NPR: What Makes Omicron Spread So Quickly? A New Study Offers A Tantalizing Clue
Why is omicron such a superspreading variant? Preliminary data, published online Wednesday, gives us the first look at how omicron may behave inside the respiratory tract — and the data offers a tantalizing clue as to why this heavily mutated variant is spreading so fast and even outcompeting delta. The omicron variant multiplies about 70 times faster inside human respiratory tract tissue than the delta variant does, scientists at the University of Hong Kong report. The variant reaches also higher levels in the tissue, compared to delta, 48 hours after infection. (Doucleff, 12/15)

Reuters: Omicron Thrives In Airways, Not Lungs; New Data On Asymptomatic Cases 
Major differences in how efficiently Omicron and other variants of the coronavirus multiply may help predict Omicron's effects, researchers said on Wednesday. Compared to the earlier Delta variant, Omicron multiplies itself 70 times more quickly in tissues that line airway passages, which may facilitate person-to-person spread, they said. But in lung tissues, Omicron replicates 10 times more slowly than the original version of the coronavirus, which might contribute to less-severe illness. (Lapid, 12/16)

Bloomberg: Omicron Infects 70 Times Faster But Is Less Severe, Study Says
The omicron variant infects around 70 times faster than delta and the original Covid-19 strain, though the severity of illness is likely to be much lower, according to a University of Hong Kong study that adds weight to the early on-ground observations from South African doctors. The supercharged speed of omicron’s spread in the human bronchus was found 24 hours following infection, according to a Wednesday statement from the university. The study, conducted by a team of researchers led by Michael Chan Chi-wai, found that the newest variant of concern replicated less efficiently -- more than 10 times lower -- in the human lung tissue than the original strain which may signal “lower severity of disease.” (Kay, 12/15)

The Boston Globe: Omicron Is Spreading Faster Than Labs’ Ability To Track It
New evidence suggests that the Omicron variant may be charging across New England and the rest of the country at a breakneck pace, threatening to push legions of additional patients into hospitals already overwhelmed with patients sick from the Delta variant, the flu, and other illnesses. Boston on Wednesday reported three new cases in young adults, who had mild symptoms. And researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, which does the lion’s share of COVID testing in the state, told the Globe they have reported about 15 Omicron cases to Massachusetts and federal public health agencies. But the Baker administration has so far reported only a single Omicron infection in the state, and declined to answer questions from the Globe about cases linked to the new variant. (Freyer and Andersen, 12/15)

AP: US Faces A Double Coronavirus Surge As Omicron Advances 
The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row. The White House on Wednesday insisted there was no need for a lockdown because vaccines are widely available and appear to offer protection against the worst consequences of the virus. But even if omicron proves milder on the whole than delta, it may disarm some of the lifesaving tools available and put immune-compromised and elderly people at particular risk as it begins a rapid assault on the United States. (Ungar and Johnson, 12/16)

Fox News: CDC Chief Says Omicron Cases Expected To Grow, White House Remains 'Confident' Schools Will Stay Open
Speaking at a White House COVID-19 Task Force Briefing on Wednesday, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that she expected reports of omicron cases in the U.S. to increase in coming days. The "variant of concern" has been detected in at least 36 states and agency data based on national genomic sequencing analysis showed the omicron variant is estimated to represent around 3% of coronavirus cases in the U.S., including higher estimates in New York and New Jersey. (Musto, 12/15)

But the White House says there won't be any lockdowns —

Axios: Biden COVID Official: "No Need To Lock Down," Even As Cases Surge 
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday that there will be "no need" to shut down the U.S. economy "in any way," adding that the country has the tools necessary to fight the Omicron variant. There is an increase of coronavirus cases, driven by the Delta variant, across the country, and CDC director Rochelle Walensky has said that the number of Omicron cases is "likely to rise." (Gonzalez, 12/15)

In other news about the spread of omicron —

The Atlantic: What To Do When You Get An Omicron Breakthrough Infection
If only the official guidance were this straightforward. Rebecca Wurtz, an infectious-disease expert at the University of Minnesota, told me that people are perplexed “partly because, I think, the guidance is confusing.” The CDC’s guidelines are limited: Isolate if you’ve either tested positive in the past 10 days or are experiencing symptoms, and end your isolation after 10 days only if you’ve gone 24 hours with no fever (without the use of Tylenol or other anti-fever drugs) and your other symptoms are improving—not counting the loss of taste and smell, which could take a couple of weeks to return. “They’re unclear as they’re stated, and they’re a little too complicated in any case,” Wurtz said. (When I reached out to the CDC for comment on its guidance on breakthroughs, a spokesperson pointed me back to the recommendations on the agency’s website.) (Tayag, 12/15)

Fox News: Omicron Variant May Hasten Pace For COVID-19 To Become Endemic, ‘Ideal Situation For A Virus’
Some health officials have expressed reserved optimism that the coronavirus omicron strain could be a significant step in the pandemic's transition to becoming endemic, with one expert calling initial studies "the ideal situation for a virus." Dr. Adam Koppel, the managing director of Bain Capital Life Sciences, told the Massachusetts High Technology panel on Tuesday that if the projections are true and omicron becomes the dominant global strain, it will "enable us to more quickly get to an endemic state as opposed to a pandemic state where we can live more regularly with the virus more similar to the flu than what COVID has looked like," the Boston Herald reported. (DeMarche, 12/16)

CNBC: What Living With Endemic Covid Will Look Like In 2022 And Future
Almost two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, an end might finally be in sight. Experts say that Covid will likely lose its “pandemic” status sometime in 2022, due largely to rising global vaccination rates and developments of antiviral Covid pills that could become more widespread next year. Instead, the virus will likely become “endemic,” eventually fading in severity and folding into the backdrop of regular, everyday life. Various strains of influenza have followed a similar pattern over the past century or more, from the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 to the swine flu pandemic in 2009. (Stieg, 12/15)

CNN: Flu And Covid-19 Cases Rising In Much Of The US 
US health officials are bracing for a trio of public health concerns this winter: more infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, surging infections with the Delta variant, and a "slow but steady" comeback of the flu. There is growing concern that a rise in Omicron cases, paired with climbing Delta cases and an increase in flu cases, could overwhelm health systems this winter, as well as possibly leading to a need to ramp up Covid-19 testing capacities, Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), told CNN on Wednesday. (Howard, 12/15)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Flu Cases In Pennsylvania And New Jersey Are Also Rising
Omicron and delta may be hogging the headlines, but flu is spreading, too, raising the possibility that the “twindemic” of flu and COVID-19 that public health leaders wrongly predicted last year might actually happen this year. In its latest weekly report on flu, the Pennsylvania Department of Health characterized flu activity during the week ending Dec. 11 as high and increasing. A total of 8,583 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases have been reported so far in all but two of the state’s 67 counties. That includes 2,466 cases in Philadelphia and the four suburban counties. It is surely an underestimate, the state said, because most people with flu do not see a doctor or seek testing. (Burling, 12/15)

In other news about the coronavirus —

NPR: COVID Patients Overwhelm Hospitals In Colorado Yet Again
Harold Burch lives in a home with a spectacular view in Paonia, a rural part of Colorado's Western Slope. But that's been little consolation to Burch, 60, as he's battled a cascade of health problems during the pandemic. "It's been a real rodeo," Burch says. "It's been a lot of ups and downs and lately it's been mostly just downers." Burch has battled chronic osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and had two major intestinal surgeries. One specialist he was seeing left her practice last year. Another wouldn't accept his insurance. Then, Nov. 1, he started experiencing major stomach pain. (Daley, 12/15)

The Washington Post: Hospitals Are Still Limiting Visitors Due To Covid. Here’s What You Need To Know.
Nearly two years into the pandemic, keeping up with visitor restrictions is one more stressor for already anxious friends and family of hospital patients. In addition to limiting visitors, some hospitals have shortened visiting hours, restricted visitors to one for a patient’s entire stay, and closed lobbies and other public places. (Some loosen certain restrictions if a patient is in hospice care.) Some hospitals also require all visitors to be vaccinated. (Haupt, 12/15)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Non-Vaccinated In Wisconsin Dying At Rate 12x Greater Than Vaccinated
On Wednesday, the state Department of Health Services released data surrounding illness after vaccination compared to illness in those not yet fully vaccinated and it showed, again, the strong protection provided by the vaccines. Throughout November, people not fully vaccinated died from COVID-19 at a rate 12 times higher than people who were fully vaccinated, according to the DHS. (Bentley, 12/15) 

AP: AP Source: NFL Plans Changes To COVID-19 Protocols 
The NFL is planning “significant changes” to its COVID-19 protocols amid the worst three-day stretch for the league during the pandemic, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details haven’t been finalized, said the league and the NFL Players Association are discussing three main areas: testing protocols; return to play guidelines to allow asymptomatic players who’ve tested positive to return sooner; and encouraging booster shots. (Maaddi and Dixon, 12/16)

The New York Times: Broadway Is Canceling Shows Due To Positive Covid Tests
Theater actors have long prided themselves on performing despite infections and injuries — singing through strain and dancing through pain. No more. The coronavirus pandemic has upended the theater industry’s longstanding “show must go on” philosophy, supplanting it with a safety-first strategy. The result: a raft of cancellations unlike any in history. (Paulson, 12/15)

CIDRAP: Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infections Common, Finds Global Review Of Studies
asymptomatic (symptom-free) COVID-19 among nearly 30 million people was 0.25% among those undergoing screening and 40.50% among those with a confirmed case. On Feb 4, 2021, researchers from Peking University in Beijing reviewed 95 studies from around the world involving 29,776,306 people, 11,516 of whom had asymptomatic infections at screening. Of 19,884 patients with confirmed infections; 11,069 were asymptomatic. Twenty-one studies were published in June 2020 or before, and 74 were published after. (12/15)

In news about health care workers —

CNN: 'Like Drinking From A Fire Hose': Health Care Workers Traumatized By Pandemic 
Hospitals are struggling to hold on to nurses and other professionals, staff are traumatized and the influx of patients feels like it's coming out of a fire hose, doctors say. The Covid-19 pandemic, entering its third year with 800,000 people dead in the US alone, could damage the health industry for years to come, they predict. "It feels like you are drinking from a fire hose with no way to control that flow," Dr. John Hick, an emergency physician at Hennepin Healthcare in Minnesota, told reporters Tuesday. "I have been practicing for 25 years in the emergency department and every shift I am working these days is like the worst shift in my career." (Fox, 12/15)

KHN: Nurses In Crisis Over Covid Dig In For Better Work Conditions
Nurses and health care workers across the country are finding strength in numbers and with labor actions not seen in years. In California, which has a strong union tradition, Kaiser Permanente management misjudged workplace tensions during the covid-19 crisis and risked a walkout of thousands when union nurses balked at signing a four-year contract that would have slashed pay for new hires. In Colorado, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Massachusetts, nurses have been embroiled in union battles over staffing and work conditions. (Spolar, Kreidler and Bichell, 12/16)

KHN: After ‘Truly Appalling’ Death Toll In Nursing Homes, California Rethinks Their Funding
About 1 in 8 Californians who have died of covid lived in a nursing home. They were among the state’s most frail residents: nearly 9,400 mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles whom Californians entrusted to a nursing home’s care. An additional 56,275 confirmed covid cases among nursing home residents weren’t fatal. (Young, 12/16)

The Wall Street Journal: CDC’s Early Covid-19 Test Hampered By Design Flaw, Contamination 
A design flaw and contamination caused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s initial batch of Covid-19 tests to fail, an investigation by the agency concluded, adding to the understanding of a major misstep in the early U.S. response to the pandemic. In February of 2020, public-health laboratories reported errors with the PCR test that the CDC designed to identify the virus that causes Covid-19. That left the U.S. partly blind to Covid-19’s early spread. (Abbott, 12/15)

Also —

Politico: HHS Forecast Shows Omicron Stretching U.S. Covid Testing Supply
Biden administration health officials are privately warning Covid-19 test makers and laboratories that demand for tests could double or even triple over the next two months as cases surge across the country, five people with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO. Internal modeling developed by the Health and Human Services Department’s Testing and Diagnostic Working Group projects that the nation's supply could be stretched by the need to conduct 3 to 5 million tests per day by late January or early February — a sharp increase from current daily levels of more than 1.6 million. (Lim and Cancryn, 12/15)

AP: Chicago Schools Giving COVID Test Kits To Hard-Hit Areas 
The Chicago Public Schools will distribute about 150,000 take-home COVID-19 test kits Friday to 309 schools in communities hit hard by the pandemic, the district announced. “In Chicago, we are in a wicked post-Thanksgiving COVID surge — 929 daily cases on average here in the city of Chicago. As the city goes, so goes CPS,” Dr. Kenneth Fox, CPS’ chief health officer, said at Wednesday’s monthly Chicago Board of Education meeting. “When cases surge in the city, so, too, do they surge at CPS.” (12/16)

CBS News: Why Does It Still Take So Long To Get A COVID-19 PCR Test Result? 
New COVID-19 restrictions for international travel and other activities are fueling consumer demand for highly accurate polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests with rapid turnaround times. Some clinics can deliver a PCR test result within hours, which these days can be as essential as a plane ticket for air travel. The downside? It will likely cost you hundreds of dollars. (Cerullo, 12/15)

NPR: Moderna Vaccine No Match For Omicron Except With Booster, Study Finds
There's more mixed news about the power of vaccines to protect people against the omicron variant — this time about the Moderna vaccine. A preliminary study made public Wednesday studied blood samples in the lab from 30 people who had gotten two Moderna shots, and it found that the antibodies in their blood are at least about 50 times less effective at neutralizing the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Previous research had indicated the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is also less protective against omicron. (Stein, 12/15)

The Hill: Study Suggests Antibodies From Two Moderna Doses Less Effective At Neutralizing Omicron
A preprint study published Wednesday indicated that the antibodies in blood samples from recipients of two Moderna doses were less effective at neutralizing the omicron variant, suggesting an increased risk of symptomatic breakthrough cases. ... They found these antibodies in two-dose Moderna recipients were at least 50 times less effective at neutralizing the omicron strain, which “could lead to an increased risk of symptomatic breakthrough infections.” (Coleman, 12/15)

And researchers continue to examine how the Moderna jab holds up against delta —

CIDRAP: COVID MRNA Vaccines Lose Strength Against Delta Over Time
Two new studies highlight waning mRNA COVID-19 efficacy against infection against the Delta (B1617.2) variant, with one showing that two doses of the Moderna vaccine were highly effective against all variants but that protection against Delta fell over time since vaccination. The other reveals a precipitous drop in mRNA vaccine effectiveness after the emergence of Delta among an older group of US veterans. (Van Beusekom, 12/15)

The Washington Post: CDC Advisers To Weigh Limits On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Because Of Continued Blood Clot Issues 
Vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are meeting Thursday to weigh possible limits on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of continued blood clot issues, mostly in young and middle-aged women, according to clinicians familiar with the agenda. ... The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will be presented with new data that appears to show the rate of the clots in people who received the Johnson & Johnson shot has increased since April, although the problem is still rare. There have been about nine deaths related to the issue, according to a federal official familiar with the situation. (Sun and McGinley, 12/15)

And Dr. Anthony Fauci says we don't need omicron boosters —

Axios: Fauci: No Need For Omicron-Specific Booster At This Time 
NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that there is "no need for a variant-specific booster" at this time because research shows that the current U.S. booster vaccine programs are effective against Omicron. While the Delta variant still accounts for the majority of coronavirus cases in the U.S., the number of Omicron-driven cases are expected to quickly rise. (Gonzalez, 12/15)

NBC News: Fauci Pushes For Universal Coronavirus Vaccine
The scientific quest for a universal coronavirus vaccine received a boost Wednesday, as three top federal researchers, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, outlined a path to develop new vaccines that could tackle a variety of ailments including Covid-19, some common colds and future viruses. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, Fauci and two colleagues said the virus that causes Covid-19 is unlikely to be eliminated, and current vaccines are too limited to prevent the emergence of new variants. Other coronaviruses are also likely to spill over from animals to become future pandemic threats, they wrote. (Bush, 12/15)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

CIDRAP: Study: US Vaccination Program Averted 1.1 Million Deaths
Researchers updated a Commonwealth Fund study yesterday, and now estimate that COVID-19 vaccination has prevented 1.1 million US deaths and 10.3 million hospitalizations, up from July's figure of 279,000 deaths and 1.25 million hospitalizations prevented. Without the US vaccination program, COVID-19 deaths would have been approximately 3.2 times higher and COVID-19 hospitalizations approximately 4.9 times higher than the actual toll during 2021, Commonwealth Fund researchers said. (12/15)

Roll Call: Burnout Among Pharmacists Slows COVID-19 Booster Shots 
Facing a shortage of pharmacists, drugstores nationwide are urging people to make appointments for COVID-19 shots rather than walking up — even as the Biden administration promotes vaccination as the key to ending the pandemic and relies on pharmacies as the main supplier. Between flu season and the rush for COVID-19 vaccines, both neighborhood and chain pharmacies in some places are experiencing a crush of demand. A tight labor market could pose an extra obstacle to vaccination as infections tick up. (Kopp and Cohen, 12/15)

KHN: Covid Shots For Kids Are Scarce — And Demand Is Mixed — In Rural Montana 
When children ages 5 to 11 were approved for Pfizer’s lower-dose pediatric covid-19 vaccine in November, Annie Edwards was eager to get her daughter Hannah, then 5, the shot because of underlying health conditions she has stemming from her premature birth. “She was on a ventilator for the first month of her life. Throughout this whole covid ordeal, I just keep thinking of those memories,” Edwards said. (Bolton, 12/16)

The Hill: Court Reinstates Health Worker Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate In Half Of US 
A federal appeals court on Wednesday effectively revived a Biden administration vaccine mandate for health workers at hospitals that receive federal funding in roughly half of the U.S. The procedural ruling by the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit temporarily scaled back a nationwide injunction put in place by a Louisiana-based federal judge late last month. (Kruzel, 12/15)

The Washington Post: Biden's Vaccine Policy For Private Companies To Be Reviewed By Three-Judge Panel 
A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected requests to initially review the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine or testing requirements for large private companies with a full complement of judges and will instead handle the case with the usual three-judge panel. The decision divided the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and drew sharp dissents from a pair of judges who used the opportunity to express deep concerns about the legality of the administration’s policy, which is set to take effect Jan. 4. (Marimow, 12/15)

In military news —

Politico: Navy Starts Kicking Out Sailors For Refusing Covid Vaccine As Republicans Rage Over Mandate 
The Navy has begun kicking out sailors who refuse to get the Covid-19 vaccine, but it won’t slap dishonorable discharges on anyone for their decision to ignore a direct order. Overall, 5,731 active-duty sailors remain unvaccinated, and at this point Navy officials say they believe most of those will likely continue to refuse the order, weeks after the Nov. 28 deadline for full vaccination. (McLeary and Forgey, 12/15)

The Washington Post: Vaccine Mandate: Republican Governors In Five States Object To National Guard Requirement 
Five Republican governors have asked the Pentagon to withdraw its requirement for all National Guard members to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, expanding the front of GOP resistance to President Biden’s directives that the federal workforce and government contractors be immunized. Governors from Iowa, Wyoming, Alaska, Mississippi and Nebraska on Tuesday signed a joint letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin saying they agree he has authority to impose requirements on service members under federal control. That includes National Guard troops — ordinarily under the state command — when they are mobilized for duty beyond their borders, such as overseas deployments. (Horton, 12/15)

In other updates on covid mandates —

AP: New California Rules End Distinction For Vaccinated Workers
Workplace regulators are poised on Thursday to extend California’s coronavirus pandemic regulations into next year with some revisions that business groups say could worsen the labor shortage. The main change to the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board’s revised temporary rule is that it would erase current distinctions between vaccinated and unvaccinated employees. Both would be barred from the workplace if they come in close contact with someone with the virus. (Thompson, 12/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: Are California’s Strict COVID Mandates Working? Here’s What The Data Shows
With California approaching an unfathomable milestone of 75,000 coronavirus deaths and 5 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, many are wondering if the state’s many mitigation measures — some of the most stringent in the nation — have made a tangible difference in reducing the toll of the virus. On Wednesday, Californians adjusted to new rules requiring everyone to mask up again in indoor public settings for at least a month, regardless of vaccination status — with a few regional exemptions — to blunt the impact of another winter surge. (Vaziri and Neilson, 12/15)

The CT Mirror: Connecticut's Digital Vaccine Cards Are Voluntary, Not A Passport
A digital COVID-19 vaccination card available from the state Department of Public Health will be promoted as a convenience and is not the harbinger of a mandatory vaccine passport, Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday. Theaters, sports tournaments and some colleges now require patrons and visitors to show proof of vaccination, but the governor said he is adamantly opposed to a state mandate requiring anyone to show a paper or digital vaccination card. “Mandates, sometimes you just create a lot of pushback,” said Lamont, who notes Connecticut’s vaccination rate is high. “Right now, we’ve got the wind to our back in terms of people doing the right thing.” (Pazniokas, 12/15)

CBS News: COVID-19 Again Upending College Life As Campuses Shut Down
Multiple schools around the country this week have abruptly announced that students would finish out their semesters remotely, given alarming COVID-19 positivity rates within their communities. Although many students were invited back to campuses in the fall, the Omicron variant is sending them home early. On Wednesday, New York University announced that a "considerable acceleration" in new COVID-19 cases in the area would effectively shutter its campus before winter break begins on December 22. The surge is taking place despite 99% of NYU's in-person students and full-time faculty members being vaccinated.  (Cerullo, 12/15)

The Washington Post: Colleges Move Finals Online, Cancel Events Amid Omicron, Rise In Cases 
In the nation’s capital, George Washington University officials announced on Wednesday that all in-person social gatherings and events were canceled effective immediately, and remaining exams for the semester would be held online starting Friday. The school had said a day earlier they would require booster shots after the omicron variant was detected. (Svrluga and Lumpkin, 12/15)

The Boston Globe: As Omicron Outbreak Increases, Colleges Are Recalculating Pandemic Risks
A few months ago, college leaders had hoped the spring semester would herald relaxed COVID protocols on campus, but with the arrival of the Omicron variant in the United States, those plans are on hold and more restrictions are being layered in. Amid outbreaks this week, several colleges in the Northeast, including Cornell University, Princeton University, and Middlebury College, have gone so far as to move finals online and urge students to leave for winter break as quickly as possible. No major institutions in Boston have undertaken such steps yet. And though a number of campuses have seen post-Thanksgiving clusters, public health experts are urging university leaders to think twice before they impose severe restrictions. (Krantz, 12/15)

In other news from schools and universities —

The Advocate: Attorney General Jeff Landry Sues Gov. John Bel Edwards Over COVID Vaccine In Schools
Attorney General Jeff Landry and a Republican state lawmaker filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block Gov. John Bel Edwards from adding the COVID-19 vaccines to the list of shots students are required to receive to attend schools and universities. (Paterson, 12/16)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Lawsuit Aims To Pre-Empt CCSD COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, End Testing
A lawsuit filed this week in federal court seeks to declare Clark County School District mandates for employee COVID-19 vaccination and testing unconstitutional. In the case of the vaccination mandate, which was approved by the School Board in September, the complaint seeks to prevent it from being enforced, though the school district has not yet taken any action to do so. It also seeks to end the weekly testing requirement the district imposed on unvaccinated employees in August. (Wootton-Greener, 12/16)

Fresh Take Florida: Texts Reflect UF Trustee Chairman's Relationship With DeSantis Amid Pandemic Decisions 
The chairman of the University of Florida board of trustees served as a liaison with the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis when administrators were considering temporarily moving some college classes online due to the pandemic, according to text messages. Morteza "Mori" Hosseini, who was elected chairman in 2018, is already under scrutiny over questions about his role in politically tinged decisions affecting the school. (Bolies, 12/14)

NBC News: White House Unveils Plan To Replace Every Lead Pipe In The U.S.
President Joe Biden promised his infrastructure proposal would replace every lead pipe in the country. Now the White House says it has a plan to deliver, despite a significant funding gap. The administration’s plan for lead pipes and paints, which Vice President Kamala Harris will detail in a speech Thursday, illustrates how officials are hoping to cobble together enough money to meet Biden’s goal through sources like the infrastructure law, Covid relief funding and the president’s stalled Build Back Better bill. (Lederman, 12/16)

The Hill: Biden Administration Releases Plan For Tackling Lead Pipes 
The plan, announced Thursday in a fact sheet, notes that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will “begin to develop” new regulations for lead and copper pipes. But, in the meantime, a senior administration official told reporters on Wednesday, a twice-delayed Trump rule concerning lead pipes will be allowed to take effect.  (Frazin, 12/16)

And President Biden's social-spending bill might be delayed again —

The New York Times: Manchin Balks On Social Policy Bill; Democrats May Punt To 2022 
Democrats privately conceded on Wednesday that they were all but certain to delay consideration of President Biden’s $2.2 trillion social policy bill in the Senate until 2022, missing a self-imposed Christmas deadline as negotiations with a key centrist holdout, Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, sputtered. Private talks this week between Mr. Biden and Mr. Manchin, who is pushing to curtail the scope of the package and shrink its price tag, have failed to resolve crucial differences, according to White House officials and congressional aides. And leading Democrats have yet to complete work on the complex social safety net, climate and tax package. (Cochrane and Tankersley, 12/15)

The Hill: Democratic Talks With Manchin Show Signs Of Melting Down 
Democratic negotiations with centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) over President Biden’s sweeping climate and social spending bill are close to melting down as Manchin appears to be backing out of an earlier deal with the White House to extend the child tax credit for one year. Manchin is now floating the idea of extending the child tax credit for multiple years so that the cost of a proposal that is likely to be extended by Congress in the future is fully reflected in the Build Back Better bill, which is now officially projected to cost roughly $2 trillion over 10 years. (Bolton, 12/15)

Politico: 'Quite Hopeful': Abortion Pill Decision Could Reshape Reproductive Health War
As the Supreme Court weighs the fate of Roe v. Wade, the Food and Drug Administration is set to open a new phase in the abortion wars this week, when it issues a key decision on how doctors can dispense pills to end an early pregnancy. Regulators are due to decide Thursday whether to uphold, revise or scrap longstanding restrictions on the abortion drug mifepristone — a review triggered by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the rules in court. Loosening the rules, which have already been suspended due to the pandemic, would allow any doctor to prescribe the drugs online and send them by mail, allowing patients to terminate a pregnancy at home even if justices strike down or cut back Roe v. Wade. (Ollstein and Tahir, 12/15)

NPR: The FDA May Be Poised To Ease Access To Abortion Pills
Before the pandemic, doctors like Nisha Verma could only prescribe abortion pills to patients who came to her clinic in person. But at least for now, the Biden Administration is allowing patients to get the pills by mail. "I think that makes it much more accessible for people where they don't actually have to physically come into a clinic, they don't have to expose themselves to COVID, they can do this all from the comfort of their home," said Verma, an OBGYN and abortion provider based in Washington, D.C. (McCammon, 12/15)

In other news about abortion —

Houston Chronicle: Harris County Can Spend Public Money To Counter Texas’ Strict New Abortion Law, Analysts Say
Three months after Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court sought advice on how to counter Texas’ new abortion ban, policy analysts for the court on Tuesday advised County Judge Lina Hidalgo the county could spend public money to support groups that aid those seeking abortions — and perhaps even to directly fund abortion care. The memo to Hidalgo and her top aides detailing the county’s options came in response to a resolution passed by Commissioners Court in September, two weeks after the abortion law took effect, that directed their policy analysis office to investigate how the county could “support individuals impacted by” the ban or “otherwise mitigate the law’s negative effects.” (Scherer, 12/15)

NPR: It's not as simple as abortion v. adoption. Just ask Bri
Bri had wanted to be a mom for as long as she can recall. "I remember in high school, one of my aunts had a large family, so I used to say I wanted five kids like her," she said. But seven years ago, Bri got pregnant by accident. She was 21 years old and the reality she confronted was very different from her teenage fantasy. (Isackson, 12/14)

The New York Times: Who Gets Abortions In America? 
The portrait of abortion in the United States has changed with society. Today, teenagers are having far fewer abortions, and abortion patients are most likely to already be mothers. Although there’s a lot of debate over gestational cutoffs, nearly half of abortions happen in the first six weeks of pregnancy, and nearly all in the first trimester. The typical patient, in addition to having children, is poor; is unmarried and in her late 20s; has some college education; and is very early in pregnancy. But in the reproductive lives of women (and transgender and nonbinary people who can become pregnant) across America, abortion is not uncommon. The latest estimate, from the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group that supports abortion rights, found that 25 percent of women will have an abortion by the end of their childbearing years. (Sanger-Katz, Miller and Bui, 12/14)

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Relief Led To Nearly 10% Jump In 2020 Health Spending
U.S. healthcare spending rose 9.7% to $4.1 trillion last year, primarily due to federal COVID-19 relief spending, the actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported Wednesday. The jump marks the largest growth in health expenditures since 2002 and spending was more than 5% higher than during 2019. Much of the increase came from federal spending related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the Provider Relief Fund and Paycheck Protection Program loans, according to a report the CMS Office of the Actuary published in Health Affairs. (Goldman, 12/15)

Politico: Health Spending Growth More Than Doubled In First Year Of Pandemic
The rate of growth in U.S. health care spending more than doubled in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving the medical system accounting for just less than a fifth of the U.S. economy at the end of 2020, according to a federal report released Wednesday. Spending on health care rose 9.7 percent last year, up from 4.3 percent increase in 2019 — the fastest year-over-year jump since 2002, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ office of the actuary. Nearly the entire increase came from the burst of federal spending as the government mobilized to contain the spread of the virus. (Levy, 12/15)

In other health care industry news —

Stat: Bowing To Pressure, J.P. Morgan Says Health Care Conference Will Be Virtual
The J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, biotech’s biggest annual conference, will be virtual, the bank said Wednesday, bowing to pressure from big-name drug companies that balked at an in-person meeting amid escalating cases of Covid-19. “The health and safety of our clients and employees is of the utmost importance, and given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we have made this decision,” J.P. Morgan said in an email to registered attendees, obtained by STAT. “We were not only hopeful to meet in-person but also understand how much this conference means to the San Francisco community, which we fully support.” (Garde and Feuerstein, 12/15)

CNBC: Amazon Elevates Former Prime Boss Neil Lindsay To Run Health Efforts
Amazon’s former Prime boss has been moved to a role overseeing the company’s health efforts. Neil Lindsay last month was elevated to senior vice president of health and brand within Amazon’s worldwide consumer business, according to his LinkedIn profile and people familiar with the move. (Palmer and Coombs, 12/15)

Stat: Health Tech's Sky-High Projections In 2021 Have Already Been Punctured
The health technology sector has seen extraordinary enthusiasm among private and public investors this year. In 2021, investments have so far totaled $23.8 billion, nearly tripling 2019’s tally, according to a Deloitte analysis. And more than two dozen companies began trading on public markets, capitalizing on sky-high valuations and the continuing popularity of the blank-check IPO. (Palmer, 12/16)

Modern Healthcare: Cigna Drops Livongo As Preferred Digital Health Tool
One of the largest health services businesses in the U.S. dropped Livongo from preferred status in its digital formulary Wednesday, with the move coming as the digital health startup's ongoing merger with telehealth provider Teladoc Health reportedly hits bumps in the road. Cigna's $98.6 billion Evernorth, which houses its Express Scripts pharmacy benefit manager, prioritized rival Omada Health over Livongo for chronic disease management in its annual formulary review of digital health apps and therapeutics. (Tepper, 12/15)

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Rattled By HR Company Ransomware Attack
Healthcare systems are struggling to manage timekeeping and employee pay following a ransomware attack on one of the country's largest human resources management companies. The Dec. 11 cybersecurity incident affected Ultimate Kronos Group, whose services are used by thousands of organizations, municipal governments, university systems and hospitals. So far, the company has determined that the attack specifically impacts those using the Kronos Private Cloud, which houses banking and scheduling solutions as well as healthcare extensions, said Bob Hughes, UKG executive vice president, in a blog post on Monday. (Devereaux, 12/15)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Three Miles And $400 Apart: Hospital Prices Vary Wildly Even In The Same City 
The cost of an ER visit in Boston reveals the wide range of prices at U.S. hospitals, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of newly public data. (Benedict, Mathews, McGinty and Evans, 12/15)

Houston Chronicle: Breast Cancer Breakthrough At Houston Methodist Could Double Patients' Odds Of Responding To Treatment
On Dec. 15, a research team led by Chang published a study in the journal “Science Translational Medicine,” describing how a combination of chemotherapy and a drug typically used to treat cardiac failure is able to regress tumor growth of triple negative breast cancer and prevent the cancer from spreading. “This is an effective way of cutting short drug development and getting it into patients as quickly as possible,” Chang said in a statement from the hospital. “This process has taken us less than five years and saved billions of dollars, giving us the opportunity to provide this new therapy faster for our patients.” (Peyton, 12/15)

In other news from across the U.S. —

WABE: Falcons, United Owner Blank Marks Opening Of Center To Treat Stuttering 
There’s a new resource in Atlanta for those who speak with a stutter. The Center for Stuttering Education and Research bears the name of Arthur M. Blank — owner of Atlanta United and the Atlanta Falcons. The facility, which celebrated a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, was established thanks to a $12 million grant from Blank’s foundation. Blank, who overcame a childhood stutter, says more needs to be done to normalize treatment of the disorder. (Moffatt, 12/15)

ABC News: Benton Harbor, Michigan Sees Decreasing Levels Of Lead In Drinking Water 
After seeing elevated levels of lead in its drinking water for three years, the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, a majority Black community, is finally seeing decreasing numbers, according to a recent report. The six-month sample results released Wednesday showed that for the first time since 2018, Benton Harbor reports lead levels within federal limits. (Yamada, 12/15)

The Mercury News: California City Investigating Why Fire Personnel Refused To Enter Facility To Administer Care
An independent investigation into the actions of Rialto fire paramedics who refused to enter a local care facility last month as a man suffered cardiac arrest has been launched, city officials announced Wednesday, Dec. 15. The paramedics under investigation have been placed on leave, acting fire Chief Brian Park said in a statement. According to a police report of the Nov. 17 incident, paramedics “insisted the patient had to be brought outside the facility before they could provide any sort of treatment,” wrote Officer Ralph Ballew, who was dispatched to Rialto Post Acute Care Center around 7:50 p.m. regarding a patient undergoing cardiac arrest. (Whitehead, 12/16)

Albuquerque Journal: Republicans Seek Quicker Action On Medical Malpractice Bill
Republicans in the state Senate tried and failed Wednesday to accelerate passage of a bill updating New Mexico’s medical malpractice law. The legislation is necessary, physicians say, to ensure independent doctors can continue to practice at hospitals and that independently owned outpatient clinics can stay open after Dec. 31. Insurance carriers, they say, have refused to provide insurance under the law as it stands now. (McKay, 12/15)

In news from Florida —

WUSF Public Media: Study Shows Heat-Related Deaths Rose In Florida Nursing Homes After Hurricane Irma 
Hurricane Irma impacted millions of people across Florida when it made landfall in 2017, leaving the state with power outages that lasted days and, in some places, weeks. The outages also had a significant impact for hundreds of nursing homes across the state, which resulted in the death of some residents due to heat exposure. An article in the Nov. 24 issue of the JAMA Health Forum reported a 25% increase in nursing home deaths a week after Irma came on shore in Florida on Sept. 10, 2017, and a 10% increase in mortality rates 30 days after landfall. (Alvim, 12/15)

Health News Florida: Proposal Could Set The Stage For Converting Public Health Systems To Nonprofits 
A House Republican has filed a proposal that would create a process for shifting public health care systems to nonprofit organizations. Rep. Adam Botana, R-Bonita Springs, filed the proposal (HB 897) this week for consideration during the upcoming legislative session, which will start Jan. 11. Under the proposal, the boards of public health care systems could decide through supermajority votes to do formal evaluations of converting the systems to nonprofit organizations. After the evaluations, the boards could negotiate with county officials over the terms of moving to nonprofit organizations. (12/15)

Health News Florida: A Pasco Judge Orders Walgreens To Hand Over Profit Records In Opioid Case 
After more than two years of squabbling over production of records in a lawsuit filed by the state, a judge ordered Walgreens to hand over documentation about the company’s profits on sales of opioid drugs in Florida for the past 25 years. Pasco County Circuit Judge Kimberly Sharpe Byrd on Friday gave Walgreens until Dec. 31 to start turning over “financial information sufficient to show all rebates, discounts, chargebacks, coupon reimbursements and any other money back it received on opioids” it purchased or sold in Florida since 1996. (Kam, 12/15)

AP: UK COVID Cases Hit Record; Top Doctor Warns Of Worse To Come 
The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned the situation is likely to get worse as the omicron variant drives a new wave of illness during the Christmas holidays. Professor Chris Whitty described the current situation as two epidemics in one — with omicron infections rising rapidly even as the country continues to grapple with the older delta variant, which is still causing a large number of infections. Public health officials expect omicron to become the dominant variant across the U.K. within days. Omicron already accounts for a majority of cases in London. (Kirka and Lawless, 12/15)

Bloomberg: Moderna To Begin Africa Covid-19 Vaccine Trial In HIV Patients
Moderna Inc. will start a trial of its Covid-19 vaccine across eight African countries to determine its efficacy in people who are HIV positive. The study, which will include about 14,000 volunteers, will serve a dual purpose by also evaluating its effectiveness against the omicron coronavirus variant, according to a joint statement from the Covid-19 Prevention Network and the South African Medical Research Council. It “is the first to specifically evaluate the efficacy of a Covid-19 vaccine in people living with HIV, including those with poorly controlled infections,” the groups said. “In addition to examining the efficacy of Covid-19 mRNA vaccines in people living with HIV, the study investigators seek to identify the optimal regimen for this population.” (Sguazzin, 12/15)

AP: Beijing Olympic Athletes And Their Garbage Face Restrictions
Beijing Winter Olympics organizers say measures to prevent cross-infections between athletes and the outside world are being extended to holding their garbage inside the bubble dividing the two. Officials said on Thursday that a team of special workers will be deployed to collect and transfer garbage inside the bubble to prevent the risk of coronavirus leaking out into the outside world. The Beijing Games begin Feb. 4. (12/16)

In other global developments —

AP: Afghanistan's Health Care System On The Brink Of Collapse 
The diesel fuel needed to produce oxygen for coronavirus patients has run out. So have supplies of dozens of essential drugs. The staff, unpaid for months, still shows up for work, but they are struggling to make ends meet at home. This is the plight at the Afghan-Japan Hospital for communicable diseases, the only COVID-19 facility for the more than 4 million people who live in the capital of Kabul. While the coronavirus situation in Afghanistan appears to have improved from a few months ago when cases reached their peak, it is now the hospital itself that needs life support. (Becatoros, 12/16)

ScienceDaily: Experimental MRNA HIV Vaccine Safe, Shows Promise In Animals
An experimental HIV vaccine based on mRNA -- the same platform technology used in two highly effective COVID-19 vaccines -- shows promise in mice and non-human primates, according to scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Their results, published in Nature Medicine, show that the novel vaccine was safe and prompted desired antibody and cellular immune responses against an HIV-like virus. Rhesus macaques receiving a priming vaccine followed by multiple booster inoculations had a 79% lower per-exposure risk of infection by simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) compared to unvaccinated animals. The research was led by Paolo Lusso, M.D., Ph.D., of NIAID's Laboratory of Immunoregulation, in collaboration with other NIAID scientists, investigators from Moderna, Inc. and colleagues at other institutions. (NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 12/9)

In other research —

CIDRAP: Review Uncovers Weak COVID Clinical Practice Guidelines 
A new systematic review of 32 clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for severely ill COVID-19 patients reveals that most were of poor quality, with few reporting funding sources or conflicts of interest, employing a methodologist, describing a search strategy or study selection process, or synthesizing evidence. The review, published in JAMA Network Open, was conducted by a team led by University of Toronto researchers from Dec 14, 2020, to Feb 28, 2021. (Van Beusekom, 12/13)

CIDRAP: After-Birth Hospital Stays Significantly Shorter During COVID Pandemic
A study of electronic health records in the United States shows that short hospital lengths of stay (LOS) after birth were 51% more common in the COVID-19 era, yet infant rehospitalization within a week did not increase. The study is published in Pediatrics. Short hospital stay was defined as one or two nights for vaginal births and three or fewer for cesarean births. Infant rehospitalization within 1 week of discharge was also compared from the pandemic period (Mar 1 to Aug 31, 2020) to prepandemic periods (Mar 1 to Aug 31 in 2017, 2018, 2019). (12/9)

ScienceDaily: High Blood Pressure Treatment In Pregnancy Appears Safe, Prevents Maternal Heart Risks
High blood pressure during pregnancy remains a major cause of maternal and fetal pregnancy-related complications and death, and it increases women's short- and long-term risks for cardiovascular disease. Emerging data from clinical trials and observational research support the benefits and safety of blood pressure treatment during pregnancy. Continued investigation is critical to determine which blood pressure levels, during- and post-pregnancy, both for starting therapy and as treatment goals, are beneficial for the mother and safe and beneficial for the fetus. (American Heart Association, 12/15)

CIDRAP: Flu Vaccine Uptake Low Among Those With No Regular Doctor, Minorities
A new study presented at an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) meeting finds that influenza vaccination rates are low for people without a regular healthcare provider, at just 20.5%, as well as among minority groups. Vaccine coverage among American adults with a regular provider was 44.5%, according to the research, which was presented yesterday at the society's midyear conference. (12/8)

The New York Times: Overturning Roe Will Make Miscarriage Care Worse 
When you have your first bad sonogram, you fall into an abyss of maternity care. If you haven’t experienced it, you might not know the contours of this purgatory, but I can tell you what it’s like. Almost exactly seven years ago, the face of my obstetrician fell while performing an ultrasound for a very wanted pregnancy, and our collective mood shifted in an instant from buoyant to somber. (Jessica Grose, 12/15)

Seattle Times: 3 Key Steps For Legislators To Address The Crisis Of Youth Mental Health 
In my clinic this week, all but two of the patients I cared for were either in need of mental health support or working closely with a mental health professional to help with mood symptoms, like feelings of hopelessness or trouble with sleep and appetite. Our provider inboxes are full of messages from families (and patients) requesting resources after calling multiple therapists and finding that, at best, they can be added to a waiting list, but more frequently that none have openings for new clients. Professionals with expertise in caring for the psychological needs of children and adolescents are in high demand with extremely limited supply. Pediatric providers like me are desperate to help but have too few tools in our toolbox. (Yolanda Evans, 12/13)

The Star Tribune: Mental Health Teams Roll In Minneapolis 
Minneapolis has finally launched a long-awaited program to help citizens experiencing mental health crises. Beginning this week, the city can send unarmed mental health professionals instead of police officers to certain kinds of calls. Creating this service is an important step toward moving some responsibilities out of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) so that sworn officers can focus more on violent crime, investigations and building relationships with the community. The essential change can prevent injuries and save lives. (12/15)

Scientific American: Dr. Oz Shouldn't Be A Senator--Or A Doctor
While holding a medical license, Mehmet Oz, widely known as Dr. Oz, has long pushed misleading, science-free and unproven alternative therapies such as homeopathy, as well as fad diets, detoxes and cleanses. Some of these things have been potentially harmful, including hydroxychloroquine, which he once touted would be beneficial in the treatment or prevention of COVID. This assertion has been thoroughly debunked. He’s built a tremendous following around his lucrative but evidence-free advice. So, are we surprised that Oz is running as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania? No, we are not. Misinformation-spouting celebrities seem to be a GOP favorite. This move is very on brand for both Oz and the Republican party. (Timothy Caulfield, 12/15)

Stat: Trying To Answer The Big Questions About Drug Prices Is Hard To Do 
Public debate over legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate the price of drugs has been dominated by stories of personal suffering caused by high drug prices, accounts of lifesaving cures provided by pharmaceutical innovations, and arguments regarding nuanced economic models of how reducing drug prices could affect government spending and pharmaceutical innovation. Big questions related to the role of companies or government in providing for the health of the public have gotten short shrift. (Fred D. Ledley, 12/16)

Bloomberg: Wrist-Size Fitness Gadgets Make For Great Gifts But Beware Of The Nocebo Effect
A wave of health-tech gadgets — from fitness trackers to Apple Inc.’s Watch — means hundreds of millions of people are hooked up to real-time feedback devices. They’re designed to measure your steps, encourage you to exercise more, and give daily updates on your mental and physical health. Apple wants you to “close your rings” — the three colorful circles the Watch uses to monitor your progress — and Garmin Ltd. helpfully tells you when your health is “excellent.” (Tim Culpin, 12/15)

The Washington Post: Our Playbook To Fight Covid-19 Is Outdated. Here Are 10 Updates For 2022. 
Before vaccines arrived, the best public health strategy against covid-19 was to throw everything we had at the virus — masking, distancing, hand-washing, cleaning, ventilation. That was the 2020 playbook, essentially an admission that no one strategy in and of itself was sufficient. But the game has changed. Given the availability of vaccines, here are 10 updates to the playbook for 2022: (Joseph G. Allen, 12/15)

Medium: It’s No Longer The ‘Pandemic Of The Unvaccinated’ 
Two weeks ago, I was flippant about Omicron, calling it a variant “with a name like a villain from a Transformers movie. ”Now I’m feeling chastened — and nervous. Just in time for Christmas, data pouring in from South Africa, Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, Washington State and elsewhere shows Omicron cases doubling very rapidly. It is pushing out Delta far faster than Delta replaced its predecessors. (Donald G. McNeil Jr, 12/15)

Seattle Times: Keep Up The Strong Start To Omicron Response 
While the world waits to learn how the newly recognized omicron variant will reshape the COVID-19 pandemic, Washingtonians have so far reacted to its arrival the right way. Just check the lengthening lines that have formed again as people scramble to get vaccinations and booster shots. Don’t be dismayed if you can’t get a vaccine right away. That hassle actually is a good sign for the region. The omicron variant appears far more contagious than earlier COVID-19 strains. Within days of the state Department of Health’s Dec. 4 announcement omicron had been discovered locally, the University of Washington’s virology team reported it comprised 13% of COVID-19 case samples collected Dec. 8. The same day those samples were collected, Pfizer was offering the world a good-news update that “booster” third doses of its vaccine successfully inhibit omicron. (12/14)

The Washington Post: Omicron Could Be Milder — Or A Disaster. Don’t Wait To Find Out. 
The warnings are coming fast and furious. “Tidal wave,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director general. “I’m a lot more alarmed,” said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. A new wave of highly transmissible coronavirus is engulfing the world and will explode soon in the United States. It is vital to grasp what this means and how to respond. (12/15)