Stat: HIV Vaccine Being Developed By Johnson & Johnson Fails Trial
Yet another experimental HIV vaccine has failed. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported Wednesday that a Phase 3 clinical trial of a vaccine was stopped because the vaccine was ineffective at preventing HIV infection. The vaccine was being developed by Janssen, the vaccine division of Johnson & Johnson. (Branswell, 1/18)

NBC News: Another Major HIV Vaccine Trial Fails
“It’s obviously disappointing,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, who as the long-time head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) was an integral partner in the trial, said of the vaccine’s failure. However, he said, “there are a lot of other approaches” early in the HIV-vaccine research pipeline that he finds promising. (Ryan and Lavietas, 1/18)

Reuters: J&J To Discontinue HIV Vaccine Trial
The trial involved administering two different types of a shot, which uses a cold-causing virus to deliver the genetic code of HIV, spread over four vaccination visits in a year. J&J used similar technology for its COVID-19 vaccine. The study, which began in 2019, was conducted at over 50 sites and included about 3,900 gay men and transgender people - groups that are considered vulnerable to the infection. (Leo, 1/18)

The New York Times: The Only H.I.V. Vaccine In Advanced Trials Has Failed. What Now? 
The latest defeat sets progress toward a vaccine back by three to five years, experts said. ... An ongoing study called PrEPVacc in Eastern and Southern Africa is evaluating a combination of experimental H.I.V. vaccines and preventive drugs. Scientists have made headway in developing powerful antibodies that can neutralize the virus. And they are testing new vaccine technologies, including mRNA, against H.I.V.(Mandavilli, 1/18)

In other news about tuberculosis vaccine development —

CIDRAP: WHO Announces Effort To Speed Development Of TB Vaccines
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced plans yesterday to accelerate the licensing and use of effective vaccines against tuberculosis (TB). ... There is currently only one licensed TB vaccine in use—the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine—but it is 100 years old and only effective in children under 5. (Dall, 1/18)

CIDRAP: More Than 65 Million People Around The World May Have Long COVID
Worldwide, at least 65 million people have long COVID, and that is likely an underestimate, finds a review article published late last week in Nature Reviews Microbiology. ... The researchers said that the number of affected COVID-19 survivors was based on the estimated global rate of 10% of infected people and the more than 651 million documented cases. They cited the lack of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test availability at the beginning of the pandemic and the high false-negative rate of rapid antigen tests as reasons for suspecting an undercount. (Van Beusekom, 1/18)

How long does covid immunity last? —

Bloomberg: Covid-19 Immunity Lasts At Least A Year After Infection Plus Shots
People who have been both previously infected and vaccinated against Covid-19 get long-lasting protection against severe disease and hospitalization, a large international study found. The combination prevented more than 97% of severe disease or hospitalization for up to 12 months after infection or initial immunization, whichever was most recent, according to a report from the World Health Organization. (Meghjani, 1/18)

Fortune: ‘Hybrid’ COVID Immunity From Vaccination And Infection Is Superior To That From Infection Alone, New WHO-Backed Study Finds
So-called “hybrid immunity”—from vaccination and infection—offers better protection against severe disease and hospitalization from COVID than immunity from infection alone, according to a new study published in The Lancet. The study provides public health officials and policy-makers with recommendations on priorities when running vaccination campaigns, and on the potential frequency of booster shots going forward. The World Health Organization, which collaborated on the study, touted it Wednesday for “demonstrating the advantages of vaccination even after people have had COVID-19.” (Prater, 1/18)

More on the spread of covid —

Becker's Hospital Review: 'Tripledemic' Has Peaked, CDC Data Suggests
The weekly rate of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus peaked in early December, new CDC data shows. The CDC unveiled two data dashboards Jan. 17 that track emergency department visits and hospitalizations for COVID-19, flu and RSV. (Bean, 1/18)

WUSF 89.7: Kraken Subvariant Releases An Increase In Florida COVID Cases
Florida is reporting nearly triple the number of daily COVID-19 infections as it was in the weeks before Thanksgiving. A holiday spike was expected, says epidemiologist Jason Salemi with the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health. But a new subvariant of the virus could also fuel more infections. (Colombini, 1/17)

Reuters: Fed Chief Powell Tests Positive For COVID, Has Mild Symptoms 
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and is experiencing mild symptoms from the virus, the U.S. central bank said in a statement. Powell, who turns 70 next month, is up to date on his COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, and is working remotely while isolating at home, the Fed said. (Saphir, 1/18)

San Francisco Chronicle: Internet Searches Can Predict Outbreaks, Study Finds
Google searches, Twitter posts and other online activity usually used to cull data for advertisers could also be used as an early warning system for COVID-19 surges, according to a team of scientists from Northeastern University. (Vaziri and Beamish, 1/18)

Axios: GOP Introduces Bill To End Public Health Emergency
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) launched a House Republican effort Tuesday to officially declare an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The measure could set up a symbolic vote similar to the one the Senate took last year that President Joe Biden would likely veto. (Reed, 1/18)

The Atlantic: COVID Couldn’t Kill The Handshake
Mark Sklansky, a pediatric cardiologist at UCLA, has not shaken a hand in several years. The last time he did so, it was only “because I knew I was going to go to the bathroom right afterwards,” he told me. “I think it’s a really bad practice.” From where he’s standing, probably a safe distance away, our palms and fingers are just not sanitary. “They’re wet; they’re warm; they’re what we use to touch everything we touch,” he said. “It’s not rocket science: The hand is a very good medium to transmit disease.” (Wu, 1/18)

Axios: Watchdog Faults HHS Oversight Of Research On Possible Pandemic Pathogens
The federal health department's framework for monitoring high-risk research on viruses and other agents that can cause pandemics doesn't meet key criteria for effective oversight, a new watchdog report concludes. The Government Accountability Office found HHS has an unclear policy for reviewing and approving research involving pathogens that are altered to make them more transmissible or deadly — and that other policy gaps may allow the research to occur without appropriate oversight. (Bettelheim, 1/19)

Stat: HHS Needs Better Oversight Of Research That Alters Pathogens, Government Watchdog Says
The Government Accountability Office’s report is a precursor to a debate that will heat up at the National Institutes of Health over the next few weeks. NIH has an advisory board for biosecurity that’s expected to discuss a draft review of the agency’s oversight of this kind of research at a Jan. 27 meeting, and the materials are expected to be released ahead of time. (Cohrs, 1/18)

The Washington Post: Covid Lab Leak Theory Put Virologists' Work In The Spotlight 
Critics view pathogen research as the Wild West of science. Virologists have faced online abuse and even death threats amid fears that what they do is dangerous. Above all, conjectures that the coronavirus pandemic might have originated from secret laboratory research have cast a shadow over the field. Independent of that rancorous debate about covid’s origin, the National Institutes of Health is preparing an overhaul of the policies on government-funded research, with draft recommendations by its biosecurity board expected to be released Friday. (Achenbach, 1/18)

On the spread of misinformation —

San Francisco Chronicle: Wachter Praises “Superb” Report Busting Vaccine Myths
Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSF’s chief of medicine and a prominent Bay Area voice on the pandemic, called a new report on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines “superb,” noting that it debunks “the fallacy that they’re causing significant harm.” (Vaziri and Beamish, 1/18)

News Service of Florida: DeSantis Pushes For Ban On Mandates And Vows To Shield Doctors' Speech On COVID 
After a similar proposal died last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Tuesday to pass a measure that would shield physicians from being disciplined for expressing views on issues such as COVID-19. (Saunders, 1/18)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID Vaccine Ban Turned Down By Elko County Board
The Elko County Board of Health took no action at its meeting Wednesday on an agenda item that asked the board to consider issuing a moratorium on administering COVID-19 and flu vaccines. A concerned resident asked for the moratoriums to be placed on the agenda, citing concerns with heart problems and inflammation. (Hill, 1/18)

AP: WA Medical Board: Idaho Doctor Peddled False COVID-19 Claims
The Washington state Medical Commission has accused a medical doctor in Idaho of violating standards related to COVID-19 and patient care. The commission said Wednesday it had issued a statement of disciplinary charges against Dr. Ryan Cole of Idaho, who has a license in Washington state as a physician and surgeon. Cole lives in Idaho, has a medical license there and is currently one of Ada County’s appointed members of the Central District Board of Health, KTVB-TV reported. (1/19)

On the vaccine rollout —

USA Today: Why Nursing Home Vaccination Rates Are Still Low Despite Biden's Push
Heading into the winter months when COVID-19 cases spike, the Biden administration knew they had a problem. Less than half of nursing home residents across the country, who are at higher risk of seriousness illness and death from COVID, were up to date on their vaccines. (Groppe and Fraser, 1/19)

Reuters: EU Drug Regulator Has Not Seen Signal Of Possible Pfizer COVID Shot Stroke Link
The European Union's drug regulator has not identified any safety signals in the region related to U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech's updated COVID-19 shot, the agency said on Wednesday. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that a safety monitoring system had flagged that the shot could possibly be linked to a type of brain stroke in older adults, according to preliminary data. (1/18)

CNBC: Novartis CEO Says Covid To Become Endemic, Calls For Better Pandemic Preparedness
The chief executive of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Thursday warned the coronavirus pandemic will likely settle into an endemic phase and renewed calls for policymakers to sufficiently finance pandemic preparedness. (Meredith, 1/19)

The Hill: FDA Argues Public Harm If Court Reverses Abortion Pill Approval
A lawsuit challenging the decades-old Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of mifepristone has no merit, and a Texas judge should reject a request for a court order revoking that approval, the Biden administration argued in a Tuesday filing. The FDA said granting the request from anti-abortion groups would be “unprecedented.” (Weixel, 1/18)

Stat: ‘Hot Mess’: Abortion Pills At Pharmacies Could Face Legal Quagmires
Federal regulators’ green light for pharmacists to dispense abortion pills is crashing into legal questions and simmering court battles. The Food and Drug Administration earlier this month removed a longtime restriction that only doctors could dispense mifepristone, which is approved for abortions up to 10 weeks. The move opens the door for pharmacists to supply the drugs and shores up protections for mail orders, which have become an important channel for abortion access in the wake of Roe’s overturn last summer. But it also puts abortion pills in a legal gray area in 12 of the country’s most abortion-restrictive states, where the procedure is banned from conception to six weeks. (Owermohle, 1/19)

In abortion updates from Indiana, Maine, New York, and Illinois —

AP: Indiana's Top Court Hearing Challenge To State Abortion Ban 
The fate of Indiana’s Republican-backed abortion ban on Thursday goes before the state Supreme Court as it hears arguments on whether it violates privacy protections under the state constitution. Abortions have been allowed to continue in the state since a county judge blocked the law from being enforced in September, a week after the law approved in August had taken effect. Indiana became the first state to enact tighter abortion restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated federal protections by overturning Roe v. Wade in June. (Davies, 1/19)

Bangor Daily News: After Roe, Maine Republicans Try To Make A Safety Case For Abortion Limits
Instead of arguing against abortion on moral grounds, the early conversation among conservative lawmakers in Augusta has been about making abortions safer. Rep. Tracy Quint, R-Hodgdon, insisted that her proposal to require insurers to pay for a second opinion if a doctor recommends an abortion for health reasons was not an “abortion issue.” (Marino Jr., 1/18)

The New Republic: In Major Rebuke, New York Committee Rejects Kathy Hochul’s Court Pick
New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s controversial nominee to lead the state’s highest court has been rejected. In a Wednesday hearing, the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee voted to prevent Judge Hector LaSalle from advancing to a Senate-wide vote, setting up a likely legal fight between Democrats in the state. ... New York Senate Democrats voted against LaSalle due to concerns over his judicial record on labor, abortion, and criminal justice. (Thakker, 1/18)

Gothamist: 3 NYC Sexual Health Clinics Still Shuttered As Adams Seeks To Expand Abortion Access
Of the city’s eight brick-and-mortar sexual health clinics, three are yet to resume services since being shut down and repurposed for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, according to the city health department. The health department has attributed the closures to staffing shortages, a widespread problem across city agencies. (Kim, 1/18)

WCBU: Peoria's Planned Parenthood Will Close For Months After Arson Fire
The Planned Parenthood clinic in Peoria is expected to remain closed for months after a so-called incendiary device was thrown through a window late Sunday night. Peoria Fire Department battalion chief Jeff Hascall said fire and smoke was showing from one of the front windows of the Planned Parenthood clinic on Knoxville Avenue when crews responded to a call there. (Shelley and Deacon, 1/18)

Also —

Axios: Report: Mothers In States With Abortion Bans Nearly 3 Times More Likely To Die
Women in states with abortion bans are nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth or soon after giving birth, according to a report from the Gender Equity Policy Institute shared first with Axios. (Gonzalez, 1/19)

AP: US Divided Over Roe's Repeal As Abortion Foes Gird For March
Anti-abortion activists will have multiple reasons to celebrate — and some reasons for unease — when they gather Friday in Washington for the annual March for Life. The march, which includes a rally drawing abortion opponents from across the nation, has been held annually since January 1974 — a year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision established a nationwide right to abortion. (Crary, 1/18)

The Hill: Harris To Mark 50th Anniversary Of Roe Ruling With Speech In Florida
Vice President Harris will deliver remarks in Florida on Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, aiming to put the spotlight back on abortion rights following last summer’s ruling that struck down the precedent set by Roe. Harris will travel to Florida where Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last year signed into law a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, to highlight the administration’s efforts to protect reproductive rights and abortion access. (Samuels and Gangitano, 1/18)

Stat: Post-Dobbs, Pathologists Who Study Pregnancy Loss Walk A Thin Line
When Mana Parast examines a placenta, she knows she may never find the answers she seeks. She’s hunting for clues — strips of dead tissue that signal autoimmune disease, white blood cells in the lining of the umbilical cord that point to an infection, thickening that could suggest blood wasn’t flowing freely to the fetus. She wants to be able to tell a parent what she thinks went wrong. (Cummins, 1/19)

Roll Call: NIH Missing Top Leadership At Start Of A Divided Congress
The departure of two key public health leaders at the National Institutes of Health has created vacancies some worry could present a hurdle to NIH’s agenda in the new Congress. The Biden administration has yet to nominate a permanent replacement for former NIH Director Francis Collins, who stepped down from the post in December 2021. And efforts to replace the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, who left in December of last year, are underway. (Cohen, 1/18)

In other health care industry news —

Stat: Hip, Knee Replacements Go Better Via High-Volume Surgeons 
A new study underscores the importance of the adage “practice makes perfect,” especially when it comes to surgery. It’s long been understood that the frequency at which surgeons perform and hospitals host complex procedures has a bearing on how patients fare, but the study from the Clarify Health Institute makes the link even clearer. (Bannow, 1/18)

Reuters: Teladoc Health Cuts 300 Jobs To Shave Costs
Teladoc Health Inc said on Wednesday it has removed "redundant roles" and cut 300 jobs, or 6% from its non-clinician global workforce, as the company plans to prioritize its commercial businesses in a challenging demand environment. (1/18)

Crain's Cleveland Business: Cleveland Clinic 2022 Operating Loss: CEO Tom Mihaljevic Expects $200M
Cleveland Clinic anticipates an operating loss of more than $200 million for 2022, its president and CEO Dr. Tom Mihaljevic shared during his annual State of the Clinic address. In the speech Wednesday, Jan. 18, Mihaljevic gave an overview of the Clinic's achievements of the past year, including in research, growth and patient care. (Coutré, 1/18)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital M&A Hit Record Low In 2022 But Value Nearly Doubles
The number of hospital merger and acquisition transactions reached a new low in 2022, although more deals are expected this year. Only 55 transactions reached the letter of intent or definitive agreement stages, the lowest number since 2009, the year financial advisory group Ponder & Co. started tracking hospital M&A activity. The 2022 tally marks the fifth consecutive decline in annual volume, according to Ponder & Co. data contained in the Modern Healthcare Premium Data Center. (Kacik, 1/18)

Crain's Chicago Business: Outcome Health Founders Shradha Agarwal, Rishi Shah Go On Trial
Not so long ago, Rishi Shah and Shradha Agarwal were the shining hope of Chicago’s startup scene. Next week, the 37-year-old co-founders of Outcome Health will be tried in federal court on criminal fraud charges stemming from one of the most spectacular business flameouts in Chicago history. They pleaded not guilty, as did former Chief Operating Officer Brad Purdy, 33, who is also charged with fraud. (Pletz, 1/18)

Bloomberg: Diversity Push At JPMorgan Health Forum Falls Flat For Some
As a biotech investor, Justin Williams is accustomed to being the only Black person in the room. But he was still surprised by how few people looked like him at the recent agenda-setting health industry convention in San Francisco. (Cattan and Peebles, 1/17)

NBC News: Intermittent Fasting Wasn't Associated With Weight Loss Over 6 Years, A New Study Found
When it comes to losing weight, how much food you eat likely matters more than the timing of your meals, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. (Bendix, 1/18)

The Mercury News: Vitamin D Study: People With Higher BMI Experience Less Benefits, 'Diminished Outcomes'
Vitamin D might be metabolized differently in people with a higher body mass index, according to a new study from Boston researchers who found that the vitamin’s benefits may depend on someone’s body weight. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital concluded that people with an elevated BMI had a “blunted response” to vitamin D supplementation — which the scientists said explains differences in outcomes, such as cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disease. (Sobey, 1/18)

USA Today: AAP Childhood Obesity Guidelines On Surgery, Treatment Draw Scrutiny
Faith Anne Heeren vividly remembers the day she first became aware of her weight. It was first grade. Nurses came to her North Carolina private school to practice taking vitals, which included weighing in front of the entire class. (Rodriguez, 1/19)

ABC News: With Growing Popularity Of New Weight Loss Drugs, Doctors Emphasize Potential Risks
The FDA, in 2014, later approved a GLP-1 RA for chronic weight management. Additional drugs in the class have since been approved for weight loss. Of the nearly 35 million Americans with type 2 diabetes, more than one in 10 were estimated to be taking these drugs in 2019, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Rosen, 1/19)

In other health and wellness news —

AP: Flavored Cannabis Marketing Is Criticized For Targeting Kids 
For decades, health advocates have chided the tobacco industry for marketing harmful nicotine products to children, resulting in more cities and states, like New York, outlawing flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Now as cannabis shops proliferate across the country, the same concerns are growing over the packaging and marketing of flavored cannabis that critics say could entice children to partake of products labeled “mad mango,” “loud lemon” and “peach dream.” (Calvan, 1/19)

Fox News: If You Retire Early, You Could Be Harming Your Health: New Study
As they grow older, many Americans begin to think about the best time to retire. Yet a new study throws some warning signs around that decision — as retiring early could actually worsen people's health. A recent paper published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization suggests that early retirement may accelerate cognitive decline in late adulthood. (Sudhakar, 1/18)

Bloomberg: Power Conservation May Lead To Higher Mortality Risk, Study Says
Energy conservation policies may lead to higher mortality rates and other public health consequences, a new study shows. Researchers estimated that about 7,710 people died prematurely in Japan each year during energy savings campaigns in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, as the government sought to avert widespread power shortages. Most of the excess deaths occurred during the hot summer months as elderly residents avoided energy-intensive air conditioning. (Oda, 1/19)

Stat: Leaders Need To Pay Attention To How Climate Change, Health, And Security Intersect
As CEOs and world leaders gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, they might be surprised to see less snow out of the window than usual on the country’s luminous peaks. Record-breaking temperatures in the Alps are just one sign of the effect climate change is having on planet Earth. (Kerry, 1/18)

The New York Times: Canada’s New Guidelines For Alcohol Say ‘No Amount’ Is Healthy
Canadian health officials have overhauled their guidelines for alcohol consumption, warning that no amount is healthy and recommending that people reduce drinking as much as possible. The new guidelines, issued Tuesday, represent a major shift from the previous ones introduced in 2011, which recommended that women consume no more than 10 drinks per week and that men limit themselves to 15. (Levenson, 1/18)

KHN: Readers And Tweeters Diagnose Greed And Chronic Pain Within US Health Care System 
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (1/19)

AP: Lesion Removed From Jill Biden's Eyelid Was Non-Cancerous 
A lesion removed by surgeons last week from first lady Jill Biden’s left eyelid was a non-cancerous growth, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, physician to President Joe Biden, said Wednesday. O’Connor said in a memo released by the White House that a biopsy showed that the legion was seborrheic keratosis, a “very common, totally harmless, non-cancerous growth.” (1/19)

Stat: Benefits Of Gender-Affirming Hormones For Teens Persist, Study Finds
Trans and nonbinary teenagers who receive gender-affirming hormones experience less depression and anxiety and more satisfaction with life than before the treatment, according to a new study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Gaffney, 1/18)

Stat: Is Social Media Bad For Teens' Developing Brains?
Today’s teens and tweens have never known a world without social media. There are still a lot of open questions about how sites like TikTok and Instagram may shape their development — and stories focusing on the potential negative impacts of social media tend to dominate the news. But a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics is the latest in a growing body of research that suggests the relationship that young people have with social media is too complicated to be categorized as simply good or bad. (Fitzgerald, 1/19)

Stateline: New Gun Restrictions Are Coming In States Where Democrats Reign
Illinois lawmakers wasted no time in the new legislative session, taking just five days to pass major gun safety measures that include a ban on semi-automatic rifles, high-capacity magazines and gun attachments that simulate automatic fire. (Vasilogambros, 1/19)

Sacramento Bee: As More Shooters Wear Body Armor, A California Bill Would Ban Most Bullet-Proof Vest Ownership
Most Californians would be banned from purchasing or taking possession of body armor, such as a bullet-proof vest, under a bill now being considered by state lawmakers. Assembly Bill 92, introduced by Assemblyman Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, comes as a response to many high-profile mass shootings where the shooter wore body armor. That includes the 2015 massacre in San Bernardino, where two people wearing tactical gear killed 14 people at a holiday gathering. (Sheeler, 1/17)

The Hill: Supreme Court Again Declines To Pause New York Gun Regs 
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a group of firearms dealers’ emergency request to block various gun control measures recently passed in New York that they argued were unconstitutional and hurt their businesses. The brief order, which had no noted dissents, marks the justices’ second denial this month of a request to block portions of New York’s new gun regulations, which have faced numerous legal challenges under the high court’s expansion of Second Amendment protections in June. (Schonfeld, 1/18)

Aspen Public Radio: Colorado Is Creating Its First Official Database To Track Gun Violence 
Colorado has been the scene of several notorious mass shootings. But suicides are by far the leading cause of gun deaths here. In 2021, Colorado voters approved the creation of a new office within the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment to tackle gun violence. They are partnering with the Colorado School of Public Health to create an information bank that tracks and studies gun violence across Colorado. (Kenyon, 1/18)

Axios: "We Won't Shy Away": Mayors Are Shaming Gunmakers
Mayors are on the frontlines of our nation’s gun violence epidemic and that’s why we won’t shy away from naming those who make the guns that are killing our communities,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas of Kansas City, Missouri, who is a co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition of mayors working with Everytown to end gun violence. Axios has reached out to the four manufacturers named by the report — Glock, Smith & Wesson, Taurus, and Ruger — but has not heard back. (McCamon

Fox News: Chicago Alderman Sounds Off On Gun Violence After Special Needs Man Shot In The Head Waiting For School Bus
A Democrat Chicago alderman sounded off at the Windy City's rampant crime wave in a profanity-laced tweet on Wednesday after a man with special needs was shot in the head on his way to school. (Halon, 1/19)

Also —

PBS NewsHour: How To Talk To Children About Gun Violence
While there is no right age to start having these conversations preemptively, pediatric psychologist Jeff Shahidullah said children do absorb a lot of information from their surroundings and may know more about what is happening elsewhere than you think. To start a conversation, focus on finding out what they do know about school shootings or other violence in the news and how that makes them feel, he said. “Kids are always listening. They hear what caregivers and adult siblings and classmates are talking about,” Shahidullah said. (Ellis and Kuhn, 1/18)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Fatal Drug Overdose Epidemic Not Improving, New Data Suggests
San Francisco’s drug crisis shows no sign of abating, with 2022 nearly as deadly as the prior year, new data on fatal overdoses reveals. Throughout the year, 620 people fell victim to the epidemic, according to new figures released Wednesday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner — a slight dip from the year prior when 640 people died of an overdose. (Thadani, 1/18)

Reuters: Walgreens To Pay $83 Mln To Settle West Virginia's Opioid Claims
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc has agreed to pay West Virginia $83 million to settle the state's lawsuit accusing it of fueling the opioid epidemic there through lax oversight of its pill sales. The deal, announced Wednesday by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, is not part of a $5.7 billion nationwide settlement Walgreens reached with state and local governments last year. (Pierson, 1/18)

AP: 2 Treated For Likely Fentanyl Exposure At Oregon School 
A student and a deputy were treated at a hospital Tuesday after they likely were exposed to fentanyl at an Oregon middle school, authorities said. The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday that one of their deputies on Tuesday went to Willamina Middle School southwest of Portland to follow up on a case and was asked by a staff member to help check a bathroom for a suspicious odor. (1/19)

Also —

Call to Mind: Amid Opioid Epidemic, Phoenix Nursery Pioneers Care For Babies In Withdrawal
In line with the rise of the opioid epidemic, over the last decade or so there has been a dramatic increase in the number of babies who were exposed to opiates in the womb. The parents of those children face a unique set of challenges including that child is likely to experience withdrawals in the first two weeks of life. (Ventre, 1/18)

KHN: A $30 Million Gift To Build An Addiction Treatment Center. Then Staffers Had To Run It
The question came out of the blue, or so it seemed to Crossing Healthcare CEO Tanya Andricks: If you had $30 million to design an addiction treatment facility, how would you do it? The interim sheriff of Macon County, Illinois, posed the question in 2018 as he and Andricks discussed the community’s needs. When she responded that she’d have to do some research, she was told not to take too long because the offer wouldn’t be there forever. “I thought: ‘Oh, my God, he’s serious,’” Andricks said. (Sable-Smith, 1/19)

The Chronicle for Higher Education: As Students’ Mental-Health Concerns Grow, One University’s Professors Say They Should Get A Raise
University of Illinois at Chicago faculty say they deserve to be paid more, partly because students’ mental-health needs in recent years have become so severe and time-consuming to address, while administrators have failed to adequately respond. The faculty of the more than 34,000-student campus went on strike Tuesday after more than nine months of negotiations. They’re demanding that the university raise their pay by 21 percent over the next three years and raise the minimum salary for faculty from $50,000 to $61,000. They’re also calling for the administration to provide all students with mental-health assessments and increase their on-campus access to therapy. (Roberts-Grmela, 1/17)

The Washington Post: Yale Changes Mental Health Policies For Students In Crisis 
Yale University unveiled sweeping changes Wednesday that will allow students suffering from mental health problems to take time off without losing health insurance or facing a daunting application process for reinstatement — policies that have been under increasing fire from students and alumni. Under the new policy, students in mental crisis will be able to take leaves of absences instead of being forced to withdraw, and they can return to classes when they feel ready, Dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis told students in an email. (Wan, 1/18)

In other news about mental health —

Reuters: U.S. Mayors Meet In Washington To Tackle Mental Illness, Immigration
Mayors from across the United States gathered in Washington for their annual winter conference this week to tackle major issues facing their cities, with mental health, addiction and mass migration high on their lists. ... Mayors are determined to tackle the suffering they see on their streets, said Reno, Nevada, Mayor Hillary Schieve. "That is the No. 1 issue in every city," Schieve, an independent, said at a news conference, adding that she personally wanted to see an end to "treating jails as mental health hospitals." (Borter, 1/18)

Science Daily: ADHD Persists Throughout Life – Strongly Linked To Mental Health Issues Like Anxiety And Depression
A new UK study shows adults with high levels of ADHD symptoms are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than adults with autism. Adults with high levels of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than adults with high levels of autistic traits, according to new research led by psychologists at the University of Bath in the UK. (University of Bath, 1/18)

People: Mich. Mom and 2 Boys Found Frozen to Death in Field After Mother Suffers Mental Health Crisis
A Michigan mother and two of her three children were found frozen to death in a vacant field after authorities said she suffered a mental health crisis. Monica Cannady, 35, "believed someone was trying to kill her and that everybody was in on it," before she, and her sons, Kyle Milton, 9, and Malik Milton, 3, died of hypothermia on Jan. 15, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said during a press conference. (Acosta, 1/17)

St. Louis Public Radio: Afghan And Syrian Women Refugees Seek Therapy For Past Trauma
Many women from war-torn countries suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and other mental health illnesses and do not receive therapy. Oasis International, a St. Louis nonprofit, intends to help women who fled conflict in Afghanistan and Syria and resettled in the region cope with that trauma with a free group therapy session on Thursday. (Henderson, 1/19)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Moms And Babies In Missouri Would Get Extended Insurance Coverage Under Senate Plan
Missouri could extend Medicaid coverage for new mothers and their babies under bipartisan legislation debated in a Senate panel Wednesday. Members of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard from supporters and opponents of a plan to extend insurance coverage for low-income mothers from a current 60 days after giving birth to 12 months. (Erickson, 1/18)

In nursing home news —

The CT Mirror: CT Finds Potential For 'Harm Or Death' At Athena Nursing Home
The state Department of Public Health issued an “immediate jeopardy” order to a Newtown nursing home owned by Athena Health Care Systems, indicating that the state found conditions at the facility that could cause serious harm or death. (Altimari and Carlesso, 1/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: Beleaguered Laguna Honda Asks Feds To Back Off From Forced Patient Transfers
Laguna Honda, San Francisco’s beleaguered public nursing home, is asking federal regulators to extend their moratorium on mandated transfers of the hospital’s frail patient population, which is currently due to lift on Feb. 2. (Asimov, 1/18)

On trans health care —

Politico: DeSantis Targets Trans Health Care In Florida Universities 
The DeSantis administration is requesting a trove of information on individuals who receive gender-affirming treatments at Florida universities, furthering its practice of questioning or scaling back treatment for transgender people. In a blanket request to 12 state universities, top officials with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis are seeking data on the number of individuals who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria or received treatment in campus clinics across Florida. It’s unclear what exactly DeSantis intends to do with the information, but his administration says it involves “governing institutional resources and protecting the public interest.” (Atterbury, 1/18)

Salt Lake Tribune: Why GOP Lawmakers Want To Stop Doctors From Prescribing Gender-Affirming Care For Utah’s Youth
Picking up where they left off last year, Republican lawmakers in Utah are starting their 2023 legislative session with bills targeting transgender youth. Senate Bill 16, sponsored by Sen. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, seeks to completely ban surgeries on minors that are part of an effort to help them present publicly as a gender different from what they were assigned at birth. The bill also blocks medical professionals from prescribing hormone treatments, such as puberty blockers, beginning in May 2023. (Schott, 1/19)

Dallas Morning News: Conservative Texas Lawmakers Call Transgender Guidance To School Boards ‘Dangerous’
Hardline conservative lawmakers want Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to review school board guidance on transgender students saying it “is dangerous.” The Texas Freedom Caucus’ request foreshadows how Republicans are expected to target LGBTQ issues during this legislative session. (Richman, 1/18)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

Bloomberg: NJ To Fund Health Care For Undocumented Kids As NYC Overwhelmed 
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced free state-paid health care for thousands of undocumented immigrant children, as Democratic leaders elsewhere in the US say they’re overwhelmed with busloads of border crossers sent North. (Young, 1/18)

CIDRAP: Researchers Identify Candida Auris In Nevada Wastewater 
A team of researchers from Nevada and Utah this week reported the detection of Candida auris in samples from a wastewater treatment plant. ... The authors say the findings highlight the potential utility of community-level wastewater surveillance for C auris, which spreads easily in healthcare settings and can cause severe and deadly infections in patients who have compromised immune systems. (Dall, 1/18)

The Colorado Sun: How Many People Enrolled In Colorado Option Health Insurance?
Roughly 35,000 people signed up for a Colorado Option health insurance plan in the program’s first year, Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday during his State of the State speech. The figure includes approximately 25,000 people who signed up for a Colorado Option plan through the state’s Connect for Health Colorado shopping exchange. Another 10,000 people signed up through OmniSalud, a new program offering state-subsidized insurance plans to people who lack immigration documentation and are, thus, not eligible for federal subsidies available on the main Connect for Health portal. (Ingold, 1/19)

Iowa Public Radio: This Indigenous Doctor Is Fighting For More Native Access To Healthcare
Dr. Donald Warne likes to say he doesn't incorporate traditional healing into his modern practice. He incorporates modern medicine into his traditional healing practice. To him, traditional medicine is more holistic. Warne, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe in South Dakota, comes from a long line of traditional healers. (Nebbe and Gehr, 1/18)

North Carolina Health News: Comprehensive Food Nutrition Program Aims To Combat Disparities In Diabetes Treatments
Health care providers have traditionally written prescriptions for medications, for exercise, for therapy, even for relaxation for their patients. So to combat obesity and poor nutrition, why not give patients a prescription to help them eat better? (Crumpler, 1/19)

CIDRAP: Omicron Infection In Pregnant Women Tied To Poor Outcomes, Especially In Unvaccinated 
A multinational study of pregnant women and their newborns admitted to hospitals suggests that infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is associated with an elevated risk of severe maternal illness and death, particularly in unvaccinated patients with symptoms. (Van Beusekom, 1/18)

Science Daily: Ten-Minute Scan Enables Detection And Cure Of The Commonest Cause Of High Blood Pressure
Doctors have used a new type of CT scan to light up tiny nodules in a hormone gland and cure high blood pressure by their removal. The nodules are discovered in one-in-twenty people with high blood pressure. (Queen Mary University of London, 1/16)

Science Daily: Six Minutes Of High-Intensity Exercise Could Delay The Onset Of Alzheimer's Disease 
New research shows that a short but intense bout of cycling increases the production of a specialized protein that is essential for brain formation, learning and memory, and could protect the brain from age-related cognitive decline. This insight on exercise is part of the drive to develop accessible, equitable and affordable non-pharmacological approaches that anyone can adopt to promote healthy aging. (The Physiological Society, 1/12)

The Washington Post: Drug-Resistant Bacteria Are Proliferating. We Need New Antibiotics. 
Antibiotics, drugs that kill bacteria or slow their growth, have been a mainstay of medicine since the 1940s. Yet bacteria can evolve to fight back. They can prevent antibiotics from entering their cells, for example, or pump out the drugs. (1/18)

The New York Times: I Lost Weight On Ozempic. Here’s What The Debate Gets Wrong. 
When Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford entered medical school in the early 2000s, obesity medicine was not part of the curriculum, even though obesity rates in the United States have been steadily rising since the 1980s. (Lulu Garcia-Navarro, et al, 1/19)

The New York Times: Does The War Over Abortion Have A Future? 
In decades past, as the calendar turned to January, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade would come into view. Abortion opponents would be planning to acknowledge the date with the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. Supporters of abortion rights would schedule seminars or meet for quiet conversations about whether and when the Supreme Court might actually go so far as to repudiate the decision it issued 50 years ago on Jan. 22, 1973. (Linda Greenhouse, 1/18)

The CT Mirror: Tackle Food Deserts To Address A Health Crisis
Although type 2 diabetes primarily affects adults, children across the nation are developing the condition at alarming rates. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body builds up a resistance to insulin which is needed to help the body regulate blood sugar. This disease can be life-changing and an extreme threat to a person’s health and well-being. Therefore, preventing diabetes in children is essential. (Mollie McManus, 1/19)

Stat: Med School Rankings Should Include An Economic Mobility Index
What are the attributes of a great medical school? U.S. News & World Report’s ranking system says the best American medical schools score high in areas that include the quality of the school’s curriculum (based on the opinions of deans, school administrators, and hospital residency directors); grade-point averages and standardized test scores of incoming students; student-to-faculty ratios; federal research activity; and the proportion of graduates who specialize in primary care. (David Lenihan, 1/19)

Stat: Biopharma Leaders Helped Save Democracy. Now What?
The rule of law must be upheld for free societies and free markets to flourish, and only a well-functioning democracy offers the levers for rational majorities to prevail. Americans support causes and candidates. We debate and organize. Then we vote, respecting the outcome, knowing that soon enough, we’ll have the sacred right to do so again. But what if a determined minority set out to damage democracy’s levers and undermine the integrity of the vote? (Paul Hastings, 1/18)

Stat: Upcoding By Medicare Advantage Plans Must Be Reined In 
At the start of 2023, an estimated 2.5 million Americans age 65 and older began using Medicare Advantage programs. Some made this choice in response to aggressive marketing campaigns. One unexpected “benefit” of these plans is an offer by the insurance company sponsoring the plan to send a nurse or physician’s assistant, often from a startup company, to an individual’s home. (Robert M. Kaplan and Paul Tang, 1/19)