NPR: U.S. Pledges Medical Aid To India, Where COVID-19 Is Overwhelming Hospitals
The United States will make more medical aid available to India in an effort to fight an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases. The pledge came during a phone call between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval on Sunday, as India has become the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic and the country's health system is collapsing. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in its time of need," National Security Council Spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement, which went on to say that the U.S. will allow for the export of certain raw material urgently needed for vaccine production, as well as sending test kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment, among other aid. (Lonsdorf, 4/25)

The New York Times: U.S. To Send Virus-Ravaged India Materials For Vaccines 
“Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in its time of need,” Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said in a statement on Sunday. (Rogers and Stolberg, 4/25)

CNBC: India Reports Record New Covid Cases For Fifth Straight Day
India reported a record number of Covid-19 cases for the fifth straight day on Monday while the official death toll also jumped. Official data showed there were 352,991 new reported cases over a 24-hour period as total infection numbers crossed 17 million. At least 2,812 people died which pushed the total death toll to over 195,000 — media reports suggest that the official death rate is likely undercounted. (Choudhury, 4/26)

Fox News: India Coronavirus Crisis 'Demonstrates Risk Of What Can Happen' If Pandemic Isn't Controlled, Zients Says
White House officials on Friday warned that the current coronavirus crisis in India is an example of what could happen elsewhere should the pandemic go uncontrolled. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients made the warning during a coronavirus briefing on Friday. "This is a global pandemic. And India demonstrates the risk of what can happen if we don't get the pandemic under control everywhere," he said, adding the country serves as a prime example of "why we made the biggest investment in COVAX." (Farber, 4/24)

The Wall Street Journal: A Covid-19 Vaccine’s 1,500-Mile Journey Through India 
A half-milliliter dose of a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca PLC and the University of Oxford began its life here in a 1,500-liter metal tank, along with millions of others in batch number 4120Z017, months before it was approved for use. The tank—one of the bioreactors used to grow the cells to make vaccines—produces millions of doses at a time. Bioreactors are the workhorses of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker. The Institute started making and stockpiling doses as soon as it got the formula and tiny seed vial of material used to grow the vaccine from AstraZeneca in May. (Bellman and Dayal, 4/25)

In related news —

AP: From Scarcity To Abundance: US Faces Calls To Share Vaccines
Victor Guevara knows people his age have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in many countries. His own relatives in Houston have been inoculated. But the 72-year-old Honduran lawyer, like so many others in his country, is still waiting. And increasingly, he is wondering why the United States is not doing more to help, particularly as the American vaccine supply begins to outpace demand and doses that have been approved for use elsewhere in the world, but not in the U.S., sit idle. (Gonzalez and Miller, 4/24)

Stat: Millions Sign Petitions Urging U.S. To Back Covid-19 Vaccine Proposal
More than two million petitions were sent to the White House in hopes of convincing the Biden administration to support a proposal that would temporarily waive trade agreement provisions in a bid to widen access to Covid-19 vaccines in low and middle-income countries. The effort was promoted by several U.S. lawmakers and dozens of advocacy groups amid ongoing controversy over the proposal, which was introduced last fall at the World Trade Organization. Since then, however, the effort has stalled amid push back by the pharmaceutical industry and some wealthy nations, including the U.S., over concerns that intellectual property rights will be compromised. (Silverman, 4/23)

AP: With OK From Experts, Some States Resume Use Of J&J Vaccine
With a green light from federal health officials, many states resumed use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Saturday. Among the venues where it was being deployed: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Among the other states ordering or recommending a resumption, along with Indiana, were Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. (Crary, 4/24)

The Washington Post: The Public’s Concerns Over The Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine Are Widespread, Post-ABC Poll Finds
Fewer than 1 in 4 Americans not yet immunized against the coronavirus say they would be willing to get the vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll that finds broad mistrust of the shot’s safety after federal health officials paused its use. The nationwide survey shows that slightly fewer than half of U.S. adults overall say they consider the Johnson & Johnson vaccine very or somewhat safe after its use was halted this month following reports of rare, severe blood clots. (Goldstein and Clement, 4/26)

AP: Turnout Low As Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Returns In Florida
Turnout was so low for the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine at a central Florida FEMA-run site that about 90% of the daily supply went unused following a 11-day pause, health officials said. (4/26)

Health News Florida: FEMA Sites To Resume Giving J&J Vaccines On Sunday 
Federally supported vaccination sites in Florida will resume the use of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at 7 a.m. Sunday, state emergency officials said. The decision to resume came swiftly after U.S. health officials said Friday evening they were lifting an 11-day pause on vaccinations using the J&J vaccine. The four main sites in Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami and Orlando will have the capacity to administer up to 3,000 doses per day, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said. (4/24)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Lifts Pause On Administration Of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine
Department of State Health Services officials notified providers that they can resume administering the vaccine following a safety review and a determination by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee that benefits outweigh risks, according to DSHS. “We know some Texans prefer the simplicity of a single-dose vaccine, and the ease of storing and handling this vaccine gives providers more flexibility,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, the agency’s commissioner, said in a statement. “Resuming the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will prevent hospitalizations and save lives in Texas.” (Serrano, 4/24)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Joins Others In Resuming Use Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
The State of Nevada said Saturday it’s joining other Western states in resuming use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson doses. A panel of public health experts from California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington met Saturday to discuss lifting the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Associated Press reported. In an afternoon statement, the panel concluded that the “J&J vaccine is safe, effective, and that resumption of its use will support COVID-19 vaccine uptake, help reduce severe COVID-19 illnesses, and control the pandemic.” (Davis, 4/24)

The Boston Globe: State Expects About 4,000 Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Doses This Week
Massachusetts is expected to receive about 4,000 doses of one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week, according to the state, after federal officials allowed health providers to resume its use following reports of a rare, though serious, blood-clotting condition. And CVS expects to make appointments through stores currently holding Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply starting this week, according to Joe Goode, a company spokesman Sunday. News of the expected Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses came as the state reported 77,703 new vaccinations Sunday, bringing the total number of administered doses to more than 5.6 million. That total included vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, as well as Johnson & Johnson. (Hilliard, 4/25)

In other news about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine —

New York Post: NIH Director Claims J&J Vaccine Has Lower Risk Than Aspirin
Blood-clotting episodes linked to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are extremely “rare” — and about a “thousand times less likely” than experiencing intestinal bleeding from taking aspirin, the head of the National Institutes of Health said on Sunday. Dr. Francis Collins said that the blood-clotting issues may sound “scary,” but the COVID-19 shot comes with a lower risk of adverse side effects than the over-the-counter medication. (Salo, 4/25)

The Washington Post: Vaccine Maker Emergent's CEO Sold $10 Million In Stock Before Company Ruined Johnson & Johnson Doses 
The stock price of government contractor Emergent BioSolutions has fallen sharply since the disclosure at the end of March that production problems at the firm’s plant in Baltimore had ruined 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. Since then, AstraZeneca moved production of its own vaccine out of the facility, and Emergent temporarily halted new production there altogether. Those developments came after Emergent’s stock price had tumbled on Feb. 19, following the company’s published financial results. Emergent stock has fallen since mid-February to about $62 a share from $125 a share, or just more than 50 percent. (Swaine, 4/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Reports A Bay Area Man Got Blood Clot After Receiving Johnson & Johnson Vaccination
Two days after federal regulators lifted the temporary nationwide pause on administering Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, UCSF on Sunday reported the first known case of a male in the United States developing a clot after receiving the shot. All 15 similar cases the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had learned about and examined — after they emerged from about 7 million Johnson & Johnson shots administered — involved women who developed rare blood clots after their vaccinations. The UCSF case was a Bay Area resident in his early 30s who got a clot in his leg and was hospitalized, officials said. (Dineen, 4/25)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Sees Large Dip In COVID-19 Vaccinations Linked To 11-Day J&J Pause
Maine saw a 20 percent decrease in weekly COVID-19 vaccinations this week, a development that will challenge public health officials as they pursue more flexible options. The vaccination effort is slowing as more doses and ways to get vaccinated have become available. States, including Maine, opened up vaccines to the general public, creating an initial burst of interest. That was then complicated by a federal pause on the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, an option that was heralded as a way to solve access issues. (Andrews and Piper, 4/25)

CBS News: COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Ticks Down But Many Remain Opposed - CBS News Poll 
As more Americans receive coronavirus vaccines, the percentage who express hesitancy about doing so has decreased. However, a substantial number continue to say they won't or might not get vaccinated, citing concerns about adequate testing and potential side effects, as well as recent news about clots. This reluctance, if it continues, is one reason some worry about the prospects for attaining herd immunity in the U.S. Overall, six in 10 Americans say they will get vaccinated or report having received at least one dose. That leaves four in 10 who say "maybe" (18%) or "no" outright (22%). While still notable in size, this is four points lower than the percentage who expressed hesitancy last month. It also has decreased noticeably since its February level (measured with a slightly different question). (Khanna, 4/25)

Axios: Vaccine Hesitancy Remains High Among Essential Workers 
Essential workers who are not in health care are less likely to want a vaccine than the rest of the general public, according to new figures from the Kaiser Family Foundation. As vaccines become more available, health officials are increasingly grappling with vaccine hesitancy, particularly among those most at risk. According to the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, more than 20% of essential workers who don't work in health care settings say they will definitely not get the vaccine, compared to 7% of non-essential workers. (Reed, 4/26)

Stateline: Republican Men Are Vaccine-Hesitant But There's Little Focus On Them 
In December, Arizona Republican state Rep. Mark Finchem suffered from flu-like symptoms—headache, fatigue, body aches and chills. But it wasn’t the flu; he tested positive for COVID-19. Nearly three months later, his mother, who had recently contracted the coronavirus, died after battling throat cancer for over 40 years.Those circumstances weren’t enough to persuade Finchem, who is in his early 60s, to get a Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Finchem remains skeptical, he said, because he distrusts the federal government and top public health officials, he’s heard mixed messages about the vaccines on social media and television news, and he worries about long-term side effects. (Wright, 4/23)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vaccine Rates In Wisconsin Pro-Trump Counties Lagging, Analysis Shows
Wisconsin counties with the lowest vaccination rates have something in common: overwhelming support for former President Donald Trump. And counties that shifted more Republican, or "red," since 2012 are seeing lower vaccination rates than counties that shifted more blue during the same time period, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis found. (Spicuzza, Mollica and Barrett, 4/24)

The Baltimore Sun: ‘Did You Get Your Vaccine?’ Amid Pockets Of Resistance, Harford County Battles High COVID Rate 
In a county where the COVID rate hovers near the highest in the state, word that parents at several Harford high schools were planning private proms raised some eyebrows if not outright alarm — particularly over one woman’s social media post touting a venue that didn’t “go by COVID restrictions dictated by the Governor.” Harford’s health officer, Dr. David Bishai, said he started “cold-calling” and emailing the parents, telling them he didn’t think they should host such large gatherings, but offering to help make them safer if they did. He could send a mobile unit to test the kids for COVID-19 before their dance, he said, or get them over to Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, where a mass vaccination site opened on Thursday. (Marbella and Whitlow, 4/25)

Savannah Morning News: Vaccine Uptake Slows In Chatham As COVID Transmission Remains High
COVID-19 vaccinations in Georgia are free, widely available and convenient for many, with free transportation available to mass vaccination sites in Chatham County. But while older Georgians flocked to vaccine appointments, their younger counterparts are less eager. "You'd like for more people to be taking it," said Dr. Lawton Davis, director of the Coastal Georgia Public Health District. "We've got plenty of vaccine, we've got plenty of availability. But outside of the elderly population, we've not had tremendous participation." (Landers, 4/24)

The Hill: Local Doctors Push For Bigger Role As Vaccinations Enter New Phase
The Biden administration sees local doctors as key to the next phase of vaccine distribution, after many family physicians complained they've been left out despite being among the most trusted voices for vaccine-hesitant people. Ada Stewart, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, likened efforts to get local doctors more access to vaccines to a student with a raised hand who is saying, “Call on me. Call on me.”  (Sullivan, 4/25)

Axios: Some Americans Are Skipping Their Second Coronavirus Vaccine Shots 
Over 5 million Americans have missed their second shots of the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer or Moderna, the New York Times reports, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine effectiveness of partial immunization from Pfizer or Moderna — more than 14 days after the first dose, but before the second dose — was 80% in a recent CDC study of health care workers. But receiving just one shot "triggers a weaker immune response and may leave recipients more susceptible to dangerous virus variants," the Times notes. (Rummier, 4/25)

CNN: US Covid-19 Vaccination Efforts May Start To Slow Now, Official Says. Here's Why 
Covid-19 vaccination efforts may begin to slow down as more Americans get vaccinated, one US official told CNN on Sunday. More than 42% of the United States population has received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly 28.5% of the population is fully vaccinated. "We're going continue to make progress, it might not be as fast as the first 50% (of the population vaccinated), I think that it's going to be slower. But I think we're going to continue to get there," Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for Covid-19 response, said. (Maxouris, 4/26)

Bloomberg: The End of U.S. Mass Vaccination Is Coming Sooner Than Later
After three months of vaccination across the U.S., a majority of American adults have gotten shots, and the effort will soon shift from mass inoculation to mop-up. As of Saturday, 138.6 million people in the U.S. have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot. About 1.3 million more are getting a first dose every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the rate of new vaccinators is declining, even if it were immediately cut in half, it would mean that six weeks from now more than half of the population of the U.S. and its territories will have had a dose. (Armstrong, 4/25)

NBC News: Even After Being Fully Vaccinated, Many Still Wrestle With A Fear Of Catching Covid
Since the start of the pandemic, Kit Breshears has been terrified of catching the coronavirus. Getting vaccinated did not magically change that. For the past 13 months, Breshears, 44, of Buffalo, Minnesota, has not stepped foot inside a store or restaurant, not even to pick up a takeout meal. Any visits with family and friends have been over Zoom. When he received his second Covid-19 shot earlier this month, he felt relief, he said — but with the pandemic still ongoing, he has found it impossible to turn off his anxiety. (Chuck, 4/25)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

The Boston Globe: Sanofi Signs Deal To Help Make Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine In The US
The French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi said Monday it will help manufacture up to 200 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine starting in September. Sanofi, one of the world’s biggest vaccine makers, has signed a deal with Cambridge-based Moderna to provide “fill-finish” services, the final stage of the production process, at Sanofi’s plant in Ridgefield, N.J. Moderna makes some of its messenger RNA vaccine at a sprawling factory in Norwood for its US market. It also has an agreement with a Swiss contract manufacturing partner, Lonza Group, which makes the vaccine at a plant in Portsmouth, N.H. (Saltzman, 4/26)

NPR: Study: Pfizer And Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Appear Safe For Pregnant People
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "recommends that pregnant people receive the COVID-19 vaccine," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday, citing a new study on the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. Early clinical trials of the two-dose shots did not include pregnant individuals, limiting data and creating a sense of uncertainty for many. COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech appear to be safe for people who are pregnant, according to new research from the CDC. (Treisman, 4/23)

CNN: Navajo Nation Vaccinates More Than Half Of Its Adult Population, Outpacing US National Rate 
As Covid-19 vaccinations have become more widely available across the US, the Navajo Nation has reported more than half of its adult members have been vaccinated, outpacing the vaccination rate for the rest of the US. The US' rate is currently 36.5%, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Silverman, 4/26)

New Hampshire Union Leader: SNHU To Require COVID-19 Vaccination For Students To Return On Campus 
Southern New Hampshire University joins a list of colleges across the nation requiring students to receive a COVID-19 vaccination to return to campus in the fall. In a “vaccination update” posted on its website, the college said students will need to provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19, or proof of medical or religious exemption to attend classes on its campus for the fall 2021 semester. (Phelps, 4/25)

The Hill: CDC Issues New Guidance For Summer Camps 
The CDC also says summer camps should have most of their activities outdoors. If they do activities indoors, they should leave windows and doors open. “Bringing fresh, outdoor air into your facility helps keep virus particles from concentrating inside,” the CDC said. (Oshin, 4/25)

The New York Times: CDC Updates Masks And Distancing Guidance For Summer Camps 
Children going to camp this summer can be within three feet of peers in the same-group settings, but they must wear masks at all times, federal health officials say. The only times children should remove their masks is when they are swimming, napping, eating or drinking; they should be spaced far apart for these activities, positioned head to toe for naps and seated at least six feet apart for meals, snacks and water breaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the anticipated updated guidance for summer camp operators this weekend, just weeks before many camps resume operations in mid-May. Many parents have been eager to find camps for their children, who had spent months indoors in remote learning classes during the pandemic. (Caryn Rabin, 4/25)

In related pediatric news —

Des Moines Register: COVID And Kids: Rate May Be Higher Than Known, Risking Longer Pandemic
Riley Wells was diagnosed with COVID-19 four months ago. Its aftereffects — constant pain, numbness, weariness and muscle spasms — may be with the 15-year-old for years. The mild bout of COVID-19 unleashed Parsonage-Turner Syndrome on the high school freshman. In the simplest terms, it stops his nerves from communicating with muscles. Doctors warn it could take months for the "pain phase" to end, and years for full recovery, his mother, Jennifer Uile-Wells, said. (Coltrain, 4/25)

Fox8.com: Local High School Reports COVID-19 Outbreak Following Band Trip To Disney World
Normandy High School in Parma [Ohio] is reporting multiple cases of coronavirus tied to a band trip to Disney World. According to school officials, 14 students have tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 12. (Anderson, 4/24)

The Fort Morgan Times: Community Champions: School Nurses Served On Front Lines To Keep COVID-19 From Classrooms 
When you think about school nurses, the image that comes to mind might be of someone dispensing Band-aids, administering ice packs or helping to stop a bloody nose. But the pandemic put school nurses on the front lines against COVID-19 in schools. It was an incredibly trying time and these individuals continued to devote themselves to their work and helping others. Throughout the county school nurses continued to go work and help not only their students but also their fellow staff members, as COVID-19 cases saw a sharp rise in Colorado. They were there to care for others at a time when it was also extremely stressful for themselves. (Olmstead, 4/24)

The Washington Post: Fauci Warns That U.S. Rates Of New Cases Still Too High 
President Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony S. Fauci, warned Americans that 50,000 new coronavirus infections a day is still too high and urged people to get vaccinated. “That’s a precarious level, and we don’t want that to go up,” he said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. Public attitudes toward coronavirus vaccinations have been breaking down along party lines, with many more Republicans expressing reluctance to get doses. (Schemm and Hassan, 4/26)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Crisis: COVID-19 Variants Spur More Deaths
Even as optimism abounds in the United States, where cases are in steep decline and the vaccine supply has begun to exceed the demand, the COVID-19 pandemic has reached one of its bleakest points as global vaccination campaigns sputter and new, faster-spreading variants take hold. A record 5.7 million new cases were reported worldwide over the last week, nearly double the seven-day average in late February. The death toll — now approaching 3.1 million — grew by more than 87,000. Those figures have increased pressure on the United States, which along with other wealthy countries has gobbled up most of the supply, to speed up vaccine production and distribution around the world. (Linthicum, Pierson and Baumgaertner, 4/24)

The Oregonian: B.1.1.7 Variant Now Responsible For Most COVID-19 Cases In Oregon, Officials Say 
The more contagious B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus has now become the dominant strain in Oregon -- and is helping fuel a fourth surge in COVID-19 despite four out of every 10 Oregonians having received at least one dose of vaccine, public health officials say. “As the governor has said repeatedly, this really is a race between vaccination and the spread of COVID, especially the spread of the B.1.1.7 variant, which we believe now is a majority of cases in the state,” Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen told a group of lawmakers last week. (Green, 4/25)

The Baltimore Sun: Anxious Maryland Scientists On The Hunt For Next Coronavirus Variant 
Half of all COVID-19 cases across the country and in Maryland now result from coronavirus variants, with the dominant ones proving a bit more dangerous because they are more contagious and lead to more hospitalizations. But scientists and public health experts warn that until enough people are inoculated against the disease to end the pandemic, there is a chance mutations will become much more dangerous. (Cohn, 4/26)

Inewsource: Donovan Prison Back On Lockdown Due To COVID-19 Infections 
A COVID-19 outbreak at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa has forced the facility back on lockdown, but officials are refusing to clarify the scope of the problem, leaving families and advocates frustrated at the prison’s handling of the health emergency. A spokesperson for the state corrections department confirmed Wednesday that multiple staff members at Donovan have contracted the virus, leading the facility to temporarily cancel in-person visits and reinforce restrictions on the thousands of people living there. (Plummer and Castellano, 4/23)

Also —

Axios: The Next Wave Of The Coronavirus Pandemic: Long Covid 
The research is becoming only more clear: People who have had COVID — even those who never had severe infections — are at risk of ongoing health problems, including some serious ones. Long after the majority of Americans are vaccinated, patients and the U.S. health system will likely bear the brunt of millions of people who are struggling to get back to normal. Two studies released last week emphasized how common it is for COVID survivors to require care months after their infection. (Owens, 4/26)

CNN: Biden Will Announce New CDC Mask Guidance Tuesday, Sources Say
President Joe Biden is expected to announce Tuesday that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for wearing masks outdoors, three people familiar with the expected announcement said. Ahead of his first address to Congress on Wednesday, the President will give remarks on the state of the pandemic Tuesday. The three people familiar with the expected announcement said Biden will announce new CDC guidance on whether vaccinated people need to wear masks outdoors, though the final language of the expected announcement is still unclear. (Collins, 4/26)

Fox News: Fauci Acknowledges Outdoor COVID-19 Transmission 'Low,' Expects Updated Mask Guidance
Dr. Anthony Fauci believes the Centers for Disease Control will soon provide updated COVID-19 guidance on using face masks in outdoor settings, calling it "common sense" to do so. Face masks have taken an increasingly central role in debate lately as many question the continued and widespread use of masks even as vaccinations continue to soar nationwide. A Georgia mother went viral this week after she sounded off on her local school board continuing its mask mandate through next year. (Aitken, 4/25)

CIDRAP: Double Masking Amid COVID-19 Not Backed By Research, Experts Say 
A study concluding that wearing a disposable medical procedure mask under a reusable cloth face covering protects the wearer against COVID-19 infection better than a mask alone has some scientists worried that it could inadvertently lead to a false sense of security, risky behaviors, and infections. The study, one of a series on pandemic face coverings funded partially by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was published on Apr 16 in JAMA Internal Medicine. The CDC used the studies as a basis for its Apr 6 updated face covering guidelines, which call for the use of a multilayered cloth mask or a disposable mask under a cloth mask to press the edges of the disposable mask against the face. (Van Beusekom, 4/22)

Fox News: MIT Study Challenges Indoor Social Distancing, Finds 'No Difference Between 6 Feet And 60 Feet'
A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology challenges the widespread social distancing guidelines, asserting that the "six-foot rule" is "inadequate" in mitigating indoor transmission of COVID-19. MIT professors Martin Bazant and John Bush found that people who maintain six feet of distance indoors are no more protected than if they were 60 feet apart – even when wearing a mask. The peer-reviewed study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, focused on factors such as time spent indoors, air filtration and circulation, immunization and variant strains. (Aitken, 4/25)

In other covid news —

The New York Times: Florida Family Indicted For Selling Toxic Bleach As ‘Miracle’ Coronavirus Cure 
Leaders of a business masquerading as a church sold a toxic bleach solution as a religious sacrament and marketed it as a “miracle” cure for Covid-19, cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s disease and more, federal prosecutors said. A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted Mark Grenon, 62, and his three sons, Jonathan Grenon, 34; Jordan Grenon, 26; and Joseph Grenon, 32; all of Bradenton, Fla. Prosecutors said on Friday that they violated court orders and fraudulently produced and sold more than $1 million of their “Miracle Mineral Solution,” a dangerous industrial bleach solution. (Morales, 4/25)

CBS News: United Airlines To Fly Largest Flight Schedule Since Before The Pandemic 
United Airlines is preparing to fly its largest flight schedule since before the pandemic started to accommodate the nation's growing demand for summer travel, the airline announced Friday. In June, United will restart 16 flight routes, add more than 480 daily U.S flights and add nine completely new routes to more than 240 total destinations. (Powell, 4/23)

In other public health news —

The Washington Post: Ticks Carrying Lyme Found Near Beaches In California 
Disease-carrying ticks, commonly associated with wooded areas, are also abundant near beaches in Northern California, according to a study. They weren’t found on beaches themselves, but in the brush and vegetation beachgoers may walk through to get to the sand. Daniel Salkeld, a research scientist at Colorado State University who led the study, said researchers wanted a “bird’s-eye view” of where ticks are found in Northern California and what they are infected with, such as bacteria that causes Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. (Firozi, 4/25)

CIDRAP: CDC: New Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Cashew Brie
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today it is reinvestigating an outbreak of Salmonella linked to a brand of vegan brie cheese made from cashews .So far, five people in three states—California, Tennessee, and Florida—have been sickened from Jule's cashew brie, including two people who were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. (4/23)

USA Today: Joe Biden's First 100 Days: Why Should We Care About The Milestone?
President Joe Biden will cross the 100-day mark of his presidency on Friday, an arbitrary date on the calendar, but a decades-old standard used to judge presidents.  The spotlight has been on the president’s first 100 days since he was sworn in and vowed to use that time to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and reverse many policies of former President Donald Trump. (Santucci, 4/25)

NBC News: ‘Help Is Here’: 100 Days Of The Biden Doctrine
By traditional measures — number of laws enacted and programs created or abolished — President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office look relatively sleepy. He has made no discernible difference in the organizational charts of the federal government and has signed only seven bills into law, tying him with George W. Bush for the fewest since Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a record 76 laws in his first 100 days in office. But Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief measure is the most expensive law ever enacted during the first phase of a presidency. His flurry of executive actions, many aimed at undoing his predecessor's legacy, include re-entry into the Paris climate accords, expansion of access to Obamacare and new support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, President Barack Obama's program for undocumented people who were brought to the U.S. as children.  (Allen, 4/26)

NPR: Status Of Biden's Promises After 100 Days In Office
As we approach the 100-day mark of his presidency, and ahead of his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Biden has made a lot of progress on COVID-19, and Americans largely approve of the job he's doing handling the coronavirus pandemic and the economy. (Montanaro, 4/26)

AP: Biden's First 100 Days: Where He Stands On Key Promises
As he rounds out his first 100 days in office, President Joe Biden’s focus on reining in the coronavirus during the early months of his administration seems to have paid off: He can check off nearly all his campaign promises centered on the pandemic. Biden has delivered on a number of his biggest campaign pledges focused on climate change and the economy as well. But some issues have proved to be tougher for the administration — including immigration, where Biden is grappling with how to enact promised reforms in the face of a steep increase in unaccompanied minors seeking to cross the border. On some of his promises, Biden is waiting for Congress to act. (Jaffe, Madhani and Vineys, 4/26)

Axios: Biden's 100-Day Numbers: Vaccinated Americans 
Joe Biden promised as president-elect to get 100 million coronavirus vaccine shots in American arms during his first 100 days in office; since taking office, he's more than doubled that goal — and more than a quarter of Americans are now fully vaccinated. Not quite 1% were vaccinated when Biden took office, although the Trump administration managed to reach an important milestone of 1 million doses administered in a day. (Kight, 4/25)

The Washington Post: Americans Give Biden Mostly Positive Marks For First 100 Days, Post-ABC Poll Finds
President Biden nears the end of his first 100 days in office with a slight majority of Americans approving of his performance and supporting his major policy initiatives, but his approval rating is lower than any recent past presidents except Donald Trump, with potential warning signs ahead about his governing strategy, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Overall, 52 percent of adults say they approve of the job Biden is doing, compared with 42 percent who disapprove. At this point in his presidency four years ago, Trump’s rating was nearly the reverse, with approval at 42 percent and disapproval at 53 percent. Overall, 34 percent of Americans say they strongly approve of Biden’s performance, compared with 35 percent who strongly disapprove. (Balz, Clement and Guskin, 4/25)

Axios: Democratic Senators Call On Biden To Expand Medicare In American Families Plan 
Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 16 Democratic senators sent President Biden a letter on Sunday calling for his American Families Plan to significantly expand Medicare. The plan, expected to be announced ahead of Biden's address to Congress on Wednesday, is one of several massive proposals brought by the administration to ease mass economic pain caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Rummier, 4/25)

Modern Healthcare: House Lawmakers Want Medicare To Fund Mental Health Peer Support Services
Two House lawmakers reintroduced a bill Thursday that would allow Medicare to fund mental and behavioral health services from trained specialists with similar challenges to their patients. The Promoting Effective and Empowering Recovery in Medicare Act of 2021, introduced by Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Judy Chu (D-Calif.), would clarify that CMS can reimburse peer support specialists for services rendered in mental and physical health settings. Currently, Medicare and private health insurers are not able to reimburse these services, leading to a lack of funding and dwindling number of available jobs for specialists. (Gellman, 4/23)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: As COVID Eases, Federal Funds Try To Help Mental Health Of Frontline Workers
Since the pandemic began over a year ago, thousands of front-line workers and first responders have been going to work each day – and carrying with them the fear of bringing home a deadly virus. Now, as Georgia presumably enters the final leg of the threat, concerns are growing about the impact on the mental health of those who have lived through the worst, and whether they will have at their disposal the resources to address their psychological scars. (Berard, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: Congress May Address Doctor Shortage In Infrastructure Bills
Physician and hospital groups are hopeful Congress will approve thousands of additional Graduate Medical Education slots this year which, if successful, would mark one of the biggest expansions to the program seen in decades. Citing a looming physician shortage, doctors and providers have lobbied Congress for more than a decade to increase the number of residents Medicare helps pay to train. That number has been frozen since 1996 until Congress approved an additional 1,000 slots in December. Lobbyists say that was the catalyst needed to break a decades-long resistance to expanding the program, with provider groups pushing for an additional 14,000 slots this year. (Hellmann, 4/23)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

NPR: New Program Helps Capitol Police Deal With Trauma From The Insurrection
Dr. Jim Gordon of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C., says one of the first steps to addressing trauma is breathing. "Slow, deep breathing, in through the nose," Gordon says, modeling the practice, "and out through the mouth with our bellies, soft and relaxed." The psychiatrist is sharing this concentrated meditation technique with U.S. Capitol Police as part of a new program to address the upheaval they have seen in recent months. "And afterwards I'll say, 'How many of you noticed change?' " Gordon says. "And out of a dozen people, 10 people will say, 'Yes, I noticed the change.' " (Grisales, 4/25)

AP: FDA To Scrutinize Unproven Cancer Drugs After 10-Year Gap
Each year the U.S. approves dozens of new uses for cancer drugs based on early signs that they can shrink or slow the spread of tumors. But how often do those initial results translate into longer, healthier lives for patients? That seemingly simple question is one of the thorniest debates in medicine. It spills into public view Tuesday as the Food and Drug Administration convenes the first meeting in a decade to consider clawing back approvals from several cancer drugs that have failed to show they extend or improve life. (Perrone, 4/25)

Stat: The FDA Will This Week Decide Whether To Ban Menthol Cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration will decide this week whether to ban menthol cigarettes — a seeming end to a decadeslong, five-way brawl between cigarette makers, public health advocates, regulators, lawmakers, and federal judges. But in reality, no one is done throwing punches: Regardless of what the FDA decides, the fight will only intensify in the coming months. (Florko, 4/26)

Bloomberg: Bristol-Myers Psoriasis Drug Shows Promise In Late-Stage Trials
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s experimental psoriasis drug showed positive results in two late-stage trials, potentially setting it up as future rival to Otezla, Amgen Inc.’s billion-dollar pill. Bristol’s deucravacitinib is a TYK2 inhibitor for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Significantly more patients treated with the drug showed superior results for disease severity and skin clearance compared with those on a placebo, the company said Friday in a statement. (Rutherford, 4/23)

In research news —

The Boston Globe: As Hopes Rise For Pandemic’s Close, Some Are Preparing For Never-Ending COVID
A pandemic-weary public is dreaming of Memorial Day barbecues, summer nights at Fenway Park, and putting the long-running curse of COVID-19 behind us. But in the medical and biopharma worlds, many are eyeing a more daunting prospect: coronavirus as a never-ending threat. Governments and private investors who once shunned vaccines as an unprofitable pharmaceutical backwater are pouring billions into venerable drug giants and upstart biotechs, including some in Massachusetts, seeking to develop longer-lasting vaccines. (Weisman and Saltzman, 4/24)

Stat: Covid-19 Gave Scientists A Way To Study How Brain Disorders Arise 
While the Covid-19 pandemic put many human research studies on hold, neuroscientist Grainne McAlonan of Kings College London saw it as a fortuitous opportunity — a chance to accelerate her search for early signs of neurodevelopmental disorders in fetuses and newborns. McAlonan knew that if a mother is infected by a virus during pregnancy, her child has a slightly greater chance of developing such disorders, including autism, although the overall risk is very low. The novel coronavirus gave her a way to study how viral infection and the immune response affect the developing brain, and why a small number of infants are susceptible to neurological changes while the vast majority are not. (Reardon, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Ignites Energy Efficient Healthcare Design
The COVID-19 pandemic is sparking an interest on health systems' energy costs, a new report found. The U.S. healthcare system spends $8.8 billion a year on energy, but it is an often-overlooked sector, according to a healthcare construction report from construction firm Robins & Morton. COVID-19's squeeze on hospital revenue has reignited cost-cutting initiatives, which increasingly involve reducing energy costs, cutting carbon use and infrastructure efficiency, construction experts said. (Kacik, 4/23)

The Advocate: Inside The Fight Among Louisiana's Major Hospital Systems And Why It Might Become Public Soon
A behind-the-scenes war between some of the state’s largest health systems could soon spill into public view at the State Capitol, after months of negotiations broke down over an obscure but bitterly contested topic: non-compete agreements written into doctors’ contracts. The fight is years in the making, pitting Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System against Ochsner Health System – which has made heavy use of non-competes as it has grown into Louisiana’s dominant health provider – and drawing in some of the Legislature’s top leaders, including Senate President Page Cortez. (Karlin, 4/26)

KHN: From Hospital Profits To Gender Gaps, Journalists Are On The Case 
KHN freelancer Christine Spolar discussed how during the pandemic the nation’s richest hospitals and health systems profited after accepting the lion’s share of the federal health care bailout grant with WESA’s “The Confluence” on Tuesday. ... Midwest editor and correspondent Laura Ungar unpacked the gender breakdown of covid vaccinations with NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday” on April 18. ... Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed covid cases across the Midwest with “WisBusiness: The Podcast” on April 16. (4/24)

KHN: Time To Say Goodbye To Some Insurers’ Waivers For Covid Treatment Fees
Just as other industries are rolling back some consumer-friendly changes made early in the pandemic — think empty middle seats on airplanes — so, too, are health insurers. Many voluntarily waived  all deductibles, copayments and other costs for insured patients who fell ill with covid-19 and needed hospital care, doctor visits, medications or other treatment. (Appleby, 4/26)

Stat: AI Caught A Hidden Problem In One Patient's Heart. Can It Work For Others?
Somewhere in Peter Maercklein’s heartbeat was an abnormality no one could find. He survived a stroke 15 years ago, but doctors never saw anything alarming on follow-up electrocardiograms. Then, one day last fall, an artificial intelligence algorithm read his EKGs and spotted something else: a ripple in the calm that indicated an elevated risk of atrial fibrillation. (Ross, 4/26)

In news about health care personnel —

San Francisco Chronicle: Feds Allege S.F. Doctor Used Fake Botox On Her Patients
A San Francisco physician was indicted by a federal grand jury this month and charged with injecting patients with fraudulent medicines used to reduce wrinkles, according to authorities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Food and Drug Administration allege that Lindsay Marie Clark, a licensed doctor specializing in cosmetic injections, purchased from offshore pharmacies what were purported to be foreign versions of Botox and Juvaderm. The FDA has approved Botox, Juvaderm and similar medications for use, but the foreign versions the 44-year-old Clark is alleged to have purchased and used do not have FDA approval. (Cabanatuan, 4/25)

Gainesville Times: After $3 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict, NGHS Doctor Still Faces Other Lawsuits 
A Northeast Georgia Health System surgeon at the center of a recent $3 million medical malpractice judgment in Hall County has two open lawsuits filed against him, and a settlement was reached in December 2019 on a third case, according to county court records. NGHS officials told The Times that these cases and the recent $3 million judgment have not affected Dr. Andrew Green’s standing with the hospital nor his ability to perform surgery within the health system. (Watson, 4/23)

KHN: ‘We’re Coming For You’: For Public Health Officials, A Year Of Threats And Menace 
Dr. Gail Newel looks back on the past year and struggles to articulate exactly when the public bellows of frustration around her covid-related health orders morphed into something darker and more menacing. Certainly, there was that Sunday afternoon in May, when protesters broke through the gates to her private hillside neighborhood, took up positions around her home, and sang “Gail to Jail,” a ritual they would repeat every Sunday for weeks. (Barry-Jester, 4/25)

Philadelphia Inquirer: STD Rates Continue To Spike, And Philadelphia Sexual Health Experts Are Especially Concerned
In the last four to five months, Judy Politzer, a nurse practitioner who works at a community health center in South Philadelphia, began noticing an increase in sexually transmitted diseases among patients, especially those over age 50. “I started noticing that I had to call a lot more people about their test results and have them come in and get treated with their partners,” said Politzer, who treated a syphilis infection for the first time in years during the pandemic. “I usually only have to call two people, and I was calling four or five. It just seemed like a noticeable increase.” (Ao, 4/23)

North Carolina Health News: Too Much Lead In Water At Some NC Child Care Centers 
It has long been known that elevated lead exposure in children can damage their nervous systems and cause learning disabilities, stunted growth, hearing loss, low IQ, increased aggression, and impaired formation and function of blood cells. What hasn’t been known until now is that nearly one in 10 licensed child care centers in North Carolina have tested above the state’s poison hazard threshold for lead in at least one of their faucets used for drinking or cooking. (Barnes, 4/26)

Axios: Maryland To Review In-Custody Death Cases Handled By Chauvin Trial Expert 
Maryland officials announced they'll review cases of deaths in police custody overseen by retired state chief medical examiner David Fowler, who testified in Derek Chauvin's trial that George Floyd's cause of death was "undetermined." As Chauvin was convicted last Tuesday on murder and manslaughter charges in Floyd's death, D.C.'s former chief medical examiner Roger Mitchell wrote a letter signed by over 450 other doctors calling for a review into in-custody deaths during Fowler's tenure. (Falconer, 4/25)

KHN: ‘Red Flag’ Gun Laws Get Another Look After Indiana, Colorado Shootings 
On New Year’s Eve 2017, sheriff’s deputies in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch responded to a domestic disturbance. Before the night was over, four officers had been shot and Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Zackari Parrish III was dead. The gunman was a 37-year-old man with a history of psychotic episodes whose family had previously tried to take his guns away but found themselves without legal recourse to do so. (Aschwanden, 4/26)

In news from Florida —

Health News Florida: Florida House OKs Bill To Ban Abortions Based On Disability
After an often-emotional debate, the Florida House on Friday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would prevent doctors from performing abortions that women seek because of tests showing that fetuses will have disabilities. The Republican-controlled House voted 74-44, largely along party lines, to approve the bill (HB 1221), sponsored by Rep. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach. The bill addresses what it describes as “disability abortions,” which would involve situations in which physicians know pregnant women are seeking abortions because fetuses will have disabilities. (4/25)

Health News Florida: Budget Deal Avoids Health Cuts, Includes Postpartum Medicaid Extension 
After a week of largely out-of-sight budget negotiations, Florida lawmakers have ironed out many major spending differences and are on track to wrap up the 2021 regular legislative session on time. House and Senate budget chiefs on Friday night publicly accepted compromises on spending on health care, education and prisons. Some of the key decisions included backing off hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed Medicaid cuts for hospitals and nursing homes that have spent the past year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. (Sexton, 4/25)

The New York Times: Vaccinated American Tourists May Soon Travel To Europe
American tourists who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to visit the European Union over the summer, the head of the bloc’s executive body said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, more than a year after shutting down nonessential travel from most countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The fast pace of vaccination in the United States, and advanced talks between authorities there and the European Union over how to make vaccine certificates acceptable as proof of immunity for visitors, will enable the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, to recommend a switch in policy that could see trans-Atlantic leisure travel restored. (Stevis-Gridneff, 4/25)

In other global developments —

Bloomberg: U.K. Passes Vaccine Milestone; Half Of Country Gets First Dose
The U.K. has given half of its population a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, a key milestone in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s efforts to revive an economy that was among the worst-hit in the early months of the pandemic. The government has given first doses to 33.5 million people, health authorities said Saturday. That’s more more than half the Office for National Statistics’ most recent population estimate of 66.8 million. More than 12 million people have been given second doses. (Cherry and Capel, 4/24)

AP: Spanish Man Charged With Infecting 22 People With COVID-19
A Spanish man with COVID-19 symptoms who coughed on work colleagues and told them “I’m going to give you all the coronavirus” has been charged with intentionally causing injury after allegedly infecting 22 people. Spanish police said their investigation began after a COVID-19 outbreak at the company where the 40-year-old man worked on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. (4/25)

Axios: Japan COVID Spike: Stores, Bars Close In Targeted State Of Emergency 
Bars, department stores and theaters across Japan closed for 17 days Sunday, after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three other prefectures in an attempt to curb surging COVID-19 cases. In less than three months, Tokyo is due to host the summer Olympics — which have already been delayed by a year due to the pandemic. This is the third state of emergency declared in Japan since the pandemic began. (Falconer, 4/25)

Bloomberg: Switzerland Says A Third Of Population Has Had Covid-19: NZZ
The Swiss government estimates that about one-third of the population has been infected with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. At the end of 2020, government scientists found antibodies in about 20% of those tested and now believe that another 10% have been infected, newspaper NZZ am Sonntag reported. “Conservatively calculated, around a third of the population has been infected since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Federal Office of Public Health spokeswoman, Simone Buchmann. (Hoffman, 4/25)

Also —

CNN: At Least 82 Killed In Massive Baghdad Hospital Fire
At least 82 people died in a huge hospital fire Saturday night in Iraq's capital city of Baghdad, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said Sunday. Another 110 people were injured in the blaze at Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, according to ministry spokesman Major General Khaled Al-Muhanna. The fire is believed to have started after oxygen tanks exploded, according to two health officials at the hospital. ... Twenty-eight of the known victims were being treated in Covid-19 ICU wards, said Ali Akram al-Bayati of the Independent High Commission for Human Rights of Iraq (IHCHR). (Tawfeeq, 4/26)

The Washington Post: The CDC Was Right To Lift The Pause On The J&J Vaccine But Should Have Warned Younger Women Against Using It
Friday’s vote by an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention to resume administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine was the right decision, but with a serious mistake: There should be an explicit warning against the vaccine’s use in women under the age of 50. I’m in this group. I’m also a participant in the Johnson & Johnson clinical trial who was told that I’d received the placebo. I then opted to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If I knew then what I know now, I would have chosen the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead. (Leana S. Wen, 4/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Why It's Time To Demand COVID Vaccine Passports In The Bay Area
California’s overwrought vaccine eligibility criteria have fallen away, once-scarce vaccination appointments are proliferating and half of American adults have experienced the oddly joyful soreness of a shot in the arm. It’s a triumph of international science and a success — if a delayed and heavily qualified one — for local, state and federal logistics. A little over a year since the arrival of the novel coronavirus in the Bay Area and the United States, we’re on the brink of protecting a majority of the population from the deadly disease it causes. (4/25)

Bloomberg: Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Leaves Poor Countries Tragically Behind 
To judge by the headlines, you’d think the most critical immunization issue facing the world is the safety and hesitancy concerns over the AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. That debate is genuinely important. Still, it shouldn’t distract from the biggest challenge the world will face over the coming months: the grossly unequal distribution of vaccines between rich and poor countries. (Brooke Sample, 4/24)

Kansas City Star: Biden Signs Bill Aimed At Lowering Prescription Drug Costs 
President Joe Biden Friday signed legislation from Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall that aims to lower prescription drug costs by getting generic drugs to market more quickly. The Food and Drug Administration grants five years of manufacturing exclusivity to pharmaceutical companies for drugs determined to be a new chemical entity. Marshall’s bill will tighten the rules, requiring that drug products must include an active molecule not previously approved by the FDA to qualify for exclusivity. (Bryan Lowry, 4/24)

Houston Chronicle: Curb Copay Accumulators So Kids Like My Son Can Focus On Growing Up
I never imagined my son would be the topic of a speech by our former Congressman Pete Olson on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives or that he would be leading a conversation with Texas lawmakers via Zoom. You see, Hank is just 9 years old. But he has a rare condition — Hemophilia A — and his blood doesn’t clot at all. Hank’s health has put him and our entire family in a position to be a voice for Texas patients. Hank takes a specialty medicine three times a week, which enables him to live a mostly normal life. While contact sports like football are out of the question, he is on a swim team and loves PE like any other fourth grader. (Amanda Wolgamott, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: It Doesn't Have To Be 'Either/Or' With Value-Based Payment
Population health and fee-for-service are not a rigid dichotomy. Treating them as such misses a major opportunity for healthcare executives looking to advance strategies to protect fee-for-service payments and volumes from eroding while preparing for the eventuality of a greater share of revenue coming from risk. I should know. At my organization, I am the executive who is saying both "I'm your revenue source" and "I'm your future," in reference to a quote from Dr. Mai Pham in the recent Modern Healthcare feature "Population health still at odds with fee-for-service." This is despite my organization having less than 30% of revenue tied to risk. At Memorial Health System, a $1.4 billion net revenue system in central Illinois, we have tried to steer our strategy and approach away from "either/or" thinking and toward a "both/and" focus when it comes to investing in infrastructure for our risk-based future while protecting current revenue drivers. The key has been to look at the various payment models that we participate in on a gradient scale of both value and volume incentives while building common competencies and infrastructure that can be tailored to suit both. (Jameson M. Roszhart, 4/26)

Scientific American: Our Health System Is Failing Patients With Limited English 
No matter how conscientiously the post-operation discharge instructions were crafted, I worried how my Spanish-speaking patient would refer to the “warning signs”—written in English—if questions arose at home. And I was right to worry: her arrival eight days later to the emergency department with a serious but preventable infection demonstrated the challenges that over 25 million American residents face whenever they interact with our English-centered health system. While this system aims to provide optimal care for all its patients, it often falls short for non-English speakers. Language discordance—the situation when providers and patients speak different languages—is all too common throughout the United States. Limited English proficiency impacts the patient-physician-system interaction by undermining communication, trust and health literacy. This miscommunication leads to suboptimal care, decreased understanding of diseases and treatments, difficulties in shared decision-making and lower satisfaction with care. Patient-provider language discordance is associated with worse chronic disease management, longer hospital stays and increased hospital readmission rates. (Benjamin Allar and Gezzer Ortega, 4/24)

Stat: What's Next For Diagnostic Labs, A 'Bright Spot" During Covid-19? 
As U.S. diagnostic labs began confronting the Covid-19 pandemic in early March 2020, they faced monumental challenges to quickly build laboratory capacity. That included ramping up staffing and finding sources for the equipment and supplies needed to handle an unpredictable surge in the volume of Covid-19 testing. Despite the vital role that labs play in providing diagnostic information, they have been running lean shops for years with little ability to increase their daily testing capacity. This behavior was borne out of a need for financial stability, largely because commercial and federal insurers like Medicare and Medicaid have been paying labs less and less for the same testing since well before the pandemic. ( Lâle White, 4/26)

The Baltimore Sun: Maternal And Child Health Forms The Foundation For Healthy And Thriving Lives
The month of April is recognized as National Minority Health Month — a month-long initiative to advance health equity across the country. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to disproportionately affect communities of color, we see worsening family stress, poverty, child hunger, and child and adolescent mental health in Maryland and across the globe. This April, amplifying and addressing the need for health equity has never been more critical — and provides an important opportunity to uplift the important steps we are taking now in the right direction. A critical way to advance health equity and improve the overall and long-term health of our state is to invest early in the lives of Marylanders. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maryland’s maternal mortality rate from 2013 to 2017 (24.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) ranked 22nd among all states. For infant and neonatal mortality, Maryland ranks 35th and 39th among the states, respectively. (Brooke Lierman and Tina Cheng, 4/26)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Mental Health And Climate Change Are Intertwined. Here's How. 
Climate change, refugees and mental health: Why should we care? Climate change is scientifically documented beyond reasonable doubt, is getting worse, and is a threat to our existence as humans as well as our planet Earth. The rising sea level, drought or extreme weather events will dramatically increase in the coming decades, leading to uprooting of millions of people across the world, in search of alternative lands and sources of income. They are known as environmental refugees. (Wael Al-Delaimy, 4/23)