Axios: Coronavirus Vaccine Boosters Could Be Necessary In The U.S. As Soon As The Fall
The first Americans to be vaccinated against the coronavirus could require a third "booster" shot as early as September, the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna told Axios. "The data that I see coming, they are supporting the notion that likely there will be a need for a booster somewhere between eight and 12 months," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said yesterday during an Axios event. (Owens, 5/20)

CNN: Covid-19 Booster Shot Will Likely Be Needed Within A Year Of Vaccination, Fauci Says 
While the world may be opening up because of the increase in Covid-19 vaccinations, top medical experts say there may be another round of shots needed within about a year. A booster Covid-19 vaccine for people who have already been vaccinated may be needed as soon as eight to 12 months after their second shot, according to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (Langmaid and Vera, 5/19)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shots Raise Tough Issues For Health Authorities
While most countries are still cranking up their vaccination drives, some are already making plans to deliver millions of booster shots into arms later this year. Concerns that Covid-19 may morph into a seasonal menace are driving preparations in the U.S., the European Union and the U.K. for a winter vaccine booster program. The plans are precautionary, according to public-health officials, and it isn’t yet certain they will be put into operation or at what scale. Disease experts say the need for a winter vaccine drive will depend on whether vaccine-induced immunity fades over time and if the current crop of vaccines are effective against virus variants. (Douglas, 5/20)

Reuters: Fauci Expects COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids In Late-2021, Sees Need For Booster Shot
Kids in the United States will likely be able to get COVID-19 vaccinations by the end of this year or the first quarter of 2022, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said at an event on Wednesday. The United States earlier this month cleared the way for the use of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and partner BioNTech SE in adolescents aged 12 and above. Fauci also noted the need for a COVID-19 booster shot within a year or so after getting the primary shot. (Khandekar and Roy, 5/19)

Politico: Coronavirus Vaccine Booster Trial Begins In UK
A study looking at coronavirus vaccine boosters has launched in the U.K. to test the effects of an extra dose. The trial, hailed by the British government as a world-first for the COVID-19 jab, will assess Oxford/AstraZeneca, BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax, Valneva, Johnson & Johnson and CureVac vaccines as potential booster shots that would be given 10 to 12 weeks after a second dose is given as part of the country’s ongoing vaccination campaign. The booster shot could be a different brand from the one originally used. Drugmakers are already carrying out studies on the response to booster shots but the U.K. trial will specifically examine the immune response of different brands of vaccine side-by-side. (Furlong, 5/19)

Roll Call: Executives Defend Quality Control At Troubled COVID-19 Vaccine Plant 
Executives at a vaccine contractor responsible for contaminating millions of vaccine doses defended its manufacturing quality Wednesday, even as new revelations emerged about the company’s lapses in sanitation, the role of a top Trump administration official in its COVID-19 contracts and their own bonuses. Emergent BioSolutions, a pandemic preparedness company that received billions in federal investments over the years, was contracted by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca to make the active ingredient in their vaccines. But no COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the company has been distributed for use in the United States. (Kopp, 5/19)

Stat: Emergent Knew Of Vaccine Manufacturing Issues As It Collected Millions
Under a contract awarded by the Trump administration, Emergent BioSolutions was paid $27 million a month to make Covid-19 vaccines, but the company already knew of serious quality control problems at its Baltimore plant, but failed to take any action, according to documents released by two House committees. The manufacturing problems forced the company to destroy millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines earlier this year that were to have been made at the plant. In fact, a J&J audit conducted shortly after the contract was awarded found potential “weaknesses” and a “deficient” strategy for controlling contamination. (Silverman, 5/19)

The Wall Street Journal: Emergent Has Made Over 100 Million Doses Of J&J Covid-19 Vaccine, CEO Says
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has made enough of a key ingredient to yield more than 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ Covid-19 vaccine, and federal health regulators are evaluating whether to release the shots, Emergent’s chief executive said. Emergent CEO Robert Kramer apologized during a congressional hearing Wednesday for the problems at the company’s Baltimore plant that resulted in the contamination earlier this year of a batch of the vaccine. (Loftus, 5/19)

Politico: J&J Vaccine Production Could Restart In U.S. 'Within Days,' Emergent Executive Testifies
Emergent BioSolutions could resume manufacturing Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine within days, CEO Robert Kramer told a House panel Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration ordered Emergent to pause production last month after a series of manufacturing problems at its Baltimore plant, one of which led to the contamination of 15 million J&J doses with ingredients from a Covid-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca. The federal government directed AstraZeneca to find a new production partner after the mix-up. (Owermohle, 5/19)

In other vaccine development news —

The Washington Post: FDA Allows Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccines To Be Stored In Ordinary Refrigerators For Up To A Month
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has eased the cold storage rules for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine so that the doses can be kept longer at normal refrigerator temperatures. The move will simplify the transport and delivery of this highly effective vaccine that has to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures in special freezer units. Previously once the vials had been thawed, they could only be stored in a normal refrigerator for five days — that time period has now been extended to a month.“ (Schemm and Ang, 5/20)

Axios: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla: New Vaccine Is Coming That's Easier To Store 
Pfizer is working on a "new version" of its coronavirus vaccine that will be easier to store at higher temperatures, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told Axios during a virtual event on Wednesday. One of the hardest parts of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout was ensuring that vaccination centers, pharmacies, and doctor's offices would have the correct — and very cold — storage conditions. (Saric, 5/19)

KHN: Stark Racial Disparities Persist In Vaccinations, State-Level CDC Data Shows
Black Americans’ covid-19 vaccination rates are still lagging months into the nation’s campaign, while Hispanics are closing the gap and Native Americans show the highest rates overall, according to federal data obtained by KHN. The data, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in response to a public records request, gives a sweeping national look at the race and ethnicity of vaccinated people on a state-by-state basis. Yet nearly half of those vaccination records are missing race or ethnicity information. (Recht, Pradhan and Weber, 5/20)

CNN: Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout For Ages 12 To 15 Is 'Better Than Expected,' Health Officials Say 
Appointment slots are quick to fill. Excited grins are hidden behind masks. Syringes are filled and shots are ready to go into arms. The rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 in the United States has been reminiscent of when those very first Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered late last year, said Dr. Lisa Costello, a pediatrician at West Virginia University Medicine Children's Hospital and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on State Government Affairs. (Howard, 5/19)

CNN: US Coronavirus: Getting More Americans Vaccinated Is Going To Be A Lot Of Work, Expert Says. But It's Critical In Our Battle 
The US is reporting some of the lowest Covid-19 metrics in nearly a year and officials say we're finally turning the corner. But vaccination rates have slowed nationwide and are uneven across American communities. For parts of the US, it will be an uphill battle to get more shots into arms. But experts say that challenge is critical -- and officials need to deploy all kinds of strategies to help boost vaccinations. It's our best shot to overcome the pandemic. (Maxouris, 5/20)

NBC News: Confusing Rules, Loopholes And Legal Issues: College Vaccination Plans Are A Mess
In Texas, public universities can’t require a vaccination, but private ones can. In Massachusetts, where colleges and universities can mandate Covid-19 vaccinations, 43 of more than 100 had agreed to do so by mid-May. In New York, public universities cannot allow for religious exemptions, while a majority of the state’s private universities can. That patchwork approach is reflected across the country. An NBC News analysis of nearly 400 colleges and universities that are requiring the Covid-19 vaccination found that the vast majority have unclear directives, loopholes or legal complications that are leaving professors frustrated, students unmotivated and a potential public health crisis come fall. To add to the confusion, among all states and jurisdictions, 19 have statewide regulations for public colleges: Seven require vaccinations for students and 12 do not. (Kesslen, Watkins and Syed, 5/20)

The New York Times: New Covid-19 Cases Dramatically Fell In Nursing Homes After Vaccination
Nursing home residents, considered among the most vulnerable to Covid-19, appear to receive significant protection from vaccination, according to new research published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. In a letter to the editor, the researchers said that the use of vaccinations also appeared to protect nursing home residents who did not get the immunization. That finding suggests, researchers said, that unvaccinated residents benefit when others around them receive the shot. (Richtel, 5/19)

More on U.S. covid infections —

Axios: New Coronavirus Cases Fall By 20% 
Coronavirus infections continue to plummet across the U.S. Experts have warned many times over the past year that it wouldn’t be safe to rush back into pre-pandemic life without containing the virus. Now, though, the U.S. is finally containing the virus. (Baker and Witherspoon, 5/20)

CNBC: Fauci Says Covid Infections Are Decreasing In All 50 States
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the White House, said Wednesday that Covid-19 infections are decreasing in every state in the U.S. “All 50 states have now shown decreases in the number of infections,” Fauci said in an interview with Axios, suggesting that the widespread declines will make it safer for Americans to resume activities such as indoor dining at restaurants. (Rattner and Mendez, 5/19)

Politico: ‘Public Health 101 Failure’: CDC Mask Decision May Knock Out Biden’s Workplace Covid Crackdown
The CDC’s surprise mask-dropping guidance for those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 may have killed any effort to require their blanket use in workplaces — a bitter disappointment to unions and other safety advocates who have been pushing the Biden administration to tighten things up on the job, not loosen them. “It’s a Public Health 101 failure,” said David Michaels, an epidemiologist who led Occupational Safety and Health Administration during the Obama administration who is now a professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health. “By giving advice to vaccinated people, but ignoring the fact that many or most people in many settings will not be vaccinated, the CDC is causing confusion and setting back our efforts to stop this pandemic.” (Rainey, 5/19)

Axios: Fauci Says People Are "Misinterpreting" The New CDC Mask Guidance 
Dr. Anthony Fauci told me for an Axios virtual event airing later today that many Americans are "misinterpreting" the CDC's new mask guidance, which lets vaccinated individuals forego masks indoors. "I think people are misinterpreting, thinking that this is a removal of a mask mandate for everyone. It's not," Fauci told me. "It's an assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors." (Allen, 5/19)

Axios: Fauci: Allowing People To Fly Maskless On Planes Is “Complicated" 
Allowing people to fly maskless on planes is a “complicated issue,” in part because the U.S. doesn’t have a vaccine passport system, NIAID director Anthony Fauci said at an Axios event that airs Wednesday. Fauci said that in accordance with the new CDC guidelines, fully vaccinated people could “easily” fly without face masks, but the problem is determining who is vaccinated and not and the airlines "don't want to see spread." (Saric, 5/19)

Also —

NPR: Experts Weigh In On The CDC's Gamble That Fewer Masks Will Lead To More Vaccinations
The CDC's new mask guidelines are, at one level, a gamble: The removal of face masks will prompt more people to get vaccinated. But will it? Some behavioral economists weigh in with predictions. (Noguchi, 5/19)

The New York Times: What Can And Can’t Be Learned From A Doctor In China Who Pioneered Masks
Dr. Wu Lien-Teh helped change the course of a plague epidemic in the early 20th century and promoted the use of masks as a public health tool. (Yan, 5/19)

CNBC: Amazon Says Vaccinated Workers Can Ditch Masks Starting Next Week
Amazon said Wednesday it will soon stop requiring face masks for fully vaccinated workers inside warehouses, except where required by law. Starting Monday, fully vaccinated operations employees in the U.S. will no longer be required to wear a face covering at work unless it is mandated by state or local regulations, according to a notice Amazon sent to workers that was obtained by CNBC. (Palmer, 5/19)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Signs Ban On Mask Mandates At Schools, Local Governments
Leaders of Iowa school districts cannot require students or staff to wear masks and Iowa cities and counties cannot impose mask mandates under a law Gov. Kim Reynolds signed early Thursday. The law, which goes into effect immediately, passed the House by a 53-35 vote and passed the Senate by a 29-17 vote in the waning hours of the 2021 legislative session. It was part of a larger education bill that would expand open enrollment in Iowa. Both votes split along party lines. (Richarsdson, 5/20)

The Hill: Utah Legislature Passes Prohibition On Mask Mandates In Schools
The Utah legislature has passed a bill prohibiting schools from requiring masks. The legislation “prohibits a face covering requirement to participate in or attend instruction, activities or any other place on the school campus or facilities in the system of public education after the end of the 2020-2021 school year,” according to its text. It further prevents higher education institutions and the Utah Board of Higher Education from requiring face coverings after the end of the spring semester of 2021. (Williams, 5/19)

Miami Herald: Miami-Dade Schools Will Make Masks Optional For Outdoor Activities 
Effective immediately, Miami-Dade Public Schools is making masks optional only for outdoor, socially distanced activities. All other COVID-19 protocols will stay in place for the last two weeks of this school year. Looking forward to the fall, the nation’s fourth-largest school district may make masks optional for the 2021-22 school year. (Wright, 5/19)

The Hill: Michigan Health Officials Urging Schools To Maintain Mask Requirements
Michigan health officials are telling schools that students, teachers and other faculty should still wear masks for the rest of the school year regardless of vaccination status. Bob Wheaton, a spokesman for the state health department, told The Associated Press that the new guidelines will be announced Wednesday. Most students have less than a month of school left for the academic year, but mask mandates throughout the country are beginning to shift due to increased vaccination rates. (Lonas, 5/19)

In other state pandemic news —

North Carolina Health News: The Next ‘New Normal’: Navigating Full Immunity 
Coronavirus changed much of daily life in the last year and a half, but as more North Carolinians get vaccinated, activities that just recently seemed inconceivable are returning to our lives. Fully vaccinated people can now travel and be in public without a mask. With weddings, concerts and family reunions on the horizon once more, the next new normal, one that resembles the life we had before, is emerging. (Engel-Smith, 5/20)

The New York Times: How Do You Persuade New Yorkers To Be Vaccinated? Knock On Their Doors
On a recent morning, Tomas Ramos, a community organizer, and two colleagues rode the elevator to the 21st floor of a tower in the Webster Houses, a public-housing project in the Bronx. Working their way down, one floor at a time, they knocked on every door. Sometimes a voice from inside an apartment called out, “I’m not getting vaccinated.” Other times the person behind the door simply went silent after Mr. Ramos, 34, explained he was signing people up for vaccinations. But on the 13th floor, Biency Paulino answered the door, flanked by her mother and her 5-year-old son, Christopher, who giggled at the sight of strangers during such a lonely year. (Goldstein, 5/20)

KHN: Despite Pandemic, Newsom Declines To Boost Local Public Health Budgets — Again
In spite of a pandemic that has killed about 62,000 Californians — more than enough to pack Dodger Stadium — Gov. Gavin Newsom has again declined to boost the budgets of the state’s underfunded and understaffed local public health departments. Local public health officials, responsible for steering the state’s covid-19 response, had asked the Democratic governor for $200 million per year for the nuts and bolts of public health, starting in the 2021-22 budget year, which kicks off July 1. (Hart, 5/20)

The New York Times: Cuomo Investigation By U.S. Examines Coronavirus Tests For 'Specials'
Federal prosecutors have been looking into whether Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration granted special access to rapid coronavirus test results for the governor’s family and other influential people, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Investigators from the Eastern District of New York had been looking into the handling of data on nursing home deaths by Mr. Cuomo’s office. More recently, their focus expanded, according to the people, to include questions surrounding a priority testing program that benefited Mr. Cuomo’s close family members, including his brother, Chris Cuomo, in the early weeks of the pandemic. (Goodman, 5/19)

The Wall Street Journal: Criminal Probe Of Andrew Cuomo Administration Broadens To Covid-19 Testing Issues
Federal investigators are examining whether New York state officials gave priority access to Covid-19 testing to some of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s close associates and his brother during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, according to people familiar with the matter. The review of the testing marks an expansion of the probe that the investigators, based in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York, opened in February to look at how the Cuomo administration handled Covid-19 in nursing homes. (Vielkind, 5/19)

More news on testing —

Miami Herald: Florida-Run COVID Testing Sites Closing At The End Of May. Where Can You Go Next?
All state-run testing sites in Florida will close by the end of May — including the sites at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. The sites will close by May 28, according to the schedule posted on the Florida Division of Emergency Management website. State-run testing sites in Manatee and Sarasota counties have already shut down. (Marchante, 5/20)

News Center Maine: Maine CDC To Allow Schools That Participate In COVID-19 Pooled Testing To Drop 3-Foot Spacing Requirement
Maine schools that participate in the new COVID-19 pooled testing program could be allowed to drop the three-foot spacing requirement if those schools reach a certain amount of students that take part. The guidance from DHHS, released Monday, said that if 30 percent of a school's population participates in the pooled testing program, they no longer have to follow the three-foot spacing requirement, which would allow more kids to be in classrooms learning in-person. (Costa, 5/19)

The Star Democrat: COVID-19 Wastewater Testing Proves Effective In New Study 
Wastewater testing is an effective way to identify new cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes and other congregate living settings, and it may be particularly useful for preventing outbreaks in college dormitories, a new University of Virginia study finds. The research, a collaboration of UVA’s School of Medicine and School of Engineering, was led by UVA Health’s Amy Mathers, MD. It offers some of the first clear guidance on the most effective methods to perform testing to detect COVID-19 in wastewater. (5/19)

The Pew Charitable Trusts: COVID-19 Tests Highlight Need For Strengthened FDA Oversight And Diagnostics Legislation
The COVID-19 pandemic created overwhelming demand for tests that diagnose the disease or identify past infection. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has responded by authorizing the emergency use of more than 300 coronavirus tests that medical device manufacturers and laboratories have developed to meet the varying needs of health care providers and public health authorities. (5/19)

The Guardian: Dogs Can Better Detect Covid In Humans Than Lateral Flow Tests, Finds Study
Dogs are better at detecting Covid-19 in humans than many fast lateral flow tests (LFTs), according to a French study which could see canines more widely deployed for mass virus screening in crowded places including airports. (Henley, 5/20)

The Texas Tribune: Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Into Law One Of Nation’s Strictest Abortion Measures, Banning Procedure As Early As Six Weeks Into A Pregnancy
Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Wednesday a measure that would prohibit in Texas abortions as early as six weeks — before some women know they are pregnant — and open the door for almost any private citizen to sue abortion providers and others. The signing of the bill opens a new frontier in the battle over abortion restrictions as first-of-its-kind legal provisions — intended to make the law harder to block — are poised to be tested in the courts. Abortion rights advocates have promised to challenge the new law, which they consider one of the most extreme nationwide and the strictest in Texas since the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. (Najmabadi, 5/19)

NPR: Texas Governor Signs A Law That Bans Abortion As Early As 6 Weeks 
The Texas law effectively prohibits any abortion after around six weeks of pregnancy — before many women are even aware they are pregnant. The bill, which takes effect in September, makes no exception for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest but does include a rare provision that allows individual citizens to sue anyone they believe may have been involved in helping a pregnant individual violate the ban. The provision cannot be used against pregnant people, but reproductive rights advocates warn it can be used to target abortion providers and abortion-rights activists. (Breslow and McCammon, 5/19)

KUT: Texas' New Anti-Abortion Law Could Be Tough For Providers To Challenge In Court 
And while similar so-called “heartbeat bills” across the country have been struck down by courts, Texas’ new law is going to be a little harder for abortion providers and abortion rights activists to stop. That’s because Senate Bill 8, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday, won't be enforced by the state. There are no criminal penalties for violating the ban on abortions after six weeks. Instead, the law allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. (Lopez, 5/19)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Legislature approves anti-abortion constitutional amendment. Legislature must pass it again before it goes to voters.
Iowa Republican lawmakers have taken a major step in a yearslong process to enshrine an amendment in the Iowa Constitution stating that the constitution does not secure a right to abortion. The Iowa House passed the constitutional amendment proposal Tuesday night on a vote of 53-46, with three Republicans joining every Democrat in voting no. The Iowa Senate passed it Wednesday on a vote of 30-18, with every Republican in support and every Democrat opposed. (Gruber-Miller, 5/19)

In legal news on abortion cases —

The New York Times: Supreme Court Case Throws Abortion Into 2022 Election Picture
Within hours of the Supreme Court accepting a case that could lead it to overturn or scale back a landmark abortion rights ruling, Senator Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat facing re-election next year, issued a dire warning to supporters: The fate of Roe v Wade is on the line. “We cannot move backwards,” Mr. Bennet said in a campaign statement. “Colorado was a leader in legalizing abortion — six years before Roe v Wade. I will always fight for reproductive justice and to ensure everyone has safe and legal access to the health care they need.” (Hulse and Lerer, 5/19)

CNN: Clarence Thomas Awaits His Chance To Drive The Conservative Majority On Abortion And Guns
Twenty-nine years ago, less than a year after he had taken the bench, Justice Clarence Thomas joined a dissent calling the landmark opinion Roe v. Wade "plainly wrong" and an "erroneous constitutional decision." Over the years Thomas would say Roe had "no basis in the Constitution" and call out the court's abortion precedents as "grievously wrong." He also took aim at challenges to the Second Amendment, accusing lower courts and his own colleagues of thumbing their noses at the right to bear arms, calling it a "disfavored right." (de Vogue, 5/20)

AP: Groups Ask Judge To Block Indiana 'Abortion Reversal' Law
Abortion rights groups asked a federal judge on Tuesday to block a new Indiana law that would require doctors to tell women undergoing drug-induced abortions about a disputed treatment for potentially stopping the abortion process. The lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis argues that the requirement would confuse patients and increase the stigma associated with obtaining an abortion, while also forcing doctors to give what they regard as dubious medical information. The groups want a judge to block the new so-called “abortion reversal” law from taking effect as scheduled in July. (Davies, 5/18)

AP: Down Syndrome Abortion Bans Gain Traction After Court Ruling
It’s a ban that even supporters acknowledge will be hard to enforce. Yet 2021 has been a breakthrough year for legislation in several states seeking to prohibit abortions based solely on a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Governors in Arizona and South Dakota recently signed such bills into law, and similar measures are pending in North Carolina and Texas. Most significantly, a federal appellate court said Ohio could begin to implement a 2017 law that has been on hold. (Crary and Samuels, 5/19)

AP: Gov. Evers Calls Special Session On Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday called a special session for the Legislature to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin, promising to use $850 million in federal money that would come to the state to pay for an array of economic development projects across the state. Turning down Medicaid expansion now will mean Republicans are also rejecting economic development projects in their own legislative districts, Evers said at a free health care clinic in Middleton before signing an executive order calling the special session. “It’s time, enough politics,” Evers said. (Bauer, 5/19)

Axios: Group Suspends Mississippi Medicaid Expansion Ballot Initiative 
An organizing committee working to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot in Mississippi called “Yes on 76" suspended its campaign Wednesday. The decision to drop efforts comes after the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled last Friday the state's entire ballot initiative process is “unworkable and inoperative” due to outdated language in the state's constitution. (Fernandez, 5/20)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Centene CEO Again Threatens To Leave Missouri, This Time Over Medicaid Expansion
Calling Missouri an “embarrassment,” the CEO of one of the largest companies in the region is again threatening to abandon the state for a new corporate headquarters in North Carolina. In comments to Health Payer Specialist, a health industry trade publication, Centene Corp. chief Michael Neidorff warned that Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s and the GOP-controlled state Legislature’s failure to approve funding for a voter-backed expansion of Medicaid has Neidorff again questioning whether he should move his company out of Missouri. (Erickson and Suntrup, 5/19)

KWKT: Texas To Submit Waiver Application To Extend Medicaid Services
he Texas Health and Human Services Commission plans to resubmit an 1115 waiver extension application to prolong Medicare and Medicaid services for 10 years, allowing it to run through 2030. Earlier this month, Texas sued the Biden administration after it rescinded a Medicaid waiver extension originally put in place by the Trump administration. Some have speculated the denial was an effort by the Biden administration to force Texas into more permanently expanding Medicaid coverage as the Affordable Care Act intended. (Ramkissoon and Glynn, 5/19)

Stat: Fewer State Medicaid Programs Are Restricting Access To Hepatitis C Drugs
Over the past few years, state Medicaid programs have done a better job of disclosing information about access to expensive hepatitis C medicines and fewer are restricting treatments to patients, according to a new analysis. For the first time, each state program has released treatment criteria. And since 2017, 32 states have either removed or eliminated restrictions based on a patient’s stage of liver disease, 21 have loosened rules that required patients to demonstrate they have not abused or drug or alcohol for a period of time before starting treatment, and 25 state scaled back prescribing restrictions for health care providers. (Silverman, 5/19)

Georgia Health News: Potential Seen For Big Financial Paybacks From Insurers To Medicaid 
The state’s Medicaid agency is setting up plans for a health insurer bidding competition that will award a new multibillion-dollar medical contract. “We’ll be looking for the best bang for the buck,’’ Frank Berry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), said last week at an agency board meeting. The current Medicaid insurers are being paid a total of about $4 billion a year for delivering medical services to more than 1 million members. (Miller, 5/19)

AP: Medicare For 60-Year-Olds Not Guaranteed To Be A Better Deal
President Joe Biden and progressive Democrats have proposed to lower Medicare’s eligibility age to 60, to help older adults get affordable coverage. But a new study finds that Medicare can be more expensive than other options, particularly for many people of modest means. There are two reasons: Traditional Medicare has gaps in coverage that most people fill by purchasing supplemental plans, which means they pay added premiums. And premiums for the Obama-era Affordable Care Act have come way down recently due to Biden’s COVID relief bill. That’s made the ACA more attractive for older adults who haven’t reached Medicare’s eligibility age of 65. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/19)

Yahoo Finance: Too Few Seniors Review Medicare Plan Options Annually
More than half of seniors fail to take advantage of one of the most significant benefits available to Medicare beneficiaries. Each year millions of Americans with Medicare have the opportunity to review their current coverage and consider switching to reduce costs or get better coverage. An analysis of recent studies finds that few take advantage of the opportunity. (Slome, 5/19)

In other Medicare news from HHS and Congress —

Becker's Hospital Review: HHS Must Recalculate Hospitals' Medicare Pay For Training Physicians, Court Rules
Hundreds of hospitals across the U.S. will see a boost in Medicare reimbursements for training physicians in their residency programs after a federal court ruling. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled May 17 that HHS unlawfully changed the Medicare reimbursement calculation for physician training. (Paavola, 5/19)

Bloomberg Law: Home Health Agencies, Lawmakers Seek Medicare Telehealth Payments
A group of bipartisan congressional lawmakers is again pushing for Medicare to reimburse home health agencies for telehealth services they provide during the Covid-19 pandemic—and during any future public health emergencies. Many home health providers have used telehealth technology to remotely manage medications; monitor patients; and assess wounds, vital signs and oxygen levels. (Pugh, 5/19)

Bloomberg Law: Senators Take Scalpel, Not Buzzsaw, To Medicare Telehealth Curbs
Key senators are backing extensions of some policies that expanded access to telehealth services over the past year as questions around cost and quality hamper a broad loosening of restrictions to remote care.Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said Wednesday that Medicare beneficiaries should be able to access mental health services via telehealth. His committee is looking at which policies enacted temporarily during the Covid-19 pandemic should be made permanent, he said. (Ruoff, 5/19)

CBS News: Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Authorize Financial Support For "Havana Syndrome" Victims
A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers introduced legislation on Wednesday that would authorize added financial support for U.S. officials who have suffered brain injuries resulting from "Havana Syndrome," a mysterious set of symptoms known to have afflicted scores of American personnel over several years. The measure would allow the CIA and State Department to provide financial assistance and other benefits to injured employees according to internally established, "fair and equitable" criteria, according to the legislation's text. (Gazis, 5/19)

Stat: Republicans Tell Biden To Reverse 'Disastrous' Covid-19 IP Waiver Decision
Amid a furious debate over boosting global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, more than a dozen Republican senators are urging the Biden administration to rescind its “disastrous decision” to support a controversial proposal to temporarily waive intellectual property rights. In a harshly worded letter, the lawmakers argued the proposal before the World Trade Organization could hurt the U.S economy and make it easier for other countries to steal intellectual property and medical technology. They also maintained that a waiver would foster vaccine nationalism and allow China to undercut American leadership in vaccine distribution in the developing world. (Silverman, 5/19)

And from the Biden administration —

NPR: U.S. To Grant Citizenship To Children Born Via IVF, Surrogacy
The State Department will now approve U.S. citizenship for children born abroad to same-sex or heterosexual American parents via in-vitro fertilization, surrogacy and by other assisted reproductive means. Under the policy announced Tuesday, the child must be born abroad to married parents and at least one of the parents has to be a U.S. citizen. The child must have biological ties to at least one parent. (Diaz, 5/19)

Stat: In A Step Forward For Immunotherapy, New Bristol Drug Slows Melanoma
An experimental immunotherapy developed by Bristol Myers Squibb prevented metastatic melanoma from worsening when added to the company’s approved treatment, Opdivo, the company said Wednesday. The result is a step forward for immunotherapy, a field that has seen only halting progress since the development of medicines like Opdivo and Merck’s rival treatment, Keytruda. (Herper, 5/19)

Reuters: New Bristol Myers Immunotherapy Combo Better Than Opdivo Alone In Melanoma Study
An experimental Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N) drug from a new class of immunotherapy used in combination with its big-selling cancer medicine Opdivo significantly extended the time it took for advanced melanoma to worsen compared with Opdivo alone, according to early data from a study released on Wednesday. Patients with previously untreated melanoma that had spread or could not be removed by surgery who received relatlimab plus Opdivo on average went 10.1 months before the deadly skin cancer began to progress, a measure known as median progression-free survival (PFS). That compared with PFS of 4.6 months for those who received Opdivo alone in the study of more than 700 patients. (Erman, 5/19)

Stat: J&J's CAR-T Drug Benefits Myeloma Patients With Less Advanced Disease
When doctors prescribe a personalized cell therapy today, the patient they’re trying to help has blood cancer so advanced other medicines no longer work. In the future, these so-called CAR-T treatments might be used earlier, for greater benefit, when cancer patients aren’t so desperately sick. Toward that goal, a CAR-T therapy called cilta-cel from Johnson & Johnson was more effective and better tolerated when used to treat patients with less advanced multiple myeloma, according to preliminary study results released Wednesday. (Feuerstein, 5/19)

Stat: Allogene's Blood Cancer Data Show Durability Of Off-The-Shelf CAR-T Cells
There’s little disputing that an off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy for cancer would provide flexibility and convenience over bespoke CAR-T therapies already in use. But can these experimental treatments induce the same kind of durable responses? Allogene on Wednesday said its off-the-shelf CAR-T, called ALLO-501, maintained a 36% complete response rate at six months — an important measure of response durability — in patients with large B-cell lymphoma, a common and aggressive type of blood cancer. (Feuerstein, 5/19)

Stat: Merus Drug Shows Potential As Treatment For Rare Type Of Pancreatic Cancer
A drug from the Dutch biotech Merus designed to disrupt a rare genetic alteration is showing early but promising anti-tumor responses in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer — a disease with few effective treatment options available. When treated with infusions of the Merus drug, called zenocutuzumab, four of 10 patients with pancreatic cancer showed partial responses, for a confirmed overall response rate of 40%. Another three patients had minor tumor responses. (Feuerstein, 5/19)

Stat: Iovance CEO Abruptly Resigns After FDA Setback For Its Cancer Drug 
Hours after the biotech company Iovance announced yet another regulatory delay for its investigational cancer treatment, the firm disclosed Wednesday that its CEO had abruptly tendered her resignation, sending its share price plummeting. Maria Fardis, who has run Iovance since 2016, informed the company on Tuesday that she “will be resigning” from her roles as CEO, president, and board member, the firm said in a two-sentence filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Iovance did not specify whether Fardis’s resignation was effective immediately, and the company did not immediately respond to an inquiry. (Garde, 5/19)

And more health industry news —

Stat: Spark Therapeutics Sues Bluebird Bio Over The Use Of The Word 'Spark'
A promotional campaign has sparked a legal dispute between Spark Therapeutics and Bluebird Bio (BLUE) over the use of a single word: spark. As Bluebird works toward winning U.S. regulatory approval for a gene therapy to combat sickle cell disease, the company created a website and videos designed to provide greater awareness of the illness. And its effort uses such slogans as “Let’s Spark Change in Sickle Cell” and “Be the Spark.” The company is also seeking four trademarks for “I AM THE SPARK” and “SPARK CHANGE,” among other phrases. (Silverman, 5/19)

Stat: Health Tech Companies Form Coalition To Advance The Role Of Real-World Data
On Wednesday, five health data analytics companies announced they have banded together to form an industry consortium that aims to transform the way new drugs and devices make their way to patients. The digitization of medical records has opened up access to reams of data about patient outcomes in the past decade, but not all of it has found a use. “Real-world data, in and of itself, is not that interesting, right?” said Michael Vasconcelles, chief medical officer of Flatiron Health, the initiator of the new alliance. “It’s really the insights that one gleans from asking important scientific questions that then can be answered or informed by those data.” (Palmer, 5/19)

The New York Times: Healthcare Start-Up Ro To Acquire Modern Fertility
Ro, the parent company of Roman, the brand that is best known for delivering erectile dysfunction and hair loss medication to consumers, announced on Wednesday that it would acquire Modern Fertility, a start-up that offers at-home fertility tests for women. The deal is priced at more than $225 million, according to people with knowledge of the acquisition who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not public. It is one of the largest investments in the women’s health care technology space, known as femtech, which attracted $592 million in venture capital in 2019, according to an analysis by PitchBook. (Haridasani Gupta, 5/19)

CIDRAP: COVID-Related Inflammatory Syndrome Hits Poorer, Minority Kids Harder
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which has been linked with pediatric COVID-19, may pose higher risks to children in lower socioeconomic statuses or who are minorities, according to a Pediatrics study today. The study compared MIS-C patients with those who had COVID-19, those who were evaluated for MIS-C but found without, children with febrile illness, children with Kawasaki disease, and healthy children in the state. Everyone included in the cohort was under 21 years and in Massachusetts. (4/28)

CIDRAP: COVID-Related Inflammatory Syndrome Looks Different In Adults
The postinfectious COVID-19–related multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) first characterized in children has a different presentation in adults that may lead to underrecognition, according to a small, single-center study today in JAMA Network Open. Conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the retrospective study involved 15 patients 21 years and older who met the working definition for MIS in adults (MIS-A) from Mar 1 to Sep 30, 2020, and were hospitalized 14 to 84 days after testing positive for COVID-19 or 15 days before or after SARS-CoV-2 antibody test results identified them as at risk for the syndrome. (Van Beusekom, 5/19)

CIDRAP: Study Finds Long-Haul COVID-19 Common, In Even Those With Mild Disease
Long-haul COVID-19 was associated with severe or very severe symptoms, low income, and some age-groups, but was common even in those with mild symptoms, with a quarter of patients in that group having symptoms after 60 days, according to a Clinical Infectious Diseases study today that looked at adult Michigan patients. The researchers surveyed 593 Michigan adults who had a symptomatic COVID-19 diagnosis through mid-April 2020. Most were female (56.1%), older than 45 years (68.2%), and either White (46.3%) or Black (34.8%). More than half reported 30-day COVID-19 symptoms (52.5%), and 35.0% said they had symptoms 60 days post-diagnosis. The most common symptoms among 60-day COVID-19 patients were fatigue (52.9%) and shortness of breath (43.9%). (5/19)

In other public health news —

AP: US Cervical Cancers Fall But Other Sex-Related Cancers Rise
Screening and the HPV vaccine have led to drops in cervical cancers over the last two decades in the U.S., a new study finds, but the gains are offset by a rise in other tumors caused by the virus. Oral sex is helping fuel more cases of mouth and throat cancers in men. For older women, anal cancer and a rare type of rectal cancer caused by HPV may be more common than cervical cancers by 2025. “A common misperception is the HPV vaccine has solved the problem of HPV-associated cancers. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Dr. Maura Gillison of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who was not involved in the study. (Johnson, 5/19)

NBC News: Salma Hayek On Her Near-Fatal Covid Battle: Refusing To Go To Hospital, 7 Weeks In Isolation
Salma Hayek has spent the better part of the past year recovering from a near-fatal case of Covid-19, a fact she chose to keep quiet until now. She battled the virus in the early days of the pandemic and spent about seven weeks isolated in a room of the London mansion she shares with her husband, Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault, and their 13-year-old daughter, Valentina. At one point, she was put on oxygen. "My doctor begged me to go to the hospital because it was so bad," Hayek, 54. "I said, 'No, thank you. I'd rather die at home.'" (5/20)

Roll Call: Children Face Added Mental Health Struggles During Pandemic
Psychiatrist Tami Benton was recently called to the emergency department about a child whose family had concerns about the girl’s suicidal threats to run into traffic and end her life. The child was only 5 years old. Both of the child’s parents had lost their jobs. The mother was struggling with depression, stressed by the demands of the pandemic. (Raman, 5/19)

Axios: Poll: LGBTQ Kids Find More Acceptance Online Than At Home 
Almost 70% of LGBTQ youth polled in the annual mental health survey from the Trevor Project said they found more validation and community online than at home or school. The survey, a snapshot taken during the dark pandemic winter, shows how LGBTQ adolescents relied on online spaces for support. That need can also be a double-edged sword, as an overwhelming majority said social media had both positive and negative impacts on their mental health. (Rummier, 5/21)

Good Morning America: How Chelsea Clinton Is Advocating For Others To Protect Their Mental Health
Activists, advocates and celebrities across the globe are recognizing the importance of mental health awareness on Mental Health Action Day.Chelsea Clinton -- daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- has been passionate about pushing public health efforts for the last two decades, including mental health awareness. "Self-care is so individual; the right answer is probably very different for me compared to anyone else," Clinton told "Good Morning America." "There are a few different dimensions. For me, spending time with my kids is a form of self-care. I'm a much happier person when I'm with my family. I try my hardest, while living in this virtual world, to preserve dinnertime, storytime and bathtime with my children. It's really important for my emotional well-being, too." (Anderson, 5/20)

The Hill: Alaska Health Department Website Targeted In Cyberattack
Alaska's health department on Tuesday reported a malware attack that disrupted its website's services. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' (DHSS) website was taken offline on Monday evening and remained unavailable on Tuesday evening due to the cyberattack. “At this time, there are no details about who initiated the attack, why they targeted DHSS, whether this attack is related to any other recent attacks, or how long the website may be down,” the state health department wrote in news release. (Jenkins, 5/19)

Stat: California Could Be First To Mandate Biosecurity For Mail-Order DNA 
California lawmakers on Thursday will vote on a bill that would require the state’s growing gene synthesis industry to adopt screening protocols to keep dangerous DNA out of the hands of the wrong people. The proposed legislation would be the first in the nation to tackle the biosecurity risks that accompany cheap and easy DNA writing technologies. (Molteni, 5/20)

The Hill: US-Canadian Border Restrictions To Be Extended Through June: Report
Restrictions on nonessential travel across the U.S.-Canadian border will be extended through June, Canadian news outlet CTV News reported Tuesday. The report comes two days before the most recent extension is set to expire. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on April 20 that the restrictions will continue through May 21. (Williams, 5/19)

Health News Florida: Physician Groups Seek Veto Of 'Parents' Bill Of Rights'
Some of the state’s largest physician associations are asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill (HB 241) that would put into law a “parents’ bill of rights.” The bill would enumerate rights of parents related to health care and education. But critics contend it could turn physicians into criminals if they provide health care to children without first getting parental consent. (5/19)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Roared Back To Life From Deadly 1918 Flu Pandemic After Just A Few Weeks Of Restrictions 
When the 1918 pandemic hit Baltimore nearly 5,400 persons died within a few weeks. The influenza landed lethally in October, prompting authorities to close schools, churches, synagogues, racetracks and theaters. There were marked differences between 1918 and 2020-2021. The 1918 pandemic cut down young persons in the 20 to 44 age group with alarming speed. In 2021, it was seniors who were most susceptible, though health officials say younger people are currently fueling transmission of COVID-19. (Kelly, 5/20)

KHN: Seed Money: Black Entrepreneurs Hope Pandemic Gardening Boom Will Grow Healthier Eating
Ietef Vita had planned to spend most of 2020 on the road, promoting “Biomimicz,” the album the rapper had released on his #plantbasedrecords label in January. Vita, known to his fans as “DJ Cavem Moetavation” and “Chef Ietef,” had those plans unexpectedly cut short. “We were in Berkeley, California, on Feb. 29, playing there and literally got out of town right before they shut the whole country down,” recalled Vita, 34, who has performed for the Obamas and is widely considered the father of what’s known as eco-hip-hop. “It was scary.” (Thomas Whitfield, 5/20)

WSBTV.com: Georgia Woman Faked Cancer Diagnosis, Collected $15K In Donations, Deputies Say
For a year, authorities said a Georgia woman used Facebook, her church and other people in her community to raise money for her cancer treatment. The problem is that she wasn’t sick. Polk County police said 22-year-old Katie Lynn Shellhorse collected thousands of dollars from the Cedartown area in a case of deception. In April, authorities began investigating the case after they received a tip from a family member of Shellhorse that she was telling people she had cancer when she really didn’t. (5/19)

AP: UN Urges More Vaccines For Africa, With Only 2 Percent Now
The U.N. Security Council called for accelerated availability of coronavirus vaccines for Africa on Wednesday, expressing concern that the continent has received only about 2% of all doses administered globally. The call came in a presidential statement approved by all 15 members at a council meeting on promoting post-pandemic recovery in Africa and addressing the root causes of conflict on the continent. It reiterated the need for “equitable access to quality, safe, efficacious, and affordable COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, medicines and vaccinations to all.” (Lederer, 5/20)

AP: China Says Providing Vaccines To Almost 40 African States
China said Thursday it is providing COVID-19 vaccines to nearly 40 African countries, describing its actions as purely altruistic in an apparent intensification of what has been described as “vaccine diplomacy.” The vaccines were donated or sold at “favorable prices,” Foreign Ministry official Wu Peng told reporters. Wu compared China’s outreach to the actions of “some countries that have said they have to wait for their own people to finish the vaccination before they could supply the vaccines to foreign countries,” in an apparent dig at the United States. (5/20)

AP: EU Declares Vaccination Campaign A Success
A top European Union official is declaring the bloc’s COVID-19 vaccination drive a success after its much-criticized slow start. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU’s executive Commission, proclaimed in comments broadcast Thursday that “we are the only region in the world that has managed both to supply our own population and to share fairly with others.” She touted the EU’s role as the world’s leading exporter of vaccines. (5/20)

Reuters: European Commission Signs Third Contract With BioNTech-Pfizer For 1.8 Bln Vaccine Doses
The European Commission said on Thursday that it signed a third contract with pharmaceutical companies BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) and Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) for an additional 1.8 billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine. The contract reserves the doses on behalf of all European Union member states, between end 2021 to 2023, the statement added. The contract requires that the vaccine production is based in the EU and that essential components are sourced from the EU. (5/20)

The Wall Street Journal: When Can Americans Travel To Europe? EU Announces They Are Opening Their Borders
On Wednesday, ambassadors from the 27 European Union member states agreed to a proposal that would re-open their borders to fully vaccinated travelers from countries deemed safe, if the final shots were taken two weeks before travel and were from providers approved by the World Health Organization or the EU’s medicines regulator. EU officials have indicated the U.S. will soon be added to the safe list. Vaccines from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson are all allowed. The proposal still needs to be approved by national leaders. Once approved, the EU-wide agreement is expected to come into effect very soon, according to an EU spokesperson. (Sylvers and Kronsberg, 5/19)

AP: Gaza's Health System Buckling Under Repeated Wars, Blockade
The Gaza Strip’s already feeble health system is being brought to its knees by the fourth war in just over a decade. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with waves of dead and wounded from Israel’s bombardment. Many vital medicines are rapidly running out in the tiny, blockaded coastal territory, as is fuel to keep electricity going. Two of Gaza’s most prominent doctors, including the No. 2 in Gaza’s coronavirus task force, were killed when their homes were destroyed during barrages since fighting between Hamas and Israel erupted 10 days ago. (Akram and Batrawy, 5/20)

NPR: Philippines Says People Won't Be Given A Choice Of COVID-19 Vaccine
The Philippines' Health Department says it will no longer allow local governments to announce which brand of coronavirus vaccines will be available at inoculation sites. The move comes after hundreds of people this week lined up at a site in Manila when they found out the Pfizer vaccine would be given out there. "What we're going to enforce now is brand agnostic," Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje told CNN Philippines' The Source. (Westerman, 5/19)

CIDRAP: COVID Hot Spots Persist In Latin American Countries
Brazil's decline in cases has stopped, and cases and deaths doubled last week in parts of Argentina and Uruguay, a sign that the Americas region is still in the heat of battle with COVID, officials from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said today during a briefing. Though the world's cases declined last week, four of the five highest burden countries are in the Americas region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its weekly snapshot of the pandemic. They include the Brazil, the United States, Argentina, and Colombia. (Schnirring, 5/19)

The Wall Street Journal: India’s Covid-19 Daily Death Toll Hits World’s High
India recorded the world’s highest number of deaths from Covid-19 in a single day, as the country suffers through one of the most ferocious surges of the pandemic. On Wednesday, India reported 4,529 deaths in the past 24 hours, topping the previous high set by the U.S. on Jan. 12, when it recorded 4,475 deaths. It was the ninth time this month that India has recorded more than 4,000 deaths in a single day. The rising death toll comes following a surge in cases that rose faster than any the world had previously seen, overwhelming the country’s healthcare system, with hospitals turning patients away and running short of beds, oxygen and Covid-19 medications. (Agarwal and Pokharel, 5/19)

The Washington Post: Vaccine Certificates Could Help Avoid A Chaotic Post-Pandemic World 
“Follow the science” was a proper clarion call last year, and that’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did last week when advising that people who have been fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks in most situations. The science shows that vaccines are working. But the CDC announcement raises another question: How do we know who has been vaccinated and who has not? It’s time to begin making plans to sort this out. (5/19)

The Atlantic: I'm Not Ready To Unmask 
In Rob Reiner’s 1987 cult comedy, The Princess Bride, Fezzik asks the mysterious man in black a question as they scuffle atop the Cliffs of Insanity: “Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid or something like that?” “Oh no,” replies the masked stranger, secretly a humble stable boy. “It’s just that they’re terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.” (Dana Stevens, 5/19)

The New York Times: What Happens When The Vaccine Factory Of The World Can’t Deliver? 
India reported that 4,529 people had died from Covid-19 on Tuesday alone. That’s the highest official daily death count for any country since the beginning of the pandemic, and the real toll is thought to be even higher. More than 25 million cases of infection have been recorded there to date. Given the scale of the crisis, it’s imperative that the Indian government vaccinate its people and stave off future waves of infection. But this unequivocal need also spells dire consequences for other countries that rely on vaccines produced in India. (Prashant Yadav, 5/20)

Bloomberg: Changes In Menstruation After Covid-19 Vaccines Should Be Studied 
One can hardly blame people for being worried about the new Covid-19 vaccines when there are so many anecdotal reports of weird side effects — including women experiencing disturbing changes in their menstrual cycles. Reports of early and unusually heavy periods or other irregularities were becoming so common earlier this spring that University of Illinois anthropologist Kate Clancy started collecting them. People may wonder, rightly, why this isn’t being studied in a more systematic way. If something this unexpected can happen, then what else? (Faye Flam, 5/19)

Scientific American: How The Scientific American Staff Is Reacting To The CDC's New Mask Guidance 
The staff at Scientific American are mostly—if not completely—vaccinated against COVID-19, and we’re grateful and relieved. An enormous amount of evidence shows that we are almost entirely protected from severe illness or dying of COVID, and more coming out all the time shows that we’re highly unlikely to pass the virus along to other people. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s safe for us to stop wearing masks in most situations. But it’s not that simple. Here’s when, where and why some of us are still wearing masks—and when we’re comfortable going without. (5/19)

Chicago Tribune: No More Side-Eye For The Maskless 
For more than a year, we’ve been trained to follow the science on COVID-19 transmission: Stay 6 feet apart, wash your hands, wear a mask. So now that science from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates we can drop masks if we’re vaccinated, we should expect to move through our daily lives maskless in most settings — and without side-eye. If you’re vaccinated, the science says you can’t spread the disease, and the chances of getting sick are extremely low. (5/19)

Stat: Congenital Syphilis Is Back. Newborn Babies Are Its Tragic Victims 
Some diseases fade away. Others seem to do that, but then come roaring back. That’s what has happened with syphilis, especially congenital syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection passed from mother to child. When I became a public health physician in 2007, congenital syphilis was something I had read about but never seen. Today, consulting on cases of it has become routine; my colleagues and I at the California Prevention Training Center received more than 100 requests for consultations about congenital syphilis in 2019 and 2020. (Ina Park, 5/20)

Houston Chronicle: Anti-Abortion Policies Waste Resources, Hurt Texans' Health
Opponents of abortion are trying to pass increasingly extreme measures to prevent Texans from accessing abortion care, seemingly emboldened by a more conservative Supreme Court. Just recently, Lubbock joined dozens of other cities in Texas that have passed local ordinances banning abortion and declaring their city to be a “sanctuary for the unborn. ”Texas Gov. Greg Abbott just signed into law Senate Bill 8 — one of dozens of anti-abortion bills filed this session. This particular bill enacts a six-week ban on abortion, before many people know they are pregnant, and is widely opposed by physicians. Both Lubbock’s ordinance and SB8 also allow almost anyone to sue someone who performs an abortion or who “aids and abets” an abortion by driving someone to an appointment or helping cover costs. (Kari White and Shetal Vohra-Gupta, 5/20)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly Needs A Permanent Eviction Diversion Program To Keep Kids Healthy 
Eviction is a crisis in Philadelphia, but not everyone knows about the devastating impact it has on children. Studies have shown that evictions can have negative psychological, medical, and social consequences. Mothers who are evicted are more likely to report depression, parenting stress, and a child in poor health. The trauma associated with forced moves and residential instability can result in children having lower school achievement, greater health risks, increased adolescent violence, and increased rates of depression. Additionally, housing loss increases the probability of experiencing job loss, compounding the household’s hardship. Evictions also mean school instability, harming a child’s ability to concentrate in school, or making parents more vulnerable to involvement in the child welfare system. (Tyra Bryant-Stephens and Alonzo South, 5/19)

Dallas Morning News: Don’t Look Now, But A Bipartisan Health-Care Package Is Moving In Austin
The Texas Legislature, despite its proclivity to consider at least one issue each session that draws an international ruckus, is managing to move forward on some significant health care reforms even while avoiding the debate over expanding Medicaid. Instead, House Speaker Dade Phelan has deftly guided the House toward a bipartisan slate of bills that, collectively, would make health care better in Texas. These bills are not going to solve our health care cost and delivery problems. Texas still has too many uninsured residents, health care is still unaffordable even for many people who have insurance, and people in rural Texas will still struggle to get to their doctors. (5/20)

Stat: Restore A Better Balance To Biomedical Research Funding 
The pharmaceutical industry says that if the U.S. reduces the astronomical drug prices paid by U.S. consumers, lifesaving innovation will be devastated. That’s not true. There are ways for the U.S. to reduce drug prices while maintaining and perhaps even accelerating its innovation engine. (David Blumenthal, 5/20)