CNN: The US Reported The Most Single-Day Covid-19 Deaths Since May And Experts Say Pandemic Is Accelerating
As Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations soared across the US, experts warned higher death tolls would soon follow. On Wednesday, there were at least 1,893 American deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University -- the highest daily death toll the country has seen since early May. (Maxouris, 11/12)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Cases Top 100,000 For Ninth Day Running 
New coronavirus cases in the U.S. climbed to another record, topping 100,000 for the ninth day in a row, as hospitals faced increasing numbers of Covid-19 patients. The U.S. reported more than 144,000 new cases for Wednesday, up about 4,000 from the day before, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The total number of confirmed cases nationwide topped 10.4 million. (Hall, 11/12)

Also —

Stat: Talk Of Waves Is Misguided, Say Covid-19 Modelers, As Deaths Do Not Ebb
The numbers have become both horrifying and numbing — and there is no end in sight. The consensus among major Covid-19 modelers is that we could see 20,000 to 25,000 deaths in just the next two weeks, and 160,000 more by Feb. 1. That would be a frightening acceleration as winter approaches. (Cooney, 11/12)

Los Angeles Times: Can We Stop The Inevitable Winter Surge Of COVID-19?
Temperatures are dropping, nights are growing longer, the holidays are nearing, and the science is clear: The pandemic is far from over. A long, dark winter awaits. The number of new coronavirus cases in the United States each day has ballooned from fewer than 40,000 in early September to more than 100,000 in early November. The U.S. now confirms more cases in a single day than China has reported altogether since the pandemic began. (Netburn, 11/11)

The Washington Post: As Coronavirus Soars, Hospitals Hope To Avoid An Agonizing Choice: Who Gets Care And Who Goes Home 
The coronavirus pandemic is rolling across America like a great crimson wave. In Illinois, the rate of new infections is so high that a group of doctors sent an urgent letter to the governor. “We’re having to almost decide who gets treatment and who doesn’t,” said one of its leaders. In Ohio, the rapid spread of the virus has pushed the state health-care system to the brink. Expressing deep concern, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) vowed to enforce his statewide mask mandate and issued new restrictions on social gatherings. “We can’t surrender to this virus. We can’t let it run wild,” he said. (Fears, Achenbach and Martin, 11/11)

CNN: Some Hospitals Are Running Out Of Health Care Workers. Here's What Could Happen Next
Imagine going to a hospital so overwhelmed, doctors and nurses with Covid-19 are allowed to keep working. Or having a heart attack and getting rushed to a hospital, only to learn there's not enough emergency care for you. These scenarios have already turned into reality. The US has more people hospitalized with Covid-19 this week than at any other point in the pandemic. (Yan, 11/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Record Covid-19 Hospitalizations Strain System Again 
Hospitals across the nation face an even bigger capacity problem from the resurgent spread of Covid-19 than they did during the virus’s earlier surges this year, pandemic preparedness experts said, as the number of U.S. hospitalizations hit a new high Wednesday. The number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients reached 65,368, according to the Covid Tracking Project, passing the record set Tuesday for the highest number of hospitalizations since April. A spring surge in the Northeast pushed hospitalizations near 60,000. Hospitalizations hit a nearly identical peak again in late July, as the pandemic’s grip spread across the South and West. (Evans, 11/11)

NBC News: As Covid Hospitalizations Soar, States Struggle To Find Enough Beds And Staff
In El Paso, Texas, a convention center has been turned into a Covid-19 field hospital and refrigerated trailers have been trucked in to store the dead because there’s no more room in the morgues. In Massachusetts, Michigan and several other states, hospitals are struggling to find enough beds for the influx of coronavirus patients and canceling elective surgeries so doctors and nurses can concentrate on Covid-19 cases. (Siemaszko, 11/11)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: COVID-19 Cases Put Wisconsin Hospitals Close To 'Tipping Point'
Wisconsin is approaching a point where its hospitals may not be able to save everyone who needs saving as the coronavirus continues to surge and overwhelm the state's health care system, health officials warned on Wednesday. "We're very close to a tipping point," Ryan Westergaard, state Department of Health Services chief medical officer, said during an event hosted by Wisconsin Health News. "This could get much worse quickly and that tipping point is when we stop being able to save everyone who gets severely ill." (Beck, 11/11)

AP: Idaho's Coronavirus Surge Overwhelms Primary Care Clinics
Idaho’s unchecked spread of the coronavirus has become so overwhelming in some areas that medical care providers are struggling to even answer all the phone calls from would-be patients, a health care executive said Wednesday. Dr. David Peterman, the CEO of Primary Health Medical Group, said the company’s 20 clinics normally get about 1,800 phone calls a day. But with the pandemic raging in southwestern Idaho, the clinics are now getting 3,000 calls a day. (Boone, 11/12)

Detroit Free Press: COVID-19 Is Raging In Western Michigan As Hospitals Are Near Capacity
The coronavirus is raging in western Michigan, the CEO of Spectrum Health said Wednesday, announcing its hospitals are nearing capacity as the number of people hospitalized with the virus has tripled in the last 20 days, affecting all age groups." We are facing some of the most daunting and demanding challenges since this pandemic began," said Spectrum Health President and CEO Tina Freese Decker. "COVID-19 is surging across our state and we are heading in the wrong direction." Of those who are hospitalized in the region, 1 in 10 are dying, she said. (Jordan Shamus, 11/11)

Albuquerque Journal: NM Sets New Record For Virus Cases, Hospitalizations
New Mexico soared past another daily record Wednesday, setting a new high in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations. The state reported 481 virus patients in its hospitals, a 13% jump in just a day and the most ever recorded in the pandemic. The spike in hospitalizations comes as medical leaders warn they may have to treat patients in MASH-style units if the trend continues and invoke other crisis standards of care. (McKay, 11/11)

KHN: Listen: COVID Stresses Rural Hospitals Already ‘Teetering On The Brink’
When KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal heard a sample of the voices that correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble brought back from her reporting trip to rural Kansas, Rosenthal said she knew the story needed to be told through audio. That’s the genesis for “No Mercy,” season one of the podcast “Where It Hurts.” The series documents the fallout after Mercy Hospital closed in Fort Scott, Kansas. (11/12)

The Hill: COVID-19 Cases Rising In Every State 
Every state is now seeing increases in COVID-19 cases, and many are also seeing spikes in hospitalizations, a marker that the third wave of the pandemic has arrived. The U.S. reported 136,000 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, the largest single-day increase on record, according to a tracker by Johns Hopkins University. (Hellmann, 11/11)

AP: Unwelcome Milestone: California Nears Million COVID-19 Cases
California will be the second state — behind Texas — to eclipse a million known cases. The grim milestone in a state of 40 million comes as the U.S. has surpassed 10 million infections. The timeline of COVID-19 in America often comes back to California. It had some of the earliest known cases among travelers from China, where the outbreak began. The Feb. 6 death of a San Jose woman is the first known coronavirus fatality in the U.S. That same month, California recorded the first U.S. case not related to travel and the first infection spread within the community. (Melley and Taxin, 11/12)

ABC News: El Paso, Texas, Getting Crushed By COVID-19 As State Surpasses A Million Cases 
Charlie Brown had spent years motivating his high school football team as their coach. But when he was diagnosed with the coronavirus last month, it became his family’s turn to provide the encouragement. “We were all telling him, ‘Just keep fighting.’ And even that morning, I said, ‘You have to pinky-promise me that you will not stop fighting.’ Every time, when we ended a phone call, it was ‘I love you’ and I would throw him kisses,” his wife, Vickie Brown, told ABC News’ chief national correspondent Matt Gutman. (Gutman, Torres and Singh, 11/11)

Des Moines Register: White House Task Force Warns Iowa Of 'Unyielding COVID Spread'
White House experts are urging Iowa to ramp up testing, require masks and take other steps to control its raging coronavirus outbreak." The unyielding COVID spread across Iowa continues with new hospital admissions, inpatients, and patients in the ICU at record levels," the new White House coronavirus task force says in its latest report. "The most recent trends, showing steep inclines across all indicators, need immediate action including mask requirements to decrease severity in morbidity and mortality among Iowans." (Leys, 11/11)

Courier-Journal: Kentucky Reports Highest Ever Daily Total Of New COVID-19 Cases
Gov. Andy Beshear announced a record-high total of 2,700 new cases of the coronavirus in Kentucky on Wednesday.“ This entire state is in danger," Beshear said in a statement. "COVID-19 is absolutely everywhere. We need everybody to wear your masks and follow red zone reduction recommendations and school recommendations. It is a must if you want to lessen the impact in your community." (Austin, 11/11)

Charleston Gazette-Mail: As COVID-19 Cases Continue To Rise In WV, Justice Says 'I Don't Know What Else I Can Do'
As the leaders of Ohio and Maryland announced moves to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus amid increasing case numbers in those border states, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday instead took no action, saying “I don’t know what else I can do.” For the fifth time in the past seven days, West Virginia set a record for the highest number of new daily cases, 885. Hospitalizations dipped slightly in that same time — 277 people were hospitalized Wednesday, down from last week’s high of 290 — but the number of COVID-19-related deaths has continued to climb, with 81 reported since last Wednesday and 553 overall. (Coyne, 11/11)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia’s Weekly Average For COVID-19 Positive Tests Jumps 5-Fold; Pa., N.J. Case Hitting Pandemic Highs
Hospitalizations are up on both sides of the Delaware River and around the nation, positive tests are at pandemic highs, and on Wednesday a disheartening resurgence showed that the coronavirus had absolutely no intention of relenting deep into its eighth month of redefining life in America.“ We are entering the most dangerous phase of this pandemic,” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, “and everyone — everyone — needs to take this seriously.” (Wood and Tornoe, 11/12)

ABC News: New Hampshire Seeing Virus Spread In Rural Communities 
The coronavirus is spreading rapidly in rural New Hampshire towns, health officials say. In Clarksville, a small town in the northern part of the state, one in every 27 residents has an active COVID-19 infection. In Colebrook, near the Canadian border, a COVID surge site that was taken down in June has been reopened in preparation for an influx of COVID-19 patients. (Schumaker, 11/11)

Politico: Biden Forms Special Covid Transition Team
President-elect Joe Biden has formed a special transition team dedicated to coordinating the coronavirus response across the government, according to documents obtained by POLITICO and people familiar with the decision. ... The Covid-19 team has not yet been formally announced and is largely separate from the coronavirus task force that Biden unveiled Monday, which is primarily advising Biden and handling the incoming administration’s public messaging. The transition group, still in its infancy, met virtually for the first time on Tuesday and is likely to lay the groundwork for a White House Covid-19 response team to be created after Biden is inaugurated, one member of the team said. (Cancryn, 11/11)

Politico: Transition Delay Hampers Biden’s Ramp-Up Of Covid-19 Response 
The Trump administration’s refusal to authorize a presidential transition is interfering with President-elect Joe Biden’s plans for a rapid scale-up of the federal coronavirus response, leaving the incoming administration locked out of key health agencies amid the spiraling pandemic. (Cancryn, 11/10)

ABC News: Amid Messy Transition, Biden Team Hopes To Fill Gaps Left By Trump Administration COVID-19 Response 
As the U.S. faces a stunning new wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations and persistent equipment shortages, public health experts are warning that post-election politics could add to the challenges this winter. President Donald Trump remains focused on the outcome of the election and has scaled back his public appearances and schedule to almost nothing, rather than addressing the ongoing health crisis. His administration continues to block access of federal agencies to the incoming administration to get briefed by career staff on matters, including related to the vaccine and COVID-19. (Flaherty and Ebbs, 11/11)

AP: World Leaders Talking To Biden About The Virus, Other Issues
World leaders spoke to President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday about cooperating on the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other issues, even as President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede complicates the U.S. post-election transition. In his conversations with key Asian allies, Biden seemed intent on easing their uncertainties about a less-engaged Washington, which built up during the four years of Trump’s “America First” approach. (11/12)

In related news —

The Hill: Biden Seeks To Use The Bully Pulpit He Has On COVID-19
President-elect Joe Biden is wasting no time in using his bully pulpit to push public health measures, like mask wearing and physical distancing, that public health experts say will work best to combat the rapid spread of COVID-19. Biden has promised a much more forceful federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic than President Trump and has announced his own COVID-19 advisory board of health experts. (Weixel, 11/11)

The New York Times: Biden’s Policy Agenda Rests Heavily On Senate Outcome
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s transition team is preparing multiple sets of policy proposals for the economy, health care, climate change and other domestic issues, including the ambitious agenda Mr. Biden laid out in his winning campaign, while acknowledging it may have to be pared back in recognition of divided government. Where the incoming administration lands depends heavily on two Senate runoffs in Georgia in early January. (Tankersley, 11/11)

Stat: With Ron Klain, Biden Picks A Pandemic-Response Veteran For Chief Of Staff
President-elect Biden’s selection on Wednesday of Ron Klain, the former federal “Ebola czar,” as White House chief of staff immediately put a pandemic-response veteran at the highest levels of government. The choice of Klain, a longtime Biden confidant who served as chief of staff to then-Vice President Biden during the Obama administration, is the latest signal that the president-elect is treating the pandemic as his top priority. (Facher, 11/12)

The Guardian: 'Ebola Tsar' Becomes Biden's Chief Of Staff 
Announcing his appointment, Biden said Klain had been “invaluable to me over the many years that we have worked together” and praised his experience in tackling the 2008 financial crash and the Ebola outbreak – both useful additions to a resumé in the current public health and economic crisis. (Blackall, 11/12)

Reuters: Biden Insider Klain Will Bring Virus-Fighting Expertise To Chief Of Staff Role 
Ron Klain was once tapped by Democratic President Barack Obama to safeguard the United States from the threat of a lethal virus. As President-elect Joe Biden’s chief of staff, he will take on a similar mission. In 2014, Obama named Klain to serve as the “Ebola Czar” after an outbreak in West Africa that ended up killing thousands around the globe. All in all, only 11 people were treated in the United States for the virus and two died. (Hunnicutt and Oliphant, 11/11)

On transition challenges —

Politico: Biden Confronts Staffing Crisis At Federal Agencies
Donald Trump’s four-year war with the so-called “deep state” will leave Joe Biden a hollowed out and weakened federal workforce — one the president-elect will be forced to rebuild if he wants a shot at executing his sweeping policy agenda. Trump just this week forced out his Defense secretary and top officials overseeing policy and intelligence at the Pentagon. More than two dozen political appointees have fled the Department of Health and Human Services since the start of the Covid-19 crisis in February. (Casella and Miranda Ollstein, 11/12)

The Washington Post: How Biden’s Transition Team Will Work Around Trump’s Blockade Of The Government
With the Trump White House blocking the administration from formally cooperating with Biden, the members of the Democrat’s transition team are under strict orders not to have any contact with current government officials, even back-channel conversations, according to people with knowledge of the situation, who presented several explanations for the directive. Biden transition team members are instead making contact with recently departed government officials and other experts to help them prepare for the new administration. ... The scramble shows how President Trump’s refusal to accept defeat has become much more than a symbolic stand. His administration’s blockade comes amid a deadly pandemic, an economic downturn and volatility abroad, stoking growing concerns that it will set back Biden’s effort to meet the swirl of crises confronting the nation. (Sullivan, Rein, Hudson and Meckler, 11/11)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Will Pay For COVID-19 Antibody Infusions
Medicare will cover monoclonal antibody infusions to treat COVID-19 with no cost-sharing for beneficiaries during the public health emergency, CMS said Tuesday. The move came a day after the Food and Drug Administration allowed emergency use of Eli Lilly's bamlanivimab, an antibody that helps the immune system fight the virus. CMS expects Eli Lilly will give away bamlanivimab to providers early on. Medicare won't pay for antibody products that providers get for free, but it will pay providers to administer them. (Brady, 11/11)

HealthLeaders Media: CMS Expands Medicare Access For COVID-19 Antibody Treatment 
Medicare's expanded coverage of monoclonal antibody infusions includes bamlanivimab, which got an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday. "Today, CMS is announcing a historic, first-of-its kind policy that drastically expands access to COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies to beneficiaries without cost sharing," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said. (Commins, 11/11)

McKnight's Long Term Care News: New Medicare Coverage For COVID-19 Antibody Treatment Can Be ‘Really Helpful’ For Nursing Homes
The federal government’s decision to allow Medicare coverage of monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 treatments could be extremely helpful for nursing homes care for symptomatic, positive residents, according to a top expert.  ... “Nursing home residents, just by their very nature, are the types of people who will benefit from this. They’re at high-risk for bad outcomes and hospitalization. It seems like a good fit,” Karl Steinberg, M.D., president-elect of AMDA — The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. (Brown, 11/12)

Politico: Trump Aides Privately Plot A Flurry Of Moves In Their Final 10 Weeks
On Monday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gathered senior aides on a call. One of his goals: to plot the conservative policy moves they could push through in their final 10 weeks on immigration, trade, health care, China and school choice. ... The president intends to start issuing the orders as soon as possible, aides said, while agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Homeland Security are rushing to finish rules already in the pipeline. (Cook and Orr, 11/12)

The Washington Post: Trump Rails Against ‘Medical Deep State’ After Pfizer Vaccine News Comes After Election Day 
President Trump is lashing out at the Food and Drug Administration following a disclosure Monday that an experimental coronavirus vaccine from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is more than 90 percent effective, convinced the timing — six days after Election Day — proves the “medical deep state” deliberately tried to sabotage his electoral prospects by delaying the results. Shortly after Trump heard the news Monday, he demanded Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar “get to the bottom” of what happened with Pfizer, according to a senior White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the president’s actions. (McGinley, Dawsey, Abutaleb and Johnson, 11/11)

And in updates on the COVID outbreak at the White House —

The New York Times: White House Covid Outbreaks Persist, As Cases Now Span Three Months 
Three more White House staffers have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the latest outbreak among President Trump’s aides and advisers to 12 people. At least four of them — Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, his political director, a campaign adviser leading the efforts to challenge election results and the housing secretary — attended an election night party at the White House where hundreds of people mingled for hours, many without masks. (Schoenfeld Walker and Conlen, 11/11)

The Hill: White House Political Director Tests Positive For COVID-19 After Attending Election Night Event
Another member of the Trump administration has tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the election night celebration held at the White House. Brian Jack, White House political director, reportedly tested positive over the weekend, according to sources who spoke to The New York Times. (Choi, 11/11)

Politico: ‘A Political Animal’: Atlas Attacks Fauci, Escalating Feud Between Trump’s Pandemic Advisers 
Dr. Scott Atlas, one of President Donald Trump’s chief coronavirus advisers, publicly attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday — accusing the nation’s top infectious disease expert of being a “political animal” who adjusted his dire assessments of the pandemic after Election Day. The remarks from Atlas, who has earned the White House’s favor by downplaying the disease’s threat, came on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” after host Laura Ingraham contrasted comments Fauci made last month about a potential vaccine timeline with more optimistic comments he made earlier Tuesday. (Forgey, 11/11)

ABC News: Anthony Fauci Says Working With Trump Administration On The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Been 'Very Stressful'  
When America's preeminent infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, was in medical school he never imagined that his work would one day lead to calls for him to be beheaded. Dr Fauci, who has headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, told 7.30's Leigh Sales working with the Trump administration on the coronavirus pandemic had "obviously been very stressful". "I mean, it's just, to deny that would be to deny reality," he said. (11/11)

The Hill: Fauci Reacts To Bannon: 'That's Not The Kind Of Thing You Think About' At Medical School 
Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases specialist, said former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon calling for his beheading is “not the kind of thing you think about when you're going through medical school.” Bannon caused outrage last week when he said that he wanted to put Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray’s “heads on pikes.” (Sullivan, 11/11)

In other news about Dr. Fauci —

Politico: Fauci And Biden Team Steer Clear Of Each Other — For Now 
President-elect Joe Biden has made clear that he wants top infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci to play a leading role in his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. But the incoming president and his transition advisers are staying away from the longtime civil servant for now, wary of violating official protocols by talking to Fauci or other top health officials before the Government Services Administration certifies Biden’s win. (Owermohle, Cancryn and Diamond, 11/11)

Politico: Moderna Close To Revealing First Data On Whether Its Vaccine Works 
Moderna said Wednesday that it expects to release the first data from the late-stage trial of its coronavirus vaccine in the coming days — which could reveal whether the shot is effective. A spokesperson for the company, which is working with the National Institutes of Health on the vaccine, said that the independent data safety monitoring board overseeing the study will have the data in "days, not weeks." How long their analysis will take is unclear. (Brennan, 11/11)

CNN: Moderna Expects To Know By The End Of The Month Whether Its Covid-19 Vaccine Works
Moderna is conducting a clinical trial of 30,000 participants, with half receiving the vaccine and half receiving a placebo, which is a shot of saline that does nothing. In order for Moderna's vaccine to be considered for authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration, at least 53 study participants needed to become ill with Covid-19. (Cohen and Mascarenhas, 11/12)

The Hill: Fauci Predicts Data From Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Within A Week 
Anthony Fauci expressed confidence Wednesday that positive data from Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine will be announced in the next few days. According to the Financial Times, which hosted the top infectious disease expert at a conference, Moderna will begin assessing data from its phase three vaccine trials “within a week." (Weixel, 11/11)

In other COVID vaccine news —

NPR: Novavax Posts Coronavirus Vaccine Contract That Government Didn't Disclose
A day after Pfizer's announcement that its COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective, rival Novavax shared its $1.6 billion Operation Warp Speed contract on Tuesday. Operation Warp Speed is the Trump administration's crash program to make a vaccine available in record time. While there's been rapid progress on vaccines, the government has been slow to release details of its billions of dollars' worth of deals with manufacturers. Notably, the Department of Health and Human Services told NPR in late August that it had "no records" of the Novavax contract in response to a public records request for it over the summer. The agency announced the deal July 7 to support development, manufacturing and the purchase of 100 million doses. (Lupkin, 11/11)

Reuters: Gates Foundation Adds $70 Million More Funding For COVID Vaccines For Poor
The Gates Foundation added another $70 million of funding on Thursday to global efforts to develop and distribute vaccines and treatments against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it hoped other international donors would now also pledge more. An extra $50 million will go to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) led by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the foundation said, and another $20 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) which is co-funding development of several COVID-19 vaccine candidates. (Kelland, 11/12)

AP: Atrium Health Aims To Be Early Vaccine Distributor
The CEO of Atrium Health in North Carolina said he anticipates the hospital system will be chosen as an "early site" to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc. Atrium Health CEO Gene Woods said at a board meeting Tuesday that they've already purchased refrigeration units that could store 300,000 doses, The Charlotte Observer reported. (11/11)

Burlington Free Press: University Of Vermont Medical Center Starts COVID-19 Vaccine Trials
Local residents have bravely volunteered to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials with the hope of helping make things safer for their loved ones. Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk-Abenaki Nation was one of the first to volunteer and said it was important to him to protect Native people who are at increased risk because of the high prevalence of underlying health conditions. (Barton, 11/11)

New York Post: Pfizer's Vaccine Volunteers Say It Felt Like 'Severe Hangover'
Some volunteers who took part in Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine trials say they were left feeling like they had a “severe hangover,” according to reports. The more than 43,500 people in six countries who took part in phase three trials by the pharmaceutical giant were never told whether they were injected with the vaccine or a placebo in the double-blind tests. (Brown, 11/11)

NBC Bay Area: Participant In Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Feeling ‘Superhuman’
Injected twice and now feeling "superhuman." That's how a well-known Bay Area attorney is describing his experience in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial. Daniel Horowitz, 65, was one of the 44,000 people who participated in the trial. He said he feels great and humbled. (Budman, 11/11)

Iowa Public Radio: Iowan Participating In Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Reflects On Ongoing Experience 
More than 40,000 people are taking part in the clinical study and one of those participants is Ashley Vanorny who works in healthcare administration industry and serves on the Cedar Rapids City Council. She's among 270 people taking part in the University of Iowa's portion of the study. University of Iowa experts say it could still be awhile before the vaccine is widely distributed. (Masters, 11/11)

Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Pfizer Vaccine: Q&A With Company's Chief Scientific Officer
On Monday, Pearl River-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced it had developed a coronavirus vaccine shown to be 90% effective in preventing the disease, according to initial results. The Journal News/lohud spoke to Pfizer's Chief Scientific Officer Phil Dormitzer, a virus expert who is responsible for research and development. (Venugopal Ramaswamy, 11/12)

In other Pfizer news —

CNBC: Pfizer CEO Sold $5.6 Million Of Stock As Company Announced Vaccine Data That Sent Shares Soaring
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold almost $5.6 million worth of stock on Monday, the same day the drugmaker announced positive early data on its experimental coronavirus vaccine that sent shares soaring. Shares of Pfizer jumped by almost 15% on Monday after the company and its partner BioNTech said its vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 among those in the trial without evidence of prior infection. (Feuer and Wells, 11/11)

NPR: Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine News Raises Questions About CEO's Stock Sales 
Bourla's sale of Pfizer stock was part of a trading plan set months in advance. Known as 10b5-1 plans, they essentially put stock trades on autopilot. Executives are supposed to adopt these plans only when they are not in possession of inside information that can affect a company's stock price — what's known as material nonpublic information. The timing of the implementation of Bourla's plan, however, has raised questions about what the Pfizer CEO knew and when, and whether that may invite further scrutiny from federal regulators. (Dreisbach, 11/11)

Bloomberg: AstraZeneca Cancer Drug Fails to Help Patients With Covid-19
AstraZeneca Plc said its blood-cancer medicine Calquence failed to help patients hospitalized with respiratory symptoms of Covid-19. The group of patients taking the drug in addition to standard care didn’t show fewer deaths or respiratory failures, the U.K. drugmaker said in a statement. Details of the intermediate clinical trials will be presented in due course, the company said. (Fourcade, 11/12)

Stat: Drug Companies Deliver A Vote Of Confidence In Adaptive Trial For Covid-19
A novel clinical trial that uses artificial intelligence to rapidly compare Covid-19 treatments has attracted participation from two major drug companies, a key milestone in the effort to shake up the way trials are conducted. (Ross, 11/10)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech developments —

Stat: Lawmakers Urge DOJ To Revise $8.3 Billion Settlement With Purdue
Dozens of members of Congress are urging the U.S. Department of Justice to revise a recent $8.3 billion settlement of civil and criminal charges with Purdue Pharma, arguing that one part of the deal is really a “mirage” designed to help lessen the financial burden for the Sackler family, which controls the company. In a sharply worded letter, the lawmakers objected to the idea of transforming the drug maker into a public benefit company. (Silverman, 11/11)

Stat: Amgen, AstraZeneca Asthma Drug Achieves Main Goals In Clinical Trial
An experimental medicine from AstraZeneca and Amgen significantly reduced the frequency of asthma attacks when added to standard treatment, achieving the goals of a late-stage clinical trial involving patients with severe asthma, the companies announced Tuesday. (Feuerstein, 11/10)

Stat: Gene Therapy Pioneer Devises New Tactic To Curb Side Effects Of Treatment
Gene therapies hold huge promise for inherited diseases that attack the nervous system — but studies show they can inadvertently damage sensitive nerve cells, triggering side effects like weakness, numbness, and intense pain. (Keshavan, 11/11)

CNN: At Least 1,500 Nurses In The Philadelphia Area May Be On The Verge Of Going On Strike 
At least 1,500 nurses at two hospitals in the Philadelphia area are on the verge of striking, according to a spokesperson with the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP). Nurses at Einstein Medical Center and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, both of which are in Philadelphia, have not reached agreements on new contracts with their parent health groups, according to a November 5 PASNAP release. (Snyder, 11/12)

The Salt Lake Tribune: Intermountain Brings On More Nurses As Utah COVID-19 Cases — Up 2,335 Wednesday— Continue To Climb 
Utah reported 2,335 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday with six additional deaths. And with record-high hospitalizations, Utah’s biggest health care system is bringing on 200 additional nurses. For the past week, the state has averaged 2,584 new positive test results a day, continuing a two-week streak of new record highs, the Utah Department of Health reported. (Alberty, 11/11)

In other health industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Insurers Will Owe Massive MLR Rebates Next Year, Even If 2020 Is Normal
Insurers will likely owe massive rebates to consumers next year, even if their 2020 profits are more typical than healthcare executives expect. More than 11.2 million people will qualify for nearly $2.5 billion in medical loss ratio rebates from insurers this year—an average of $219 per person—according to CMS data on Friday. It's an increase of more than $1 billion over last year. That includes almost 5.2 million people enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, who will get more than $1.7 billion in rebates with an average refund of $322 per person. Rebates paid to people enrolled in small group market coverage will be much smaller. Roughly 3.4 million people will receive about $423 million in rebates, which works out to $124 per person. (Brady, 11/11)

Modern Healthcare: Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Michigan Partners With Wellness Center Company
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan will begin offering wellness center benefits to employer-sponsored health plans as part of a partnership with Premise Health. The partnership, announced Wednesday, will allow employers with Michigan Blues health plans to include Premise Health services to its benefits package. Premise Health is a company that works directly with employers to stand up health and wellness centers, typically building on-site clinics that offer services such as primary care, behavioral health and physical therapy to employees, usually at a discounted price. (Castellucci, 11/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Cano Health Nears Deal With Barry Sternlicht SPAC 
A blank-check company backed by real-estate investor Barry Sternlicht is in talks to merge with Cano Health LLC in a $4.4 billion deal that would take the health-care provider for seniors public, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Sternlicht’s special purpose acquisition company, Jaws Acquisition Corp. , could announce a deal valuing Cano Health at $4.4 billion, including debt, as soon as Thursday, the people said—assuming the talks don’t fall through at the last minute. (11/11)

Modern Healthcare: McLaren Health Care Sues ProMedica Over Allegedly Undermining Competitors
McLaren St. Luke's sued ProMedica on Tuesday over its alleged plans to cut off access to McLaren St. Luke's services to protect its market share. The day after competing health system McLaren Health Care Corp. acquired St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, ProMedica's Paramount Health Care allegedly terminated its commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage contracts with St. Luke's and its physicians, effective Jan. 21. Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica also ended the contracts between its Michigan hospitals and the McLaren Health Plan the same day, as executives conceded that the moves were in response to the prospect of greater competition from McLaren, according to the complaint filed in an Ohio federal court. (Kacik, 11/11)

Also —

Becker's Hospital Review: Virginia Physician Convicted On 52 Charges Related To Billing Fraud Scheme
A federal jury convicted Javaid Perwaiz, MD, on Nov. 9 of 52 counts related to his scheme to perform unnecessary hysterectomies and other surgeries on women and bill insurers for the procedures, according to the Department of Justice. According to court records, Dr. Perwaiz billed government and commercial insurers for millions of dollars of surgeries that were not medically necessary for his patients between 2010 and 2019. In many cases, Dr. Perwaiz allegedly told patients they needed the surgeries to avoid cancer to get them to agree to the procedures.  (Ellison, 11/11)

CNN: Many Military Covid-19 Cases Are Asymptomatic, Studies Show 
Covid-19 can spread quickly among active military members and recruits -- and two new reports detail how this has happened in some past outbreaks. The papers, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, reveal that many military personnel and recruits who test positive for coronavirus infection show no symptoms at all, which suggests asymptomatic spread of the disease has likely played a big role in outbreaks. (Howard, 11/11)

AP: Fever, Symptom Screening Misses Many Coronavirus Cases
Temperature and COVID-19 symptom checks like the ones used at schools and doctor’s offices have again proved inadequate for spotting coronavirus infections and preventing outbreaks. A study of Marine recruits found that despite these measures and strict quarantines before they started training, the recruits spread the virus to others even though hardly any of them had symptoms. None of the infections were caught through symptom screening. (Marchione, 11/11)

ABC News: Broad Study Of Marine Recruits Shows Limits Of COVID-19 Symptom Screening 
A research study of more than 1,800 young Marine recruits has found that symptom-based screening methods like temperature checks and screening questions rarely detect individuals infected with COVID-19 who are not showing any symptoms. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the joint study by Navy medical researchers and Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine, has implications for schools, colleges and businesses that often rely on these measure in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus in group settings and it indicates that the possible addition of testing might be a more reliable way to reach that goal. (Martinez, 11/11)

AP: Veterans Day In 2020: Quiet Parades, Somber Virtual Events
Celebrations marking Veterans Day gave way to somber virtual gatherings Wednesday, with many of the nation’s veterans homes barring visitors to protect their residents from the surging coronavirus that has killed thousands of former members of the U.S. military. Cemeteries decorated with American flags were silent as well, as many of the traditional ceremonies were canceled. With infections raging again nationwide, several veterans homes are fighting new outbreaks. (Murphy and Boone, 11/12)

USA Today: New York Veterans Isolated By COVID-19 Receive Thousands Of Veterans Day Cards
Every November, the New York State Veterans Home in Oxford honors its residents with a special day of activities that includes a large gathering in the auditorium, concert and community lunch. Veterans groups help coordinate the program, and guests spend time visiting with the residents of the Chenango County facility. But this Veterans Day, the 146 veterans who reside at the Chenango County facility [weren't] allowed visitors or to gather together for a meal due to COVID-19 restrictions. (Collins, 11/11)

Fox News: Veterans Facing Dangerous Triad Amid Coronavirus, Other Health Conditions, Expert Says 
Veterans are already at an increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated mental health issues for some. That strain, coupled with the possibility of a chronic illness like diabetes, is creating a dangerous triad for some among the veteran population. According to the Federal Practitioner, as many as one in four Veterans Affairs patients has diabetes, which could be a concern when it comes to COVID-19. (Rivas, 11/11)

WTTW Chicago: COVID-19 Pandemic Has Shifted How Veterans Access Health Care 
The coronavirus has hit every class of citizen hard, and on this Veterans Day, we look at how it has affected military service members and veterans. As of today, there have been more than 4,834 COVID-19 cases in Illinois Veterans Affairs Hospitals, and 545 of those cases remain active, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. There have also been 125 virus-related deaths. Meanwhile, the onset of the pandemic seems to have coincided with a rise in suicides among service members. (Paddock, 11/11)

CNN: 'Faces Of Covid' Features A Veteran Who Lost Their Life To Covid-19 Every Hour On Veterans Day 
A Twitter account begun during the pandemic to highlight Covid-19 victims has a new mission for Veterans Day: it is recognizing veterans who lost their lives to the virus every hour. Alex Goldstein started Faces of Covid in March to share the stories of those who have died from the coronavirus. (Johnson, 11/11)

CNN: SeaDream 1: First Caribbean Cruise Since The Pandemic Started Reports Positive Covid-19 Test Result 
A Covid-19 scare is the last thing the cruise industry needs as it eases back into the Caribbean. Yet on Wednesday, a passenger on SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream 1 received a preliminary positive test result for Covid-19, according to Gene Sloan, a senior reporter for cruise and travel at The Points Guy, who was aboard the ship. (Hunter, 11/11)

The Hill: Ticketmaster Exploring Verifying Fans' Vaccine Status Before Issuing Concert Passes 
Ticketmaster is working on a plan to verify the vaccination status of concertgoers once a coronavirus vaccine is available, Billboard reported Wednesday. Hoping to recover from the decimating effect the coronavirus pandemic had on the entertainment business and venues, Ticketmaster told Billboard it has been working on a framework to verify vaccination status and COVID-19 results through phones. (Choi, 11/11)

The Salt Lake Tribune: 20 More Utah Schools Will Shift To Online Learning After COVID-19 Outbreaks — With 14 Of Those In One Hard-Hit District. 
Jordan District will shift 14 of its schools to virtual learning — some for a second or third time — as COVID-19 cases continue to spike among students and staff and the entire state. The action taken by the district’s board of education Wednesday night is the most sweeping to come anywhere in Utah since most classrooms here reopened this fall despite the pandemic. And Jordan has been particularly hard hit by the virus with nearly 1,200 total cases, the highest of the districts in Salt Lake County. (Tanner, 11/11)

KHN: Nursing Homes Still See Dangerously Long Waits For COVID Test Results 
Nursing homes are still taking days to get back COVID-19 test results as many shun the Trump administration’s central strategy to limit the spread of the virus among old and sick Americans. In late summer, federal officials began distributing to nursing homes millions of point-of-care antigen tests, which can be given on-site and report the presence or absence of the virus within minutes. By January, the Department of Health and Human Services is slated to send roughly 23 million rapid tests. (Rau, Weber and Pradhan, 11/12)

KHN: When False Information Goes Viral, COVID-19 Patient Groups Fight Back
For decades, people struggling with illnesses of all kinds have sought help in online support groups. This year, such groups have been in high demand for COVID-19 patients, who often must recover in isolation. But the fear and uncertainty regarding the coronavirus have made online groups targets for the spread of false information. And to help fellow patients, some of these groups are making it a mission to stamp out misinformation. (Smith, 11/12)

KHN: Workers Who Lost Jobs Due To COVID May Need Help Getting Coverage This Fall 
Michelina Moen lost her job and health insurance in April. Only weeks earlier she had begun to feel ill and not her usual energetic self — in what she describes as a textbook case of “really bad timing.” The Orlando, Florida, resident sought treatment in May. After a series of tests, doctors told Moen she had a rare kidney condition that would require months of treatment. (Findlay, 11/12)

In other public health news —

AP: Measles Case Confirmed, Possible Sea-Tac Airport Exposure
King County health officials say they’ve confirmed a new measles case in a child, with possible exposures at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Public Health — Seattle & King County officials said Wednesday that the highly-contagious infection likely happened while the child was traveling outside the United States. Before the child was diagnosed, he had been on Nov.5 near the airport’s Gate N-11 and Carousel 13 in the baggage claim area. Health officials are advising anyone who was in that area from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. that they could have been exposed to measles. (11/12)

CIDRAP: Romaine Lettuce Possible Source For Third Recent US E Coli Outbreak
In the third multistate Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak reported this fall—this one affecting 12 people—Tanimura & Antle, of Salinas, California, is recalling its packaged single-head romaine lettuce that was packaged Oct 15 and 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday. Among the 12 E coli infections across six states, 5 patients have been hospitalized. Illinois has 4 cases, and Michigan, California, and Pennsylvania each have 2. Illness-onset dates range from Sep 2 to Oct 14. (11/11)

The New York Times: UPS To Allow Natural Black Hairstyles And Facial Hair 
UPS will allow workers to have facial hair and natural Black hairstyles like Afros and braids as it becomes the latest company to shed policies widely criticized as discriminatory amid nationwide demands for racial justice. The delivery company, which has more than 525,000 employees worldwide, said it was also eliminating gender-specific rules as part of a broader overhaul of its extensive appearance guidelines, which cover hair, piercings, tattoos and uniform length. (Levenson, 11/11)

ESPN: Maryland Vs. No. 3 Ohio State Off Due To Coronavirus
Maryland's football game against No. 3 Ohio State is canceled and will not be rescheduled after the Terps paused all team-related activities on Wednesday because of an elevated number of coronavirus cases within the Terrapins' program, the school announced on Wednesday. Over the past seven days, eight Maryland football players have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a news release from the school. (Dinich, 11/11)

The New York Times: N.Y. Will Limit Private Gatherings And Require Bars And Restaurants To Close Daily At 10 P.M.
With coronavirus cases surging in New York and across the country, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Wednesday that private indoor and outdoor gatherings statewide would be limited to 10 people and that gyms, bars and restaurants must close daily at 10 p.m. The restrictions will take effect Friday, and Mr. Cuomo said that local governments will be responsible for enforcing them. The limit on gatherings will apply to private homes. The curfew will apply only to bars and restaurants licensed by the state liquor authority, and restaurants can continue to provide takeout and delivery after 10 p.m., but only for food. (11/12)

The New York Times: 19% Positivity Rate As Outbreak Accelerates In N.J.’s Largest City 
As the coronavirus started surging in New Jersey’s largest city, officials introduced the state’s first new coronavirus lockdown two weeks ago, mandating an 8 p.m. indoor closing time for all restaurants, bars and nonessential businesses citywide. But then the number of new cases in the city, Newark, climbed even higher: Over the last four days, there have been 842 new reported infections, and 19 percent of people tested over three days last week were found to have the virus, city and county officials said. (Armstrong and Tully, 11/11)

Columbus Dispatch: COVID In Ohio: DeWine Says Restaurants, Bars Could Close; Businesses Must Enforce Mask Wearing
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine took action to curtail the exploding COVID-19 epidemic on Wednesday, threatening to close restaurants, bars and fitness centers, imposing a revised mask order that could briefly close businesses for violations and cracking down on post-event gatherings. ... DeWine did not specify what virus case level would trigger the closures as infections spiral to unprecedented levels and the rapid spread of the virus likely will continue to fuel cases for days to come. The governor's office could provide no more details on Wednesday night. (Ludlow, 11/11)

The Hill: Indiana Governor To Reimpose Coronavirus Restrictions In Most Counties 
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) is expected to reimpose coronavirus restrictions in most counties in the state on Wednesday amid rising hospitalizations and deaths. The restrictions, set to go into effect next weekend, will apply to 87 of the state’s 92 counties, which are considered to be at the two higher-risk levels of virus spread. The highest-risk red counties will only allow gatherings of up to 25 people, while the next-highest orange counties will permit crowds of up to 50 people, the governor said during his address. (Coleman, 11/11)

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: COVID-19 In MS: Reeves Extends Mask Mandate For 15 Counties
Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday he is extending his Safe Recovery order into December, affecting residents in 15 counties across the state. The order will now remain in effect until Dec. 11. It was originally set to expire at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Reeves said in a news release that he knows everyone in the state is growing increasingly more frustrated by the orders, but reiterated their importance. (Rowe, 11/11)

In other COVID-related news from the states —

Burlington Free Press: Burlington Detects Increased COVID-19 Prevalence Per Wastewater Monitoring
Residents of Burlington's New North End appear to be flushing down the toilet evidence of an increased presence of COVID-19 in their neighborhood. The city's wastewater monitoring program detected heightened prevalence of the disease in this neighborhood, according to a statement issued Monday by Mayor Miro Weinberger, who called on residents in the area to keep gatherings small and take other COVID-19 precautions (like testing) if warranted. (Syed, 11/11)

Albuquerque Journal: Governor Chooses UNM Dean/Doctor As DOH Secretary
A New Mexico doctor with a research background and a self-described interest in social justice issues will take the reins of the state Department of Health, a state agency on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Tracie Collins, the dean of the University of New Mexico’s College of Population Health, was appointed on Wednesday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and will start her new job next month.She will succeed former DOH Secretary Kathy Kunkel, who stepped down this fall. (Boyd, 11/11)

Stat: Generic Makers To Partner With Medicines Patent Pool On Covid-19 Drugs
In an unusual move, 18 big generic drug makers have pledged to work with a leading nonprofit organization to accelerate access to Covid-19 treatments for low- and middle-income countries. The idea is to encourage brand-name drug makers to negotiate deals to either license rights to their medicines or, where licenses are unnecessary, make it possible to increase manufacturing capacity, according to the Medicines Patent Pool, a United Nations-backed agency that works with the pharmaceutical industry to widen access to medicines and that helped organized the effort. (Silverman, 11/11)

AP: Turkey Bans Smoking In Public Places To Curb Virus Spread
Turkey’s interior ministry has banned smoking in public places across the country to curb the spread of COVID-19. In a statement late Wednesday, the ministry said smoking would be banned in busy streets, bus stops and public squares when necessary. It said the nationwide mask mandate in public spaces, which has been in effect for several months, must be followed at all times and smokers were routinely violating the mask rule. (11/12)

The Washington Post: Bolsonaro Says Brazilians Must Stop Being ‘Sissies’ About Coronavirus 
Brazil should stop being “a country of sissies,” President Jair Bolsonaro said Tuesday as the country’s coronavirus death toll surpassed 162,000 — the second highest in the world, behind only the United States. “All of us are going to die one day,” the far-right leader told reporters at a news conference, Reuters reported. “Everyone is going to die. There is no point in escaping from that, in escaping from reality. We have to stop being a country of sissies.” (Noori Farzan and Berger, 11/11)

The Washington Post: New Zealand Reports Infection With No Link To Quarantine Facilities For The First Time Since August
For the first time since August, New Zealand has identified a mystery coronavirus infection with no known link to government-supervised quarantine facilities, suggesting possible community transmission. Authorities said Thursday that the case involves a young woman who lives alone and attends the Auckland University of Technology, but has not been on campus since the middle of October. (Farzan, 11/12)

In other global developments —

Stat: French Regulator Indicted For Manslaughter Over Drug Side Effects
The National Agency for Medicines and Health Products in France has been indicted for “injuries and manslaughter through negligence” in connection with the availability of a Sanofi (SNY) epilepsy drug that has been linked to more than 400 congenital birth defects or stillborn births. The indictment, which the regulator disclosed in a brief statement, is the latest development in a tumultuous scandal over the medicine, known as Depakine in France. (Silverman, 11/11)

Reuters: Hundreds Of Disillusioned Doctors Leave Lebanon, In Blow To Healthcare
In the past year, Lebanon has been through a popular uprising against its political leaders, the bankruptcy of the state and banking system, a COVID-19 pandemic and, in August, a huge explosion at the port that destroyed swathes of Beirut. Some of those who can leave the country have done so, and an increasing number of them are doctors and surgeons, many at the top of their profession. With them goes Beirut’s proud reputation as the medical capital of the Middle East. “This is a mass exodus,” said Boulos, Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the American University of Beirut (AUB). (Nakhoul an Abdallah, 11/12)

CIDRAP: Prepandemic Coronavirus Antibodies May React To COVID-19 
Two preliminary retrospective studies in the United Kingdom, sub-Sahara Africa, and the United States suggest that some people who were never infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 have cross-reactive antibodies against it—perhaps from previous exposure to similar human coronaviruses. (Van Beusekom, 11/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: Novartis Arthritis Drug Fails To Benefit COVID-19 Patients
The Novartis arthritis drug Ilaris didn't improve survival rates for COVID-19 patients or affect their death rate, the drugmaker said Nov. 6. Novartis CMO John Tsai, MD, said that while the drug didn't show the benefit the company was hoping for, it helped to improve scientific understanding of COVID-19 and the role of similar drugs. "There’s still an urgent need for effective ways to combat COVID-19, and we will continue to apply our best scientific minds in support of the global pandemic response," Dr. Tsai said.  (Anderson, 11/6)

CIDRAP: Report Details 70-Day SARS-CoV-2 Shedding In Asymptomatic Leukemia Patient
A Cell case report yesterday details a 105-day infection (as determined by the presence of viral RNA) and 70-day infectious period (live virus detected) in a 71-year old woman with leukemia, suggesting that immunocompromised patients may shed virus for longer than previously recognized. Researchers detailed the case of a Washington state woman with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and low antibody count who was admitted to a Seattle-area hospital for severe anemia, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, for the first time on Mar 2 via reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and continued to test positive through Jun 15 while remaining asymptomatic. The authors suggest this is the longest known case of anyone being actively infected with SARS-CoV-2 while remaining asymptomatic. (11/5)

Modern Healthcare: New Data Drills Down On Comorbidities With Highest COVID-19 Risks
Sanford Health's analysis of the around 44,000 COVID-19 patients it has treated revealed some patterns that have helped the health system get ahead of the virus. Many of the patients who have a harder time fending off COVID-19 also battle underlying chronic conditions, the Sioux Falls, S.D.-based system found. While that has been corroborated by other providers and researchers, new data from FAIR Health show which comorbidities present the most risk to COVID-19 patients. The findings could help risk-stratify patients—particularly as COVID-19 cases are on the rise—and prioritize interventions and vaccination distribution, providers said. (Kacik, 11/11)

JAMA Network: Association Between Nursing Home Crowding And COVID-19 Infection And Mortality In Ontario, Canada
What is the association of crowding in nursing homes, defined as the mean number of residents per bedroom and bathroom, with nursing home coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality?Findings  In this cohort study that included more than 78 000 residents of 618 nursing homes in Ontario, Canada, COVID-19 mortality in homes with low crowding was less than half (578 of 46 028 residents [1.3%]) than that of homes with high crowding (874 of 32 579 residents [2.7%]). (Brown et al, 11/9)

American Academy Of Pediatrics: Atrioventricular Block In Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome 
Children are at risk for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Cardiovascular complications, including ventricular dysfunction and coronary dilation, are frequent, but there are limited data on arrhythmic complications. (Dionne, 11/1)

Also —

Becker's Hospital Review: Common Antidepressant May Halt Childhood Cancer Growth, Study Suggests
The antidepressant drug paroxetine led to a significant reduction in childhood sarcoma tumor growth after being used to treat cancer cells in a mouse model study, according to research published Nov. 6 in Cancer Research. Researchers from Karolinska Institute in Sweden and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found the insulin-like growth factor receptor, also known as IGF1R, a receptor that plays a key role in many cancers, shares characteristics with G protein-coupled receptors, also known as GCPRs, which are the receptors targeted by many existing drugs used to treat conditions like allergies, depression and anxiety. The commonalities between the two groups of receptors indicated that drugs used to target GPCRs might also be able to affect the function of the IGF1R. (Carbajal, 11/6)

The Washington Post: A Fall Coronavirus Disaster Is Already Here. We Can’t Wait Until Inauguration Day To Act.
The last days have brought some good news in the United States’ fight against the coronavirus. President-elect Joe Biden is engaging experts likely to produce improved plans. Pfizer announced evidence that its vaccine is effective. The Trump administration may soon authorize emergency use of this vaccine. These achievements will be too late. (Richard Danzig, James Lawler and Thomas P. Bossert, 11/11)

USA Today: For COVID-19, Vaccine Offers Light At The End Of A Dark Winter
The next few months in the United States are going to be excruciating: Thousands of Americans will die each week from COVID-19, even as a vaccine begins to get rolled out. During this agonizing period, says Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s public health school, “We all need to keep two seemingly contradictory facts in mind: 1. We are entering the hardest days of the pandemic. The next two months will see a lot of infections and deaths. 2. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Today, that light got a bit brighter.” Jha was referring to Monday's report that a new vaccine, being developed by Pfizer Inc. and the German firm BioNTech, is showing a better than expected 90% success rate for preventing COVID-19. (11/11)

Bloomberg: Covid-19 Mutations In Denmark’s Mink Is Danger Sign For Vaccines
The fight against Covid-19 got a big boost this week, with the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine showing much better-than-expected effectiveness in preventing disease in its first readout and Eli Lilly & Co.’s therapeutic antibody getting an Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Other vaccines and treatments are likely to follow with similarly positive data. So far so good. But exactly how jubilant should we be? Answering this question depends in large measure on how quickly the virus mutates and finds a way to bypass vaccines and other approved therapies. How quickly it mutates, in turn, depends on our ability to slow the spread through responsible mitigation measures. (Sam Fazeli, 11/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Case For Mask Mandate Rests On Bad Data
The top scientific journal Nature Medicine published a study on Oct. 23 with an astounding claim: By simply wearing masks at higher rates, Americans could prevent as many as 130,000 Covid-19 fatalities by the end of February 2021. Produced by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation, or IHME, the study garnered immediate acclaim. Unfortunately, the IHME modelers’ findings contained an error that even minimal scrutiny should have caught. The projected number of lives saved, and the implied case for a mask mandate, are based on a faulty statistic. (Phillip W. Magness, 11/11)

NBC News: Trump's Covid Misinformation Is Now Mainstream. And Winter Is Coming.
Disinformation and misinformation are now the biggest factors in our pandemic response. For a physician and a public health worker like me, one of the most heartbreaking figures to circulate after last week's election was the poll that said almost half of U.S. voters think the pandemic is somewhat or mostly under control. The United States has officially entered what is likely to be the worst surge of Covid-19 it has seen to date. (Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, 11/11)

Stat: Developmental Disorders Heighten The Risk Of Dying From Covid-19 
Some underlying medical conditions put Covid-19 patients at higher risk of severe outcomes, including death. But much remains unknown about exactly which conditions are involved and how much they increase risk. (Robin Gelburd, 11/11)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Lesson: Diseases Can Be Ideal Biological Weapons
Here’s what leaders of nations considering biological weapons could be learning. Weaponizing disease could allow them to infiltrate military assets and infect the highest-level leaders of powerful nations. They could cripple economies in a matter of months. They could drive significant disinformation and confusion if countries have to worry that every new outbreak could be an intentional attack. Unfortunately, the current pandemic shows that easily transmissible diseases may be ideal biological weapons if the aim is to infect as many people as possible, even if that approach endangers the aggressors’ own population. (Christine Parthemore and Andy Weber, 11/12)

The New York Times: New York City Must Hit Pause On Indoor Dining
New York residents and officials, it’s time to face some cold, hard facts. The city is on the cusp of its second wave of the coronavirus. As such, restrictions need to be brought back, as economically and socially painful as they might be. Indoor dining at city restaurants should end. Gyms and some other nonessential businesses ought to be closed again. Religious leaders should tell their congregants to stay home, for safety’s sake, until the current surge is brought to heel. Holiday plans must be limited. Companies should again tell their staffs to work from home whenever possible. All New Yorkers need to recommit to wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding unnecessary exposure risks whenever possible. Taking these steps will help keep children in the city’s classrooms, which should be a priority. (11/11)

New York Post: Cuomo’s New COVID Rules Will $Queeze New York Dry
Here we go again: On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo slapped new restrictions on businesses and social gatherings amid an uptick in COVID cases. Is a full-blown lockdown far off? Private gatherings will now be limited to 10 people, and restaurants, bars and gyms must close by 10 p.m. Tougher measures may be around the corner, Cuomo warned. ...The moves have little to do with science — or common sense: Science shows kids aren’t at high risk of catching or spreading COVID. Plus, the virus is getting less deadly, and a vaccine is on the horizon. Of course, Cuomo wants to block New Yorkers from getting that vaccine until Joe Biden takes office. (11/11)

USA Today: As California Wildfires Raged, Incarcerated Exploited For Labor
While everyone knows California fought more than 600 fires this season, very few people are aware that each year, thousands of incarcerated men, women and teenagers join one of 192 inmate fire crews. They earn as little as $2.90 a day, work in brutal 24-hour shifts, battle out-of-control blazes and risk their lives in unbelievably dangerous conditions, just to get a shot at having their criminal records erased. And they do all of this after just two weeks of training. (Jared A. Brock, 11/11)

Stat: Philanthropy Should Help Fund Exceptional Young Scientists 
Even as governments around the world have responded to the Covid-19 crisis by making unprecedented commitments of billions of dollars toward vaccine and therapeutic development and trillions more for economic stimulus, this pandemic may be stifling our ability to respond to the next ones that are certain to come. Below the radar are large-scale hiring freezes, job cuts, and uncertainty for younger researchers and faculty members who represent the future of science. (Gary Michelson and Wayne C. Koff, 11/12)