NPR: U.S. Hits Highest 1-Day Toll From Coronavirus With 3,054 Deaths
The coronavirus pandemic pushed the U.S. past another dire milestone Wednesday, the highest daily death toll to date, even while the mortality rate has decreased as health experts learn more about the disease. The Covid Tracking Project, which tracks state-level coronavirus data, reported 3,054 COVID-19 related deaths — a significant jump from the previous single-day record of 2,769 on May 7. The spread of the disease has shattered another record with 106,688 COVID-19 patients in U.S. hospitals. And overall, states reported 1.8 million tests and 210,000 cases. According to the group, the spike represents more than a 10% increase in cases over the last 7 days. (Romo, 12/9)

The New York Times: U.S., Breaking A Record, Tops The 3,000 Daily Death Mark 
All the while, the United States is speeding toward another stunning total: 300,000 total deaths since the coronavirus slipped into the country at the beginning of the year and began laying siege. At least 288,000 deaths have been recorded, according to a New York Times database. The milestones are being toppled as U.S. officials race to approve and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine for Americans. Britain began vaccinating its own citizens this week, and Canada appears near to doing the same. (12/10)

The Hill: US Sets New Record With Over 3,000 COVID Deaths In A Single Day 
The United States set a new record for coronavirus deaths in a single day on Wednesday, with more than 3,000 people dying from the virus, a daunting toll as its spread only worsens. The U.S. recorded 3,054 deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, according to The COVID Tracking Project, beating the previous record from the spring, which was 2,769 deaths on May 7. (Sullivan, 12/9)

The Hill: ICU Beds Running Critically Short As COVID-19 Cases Surge 
More than 1 in 3 U.S. residents live in a locality where hospitals are nearing their limit for intensive care beds as coronavirus cases continue to surge, The New York Times reports, citing federal data. A Times analysis found that hospitals that serve communities of more than 100 million people had fewer than 15 percent of their intensive care beds available last week. Ten percent of U.S. residents live in areas where such beds are either completely occupied or at least 95 percent occupied, with the shortages concentrated in the south, the southwest and the Midwest. (Budryk, 12/9)

Los Angeles Times: Some ICUs At California Hospitals Are Completely Full: 'It Is The Worst We Have Seen'
Some California counties on Tuesday saw intensive care units hit full capacity, and others were getting close to that level as COVID-19 cases continued to surge. At least three counties in the San Joaquin Valley have reached 0% capacity in their hospitals’ intensive care units, making the state’s agricultural hub the first area in California to become maxed out. In Santa Clara County, meanwhile, conditions are deteriorating rapidly. Officials said there are only 31 ICU beds remaining — less than 10% of the county’s capacity — and that a few hospitals have run out completely. (Pinho, Lin II and Money, 12/8)

North Carolina Health News: NC Hospitals Could Fill ICUs By January 
On Oct. 7, the Greensboro-based Cone Health system had 57 COVID-19 patients across their small network of hospitals. A month later that number had almost doubled. A month after that, it was up to a total of 167. And the numbers keep climbing. “We’re doing this to ourselves,” Bruce Swords, the system’s chief medical executive, told his colleagues. (Engel-Smith and Hoban, 12/10)

AP: Indiana Reinstating Surgery Limits Amid COVID-19 Surge
Indiana’s hospitals will have to postpone elective surgeries starting next week under an order the state’s governor said Wednesday was needed to free up hospital capacity amid steep recent increases in serious COVID-19 illnesses. An initial shipment of some 55,000 doses of the first coronavirus vaccine is expected to arrive at Indiana hospitals next week as front-line health care workers start to receive shots. (Davies, 12/9)

Also —

Los Angeles Times: California Has Most Coronavirus Deaths In A Single Day
More Californians died of COVID-19 on Tuesday than any other day, the latest milestone in an accelerating pandemic that is infecting and hospitalizing residents at levels far eclipsing any seen before. Tuesday’s death toll, 219, edged out the previous single-day high of 214, which was recorded July 31, according to data compiled by The Times. The latest figure may be a harbinger of higher death tolls. Until this past week, California had topped 200 daily coronavirus-related deaths only two times. That number has been exceeded twice in the last five days. (Money and Lin II, 12/9)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: U.S. Army Medical Staff Being Deployed To Overwhelmed Wisconsin Hospitals
Nearly four dozen U.S. Army medical workers are being deployed to Wisconsin to help out hospitals and health care workers stressed and exhausted by the continued surge of COVID-19 patients in the area. The Army personnel will work in medical centers in Beaver Dam, Eau Claire, Marshfield and Rice Lake. (Beck, 12/9)

Indianapolis Star: Why Gov. Eric Holcomb Says 'The State Of Indiana Is On Fire' With COVID-19
Gov. Eric Holcomb said Indiana's COVID-19 numbers are putting the state in a place "we never want to be." "When you talk about counties being red, the state of Indiana is on fire," Holcomb said Wednesday during his weekly news conference. All of Indiana's 92 counties are categorized as having moderate to high community spread of COVID-19, placing them in the state's orange and red categories, respectively. (Gerike, 12/9)

The New York Times: ‘Small Town, No Hospital’: Covid-19 Is Overwhelming Rural West Texas 
It is one of the fastest-growing coronavirus hot spots in the nation, but there are no long lines of cars piled up for drive-through testing and no rush of appointments to get swabbed at CVS. That’s because in the rugged, rural expanse of far West Texas, there is no county health department to conduct daily testing, and no CVS store for more than 100 miles. A handful of clinics offer testing to those who are able to make an appointment. (Mervosh, 12/9)

KHN: A Battle-Weary Seattle Hospital Fights The Latest COVID Surge 
As hospitals across the country weather a surge of COVID-19 patients, in Seattle — an early epicenter of the outbreak — nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians are staring down a startling resurgence of the coronavirus that’s expected to test even one of the best-prepared hospitals on the pandemic’s front lines. After nine months, the staff at Harborview Medical Center, the large public hospital run by the University of Washington, has the benefit of experience. (Stone, 12/10)

The Hill: FDA Authorization Of Pfizer Vaccine Will Come 'Days To A Week' After Panel Meeting 
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators may not make a decision about authorizing Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine until next week, according to an agency official. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA division overseeing vaccines, said Wednesday that a decision would come "days to a week" after an agency advisory panel meeting Thursday. (Weixel, 12/9)

USA Today: Coronavirus Updates: Pfizer Vaccine Reaches Final Review For FDA Authorization As US Nears 290K Deaths
Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine could become first to earn U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization as early as Thursday. The 17-member independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet Thursday to review and discuss data from Pfizer and German startup BioNTech on their vaccine, then vote on whether the FDA should authorize it. The companies are requesting an “emergency use authorization,” shy of a full approval. While they have compiled as much short-term safety and effectiveness data as is typical with any vaccine, the process has been compressed. But corners, FDA says, have not been cut. (Aspegren, 12/10)

AP: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Faces Last Hurdle Before US Decision
The FDA panel functions like a science court that will pick apart the data and debate — in public and live-streamed — whether the shot is safe and effective enough to be cleared for emergency use. The non-government experts specialize in vaccine development, infectious diseases and medical statistics. The FDA is expected to follow the committee’s advice, although it is not required to do so. (Neergaard and Perrone, 12/10)

Stat: Updates On FDA Panel Meeting On The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine
A panel of outside experts is meeting Thursday to consider whether the Food and Drug Administration ought to give an emergency use authorization to the Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, a vaccine that appeared to be highly efficacious in a Phase 3 clinical trial. Earlier this week, the United Kingdom started using the vaccine, which is currently known by the working name BNT162b2. On Wednesday, Canada’s drug regulator announced it had approved emergency use of the vaccine. (12/10)

NPR: 'Kind Of A Chess Game': For States, Distributing COVID-19 Vaccine Poses Myriad Hurdles
The first COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. could get authorized for emergency use in a matter of days. But for state health officials, any excitement over any potential breakthrough is tempered by an overwhelming logistical test: distributing a vaccine to millions of Americans. Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, said there's "no shortage of challenges" for the people charged with planning the vaccination rollout for their state. (Bowman, 12/9)

The Hill: Azar Dismisses Concerns Of COVID Vaccine Supply Shortages 
The Trump administration's top health official on Wednesday dismissed concerns over the potential for a "vaccine cliff" once initial supplies of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are exhausted. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the administration is confident that it has enough contracts with other companies to make sure there are enough doses of a vaccine for all Americans. (Weixel, 12/9)

NPR: DOD Unveils Its Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution Plan
The Department of Defense aims to administer just under 44,000 doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine within 24 to 48 hours of authorization for emergency use. U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have said they will make a decision soon after they hear from an advisory committee which meets Thursday. The vaccine will be distributed through 16 DOD installations, 13 in the U.S and three overseas. The facilities selected are in California, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington, director of the Defense Health Agency Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place said in a news conference Wednesday. (Jones, 12/9)

Bloomberg: Renergen Patents Helium-Cooled Cases For Coronavirus Vaccines
South Africa’s Renergen Ltd. has patented cryogenic cases that can keep vaccines at ultra-cold temperatures for 30 days, a potential way of getting some of the first coronavirus shots to be approved to remote areas, said Chief Executive Officer Stefano Marani. Renergen’s design uses helium to keep the vaccines at between minus 70 and minus 150 degrees Celsius without the need for a power supply, Marani said in an interview on Wednesday. It could be used to transport inoculations to remote parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, he said. (Prinsloo, 12/10)

In related news —

AP: AP-NORC Poll: Only Half In US Want Shots As Vaccine Nears
As states frantically prepare to begin months of vaccinations that could end the pandemic, a new poll finds only about half of Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves when their turn comes. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about a quarter of U.S. adults aren’t sure if they want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Roughly another quarter say they won’t. (Neergaard and Fingerhut, 12/9)

The Hill: States Push Back On CDC Demand For Personal Data Of COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients 
State officials are balking at requests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the personal data of residents receiving the coronavirus vaccine. The CDC has asked states for cooperation on data-use agreements, under which they would share personal registry information with the federal agency. The request has been met with pushback from some states, which have warned the data could be misused. (Budryk, 12/8)

Detroit Free Press: Yes, Michigan Employers Can Legally Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines
With companies like Ford and GM taking concrete steps to be prepared to distribute the vaccine, the moves raise questions about whether companies can require that employees get a vaccine. "Although the current COVID situation is new, this isn't a new issue for employers," said Maria Dwyer, a managing member of Clark Hill’s Detroit office and a labor and employment attorney. Dwyer said it's been well established under the law that employers can mandate vaccines. (Roberts, 12/10)

North Carolina Health News: When Vaccines Come To Prisons, Should Staff Be Priority? 
A future COVID-19 vaccine is coming to North Carolina’s prisons – and staff will be first in line to get it. But that prioritization is contentious. Under the state’s tentative plan, prison staff and high-risk incarcerated people will be first to get shots. Thousands of remaining inmates, the majority of the prison population, will wait. (Critchfield, 12/9)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Prison Guards: We’d Rather Quit Than Get Coronavirus Vaccine
Some Nevada corrections staff say they would rather quit than be forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine, department officials told the state Sentencing Commission on Wednesday. In an update on the COVID outbreak’s impact on the state prison system, officials also told the commission they were working on draft legislation for the upcoming 2021 session that would compel inmates to be vaccinated, similar to a standing requirement that they submit to a test for tuberculosis. (Dentzer, 12/9)

USA Today: 'Very Inconsistent': 2 Allergic Reactions In The UK To COVID-19 Vaccine Puzzle Researchers
Allergic reactions were not a significant problem in the U.S. trial in which more than 20,000 people have received both two doses of the vaccine, but the U.S. trials kept out subjects who have had severe allergic reactions, said Moncef Slaoui, co-head of Operation Warp Speed – the government program tasked with developing, manufacturing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. (Weintraub, 12/9)

Reuters: Explainer: What Do The UK Allergic Reaction Cases Mean For Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine 
British regulators initially responded by saying anyone with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food should not take the shot. An adviser to the group later said it was “tweaking” advice in part to say a food allergy was not a risk. Late on Wednesday, the UK regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not get the vaccine. (12/9)

AP: Allergic Reactions To Vaccines Rare, Short-Lived
Scientists say people can be sensitive to components in the shot, like gelatin or egg protein, or to the vaccine itself. People with egg allergies are sometimes advised not to get the flu shot, since that vaccine is mostly grown in chicken eggs. Common symptoms of an allergic reaction include a rash, skin irritation, coughing or trouble breathing. The exact ingredients used in Pfizer’s new COVID-19 vaccine are proprietary and are not publicly disclosed. The vaccine uses a new technology, and is coated in lipid nanoparticles, which have been used in drugs. (12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccines Pose Potential Side Effects, Doctors Say 
Kristen Choi, a participant in a Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine trial and a nursing professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the second shot left her with intense arm pain, chills, nausea and dizziness that evening. By the next morning, she had a 104.9-degree fever—the worst she has ever had. She took some acetaminophen, which helped with her fever. A clinical-trial research staffer told her that side effects like hers weren’t uncommon. While Dr. Choi can’t be sure she received the vaccine—the trial was double-blinded—she suspects she did, and says she wouldn’t have been able to see patients the day after she received the shot. (Toy, 12/9)

And misinformation over the COVID shot flourishes on Facebook —

USA Today: COVID Vaccine Misinformation Rages Out Of Control On Facebook, Twitter
Hours after Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from the United Kingdom, became the first person to get the COVID-19 vaccine, anti-vaxxers claimed she didn’t exist, that she was dead and that she was part of a Bill Gates scheme to implant microchips. A USA TODAY analysis of one popular tweet claiming Keenan was a "crisis actress" shows how quickly this misinformation can spread. A tweet shared by @bankiegirl at 2:38pm UK time on Dec. 8 received over 400 retweets from accounts sharing hashtags like #DoNotComply and #WeDoNotConsent. (Guynn and Bajak, 12/9)

AP: Trump Tries To Revive Stalled Election-Eve Drug Discounts
The Trump administration is trying to revive the president’s stalled election-eve plan to send millions of Medicare recipients a $200 prescription discount card. A person familiar with the effort tells The Associated Press that government agencies still face legal questions about the plan. That’s on top of the daunting logistics of sending an estimated 39 million people a functional card in the midst of the holiday season without the benefit of much advance planning. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/9)

Politico: Trump’s Drug-Card Plan Smacks Into Another Roadblock 
The White House is trying to surmount a previously unreported hurdle in its bid to make good on President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to give senior citizens $200 in drug-discount cards: An industry panel says the cards don’t meet the government’s own standards. Trump’s plan, which blindsided health officials in September, came as the president sought to reverse declining poll numbers among “our wonderful seniors” by bragging about giving $200 to most Medicare beneficiaries, declaring “Joe Biden won’t be doing this.” (Diamond, 12/9)

And Trump takes one last swipe at the Affordable Care Act —

Stateline: Trump Takes A Final Shot At Obamacare Exchanges
On his way out of the White House, President Donald Trump is taking one last swipe at the Affordable Care Act, proposing to allow states to opt out of the Obamacare exchanges where millions of Americans enroll in health insurance plans. If states choose this potential new option, residents would no longer have access to a one-stop shop for health insurance. Instead, they would have to find their way to private insurance brokers or individual carriers. They also wouldn’t have access to impartial advisers, so-called navigators, to assist them in making their choices. (Ollove, 12/9)

The Hill: ObamaCare Support Back At Record High: Gallup 
Support for the Affordable Care Act has reached 55 percent, tying a record high, according to polling from Gallup released on Wednesday. Support for the 2010 health care law has hovered around 51 percent for most of 2017-2019, but it previously hit the record high of 55 percent in April 2017 as congressional Republicans moved to repeal President Obama's signature legislation. A bill to repeal and replace the law passed the House around that time before failing in the Senate. (Budryk, 12/9)

Also —

The Hill: US To Pay More Than 9,000 Nursing Homes For Controlling Coronavirus Infections 
The Trump administration will pay incentives to more than 9,000 nursing homes for reducing COVID-19 related infections and deaths in the fall. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will split $523 million between those nursing homes beginning Wednesday. (Hellmann, 12/9)

KHN: Trump Plan May Set Clock Ticking On Many Health Rules — Setting Off Alarms
The Trump administration wants to require the Department of Health and Human Services to review most of its regulations by 2023 — and automatically void those not assessed in time. A proposed rule would require HHS to analyze within 24 months about 2,400 regulations — rules that affect tens of millions of Americans on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drug approvals. (Galewitz, 12/10)

NPR: Giuliani Leaves Hospital After Being Admitted For COVID-19
Rudy Giuliani has left the hospital following treatment for COVID-19, days after his coronavirus diagnosis was made public in a tweet by President Trump. Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, was spotted Wednesday evening leaving Georgetown University Hospital. He flashed a thumbs up sign out of his car's passenger-side window as he passed reporters. Giuliani, who had criticized mask-wearing during the pandemic, was seen wearing one as he left the hospital. (Diaz, 12/10)

The New York Times: Trump And Friends Got Coronavirus Care Many Others Couldn’t 
Ben Carson, Chris Christie and Donald J. Trump are not the sturdiest candidates to conquer the coronavirus: older, in some cases overweight, male and not particularly fit. Yet all seem to have gotten through Covid-19, and all have gotten an antibody treatment in such short supply that some hospitals and states are doling it out by lottery. Now Rudolph W. Giuliani, the latest member of President Trump’s inner circle to contract Covid-19, has acknowledged that he received at least two of the same drugs the president received. He even conceded that his “celebrity” status had given him access to care that others did not have. (Gay Stolberg, 12/9)

NBC News: After Giuliani Visit, Michigan House Says Nearly 30 Have Tested Positive For Covid This Year
Almost 30 staffers and members of Michigan's House of Representatives have contracted the coronavirus this year, the speaker's office said Wednesday — a week after Rudy Giuliani testified maskless in the chamber and three days after it was announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19.About eight representatives and 21 staffers have reported testing positive so far, said Gideon D'Assandro, communications director and press secretary for Michigan's House speaker. D'Assandro would not detail the timing of the infections, and it was unclear how many tested positive in recent days. (Madani, 12/9)

Also —

The Washington Post: Dismissing Health Concerns, State Department Treats 200 Guests To Holiday Drinks, Tours And Leftover ‘Be Best’ Swag 
The State Department hosted roughly 200 guests Tuesday night at the presidential guesthouse despite concerns of public health experts and a new positive coronavirus case on the premises since last week, according to two U.S. officials. The party included a tour of the White House’s vaunted holiday decorations followed by a self-guided tour across the street at Blair House, where foreign diplomats, their families, U.S. staffers and friends and acquaintances of the State Department’s chief of protocol convened. (Hudson, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Bipartisan COVID-19 Relief Framework Includes $35 Billion In Provider Grants
A COVID-19 relief framework created by a bipartisan group of centrist lawmakers includes $35 billion in relief grants for healthcare providers. The legislative summary, dated Wednesday, still leaves the thorny issues of liability protections and state and local aid unresolved. Prior slimmed-down COVID-19 relief bills advanced by Senate Republicans had cut out more money for the Provider Relief Fund. HHS has distributed roughly $109 billion of the $175 billion Congress has allocated to the Provider Relief Fund as of mid-November, according to data released by the department. Some prominent health systems, including HCA Healthcare, have returned grant money. (Cohrs, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Lawmakers Weigh Competing Covid-19 Aid Proposals 
A flurry of competing proposals for another coronavirus relief package ricocheted around the Capitol Wednesday, as lawmakers hunted for ways to resolve a thorny debate over liability protections that has stymied progress for weeks. A bipartisan group was still working late Wednesday to craft an agreement over some form of legal protections for businesses, schools and other entities operating during the pandemic, the single most stubborn roadblock for lawmakers eager to reach a deal on emergency relief. While lawmakers broadly agree with the White House that a new aid package is needed—and even on its rough price tag of just over $900 billion—compromise on the liability provision has long remained elusive. (Peterson and Duehren, 12/9)

The Hill: Momentum Stalls For COVID-19 Relief Bill
Momentum appeared to stall Wednesday on a COVID-19 relief bill amid differences not only between the parties, but between Senate Republicans and the White House over what should be included in the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) accused Democratic leaders of blocking progress, casting doubt on reaching a deal this week. (Bolton and Jagoda, 12/9)

Politico: Mnuchin Pushes Relief Checks Over Jobless Aid 
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday defended the Trump administration’s proposal to send one-time relief checks to millions of Americans rather than pouring more money into federal unemployment benefits, calling it a better way to get aid to struggling households. “We obviously want to get people back to work,” Mnuchin told reporters in a virtual gathering. “By sending out checks, we’re putting money into the economy for people. This will have the impact of creating demand, which will have the impact of creating jobs. We want to get people their jobs back.” (Guida, 12/9)

Also —

Politico: 'Dear God, Stop The Nonsense': Chicago Mayor Unloads On McConnell Over Covid Relief
Mayor Lori Lightfoot lashed out at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday for pushing a stimulus proposal that would largely leave cities and states empty-handed, and urged her party to dig in. "I hope what Democrats in Congress will say is, 'Over my dead body,’” the mayor during a press briefing to talk about plans to distribute the vaccine for Covid-19 in Chicago. “Every single town and municipality in this country is hurting. Blue, red, purple; independent mayors, Republican mayors, Democratic mayors.” (Kapos, 12/9)

PBS NewsHour: Americans Want More COVID-19 Economic Relief. Most Think Congress Should Compromise
With a number of coronavirus relief programs set to expire at the end of the year, 40 percent of Americans say they or someone in their household has lost a job or income due to the coronavirus. Congressional efforts to extend billions of dollars in aid to struggling Americans have been deadlocked for months, despite the fact that 66 percent of Americans say it is more important for government officials to compromise to find solutions than to stand on principle, even if that means gridlock. Late Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he had discussed a $916 billion COVID-19 relief plan with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would reportedly include a one-time $600 payment to most Americans but would not revive an enhanced $300 per week unemployment benefit. (Santhanam, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Surprise Billing Talks Die Down After Provider Lobbying Offensive
Last-minute efforts to reach agreement on policy to ban surprise medical bills have slowed amid a multi-front lobbying push by healthcare providers and conservative groups. Talks on surprise billing revived in the House over the weekend, but lawmakers haven't reached an agreement on an issue that has stubbornly divided both Democrats and Republicans for more than a year, according to lobbyists and staff familiar with the conversations. (Cohrs, 12/9)

The Hill: Lawmakers Call For Lowering Health Care Costs To Address Disparities In Pandemic 
Democrats and Republicans on Wednesday voiced support for lower drug and insurance costs to address health disparities during the pandemic, while diverging on how to make that happen. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), speaking at The Hill’s From Platform to Policy: 2021 Health Care Agenda event, said there’s a role for government to play, particularly amid the coronavirus. (Baker, 12/9)

In other legislative news —

Politico: House Votes To Expand Marijuana Research 
The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would make it easier for scientists to conduct marijuana research in states where the drug is legal. The bill passed on a voice vote with strong bipartisan support. It’s the second piece of marijuana legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled chamber in recent days. On Friday, the House passed a landmark bill that would end federal marijuana penalties and erase some past convictions. (Fertig and Zhang, 12/9)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Sen. Bob Casey Cites Shooting Of Walter Wallace Jr. In Pushing Bills To Divert 911 Calls For Mental Health Crises
Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) introduced two bills Wednesday aimed at steering some emergency calls away from law enforcement and toward social-service providers, hoping to avert encounters like the one that ended with Philadelphia police shooting and killing Walter Wallace Jr. The proposals, Casey said, would divert “non-criminal, non-fire, non-medical emergency” calls from 911 systems and into state and regional 211 systems, which offer a range of social services, including help for people facing mental health crises or those with disabilities. The bills, which are likely to face a difficult route to passage in a closely divided Congress, would also provide grants to strengthen those 211 systems and train law enforcement officers for encounters with people with disabilities. (Tamari, 12/9)

Roll Call: 'Forever Chemical' Provisions In NDAA Fall Short, Say Advocates 
The defense policy conference report the House adopted Tuesday night included steps to address a toxic set of chemicals linked to liver failure and cancer that are nearly ubiquitous in modern America and are building up in humans’ bloodstreams. Defying a veto threat, House members voted 335-78 to adopt a final version of the legislation, which would authorize $731.6 billion. The Senate aims to take up the conference report this week. (Hulac, 12/9)

Politico: California Congressman: Talking To Anti-Mask Lawmakers Like ‘Talking To A Brick Wall’ 
California Rep. Ami Bera complained Wednesday that many of his fellow members of Congress still do not wear masks inside the Capitol, and compared efforts to convince them to cover their faces to “talking to a brick wall.” “I see a lot of them, unfortunately,” Bera, a Democrat, said of anti-mask lawmakers during a POLITICO Live panel discussion. (Forgey, 12/9)

The Hill: Azar Says He Has Met With Biden Transition Team 
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday that he has met with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team and that he wants to ensure a smooth and professional transition process. Asked on CNN whether he would meet with Biden’s nominee to lead HHS, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D), Azar said that he would be open to such a meeting and that he would to “anything I need to do to make sure no balls are dropped in terms of protecting the American people.” (Chalfant, 12/9)

AP: Trump Virus Coordinator Birx Seeks Role In Biden Government
When Dr. Deborah Birx was brought into President Donald Trump’s orbit to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, she had a sterling reputation as a former U.S. Army physician, a globally recognized AIDS researcher and a rare Obama administration holdover. Less than 10 months later, as Trump’s time in office nears its end, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator’s reputation is frayed. And after serving every president since Ronald Reagan, her future in the incoming Joe Biden administration is uncertain. (Madhani and Miller, 12/10)

Roll Call: Biden Faces Pressure On Women’s Health, LGBT Issues 
Progressive groups are already pushing President-elect Joe Biden to reverse a number of Trump administration health policies next year, with an emphasis on those that affect low-income, minority and LGBT communities. Biden announced a number of key health policy picks Monday, including California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, his choice to serve as Health and Human Services secretary. (Raman, 12/9)

In updates on Biden's pick for HHS secretary —

Stat: Becerra Took More Campaign Cash From Health Groups Than Any Other Industry
Xavier Becerra, President-elect Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has taken more campaign cash from the doctors and other health care groups he will soon regulate than from any other industry. Over the course of his career in the House of Representatives, Becerra pulled in more than $1 million from political action committees affiliated with doctors and other health professionals, more than $300,000 from those affiliated with hospitals and nursing homes, and more than $300,000 from those affiliated with pharmaceutical companies and the manufacturers of other health care products, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. (Florko, 12/10)

KHN: With Becerra As HHS Pick, California Plots More Progressive Health Care Agenda
President-elect Joe Biden didn’t back “Medicare for All” during his campaign. Yet his choice of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to serve in the nation’s top health care post is fueling California lawmakers’ most progressive health care dreams, including pursuing a government-run single-payer system at the state level. (Hart and Young, 12/10)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Was The Hardest Hit By Supply Shortages Across All U.S. Industries
The healthcare industry was the hardest hit by supply shortages, new data on the U.S. economy show. That was one of the findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' survey of nearly 600,000 U.S. businesses gathered from mid-July through September. The results illustrate the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on businesses based on size, location and industry. Sixty-four percent of healthcare companies reported a shortage of supplies or inputs. Retail trade and accommodation and food services were the next hardest hit sectors at 59% and 50%, respectively. The national average across all industries was 36%. (Kacik, 12/9)

In other health industry developments —

Modern Healthcare: Encompass Health Exploring IPO, Merger Or Sale Of Home Health And Hospice Segment
Inpatient rehabilitation hospital and home health operator Encompass Health is looking at options for its home health and hospice segment. The company on Wednesday said "a range of options are under consideration," including a separation of the home health and hospice business through an initial public offering, spin-off, merger or sale. "Since joining together with Encompass Home Health and Hospice in 2015, we have generated substantial growth in both our business segments," Encompass Health President and CEO Mark Tarr said in a prepared statement. (Christ, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Johns Hopkins, University Namesake, Owned Slaves
Johns Hopkins, the 19th-century businessman who bequeathed a fortune to found the hospital and university in Baltimore that bear his name, and who on scanty evidence was long heralded as an abolitionist, enslaved at least four Black people before the Civil War, school officials disclosed Wednesday. Newly unearthed census records show Hopkins, who amassed wealth as a merchant and railroad investor, held one person as property in 1840 and four people in 1850, according to Johns Hopkins University officials. Census records listed no enslaved people in the Hopkins household as of 1860. (Anderson, Lumpkin and Svrluga, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Henry Ford And Acadia Partnering On Detroit Area Behavioral Health Hospital
Henry Ford Health System is the latest not-for-profit health system to partner with investor-owned Acadia Healthcare, this time to open a behavioral health hospital in suburban Detroit. Detroit-based Henry Ford said the 192-bed hospital, slated to open in late 2022, would fill a critical need for modernized inpatient behavioral health services there. The health system would own a roughly 20% minority stake in the joint venture with Acadia, which will pay for the hospital's estimated $50 million construction, equipment and annual operating costs. (Bannow, 12/9)

Stat: Florida Finds PBMs Are Benefiting From A Lucrative Profit Center
As states struggle to control the cost of prescription medicines, a new report found pharmacy benefit managers pocketed more than $89 million collected on behalf of the Florida Medicaid program — and the consultants who ran the analysis recommended state officials rework the arrangements. (Silverman, 12/9)

And an announcement about a research tool --

Stat: Google Launches Health Studies App, Marking A New Type Of Apple Rivalry
Google made a major move into health research on Wednesday, unveiling a new smartphone app that lets Android users participate in medical studies remotely. The app, called Google Health Studies, could enable the tech giant to better position itself against competitor Apple, which has rolled out several remote research efforts since launching its first virtual health study in 2017. (Brodwin, 12/9)

In pharmaceutical news —

Stat: Hemophilia Patients Pin Their Hopes On The Revival Of Vioxx
After surviving hemophilia, hepatitis C, and HIV, Joseph Burke considers himself a walking miracle. But the medical odyssey that saved his life has also ravaged his joints, and now each day begins in pain, whether from his ankles, knees, shoulders, or all of the above. ... He wants a treatment that can soothe his pain without the anxiety of keeping an addictive drug in his home. And he’s pinning his hopes on a decades-old pill more famous for class action lawsuits than medical miracles: Vioxx. (Garde, 12/9)

NPR: Progress Toward A Safer Psychedelic Drug To Treat Depression And Addiction
A chemically tweaked version of the psychedelic drug ibogaine appears to relieve depression and addiction symptoms without producing hallucinations or other dangerous side effects. The results of a study in rodents suggest it may be possible to make psychedelic drugs safe enough to become mainstream treatments for psychiatric disorders, the authors report Wednesday in the journal Nature. (Hamilton, 12/9)

Stat: J&J Cuts Size Of Covid-19 Vaccine Study Due To Prevalence Of Disease
Johnson & Johnson is cutting the size of its pivotal U.S. Covid-19 vaccine trial — the only major study testing a single dose of a Covid vaccine — from 60,000 volunteers to 40,000 volunteers. The change is being made possible by the fact that Covid-19 is so pervasive across the country, according to a person familiar with the matter. The more virus there is in the U.S., the more likely it is that participants will be exposed to it, meaning researchers will be able to reach conclusions based on a smaller trial. (Herper, 12/9)

Boston Globe: One Dose Of Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Offers Some Protection. But Experts Say You Still Need The Second Shot
Some bright news amid the gloom of the pandemic: A single dose of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, confers some protection against COVID-19, according to a new analysis of the clinical trial data by the Food and Drug Administration. But infectious disease experts caution that doesn’t mean people should skip or delay their second shot. (Pan, 12/9)

In other COVID vaccine developments —

AP: EU Drug Regulator Hacked, Data On COVID-19 Vaccine Accessed
German pharmaceutical company BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer say data on their coronavirus vaccine were “unlawfully accessed” during a cyberattack on the servers of the European Medicines Agency. The Amsterdam-based agency, which is considering requests for conditional marketing authorization for several coronavirus vaccines to be used in the 27-nation European Union, said earlier Wednesday that it had been the target of a cyberattack. (12/10)

Reuters: How The Novel Coronavirus Has Evolved 
As the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has swept across the world, killing more than 1.5 million people over the past year, it has mutated into seven major groups, or strains, as it adapted to its human hosts. Mapping and understanding those changes to the virus is crucial to developing strategies to combat the COVID-19 disease it causes. (Wardell, Scarr and Chowdhury, 12/10)

Los Angeles Times: Infected After 5 Minutes, From 20 Feet Away: South Korea Study Shows Coronavirus’ Spread Indoors
Dr. Lee Ju-hyung has largely avoided restaurants in recent months, but on the few occasions he’s dined out, he’s developed a strange, if sensible, habit: whipping out a small anemometer to check the airflow. It’s a precaution he has been taking since a June experiment in which he and colleagues re-created the conditions at a restaurant in Jeonju, a city in southwestern South Korea, where diners contracted the coronavirus from an out-of-town visitor. Among them was a high school student who became infected after five minutes of exposure from more than 20 feet away. (Kim, 12/9)

Fox News: As Coronavirus Numbers Spike, US Should 'Try To Keep Schools Open,' Fauci Says
The nation’s leading infectious disease expert said that the U.S. should try to keep children in schools “as best we possibly can” while the country sees a spike in coronavirus cases rivaling numbers that previously saw the nation shut down. Dr. Anthony Fauci, during a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health forum, said the data does not show widespread transmission of the virus in schools. “Our default position – there will always be exceptions ... there is never one-size-fits-all – our default position should be to try to keep the schools open and get children who are not in school back in school as best as we possibly can,” Fauci told Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who moderated Wednesday’s discussion. (Hein, 12/9)

AP: Alabama School System Issuing $1K COVID-19 Bonuses
Full-time employees of an Alabama school system are getting a $1,000 bonus except for its superintendent. The funds will be issued to employees of Baldwin County Schools on Dec, 18, WKRG-TV reported. The money is coming from local funding, primarily sales tax dollars, a spokesman for the school system said. (12/9)

The Baltimore Sun: Carroll County Special Education Teachers Concerned About Risks Associated With In-Person Learning 
County Commissioner Dennis Frazier, R-District 3, posed a question to Nick Shockney, director of special education for Carroll County Public Schools, during the Dec. 2 board of education meeting. “You’re still satisfied that it’s safe for everyone involved in those programs?” Frazier asked, referring to special education programs that have continued with in-person learning in small groups amid the recent spike of COVID-19 cases. (Griffith, 12/10)

In higher-education news —

Houston Chronicle: Texas Southern To Become COVID-19 Testing Hub For HBCUs Throughout Texas
Texas Southern University will be one of eight historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, in the country to become a COVID-19 testing hub for other Black higher education institutions thanks to a $25 million gift, according to a university release. Thermo Fisher Scientific gave the multimillion-dollar donation of supplies, test kits, and technical assistance to launch The Just Project. It will enable HBCUs to expand their laboratories and provide assistance during the pandemic by processing thousands of COVID-19 samples from other historically black institutions. (Britto, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Colleges Share Lessons Learned About The Coronavirus Pandemic During The Fall Semester
Colleges and universities that taught students in person this fall found no evidence that the novel coronavirus spread in any significant way in classrooms, laboratories and lecture halls, according to numerous school leaders, easing what had been one of their greatest fears during a deadly pandemic. A far larger public health problem for higher education, these leaders and other experts say, arose in the off-campus student housing and social scene. Trouble emerged wherever students mingled without protective distance and masks, and faced less peer pressure to curb unsafe behavior. (Anderson and Svrluga, 12/9)

The Hill: Alabama Governor Extends Mask Order Into 2021 
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) extended the state’s mandatory mask order into 2021 amid a rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. The order, which was set to expire Friday at 5 p.m., will now remain in effect until Jan. 22, 2021. Under the order, individuals are required to wear masks when in public or in close contact with other people. (Williams, 12/9)

AP: Gov. Burgum Extends Mask Mandate, Limits On Gatherings
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on Wednesday extended an executive order that requires people wear masks and limits the size of gatherings until next month but will allow high school sports to resume next week. The Republican governor issued the executive order on Nov. 13, and it was set to expire Sunday. The mandate, which has been extended until Jan. 18, requires residents to wear face coverings in indoor businesses and indoor public settings, as well as outdoor public settings where physical distancing isn’t possible. (MacPherson, 12/10)

AP: Tensions Rise Over Masks As Virus Grips Smaller US Cities
Arguments over mask requirements and other restrictions have turned ugly in recent days as the deadly coronavirus surge across the U.S. engulfs small and medium-size cities that once seemed safely removed from the outbreak. In Boise, Idaho, public health officials about to vote on a four-county mask mandate abruptly ended a meeting Tuesday evening because of fears for their safety amid anti-mask protests outside the building and at some of their homes. (Hollingsworth and Foley, 12/10)

AP: Tulsa Mayor Criticizes Nearby Cities Without Mask Mandate
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said Wednesday he’s disgusted that some cities, particularly in the Tulsa area, have not mandated mask wearing to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Cities with mask ordinances listened to medical professionals, Bynum said, suggesting city leaders in some other municipalities who opposed mask mandates took advice from “Facebook epidemiologists who can cite some sham website and claim that makes them an expert on the value of mask wearing.” (12/9)

The Washington Post: Mitchell, A South Dakota Town Divided By Mask Mandate As Covid Deaths Rise 
In a state where the Republican governor, Kristi L. Noem, has defied calls for a statewide mask mandate even as cases hit record levels, many in this rural community an hour west of Sioux Falls ignored the virus for months, not bothering with masks or social distancing. Restaurants were packed. Big weddings and funerals went on as planned. Then people started dying. The wife of the former bank president. A state legislator. The guy whose family has owned the bike shop since 1959. (Gowen, 12/9)

AP: Fewer Black Kids Getting Flu Shots, Worrying CDC Officials
More Americans have been getting flu shots this year, apparently heeding the advice of health officials fearful of a flu and coronavirus double pandemic, public health officials said Wednesday. But the flu vaccination rate for Black children is down, fueling worries that Black Americans may be turning away from shots. “It’s certainly a point of concern,” said Dr. Ram Koppaka of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted new flu vaccination data Wednesday. “We’ll monitor this over the coming weeks very closely.” (Stobbe, 12/10)

Stat: Doctors Worry About Missed Cancers If Covid-19 Keeps Children Away
Nothing prepares a parent for a child’s cancer diagnosis. Even more unthinkable is wondering if the cancer could have been caught sooner. When the coronavirus pandemic exploded in March, people in many states were urged to stay home — and they did. Primary care offices closed, gradually converting to telehealth if they could. In-person office visits for both children and adults fell off a cliff, dropping by as much as 60% in April by some estimates, while what-if questions about possible harms soared. (Cooney, 12/10)

In other public health news —

The Baltimore Sun: ‘Challenge The Darkness’: Pandemic-Friendly Hanukkah Celebrations A Bright Spot For Baltimore-Area Jewish Community 
As the coronavirus continues to surge in Maryland, it’s become increasingly clear that residents are in for a long, dark winter. But for Rabbi Yanky Baron, one thing has remained certain: There will be a menorah lighting this Hanukkah. “That’s really the message of Hanukkah,” said Baron, of the Ellicott City Chabad. “A little bit of light can dispel much darkness.” (Roberts, 12/10)

The New York Times: Exercise For Weight Loss: Aim For 300 Minutes A Week 
Can exercise help us shed pounds? An interesting new study involving overweight men and women found that working out can help us lose weight, in part by remodeling appetite hormones. But to benefit, the study suggests, we most likely have to exercise a lot — burning at least 3,000 calories a week. In the study, that meant working out six days a week for up to an hour, or around 300 minutes a week. (Reynolds, 12/9)

In sports news —

PBS NewsHour: When It Comes To Coronavirus Risks, Americans Are Divided Over Indoor Sports
As temperatures drop in much of the United States, American sports enthusiasts are likely weighing the risks of playing indoors during the worst surge of the coronavirus pandemic so far. A majority of Americans – 58 percent – say that people should not participate in indoor team sports this winter, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, revealing a major divide between Democrats and Republicans on this health question. (Leventhal, 12/10)

AP: Abdul-Jabbar Reveals Past Prostate Cancer Diagnosis In Essay
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed he had prostate cancer in a magazine article he wrote about health risks faced by Blacks. Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s career scoring leader, provided no other details about that illness in the piece he wrote for WebMD that first appeared Wednesday. A publicist for Abdul-Jabbar said this is the first time he has spoken about the prostate cancer. (12/9)

The Washington Post: College Basketball Schedule ‘Mess’ Sparks Calls To Pause Season Amid Covid-19 Outbreak 
In mid-September, about six months after the cancellation of the 2020 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, the NCAA announced that this year’s basketball season would begin Nov. 25 with teams allowed to play 27 games, at most. A handful of Division I programs — the eight-member Ivy League, Bethune-Cookman and Maryland Eastern Shore — opted to cancel their men’s and women’s seasons. But dozens of teams that have played on — including top-ranked Gonzaga; No. 7 Houston; 12th-ranked Tennessee, which didn’t play its first game until Tuesday night; and No. 18 Virginia, the most recent NCAA men’s champion — have had to pause their seasons because of positive coronavirus tests. Hundreds of games have been postponed or canceled, some of them within hours of tip-off after teams already were on-site. (Bonesteel, 12/9)

AP: Like Teams, NBA Refs Have New Health And Safety Protocols
NBA referees will have to adhere to many of the same new health and safety protocols as coaches and players are this season, all part of the league’s plan to try to keep everyone safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Referees will be tested daily, just like players and coaches, and will have to comply with new league rules about avoiding bars, lounges, clubs, public gyms and many other indoor gathering spots. The league is also coming up with methods designed to reduce referee travel, some of which is still evolving. (Reynolds, 12/9)

The Hill: Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Tests Positive For COVID-19 
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has tested positive for COVID-19 but says that he is currently experiencing no symptoms. Wolf said in a statement he tested positive Tuesday after a “routine” test. “I am continuing to serve the commonwealth and performing all of my duties remotely, as many are doing during the pandemic," he said. (Hellmann, 12/9)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore’s New Mayor To Shut Down Indoor And Outdoor Dining As Coronavirus Surge Continues
Baltimore will close all dining at restaurants in the city to combat the spread of coronavirus, part of the first executive order from newly sworn-in Mayor Brandon Scott, who made the decisive move Wednesday on his first full day in office. Tightened restrictions, which go into effect at 5 p.m. Friday, also include caps at 25% of capacity for retail and religious institutions, gyms, malls and museums. (Opilo and Tkacik, 12/9)

Boston Globe: Stark Inequities Persist In COVID-19 Testing
In Wellesley, wealthy donors have contributed $200,000 so students and teachers can be tested for the coronavirus each week in the comfort of their homes — with results returned from a New York lab in less than two days. Miles away in Dorchester, people must stand in line. It’s first come, first served at DotHouse Health center for anyone who wants a free test. But the wait is typically two or three hours, and results often take more than three days. Nine months into the pandemic, the landscape for COVID-19 testing has shifted dramatically, but it continues to lay bare stark inequities. (Lazar and Krantz, 12/8)

Anchorage Daily News: Antibody Infusion Center Opens In Anchorage To Treat Those Most At Risk For Severe COVID-19 Infections
Two new COVID-19 treatments will be available to eligible patients at a new state-run facility in Anchorage and distributed around Alaska, health officials said Wednesday. The treatments — known as monoclonal antibodies — are what the state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink, characterized as “manufactured fighters against the virus” during a public video call Wednesday afternoon. The treatments are intended for people who have an elevated risk of a severe COVID-19 infection and recently tested positive as a way to potentially reduce their risk of needing hospitalization. (Krakow, 12/9)

In other news from the states —

Los Angeles Times: California Hospices Under Fire For Mistreating Patients 
Nicolas Tuparan was eating breakfast at a Pasadena nursing home when he suddenly gasped for air. “Your father choked on eggs and oatmeal,” a nurse with Vitas Hospice Services would later tell Tuparan’s daughter, according to his family’s lawsuit. “He was very demanding and keep on telling me: feed me, feed me! So I kept on feeding him.” Tuparan, 88, stopped breathing and fell into a coma. The nurse said she did not perform CPR because it was against Vitas policy, even though Tuparan had explicitly requested lifesaving measures in the event of a medical emergency, the complaint alleged. Vitas attorneys did not respond to messages seeking comment. (Christensen and Poston, 12/9)

Courier-Journal: Louisville Ordinance Expands Ban On Housing Discrimination
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer signed an ordinance Wednesday adding classes of residents protected from housing discrimination. The new law bans housing discrimination on the basis of homelessness, conviction or arrest history, veteran status and source of income. “This work is particularly critical now, because, as we’ve seen, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to housing insecurity concerns for people across our city, particularly low-wage workers, often renters, often people of color, whose incomes have been reduced or eliminated,” Fischer said during a virtual press conference. (Austin, 12/9)

AP: Montana's Shutdown Of Alternative Treatment Center Is Final
The state’s 2019 shutdown of an alternative teen treatment center in northwestern Montana is final, the Department of Public Health and Human Services said Wednesday. An administrative law judge upheld the department’s removal of 27 children from The Ranch for Kids near Rexford, Montana, and its suspension of the facility’s license. The ranch did not appeal the Oct. 9 ruling, Jon Ebelt, spokesperson for the department, said Wednesday. (12/10)

Clarion-Ledger: Lawsuit: Mississippi's Home Health Care Laws Are Unconstitutional
Butch Slaughter, a longtime Jackson physical therapist, had a simple enough idea: start a home health business where he and his employees would come to the patients. It seemed like a logical move to help an aging population that is demanding more in-home care, as well as those wary of busy clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the 68-year-old — who specializes in ankle, foot and chronic pain issues — soon realized his idea was anything but simple in Mississippi. A 39-year-old law bans new home health agencies. And other state regulations, known as certificate-of-need laws, would make it tricky even if the ban didn’t exist. (Ramseth, 12/10)

KHN: Dialysis Industry Spends Millions, Emerges As Power Player In California Politics
The nation’s dialysis industry has poured $233 million into California campaigns over the past four years, establishing its leading companies as a formidable political force eager to protect their bottom line and influence state policy. Most of the money the industry spent from Jan. 1, 2017, through Nov. 30, 2020, funded the defeat of two union-backed ballot measures that would have regulated dialysis clinics — and eaten into their profits. But the companies and their trade association also stepped up their offense, dedicating about $16.4 million to lobbying and political contributions during the same period, a California Healthline analysis of state campaign finance records shows. (Young, 12/10)

The Washington Post: Saudi Arabia Also Approves Pfizer Vaccine
BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia approved the registration of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, its Food and Drug Authority announced.U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which is partnering with German biotech firm BioNTech, submitted the data on Nov. 24 to be studied by the Saudi FDA, which assessed and approved the vaccine. It did not, however, say when the vaccine will arrive in Saudi Arabia, only that the Health Ministry would make that announcement. It added that it would test samples of each shipment to avoid any issues. (Dadouch, 12/10)

The Hill: Canada Authorizes Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine 
Canada’s government on Wednesday authorized the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, becoming the third country to do so after the United Kingdom and Bahrain. The move comes ahead of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee meeting on Thursday, which is expected to lead to U.S. authorization of the vaccine soon after. President Trump has been pressuring the FDA to move quickly, but other experts say it is good that the agency is being thorough. (Sullivan, 12/9)

CNN: Canada Crushed The Covid Curve But Complacency Is Fueling A Deadly Second Wave 
"At least we're not as bad as the States." Those were the words uttered by so many Canadians during the first wave of coronavirus, perhaps without malice although with a good dose of smugness. But that complacency may have helped fuel a deadly second wave in Canada that is now straining hospital capacity in nearly every region of the country as health officials impose more restrictions and lockdowns. (Newton, 12/8)

In other global developments —

CNN: Covid-19 Vaccines Are Being Hoarded By Rich Countries, Leaving The Developing World Behind, Groups Warn 
Rich countries have bought enough Covid-19 vaccine doses to immunize their populations three times over, an international vaccine watchdog has said, but developing countries are being left behind in the global sprint to end the coronavirus pandemic. In 67 poorer nations, just one in 10 people can hope to receive a vaccine by the end of next year, the People's Vaccine Alliance said on Wednesday. (Picheta, 12/9)

CIDRAP: Italian Child Had COVID Back In December 2019
A 4-year-old boy living outside of Milan with no travel history is now the earliest confirmed SARS-CoV-2 case in Italy, a team based in Italy reported in a research letter to Emerging Infectious Diseases yesterday. The patient was one of the 39 consenting people in Italy's Measles and Rubella Network who had suspected measles in the fall of 2019 but eventually tested negative. His sample was the only one to test positive for COVID-19 via polymerase chain-reaction (PCR) testing. Using Sanger technology, the researchers were able to match it 100% to the reference sequence Wuhan-HU-1 as well as other COVID-19 strains found in circulation later. (12/9)

Bloomberg: England’s Schools Had Low Covid Risk After Reopening
Coronavirus cases were low in schools that reopened in England after the first nationwide lockdown, suggesting there was little risk of spreading the disease, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The research covered nurseries and schools that reopened after implementing measures such as smaller classes and the formation of social bubbles. Educational settings in England closed in late March for the first lockdown, with some partially reopening from June 1 to July 17. (Kew, 12/8)

Bloomberg: Cabin Crew Told To Wear Diapers On Risky Covid Flights
China’s aviation regulator is recommending cabin crew on charter flights to high-risk Covid-19 destinations wear disposable diapers and avoid using the bathroom to reduce the risk of infection. The advice comes in a 38-page list of guidelines for airlines to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The sixth edition echoes similar instructions in previous, less lengthy versions. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the recommendation applies for charter flights to and from countries and regions where infections exceed 500 in every one million people. (Davies, 12/10)

CIDRAP: Kids Likely Not Driving Household COVID-19 Outbreaks 
A study in Clinical Infectious Diseases yesterday shows that children are unlikely to be the source of COVID-19 household outbreaks and are less likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 by another household member, with implications for vaccine distribution. The role of children in the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has not been fully defined. While children typically have the highest rates of flu infection and are thought to play a major role in disease spread, scientists are still assessing data on their contribution to COVID-19 transmission. (Kuebelbeck Paulsen, 12/7)

CIDRAP: No Increase Found In Stillbirth, Preterm Birth During Pandemic 
Two large JAMA studies yesterday found no increase in pandemic-related stillbirths or preterm births or among UK and US women. A higher risk of infectious diseases has been documented in pregnant women—including respiratory infections and flu—leading to concerns about poorer pandemic-related pregnancy and birth outcomes. There have been confirmed cases of stillbirth deliveries among pregnant women with severe COVID-19, and a smaller previous UK study showed an increased risk. (Kuebelbeck Paulsen, 12/8)

CIDRAP: Pandemic Avoidance Of Medical Care Tied To More Appendix Rupture In Kids
A JAMA Network Open study late last week suggests that a pattern of delayed medical care during the pandemic may be responsible for a greater incidence of a ruptured appendix related to appendicitis in children. Doctors at Inova Children's Hospital in Virginia evaluated pediatric emergency department visits from Mar 16 to Jun 7, when Virginia public schools were closed. Patient volumes in the emergency department fell from 144 patients per day in 2019 to 65 patients per day, representing a 55% decrease. (12/7)

Also —

New England Journal of Medicine: Effect Of Finerenone On Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes In Type 2 Diabetes 
Finerenone, a nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, reduced albuminuria in short-term trials involving patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes. However, its long-term effects on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes are unknown. (Bakris et al, 12/3)

CIDRAP: Universal Flu Vaccine Found Safe, Immune-Producing In Phase 1 Trial
Universal flu vaccine candidates created with chimeric hemagglutinin (cHA) produced a broad immune response for 1.5 years, reports a study yesterday in Nature Medicine. Traditional flu vaccines target the virus' head of hemagglutinin (HA), but some researchers hope that creating a vaccine that targets the less-frequently mutating stalk will provide longer and broader protection. The researchers were able to sidestep issues of the virus's immunodominant head by using first H8 then H5 HA viral heads in their vaccination sequence, both with the same H1 HA stalk. Past studies have shown that by using the same stalk but different heads in vaccination regimens, subjects receive rising levels of immunity to the stalk itself. Most adults have already been primed at least once for the H1 stalk through previous exposure. (12/8)

Stat: New Data, Dashboard Provide Information On Covid-19 Hospital Capacity
The surge in Covid-19 cases that began in early November has raised questions about how hospital systems nationwide are handling the pandemic and whether there are enough beds and staff to take care of hospitalized patients. A big concern is whether hospitals in nonmetropolitan areas will be able to keep up. (Pinar Karaca-Mandic, 12/10)

The Hill: Members Of Congress Should Force Leadership To Hold A COVID-19 Relief Bill Vote
With COVID-19 spreading exponentially and troubling new data suggesting the labor market and the economy could be backsliding, it may time for rank-and-file members to force the hand of congressional leadership and force a vote on a bill the public desperately wants and needs. House and Senate members have real leverage if they are willing to use it in the form of a somewhat obscure — but powerful — procedural tool. (Former Reps. Tom Davis and Martin Frost, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Schumer’s Unemployment Flip-Flop 
Democrats are outraged this week that the White House rejected their demand for four more months of $300 in weekly enhanced jobless payments in Covid relief talks. “That is unacceptable,” thundered Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Would he say the same about legislation he introduced in July with Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden? (12/9)

New York Post: Why Won't NY's Leaders Share The Data On Restaurants And COVID?
If you’ve dined indoors at a New York City restaurant over the past few months, you know the routine: You must fill in contact information on a form. That way, if someone tests positive for COVID-19, contact tracers can identify others who’ve eaten at the same restaurants and alert them that they may have been exposed. Supposedly. Surely the tracers must know which restaurants, if any, have had many of its patrons infected. So why is Gov. Cuomo now threatening to ban all indoor dining, and put in other new restrictions, as COVID infections and hospitalizations rise, rather than focus only on eateries with a bad record? (David Marcus, 12/8)

Los Angeles Times: Judge Who Ruled On L.A. County Outdoor Dining Was Wrong
The tentative ruling Tuesday by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to enjoin a ban on outdoor dining in Los Angeles County ignores a fundamental constitutional principle: Government regulation of business is allowed as long as it is reasonable. The government does not need to prove that an action is necessary, or even that it will work. Unless the government’s action is irrational or serves no conceivable legitimate purpose, it must be upheld. (Erwin Chemerinsky, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Italians Will Be Frozen In Place This Christmas
The government fears that Christmas festivities will spread the virus, so it is imposing severe travel restrictions. Residents already aren’t free to move through the national territory, a constitutional right in Italy as in any liberal democracy. They may travel only within their regions—Italy has 20 of them—or between regions that are classified as having a similar risk status. On Dec. 25 and 26 and Jan. 1, all Italians will be confined to their municipalities. The rationale for the new measures lies in the fear that people may move out of the larger cities to join their relatives and have large gatherings, therefore causing a new infection spike. (Alberto Mingardi, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Xavier Becerra Is The Right HHS Director. Here’s Why Republicans Are Attacking Him. 
In 2016, when I was putting together a podcast on debt, I put out a call for stories about medical billing disputes. That was when I first heard about Sutter Health, the largest health-care provider in Northern California. An employer lawsuit was alleging that Sutter used its dominant market power to drain the financial blood of its unfortunate patients. In 2018, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued them, too. Among the allegations: that Sutter’s market power, enhanced by a string of acquisitions, drove up health-care costs to the point where people in Northern California paid more than double what those in Southern California were charged for inpatient hospital procedures. Sutter quickly caved and agreed last year to a $575 million settlement — as well as to a host of other conditions including limiting the amounts they can charge out-of-network patients in surprise medical bills. Is it Medicare-for-all? No. But Becerra’s efforts most certainly improved the lives of California residents who need medical attention. (Helaine Olen, 12/9)

Stat: Engage 'Willing Skeptics' To Help Counter Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
More than 250,000 people in the U.S. alone have died from Covid-19 this year. Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation estimate that 1 in 4 deaths could be avoided in the next three months if people take wearing masks in public more seriously. In spite of early fumbles and mixed messages from local governments, the messaging around masks from public health officials eventually became clear. (Joseph S. Salama, Jenna Borges and Ryan Baum, 12/10)

The New York Times: The Coronavirus Vaccines Were Developed In Record Speed. Now, The Hard Part.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to grant emergency use authorizations to the first two coronavirus vaccines in the next several days. The sheer speed with which doctors and scientists were able to reach this stage is a major achievement, and the early results for both vaccines are undeniably impressive. New vaccines normally take years to develop, and scientists initially worried.But when all is said and done, making the vaccine might turn out to have been the easy part. (12/9)

The Washington Post: Black People Are Justifiably Wary Of A Vaccine. Their Trust Must Be Earned.
Trust is earned. We all know that. But if a national vaccine campaign is to succeed, we must quickly figure out how to earn the confidence and cooperation of African Americans who are justifiably wary of a coronavirus vaccine. The world is at war with covid-19, but a successful distribution of a vaccine in the United States will be won and lost on a battlefield with a long history of medical racism. Government-approved medical experiments from the past have undermined Black America’s trust in this moment. (Michele L. Norris, 12/9)

Bloomberg: FDA Review Confirms Vaccines Are Safe. It's Covid-19 That's Dangerous. 
Vaccines can be scary. You’re asking healthy people to roll up their sleeves and take a shot of something mysterious — something associated with deadly germs. For Covid-19 vaccines, such fears may be amplified by concern that development was rushed, and by the way everything associated with the pandemic has been politicized. It will be hard to garner the public trust needed for a pandemic-ending vaccination campaign. (Faye Flam, 12/9)

USA Today: COVID Vaccine Allocation: Prioritize High-Risk People, Not Just Speed
Government agencies worldwide are starting to authorize new vaccines against the novel coronavirus. Now the hard work of distributing this scarce resource begins.In the United States, several groups of experts have recommended that Americans at highest risk get vaccinated first. But late last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that vaccine shipments would be divided among states based simply on the size of their adult populations. In short, the more adults, the more vaccine. (Eric Schneider, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: George W. Bush And The Covid Vaccine
The Bush administration also dealt with a previously unknown virus from China called SARS, and health professionals were concerned about H5N1, the avian flu. While difficult to transmit from human to human, H5N1 had an alarming fatality rate of above 50%. Mr. Bush was particularly concerned that the method available for manufacturing vaccines to deal with such a crisis was too slow and cumbersome. Vaccines were cultured in eggs for six months, one dose per egg, with an unacceptable failure rate. So in November 2005 Mr. Bush asked Congress for $2.8 billion for research to speed up vaccine development and strengthen early detection of viral outbreaks world-wide. (Karl Rove, 12/9)

The Hill: Should Journalists Be Among The First To Receive The COVID-19 Vaccine? It's Complicated 
A COVID-19 vaccine could start being injected into the first arms of Americans most vulnerable to the virus as early as Thursday, pending likely approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And debate around who gets in line where in getting this vaccine has begun. One question raised: Should journalists be near the front of the line? (Joe Concha, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Incarcerated People Are Suffering From Covid-19 More Than Most. They Should Be Among The First Vaccinated.
My friend’s second email ended, “Please send your prayers.” Her cousin, a Black man in his 50s, had just tested positive inside California State Prison-Corcoran. Her first email had shared his impending sense of doom. That day had started with news of a covid-19 death in his facility. Next, first one roommate and then another were removed after testing positive. Then, by day’s end, the news came that there were more people in covid wards than in regular housing. Now, her cousin, too, had tested positive.Another friend wrote me about her cousin, another Black man in his 50s, this one in Texas, who described people with covid in his prison being housed in unheated tents without any medical care. (Danielle Allen, 12/9)