NPR: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Is 66% Effective In Preventing Moderate To Severe COVID-19 
A global study of nearly 44,000 found that the COVID-19 vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson is 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease. The study was conducted in the U.S., Latin America and South Africa. The vaccine did better at preventing disease in this country – 72% percent — and less well in South Africa – 57% efficacy. The efficacy seen in Latin America was 66%. The South African results are troubling because the coronavirus spreading there and that has now been detected in the U.S. raising concerns that the vaccines developed so far might not work as well against it. (Hensley, 1/29)

The Washington Post: Single-Shot Johnson & Johnson Vaccine 66 Percent Effective Against Moderate And Severe Illness 
A single-shot coronavirus vaccine from pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson was 66 percent effective at preventing moderate and severe illness in a massive global trial, findings released Friday show. But its performance was stronger in the United States and weaker in South Africa, where a worrisome coronavirus variant now dominates — a complicated result that reflects the evolution of the pandemic. The results, reported in a news release, put a third vaccine on the horizon in the United States — one with logistical advantages that could simplify distribution and expand access to shots in the United States and worldwide. (Johnson, 1/29)

CNN: Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine Is 66% Effective In Global Trial, But 85% Effective Against Severe Disease, Company Says 
It's a striking difference from vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, and it may give pause to people uncertain about which vaccine to get or when they can get one. The vaccines already on the market in the US are about 95% effective overall against symptomatic Covid-19, with perhaps even higher efficacy against severe cases. But experts say the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will still be useful against the pandemic in the United States and around the world. (Fox, Sealy and Nedelman, 1/29)

Also —

Bloomberg: J&J Covid Vaccine Supply To Start At 2 Million Doses, GAO Says 
Johnson & Johnson will deliver about 2 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine when it receives an emergency use authorization in the U.S., according to a Government Accountability Office report published Thursday. The figure revealed in a footnote to the government audit is the clearest indication yet of the initial supply of J&J’s one-shot vaccine. (Tozzi and Griffin, 1/28)

CNN: Novavax Vaccine Is 89% Effective In UK Trial, But Less So In South Africa 
A new Covid-19 vaccine from Novavax was found to be 89% effective in a clinical trial conducted in the UK and appears to offer protection against some variants of the coronavirus, the American biotech firm has announced. Novavax said Thursday that its vaccine was found to have been 95.6% effective against the original novel coronavirus, and 85.6% effective against the variant first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, based on results from a Phase 3 trial conducted in the UK. The study included efficacy estimates by strain based on PCR tests performed on variants from 56 Covid-19 cases in the trial. (Howard, Soares and Said-Moorhouse, 1/29)

Politico: Novavax Says Its Covid-19 Vaccine Is 89 Percent Effective, But Less So Against South African Variant 
Novavax, which is based in Maryland, has never brought a vaccine to market. The Trump administration awarded the company $1.6 billion to develop and test the vaccine, begin large-scale manufacturing and reserve 100 million doses. Trial details: Novavax tested its vaccine in the U.K. during a period when a different variant of the virus — first detected in Britain and more transmissible than earlier versions — began circulating. The company's analysis of the 15,000-person Phase III trial found that the vaccine was 95.6 percent effective against the original Covid-19 strain and 85.6 percent effective against the U.K. variant, B.1.1.7. (Lim, 1/28)

The New York Times: Novavax’s Vaccine Works Well — Except On Variant First Found In South Africa 
Novavax, which makes one of six vaccine candidates supported by Operation Warp Speed last summer, has been running trials in Britain, South Africa, the United States and Mexico. It said Thursday that an early analysis of its 15,000-person trial in Britain revealed that the two-dose vaccine had an efficacy rate of nearly 90 percent there. But in a small trial in South Africa, the efficacy rate dropped to just under 50 percent. Almost all the cases that scientists have analyzed there so far were caused by the variant, known as B.1.351. The data also showed that many trial participants were infected with the variant even after they had already had Covid. (Thomas, Zimmer and LaFraniere, 1/28)

The Hill: CDC Reports 16 States Have Used Less Than Half Of Their Distributed Vaccine Doses 
Sixteen states have used less than half of their distributed coronavirus vaccines even as the country at large faces a crunch in the number of shots going into arms, according to data released Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC’s vaccine tracker, Alabama, Wisconsin, Kansas, Hawaii, Arizona, Pennsylvania, California, Maryland, Minnesota, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska and Ohio have all administered less than 50 percent of the vaccine doses they’ve received. (Axelrod, 1/28)

In related news about the vaccine rollout —

The Baltimore Sun: Being Asked For Insurance Information To Sign Up For A COVID-19 Vaccine? It Will Still Be Free. 
Trying to sign up for a coronavirus vaccine appointment and confused about why you’re being asked for insurance information? Don’t worry. Baltimore City Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa said the state’s registration system asks for Medicare or insurance information, even though the vaccine is free. She said it’s not required to provide the information. (Oxenden, 1/28)

AP: Maine Unveils New COVID-19 Vaccine Information Website
Maine public health authorities have unveiled a new website to help the public keep track of the state’s coronavirus vaccination effort. The website includes a “vaccination dashboard” that reports the number of coronavirus vaccines delivered in the state. It stated on Thursday that 128,704 total doses had been administered, including 97,033 first doses. (1/29)

Boston Globe: Mass. Will Offer More Help For People Struggling To Get Vaccination Appointments
Governor Charlie Baker said Thursday that Massachusetts will soon unveil a telephone hot line to help people struggling to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments, responding to widespread complaints that the online system has proved maddening for eligible residents, seniors especially. The move is a tacit acknowledgement that the current patchwork system made it difficult for many to even find available slots, forcing them to navigate a constellation of online registration systems run by individual vaccine providers. (Rosen and Bray, 1/28)

Houston Chronicle: 'Nobody Is Getting Enough': Why Texas Ranks Near The Bottom For COVID-19 Vaccines Per Capita
As Texans scramble for appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine, federal data helps explain why: Relative to its population, the Lone Star State ranks near the bottom in the country in number of doses received. Texas has received the second-highest number of doses in the country. Per capita, however, Texas comes in closer to the bottom at 49th out of all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Federal officials say there is a good reason for that: Vaccine distribution is based on the adult population of each state. And roughly a quarter of Texans are under the age of 18. Still, even when adjusted for adults only, Texas ranks 48th. (Rubio and Serrano, 1/28)

AP: State Health Officer On Vaccine: 'Not Enough To Go Around'
Alabama will soon announce a time frame for expanding who can get COVID-19 vaccinations, the state health officer told lawmakers Thursday. But he said the supply of vaccine coming into the state remains far short of what is needed. “You’ll hear very soon about expanded eligibility as other states have done,” State Health Officer Scott Harris told lawmakers during budget hearings. Harris told reporters he expects to be able to discuss a time frame Friday. Currently, only health care workers, people 75 and older, first responders and nursing home residents are eligible for vaccinations. (Chandler, 1/28)

Dallas Morning News: White Dallas Residents Outpace Blacks, Hispanics In Registering For COVID Vaccine
Early efforts to boost registrations among Dallas’ Black and Hispanic communities have yet to produce more equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine, new data obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows. Six out of every 10 city residents who have enrolled for the shot with the Dallas County health department through Jan. 24 were white, according to data obtained Thursday. That’s twice the rate of the city’s overall white population. Hispanics — which make up the city’s largest ethnic group at 42% — were the second-largest enrollment group, making up about 20%. Only 1 out of every 10 Dallas residents who registered for the vaccine was Black, a 14 percentage-point gap compared with the overall city population. (Garcia and Jimenez, 1/28)

KHN: As Vaccine Rollout Expands, Black Americans Still Left Behind 
Black Americans are still receiving covid vaccinations at dramatically lower rates than white Americans even as the chaotic rollout reaches more people, according to a new KHN analysis. Almost seven weeks into the vaccine rollout, states have expanded eligibility beyond front-line health care workers to more of the public — in some states to more older adults, in others to essential workers such as teachers. But new data shows that vaccination rates for Black Americans have not caught up to those of white Americans. (Recht and Weber, 1/29)

Also —

AP: Health Workers Stuck In Snow Give Other Drivers Vaccine
Oregon health workers who got stuck in a snowstorm on their way back from a COVID-19 vaccination event went car to car injecting stranded drivers before several of the doses expired. Josephine County Public Health said on Facebook that the “impromptu vaccine clinic” took place after about 20 employees were stopped in traffic on a highway after a vaccination clinic. Six of the vaccines were getting close to expiring so the workers decided to offer them to other stranded drivers. (1/28)

The Washington Post: Reporter CD-Davidson-Hiers Helps Seniors Get Their Vaccine Appointments 
The coronavirus vaccine had arrived in Leon County, Fla., and suddenly CD Davidson-Hiers’s iPhone was lighting up with calls and texts. Seniors over 65 could now get the shots, but many said they were hitting a wall when they tried to register with the local health department. The agency’s phone played an error message when they dialed, and an online appointment form seemed to go nowhere. Readers asked: Could Davidson-Hiers help? (Hawkins, 1/28)

KHN: Journalists Stay On Top Of Rocky Vaccine Rollout 
California Healthline senior correspondent Anna Maria Barry-Jester discussed California’s rocky covid-19 vaccine rollout with KALW’s “Your Call” on Wednesday. (1/29)

Bloomberg: $44 Million Vaccine System From CDC Gets Few Users Among States
A $44 million software system supplied for free to states by the U.S. government to help track Covid-19 vaccinations is only being used by nine states, with Virginia transitioning out and Connecticut exploring alternatives. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contracted with Deloitte & Touche LLP for the system last spring. Called VAMS, short for Vaccine Administration Management System, it was billed by the CDC as an “easy-to-use, secure, online tool to manage vaccine administration from the time the vaccine arrives at a clinic to when it is administered to a recipient.” (LaVito, 1/28)

The Hill: FEMA Asks Pentagon For Help Administering COVID-19 Vaccines 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has asked the Pentagon to assist with President Biden's goal to vaccinate 100 million people against the coronavirus in his first 100 days in office, the Department of Defense's (DOD) top spokesman said Thursday. (Mitchell, 1/28)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Allows More Healthcare Providers To Administer COVID-19 Vaccines
HHS on Thursday made moves to rapidly grow the vaccination workforce and increase the public's access to COVID-19 vaccinations. Under the amendment to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), all licensed and certified healthcare professionals are now authorized to prescribe, dispense and administer COVID-19 vaccines in any state or U.S. territory after completing the CDC's COVID-19 vaccine training, regardless of where they are licensed or certified. (Christ, 1/28)

In related news about the vaccine supply —

AP: EXPLAINER: Why It's Hard To Make Vaccines And Boost Supplies
Production depends on enough raw materials. Pfizer and Moderna insist they have reliable suppliers. Even so, a U.S. government spokesman said logistics experts are working directly with vaccine makers to anticipate and solve any bottlenecks that arise. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel acknowledges that challenges remain. With shifts running 24/7, if on any given day “there’s one raw material missing, we cannot start making products and that capacity will be lost forever because we cannot make it up,” he recently told investors. (Neergaard, 1/28)

The Washington Post: Biden Reopens ACA Enrollment For Three Months In Opening Bid To Extend Health Coverage
President Biden ordered Thursday the reopening of the Affordable Care Act’s federal insurance marketplaces for three months to give millions of Americans who need coverage during the coronavirus pandemic an extended chance to buy health plans. The directive, part of a series of executive actions the president is taking during his first days in office, is a down payment on his pledge to make health care more accessible and affordable and a sign of his determination to rehabilitate the landmark law after four years of Republican battering. Those goals have taken on more urgency as 25 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and millions of others have lost jobs. (Goldstein, 1/28)

Politico: Biden Takes First Step Toward Bolstering Obamacare 
The actions are the first in a series of moves Biden is planning to shore up a law he campaigned on expanding. Though former President Donald Trump failed to repeal Obamacare, his administration weakened the law through executive action and advanced policies that would shrink enrollment in its expansion of Medicaid to poor adults. But Biden’s more ambitious plans for bolstering the Affordable Care Act will require help from Congress. Democrats in full control of Washington, D.C., for the first time since the ACA's passage face the challenge of maintaining Americans’ newfound affection for the law while addressing growing voter angst over soaring health care costs. (Luthi, 1/28)

The New York Times: Biden Moves To Expand Health Coverage In Pandemic Economy 
Mr. Biden used Thursday’s appearance at the White House to begin shoring up health care programs and policies that have been critical to a Democratic resurgence. Perhaps no policy is as important to him as the Affordable Care Act, which he helped secure as President Barack Obama’s vice president. President Donald J. Trump tried and failed to overturn the law, then weakened it with executive actions and rules, including making it easier for people to buy cheap, short-term plans that are not required to cover pre-existing medical conditions. “The best way to describe them: to undo the damage Trump has done,” Mr. Biden said of his actions during a brief signing ceremony in the Oval Office. “There’s nothing new that we’re doing here, other than restoring the Affordable Care Act and restoring the Medicaid to the way it was.” (Stolberg and Goodnough, 1/28)

Modern Healthcare: Biden To Reopen ACA Marketplace, Revisit Work Requirements
The executive order told federal regulators to look into policies that could undermine protections for people with preexisting conditions, undercut the individual marketplace or reduce coverage affordability or financial assistance. CMS will revisit Medicaid and ACA demonstrations and waivers that decrease coverage or "undermine the programs." ... Former CMS Administrator Seema Verma made Medicaid work requirements central to her effort to modify the program. Proponents argued the waivers would encourage people to work and ensure people didn't receive benefits if they didn't qualify for them. Of the 13 states CMS approved for a work requirement, Arkansas was the only state to completely implement its experiment. (Brady and Tepper, 1/28)

NBC News: Biden Wants To Strengthen Medicaid, But Trump Left Major Hurdles For Him
The Biden administration hopes to quickly help those uninsured in Georgia, as well as in 11 other states, by providing incentives to expand Medicaid. The efforts won't be easy, however: Some state leaders, like Gov. Brain Kemp last year, pursued a variation of Medicaid expansion pushed by the Trump administration — a version that undercuts the federal insurance program, implements work requirements and leaves hundreds of thousands of people without access to coverage. (McCausland, 1/28)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: The Long Road To Unwinding Trump Health Policies 
Thursday was “health day” in President Joe Biden’s sprint to launch his presidency, and he signed two executive orders addressing health coverage and women’s reproductive rights. The orders will reopen enrollment under the Affordable Care Act from February to May and reverse the so-called Mexico City policy that limits funding to international health groups that perform or support the right to abortion. (1/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Targets Abortion Restrictions As Fight Looms In Congress 
President Biden ended a policy that prohibits federal funds from going to foreign-aid groups that perform abortions or provide related services, one of several moves likely to spark renewed debate over abortion access. Mr. Biden can make some of his intended changes quickly, but others will likely run into hurdles in Congress, where Democrats hold narrow majorities. Echoing many Democrats and abortion-rights advocates, he has said he backs ending a provision in spending bills known as the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funds from being used for abortions except in limited cases. (Lucey and Peterson, 1/28)

Politico: Biden Starts Rolling Back Trump Anti-Abortion Rules 
Biden's order also withdraws the U.S. from the anti-abortion “Geneva Consensus Declaration” the Trump administration signed last year with dozens of other countries, which asserted that “there is no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation on the part of States to finance or facilitate abortion.” Domestically, Biden additionally signed a memorandum directing the Department of Health and Human Services to review and consider scrapping the Trump administration’s rule that overhauled the Title X federal family planning program, stripping tens of millions of dollars in grants from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Hundreds of providers have left the Title X program over the past couple of years, leaving big gaps in care. (Ollstein, 1/28)

The Washington Post: FAQ: Biden Drops Trump’s Anti-Abortion ‘Global Gag Rule.’ Here’s What That Means For Abortion Access Worldwide.
Soon after he took office as president, Donald Trump reinstated and expanded a policy known by its critics as the “global gag rule,” which bars U.S. funding for organizations abroad that perform abortions or offer information about them. On Thursday, a week into his term, President Biden signed a memorandum rescinding the policy. He also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to review a rule instated by Trump that cut off federal funding for domestic family planning programs involved with abortions, such as Planned Parenthood, and ordered the restoration of funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which Trump had cut in a dispute over abortion provisions. (Berger, 1/28)

Previously From KHN: Trump’s Anti-Abortion Zeal Shook Fragile Health Systems Around the World (Varney, 11/10/20)

In other news on abortion in Kansas —

The Washington Post: Kansas Lawmakers Put Abortion Measure On 2022 Ballot 
Kansas voters will decide next year whether the state’s constitution protects abortion rights under a ballot measure approved by the state Senate on Thursday. If approved by voters, the measure — known by its supporters as “Value Them Both” — would amend the state’s constitution to say there is no right to abortion and leave the power to regulate the procedure to the legislature, currently a Republican-leaning body that in recent years has tightened restrictions on abortions. (Gowen, 1/28)

The Hill: White House Releases 'Previously Hidden' State COVID-19 Data 
The White House COVID-19 team on Wednesday released state coronavirus profile statistics that were "previously hidden," according to White House COVID-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar. In a tweet, Shahpar shared the state profile reports (SPR), which give week-by-week analyses of coronavirus changes per state. (Polus, 1/28)

Stat: For States, Tracking Covid-19 Vaccination Data Poses A Huge Challenge
After a long day of doling out Covid-19 vaccines, workers in Utah County toil late into the night entering data on every single dose. What they don’t finish, they come in early the next morning to finish before the state’s daily 7 a.m. reporting deadline. (Aguilar, 1/29)

In other news from the White House —

The Washington Post: Biden’s Sign Language Interpreter Has Translated Far-Right Misinformation
A gesture meant to bolster President Biden’s call for unity and inclusion instead inspired divisiveness, after news emerged that a White House American Sign Language interpreter was a Trump supporter who previously interpreted videos rife with misinformation. Heather Mewshaw, who appeared in the White House coronavirus briefing on Monday beside press secretary Jen Psaki, was identified by deaf and hard-of-hearing advocates and Time Magazine, fueling questions about the White House’s vetting process and what could have happened if Mewshaw misinterpreted Biden officials or inserted her own bias. No one has publicly disputed her interpretation, but many questioned why the White House would legitimize her by giving Mewshaw the national platform. (Kornfield, 1/28)

The Wall Street Journal: South Africa Coronavirus Variant Detected In U.S. 
Health authorities in South Carolina said Thursday they have identified two people who were infected with a coronavirus variant that was first detected in South Africa and could evade some treatments. The two adults haven’t traveled to South Africa and aren’t connected to one another, authorities said, suggesting that the variant, known as B.1.351, is potentially circulating in the community. (McKay and Hernandez, 1/28)

NPR: South Carolina Reports 1st Known U.S. Cases Of Variant From South Africa
Health officials have identified the first U.S. cases of the coronavirus variant that was initially detected in South Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the variant, known as B 1.351, has been found in South Carolina. "CDC is early in its efforts to understand this variant and will continue to provide updates as we learn more," the agency said. "At this time, we have no evidence that infections by this variant cause more severe disease. Like the U.K. and Brazilian variants, preliminary data suggests this variant may spread more easily and quickly than other variants." (Chappell, 1/28)

In related news —

The Hill: COVID-19 Cases Drop, But Variants Point To Dangers Ahead 
The number of Americans testing positive for the coronavirus has dropped substantially from an early January zenith, easing the strain on hospitals across the nation that faced danger over the winter holidays. But new and more transmissible strains of the coronavirus are circulating more widely across the world, and public health experts caution that, even with the beginnings of mass vaccination programs, the public must be more vigilant than ever in protecting themselves and reducing the spread. (Wilson, 1/28)

The Hill: Fauci Warns COVID-19 Situation 'Potentially Could Get Worse' Given New Variants 
Anthony Fauci warned Thursday that the coronavirus situation in the United States “potentially could get worse,” despite recent improvements, citing the threat from new, more contagious variants of the virus. “I think it potentially could get worse,” Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” (Sullivan, 1/28)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cleveland Clinic Finds Portion Of Its N95 Masks Were Counterfeit And Not Effective 
The Cleveland Clinic has found that a portion of its N95 mask supply used between November and Monday were counterfeit and “not effective as respirators,” according to the health system. To be classified as N95, respirator masks must meet standards from the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and filter at least 95% of airborne particles. The Clinic released a statement late Wednesday, saying that a manufacturer tipped off administrators that some of its purchases were counterfeit. (Fields, 1/27)

WTNH.com: Doctors Say To Be On The Lookout For Counterfeit Facemasks Flooding PPE Market
Counterfeit masks have infiltrated the U.S. market, online and in stores as the demand for PPE has outstripped supply. Imagine this: You were out on the town and you were going out to get a bite at a restaurant, and you pull out your “medical” mask to put it on. So, is it going to work? It’s supposed to work better than the cloth ones; however, Dr. Richard Martinello of Yale Medicine said there are a lot of counterfeit masks in the marketplace. Dr. Martinello said it’s like the Wild Wild West out there when buying one. This month, customs officers at Kennedy International Airport seized more than 100,000 counterfeit masks from Hong Kong bearing the “3M” label. They were not 3M, but inferior masks. (Wilson, 1/27)

In other news about PPE —

Detroit Free Press: Auditor Faults Michigan For Lack Of Emergency Protocols To Buy PPE, Supplies For COVID-19
A new audit faults the state of Michigan's purchasing agency for a lack of financial controls in the way it spent tens of millions of dollars to purchase personal protective equipment and other supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Department of Technology, Management and Budget allowed state employees to share state credit cards and wired tens of millions of dollars to suppliers before the requested goods were received, Auditor General Doug Ringler said in a report released Tuesday. (Egan, 1/26)

FierceHealthcare: Businessman Charged With Hoarding PPE, Price Gouging Health Providers
A Mississippi man was charged with allegedly attempting a $1.8 million scheme to hoard personal protective equipment and price gouging healthcare providers, including several U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials said Kenneth Bryan Ritchey, 57, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was charged in the Southern District of Mississippi with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to commit hoarding of designated scarce materials and hoarding of designated scarce materials. (Reed, 1/28)

Los Angeles Times: To Prevent COVID, Wear 2 Masks Or Upgrading Face Protection 
Another option is the KN95 mask, which is medical grade but manufactured to a Chinese specification. They are probably more effective than cloth face coverings, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. One advantage of KN95 masks is that they may be easier to use for the public than the gold-standard respiratory mask used by medical professionals in the U.S., the N95 mask. (Money and Lin II, 1/28)

The Washington Post: Copper Masks, Pills And Pain Relief: What Science Says 
Copper is everywhere — in the Earth’s crust, in electrical wiring, in our bodies and, during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s even been showing up in masks. “Of the metals that are out there, it is as valuable to the human race as gold,” said Michael Schmidt, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina who studies the use of copper in health-care settings. (Chiu, 1/28)

Fox News: Severe COVID-19 Among Pregnant Women Raises Risk Of Preterm Birth, Death: Study
A new study suggests pregnant women who contract severe COVID-19 disease face a heightened risk of death and preterm delivery compared to those with asymptomatic cases of the illness. However, the lead study author said adverse outcomes were not associated with mild-to-moderate coronavirus infections. "Our research shows that serious pregnancy complications appear to occur in women who have severe or critical cases of COVID and not those who have mild or moderate cases," Dr. Torri D. Metz, a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist and associate professor at the University of Utah Health, said in a related news release. (Rivas, 1/28)

The New York Times: Pregnant Women Get Conflicting Advice On Covid-19 Vaccines 
Pregnant women looking for guidance on Covid-19 vaccines are facing the kind of confusion that has dogged the pandemic from the start: The world’s leading public health organizations — the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization — are offering contradictory advice. Neither organization explicitly forbids or encourages immunizing pregnant women. But weighing the same limited studies, they provide different recommendations. (Mandavilli and Rabin, 1/28)

In other research news about covid —

USA Today: COVID-19: Tylenol, Advil 'Perfectly Fine' – After Getting Vaccine
In a study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Virology, researchers found nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen can reduce the production of antibodies and impact other aspects of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Researchers said the study's results raised the possibility that pain relievers such as ibuprofen could alter the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Colleen Kelley, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine who was not affiliated with the study, speculates this could be caused by reducing inflammation triggered by the immune system. (Rodriguez, 1/29)

CIDRAP: Lingering Lung, Physical, Mental Symptoms 4 Months After COVID-19 
Four months after their release from the hospital, more than half of 238 adult COVID-19 patients in northern Italy still had impaired lung function or mobility issues, and about one-fifth had symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a prospective cohort study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open found. The findings add to growing evidence and discussion of so-called COVID-19 "long-haulers," or patients with function-impairing symptoms persisting for months after their initial recovery. (Van Beusekom, 1/28)

Stat: With Covid-19, Science Communication Gets Complicated, And Bitter
Before 2020, the biggest debates in science communication were often about balancing hope and hype when it came to novel discoveries. The Covid-19 pandemic introduced a new dynamic: It’s no longer just scientists disagreeing about the finer points of their field. Instead, the pandemic has substantially increased the number of non-scientists tuned in to these conversations. (Garde, Tirrell and Feuerstein, 1/29)

The Hill: GOP Seizes On CDC Research To Press Biden On Schools 
The Biden administration is coming under pressure from Republicans to support the reopening of schools after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new research that says that schools can operate safely despite COVID-19. The CDC researchers on Tuesday wrote that there is “little evidence” of widespread coronavirus transmission in schools when proper precautions are followed. (Sullivan, 1/28)

And lawmakers seek to protect health data —

The Hill: Democrats Introduce Measure To Boost Privacy, Security Of Health Data During Pandemic 
A group of Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate on Thursday introduced legislation intended to increase the privacy and security of personal health data collected in connection to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Health Emergency Privacy Act would ensure that health data collected during the pandemic could not be used for anything other than public health efforts, along with addressing a slew of potentially discriminatory practices. (Miller, 1/28)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Democratic Lawmakers Push For Race Data In Vaccinations
Democratic lawmakers are urging federal health officials to address racial disparity in vaccine access nationwide, as data from some states show hard-hit nonwhite Americans who are eligible to receive it are not getting COVID-19 vaccinations in proportion to their share of the population. In a letter Thursday to acting Health and Human Services Secretary Norris Cochran IV, the lawmakers said the agency must work with states, municipalities and private labs to collect and publish demographic data of vaccine recipients. Without that information, policymakers and health workers cannot efficiently identify vaccine disparities in the hardest-hit communities, said the letter, signed by Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, all from Massachusetts. (Morrison, 1/28)

In news about the economic stimulus —

AP: Democrats To 'Act Big' On $1.9T Aid; GOP Wants Plan Split
Democrats in Congress and the White House have rejected a Republican pitch to split President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue plan into smaller chunks, with lawmakers appearing primed to muscle the sweeping economic and virus aid forward without GOP help. Despite Biden’s calls for unity, Democrats said the stubbornly high unemployment numbers and battered U.S. economy leave them unwilling to waste time courting Republican support that might not materialize. They also don’t want to curb the size and scope of a package that they say will provide desperately needed money to distribute the vaccine, reopen schools and send cash to American households and businesses. (Mascaro and Boak, 1/29)

Politico: ‘Betrayed’: Republicans Urge Biden To Change Course On Stimulus 
When a bipartisan Senate coalition helped clinch a coronavirus relief bill last year after months of gridlock, it was supposed to be a model for governing in the Biden era. But now Democrats’ surprise takeover of the Senate threatens to leave the group behind. Democrats are vowing to move forward on a new stimulus package as soon as next week, with or without Republicans. Though Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have not officially said they plan to pursue a party-line approach through budget reconciliation, many Democrats now believe that’s the only way forward. (Everett, Levine and Barron-Lopez, 1/28)

The New York Times: Health Care Unions Find A Voice As The Pandemic Rages
The unions representing the nation’s health care workers have emerged as increasingly powerful voices during the still-raging pandemic. With more than 100,000 Americans hospitalized and many among their ranks infected, nurses and other health workers remain in a precarious frontline against the coronavirus and have turned again and again to unions for help. (Philbrick and Abelson, 1/28)

AP: Out Of Sight, Cleaners Perform Critical Work In COVID ICUs
Clad head to toe in protective gear, doctors and nurses cluster around the patient, fighting to keep the coronavirus-stricken man alive. Just behind them, unnoticed and unheard, a worker in the same protective gear goes about an entirely different task: disinfecting surfaces, collecting waste in biohazard bags, unobtrusively inching past beds and life-support machinery to mop the floor. (Becatoros, 1/28)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Face Retroactive Medicare Pay Cuts For Outpatient Exception Denials
CMS may claw back millions of dollars in payments after the agency denied reimbursement rate cut exemptions for hospitals' off-campus outpatient facilities. CMS rejected more than 60% of the mid-build exceptions, which would preserve hospitals' higher reimbursement rates if they had the documentation to prove their off-campus outpatient departments were being constructed when the Bipartisan Budget Act was passed in 2015. (Kacik, 1/28)

KHN: If This Self-Sufficient Hospital Cannot Stand Alone, Can Any Public Hospital Survive?
In America’s health care system, dominated by hospital chain leviathans, New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, is an anomaly. It is a publicly owned hospital that boasts good care at lower prices than most and still flourishes financially. Nonetheless, New Hanover County is selling the hospital to one of the state’s biggest health care systems. The sale has stoked concerns locally that the change in ownership will raise fees, which would not only leave patients with bigger bills but also eventually filter down into higher health insurance premiums for Wilmington workers. (Rau, 1/29)

CNN: Male Fertility: Covid-19 May Impact Sperm, A Study Finds, But Experts Urge Caution About New Evidence 
Severe cases of Covid-19 might impact the quality of a man's sperm, thus possibly impacting his fertility, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Reproduction. (LaMotte, 1/29)

In other public health news —

AP: In-Person Classes Planned For Fall At Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State University officials on Thursday announced plans to return fully to in-person classes beginning with the fall semester in August. “We will listen and follow guidelines from the experts including wearing masks and social distancing if it means keeping people safe,” said Vice Provost Jessica Mendez. “We will adjust protocols as needed when the semester draws closer, but I am pleased to report our faculty are preparing for in-person instruction this fall.” (1/28)

North Carolina Health News: DEQ Cites Chemours For PFAS Treatment System Failure 
By the end of September, a treatment system the Chemours chemical company had just installed was supposed to stop 99 percent of residual contamination of “forever chemicals” from escaping an old outfall and flowing into the Cape Fear River. Only the system did not work properly and toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS continued to flow into the river at levels exceeding the threshold. (Barnes, 1/28)

North Carolina Health News: Stemming The Tide Of Cancer, One Patient At A Time 
Carolyn Nicholson has been on the diet treadmill for much of her life. The so-called “ketogenic” diet, one low in carbs and high in fat and protein, was the latest diet the 64-year-old was on. Nicholson, who lives on the Outer Banks’ Roanoke Island, said that approach served her well for a time, she lost weight and kept it off. But the high-fat diet made her cholesterol levels climb, first a little, then enough for her doctor to recommend cholesterol medication. (Engel-Smith, 1/28)

KHN, Side Effects Public Media and NPR: Kids Already Coping With Mental Disorders Spiral As Pandemic Topples Vital Support Systems
A bag of Doritos, that’s all Princess wanted. Her mom calls her Princess, but her real name is Lindsey. She’s 17 and lives with her mom, Sandra, a nurse, outside Atlanta. On May 17, 2020, a Sunday, Lindsey decided she didn’t want breakfast; she wanted Doritos. So she left home and walked to Family Dollar, taking her pants off on the way, while her mom followed on foot, talking to the police on her phone as they went. (Herman, Turner and Chatterjee, 1/29)

KHN: Pandemic Sends A Couple Into Indefinite Long Distance Though Just Miles Apart 
Every Sunday afternoon, Suzan Mubarak keeps an eye on her phone. That is when her boyfriend will call to let her know he’s outside her house for their weekly wave. Mubarak, 31, and Mitch Domier, 43, live a few miles apart in Bozeman, Montana, but those drive-by visits are the closest the couple has been for nearly 10 months. The pandemic largely locked down the homes for adults with developmental disabilities where they each live, limiting them to video chats and the occasional drive-by. (Houghton, 1/29)

Politico: New York Undercounted Nursing Home Deaths By As Much 50 Percent, Report Finds
The New York attorney general on Thursday accused the state of drastically undercounting Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes, saying in a stinging new rebuke of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration that the official tally of about 8,500 may be off by as much as 50 percent. A 76-page report, released Thursday morning by Attorney General Tish James, adds a new layer to the criticism the Democratic governor has faced over the state’s handling of Covid-19 in long-term care facilities — an issue that came to a head in recent days as state lawmakers pressed for the findings of a long-awaited inquiry into the deaths of nursing home residents. (Young, 1/28)

In news from California —

Politico: Newsom: California Schools Won't Reopen 'If We Wait For The Perfect'
A frustrated Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said school administrators and teachers unions should agree as soon as possible to reopen schools for younger students — or else be clear with families that they will not return to classrooms at all this academic year. Newsom was responding to growing demands that all teachers receive vaccines first, but also a long list of conditions that go beyond what the governor has proposed as safe to reopen schools that have been shut for nearly a year. The vast majority of California's 6 million public schoolchildren haven't been on campuses since March. (Mays, 1/28)

Los Angeles Times: California Lawmakers OK COVID-19 Eviction Protections Through June 
Californians facing financial hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic will be protected from eviction through June as long as they pay part of their rent under an emergency bill approved Thursday by the Legislature, just three days before an existing moratorium was set to expire. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said he will sign the legislation on Friday morning, providing eviction protection for tenants who pay at least 25% of their rent through June. The bill also provides $2.6 billion in federal funds for rent subsidies that will help pay most past-due rent by low-income tenants dating back to last April. (McGreevy, 1/28)

KHN: Vaccination Chaos Fuels Push To Recall Newsom
Joyce Hanson was thrilled when she heard Gov. Gavin Newsom announce Jan. 13 that Californians age 65 and older would be eligible to get vaccinated against covid-19.Infections and hospitalizations had been surging in California, and Hanson knew a simple trip to the grocery store put her at greater risk of getting sick and dying. Plus, she hadn’t seen her daughter in more than a year, so she immediately began making plans to visit her in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Hart, 1/29)

In news from Arkansas, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Montana, Colorado and elsewhere —

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Schools' Covid-19 Cases On The Rise
Covid-19 cases in public schools increased by about 9% over a three-day period, ending a trend over the past several days of mostly declining case totals, according to state Department of Health data released Thursday. Totals for active cases among public school students and staff jumped to 2,977 from the 2,723 cases reported Monday. The state Department of Health releases data on infections at educational institutions on Mondays and Thursdays, generally. Statewide, cases increased early this month after students returned from their winter breaks, rising to a high of 3,425 as of Jan. 14. But cases then began to decline. (Adame, 1/29)

North Carolina Health News: Project ECHO Resounds Throughout WNC 
Each Monday at noon, Janice Somers closes her office door at Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation and puts her phone on Do Not Disturb. For the next 90 minutes, the nurse administrator and four team members join hundreds of employees from over a hundred North and South Carolina facilities for the Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network, a four-month online course designed to establish common guidelines for infection control in nursing homes. (Newsome, 1/29)

Georgia Health News: Report Card Gives Georgia Low Grades On Tobacco Policies 
Georgia received mostly failing grades on tobacco control policies in an annual American Lung Association report. The report from the organization emphasized the issue’s impact amid the pandemic, pointing out that cigarette smokers face a higher risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19. (Miller, 1/28)

Billings Gazette: Montana Judge Halts Trump Attempt To Limit Science Findings In EPA Decisions
A U.S. District Judge in Montana has paused a rushed attempt by the Trump administration to restrict the science used by the EPA to make public health decisions. Judge Brian Morris ruled from U.S. District Court in Great Falls late Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency had unlawfully rushed its rule to significantly restrict the amount of the medical and scientific research that could be used for decision making. The EPA had attempted to impose the rule on Jan. 6, the day it was declared final, rather than give the public the standard 30-day notice. Plaintiffs in the case had asked Morris to stop the EPA’s rapid rollout. The judge also indicated EPA’s attempt to restrict scientific research didn’t appear to be legal, but he referred that issue for further discussion. (Lutey, 1/28)

KHN: States Move Ahead With Canada Drug Importation While Awaiting Signal From Biden 
Florida, Colorado and several New England states are moving ahead with efforts to import prescription drugs from Canada, a politically popular strategy greenlighted last year by President Donald Trump. But it’s unclear whether the Biden administration will proceed with Trump’s plan for states and the federal government to help Americans obtain lower-priced medications from Canada. (Galewitz, 1/29)

The Hill: Guantanamo Bay Prisoners To Be Offered Coronavirus Vaccines 
The Defense Department will offer the coronavirus vaccine to detainees at the Guantanamo Bay facility, a prosecutor involved in the government’s case against five of the prisoners said in a letter to defense lawyers. “[A]n official in the Pentagon has just signed a memo approving the delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine to the detainee population in Guantánamo,” prosecutor Clayton G. Trivett Jr. wrote Thursday, according to The New York Times. (Budryk, 1/28)

The New York Times: Mexico’s Death Toll Becomes The World’s Third Highest, Surpassing India’s
Mexico’s confirmed coronavirus death toll surpassed India’s on Thursday to become the world’s third-highest, after months in which President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had downplayed the coronavirus as his government scrambled to control it. As of Friday morning, Mexico had recorded 155,145 coronavirus deaths during the pandemic, 1,135 more than India, according to a New York Times database. It recorded 1,506 deaths on Thursday alone, about 300 short of a daily record from earlier this month. (Ives, Abi-Habiv and Lopez, 1/29)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Germany Expects Limited EU Approval For AstraZeneca Vaccine
Germany’s health minister says he expects the European Union's drug regulator to authorize a further coronavirus vaccine made by AstraZeneca on Friday, but that currently available data may mean it is not recommended for older adults. Jens Spahn said authorities are waiting to see what advice the European Medicines Agency issues with regard to vaccinations for people over 65, and Germany would then adjust its own guidance for doctors in the country. “We don't expect an unrestricted approval,” Spahn told reporters in Berlin. (Jordans and Cheng, 1/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Behind AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine Stumble
AstraZeneca PLC Chief Executive Pascal Soriot promised to churn out more Covid-19 vaccines, at a lower price, than any of his big pharma competitors. Now, a production problem at a single factory in Belgium has delayed tens of millions of doses destined for Europe, endangering the continent’s already-slow inoculation drive and representing the greatest threat so far to Dr. Soriot’s extraordinary pledge last year to vaccinate the world—and do so for no profit. After disclosing the European problem, the drugmaker now says it has been troubleshooting similar production issues in recent weeks as far away as the U.S. and Australia. (Strasburg and Norman, 1/28)

The New York Times: Governments Sign Secret Vaccine Deals. Here’s What They Hide. 
When members of the European Parliament sat down this month to read the first publicly available contract for purchasing coronavirus vaccines, they noticed something missing. Actually, a lot missing. The price per dose? Redacted. The rollout schedule? Redacted. The amount of money being paid up front? Redacted. (Apuzzo and Gebrekidan, 1/28)

In news about China —

The Washington Post: U.S. Handling Of American Evacuees From Wuhan Increased Coronavirus Risks, Watchdog Finds 
As the first American evacuees from Wuhan, China, touched down at a California military base a year ago, fleeing the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, they were met by U.S. health officials with no virus prevention plan or infection-control training — and who had not even been told to wear masks, according to a federal investigation. Later, those officials were told to remove protective gear when meeting with the evacuees to avoid “bad optics,” and days after those initial encounters, departed California aboard commercial airline flights to other destinations. (Diamond, 1/28)

AP: WHO Team Visits Wuhan Hospital That Had Early COVID Patients
A World Health Organization team on Friday visited a hospital where China says the first COVID-19 patients were treated more than a year ago as part of the experts’ long-awaited fact-finding mission on the origins of the coronavirus. The WHO team members and Chinese officials earlier had their first in-person meetings at a hotel, which WHO has said were to be followed by field visits in the central city of Wuhan. (Fujiyama, 1/29)

The Washington Post: A Scathing New Documentary From HBO Alleges A Chinese Coverup On The Coronavirus
When evidence began mounting of a deadly new coronavirus in China a year ago, authorities could have reacted with swift warnings about public safety. They didn’t. Instead, they banned social-media posts about the virus, stopped symptomatic people from entering hospitals, punished doctors who spoke of the risks and unleashed a stream of state-TV propaganda downplaying its severity. That’s the narrative constructed by “In The Same Breath,” a scathing new documentary by the Oscar-shortlisted filmmaker Nanfu Wang. (Zeitchik, 1/28)

The New York Times: Amid One Pandemic, Students Train For The Next 
For many months to come, Covid-19 will continue to shutter schools and thwart attempts to gather. The changes have forced educators and researchers to change their teaching tactics. But several groups have met the challenge head on, not merely weathering the pandemic’s inconveniences but transforming them into opportunities for scientific growth. In Cambridge, Mass., a team of computational biologists designed an outbreak simulation that eerily portended the stealthy spread of the coronavirus and is now fighting the spread of Covid-19 in real-time. In Tucson, Ariz., an immunologist has led an effort to include young, underrepresented scientists in microbiology research, even while the pandemic rages on. (Wu, 1/21)

The New York Times: A Look At Past Vaccine Drives: Smallpox, Polio And The Swine Flu 
Scientists developed vaccines less than a year after Covid-19 was identified, a reflection of remarkable progress in vaccine technology. But progress in vaccine distribution is another story. Many questions that arose in vaccine rollouts decades ago are still debated today. How should the local and federal authorities coordinate? Who should get vaccinated first? What should officials do about resistance in communities? Should the hardest-hit places be prioritized? Who should pay? Some answers can be found in the successes and failures of vaccine drives over the past two centuries. (Gross, 1/25)

The New York Times: If You Squeeze The Coronavirus, Does It Shatter? 
Of all the pandemic questions bedeviling scientists, the one that Juan Perilla is asking might be among the strangest: If a shrunk-down hand were to squeeze the coronavirus, would it squish, or would it shatter? Viruses like H.I.V. tend to be on the softer side, smooshing down like a foam ball, whereas the ones that cause influenza are more brittle, prone to cracking like an egg, said Dr. Perilla, a biophysical chemist at the University of Delaware in Newark. Coronaviruses, he suspects, are somewhere in the middle, a sort of tactile Goldilocks in the world of infectious disease. “It’s something you never consider when you talk about viruses,” Dr. Perilla said. But it’s part and parcel, he added, of “trying to understand how a virion is strung together.” (Wu, 1/26)

The New York Times: Doctors, Facing Burnout, Turn To Self-Care 
Physician burnout has long been a serious concern in the medical community, with roughly 400 doctors dying by suicide each year in the United States. The issue of pandemic burnout among physicians came to the forefront in the early months of the pandemic following the death of Dr. Lorna M. Breen, who supervised the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Manhattan. Dr. Breen, who had been sick with Covid but working remotely, was later admitted to a psychiatric ward for 10 days. Fearing the professional repercussions of her mental health treatment, she took her own life in April. (Ellin, 1/26)

Boston Globe: How Do You Help The Healers? The Emotional PPE Project Covers What Masks And Face Shields Don’t
On a particularly dark night last March, after Governor Baker declared a state of emergency as COVID-19 cases surged, the anesthesia residency program director at Massachusetts General Hospital realized he needed help. And soon. “We knew there was this tidal wave coming,” Dr. Dan Saddawi-Konefka says, “and we were climbing up toward the top. But we had no idea how much death or change we were likely to see.” No one did. As the public first learned how to “flatten the curve” by social distancing and mask wearing, workers on the front line, face-to-face with a novel coronavirus, worried about a shortage of masks, respirators, and eye protection that would help keep them safe while saving lives. (Karen Sances, 1/27)

Philadelphia Inquirer: How Three Philly Groups Are Raising Mental Health Awareness In Immigrant Communities
The mental health needs of immigrants, who make up nearly 14% of Philadelphia’s population, are often centered around immigration, a stressful and sometimes traumatic ordeal. Yet many immigrants come from cultures where stigma around mental health makes them reluctant to talk about the emotional difficulties they face. The COVID-19 pandemic has only aggravated an already difficult situation as immigrants seek out information about the coronavirus in their languages, cope with increased conflict between family members, and look for behavioral health resources that address their needs in a culturally sensitive way. That’s why these three Philadelphia nonprofits have developed unique approaches to helping the city’s immigrant communities at a time of heightened uncertainty. Here’s what their work has looked like in the past year. (Ao, 1/26)

The Atlantic: More Freedom Is The Whole Point Of Vaccines
The message that vaccines aren’t 100 percent effective in preventing disease, and that the data are still out on how much they reduce transmission, is an accurate and important one. Risk-mitigation strategies are needed in public spaces, particularly indoors, until more people are vaccinated and infections wane. But not all human interactions take place in public. Advising people that they must do nothing differently after vaccination—not even in the privacy of their homes—creates the misimpression that vaccines offer little benefit at all. Vaccines provide a true reduction of risk, not a false sense of security. And trying to eliminate even the lowest-risk changes in behavior both underestimates people’s need to be close to one another and discourages the very thing that will get everyone out of this mess: vaccine uptake. (Marcus, 1/27)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Vaccine And Pregnancy: What You Need To Know
With as many as 300,000 pregnant women in the nation’s healthcare workforce, it’s a predicament neither patients nor their doctors can afford to ignore. And as vaccine access expands to include people with medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to a severe case of COVID-19, even more women will face the same dilemma. Both the CDC and ACOG suggest that pregnant women weigh the benefits of a vaccine against the possible risks, noting that the pros and cons may be different for each person. A consultation with a doctor may be helpful, but it should not be required, both organizations say. The picture is also unclear for women who are trying to become pregnant and for mothers who are breastfeeding. Both ACOG and the CDC agree that COVID-19 vaccines should be available to women in both groups. (Kaplan, 1/27)

The Washington Post: The Amazonian City That Hatched The Brazil Variant Has Been Crushed By It
Another surge was coming. This time, Uildéia Galvão thought they were prepared. Galvão, the lead physician in the coronavirus ward at a public hospital in the Brazilian city of Manaus, had been haunted by the wave that crashed last spring. In less than 10 days, it ruptured the city’s bewildered medical system. Sick patients were turned away. The dead were piled into mass graves. So Galvão’s hospital organized contingency plans. Additional beds were reserved, and a detailed schedule for opening them was created. (McCoy and Traiano, 1/27)

Also —

Modern Healthcare: Want More Diversity In Clinical Trials? Start With The Researchers
“Creating a more diverse clinical research pool starts with a more diverse clinical research workforce,” said Jim Kremidas, executive director for the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. “We have to address the need for more clinical research professionals to keep up with the growing number of trials and ensure those trials are more representative of all our communities.” Last November, ACRP expanded its digital campaign to attract racial and ethnic minority college students.The association is encouraging minority high school juniors and seniors and college freshmen to search the organization’s website to learn about schools offering degrees in clinical research as well as information to help them get started in their careers with a list of training and internship programs. (Ross Johnson, 1/23)

The Washington Post: New York Times’s Star Coronavirus Reporter Donald McNeil Jr. Was Disciplined For ‘Repeating A Racist Slur’
The New York Times on Thursday said it investigated and “disciplined” the newspaper’s most prominent science and health reporter, Donald McNeil Jr., over inappropriate comments he allegedly made while accompanying students on a trip to Peru in 2019. In a statement first given to the Daily Beast, the Times acknowledged students complained about McNeil after the trip, which is part of the newspaper’s educational travel program for middle and high school students. McNeil had gone along as an expert. (Barr, 1/28)

The Washington Post: Home Workouts Are Getting Expensive, As Apps Embrace Pricey Subscriptions
Working out at home was supposed to be cheaper. No gym membership, no fancy workout clothes, no expensive spin classes. We were going to take free jogs in nature, do push-ups between Zoom meetings, dance off calories in our living rooms. It turns out motivation isn’t always that easy, or free. Over the past year, our pandemic fitness routines have turned into a gold rush for tech and fitness companies like Peloton, Apple and FitBit. They’re making money off expensive home equipment, wearables, virtual consultations and increasingly, monthly subscription fees. (Lerman, 1/22)

Stat: New Coronavirus Variants Call For More Surveillance, Control 
The Covid-19 virus is evolving rapidly. That should come as no surprise: RNA-based viruses generate mutations constantly as a result of their error-prone replication. Wherever there are more infections, there are more opportunities for the virus to mutate. For a virus new to a species, as this coronavirus is to humans, some mutations are likely to make it more transmissible. (Ferguson, Hauck and Donnelly, 1/28)

The Washington Post: America Could Be Passing Our Darkest Hour. But Calamity Could Lie Ahead If We Don’t Act.
There is finally a glimmer of hope in the war against the coronavirus. Daily new infections have declined by more than 30 percent in the past two weeks, with 45 states reporting sustained decreases. Hospitalizations are trending down. Though January has been the deadliest month thus far, some models project that the worst may soon be behind us, with warmer months on the way and vaccinations picking up speed. This is the best-case scenario. But a much more ominous scenario looms, too. That scenario is what happens if the emerging covid-19 variants gain traction in the United States. (Leana S. Wen, 1/27)

The Washington Post: The Covid-19 Danger Does Not Lie In The Classroom, But In The Community
When it comes to schools and the pandemic, those scary first days in 2020 were filled with unknowns. Even at the start of the school year last autumn, there was great uncertainty about whether to open classrooms in person. But now, three scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called attention to a basic principle that should help parents, teachers, school staff and students decide about the future: The problem does not lie primarily in the classroom, but in the community. That may sound mundane, but it is not. The scientists strongly suggest that, with proper mitigation, including masks, improved ventilation, good hygiene and distancing, in-person classrooms have not been transmission belts for the coronavirus. (1/28)

New England Journal of Medicine: A Covid-19 Conversation With Anthony Fauci
The continuing spread of SARS-CoV-2 remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. What physicians need to know about transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of Covid-19 is the subject of ongoing updates from infectious disease experts at the Journal. In this audio interview conducted on January 27, 2021, the editors are joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci, U.S. Chief Medical Advisor, to discuss Covid-19 testing, therapeutics, and vaccines. (Eric J. Rubin, Lindsey R. Baden, Anthony S. Fauci, and Stephen Morrissey, 1/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Europe’s Self-Defeating Vaccine Fight
As the European Union fumbles its vaccine rollout, officials in Brussels are looking for villains. They think they’ve found one in vaccine-maker AstraZeneca. Rather than letting countries negotiate their own vaccine contracts, the European Commission handled procurement for the entire bloc in the name of solidarity. Brussels botched the process, and now the union’s members are lagging together. (1/28)

The Hill: Restoring America's Health Is Bigger Than COVID 
The state of American health was precarious before COVID-19 — with high rates of chronic conditions, heart disease, obesity and behavioral health issues — and is at risk of deteriorating further. (Richard Migliori, 1/28)

Stat: Decentralized Clinical Trials Need Collaboration To Achieve Wider Use
Despite groundbreaking advances in basic and clinical science and technology, clinical trial methods have not kept up with the pace of change and are no longer fit for purpose — not for patients or for the life science industry. The reasons for this include regulatory uncertainty, economic factors, and cultural obstacles, not the least of which is an adherence to conservatism in a highly regulated industry. (Amir Kalili and Craig Lipset, 1/29)

ABC News: 5 Ways To Double Down On Accelerating COVID-19 Vaccinations
Wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing are all proven to keep people from getting infected. But in the end, the only way we will truly beat back this disease is to vaccinate as many people as possible in the shortest time possible. Under any circumstances, this would be a difficult task. But with distrust of the vaccine prevalent in many communities -- and especially in some of the communities that have been hardest hit by the virus -- it is essential that we combine our vaccination efforts with our efforts to persuade people that COVID vaccines are safe, effective and essential to their health. Even as the Biden administration begins to enact its plan to accelerate vaccinations, we need to double down on the five actions below to make the process more efficient and effective. (Jay Bhatt and John Brownstein, 1/29)

New England Journal of Medicine: Last-Mile Logistics Of Covid Vaccination — The Role Of Health Care Organizations
The development, evaluation, and production of vaccines for Covid-19 was the remarkable success story of 2020; the challenge for 2021 is getting those vaccines into the bodies of a critical mass of the world’s population. This work is being compared with managing the last mile in other business sectors: once companies get products or information to regional hubs, they must deliver them to individual customers whose settings and habits are infinitely varied. Effectiveness in those last steps determines success. (Thomas H. Lee and Alice H. Chen, 1/27)

The New York Times: Yes, Jumping The Covid Vaccine Line Matters
The Biden administration’s much-needed national strategy to end the Covid-19 pandemic includes plans to remedy the chaotic vaccination effort with “more people, more places, more supply.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency will open more vaccination sites, the government will buy more doses and more people will be immunized. Still, by all estimates the demand for vaccines will far exceed the supply for months to come. For weeks Americans have watched those who are well connected, wealthy or crafty “jump the line” to get a vaccine, while others are stuck, endlessly waiting on hold to get an appointment, watching sign-up websites crash or loitering outside clinics in the often-futile hope of getting a shot. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 1/28)

The Washington Post: The Pandemic Will Not End Unless Every Country Gets The Vaccine
The basic problem is in how the vaccine is being distributed around the world — not based on where there is the most need, but the most money. The richest countries have paid for hundreds of millions of doses, often far in excess of what they need. Canada, for example, has preordered enough to cover its 38 million residents five times over. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s 200 million people have not received a single dose of the vaccine. (Fareed Zakaria, 1/28)

The New York Times: One Dose Now For Everyone Most Likely To Die
In the race to prevent ever more deaths from Covid-19, the United States faces two major problems: not having enough doses of vaccine on hand and struggling to deliver those that are available. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Jan. 28 about 48.4 million doses had been distributed, but only 26.2 million administered. The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency-use authorization to two vaccines requiring two doses — with the first shot and the booster to be delivered three weeks apart in the case of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and four weeks apart for the Moderna vaccine. (Adam Finn and Richard Malley, 1/29)

CNN: The Reason I Qualify For A Covid-19 Vaccine Has Nothing To Do With The Fact That I'm Immunocompromised. That Needs To Change 
My cell phone rang on a Sunday afternoon in early March and I answered it immediately. It was my friend, a doctor who specializes in epidemiology and infectious diseases. She warned me that the coronavirus was about to surge in New York City and recommended that if I could flee the city and retreat to my parents' house, I should do it, and fast. (Kendall Ciesemier, 1/28)

Los Angeles Times: California's Age-Based Vaccine Policy Overlooks Disabled People
When Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the latest changes in the way California determines eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines, he chose an analogy that unintentionally revealed just how misguided the revised guidelines are. It’s like boarding an airplane, Newsom said. The gate agents don’t wait for every first-class passenger to enter the plane before they let the business-class passengers on. And the customers traveling in economy don’t wait until every last business-class passenger boards before they head down the jetway. (Tim Jin, 1/29)