Stat: U.S. Will Back Proposal To Waive Covid-19 Vaccine Patent Rights
In a significant move to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. government agreed to support a controversial proposal to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for vaccines in a bid to increase global supplies of desperately needed doses. The proposal, which was first introduced before the World Trade Organization last fall by South Africa and India, would cover patents, industrial designs, copyrights, and protection of trade secrets. (Silverman, 5/5)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Backs Waiver Of Intellectual Property Protection For Covid-19 Vaccines
Overriding objections from the pharmaceutical industry, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the U.S. would support a proposal working its way through the World Trade Organization. Such a policy would waive the IP rights of vaccine makers to potentially enable companies in developing countries and others to manufacture their own versions of Covid-19 vaccines. “The administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines,” Ms. Tai said in a statement. (Hayashi and Hopkins, 5/6)

Stat: Waiver Of Patent Rights On Covid Vaccines May Be Mostly Symbolic, For Now
The U.S.’s stunning endorsement of a proposal to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents has won plaudits for President Biden and roiled the global pharmaceutical industry. But, at least in the short term, it’s likely to be more of a symbolic milestone than a turning point in the pandemic. (Garde, Branswell and Herper, 5/6)

Axios: Why Waiving Vaccine Patents Might Be A Bad Idea
It will take more than waiving patent protections for coronavirus vaccines — which the Biden administration now says it supports — to fix the gaping global divide in access. Waiving drug companies' intellectual property rights risks setting a bad precedent for future investment in new drugs. And that risk may not be worth it without additional steps to meaningfully increase the availability of shots across the world. (Owens, 5/6)

Also —

AP: Support Grows For IP Waiver On Virus Vaccines; Snags Remain
“I completely favor this opening up of the intellectual property,” French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday on a visit to a vaccine center. But he also expressed doubt — as the pharmaceutical companies have — that the measure would be the panacea some hope. Even if patents are waived, he said, drug makers in places like Africa currently are not equipped to make COVID-19 vaccines — so donations of doses should be prioritized instead. Another key hurdle remains: Any any single country could block a decision at the WTO, a Geneva-based trade body of 164 member states, to agree to a waiver. (Keaten, 5/6)

The New York Times: E.U. Leader Says Bloc Willing To Discuss Patent Waiver For Covid Vaccines 
Under growing pressure, the European Union is considering whether to follow the Biden administration’s unexpected decision to support a waiver of patent rights for Covid-19 vaccines as many poor and middle-income nations struggle to secure lifesaving doses. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stopped short of outright supporting President Biden in a speech on Thursday morning, but said the European Union was “also ready to discuss any proposals that address the crisis in an effective and pragmatic manner.” (Stevis-Gridneff, 5/6)

Bloomberg: U.S. Support For Vaccine Patent Waiver Shifts To WTO Debate
U.S. support for a waiver of patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines heads to the World Trade Organization, setting the stage for potentially thorny talks over sharing the proprietary know-how needed to boost global supplies of the life-saving shots. “In terms of how soon the WTO can deliver -- that literally depends on the WTO members, collectively, being able to deliver,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in an interview Wednesday. “I am the first one to admit that what we are leaning into is a process that is not going to be easy.” (Leonard, Martin and Follain, 5/5)

NPR: Why Some Low Income Countries Are Throwing Out Their COVID Vaccines
It seems incredible: At a time when low-income nations are clamoring for vaccines against COVID-19, at least three countries — Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and South Sudan — are either discarding doses or giving them to other countries. What's going on? The answer is something of a paradox. On one hand, with the wealthiest countries snapping up vaccines against COVID-19, the poorest ones remain largely shut out — receiving less than 1% of the global supply thus far. ... Yet at the same time, some of these low-income countries are struggling to get even the few doses they have received into people's arms before the vaccines expire. (Aizenman, 5/5)

CNN: Covid Vaccines Can Take On New Coronavirus Variants, Studies Show 
A batch of new studies published Wednesday show how well coronavirus vaccines work against worrying new variants -- and one indicates booster doses can help them work even better. At least one of the studies also demonstrated that being fully vaccinated matters. (Fox, 5/5)

NPR: Mismatched Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccines Could Boost Immune Response
Typically, if you get a COVID-19 vaccine that requires two doses, you should get two of the same vaccine. Two Pfizer shots, or two Moderna shots. Not one and then the other. But in the future, that could change, either by necessity or by design. This idea of using two types of vaccines isn't a new concept. It's known as heterologous vaccination, although there's a more colloquial term. "In the U.K. at the moment, we're sort of calling it 'mix and match,' " says Helen Fletcher, a professor of immunology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She says shortages of a vaccine or concerns about side effects may induce health officials to adopt a mix-and-match strategy. (Palca, 5/5)

More on the results from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax —

USA Today: Pfizer Vaccine Highly Effective Against 2 Variants, Studies Say
The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is effective at protecting against severe disease caused by two variants rapidly spreading around the U.S., according to two studies published Wednesday. The vaccine protects against severe illness caused by both the variant first identified in the U.K. and the variant first discovered in South Africa, the studies show. One was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the other in The Lancet. (Aspegren, 5/6)

NBC News: Moderna Says Its Covid Vaccine Booster Works Well Against Variants
Moderna also announced findings that giving a third dose that is identical to the first two also ups immunity against variants, including the P.1 variant first seen in Brazil, though not as significantly as the variant-specific booster. (Edwards, 5/5)

Reuters: Novavax Vaccine Shows 51% Efficacy Against South African Variant, Study Finds 
Novavax Inc's (NVAX.O) COVID-19 vaccine had efficacy of 51% against infections caused by the South African variant among people who were HIV negative, and 43% in a group that included people who were HIV positive, according to a new analysis published on Wednesday. The variant, known as B.1.351, carries mutations that threaten the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, several studies have shown. Most vaccine makers, including Novavax, are testing versions of their vaccines to protect against emerging variants. (Steenhuysen, 5/5)

Also —

The New York Times: CureVac Covid Vaccine Could Bring Hope To The Unvaccinated World 
In early 2020, dozens of scientific teams scrambled to make a vaccine for Covid-19. Some chose tried-and-true techniques, such as making vaccines from killed viruses. But a handful of companies bet on a riskier method, one that had never produced a licensed vaccine: deploying a genetic molecule called RNA. The bet paid off. The first two vaccines to emerge successfully out of clinical trials, made by Pfizer-BioNTech and by Moderna, were both made of RNA. They both turned out to have efficacy rates about as good as a vaccine could get. (Zimmer, 5/5)

Cincinnati Inquirer: What’s Up With Cincinnati Firm Developing Universal Flu Vaccine? Delays
Before the new coronavirus, the world fought the yearly battle with flu. Joseph Hernandez aimed to find an answer with his Norwood startup Blue Water Vaccines and $7 million raised through the local seed capital fund CincyTech. Then the pandemic came along, and, “We’ve been working out of our basements,” Hernandez said. “We’ve moved the needle to the extent that we can.” (Saker, 5/5)

Axios: CDC: Adolescents With COVID Vaccine Can Remove Masks Outdoors At Camps 
Adolescents vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to remove face masks if they're outside at summer camps, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. Critics had called CDC guidance, issued last month, stating that everyone at summer camps should be masked unless eating, drinking or swimming "unfairly draconian." (Falconer, 5/5)

In related pediatric news —

Axios: Schools Unlikely To Require COVID Vaccine As Teens Become Eligible 
Even if most middle and high schoolers become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine over the summer, most schools aren't likely to mandate them, at least not this year. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds soon. (Fernandez, 5/6)

AP: Biden Hits Schools Goal Even As Many Students Learn Remotely
President Joe Biden has met his goal of having most elementary and middle schools open for full, in-person learning in his first 100 days, according to new survey data, but the share of students choosing to return has continued to lag far behind. The survey, conducted in March by the Education Department and released Thursday, found that 54% of public schools below high school were offering full-time classroom learning to any student who wanted it. It marks steady progress since January, when the figure was 46%. (Binkley, 5/6)

CNN: Kids And The Covid-19 Vaccine: A Pediatrician Answers Safety Questions 
The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to grant emergency use authorization next week to Pfizer/BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for teens and children ages 12 to 15. According to CNN estimates, that would make another 5% of the population -- nearly 17 million teens -- eligible to be vaccinated. (LaMotte, 5/5)

Bloomberg: Biden’s Vaccine Path Gets Tougher As Tempo Of Shots Slows By 37%
President Joe Biden is running out of Americans willing to roll up their sleeves for Covid-19 shots, dragging out his bid to vanquish the pandemic and forcing the administration to refocus its vaccination strategy. Biden and his aides detailed the latest phase of his pandemic response this week as domestic demand for vaccinations dries up and inoculations slide. The U.S. is now giving an average of 2.13 million shots a day, down from 3.37 million about three weeks ago. And on Tuesday, which has the lowest shots of any day of the week, fewer than a million were given for the first time since February. (Wingrove, 5/6)

The Hill: NFL To Give 50 Free Super Bowl LVI Tickets To Vaccinated Fans 
The NFL announced on Wednesday that fans vaccinated against the coronavirus will have an opportunity to win free tickets to next year's Super Bowl. Fans who share why they got vaccinated, or soon will, will be eligible to win a pair of tickets to Super Bowl LVI. The league said it is giving away 50 free tickets. Super Bowl LVI will be held at Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13. (Schnell, 5/5)

CBS News: Yankees And Mets Will Offer Free Tickets With COVID Vaccine Shots At The Games 
The Yankees and Mets will offer free tickets to spectators who get vaccinated against COVID-19 at sites set up right at the game. Fully vaccinated spectators will also be able to attend Yankees and Mets games in sections designated for 100% capacity starting this month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday. Separate sections for unvaccinated guests will still enforce six feet of social distancing between parties, at 33% of total capacity. The changes will go into effect on May 19. (5/5)

The Courier-Journal: CVS Drugstores Now Offering Walk-In COVID-19 Vaccinations
People may now get COVID-19 vaccinations at most CVS pharmacies without an appointment. The drugstore chain announced Wednesday it is now accepting walk-in clients for the vaccine at 8,300 CVS locations nationwide, including 76 in Kentucky. The announcement comes the day after President Joe Biden said he was taking additional steps to increase the availability of vaccines around the country, including asking pharmacies to offer shots to walk-ins as well as people scheduling appointments. CVS Health President Karen Lynch said in a news release that the pharmacy chain already has administered 17 million vaccine doses through its stores and in nursing homes and other senior housing sites. (Yetter, 5/5)

AP: State Expands Walk-Up COVID-19 Shots; Field Hospital Closing
Massachusetts will begin expanding walk-up COVID-19 vaccination opportunities as it tries to make it easier for residents to protect themselves against the disease. ... A COVID-19 field hospital at the DCU Center in Worcester is expected to close for good within the next couple of weeks, UMass Memorial Health Care said in a statement. The 220-bed field hospital was first set up last spring, then reopened in December to treat patients during a second surge of coronavirus cases. It stopped taking new patients in March but remained in place and ready to reopen in the event of another surge. (5/6)

In other news on the vaccine rollout —

Salt Lake Tribune: Man Who Developed Blood Clots After Getting Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Treated By University Of Utah
University of Utah Health recently treated a man for blood clots he may have developed as a reaction to his immunization with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the health system announced Wednesday. Doctors suspect the man, who is now is recovering at home, developed a rare case of VITT, or vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not confirmed the case, but the patient’s testing is consistent with VITT, U. doctors said. If the case is confirmed, it could become the first one officially documented in an American male patient who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was recently paused, and then resumed, after the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC investigated reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in patients who received it. (Tabin, 5/5)

ABC News: California Bar Owner Busted For Making Phony Vaccination Cards: Investigators
A bar owner in California was arrested this week for making fake IDs that had nothing to do with drinking, investigators said. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced on Wednesday that it arrested the owner of the Old Corner Saloon in Clements, California, allegedly for selling fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards. (Pereira, 5/5)

KHN: For Kurdish Americans In Nashville, A Beloved Leader’s Death Prompts Vaccine Push 
On a sloppy spring day in mid-March, hundreds of Kurdish Americans gathered in a field outside Nashville, Tennessee, under a sea of black umbrellas. Some of the men carried a stretcher to an open grave, where a yellow backhoe waited. In accordance with Muslim tradition, the body of Imad Doski — a prominent community leader — was buried within 24 hours of his death. He was another casualty of covid-19. (Farmer, 5/6)

CBS News: CDC Projects Sharp Decline In COVID-19 Cases By July 
There is new hope in the battle to beat COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is projecting the number of new cases could fall sharply by July. But it comes with a warning: Any drop could be delayed by a continued decline in vaccinations. "Although we are seeing progress in terms of decreased cases, hospitalizations and deaths, variants are a wild card that could reverse this progress that we have made and could set us back," said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. (Lenghi, 5/5)

The Washington Post: CDC Says Coronavirus Could Be Under Control This Summer In U.S. If People Get Vaccinated And Are Careful 
The CDC report is not a prediction or forecast. Rather, it is a set of four scenarios based on modeling of the pandemic, using different assumptions about vaccination rates, vaccine efficacy and precautions against transmission. ... Under the most optimistic scenario, deaths from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, could drop into the low 100s per week in August and into the “tens” per week in September, according to Justin Lessler, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and one of the paper’s senior authors. (Achenbach and Sun, 5/5)

In related news about herd immunity —

CNN: Herd Immunity Is A Difficult Target, Experts Warn, But Vaccinating This Age Group Could Be Key To Protect Us This Fall Could Be Key To Protect Us This Fall 
Vaccinations could soon open up for children 12 to 15 years old, a development that could be key to protecting the United States against Covid-19 as overall vaccination rates slow. "High school kids, in particular, are known to be just about as susceptible and just about as good at passing along this virus as other young adults," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said on ABC's Good Morning America Wednesday. "It will be really great to be able then to get that immunization schedule going well in advance of September." (Holcombe, 5/6)

NBC News: Herd Immunity In The U.S.? San Francisco Offers Reasons For Optimism
San Francisco and its suburbs have been cautious, maintaining various restrictions while other parts of the country reopened businesses and eased mask mandates. Meanwhile, its vaccination rate is among the highest of any major U.S. city, with two-thirds of all adults having received at least one dose. And as parts of the city open up — some San Francisco bars have waitlists to get a table again — experts are offering a cautious optimism. The city may be seeing signs of herd immunity. (Chow and Ingram, 5/5)

The Boston Globe: Will Mass. Achieve Herd Immunity Against The Coronavirus Pandemic? Maybe, Experts Say, But It Could Be Difficult
Massachusetts’ coronavirus vaccination campaign has been among the most successful in the country, with 57.3 percent of residents — 3.9 million people — having received at least a first shot of the vaccines as of earlier this week, according to federal data. That progress has people wondering if the state can vaccinate enough people to reach herd immunity. Here’s what some experts think about that prospect. (Finucane and Freyer, 5/5)

Axios: Coronavirus Cases Hit A Seven-Month Low 
Coronavirus infections in the U.S. are now at their lowest levels in seven months, thanks to the vaccines. The vaccines are turning the tide in America's battle with the coronavirus. Deaths and serious illnesses have dropped significantly, and now cases are falling too — an important piece of protection for the future, if we can keep it up. (Baker and Witherspoon, 5/6)

Los Angeles Times: California COVID-19 Hospitalizations Lowest Of Pandemic
In another dramatic sign of how rapidly California is recovering from COVID-19, the state recorded its lowest hospitalization rate since the first few weeks of the pandemic, according to data reviewed by The Times. The numbers come just months after the winter surge left hospitals across Southern California overwhelmed with patients and caused a spike in deaths. But over the last three months, COVID-19 has receded rapidly across the region, allowing a massive reopening of the economy and the hope for a return to some kind of normal by the summer. (Lin II and Money, 5/5)

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Average COVID-19 Cases Continue To Flatten; Vaccines Decline
The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases continues to flatten as vaccines being administered continue to decline. The average of daily doses administered has been in decline since its peak on April 11, when over 64,000 doses were being administered a day. Now, a little over 30,000 doses are being administered daily. The state Department of Health Services reported a seven-day average of 626 cases on Wednesday, up 35 cases from a month ago. The difference in the number of cases between last month at this time and this month is slowly closing. (Bentley, 5/5)

WUSF 89.7: Florida Reports 93 More COVID-Related Deaths, Most In Nearly Three Weeks
The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday reported 3,682 new cases of coronavirus, the third straight day of less than 4,000 new cases. The average of new daily infections continues to fall, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, analyzed by NPR. Florida is averaging 5,566 new cases per day in the last week, an 18% decrease compared to the week before and a 4% decrease compared to two weeks ago.Overall new cases increased to 2,249,535. (Miller, 5/5)

Parts of Alaska and Nevada cope with surges —

Anchorage Daily News: Fairbanks’ Pandemic-High Spike In COVID-19 Patients Pushes Regional Hospital To Its Limit
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are trending down in Alaska — but not in Fairbanks, which is now experiencing its worst coronavirus outbreak so far since the pandemic began. The Interior region’s recent surge in cases — and now hospitalizations — is largely being driven by younger, unvaccinated Alaskans, and is stretching Fairbanks Memorial Hospital’s capacity and staffing to a breaking point, health officials said Wednesday. “I wish we were at a point in the pandemic where we were not talking about hospital systems being overwhelmed, but currently the Fairbanks region is pushing that limit right now,” Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, said during a public information call this week. (Berman, 5/5)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada COVID Cases, Deaths Continue To Top 2-Week Averages
Nevada on Wednesday reported 373 new coronavirus cases and seven additional deaths over the preceding day, both well above the recent averages for both metrics. Updated figures posted on the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 317,088 cases and 5,487 deaths since the pandemic began. All of the fatalities recorded on Wednesday occurred in Clark County, according to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website. New cases were well above the 14-day moving average of daily reported cases, which dropped to 248 on Wednesday. Reported fatalities were also higher than the moving average of three per day during the same time period. (Newberg, 5/5)

In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —

CIDRAP: Study Says COVID-19 Recurrence Could Be Less Than 0.1%
Less than 0.1% of all COVID-positive patients in the Intermountain Healthcare system had probable or possible recurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a PLOS One study yesterday. The full cohort of 23,176 COVID-19 patients was pared down to 1,301 patients who had at least one additional SARS-CoV-2 test 60 or more days after the initial diagnosis. Almost 10% (122) had a positive test, of which 114 had sufficient data for recurrence evaluation (median test interval, 85.5 days). (5/5)

Los Angeles Times: Scientists See Path For The Coronavirus
Scientists experimenting in the lab have found that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is capable of infecting two types of brain cells — neurons and astrocytes. The findings could shed light on a possible reason for the bewildering array of neurological symptoms that follow some COVID-19 survivors even after they recover. COVID-19 is best known as a respiratory disease, but for many victims, it also triggers an array of problems including memory lapses, fatigue and a certain sluggish, fuzzy feeling often referred to as “brain fog.” (Khan, 5/5)

Axios: Creating "Digital Twins" To Study Long-Haul COVID-19 
Researchers are creating "digital twins" of coronavirus patients to study long-haul COVID-19. An estimated 1 in 20 COVID-19 patients are likely to suffer from some long-term effects, but doctors still don't know why or how best to care for them. Digital twins promise to speed efforts to investigate a major medical mystery. (Walsh, 5/5)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Libraries Still Quarantine Books, Even As Cases Drop And Vaccinations Rise
The community room in the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library used to be an event space, but since last year it’s been a book purgatory, tables piled high with returned materials that sit waiting until they are deemed safe for the next reader. Though returned books were once quarantined for days, District Administrator Karen DeAngelo said most libraries in the county are now holding them for only 24 hours. She also acknowledged that science suggests the threat of catching the coronavirus from a borrowed book is low. (Steele, 5/6)

AP: CDC Sets Rules For Trial Cruises With Volunteer Passengers
Cruise lines can soon begin trial voyages in U.S. waters with volunteer passengers helping test whether the ships can sail safely during a pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave ship operators final technical guidelines Wednesday for the trial runs. The CDC action is a step toward resuming cruises in U.S. waters, possibly by July, for the first time since March 2020.A spokeswoman for the cruise industry’s trade group said the group was reviewing the CDC instructions. Each practice cruise — they’ll run two to seven days — must have enough passengers to meet at least 10% of the ship’s capacity. Volunteers must be 18 or older and either fully vaccinated or free of medical conditions that would put them at high risk for severe COVID-19. (5/6)

In news about airline travel —

The Washington Post: Indonesian Airport Workers Accused Of Reusing Nasal Swabs For Coronavirus Testing
As many as 9,000 people may have been given coronavirus tests using nasal swabs that had been washed and reused by an Indonesian pharmaceutical company at Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, according to police, who said they have arrested several employees and the Medan facility’s business manager. Staff working for the state-owned company Kimia Farma have reportedly been rinsing swabs and using them on passengers since late last year. Under coronavirus regulations, travelers are required to produce a negative result before flying, and the airport had used the company to supply the rapid antigen test kits. (Hassan, 5/5)

CNN: Feds Fine Unruly And Maskless Airplane Passengers As Violent Incidents Increase 
Federal authorities are planning to fine two unmasked and unruly passengers accused of hitting and grabbing flight attendants amid a rash of disruptive and sometimes violent incidents on board planes. One passenger accused of grabbing and striking two flight attendants during a February flight faces a fine of $32,750, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN on Wednesday. A passenger on a different flight is accused of hitting "one of the flight attendants with his bags" and faces a $16,500 fine. (Wallace and Muntean, 5/5)

The Washington Post: Air Traveler Faces $32,750 In Fines For Refusing To Wear Mask And Throwing Items, FAA Says
A woman aboard a JetBlue flight from the Dominican Republic to New York faces $32,750 in fines after refusing to wear a mask, throwing food and an empty bottle of alcohol into the air, and shouting obscenities at crew members, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday. The passenger, who was not identified, is one of four the agency is taking action against for unruly behavior while flying. (Aratani, 5/5)

The Washington Post: Argentina Man Faked Covid Certificate To Fly From Miami To Buenos Aires, Authorities Say 
Just hours before he was set to board a flight home to Argentina on Saturday, Santiago Solans Portillo received some news that appeared to throw a wrench in his travel plans: His coronavirus test had come back positive, authorities say. But when the 29-year-old arrived at the airport in Miami, he made no such disclosure to the American Airlines agents checking him in, instead presenting a medical certificate that said he was fit to fly. (Armus, 5/5)

CNBC: Is It Safe To Travel This Summer Or Fall? Here’s What Experts Say
For some homebound travelers yearning for a vacation, the question isn’t whether to book a vacation this year, but when. Enthusiasm for travel is at its highest point in a year, with 87% of American travelers expected to take a trip this summer, according to a survey conducted last week by travel market research company Destination Analysts. But is the summer the best time to travel this year, or is it prudent to wait? Medical professionals present several scenarios of how the rest of 2021 may play out. (Pitrelli, 5/5)

The Washington Post: Federal Judge Vacates CDC’s Nationwide Eviction Moratorium 
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its legal authority by issuing a nationwide eviction moratorium, a ruling that could affect millions of struggling Americans. In a 20-page order, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich vacated the CDC order, first put in place during the coronavirus pandemic under the Trump administration and now set to expire June 30. (Swenson, 5/5)

Reuters: Judge Puts Hold On Ruling Voiding U.S. Moratorium On Evicting Renters
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said that although there was "no doubt" Congress intended to empower the CDC to combat COVID-19 through a range of measures such as quarantines, a moratorium on residential evictions was not among them. The ruling was a setback for millions of Americans who have fallen behind on rent payments during the pandemic. The Justice Department sought an emergency order to put Friedrichs's decision on hold, arguing "evictions exacerbate the spread of COVID-19, which has already killed more than half a million Americans, and the harm to the public that would result from unchecked evictions cannot be undone." (Stempel and Shepardson, 5/5)

The New York Times: N.Y.C. Board Votes To Consider Extending Rent Freeze
The panel that sets rents for more than two million New York City residents signaled on Wednesday that it may again freeze rents for some of them, a move that would be a boon to tenants but a blow to landlords as both camps scrape by amid the coronavirus pandemic. The panel, the Rent Guidelines Board, voted 5 to 4 to consider keeping rents on one-year leases as is or letting property owners raise them up to 2 percent. Doing so would essentially extend a rent freeze the board approved last summer. Rents on two-year leases could rise 1 to 3 percent. (Haag, 5/5)

In other news about covid's economic toll —

AP: Google Says 20% Of Workers Will Be Remote, Many More Hybrid
Google says it expects about 20% of its workforce to still work remotely after its offices reopen this fall, while some 60% will work a hybrid schedule that includes about three days in the office and two days “wherever they work best.” The remaining 20% can change their location to a different Google office. The policy announced Wednesday relaxes the company’s stricter earlier stance. (5/6)

The Hill: Trader Joe's Cuts Employee 'Thank You' Bonus After Three Months 
Just months after Trader Joe's increased its special COVID-19 bonus pay for employees, the grocery chain is now looking to slash it by half, SF Gate reports. In February, Trader Joe's upped its "thank you" wages, giving employees an additional $4 an hour. The pay bump came months after the initial hazard pay was introduced at the start of the pandemic. (Polus, 5/5)

AP: Republicans Promote Pandemic Relief They Voted Against
Every Republican in Congress voted against the sweeping pandemic relief bill that President Joe Biden signed into law three months ago. But since the early spring votes, Republicans from New York and Indiana to Texas and Washington state have promoted elements of the legislation they fought to defeat. The Republicans’ favorite provisions represent a tiny sliver of the massive law, which sent $1,400 checks to millions of Americans, extended unemployment benefits until September, increased the child tax credit, offered housing assistance for millions of low-income Americans and expanded health care coverage. (Peoples, 5/6)

CIDRAP: Medicaid Enrollment Increased 5 Million During Pandemic
About 5 million more Americans enrolled in Medicaid by September 2020 compared with January 2020, a research letter today in JAMA Network Open reports. The data showed that enrollment was flat until March 2020, where expansion and nonexpansion states eventually increased enrollment by 1.4 and 1.6 percentage points, respectively. The researchers found that enrollment increases were associated with Medicaid expansion states but not with steps to simplify the application process. (5/5)

Bloomberg Law: Medicaid Rolls Grew More In States With Less Virus Unemployment
Medicaid enrollment increased more in states with the least job disruption during the pandemic, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study looked at Medicaid enrollment from January 2019 through September 2020. Enrollment was consistent until March 2020 when it began rising. (Stein, 5/5)

In other Medicaid news —

Stat: Biden’s Medicaid Pressure Tactics Could Put His Team At Odds With Hospitals
The Biden administration is pressuring states to expand Medicaid — and it’s setting up a tussle with the hospital industry, too. The Biden team is running out of options to ensure coverage for low-income people in states that have chosen not to expand coverage under the Affordable Care Act. An early overture in Texas reveals one of its strategies: There, the administration is forcing state officials to renegotiate an agreement that gives hospitals money for uninsured patients, and hospitals are nervous that their funding could be cut in the process. (Cohrs, 5/4)

Stateline: States Push To Extend Postpartum Medicaid Benefits To Save Lives
More states are moving to extend Medicaid benefits to new mothers up to a full year after giving birth, far beyond the 60 days required by federal law. That development, promoted by numerous medical groups as well as official state medical boards that focus on maternal health, reflects increasing alarm over the United States’ maternal mortality rate, which is the worst among developed nations and is trending in the wrong direction. There also is a growing awareness that women face increased health risks not only during pregnancy and labor and delivery, but also for months afterward. Nearly a quarter of postpartum-related deaths occur six weeks to a year after the end of a pregnancy. (Ollove, 5/5)

WAVE 3 News: Medicaid Transportation Program Failing By The Thousands In Indiana
It’s the part of healthcare that should be the easiest. But for many in Indiana, it has become the toughest. ”I have been fighting this fight for two years,” former social worker Erin Stennett said, fighting back tears. “This could be anybody’s loved ones, and it’s not right, it’s just not right. ”This isn’t a story about the rigors of chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. This is a story about the overlooked act of just getting to the doctor. (Boel, 5/3)

The Gazette: Iowa’s New Medicaid Director To Prioritize Health Outcomes, Health’s Social Determinants
As Iowa’s new Medicaid director prepares to step into the role next month, she and other state leaders say they are focused on strong oversight of the insurance companies administering the program and delivering good outcomes for its members. Elizabeth Matney said the state’s managed-care program has sent “signals of a stable program” since its switch to a privatized program five years ago, enabling state officials to focus on addressing overall population health for the poor and disabled Iowans who rely on Medicaid. (Ramm, 5/4)

Mississippi Today: Hospitals To Kick Off Medicaid Expansion Ballot Drive  
A nonprofit backed by the Mississippi Hospital Association plans next week to kick off its petition drive to put Medicaid expansion before voters on the 2022 midterm ballot, hoping to override a recalcitrant Legislature and put expansion in the state constitution. Healthcare for Mississippi next week will hold two yet-to-be announced press conferences — one in central Mississippi and one in the north — announcing the drive and naming numerous other groups that are supporting the campaign. (Pender, 5/4)

And in Medicare news —

WLOS: What Changes Have Been Made Since Medicare Threatened To Cut Mission Hospital's Contract?
Concerns from the public about patient safety at Mission Hospital prompted News 13 to investigate the hospital’s most recent state inspections. What News 13 uncovered was that Mission Hospital's relationship with the nation's largest insurer was in danger of ending in late 2020. (Emert, 5/5)

Fierce Healthcare: Cyberattack Forces Scripps Health To Go Offline, Disrupts Patient Care
San Diego-based Scripps Health is struggling to restore its IT systems after a cyberattack May 1 that has significantly disrupted care, impacted email servers and forced medical personnel to use paper records. Some critical care patients were diverted and the online patient portal was taken offline, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Scripps Health operates five hospitals in the San Diego area. (Landi, 5/5)

In other health care industry news —

KHN: Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How Big Tech Undermines California’s Public Health System. 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has embraced Silicon Valley tech companies and health care industry titans in response to the covid-19 pandemic like no other governor in America — routinely outsourcing life-or-death public health duties to his allies in the private sector. At least 30 tech and health care companies have received lucrative, no-bid government contracts, or helped fund and carry out critical public health activities during the state’s battle against the coronavirus, a KHN analysis has found. The vast majority are Newsom supporters and donors who have contributed more than $113 million to his political campaigns and charitable causes, or to fund his policy initiatives, since his first run for statewide office in 2010. (Hart, 5/6)

CNBC: Theranos Blood Test Accuracy At Heart Of Elizabeth Holmes Criminal Case
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes promised a technology breakthrough, but it was really a house of cards, prosecutors said during a court hearing on Wednesday. “Miss Holmes went out, told the world and told investors: we have tests with the highest accuracy rate,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Leach said, adding that testimony from their expert witness “puts the lie to that.” (Khorram and Cohn, 5/5)

KHN: Telemedicine Is A Tool — Not A Replacement For Your Doctor’s Touch 
Earlier in the pandemic it was vital to see doctors over platforms like Zoom or FaceTime when in-person appointments posed risks of coronavirus exposure. Insurers were forced — often for the first time — to reimburse for all sorts of virtual medical visits and generally at the same price as in-person consultations. By April 2020, one national study found, telemedicine visits already accounted for 13% of all medical claims compared with 0.15% a year earlier. And covid hadn’t seriously hit much of the country yet. By May, Johns Hopkins’ neurology department was conducting 95% of patient visits virtually compared with just 10 such visits weekly the year before, for example. (Rosenthal, 5/6)

Modern Healthcare: Critical-Access Hospitals Struggle With New CMS Star Ratings
Almost half of critical access hospitals' star ratings went down this year, and about two-thirds of all U.S. CAH's didn't even get a star, raising questions about whether CMS' new methodology is a more accurate picture of quality, and if the system is even working for these small hospitals. Take Fulton County Health Center in Ohio, which went from four stars last year to one star this year, and is part of a larger trend. Forty-seven percent of CAHs went down at least one star this year, compared to 22% of acute care hospitals. (Gillespie, 5/5)

Crain's New York Business: 'Safe Staffing' Bills For Hospitals, Nursing Homes Pass New York Legislature
New York State lawmakers on Tuesday passed a pair of bills that would set minimum nurse-to-patient staffing levels at hospitals and nursing homes, pending the governor's signature. One bill requires hospitals to establish committees of health care workers and administrators by Jan. 1 to determine appropriate staffing ratios. Plans would be due by July 1 and available publicly on the state Department of Health's website. Hospitals have to implement them by Jan. 1, 2023. The other requires nursing homes to have enough nurses and aides to provide residents with at least 3.5 hours of care a day, starting Jan. 1. (Kaufman, 5/5)

Modern Healthcare: High Costs, Low-Value Healthcare Linked To Hospital Doctors
Healthcare costs and low-value care tend to increase when hospitals acquire physicians, new studies published in Health Affairs show. The number of diagnostic and lab tests performed in hospitals versus unaffiliated facilities increased after doctors were acquired by hospitals, which inflated healthcare costs, according to an analysis of 30 million imaging procedures and 341 million lab tests billed to Medicare. While more tests could benefit patients, physicians employed by hospitals were more likely to order inappropriate magnetic resonance imaging tests, a companion analysis of the commercial claims associated with 583 primary-care doctors who transitioned from independent practice to hospital employment found. (Kacik, 5/5)

Fierce Healthcare: South California Healthcare Workers Plan Payment, Safety Protest During Tenet Healthcare Investor Meeting 
Workers from three Tenet Healthcare-owned facilities in Southern California are planning a public demonstration to protest issues around low wages, understaffing and unsafe work conditions. The rally is set to be held outside of Fountain Valley Regional Hospital from 11:00 a.m. to noon on May 6 and is timed against the for-profit health system’s annual shareholders meeting. (Muoio, 5/5)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Workers Say Workplace Safety Plans Needed
Healthcare workers are charged with protecting the health of the public but they increasingly need protection, too. Colleen McDonald, CEO of University of Minnesota's Community Healthcare Center, said that more protests and unrest will pose challenges to the safety of healthcare providers and care delivery. "The ongoing trauma is really high right now," said McDonald, who found herself boarding up the center's windows ahead of the verdict in Officer Derek Chauvin's trial being announced, a routine she started during the May 2020 protests of George Floyd's death at the hands of Chauvin. (Christ and Gellman, 5/5)

The Baltimore Sun: National Nurses Day Holds Special Meaning For Harford Community College Nursing Student
As National Nurses Day is celebrated Thursday, Harford Community College student Shreeyam Mishra is in the midst of wrapping up a full semester of studies for a nursing career that she has wanted since she was young. “It is a cliché to say that I’ve always known what I want to do with my life, but in my case, it happens to be true,” Mishra said. “Coming from a business family, everyone expected me to follow the same path and thought I was crazy to opt for a nursing career.” (Wiseman, 5/6)

Modern Healthcare: AMA: Most Physicians Now Work Outside Of Private Practice
For the first time, most physicians worked outside of physician-owned practices in 2020, as doctors continue to gravitate toward employment by hospitals and other organizations, according to a new American Medical Association survey. The trade group's latest Physician Practice Benchmark Survey found that 49.1% of patient care physicians worked in physician-owned practices in 2020, a drop of almost 5 percentage points from 2018, when that figure was 54%. It's 11 percentage points lower than 2012, when 60% of physicians worked in physician-owned practices. (Bannow, 5/5)

Also —

ABC News: Traveling Doctor Uses Winnebago To Get To Hospitals In Need 
When the pandemic hit, husband and wife Kenny Phillips and Dr. Sabrina Campbell took working from home on the road. As a traveling doctor, Campbell is used to being on the move. But with the coronavirus pandemic necessitating doctors like never before, the couple decided to jump in their Winnebago to travel to hospitals in need of front-line workers. (Yamada and Noll, 5/5)

ABC News: Former Ohio Health Director Amy Acton To Be Honored For COVID-19 Leadership
Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio's former health director who was the target of threats, will be honored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for her service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Acton, who became a lauded national figure for her response to the pandemic but resigned in June following threats and challenges to her authority, is one of seven people who will receive the foundation's Profile in Courage Award, it announced Tuesday. (Deliso, 5/5)

Bloomberg: Pandemic Delayed Some FDA Plant Inspections, Product Approvals
Pandemic disruptions severely hampered U.S. regulators’ ability to inspect drug and device makers’ manufacturing plants, delaying at least 68 applications for approval to market new products, according to a Food and Drug Administration review. Seven of the delayed applications were mission-critical, meaning they represented a medical advancement, the agency said Wednesday in its report, and six of those were for new drugs. The delayed applications were among 600 where the FDA required a factory inspection before approval decisions. (Edney, 5/5)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech industry news —

Stat: Biogen's Alzheimer's Drug May Only Be Cost-Effective At $2,500 A Year
The controversial, but widely anticipated Biogen (BIIB) treatment for Alzheimer’s would only be cost-effective if it is priced between $2,500 and $8,300 a year due to “insufficient” evidence that the drug works, according to a preliminary analysis. The assessment, which is markedly below some Wall Street estimates of $50,000, reflects the debate over clinical trials that the company submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in hopes of winning approval for its medication. (Silverman, 5/5)

The Boston Globe: Drug Pricing Watchdog Says There’s ‘Insufficient’ Evidence That Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Medicine Would Help Patients
Biogen’s closely watched experimental medicine for Alzheimer’s disease has generated “insufficient” evidence to conclude that it would help patients, according to a withering assessment from an influential drug-pricing watchdog group that comes four weeks before regulators decide whether to approve it. Citing conflicting results from two late-stage clinical trials and indications that the medicine, called aducanumab, can cause worrisome side effects, the Boston-based group said in a draft report Wednesday that the Cambridge firm’s drug would deserve an annual price tag of $2,500 to $8,300 if approved, given its modest benefits. (Saltzman, 5/5)

Stat: How A Cancer Center Promoted An Exclusive Drug To Draw Patients 
A new medication for children with a rare and life-threatening cancer called neuroblastoma had a curious path to approval last November: With one exception, all U.S. patients in the clinical trials were treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. For almost a decade, naxitamab — now one of the most expensive drugs on the market, at $733,248 for a six-month regimen — was available in the U.S. only at the prestigious New York cancer hospital. (Goldhill, 5/6)

Fierce Healthcare: CVS: Specialty Drugs Accounted For 52% Of Pharmacy Spend In 2020 
Specialty drugs now account for more than half of pharmacy spend, a new report from CVS Health shows. CVS Caremark released its annual Drug Trend Report, which found that specialty medications accounted for 52% of drug spend in 2020. The pharmacy benefit manager also found a 98% increase in utilization related to conditions with new therapies or indications on the market. (Minemyer, 5/5)

Stat: The Long Wait For Cel-Sci To Finally Admit Its Cancer Drug Doesn't Work
Eventually, Cel-Sci will have to disclose the results of its Phase 3 cancer clinical trial. When that happens is anyone’s guess. Tuesday marked one year since the small biotech announced the completion of the study, which is investigating an immune-boosting drug called Multikine in patients with head and neck cancer. There is no set timeline for how long it takes to analyze and read out results from a clinical trial, but generally, six weeks to two months is a good rule; allowing three or four months to crunch the numbers is being generous. (Feuerstein, 5/5)

Stat: Roger Perlmutter, Former Merck R&D Head, Becomes CEO Of Startup
Roger Perlmutter, previously the head of research at Merck, said Wednesday he will become the CEO of a startup that is using Nobel Prize-winning microscope technology that can pinpoint the location of individual molecules within human cells as a way to invent new medicines. The company, Eikon Therapeutics of Hayward, Calif., also announced that it has raised $148 million from The Column Group and other investors including Foresite Capital, Innovation Endeavors, and Lux Capital. (Herper, 5/5)

The Wall Street Journal: Peloton Recalls All Treadmills As CEO Apologizes
Peloton Interactive Inc. has agreed to recall its treadmills, and its chief executive apologized for the company’s initial refusal to comply with federal safety regulators who pushed for the action weeks ago. The exercise-equipment maker also said it was halting sales of its Tread+ treadmill model. “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+,” CEO John Foley said in a joint statement announcing the recall with the CPSC. “We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset.” (Terlep and Prang, 5/5)

In other public health news —

Fox News: E. Coli Sends 6 Children To Hospital In Washington State
An investigation is underway after seven children in Washington state were recently sickened with a toxin-producing E. coli, public health officials announced Wednesday. All seven children developed symptoms consistent with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli – also known as STEC. At least six had to be hospitalized, including one who is recovering after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially lethal condition that affects the kidneys. A second child is also suspected to have HUS, which typically develops in 5% to 10% of those diagnosed with a STEC infection, according to King County Public Health. (Aaro, 5/6)

North Carolina Health News: HIV Cases In 2020 Rose While Testing Dropped 
Even as vaccines temper the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States, North Carolina advocates gathered to remind lawmakers that the country remains in the middle of another pandemic. The South is ground zero for new HIV cases within the United States, and the Tar Heel state is no exception. (Critchfield, 5/6)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Young Black Women At Greater Risk Of Heart Disease, Emory Study Shows
Young Black women have health conditions that may put them at greater risk to develop heart disease, according to a study released Tuesday by a team of Emory University researchers. The Emory team analyzed data from about 1,000 Black women of different age groups in the Atlanta area. The researchers partnered with large churches and civic organizations to find study participants. About 30% of the women studied had post-graduate degrees. The researchers found high rates of risk factors as early as their 20s. They found Black women younger than 40 were more likely to eat fast food and had above average salt intakes. The researchers also found higher blood pressure and body mass index rates among Black women they studied across all age ranges. (Stirgus, 5/6)

AP: San Francisco Women Stabbed Amid Wave Of Attacks On Asians
Two elderly Asian women were stabbed as they waited for a bus in downtown San Francisco — the latest in a series of attacks against Asian Americans nationwide since the start of the pandemic last year. A woman working at a flower stall Tuesday afternoon told KGO-TV that she saw a man walking on Market Street shortly before the attack carrying “a pretty big knife” with knuckles on the handle. “Her back was turned and all I see is feathers came out of her jacket. So I am very sure that she got sliced,” the witness said of one victim. “He walked away like nothing happened, like Sunday morning.” (5/6)

AP: Biologists Find Disease-Causing Fungus On New Mexico Bats
Federal land managers have confirmed that a disease-causing fungus has been found on hibernating bats in two eastern New Mexico caves. The Bureau of Land Management reported this week that the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome also was found on the walls of the caves during routine surveillance conducted last month in De Baca and Lincoln counties. ... Officials advised people to stay out of closed caves and mines and to decontaminate footwear and all cave gear before and after visiting or touring caves and other places where bats live. (5/5)

In updates on the opioid crisis —

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Witnesses Explain Eras Of US Opioid Crises At Third Day Of Trial
Witnesses in the Cabell County and Huntington opioid case accusing wholesalers of fueling the opioid crisis in the area explored at trial Wednesday the history behind the opioid crises in America to explain what led to the area becoming one of the hardest hit in the country. Historian David Courtwright said four major opioid epidemics in the United States were patched via stronger legislation. Dr. Rahul Gupta, former drug czar for the Mountain State who is being eyed for the same position in President Joe Biden’s administration, called West Virginia “a canary in the coal mine” as it continues to lead the nation in overdose rates and abuse. (Hessler, 5/5)

Axios: Lawmakers Seek COVID-19 Money For Opioid Treatment 
A bipartisan trio of lawmakers is asking Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for latitude to use some of the president’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package for addressing the opioid crisis. The opioid crisis — America's other rampant public health emergency — appears to be getting even worse, likely exacerbated by the isolation and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Mucha, 5/5)

AP: Bill Trimming Emergency Powers Heads To Governor's Desk
Legislation that curbs [Idaho] Republican Gov. Brad Little’s authority during declared emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic is headed to the governor’s desk. The Senate on Wednesday voted 28-7 to pass the bill that’s a reworked version of previous legislation Little vetoed. Shortly after, the House passed the bill on a 48-8 vote. The earlier version of the bill was vetoed by Little and the Senate was unable to overcome the veto. But Senate leaders said Little worked with them on the latest measure, and they anticipate his approval. (Ridler, 5/6)

Health News Florida: DeSantis' COVID-19 Executive Orders Do Not Affect Schools 
The Florida Department of Education advised school districts they won’t be affected by two executive orders that Gov. Ron DeSantis issued Monday to block local governments’ COVID-19 emergency orders. Executive Order 21-101, effective July 1, mandates that “any emergency order issued by a political subdivision due to the COVID-19 emergency which restricts the rights or liberties of individuals or their businesses is invalidated.” (5/5)

South Florida Sun Sentinel: Don’t Pitch Your Mask, Yet. You'll Still Need It In Most Places 
Supermarkets, schools, big-box stores, airports, malls and stadiums will require people to wear masks even though the governor has declared that Florida no longer faces a coronavirus emergency. Gov. Ron DeSantis this week wiped away COVID-19 orders that cities and counties had put in place for safety, but many businesses say they won’t bend their policies. They’re still able to require masks, just like they require shirts and shoes. (5/5)

In other news from the states —

Georgia Health News: 3 Nursing Homes Once Ravaged By COVID Are Sold To Atlanta Firm 
Three nursing homes that were hit hard by COVID-19 have been sold to an Atlanta-based company. Empire Care Centers, a private firm, recently purchased Westbury nursing homes in Jackson, McDonough and Conyers. Each facility lost a significant number of residents to COVID. State data show that 26 residents died from the virus at Westbury Conyers. Westbury Health and Rehab of McDonough had 16 deaths, and 34 occurred at Westbury Medical Care and Rehab, in Jackson. (Miller, 5/5)

Stat: Indiana County Notorious For HIV Outbreak May Close Syringe Exchange
The Indiana county at the center of a devastating HIV crisis in 2015 may soon close the syringe exchange program widely credited with helping to end its outbreak. For public health advocates in Scott County, home to 24,000, the controversy is all too familiar. Six years ago, the county drew national attention for recording roughly 200 HIV cases in a single year, largely driven by injection drug use. Critics have charged that the state government’s slow response and monthslong refusal to permit needle exchanges only made the crisis worse. (Facher, 5/6)

AP: Nevada Lawmakers Debate Public Health Care Option Proposal
Hospitals and insurance companies clashed with affordable health care advocates in the Nevada Legislature’s first hearing on a proposal to create state-run health insurance plans that could compete with private insurance companies on the state’s health insurance exchange. Nevada is one of many states that is considering some form of what’s called a public option to expand access and make health care more affordable. Washington passed a public option proposal in 2019, and Connecticut and Oregon are also considering similar proposals. (Metz, 5/6)

Houston Chronicle: Texas 'Fetal Heartbeat' Bill Allowing Citizens To Sue Over An Abortion Clears Major Hurdle
The Texas House voted Wednesday to ban abortions as early as six weeks into a woman’s pregnancy and allow anyone to sue her doctor, relatives or any other person who helped her obtain the procedure if it is done after a fetal heartbeat had been detected. The Republican-led measure would amount to the most stifling reproductive restrictions in Texas since abortion was legally protected in the U.S. Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade. The vote was 81-63, falling largely along party lines. (Goldenstein and Blackman, 5/5)

North Carolina Health News: Will Lawmakers Address Harmful Chemicals In NC Water? 
The public utility for Wilmington and New Hanover County will spend about $46 million to filter out potentially carcinogenic “forever chemicals” from drinking water for an estimated 200,000 people. In neighboring Brunswick County, bids totaling $137 million have been approved for a similar filtration system to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS to be completed within the next two years. (Barnes, 5/5)

AP: House OKs Doing Away With Purchase Permits To Buy Handgun
North Carolina’s long practice of county sheriffs granting permits to local residents before they can buy a handgun would end under legislation approved by the House on Wednesday night. The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association backed the pistol purchase permit repeal — a change in direction for the group after years of opposing the idea. Sheriffs would still perform reviews of applications for concealed weapons permits. (Robertson, 5/6)

In news about cannabis and marijuana —

Bangor Daily News: ‘Clean Cannabis’ Program Wants More Mainers Choosing Pesticide-Free Pot
Six years after the creation of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s Certified Clean Cannabis program to certify synthetic chemical-free cannabis growers for medical marijuana, Maine cannabis farmers say their product is healthier and less susceptible to disease. But the program has been slow to catch on — so far, only 20 growers have been certified out of nearly 700 providers in the state. Chris Grigsby, director of MOFGA Certification Services LLC, said that the Certified Clean Cannabis program mirrors the national organic certification program available to other growers. That program isn’t available to cannabis growers because of the continued federal prohibition on THC cannabis. (Schipani, 5/5)

AP: Legislation Would Prohibit Marijuana Advertising In Idaho
The Senate on Wednesday approved legislation that would prohibit commercial advertising for marijuana in Idaho, a move that could potentially stymie ballot initiatives to legalize the drug in the state. (Ridler, 5/6)

AP: Canada Authorizes Pfizer Vaccine For Age 12 And Older
Canadian health officials said Wednesday they have become the first to approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for ages as young as 12. Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Health Canada, confirmed the decision for ages 12 to 15 and said it will help children return to a normal life. Canada is the first country to authorize Pfizer for that age group. The U.S. and the European Union are also reviewing it. (Gillies, 5/5)

Bloomberg: Canada’s Vaccine Push Is Plagued By Confusion And Erratic Supply
Canada is considering allowing patients to receive two different types of Covid-19 vaccines as the country deals with shortages of shots from AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc. Federal health officials are closely watching a U.K.-based trial in which participants received two kinds of shots. Results are expected in the next month or so, Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Health Canada, said Wednesday at a news conference. (Bochove and Bolongaro, 5/5)

AP: US Tribe Shares Vaccine With Relatives, Neighbors In Canada
On a cloudy spring day, hundreds lined up in their cars on the Canadian side of the border crossing that separates Alberta and Montana. They had driven for hours and camped out in their vehicles in hopes of receiving the season’s hottest commodity — a COVID-19 vaccine — from a Native American tribe that was giving out its excess doses. The Blackfeet tribe in northern Montana provided about 1,000 surplus vaccines last month to its First Nations relatives and others from across the border, in an illustration of the disparity in speed at which the United States and Canada are distributing doses. While more than 30% of adults in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, in Canada that figure is about 3%. (Samuels, 5/5)

In other coronavirus news around the world —

AP: Vatican Conference Features Fauci, Francis — And Aerosmith
An eclectic mix of participants are taking part in a unique three-day Vatican conference on COVID-19, other global health threats and how science, solidarity and spirituality can address them. Along with Pope Francis, the event includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, soprano Renee Fleming, the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna and the lead guitarist of Aerosmith. (Winfield, 5/6)

The Washington Post: Man's Barbecue Binge Sparks New Virus Curbs In Sydney After Month Without Cases 
A barbecue enthusiast who went on a Sydney-wide search for grilling supplies while infected with the coronavirus has triggered new restrictions in Australia's largest city, which is now battling new cases after a month without local transmission. Authorities are mystified as to how the man, who is in his 50s, became infected. He was not a border or quarantine worker and had not recently returned from overseas. His wife also tested positive. (Pannett, 5/6)

AP: Fiji Sequesters Hospital Staff After COVID Death
The military and police in the Pacific nation of Fiji have surrounded and locked down a major hospital amid concerns of a growing virus outbreak. Health authorities say they’re quarantining 400 patients, doctors, nurses and staff within the compound until they can determine who had contact with a coronavirus patient who died. (5/6)

Also —

AP: Anti-Olympic Petition Gains Tens Of Thousands Of Signatures
An online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled has gained ten of thousands of signatures since being launched in Japan just days ago. The rollout of the petition comes with Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas under a state of emergency with coronavirus infections rising — particularly new variants. The state of emergency is to expire on May 11, but some reports in Japan say it is likely to be extended. (Kageyama and Wade, 5/6)

The Washington Post: The U.S. Birth Rate Is Falling. Here’s How Other Countries Have Tried To Incentivize Having Children
With the U.S. birthrate declining for the sixth year in a row and undergoing its largest drop in nearly 50 years, according to provisional data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States is facing a dilemma with which many wealthy nations in Europe and Asia have long grappled. Declining population growth can also raise questions about who will care for a growing elderly population, fill crucial jobs and keep the economy afloat. Instead of trying to ramp up immigration, some governments have tried subsidizing fertility treatments, offering free day care and generous parental leave, and paying thousands of dollars in cash grants to parents. (Farzan, 5/5)

AP: Woman From Mali Gives Birth To 9 Babies In Morocco 
A Malian woman has given birth to nine babies at once — after expecting seven, according to Mali's Minister of Health and the Moroccan clinic where the nonuplets were born. It appeared to be the first time on record that a woman had given birth to nine surviving babies at once. (Ahmed and Barakah, 5/5)

AP: India Hits Another Grim Virus Record As Oxygen Demand Jumps
Infections in India hit another grim daily record on Thursday as demand for medical oxygen jumped sevenfold and the government denied reports that it was slow in distributing life-saving supplies from abroad. The number of new confirmed cases breached 400,000 for the second time since the devastating surge began last month. The 412,262 new cases pushed India’s official tally to more than 21 million. The Health Ministry also reported 3,980 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 230,168. Experts believe both figures are an undercount. (Sharma, 5/6)

Fierce Healthcare: UnitedHealth Group Pledges $1M To India To Assist With Procuring Oxygen Concentrators Amid Worsening COVID Outbreak 
UnitedHealth Group is donating $1 million to combat the growing COVID-19 outbreak crisis in India, building on $1.5 million sent previously to the country. The donation, made through the United Health Foundation, will back the purchase of 2,500 oxygen concentrators to help address India's nationwide shortage of oxygen, as well as other medical equipment necessary to combat novel coronavirus infections, UnitedHealth said. (Minemyer, 5/5)

Bloomberg: India’s Struggle To Track New Covid Variants Could Worsen Crisis
The good news is that the vaccines work against a new virus strain circulating in India that’s spread to several other countries. The bad news is it won’t be only the new version of the pathogen to emerge from an outbreak of this scale, underscoring the urgency of mapping other possible variants that may be currently racing through India’s tightly-packed population of 1.4 billion people. (Lauerman and Shrivastava, 5/5)

CNBC: India’s Worsening Covid Crisis Could Spiral Into A Problem For The World
India’s Covid-19 cases spiked in April to daily record highs, and experts warn the country’s worsening health crisis could scuttle efforts to end the global pandemic. The South Asian country — home to around 1.4 billion people or 18% of the world’s population — accounted for 46% of new Covid cases globally in the past week, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. One in every four deaths in the past week came from India, the UN health agency said. (Lee, 5/5)

In related news about Nepal and Mount Everest —

CNN: Nepal's Covid-19 Cases Skyrocket, Prompting Concern The Country's Outbreak Could Mimic India's 
In Nepal, a situation is unfolding that looks chillingly familiar. Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing, hospitals are overwhelmed, and the country's Prime Minister is pleading for help from other nations. Nepal is now reporting about 20 daily Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people -- about the same number as India was reporting two weeks ago. (Hollingsworth, Jeong and Thapa, 5/6)

CNN: Mount Everest Covid Fears Are Spreading As Climbers Risk Infection To Reach The Top Of The World 
Climbers rejoiced when Nepal decided to reopen its side of Mount Everest this year, but reports suggest even the world's highest peak isn't safe from the spread of coronavirus. Some climbers there have now reported testing positive, despite the Nepali government saying there are no infections on Everest. (Picheta, 5/6)

CBS News: After Overcoming Cancer, Daughter Climbs Mount Everest With Her Mom 
For climbers, Mount Everest is the ultimate test. But not for a mother and daughter from Oklahoma, who have already conquered something much tougher. Valari and Jess Wedel hope to become the first American mother-daughter team to reach the world's highest peak. CBS News spoke with them via Zoom from Everest base camp, which has an elevation of 17,600 feet. ... It's a brutal undertaking for Valari Wedel, who's 61 and has asthma. But also for Jess Wedel, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016. She's had multiple surgeries and months of chemotherapy. She's now cancer-free. (Shamlian, 5/5)

CIDRAP: Pandemic Linked With Mental Health Changes In Older Americans
Almost 1 in 5 US adults ages 50 to 80 said they were experiencing worse depression or sadness since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 28% reported worse anxiety or worry, according to a University of Michigan poll today. About 46% of adults said they felt isolated, down from 56% in a spring 2020 poll but still up 28% from before the pandemic. (5/4)

CIDRAP: Mortality Rates For Hospitalized COVID Patients Declined Through 2020
In 2020, in-hospital mortality dropped from 19.1% in March and April to 10.8% in September through November in COVID-19 patients in the United States, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Network Open. While some associations with age, male sex, high body mass index (BMI), and comorbidities were seen, overall, the researchers say that neither these factors nor COVID-19 severity fully explained the decline. (5/4)

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)

ScienceDaily: HEPA Filter Effectively Reduces Airborne Respiratory Particles Generated During Vigorous Exercise, Researchers Find
A pair of studies shed light on something that is typically difficult to see with the eye: respiratory aerosols. Such aerosol particles of varying sizes are a common component of breath, and they are a typical mode of transmission for respiratory viruses like COVID-19 to spread to other people and surfaces. (5/4)

Also —

ScienceDaily: Testing Tool Can Quickly Distinguish Between Viral And Bacterial Infections
In a study proving feasibility, researchers showed that their testing technology can accurately distinguish between a viral and a bacterial infection for respiratory illness - a critical difference that determines whether antibiotics are warranted. And, importantly, the test provided results in under an hour. (5/4)

CIDRAP: Study Suggests Link Between Prenatal, Early Antibiotics And Eczema
A large cohort study conducted in Sweden suggests antibiotic use in prenatal and early postnatal life may be linked to increased risk of eczema (atopic dermatitis) in children, researchers reported today in JAMA Network Open. ... The hypothesis is that disturbances to the gut microbiome that may result from exposure to antibiotics utero and in early life could be among the environmental factors linked to the condition, but previous studies have produced inconsistent results. (4/29)

New England Journal of Medicine: Therapy For Anemia In Chronic Kidney Disease — New Interventions And New Questions
Anemia, including its causes and treatments, in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been a focus of research for 40 years. Huge strides were made when erythropoietin was discovered and injectable erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) were developed, followed by the conduct of randomized, controlled clinical trials that changed clinical practice. Multiple trials in which various ESAs have been compared with placebo or with each other have tested hypotheses about the value of targeting higher hemoglobin levels in patients with CKD. Such investigations showed variable signals for benefit (e.g., a reduced need for transfusions or improved quality of life) but also signals for harm (e.g., increased thrombosis of arteriovenous fistulas, stroke, and cancer-associated mortality). (Adeera Levin, M.D., 4/29)

ScienceDaily: Circadian Rhythm Research Could Turn Early Birds Into Night Owls  
Researchers have identified a set of genes, called clock genes, that control circadian rhythms. But a more complicated gene network than previously known appears related to these rhythms. Scientists detail a statistical model they are using to help identify the genes involved in this network. With help from other disciplines, they hope to fully understand how these genes work together to make different people more productive at different times of day. (5/4)

ScienceDaily: Genetic Effects Of Chernobyl Radiation 
In two landmark studies, researchers have used cutting-edge genomic tools to investigate the potential health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen, from the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine. One study found no evidence that radiation exposure to parents resulted in new genetic changes being passed from parent to child. The second study documented the genetic changes in the tumors of people who developed thyroid cancer after being exposed as children or fetuses to the radiation released by the accident. (4/22)

CNN: Americans Are Really Confused About Masks
Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its rules on face coverings, issuing new guidelines stating that vaccinated Americans can safely drop their masks when outdoors, except in certain crowded settings and venues. Shortly after, President Joe Biden, who has been vaccinated, wore a mask as he made his way to an open-air podium outside the White House to announce the CDC guidelines, a seemingly (but not actually, per the guidelines) contradictory move that did not go unnoticed by many media outlets. (Peggy Drexler, 5/5)

Stat: Dollar Stores: Gateways To Equitable Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution 
With the number of Americans receiving Covid-19 vaccines each week starting to decline, it’s time to pull out the stops to reach those who are willing to be vaccinated but haven’t yet been able to do so. Enlisting dollar stores as vaccination sites is one way to make vaccines more widely and equitably available. (Judith Chevalier and Jason L. Schwartz, 5/6)

Newsweek: I Flew Almost 2,000 Miles To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine 
To get vaccinated, my boyfriend and I had to fly 1,992 miles from our home in Quito, Ecuador, to Orlando, Florida. Before our trip, we gave up hope to get vaccinated any time soon as Ecuador—a country with 17 million people—has only administered at least one vaccine shot to 4.49 percent of the population. Meanwhile, over 100 million Americans, or 32 percent of the population, have been fully vaccinated with a record of 4.6 million vaccine doses administered in a single day. At the rate the U.S. is vaccinating, all Ecuadorians would have received at least one dose in 3.7 days. (Alegria Sanchis, 5/5)

The Atlantic: Biden Has The Power To Vaccinate The World 
As the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States falls and the economy recovers, India is experiencing a deadly resurgence of the coronavirus, with more than 370,000 new infections and 3,500 deaths every day. Hospitals in Delhi are running out of oxygen, and crematoria have used all of their firewood. Experts predict that the surge is nowhere near its peak. The Indian crisis is precipitating a global one. One-third of the world currently relies on vaccine exports from a single company in India. However, to meet the overwhelming domestic need, India banned vaccine exports, which means that countries in sub-Saharan Africa are now scrambling for vaccines—leaving their population more vulnerable to resurgences of the virus. Ayoade Alakija, a co-chair of the African Vaccine Delivery Alliance, told the Financial Times, “We’re at the point where we’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” (Chelsea Clinton and Achal Prabhala, 5/5)

Chicago Tribune: Let’s Pay People To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine If That’s What It Takes 
For a while, I was able to boast that I didn’t personally know anyone who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Then, I saw an African American friend’s Facebook post. “So is there anyone else other than me NOT taking the shot(s) or not in a hurry to take the shot. Just asking,” she wrote. More than three dozen people raised their hand. Suddenly, I understood why African Americans are lagging behind other Chicagoans in getting the vaccine. In our city, only 21% of African Americans have received both doses of the vaccine, compared with 39% of whites, 25% of Latinos and 35% of Asians. Across the country, it’s even more dismal. In cases where race is known, only 8.5% of African Americans nationwide are fully vaccinated, compared with 67% of whites. (Dahleen Glanton, 5/6)

The Washington Post: How To Get More Republicans To Embrace The Coronavirus Vaccines 
Last week, I received my second Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, three weeks after being administered the first. My first visit required me to wait in line for probably 30 minutes, despite having a specific appointment. On the day of my second dose at the same pharmacy just one person was ahead of me, perhaps reflecting news reports that millions of Americans are skipping the follow-up. On top of those who are forgoing the second shot, more than 100 million American adults haven’t been vaccinated at all, and well over half of them don’t plan to do so, according to a recent Post poll. Many Americans won’t get vaccinated because they don’t trust the vaccine — and they see little incentive to take the risk when they’re told that other restrictions will remain even if they get the shot. (Gary Abernathy, 5/5)

New England Journal of Medicine: Interplay Between Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants And Pandemic Control 
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a member of a diverse family of enveloped, nonsegmented RNA viruses. The coronavirus genomic RNA is unusually large, the RNA polymerase is error-prone, and mutations accumulate with increasing frequency during infections. With continued uncontrolled transmission and viral replication, mutations that give the virus a fitness advantage will emerge. A SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern has one or more mutations that confer worrisome epidemiologic, immunologic, or pathogenic properties. (Kathleen M. Neuzil, M.D., M.P.H., 5/5)

Modern Healthcare: How To Stop Losing Our Healthcare Workforce To Burnout
As Americans anticipate a return to normalcy thanks to mass vaccinations, we cannot ignore the fact that our country’s doctors, nurses and first responders are showing signs they are not close to returning to “normal. ”In fact, more healthcare workers say they are becoming disillusioned with the medical profession and there are troubling signals that many will not return. Our workforce is experiencing a decreased sense of feeling valued and losing the sense of purpose and meaning in their work. (Corey Feist, 5/4)

The Boston Globe: Young Americans Are Facing A Mental Health Crisis And Need Action
With the COVID-19 vaccine rollout well underway across the country, it is tempting to deem the pandemic over. But after bearing so many of the losses of the past year — as essential workers, as college students, and as the family and friends of COVID-19 victims — young Americans are facing a mental health crisis. Our generation is in desperate need of support. We are student leaders of the Harvard Public Opinion Project, a polling outlet within the Kennedy School that regularly surveys young Americans nationally in a political context. For our spring survey, we asked respondents about their mental health, since we were concerned that symptoms of depression and anxiety were on the rise among our peers. (Ellen M. Burstein and Alan Zhang, 5/6)

Scientific American: How Human Challenge Trials Can Accelerate Vaccine Development 
In 1955, Jonas Salk developed and debuted the inactivated polio vaccine. Within five years, cases of polio in the United States dropped drastically, and childhood vaccinations for infectious diseases like polio became a new standard of care. The Salk vaccine heralded a new dawn for treating infectious diseases during the 1960s, specifically severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in children. However, when a formalin-inactivated version of an RSV virus vaccine similar to the polio vaccine was trialed in 1967, many immunized infants actually experienced an enhanced form of RSV disease—complete with high fever, bronchopneumonia and wheezing—when they later became infected with wild-type, or naturally occurring, RSV viruses circulating in the community. (Nicolas Noulin, 5/5)

Stat: Faster Approval Of Complex Generics Is Central To Affordable Care 
The push to improve Americans’ use of effective and less-expensive generic medications is getting a much-needed push from the Generic Drug User Fee Act currently being negotiated between the Food and Drug Administration and the generics industry. This act can help improve access to complex generic medicines. That’s important for people with almost any condition, and is especially important for those with asthma and allergies, who I represent as president and CEO of the Allergy & Asthma Network. (Tonya Winders, 5/6)

CNN: Do You Really Need 8 Glasses Of Water Per Day? 
The warmer weather and longer days have inspired reminders to "stay hydrated" and drink eight glasses of water -- or about two liters -- a day. Not to burst anyone's water bottle, but healthy people can actually die from drinking too much water. I am an exercise physiologist, and my research focuses on overhydration and how drinking too much water affects the body. (Tamara Hew-Butler, 5/5)

New England Journal of Medicine: Progress With Treatments For Alzheimer’s Disease
An estimated 50 million people worldwide have dementia, mostly due to Alzheimer’s disease. The inexorable progression of Alzheimer’s disease exerts a huge toll on patients, families, and society, costing approximately $1 trillion annually, an amount that is likely to increase with the growing number of elderly people. It is no surprise that Alzheimer’s disease is among the most feared diseases of aging. Hence, there is widespread interest as new clinical trial results are reported, but also much angst given all the trial failures to date. This issue of the Journal provides some tentative hope with the results of TRAILBLAZER-ALZ, a phase 2 clinical trial of donanemab, an antiamyloid monoclonal antibody, in early Alzheimer’s disease. (Allan I. Levey, M.D., Ph.D., 5/6)