AP: Supreme Court Halts COVID-19 Vaccine Rule For US Businesses
The Supreme Court has stopped a major push by the Biden administration to boost the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination rate, a requirement that employees at large businesses get a vaccine or test regularly and wear a mask on the job. At the same time, the court is allowing the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the U.S. The court’s orders Thursday came during a spike in coronavirus cases caused by the omicron variant. (Sherman and Gresko, 1/13)

NPR: Supreme Court Blocks Biden's Vaccine-Or-Test Mandate For Large Private Companies
The vote to invalidate the vaccine-or-test regulation was 6 to 3, along ideological lines. "Although Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly," the majority said in an unsigned opinion. "Requiring the vaccination of 84 million Americans, selected simply because they work for employers with more than 100 employees, certainly falls in the latter category." The regulation struck down by the court would have applied to more than 80 million private sector employees and would have required all businesses with 100 or more workers to either be vaccinated, with the federal government footing the bill, or be tested weekly. (Totenberg, 1/13)

NBC News: Supreme Court Blocks Biden Admin's Covid Requirements For Workplaces, Allows Vaccine Mandate For Health Care Workers
In their dissent, the three liberal justices on the court said OSHA was well within its authority and expertise to impose the mandates, unlikes the court, which they said was "lacking any knowledge of how to safeguard workplaces, and insulated from responsibility for any damage it causes." "In the face of a still-raging pandemic, this court tells the agency charged with protecting worker safety that it may not do so in all the workplaces needed," the justices wrote. "As disease and death continue to mount, this court tells the agency that it cannot respond in the most effective way possible. Without legal basis, the court usurps a decision that rightfully belongs to others. It undercuts the capacity of the responsible federal officials, acting well within the scope of their authority, to protect American workers from grave danger." (Williams, 1/13)

Modern Healthcare: Supreme Court Allows Healthcare Worker Vaccine Mandate To Continue
Conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined three liberal —Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor—in a 5-4 ruling that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services vaccine requirement for healthcare workers could resume. "The challenges posed by a global pandemic do not allow a federal agency to exercise power that Congress has not conferred upon it. At the same time, such unprecedented circumstances provide no grounds for limiting the exercise of authorities the agency has long been recognized to have," the majority opinion says. (Goldman, 1/13)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Blocks Biden's Covid Vaccine Rules For Businesses, Allows Mandate For Health-Care Workers Proceed
The court’s orders, issued after an emergency hearing Friday, might seem like a split decision. But the OSHA vaccine-or-test requirement would have applied to 84 million people. The requirement for health-care workers covers about 10 million. Approximately 63 percent of the country is fully vaccinated, according to estimates. The Biden administration had hoped the OSHA requirements would compel upward of an additional 20 million to get the shots and estimated there were more than 2 million holdouts among the health-care workers, distributed unevenly across the country. (Barnes, 1/13)

Bloomberg: Biden's OSHA Vaccine Mandate Blocked By Supreme Court
The OSHA ruling limits Biden’s options for increasing the country’s vaccination rate as the omicron variant propels a spike in cases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only 63% of the country is fully vaccinated and of that group just 37% have received a booster shot. More than 800,000 people in the U.S. have died from the virus. ... The decision is a victory for 26 business groups and 27 Republican-led states that sued to challenge the OSHA policy, saying it exceeded the workplace-safety agency’s authority. (Stohr, 1/13)

The New York Times: Supreme Court Blocks Biden’s Vaccine Mandate For Large Employers 
The president welcomed the ruling in his favor, saying in a statement that it would save the lives of health care workers and patients. But he said he was disappointed that the court had overturned the employer mandate, which he said was “grounded squarely in both science and the law.” In both the employer and health worker cases, the justices explored whether Congress had authorized the executive branch to take sweeping actions to address the health care crisis. (Liptak, 1/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Blocks Biden Vaccine Rules For Large Employers 
President Biden in a written statement said the high court’s decision to allow the healthcare vaccine mandate “will save lives,” but he expressed disappointment that the court blocked “common-sense life-saving requirements for employees at large businesses that were grounded squarely in both science and the law.” (Kendall and Bravin, 1/13)

KHN: Justices Block Broad Worker Vaccine Requirement, Allow Health Worker Mandate To Proceed 
The OSHA rules are opposed by many business groups, led by the small business advocacy organization the National Federation of Independent Business. It argued that allowing the rules to take effect would leave businesses “irreparably harmed,” both by the costs of compliance and the possibility that workers would quit rather than accept the vaccine. The challenge to the Medicare and Medicaid rules, by contrast, came mostly from states, rather than the hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities most directly affected. State officials charge that the rules would jeopardize the ability of health care providers, particularly those in rural areas, to retain enough staffers to care for patients. (Rovner, 1/13)

The Washington Post: Biden Expresses Dismay As SCOTUS Blocks Workplace Vaccination Mandate
President Biden expressed dismay at the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to halt his administration’s efforts to impose a requirement for coronavirus vaccinations or testing on businesses with at least 100 workers. “I am disappointed that the Supreme Court has chosen to block common-sense life-saving requirements for employees at large businesses that were grounded squarely in both science and the law,” he said, adding that he would still push companies to immunize their employees. “The Court has ruled … but that does not stop me from using my voice as President to advocate for employers to do the right thing.” (Jeong and Francis, 1/14)

The Hill: Biden Calls On Employers To Mandate Vaccines Despite Supreme Court Ruling 
President Biden on Thursday appealed to states and companies to require people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus despite the Supreme Court blocking his vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers. ... “As a result of the Court’s decision, it is now up to States and individual employers to determine whether to make their workplaces as safe as possible for employees, and whether their businesses will be safe for consumers during this pandemic by requiring employees to take the simple and effective step of getting vaccinated,” the president said in a statement. (Gangitano, 1/13)

CNBC: Biden Vows Covid Vaccine Push After Supreme Court Ruling On Vaccination Mandate
The Supreme Court ruling that barred the Biden administration’s Covid vaccine mandate for employees of large employers will not prevent U.S. companies from requiring vaccinations for their workers. President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to push for companies to do just that in order to save American lives and prevent even more financial fallout from the two-year coronavirus pandemic. (Mangan, 1/13)

What's next for businesses? —

AP: Businesses React To Ruling Against Biden Vaccine Mandate
For companies that were waiting to hear from the U.S. Supreme Court before deciding whether to require vaccinations or regular coronavirus testing for workers, the next move is up to them. Many large corporations were silent on Thursday’s ruling by the high court to block a requirement that workers at businesses with at least 100 employees be fully vaccinated or else test regularly for COVID-19 and wear a mask on the job. Target’s response was typical: The big retailer said it wanted to review the decision and “how it will impact our team and business.” (Koenig, 1/14)

The Washington Post: Employers Face Patchwork Of State Policies On Worker Vaccination After Supreme Court Order 
The Supreme Court’s decision that large companies do not have to force workers to get coronavirus shots or tests leaves employers facing a patchwork of clashing state policies over their role in protecting their workforces from the surging pandemic. ... The about-face affects 84 million employees, more than half the U.S. labor force, although with about 63 percent of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, many workers are already immunized. (Goldstein, Rosenberg and Bogage, 1/13)

The New York Times: Businesses Are Whipsawed Again As The Supreme Court Blocks OSHA’s Vaccine Mandate
Vaccine mandates have been a controversial approach to battling the pandemic. United Airlines and Tyson Foods are among the major companies that already have such requirements, but many others are waiting for legal battles to be resolved. Walmart, Amazon and JPMorgan Chase, three of the largest private employers in the United States, have yet to issue broad requirements for their staff. A spokesman for Macy’s, which began to request the vaccination status of its employees this month, said the retailer was “evaluating this late breaking development.” Some companies with vaccine mandates said keeping those policies might become more difficult in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling. (Goldberg and Hirsch, 1/13)

In related news about the mandates —

CBS News: Marine Corps Grants Armed Services' First Two Known Religious Exemptions To COVID-19 Vaccine 
The Marine Corps has approved two requests to service members who are refusing the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds, marking what are believed to be the first known religious exemptions granted across all the armed services — out of thousands of requests. The religions of the two Marines who obtained exemptions from the Marine Corps are not known. A spokesperson for the Marines said the service could not provide more details for privacy reasons. (Watson, 1/13)

Bloomberg: Citi Says 99% Of U.S. Staffers Complied With Vaccine Mandate
Citigroup Inc. said 99% of its U.S. employees have complied with its vaccine mandate, one of the strictest on Wall Street. The firm expects more employees will comply with the order before the deadline on Friday, Sara Wechter, head of human resources, said Thursday in a LinkedIn post. As part of the mandate, staffers were able to receive exemptions. (Surane, 1/14)

Health News Florida: Universal Orlando Is Requiring COVID-19 Vaccines Or Weekly Testing For Staff 
Starting next month, Universal Orlando employees will be required to be fully vaccinated or tested weekly — an effort to protect employees and guests from COVID-19. Starting Feb. 9, the theme park will require only team members to be fully vaccinated or tested every seven days. In a statement, Universal Orlando says the policy is an effort to comply with federally mandated regulations. The theme park says it will initially provide free testing on-site for team members. (Byrne, 1/13)

Fierce Healthcare: ACA Signups Blow Past 14M As Saturday Deadline For Open Enrollment Looms 
More than 14.2 million people have bought a plan on the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges as of Jan. 8, as the Biden administration makes a last-second sprint to boost awareness of the Jan. 15 deadline. Of the record-breaking more than 14.2 million, there were 10 million people who signed up for coverage on the federally run HealthCare.gov and the remaining via state-based exchanges, administration officials shared during a call with reporters on Thursday. The administration has made a major boost to outreach this year to make consumers aware of enhanced subsidies and lower cost-sharing passed under the American Rescue Plan Act. (King, 1/13)

CNN: Obamacare Open Enrollment For 2022 Coverage Ends Saturday As Interest Surges 
Obamacare is proving particularly popular in GOP-led states that have not expanded Medicaid to low-income adults, including Florida and Texas. The surge in interest in the Affordable Care Act comes as the Biden administration and the Democratic-led Congress have pumped more resources into the landmark health care law. The hefty enhancement of Obamacare's federal premium subsidies, part of the Democrats' $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package enacted last March, is helping drive consumers to sign up for plans. (Luhby, 1/14)

AP: As Omicron Surges, HealthCare.Gov Sign-Up Deadline Arrives
People looking for health insurance in the grip of the omicron surge have through Saturday to sign up for taxpayer-subsidized private coverage under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act. ... People who sign up by Saturday will have coverage effective Feb. 1. After Jan. 15, people still looking for coverage will need a specific reason, such as losing a job or a change in family circumstances, to qualify for a special enrollment period. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/14)

Newsweek: Texas, California And Florida Lead Surge In Obamacare Signups As Deadline Looms
Florida leads the nation with over 2.5 million enrollments. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act while in the House of Representatives. California and Texas have the next highest enrollments each with just over 1.7 million. Texas, led by state attorney general Ken Paxton, previously sued to end the ACA. (McDade, 1/13)

Fox 59: Healthcare Open Enrollment Ending Saturday; Here’s What Hoosiers Need To Know
The deadline for healthcare open enrollment is fast approaching, and local groups are encouraging Hoosiers to take advantage of the options available. ... If you do not enroll by Saturday, you cannot get 2022 coverage unless you qualify for a special enrollment period. Luckily, there are local resources available to help.  One of those resources is Covering Kids and Families Indiana — which is a free service for Hoosiers to take advantage of. You can talk to experts who can walk you through signing up and answer questions about the different options available. (Stone, 1/14)

Market Watch: Retiring Early This Year? Look Through Affordable Care Act Plans Now Before The Deadline Saturday
Retirement Tip of the Week: Before the open enrollment period ends on Jan. 15, peruse Affordable Care Act plans to see which will be best for you in early retirement – even if you don’t need to enroll right now. (Malito, 1/13)

CNBC: Biden Says U.S. To Provide High-Quality Masks For Free To Americans
President Joe Biden on Thursday said the U.S. will give high-quality masks to Americans for free, as new infections from the Covid-19 omicron variant soar across the country. Biden said the U.S. has more than tripled the national stockpile of highly protective N95 masks to make sure they are widely available to the general public. He said masks are a crucial tool to help control the spread of omicron. (Kimball, 1/13)

More on N95 and KN95 masks —

The Washington Post: How To Reuse And Safely Store KN95 And N95 Masks 
Health experts say while there are no hard and fast rules, there are best practices for safely getting multiple uses out of N95s or KN95s. “In the ideal world — or pre-pandemic — many masks were really viewed as single-use,” said Michael G. Knight, an assistant professor of medicine at George Washington University. “The reality is they do have a little bit more length in the amount of time we can use them.” (Firozi and Chiu, 1/13)

CNN: How Long Can You Wear An N95 Mask, And Other Care Tips 
You're ready to swap your old cloth masks for N95s as some experts recommend, but the higher price tag and two little words -- "single use" -- are giving you pause. How long can you really wear an N95 and still protect yourself and others from Covid-19 risk? "I wear mine for a week," said Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech. An N95 mask's material and filtration ability aren't "going to degrade unless you physically rub it or poke holes in it," Marr said. "You'd have to be in really polluted air ... for several days before it lost its ability to filter out particles. So, you can really wear them for a long time. (Rogers, 1/13)

NBC Chicago: How Can You Avoid Counterfeit N95, KN95 Masks? CDC Provides Tips
According to the CDC, more than 60% of the KN95 masks that are on the market in the United States are counterfeit, and Americans have reported similar issues with the more-protective N95 masks, which are regulated and approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). So just how are Americans supposed to protect themselves from counterfeit face coverings? According to the CDC, the tips vary by the type of facial covering that a person is seeking out. (1/13)

In other mask news —

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland To Give Out 20 Million N95 And KN95 Masks 
As the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to sweep across Maryland, the state plans to hand out 20 million of the often hard-to-find N95 and KN95 masks, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday. Speaking outside a hospital in Easton where a testing site is being set up, Hogan stressed that wearing a well-fitted, high-quality mask is key component to slowing the spread of the virus. But he stopped short of restoring a statewide requirement to wear a mask indoors. (Wood, 1/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: Restaurateur Donates 10,000 KN95 Masks To Help Oakland Schools In A ‘Very Tough Bind’
When restaurateur Eugene Lee learned that Oakland students had created an online petition last week demanding school district officials provide KN95 masks to help protect all pupils during the omicron surge, he sprang into action. Lee, whose restaurant Noodle Belly is opening Saturday in Oakland’s Fruitvale district, reached out to Mayor Libby Schaaf, who put him in touch with Oakland Unified School District officials. This week, he donated 10,000 KN95 masks to the district and another 15,000 to the city for emergency workers. (Flores, 1/13)

Daily Mail Online: Wearing A Facemask Makes You More Attractive To The Opposite Sex, Study Finds
People wearing face masks are deemed to be more attractive than when they have nothing covering their faces, according to a new study. Face masks have become a common sight around Britain in response to the global Covid pandemic. And Cardiff University researchers claim that the masks make both men and women more appealing on the eye. (Baker, 1/13)

NPR: Biden Announces Purchase Of 500 Million More At-Home COVID Tests
President Biden announced Thursday that the administration will buy another 500 million at-home COVID-19 tests for Americans in addition to his plans detailed last month to order 500 million tests. A website will launch next week so Americans can order the free tests, Biden said. It's still not clear when they will be available. Biden also said the White House will make high-quality masks available for free, with details coming out next week. (Naylor, 1/13)

CBS News: 5 Places Where You Can Buy A Home COVID-19 Test Today 
For now, the at-home screening tools are still hard to find in stock — many are sold out across brick-and-mortar pharmacy chains and online retailers. If you're looking for a test, read on to learn about five places that offer a range of at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests that are authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration. (Cerullo, 1/13)

Can you trust your test results? —

KHN: What Patients Can Learn With Confidence From One Negative Rapid Test (Hint: Very Little) 
Julie Ann Justo, an infectious disease clinical pharmacist for a South Carolina hospital system, hoped Christmas week would finally be the time her family could safely gather for a reunion. Before the celebration, family members who were eligible were vaccinated and boosted. They quarantined and used masks in the days leading up to the event. And many took solace in negative results from rapid covid-19 tests taken a few days before the 35-person indoor gathering in South Florida to make sure no one was infectious. But within a week, Justo and at least 13 members of her extended family tested positive for covid, with many feeling typical symptoms of an upper respiratory virus, such as a sore throat and a runny nose. (Appleby and Galewitz, 1/13)

NBC News: Should You Do A Throat Swab With An At-Home Covid Test?
As omicron cases continue to sweep the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is being urged to gather more information about how well at-home Covid-19 tests are able to detect the variant. Evidence suggests the omicron variant of the virus may appear in the throat before it shows up in the nose. For this reason, there’s been pressure on the FDA to recommend swabbing the throat with the nasal swabs. But medical experts argue that anecdotes from people who test negative with a nasal swab at home but then test positive with a throat swab can be misleading. FDA officials say there isn’t enough data to support the practice. (Sullivan, 1/14)

CNBC: Fauci: Why U.S. Isn't Using Israel's Throat Swab Covid Test Method Yet
The infamous nasal swab Covid test could soon become a thing of the past. During Senate testimony this week, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and U.S. Food and Drug Administration acting commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock discussed an increasingly popular theory — that throat swabs could detect Covid’s omicron variant more effectively than nasal swabs, especially in rapid antigen tests. “There have been recent reports that, in fact, [there may be higher] sensitivity and ability to detect [the virus] in a swab of the throat versus the nasopharynx, at least with omicron,” Fauci told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee on Tuesday. “I think it needs to be validated and verified.” (Sauer, 1/13)

In more news about covid tests —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Orders 500K At-Home COVID Tests
Nevada has ordered more than half a million at-home COVID-19 tests to help address the demand for testing amid a surge of coronavirus cases, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Thursday. “We know that Nevadans want easy and convenient access to COVID-19 testing from the comfort of their own home, and this project will help us accomplish that goal and help relieve some of the strain on our other testing systems,” Sisolak said. The announcement came in the midst of the current COVID-19 surge throughout the state, driven by the omicron variant. The highly transmissible variant now accounts for 89 percent of cases in the state, according to data from the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory. (Dylan, 1/12)

AP: Montana Orders 650,000 Rapid COVID-19 Tests For Residents
The state of Montana has ordered 650,000 rapid COVID-19 tests to be distributed to residents through county health departments, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Thursday. (1/14)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Has ‘Maxed Out’ Its COVID-19 Testing Capacity, Which Could Hide The Full Surge In Cases
With more than 48,000 Utahns tested for the coronavirus in a single day this week, Utah has exceeded its testing capacity, health officials confirmed. Unless the state can obtain more testing supplies and providers, future case counts — while record-breaking — could drastically understate the actual prevalence of the virus. “We’ve maxed out our ability to identify cases,” Dr. Angela Dunn, director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, said in a county council meeting Tuesday. “So as we start seeing a potential plateau in our cases, it’s not due to spread, it’s due to the limited ability to test. We are turning people away from our testing sites.” (Alberty, 1/13)

The Boston Globe: Mass. Dept. Of Public Health Closes 3 Unlicensed COVID-19 Testing Sites
Three COVID-19 testing sites in Massachusetts were ordered to close Thursday because they do not have the proper license and residents have complained about delays in receiving results, the state Department of Public Health said. Testing sites in Dartmouth, Needham and Worcester operated by the Center for COVID Control Testing, a private company based in Illinois, were issued cease and desist orders, according to the state. Each location provided rapid antigen and PCR testing to residents. But the company opened the sites without a license to operate a clinical laboratory in Massachusetts, officials said. (Mercado, 1/13)

CNN: Early Signs Suggest The Omicron Wave Is Peaking In Some Parts Of The US, But Relief Is Far From Near
The Omicron surge has driven Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations to record highs in the United States. This week, however, officials have started to call out very early signs that the wave is peaking -- or at least plateauing -- in parts of the Northeast. But case rates are still higher in this region than any other, and experts say it will be weeks before any change can be declared a trend. The US overall is reporting an average of more than 786,000 Covid-19 cases each day, double what it was two weeks ago, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Yet, seven states have seen case rates start to level out, changing less than 10% week-to-week: New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Georgia, New York, Kansas and Mississippi. And in Washington, DC, they're down 19% from last week. But only in DC has this been a pattern for more than a week. (McPhillips, 1/13)

The New York Times: New Virus Cases Begin To Slow In U.S. Cities Where Omicron Hit First
At another bleak moment of the pandemic in the United States — with nearly 800,000 new cases a day, deaths rising and federal medical teams deploying to overwhelmed hospitals — glints of progress have finally started to emerge. In a handful of places that were among the first to see a surge of the Omicron variant last month, reports of new coronavirus infections have started to level off or decline. Daily case reports have been falling rapidly around Cleveland, Newark and Washington, D.C., each of which sustained record-shattering spikes over the past month. There were also early signs in Chicago, New York, Puerto Rico and hard-hit ski resort towns in Colorado that cases were hitting a plateau or starting to drop. (Smith, Robertson and Imbler, 1/13)

But more than 62,000 people could die in the next month —

Fox News: CDC Projects More Than 62K COVID-19 Deaths Over Next Month
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicted Wednesday that more than 62,000 people could die from COVID-19 over the course of the next four weeks. In a Monday update, the agency wrote that 10,400 to 31,000 new deaths will likely be reported in the week ending Feb. 5. The CDC added that state- and territory-level ensemble forecasts predict the number of newly reported deaths per week over the next month will likely increase in 33 jurisdictions. In addition, it said that national forecasts predict 17,900-48,000 new hospitalizations will likely be reported on Feb. 4. (Musto, 1/13)

Also —

NBC News: Minnesota Judge Bars Hospital From Taking Covid-19 Patient Off Ventilator
A Minnesota judge blocked a hospital from taking a patient with Covid-19 off life support Thursday, a day after his wife said she "vehemently" disagreed with doctors' decision, court records show. Anoka County Judge Jennifer Stanfield issued the temporary restraining order barring doctors at Mercy Hospital, north of Minneapolis, from removing the man, Scott Quiner, from a ventilator after they declined to provide treatment that his wife, Anne Quiner, had requested, her lawyer said in an interview. (Stelloh, 1/13)

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Justice Doing '100% Better' After Antibody Treatment; Hanshaw Leaves Capitol With COVID-19 Symptoms
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is doing “100% better today than yesterday” after being diagnosed with COVID-19 late Tuesday, according to his chief of staff, Brian Abraham. The governor, who received monoclonal antibody treatments to stop progression of his illness on Wednesday, is still recuperating at his home in Greenbrier County. Abraham said he is “champing at the bit” to get back to the Capitol.“ You can still sense the tiredness in his voice, but he wants to be back in person. He’s wanting to come to work and is frustrated just sitting there. Of course, the medical folks said that wasn’t a good idea yet, and he’s listening to them, but we’re still talking about every half hour,” Abraham said. “The [monoclonal] antibody treatments really turned things around for him, and thank goodness for that.” (Coyne and Pierson, 1/13)

The Hill: Glenn Beck Says He Has COVID-19 For Second Time 
Conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Wednesday said he'd contracted COVID-19 for the second time and the virus was "getting into" his lungs. Speaking to Mark Levin on Levin's radio show, Beck said he's had the virus for about a week. He told Levin he was "great, except having COVID and seeing the destruction of our country." (Breslin, 1/13)

The Boston Globe: Hundreds Of Doctors, Scientists Sign Petition Demanding Spotify Take Action Against COVID Misinformation, Sparked By Joe Rogan Podcast
A petition signed by more than 200 scientists and medical professionals is calling on the music streaming service Spotify to monitor misinformation promoted on its platform. The petition specifically takes aim at its most-popular podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, for peddling “misleading and false claims” about COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. “We are calling on Spotify to take action against the mass-misinformation events which continue to occur on its platform,” the petition reads. “With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence. Though Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, the company presently has no misinformation policy.” (Bowker, 1/13)

The Wall Street Journal: After Getting Omicron, People Live It Up A Little. ‘It Was Like “We Can Do This Now.” ’ 
The latest Covid-19 surge and the emergence of the Omicron variant left thousands with unexpected symptoms at the worst time. Multitudes had to cancel holiday plans and time with families. One isolation period later, many of those who recovered are confident they have emerged with greater protection, judging from what they hear from some medical professionals. And they have emerged with a newfound desire to live it up. (Carpenter and Janin, 1/13)

Bloomberg: US Nurses Strike To Highlight Working Conditions During Covid As Omicron Surges
Chicago nurses joined colleagues across the country Thursday to protest against working conditions that they say have rapidly deteriorated as hordes of Covid-19 patients push hospitals to the limit. Scott Mechanic, 36, an emergency room nurse at the University of Chicago Medical Center, said the problems stem from widespread labor shortages throughout the health-care system and hospital leadership who are reluctant to provide assistance. “We don’t have food service people … we don’t have supply chain people to deliver our most critical supplies, we don’t have people to repair our equipment,” Mechanic said. “But every job that doesn’t get done by somebody else ends up falling to the bedside nurse. We’re overwhelmed.” (Muller, 1/13)

And more on the health worker crisis —

NBC News: 'Like A Slap In The Face': Nurses Told To Use Vacation And Sick Days To Stay Home If They Test Positive
Early in the pandemic, nurses were celebrated as heroes, with nightly symphonies of clapping or banging pots and pans. Now, many are being asked to go into work despite positive Covid tests — or they say they are being told they must use their vacation and sick days to stay home when they contract the coronavirus. “You’re talking about a group of people who sat at bedsides — not one a night, multiple, because we were consistently losing people. We were holding the iPads as people said their last goodbyes,” said Ana Bergeron, a registered nurse who is the president of a local union affiliate. “I can’t tell you how sick it makes me now being called a hero, because that’s not how we’re being treated by our employers.”​​ (Kaplan and Garcia-Hodges, 1/13)

The CT Mirror: Health Care Workers, Already Under Strain, Seeing Record COVID Infections
Twenty-two months into the pandemic, health care workers are dealing with record hospitalizations, unsustainable work schedules and abuse from a public that’s frustrated and exhausted. On top of all that, they’re also contracting the virus at higher rates than ever before, federal safety standards surrounding COVID-related working conditions in hospitals have been peeled back, and changes in workers’ compensation policies are making it harder for many who cannot work. “We have had record numbers of staff members that have been out with COVID,” said Yale New Haven Health CEO Marna Borgstrom. (Golvala, 1/14)

The Boston Globe: How COVID-19 And Staffing Issues Took Rhode Island Hospital ‘From Bad To Terrible’
It is the state’s biggest hospital, with a name that suggests how important it is to the health care system here: Rhode Island Hospital. And it is in crisis right now. Sick and injured patients line the emergency department hallways in stretchers, begging for help that doesn’t always come right away. Frustration in the waiting room is so high that assaults have been reported. From ambulance triage to the intensive care units, nursing is short, but so are supplies, everything from needles to medicines to bedside urinals. Nurses sit in their cars after work and wonder, did I do everything I can today? Everyone’s burned out, and nobody knows where or when this all ends. (Amaral, 1/13)

North Carolina Health News: COVID Cases, Full ICUs, Staff Shortages Stress NC Hospitals 
Susan Paulsen started having chest pain on Monday. The 60-year-old painter who lives in Chapel Hill waited four hours, thinking it was indigestion, hoping it would go away. Besides, she didn’t want to go near a hospital. “That seemed like a place I might catch it,” Paulsen said, referring to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 that’s been ripping through North Carolina’s population. Omicron has driven up the daily numbers of North Carolinians testing positive for the coronavirus. Since Jan. 1, the state has recorded at least 288,000 cases and had days of record-breaking case counts. (Hoban, 1/14)

AP: National Guard To Help Staffing Efforts At WVa Hospital 
Two dozen members of the West Virginia National Guard are being sent to support hospital staffing efforts as COVID-19 continues to ravage the state. The National Guard said Thursday on Twitter that 25 members will assist operations at Charleston Area Medical Center next week. (1/14)

Philadelphia Inquirer: National Guard Assists In COVID-19 Response At ChristinaCare
Hospitals in York and Scranton that are experiencing a record number of new cases are getting a hand from the Pennsylvania National Guard. The National Guard members are not medical professionals, but they have been able to take on many nonmedical responsibilities to free up nurses and doctors to care for patients. They sit with patients who need close supervision so help can be quickly summoned if needed, greeting patients, restocking supplies, distributing meal trays, and escorting patients during room changes. (Gantz, 1/13)

CNN: Many US Hospitals Are Halting Non-Urgent Procedures As Covid-19 Hospitalizations Rise 
As Covid-19 hospitalizations reach new highs, more states and health care systems are cutting back services and relying on National Guard members to fill gaps in staffing. The surge from the Omicron variant, which was first detected in the US just over six weeks ago, has left frontline workers in the medical industry and others at higher risk for exposure. As health care employees need time off to isolate and recuperate, the need to treat those with Covid-19 remains. In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday that hospitals will temporarily halt non-urgent procedures "so as much capacity and staff can be dedicated to emergent needs, the people who need this right now." (Caldwell, 1/14)

Bloomberg: Covid-19 News: Scientists Discover Gene That Increases Risk Of Dying From Virus
Polish scientists have discovered a gene that they say more than doubles the risk of falling severely ill with, or even dying from Covid-19. The Health Ministry in Warsaw expects the discovery to help identify people who are most at risk from the disease, which has already killed more than 100,000 people in Poland alone. It also plans to include genetic tests when it screens patients for potential Covid-19 infections as soon as the end of June. The research from the Medical University of Bialystok estimates that the gene could be present in about 14% of the Polish population, compared with around 9% in Europe and 27% in India. It’s the fourth most important factor determining the severity of the illness after age, weight and gender, it said. (Krasuski, 1/14)

In other covid research news —

Stat: Unvaccinated Pregnant People Are At Higher Risk For Covid Complications
Unvaccinated pregnant people who get Covid-19 are at much higher risk for complications from the disease and death of their babies than their vaccinated counterparts, according to a new study from Scotland. Authors of the population-level study, published Thursday in Nature Medicine, examined data from all pregnant people across Scotland between December 2020 and October 2021 that included information on Covid-19 vaccination status and infection. Almost all of the pregnant people who needed critical care for Covid-19 — 102 out of 104 overall — were unvaccinated. There were over 450 total fetal and newborn deaths that coincided with Covid-19 — all among unvaccinated mothers. (Gaffney, 1/13)

The Washington Post: Nearly All Teens In CDC-Backed Study Needing Intensive Care For Covid-19 Were Unvaccinated 
Nearly all teenagers needing intensive care for covid-19 were unvaccinated in a study of more than 1,000 hospital patients in the United States. The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine prevented 94 percent of hospitalizations and was 98 percent effective at keeping patients out of intensive care (ICU) or from requiring life support, per the peer-reviewed analysis published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Timsit, 1/13)

CIDRAP: Less Mobility In COVID-19 Patients Over 50 Noted, Even With Milder Disease
New data from a longitudinal study on aging Canadians shows that COVID-19 in those 50 and older led to decreased mobility, even when cases were mild to moderate and patients avoided hospitalization. The study was published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. ... adults with probable or confirmed COVID-19 had an 89% higher risk of problems doing household activity, a 91% higher risk of decreased physical activity, and a 133% higher risk of experiencing problems when standing from a seated position. (1/13)

Fox News: Man Claims COVID-19 Made His Penis Shrink
An anonymous man in his 30s who had to be hospitalized after contracting COVID-19 last July now claims that the disease left him with a shrunken penis and erectile dysfunction. "When I got out of the hospital, I had some erectile dysfunction issues. Those gradually got better with some medical attention, but I seem to be left with a lasting problem. My penis has shrunk," the man wrote in a letter to Slate's "How To Do It" podcast. "Before I got sick, I was above average, not huge, but definitely bigger than normal. Now I've lost about an inch and a half and become decidedly less than average." (Best, 1/13)

Axios: What "Mild" Really Means When It Comes To Omicron 
The Omicron variant doesn't cause as much severe illness as other variants have, but its "mild" symptoms can still be pretty unpleasant. The way health care professionals and doctors differentiate between "mild" and "severe" illness may not align with a layperson's understanding of those terms. "To a health care professional, 'mild' means you're not getting hospitalized," said Megan Ranney, academic dean at the Brown University School of Public Health. But, she said: "Omicron symptoms can range from absolutely no symptoms to a really mild cold to something where you are in bed with shakes and chills, and have a horrible cough and are fatigued and headachy for weeks. Those are all 'mild.'" (Reed, 1/14)

Also —

Bloomberg: Glaxo, Lilly Medicines Get WHO’s Endorsement To Treat Covid
Eli Lilly & Co.’s rheumatoid arthritis drug and GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s monoclonal antibody won the backing of World Health Organization experts for treating Covid-19 as new infections surge across the globe. There’s evidence that Lilly’s baricitinib can improve survival rates and reduce the need for ventilation in severely ill patients, the WHO said in a statement, advising a combination with corticosteroids. Two other drugs in the same class, known as JAK inhibitors, shouldn’t be used for Covid, the agency said. (Fourcade, 1/13)

AP: Guard May Help Staffing Shortages At New Mexico Schools 
New Mexico’s governor said Thursday she’s considering seeking help from the National Guard to address COVID-19 staffing shortages at public schools, a move that could mark a first in the nation. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the additional help would ensure that students can remain in the classroom. (Bryan, 1/13)

CNN: Parents Asked To Be Substitute Teachers Amid Shortage 
Amid concerns of in-person learning cancellations as Omicron cases continues to surge, a school district in Texas is hoping to address the teacher shortage by asking parents to step up as substitute teachers. (1/13)

And more on covid's spread at schools —

The Salt Lake Tribune: 2 Utah Schools Face Pushback After Emails Stating Kids With COVID-19 ‘Allowed To Return’ To Class
Parents are furious after two Utah high schools sent out a message Thursday evening stating that students who tested positive for the coronavirus this week could still come to class. Davis School District reversed course shortly after 9 p.m., about two hours after the school emails were sent, sowing confusion and outrage in the interim. (Tanner, 1/14)

USA Today: Students Don't Want To Learn In A 'COVID Petri Dish.' They're Walking Out To Prove Their Point
As teachers unions and schools battle over in-person and remote learning, students nationwide are demanding a seat at the table. Many are staging walkouts this week. “We are the ones who have been in this environment every day. It's our bodies that we're putting at risk," said Kayla Quinlan, a 16-year-old student activist at Boston Day and Evening Academy. “Students should have a say in what their learning environment looks like, but our voices are always left out." (Fernando, 1/14)

NBC Boston: 41K Mass. Students Test Positive as School COVID Cases Continue to Climb
More Massachusetts students tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week than in the previous two, continuing a sharp upward trend of cases in schools. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report, which covers Jan. 6 through Jan. 12.In that time period, 41,063 students tested positive for coronavirus, as well as 7,351 staff members, for a total of 48,414 school cases. (1/13)

WCMH: 23,000 New Ohio School COVID Cases This Week As Classes Resume After Break
Coronavirus cases reported by Ohio’s K-12 schools shot up this past week as regular reporting amounts resumed after winter break. Schools reported 23,268 new cases to the Ohio Department of Health in the week ending Sunday, Jan. 9, the first week of the winter semester for most schools as they resumed classes after the holidays. (Orner, 1/13)

KHN: With No End In Sight To Pandemic Life, Parents Find Disruption Is The New Normal 
As my kindergartner fumbled with his shoes, I stood at our door sifting through the mental parenting checklist newly lodged in my brain: backpack. Sweatshirt. Snacks. Sunscreen. Water bottle. KN95 mask. Vaccination card. Jesse asked for his cloth mask, and I explained again that if he wore that one he’d need to have on a surgical mask, too, which could make it hard to run around at recess. So I did my best to twist the elastic ear loops on the KN95 into a size that would fit his cherubic face, and we headed out the door. (Gammon, 1/14)

In related news —

The Washington Post: National School Boards Association Stumbles Into Politics And Is Blasted Apart
Until this fall, the National School Boards Association was a noncontroversial, bipartisan lobby group. Then its leaders wrote President Biden a letter. It alleged that the threatening and aggressive acts against school board members across the country might be a form of “domestic terrorism” and asked for federal law enforcement intervention. Now, the association is at risk of total collapse. (Meckler, 1/13)

KHN: As Omicron Surges, Effort To Vaccinate Young Children Stalls
Two months after Pfizer’s covid vaccine was authorized for children ages 5 to 11, just 27% have received at least one shot, according to Jan. 12 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 18%, or 5 million kids, have both doses. The national effort to vaccinate children has stalled even as the omicron variant upends schooling for millions of children and their families amid staffing shortages, shutdowns and heated battles over how to safely operate. Vaccination rates vary substantially across the country, a KHN analysis of the federal data shows. Nearly half of Vermont’s 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated, while fewer than 10% have gotten both shots in nine mostly Southern states. (Pradhan and Recht, 1/14)

Roll Call: Senate Health Panel Advances Califf To Lead FDA
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced Robert Califf’s nomination to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration in a 13-8 vote Thursday. “As our nation continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientists and experts at the Food and Drug Administration who are working diligently to ensure we have safe and effective vaccines, tests, treatments, and more, deserve a strong leader who will make sure science always comes first,” Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement. Califf had the top job at the FDA for one year in 2016, under the Obama administration, and was confirmed then in a bipartisan 89-4 vote. But in a more polarized Washington and with unprecedented scrutiny on the FDA, he faced a tense job interview with the committee on Dec. 14. (Kopp, 1/13)

Politico: Senate Panel Advances Biden's FDA Pick In 13-8 Vote 
Two senators who caucus with Democrats — Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) — opposed the nomination. Six Republicans — Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Mike Braun of Indiana, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Jerry Moran of Kansas — joined them in opposition. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) did not vote. President Joe Biden nominated Califf to run the FDA in October, ending a lengthy search for a commissioner that took up much of the first year of his term. (Gardner, 1/13)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

The Hill: GOP Senator Plans To Introduce 'Fauci Act' After Clash At Hearing 
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall (Kan.) plans to introduce the “Fauci Act” after he clashed with infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci at a Senate hearing this week. Marshall will be introducing the Financial Accountability for Uniquely Compensated Individuals (FAUCI) Act after he said Fauci’s records were not readily accessible to the public, a spokesperson for the senator told The Hill. (Lonas, 1/13)

The Hill: More Than 30 Million Families To Lose Child Tax Credit Checks Starting This Weekend
Millions of families this weekend will stop receiving monthly child tax payments for the first time in months after Congress failed to pass an extension of the expanded credit. As lawmakers struggle to revive talks to renew the expansion, more than 30 million families that have been receiving the monthly payments since last July will not see another round on Jan. 15. Democrats temporarily expanded the child tax credit in early 2021 as part of a sweeping coronavirus relief package enacted under President Biden. (Folley, 1/13)

Politico: With Biden’s Signature Legislation Stalled, Democrats Stare Into Political Void
Democrats are quietly preparing for life after Build Back Better. With little progress on Joe Biden’s signature legislation, elected officials and operatives from across the president’s party are busy plotting how to run midterm campaigns without the benefit of a bill to bolster the social safety net and make generational investments to address climate change. (Cadelago, 1/14)

Politico: Congress Launches Funding Talks Ahead Of February Shutdown Cliff
Leaders in Congress finally began cross-party talks Thursday on a possible $1.4 trillion accord that would keep the federal government open through the fall, with five weeks to go until cash runs out again. (Scholtes and Levin, 1/13)

USA Today: Epstein-Barr Virus Could Cause Multiple Sclerosis, Harvard Study Shows
Multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system, could be caused by infection from the Epstein-Barr virus, a common herpes virus, according to a new study. The research, published in the journal Science on Thursday, was led by a team from Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The researchers studied more than 10 million young adults on active duty in the military and identified 955  who were diagnosed with MS during their service. The team analyzed samples taken from the military members every other year, examining whether they had the Epstein-Barr virus and the relationship between an infection and onset of MS. (Pitofsky, 1/13)

The New York Times: Epstein-Barr Virus May Play Role In Multiple Sclerosis Development 
For decades, researchers have suspected that people infected with an exceedingly common virus, Epstein-Barr, might be more likely to develop multiple sclerosis, a neurological illness that affects a million people in the United States. Now, a team of researchers reports what some say is the most compelling evidence yet of a strong link between the two diseases. (Kolata, 1/13)

Stat: Strong New Evidence Suggests A Virus Triggers Multiple Sclerosis
If you were to ask any of the 1 million Americans living with multiple sclerosis, they’d probably say their disease started with changes so small they almost didn’t notice them: a wobbly step, a weakening grip, sight going soft around the edges. But MRI scans of their brains — dotted with ghostly white scars — would tell a different story. Those scars are signs of inflammation dating back multiple years. Each spot represents a dead zone filled with mangled remains of thousands, sometimes millions, of neurons. Like city blocks going dark during a power outage, these cells blinked out one by one after an immune storm stripped off the insulating myelin sheath that helps them send and receive electrical signals. But what triggers the immune system to turn on itself is still a mystery. (Molteni, 1/13)

And researchers take a step closer to a cure for HIV —

The Hill: UCLA Researchers Come Closer To Finding Possible Cure For HIV 
Researchers at UCLA have inched closer to finding a cure for human immunodeficiency virus by targeting infected cells that could be lying dormant in the body. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications this week, researchers improved upon a method originally developed in 2017 to kill hidden HIV-infected cells using cells that are naturally produced by the body’s immune system. The advance brings scientists one step closer to control or even eradicate the virus, which attacks the body’s immune system. (Migdon, 1/13)

Bloomberg: Biogen Prepares to Fight Medicare Over Alzheimer’s Drug Limits
Biogen Inc. executives vowed to fight hard to reverse Medicare’s preliminary decision that would sharply limit coverage of the company’s Alzheimer’s drug, while saying more cost cuts and strategic measures are possible if the decision stands. The drugmaker is urging patients and physicians to show their disapproval with the proposal to restrict reimbursement for Aduhelm to patients in randomized controlled trials, officials said Thursday on a call with analysts. Only a small number of patients, perhaps in the hundreds, with the resources and time to travel to major hospitals conducting the trials, would get access to the drug under the rule, Chief Executive Officer Michel Vounatsos said. (Langreth and Peebles, 1/13)

Axios: Big Pharma's Last-Ditch Lobbying Blitz For The New Alzheimer's Drugs
The pharmaceutical industry is ready to pressure Medicare and demand the agency reverse its restrictive coverage plan for new Alzheimer's treatments like Aduhelm. Doctors, researchers and health policy experts praised Medicare's proposal as a way to get more data to prove whether Aduhelm works, but with billions of dollars and many other similar Alzheimer's drugs on the line, the industry is prepared for war. (Herman, 1/14)

Stat: Medicare Steps Into Heated Debate Over Equity In Alzheimer’s Treatment
Medicare’s proposal to restrict access to a controversial Alzheimer’s drug has quickly reignited a long-simmering debate over how best to address ongoing, systemic inequities in Alzheimer’s care experienced by Black and Hispanic patients. Medicare on Tuesday put forth a draft plan to only cover Aduhelm for patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. Biogen, the company behind the drug, and major Alzheimer’s patient groups all panned the proposal, saying it would make it harder for vulnerable populations to access the medicine. The Alzheimer’s Association called it “shocking discrimination.” (Florko, 1/13)

Stat: No One Knows How Much Seniors Could Pay For The New Alzheimer’s Drug
Medicare has outlined how it plans to cover the controversial, pricey new Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, but the plan is missing a crucial detail: how much money Medicare patients who receive the drug would actually pay. The draft coverage policy, announced Tuesday, would severely restrict the number of seniors who can access the drug at all, as Medicare plans to only cover the drug for patients participating in rigorous, agency-approved clinical trials. But Medicare remained mum on the potential cost of the drug for patients enrolled in the clinical trials. (Cohrs, 1/14)

Stat: With Aduhelm In Turmoil, Biogen Eyes A List Of Potential Acquisitions
Biogen, desperate to reverse the turmoil surrounding its controversial Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, has a shopping list of potential acquisitions, STAT has learned. And the company’s risk-averse board, which has repeatedly rejected potential deals, could be increasingly receptive. The company, whose stock price is down nearly 50% since Aduhelm’s June approval, is working with Goldman Sachs to find potential buyout targets, according to a person familiar with the companies’ relationships who would share internal discussions only on the condition of anonymity. (Garde and Feuerstein, 1/13)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Dealing With Drug Prices
Medicare officials have preliminarily decided to restrict reimbursement for Aduhelm, the controversial Alzheimer’s drug, to only patients participating in approved clinical trials. The FDA approved the drug in 2021 over objections of the agency’s outside advisers, who complained the evidence of Aduhelm’s efficacy is thin. But the prospect of wide use of the drug — originally priced at $56,000 a year — helped prompt the largest-ever increase in Medicare Part B premiums. Now the Department of Health and Human Services is looking at whether it can reduce that increase before 2023. (1/13)

The New York Times: Patient In Groundbreaking Pig Heart Transplant Has A Criminal Record 
An ailing Maryland man who received a pig’s heart last week in a pioneering transplant procedure has a criminal record stemming from an assault 34 years ago in which he repeatedly stabbed a young man, leaving him paralyzed. The victim, Edward Shumaker, spent two decades in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down, and suffered numerous medical complications including a stroke that left him cognitively impaired, before he died in 2007 at age 40, according to his sister, Leslie Shumaker Downey, of Frederick, Md. (Rabin, 1/13)

The Washington Post: The Ethics Of A Second Chance: Pig Heart Transplant Recipient Stabbed A Man Seven Times Years Ago
Leslie Shumaker Downey was at home babysitting her two grandchildren Monday when a message pinged on her cellphone. Her daughter had sent a link to a news article about a 57-year-old man with terminal heart disease. Three days earlier at the University of Maryland Medical Center, he had received a genetically modified pig heart. The first-of-its-kind transplant was historic, saving the man’s life and offering the possibility of saving others. What a great breakthrough for science, Downey thought, reading the headline. Then her phone pinged again. (Johnson and Wan, 1/13)

In other public health news —

Axios: Democratic Reps, LGBTQ Advocates Call On FDA To Revise Blood Donation Policy For Gay Men 
LGBTQ advocates and Congress members are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to revise its blood donor policy on sexually active gay and bisexual men as the country faces a blood shortage. The FDA requires gay and bisexual men abstain from same-sex sexual activity for 90 days in order to donate blood. The FDA announced in 2020 that gay men, bisexual men and their female partners could donate blood after a three-month waiting period instead of a 12-month period. On Tuesday, the American Red Cross declared its first-ever national blood crisis amid the surge of the Omicron variant. (Frazier, 1/13)

Fox News: Lung Cancer Mortality, Incidence Fell Ahead Of COVID-19 Pandemic: Report
The American Cancer Society (ACS) in a new report said lung cancer incidence and mortality were declining. The group used incidence data through 2018 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, the National Program of Cancer Registries and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Mortality data through 2019 was collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. Lung cancer incidence reportedly fell for advanced disease, while rates for localized-stage increased suddenly by 4.5% annually, "contributing to gains both in the proportion of localized-stage diagnoses (from 17% in 2004 to 28% in 2018) and 3-year relative survival (from 21% to 31%)." (Musto, 1/13)

PBS NewsHour: Overdose Deaths Hit A Historic High In 2020. Frustrated Experts Say These Strategies Could Save Lives
As evidence-based drug treatment and interventions became increasingly difficult to obtain during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, fatal overdoses in the United States skyrocketed to their highest level ever. While the Biden administration has said it will broaden access to harm reduction and treatment, experts say the money that has been set aside isn’t doing enough to slow the rising pace of overdose deaths in this country. U.S. policies have long skewed toward punishing people struggling with substance use rather than looking for ways to treat them – a strategy that has not been enough to prevent dramatic loss of life. Compared to decades of punitive policy, greater understanding has emerged among lawmakers and the public in recent years, but action at the federal level hasn’t fully caught up. (Santhanham, 1/13)

The New York Times: Doctors Debate Whether Trans Teens Need Therapy Before Hormones 
An upsurge in teenagers requesting hormones or surgeries to better align their bodies with their gender identities has ignited a debate among doctors over when to provide these treatments. An international group of experts focused on transgender health last month released a draft of new guidelines, the gold standard of the field that informs what insurers will reimburse for care. (Ghorayshi, 1/13)

Also —

The Washington Post: The Past Seven Years Have Been The Hottest In Recorded History, New Data Shows 
In the middle of a historically sweltering summer, a NASA researcher stood before Congress and declared the unvarnished, undeniable scientific truth: “The greenhouse effect has been detected,” James Hansen said. “And it is changing our climate now.” The year was 1988. Global temperatures were about 0.6 degrees Celsius (1.1 degrees Fahrenheit) above the preindustrial average. It was, at the time, the hottest 12-month period scientists had ever seen. None of us will ever experience a year that cool again. (Kaplan and Muyskens, 1/13)

Axios: Jumpstart Launches Fund For Black Founders 
Nashville-based Jumpstart Health Investors launched Jumpstart Nova, the first U.S. venture fund to exclusively back Black-founded and led health care companies. Major players including Eli Lilly, HCA Healthcare and the American Hospital Association injected $55 million. (Brodwin, 1/13)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: MedPAC: Increase Hospital Pay, No Change For Physicians In 2023
Medicare payment advisors unanimously approved a recommendation Thursday to update hospital payment by 2% for fiscal 2023, and to keep physician fee schedule payment stagnant next year. But members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission continued to voice concerns about the long-term viability of the current physician fee schedule model, which they say isn't keeping up with inflation during a particularly volatile time for healthcare providers. (Goldman, 1/13)

The CT Mirror: AG, Lawmakers Review Implications Of Hospital Antitrust Suit
A competitor’s antitrust lawsuit against Hartford HealthCare comes as Connecticut already was struggling to explore one of its central issues: What does the purchase of physician practices by hospitals do to competition, costs and care? The lawsuit filed by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center accuses Hartford HealthCare of  buying physician practices with the predatory intent of controlling the referrals that feed patients to its hospitals, surgical centers and other affiliates. (Pazniokas, 1/13)

Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Permanente Joins Digital Health Company Graphite Health
Kaiser Permanente is joining Graphite Health, a digital health company run by major hospital chains that focuses on promoting interoperability among health records systems, the integrated health system announced Thursday. The Oakland, California-based not-for-profit company is the fourth health system to participate in Graphite Health after SSM Health of Madison, Wisconsin, Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare. Prat Vemana, Kaiser Permanente's senior vice president and chief digital officer, will join Graphite Health's board. (Devereaux, 1/13)

Modern Healthcare: Aetna, Anthem Among Funders Of Aveneer Health's $50M Seed Round
A group of leading healthcare companies provided $50 million in seed funding to Avaneer Health, the data-exchange and blockchain startup announced Thursday. CVS Health subsidiary Aetna, Anthem, the Cleveland Clinic, Health Care Service Corp., Sentara Healthcare and PNC Financial Services all contributed to the venture and are Avaneer Health's first network participants. These funders represent 80 million covered lives and 14 million annual patient visits. Avaneer Health, founded in 2020, will use this money to prepare for the launch its network nationwide as a form of secure internet for healthcare, according to the company. (Devereux, 1/13)

AP: Oncology Unit Opens At Roane General Hospital In WVa 
A West Virginia hospital has opened a new oncology and infusion center. The unit opened Thursday at Roane General Hospital in Spencer in partnership with the West Virginia University Cancer Institute and WVU Medicine Camden-Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg. (1/14)

Los Angeles Times: Lawmakers Move To Tighten Restrictions On Sex-Offending Doctors
Doctors who are convicted of sexually abusing patients would be permanently banned from practicing medicine in California under a bill introduced this week by state legislators. The move comes a month after a Times investigation found that the Medical Board of California had reinstated 10 physicians since 2013 who lost their licenses for sexual misconduct. They included two doctors who abused teenage girls and one who beat two female patients when they reported him for sexually exploiting them. (Dolan, Mejia and Christensen, 1/13)

In other news from California —

San Francisco Chronicle: California’s EDD Freezes 345,000 Disability Claims To Battle Fraud
Some disabled people could get caught in the crossfire as California’s Employment Development Department battles a new wave of fraudsters. EDD has frozen 345,000 claims for disability insurance because of “suspected organized criminal elements filing false (disability insurance) claims using stolen credentials of individuals and medical or health providers,” it said in a statement Thursday. Disability insurance claims must include certification from a medical provider that the applicant has a medical issue. EDD said last month that it had seen an unusual increase in entities registering as new medical or health providers along with a rise in disability claims. (Said, 1/13)

In news from Texas, Indiana and Maine —

AP: Texas Sues Planned Parenthood Over $10M In Medicaid Payments
Texas wants Planned Parenthood to return more than $10 million in payments for low-income patients under a lawsuit filed Thursday, years after Republican leaders moved to cut off Medicaid dollars to the abortion provider. Planned Parenthood called the lawsuit “another political attack” in Texas, where most abortions have been banned since September under a new law that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to remain in effect. (1/13)

Indianapolis Star: Supreme Court Asked To Take Up Indiana Nursing Home Care Dispute
On the surface, the lawsuit appears pretty straightforward: An Indiana family trying to hold a nursing home accountable for alleged poor care and retaliation after they complained. But a key underlying legal issue is not so simple. And it is not specific to only this one case or Indiana. That's why a dispute that started in 2016 at a Valparaiso nursing home could end up at the U.S. Supreme Court. The stakes are potentially huge. (Evans, 1/14)

AP: Maine Considers New Screening To Protect Baby Health 
Maine might begin mandating screening for a virus to try to protect the hearing and health of newborns in the state. A bill introduced on Wednesday would require screening for cytomegalovirus, which is also known as CMV. Bill sponsor Sen. Cathy Breen, a Falmouth Democrat, said the screening would be required for all newborns in the state who fail two hearing tests. (1/14)

Axios: Puerto Rico Expands Booster Shot Requirements 
Puerto Rico will require booster shots for all public school students over the age of 12, as well as people working in entertainment and tourism, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced in a series of tweets Thursday. Puerto Rico is facing a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant. While the island had a positivity rate below 5% at the end of 2021, it has spiked to 36% in the new year, AP reported. (Saric, 1/13)

Meanwhile, in news from overseas --

Bloomberg: Africa's Weekly Covid Vaccinations Need To Rise Sixfold, WHO Says
The number of Africans being inoculated against Covid-19 needs to climb to 34 million people a week, from 6 million currently, if the least vaccinated continent is to reach the World Health Organization’s target of 70% of its people fully covered by mid-year. While vaccine supplies to the continent have improved recently, slow rollouts are hindering efforts to reach this goal, Alain Poy, head of the WHO’s vaccine preventable disease program in Africa said in a briefing Thursday. The organization has prepared teams to aid countries that are struggling to get shots in arms, he said. (Kew and Bonorchis, 1/13)

The New York Times: Australia’s Immigration Minister Revoked Djokovic’s Visa On ‘Health And Good Order’ Grounds
Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis star, had his visa revoked for a second time by the Australian authorities on Friday, the latest dizzying volley in a drawn-out drama over his refusal to be vaccinated for Covid-19. (Cave, Clarey and Zhuang, 1/14)

CBS News/AFP: Judge Halts Father's Visitation Rights With Child For His Refusal Of COVID-19 Vaccine
A Canadian father, unvaccinated against COVID-19 and "opposed to health measures," lost the right to visit his 12-year-old child after a Quebec judge ruled his visits would not be in the child's "best interest." The decision, initially reported by Quebec newspaper Le Devoir and consulted by AFP, was rendered on December 23 and suspends the father's visitation rights until February, unless he decides to get vaccinated. (1/13)

Bloomberg: China’s Bid To Punish Hospitals Over Covid Prompts New Confusion
Residents of a Chinese city locked down for three weeks are voicing concern about health risks after two hospitals were closed because their strict enforcement of virus rules led to patient deaths. Guo Shuzhong, a doctor at Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital, wrote Thursday on his verified Weibo account that he’d “never felt so anxious” because 117 patients -- mostly children -- had ear surgery delayed. That raised the risk of infection that could lead to permanent damage, he said. (1/14)

In other global news —

Stat: FDA Warns Chinese Manufacturer For Problems With Eye Drops
When it comes to making eye drops, one Chinese manufacturer failed to clearly see the rules for sterile manufacturing, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Hubei Kangzheng was admonished by the regulator for a host of production lapses that could have led to microbial contamination in its Pi Yen Chin drops, according to a Nov. 23, 2021, warning letter that was posted on the agency web site this week. A key issue was that the company also made non-sterile nasal drops and wrongfully believed its manufacturing standards did not need to comply with procedures for sterile ophthalmic drops, which are sold over-the-counter. The FDA referred to this argument as a “misguided notion.” (Silverman, 1/13)

USA Today: Doctor Who Branded His Initials On Livers Loses Ability To Practice
Dr. Simon Bramhall, a British surgeon who branded his initials on patients' livers, has been struck off the medical register as of Monday, according to a report by BBC News. According to the U.K. General Medical Council, that means he can no longer work as a doctor in the U.K. The branding occurred in February and August of 2013, and Bramhall received two convictions for common assault in December 2017, according to records from the Medical Practitioners Tribunal. (Shen, 1/12)

The New York Times: The Joys (And Challenges) Of Sex After 70 
There’s a poignant paradox about older people and sex. As our worlds get smaller — work slows down or ends, physical abilities recede, traveling gets more challenging, friendship circles narrow as people die — we tend to have more time and inclination to savor the parts of our lives that are emotionally meaningful, which can include sex. But because bodies change, good sex in old age often needs reimagining, expanding, for example, to include more touching, kissing, erotic massage, oral sex, sex toys. (Jones, 1/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Can You Fight Aging? Scientists Are Testing Drugs To Help
Say it’s 2050 and you just turned 70 years old. You feel as vigorous after a workout as you did at 35. Your skin has nary a wrinkle. You don’t have to remember where you put your glasses because your vision is still 20/20. Your mind seems as sharp as ever. Will people eventually routinely live—and live healthily—longer? That’s the vision of the burgeoning field of aging research, where scientists are trying to extrapolate tantalizing life-prolonging findings from animal experiments into medicines that slow, prevent or even reverse the aging process for humans. (Winslow, 1/11)

The Wall Street Journal: The New Trend In Healthcare: Do-It-Yourself 
Two years into a pandemic that has strained health systems and made booking doctors' appointments next-to-impossible for some, patients are providing more of their own care at home. Elizabeth Ditty says she struggled to get a doctor to pay attention when she felt lethargic and unable to lose weight. So a year ago she ordered do-it-yourself kits for medical tests to measure hormone and cholesterol levels and detect food sensitivities. Based on the results, the 39-year-old screenwriter in Kansas City, Mo., adjusted her diet, adding supplements and eliminating eggs. She says she feels better and has lost weight. (Morris, 1/11)

The New York Times: Melatonin Isn’t a Sleeping Pill. Here’s How to Use It
Most people think of melatonin as a natural nod-off aid, kind of like chamomile tea in pill form. Even the name of the popular dietary supplement sounds sleepy — that long “o” sound almost makes you yawn mid-word. But melatonin is also a hormone that our brains naturally produce, and hormones, even in minuscule amounts, can have potent effects throughout the body. (Nierenberg, 1/11)

NBC News: Hit The Gym? Not This Year — Omicron Saps New-Year Resolve To Shape Up
This is the time of year when Americans would ordinarily be flocking to their local gyms, and replacing the carbs in their kitchens with kale. As 2022 kicks off, though, it seems that one more casualty of the coronavirus pandemic is the New Year’s fitness resolution. For the diet-and-workout industry, omicron couldn’t have come at a worse time. Anxiety about mingling with strangers — especially while exercising — is high, and morale is flagging as Covid-19 cases soar, leaving the nation with a wearying sense of deja vu. “I’m kind of terrified to go back into the gym right now because of Covid,” said Stacey Wacknov, a health care communications consultant who lives in Phoenix. “Our rates of vaccinations are horrible,” she said. (White, 1/10)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Pharmaceutical CEO, Caring For His Son, Found A Business Opportunity 
Howard Solomon was chief executive of a New York-based pharmaceutical company, Forest Laboratories Inc., in 1994 when his 31-year-old son Andrew sank into a deep depression. The elder Mr. Solomon invited his son back into the family home in Manhattan, helped nurse him and searched for medications that might help. That search increased Mr. Solomon’s interest in an antidepressant sold in Europe by a Danish company, H. Lundbeck AS. He approached Lundbeck about the possibility that Forest Labs could license the antidepressant for sale in the U.S. Lundbeck’s CEO, Erik Sprunk-Jansen, initially was reluctant to consider the idea. (Hagerty, 1/12)

The New York Times: In South Africa, Success Against H.I.V. Offers Hope 
On a visit to a public hospital in a farming community in late November, I saw something that astonished me. Empty beds. Rows of them, their black plastic-covered mattresses stripped of sheets. Blue privacy curtains folded up over rails, out of the way. I had never seen a Zambian hospital like this. When I last toured one, nearly 15 years ago, patients lay two or three to a bed, head-to-feet-to-head. And more on the floor. More on thatch mats in the hallways. The patients were gaunt, their eyes huge above sunken cheeks. Hopelessness and suffering hung in the air. (Nolen, 1/11)

The Wall Street Journal: ‘Swab’: A Mop For Ship Decks And Viral Specimens
Before Covid, the swabs most people were familiar with were small ones like Q-tips, used for ear cleaning, first aid, cosmetics and crafts. Now, however, the Washington Post reports that the major domestic producer of swabs for medical testing, Puritan Medical Products, is churning out 100 million swabs a month, leading the Post to declare that we’re living in “the golden age of the swab.” (Zimmer, 1/13)

The New York Times: To Fight Covid, We Need To Think Less Like Doctors 
Caring for an individual and protecting a population require different priorities, practices and ways of thinking. While it may sound counterintuitive, to heal the country and put our Covid-19 response on the right track, we need to think less like doctors. (Aaron E. Carroll, 1/14)

Bay Area News Group: Frustrating Hunt For COVID Tests And Protective Masks
“Sold out.” “Sold out.” “Sold out.” With the COVID-19 omicron variant continuing its rampage across the state, residents are racing — scavenger hunt-style — to find at-home antigen tests to assess their exposures, and extra-protective masks to guard against catching the virus. But with cases rising and supplies limited, many shoppers have only found empty shelves and “Sold out” signs. (Zack Savitsky, 1/13)

The Star Tribune: Lessons Learned From Vaccine Mandates
It should be painfully clear by now that the COVID-19 pandemic isn't a sprint but a marathon, potentially an ultramarathon. Learning to live with it involves calibrating measures to deliver normality while preventing as much harm as possible from a dangerous virus. The temporary vaccination requirements announced Wednesday for Minneapolis and St. Paul bar and restaurant patrons are the latest attempt to strike that balance. While far from ideal and overdue, the requirements are a sensible middle ground between a shutdown or doing nothing in the midst of omicron's alarming surge. (1/13)

The Washington Post: Are We All Going To Get Omicron? Dr. Leana Wen Answered Reader Questions. 
Washington Post contributing columnist Dr. Leana S. Wen [answered] reader questions on covid-19, the omicron variant, vaccines, testing and more. (Leana S. Wen, 1/13)

The New York Times: Waiting For Omicron 
You’re not supposed to want to get Omicron just to get it over with. In article after article, experts warn against trying to catch the virus in the hope of putting it behind you. You could end up contributing to the untenable strain on the health care system, they say, or give Covid to someone more vulnerable than you. Treatments will be more widely available in a few months. So even though my impulse, when faced with something both grim and seemingly inevitable, is to get through it as fast as possible, I’ve dutifully taken all the precautions I’ve been told to take, plus a few more. (Michelle Goldberg, 1/14)

The Washington Post: After The Pig-To-Human Heart Transplant, The FDA, Clinicians And Insurers Have Some Catching Up To Do 
On Jan. 7, David Bennett, a 57-year-old man with end-stage heart disease, received a heart from a genetically modified pig at the University of Maryland Medical Center. ... The need for an alternative to human organs is urgent because donor organs are chronically in short supply: More than 100,000 patients with end-stage organ disease are on the national transplant waiting list. Every day, 17 people die while waiting for a lifesaving organ because of organ scarcity. Before xenotransplantation policies can be developed and implemented, clinical research trials — with human recipients of pig-organ transplants serving also as research participants — will need to be conducted. These trials will provide crucial information about the safety and effectiveness of the transplants.(Karen J. Maschke, Elisa J. Gordon and Michael K. Gusmano, 1/13)

Stat: Patient Engagement: The True Benchmark In Clinical Trials 
Patient engagement and community outreach may be hot topics in today’s clinical trial landscape, but they aren’t new ideas. Researchers and patient advocacy groups have focused on including patients and volunteers in study design and data reporting for many years. What’s new is the vital role technology plays in engagement as decentralized clinical trials become more popular. Patient engagement simply means patients working with their health care providers to make decisions about their health. In the context of clinical trials, this could mean participants giving advice on trial designs or tracking their own data using wearable devices and mobile applications. (Catherine Gregor, 1/14)

The Tennessean: Expanding Telehealth Access Is A Lifesaver For Vulnerable Patients
It's hard to find a silver lining in a pandemic. But COVID-19 has convinced the medical and policymaking establishments, perhaps unwittingly, that high-quality care can be delivered remotely. The telehealth revolution is upon us. Lawmakers waived numerous arcane and outdated regulations governing the use of telemedicine to make the service more available for everyday patients. Onerous restrictions that required patients to receive telehealth care in medical facilities and barred doctors from conducting appointments across state lines were as nonsensical before the pandemic as they are now. (Sally C. Pipes, 1/13)

The CT Mirror: Health Care In Connecticut Is Too Expensive. One Prescription: The Public Option
This past legislative session, the Connecticut General Assembly shelved consideration of a public option insurance plan after Gov. Ned Lamont threatened to veto the bill. In fact, 2021 marked the third consecutive legislative session where the proposed insurance plan did not receive a vote. But as a physician caring for Connecticut’s most vulnerable residents in the Emergency Department, we know that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the shameful unmet public need for more support — and the evidence in support of the public option is clear. Now, more than ever, the Connecticut General Assembly should pass a public option for Connecticut. (Dr. Ryan Koski-Vacirca, 1/14)

Stat: Collecting Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity Data Must Be Done 
The importance of capturing demographic data in health care settings and population surveys can’t be overstated. If a population or group isn’t counted, it may as well be invisible. That’s why the recent recommendation by the Biden administration’s Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force that federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial health departments collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data is a big deal. Two years into the pandemic, there are myriad reasons to hypothesize that LGBTQIA+ people are experiencing higher rates of Covid-19 infection, illness, hospitalization, and death than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. (Sean Cahill, 1/14)