Stat: Biden, In Inaugural Address, Pledges The U.S. ‘Can Overcome’ Covid-19
President Biden on Wednesday pledged that the United States “can overcome” the Covid-19 pandemic, even as he warned that it is entering “what may be the toughest and deadliest period” of the crisis. The remarks, made during key moments in his inauguration address on the west front of the Capitol, represented a forceful pledge that the country can bring the pandemic to an end. (Facher, 1/20)

KHN: Biden Takes The Reins, Calls For A United Front Against Covid And Other Threats 
Joe Biden on Wednesday took the oath to become the 46th president of the United States, vowing to bring the nation together in the midst of an ongoing pandemic that has claimed more than 400,000 lives, enormous economic dislocation and civil unrest so serious that the U.S. Capitol steps where he took his oath were surrounded not by cheering crowds, but by tens of thousands of armed police and National Guard troops. In his inaugural address, given outside despite concerns for his physical security, Biden emphasized unity, the driving theme of his campaign. “My whole soul is in this, bringing America together, uniting our nation,” he said. “And I ask every American to join me in this cause.” (Rovner, 1/20)

Politico: Biden Seeks To Bring Normalcy Back To White House After Tumultuous 4 Years 
Biden’s first day as president was most remarkable for the abject lack of normalcy in a heavily guarded capital that featured far more armed troops than spectators. With the coronavirus pandemic at its worst point — the number of Americans killed by Covid-19 topped 400,000 on Tuesday — much of the pomp and circumstance of a typical inauguration was curtailed. And many on Biden’s staff continued to work from home rather than join the president in the West Wing. (Pager, 1/20)

AP: Biden Takes The Helm, Appeals For Unity To Take On Crises
At the Capitol, with America’s tradition of peaceful transfers of power never appearing more fragile, the ceremony unfolded within a circle of security forces evocative of a war zone and devoid of crowds because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, Biden gazed out on a cold Washington morning dotted with snow flurries to see over 200,000 American flags planted on the National Mall to symbolize those who could not attend in person. (Lemire, Miller and Jaffe, 1/21)

Politico: Biden’s Covid Fight Meets A Big Test: Red-State Politics
Joe Biden has promised to unite the states to vanquish the coronavirus. And he may have a narrow opening as increasingly contagious forms of Covid spread. Even more patients will crowd hospitals as the more-transmissible variants take hold. More will die. The U.S. death toll passed 400,000 Tuesday; incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain has bluntly pointed out that it will likely top a half million within weeks. (Kenen and Roubein, 1/20)

In related news —

The Hill: Pence Delivers Coronavirus Task Force Report To Biden 
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday delivered a comprehensive report to newly sworn in President Biden detailing the work of the White House coronavirus task force as Biden prepares to reshape aspects of the federal government’s pandemic response. The 140-page report, a copy of which was obtained by The Hill, outlines the Trump administration’s pandemic response dating back to when China first reported a cluster of pneumonia cases originating in Wuhan. (Samuels, 1/20)

The Washington Post: Justices Thomas, Breyer And Alito Skipped Biden's Inauguration
Only six of the nine members of the Supreme Court attended President Biden’s swearing-in Wednesday, the first time in more than 20 years that not all of the justices witnessed the ceremony. Justices Clarence Thomas, Stephen G. Breyer and Samuel A. Alito Jr., the court’s three oldest, were the no-shows. “Several of the justices elected not to attend the inauguration ceremony in light of the public health risks posed by the COVID pandemic,” Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg said in a statement. (Barnes, 1/20)

Also —

The New York Times: Biden Has a Peloton Bike. That Raises Issues at the White House.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. moves into the White House on Wednesday facing many weighty issues: a global pandemic. A crushing recession. Racial injustice. Right-wing extremism. But Mr. Biden’s personal weight-control and exercise regimen will face a different kind of burning question: Can he bring his Peloton bike with him? The answer, cybersecurity experts say, is yes. Sort of. (Stolberg, 1/20)

CBS News: Biden Signs Executive Actions On COVID, Climate Change, Immigration And More
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed more than a dozen executive actions, some of which reverse decisions made by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.  Several executive actions will make changes to the U.S. response to COVID-19 and try to ease some of the financial strain on Americans resulting from the pandemic. Other executive actions directly target and undo Mr. Trump's actions on the environment, immigration, the U.S. census, and regulatory changes.  (Erickson, 1/21)

The Washington Post: Biden's First Executive Orders Will Reverse Trump Policies 
The most pressing of his priorities are measures to combat the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Biden signed executive actions to require masks on all federal grounds and asked agencies to extend moratoriums on evictions and on federal student loan payments. He urged Americans to don face coverings for 100 days, while reviving a global health unit in the National Security Council — allowed to go dormant during the Trump administration — to oversee pandemic preparedness and response. Biden also began to reverse several steps taken by President Donald Trump by embracing the World Health Organization, revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and rejoining the Paris climate agreement. (Min Kim, 1/20)

The New York Times: President Biden's 17 Executive Orders In Detail 
Despite an inaugural address that called for unity and compromise, Mr. Biden’s first actions as president are sharply aimed at sweeping aside former President Donald J. Trump’s pandemic response, reversing his environmental agenda, tearing down his anti-immigration policies, bolstering the teetering economic recovery and restoring federal efforts to promote diversity. Here’s a look at what the measures aim to accomplish. (Kavi, 1/20)

The New York Times: On Day 1, Biden Moves to Undo Trump’s Legacy
One of Mr. Biden’s first acts was to sign an executive order making Mr. [Jeff] Zients the government’s official Covid-19 response coordinator, reporting to the president. The order also restored the directorate for global health security and biodefense at the National Security Council, a group that Mr. Trump had disbanded. (Shear, 1/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Extends Student Loan Payments Pause, Moratorium On Evictions 
On his first day in office, President Biden signed a range of executive actions including two that will affect the financial lives of millions of Americans. One directs the Education Department to extend the pause on federal student loan payments, and the other directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to extend the federal eviction moratorium. Both measures were put in place last year in response to economic hardships caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. (Lam, 1/20)

The Hill: Biden Inauguration Marks Shift In Scattered COVID-19 Response 
“With the state of the nation today, there’s no time to waste,” Biden said from the Oval Office before signing several orders. “Some of the executive actions I’m signing today will help change the course of the COVID crisis.” (Hellmann, 1/20)

The New York Times: Biden Restores Ties With The World Health Organization That Were Cut By Trump. 
Seeking to unify the global response to the coronavirus, President Biden on his first day in office retracted a decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the World Health Organization. The Biden administration announced that Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, would be the head of the U.S. delegation to the agency’s executive board. Dr. Fauci will begin that role with a meeting this week. (Morales, 1/20)

The Hill: Biden Moves To Halt US Exodus From World Health Organization 
House Republicans on Wednesday blasted the move, saying the WHO was an echo chamber for China's propaganda and should not receive American taxpayer dollars. China has been far from transparent in its investigations into the origins of COVID-19 and has muzzled doctors and other whistleblowers. While the WHO has been reluctant to call attention to these issues, experts said the absence of U.S. participation created a void that China happily filled. (Weixel, 1/20)

The Washington Post: Biden To Re-Engage With World Health Organization, Will Join Global Vaccine Effort 
There is no question that the WHO will continue to work with the United States, its largest donor, experts said. But it remains to be seen whether the appetite for U.S. leadership remains the same. “I think it’s mixed emotions,” said J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The WHO is going to welcome them,” he said. “But there’s going to be an edge to it.” (Rauhala, 1/20)

Also —

AP: Fauci Lays Out Biden's Support For WHO After Trump Criticism
President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser on COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Thursday announced renewed U.S. support for the World Health Organization after it faced blistering criticism from the Trump administration, laying out new commitments to tackle the coronavirus and other global health issues. Fauci, speaking by videoconference from pre-dawn United States to WHO’s executive board, said the U.S. will join the U.N. health agency’s efforts to bring vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to people in need, whether in rich or poor countries. He said the U.S. will also resume full funding and staffing support for WHO. (Keaten, 1/21)

CNBC: Dr. Fauci Says U.S. Will Remain A WHO Member And Join Global Covid Vaccine Plan
The U.S. will remain a member of the World Health Organization under President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Thursday, and intends to join a global alliance that aims to deliver coronavirus vaccines to low-income countries. Speaking from Washington by videoconference one day after Biden was sworn into office, U.S. Chief Medical Advisor Fauci told the WHO’s executive board: “President Biden will issue a directive later today which will include the intent of the United States to join COVAX and support the ACT-Accelerator to advance multilateral efforts for Covid-19 vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostic distribution, equitable access, and research and development.” (Meredith, 1/21)

AP: Biden Puts Forth Virus Strategy, Requires Mask Use To Travel
As the U.S. enters “what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus,” President Joe Biden is putting forth a national COVID-19 strategy to ramp up vaccinations and testing, reopen schools and businesses and increase the use of masks — including a requirement that they be worn for travel. Biden also will address inequities in hard-hit minority communities as he signs 10 pandemic-related executive orders on Thursday, his second day in office. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/21)

Reuters: Biden Will Order Masks On Planes And Trains, Increase Disaster Funds To Fight Coronavirus 
One order will require mask-wearing in airports and on certain modes of public transportation, including many trains, airplanes and intercity buses, officials said. He also plans to sign orders on Thursday to establish a COVID-19 testing board to ramp up testing, address supply shortfalls, establish protocols for international travelers and direct resources for minority communities hit hard by the infectious disease. (Bose and Mason, 1/20)

The Washington Post: Biden Issuing Pandemic Plan That Aims To Expand Access To Testing And Vaccines, Reopen Schools 
[The plan includes] the creation of a Pandemic Testing Board that can spur a “surge” in the capacity for coronavirus tests. Other orders will foster research into new treatments for covid-19, the disease caused by the virus; strengthen the collection and analysis of data to shape the government’s response to the crisis; and direct the federal occupational safety agency to release and enforce guidelines to protect workers from getting infected. Other aspects of the plan are intended to steer more money to states, which have complained they need more funding to carry out the work placed on them for testing, vaccinating residents and other functions. (Goldstein, Stanley-Becker and Meckler, 1/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden’s Agenda Depends On Success In Curbing Covid-19 Pandemic 
The [executive] orders also call for studies, including large-scale randomized trials, to identify treatments and Mr. Biden’s administration will create public dashboards with state-by-state and national information on testing, vaccinations and hospital admissions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make vaccines available in local pharmacies beginning next month, and agencies will work on guidance for reopening schools and emergency temporary standards requiring employers to take steps to keep workers safe from Covid-19. (Armour and Siddiqui, 1/21)

Also on his agenda today: reopening schools, the Defense Production Act and more —

CNN: School Reopening: Biden Pushes To Reopen Most Schools In 100 Days 
President Joe Biden is pledging to reopen most K-12 schools within 100 days -- an ambitious goal as Covid cases surge and teachers across the country fight some plans to reopen. Teachers' union leaders say they are pleased with Biden's sense of urgency and focus, but they warn that the 100-day pledge may need to be a goal rather than a fixed target. (Lobosco, 1/21)

The Hill: Biden To Order Agencies To Use Defense Production Act In Coronavirus Fight 
President Biden will issue an executive order on Thursday directing agencies to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) and other powers to speed up the manufacturing of testing and vaccine supplies and other items needed to fight COVID-19. Biden administration officials signaled they would be more aggressive than the previous administration in invoking the DPA, which allows the federal government to force companies to increase production of critical supplies during national emergencies. (Hellmann, 1/21)

CNBC: Biden To Sign 10 Executive Orders To Combat Covid Pandemic; Invoke Defense Production Act
Biden will also use his executive powers to direct agencies to use the Defense Production Act to compel companies to prioritize manufacturing supplies that are necessary to the pandemic response. That could include protective equipment like masks, supplies needed to administer vaccines and testing supplies, the plan says. The Trump administration also invoked the DPA to make ventilators and other supplies on several instances as part of its response to the pandemic. The executive order, called “A Sustainable Public Health Supply Chain,” will also “direct the development of a new Pandemic Supply Chain Resilience Strategy” in an effort to bolster domestic manufacturing of critical supplies. (Feuer, 1/21)

Stat: Biden Is Set To Block Dozens Of Trump’s Last-Minute Health Regulations
President Biden is set to freeze a spate of last-minute Trump administration regulations — including, most likely, a change to the FDA’s authority over medical devices and a tweak to certain Medicare drug coverage rules issued only Tuesday. (Florko, 1/20)

In related news about covid's economic toll —

The Washington Post: 900,000 Filed For Jobless Claims Last Week, A Historically High Level As Biden Inherits Worst Job Market Of Any Modern President 
Weekly unemployment claims remain near 1 million, far above previous recessions, because of the surging pandemic. A rise in claims early this year also reflects an increase in filings delayed over the December holidays, as well as the new $300 in supplemental weekly jobless benefits drawing some of those out of work who had given up filing claims. (1/21)

AP: New CDC Director Takes Over Beleaguered Agency Amid Crisis
The task falls to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, 51, an infectious-diseases specialist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, who was sworn in Wednesday. She takes the helm at a time when the virus’s U.S. death toll has eclipsed 400,000 and continues to accelerate. While the agency has retained some of its top scientific talent, public health experts say, it has a long list of needs, including new protection from political influence, a comprehensive review of its missteps during the pandemic and more money to beef up basic functions like disease tracking and genetic analysis. (Stobbe, 1/21)

Boston Globe: Former MGH Doctor Rochelle Walensky, Now Head Of CDC, Says There’s Work To Be Done But Better Days Lie Ahead
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday that coronavirus testing, surveillance, and vaccinations must be stepped up to stop a pandemic that has had a “truly heartbreaking” impact on the country. Walensky, formerly chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said she recognized “the seriousness of the moment. The toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on America is truly heartbreaking — for the loss of our loved ones and our beloved ways of life.” “At Massachusetts General Hospital, I saw firsthand the many difficulties this pandemic brings to our frontline workers and first responders, hospitals and public health systems, communities, and loved ones,” she said in a statement on her first day as CDC director. (Finucane, 1/20)

Stat: Longtime Becerra Aide And Two Health Policy Experts Tapped For Key Posts
President-elect Biden and his top health deputies are expected to make a slew of new political appointments Wednesday. Sean McCluskie, a longtime deputy of health secretary nominee Xavier Becerra’s, will be the agency’s chief of staff, three health industry lobbyists, a consultant for the transition, and a health care expert tell STAT. (Florko and Facher, 1/20)

Modern Healthcare: Elizabeth Richter Will Serve As Acting CMS Administrator
Elizabeth Richter will serve as acting administrator for CMS, according to the agency's website on Wednesday. The career civil servant previously served as CMS' deputy center director, leading policy development and operations management for Medicare's fee-for-service program since 2007. She has held several roles focused on Medicare payment issues since she joined the agency in 1990. Healthcare insiders have waited with bated breath for Biden to announce his pick for CMS administrator. But he hasn't done it yet, even though the agency's Medicare and Medicaid programs cover nearly 1 in 3 Americans. CMS' budget is more than $1 trillion, accounting for over a quarter of federal spending. (Brady and Kim Cohen, 1/20)

Politico: Biden Leaves Top FDA Job Open Amid Vaccine Push
President Joe Biden assumes office with an arsenal of health care veterans leading his coronavirus response — but his team’s handwringing has left an agency central to the pandemic fight without a permanent leader. Public health experts and Biden’s own advisers have called for a strong chief at the Food and Drug Administration to help insulate the agency from public pressure and aid the new president in his goal of vaccinating 100 million people during his first days in office. But the debate on who should get the FDA’s top job has dragged on for months, with Biden's team unable to settle on a nominee. (Owermohle, Cancryn and Kenen, 1/20)

Stat: The 10 Biden Officials To Watch On The Covid-19 Response 
President Biden has promised to listen to the experts on Covid-19, but their messages may be hard to hear if too many are talking at once. Already, Biden has tasked dozens of scientists, administrators, and policymakers with reining in a raging pandemic. As the Biden transition segues from planning to governing, those individuals will have to coalesce into a cohesive unit for them to enjoy the success the new president has promised. (Cohrs, 1/21)

In related news —

Stat: Biden Dissolves Covid-19 Panel That Advised His Transition
President Biden’s coronavirus advisory board is disbanding, according to two of its members. The group, which Biden introduced almost immediately after he was elected president in November, consisted of leading doctors, researchers, and public health experts. (Facher, 1/20)

Politico: Surgeon General To Step Down As Biden Requested 
[President] Joe Biden has asked for the resignation of Surgeon General Jerome Adams, bringing the tenure of the nation's top doctor to an abrupt end as Biden looks to reboot the federal government's pandemic response. Adams confirmed his plans to step down in a tweet on Wednesday morning, calling it the “honor of my life to serve this Nation.” (Cancryn and Ollstein, 1/20)

AP: Judge Drops Virus Related Case Against US Surgeon General
A judge in Honolulu dismissed charges Wednesday against U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams after he was cited for allegedly violating local coronavirus restrictions while in Hawaii to help with COVID-19 surge testing efforts. Honolulu prosecutors submitted a motion Tuesday to dismiss charges against Adams after he was charged with being in a closed park during Hawaii’s summertime spike in coronavirus cases. (1/21)

The New York Times: Ex-C.D.C. Chief On Challenge Of Serving Trump During Pandemic 
Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, [left] his post at noon on Wednesday. "I encourage the president-elect to focus on his pledge to get 100 million people vaccinated in 100 days," he said in an interview. "I’m glad we gave him a foundation to build on. Last week, we had two days when we vaccinated one million people a day. We laid a foundation for vaccine administration. I find it unfortunate when some people suggest that the vaccine program delivering one million a day is somehow a disaster — but it will be a model when the Biden administration does it." (Kaplan, 1/20)

The Hill: Amazon Offers To Help Biden With Vaccine Distribution 
Amazon sent a letter to President Biden in his first hours of office Wednesday offering to assist the new administration with its coronavirus vaccine distribution. Dave Clark, Amazon's CEO of consumer business, said the company is willing to help by leveraging Amazon’s “operations, information technology, and communications capabilities” to assist Biden with his goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans within his first 100 days in the White House. (Klar, 1/20)

Stat: Here’s The Letter Amazon Sent Biden Offering Covid-19 Vaccination Support
Amazon has reached out to President Joe Biden to offer logistical and technical support for his goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans within his first 100 days in office. In a letter sent Wednesday to Biden and shared with STAT, Dave Clark, chief executive of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, said the company is “prepared to leverage our operations, information technology, and communications capabilities and expertise to assist your administration’s vaccination efforts.” (Brodwin, 1/20)

CNN: Biden Is Inheriting A Nonexistent Covid-19 Vaccine Plan From Trump Administration, Sources Say 
Newly sworn in President Joe Biden and his advisers are inheriting no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan to speak of from the Trump administration, sources tell CNN, posing a significant challenge for the new White House. (Lee, 1/21)

Keeping the vaccine cold causes problems in Michigan and Ohio —

Crain's Detroit Business: 11,900 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Ruined En Route To Michigan
The majority of 21 shipments of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday were spoiled en route to Michigan, likely delaying the state's vaccination efforts this week, the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The vaccine's distributor, McKesson Corp., notified the state that the majority of the 11,900 doses in the shipments got too cold and are now unusable. The Moderna vaccine is stored and shipped at roughly 4 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Once on site, the vaccine can be kept at temperatures between 36 degrees and 77 degrees Fahrenheit for up to six hours before being administered to a patient. (Walsh, 1/20)

Fox8.com: Ohio Department Of Health Suspends Provider After 890 COVID-19 Vaccines Wasted
The Ohio Department of Health is investigating after 890 COVID-19 vaccines went to waste. The health department said SpecialtyRX, a vaccine provider in Columbus, was given 1,500 vacines for residents at eight long-term care facilities. “After administering the first doses, SpecialtyRX had 890 doses remaining. The company was exploring a transfer of the doses to another provider when it was discovered that they had failed to appropriately monitor temperatures in their refrigerator and freezer,” the Ohio Department of Health said. The ODH immunization program investigated and found 890 doses of the Moderna vaccine were no longer viable because they were not stored properly, according to the health department. (Steer, 1/20)

In other news about vaccine distribution —

Charlotte Observer: UNC System Gets Freezers To Help COVID Vaccine Distribution 
The UNC System’s six historically minority-serving institutions can start storing and distributing COVID-19 vaccine vials with new ultra-cold mobile freezers they recently received. The freezers are the first of 62 scheduled to arrive at 15 UNC System campuses over the next couple months. (Murphy, 1/20)

Kansas City Star: Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Sites Coming To Missouri 
Missouri plans to establish mass coronavirus vaccination sites across the state, even as top officials acknowledge demand for shots far exceeds supply. The state Department of Health and Senior Services, with assistance from the Missouri National Guard, will set up nine sites — one in each Highway Patrol region — and will deploy vaccination teams to areas where access to the sites may be limited. (Shorman, 1/20)

Chicago Tribune: COVID-19 Vaccine Signups To Begin Soon For Illinois Seniors
A number of Chicago-area health systems expect, within days, to begin inviting patients ages 65 and older to make appointments to get COVID-19 vaccines, and Walgreens is already allowing some seniors and essential workers to schedule shots. The notifications will come as Illinois prepares to move Monday to the next phase of vaccinations, which will include people ages 65 and older and front-line essential workers, such as those who work in grocery stores, schools and public transportation. (Schencker, 1/20)

North Carolina Health News: Vaccines Arrive To NC’s Prisons
North Carolina began vaccinating state prisoners Wednesday after its prison agency received its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the state health department. Correctional staff who work with COVID-19-positive incarcerated people or in prison units with outbreaks, as well as the health care staff administering shots, are also receiving the vaccine. (Critchfield, 1/21)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Legislators Say The State Should Use Up Its COVID-19 Vaccines Rather Than Continuing To Stockpile Them For Second Shots
Utah legislators are pressing the state to expedite its massive COVID-19 inoculation effort by depleting its stockpile of booster doses and by promising to abolish mask mandates and emergency orders as soon as enough people achieve immunity. During a Wednesday legislative hearing, the state’s store of 104,000 booster vaccines emerged as a source of concern for some state lawmakers, who argued that setting aside doses makes little sense given the urgency of protecting people against a virus that has killed more than 1,500 Utahns. “I don’t want to die of dehydration with my canteen half full of water,” state Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, told health department officials during a Wednesday legislative committee meeting. (Rodgers, 1/20)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas County Backtracks On COVID-19 Vaccine Priorities After Texas Threatens To Reduce Supply
Dallas County commissioners, under duress from the state, on Wednesday reversed a decision to focus COVID-19 vaccinations efforts on residents from 11 vulnerable ZIP codes. The five-member body backtracked hours after Texas health officials threatened to reduce the supply of vaccines to the state’s second-largest county if it moved forward with the plan. The warning, in an email to the county’s health director, Dr. Philip Huang, said the decision to focus only on residents of those ZIP codes violated the terms of being a state-approved vaccine hub. (Garcia, 1/20)

Los Angeles Times: California Will Resume Using Questioned Doses Of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
California’s top epidemiologist, Dr. Erica Pan, said late Wednesday that an expert panel’s review of apparent allergic reactions believed to be tied to a specific lot of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine found “no scientific basis” for continuing to withhold the doses. The state had received about 330,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine from the specific lot, which were distributed across the state. Last week, seven people experienced reactions at a drive-through clinic in San Diego, some of which involved rapid swelling. But none were anaphylaxis or life-threatening reactions, according to the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. (Gutierrez, 1/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Says It’s Safe To Use Huge Lot Of Moderna Vaccines Paused After Allergic Reactions
“Yesterday, we convened the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup and additional allergy and immunology specialists to examine the evidence collected,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement Wednesday night. “We had further discussions with the County of San Diego Department of Public Health, the FDA, CDC and manufacturer, and found no scientific basis to continue the pause. Providers that paused vaccine administration from Moderna Lot 41L20A can immediately resume.” The vaccines in question were from a batch of 330,000 Moderna vaccines that were sent to 287 health care providers in California earlier in January, and were halted Sunday because six health care workers who got the vaccine in San Diego last week apparently developed allergic reactions after receiving it. The six people were treated and have recovered. (Ho, 1/20)

In related news from California —

Fox News: Woman Will Get Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Second Dose Despite Allergic Reaction To First
One woman who suffered an allergic reaction to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine said she will "absolutely, positively" get the second dose citing concerns about the virus itself. Cheryl Brennan, who received the dose at Petco Park in San Diego last week, said her reaction started about 18 minutes after receiving the first dose. Moderna on Tuesday said that it has received a report from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that several individuals were treated for possible allergic reactions at a vaccination center after receiving a dose from one lot of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine. The state epidemiologist has already recommended that providers stop administering remaining doses from the lot. (Hein, 1/20)

Politico: ‘Come With Me If You Want To Live’: Schwarzenegger Gets Vaccinated
Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, making him among the first residents 65 and older to get the shot in Los Angeles County. Schwarzenegger, 73, booked an appointment himself at one of the city’s large-scale vaccination sites Tuesday after county health officials announced that individuals 65 and older could begin receiving vaccines Thursday, according to his spokesperson Daniel Ketchell. (Nieves, 1/20)

SF Gate: Did Shutting Down Outdoor Dining Contribute To California's COVID-19 Surge?
There has been no such linkage between outdoor dining and COVID-19 transmission, but California banned the activity in most of the state in early December, despite being one of the few states with a winter climate that would support it. Despite the ban, California has had one of the worst winter COVID-19 surges in the country, which begs the following question: Is it possible that shutting down outdoor dining made the state's surge even worse? (Ting, 1/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Says Vaccinating Everyone Over 65 Could Take Four Months 
California recently said people 65 and older were eligible to get coronavirus vaccines. But getting two shots into everyone in that age group could take another four to five months, state health officials said Wednesday. Given the current rate of vaccines coming into the state — between 400,000 doses and 500,000 doses a week, in a good week — it will take an estimated 20 to 22 weeks to vaccinate the 65-and-over population alone, state health officer Dr. Erica Pan said during a state vaccine advisory committee meeting. (Ho, 1/20)

Shortages and delays continue to vex residents —

The Wall Street Journal: Cuomo Implores Biden Administration To Boost Covid-19 Vaccine Supplies 
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on the Biden administration to ramp up production of the Covid-19 vaccine, warning that New York will exhaust its allotted doses on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future. ... New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also said Wednesday at a separate news conference that the city had to reschedule 23,000 vaccine appointments this week because of a vaccine shortage. (De Avila, 1/20)

The Hill: New York City Reschedules 23,000 Vaccination Appointments Due To Supply Issues 
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers had their coronavirus vaccine appointments rescheduled this week due to a lack of supply, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Wednesday. According to the mayor, a delay in the delivery of Moderna's vaccine contributed to the supply issues, which puts the city's goal of 1 million vaccinations by the end of the month in jeopardy. (Weixel, 1/20)

The New York Times: Thousands Of Vaccine Appointments Canceled As Supply Lags 
That Covid-19 vaccine appointment may not just be hard to get — it may not even be all that secure. Thousands of people across the country learned that their appointments had been abruptly canceled in the last few days, after vaccine shipments to local health departments and other distributors fell short of what was expected. (1/21)

Politico: States’ New Vaccine Worry: Not Enough Doses 
More than a dozen states say they are starting to run out of supplies of coronavirus shots as they ramp up the pace of vaccinations, the latest hitch in a struggling nationwide inoculation effort. New York City on Wednesday canceled at least 23,000 vaccine appointments with supplies running low for first doses. Some states, like Colorado and Oregon, are scaling back eligibility for vaccinations or rejecting new, expansive federal guidelines in an effort to ration scarce shots. (Roubein and Ehley, 1/20)

AP: States Report Vaccine Shortages And Cancel Appointments
The push to inoculate Americans against the coronavirus is hitting a roadblock: A number of states are reporting they are running out of vaccine, and tens of thousands of people who managed to get appointments for a first dose are seeing them canceled. Karen Stachowiak, a first-grade teacher in the Buffalo area, spent almost five hours on the state hot line and website to land an appointment for Wednesday, only to be told it was canceled. The Erie County Health Department said it scratched vaccinations for over 8,000 people in the past few days because of inadequate supply. (Hill and Peltz, 1/20)

Fox News: COVID-19 Vaccinations Delayed In Michigan As Nearly 12,000 Moderna Doses Botched During Transport 
Nearly 12,000 doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine were compromised after they dipped below acceptable temperatures during recent transport to Michigan, according to state health officials. "The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has been notified by McKesson that several shipments of Moderna vaccine shipped on Sunday, Jan. 17, had their temperature reported as going out of range and getting too cold," reads a statement from the health department.  (Rivas, 1/20)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Seniors, Others Eligible For Coronavirus Vaccine Frustrated By Communication Void, Wait 
Like it did for many Maryland seniors, Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement last week offered hope for Stephen Poe. It meant the 80-year-old who lives near Edgewater would be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in a few days. So Poe visited the Anne Arundel County Department of Health’s website and filled out a preregistration form. He got an automated confirmation email saying his information had been received, and then tried signing up through his hospital and two other counties. (Mann and Miller, 1/21)

North Carolina Health News: For Some Long-Term Care Residents, Vaccine Comes Too Late 
Even as North Carolina enters the second phase of its vaccine plan, some long-term care residents are still waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine. For Barbara Fischer, an 83-year-old dementia patient at Brookdale Meadowmont, it could be coming too late. (Critchfield, 1/20)

AP: Nurses In Kansas County Refuse To Give COVID-19 Vaccine
Four nurses at a rural health department in Kansas are refusing to administer any COVID-19 vaccines, citing the fast development and production of the shots. The Kansas City Star reports that none of the Coffey County nurses, including the public health administrator, feel “comfortable” administering a vaccine that has gone through a speedy testing process with new technology. (1/19)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Nursing Home Workers Are Less Willing To Vaccinate Against COVID-19 Than Residents
Just over a quarter of long-term care facilities surveyed recently in Maine said less than half of staffers are willing to get the coronavirus vaccine, a trend that could hamper efforts to prevent deadly outbreaks as vulnerable residents overwhelmingly accept the shots. The Maine Medical Directors Association, which represents nursing home directors, surveyed 63 skilled nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other places in the first phase of Maine’s vaccine program over a 10-day period ending Tuesday. It provides the first data showing how efforts to inoculate some of the state’s most vulnerable people are going. (Andrews, 1/21)

CNBC: Here Are 7 Of The Biggest Coronavirus Vaccine Myths Busted By Experts
Vaccine skepticism and outright anti-vaccination sentiment has become rife in recent months, with more members of the public questioning not only the efficacy of vaccines, but their development practices, safety standards and their objectives. (Ellyatt, 1/21)

In other vaccine developments —

The Hill: Three COVID-19 Vaccines Under Late-Stage Review For WHO Emergency Approval 
The World Health Organization (WHO) is reportedly in the final stages of reviewing three coronavirus vaccines for international emergency distribution. Reuters reported Wednesday that an internal document obtained by the newswire indicated that the WHO could in the coming weeks or months give the green light to the inoculations developed by Moderna, AstraZeneca and China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac. (Castronuovo, 1/20)

Scientific American: The Second-Generation COVID Vaccines Are Coming
Six months ago, as the northern hemisphere was still battling the coronavirus pandemic’s first wave, all eyes turned to the COVID-19 vaccines in late-stage clinical trials. Now, a year after the pandemic first erupted, three COVID vaccines have been given emergency authorization by either the U.S. or U.K., as well as other countries. Two of the vaccines, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna, respectively, both employ a novel genetic technology known as mRNA. And the third is a more conventional vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca that uses a chimpanzee virus to deliver DNA for a component of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. (Russia, China and India have rolled out their own vaccines, but with the exception of a few countries, they have not been widely authorized elsewhere.) (Cormier, 1/20)

Chicago Tribune: Pregnant Women Want Eligibility For COVID-19 Vaccine Soon 
During the 16 weeks she’s been pregnant, Tara Larson has closely followed information about COVID-19. She knows pregnant women are more likely to get severely ill should they get the virus; she knows that pregnant women were excluded from vaccine trials, so data is limited. With a police officer husband who interacts with the public daily and months to go in her pregnancy, the 40-year-old Lemont mom is ready to get a vaccine. (Bowen, 1/20)

AP: New Studies Clarify Which Genes May Raise Breast Cancer Risk
Two large studies give a much sharper picture of which inherited mutations raise the risk of breast cancer for women without a family history of the disease, and how common these flawed genes are in the general population. Doctors say the results published Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine can help women make better decisions about screening, preventive surgery or other steps. (Marchione, 1/20)

In other cancer news —

News-Medical.net: Cancer Patients Have Higher Risk Of Severe COVID -19 Infection Than Non-Cancer Patients
Patients with inactive cancer and not currently undergoing treatments also face a significantly higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, a new study from Penn Medicine published online today in JNCI Cancer Spectrum shows. Past reports have established an increased risk of severe disease and death for sick or hospitalized cancer patients with COVID-19 compared to patients without cancer, but less is known about patients in the general population. (1/21)

FierceBiotech: How A Gene Linked To The Circadian Clock Could Point To New Prostate Cancer Treatments
Studies have shown that disruptions in circadian rhythms caused by chronic sleep deprivation and other lifestyle-related issues are linked to an increased incidence of some cancers, including prostate cancer. Researchers at Sidney Kimmel Cancer - Jefferson Health (SKCC) analyzed that connection and landed on a circadian clock gene that seems to play a major role in prostate cancer progression. They believe their findings could inspire new treatments that target the gene, which is called CRY1, they reported in the journal Nature Communications. (Weintraub, 1/15)

News-Medical.net: Eliminating Key Gene Could Revive Exhausted Immune Cells To Battle Solid Tumors
Eliminating a single gene can turn exhausted cancer-fighting immune cells known as CD8+ T cells back into refreshed soldiers that can continue to battle malignant tumors, a new study led by UT Southwestern researchers suggests. The findings, published online this week in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, could offer a new way to harness the body's immune system to attack cancers. (1/20)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Finalizes Blood-Based Colon Cancer Screening Coverage
CMS has finalized a memo describing criteria for the coverage of blood-based colorectal cancer screening tests. The agency did deny coverage for Epigenomics' Epi ProColon assay, citing issues with sensitivity. The decision could impact companies developing genomic and epigenomic blood tests for colorectal cancer including Guardant Health, Freenome, and Exact Sciences. The draft national coverage decision memo, which was issued last October, has retained its main conclusions largely unchanged apart from the removal of a requirement for covered tests to be included in professional society guidelines or recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (1/20)

Also —

Houston Chronicle: Another Cancer Cluster Found In Houston Neighborhood
Another cancer cluster in Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens has been identified by a state investigation in a newly released report, which found that children contracted leukemia at nearly five times the expected rate of the general population. The Department of State Health Services report found the number of cases of leukemia in children was significantly higher in one census tract in particular -- a stretch of land where state environmental records show a toxic plume is located beneath more than 100 homes. Mayor Sylvester Turner, as well as current and former residents of the neighborhood, are asking for accountability from those responsible for the pollution. (Dellinger, 1/20)

The New York Times: A Living Legacy In Pediatric Cancer Research
Approximately 85 percent of children with cancer are cured. However, about 15 percent confront the sort of aggressive disease that cut short the life of Tyler Trent at the age of 20 on Jan. 1, 2019. “One hundred years down the line, maybe my legacy could have an impact”: so Tyler said about his efforts to raise awareness of the need for further research in pediatric oncology. Two years after his death, Tyler’s physicians continue to help incurable as well as cured children lead longer and better lives. (Gubar, 1/21)

USA Today: COVID-19: Workplace Absences Surge In 2020 Due To Illness, Fears
More workers called in sick in 2020 than at any time in at least two decades, a USA TODAY analysis of federal labor market data has found. An average of 1.5 million people a month missed work because of their "own illness/injury/medical problems," survey data show --  45% more than normal over the past 20 years. Childcare-related absences increased even more, soaring 250% above the 20-year average. Roughly 67,000 people a month said childcare problems made them miss work. (Jones and Wynn, 1/21)

The Washington Post: Spring Term Delays: New Wave Of Coronavirus Uncertainty Slams Higher Education
Johns Hopkins University is revving up for a wider opening in Baltimore after a months-long clampdown to fight the pandemic. But undergraduate classes will remain online for the first week. The College of William & Mary in Virginia and the University of Maryland at College Park won’t start teaching in person until the spring term is two weeks old. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will hold off for three weeks. (Anderson, 1/20)

The Washington Post: U.S. Is Requiring Covid-19 Tests On Arrival And Upholding Travels Bans. Experts See Flaws. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that the United States will require a negative coronavirus test result taken within 72 hours before arrival for all international arrivals, beginning next week. The new rule is an effort to keep out a fast-moving new variant of the coronavirus, but in the rollout of the new health protocols, some travel groups saw an opportunity to restart some banned international travel. Airlines for America, a trade group that lobbies for the biggest airlines in the United States, called for the new testing rule to replace bans on international travelers from countries with cases of the new strain. (McMahon, 1/20)

KHN: Yurts, Igloos And Pop-Up Domes: How Safe Is ‘Outside’ Restaurant Dining This Winter? 
With the arrival of winter and the U.S. coronavirus outbreak in full swing, the restaurant industry — looking at losses of $235 billion in 2020 — is clinging to techniques for sustaining outdoor dining even through the cold and vagaries of a U.S. winter. Yurts, greenhouses, igloos, tents and all kinds of partly open outdoor structures have popped up at restaurants around the country. Owners have turned to these as a lifeline to help fill some tables by offering the possibility at least of a safer dining experience. (Stone, 1/21)

In news about ALS —

KHN: After A Decade Of Lobbying, ALS Patients Gain Faster Access To Disability Payments
Anita Baron first noticed something was wrong in August 2018, when she began to drool. Her dentist chalked it up to a problem with her jaw. Then her speech became slurred. She managed to keep her company, which offers financing to small businesses, going, but work became increasingly difficult as her speech worsened. Finally, nine months, four neurologists and countless tests later, Baron, now 66, got a diagnosis: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the New York Yankees first baseman who died of it in 1941, destroys motor neurons, causing people to lose control of their limbs, their speech and, ultimately, their ability to breathe. It’s usually fatal in two to five years. (Andrews, 1/21)

Stat: Hospitals Mark Up Some Medicines By 250% On Average
As Americans grapple with the rising cost of prescription drugs, a new analysis found that some hospitals mark up prices on more than two dozen medicines by an average of 250%, underscoring the incentives to use more expensive brand-name treatments than lower-cost biosimilars. For instance, hospitals charged more than five times the purchase price for Epogen, which is used to treat anemia caused by chronic kidney disease for patients on dialysis. (Silverman, 1/20)

Stat: CEO Of Mark Cuban's Generics Company Talks Drug Pricing, Manufacturing
In a surprise move, Mark Cuban last week announced plans to enter the generic drug business with a new company bearing his name. The famed investor – known widely for his appearances on Shark Tank – has actually been eyeing the pharmaceutical world for a while. Two years ago, Cuban decided to work with Alex Oshmyansky to sell low-cost medicines. (Silverman, 1/21)

Stat: How Teladoc Is Teeing Itself Up To Dominate Telehealth After Covid-19
Teladoc is teeing itself up to remain a dominant digital health provider long after the worst of the pandemic subsides. The telehealth giant, like many other virtual care companies, has seen its business boom with the flood of patients turning to virtual appointments as the crisis continues. (Brodwin, 1/21)

Also —

AP: UnitedHealth Overcomes Pandemic Hit And Tops 4Q Expectations
UnitedHealth’s fourth-quarter earnings tumbled as costs from COVID-19 hit the health insurance provider, but results still easily beat expectations. Health care use rebounded in the final quarter of 2020 after the global pandemic kept people away from doctor offices and surgery centers when it first spread earlier last year. (Murphy, 1/20)

AP: Chicago Teachers To Vote On Walkout Over Reopening Dispute
The Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates on Wednesday approved a resolution that would have its members stay out of the classroom until it reaches an agreement on health and safety protocols with the school district. The resolution now goes to the union’s 25,000 members for a vote. If a majority approve the resolution by Saturday, teachers would stay at home Monday. However, they could continue to teach their students remotely. (1/21)

Kansas City Star: Bonner Springs, KS School Teachers Get Coronavirus Shots 
Bonner Springs teachers are among the first in Kansas to receive COVID-19 vaccines, district officials said Wednesday. About 200 have gotten their shots since Monday, including all high school teachers who requested it as well as teachers at two of the three elementary schools. (Williams, 1/21)

In news from Pennsylvania, Missouri and Florida —

Philadelphia Inquirer: Essential Workers Exposed To COVID-19 Are Reporting To Work When They Can’t Get Paid To Quarantine
Union leaders and workplace health and safety experts say that not paying workers to quarantine creates a disincentive to speak up about infection or exposure. “If they’re not going to get paid, they’re not going to come forward,” said Peg Seminario, who served as the director of occupational safety and health for the AFL-CIO for three decades before retiring in 2019. “It’s critical to quarantine and pay those individuals so the community can be protected.” Barbara Rittinger Rigo, an attorney at employer law firm Littler Mendelson P.C., said that if employees were exposed to COVID on the job, employers would be more likely to be generous about employees taking leave. But if they were exposed because they flew somewhere for Thanksgiving or because they were going to gatherings without a mask, that’s another story. Still, she noted that it’s difficult to prove how someone has been exposed. (Feliciano Reyes, 1/20)

Kansas City Star: GOP Legislators Refuse To Wear Masks In Missouri Capitol 
Masks are not required at the Missouri State Capitol. But they should be. While COVID-19 continues to sicken and kill Missourians, there is no screening process for lawmakers to enter the statehouse. Daily testing isn’t an option either. Social distancing is impossible in certain areas of the venerable building, which remains open to visitors. (1/21)

AP: Missouri Republicans Move To Limit Health Officials' Power
Republican senators in Missouri on Wednesday debated ways to check health officials’ power in response to their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. One proposal would ensure there are no government-imposed occupancy limits on churches and other places of worship during public health emergencies. Another bill would take the authority to make public health rules away from county health boards and instead leave those decisions to county commissioners. (1/20)

KHN: Door To Door In Miami’s Little Havana To Build Trust In Testing, Vaccination
Little Havana is a neighborhood in Miami that, until the pandemic, was known for its active street life along Calle Ocho, including live music venues, ventanitas serving Cuban coffee and a historic park where men gather to play dominoes. But during the pandemic, a group called Healthy Little Havana is zeroing in on this area with a very specific assignment: persuading residents to get a coronavirus test. (Zaragovia, 1/21)

Also —

The New York Times: A.S.L. Interpreter Who Gave Coronavirus Updates Dies Of Covid-19 Complications 
Patty Sakal, an American Sign Language interpreter who translated updates about the coronavirus for deaf Hawaiians, died on Friday of complications related to Covid-19. She was 62. Ms. Sakal, who lived in Honolulu, died at Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego, where she had gone last month to visit one of her daughters, according to Ms. Sakal’s sister, Lorna Mouton Riff. (de Leon, 1/20)

AP: Louisiana Police Chief Recovering, Fire Chief Dies Of COVID
A Louisiana police chief is recovering from COVID-19 while a longtime fire chief has died of complications from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Bruce Cutrer, who led Tangipahoa Fire District #1 in Amite, died Tuesday of COVID-19 complications, the Louisiana State Fireman’s Association said. (1/20)

AP: 5 Killed In Blaze At Indian Producer Of COVID-19 Vaccine
At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the blaze would not affect production of the COVID-19 vaccine. He said there would be no reduction in vaccine manufacturing because the company has other available facilities. The company said the fire was restricted to a new facility it is constructing to increase the production of COVID-19 vaccines and ensure it is better prepared for future pandemics. (Maqbool, 1/21)

Reuters: India's Vaccine Diplomacy In South Asia Pushes Back Against China
India will give millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine to South Asian countries in the next few weeks, government sources said on Thursday, drawing praise from its neighbours and pushing back against China’s dominating presence in the region. (Miglani and Sharma, 1/20)

The Washington Post: China Pushes Conspiracy Theories To Discredit Western Vaccines, Muddy Coronavirus Origins 
Europe and Australia should reject the "hasty" American vaccines linked to elderly deaths, Chinese scientists say. Western media refuses to investigate the dangers of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, fumed a state television anchor. The coronavirus could be a plot involving former U.S. defense secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, suggested a state media editor. And the real origin of the virus? Perhaps the U.S. Army's Fort Detrick should be investigated, intoned a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. One year after the coronavirus was first widely reported in China, the country’s state media and officials are again pitching a flood of theories about its origins (not China) and which vaccines are safe (not American). (Shih, 1/20)

AP: Peru Doctors On Hunger Strike Over Pandemic Work Conditions
At least four doctors began a hunger strike Wednesday as a protest against the substandard working conditions that Peru’s medical workers say they have faced in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The hunger strike in Peru’s capital, Lima, is the latest action by health care workers asking the government to improve their work environment. Medical personnel have been protesting for a week just as a second wave of coronavirus cases is hitting the country. (1/20)

In news from Europe —

Bloomberg: U.K. Suffers Deadliest Day With Some Hospitals ‘Like A War Zone’
The U.K. suffered its worst day in the pandemic on Wednesday, with more than 1,800 deaths recorded in 24 hours, as Boris Johnson’s chief scientific adviser warned some hospitals now look “like a war zone.” The record daily toll takes the total number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive test in the U.K. to 93,290. Almost 40,000 patients are now receiving treatment in U.K. hospitals. England is in its third national lockdown and similar measures are in place across the U.K., but while the restrictions have started to bring infection rates down, officials say the death rates and pressures on the National Health Service will continue to grow. (Ashton and Capel, 1/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Europeans Clash With Pfizer, BioNTech Over Covid-19 Vaccine Deliveries 
Tension is rising between European authorities and Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE after officials said the companies had unexpectedly cut their deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines and put their immunization schedules at risk. The Italian government asked the country’s attorney general to study whether it can take legal action after Pfizer cut deliveries of its vaccine for this week by 29% as it retools its Belgium factory, a government spokeswoman said Wednesday. (Pancevski and Legorano, 1/20)

The Washington Post: Europe’s Growing Mask Ask: Ditch The Cloth Ones For Medical-Grade Coverings
Faced with new, more contagious, strains of the coronavirus and a winter surge in cases, European nations have begun to tighten mask regulations in the hope that they can slow the spread of the virus. Germany on Tuesday night made it mandatory for people riding on public transport or in supermarkets to wear medical style masks: either N95s, the Chinese or European equivalent KN95 or FFP2s, or a surgical mask. (Morris and Noack, 1/20)

AP: Portugal Sets Records In One Of World's Worst Virus Surges
Portugal’s new daily COVID-19 cases jumped to more than 14,600 to set a new national record Wednesday, as the country weathers one of the worst pandemic surges in the world. Health authorities officially reported 14,647 new infections — about 3,600 more than the previous daily record set four days ago. The surge shows no sign of easing, with the government and health experts predicting it will peak next week. (Hatton, 1/20)

The Lancet: Mask-Wearing And Control Of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission In The USA: A Cross-Sectional Study 
Face masks have become commonplace across the USA because of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic. Although evidence suggests that masks help to curb the spread of the disease, there is little empirical research at the population level. We investigate the association between self-reported mask-wearing, physical distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the USA, along with the effect of statewide mandates on mask uptake. (Rader, 1/19)

New England Journal of Medicine: Convalescent Plasma Antibody Levels And The Risk Of Death From Covid-19
Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) under the presumption that such plasma contains potentially therapeutic antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that can be passively transferred to the plasma recipient. Whether convalescent plasma with high antibody levels rather than low antibody levels is associated with a lower risk of death is unknown. (Joyner et al, 1/13)

CIDRAP: Study Shows High-Dose, Standard Flu Vaccines Equally Safe In Older Adults
A study yesterday in JAMA Network  Open compared the safety and short-term effects on quality of life in older adults who received either the trivalent adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine (aIIV3) or trivalent high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-IIV3), and found both are acceptable vaccine options for this patient population. The randomized clinical trial included 757 adults 65 and older, with 378 receiving aIIV3 and 379 receiving HD-IIV3. The study included 420 women (55%) and 589 white participants (78%), with a median age of 72 for all patients. (1/15)

CIDRAP: Flu Vaccine Effectiveness May Fall 8% To 9% Monthly After Immunization
Flu vaccine effectiveness (VE) in adults waned 8% to 9% each month after vaccination, a study of the 2015-2016 to 2018-2019 US flu seasons finds. The study, led by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published today in Clinical Infectious Diseases, analyzed electronic medical records and interviews from participants in the US Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network. (1/19)

New England Journal of Medicine: Lower Or Higher Oxygenation Targets For Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure 
Patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in the intensive care unit (ICU) are treated with supplemental oxygen, but the benefits and harms of different oxygenation targets are unclear. We hypothesized that using a lower target for partial pressure of arterial oxygen (Pao2) would result in lower mortality than using a higher target. (Schjorring et al, 1/13)

Stat: Antibody-Assisted Vaccination Will Speed The Path To Protection
This combination of lasting immunity and effective vaccines has been the cornerstone of almost all past successes against viruses (HIV, to date, being the key exception). It’s how the scourges of smallpox, polio, measles, mumps, and other infectious diseases have been beaten. And it’s how we are going to beat Covid-19.But even in a best-case scenario, it will be months before enough vaccine doses have been made to treat everyone. With epidemiologists estimating that two-thirds of the population must be immune for the herd protection needed to quell the pandemic, an antibody-assisted approach would let us reach that threshold faster. (Michael Rose, 1/21)

The New York Times: Ethicists Say To Take The Covid-19 Vaccine If You Can 
Last week, as friends of mine learned they would soon be eligible for a Covid-19 vaccination, I received a slew of angst-ridden text messages. A teacher who sees students only once a week wondered if she should wait so teachers who were more at risk could get a shot first. A friend with a health condition who is mostly able to stay home and isolate pondered letting her dose go to someone more deserving. On social media, I stumbled across posts from friends who are eligible for vaccination but could not get appointments — and who were angry that others they knew, whom they considered lower risk, had already been inoculated. As more and more Americans become eligible for Covid-19 vaccines despite their limited supply, deciding whether to take an available shot has turned into a moral quandary. There’s no question that vaccine access has been inequitable across parts of the country. But many medical ethicists agree: If you are eligible for a vaccination, you should get it, no matter how worthy — or unworthy — you feel. (Melinda Wenner Moyer, 1/21)

Los Angeles Times: Lucky Me. I Got My First Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine. But Why?
The urgent text from a friend came late Friday afternoon: If you want to get the COVID-19 vaccine, go immediately to the website for the UC Irvine healthcare system and schedule an appointment. I didn’t wait to ask questions. I clicked the link she sent me and, amazingly enough, it looked as though there were plenty of open spaces each morning throughout the holiday weekend. I picked Monday.Lucky me. The question is, why me? The answer is heart-sinking: Because of disorganized policies at the state level and confusion in the counties. Health authorities are looking to get people vaccinated quickly, a good thing, but that’s resulted in sloppiness and a lack of clarity as officials have set priorities and communicated with the public. (Karin Klein, 1/20)

The Washington Post: The Coronavirus Variants Could Dash Our Hopes Of Getting Back To Normal. We Must Prepare. 
After what feels like the longest year in any adult life, it finally looked as if covid-19 was about to be over. All the old disputes about whether to restrict our lives while we waited for a vaccine or just go about our lives to reach herd immunity naturally had been mooted by the lightning-fast production of two good vaccines. It appears the viruses of South Africa would like a word with us. (Megan McArdle, 1/20)

The New York Times: Is Mask-Slipping The New Manspreading?
When I saw Bill Clinton’s mask slip below his nose during the inaugural festivities, I figured, well, it could happen to any of us. But then John Roberts’s mask was not entirely covering his nose at different points. And even Barack Obama’s mask dipped below the tip of his nose at one point. A couple months back, then-President Trump’s economic adviser Larry Kudlow was spotted outside the West Wing with his mask down. I realized it’s not a Democratic thing. Or a Republican thing. Or an inaugural thing. It’s a male thing. It’s like manspreading, but with masks. Call it manslipping.(James Gorman, 1/20)

The Washington Post: 400,000 Dead. Never Forget These Precious Lives Lost.
That effective vaccines are now being rolled out, albeit not as quickly as needed, and that Wednesday saw the inauguration of a president who has promised a plan of action against the pandemic are reasons for some hope. It is important, though, that we never forget the precious lives lost and how many could have been saved if government had not failed. (1/20)

Los Angeles Times: How Can America Recover From Its Trump-Induced Trauma?
Thursday, the nation will wake up and there will be no tweet from the president of the United States fomenting ignorance and division, encouraging people to act outrageously or to disbelieve science. He won’t be wondering aloud whether bleach, taken internally, would prevent or cure COVID-19. He won’t make a new enemy of another longtime ally or enact a sudden travel ban against predominantly Muslim countries that separates families and strands travelers at airports with visas in hand. (1/21)