AP: With Virus Surging, Biden To Speed Release Of COVID Vaccines
With COVID-19 surging and vaccinations off to a slow start, President-elect Joe Biden will rapidly release most available vaccine doses to protect more people, his office said Friday, a reversal of Trump administration policies. “The president-elect believes we must accelerate distribution of the vaccine while continuing to ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible,” spokesman T.J. Ducklo said in a statement. Biden “supports releasing available doses immediately, and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans’ arms now.” (Alonso-Zaldivar and Miller, 1/8)

CNN: Biden Will Release Nearly All Available Vaccine Doses In Break From Trump Administration Policy Of Holding Back Stock For Second Dose 
President-elect Joe Biden will aim to release nearly every available dose of the coronavirus vaccine when he takes office, a break with the Trump administration's strategy of holding back half of US vaccine production to ensure second doses are available. Releasing nearly all vaccine doses on hand could quickly ratchet up the availability of coronavirus vaccines by allowing more people access to a first dose. It could also be a risky strategy as both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna's vaccines require two doses, administered at specific intervals, and vaccine manufacturing has not ramped up as rapidly as many experts had hoped. (Murray, 1/8)

The Washington Post: Biden Plans To Release Nearly All Available Vaccine Doses To Speed Inoculations 
A Biden transition official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to reveal greater detail than the public statement, said the Biden team has “faith in our manufacturers that they can produce enough vaccines to ensure people can get their second dose in a timely manner.” In addition, the official said, the incoming administration will, if necessary, make greater use of the Defense Production Act, a law that gives the government powers to step up manufacturing during wars and other emergencies. (Goldstein, McGinley, Stanley-Becker and Nirappil, 1/8)

Also —

The Washington Post: As Biden Promises To Hurry Vaccines, A British Experiment Could Be A Test Case 
Faced with soaring hospitalizations and deaths, Britain is launching a daring campaign to combat a ferociously infectious variant of the coronavirus by spacing the first and second doses of approved vaccines out over months instead of weeks. The full vaccine deployment plan will be published by the government Monday, but the difficult decision to alter the recommended vaccination schedules will apply to the entire population, including the elderly and health-care workers. (Booth, 1/9)

Yahoo News: Experts Express Concern About Biden's Plan To Release Nearly All Available Vaccine Doses
President-elect Joe Biden plans to release nearly every available dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines when he takes office later this month rather than holding back millions of second doses, his transition team said Friday. The decision is meant to "ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible. "The Trump administration has insisted it's necessary to retain second doses, with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Friday expressing concern that Biden's plan could backfire if there are any manufacturing mishaps. (O'Donnell, 1/9)

Politico: Tensions Grow On Biden's Team Over Odds Of Making Vaccination Goal 
President-elect Joe Biden has grown frustrated with the team in charge of plotting his coronavirus response, amid rising concerns that his administration will fall short of its promise of 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days, according to people familiar with the conversations. Biden has expressed criticism on multiple occasions to groups of transition officials — including one confrontation where Biden conveyed to Covid coordinator Jeff Zients and his deputy, Natalie Quillian, that their team was underperforming. (Cancryn and Pager, 1/11)

The Hill: WHO Panel Approves Delaying Time Between Coronavirus Vaccine Doses 
Experts at the World Health Organization on Friday approved delaying the times between doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine. The organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization published guidance stating that the interval between doses “may be extended up to 42 days (6 weeks), on the basis of currently available clinical trial data,” The Associated Press reported. (Williams, 1/8)

The Hill: 'Very Risky' To Delay Second Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Former FDA Director 
As for whether or not the U.S. should follow the lead of countries like the U.K. and Denmark, Norman Baylor, former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), called the plan “very risky” on CNBC. “I understand some of the rationale to do this, but again, it’s not really data driven,” Baylor said. “It’s a very risky venture because if it fails, you’re in worse shape.” (Kelley, 1/7)

National Geographic: Experts Torn Over Changing Vaccine Doses To Speed Up Lagging Rollout
One issue in considering the reduced dosage is that an immune response is not the same thing as proven protection against a disease, warns Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a government adviser on vaccine policy. While the presence of antibodies often means that a patient has developed some immune protection, it’s not a given. For example, people can have antibodies against HIV without being protected from the disease. To say that immune response means protection, Offit says, “is to ignore history.” (Kramer, 1/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Can Covid-19 Vaccines’ Second Dose Be Delayed?
Both the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech SE and the one from Moderna Inc. require two doses, administered three or four weeks apart. In the U.S., President-elect Joe Biden plans to release all available doses right away, rather than holding back supplies for a second shot. The proposed departure from the Trump administration’s policy comes as U.K. authorities have decided to delay the second shot. ere is what we know and don’t know about deviating from the recommended schedule. (Hopkins and Sugden, 1/8)

Also —

NPR: Injections Of Second Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Have Begun
As states try to broaden the reach of their coronavirus vaccination campaigns and navigate uncertain supply chains, many of the first people to receive their shots are just now completing the final act of immunity, the second dose, which boosts the efficacy of both available U.S. vaccines to about 95%.Many health care workers and others at high risk who had the Pfizer shots in mid December lined up for their "booster" shot this week, due to be given 21 days after the initial dose. (Stone, 1/9)

Reuters: COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-Out Won't Achieve Herd Immunity This Year- Health Experts
The roll-out of coronavirus vaccines in many countries will not provide herd immunity from the global pandemic this year, several health experts said on Monday, citing limited access for poor countries, community trust problems and potential virus mutations. “We won’t get back to normal quickly,” Dale Fisher, chairman of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Outbreak Alert and Response Network, told the Reuters Next conference. (Wardell, 1/11)

The Hill: FDA Chief Urges States To Allow COVID-19 Vaccinations Of Lower-Priority Groups 
The leader of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday urged states to allow lower-priority groups to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if their doses would otherwise go to waste. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told reporters he thinks the federal guidelines for vaccination, which recommend starting with health workers and nursing home staff and employees, make sense. (Weixel, 1/8)

New York changes rules to cut down on waste —

The New York Times: After Unused Vaccines Are Thrown In Trash, Cuomo Loosens Rules 
Across New York State, medical providers in recent weeks had the same story: They had been forced to throw out precious vaccine doses because of difficulties finding patients who matched precisely with the state’s strict vaccination guidelines — and the steep penalties they would face had they made a mistake. On Saturday, state health officials responded to the outcry over discarded vaccines by again abruptly loosening guidelines as coronavirus cases continued to rise. (Rubinstein, 1/10)

The Hill: Under Pressure, Cuomo To Widen Vaccine Eligibility 
Facing mounting criticism, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Friday said the state will expand COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to a wider range of the public, including those over the age of 75 and first responders. Cuomo has been under fire for rigidly adhering to prioritizing health workers and nursing homes, despite numerous instances of vaccine doses sitting unused in freezers or even being thrown out. (Weixel, 1/8)

And hospitals say their syringes are leading to waste —

Politico: Hospitals Say Syringes Supplied By Feds Waste Vaccine Doses 
Hospitals are throwing out doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine because the federal government is giving some of the facilities syringes that can only extract five doses from vials that often contain more. Pharmacists discovered early in the U.S. vaccination push that the standard five-dose vials of the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech often contained enough material for six or even seven shots. (Luthi and Roubein, 1/10)

The Sun: Fears Up To 150,000 Pfizer Covid Vaccine Doses Could Have Been Wasted
As many as 150,000 Covid vaccine doses may be have been wasted because doctors are "wrongly being told to throw away a potential sixth dose". Every vial of the Pfizer vaccine was expected to include five doses - enough for five people - but GPs have found it's possible to get six doses out of each. (Mullin, 1/8)

The New York Times: Pressure Grows For States To Open Vaccines To More Groups Of People 
Just weeks into the country’s coronavirus vaccination effort, states have begun broadening access to the shots faster than planned, amid tremendous public demand and intense criticism about the pace of the rollout. Some public health officials worry that doing so could bring even more chaos to the complex operation and increase the likelihood that some of the highest-risk Americans will be skipped over. But the debate over how soon to expand eligibility is intensifying as deaths from the virus continue to surge, hospitals are overwhelmed with critically ill patients and millions of vaccine doses delivered last month remain in freezers. (Goodnough, 1/19)

Stateline: 'No One Knew The Plan': States Struggle To Increase Vaccinations
Weeks into the national rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, states have inoculated just a fourth of the number of Americans they expected to—hamstrung by a lack of federal and state leadership, too little money and the dovetailing public health crises of surging hospitalizations and case numbers. States also continue to adjust their priorities on who should be next in line for the shots, sometimes with poor communication to providers and the public. And in some states, wealthy or connected individuals have leapfrogged to the front, defying public health guidelines. (Vasilogambros, 1/8)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Covid-19 Vaccination Plan Limits Speed Of Rollout, Supply-Chain Experts Say 
Supply-chain experts attribute the delays in part to the burdens faced by often underfunded state and local health agencies already stretched to their limits by the coronavirus pandemic, along with communication problems including confusion over how many doses states were set to receive. But experts also point to guidance from a federal vaccine advisory panel on who should be inoculated first, which recommended that the limited initial supply of doses be administered to health-care workers and residents of long-term-care facilities. (Smith, 1/11)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Hundreds Of Thousands Of COVID-19 Vaccines Haven’t Been Used In Pa. And N.J. Here’s Why, And What’s Next
Less than a third of doses delivered to Pennsylvania and New Jersey had been administered, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although officials in both states say the tally is undercounted due to reporting lags and say their pace is already accelerating. Friday brought signs that the effort was ramping up as promised: In the first three weeks of vaccine distribution, more than 160,000 doses were reported to have been administered in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. By Friday, that number had increased by about 110,000. (Laughlin and McDaniel, 1/9)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Painfully Slow To Nursing Homes
No group has suffered more during the COVID-19 pandemic than staff and residents of nursing homes, where high concentrations of elderly people with serious health problems created the perfect killing ground for the virus. Still, the effort to vaccinate people in those homes is rolling out at a frustratingly slow pace, according to experts nationwide. As of Friday, only about 17% of the more than 4 million vaccine doses distributed to long-term care facilities had been injected, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Dolan, 1/9)

The New York Times: ‘It Became Sort Of Lawless’: Florida Vaccine Rollout Turns Into A Free-For-All 
Linda Kleindienst Bruns registered for a coronavirus vaccine in late December, on the first day the health department in Tallahassee, Fla., opened for applications for people her age. Despite being 72, with her immune system suppressed by medication that keeps her breast cancer in remission, she spent days waiting to hear back about an appointment. “It’s so disorganized,” she said. “I was hoping the system would be set up so there would be some sort of logic to it.” (Mazzei, Adelson and Kelly, 1/10)

Boston Globe: Rural States Got Off To A Faster Start On Vaccinations, But Big Urban Centers Expected To Gain Momentum
West Virginia deployed National Guard units to get first doses of the vaccine to every nursing home before New Year’s Day. In South Dakota, the Civil Air Patrol waited at the Sioux Falls airport to ferry vaccines to remote parts of the state. And a small hospital in Nebraska’s corn and soybean belt mixed logistics with a can-do attitude to vaccinate front-line staffers hours after its precious shipment arrived.“ We’re getting it out there as quickly as we receive it,” said Daniel Bucheli, a spokesman for the South Dakota Department of Health. “Shots in arms — that’s the goal.” (Weisman, Freyer and Moore, 1/9)

AP: Anti-Abortion Faith Leaders Support Use Of COVID-19 Vaccines
In a growing consensus, religious leaders at the forefront of the anti-abortion movement in the United States are telling their followers that the leading vaccines available to combat COVID-19 are acceptable to take, given their remote and indirect connection to lines of cells derived from aborted fetuses. One outspoken foe of abortion based in Dallas, Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, has called the vaccines a “present from God.” (Crary, 1/10)

Reuters: Pope Francis To Have COVID-19 Vaccine, Says It Is The Ethical Choice For All
Pope Francis said on Saturday he planned to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as early as next week and urged everyone to get a shot, to protect not only their own lives but those of others. “I believe that ethically everyone should take the vaccine,” the Pope said in an interview with TV station Canale 5. “It is an ethical choice because you are gambling with your health, with your life, but you are also gambling with the lives of others.” (1/9)

Modern Healthcare: Health Systems Leaders Encourage Workforce COVID-19 Vaccination
“(Identify) who the influencers (at an organization) are. It may be the ICU nurse who is a major influencer in the hospital system. Really highlighting the influencers getting vaccinated and then sharing the message of new hope, is a potential strategy,” said Dr. David Zieg, clinical services leader at human resources consultancy Mercer. It’s a tactic major health systems are deploying. Lloyd Dean, CEO of CommonSpirit Health, received the vaccine Dec. 29 after weeks of it being offered to front-line caregivers, a spokesman said in an email, adding, “We think it’s important for our hospital and system leaders to show that they’re willing to receive the vaccine alongside their staff.” (Castellucci, 1/9)

And more questions surround who is actually getting the vaccine —

Stat: For People With Type 1 Diabetes, CDC Covid Guidelines Are Puzzling
Laura Woerner has diligently managed her type 1 diabetes since she was diagnosed at age 11. She’s remained vigilant about anything that might throw her blood sugar levels out of balance, and now, at 36, she has had two healthy pregnancies and avoided such severe complications of diabetes as limb neuropathy or eye disease. (Cooney, 1/11)

The New York Times: At Elite Medical Centers, Even Workers Who Don’t Qualify Are Vaccinated 
A 20-something who works on computers. A young researcher who studies cancer. Technicians in basic research labs. These are some of the thousands of people who have been immunized against the coronavirus at hospitals affiliated with Columbia University, New York University, Harvard and Vanderbilt, even as millions of frontline workers and older Americans are waiting their turns. (Mandavilli, 1/10)

NPR: Are You Old Enough To Get Vaccinated? In Tennessee, They're Using The Honor System
As the states start to widen the eligibility for who can get a COVID-19 vaccine, health officials are often taking people's word that they qualify, thereby prioritizing efficiency over strict adherence to their own distribution plans. "We are doing everything possible to vaccinate only those 'in phase,' but we won't turn away someone who has scheduled their vaccine appointment and tells us that they are in phase if they do not have proof or ID," says Bill Christian, spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Health. (Farmer, 1/9)

North Carolina Health News: Vaccines Arrive At NC Prisons For Staff First 
Vaccines will begin arriving in North Carolina’s state prisons this month. Some staff are already beginning to receive doses, while incarcerated people in the same age demographic wait. As the number of new novel coronavirus cases shattered records last week, topping over 10,000 new cases on each of several days, North Carolina is beginning to enter “Phase 1b” of its vaccination plan. (Critchfield, 1/11)

Also —

KHN: Is Your Covid Vaccine Venue Prepared To Handle Rare, Life-Threatening Reactions? 
As the rollout of covid-19 vaccines picks up across the U.S., moving from hospital distribution to pharmacies, pop-up sites and drive-thru clinics, health experts say it’s vital that these expanded venues be prepared to handle rare but potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. “You want to be able to treat anaphylaxis,” said Dr. Mitchell Grayson, an allergist-immunologist with Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “I hope they’re in a place where an ambulance can arrive within five to 10 minutes.” (Aleccia, 1/11)

CNN: US Coronavirus: America Has Reported More Than 100,000 Covid-19 Hospitalizations 40 Days In A Row 
With Covid-19 hospitalizations surpassing 100,000 for 40 days in a row, officials are trying to ramp up the pace of vaccinations across the United States. "We really need to get this vaccine out more quickly, because this is really our only tool," Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday. (Holcombe, 1/11)

The Hill: US Records 23,000 COVID-19 Deaths 8 Days Into New Year 
The U.S. is battling a record number of COVID-19 cases and a mounting death toll in the new year, with more than 23,000 coronavirus-related fatalities reported in just eight days, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project. Friday saw a record single-day case total, with approximately 310,000 cases recorded. The group attributed much of the large uptick to New Jersey and California, which had nearly 20,000 and more than 50,000 infections, respectively. (Castronuovo, 1/9)

The Hill: US Reports New Daily Record, Tops 4,000 Coronavirus Deaths For The First Time 
The United States on Friday once again reported a new record for daily coronavirus deaths, surging past 4,000 for the first time. The U.S. recorded 4,085 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, according to a count from Johns Hopkins University, topping the previous record of 3,865 set Wednesday. (Williams, 1/8)

Reuters: Global Coronavirus Cases Surpass 90 Million In Battle On New Variant 
Worldwide coronavirus cases surpassed 90 million on Monday, according to Reuters tally, as nations around the globe scramble to procure vaccines and continue to extend or reinstate lockdowns to fight new coronavirus variants. The new COVID-19 variants discovered initially in the United Kingdom and South Africa are rapidly spreading globally. The novel coronavirus has picked up pace in the past few months with about one-third of total cases registered in the last 48 days, according to a Reuters tally. (1/11)

The Hill: White House Task Force Warns Case Surge Could Be Due To New US Virus Variant 
The White House coronavirus task force warned in a report to states this week that a rapid increase in cases this winter could be the result of a domestic variation of the virus, separate from the U.K. variant. “This fall/winter surge has been at nearly twice the rate of rise of cases as the spring and summer surges,” the task force wrote in its weekly report, which was obtained by The Hill. (Samuels and Sullivan, 1/8)

NBC News: CDC Has Not Seen Emergence Of A Highly Contagious U.S. Variant Of Coronavirus
A White House coronavirus task force report said the explosive surge of coronavirus cases in the United States in recent months might be caused by a more contagious U.S. variant of the virus. But a separate statement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its researchers had not seen the emergence of a U.S. variant. “This fall/winter surge has been at nearly twice the rate of rise of cases as the spring and summer surges,” according to the White House task force document, which was sent to the states. “This acceleration suggests there may be a USA variant that has evolved here, in addition to the U.K. variant that is already spreading in our communities and may be 50 percent more transmissible.” (Miller and Edwards, 1/8)

CNN: Much Of US Data To Catch Newest Coronavirus Variants Is Several Months Old 
As part of the hunt for new coronavirus variants, an international database shows the United States ranks 61st in how quickly virus samples are collected from patients, analyzed and then posted online. Countries with far fewer resources, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Suriname, process samples more quickly than the United States does. (Cohen, 1/10)

On other mutations —

Georgia Health News: Now In Georgia, New ‘Super Strain’ Poses Major Risk 
After 10 months of masks, social distancing, virtual school, fear for vulnerable loved ones, and loneliness, this is the news no one wanted to hear: The virus that causes COVID-19 has changed — once again — in ways that make it more contagious. At least one new “super strain” of the virus is already in the U.S. Another highly contagious strain from South Africa could be on its way. Georgia is among the states that have reported the more contagious strain that was discovered in Britain last month. (Goodman and Miller, 1/8)

Los Angeles Times: New Research On U.K. Coronavirus Variant Has Scientists Worried
The new variant’s genetic changes appear to have increased its transmissibility by about 56%, according to the new research, though it could be as low as 40% and as high as 70%. With this competitive advantage, it will quickly become the most commonly encountered strain in any region where it gains a toehold. As it does so, coronavirus infections — and the increased illness, hospitalizations and deaths that result — will blow up. “The bottom line is it will be harder to control this new variant if it takes over,” said Ira Longini, a University of Florida infectious disease modeler who was not involved in either of the British studies. And it will take over, he added. (Healy, 1/10)

In related news —

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Seeing More COVID-19 Patients With No Underlying Health Conditions
The rampaging coronavirus is revealing new unpredictability as the promised post-holiday surge continues, with some hospitals now seeing a rise in patients sick with COVID-19 who had no underlying medical conditions, officials say. Hospitals in the Bay Area and beyond are seeing an increase in such patients, Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert with UCSF, said Sunday. “It’s not just people in nursing homes or people who are ill with immuno-compromising conditions who are the ones getting sick,” Chin-Hong said. “With COVID, it’s an equal opportunity disease, in some sense.” (Sanchez, 1/10)

FiercePharma: Pharma Condemns Pro-Trump 'Thugs' And Riots—And Backs Manufacturing Group's Call For Consequences 
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)—which counts reps from Pfizer, Merck & Co., Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Mallinckrodt among its executive committee members—called for consideration of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. It condemned the attacks as sedition and placed the blame squarely at his feet. “Throughout this whole disgusting episode, Trump has been cheered on by members of his own party, adding fuel to the distrust that has enflamed violent anger. This is not law and order. This is chaos. It is mob rule. It is dangerous. This is sedition and should be treated as such," said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons in a statement. "The outgoing president incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy." (Snyder Bulik, 1/7)

New York Post: Trump's Assistant Secretary For Mental Health Quits After DC Riots
The assistant secretary for mental health announced her resignation Thursday night, adding to a long list of White House staffers who stepped down amid the violent mob protests in Washington, DC. Elinore McCance-Katz said she couldn’t continue working for the Trump administration because of the “unacceptable” behavior from the thousands of rioters who broke into the US Capitol to disrupt Congress’ certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory on Wednesday. (Elizalde, 1/7)

Boston Globe: UMass Memorial Health Care Investigating Whether Employees Attended Trump-Inspired Riot In US Capitol 
UMass Memorial Medical Health Care said Friday that an employee who was on the grounds of the US Capitol on Wednesday during the Trump-inspired violence that led to the deaths of five people, including a Capitol Police officer, was no longer affiliated with the organization. The nonprofit issued a brief statement Friday, making it the first Massachusetts company to publicly acknowledge a connection between its employees and the storming of the Capitol that delayed congressional approval of the 2020 presidential election results. (Ellement, 1/8)

Newsweek: Donald Trump Needs Psychiatric Assessment, Mental Health Doctors Tell Congress
A team of Washington, D.C.-licensed psychiatrists and the president of an organization of mental health professionals that has been warning against the mental unfitness of President Donald Trump are submitting documents to Congress calling for the commander-in-chief to be psychiatrically assessed. World Mental Health Coalition President Bandy X. Lee hopes the move will provide information that can make the 25th Amendment possible at the same time as offering immediate security measures. (Cole, 1/8)

In other Trump administration news —

Washington Blade: Amid Coup Chaos, Trump Quietly Erases LGBTQ Protections In Adoption, Health Services
Under the cover of chaos the day after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the Trump administration has officially nixed regulations barring federal grantees in the Department of Health & Human Services from discriminating against LGBTQ people, including in adoption services. HHS went public on Thursday with the final rule, which rescinds regulations implemented in the Obama administration barring discrimination among HHS grantees with respect to sex, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. The change also rescinds the Obama-era regulations requiring HHS grantees to “treat as valid the marriages of same-sex couples.” (Johnson, 1/8)

FierceHealthcare: HHS Finalizes Rule That Mandates Exhaustive Review Of Older Regulations 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has finalized a rule that requires the agency to review all of its existing regulations and sunset any that don’t meet certain criteria. The final rule, released Friday, is a regulatory overhaul that could impact rules across the healthcare industry. Since proposing the rule in November, HHS made several changes intended to make it easier for the public to determine when a rule is under review and to comment on it. “I do believe that by doing this it will be the boldest and most significant regulatory reform ever undertaken, for sure by HHS and also by the federal government,” said Brian Harrison, HHS chief of staff, in an exclusive interview with Fierce Healthcare. (King, 1/8)

Politico: Lawmakers Warned Of Possible Coronavirus Exposure During Riot 
Lawmakers who huddled together for safety last week — as a deadly siege overtook the U.S. Capitol — were potentially exposed to someone infected with the coronavirus, the Office of the Attending Physician warned Sunday. On Jan. 6, House lawmakers "were in protective isolation" in a room located in a large committee hearing space, according to an email from attending physician Brian Monahan that was sent to all lawmakers and their staff on Sunday. (Tamborrino, 1/10)

The Washington Post: Lawmakers May Have Been Exposed To The Coronavirus In Capitol Lockdown, Attending Physician Says 
Two House aides confirmed to The Washington Post that [Brian] Monahan was referring to a room where scores of House members were taken to during the riot. Video first published by Punchbowl News on Friday showed maskless Republicans — including Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Michael Cloud (Tex.), Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) and Scott Perry (Pa.) — refusing masks offered by Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.) while in the room. (Firozi, Wang and DeBonis, 1/10)

AP: Possible Virus Exposure For Lawmakers Sheltering During Riot
Some lawmakers and staff were furious after video surfaced of Republican lawmakers not wearing their masks in the room during lockdown. Newly elected Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a presidential ally aligned with a pro-Trump conspiracy group, was among those Republicans not wearing masks. (Mascaro, 1/10)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

AP: Congress, LA Take Divergent Paths After COVID Test Warning
Los Angeles will continue using a coronavirus test that federal regulators warned may produce false results while Congress, which has used the same test, is seeking an alternative. The different responses Thursday followed a Food and Drug Administration alert to patients and health care providers that Curative’s test, which is used in at least three of the nation’s largest cities, could particularly produce false negatives. Those faulty results pose the biggest risk from a health perspective because people who are erroneously told they don’t have the virus can unknowingly spread it. (Melley and Perrone, 1/8)

KHN: Even With Senate Control, Democrats Will Need Buy-In From GOP On Key Health Priorities
Democrats have argued for more generous pandemic relief, more pressure on drugmakers to lower prices and more attention to systemic racism in health care. On Jan. 20, with control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, they’ll have the power to choose which health care proposals get a vote in Congress. The victories of the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia last week gave Democrats two more Senate seats and the upper hand in the Senate’s now 50-50 split. After Vice President-elect Kamala Harris takes the oath of office, she will serve as the tiebreaker as needed — in effect, Democrats’ 51st vote. (Huetteman, 1/11)

The Washington Post: Biden Assembling Multitrillion-Dollar Stimulus Plan With Checks, Unemployment Aid
President-elect Joe Biden said Friday he is assembling a multitrillion-dollar relief package that would boost stimulus payments for Americans to $2,000, extend unemployment insurance and send billions of dollars in aid to city and state governments, moving swiftly to address the nation’s deteriorating economic condition and the rampaging pandemic. The package will also include billions of dollars to improve vaccine distribution and tens of millions of dollars for schools, as well as rent forbearance and assistance to small businesses, especially those in low-income communities, Biden said at a news conference in Wilmington, Del. (Stein, Werner and DeBonis, 1/8)

The Hill: Biden Previews COVID-19 Proposal 'In The Trillions Of Dollars' 
[Joe] Biden criticized the size of the direct payments from the $900 billion relief bill passed last month, saying $600 "is simply not enough when you have to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table and keeping the lights on." Biden said his relief package would also focus on investments regarding infrastructure and health care. "The price tag will be high," Biden said, but argued that investing in the economy now would pay off, and even help keep the debt under control. (Elis, 1/8)

Newsweek: Biden's $2,000 Stimulus Check May Not Pass Without Josh Hawley's Support
President-elect Joe Biden promised $2,000 stimulus checks after his inauguration, and having now secured control of both chambers of Congress, Democrats will soon be expected to deliver the legislation. However, they may need the support of Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri—who has faced intense scrutiny following last Wednesday's deadly Capitol riot—to pass the measure. (Zhao, 1/10)

Also —

The New York Times: Biden Picks Dr. Nunez-Smith To Lead Health Equity Task Force
Growing up in the United States Virgin Islands, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith saw firsthand what can happen in a community with limited access to health care. Her father, Moleto “Bishop” Smith Sr., was only in his 40s when he suffered a debilitating stroke that left him partly paralyzed and with slurred speech. ... Now, tapped by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to lead a new federal task force, Dr. Nunez-Smith, an associate professor of internal medicine, public health and management at Yale University, will address a terrible reality of American medicine: persistent racial and ethnic disparities in access and care, the sort that contributed to her father’s disability. (Rabin, 1/8)

Fortune: How Biden's New Health-Equity Advisor Will Take On The Pandemic, Vaccine Distribution—And Misinformation 
When President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20, he will inherit responsibility for stopping a pandemic that has disproportionately killed Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people. So will Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith.Nunez-Smith, a Yale professor, physician, and researcher who has long studied racial disparities in health, in November became a co-chair of Biden’s transition task force on COVID-19. Last month, the President-elect named her to a prominent, new—and historic—role in his upcoming administration, running a health equity task force focused on the pandemic. The task force is inspired by legislation introduced to the U.S. Senate in April by now-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris; her bill never made it out of committee, but has shaped the incoming administration’s focus on the longstanding health inequities that have become so tragically and nationally visible this year. (Aspan, 1/9)

Stat: Tennessee To Become First State To Run A Closed Medicaid Drug Formulary
In a first-of-its-kind move, the Trump administration will allow Tennessee officials to restrict medicines covered by the state Medicaid program, which is currently required to provide coverage for all treatments. As part of an effort to overhaul spending by the state program, Tennessee will be permitted to maintain a so-called closed formulary, which is the same approach to coverage taken by private health plans. (Silverman, 1/8)

Tennessean: TennCare Block Grant Given 11th-Hour Approval By Trump Administration
In the waning days of the Trump administration, federal officials approved a plan to convert TennCare funding to a block grant, potentially overhauling the Medicaid program providing health coverage to about one in five Tennesseans. But a TennCare block grant does not align with the health care proposal of President-elect Joe Biden, who instead campaigned on plans to improve and expand Obamacare. Biden may reverse the Tennessee block grant decision before it has any effect. (Kelman, 1/8)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Approves First Medicaid Block Grant
CMS on Friday approved the country's first Medicaid block grant plan in Tennessee, following through on a top priority for CMS Administrator Seema Verma. Under the plan—dubbed "TennCare III"—Tennessee will accept a fixed budget target for its Medicaid program in exchange for more flexibility in spending its Medicaid money and an opportunity to earn shared savings. According to CMS, the agency will work with Tennessee to evaluate historical enrollment and Medicaid cost information to establish a fixed spending target for its Medicaid program. (Brady, 1/8)

KHN: Trump Administration Approves First Medicaid Block Grant, In Tennessee 
The approval is a 10-year “experiment.” Instead of the open-ended federal funding that rises with higher enrollment and health costs, Tennessee will instead get an annual block grant. The approach has been pushed for decades by conservatives who say states too often chafe under strict federal guidelines about enrollment and coverage and can find ways to provide care more efficiently. But under the agreement, Tennessee’s annual funding cap will increase if enrollment grows. What’s different is that unlike other states, federal Medicaid funding in Tennessee won’t automatically keep up with rising per -person Medicaid expenses. (Galewitz, 1/8)

In other Medicaid and Medicare news —

Stat: Democrats, Eyeing Medicare Drug Price Negotiation, Still Face Roadblocks
Democrats have their best shot in more than a decade to deliver on one of the party’s central health care promises: allowing Medicare to directly negotiate prescription drug prices. But it’s far from guaranteed that they can deliver. (Florko and Facher, 1/11)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Names One Pharmacy Benefit Manager For Medicaid To Save Cash
Ohio's grand quest to finally slay the dragon of overcharges by pharmacy benefit managers starts Monday with the rollout of a new $158 million contract by the state Medicaid agency. The Buckeye State's premise, a unique approach just approved by the federal government: It takes a PBM to beat a PBM. Bearing the sword on behalf of the state is Gainwell Technologies, a single PBM newly hired to work on behalf of Ohio taxpayers. The company will replace the multibillion-dollar conglomerates such as CVS Caremark and Express Scripts that currently serve as middlemen in the prescription drug supply chain for 3 million poor or disabled Ohioans. (Rowland, 1/11)

NPR: Pandemic Strain Pushes Some Health Care Workers Toward Unions
In September, after six months of exhausting work battling the pandemic, nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., voted to unionize. The vote passed with 70%, a high margin of victory in a historically anti-union state, according to academic experts who study labor movements. The nurses had originally filed paperwork to hold this vote in March but were forced to delay it when the pandemic began heating up. And the issues that had driven them toward unionizing were only heightened by the crisis. It raised new, urgent problems too, including struggles to get enough PPE, and inconsistent testing and notification of exposures to COVID-positive patients. (Pattani, 1/11)

Modern Healthcare: Health Systems Revamp Vetting Process During COVID-19
Ideas that used to take up to eight months for Mayo Clinic to vet are now ready to execute in less than two weeks. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a push to streamline decision-making at Mayo, a move that will permanently shape its governance model. Healthcare organizations across the country are making similar adjustments as they aim to improve long-standing and potentially obsolete oversight policies. (Kacik, 1/9)

In insurance industry news —

FierceHealthcare: UnitedHealth Group Subsidiary Indicted On Antitrust Charges
Surgical Care Affiliates, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, was indicted this week by a federal grand jury on charges that it entered agreements with competitors to not poach executives. The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that the company, which operates outpatient medical centers, engaged in "two bilateral conspiracies" with other healthcare companies that aimed to avoid competition between them for senior executives, which violates the Sherman Act. (Minemyer, 1/8)

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Still A Big Uncertainty For Health Insurers In 2021
Given the continuation of the pandemic, health insurers are steeling themselves for a possible bumpy ride. Industry analysts said they expect 2021 to be a volatile year for insurers, although nothing can compare to the dramatic peaks and valleys in profits publicly traded companies reported in the first half of 2020. Moody’s Investors Service forecasts mid- to single-digit earnings growth among insurers in 2021. “The need to control health costs has been a huge problem for the industry and for the country,” said Dean Ungar, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody’s. “The health insurers know that their future in a way depends on helping keep costs under control without government intervention and government meddling. The insurers are investing in things like value-based care and digital, remote monitoring.” (Tepper, 1/9)

Also —

The Baltimore Sun: Dr. Robert Heptinstall, Retired Johns Hopkins Pathology Chief, Dies 
Dr. Robert H. Heptinstall, a retired head of the Johns Hopkins Department of Pathology, a kidney disease expert and a World War II medical veteran, died of old-age complications Jan. 5 at his home in Lutherville. He was 100 and formerly resided in Roland Park. (Kelly, 1/10)

KHN: One Ambulance Ride Leads To Another When Packed Hospitals Cannot Handle Non-Covid Patients 
Keely Connolly thought she would be safe once the ambulance arrived at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in Kansas. She was having difficulty breathing because she’d had to miss a kidney dialysis treatment a few days earlier for lack of child care. Her potassium was dangerously high, putting her at risk of a heart attack. But she trusted she would be fine once she was admitted and dialysis was begun. (West, 1/11)

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: How A Former Health Care Executive Became A Health Care Whistleblower 
Former health care executive Wendell Potter spent part of 2020 publishing high-profile apologies for the work he used to do — the lies he said he told the American people for his old employers. These days, he said, he’s also trying to debunk myths he once sold. “What I used to do for a living was mislead people into thinking that we had the best health care system in the world,” Potter said. (Weissmann, 1/11)

KHN: ‘Peer Respites’ Provide An Alternative To Psychiatric Wards During Pandemic 
Mia McDermott is no stranger to isolation. Abandoned as an infant in China, she lived in an orphanage until a family in California adopted her as a toddler. She spent her adolescence in boarding schools and early adult years in and out of psychiatric hospitals, where she underwent treatment for bipolar disorder, anxiety and anorexia. The pandemic left McDermott feeling especially lonely. She restricted social interactions because her fatty liver disease put her at greater risk of complications should she contract covid-19. The 26-year-old Santa Cruz resident stopped regularly eating and taking her psychiatric medications, and contemplated suicide. (Kown, 1/11)

FiercePharma: Roche's Actemra, Regeneron's Kevzara Win U.K.'s Favor In COVID-19 After Study Shows 24% Drop In Death Risk 
The question of whether seriously ill COVID-19 patients can benefit from anti-inflammatories like Roche’s Actemra and Sanofi and Regeneron’s Kevzara has dogged practitioners in the United States thanks to conflicting clinical trial results. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, has reached a definitive answer on the two drugs, both of which are IL-6 inhibitors: They significantly reduce the risk of death in COVID-19 patients needing intensive care, and they should be used to ease the pressure hospitals are now facing as the coronavirus pandemic continues to intensify, the country’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) said Thursday. The recommendation came after data from an NIHR-sponsored study showed that Actemra and Kevzara can cut hospital stays for COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care by 10 days and can lower the risk of death by 24% in patients who receive either drug within a day of admission. (Weintraub, 1/8)

Albuquerque Journal: NM Providers Slow To Prescribe Coronavirus Antibody Drugs
New antibody drugs are available around the state that, if given early, can dramatically reduce the chance of at-risk COVID-19 patients getting so sick they end up in the hospital. But there haven’t been a lot of takers in New Mexico – despite a near-record of 43 daily deaths one day last week related to COVID-19. Now the push is on to educate patients and medical providers about the availability and effectiveness of the two IV-administered antibody therapies. (Heild, 1/10)

Fortune: Bayer Strikes Deal To Aid CureVac In COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout 
The German biopharma firm CureVac has announced a tie-up with the country's biggest pharmaceutical beast, Bayer, for the development and supply of CureVac's candidate COVID-19 vaccine. The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. Bayer's stock jumped more than 2% on the news Thursday morning. The collaboration and services agreement should aid the supply of "several hundred million" vaccine doses, the companies said. CureVac said in November that it intends to produce up to 300 million doses this year, and up to 600 million doses in 2022. (Meyer, 1/7)

FiercePharma: Look Out, Pharma. A 'Tidal Wave' Of Side Effect Reports Is Coming Amid COVID-19 Vaccine Rollouts
With COVID-19 vaccine launches gaining steam—and an unprecedented level of media coverage zeroed in—pharma companies of all stripes should brace not only for a wave of adverse event reports, experts say, but for lawsuits that could follow. With tens of millions of Americans set to be vaccinated, including many people at high risk of severe COVID-19, it's not just vaccine makers who need to actively look out for potential adverse events or drug interactions, lawyers with Sidley Austin said. All pharma companies—not just those involved in COVID-19 vaccine deliveries—can expect “a significant increase in volume of reports over the coming months,” Torrey Cope, a partner in the firm's Food, Drug and Medical Device Regulatory practice, said in an interview. (Sagonowsky, 1/7)

ProPublica: CDC Shut Down A Lab Involved In Making Faulty Coronavirus Tests 
With no public notice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October shut down a key lab involved in making faulty COVID-19 tests for state and local health authorities early in the pandemic. The move came less than six hours after ProPublica published an investigation that detailed for the first time the chain of mistakes and disputes that unfolded inside CDC labs, which culminated in one of the biggest fumbles in the agency’s 74-year history. A CDC acting branch chief told the staff of the Respiratory Viruses Diagnostics Team lab on Oct. 15 that the closure would be for two to four weeks while the CDC investigated and the staff worked on corrective action plans, according to internal sources. But more than two months later, the lab still is not performing tests. (Bandler, Callahan and Rotella, 1/8)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

FiercePharma: FDA Extends Immunodeficiency Drug's Shelf Life As Pandemic Exacerbates Shortages 
The U.S. immunoglobulin supply just got a little more secure, thanks to a label change enabling one of Octapharma's chief rare disease meds to sit in the fridge for up to three years. The FDA has stretched the expiration date of 42 existing lots of Octapharma’s subcutaneous immune deficiency drug cutaquig and granted a 12-month shelf life extension on future lots stored at 36 degrees to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. The drug was previously cleared to last 24 months when refrigerated. Cutaquig’s six-month shelf life at room temperature remains unchanged, Octapharma said Tuesday. (Kansteiner, 1/6)

Stat: FDA Advisory Panel Meetings Became "Rarer And Tougher" In 2020
Among the myriad changes wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, Food and Drug Administration advisory committee meetings to review medicines are “rarer and tougher” now, according to one Wall Street analyst. Over the past year, just half of new drug applications taken to advisory committees were recommended for regulatory approval. That compares with 78% in 2019 and a rate of more than 80% in three of the four years before that, according to Cowen analyst Rick Weissenstein, who cited an analysis by the Prevision Policy consulting firm in an investor note. (Silverman, 1/8)

FiercePharma: Should Pharma Charity Contributions Be Publicly Disclosed, Just Like Doctor Payments? Senators Say Yes
Pharma companies have inked a series of federal settlements over payments to charity organizations, which the federal government argues are a “conduit” to boosting drug sales. Now, after an opioid investigation, two Senators want all those charity payments disclosed publicly. And they have just the mechanism for it. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Wyden have called for an expansion of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments database. That database now includes payments from pharma companies to doctors and other medical providers, but the senators propose adding payments to tax-exempt groups, too. Further, the senators have called for a new requirement that the HHS secretary formulate guidelines to boost transparency around research organizations and others contracted by the health agency.  (Sagonowsky, 1/8)

CIDRAP: Nations Facing Drug Shortages Use Registries, Other Steps 
Drug supply chain vulnerabilities have achieved greater visibility with the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have increasingly plagued countries in the past few years. A survey published in Health Policy's December issue found that 20 of 24 countries used drug registries to combat them, 20 simplified regulatory procedures during shortages, 18 regularly talked with stakeholders, and 15 had financial sanctions in place for when manufacturers missed notification or supply requirements. Even with these practices in place, multiple countries expressed an interest in increasing management strategies, and for good reason. Finland, the researchers report, experienced an 18-fold increase in shortages from 2010 to 2018, with instances doubling from 2016 to 2018 alone. (McLernon, 1/8)

Bloomberg: Covid Patients’ Symptoms Persist Six Months in Foreboding Study
More than three-quarters of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Wuhan between January and May had at least one persistent symptom six months later, according to a report that forebodes the enduring pain of the pandemic. Almost two-thirds of those followed still experienced fatigue or muscle weakness half a year after their acute illness, while 26% had sleep difficulties and 23% had anxiety or depression, according to the peer-reviewed study of 1,733 patients in The Lancet medical journal. (Loh, 1/8)

Stat: Most Hospitalized For Covid Still Affected 6 Months Later, China Study Finds
Three-quarters of Covid-19 patients still have at least one symptom six months after first falling ill, researchers who followed hospital patients in China reported Friday. The new findings suggest symptoms linger longer and in a higher proportion of patients than previously thought. (Cooney, 1/8)

In other research news about covid —

CIDRAP: Cats Infected With SARS-CoV-2 Show Immunity, Long-Term Lesions
Nine domestic cats inoculated with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, showed lung lesions and other long-term inflammation in the respiratory tract after the virus had cleared from their system, reports an Emerging Infectious Diseases research letter published yesterday. Despite these lingering effects, however, six cats who were re-infected showed protection against the disease. (1/8)

The New York Times: Covid-19: Chicago Is Reopening Schools Against Fierce Resistance From Teachers 
Across the country, many big cities like New York have struggled to resume even limited in-person instruction, while a number, including Los Angeles, have simply given up on the idea, choosing to stick with all-remote education into the spring. Few places have seen as much acrimony over the issue as Chicago, whose public school system is the nation’s third-largest. Now, with 6,000 prekindergarten and special education students preparing to return to the city’s public school buildings on Monday for the first time since March, a question looms: How many of their teachers will be there to greet them? (1/11)

The Washington Post: Chicago Teachers Balk At Reopening Plan, Face Pay Loss If They Don’t Return 
Chicago Public Schools will reopen for some students Monday for the first time since last spring amid an escalating clash between city officials, who are threatening to withhold pay from teachers who do not show up, and the powerful Chicago Teachers Union, which contends that schools are not properly outfitted to combat the coronavirus. Teachers who don’t show up for work Monday “will be deemed absent without leave and will not be eligible for pay,” said Janice Jackson, CEO of the nation’s third-largest school district. (Reiss, 1/9)

The Washington Post: Scores Of Nurses In Chicago Public Schools Say Reopening Buildings Is Still Unsafe 
Scores of nurses in the Chicago Public Schools district have objected to officials’ plans to begin bringing students back to classrooms on Monday, saying they do not think it is safe to do so. Chicago public schools have been closed since March. A statement signed by 147 school nurses says: “Many of us are CPS parents ourselves, and all wish to be back in school buildings, but the simple fact is that it is currently not safe to do this.” (Strauss, 1/10)

In related developments about children and covid —

CIDRAP: Three Studies Highlight Low COVID Risk Of In-Person School
A trio of new studies demonstrate low risk of COVID-19 infection and spread in schools, including limited in-school COVID-19 transmission in North Carolina, few cases of the coronavirus-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in Swedish schools, and minimal spread of the virus from primary school students in Norway. (Van Beusekom, 1/8)

CNN: Toxins In Marijuana Smoke May Be Harmful To Health, Study Finds 
Smoking weed may expose you to the same type of toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke, a new study finds. People who only smoked marijuana had higher blood and urine levels of several smoke-related toxins such as naphthalene, acrylamide and acrylonitrile than nonsmokers, according to the study published Monday in the journal EClinicalMedicine. (LaMotte, 1/11)

In other public health news —

The Washington Post: Beyond Covid-19, Rural Areas Face Growing Threat From Chronic Heart And Lung Diseases 
With covid-19 raging through many rural areas and health-care systems, it’s easy to not notice that another killer has been silently growing in deadliness there: chronic diseases of the heart and lungs. Heart disease is the leading killer of people around the world. Research we published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that not only is the death rate from heart disease much higher in rural areas but the disparity between rural and urban mortality has nearly doubled from 1999 to 2017. Among people between ages 25 and 64, there is a disconcerting reversal of progress in heart disease mortality. (Warraich, Califf and Cross, 1/9)

The Wall Street Journal: The NBA Postpones Another Game As Covid Problems Multiply 
The NBA is facing the first major Covid-19 test of its new season with cases spiking, games teetering and more than two dozen players on 13 teams in quarantine or isolation over the weekend as the league struggles to keep playing through the worst days of the pandemic. The league postponed the Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat game scheduled for Sunday night after contact tracing left the Heat without the eight players needed to field a team and the Celtics barely had enough themselves.  (Cohen, 1/10)

AP: Prosecutor: Veteran Embezzled Nearly $1M In Benefits
A North Carolina Vietnam veteran embezzled nearly $1 million in health care benefits from the government that helped support a lifestyle that included dancing, playing basketball and buying a beach condo, according to federal prosecutors. Federal prosecutors based in Winston-Salem said in a news release that 73-year-old Willie Dosher Cain of Fayetteville had pleaded guilty in 2020 to one count of embezzlement and was sentenced on Jan. 5 of this year to five years of probation. United States District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder said that Cain’s age and the COVID-19 pandemic influenced his sentencing decision. (1/10)

In news about health and race —

The Hill: Black Leaders Promote Vaccine To Help Overcome Community Skepticism 
Black elected officials and political leaders are making a concerted push to Black members of their communities to accept the coronavirus vaccines and overcome a deep-rooted skepticism that is the result of historical mistreatment of Black Americans by the medical industry. A series of prominent Black leaders have publicized the shots they have received in hopes of boosting vaccine acceptance in communities that have been the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. (Wilson, 1/8)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Woman Helps Educate African Americans About The Increased Threat Of Alzheimer’s Disease They Face 
Alzheimer’s disease can start with something as simple as misplacing things or having difficulty completing daily tasks. Marlyn Taylor, family care coordinator with the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Maryland Chapter, knows the signs of the disease. In fact, this month she will hold a virtual session to educate the public — especially Black people — about how to spot the 10 signs of Alzheimer’s. (Williams IV, 1/11)

AP: Indonesia Green-Lights Emergency Use Of Chinese Vaccine
Indonesia’s Food and Drug Authority on Monday green-lighted emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd., with vaccinations of high-risk groups expected to start later this week. Conditional vaccination of healthcare workers and other civil servants using the vaccine, called CoronaVac, is expected to begin this week. (Milko and Tarigan, 1/11)

In other global news —

AP: Africa Exceeds 3 Million COVID-19 Cases, 30% In South Africa
Africa passed the milestone of 3 million confirmed cases COVID-19 on Sunday, including more than 72,000 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. South Africa, with more than 1.2 million reported cases, including 32,824 deaths, accounts for more than 30% of the total for the continent of 54 countries and 1.3 billion people. The high proportion of cases in South Africa, could be because the country carries out more tests than many other African countries. (Meldrum, 1/10)

Reuters: China Reports Biggest Daily COVID-19 Case Jump In Over 5 Months 
Mainland China saw its biggest daily increase in COVID-19 cases in over five months, the country’s health authority said on Monday, as new infections in Hebei province surrounding Beijing continued to rise. (1/10)

AP: China: WHO Experts Arriving Thursday For Virus Origins Probe
Experts from the World Health Organization are due to arrive in China this week for a long-anticipated investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the government said Monday. The experts will arrive on Thursday and meet with Chinese counterparts, the National Health Commission said in a one-sentence statement that gave no other details. (1/11)

Also —

CNN: Pope's Personal Doctor Dies From Covid-19 Complications
Pope Francis' personal doctor, Fabrizio Soccorsi, has died as a result of “complications due to Covid,” the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano announced on Saturday. Pope Francis chose Soccorsi as a personal doctor in 2015, the news outlet said. He was 78 years old when he died. (Borghese, 1/10)

AP: Queen Elizabeth II And Husband Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, have received their COVID-19 vaccinations, royal officials said Saturday. Buckingham Palace officials said in a statement that the 94-year-old monarch and Philip, 99, received their jabs Saturday, joining some 1.5 million people in Britain who have been given a first dose of a vaccine. (1/9)

Stat: Axing Federal Scientific Advisory Committees Was A Big Mistake 
In a move touted as “improving the utility of federal advisory committees,” President Trump signed Executive Order 13875 in June, requiring all federal agencies to reduce the number of their advisory committees by no less than one-third. By doing so he continued to diminish the role of science in government. (Melissa J. Perry, 1/11)

Boston Globe: America Needs An Immediate Vaccination Plan
The COVID-19 pandemic is the worst health care crisis in a century. In my 43 years as a primary care physician, I have never faced the challenges I face today. Overseeing a practice of nine providers with 10,000 patients and with more than two-thirds of my panel of about 1,800 patients at high risk for contracting COVID-19, I am confronted on a daily basis with unrelenting questions and demands for a plan to provide a vaccine to our anxious patients. Yet due to disorganization and politics in Washington and the seemingly dilatory approach of local government and health care leaders, I have nothing to offer those who have relied on me for guidance and care. My gratitude is boundless to my colleagues on the front lines of this public health crisis. Medical workers have been working tirelessly through the worst of this pandemic. I am in awe of the commitment in creating a vaccine at lightning speed by people in biopharma. Now it’s on public health agencies to make good on the promise to meet the demand and distribute the vaccine as quickly and efficaciously as I know we can. (Martin P. Solomon, 1/11)

USA Today: With COVID-19 Vaccinations Behind Schedule, Here's What US Must Do Now
The news media is filled with articles regarding the new United Kingdom coronavirus mutation, which modeling has shown to be 56% more infectious. This mutation appears to be widespread in the United States, possibly emerging as early as October and now is spreading in multiple states. Similar to the original virus, this one has spread undetected because of inadequate testing. The United States is not leading but is 43rd in the world for genetic sequencing to detect new strains of the virus. Too few of us comprehend that the devastation a virus inflicts on society is dependent upon both the virus’ infectivity along with its case fatality rate. Some epidemiologists theorize viruses with high case fatality rates may even do less damage to society because the virus’ ability to spread tends to decrease. Thus, the increase in the ability of this virus to spread is of utmost concern and testing is of paramount importance. (Kevin Kavanagh, 1/9)

Charlotte Observer: N.C.’s Vaccine Rollout Has Been Bumpy. The State Needs To Step Up
The push to develop vaccines for COVID-19 was called Operation Warp Speed, but the delivery of two vaccines approved so far might be called Operation Hurry Up and Wait. The delay is especially pronounced in North Carolina, which late last week ranked 42nd in the nation in the percentage of its available vaccines that has been administered: 21.5 percent. Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said Friday that the rankings fluctuate daily because many state rates are closely bunched. But she said North Carolina’s performance is improving. “The rate of vaccinations has really picked up,” she said. Much of the blame for the bumpy start belongs to those who allowed the pandemic to explode — President Trump and his senior officials. (1/10)

Des Moines Register: Speed Up COVID-19 Vaccinations: Treat Them As An Emergency
Each day more and more Iowans are reported dead because of the coronavirus. It seems we have ceased being alarmed at the deaths of our friends, loved ones and neighbors. If our daily death tolls took place in bus rollovers, they would be on the news playing over and over while we assess how that could possibly happen and how we can prevent it from happening again. But COVID-19 is old news. After all, we have dutifully stayed at home. On rare occasions when necessary to leave our home, masks and social distancing have been recommended. Our hands have never been so clean. (Patty Judge, 1/11)

Los Angeles Times: Take Wealth And Race Out Of COVID-19 Care Pecking Order
(Editor’s note: Los Angeles County hospitals are so overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients that they are developing triage plans to determine whom to treat and whom to let die. The Times wrote in April about this nightmare scenario, and the right way — and the many wrong ways — to ration emergency treatment. Here is that editorial.) “Our society faces momentous decisions,” the chief of surgery explained to a young resident. “About terminal illness, prolonged coma, transplantation. Decisions about life and death. But society isn’t deciding. Congress isn’t deciding. The courts aren’t deciding. Religion isn’t deciding. Why? Because society is leaving it up to us, the experts. The doctors.” (1/8)

Miami Herald: DeSantis Denies Essential Employees The COVID Vaccine While His Policies Force Them To Work
Florida’s healthcare workers who are on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 have been among the first Floridians to get the vaccine. Senior citizens are especially vulnerable to this deadly virus, and they, too, are at the head of the line to get the shot. Gov. Ron DeSantis was right to make each group a priority. He was smart, too, to make hospitals the main channel of distribution. They have the personnel to deliver the vaccine and access to the targeted populations. And he has made clear that he wants to give more vaccine to those facilities that can scale up efficiently and effectively. Now, one of the most responsible things the governor can do is tell Floridians: Who’s next? (1/10)

Bloomberg: Pfizer Covid Vaccine: Israel Was The Perfect Test Case - Bloomberg
In just 21 days, Israel had inoculated 20% of its 9.3 million citizens and permanent residents and, even more significantly, 70% of its initial target group — medical personnel and people over 60 of age. These are astounding figures. The U.S. has managed to inoculate about 2% of its population. Germany, Italy and France have yet to reach 1% percent. (Zev Chafets, 1/10)

The Washington Post: The Anti-Vaxxers Are Determined To Sow Doubt. Here’s How To Build Faith Instead. 
Fifty-seven vials containing more than 500 doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine were removed from a pharmacy refrigerator by an employee in a Wisconsin medical center last month — inadvertently, officials said at first, and then they revised their statement. The act was intentional. The inoculations against the coronavirus rolling out around the country are the targets of intense disinformation campaigns that have spurred concerns about safety and efficacy, even among health-care workers. Leaders of long-standing anti-vaccine groups see this pivotal moment as a prime opportunity to leverage the rumor-mongering infrastructure they’ve built over the course of years. The Post reports that members of the National Vaccine Information Center are coordinating a “master narrative” that the virus isn’t a threat and that the safeguards against it are. (1/10)

Stat: Biden’s Plan To Release Covid Vaccine Doses Is The Start Of A Difficult Journey
The transition team of President-elect Biden has taken its first step to reexamine the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines put in place by the Trump administration. Instead of keeping half the doses in reserve to make sure that every person who received their first dose can receive their second dose, the transition said Friday that it would release the vast majority of available doses of authorized vaccines at once. It’s a great start. But it is also only a start. (Matthew Herper, 1/8)

The Washington Post: Biden's Plan To Release More Vaccines For First Doses Could Create More Problems Than It Solves
President-elect Joe Biden’s team suggested on Friday that, when the new administration takes office, it intends to release every available dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Biden, a spokesman said, “believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans’ arms now.” This is a 180-degree reversal from the Trump administration’s strategy of keeping enough vaccines in reserve so that everyone who receives the first dose is guaranteed a second. Although the Biden team’s urgency is well-intentioned, such a change could create more problems than it solves. (Leana S. Wen, 1/9)

Stat: Even In A Pandemic, Hospitals Must Find Ways To Allow Family Visits 
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 370,000 Americans have died of Covid-19, many of them alone, isolated from those who love them by hospital policies cutting off family visits. As the virus continues its relentless spread across the country, the next few months may be the deadliest ones we’ve seen. And as hospitals once again begin to shut their doors to visitors, we are in dire need of national leadership around visitor policies and medical communication with patients and families. (Richard E. Leiter and Samantha Gelfand, 1/9)

Stat: We Lost To SARS-CoV-2 In 2020. We Can Defeat B-117 In 2021 
We are barely a week into 2021 and already there are urgent warnings about a novel pandemic virus strain spreading surreptitiously and exponentially across the world. This seems like déjà vu. But in a sense that’s a good thing: This is not just another chapter in the exhausting saga of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, which newly available vaccines will slowly bring under control. (Kevin M. Esvelt and Marc Lipsitch, 1/9)

The Wall Street Journal: A Light Regulatory Touch To Keep Covid Drugs Current
New variants of the Covid virus appear more infectious, and it’s urgent to get as much protective immunity into the population before these strains can take root. These new variants are evolving in ways that may allow them to slip past diagnostic tests, drugs and vaccines. The effort will require a new scientific and regulatory framework that allow countermeasures to be adapted and updated quickly as the threat evolves. The recent variants don’t seem to make Covid infections more severe, but they do make the virus easier to transmit. Some have mutated part of the coronavirus spike protein called the receptor binding domain, which is a target of drugs and vaccines. This genetic evolution was inevitable. The virus has been racing around the world for a year. Countermeasures curtail its spread, but they also enrich the survival prospects of some mutant strains. Two steps would help us stay ahead of these developments. (Scott Gottlieb and Mark McClellan, 1/10)

Los Angeles Times: Amidst D.C. Chaos, Jobs Vanish While COVID Deaths Skyrocket
You might think that the record number of deaths this week — more than 4,000 Americans died from COVID-19 Thursday, a new high — would be enough to spur people to start complying rigorously with the stay-at-home orders and the admonitions to avoid gatherings, wear a mask and maintain social distance. And maybe it will. But we’d still have a problem with the disease spreading at workplaces deemed essential, whether it be grocers, malls or movie sets. So, as bad as the news has been out of Washington, we can’t ignore the bright, flashing warning signs telling us that economy is headed for worse times ahead. Stay safe and wear a mask, for everyone’s sake. (Jon Healey, 1/8)

USA Today: Why Giving Birth In U.S. During Pandemic Is Riskier Than It Should Be
As COVID-19 ravages the United States, one overlooked casualty is maternity care. While the cracks in our maternity care system were apparent even before women across the nation were forced to give birth in overwhelmed hospitals, the pandemic has shed light on the dearth of options for pregnant Americans. Women are being separated from their partners, support persons and even their infants as hospitals struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19. Mothers like Bronx resident Amber Rose Isaac have died — not from the virus — but because overwhelmed maternity care systems couldn’t keep up during the pandemic. (Lauren K. Hall, 1/10)

The Washington Post: This Is The America That Black People Know
Many have said that what transpired on Wednesday was not America. They are wrong. This is the America that Black people know. To declare that this is not America is to deny the reality that Republican members of the U.S. House and Senate incited this coup by treasonously working to overturn the results of the presidential election. It’s to deny the fact that one of my senators, Josh Hawley, went out of his way to salute the white supremacists before their attempted coup. (U.S Representative Cori Bush, 1/9)