CNN: Ban On Menthol Cigarettes And Flavored Cigars Could Save Hundreds Of Thousands Of Lives, Experts Say 
The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce a proposed rule this week to ban menthol from cigarettes, as well as to ban flavored cigars. It's a step that public health officials say is essential to protect public health. "I'm really excited about the possibility. At our foundation, we've cared about issues of smoking and preventable deaths for so long," said Dr. Richard Besser, a former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who now serves as the president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a public health advocacy organization. (Christensen, 4/27)

The Hill: Biden’s Planned Ban On Menthol Cigarettes Divides Black Americans
The Biden administration’s move to ban menthol cigarettes has the Black community split, with the ban’s supporters arguing it promotes a healthier lifestyle and its critics arguing it unfairly targets Black Americans and could lead to injustices and policing issues.  ... While its proponents say the ban will save lives, opponents warn of its potential impact on Black smokers who overwhelmingly prefer menthol cigarettes and include law enforcement members who warn it could put undue pressure on police grappling with higher crime rates. (Gangitano and Manchester, 4/28)

Yahoo News: Ben Crump Warns Of Racial Bias In Proposed Menthol Cigarette Ban
The Biden administration has indicated that it is planning on banning menthol-flavored cigarettes as part of a larger effort to prohibit flavored tobacco products. While these measures are intended to protect children, who are often enticed to become smokers through the availability of products like flavored e-cigarettes, the inclusion of menthol cigarettes is also expected to have a racialized impact, as 85 percent of Black smokers favor these over non-menthol cigarettes. Despite the potential for positive health benefits for Black people, some scholars and activists have warned that this proposed ban could have negative unintended consequences for the Black community. As we get closer to the ban being put in place, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has joined the voices warning against the ban, and the famed lawyer sat down with Blavity News to explain his opposition to the new regulation. (Rhodes, 4/25)

And the FDA takes action against lead in fruit juice —

Fox News: FDA Moves To Limit Lead Content In Juices
In an effort to reduce children’s exposure to lead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued draft action levels for lead in ready to drink (single-strength) apple juice and other ready-to-drink juices and juice blends. "Exposure of our most vulnerable populations, especially children, to elevated levels of toxic elements from foods is unacceptable," FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. said in a news release provided by the health agency. Califf also stated, "This action to limit lead in juice represents an important step forward in advancing FDA’s Closer to Zero action plan, which we are confident will have a lasting public health impact on current and future generations." (McGorry, 4/27)

In updates on Title 42 —

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Blocked By Judge From Winding Down Title 42 Border Policy
A federal judge in Louisiana has issued a temporary restraining order against the Biden administration forbidding it from moving ahead with its plan to end Title 42, the pandemic-era border policy. Judge Robert R. Summerhays, of the Western District of Louisiana, issued a temporary restraining order against the Biden administration on Wednesday after signaling his intention to do so two days earlier. (Hackman, 4/27)

AP: Federal Judge Halts Preparations For End Of US Asylum Limit 
A federal judge ordered a two-week halt Wednesday on the phasing out of pandemic-related restrictions on seeking asylum — and raised doubts about the Biden administration’s plan to fully lift those restrictions on May 23. For now, the decision is only a temporary setback for the administration. But the judge staked out a position that is highly sympathetic with Louisiana, Arizona and 19 other states that sued to preserve so-called Title 42 authority, which denies migrants a chance at asylum on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. (McGill, 4/28)

In other news about governmental health policy —

KHN: Sen. Orrin Hatch’s Legacy Tracks The GOP’s Evolution On Health 
When it comes to health policy, former Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who died April 23 at age 88, leaves a complex legacy of major legislative achievements, changing positions, compromises, and fierce opposition. In many ways, though, Hatch’s evolution and leadership on health policy during his four decades in the U.S. Senate mirror that of the Republican Party. When he came to Washington as a neophyte politician after an upset victory in 1976, Hatch was a conservative firebrand, one of the early leaders of the “New Right” bent on dismantling the federal welfare state and banning abortion. A former trial lawyer, the new senator had never before held public office. (Rovner, 4/28)

AP: Fauci: US In 'A Different Moment' But Pandemic Not Over
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the coronavirus is under better control in the United States. but the pandemic isn’t over — and the challenge is how to keep improving the situation. “We are in a different moment of the pandemic,” said Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, in an interview with The Associated Press. After a brutal winter surge, “we’ve now decelerated and transitioned into more of a controlled phase,” he said. “By no means does that mean the pandemic is over.” His comments came a day after he said on the PBS “NewsHour” that the U.S. was “out of the pandemic phase” and also told The Washington Post that the country was finally “out of the full-blown explosive pandemic phase.” (Neergaard, 4/27)

CNN: The US Is In 'Transition Phase' Of Pandemic, Fauci Says 
On Wednesday, Fauci told CNN that his comments had been mischaracterized by some to mean that the pandemic is over, "which is not what I said." "We're not over the pandemic. Don't let anybody get the misinterpretation that the pandemic is over, but what we are in is a different phase of the pandemic," he said. "A phase that's a transition phase, hopefully headed toward more of a control where you can actually get back to some form of normality without total disruption of society, economically, socially, school-wise, etc." (Thomas and Goodman, 4/27)

CBS News: Fauci Won't Attend White House Correspondents' Dinner, Says Pandemic "Is Not Over"
Fauci stressed that the U.S. is still dealing with a pandemic, even as the country has entered a new phase over the past several months. The difference is that it's not as "acute" and "accelerated" as earlier in the pandemic, which saw more than thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of new cases each day. Fauci described where the U.S. is now as a "decelerated" and much more "controlled" phase. He pointed to the number of therapeutics and vaccines that are available, including Paxlovid, which he believes will make a huge difference as it becomes more readily accessible. Improved treatments and vaccines are why the U.S. is in much better shape than other parts of the world still dealing with more serious COVID-19 situations, like China and Hong Kong, he noted. (Jiang, 4/27)

Fauci also spoke to NPR about why masks are such a flashpoint —

NPR: Why Are Masks Such A Big Deal For So Many? Psychologists Have Thoughts
To mask or not to mask continues to be a divisive question. We get into the psychology of why. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gretchen Chapman, and Steven Taylor join us for the conversation. (4/27)

CNN: Biden Will Take Additional Precautions At White House Correspondents Dinner As Covid Anxiety Rises 
President Joe Biden will take extra precautions to avoid catching Covid-19 at this weekend's White House Correspondents Dinner as anxiety about a potential superspreader event rises ahead of the widely attended gala. Biden will skip the meal portion of the event, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday, and will opt to wear a mask when he's not speaking. In recent weeks, the President has mostly been unmasked at crowded White House events, but those events had lower attendance than the dinner on Saturday, which is expected to have more than 2,000 people. (Malloy and Vazquez, 4/27)

The Washington Post: A Fight Over Coronavirus Safety At Journalists’ Gala Event 
More than 2,000 journalists, celebrities and politicians, including President Biden, are set to descend on the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this weekend in what is shaping up to be a major test of whether large gatherings can be safely held at this stage of the pandemic. (Diamond and Farhi, 4/27)

The New York Times: Before White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Lots Of Risk-Benefit Calculation 
Vice President Kamala Harris’s coronavirus infection is raising questions that some in the nation’s capital wish would remain unspoken: Is it safe for President Biden to attend the so-called nerd prom, otherwise known as the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? Should the dinner even be held? (Stolberg, 4/27)

Stat: Covid’s Circling The White House. What Are The Risks To Someone Like Biden?
For weeks, the coronavirus has been closing in on the Oval Office. In late March, White House press secretary Jen Psaki tested positive for the virus, her second breakthrough infection. A few weeks later, an outbreak at the annual Gridiron Club dinner seeded infections among House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and three members of President Biden’s cabinet. And on Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive at the White House and had to cancel a meeting with Biden. Yet on Saturday, Biden is planning to step into a tuxedo and into a cavernous underground ballroom for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the first time a sitting president has attended since 2016. (Molteni, 4/27)

NBC News: Fauci Backs Out Of White House Correspondents' Dinner Over Covid Risk
Dr. Anthony Fauci has decided not to attend the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday amid concerns about Covid, a senior administration official confirmed to NBC News. Fauci, 81, President Joe Biden's top Covid adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The New York Times on Tuesday that he decided not to go to the dinner "because of my individual assessment of my personal risk." His decision was first reported by CNN. (Welker and Shabad, 4/27)

In related news, Biden might host his first state dinner —

NBC News: White House Eyes More Public Events Under New Covid Calculus
President Joe Biden is gearing up for a summer of socializing as the White House looks to restore traditional events put on hold by the pandemic — including more working meals with elected officials and the possibility of hosting his first state dinner, several Biden administration officials said. The discussions are preliminary, and no decisions have been made, the officials said. An official said July has been discussed as the likely timing for the first state dinner should Biden decide to move forward with one. (Lederman and Lee, 4/27)

Houston Chronicle: Houston ER Doctors Say They Were Urged To Work Through Illness And Avoid COVID Testing In New Lawsuit
Several Houston emergency room doctors say representatives for their employer compelled them to work through illnesses and discouraged them from testing for COVID-19 during the most recent surge, according to a lawsuit filed last month in Harris County. American Physician Partners, a Tennessee-based hospital management company, independently staffs and manages emergency room doctors at 15 Houston Methodist facilities through a contract with the hospital system. The petition in the 113th District Court centers on a financial dispute between APP and eight doctors, who allege the organization violated its contract, in part, by underpaying them to save money. (Gill, 4/27)

Covid cases are surging across the U.S. —

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Reports An Increase In COVID-19 Cases And Rising Hospitalizations
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on Wednesday reported 1,479 cases of COVID-19 in Alaska over a seven-day period. That averages around 211 cases per day. This data does not include at-home tests, which do not get reported to the state and have grown in popularity this year. By Wednesday, there were 32 COVID-positive patients hospitalized statewide, 12 more than last week. Less than 3% of Alaska’s hospital patients were COVID-positive, including one person on a ventilator. (4/27)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Cases Climb In California. Will Hospitalizations Follow?
Coronavirus cases are continuing to climb in California, but it remains unclear whether hospitalizations will also begin to tick upward, as is already happening nationally. California is now reporting an average of about 5,000 new coronavirus infections a day, up nearly 85% from last month. Statewide, the coronavirus case rate has risen to 95 cases a week for every 100,000 residents. A rate of 100 or more is considered a high rate of transmission — the worst of four categories defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Lin II and Money, 4/27)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID-19 Case Rate Ticks Up In Las Vegas Area, As Hospitalizations Decline
New COVID-19 metrics released Wednesday showed Clark County’s case rate increasing, but hospitalizations continued to drop throughout the state and county. The county’s 14-day moving average of daily new cases stood at 145 on Wednesday, a notable increase from last week’s mark of 98. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also showed an increase in an important tracking metric, the case rate per 100,000 people. That number increased to 44.38, about seven higher than this time last week. (Dylan, 4/27)

Des Moines Register: COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Up In Iowa In Weekly Update
New reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations both went up in Wednesday's data update from the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There were 84 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa on Wednesday, up from 63 last week and the most since mid-March, according the health and human services department. Of those, six patients required intensive care for COVID-19 complications. That's up from just two last week, but remains about as low as that number has been since the start of the pandemic. (Webber, 4/27)

The Washington Post: Princess Cruise Ship Under CDC Investigation For Coronavirus Outbreaks 
A Princess Cruises ship that reported two recent coronavirus outbreaks had passengers test positive again while it docked in San Francisco last week. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, the public health agency is investigating the Ruby Princess and placed the ship under observation. (Diller, 4/27)

In other pandemic news —

AP: Hawaii Shifts From Treating COVID Pandemic Like An Emergency
Hawaii’s top public health officials said Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic is still active but is moving into a new phase of the disease, in which people can test themselves at home and ideally avoid serious illness thanks to vaccination and the use of therapeutic treatments. Gov. David Ige described the change as a transition from “emergency response” to “public health management.” He said at a news conference that state officials would be handling COVID-19 more similarly to how it copes with other diseases. (McAvoy, 4/28)

Politico: ‘It's Insanity’: Providers End Covid Care For Uninsured In The Wake Of Congressional Inaction 
Community Health Development, a Texas clinic, announced it is cutting back Covid-19 care for uninsured patients after federal pandemic funding for testing, treatment and vaccines ran out in recent weeks. The health center in Uvalde, about 60 miles from the Mexican border, serves a population that is majority Hispanic and uninsured. It now offers free Covid-19 vaccines one day a week instead of six. It has restricted testing and may have to eliminate services, increase patient fees or even lay off staff if Congress doesn’t soon approve additional Covid money. (Messerly and Mahr, 4/27)

AP: Once Dead, Twice Billed: GAO Questions COVID Funeral Awards 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency may have been double-billed for the funerals of hundreds of people who died of COVID-19, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report Wednesday. The GAO identified 374 people who died and were listed on more than one application that received an award from the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance fund. That amounts to about $4.8 million in assistance that could have been improper or potentially fraudulent payments, the report said. (McDermott, 4/28)

NBC News: Moderna Asks FDA To Authorize Covid Vaccine For Children Under 6
Moderna asked the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to expand the use of its Covid-19 vaccine to children ages 6 months to 5 years. The drugmaker's request will now be considered by the FDA, which is expected to make a final decision in June. The agency is expected to seek the advice of its advisory committee, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. Children under 5 are the only group in the U.S. ineligible to receive a Covid vaccine; the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to anyone as young as 5, while Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's shots are only available to adults. (Lovelace Jr., 4/28)

AP: Moderna Seeks To Be 1st With COVID Shots For Littlest Kids
Frustrated families are waiting impatiently for a chance to protect the nation’s littlest kids as all around them people shed masks and other public health precautions -- even though highly contagious coronavirus mutants continue to spread. Moderna submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration that it hopes will prove two low-dose shots can protect babies, toddlers and preschoolers -- albeit not as effectively during the omicron surge as earlier in the pandemic. (Neergaard, 4/28)

Politico: Moderna Asks FDA To Authorize Covid-19 Vaccine For Young Kids - POLITICO
Moderna still needs to complete its emergency use authorization filing by sending final datasets to the agency, which the company said will not happen until next week. The FDA has also committed to holding a meeting of its outside advisory committee before authorizing any vaccines for young children, meaning that while the agency can now begin to consider Moderna’s shot for distribution to the public, a decision could still be weeks away. Under questioning Tuesday from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), top FDA vaccine regulator Peter Marks told lawmakers that the agency planned to publish a tentative timeline next week showing when it planned to hold outside advisory committee meetings on the vaccines for young children — a move that could offer more precise insight into when the agency plans to authorize the shots. (Cancryn, Owermohle, Lim and Foley, 4/28)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

CIDRAP: Third Dose Of MRNA Vaccines Highly Protective Against Omicron Deaths
A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases shows a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines were 89.6% to 78.8% protective against deaths during the Omicron surge compared to no vaccination. The study adds to a growing body of literature which suggests booster does can raise antibody levels to fight circulating strains, despite being formulated to fight the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. (4/27)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma's Tribal Health Clinics Still At Forefront Of COVID Response
Tribal health clinics emerged last year as top providers of the COVID-19 vaccine in Oklahoma, especially in rural parts of the state. Now as the latest surge of coronavirus wanes, tribal leaders and health experts are reflecting on the public health crisis response and learning from it. “We have the knowledge and we have the understanding — when there is a virus in the air, that we need to take it seriously,” said Cheyenne and Arapaho Gov. Reggie Wassana. (Young, 4/27)

And in updates on vaccine and mask mandates —

The Boston Globe: Boston Had Right To Impose Vaccine Mandate For City Workers, State Labor Department Finds
The decision marks a partial victory for the city, but does not carry immediate practical impact: Mayor Michelle Wu’s vaccine mandate for city workers remains on hold pending separate legal proceedings. “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with new variants and rising cases, coupled with the City’s interest in protecting the wellbeing of its employees and the public with whom they interact, and ensuring that there is sufficient staff to provide vital public safety services, exempts the City from having to negotiate with the Union over the decision to require vaccinations,” Gail Sorokoff, an investigator with the labor department, wrote Tuesday. “The City has established that exigent circumstances permitted it to implement the revised policy in January, 2022, even though the parties had not completed impact negotiations.” (Platoff, 4/27)

Politico: California Lawmakers Retreat From Vaccine Fight 
For weeks in 2019, the shouting of anti-vaccine activists echoed through the halls of the California Capitol. Protesters pounded on the chamber doors, disrupting floor debates, as lawmakers weighed the latest bill to tighten school vaccine rules. On the final night of the session, a protester tossed a menstrual cup from the Senate gallery onto the chamber floor below, splattering lawmakers with blood. “That’s for the dead babies!” she shouted. (Colliver, 4/27)

The Washington Post: Flight Attendants Relieved To See Mask Mandate Drop
Sharmy Aldama has spent the majority of her career enforcing mask rules on airplanes. The Miami-based flight attendant, who works for a budget carrier and spoke on the condition that her employer not be named so she could comment freely, started the job in late 2018. After the pandemic began, getting passengers to follow masking rules became an everyday struggle. But since a federal judge struck down the mask mandate for planes and other transportation settings last week, she has noticed a lighter mood among passengers and crew and has felt a personal sense of relief. “Being able to just show up [to work] and give people what they need and not have to be on guard all the time has been so refreshing,” she said. (Diller, 4/27)

AP: New York Teacher Charged With Submitting Fake Vaccine Card
A high school teacher in suburban New York was charged Wednesday with submitting a forged COVID-19 vaccination card in an effort to get around the school district’s rule mandating either vaccination or weekly testing for the coronavirus. Tricia Manno, a teacher at Sewanhaka High School on Long Island, was arraigned on charges including criminal possession of a forged instrument and offering a false instrument for filing, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced. (4/27)

The Washington Post: Another Rare Virus Puzzle: They Got Sick, Got Treated, Got Covid Again 
Shortly after he served on a jury in March, Gregg Crumley developed a sore throat and congestion. The retired molecular biologist took a rapid test on a Saturday and saw a dark, thick line materialize — “wildly positive” for the coronavirus. Crumley, 71, contacted his doctor two days later. By the afternoon, friends had dropped off a course of Paxlovid, a five-day regimen of antiviral pills that aims to keep people from becoming seriously ill. (Johnson, 4/27)

CNN: Covid-19 Cases That Return After Paxlovid Antiviral Treatment Puzzle Doctors
The pink line on Erin Blakeney's first positive Covid-19 test was so light that she almost didn't believe it. But there was no denying the fever and sore throat that developed overnight, just a few days after she and her husband attended a large memorial service in late March. The couple wore KN95 masks, but many others in attendance had not, even as the service stretched past 90 minutes. Blakeney, a 43-year-old researcher at the University of Washington's School of Nursing, is a breast cancer survivor. The Seattle resident says she doesn't meet any strict definition of being immunocompromised, which can raise someone's Covid-19 risk. Both Blakeney and her husband are fully vaccinated and boosted. But she didn't want to take chances, because she's taking medications to prevent a cancer recurrence and she lost a family member to Covid-19 in November 2020. (Goodman, 4/27)

NBC News: Covid Symptoms May Return After Taking Paxlovid Antiviral Pills, In Rare Cases
With mostly just anecdotal reports coming out, questions remain as to whether people whose Covid symptoms return shortly after they take Paxlovid are contagious and should keep isolating to avoid passing the virus to others. For those who do experience a second round of symptoms, the sudden shift can also leave them anxious about whether they should seek further treatment. (Ryan, 4/27)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: You Can Get Covid Twice, But What Are The Odds?
There’s a good chance you’ll get Covid more than once. Covid-19 reinfections are more common and can happen within a shorter window of time than doctors previously thought possible, recent research suggests. ... Data from the U.K. government found that reinfections were 10 times higher during the recent Omicron outbreak compared with the earlier Delta outbreak between May and December last year. People who were unvaccinated, younger and lived in areas the study described as more deprived were more likely to be reinfected between July 2020 and March 2022. (Reddy, 4/27)

CBS News: "I Really Felt A Difference": How Increasing Access To Paxlovid Could Help America Get Out Of The COVID Pandemic 
Ashley Ballou Bonnema tested positive for COVID-19 on Easter weekend. As someone with cystic fibrosis, she knew it could be bad. Her medical team prescribed her Pfizer's Paxlovid antiviral pills, which can reduce the risk of becoming severely ill. She took two pills a day for five days and said she noticed a change right away. "Within the first 24 hours, I really felt a difference," she told CBS News' Nancy Cordes. (4/26)

Stat: How Paxlovid Came To Be: From Idea To A Vital Tool Against Covid
Charlotte Allerton, Pfizer’s head of medicine design, was making dinner — omelets — with her teenage children when she got a call from the one of company’s top development officers. He was calling with interim results from the study of an experimental antiviral for Covid-19. She pushed the food to one side and went upstairs. “It’s like any piece of news that you’re expecting,” she said. “You can kind of tell just from the way the person speaks.” She went directly to work. (Herper, 4/28)

In other covid research news —

Los Angeles Times: More Kids Hit By Upper Airway Infections During Omicron Surge
During the winter Omicron surge, hospitalized coronavirus-positive children were more likely to be hit with COVID-related upper airway infections than at other times of the pandemic, putting them at greater risk of severe disease, new data suggest. One study found that the rate of upper airway infections — such as a type of bronchitis known as croup — among hospitalized coronavirus-infected children nearly tripled during the Omicron era. (Lin II and Money, 4/27)

CIDRAP: European Studies Shed Light On Long COVID Risk And Recovery 
Researchers from the Luxembourg Institute of Health surveyed 289 people about whether they had any of 64 common long COVID symptoms 1 year after they tested positive. Patients were also asked about their sleep quality and the effect of respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath on quality of life. Average patient age was 40.2 years, and 50.2% were women. The researchers found that 6 in 10 patients (59.5%) had at least one COVID-19 symptom, and that symptoms that don't resolve by 15 weeks are likely to persist for at least a year. One in seven participants (14.2%) indicated that they couldn't fathom coping with their symptoms long term. The most common symptoms were fatigue, shortness of breath, and irritability. (Van Beusekom, 4/27)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: COVID-19 Research Facility In Brookhaven Aims To Develop Better Tests
Georgia researchers are looking to put COVID-19 tests to the test. Several metro Atlanta healthcare institutions partnered to open a research center in Brookhaven on Wednesday with the goal of improving rapid COVID tests — both for at-home use and by local physicians. The doctors in charge of the program hope false test results — either from user error or outdated technology — will become a thing of the past. The facility sees Atlanta leading the charge to improve existing tests, detect new variants and make them easier to use for non-medical professionals. (Hansen, 4/28)

The New York Times: Lawmakers Dismiss McKinsey’s Apology On Opioid Crisis As ‘Empty’
The top executive at McKinsey & Company, appearing on Wednesday for the first time before Congress to answer for the consulting firm’s role in fanning the opioid crisis, came under sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers. One likened the firm’s earnings from advising Purdue Pharma and other pharmaceutical companies to “blood money” from drug traffickers. Bob Sternfels, McKinsey’s managing partner, testifying remotely to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, apologized for McKinsey’s work in helping drive sales at opioid makers. He said the firm “failed to recognize the broader context of what was going on in society around us.” (Forsythe, Bogdanich and Hamby, 4/27)

AP: Lawmakers Scrutinize McKinsey's Opioid, FDA Consulting Work 
House Democrats vowed to continue investigating consulting giant McKinsey’s work with opioid drugmakers after a Wednesday hearing detailed how the firm had advised companies pushing painkillers as well as U.S. health regulators. The hearing before a House committee is part of an ongoing probe into McKinsey’s role in the U.S. opioid crisis that has been linked to over 500,000 overdose deaths from both prescription pain medications and illicit drugs like fentanyl. (Perrone, 4/27)

The Boston Globe: Healey Blasts McKinsey’s Opioid ‘Schemes’ In House Hearing
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey brought her campaign against the McKinsey consulting firm’s opioid dealings to Washington on Wednesday, blasting the company’s “schemes” to get more Americans hooked on the deadly painkillers in front of the House Oversight Committee. Healey, a Democrat who is running for governor of Massachusetts, won a $13 million settlement for the state from McKinsey in 2021, after lawsuits revealed the firm meticulously designed strategies to help Purdue Pharma “turbocharge” the sale of OxyContin — even as overdoses skyrocketed. (Baskar, 4/27)

In other news about the drug crisis —

ABC News: Still Rocked By Opioid Crisis, West Virginia Now Dealing With Rise In Fentanyl Overdoses 
West Virginia had the highest opioid overdose death rate per capita in the country last year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OxyContin, a prescription drug that helped fuel the crisis, was heavily marketed in towns across the state and its use spread among residents of all ages, experts said. ... While first responders and doctors in the state scramble to save people from these decades of danger, they also are fighting a new phase of the crisis as fentanyl overdoses have jumped in the area. (Ordonez, Luna, Salzman and Pereira, 4/26)

AP: Collection Sites Set For West Virginia Drug Take Back Event
The public can drop off unused, expired or unwanted prescription drugs at dozens of collection sites across West Virginia this weekend. Law enforcement officials are participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The collection sites include community police, sheriff and state police offices, fire departments, and pharmacies and grocery stores. Specific sites can be found on the U.S. Department of Justice website. (4/28)

Salt Lake Tribune: Citing ‘Carnage’ Of Opioid Addiction, Salt Lake County Unveils Partial Settlement In Its Yearslong Lawsuit Against Drugmakers
Salt Lake County will receive about $57 million over the next 16 years as part of a $266 million payout to Utah, after four defendants in a yearslong opioid lawsuit decided to settle with governments nationwide. Under the partial settlement, 85% of the total must go to education and other programs that address the effects of opioid addiction, something Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said had plagued the country. The settlement stems from a 2018 lawsuit the county filed against 19 drugmakers and distributors. Only four of the defendants — manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, and distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen — agreed to settle. “Today’s settlement,” Gill said, “is a partial down payment on that carnage that they’ve left behind.” (Apgar, 4/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Fentanyl Kills So Fast That Aid Groups Are Rethinking How To Fight Overdoses 
As the Biden administration calls for overdose antidotes to be distributed closer to where illicit drugs are consumed, groups working with users say affordable versions of the drugs remain in chronic shortage. Harm-reduction organizations that give clean needles and medical care to drug users say they need cheap reversal treatments in greater quantities and closer to where drugs are taken as the synthetic opioid fentanyl permeates the U.S. drug supply and overdose deaths reach new records. (Wernau, 4/27)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Get Narcan, Meet Harm Reduction Workers At Drug Take Back Day
If you drop off prescription pills in Mount Washington this weekend, you might see a few unfamiliar guests. They help people who are at risk for drug overdose, and they hope you'll chat with them about their work. They also might offer you "a Narcan kit to add to your first-aidkit," says Megan Gosney, social programs administrator for the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition. Hamilton County Public Health's harm reduction team, equipped with Narcan and fentanyl test strips, and a representative of its Quick Response Team, which guides overdose survivors to treatment, will join the neighborhood's National Drug Take Back Day. (DeMio, 4/27)

Bloomberg: Why Are Some Hospitals Losing Money? Covid Pushes Up Labor Costs
Hospitals are starting to emerge from the worst of Covid-19, but one consequence has persisted: They still have to pay workers more. HCA Healthcare Inc. and Universal Health Services Inc., two of the largest U.S. for-profit hospital chains, each warned this month that the price of labor could continue to eat into their profits. While executives say costs should eventually subside as Covid dies down, by how much and when remains to be seen. (Court and Coleman-Lochner, 4/27)

Bay Area News Group: Travel Nurse Agencies Cash In On Stanford Strike And Pandemic
“Turn Your Nursing Passion into Profit. Contact Us Today!” The recruitment plea from an employment agency called HSG Strike Staffing was one of many that attracted thousands of replacement nurses to fill positions left empty this week by the first nursing strike at Stanford Hospital in two decades. Crossing the picket lines comes with the promise of up to $13,000 a week in salary plus free food, housing and transportation. And the staffing agencies that hire them, increasingly owned by private equity firms, are reporting record profits. The traveling nurses industry, fueled by labor unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic, has turned hospital staffing into a national bidding war, with health care facilities paying outside agencies exorbitant rates to secure help. (Krieger, 4/27)

In other corporate news —

Modern Healthcare: Humana Records $930M Quarterly Profit As Medicare Advantage Rolls Grow 5%
Humana ended the first quarter of 2022 with $930-million in earnings, a 12% increase from the prior-year period, the health insurance company announced Wednesday. Revenue rose 16% during the first three months of the year to $24 billion, compared to $20.7 billion during the first quarter of 2021, the company disclosed. Medicare Advantage membership increased 5.2% to 5.1 million during the quarter. The company, the second-largest Medicare Advantage carrier, projects its Medicare Advantage rolls will grow by 150,000 to 200,000 this year. (Christ, 4/27)

Modern Healthcare: Teladoc Shares Plunge After Earnings Report
Teladoc Health lowered its full-year revenue guidance by $150 million, citing higher-than-expected ad spending and increased competition in mental health and chronic care markets. The disclosure came as the telehealth company announced a sizable first-quarter loss Wednesday after the market closed. In after-hours trading, shares fell as much as 38% from the market close of $55.99 a share. Teladoc said it expected to report annual revenue of $2.4 billion to $2.5 billion, down from a previous forecast of $2.55 billion to $2.65 billion. For the quarter, the company reported a net loss of $6.7 billion, compared with a loss of $199.6 million in the year-ago period. (Kim Cohen, 4/27)

Modern Healthcare: Centene To Cut More Than Half Of Its Leased Real Estate Footprint
Centene Corp. will shed more than half of its U.S. leased real estate space as part of its ongoing "value creation plan. "More than 90% of the company's workforce has worked remotely during the pandemic and last year, Centene expanded its permanent and hybrid remote work options after receiving positive feedback from employees, the company previously said. During the insurer's first-quarter earnings call Tuesday, CEO Sarah London said the plan to cut more than half of its leased space followed those trends. (Tepper, 4/26)

Crain's Chicago Business: Illinois Regulators Approve Controversial Hospital Project
A controversial proposal for a new hospital in downstate Quincy was approved by the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board on Tuesday. The board is allowing Quincy Medical Group to move forward with building a “small format” not-for-profit hospital, which the owners say will provide more innovative care and services not currently offered in the rural area. The facility will have 28 beds and cost about $61 million to build, according to board documents. It is expected to be completed in April 2026. The board also approved a separate $2 million, three-room, free-standing birthing center that QMG also proposed in Quincy. Both facilities will be built on the campus of the Quincy Town Center, which already houses the QMG Surgery Center and Cancer Institute. (Davis, 4/27)

Also —

Modern Healthcare: Epic Is Fastest-Growing EHR Among Hospitals, Report Shows
Epic Systems added more U.S. hospitals to its electronic health records software footprint than its competitors last year, according to a new report. A net 74 hospitals installed or signed contracts to install Epic's EHR platform in 2021, expanding its market share from 31% to 33%, KLAS Research's annual report on EHR market share found. It aggregated publicly available information, self-reported EHR vendor data and information from operators of acute-care, psychiatric, long-term acute care, rehabilitation and other specialty hospitals. More than 340 hospitals either purchased a new EHR system or migrated to a new version of their vendor's EHR product last year, up 44% from 2020, according to the report. Epic was the top choice for large organizations. Cerner was the favorite among smaller hospitals. (Kim Cohen, 4/26)

Billings Gazette: Health Care Students Start Free Foot Clinic For The Homeless
Health care students in Billings have partnered with the Community Crisis Center to offer free foot care clinics to the homeless. Physician’s assistant and occupational therapy students from Rocky Mountain College, nursing students with Montana State University and local medical students will give foot baths, exams and nail trimmings to those in need with preceptor supervision every Monday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. Called the Best Foot Forward (BFF) clinic, the student-run program operates under Gratitude in Action’s nonprofit status, ensuring a funding model and opens up the clinic to donations from the community, said third-year medical student Maclean Turner. (Schabacker, 4/27)

Stat: AI Can Predict Missed Appointments. How Can Hospitals Use That Data?
For every five appointments at Boston Children’s Hospital, one patient doesn’t show up. Missed appointments are a common problem at health systems. And they’re a particularly attractive target for machine learning researchers, who can use patient datasets to get a handle on what’s causing patients to miss out on needed care. In new research published this month, a group of researchers at Boston Children’s crunched more than 160,000 hospital appointment records from almost 20,000 patients for clues. Their model found patients who had a history of no-shows were more likely to miss future appointments, as were patients with language barriers and those scheduled to see their provider on days with bad weather. (Ravindranath, 4/28)

NBC News: RSV Vaccination During Pregnancy Protects Newborns, Too, Study Suggests
Pregnant women who received an experimental vaccine from Pfizer for a respiratory virus called RSV passed their protective antibodies on to their newborns, according to research published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. What's more, Pfizer's researchers found that those antibodies appeared to provide the infants with a high level of protection against severe illness from the virus, according to an analysis conducted after a portion of the company's clinical trial was completed. (Lovelace, 4/28)

In other health news —

USA Today: As STD Rates Rise In United States, Doctors Emphasize Messaging
We spent the past two years focused on improving hygiene and healthy habits in just about every aspect of daily life. But that didn't necessarily extend to our sex lives. Reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases reached an all-time high for the sixth consecutive year in 2019 and though those numbers appeared to decline a bit in 2020, public health experts believe the pandemic helped obscure some of that total. With STD rates climbing, the country needs to take the STD crisis seriously and change its approach to reverse the trend, said David C. Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors. (Pérez Pintado, 4/27)

AP: Older People Fret Less About Aging In Place: AP-NORC Poll
The older you are, the less you fret about aging in your own home or community. That’s a key insight from a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, which found that U.S. adults ages 65 or older feel much better prepared to “age in place” than those 50-64, who are mostly still in the final stretches of their working years. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 4/27)

The Washington Post: How Stress Affects Your Brain And Body 
We all know what stress feels like physically — though the symptoms vary by person. Some people experience shakiness or a racing heart, while others develop muscle tension, headaches or stomach aches. But what we might not realize is that our physiological responses to life’s stresses and strains can have deeper, less obvious, repercussions for just about every organ and system in the body. “I think people really underestimate just how big the effects are,” said Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State University College of Medicine. When you experience stress, your brain triggers the release of a cascade of hormones — such as cortisol, epinephrine (a.k.a., adrenaline), and norepinephrine — that produce physiological changes. These changes, called the stress response or the fight-or-flight response, are designed to help people react to or cope with a threat or danger they’re facing. (Colino, 4/26)

CNN: Dietitians Are Using TikTok To Urge You To Stop Dieting 
Many dietitians are making a plea you might have always wanted but never thought you would hear: Stop dieting. Now, you can find some of them on social media platforms such as TikTok, using the latest dances, trends and science-backed information to reach younger generations. These anti-diet dieticians want to steer people away from what they call "diet culture," which they say prioritizes smaller sizes over health and drastic restriction over lifestyle changes. (Holcombe, 4/24)

Also —

The Hill: Climate Change Could Spark Next Pandemic, Study Finds 
As the global climate continues to warm, wild animals may be forced to relocate to areas with large human populations — increasing the likelihood of a “viral jump” that could cause the next pandemic, a new study has found. Different mammals will encounter one another for the first time during these journeys — called “geographic range shifts” — and in doing so, they will also share thousands of viruses, according to the study, published on Thursday in Nature. (Udasin, 4/28)

AP: California To Increase Awards In Medical Malpractice Cases 
People who get hurt because of a doctor’s negligence in California could soon get a lot more money in malpractice lawsuits under an agreement reached Wednesday that — if approved by the state Legislature — would avoid a costly fight at the ballot box this November while resolving one of the state’s longest-running political battles. California does not limit how much money patients can win in malpractice cases for economic damages, which include things that can be counted such as medical expenses and lost wages. But since 1975, state law has limited how much money patients can win for things that can’t be counted — such as pain and suffering — to $250,000. (Beam, 4/27)

In updates on a hepatitis outbreak in Wisconsin —

CNN: Wisconsin Investigating 4 Cases Of Unusual Hepatitis In Children, Including One Death 
Health officials in Wisconsin are investigating four cases of children with significant unexplained liver damage, including one child who needed a liver transplant and one who died. If the death is confirmed to be linked to the illness, it would be the first reported in the US. In a health alert issued Wednesday, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services asked the state's doctors to be on the lookout for these unusual cases and report them. (4/27)

In health news from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Mississippi, and Texas —

Philadelphia Inquirer: Ala Stanford Appointed By President Biden To Be Regional Director Of Health And Human Services
President Joe Biden on Tuesday appointed Ala Stanford, the Montgomery County physician who founded the nationally acclaimed Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium during the earliest days of the pandemic, as a regional director for the Department of Health and Human Services. Stanford will serve as the director of Region 3, which serves Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. She was one of three new regional directors announced Tuesday by the White House. (Moran, 4/27)

Columbus Dispatch: New Health Plans For Ohio Medicaid Won't Start Until End Of Year
The projected launch date of Ohio's revamped and reformed Medicaid managed care system will still be July – except this month, given a potential crisis where many may be kicked off Medicaid, the state pushed back most of the reforms to the end of this year. "It seems like this new phased approach still allows them to move forward with everything, but in a way that is manageable...to maybe take smaller bites of the apple," said Loren Anthes, who chairs Community Solutions’ Center for Medicaid Policy. (Wu, 4/27)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Lawmakers Send Kim Reynolds Bill Loosening Child Care Regulations
Sixteen-year-olds would be allowed to work in child care centers without supervision and adult staff members could care for more young children at those facilities, under a bill Iowa lawmakers sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds Tuesday. Republican lawmakers have proposed a range of legislation this year aimed at loosening regulations around child care. They have stressed that child care centers are not required to adopt the relaxed rules. "Right now we’re one of the most restrictive states for child care ratios," said the bill's floor manager, Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge. "So that’s why we brought it forward, to loosen up a little bit of the regulations that are holding some of our child care centers back a little bit. It’s not the full answer. It’s not a silver bullet." (Gruber-Miller, 4/26)

AP: Reeves Vetoes $50M For Improvements To UMMC Adult Hospital
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has vetoed part of a budget bill for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, saying he objects to spending $50 million for improvements to the adult hospital in Jackson. The Republican governor issued the partial veto of Senate Bill 3010 on Tuesday. Legislators specified the $50 million would come from Mississippi’s pandemic recovery money from the federal government. (4/27)

KHN: Emergency Contraception Marks A New Battle Line In Texas
“Mysterious Dolphin” needed an emergency contraception pill dropped off on a porch outside of town. Allison Medulan, a sophomore at Texas A&M University who had just come from biology class, saw the request on her cellphone via an anonymous text hotline. She gathered a box of the one-dose contraceptive, a pregnancy test, and a few condoms from her apartment and headed over. Inside a bewildering development of modest townhomes, Medulan tucked the plastic delivery bag next to the doormat. Closing the car door, she stared ahead and took a breath. Medulan, 20, didn’t know the woman’s real name. It had been converted into a moniker by another volunteer operating the hotline. (Varney, 4/28)

In marijuana news from Kentucky and Maine —

AP: Governor Clears Way For Cannabis Research Center To Open 
Gov. Andy Beshear cleared the way Tuesday for a cannabis research center to open as he reviews whether he has the executive authority to singlehandedly legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky. The governor revealed his action on a bill authorizing the research center at the University of Kentucky. The measure won overwhelming approval from lawmakers on the final day of this year’s legislative session earlier this month. (Schreiner, 4/26)

Bangor Daily News: Maine’s Medical Marijuana Market Will Escape Closer State Oversight With New Law
A new law strips the state office charged with overseeing Maine’s two legal marijuana markets of the ability to independently craft new rules governing just one of those markets — the market for medical marijuana, where a state official has said there’s likely more illegal activity happening. The new law, which took effect Saturday, means the state’s Office of Marijuana Policy can’t act on its own to issue temporary rules governing the state’s medical marijuana market. Any rule from the office regulating medical marijuana has to go through the state Legislature, which can either accept, reject or modify any proposed rules. (Loftus, 4/28)

CIDRAP: WHO: Worldwide Measles Cases Up 79% In 2022
The WHO today is warning of a perfect storm for measles resurgence, due to a 79% increase in the first 2 months of 2022 and pandemic-related disruptions in routine childhood vaccination. In addition to pandemic-related disruptions, the WHO said millions of displaced people due to conflicts and crises in Ukraine, Ethiopia, Somalia and Afghanistan, could also result in a significant increase in measles cases. (4/27)

CNN: 'Perfect Storm' Of Disease Ahead With Vaccines Delayed And Measles Cases Up, WHO And UNICEF Say
The World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund warned of an increased risk of measles spread, with worldwide cases up nearly 80% so far in 2022 compared with 2021. "Almost 17,338 measles cases were reported worldwide in January and February 2022, compared to 9,665 during the first two months of 2021," the organizations said in a news release on Wednesday, noting there were 21 "large and disruptive" outbreaks, many in Africa and the East Mediterranean region. (Langmaid, 4/27)

ABC News: Measles Outbreaks Possible Amid 'Perfect Storm' Of Conditions, WHO And UNICEF Warn
The World Health Organization and UNICEF are warning of a "perfect storm" of circumstances fueling the potential for large-scale measles outbreaks, underscoring worrying signs of increased risk as infections around the globe this year are far above what they were this time last year. In the first two months of 2022, reported measles cases worldwide increased by nearly 80%, compared to the same timeframe in 2021, the organizations said in a joint news release, adding that conditions are "ripe" for serious outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable illness. (Pezenik, 4/27)

And a study sheds light on the global death rate of children —

NPR: Death Rate Of Children After Hospitalization Called 'Astronomically High'
Around the world, the death rate of children has been dropping dramatically. Where 1 in 11 children under 5 years old died in 1990, it was 1 in 27 children in 2020. The total number was 12.6 million in 1990 and 6 million in 2020, according to the World Health Organization. But a new study in The Lancet Global Health points out an underlying tragedy among the childhood deaths that do occur today. Too many are coming after children have been treated and often discharged from hospitals. (Silberner, 4/27)

In global news about covid —

Bloomberg: EU Covid Cases Won't All Be Counted In Move To Embrace New Pandemic Phase
The European Union acknowledged that the pandemic is moving into a new phase in which governments no longer need to count every case but shift toward a sustainable approach that tracks variants and bolsters vaccine-production capacity. The bloc plans to conduct more limited testing intended to keep tabs on the virus and its variants, the European Union said Wednesday. (Hernanz Lizarraga, 4/27)

Reuters: EU Estimates Up To 80% Of Population Has Had COVID
The European Commission said that between 60% and 80% of the EU population was estimated to have been infected with COVID-19, as the bloc enters a post-emergency phase in which mass reporting of cases was no longer necessary. In preparing for this less acute phase, European Union governments should ramp up COVID-19 immunisations of children, the bloc's executive body said, signallingit was considering plans to develop antivirals. (Guarascio, 4/27)

CIDRAP: Global COVID Deaths Drop To Lowest Since Early Pandemic Months 
Weekly COVID-19 deaths dropped to the lowest level since March 2020, signaling an encouraging development that should be seen through a cautious lens, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday at a briefing. ... Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said cases and deaths continue to drop, with just over 15,000 deaths reported to the WHO last week, which he said is the lowest weekly total since March 2020. (Schnirring, 4/27)

CIDRAP: Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Up In US Hospitals During COVID, Data Show
Patients hospitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic and tested for SARS-CoV-2 had higher rates of antibiotic-resistant infections compared with those hospitalized before the pandemic, according to a study presented yesterday at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. (4/25)

CIDRAP: More Evidence COVID-19 In Pregnancy Can Lead To Severe Outcomes
More evidence that pregnant women with COVID-19 have more severe outcomes than non-pregnant peers was presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). The research also showed even one dose of vaccine was protective against hospitalization for COVID-19. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto, included data from 13,600 women from Ontario's Case and Contact Management database, and matched every pregnant woman with 5 non-pregnant women as time-matched controls to account for different circulating strains and vaccine availability. Case-patients were included from Mar 6, 2020 through Jan 4, 2022. (4/25)

CIDRAP: Omicron Less Severe Than Delta But More Easily Evades Boosters
Three new observational studies from Scotland, Denmark, and the United States detail reduced hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits for Omicron COVID-19 infections relative to those caused by the Delta variant, as well as strong but waning third-dose vaccine effectiveness over time against Omicron. (Van Beusekom, 4/25)

Also —

CIDRAP: Study Finds MRSA, Other Resistant Pathogens In Finnish Hedgehogs
Testing conducted on hedgehogs in Helsinki, Finland, revealed the presence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and genes known to cause human infections, according to a paper to be presented at the upcoming European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). In the study, researchers from the University of Helsinki tested samples from 115 dead hedgehogs collected from a wild animal hospital in Helsinki for the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase–producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E). Previous studies have found European hedgehogs to be carriers of these pathogens, including a study published earlier this year that indicated hedgehogs may be a reservoir for livestock-associated MRSA strains. (4/22)

ScienceDaily: Molecular Tests For TB: Global Rollout Of Rapid Molecular Tests For Tuberculosis Over The Last 12 Years
A potential game-changer in the tuberculosis epidemic was how the tuberculosis community viewed rapid molecular tests for tuberculosis and tuberculosis drug resistance. This was 12 years ago, with the launch of Xpert MTB/RIF, which gives results in less than two hours, simultaneously diagnosing tuberculosis and testing if the bacteria have rifampicin resistance, a type of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is caused by resistance to at least both rifampicin and isoniazid, the two most effective first-line drugs used to treat tuberculosis. (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, 4/26)

New England Journal of Medicine: CT Or Invasive Coronary Angiography In Stable Chest Pain 
In the diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), computed tomography (CT) is an accurate, noninvasive alternative to invasive coronary angiography (ICA). However, the comparative effectiveness of CT and ICA in the management of CAD to reduce the frequency of major adverse cardiovascular events is uncertain. (4/28)

CIDRAP: Drug-Resistant Fungus Could Be Spreading From The Environment To The Clinic
New research from a team of scientists in the United Kingdom and Ireland suggests a drug-resistant fungus has the potential to spread from the environment to susceptible patients. The study, published this week in Nature Microbiology, found six patients with infections caused by strains of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus that were genetically similar to those found in the soil and plants in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland—an indication that those strains had been acquired from the environment. The findings also suggested that the strains likely acquired resistance to azoles from the widespread use of agricultural fungicides. (Dall, 4/27)

The New York Times: Did Faulty Assumptions Dash Parents’ Hope For An Under-5 Vaccine? 
Seventeen months after a Covid vaccine was first authorized for American adults, parents are still waiting for the government to authorize one for children under 5. Some frustrations and setbacks may have been unavoidable, but some seems due to officials making unjustified assumptions about the public and relying on overly narrow and even outdated measures of vaccine benefits. (Zeynep Tufekci, 4/27)

Chicago Tribune: The Next Phase Of Addressing COVID-19 In Children? Accepting It As Part Of Life
Whether it is attending school, being vaccinated or transmitting the virus at family gatherings, the role of children in the COVID-19 pandemic has been contentious and widely debated, not just in the United States but across the world. Two years in, what have we learned and what can we apply to the future concerning children and COVID-19? (Mary Hall and Cory Franklin, 4/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Democrats Blew Covid’s Politics
From the day Joe Biden entered office, the Democrats have displayed a misreading of how the Covid-19 pandemic had altered the country’s normal political and social alignments. Obvious to everyone now, the pandemic forced millions to rethink everything in their lives—their jobs, children, schools, where they lived, care for elderly relatives, the routines of daily life. This was a complex political and cultural event to which the Democratic response was Pavlovian: Throw money and expect gratitude. (Daniel Henninger, 4/27)

Also —

Bloomberg: How To Avoid Going Broke From Surprise Medical Bills 
There have been a few times in my life when I’ve had a concerning health issue but skipped visiting the doctor. Even when intense stomach cramps left me doubled over for hours, or a shooting pain in my foot felt like a stress fracture, I decided to wait and see if things would get better rather than risk a potentially costly hospital visit. (Fortunately, I healed at home.) I’m not the only one who’s made this choice. In 2020, a survey of more than 2,500 American adults found that 32% of respondents avoided seeking medical care because of cost. (Erin Lowry, 4/27)

Newsweek: It's Not Just Student Loans. Americans Are Drowning In Medical Debt. Biden Must Help 
There has been a lot of talk recently about student loan forgiveness—and rightfully so. It's become a rallying cry across the country, and this week, President Biden signaled to lawmakers that he was open to considering federal loan forgiveness. But there's another form of debt that the White House should stay focused on, one that's devastating families across the nation: medical debt. (Emily Stewart, 4/27)

Modern Healthcare: The Quest For Long Life: A Distraction We Can't Afford
A poll fielded several years ago by the Stanford Center on Longevity found that more than 3 out of 4 Americans aspired to be centenarians. Unfortunately, as research suggests, they are likely to spend two of those 10 decades unhealthy: in and out of hospitals, battling chronic conditions, racking up crippling medical bills. Knowing that, would they have chosen differently? (Dr. Stephen Ezeji-Okoye and Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, 4/27)

Chicago Tribune: Illinois, Lead The Way To Eliminating Cervical Cancer 
Cervical cancer is almost completely preventable. Yet in 2022, 4,280 women will die of this cancer in the United States. As clinicians and public health advocates, we see these deaths and losses as more than statistics. These are mothers, daughters, sisters, partners — centers of their families and social networks. (Madeline Perry, Danika Barry And Anne Marie Murphy, 4/27)

The Washington Post: This Is No Way To Treat Pregnant Workers 
The United States has no federal law providing workers with an affirmative, clear and effective right to reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth and related medical needs. This woman’s experience, and those of thousands like her, illustrates the urgent need for such a law — especially when the pandemic has exacerbated the unjust, discriminatory treatment of pregnant workers. (Dina Bakst, 4/25)

The New York Times: How To Make Miscarriage More Traumatic 
In December, I wrote a newsletter with the headline, “Overturning Roe Will Make Miscarriage Care Worse.” I pointed out that because the options that doctors have to end a miscarriage that doesn’t happen on its own — medication or surgery — are the same ones involved in an abortion, outlawing abortion would have a chilling effect on medical providers, as evidenced by cases in countries such as Malta and Poland where abortion is severely restricted. (Jessica Grose, 4/27)

New England Journal of Medicine: Expanding Accountable Care’s Reach Among Medicare Beneficiaries 
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are a critical component of the goals of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to advance health equity; support high-quality, person-centered care; and promote affordability and sustainability in Medicare. ACOs bring together groups of doctors, hospitals, and other providers to deliver coordinated care to beneficiaries. They are also essential to achieving CMS’s goal of having all beneficiaries in the traditional Medicare program cared for by providers who are accountable for costs and quality of care by 2030. (Douglas Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., Purva Rawal, Ph.D., Liz Fowler, J.D., Ph.D., and Meena Seshamani, M.D., Ph.D., 4/27)

The Boston Globe: Ageism In Health Care? Yep, It’s A Thing
They are the near-divine beings in white coats or scrubs — until that moment when they are revealed as subject to the same human flaws as the rest of us. So come June 1, all doctors in the state will be required to take two hours of training to “address implicit bias” because, as the Board of Registration in Medicine noted when it voted on the new requirement, “implicit bias among health care providers is one factor that perpetuates” racial and ethnic inequities that lead to health disparities. (Rachelle G. Cohen, 4/28)

New England Journal of Medicine: Evaluating Stable Chest Pain — An Evolving Approach
Correctly interpreting the cause of chest pain is a crucial diagnostic skill that is essential for effective medical practice. Before the development of coronary angioplasty and stenting, the great majority of patients with stable angina (typical or atypical) were treated medically. Currently, patients with stable angina often undergo early invasive coronary angiography with an eye toward intervention for sufficiently stenotic lesions. The goal of this approach has been to eliminate angina rather than to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. (Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D., 4/28)