USA Today: British Officials Say COVID-19 Variant Discovered In UK May Be 30% More Lethal
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Friday that a coronavirus variant first detected in the country in September may be about 30% more deadly than previous versions of the disease. Johnson unveiled the worrying statistic in a London news conference. British scientists already had concluded that the variant, known as B.1.1.7, spread 30%-70% faster than the previous dominant coronavirus strain in the U.K. In addition to spreading faster, "it may be associated with a higher degree of mortality," Johnson said. (Hjelmgaard and Weintraub, 1/22)

CNN: CDC Reviewing New Data That Suggests Coronavirus Variant Identified In UK Could Be More Deadly
Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and member of President Joe Biden's coronavirus transition team, said he has reviewed the UK report, as well as other data that has not been publicly released, and he is "convinced" that the new variant is deadlier. "The data is mounting -- and some of it I can't share -- that clearly supports that B.1.1.7 is causing more severe illness and increased death," said Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. "Already we know this variant has increased transmission, and so this is more very bad news." (Cohen, 1/24)

Fox News: Fauci Says UK COVID-19 Strain Could 'Cause More Damage,' US Will Test For Vaccine Efficacy
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has projected that due to its more contagious nature, the U.K. variant will be the dominant strain in the U.S. by March. Many are therefore concerned that the current vaccination effort might be in vain, but Fauci has cautioned that effects on vaccine efficacy remain unknown. Even in the case of reduced efficacy, Fauci believes the effect would be minimal. "When we look at the effect of the chain, this lineage that is the U.K. lineage that is in at least 20 states in the U.S., the vaccine-induced antibodies … seem to continue to be protective against the mutant strain," Fauci explained. "It is a very minor diminution, but the cushion that you have of efficacy is so large that it’s not going to negatively impact." (Aitken, 1/24)

The Hill: US Officials Caution More Data Needed On UK Coronavirus Strain 
National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins and top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci warned on Saturday that more data is needed to understand if the UK coronavirus strain is more deadly and more contagious. "These are serious situations that we are following very closely," Fauci said in an interview on MSNBC. "If necessary, we will adapt to it," (Lonas, 1/23)

The New York Times: Britain’s Alarm Over Virus Variant Bolsters Case For Lockdown
Britain’s disclosure Friday that a new variant of the virus could be deadlier than the original raised a stir about why such alarming information was put out when the evidence was so inconclusive. But there is little debate over its impact: It has silenced those who called for life to go back to normal any time soon. The British government is expected to announce in coming days that it will prolong and tighten the nationwide lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson this month. Schools may stay closed until Easter, while travelers arriving from overseas could be required to quarantine in hotels for 10 days. (Landler and Mueller, 1/24)

In related news —

The Hill: US Passes 25M Coronavirus Cases Milestone 
The U.S. on Sunday surpassed 25 million coronavirus cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The most recent data from Johns Hopkins’s indicates that 25,031,463 cases have been confirmed so far. The same data shows the U.S. has reported 417,902 deaths due to the pandemic, the most of any country in the world. (Choi, 1/24)

NPR: Biden To Implement Travel Restrictions To Combat New Coronavirus Variants
President Biden will reimpose a ban on many non-U.S. citizens attempting to enter the country. The move is an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19 and contain new variants of the disease that have cropped up in several countries around the globe, according to media reports Sunday. The ban, expected to start Monday, would prohibit travelers from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and 26 countries in Europe that allow travel across open borders, called the Schengen Area, according to Reuters. It will also block entry to travelers from Brazil and South Africa, where researchers discovered new variants of the virus. (Diaz, 1/25)

Reuters: Exclusive: Biden To Impose South Africa Travel Ban To Combat New COVID-19 Variant - CDC
“We are adding South Africa to the restricted list because of the concerning variant present that has already spread beyond South Africa,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s principal deputy director, in an interview Sunday. She added the agency was “putting in place this suite of measures to protect Americans and also to reduce the risk of these variants spreading and worsening the current pandemic.” (Shepardson, 1/24)

CNBC: Biden To Restrict Travel With South Africa, U.K., Brazil To Slow New Covid Strains
The CDC also announced on Sunday that it will remove the option for airlines with flights from countries that lack Covid-19 testing to apply for temporary waivers for some travelers. The agency will implement the order on Tuesday. (Newburger and Josephs, 1/24)

Politico: Biden To Ban Travel From South Africa, Reinstate Restrictions On Brazil And U.K. 
The White House official also confirmed that the administration would not allow airlines to make exemptions to a separate order set to go into effect this week, which will require all international travelers to show proof of a negative Covid test before entering the U.S. Airlines had requested temporary waivers permitting them to carry some travelers coming from countries with limited testing capacity. However, CDC officials told Reuters that they would consider case-by-case humanitarian exemptions for some travelers. (Beasley, 1/24)

Also —

CNN: Biden's Mask Mandate: Transportation Officials Weigh Options To Enforce Biden's New Requirement For Travelers 
Federal transportation officials are considering a range of options to enforce President Joe Biden's new face mask requirement for interstate travelers, including the possibility of fines in the thousands of dollars, multiple sources told CNN. The normal rulemaking process can take months, at least, to complete, so officials are believed to be considering emergency actions that could take effect much sooner. (Wallace, 1/24)

Politico: Deborah Birx: ‘Parallel Set Of Data’ On Covid-19 Was Delivered To Trump 
While Deborah Birx served as the White House coronavirus response coordinator under President Donald Trump, “outside advisers” were bringing him “parallel” sets of data on the Covid-19 pandemic, she said in an interview that aired on Sunday. “I saw the president presenting graphs that I never made,” Birx said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “So, I know that someone — or someone out there or someone inside was creating a parallel set of data and graphics that were shown to the president.” (Hooper, 1/24)

CNBC: Birx Says Someone Was Giving Trump 'Parallel Data' About Covid Pandemic
[Dr. Deborah] Birx, who announced her retirement as President Joe Biden took office last week, said she doesn’t know the identity of the person who gave the president different information. She added that there were Covid-19 deniers within the Trump administration. “There were people who definitely believed that this was a hoax,” she said. “I think the information was confusing at the beginning. I think because we didn’t talk about the spectrum of the disease, everyone interpreted what they knew.” (Newburger, 1/24)

Stat: 'I'm Not Looking To Be Vindicated,' Birx Says In Televised Interview 
Not being publicly outspoken enough about issues with the Covid-19 response may have been Deborah Birx’s biggest mistake, the former White House coronavirus task force coordinator said in a 30-minute interview that aired Sunday morning on CBS News’s Face the Nation. (Sheridan, 1/24)

The Washington Post: Deborah Birx Says She Regularly Considered Quitting Trump Coronavirus Team, In 'Face The Nation' Interview 
Facing criticism from the administration she worked for and some in the scientific community, Deborah Birx, coordinator of the Trump White House’s coronavirus response, “always” considered quitting her job, she said in an interview set to air Sunday. “I mean, why would you want to put yourself through that every day?” Birx said in a clip of her conversation with Margaret Brennan on CBS News’ “Face The Nation.” (Kornfield, 1/22)

And Dr. Anthony Fauci describes what it was like behind the scenes —

The New York Times: Fauci On What Working For Trump Was Really Like 
In an hourlong conversation with The New York Times over the weekend, Dr. Fauci described some of the difficulties, and the toll, of working with President Donald J. Trump: ... "The people around him, his inner circle, were quite upset that I would dare publicly contradict the president. That’s when we started getting into things I felt were unfortunate and somewhat nefarious." (McNeil Jr. 1/24)

The Hill: Fauci Describes 'Chilling' Pressure On Scientists In Trump Era 
Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s leading infectious disease expert, said it was “chilling” to see the pressure put on scientists during the Trump administration by officials seeking to project rosy messaging about the coronavirus. Fauci recounted on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on Friday night that officials under former President Trump pressed government scientists in what he said was an unusual dynamic compared with his work under past administrations, describing "a situation where science was distorted and/or rejected." (Axelrod, 1/23)

CNBC: CDC Director Says Federal Government Does Not Know How Much Covid Vaccine The U.S. Has
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Sunday that the federal government does not know how much coronavirus vaccine the nation has, a complication that adds to the already herculean task before the Biden administration. “I can’t tell you how much vaccine we have, and if I can’t tell it to you then I can’t tell it to the governors and I can’t tell it to the state health officials,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Fox News Sunday.” (Macias, 1/24)

Politico: Biden Health Officials Express Concern About Short-Term Vaccine Supply Crunch 
Top Biden administration health officials on Sunday expressed concern about limited vaccine supplies but offered measured optimism that the worse-than-expected rollout would be improved, while warning that the current crunch for doses posed a pressing threat. “I think that the supply is probably going to be the most limiting constraint early on, and we’re really hoping that after that first hundred days we will have much more production,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on “Fox News Sunday.” (Naranjo, 1/24)

Boston Globe: US Officials Express Concern Over Possible Shortage Of COVID-19 Vaccine
The United States needs to move faster to immunize the public against the coronavirus, but efforts to accelerate beyond President Biden’s goal of 100 million shots in 100 days may be hindered by the lack of vaccine doses, according to Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Four other Biden officials also tried on Sunday to manage public expectations about vaccine distribution, as frustration grows among Americans over long lines, canceled appointments, and other daunting issues. The officials also tried to smooth over confusion about President Biden’s goal of 100 million shots. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, called the figure “a floor, not a ceiling,” on the CBS program “Face the Nation.” (1/25)

The Washington Post: Vaccine Supply Hinders Expanding Beyond Goal Of 100 Million Shots, Biden Health Official Says
The United States needs to move faster to immunize the public against the coronavirus, but efforts to accelerate beyond President Biden’s goal of 100 million shots in 100 days may be hindered by the supplies of vaccine doses, according to Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I think that the supply is probably going to be the most limiting constraint early on, and we’re really hoping that after that first 100 days, we’ll have much more production,” Walensky said on “Fox News Sunday.” (Goldstein, Wang, Firozi, Knowles and Kornfield, 1/24)

The Hill: Biden Under Pressure To Deliver More COVID-19 Shots 
President Biden is facing pressure to aim even higher with his administration's vaccine distribution goals, with experts noting his early push to deliver 100 million shots in 100 days does not differ dramatically from the current pace. The new administration has trumpeted its vaccine goal as "ambitious" and "bold." But a vocal group of experts says Biden's goal is actually far less than what is needed to tame the pandemic, especially with more contagious variants on the rise. (Sullivan, 1/23)

And Pfizer is now shipping fewer doses —

Politico: Pfizer Ships Fewer Covid Vaccine Vials To U.S. After Trump FDA Label Change 
Pfizer is counting extra coronavirus vaccine it uses to top off each of its vials toward its commitment to deliver 200 million shots for the U.S. pandemic response — even though there aren't enough syringes capable of squeezing out the extra fluid. The Trump administration Food and Drug Administration on Jan. 6 approved a Pfizer request to update its vaccine label to clarify that six doses, instead of five, can be drawn from each vial. The new label came several weeks after the agency said pharmacists could administer any surplus they could successfully extract from the vials. (Roubein and Owermohle, 1/22)

The Hill: Pfizer To Ship Fewer Vaccine Vials Than Expected After Extra Doses Discovered 
Pfizer will be providing the U.S. with fewer overall COVID-19 vials than originally expected, after it was discovered that each vial contained more vaccine doses than initially thought, The New York Times reports. In December, it was determined that each vial of the pharmaceutical corporation's vaccine could provide six doses when properly extracted. Previously, it was thought that only five doses could come from each vial. (Polus, 1/22)

CNBC: CDC Changes Covid Vaccine Guidance To OK Mixing Pfizer And Moderna Shots
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly changed its guidance on Covid-19 vaccine shots, saying it’s now OK to mix Pfizer’s and Moderna’s shots in “exceptional situations” and that it’s also fine to wait up to six weeks to get the second shot of either company’s two-dose immunization. While Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines, which both use messenger RNA technology, were authorized to be given 21 and 28 days apart, respectively, the agency now says you can receive either shot so long as they are given at least 28 days apart, according to new guidance posted Thursday on its website. (Feuer, 1/22)

The Hill: CDC Changes COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance To Allow Mixing Pfizer, Moderna Shots In 'Exceptional Situations' 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday updated its guidance on the coronavirus vaccines in circulation, green-lighting doctors to mix shots from Pfizer and Moderna in “exceptional situations.” The vaccines, which both use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, require two doses and were authorized to be administered 21 and 28 days apart, respectively. The CDC now says patients can receive either shot as long as they are given at least 28 days after the first dose. (Axelrod, 1/22)

The New York Times: CDC Eases Coronavirus Vaccine Rules For ‘Exceptional Circumstances’
Until now, the C.D.C. had cautioned against any dosing changes, saying there was no evidence for it. A C.D.C. spokeswoman, Kristen Nordlund, said the agency’s “intention is not to suggest people do anything different, but provide clinicians with flexibility for exceptional circumstances.” (Stolberg, 1/22)

The CDC updates its guidance on time between doses —

Bloomberg: CDC Says Vaccine Doses May Be Spaced Further As FDA Eases Stance
Follow-up doses of the Covid-19 vaccines could be given up to six weeks later if it’s not feasible to get them in the recommended interval, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also offering some flexibility for “modest delays.” The guidance posted in a Jan. 21 update to the CDC website said a second dose should be administered as close to the recommended schedule as possible, either three weeks for the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine or four weeks for the Moderna Inc. shot. (Tozzi, 1/22)

The Washington Post: CDC Says 2nd Coronavirus Vaccine Shot May Be Scheduled Up To 6 Weeks Later 
People who have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine can schedule their second shot up to six weeks later if they are not able to get one in the recommended time frame, according to updated guidance this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The recommended interval between doses is three weeks for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and four weeks for Moderna’s. “The second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible,” according to guidance updated Thursday. But if it is not feasible to get the second dose in that period, the CDC says a second shot may be scheduled “up to 6 weeks (42 days)” after the first shot. (Sun, 1/22)

Stat: CDC Reports Rare Allergic Reactions To Moderna's Covid-19 Vaccine 
The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, like the one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, appears to induce rare anaphylactic reactions in a small number of people who receive the vaccine, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest. As of Jan. 19, there have been 15 confirmed cases of anaphylaxis after receipt of Moderna’s vaccine and 45 confirmed cases of anaphylaxis after receipt of the Pfizer vaccine, the CDC said in a statement to STAT. (Branswell, 1/22)

Los Angeles Times: Severe Allergic Reactions To Moderna Vaccine Are Rare, CDC Says
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health caused very few cases of severe allergic reactions during the first three weeks of its administration across the country, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 4,041,396 doses given over 21 days, a total of 10 cases of anaphylaxis were confirmed by CDC investigators. Another four cases of possible anaphylaxis are still being investigated. No deaths have been tied to the vaccine. “Based on this early monitoring, anaphylaxis after receipt of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine appears to be a rare event,” the researchers wrote Friday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Kaplan, 1/24)

The Wall Street Journal: California Authorities Probe Death Of Person Who Received Covid-19 Vaccine Hours Earlier
California authorities are investigating the case of a person who died several hours after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine last week. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office and Placer County Public Health department were recently notified of the vaccination and death, which happened Thursday, according to a statement posted to Facebook by the sheriff’s office. It isn’t clear which vaccine the person received or whether the vaccine played a role in their death. (Toy, 1/24)

More on vaccine development —

Southern California News Group: Dozens Of New COVID Vaccines Working Their Way To Public
Move over, Pfizer and Moderna. You won’t be the only games in town too much longer. COVID-19 has existed for barely more than a year, but 64 vaccines are in clinical development and another 173 in preclinical development worldwide nonetheless, according to the World Health Organization. Dozens of hopefuls are in clinical trials in the U.S., including several by California researchers. But the two inching closest to the finish line here — by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson — could win emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as soon as this spring, which would instantly increase supply and deliver a much-needed jolt to the nation’s maddeningly sluggish mass vaccination campaign. (Sforza, 1/24)

KHN: Vaccine Ramp-Up Squeezes Covid Testing And Tracing
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, under growing pressure to jump-start a faltering covid-19 vaccine rollout, jetted to Los Angeles on Jan. 15 to unveil a massive new vaccination site at Dodger Stadium that is expected eventually to inoculate 12,000 people a day. The city-run venue had been the biggest covid testing site in the U.S., administering over 1 million tests in its nearly eight months of operation — and over 10,000 a day during the recent surge. Its redeployment to the cause of vaccination, Newsom declared, provides “an extraordinary world-class site for a world-class logistics operation.” (Wolfson, 1/25)

CNN: Google Maps Will Soon Display Covid-19 Vaccination Sites 
Google Maps will soon display locations that offer Covid-19 vaccinations, further bolstering awareness of the virus — and how to avoid it. The feature is rolling out in the coming weeks, beginning in four states: Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Google (GOOGL) announced Monday that searches for "vaccines near me" have increased five fold since the beginning of the year and it's implementing this feature to ensure it's "providing locally relevant answers." (Valinsky, 1/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Google Seeks To Help COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts
Google is pledging to use its resources to help more people get vaccinated against COVID-19. The company said Monday that it will convert some of its facilities into vaccination sites, starting in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City and Kirkland, Wash. Google intends to expand the program nationally and is partnering with One Medical in the effort. Additionally, Google is taking steps to promote accurate vaccine information on its search pages and spending $150 million to support groups that are helping to inoculate people from COVID-19. (Morris, 1/25)

The Hill: Walmart Expands Coronavirus Vaccine Operation 
Walmart is preparing to expand its coronavirus vaccine operation to seven more states beyond the two where it’s currently offering vaccinations, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to The Hill on Friday. Walmart will begin providing vaccinations in Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas, as well as in Chicago and Puerto Rico, this week and next, according to the spokesperson. (Williams, 1/22)

In updates on the vaccine supply in California, Nevada, Louisiana and Iowa —

Las Vegas Review Journal: COVID Vaccine Shortage Forces Inoculation Slowdown In Nevada
Vaccination sites in Southern Nevada are scaling back COVID-19 inoculations as the state continues to receive very limited doses from the federal government, state officials said Friday. “Many vaccination sites are having to scale down because of the limited allocation we are set to receive next week,” Candice McDaniel, a bureau chief with the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, said during an online press briefing. The shortage played a role in the temporary closure this weekend of the largest site in the state, Cashman Center in downtown Las Vegas. It also has contributed to the scramble for limited appointments as well as the postponement of some appointments. (Hynes, 1/22)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Ochsner Cancels More First-Dose Coronavirus Vaccination Appointments As Distribution Slows
Ochsner Health System said Friday that it will cancel first-dose COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Louisiana scheduled for Tuesday and beyond due to a drop-off in vaccine distributions to the hospital network. This follows an announcement last week that Ochsner would postpone first-dose appointments between Jan. 21-25. The hospital system said then that scheduled second doses for those who already received a first dose will continue as planned. Ochsner said it has administered 86,093 COVID-19 vaccine doses across its facilities as of Thursday, but vaccine dose delivery has declined 70% since the first four weeks of distribution. As a result, the health system is prioritizing second-dose vaccination needs and canceling first-dose appointments in the immediate future. (Gagliano, 1/23)

Des Moines Register: Polk County COVID-19 Shot Appointments Snapped Up Quickly After All Seniors Became Eligible
The Polk County Health Department filled all available appointments for coronavirus vaccinations by Friday afternoon, a day after eligibility was opened to all residents 65 or older. The county, which includes Des Moines, has booked vaccination appointments through Jan. 31. The department is holding off on opening subsequent appointments until officials know how many vaccine doses will be available for the next week, spokeswoman Nola Aigner Davis said Friday. (Leys, 1/22)

Stat: Covid-19 Vaccine FAQs: When We Can Get It, How To Find Out, And More
It seems like it’s all anyone wants to talk about these days: Covid vaccine. When can we get it? How can we find out? How well will the vaccines work? How close will they get us back to the life we see in TV shows and movies filmed in the before times, when only health workers and trick-or-treaters wore masks and social distancing wasn’t part of anyone’s vernacular. (Branswell, 1/25)

In updates on vaccines going to waste —

Becker's Hospital Review: 1,900 Moderna Vaccine Doses Spoiled At Boston Hospital After Freezer Is Unplugged
Almost 2,000 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine were spoiled when a cleaning contractor accidentally loosened a plug on a freezer at Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston, The Boston Globe reported Jan. 21. Pharmacy staff found the freezer, holding 1,900 doses of the vaccine, had failed, and the doses were compromised, Kyle Toto, a spokesperson for VA Boston Healthcare System told the Globe. (Anderson, 1/22)

Becker's Hospital Review: Nurse Accidentally Administers Empty Syringe At Colorado COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
A contract nurse working at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Pueblo, Colo., accidentally administered an empty syringe to a patient, local news station FOX 21 reported Jan. 21. In a statement shared with the news station, a spokesperson from the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment said the syringe was new since routine safety protocol requires used syringes be discarded immediately. The health department identified the mistake through "normal safety processes," and provided the individual with a COVID-19 vaccination after determining the person was safe.  (Carbajal, 1/22)

ProPublica: How Many Vaccine Shots Go To Waste? Several States Aren’t Counting
Experts say that waste reporting is essential during a vaccination campaign to encourage careful handling and the use of every viable dose and, more importantly, to identify potential problems in the shipping and cold storage operations. With inconsistent reporting requirements and no enforcement of a federal mandate to report wastage, vaccine providers have little incentive to acknowledge wasting vaccines, said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University. Jha said he thinks that the true number of wasted doses across the country is far higher than a handful. (Gabrielson, Chen and Simon, 1/21)

CNN: 'Healthy, Young' Americans Will Likely Get Covid-19 Vaccine In Mid- To Late Summer, Expert Says
It likely will be months from now until the vaccine is widely available to the American public, infectious disease expert Dr. Celine Gounder told CNN Sunday night. "We're looking at probably middle of the summer, end of the summer before the average, healthy, young American has access to vaccination," Gounder told CNN Sunday. (Maxouris, 1/25)

In other news about who's in line for the vaccine —

Boston Globe: In Suffolk County, Black And Latino Residents Face Stark Disparities In Vaccine Access
If you are Black or Latino and living in Suffolk County, you are more likely to have to travel farther than white residents for a coveted dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, a Globe analysis has found. In Suffolk County, which includes Boston as well as Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Black and Latino residents face stark disparities in vaccine access: Fewer than 14 percent of Black residents and roughly 26 percent of Latinos live in census tracts that are within 1 mile of a vaccination site, compared with nearly 46 percent of white residents. Currently, the only public vaccination site in Suffolk County is at the South Boston Community Health Center. A mass vaccination site at Fenway Park is slated to open Feb. 1 for prioritized groups. (Pan and Hancock, 1/23)

The Washington Post: Firefighter Who Nearly Died Of Covid Begs Front-Line Workers: ‘Please, Get The Shots’ 
The firefighter’s family had decided to let him go. For a month, Steve Collins, a 33-year veteran of the Prince George’s County fire department, had been hooked to a ventilator and fighting for his life against the coronavirus. The doctors said he would not wake up. His family visited a funeral home to make arrangements. But before they said farewell, they had one request: Wait to remove him from the machines until after his 61st birthday. (Mettler, 1/22)

The New York Times: To Promote Vaccines, New Orleans Dances With Its Sleeves Rolled Up 
The snap of the snare drums is insistent. New Orleanians take joyous turns high-stepping and chicken strutting, dressed in the hand-sewn feathered finery of their social clubs and krewes. The celebration, shown on a new 30-second public service announcement airing in the city, is both resplendent and aching, an evocation of Carnival masking season that should have begun this month, culminating on Feb. 16 with Mardi Gras. All of it canceled, of course, by the coronavirus pandemic. Yet the spot is hopeful: to regain this and more, it exhorts, get vaccinated. (Hoffman, 1/24)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Health Experts Urge Confidence In COVID Vaccine After Hank Aaron's Death
Within minutes of news breaking Friday morning of the baseball great’s death, those with doubts about the vaccine turned to social media to try to draw a connection to [Hank] Aaron’s recent immunization. That worries Joe Beasley, one of the activists who received the Moderna vaccine shot alongside Aaron. “I hope this won’t have a chilling effect on our people,” said Beasley, 84. “We can’t afford it because too many people are dying (from COVID-19).” (Schrade and Stirgus, 1/22)

KHN: Anti-Vaccine Activists Peddle Theories That Covid Shots Are Deadly, Undermining Vaccination
Anti-vaccine groups are exploiting the suffering and death of people who happen to fall ill after receiving a covid shot, threatening to undermine the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history. In some cases, anti-vaccine activists are fabricating stories of deaths that never occurred. “This is exactly what anti-vaccine groups do,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious diseases specialist and author of “Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-Science.” (Szabo, 1/25)

NPR: COVID-19 Vaccine Highlights Need To Protect Pregnant Women 'Through Research'
Doctors who treat pregnant patients are finding themselves in a tough and familiar spot as the COVID-19 vaccines roll out: making decisions about the use of a particular medicine in this group of patients without any clinical evidence to guide them. "We've been denied that evidence," says Dr. Judette Louis, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of South Florida. While it has been headline news that the COVID-19 vaccines haven't yet been tested in pregnant people, the problem is broader. "There are very few vaccines that have," Louis says. (Mertens, 1/25)

CNN: Sanders Says Democrats Will Use Reconciliation 'As Soon As We Possibly Can' To Pass Covid-19 Relief Package
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the incoming chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said Sunday that Democrats would use a rare procedural tactic to pass major parts of a Covid-19 relief package if Republicans refuse to move on the measure. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" that Democrats will use the move -- known as reconciliation -- "as soon as we possibly can" to pass the package by 51 votes in the Senate, rather than 60, if Republicans don't move the legislation. (Diaz, 1/24)

Politico: Bernie Sanders: Dems Will Use Reconciliation To Pass Covid Relief ‘As Soon As We Possibly Can’ 
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday said Senate Democrats would pass a Covid-19 relief bill as soon as possible through budget reconciliation, which would allow the package to pass with a simple majority vote rather than with the support of 60 senators. “We are going to use reconciliation, that is 50 votes in the Senate plus the vice president, to pass legislation desperately needed by working families in this country right now,” the Vermont senator told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” on Sunday. The new Senate stands on 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote when needed. (Hooper, 1/24)

The Hill: Biden Officials Hold Call With Bipartisan Group Of Senators On Coronavirus Relief Plan
Officials in President Biden’s administration on Sunday held a call with a bipartisan group of senators to discuss the White House’s proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Several senators confirmed their participation in the call, with a couple of Democratic senators describing the conversation as “productive.” (Coleman, 1/24)

Politico: Bipartisan Group Of Senators Pushes Back On Biden Covid Plan 
A bipartisan group of senators told White House officials on Sunday that the stimulus spending in President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief plan provides too much money to high-income Americans, an opening setback in the new administration's complex pandemic negotiations with Congress. Biden’s proposal would provide $1,400 direct payments to Americans, some of whom senators say don’t need the money. Still, the discussion was civil and there was a “consensus” on the need to act urgently on vaccine distribution, said multiple senators on the call. It was also a sign that the Biden White House will be more hands on than former President Donald Trump, who nearly refused to sign the last relief bill after making a flurry of last-minute requests after the bill already passed Congress. (Barron-Lopez and Everett, 1/24)

Also —

The Hill: Romney: Total Figure For Biden Coronavirus Stimulus Is 'Pretty Shocking' 
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Sunday called the total cost of President Biden's coronavirus relief package – $1.9 trillion – “pretty shocking,” though he expressed openness to considering portions of the White House's proposal. "Fox News Sunday's" Chris Wallace asked Romney if there were any parts of Biden’s plan he would consider, noting that Romney had said he was not in favor of passing another stimulus following the $900 billion bill that was signed into law in December. (Choi, 1/24)

The Hill: More Than Two-Thirds Of Americans Approve Of Biden's Coronavirus Response: Poll 
More than two-thirds of Americans approve of President Biden’s response to the coronavirus pandemic days after he was inaugurated, according to a poll released on Sunday. The ABC News/Ipsos poll determined that 69 percent of respondents approved of Biden’s handling of the pandemic in his first few days as president, a difference from former President Trump’s mostly underwater ratings on the same issue. (Coleman, 1/24)

CBS News: 38 Capitol Police Officers And 150 National Guard Members Have Tested Positive For COVID-19 Since Capitol Attack
Thirty-eight members of the U.S. Capitol Police force and about 150 National Guard members have tested positive for COVID-19 since responding to the deadly attack on the Capitol earlier this month, officials told CBS News. Gus Papathanasiou, the chairman of the union that represents Capitol police, told CBS News that cases have "spiked" since the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that brought the police in close quarters with the rioters. (Krawczyk, 1/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Contracted By Scores Of National Guard Members In Washington 
Nearly 200 members of the National Guard deployed to Washington in the days leading up to Wednesday’s presidential inauguration have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and some officials fear cramped rest and working quarters contributed to the spread, defense officials said. Approximately 26,000 Guard members from all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia were deployed following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to secure the city through the Jan. 20 inauguration. (Youssef and Corse, 1/22)

Politico: ‘Packed Us Together Like Sardines’: Guard Deployed To Capitol Struggles To Contain Covid 
The National Guard has struggled to implement a plan to test troops flowing into and out of Washington, D.C., for Covid-19, with some Guard members being forced to find their own tests and others pressured to leave their quarantine early to report to duty. Already, hundreds of Guard members who poured into Washington, D.C., after the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol have tested positive for Covid-19 or are quarantining in nearby hotels, three Guard sources said. Guard leadership has declined to release an official number of positive cases, but troops and lawmakers alike worry that the deployment is becoming a superspreader event. (Seligman, Desiderio and Bertrand, 1/22)

CNN: 38 Capitol Police Officers Test Positive For Covid-19 After Capitol Riot 
More than three dozen Capitol Police officers have tested positive for coronavirus since the Capitol riot on January 6, the union representing the Capitol Police told CNN Sunday. It's unclear how many of the 38 officers may have been on duty during the attack or when they contracted the virus. But health officials have worried that the mass of largely unmasked people, many shouting and pushing, would result in the spread of the virus. Several police officers were directly assaulted during the insurrection. (Kounang and Wild, 1/24)

The Washington Post: Numerous Capitol Police Officers Who Responded To Riot Test Positive For Coronavirus 
Since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, 38 U.S. Capitol Police employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the head of the officers’ union said Saturday. Cases are also climbing among members of the D.C. National Guard stationed around the Capitol. ... “It’s mostly officers and supervisors, all sworn personnel” who have contracted the potentially deadly virus, [said Gus] Papathanasiou, the head of the labor committee for the Capitol Police officers’ Fraternal Order of Police chapter. “Who knows if it’s going to increase?” There were about 1,400 Capitol Police officers on duty. (Jackman, 1/23)

The Hill: Biden Reaffirms Commitment To Enshrining Roe V. Wade In Federal Law 
President Biden marked the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling establishing the right to an abortion by reaffirming his support for enshrining abortion rights in federal law. Biden ran on “codifying” Roe v. Wade, pushed by abortion rights advocates, as a response to the growing number of abortion restrictions passed by state legislatures in recent years and a federal judiciary that has been flooded with Trump nominees, including the Supreme Court. (Hellmann, 1/22)

AP: Political Upheaval Alters Strategies In US Abortion Debate
Anti-abortion leaders across America were elated a year ago when Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to appear in person at their highest-profile annual event, the March for Life held every January.The mood is more sober now — a mix of disappointment over Trump’s defeat and hope that his legacy of judicial appointments will lead to future court victories limiting abortion rights. Organizers of this year’s March for Life in Washington, scheduled for next Friday, have asked their far-flung supporters to stay home, due to political tensions in the city and the coronavirus pandemic. They plan instead to livestream the activities of a few invited participants, a sharp contrast to the tens of thousands of people who usually attend. (Crary, 1/23)

Fox News: On The 48th Anniversary Of Roe V. Wade, Questions Remain In Planned Parenthood Controversies 
As the nation marks the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and President Trump’s term has come to an end, questions remain about how the former administration had addressed congressional concerns surrounding Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s (PPFA) fetal-tissue practices and its lack of action that ultimately prompted criticism from conservatives. Roughly a week before Trump left office, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a rule that would purportedly strengthen requirements for informed consent from mothers, as well as prevent fetal-tissue trafficking in federally funded studies -- issues raised after HHS terminated in 2018 its contract with a tissue procurer that worked with PPFA. (Dorman, 1/23)

Nashville Tennessean: Gov. Bill Lee to VP Kamala Harris on 48th anniversary of Roe v Wade: 'Abortion Isn't Healthcare'
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is again entering the controversial abortion debate in the country. On Friday afternoon, Lee fired back at a statement from Vice President Kamala Harris committing the Biden/Harris administration to ensuring access to health care, including reproductive health care, for all Americans. The vice president's statement came on the 48th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing abortion. (Mangrum, 1/22)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Biden To Lift Restrictions On Transgender Military Service Members 
The White House is expected to lift restrictions on transgender service members in the U.S. military as soon as Monday, according to people familiar with the matter, reversing a directive by former President Donald Trump. The move was expected after President Biden on his first day in office signed an executive order aimed at preventing discrimination based on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. He directed all agencies to address any policies in place that discriminated against individuals on either basis. (Youssef and Lubold, 1/24)

USA Today: Biden's COVID-19 Testing Push Calls For More Supplies And Rapid Tests
President Joe Biden seeks to reset the nation’s inconsistent coronavirus testing efforts with a $50 billion plan and more federal oversight. Biden’s plan calls for a newly created Pandemic Testing Board to coordinate a “clear, unified approach” to testing for COVID-19, a marked difference from the Trump administration’s policy of states establishing their own plans with federal support. Laboratories have ramped up production to more than 2 million tests each day, but stubborn problems persist. Some labs struggle to complete timely tests – particularly when demand surges – because of shortages of critical supplies. (Alltucker, 1/24)

Politico: Amazon’s Offering To Help Biden’s Vaccine Push. There May Be A Reason Why. 
Amazon is offering to lend President Joe Biden its operational expertise to shuttle coronavirus vaccines quickly across the country as the government struggles with logistics of the inoculation rollout. But the move could also help the company boost its own ambitions of expanding into the $3.8 trillion health care marketplace. The company made a pitch on Wednesday, just hours after Biden was sworn in, offering few details about how it envisions helping with the struggling vaccine distribution effort. But if it’s accepted, the offer may give Amazon a valuable new trove of health data just as it’s expanding into pharmacy and digital health. That worries critics — including progressives calling on Biden to keep Big Tech firms at arms’ length. (Luthi, 1/23)

Reuters: German Scientists Make Paralyzed Mice Walk Again
German researchers have enabled mice paralyzed after spinal cord injuries to walk again, re-establishing a neural link hitherto considered irreparable in mammals by using a designer protein injected into the brain. ... The paralyzed rodents that received the treatment started walking after two to three weeks, the team’s head Dietmar Fischer told Reuters in an interview. (Nitschke and Szymanska, 1/21)

Medical News Today: Paralyzed Mice Walk Again After Cytokine Treatment
In 2013, neuroscientists in Germany published a study showing that an immune signaling protein — or cytokine — called interleukin-6 (IL-6) could promote the regeneration of optic nerve axons in lab cultures. One hurdle, however, concerned how to deliver the cytokine to inaccessible parts of the central nervous system that are critical for restoring movement. Another difficulty is that natural IL-6 has a relatively weak stimulatory effect on nerve regeneration. Now, members of the same team and colleagues, all based at Ruhr-University Bochum, in Germany, have developed a technique that delivers a “designer” version of IL-6 deep into the central nervous system. (Kingsland, 1/20)

And in pharmaceutical news —

Stat: Colchicine, A Gout Drug, Shows Preliminary Promise For Covid-19 
A press release from a Canadian research group raised hopes that treating people recently diagnosed with Covid-19 with colchicine, a drug commonly used to treat gout, could reduce the risk they will need to be hospitalized. But outside experts said the data provided were too limited to draw conclusions, leading to discussions of the risks of conducting science via press release, instead of in more detailed manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. (Herper, 1/23)

Medical News Today: Diabetes Treatment May Protect Against COVID-19 Mortality
Researchers have found that people with diabetes undergoing treatment with the medication metformin are at significantly less risk of death due to COVID-19 compared with those not taking the medication. The study, which appears in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology, also found that African American study participants were disproportionately more likely to contract the virus than white participants. (Huzar, 1/24)

FiercePharma: Eli Lilly's COVID-19 Antibody Shows It Can Prevent The Disease. But Will Doctors Use It? 
The data show antibodies could be useful as a COVID prevention tool in vulnerable populations as an additional tool to vaccines, SVB Leerink analyst Geoffrey Porges said in a note Thursday. Unfortunately, Lilly would need to clear some hurdles to get its therapy to patients.“[T]his hinges on quick, targeted distribution of antibodies to high-risk individuals by the U.S. government, which is a significant unknown factor,” Porges said, “and infused administration continues to post a challenge to distribution.” (Liu, 1/22)

Also —

Stat: PhRMA Sues To Block Trump Administration 340B Rule 
The trade group for the pharmaceutical industry on Friday sued to block a new process, outlined by the Trump administration, that aimed to help drug makers and health care providers resolve disputes over a federal drug discount program. (Cohrs, 1/22)

Stat: Aurinia's FDA Approval Comes With Label Offering Stronger Patent Protection
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals won approval from the Food and Drug Administration on Friday evening to market a new medicine for patients with lupus nephritis, a serious autoimmune kidney disease. It’s good news for patients, but the nature of the approval also makes it especially good news for Aurinia and investors. (Feuerstein, 1/24)

AP: Insurers Add Food To Coverage Menu As Way To Improve Health
Food has become a bigger focus for health insurers as they look to expand their coverage beyond just the care that happens in a doctor’s office. More plans are paying for temporary meal deliveries and some are teaching people how to cook and eat healthier foods. ... This push is still relatively small and happening mostly with government-funded programs like Medicaid or Medicare Advantage, the privately run versions of the government’s health program for people who are 65 or older or have disabilities. But some employers that offer coverage to their workers also are growing interested. (Murphy, 1/23)

In hospital news —

Modern Healthcare: Rural Hospital Closures Harm Residents' Health
More than 110 rural hospitals have closed from 2013 through 2020, which means that residents had to travel an additional 39 miles for some services, the Government Accountability Office found. Outpatient utilization rates decreased as hospitals closed and the number of physicians fell, dropping from a median of 71.2 per 100,000 residents in 2012 in counties with closures to 59.7 in 2017. Residents' health declined as a result. Medicare beneficiaries had a higher prevalence of the 10 most common chronic conditions when they lived in communities that lost their hospital. Sixty-two percent of those who lived in areas with hospital closures had high blood pressure in 2017 compared to 56.3% who resided in communities without closures, according to the report. (Kacik, 1/22)

AP: North Carolina Field Hospital Helps Fight Coronavirus Surge
Chris Rutledge peels an N-95 mask off her tired face, revealing the silhouette it leaves behind. Her name and a tiny heart are drawn on the face covering in black marker so her patients know who she is. “I look terrible when it comes off,” she jokes as she takes a break during her ninth straight day of 12-hour shifts inside a temporary field hospital in Lenoir, North Carolina. Rutledge, a 60-year-old retired nurse from Lisbon, Iowa, is one of dozens of health care workers who have been treating coronavirus patients inside 11 massive white medical tents set up in the parking lot of Caldwell Memorial Hospital. (Morgan, 1/25)

AP: 2 In 5 Americans Live Where COVID-19 Strains Hospital ICUs
Straining to handle record numbers of COVID-19 patients, hundreds of the nation’s intensive care units are running out of space and supplies and competing to hire temporary traveling nurses at soaring rates. Many of the facilities are clustered in the South and West. An Associated Press analysis of federal hospital data shows that since November, the share of U.S. hospitals nearing the breaking point has doubled. More than 40% of Americans now live in areas running out of ICU space, with only 15% of beds still available. (Johnson and Forster, 1/24)

In news about health care workers —

AP: Shots Fired Into Home Of Ohio Health Official; No Injuries
Shots were fired over the weekend into a home owned by an Ohio health department official, but no one was injured, authorities said. Police in Upper Arlington, a city on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area, said the shots were reported at about 8 p.m. Saturday. Police said no one was hurt and no suspects were present when officers arrived. They said the investigation continues and asked anyone with information to come forward. (1/24)

AP: In Ambulances, An Unseen, Unwelcome Passenger: COVID-19
It’s crowded in the back of the ambulance. Two emergency medical technicians, the patient, the gurney — and an unseen and unwelcome passenger lurking in the air. For EMTs Thomas Hoang and Joshua Hammond, the coronavirus is constantly close. COVID-19 has become their biggest fear during 24-hour shifts in California’s Orange County, riding with them from 911 call to 911 call, from patient to patient. (Dazio, 1/25)

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Pushes Healthcare Providers To Travel Nurses
As the pandemic nears the one-year mark, healthcare providers still struggle to find travel nurses to handle the surge of COVID-19 patients. And those workers come at a price, with the competition for nurses doubling or even tripling normal pay rates, meaning wealthier hospitals can woo a disproportionate number of nurses. Staffing agencies said the demand they’re seeing is unprecedented in their company histories. “The industry has never seen demand like this,” said April Hansen, executive vice president of the staffing firm Aya Healthcare. “This is new territory for everyone.” (Bannow and Christ, 1/23)

KHN: Amid Covid Health Worker Shortage, Foreign-Trained Professionals Sit On Sidelines
As hospitals nationwide struggle with the latest covid-19 surge, it’s not so much beds or ventilators in short supply. It’s the people to care for the sick. Yet a large, highly skilled workforce of foreign-educated doctors, nurses and other health practitioners is going largely untapped due to licensing and credentialing barriers. According to the Migration Policy Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., some 165,000 foreign-trained immigrants in the U.S. hold degrees in health-related fields but are unemployed or underemployed in the midst of the health crisis. (Hawryluk, 1/25)

The Hill: Las Vegas-Area District Moves To Partially Reopen Schools Amid Surge In Student Suicides 
The Clark County School District in Nevada is moving to partially reopen schools in response to a surge of student suicides, The New York Times reports. Eighteen students in the county took their own lives in the final nine months of 2020, the Times reports, leading the Clark County school board to approve returning some elementary school grades and struggling classes back to in-person learning despite the continuing spread of the coronavirus. (Choi, 1/24)

Chicago Sun Times: Chicago Teachers Union Votes To Refuse In-Person Work, Defy Chicago Public Schools’ Reopening Plan
Chicago Teachers Union members have voted to defy Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plans and continue working from home Monday because of health and safety concerns. City officials had said in recent days they would view the collective refusal of in-person work as a strike, but in response to Sunday’s vote results said they will delay the scheduled return of thousands of teachers and staff until Wednesday “to ensure we have the time needed to resolve our discussions without risking disruption to student learning.” (Issa, 1/24)

AP: With COVID-19 Variant Positives, Michigan Pauses Athletics
The entire University of Michigan athletic department is pausing after several positive tests for the new COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate. The state Department of Health and Human Services said Sunday it issued recommendations for the school, although not an order. The school said Saturday night its move followed the positive COVID-19 tests for several individuals linked to the athletic department. The entire department could be in quarantine for two weeks. (1/25)

In other pediatric news —

1/22: Reports Detail Pediatric Eye Injuries Related To Hand Sanitizer
As the pandemic has made hand sanitizer ubiquitous, perhaps it was inevitable that clinicians would report sanitizer-related eye injuries in children. Two brief studies published yesterday in JAMA Ophthalmology look into this topic, with the first finding a sevenfold year-to-year increase in sanitizer/eye exposure in French children from April to August, and the second looking at two cases of toxic keratopathy (cornea injury). (1/22)

The New York Times: 5 Ways Teens Can Get More Fruits And Vegetables Into Their Diets 
If you’ve been watching your teenager devour processed foods like potato chips, chicken nuggets or sugary cereals and drinks, you are not alone. Comfort food has been especially alluring during the pandemic, for parents and kids alike. But according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this has been a problem for teens long before the pandemic: Most teenagers in the United States have not been eating enough fruits and vegetables. (Caron, 1/22)

The Hill: Miami Heat To Use Coronavirus-Sniffing Dogs As Team Plans To Bring More Fans Back 
The Miami Heat will host some fans in person during upcoming games using coronavirus-sniffing dogs amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA team announced last week that it will use the specially trained dogs at AmericanAirlines Arena in in Miami. The animals have been trained to sit next to an attendee if they detect the presence of the COVID-19 virus. (Pitofsky, 1/24)

CNN: The Face Mask That Could End The Covid-19 Pandemic
Getting Americans masked up is a top priority for the Biden administration. Biden, who calls wearing masks "a patriotic act," signed an executive order Wednesday -- his very first as President -- to ask Americans to wear masks of their choice for the first 100 days of the new administration. The executive order also requires mask use on all federal property, though in this case, not just any old mask will do. (Enriquez, 1/23)

The New York Times: Do Curfews Slow The Coronavirus? 
The scientific evidence on curfews is far from ideal. There has not been a pandemic like this one in a century. While curfews make intuitive sense, it’s very hard to discern their precise effects on viral transmission, let alone transmission of this coronavirus. (Kolata, 1/23)

In other public health news —

Modern Healthcare: Avocado A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
Forget the apple, how about an avocado a day to keep the doctor away? New research in the Journal of Nutrition—albeit funded by the Hass Avocado Board—suggests eating the fruit daily—yes, it is a fruit—can greatly improve gut health. “We know eating avocados helps you feel full and reduces blood cholesterol concentration, but we did not know how it influences the gut microbes and the metabolites the microbes produce,” Sharon Thompson, graduate student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois and lead author on the paper, said in a news release. (1/23)

CIDRAP: US Hospital Cases Drop As States Grapple With COVID Vaccine Distribution
Experts with University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, who have produced several key models throughout the pandemic, said they believe most states are seeing their peak activity now, and cases will decline steadily through the spring due to both seasonality and vaccination. But the researchers said they have not factored in variants, including B117, into models. Early data, however, show that current vaccines are effective against the variants. (Soucheray, 1/22)

Houston Chronicle: Researchers: Houston's Dirty Toilets Detect Decline In Coronavirus
Researchers who study sewage to monitor the pandemic are detecting less virus in Houston than they have in months, a positive signal that could indicate a forthcoming drop in new COVID-19 cases, doctors said. The amount of viral load has declined at 28 out of 38 wastewater treatment plants across the city for the first time in five months, said Dr. Paul Klotman, president and CEO of Baylor College of Medicine. He announced the good news during a Friday video update. "It's actually a big drop," Klotman said. "What that means is, in 7 to 10 days, I think we’re going to see a pretty dramatic drop in the number of new cases." (Bauman, 1/23)

AP: Increase In COVID-19 Deaths Slows Somewhat In Texas
There has been a decrease in the number of reported new deaths in Texas due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, according to the state health department. There were 208 additional deaths reported Sunday after 407 new deaths were reported Saturday following three consecutive days of more than 1,200 new deaths, according the department. The death toll stands at 34,322. (1/24)

AP: Virus Hospitalizations Down To Lowest Total Since Aug. 20
Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus have fallen to its lowest total since Aug. 20, with Sunday’s update by the North Dakota Department of Health showing 49 people who are being treated in medical facilities. That’s down one from Saturday’s report. The state’s hospital tracker shows 38 staffed intensive care unit beds and 421 staffed inpatient beds available throughout North Dakota. (1/24)

AP: Wisconsin Shows Lowest Daily COVID-19 Total Since September
Wisconsin health officials on Sunday confirmed 1,119 positive tests for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the lowest daily total since September. The trend of lower cases and hospitalizations continues to play out in daily reports. The state Department of Health Services lists the weekly average at 1,596 cases, which is similar to numbers in mid-September. The state was averaging about 6,500 cases a day in mid-November. (1/24)

In coronavirus news from California and Georgia  —

Politico: Newsom To Lift Stay-At-Home Orders Across California
Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to lift stay-at-home orders statewide Monday, allowing restaurants to reopen for outdoor dining and salons to resume appointments indoors, according to two sources close to the governor and a restaurant industry email. The change will enable those sectors to reopen in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley and Southern California for the first time since early December. Restaurateurs have been particularly vocal about their frustration with the regional dining ban after purchasing heat lamps and other equipment to get through the winter months. (Marinucci and Yamamura, 1/25)

The Washington Post: After Patrick Key's Death, Cobb County School Board Members Refuse To Wear Masks In Honor Of Teacher 
For 13 seconds, eyes were fixed on the maskless members of the Board of Education in Cobb County, Ga. School district employee Jennifer Susko pleaded with those on the board who were not wearing masks to put them on in honor of Hendricks Elementary School kindergarten art teacher Patrick Key, 53, who died Christmas Day after he was hospitalized for about six weeks with covid-19. ... For the next 13 seconds, some members looked down, a few shifted in their seats. All were quiet. Most were already wearing masks, but at least two men, including Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who were not wearing face coverings remained maskless. (Kornfield, 1/24)

In other news from North Carolina and Alaska —

North Carolina Health News: Fatal Crashes Rise In N.C. During Pandemic 
The number of people dying on North Carolina’s roads increased last year, despite far fewer people driving because of the coronavirus pandemic. At times, the number of people on the state’s roads declined by as much as 40 percent, said Mark Ezzell, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. The largest decline was primarily due to Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order, which began March 30 and lasted until May 22. (Barnes, 1/25)

Anchorage Daily News: Noticeably Fewer Alaskans Were Screened For Cancer In 2020 Than In Previous Years, Their Doctors Say
Fewer Alaskans showed up for their routine cancer screening in 2020 than in previous years, their doctors say. It’s a trend that could be deadly if it persists, though it’s too early to measure the impact. Most of the medical providers the Daily News spoke with for this story said the drop in screenings was likely linked to coronavirus-related anxiety that has lasted through the pandemic, as well as a temporary ban on elective medical procedures that the state enacted in March to preserve personal protective equipment and help keep COVID-19 cases down. That ban was lifted in April, but virus case surges in the summer and fall/winter have kept anxiety over COVID-19 exposure high. (Berman, 1/24)

Bloomberg: Mexico’s President, Who Downplayed Virus, Has Covid-19
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he tested positive for Covid-19, after a weekend trip that took him to two states amid a record climb in the nation’s cases and deaths in the past week. The 67-year-old president announced his diagnosis in a tweet late Sunday, saying his symptoms were mild and that he’s receiving treatment. He’s also expected to stay on top of the country’s affairs, and will take a scheduled call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday. The peso was little changed against the dollar in Asia trading. “As always, I am optimistic,” he said. “We will all move forward.” (De Haldevang, 1/25)

FiercePharma: Sorry, Europe: AstraZeneca Follows Pfizer/BioNTech In Cutting Back EU Vaccine Delivery Plans
As AstraZeneca nears European authorization for its highly anticipated COVID-19 vaccine, the drugmaker has notified officials that initial shipments will come in lighter than originally expected. Two German-language publications, Bild and oe24, report that AZ notified EU officials this week that its first-quarter deliveries will come in lower than originally expected. An AstraZeneca spokesperson attributed the dip to "reduced yields at a manufacturing site within our European supply chain." (Sagonowsky, 1/22)

Reuters: Japan Likely To Hit COVID-19 Herd Immunity In October, Months After Olympics: Researcher
Japan is likely to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19 through mass inoculations only months after the planned Tokyo Olympics, even though it has locked in the biggest quantity of vaccines in Asia, according to a London-based forecaster. That would be a blow to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga who has pledged to have enough shots for the populace by the middle of 2021, as it trails most major economies in starting COVID-19 inoculations. (Swift, 1/25)

AP: China Tackles Pandemic With Mass Construction Once Again
A sprawling quarantine center is more than 4,000 rooms is being thrown up in northern China in response to a COVID-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang, a city of more than 10 million people in Hebei province. Satellite images from the European Space Agency show dramatic changes over 10 days in an area where there had been only flat land before construction started on Jan. 13. (1/25)

The Washington Post: Canada Coronavirus: Montreal, Toronto Vaccinate Homeless 
Amid worrying new outbreaks of covid-19 and pressure from advocates, Montreal this month began vaccinating some of the city's homeless, members of a group that is chronically neglected around the world and acutely vulnerable to the coronavirus. Nearly 400 homeless people and 206 staff members who work with them have been vaccinated since the program got underway Jan. 15, Mylène Drouin, Montreal's public health director, told reporters Friday. More doses will be rolled out to the city's shelters in the coming days. (Coletta, 1/24)

In other global news —

AP: Argentina's Abortion Law Enters Force Under Watchful Eyes
Argentina’s groundbreaking abortion law went into force Sunday under the watchful eyes of women’s groups and government officials, who hope to ensure its full implementation despite opposition from some conservative and church groups. Argentina became the largest nation in Latin America to legalize elective abortion after its Senate on Dec. 30 passed a law guaranteeing the procedure up to the 14th week of pregnancy and beyond that in cases of rape or when a woman’s health is at risk. (Calatrava, 1/24)

Stat: Millions Of Americans Still Need Help Getting Health Insurance
In 2020, the United States entered its most severe public health crisis in a century with 13% of Americans under the age of 65 — more than 35 million people — without health insurance. Despite widespread concerns, though, the surging Covid-19 pandemic has not led to major increases in the number of people without health insurance. This is mainly because the massive job losses that began in March were concentrated in sectors in which people are less likely to get insurance through their jobs and many employers who furloughed workers continued to pay their employees’ health insurance premiums. And of the estimated 3 million people who did lose their health insurance in 2020, many were likely to get covered on another family member’s health plan or through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces and Medicaid expansions. While this is better news than expected, it is not time for complacency. (Sara R. Collins, 1/25)

Stat: Choosing The Right FDA Commissioner Is An Essential Task
An independent, credible, science-led Food and Drug Administration has long been vital to America’s public, social, and economic health. It is even more essential today. As our country seeks to work its way out of a catastrophic pandemic and turn the page on one of the worst presidential administrations in its history — including one that bullied and traumatized FDA leaders and officials — President Joe Biden and his administration must choose the FDA’s next leader with care and caution. The FDA needs a leader who will decisively move on from the political weakness too often shown by Commissioner Stephen Hahn. The FDA needs a leader experienced in the public health sphere and with management experience at the very top of it. The FDA also needs new blood in its leadership. (Daniel Carpenter and Gregg Gonsalves, 1/24)

The Washington Post: New Biden Plan Provides Critical Support For Food Assistance
Stories of deep, pervasive hunger have been among the more disturbing undercurrents of the past year. Food lines stretch for miles. About 29 million U.S. adults — nearly 14 percent of the adult population — said last month that their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the previous seven days, according to the Census Bureau’s most recent Household Pulse Survey. The shares are even higher among Blacks, Latinos and households with children. (Catherine Rampell, 1/23)

The Hill: Joe Biden Faces Difficult Health Care Issue
As President Biden had declared in his inaugural address, “Few people in our history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we are in now.” Many of these issues he spoke of came from or are exacerbated by the coronavirus. One area of the health care crisis, the declining state of mental and physical health, is a notable problem the new administration must deal with now. The mental health of Americans overall has deteriorated as a result of the pandemic, and there have been more reports of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. (Douglas Schoen and Jessie Howkins, 1/24)

The Hill: Drastic Measures For Drastic Times — Caregiver Need Mobile Health Apps 
In a cancer diagnosis, family members have delicate and difficult moments when specialists cannot reach consensus on the results of a beloved family member. Distress, grief and concern are complicated by the necessities of caregiving. Family caregivers can lose as many as 10 years of their lives and about $660,000 over a lifetime. (Fereshteh Ghahramani, 1/24)

Stat: Asymptomatic Infection Blunder Let Covid-19 Spin Out Of Control 
Jan. 24 marks the one-year anniversary of a momentous but largely unnoticed event in the history of the Covid-19 pandemic: the first published report of an individual infected with the novel coronavirus who never developed symptoms. (Daniel P. Oran and Eric J. Topol, 1/23)

The Wall Street Journal: State Lessons In Vaccine Rollouts
President Biden is vowing to meet a goal of 100 million Covid-19 vaccines in 100 days, and if anything that is too modest given the pace of production. One way to do better is to heed lessons in flexibility from the states with the most successful vaccine rollouts. Some six weeks after the first shipments, the U.S. has administered some 53% of distributed vaccines. The gap continues to grow between states that are getting shots into arms, and those arguing over who gets what and when. North Dakota had administered some 84% of its supply as of Jan. 23, and West Virginia about 83%—far better than states like California (45%) or Alabama (47%). Federalism is showing what works—and what doesn’t. (1/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Send Out The Search Party For New Covid Strains 
Many are expecting vaccinations, rising levels of immunity and warmer weather to help control the Covid-19 pandemic and make spring and summer more bearable. But new viral variants threaten these prospects. The U.S. is struggling to estimate how prevalent these strains are and how fast they’re spreading. The infrastructure for dealing with a pandemic is still incomplete a year into the crisis. At issue are mutated strains: one identified in the U.K., another first spotted in South Africa, and a third strain in Brazil that is similar to the South African one. The mutations speckling these new strains appear to make the virus spread more easily. New waves have swamped places where these variants have become prevalent across Europe, Africa and Latin America. (Scott Gottlieb and Caitlin Rivers, 1/24)

CNN: A Year Into The Pandemic, Health Care Workers Have A New Source Of Hope 
Last week, a Covid-19 patient of mine told me he is finally going home after four months in the hospital. His tracheostomy tube has been taken out and he's breathing on his own. He's finally able to walk again, with some help. It's a new beginning for him and as he wished me a happy New Year, I felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. (Susannah Hills, 1/23)

The New York Times: Has China Done Too Well Against Covid-19?
Some will doubt the reliability of China’s official statistics, especially given the authorities’ initial efforts to suppress essential facts about the virus’s appearance in Wuhan last year. But even if these figures are somewhat exaggerated or somehow skewed, and even considering the worrisome spate of new outbreaks in China recently, there is ample reason to believe that China really has done much better at containing the spread of the virus than other major economies. For example, papers published in Nature Medicine and JAMA Network Open, based on widespread antibody tests between March and May, confirmed low levels of infections in Wuhan and other Chinese cities at the time. (Yanzhong Huang, 1/24)

The New York Times: How Covid-19 Threatens Native Languages
CANNONBALL, N.D. — Over four centuries, nine out of 10 Native Americans perished from war or disease. Now our people are dying from Covid-19 at extraordinarily high rates across the country. North and South Dakota, home to the Lakota reservations, lead the United States for coronavirus rates per capita. We are losing more than friends and family members; we are losing the language spoken by our elders, the lifeblood of our people and the very essence of who we are. (Jodi Archambault, 1/24)

Los Angeles Times: My Dad Died During COVID. A Zoom Grief Group Helped Me Heal
It started like any pandemic-era Zoom meeting. I awkwardly angled my screen toward my bedroom wall to hide the clothes littering my floor. I changed into one of my button-up Zoom shirts. I joined others on screen. A gray cat slinked across someone’s keyboard. One participant struggled to turn on her video. Then, suddenly, it felt very different. The moderator asked everyone to say the name of their loved one who had died. “My mom, Dana.” “My dad, Hal.” “My friend, Laura.” “My husband, Robert.” (Rose Carmen Goldberg, 1/24)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Biden, State Must Immediately Get To The Bottom Of The Vaccine Distribution Holdups
The development of two coronavirus vaccines in less than a year qualifies as a true medical miracle, and the Trump administration deserves much of the credit. But that administration also shoulders much of the blame for the disastrous rollout of those vaccines. Some 3.2 million Missourians are currently eligible for the shots, for example, but the state has received fewer than half a million doses. And federal statistics compiled by Fortune show that Missouri’s vaccination rate ranks eighth-worst in the country. In St. Louis County, more than 172,000 people have registered to receive the vaccine, but fewer than 1,000 had actually gotten it as of Monday. The story is repeated around the country. (1/23)

Louisville Courier-Journal: Why COVID Vaccinations Must Be Prioritized For Black And Brown People
Dec. 21 is the day I received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and with it, a mixed bag of emotions. From talking to patients, my family and my friends, we know COVID has affected Black and brown communities harder than others. This vaccine has been the first ray of hope in a 10-month ordeal that has brought the world to a halt. We need this vaccine to protect us, to prevent the infection from being more serious. According to the PEW Research Center only 42% of Black people say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine once it is available, compared to 61% of whites. The amount of confidence in scientific research is similarly divided, as Black (33%) or Hispanic (30%) Americans are much less likely to say they have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists than white Americans (43%). (Lewis Hargett, Monalisa Tailor and Mark Burns, 1/24)

Detroit News: COVID-19 Vaccine Is A Game-Changer That Can Stop The Pandemic
As COVID-19 case counts continue to rise across the United States, getting everyone possible vaccinated as soon as enough doses are available is vital to stopping this pandemic, reviving our national economy and getting children and college students back to in-person school. The alternative is what we have now: high caseloads that are overwhelming our hospitals and health care workers, and millions of students able to attend classes only online. Our economy will continue to falter and layoffs will increase as the coronavirus makes it unsafe to shop and dine as we normally do. Family gatherings and large meetings will remain off limits or, if held, become potential superspreader events. (Samuel L. Stanley Jr., Mark S. Schlissel and M. Roy Wilson, 1/24)