Modern Healthcare: U.S. On Track For Herd Immunity By Summer
As COVID-19 immunization speeds up across the U.S., vaccine makers hope the country will reach mass immunization by the summer and be the first country of its size to meet that goal. In a panel at the virtual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said that if the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines' distribution continues to go smoothly, 400 million vaccines will have reached 70% of the U.S. population by the end of the second quarter of 2021. While smaller countries like Israel may reach herd immunity earlier, the timeline would still put the U.S. ahead of some of its peers. (Tepper, 1/13)

CNN: US Coronavirus: More Than 90,000 Americans Could Die Of Covid-19 In Next Three Weeks, CDC Forecast Shows 
More than 38,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 in the first two weeks of the new year. Another 92,000 are projected to die from the virus over roughly the next three weeks, according to an ensemble forecast published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Maxouris, 1/14)

The Hill: US Sets New Record For Daily COVID Deaths With Over 4,300 
Coronavirus deaths climbed to another record high on Tuesday in the United States, with a stunning 4,327 people dying in a single day, according to Johns Hopkins University. Deaths from COVID-19 are increasing at an alarming rate in the U.S. The seven-day average for daily deaths rose from about 2,600 per day to about 3,300 per day in the past week, a New York Times tracker shows. (Sullivan, 1/13)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Georgia Climbs To 4th Nationally In COVID-19 Hospitalizations, White House Says
Georgia reported the fourth worst rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions in the country last week, a federal report said, and the worst is likely still ahead for hospitals already overburdened by the fall and winter surge. “Georgia is in full pandemic resurgence and will experience continued increases in new COVID (hospital) admissions and fatalities,” the White House Coronavirus Task Force said. The report, dated Sunday, was obtained Wednesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (Trubey, 1/13)

And a California hospital is fined after an outbreak linked to a Christmas costume —

CNN: California Hospital Fined Over $40,000 After Santa Clara County Says It Delayed Reporting Covid-19 Outbreak 
A Northern California hospital was fined $43,000 after it delayed reporting a recent Covid-19 outbreak which resulted in the death of one employee. Santa Clara County said it issued a violation notice to Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center on January 5 "as a result of Kaiser's failure to timely report 43 cases involving personnel who tested positive between December 27, 2020 and January 1, 2021." That number has since grown, according to CNN affiliate KGO. (Smith, 1/13)

NPR: U.K. Variant Could Drive A New Surge In The U.S., Experts Warn
Scientists are sending the U.S. a warning: What's happening right now in the United Kingdom with the new coronavirus variant could likely happen in the U.S., and the country has a short window to prepare. "I feel a sense of déjà vu right now about the situation we were in back in the spring," says epidemiologist Emma Hodcroft at the University of Bern in Switzerland. "I think a lot of countries are looking at the U.K. right now and saying, 'Oh, isn't that too bad that it's happening there, just like we did with Italy in February. "But we've seen in this pandemic a few times that, if the virus can happen somewhere else, it can probably happen in your country, too." (Doucleff, 1/13)

Stat: More Infectious Coronavirus Variants Could Exacerbate Record Deaths, Cases
As horrific as the U.S. Covid-19 outbreak looks right now, it is almost certainly about to get worse. They’ve raced through South Africa, the United Kingdom, and, increasingly, elsewhere, and now, new, more infectious variants of the coronavirus have also gained toeholds in the United States. If they take off here — which, with their transmission advantages, they will, unless Americans rapidly put a brake on their spread — it will detonate something of a bomb in the already deep, deep hole the country must dig out of to end the crisis. (Joseph, 1/14)

The B.1.1.7 strain spreads to more states and at least 50 countries —

CIDRAP: 50 Nations Report B117 Variant
Fifty countries encompassing all of the WHO's regions have now reported cases involving the B117 variant, up from 40 the previous week. Also, 20 countries have now reported the more transmissible 501Y.V2 variant first detected in South Africa, up from 6 the week before. The WHO also acknowledged two more variants of concern linked to Brazil, including B1128, detected by Japan among four travelers from Brazil, and a similar variant that appears to have evolved separately in Brazil, both which have a mutation or mutations that may affect transmissibility and host immunity. (Schnirring, 1/13)

The Baltimore Sun: A New Variant Of The Coronavirus Has Surfaced In Maryland. Here’s What You Need To Know About It. 
A new variant of the coronavirus emerged in Maryland for the first time this week after being detected in other states across the country. An Anne Arundel County couple are quarantining at their house after traveling to “multiple continents,” Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday at a State House news conference in Annapolis. (Oxenden, 1/14)

AP: More Contagious COVID-19 Variant Detected In Wisconsin
A new, more contagious form of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in Wisconsin, health officials said Wednesday. State epidemiologist Ryan Westergaard told reporters during a video conference that state health officials received confirmation Tuesday that the variant had been detected through routine genome sequencing of a positive COVID-19 test for an Eau Claire County resident. (Richmond, 1/13)

Nature: COVID Research Updates: A Mutation Undercuts The Immune Response To The COVID Virus
Nature wades through the literature on the new coronavirus — and summarizes key papers as they appear. A selection of the latest research on the new coronavirus. (1/13)

Also —

The Hill: Moderna CEO Warns The Coronavirus Is 'Not Going Away' 
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel on Wednesday warned that the coronavirus is "not going away" and the world will have to live with it "forever." “We are going to live with this virus, we think, forever,” Bancel said. Bancel made the remark while speaking at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, CNBC reports. He said health officials will always have to be on the lookout for new variants of COVID-19 in order for new vaccines to be produced and that “SARS-CoV-2 is not going away." (Choi, 1/13)

Fox News: 2 New Coronavirus Variants That Likely Originated In US Identified In Ohio: Researchers
Ohio researchers on Wednesday announced that they’ve identified two coronavirus variants that likely originated in the United States. One of the new strains was identified in a single patient in the state, "so researchers do not yet know the prevalence of the strain in the population," according to Ohio State Wexner Medical Center where researchers first identified the variants. This new variant "carries a mutation identical to the U.K. strain, but it likely arose in a virus strain already present in the United States," officials said. Additionally, researchers also found what was described as an "evolving strain with three new mutations" that has become "the dominant virus in Columbus during a three week period in late December 2020 and January."  (Farber, 1/13)

CNBC: Ohio Researchers Say They’ve Identified Two New Covid Strains Likely Originating In The U.S.
One of the new strains, found in just one patient in Ohio, contains a mutation identical to the now-dominant variant in the U.K., researchers said, noting that it “likely arose in a virus strain already present in the United States.” However, the “Columbus strain,” which the researchers said in a press release has become dominant in the city, includes “three other gene mutations not previously seen together in SARS-CoV2.” “This new Columbus strain has the same genetic backbone as earlier cases we’ve studied, but these three mutations represent a significant evolution,” Dr. Dan Jones, vice chair of the division of molecular pathology at Ohio State and lead author of the study, said in a statement. “We know this shift didn’t come from the U.K. or South African branches of the virus.” (Feuer, 1/13)

CBS News: Ohio Researchers Discover New Strain Of COVID-19
Peter Mohler, a co-author of the study, said there is no evidence showing that the coronavirus vaccines will be less effective against the new mutations. "At this point, we have no data to believe that these mutations will have any impact on the effectiveness of vaccines now in use," Mohler said. (Evans, 1/13)

The Hill: CDC Study Finds COVID-19 Outbreaks Aren't Fueled By In-Person Classes 
A new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that in-person classes at K-12 schools do not appear to lead to increases in COVID-19 when compared with areas that have online-only learning. The CDC study noted that in the week beginning Dec. 6, coronavirus cases among the general population in counties where K-12 schools opened for in-person learning were similar to rates in counties that were online only. (Hellmann, 1/13)

NBC New York: Risk Of Reopening Schools For Young Kids May Be Lower Than High School, College: CDC 
A new report released Wednesday by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that COVID-19 transmission risk is low in school and that risk is even lower for younger children. After studying trends to see how the novel coronavirus spread among young people ages 0-24 years old across the U.S. from March to December, researchers found that there is a lower risk for transmission among younger kids that's associated with reopening child care centers and elementary schools. In contrast, transmission among 18-24 year olds was higher than other age groups. (1/14)

But cases among children are rising —

Boston Globe: CDC: Coronavirus Cases Among Children, Young Adults Have Risen Since The Summer
Coronavirus cases among children and young adults have risen nationwide since the summertime, prompting researchers to call for strict adherence to universal mask wearing in schools to promote safe in-person learning, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The information was contained in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Wednesday. “To enable safer in-person learning, schools and communities should fully implement and strictly adhere to multiple mitigation strategies, especially universal and proper mask wearing, to reduce both school and community COVID-19 incidence to help protect students, teachers, and staff members from COVID-19,” the report said. (Andersen, 1/13)

The New York Times: Infections Remain Comparatively Rare Among Children But Are Rising, The C.D.C. Says.
After falling over the summer, coronavirus infections among children, teens and young adults rose steadily from September through mid-December, paralleling the virus’s trajectory among older adults in the U.S. population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday. Of 2.8 million coronavirus infections diagnosed in children and young adults under the age of 25 between March 1 and Dec. 12, 2020, the incidence was lowest among children ages 10 and younger, who accounted for 18 percent of the cases. The majority of infections in those under 25 — nearly 60 percent — were among young adults aged 18 to 24, the study found. (Rabin, 1/13)

In related news —

AP: Calls To Reopen Classrooms Grow As Teachers Get Vaccinated
State leaders around the U.S. are increasingly pushing for schools to reopen this winter — pressuring them, even — as teachers begin to gain access to the vaccine against the raging pandemic. Ohio’s governor offered to give vaccinations to teachers at the start of February, provided their school districts agree to resume at least some in-person instruction by March 1. In Arizona, where teachers began receiving shots this week, the governor warned schools that he expects students back in the classroom despite objections from top education officials and the highest COVID-19 diagnosis rate in the nation over the past week. “We will not be funding empty seats or allowing schools to remain in a perpetual state of closure,” said Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. “Children still need to learn, even in a pandemic.” (Whitehurst, Tang and Breed, 1/14)

Philly Voice: COVID-19 Pneumonia Spreads Like Many 'Wildfires' In The Lungs, Northwestern Researchers Say 
Scientists may have uncovered the reason pneumonia caused by COVID-19 lasts longer than pneumonia resulting from other pathogens. In a study published in the journal Nature, Northwestern Medicine researchers likened the way COVID-19 pneumonia spreads throughout the lungs to the way multiple wildfires overcome a forest. Other types of pneumonia tend to spread through large regions of the lungs quickly. A SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, starts in several small areas of the lungs and then hijacks the lungs' own immune cells to slowly spread the infection over a matter of days or weeks.  (Romero, 1/12)

WGN-TV: Pneumonia In Severe COVID-19 Patients More Damaging 
Pneumonia is an infection of the air sacs in the lungs, typically caused by a bug, bacteria, or influenza and now, SARS-CoV-2. But doctors say the virus leaves more severe damage in its wake. And now they believe they know why. It is knowledge that will lead to better treatments. Dr Benjamin Singer knows pneumonia. He’s been studying it for years. But with COVID-19, it’s different. “I think it’s not widely understood that at its heart severe COVID is a pneumonia,” he said. “What we found is the immune system responds to the pneumonia caused by COVID-19 in a different way than it responds to patients with pneumonia caused by influenza or bacteria.” (Bair and Czink, 1/12)

MedicalXpress.com: Why COVID-19 Pneumonia Lasts Longer, Causes More Damage Than Typical Pneumonia
Bacteria or viruses like influenza that cause pneumonia can spread across large regions of the lung over the course of hours. In the modern intensive care unit, these bacteria or viruses are usually controlled either by antibiotics or by the body's immune system within the first few days of the illness. But in a study published in Nature on January 11, investigators at Northwestern Medicine show COVID-19 pneumonia is different. Instead of rapidly infecting large regions of the lung, the virus causing COVID-19 sets up shop in multiple small areas of the lung. It then hijacks the lungs' own immune cells and uses them to spread across the lung over a period of many days or even weeks, like multiple wildfires spreading across a forest. As the infection slowly moves across the lung, it leaves damage in its wake and continuously fuels the fever, low blood pressure and damage to the kidneys, brain, heart and other organs in patients with COVID-19. (1/12)

In other science and research news —

CNN: Covid-19 Infection Grants Immunity For Five Months, UK Study Suggests
People who have been infected by Covid-19 may have immunity to the virus for around five months, according to preliminary findings in a new study led by Public Health England (PHE). The SIREN research examined the impact of infection on more than 20,000 volunteer health workers from across the UK and a pre-print of the study found only 44 cases of reinfection among 6,614 people. (Rahim, 1/14)

The New York Times: Coronavirus Will Resemble The Common Cold, Scientists Predict 
As millions are inoculated against the coronavirus, and the pandemic’s end finally seems to glimmer into view, scientists are envisioning what a post-vaccine world might look like — and what they see is comforting. The coronavirus is here to stay, but once most adults are immune — following natural infection or vaccination — the virus will be no more of a threat than the common cold, according to a study published in the journal Science on Tuesday. (Mandavilli, 1/12)

AP: Vaccines And Masks: Biden Plan Aims To Break Pandemic Cycle
A coronavirus action plan being unveiled by President-elect Joe Biden centers on a mass vaccination campaign and closer coordination among all levels of government. The Biden plan comes as a divided nation remains caught in the grip of the pandemic’s most dangerous wave yet. So far, more than 380,000 Americans have died. Biden hopes his multidimensional strategy, expected to be detailed in a Thursday evening speech, will put the country on the path to recovery by the end of his first 100 days. “It’s going to be hard,” Biden said Monday after he got his second vaccine shot. “It’s not going to be easy. But we can get it done.” (Alonso-Zaldivar and Barrow, 1/14)

Stat: Biden Aides Retool Pandemic Plans In Light Of New Coronavirus Variants
President-elect Biden will address growing concerns about new, more transmissible coronavirus variants as he lays out his plans to speed up the sluggish U.S. vaccine rollout in a press conference this week, two of his top Covid-19 advisers confirmed to STAT. Biden was briefed on the variant that first appeared in the United Kingdom, known as B.1.1.7, soon after his Covid-19 advisory board convened an emergency meeting on Christmas Eve to discuss the new strains and the threat they posed. (Facher, 1/13)

Stat: Biden Adviser Predicts Slow Start To ‘100 Million Vaccines In 100 Days’ Goal 
President-elect Joe Biden is promising to administer 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine in his first 100 days — but some of his top advisers are already warning that the early days of that effort are going to be rocky. The 100-day goal, which would require the Biden team to administer 1 million doses a day, each day, for his first 100 days, would represent a significant ramp-up from the pace set by the Trump administration, which has vaccinated roughly 10.2 million Americans over the course of 30 days. (Florko, 1/14)

In other news from the incoming Biden administration —

The Washington Post: Biden To Include Expanded Child Tax Credit In Major New Stimulus Proposal 
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to include a significant new benefit for children in poor and middle-class households in the coronavirus relief package he will release this week, according to three people speaking on the condition of anonymity to share details of internal deliberations. Biden officials are likely to include the expansion of an existing tax credit for children as part of a relief package that will also include $2,000 stimulus payments, unemployment benefits and other assistance for the ailing economy — as well as money to fight the coronavirus pandemic and increase vaccine distribution. Biden is expected to formally unveil his proposal Thursday. (Stein and Werner, 1/13)

The Hill: Incoming White House Press Secretary Says Staff Will Wear N95 Masks 
Press aides for the forthcoming Biden administration will wear N95 masks in the White House, the incoming press secretary said Wednesday, marking a shift from the lax approach of the Trump administration amid the coronavirus pandemic. Jen Psaki, who will serve as chief spokesperson for President-elect Joe Biden when he takes office next week, told CBS News correspondent Paula Reid that all of her staffers will be asked to wear the medical-grade masks around the complex, with limited exceptions for those sitting alone in their offices. (Samuels, 1/13)

More details emerge about Dr. Moncef Slaoui's involvement with the Biden team —

CNBC: Operation Warp Speed Chief Resigned At Biden Team's Request: Sources
Operation Warp Speed chief advisor Dr. Moncef Slaoui has submitted his resignation at the request of the incoming Biden team under a plan that would see him stay in the role for a month to help with the transition, according to two people familiar with the situation. Slaoui’s role leading vaccine development for the unprecedented government effort is expected to be diminished after next Wednesday’s inauguration, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan wasn’t announced. It would end by Feb. 12. (Tirrell, 1/12)

The Hill: Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Submits Resignation At Request Of Biden Transition 
Moncef Slaoui, the chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, on Wednesday, submitted his resignation as part of a plan to hand the vaccination effort over to President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus team. Slaoui's resignation, which will go into effect next month, according to CNBC, comes as the president-elect has yet to name a new chief scientific adviser for the federal government's vaccine deployment program, which has so far seen just over 9 million Americans receive the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. (Bowden, 1/13)

Roll Call: COVID-19 Vaccines Sit At Hospitals As Doctors, Pharmacies Await Doses
Stephen Nuckolls, who runs a North Carolina health care medical group called Coastal Carolina Health Care, has deep freezers capable of storing the two authorized COVID-19 vaccines and hundreds of staff ready to give it. But after two weeks of emailing the North Carolina health department, he couldn’t get a supply. (Kopp, 1/13)

In other distribution updates from Mississippi, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia and elsewhere —

Biloxi Sun Herald: Mississippi Runs Out Of COVID-19 Vaccine. Timetable Now ‘Impossible,’ Health Dept. Says 
Mississippi no longer can offer COVID-19 vaccine — beyond the doses reserved for people with appointments — until next month when more vaccine becomes available, the State Department of Health said Wednesday. The announcement comes one day after Gov. Tate Reeves said he is expanding vaccine eligibility to a wider population — those 65 and older or with pre-existing conditions. The governor said he wants to get “shots in the arms” of Mississippians as quickly as possible, vowing to open vaccines to first responders and teachers next week. (Lee, 1/13)

Crain's Detroit Business: Mich. Health Systems Adjust For Vaccine Increase, Ask State To Give Them More
Michigan health systems have asked the state of Michigan to reallocate hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses sitting idly in deep freezers to hospitals and local health departments. Once unused vaccine doses are reallocated, health system executives say their nurses and medical assistants can quickly expand the number of vaccinations for people over age 65 and essential workers, including teachers and first responders. (Greene, 1/13)

Cincinnati Enquirer: There's No Ohio Statewide COVID Vaccine Waitlist. Here's How To Sign Up For Shots
Ohio doesn't have a statewide waitlist or registration form for those seeking a COVID-19 vaccine, but several local health departments have set them up. Starting next week, Ohioans ages 80 and older can obtain COVID-19 vaccines. Ohio is expected to receive about 100,000 doses for a population that includes about 420,000 residents. The Ohio Department of Health will list locations where older Ohioans can obtain COVID-19 vaccines on its website, coronavirus.ohio.gov, starting Thursday. Local health departments also will release information about where vaccines will be distributed in their areas. Some health departments have set up waitlists to notify residents when they are eligible for a vaccine. (Balmert, 1/13)

KHN: California Counties ‘Flying The Plane As We Build It’ In A Plodding Vaccine Rollout 
In these first lumbering weeks of the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history, Dr. Julie Vaishampayan has had a battlefront view of a daunting logistical operation. Vaishampayan is the health officer in Stanislaus County, an almond-growing mecca in California’s Central Valley that has recorded about 40,000 cases of covid-19 and lost 700 people to the illness. Her charge is to see that potentially lifesaving covid shots make it into the arms of 550,000 residents. (Barry-Jester, 1/14)

KHN: Delicate Covid Vaccines Slow Rollout — Leading To Shots Given Out Of Turn Or, Worse, Wasted 
For Heather Suri, a registered nurse in Virginia, the race to vaccinate Americans against covid has thrown up some unprecedented obstacles. The vaccines themselves are delicate and require a fair bit of focus over time. Consider Moderna’s instructions for preparing its doses: Select the number of shots that will be given. Thaw the vials for 2.5 hours in a refrigerator set between 36 and 46 degrees. Then rest them at room temperature for 15 minutes. Do not refreeze. Swirl gently between each withdrawal. Do not shake. Inspect each vial for particulate matter or discoloration. Store any unused vaccine in refrigeration. (Pradhan, 1/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Extra Covid-19 Shots Pose Quandary For Vaccination Sites 
The unexpected blessing was a logistics headache, said Amy Compton-Phillips, chief clinical officer at multistate hospital system Providence. The Pfizer injection kits sent to hospitals had only five syringes and five needles. “So for the sixth or seventh dose, there’s no syringe or needle,” Dr. Compton-Phillips said. Those essentials are in short supply, she said, “so we are turning over rocks trying to give people those doses.” (Winkler, 1/13)

Bloomberg: J&J Sees Decision On Vaccine Clearance Coming By March
Johnson & Johnson’s highly anticipated single-dose Covid-19 vaccine may not be authorized for use until March, weeks later than U.S. officials have suggested. Operation Warp Speed officials have said they believe that the shot could receive emergency clearance from U.S. regulators as soon as the middle of next month. But that timeline may be aggressive, based on the drugmaker’s expectations for when it will have reliable data in hand demonstrating the one-shot vaccine’s efficacy. (Griffin and Tozzi, 1/13)

The New York Times: Johnson & Johnson Expects Covid Vaccine Results Soon But Lags In Production 
Johnson & Johnson expects to release critical results from its Covid-19 vaccine trial in as little as two weeks — a potential boon in the effort to protect Americans from the coronavirus — but most likely won’t be able to provide as many doses this spring as it promised the federal government because of unanticipated manufacturing delays. ... Federal officials have been told that the company has fallen as much as two months behind the original production schedule and won’t catch up until the end of April, when it was supposed to have delivered more than 60 million doses, according to two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. (Zimmer, LaFraniere and Weiland, 1/13)

Stat: Data Fuel Debate On Whether J&J’s One-Dose Covid Vaccine Will Be Enough
Johnson & Johnson published updated early data on its Covid-19 vaccine Wednesday, showing that it provided participants in a clinical trial with at least some immunity after one dose. The data, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offer only hints to a tantalizing question: Could the vaccine, given as a single shot, perform as well as the vaccines that U.S. regulators have already authorized, which are given as two? (Herper, 1/13)

The Hill: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Has Promising Immune Response In Early Trial 
A coronavirus vaccine from Johnson & Johnson was found to be safe and to generate an immune response in early trials, promising signs as research continues. The results published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine are from early-stage trials. The more conclusive results on the effectiveness of the vaccine are still to come in a phase three trial, which the company said Wednesday could be available soon, in "late January." (Sullivan, 1/13)

In other news from vaccine developers —

USA Today: Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Struggles To Find Adolescent Volunteers
Not enough adolescents are signing up for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine trial, a federal official said this week, potentially delaying vaccine authorization for this age group. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration OK'd use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 16- to 17-year-olds, as well as adults. The companies did not have enough data in younger adolescents to apply for use in that age group, and Moderna had only tested its vaccine in adults, so it is only authorized for 18 and up. About four weeks ago, Moderna launched a trial in 12- to 17-year-olds, but apparently, the company is struggling to find enough adolescents volunteers. (Weintraub, 1/13)

FiercePharma: JPM: How Did Pfizer Up Its COVID-19 Vaccine Capacity? 'Out Of The Box Manufacturing,' CEO Says 
Earlier this week, Pfizer partner BioNTech upped the pair’s 2021 COVID-19 output projection to 2 billion doses for 2021, up from a previous estimate of 1.3 billion. But how will the companies get there? By doing things “very differently and very out of the box in manufacturing,” CEO Albert Bourla explained Tuesday during a fireside chat at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. (Helfand, 1/13)

The Washington Post: Dollar General Is Paying Workers To Get A Covid Vaccine 
Dollar General workers who get the coronavirus vaccine will be rewarded with four hours of pay, the company announced Wednesday, making it one of the first major retailers to incentivize inoculations for its workforce. ... Dollar General said employees will not have to provide proof of their vaccination, only notify the company that they had one. It also said it is encouraging inoculation, not requiring it. (Telford, 1/13)

In other news about who's lining up to get the covid vaccine —

AP: Florida Downplays Reports Of Medical Tourism For Vaccines
Florida was one of the first states to throw open vaccine eligibility to members of the general public over 65, leading to rumors that tourists and day-trippers are swooping in solely for the jab. State officials have moved quickly to disavow such scuttlebutt. Gov. Ron DeSantis said stories of people flying to Florida, getting vaccinated and returning home are overblown. While there have been scattered reports of such interlopers, DeSantis said the nonresidents who are getting shots are almost entirely “snowbirds,” residents who live in the state for several months during the winter and who could infect others if they aren’t vaccinated. (Spencer, Lush and Calvan, 1/13)

NH Times Union: Rye Nursing Home Says Board Members Who Got COVID Shots Did Not Take Vaccine From Staff, Residents 
Board members of a Rye nursing home who received the COVID-19 vaccine last month did not take doses away from workers or residents, the nursing home’s administrator said Wednesday. “It was bad judgment,” said Tom Argue, Webster at Rye administrator, to allow people not part of the “1-A” top-priority group to get the vaccine. It is unknown how many of the 11 board members were vaccinated. (Albertson-Grove, 1/13)

Boston Globe: Baker Says Vaccine Will Be Administered Beginning Monday At Shelters And Prisons
Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday that Massachusetts will start administering the COVID-19 vaccine Monday to the more than 94,000 people who live and work in congregate care settings such as prisons, shelters, and certain private special education schools. Speaking at his regular State House briefing, the governor said the congregate care facilities can administer the vaccine in multiple ways. They can self-administer the vaccine on site if they meet certain criteria, work with an existing pharmacy or provider partnership to give the shot, or utilize mass vaccination sites such as the one opening Monday for first responders at Gillette Stadium. Asked why a convicted murderer serving a life sentence should get the vaccine before others who aren’t behind bars, Baker said it’s a matter of public health. (Andersen, 1/13)

The Atlantic: Random People Are Lining Up To Get Vaccinated In D.C. Grocery Stores
For more than a week, lines have quietly been forming at certain D.C. supermarket pharmacies, which have started giving away leftover vaccine doses each day just before closing time, usually to between one and three people. Vaccine lines for eligible recipients have already become a common sight in some places, but these shots are available to anyone—not just the health-care and frontline emergency workers who qualified weeks ago in most states, or even those 65 and older, who became eligible in D.C. on Monday. And the lucky few who get a shot also get scheduled for a second dose. At the Giant in Shaw, the crowd by the deli included people who looked old enough to meet the age cutoff and people who looked young enough to be students—all hoping to strike the vaccine jackpot. The most hard-core among them had been up since 4:30 in the morning. (Stern, 1/13)

North Carolina Health News: Family Caregivers Left Behind By Vaccine Plan 
For Mark Newton, each visit to the grocery store tempts fate. He arrives during early or late hours when the business is mostly empty, but he can’t control the checkout line – or the flood of fear that rushes in every time he finds himself surrounded by other too-close patrons, their noses peeking out over masks, or mouths and noses on full display. (Critchfield, 1/14)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas’ Black COVID-19 Task Force Finds Vaccine Distribution Difficult In Early Days Of Fair Park Site
The Black COVID-19 Task Force for the city of Dallas, under the leadership of council member Casey Thomas, gauged the response to the initial vaccine distribution Tuesday during its first meeting of the year. Their verdict? It’s not working. Around 1,600 people were vaccinated at the “mega” site at Fair Park when it opened Monday, according to the city, which wants to meet, if not exceed, that number every day this week. But for a site that the city and Dallas County organized with high-risk Black and Latino populations in mind, critics said the process is confusing, including registration, obtaining an appointment, on-site logistics and following up for the second dose of the vaccine. (Moss, 1/13)

KHN: Vaccination Disarray Leaves Seniors Confused About When They Can Get A Shot 
For weeks, doctors’ phones have been ringing off the hook with anxious older patients on the other end of the line. “When can I get a covid-19 vaccine?” these patients want to know. “And where?” Frustration and confusion are rampant as states and counties begin to offer vaccines to all seniors after giving them first to front-line health care workers and nursing home residents — the groups initially given priority by state and federal authorities. (Graham, 1/14)

Stat: Mark Cuban Wades Into Medicine With A New Generic Drug Company
Mark Cuban turns down new business opportunities on Shark Tank by declaring “I’m out!” But when it comes to generic drugs, Cuban is now all in. In an unexpected move, the high-profile billionaire has launched the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, which its website says is “dedicated to producing low-cost versions of high-cost generic drugs” and claims that everyone will get the same low price for every drug it makes. (Silverman, 1/13)

Stat: Esperion Buys Rights To A Pill That Might Lower Cholesterol Like Injectables
The most powerful cholesterol drugs ever invented have become a pharmaceutical cautionary tale, failing to reach their commercial potential because of high sticker prices and an inconvenient need for needles. Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR), a small Michigan company with a pair of approved cholesterol treatments, believes it can replicate their effects in pill form, creating a cheaper, easier-to-take medicine that can succeed where its predecessors faltered. (Garde, 1/13)

In technology news —

FierceHealthcare: Online Therapy App Talkspace To Go Public In $1.4B Deal With Blank Check Firm 
Online therapy app Talkspace plans to go public through a merger with SPAC Hudson Executive Investment Corp. The combined company will operate as Talkspace and intends to be listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol "TALK." The deal values Talkspace—which connects users with licensed therapists via video chat or text—at $1.4 billion, including debt. The deal will provide the company with $250 million in cash to be used as growth capital, the companies announced Wednesday. (Landi, 1/13)

FierceHealthcare: Walgreens Announces Creation Of New Tech Startup Aimed At Developing Comprehensive Patient Platform
Walgreens is establishing a tech-enabled healthcare startup with the goal of creating a new patient platform that blends physical and digital tools, company leadership said. Executives with the retail pharmacy chain detailed the tech startup, which is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of the company’s fiscal year, during a talk Wednesday during the annual J.P. Morgan healthcare conference. The decision is part of a larger trend in the pharmacy space of retail chains aiming to expand their digital offerings. (King, 1/13)

Modern Healthcare: FDA Outlines Approach To AI Oversight In Medical Devices
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday released a five-pronged plan to underpin its approach to regulating medical software with artificial intelligence or machine learning components, including plans to issue new guidance for how developers modify such software. The document represents the first so-called "action plan" the FDA has released on the topic. Agency officials plan to update its approach as technology and research advance. "To stay current and address patient safety and improve access to these promising technologies, we anticipate that this action plan will continue to evolve over time," said Bakul Patel, director of the Digital Health Center of Excellence in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in a statement. (Kim Cohen, 1/13)

Stat: Sana Biotechnology, Filing For IPO, Aims For Astronomical Valuation 
After years of rumors, Sana Biotechnology is positioning itself to file for an initial public offering that could give it the largest-ever valuation for a preclinical company in biotech. The company is looking to raise just $150 million in an initial public offering, according to a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. (Sheridan, 1/13)

In related news —

Stat: What Comes After The Telehealth Boom? Hybrid Care Models Draw Interest
Buoyed by the pandemic, 2020 was undoubtedly the year that telehealth turned the corner to mainstream. But for savvy investors, the big question isn’t what’s hot now — it’s what’s the future holds. (Aguilar, 1/14)

Stat: Using Technology To Help Heal Health Care Disparities 
For the first time in its 54-year history, CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) is all digital this week. Technology, some of which was highlighted in previous shows, has helped save us during the coronavirus pandemic, letting us work, learn, and connect remotely. (Shapiro, 1/13)

Stat: 'This Is The Foundation': Health Tech Leaders Discuss Access, Inequity, And Community At CES 
For all the focus on digital health at the Consumer Electronics Show for the past decade, there has been little substantive coverage of how the sector can tackle health inequity — or how certain technologies have exacerbated long-standing health disparities. That changed notably at this year’s virtual CES, with a number of sessions dedicated to exploring thorny ethical issues that, if unaddressed, could deepen existing forms of historic inequality. (Brodwin, 1/14)

Stat: 4 Steps For AI Developers To Build Trust In Their Clinical Tools
As health systems deploy new tools that predict patients’ risk of serious medical outcomes, many appear to be sidestepping the more delicate task of ensuring that health workers trust those systems. The conversation is changing, however, as real-world examples of the tools’ unintended consequences emerge and as health workers increasingly express a desire for more information about the tools they’re tasked with using. (Brodwin, 1/13)

Bloomberg: Coca-Cola Severs Longtime Ties With Pro-Sugar Group
Coca-Cola Co. has ended its long association with the International Life Sciences Institute, a blow to the powerful food organization known for its pro-sugar research and policies. The beverage giant ended its membership at the “global, regional and country level” as of this month, Coke said in a statement in response to inquiries from Bloomberg News. The decision was made after a routine review, the company said without offering additional details. The departure is a major setback for ILSI at a time when health-conscious consumers are increasingly turning away from sugar-laden beverages. The group, which was created in 1978 by a former Coke executive, still lists companies such as PepsiCo Inc. and Kellogg Co. as members, but Coke had been a prominent supporter and financial backer. (Pulley, 1/13)

In other health industry news —

CIDRAP: Depression, Anxiety, PTSD Reported In ICU Staff During Pandemic
Almost half (45.4%) of intensive care unit (ICU) physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers in England reported a mental disorder during the pandemic, including suicidal thoughts, according to survey results published in Occupational Medicine yesterday. Across June and July 2020, 709 ICU healthcare workers from nine ICUs voluntarily completed the 5-minute online survey. (1/13)

NH Times Union: Mass General, Wentworth-Douglass End Push For Merger With Exeter Hospital 
Massachusetts General Hospital and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital are pulling the plug on a proposed merger with Exeter Hospital. More than two years after launching an effort to form a new Seacoast-based nonprofit health care network to serve local patients, hospital officials announced Wednesday that the proposal is off. (Schreiber, 1/13)

The Baltimore Sun: Dr. Robert B. Welch, Ophthalmologist Who Co-Directed Wilmer Retina Service At Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dies 
Dr. Robert B. Welch, an internationally renowned ophthalmologist who had been co-director of the Wilmer Retina Service at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and had been chairman of ophthalmology at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, died of pneumonia Jan. 5 at the Blakehurst Retirement Community in Towson. The former longtime Roland Park resident was 93. (Rasmussen, 1/14)

The Hill: Study Identifies First Potential Treatment For Meth Addiction 
Researchers think they may have found the first medication treatment for meth addiction, a significant step toward stemming the increase in overdose deaths seen in recent years. A study published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine found that a combination of two medications may be a safe and effective treatment for adults with moderate or severe methamphetamine use disorder. (Hellmann, 1/13)

Stat: New Trial Data Shows A Combo Of Two Drugs Can Help Treat Meth Addiction
As rates of methamphetamine overdose soar in the United States, one of the biggest challenges for both people who use stimulants and clinicians is that there are no approved treatments for this type of addiction — unlike the three medications authorized to treat opioid use disorders. But in a new study, researchers found that a combination of two existing drugs — one, a treatment for opioid addiction, and the other, an antidepressant — can help some people who use methamphetamine regularly cut back. (Joseph, 1/13)

In other public health news —

AP: Risky Driving: US Traffic Deaths Up Despite Virus Lockdowns
The number of people killed on the nation’s highways rose 4.6% in the first nine months of 2020 despite coronavirus lockdowns that curtailed driving early in the year.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 28,190 people died in traffic crashes from January through September of last year, up from 26,941 in the same period of 2019. Final statistics for the full year won’t come out until fall. (1/14)

USA Today: RAND Survey Finds Many Don't Think Racism Is A Barrier To Health
The RAND Corporation's ongoing survey, COVID-19 and the Experiences of Populations at Greater Risk, measures attitudes toward health, equity and race amid the pandemic. More than 4,000 people participated in the study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Researchers sought adults in lower and middle income households earning less than $125,000. More than half of participants didn’t believe systemic racism is a main reason people of color have poorer health outcomes. Black and Hispanic respondents were more likely to believe it is so, but they also were oversampled in the survey — meaning many of the surveyed people of color also didn't consider it a leading problem. (Hassanein, 1/13)

AP: Defiance Of Virus Dining Bans Grows As Restaurants Flounder
A line formed out the door during the lunch rush at the Carver Hangar, a family-owned restaurant and sports bar, and waitresses zipped in and out of the kitchen trying to keep up with orders as customers backed up in the lobby. Indoor dining has been banned in much of Oregon for nearly two months, but the eatery 20 miles southeast of Portland was doing a booming business — and an illegal one. The restaurant’s owners, Bryan and Liz Mitchell, fully reopened Jan. 1 in defiance of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 indoor dining ban in their county despite the risk of heavy fines and surging coronavirus cases. (Flaccus, 1/13)

KHN: In Search Of A Baby, I Got Covid Instead
As a health care journalist in Los Angeles reporting on the pandemic, I knew exactly what I needed to do once I landed in the hospital with covid pneumonia: write my goodbye emails. I’d seen coverage of some final covid messages during this terrible year. They were usually directed to spouses, but my No. 1 concern was how to explain my own death to my 3-year-old, Marigold, whom we call “Goldie.” How much of me would she remember, and how would she make peace with what happened to me, when I could barely believe it myself? (Almendrala, 1/14)

The New York Times: Ex-Governor Of Michigan Charged With Neglect In Flint Water Crisis 
Rick Snyder, the former governor of Michigan who oversaw the state when a water crisis devastated the city of Flint, has been charged with two counts of willful neglect of duty, according to court records. The charges are misdemeanors punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or a maximum fine of $1,000. (Bosman, 1/13)

AP: Flint Families Welcome Water Crisis Charges, Seek Healing
Flint mother Ariana Hawk struggled to find words. Bittersweet came to mind, as did frustrated. “I literally could have cried,” said Hawk, sitting in her car after learning Tuesday that former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and others in his administration were expected to be charged in a water crisis blamed with causing learning disabilities in scores of children and other medical problems among adults in the majority Black city about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. Hawk’s son, Sincere Smith, was 2 years old when she noticed something wasn’t right with the family’s tap water. Sometimes the water they drank and used for cooking and bathing was discolored. More concerning was when it gushed out brown. (Stafford, Household and Williams, 1/14)

In updates from Massachusetts, Maryland and Michigan —

Boston Globe: Natick Issues Boil Water Order After E. Coli Found In Water Samples
Natick issued a boil water order Wednesday after E. coli was found in water samples collected Tuesday, officials said. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection removed the water sources that tested positive for E. coli from operation and increased water disinfection treatments, the town said in a statement. The bacteria was found in 9 out of 12 sampling sites in the water system on Tuesday, the statement said. It was also detected in a sample of untreated water from the Elm Bank source, which is treated before use. Residents are advised to boil tap water for at least 1 minute, the statement said. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, food preparation, brushing teeth, and washing dishes. (Stanton, 1/13)

The Baltimore Sun: Overdose Deaths Jump In Maryland, Likely Due To Coronavirus Pandemic, Health Officials Say 
More Marylanders died of drug and alcohol overdoses in the first nine months of last year, a jump that health officials attribute to the coronavirus pandemic. State health officials said Wednesday that 2,025 people suffered “unintentional intoxication deaths” between January and September, a 12.1% increase from the same period in 2019. (Miller, 1/13)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan's Problem With Food Insecurity Only Got Worse During COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens the economy and more Michiganders struggle to afford food, a new report says Michigan must strengthen its food supply by prioritizing food workers for PPE, and help ensure more food makes it the "last mile" to residents in need. The Food Security Council, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer created in August, made the recommendations "to inform the state’s response to a potential second wave of COVID-19 or future public health emergency," according to a report issued in October. Whitmer released the group's recommendations Monday. (Rahman, 1/13)

AP: Spain: Judge Orders Incapacitated Woman To Get Virus Vaccine
A judge in northwest Spain has overruled a family’s objections and decided to allow health authorities to administer a coronavirus vaccine to an incapacitated woman in a nursing home. The case appears to be the first known instance of a court in Europe requiring someone to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The Spanish government repeatedly has stressed that shots would be voluntary, as have authorities in other European countries. (Wilson and Cheng, 1/13)

Los Angeles Times: India Uses 2 COVID Vaccines Despite Doubts Over One Of Them
As India launches an ambitious effort to vaccinate 300 million people against the coronavirus within six months, it is employing two vaccines — both manufactured domestically but approved under very different circumstances. One is CoviShield, the vaccine developed by Britain’s AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which clinical trials show is about 70% effective in preventing COVID-19 and is being manufactured in India by the Serum Institute, the country’s largest drugmaker. The other is Covaxin, developed by an Indian company in conjunction with the government but whose performance in late-stage clinical trials has yet to be published. Health authorities nevertheless approved the vaccine for “restricted emergency use.” (Bengali and Parth, 1/14)

In updates from China —

The Washington Post: China Bars Two Members Of WHO Coronavirus Mission As Depleted Team Reaches Wuhan 
A World Health Organization mission to discover the origins of the coronavirus got off to an inauspicious start on Thursday when two members of the team were barred from entering China after failing health checks. The group of scientists arrived in Wuhan on Thursday to begin the long-awaited investigation, according to the WHO, but two researchers were blocked from continuing on to Wuhan. The two researchers had tested positive for covid-19 antibodies in their home countries before leaving. All members of the team, tested before leaving and once again in Singapore, tested negative for the virus. (Kuo, 1/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Chinese Covid-19 Tests Were Pushed By Federal Agencies Despite Security Warnings 
At least two federal agencies worked to distribute Covid-19 tests from a Chinese genetics company, despite warnings about security risks from U.S. intelligence and security officials, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal. In the early days of the virus, BGI Group or people trying to distribute its products approached at least 11 states in a sometimes aggressive push to get the products into government-run laboratories or set up entire labs, according to people who received the approaches and documents. BGI, China’s leading genetics company, enlisted a foundation tied to a former U.S. president and used a company linked to the United Arab Emirates’ top spy to promote its efforts. (Strobel, Scheck and Hope, 1/13)

Los Angeles Times: Emptied Villages. Locked Campuses. How China Battles A COVID-19 Resurgence
More than 500 new cases have been found since Jan. 2 in Hebei, the industrial province surrounding Beijing, sparking a “wartime mode” response from Chinese authorities fearful of the virus spreading before the upcoming Spring Festival, when hundreds of millions of Chinese crisscross the country to go home each year. The jump in infections comes as a World Health Organization mission investigating the origins of the pandemic is expected to arrive Thursday. An embarrassing glitch occurred last week when Beijing announced on the day several members of the team had already begun their journeys to China that their visas were not approved, prompting a delay — and frustration from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Su, 1/13)

CIDRAP: Cell-Derived Flu Vaccines Offer Higher Efficacy Than Egg-Derived, Data Show
The cell-derived inactivated quadrivalent (four-strain) influenza vaccine (ccIIV4) was 7.6% more effective than its egg-derived counterpart (eIIV4) during the 2018-19 US flu season, according to a study published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers used primary medical records and medical claims data to create a retrospective cohort consisting of 2,125,430 people who received ccIV4 and 8,000,903 people who received eIIV4. Patients were 4 years and older. Overall, 1.6% of ccIIV4 recipients had a flu-related medical encounter, compared with 2.4% of those who received eIIV4. (1/6)

CIDRAP: Smoking Tied To Worsen COVID-19 Symptoms, More Hospitalization
[Last week] in Thorax, researchers used data collected from the British ZOE COVID Symptom Study App to show that smoking is tied to a worsening of COVID-19 symptoms and that smokers were more likely to be hospitalized for treatment. Eleven percent of the 2.4 million participants of the symptom study self-identified as smokers, and 35% said they felt unwell in March and April of 2020. Those who said they were current smokers were 14% more likely to report three main symptoms of COVID-19—fever, persistent cough and shortness of breath—than were non-smokers. (1/6)

CIDRAP: Report Highlights Delirium, Comas In Sedated COVID-19 ICU Patients
In COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) early in the pandemic, 82% were in a comatose state at some point and 55% experienced delirium, reports a Lancet study published late last week. Previous studies have connected ICU delirium to higher costs, greater mortality risk, and long-term dementia. Patient data from 14 countries showed that 54.9% of 2,088 patients admitted to ICUs prior to Apr 28, 2020, developed delirium for a median of 3 days and 81.6% were in a coma for a median of 10 days. "This is double what is seen in non-COVID ICU patients," said Brenda Pun, DNP, RN, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, co-first author of the study, in a Vanderbilt news release. "It is clear in our findings that many ICUs reverted to sedation practices that are not in line with best practice guidelines," Pun added. (1/11)

CIDRAP: Study Suggests Nonwhite, Poor, Less Educated At High Risk For COVID Death
Nonwhite Americans, those with low incomes or less than a high school education, and veterans were much more likely to die of COVID-19 than others in a simulation study published yesterday in PLOS Medicine, backing the findings of previous research. Harvard University researchers used data from the 2017-18 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and deaths reported by public health agencies in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and France to simulate COVID-19 deaths among community-dwelling US adults 20 years and older in spring and summer 2020.Those who died of COVID-19 were, on average, 71.6 years old, 45.9% were female, and 45.1% were white. Disproportionate deaths occurred among participants of nonwhite race (54.8%), those with incomes below the national median of $55,000 to $64,999 (67.5%), those with less than a high school education (25.6%), and veterans (19.5%; they make up only 9% of the US population). (1/12)

Stat: With Covid-19, 'Vaccine Nationalism' Is A Worrisome Trend 
Just after New Year’s Day, regulators in India granted authorization for restricted use to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, adding another Covid-19 vaccine to the list of those that have been approved for use in various countries around the world. New vaccines against Covid-19 are sorely needed worldwide, especially in low-income countries, which are being left behind as high-income countries adopt “vaccine nationalism” and snatch up doses at the expense of those with less means. (Patrick Ho, 1/14)

The Washington Post: Covid-19 Relief: $2,000 Checks Are Not As Progressive As Targeted Aid
President Trump's term is ending in utter disgrace thanks to his countenancing of mob violence against Congress. How ironic, then, that Congress might nevertheless embrace one of Mr. Trump’s policy proposals after Jan. 20, and do so at the initiative of the Democrats who will soon control both chambers. We refer to $2,000 direct payments to U.S. households, which Mr. Trump belatedly demanded as a condition of his signature on the $908 billion bipartisan stimulus package in late December, before being forced to back down in the face of resistance from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). (1/13)

The Hill: COVID-19 Vaccines: Good Intent Must Come With Good Strategy 
The past few weeks have been highlighted by the initial rollout of the COVID-19 Moderna and Pfizer vaccinations. Last week, the Biden administration announced their intent to release available vaccination doses to facilitate widespread immunization and curtail rates of spread of the disease. As emergency medicine physicians, we have reasons to celebrate. (Christopher Payette and Janice Blanchard, 1/12)

Miami Herald: Amid Widespread Infection, Florida Gov. DeSantis Fails On COVID Vaccine, Too
The next logical step in the coronavirus nightmare was a vaccination program, so why is Florida in a distribution crisis with fewer vaccines on hand than a state this size demands? Why is there not a logical appointment system that works for everyone? The finger-pointing leads to the federal government, which distributes vaccines to the states. But the responsibility in Florida for the lack of an early, clear and coherent distribution plan lies with one man, the governor. (Fabiola Santiago, 1/13)

The Oregonian: State’s Vaccine Priority Plan A Barrier To Herd Immunity
Life won’t return to normal until enough people are immunized, limiting COVID-19 spread. This “herd immunity” approach takes on greater importance with the identification of new Coronavirus strains that are even more contagious. If these new strains become prevalent, more people will need to be immunized to limit person-to-person disease spread. (Linn Goldberg and Louis Speizer, 1/13)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: A Rocky Path On Covid Vaccine Rollout
COVID-19 has confounded our state from the beginning. And now, as we enter the crucial phase of vaccinating Georgia’s citizens, hopes for a smooth, well-understood and reliable effort have been quickly dashed. (1/13)

Des Moines Register: COVID-19 Demonstrated The Importance Of People At UIHC
All around our hospital, you see the signs: “We Stand Together.” It’s the motto we adopted at University of Iowa Health Care when the coronavirus hit us hard. I was working as a physician assistant in the emergency room when the first COVID-19 patients came through our door. As the trickle of patients turned into a flood, we worried the hospital would be overwhelmed. But our team came together. Colleagues with their skin rubbed raw by PPE kept standing strong, and together we cared for Iowa. We, the 4,000 union nurses and health care professionals of UIHC, have learned from this pandemic that we are better together. Today, as we begin negotiations for a new union contract, we’re bringing that lesson with us to the bargaining table. (Michele Whaylen, 1/13)