AP: Supreme Court Weighs Vaccine Rules Affecting More Than 80M 
The Supreme Court is taking up two major Biden administration efforts to bump up the nation’s vaccination rate against COVID-19 at a time of spiking coronavirus cases because of the omicron variant. The justices on the conservative-oriented court are hearing arguments Friday about whether to allow the administration to enforce a vaccine-or-testing requirement that applies to large employers and a separate vaccine mandate for most health care workers. The arguments were expected to last at least two hours. (Sherman and Gresko, 1/7)

NPR: Vaccine Mandate Regulations Are Under The Supreme Court's Microscope
At the heart of Friday's argument are two new federal regulations issued to deal with the pandemic. One, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration applies to all companies that employ 100 or more workers. That's nearly two-thirds of the private sector workforce. It requires that all workers be vaccinated or tested weekly, and that the unvaccinated wear masks. The only exceptions are employees who work at home or outside. The rule is being challenged by a coalition of large and small business groups, 27 states, and individuals. (Totenberg, 1/7)

NBC News: Supreme Court To Consider Biden Vaccine And Mask Requirements In Unusual Friday Session
In recent months, the court has declined to block vaccination mandates for students at Indiana University, teachers in New York, and health care workers in Maine, Massachusetts and New York. Those were rules imposed by states, which have broader authorities known as police powers to protect public health. But in the last term, the court said federal law did not permit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to impose a nationwide ban on evictions. The cases to be heard Friday involve the specific authorities of two other federal agencies. (Williams, 1/7)

In related news about the federal vaccine mandate —

The Hill: Appeals Court Upholds Decision To Temporarily Block Vaccine Mandate For Contractors In Three States
An appeals court upheld a decision to temporarily block a vaccine mandate for federal contractors in three states in a ruling issued on Wednesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit said in their ruling that they were denying a request by the government to stay an injunction on a vaccine mandate for federal contractors in three states — Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky — “because the government has established none of the showings required to obtain a stay.” (Vakil, 1/6)

The Hill: Navy Removes First Group Of Sailors To Refuse COVID-19 Vaccine 
The Navy has discharged a group of 20 sailors who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the first to be removed following the service’s Nov. 28 deadline for sailors to get the shots. All 20 had recently enlisted and were booted as part of “Entry Level Separations,” removals that take place “during initial training periods within their first 180 days of active duty,” according to a Navy statement released Wednesday. (Mitchell, 1/6)   

Modern Healthcare: Florida Regulator Threatens Fining Hospitals With COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
A Florida agency that regulates hospitals is warning providers against implementing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employees, citing a state law that forbids such rules and levies hefty fines on offenders. The state's Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversees hospitals and other healthcare facilities, sent a notice to providers Jan. 4 reminding them of a state law that prohibits private employers from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates. This puts providers in a tricky spot, as complying with Florida law would mean being out of compliance with two Biden administration vaccine mandates, both of which are in the midst of legal challenges. (Bannow, 1/6)

The Washington Post: Fourth Vaccine Dose Could Be Needed In Fall, Moderna CEO Says
The chief executive of coronavirus vaccine-maker Moderna said Thursday that people are likely to need a second booster dose in the fall, with front-line workers and those 50 and older a particular priority as antibody levels wane. People who received booster shots this past fall are likely to have significant protection through winter, Stéphane Bancel said at a health-care conference hosted by Goldman Sachs. But he said the efficacy of boosters could dip by next fall: “I will be surprised when we get that data in the coming weeks that it’s holding nicely over time — I would expect that it’s not going to hold great.” (Jeong and Suliman, 1/7)

And West Virginia wants to give out fourth doses now —

Charleston Gazette Mail: Marsh: WV 'Not Even Close To The Peak' As State Requests CDC Approval For 4th Dose
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced Thursday that the state will request permission from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to administer a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to people who are older than age 50, immunocompromised or essential workers. The request is believed to be the first of its kind in the country, Justice said. Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s COVID-19 czar and vice president of health sciences at West Virginia University, said the fourth dose could help alleviate further illness and infection among the most vulnerable population. (Coyne, 1/6)

In other news about vaccine development —

USA Today: COVID Pfizer Vaccine Won't Be Ready For Youngest Children For Months
Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine won't be available anytime soon for kids younger than 5. In early tests, the lower dose given to 2- to 5-year-olds didn't produce as much immune protection as did shots given to other age groups, a Pfizer scientist said at a federal advisory committee meeting Wednesday, expanding on information provided late last year. The company hopes a third dose of vaccine eight weeks after the first two shots will provide the desired effectiveness, Dr. Alejandra Gurtman, vice president of vaccine clinical research and development for Pfizer said at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. (Weintraub, 1/6)

Fox News: FDA Ordered To Speed Up Release Of Approval Data For COVID-19 Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration was ordered by a federal judge Thursday to release tens of thousands of more pages a month about the data used in its approval process for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health and Medical Professionals sued the FDA under a Freedom of Information Act that demanded more transparency, Reuters reported last month. The FDA—citing staffing issues—agreed to release 12,000 pages by the end of January and a "minimum" of 500 pages a month going forward, the report said. The group found that number unacceptable and said there are more than 400,000 pages of data needed, which could mean it may be 2097 before all the documents are made public. (DeMarche, 1/7)

Stat: Pharma Boards Urged To Tie Exec Compensation To Covid-19 Vaccine Equity
More than 65 institutional investors are urging the directors of companies making Covid-19 vaccines to tie executive compensation to vaccine equity in hopes of holding management “accountable” for contributing to a global health problem. In a series of letters, the investors asked the heads of the board compensation committees at Pfizer (PFE), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Moderna (MRNA), and AstraZeneca (AZN) to adopt goals outlined recently by the World Health Organization to ensure 70% of the global population is vaccinated by the end of 2022. (Silverman, 1/6)

NPR: COVID Vaccines Can Cause Minor Menstrual Cycle Changes, Researchers Find
A new scientific study shows that vaccination can cause changes to the timing of menstruation. But it also shows the effects are temporary, more akin to a sore arm than a serious adverse event. "I think it's reassuring and also validating," says Dr. Alison Edelman, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. who led the study. The work appeared Thursday in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. Edelman and other experts stress that individuals should get vaccinated, because the risks from COVID-19 remain high. (Brumfiel, 6/1)

Bloomberg: Covid Vaccines Can Delay Women’s Periods, Study Finds
However, questions remain over the effect of vaccines on other menstrual symptoms, such as bleeding, and the researchers said the study faced a number of limitations, such as the selection of women not using hormonal contraception. Another was that they chose individuals with consistent normal period lengths. They were more likely to be white, college educated, with lower body mass than the average U.S. citizen and therefore not nationally representative. (Kay, 1/7)

In other updates on vaccine hesitancy—

Stat: Covid-19 Vaccine Pushback Is Stubbornly High Among White Evangelicals
Among white evangelicals, pushback against Covid-19 vaccines has remained stubbornly high, with polls in recent months suggesting between 30% and 40% refused to get vaccinated, the highest proportion among any religious group surveyed. So one group of researchers had an idea. Sociologists from Stanford and Columbia asked 1,765 unvaccinated, self-identified white Christians to watch a short video in which then-NIH Director Francis Collins — a white evangelical himself — answered questions about the safety and effectiveness of Covid vaccines. Participants also read an essay describing support for vaccination within the medical community. (Silberner, 1/7)

North Carolina Health News: Training Teens To Take COVID Vaccine Messages To Their Communities 
Gabrielle Maradiaga Panayotti is a Duke pediatrician who readily acknowledges that she can encourage teens to get vaccinated and give them all the reasons why she thinks they should, but the reality is that their peers are likely to have more influence. That’s why LATIN-19, an organization that Maradiaga Panayotti and other Duke health care workers founded at the start of the pandemic, is raising money to start a program through which teens can become vaccine ambassadors in Durham communities and get paid for it. (Blythe, 1/7)

The Washington Post: Former Biden Advisers Call For ‘New’ Covid Strategy 
Six former health advisers to President Biden’s transition team released a series of journal articles on Thursday calling for a “new normal” in the nation’s approach to fighting the coronavirus and other viral threats. In the articles, the advisers lay out dozens of recommendations, sometimes explicitly and often implicitly criticizing the federal response. For instance, they urge the administration to create a “modern data infrastructure” that would offer real-time information on the spread of the coronavirus and other potential threats, saying inadequate surveillance continues to put American lives and society at risk. They also suggest investments in tests, vaccines and prevention beyond what the White House has done, such as mailing vouchers to Americans that could be used to obtain free, high-quality face masks. (Diamond, 1/6)

The Hill: Former Biden Transition Advisors Call For Change In COVID-19 Strategy 
The authors made clear that COVID-19 is not endemic yet, and that the U.S. is far from that point. But they said the administration needs to clearly communicate the current goals and strategies, instead of shifting from one crisis to another. For instance, they said it was shortsighted for Biden to declare last summer that the U.S. has “gained the upper hand against this virus." (Weixel, 1/6)

Related JAMA Article: A National Strategy for the “New Normal” of Life With COVID

In related news —

PBS NewsHour: As Experts Say Biden Should Pivot On COVID, Harris Sees Current Strategy Making Progress
Vice President Kamala Harris stood by the White House’s approach to COVID-19 pandemic response on Thursday, saying the Biden-Harris administration has made progress over the last year and “we have, still, work to do.” While acknowledging that the pandemic at this moment “is extremely frustrating” for everyone, Harris told PBS NewsHour anchor and managing editor Judy Woodruff that vaccines, boosters and masks have helped schools and businesses reopen, noting, “We have seen progress… but there are still steps to go.” (Santhanham, 1/6)

Fox News: CDC's New COVID-19 Isolation Guidance Called Out By American Medical Association
The American Medical Association (AMA) called out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday for releasing what it deemed "confusing" and "counterproductive" COVID-19 quarantine and isolation guidance. In a statement, the group's president, Dr. Gerald Harmon, said the American people should be able to count on the agency for timely, accurate and clear guidance. Instead, he said, the CDC's new recommendations are "not only confusing, but are risking further spread of the virus." (Musto, 1/6)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Contagion Confusion
The covid-19 pandemic is now entering its third year, and the ever-evolving health advice to combat an ever-evolving virus is leaving Americans more cranky and confused than ever. Meanwhile, covid isn’t the only health agenda item slipping from 2021 into 2022. Democrats on Capitol Hill are trying to figure out how to salvage President Joe Biden’s huge health and social spending bill, and the rise of prescription drug prices still angers many Americans. (1/6)

Stat: Scientists Try To Pinpoint Why Rapid Covid Tests Are Missing Some Cases
Marianna Parker, a Boston-area pediatrician, wanted to make sure she, her husband, and her toddler didn’t have Covid-19 when they developed a nasty cold around Dec. 18. Over the course of a week she used five Covid rapid tests and took three PCR tests, testing negative. Her husband tested negative on a rapid test on his second day of infection but positive on his sixth, a result that was confirmed via PCR. “If he hadn’t decided to do that random test on day 6 we would never have known,” she said. Nevertheless, she’s convinced all three of them had Covid, and that the tests simply produced the wrong results. In a Facebook post, she advised friends to remember that if they are vaccinated, their tests might only be positive for a short period of time. (Herper, 1/6)

The Washington Post: Should You Add A Throat Swab To Your At-Home Covid Test? Experts Disagree
People have posted anecdotal stories of having coronavirus symptoms and testing negative when using a rapid test kit as instructed (only swabbing their noses). But when they swabbed their throats as well as their noses, they said, the test came back positive. Some prominent experts have also started recommending the additional throat swab. (Chiu, 1/6)

In related news about test efficacy —

Bay Area News Group: Yes, You Can Have COVID-19 But Test Negative
Rapid antigen tests are quick, cheap and easy. But a new study suggests they can also be wrong, particularly about omicron. Cupertino native Nick LaRocca found that out the hard way, accidentally infecting a friend after trusting test results that were negative. “I tried to do everything the right way. I thought everything was good, even though I felt really crappy,” said vaccinated LaRocca, 36. “And I got one of my friends sick. That’s the last thing I wanted. … I was literally walking around infecting people not even knowing it. ”In the new study, antigen tests — such as Quidel’s QuickVue and Abbott’s BinaxNOW, which can be easily used at home – missed detection of COVID-19’s omicron variant during the first early days of infection. (Krieger, 1/6)

CNN: With Omicron's Prevalence And Testing In Short Supply, Anyone With Symptoms Should Assume They're Positive And Isolate, Doctor Says 
With Covid-19 tests hard to find in many parts of the country and the Omicron variant spreading rapidly, health experts are advising those with symptoms to isolate themselves if they even only suspect they have the virus. And with the recent news that rapid antigen tests may lag in detecting positive cases when compared to PCR tests, the best time to take a rapid test may be a day or two after symptoms arrive, epidemiologist Dr. Michael Mina said Thursday. "The important thing is, when you feel symptoms, assume you're positive at this point, especially with Omicron being so prevalent," Mina said in an interview with telehealth company eMed, where he is chief medical officer. (Caldwell, 1/7)

Chicago Tribune: Feeling Guilty, People Experience Shame For Testing Positive For COVID 
She’d thought through the travel for the holiday carefully. Working remotely, limiting activities to school-related outings and curbing any other possibility for exposure. And still, the second day of the trip, Christine Hutchinson’s nose felt sniffily. She thought it was related to travel, or simply being a Chicagoan: “Our noses run.” But when other people within the friend group her family had traveled with internationally also began feeling ill, she took a test. It came back positive for COVID-19. (Bowen, 1/6)

Where are all the tests? —

The Washington Post: White House, USPS Finalizing Plans To Begin Shipping Coronavirus Test Kits To U.S. Households
The White House is finalizing details with the U.S. Postal Service to deliver 500 million coronavirus test kits to households across the country, according to four people familiar with the plans, kick-starting a key part of President Biden’s response to the raging omicron variant. The administration will launch a website allowing individuals to request the rapid tests, those people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private planning sessions. Officials aim to begin shipping the kits by mid-January. (Bogage and Diamond, 1/6)

Bloomberg: Omicron Variant, Travel Led To Spike In Testing Demand, Abbott CEO Says
Abbott Laboratories’ top executive said that the company is ramping up production of its Covid-19 tests after the convergence of a highly contagious variant with the holiday travel season led to an unprecedented surge in demand. Chief Executive Officer Robert Ford said that Abbott expects to produce 70 million of its at-home BinaxNOW tests this month, and that “I am working with my team every day to see if we can get us to 100 million.” (Brown and Ludlow, 1/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Cost Of Covid-19 Testing Exceeds $100 For Some Families As Omicron Surges 
Some families say they are spending hundreds of dollars on Covid-19 testing during the surge in cases across the country, as efforts by the Biden administration and local officials to distribute free tests lag behind the Omicron variant’s rapid spread. Facing hourslong lines at free testing sites, some people have turned to companies that sell more-convenient laboratory testing options, in some cases at prices of more than $200. And until the Biden administration begins making free Covid-19 testing more widely available, some people say they will continue to pay $20 or more for over-the-counter, at-home tests. (Restuccia and Abbott, 1/6)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland To Open 10 New COVID Testing Sites At Hospitals Throughout State 
Maryland is launching 10 new COVID-19 testings sites at hospitals as a surge in the virus has led to hours-long lines at testing centers throughout the state, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday. Hogan spoke at the University of Maryland’s Laurel Medical Center, a former hospital that houses one of the new testing operations. The facility reopened more than 100 hospital beds in the early months of the pandemic in spring 2020 to treat coronavirus patients. (Oxenden and Wood, 1/6)

Health News Florida: DeSantis Clarifies That There Will Be No Restrictions On COVID Tests In Updated Guidance 
COVID-19 tests will continue to be available to all Floridians that need one, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday, clarifying earlier statements about recommendations the state is developing. DeSantis said the state would simply be putting out updated guidelines that would point out what is “high-value testing” versus “low-value testing” based on risk for COVID-19. He claims that a lot of people are getting tested out of fear rather than need. “If you’re somebody who is very low risk, no health problems, no symptoms, just testing over and over again is not really clinically proven to be very much of a value,” DeSantis said. “Again, you’re free to do it. But we’re putting that out there so that people understand.” (Prieur, 1/6)

Bay Area News Group: Santa Clara County Leaders Pushing For At-Home Testing To Be Swiftly Ramped Up
As omicron cases continue to spike across the region and testing sites in Santa Clara County become bombarded with requests, local leaders are now calling for at-home alternatives to get pushed out to residents to help tamper down the ever-increasing demand. “We’ve got to get on it,” said District 5 Supervisor Joe Simitian. “We’ve got to get on it fast.” Simitian wants the county to quickly distribute at-home rapid tests to residents by Jan. 25, citing a strategy that officials in Colorado and Washington, D.C. have taken, as well as countries like the United Kingdom and Singapore. While he envisions the tests could be either delivered to residents directly or picked up at a distribution center, the sheer number that he says is required to meet the demand is in the “millions” — considering the fact that the county has almost two million residents. (Greschler, 1/6)

Also —

Axios: COVID Tests And Vaccines Lift Walgreens' Profits 
Walgreens increased profit projections for the rest of its fiscal year due to surging demand for at-home COVID-19 tests, drive-thru tests and vaccinations amid the latest outbreaks. Pharmacy chains continue to reap massive financial gains from the pandemic, as they often serve as the first place people go when they need a COVID test or vaccine. In 2021, Walgreens employees administered 56 million COVID vaccines and conducted 23 million COVID tests. (Herman, 1/7)

Fox News: Omicron Should Not Be Categorized As Mild, WHO Says
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said Thursday that while the COVID-19 omicron variant seems to be less severe than delta, it should not be categorized as mild. "Just like previous variants, omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people," he said. "In fact, the tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world." (DeMarche, 1/6)

NPR: Is The Omicron Variant Less Severe? And What Are Its Symptoms?
With infections at all-time highs in the U.S., the clinical picture is now coming together and starting to confirm what other countries have found — a typical case of omicron not only presents slightly differently but also likely carries a lower chance of getting seriously ill. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have preliminary evidence that the risk of being admitted to the hospital or the intensive care unit during the omicron surge in the U.S. is about half of the risk observed during the delta surge. And this reflects what doctors across the country are now seeing firsthand with their patients. (Doucleff and Stone, 1/6)

USA Today: Vaccinated Americans Without Risk Factors Immune To Worst Of COVID
The skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and the increased frequency of breakthrough infections may be unsettling even for those who are vaccinated and boosted. The latest research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should offer some reassurance. A study of more than 1.2 million people who were fully vaccinated between December 2020 and October 2021 found only people with at least one risk factor had severe outcomes or death, and even among those the instances were rare, 1.5 per 10,000 participants. (Ortiz, Bacon and Thornton, 1/6)

NBC News: As Omicron Changes Infection Risk, Experts Share Their Approaches
NBC News asked four public health experts about their own personal behavior and risk calculus during this chapter of the pandemic. All of them advised vaccinated people to remain vigilant and conscientious — and not to return fully to pre-pandemic life — but there was no firm consensus around some activities like air travel. (Arkin, 1/6)

In more news about the spread of the coronavirus —

The New York Times: Global Coronavirus Cases Top 300 Million 
It took more than a year for the world to record the first 100 million coronavirus cases, and half that time to tally the next 100 million. The third 100 million have come even faster, in barely five months, as large segments of countries, rich and poor alike, remain unvaccinated and a wily new variant has proved able to infect even those who are. (1/6)

Stat: Setbacks, Shortages Undercut Our Options For Treating Covid-19
On paper, the list of outpatient treatments for Covid-19 seems reassuring. Two oral antivirals have arrived, companies have churned out monoclonal antibody treatments, and all of them, to varying degrees, can help prevent patients from getting so sick they need to be hospitalized. But shortages and setbacks have undercut those options — at a time when more people than ever are getting sick. Supply of some of the treatments, particularly the prized new oral treatment Paxlovid, is extremely constrained. The ascendance of the Omicron variant has nullified the power of some of the monoclonal antibodies. (Joseph, 1/7)

Los Angeles Times: Orange County Reports Third COVID-19 Death Of A Child Under 5
Orange County officials confirmed Thursday night that a child under the age of 5 died in December of complications from COVID-19. The announcement comes as cases are climbing in Orange County and throughout California, driven by the Omicron variant. “We have lost another precious young life to this terrible virus; it is our third pediatric death in Orange County since the start of the pandemic,” said Dr. Clayton Chau, the county’s health officer. “This is yet another somber reminder that we must continue to do everything we can to protect our loved ones, especially our little ones under 5 years of age who are not able to be vaccinated.” (Yee, 1/6)

AP: Official: California COVID Surge Could Ease Next Month 
The California surge in coronavirus cases has shut down schools and sidelined thousands of police, firefighters, teachers and health care workers but officials are hoping it will be short-lived. “My hope is that, you know, by the time we get to February, we’re on the downside of seeing that massive amount of community transmission,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. (Melley, 1/7)

The CT Mirror: As Omicron Spreads, CT's Prison System Isn't Spared
After a year and a half of the pandemic working its way through the state’s prisons and jails, COVID-19 had slowed down in the corrections system by the beginning of September. Fewer prisoners were being sent to the medical isolation unit at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, infection rates among the incarcerated population were falling and no one had died since Jan. 25. As fall transitioned to winter, four incarcerated people died from the virus. Infection rates ticked up as vaccinations remained low among the incarcerated and corrections staff. (Lyons, 1/7)

The Boston Globe: ‘True Definition Of Soul Mates’: A New Hampshire Couple Died Of COVID-19 Just Seconds Apart, Holding Hands As They Took Their Last Breaths 
Bill and Carol Stewart were always inseparable, right until their final few breaths. On Dec. 30, after spending more than a week in the intensive care unit of a New Hampshire hospital battling COVID-19, the couple died hand-in-hand, their close family gathered around while dressed head-to-toe in protective gear. “As soon as they touched hands, Dad took his last breath, and seconds later, Mom took hers,” said Melissa Noke, one of the couple’s daughters. “They were happy to be next to each other.” (Annear, 1/6)

The New York Times: ‘Late Late Show’ Cancels Tapings After James Corden Tests Positive
James Corden joined the ranks of late-night TV hosts who have recently tested positive for the coronavirus, disclosing his diagnosis on Thursday as tapings of his CBS program, “The Late Late Show,” were halted for the next several days. (Itzkoff, 1/6)

The Boston Globe: Mass. Hospitals Will Begin Reporting Primary Vs. Incidental COVID-19 Admissions On Monday, DPH Says
In a major shift, Massachusetts hospitals will soon begin reporting how many patients are admitted primarily due to COVID-19 versus those admitted for other ailments and also test positive for the virus. State public health officials currently count both types of admissions in its COVID-19 hospitalization totals. On Wednesday, the state reported that 2,426 patients with COVID-19 were in the hospital, almost exactly matching last winter’s peak of 2,428 on Jan. 4, 2021. But starting Monday, hospitals will begin reporting whether admissions are primary or incidental to COVID-19, the Department of Public Health said Thursday. That data will likely become public the following week. (Fatima, 1/6)

The CT Mirror: CT Asks Nursing Homes To Take COVID-Positive Transfers From Hospitals
Nursing homes are being asked to accept COVID-positive admissions from hospitals, according to new guidance from the Department of Public Health, even as positivity rates within nursing homes are increasing sharply. The latest guidance from the DPH is an indication that the state is trying to alleviate the growing crush of COVID-19 cases in hospitals as they near record numbers of patients. Until Thursday, the health department required any patient transferred from a hospital to a long-term care facility to have a negative COVID test performed in the hospital within 48 hours of their transfer, but that requirement is now waived. (Altimari and Carlesso, 1/6)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Patients Wait In ERs For Days As COVID-19 Patients Overwhelm St. Louis-Area Hospitals 
People unsure of their illness leaving before they are seen by doctors. Sick patients waiting for hours, sometimes days, in an emergency room because there is nowhere for them to be admitted. Others dying in small-town hospitals unable to access the services they need in urban centers like St. Louis. Those are some of the scenarios Dr. Aamina Akhtar, chief medical officer for Mercy Hospital South, said are playing out in emergency departments across the region as the hyper-infectious omicron variant pushes COVID-19 hospitalizations to record levels and sickens health care staff. (Munz, 1/6)

On staff shortages —

Modern Healthcare: New CDC Guidance Jeopardizes Patients And Staff, Nurses And Doctors Warn
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently put out new COVID-19 guidance aiming to mitigate staffing shortages, but the recommendations could harm patients and healthcare staff, nurses and doctors claim. CDC recommends that healthcare workers who are asymptomatic or experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms and aren't feverish return to work at short-staffed hospitals after five days of isolation, even if they haven't had a negative test. Healthcare providers—many of which are operating near or at capacity—are left to weigh the consequences of exposing workers and patients to the virus and not having enough staff to care for every patient. (Kacik and Christ, 1/6)

The Boston Globe: ‘It’s All Hands On Deck’: Hospitals Scramble To Staff The Front Lines As Surge Continues
Hospitals across Massachusetts are confronting an unprecedented number of workers sidelined by COVID-19 as the Omicron variant continues to surge, and many facilities are already at or near capacity with critically sick patients. The chief executive of UMass Memorial Health in Worcester donned protective gear Thursday and swabbed the noses of patients at a COVID-19 testing center, filling in for workers who were out. At Baystate Health in Springfield, retired and senior physicians who don’t normally see patients staffed phones and helped cover telehealth appointments. (Lazar, 1/6)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Hospital Staff Are ‘Afraid,’ Monoclonal Antibodies Are Running Out And COVID-19 Test Sites Are Flooded
Utah’s supply of monoclonal antibodies and antiviral medications for COVID-19 is running out as the number of new cases broke a state record again Thursday. And Utah’s hospital leaders are warning that more bed shortages are imminent amid record coronavirus infections. “Our staff are afraid to come to work,” said Tracey Nixon, chief nursing officer for University of Utah Health. “They know we do not have the staff to care for the patients the way we need. ”In a single hospital department on Tuesday, Nixon said, “I had three nurses leave because they can’t do this again. They feel like we’re going backward.” (Alberty, 1/6)

KHN: Hospitals Recruit International Nurses To Fill Pandemic Shortages 
Before Mary Venus was offered a nursing job at a hospital here, she’d never heard of Billings or visited the United States. A native of the Philippines, she researched her prospective move via the internet, set aside her angst about the cold Montana winters and took the job, sight unseen. Venus has been in Billings since mid-November, working in a surgical recovery unit at Billings Clinic, Montana’s largest hospital in its most populous city. She and her husband moved into an apartment, bought a car and are settling in. They recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Maybe, she mused, this could be a “forever home.” (Ehli, 1/7)

Also —

WUSF Public Media: A Young Nurse Reflects On Caring For COVID Patients In A Deadly Pandemic 
I started working in the hospital when I was 20 years old (as a certified nursing assistant). I'm 25 now. In June is when we started being the COVID unit at my hospital. And we actually still are to this day. So I've seen all the ups and downs of it for the past year and a half. It's been very scary at times. And it is, to a certain extent, still unpredictable in the way of some people are fine, and they're asymptomatic. And, you know, they have an easy time going. But for other people, they struggle, and it's a long journey. (Sheridan, 1/6)

CNN: CDC Updates Covid-19 Prevention Guidance For K-12 Schools
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for Covid-19 prevention in K-12 schools on Thursday, aligning the recommendations with the agency's recently updated Covid-19 quarantine and isolation guidelines for the general public. It also expands its recommendations for screening testing and urges canceling or going virtual with some extracurricular and sports activities in order to protect in-person learning. The new K-12 school recommendations say children who have not been fully vaccinated and are exposed to the coronavirus should quarantine for at least five days after their last close contact with a person who has Covid-19. Adults who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 or who have not received a booster shot are advised to follow this recommendation, too. (Bonifield, 1/6)

San Francisco Chronicle: Surge And Sickout: 20% Of S.F. Educators Absent As District Struggles To Supervise Classrooms
Nearly 900 San Francisco teachers and aides were not in their classrooms Thursday, a significant increase in absences over the previous day, deepening a crisis that’s been unfolding since Monday as district officials scrambled to make sure enough qualified adults could fill in and families worried about whether their children’s education would be interrupted — again. A group of teachers called for a sickout Thursday, arguing the district had not adequately protected them during the omicron surge, but it was unclear how many were participating in the sickout and how many were actually ill or caring for sick family members. (Tucker, 1/6)

AP: Georgia Loosens Quarantine And Contact Tracing In Schools 
Georgia is easing COVID-19 quarantine and contact tracing requirements in schools as Gov. Brian Kemp urges superintendents to keep students attending in person.Kemp and Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey released a letter Thursday saying that school employees no longer have to quarantine after they are exposed to the virus, even if they are unvaccinated or test positive for the virus as long as they wear a mask and don’t develop symptoms. (Amy, 1/7)

In other news about state mandates and emergency measures —

The Kansas City Star: After Pleas From Hospital Officials, Kelly Announces New COVID-19 Emergency In Kansas
Kansas has once again entered a state of emergency as COVID-19 patients threaten to overwhelm hospitals struggling with staffing shortages nearly two years into the pandemic.Gov. Laura Kelly issued a new disaster declaration on Thursday, suspending a series of rules and regulations to help health care facilities respond more rapidly to the rising demand for care. (Bernard and Gutierrez, 1/6)

Houston Public Media: Harris County Can Now Impose Mask Mandates, A State Appeals Court Rules
A Texas appeals court on Thursday ruled that Harris County can impose mask mandates, blocking enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on such policies. The Texas Third District Court of Appeals upheld a previous lower court ruling, saying that Abbott exceeded his authority in barring local governments from adopting mask mandates to slow the spread of COVID-19. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee hailed the decision as a victory. (Schneider, 1/6)

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Vaccine Mandate Bill Would Ensure Unemployment Benefits
Just days after lawmakers returned to the Statehouse for session and amid record-breaking COVID-19 cases, a House committee advanced legislation that would significantly discourage business vaccine mandates. Lawmakers also amended House Bill 1001 Thursday to ensure that anyone who is forced to resign because their request for an exemption is denied would be guaranteed unemployment benefits. Because companies are penalized based on how many former employees claim unemployment benefits, the new language would essentially penalize employers for firing workers who refuse to get vaccinated. Already the business community, a group historically courted by Republicans, was opposed to the bill in its original form. (Lange and Huang, 1/6)

Idaho Statesman: After A Delay, Idaho Hospitals Revived COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates. What Was The Outcome?
St. Luke’s Health System, the state’s largest hospital system, announced a COVID-19 vaccination requirement last summer. The mandate was put on hold when many hospitals entered crisis standards of care in September, but the hospital resumed enforcement on Nov. 22, when crisis standards were deactivated in most regions of the state. ... Six employees, or just 0.04% of St. Luke’s workforce, were fired due to noncompliance. (Stevenson, 1/6)

WGBH: Medical Schools See Record Enrollment Increase Among Black Students
Sabrina Lima said her mom, a nurse, inspired her to pursue a career as a doctor. "I've been on medical missionary trips with her, so seeing her in medicine — she's this amazing woman,” she said. “I just love how she serves others, and I want to serve people in a similar way." Lima, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, began classes at the Tufts Medical School in the fall. She is part of a small group of Black students pursuing careers as physicians, though that number is increasing as schools adopt new procedures to attract and reduce barriers for students of color. (Carapezza, 1/6)

In other updates from the health care field —

Modern Healthcare: Judge Dismisses Cardiologists' $50M Lawsuit Against SSM Health
SSM Health is off the hook after a Missouri judge dismissed a lawsuit from a group of cardiologists who objected to the revocation of their clinical privileges at the St. Louis-based system. Physicians at St. Louis Heart and Vascular sued SSM Health in March seeking $50 million in damages and claiming that being barred from the region's largest health system would impede patient access and cause the doctors economic and reputational harm. (Devereaux, 1/6)

Axios: Nomi Health Buys Artemis Health For $200M 
Payment startup Nomi Health has acquired Artemis Health, which uses data to help U.S. employers fine-tune health offerings, in a $200 million deal. The pairing of the two payment-minded startups is part of an ongoing consolidation wave in digital health where small, like-minded upstarts combine their assets to round out their offering. (Brodwin, 1/6)

Health News Florida: Tampa's Veterans Hospital Is Building A New Clinic In Lakeland To Expand Access To Care 
The James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa is preparing to build a new clinic in Lakeland that will be about six times the size of its existing facility. The goal is to better meet the health care needs of the region's growing veteran population. Construction is scheduled to start in early spring on the $112 million clinic, according to David K. Dunning, the hospital’s executive director. (Colombini, 1/6)

And in pharmaceutical industry news —

Modern Healthcare: CMS Proposes Tighter Marketing, Network Adequacy For Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans could soon see stricter marketing guidelines and more oversight of how Medicare revenue is spent if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalizes a new proposed rule. Medicare Part D plans could face changes in how they can use savings from pricing arrangements with pharmacies. CMS published the proposed 2023 Medicare Advantage and Part D regulation Thursday. In addition, the draft regulation includes several proposals aimed at improving Medicare Advantage for beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. (Goldman, 1/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Jury In Elizabeth Holmes Trial Seized On Two ‘Smoking Guns’ To Convict Theranos Founder, Juror Says
In their second week of deliberations, jurors in the trial of Elizabeth Holmes seized on what one juror described as two “smoking guns” that sealed the fate of the Theranos Inc. founder. Huddled in a fifth-floor courtroom, the four women and eight men were grappling over whether she had defrauded large Theranos investors about her blood-testing startup. Jurors zeroed in on two pieces of evidence they believed showed Ms. Holmes intentionally lied to investors, said Susanna Stefanek, known throughout the trial as Juror No. 8. (Randazzo and Bobrowsky, 1/6)

AP: The U.S. Recorded The Highest Number Of Rabies Deaths In A Decade Last Year
Five Americans died of rabies last year — the largest number in a decade — and health officials said Thursday that some of the people didn’t realize they had been infected or refused life-saving shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on three of the deaths, all stemming from contact with bats. CDC officials said the deaths were tragic and could have been prevented. (1/6)

Stat: 3 Fatal Rabies Cases In U.S. Suggest Public Underestimates Infection Risks
One day last fall, a man in his 80s living in Lake County, Ill., woke up to find a bat on his neck. He caught the bat and turned it in to the health department for testing, which revealed the bat had rabies. The man was offered rabies treatment — but refused. “There were multiple hours of consultation over several weeks between the health department and this individual about the seriousness of his exposure, that the bat had tested positive and that vaccines were the only thing that would be guaranteed to save his life,” said Ryan Wallace, a veterinary medical officer and the lead of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s rabies epidemiology team. “He declined.” (Branswell, 1/6)

In news about Down syndrome —

Stat: Study Suggests New Cause Of Down Syndrome: Cells Linked To Aging 
Down syndrome is the most common genetic disorder, impacting about 1 in 700 newborns around the world. At some point during their first hours and days of embryonic development, their dividing cells fail to properly wriggle a chromosome pair away from each other, leaving an extra copy where it shouldn’t be. Although scientists have known for more than six decades that this extra copy of chromosome 21 causes the cognitive impairment people with Down syndrome experience, exactly how it happens remains a matter of debate. The dominant hypothesis is that people with this syndrome make too much of the proteins encoded in the genes that reside on chromosome 21, and that this overexpression alters the timing, pattern, or extent of neurodevelopment. This theory has a name: the “gene dosage effect.” (Molteni, 1/6)

In other public health news —

USA Today: COVID Vaccine MRNA Technology Offers Hope For Heart Disease Treatment
Combining technologies that proved hugely successful against cancer and in COVID-19 vaccines, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have shown they can effectively treat a leading cause of heart disease. For now the success has only been achieved in mice, but the milestone offers hope for millions of people whose heart muscle is damaged by scar tissue. There is no effective treatment for this fibrosis, which leads to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, said Dr. Jonathan Epstein, a Penn professor of cardiovascular research who helped lead the new work, published Thursday in the journal Science. (Weintraub, 1/6)

USA Today: Asthma In Kids: Nearly 2M New Cases Linked To Traffic Pollution A Year
As more motorists trade in old gas guzzlers for chic electric cars, new research on traffic-related air pollution suggests the switch could benefit millions of children every year. George Washington University researchers studied ground concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in big cities around the world while tracking new cases of asthma that developed in children from 2000 to 2019. They found nitrogen dioxide – a pollutant that primarily comes from tailpipe vehicle emissions –  may have caused nearly 2 million new cases of pediatric asthma every year, according to the study published Wednesday in the Lancet Planetary Health. (Rodriguez, 1/6)

The New York Times: 5 Tips For Spotting Melanoma And Other Skin Cancers 
In October, Nadia Popovici, a Seattle Kraken hockey fan, went to a game with her parents. She spotted a strange-looking mole on the neck of an assistant equipment manager for the opposing team, the Vancouver Canucks, and typed out a message to him on her phone. “The mole on the back of your neck is possibly cancerous. Please go see a doctor!” the message read, with the words “mole,” “cancer” and “doctor” colored bright red. (Nierenberg, 1/4)

KHN: A Catch-22 Trips Up Some In Legal Guardianship Who Try To Regain Independence 
Ten years ago, Nicholas Clouse was riding shotgun in his friend’s Camaro when the car jerked and he felt himself flying through the air. Clouse’s head slammed against the passenger-side window. The traumatic brain injury he sustained in the wreck led to severe memory loss, headaches and insomnia. Clouse, who was 18 then, didn’t recognize his friends and family. (Barrett, 1/7)

AP: California Democrats Revive Universal Health Care Bill 
What could be the nation’s first universal health care system found new life on Thursday after California Democrats proposed steep tax hikes to pay for it, prompting strong opposition from insurers, doctors and Republicans at the start of an election year. Progressives in California’s Democratic-dominated state Legislature have long called for a universal health care system to replace the one that mostly relies on private insurance companies. But their plans have often stalled over questions about how to pay for it in a state with nearly 40 million residents. (Beam, 1/7)

KHN: California Ballot Will Be Heavy On Health Care
When Californians go to the polls later this year, they will confront contentious health care choices. Voters will weigh whether to overturn a state law that bans flavored tobacco products and will likely consider increasing the cap on medical malpractice awards. They may also vote on proposals that effectively legalize psychedelic mushrooms and regulating dialysis clinics. (Young, 1/7)

In other California news —

AP: California AG: Don't File Murder Charges In Stillbirths
Prosecutors should not charge women with murder when a fetus dies, even if their behavior may have contributed to the death, California’s top law enforcement official said Thursday. Attorney General Rob Bonta acted after prosecutors in the San Joaquin Valley’s Kings County twice charged women with “fetal murder,” alleging their drug use led to stillbirths. He issued a statewide alert intended to advise law enforcement officials on how to interpret state law. (Thompson, 1/7)

In updates from Tennessee, Florida and Massachusetts —

AP: Investigators: Fire At Planned Parenthood Intentionally Set 
A fire that destroyed a Tennessee Planned Parenthood clinic was intentionally set, fire officials said Thursday. Officials are looking for a suspect and asked the public to provide tips to the Knoxville Fire Department, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. (1/6)

CBS News: Florida Sheriff Hopes 2 Deputies' Suicides Will Be "Catalyst For Change" In Attitude Toward Mental Health
A Florida sheriff mourning the loss of two of his deputies who died by suicide within a matter of days said he hopes the tragedy will be a "catalyst for change" that will help "ease the stigma" surrounding mental health. St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said the two deputies, Clayton Osteen and Victoria Pacheco, were the parents of a 1-month-old boy. (Sundby, 1/6)

The Hill: Feds Call For Boston Marathon Bomber's COVID-19 Relief Payment To Go Toward $101M He Owes Victims
Federal officials are calling for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to contribute all of his remaining funds, including a $1,400 coronavirus relief payment, to the $101 million he owes victims and families. Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell for the District of Massachusetts reportedly filed a motion on Wednesday calling for the courts to allow movement of funds from Tsarnaev’s account. If granted, the motion would allow the Bureau of Prisons to transfer all funds toward Tsarnaev’s outstanding payments. (Folmar, 1/6)

Los Angeles Times: ‘Unwelcome Just About Everywhere’: Europe Tightens The Screws On The Unvaccinated
Across Western Europe — which, like much of the world, is coping with the wildfire spread of Omicron, the highly contagious coronavirus variant — the vaccine-hesitant are coming under mounting official pressure to get inoculated, if they are able. And that is triggering an impassioned backlash. In one European country after another, public health restrictions are steadily tightening. Italy declared a vaccination mandate for those over age 50. The biggest party in Germany’s governing coalition says it will decide by the end of March whether to try to push through a universal vaccination mandate. (El-Faizy and King, 1/7)

Bloomberg: Quebec Covid Update: If You Want Weed Or Wine In Province, You Better Get Jabbed
Quebec has tried everything from restaurant closures to a curfew to slow down hospitalizations as the omicron variant rages on. It’s now adding a more draconian measure to its arsenal: Requiring vaccination proof to enter government-owned alcohol and pot stores. From Jan. 18, residents will need a vaccine passport to enter Societe des alcools du Quebec (SAQ) and Societe quebecoise du cannabis stores, Health Minister Christian Dube said Thursday. Other restrictions targeting unvaccinated people will follow, he said. (Rastello, 1/6)

In other covid developments around the world —

The Wall Street Journal: Japan Criticizes U.S. Response After Omicron Spreads Near American Bases 
A surge in Covid-19 infections around U.S. military bases in Japan is generating tension between Tokyo and Washington after a loophole in entry rules for American soldiers accelerated the spread of the Omicron variant. Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday in Japan asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken for U.S. service members to be restricted to their bases, and regions around bases called for emergency steps to prevent the spread of Covid-19. (Gale, 1/6)

Bloomberg: Hospital Bed Shortage Shuts Down Canada While U.S. Stays Open
As omicron sweeps through North America, the U.S. and Canadian responses couldn’t be more different. U.S. states are largely open for business, while Canada’s biggest provinces are shutting down. The difference partly comes down to arithmetic: The U.S. health care system, which prioritizes free markets, provides more hospital beds per capita than the government-dominated Canadian system does. “I’m not advocating for that American market-driven system,” said Bob Bell, a physician who ran Ontario’s health bureaucracy from 2014 to 2018 and oversaw Toronto’s University Health Network before that. “But I am saying that in Canada, we have restricted hospital capacity excessively.” (Platt and Orland, 1/6)

The Washington Post: Need A Covid Test In Australia? Good Luck — Or Try Importing One From 8,000 Miles Away
The shop attendant leaned forward conspiratorially. “They have a supply come in downstairs at 11 a.m.,” he said. “The sign says they don’t have any, but it’s always up. Just ask and they’ll … ,” he added, miming pulling something illicit out from under a counter. He was talking about buying a rapid antigen test (RAT). Two years into the pandemic, getting tested for the coronavirus in Australia’s cities has been reduced to a whisper network and friend-of-a-friend tips, sleeping in cars outside testing centers, and waiting in lines for up to eight hours with no access to food, water or toilets. (Vinall, 1/7)

In news about covid treatments —

The Washington Post: Israel Rolls Out Pfizer’s Paxlovid Covid Drug As Coronavirus Cases Spike 
As omicron infections surge, Israel has begun rolling out a newly approved Pfizer drug, using digital health records kept on nearly every citizen to identify those who are at high risk from covid-19 and are likely to benefit most from the treatment even before they become dangerously ill. Israel is one of the first countries to put Pfizer’s Paxlovid anti-viral pill into use, and doctors affiliated with the four publicly funded health-care networks here are now dispensing more than 100 courses a day, less than a week after the pill won approval. The drug is being dispatched to qualified patients’ homes almost as soon as they test positive for the coronavirus. (Hendrix, 1/6)

Stat: Chilean Ministry Is Urged To Issue A Compulsory License For Pfizer Covid Pill
In the latest bid to expand access to the Pfizer (PFE) Covid-19 pill, a nonprofit group and an association of pharmacists are seeking to make it possible for generic manufacturers to sell the medicine in Chile, which was excluded from a recent licensing deal the drug maker reached for its pill to become available in mostly poor countries. The plan hinges on convincing the Chilean government to issue a compulsory license, which countries can grant to a public agency or a generic drug maker, allowing it to copy a patented medicine without the consent of the brand-name company that owns the patent. This right was memorialized in a World Trade Organization agreement. (Silverman, 1/6)

Bloomberg: South African Study To Compare J&J, Pfizer Covid-19 Boosters
Researchers have started recruiting South African health workers to take part in a vaccine trial that will compare the use of Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Inc. Covid-19 shots as boosters. The health workers being targeted for the study were part of an initial trial known as Sisonke that saw almost half a million people given an initial dose of J&J’s vaccine. The trial, which will be carried out by Johannesburg’s Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, will run for six months, according to an invitation to potential participants. Participants will be randomly allocated a full or half dose of a vaccine made by either J&J, or Pfizer and BioNTech SE. (Sguazzin, 1/7)

Reuters: Sinopharm Protein-Based Booster Stronger Against Omicron Than Earlier Shot - Study
A protein-based COVID-19 vaccine made by Sinopharm, when given as a booster after two doses of an earlier shot from the Chinese firm, elicited a stronger antibody response against the Omicron variant than a third dose of the original, a study showed. (Liu and Woo, 1/7)

The New York Times: Diets Make You Feel Bad. Try Training Your Brain For Healthy Eating Instead
Here’s a New Year’s resolution you can keep: Stop dieting and start savoring your food instead. That may seem like surprising advice, but there’s mounting scientific evidence to suggest that diets don’t work. Research shows that food restriction just makes you want to eat more. And over the long term, dieting can backfire, triggering your body’s survival defenses, slowing your metabolism and making it even harder to lose weight in the future. (Parker-Pope, 1/3)

CBS News: Why Sugar Is So Addicting And How You Can Remove It From Your Diet This Year, According To An Expert 
Whether you're attempting a "dry January" or setting a new diet or workout goal, breaking old habits in the new year can be hard. For those who are looking to cut out added sugars, they may actually be addressing an addiction. "Physiologically, it's as addictive as cocaine — sugar is," author and health expert Susan Peirce Thompson told CBSN's Anne-Marie Green Wednesday. "So, people are literally trapped in a physiological addiction. The brain scans are very clear on that." While health officials urge Americans to limit their sugar intake, Thompson argues that giving up the highly processed and refined chemical can be for some one of the hardest addictions to battle. (Powell, 1/5)

The Wall Street Journal: The New Way To Maximize Your Workout? Weighted Spandex
WHY JUST LIFT heavy weights to get strong when you can improve your gains during cardio, or even build forearms of steel while simply washing the dishes? That’s the premise behind a new category of workout clothing that strategically disperses additional mass across your body through weights sewn into the fabric. (Mateo, 1/4)

The New York Times: Considering Bone Or Joint Surgery? You May Not Need It
Considering bone or joint surgery? In many cases, surgery may be no more effective than options like exercise, physical therapy and drug treatments. Hip and knee replacements, surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome and other orthopedic procedures are among the most common elective surgeries performed today, but they involve cost, risk and sometimes weeks or months of recovery. Many of these surgeries are not supported by evidence from randomized trials, a review found. Even when surgery has been shown to be effective, the review concluded, it may not be significantly better than nonsurgical care. (Bakalar, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Home Remedies Can Be Useful For Some Conditions, Experts Say
Maralyn Fisher, 76, a retired boutique owner who lives in Manhattan, suffers periodic bouts of nausea. Whenever she feels the queasiness coming on, she pops a ginger mint into her mouth and waits for it to ebb. It almost always does. “I don’t like taking a lot of standard medicines,” says Fisher, who keeps the candies in her purse and at her bedside. “I believe in it because it works.” Fisher is among millions of Americans who use what are known as home remedies, a description frequently used interchangeably with “complementary” or “alternative” medicines to distinguish them from Western practices, which often rely on doctor visits and conventional drugs. (Cimons, 1/2)

Also —

The Washington Post: Sci-Fi Types Of Medical Implants Will Soon Become Reality, Researchers Say 
For decades, doctors have embedded pacemakers, cochlear implants and cardiac defibrillators into their patients’ bodies. More recently, consumers have started tracking their own heart rates and number of steps taken with watches, bracelets, cellphones and other wearable devices. Researchers and doctors are now dreaming up more ways to merge those technologies, to move consumer-driven monitors inside bodies. (Rosen, 1/1)

The Washington Post: What Is Aquamation, The Burial Practice Desmond Tutu Requested Instead Of Cremation?
The ashes of the revered anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu were interred Sunday in a private ceremony in St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa. The Anglican archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who died Dec. 26 at age 90, had requested that his funeral not be ostentatious and that his body not be cremated by flame. Instead, Tutu reportedly requested aquamation, or alkaline hydrolysis, a water-based process considered an eco-friendly alternative to traditional cremation. (Berger, 1/2)

The Washington Post: Citing Danger To Freshwater, Scientists Say We Need To Put Brakes On Road Salts 
Every winter, de-icing salts — sodium chloride, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride — battle icy roads nationwide. The effort is epic in scope: Hundreds of millions of gallons of salty substances are sprayed on roads and billions of pounds of rock salt are spread on their surfaces each year. That may lead to safer roads, but it has a real effect on the planet. In a review in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, a group of environmental scientists looked at the hazards of salts that make driving safer. De-icing salts end up in bodies of fresh water, contaminating lakes and streams and building up in wetlands. (Blakemore, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal: For Users With Disabilities, Paid Apps Lag Behind Free Ones In Accessibility, Report Shows 
Many of the most popular paid smartphone apps are less accessible to people with certain disabilities than top apps that are free to download, according to a new report. The digital agency Diamond, which builds accessible products for its clients, conducted manual and automated testing of 20 leading paid apps and 20 popular free apps in Apple’s App Store and in the Google Play Store as of October 2021. (Alcantara, 12/20)

NPR: The Scientist Who Identified Omicron Was Saddened By The World's Reaction
When the Botswanan scientists saw the sequences, they were stunned. Four international travelers had tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 11, four days after entering the country. But when the cases were genetically sequenced, where the genetic code of the virus is analyzed to look for worrying changes, the scientists discovered a variant they had never encountered before. And soon, they alerted the world to what would become known as the omicron variant. (Schrieber, 12/16)

Scientific American: How Communication Around COVID Fuels A Mistrust Of Science 
The highly contagious COVID Omicron variant is shattering new U.S. daily case records. With Omicron carrying a risk of breakthrough infection five times higher than that of the Delta variant, we are witnessing a significant impact on the American workforce in all sectors. The increase in cases among essential workers has sidelined many health care workers, resulted in thousands of holiday flights being canceled, and once again disrupted our supply chain. (Joseph V. Sakran and Kavita K. Patel, 1/6)

CNN: These Supreme Court Arguments Are About Far More Than Vaccine Mandates 
Covid-19 vaccine mandates are up for consideration at the US Supreme Court once again, with arguments set for Friday -- but this time with a couple of twists. Two consolidated cases have made their way to the high court for emergency action, meaning the appellants are seeking to influence whether these mandates take effect now, while litigation proceeds, over whether they are legal and constitutional. One of the cases involves the Biden administration's vaccine-or-testing requirement for employees of large businesses. The other addresses the administration's vaccine mandate (which includes medical and religious exemptions) on health care providers receiving funding through Medicare or Medicaid. (Jennifer Rodgers, 1/6)

The Washington Post: With Omicron, Let’s Not Fight The Last War 
In the past 10 days, almost a dozen people I know have tested positive for the coronavirus. Two of them had a rough time with it and said it was comparable to a full-blown case of flu. The others had a day of chills or nothing at all. When asked about symptoms, one of them, having been isolated, responded, “Boredom.” (Fareed Zakaria, 1/6)

The Boston Globe: Omicron Gives New Meaning To Calculated Risk
For two years, we have been living with the risk of a coronavirus infection, and the attendant chances, in declining order of possibility, of illness, hospitalization, and death. But there have been almost no reliable tools to help us navigate these risks. It wasn’t so long ago that friends of mine were sanitizing their mail and triple-masking outdoors — precautions later revealed to be excessive, but who knew at the time? (Alex Beam, 1/7)

Stat: Omicron Magnifies The Distress Faced By ICU Workers 
In December 2020, to the tune of rousing cheers, the first health care workers began getting vaccinated against Covid-19. A year later, the cheers have died down, vaccination rates have plateaued, and the Omicron wave has hit the U.S. with one million daily cases registered during the first week of January 2022. Yet despite the hard work and sacrifices of health care workers, many of them haven’t seen pay raises. As 2022 begins with another wave of infections, it remains imperative to shine a light on working conditions in health care in general, and in intensive care units in particular. (Harris Solomon, 1/7)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Should Be More Aggressive In Offering Booster Shots For COVID-19
The omicron variant keeps surging at an eye-popping rate, but the number of Texans getting a booster shot hasn’t surged with it. We can do better, and our state and county governments need to take some specific steps to help us. (1/7)

Scientific American: Flurona Is A Great Example Of How Misinformation Blooms
Earlier this week, Israeli media reported a person who was hospitalized with evidence of both seasonal flu and COVID at the same time. This unvaccinated and pregnant person had mild symptoms and was discharged without any complications. A person being infected with both the COVID-causing SARS-CoV2 virus and an influenza virus can happen; we just had one such person in our hospital last month whom we treated and discharged without a whole lot of fanfare. However, the Times of Israel made a mundane two-virus story go viral by using a catchy, made-up name of “flurona” and reporting that this is the “first” such case in the country, which some people read as the first case ever. (Raghu Adiga, 1/6)

The Tennessean: COVID In Tennessee: Ragan Threatens Doctors, Ignores Citizens' Health
In Representative Ragan’s guest essay, he is wrong in virtually all of his argument, arrogant in his medical statements, politically pandering in his legislation, and indifferent to the health and safety of Tennesseans. ... The [Board of Medical Examiners] reposted on it’s website in support a statement by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) advising physicians that spreading disprovable lies about COVID-19 vaccination could result in disciplinary action by their state’s licensing board. The board “handed” Tennessee doctors no ultimatum at all nor did the board exceed it’s legal authority. The statement doesn’t even address prescribing and dispensing medical treatment for COVID-19 as Mr. Ragan’s cited law states. (Robert Landry, 1/6)

The Washington Post: The U.S. Is On The Verge Of A Major Health-Care Achievement, And No One Seems To Have Noticed 
The United States is on the verge of a major achievement, one that almost no one seems to have noticed. If — and right now this remains a big “if” — some version of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan gets back on track, we might finally join the ranks of every other rich nation on Earth and treat access to health care as a fundamental right. (Catherine Rampell, 1/6)

Kansas City Star: Americans Used To Understand We Have To Fight Contagious Diseases. What Happened?
When my fellow baby boomers had children in elementary school, the classroom was often referred to as a petri dish where every known contagion was circulating. Kids brought it all home, and home became its own petri dish of contagious diseases. The adults took the contagions to work. Teachers encouraged parents to keep their sick children at home to protect their classmates and stop the spread. Employers urged the sick to protect their co-workers, take their sick leave and stay at home. The phenomenon of contagion seemed to be grasped by the vast majority. What happened? (D. Robert Warley, 1/7)

The Baltimore Sun: An Epidemic Among Young Adults Puts College Educators On The Front Lines Of Mental Health
Just before final exams last month, I sent a private chat to one of my students during a class Zoom meeting. He hadn’t handed in any assignments this semester and was attending class meetings sporadically, at best. He responded: “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch this semester. … I’ve been in a dark place and wanted to end things.” I gave him my mobile number and asked him to call me after class. He assured me that he wouldn’t “do anything extreme” at this point, because he was “feeling better.” After our conversation, I sent him the counseling center email, a suicide hotline number and pleaded with him to share his struggles with his parents and to set up a counseling appointment. (Andrew Reiner, 1/6)

Stat: Out-Of-Pocket Drug Costs For Medicare Beneficiaries Need To Be Reined In
This year, 56 million U.S. seniors will pay more for Medicare prescription drug coverage, partly due to a single drug most will not take — Aduhelm, a newly approved, expensive, and controversial Alzheimer’s drug. In late 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced one of the largest increases ever — nearly 15% — to monthly premiums for Medicare Part B, which provides coverage for injected or infused medications administered by clinicians, among other outpatient services. CMS’s rationale? The premium price hike was needed in anticipation of potential future coverage of Aduhelm, initially priced at $56,000 per year. (Reshma Ramachandran, Tianna Zhou and Joseph S. Ross, 1/7)

Dallas Morning News: Adding More Hospital Beds Won’t Solve Texas’ Mental Health Crisis
It’s not hyperbole at all to say that Texas’ mental health situation has evolved from crisis to tragedy in recent months. The proof points are everywhere. As of Oct. 2021, more than 1,800 Texans who had been recommended for the state’s mental health system were waiting in jail, according to KXAN-TV reporting. As a result, some people who need help are dying. Our mental health hospitals are overloaded, and our children and teens’ mental health is floundering thanks to the pandemic and other societal challenges. (Alison Leonard, 1/7)