bird flu virus H5N1 to evolve into a more dangerous form, according to a new study published on Monday. In the year since the virus began circulating in dairy cattle, it has killed many cats, primarily on farms with affected herds. It has also sickened at least 60 people, most of whom had close contact with infected dairy cows or poultry. (Anthes and Mandavilli, 12/11)

In covid news —

AP: Biden Commutes Roughly 1,500 Sentences In Biggest Single-Day Act Of Clemency 
President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The commutations announced Thursday are for people who have served out home confinement sentences for at least one year after they were released. Prisons were uniquely bad for spreading the virus and some inmates were released in part to stop the spread. At one point, 1 in 5 prisoners had COVID-19, according to a tally kept by The Associated Press. (Long, 12/12)

CIDRAP: HHS Secretary Extends Duration For COVID PREP Act Declaration
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra today signed the 12th amendment to the declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act (PREP) Act for COVID-19 countermeasures, a step that provides liability immunity through December 31, 2029. The declaration provides immunity, except for willful misconduct, for certain claims, including loss caused by or related to administration or use of countermeasures to diseases, threats, or conditions, according to information from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), which is part of HHS. (Schnirring, 12/11)

Modern Healthcare: Telehealth Extension Must Pass, ATA, CHIME Say
Telehealth industry groups are urging Congress to extend COVID-19 pandemic-era reimbursement flexibilities before the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31. Multiple COVID-19-era temporary policies and regulations are set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts. These provisions include removing geographic site restrictions for telehealth, permitting audio-only telehealth services and delaying the in-person requirement for mental health patients seeking treatment through telehealth. (Turner, 12/11)

AP: Fewer U.S. Grandparents Are Taking Care Of Grandchildren, According To New Data 
Fewer grandparents were living with and taking care of grandchildren, there was a decline in young children going to preschool and more people stayed put in their homes in the first part of the 2020s compared to the last part of the 2010s, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday, reflecting some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest figures from the most comprehensive survey of American life compares the years of 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, timeframes before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the virus’ spread. The American Community Survey data show how lives were changed and family relationships altered by the pandemic and other occurrences like the opioid crisis. (Schneider, 12/12)