NPR: U.S. Will Share 60 Million Doses Of AstraZeneca Vaccine With Other Countries
The United States will release 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from drugmaker AstraZeneca to other countries over the next several months, the White House announced Monday. The vaccine, which has not been authorized for use in the U.S., will be released once it clears safety reviews by the Food and Drug Administration. That could happen in the "coming weeks," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a press briefing. The White House did not specify which countries would receive the vaccine, but about 10 million doses are ready to ship once regulatory clearance has been granted, Psaki said. The remaining doses are expected to be distributed throughout May and June. (Sullivan, 4/26)

Reuters: U.S. To Share Up To 60 Mln AstraZeneca Vaccine Doses Globally -White House 
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the United States would release the doses to other countries as they become available. She said there could be 10 million doses cleared for export "in coming weeks." About 50 million more doses are currently being produced and could ship in May and June. (Shalal, 4/26)

Axios: Biden's Move To Share Vaccine Doses Could Be A Global Game Changer 
While relatively small compared to the 231 million doses the U.S. has already administered, 60 million doses would be a major boost to the severely strained global supply. The COVAX initiative, the primary source of vaccines for dozens of lower-income countries, has thus far only distributed 45 million doses globally. (Lawler, 4/26)

In related news about the AstraZeneca vaccine from Canada and Europe —

Fox News: Canada Says AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccines From Troubled Emergent Lab 'Safe'
Canadian health authorities attempted to assuage concerns Sunday about the safety of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from a troubled Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore, Md. The manufacturing facility, known as Bayview, saw 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine go to waste after a dosage mix-up last month. The U.S. FDA recently ran an investigation at the facility, and as a result, "cited a number of observations concerning whether the facility’s processes met our requirements and standard," per a statement issued last week. (Rivas, 4/26)

Axios: European Commission Sues AstraZeneca For Vaccine Shortages 
The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against AstraZeneca for providing only a third of the supply of coronavirus vaccines agreed to in its contract, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. It's the latest in a string of controversies related to the European Union's vaccine rollout, which has been plagued by supply shortages, a slow pace of distribution, and concerns about potential rare blood clots linked to AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. (Basu, 4/26)

New York Post: Coronavirus Herd Immunity 'Getting Close' In Some Regions, NIH Director Says
The director of the National Institutes of Health on Sunday predicted that the U.S. could reach "herd immunity" from COVID-19 at 70% to 85% of people vaccinated or previously infected – and said some regions of the country are getting close to that. Dr. Francis Collins said experts "don’t really quite know" yet the exact rate of the population that needs some form of protection to achieve herd immunity, but the benchmark is likely "up there around 70, 85%." "We’re not there yet. You can see some places in the country that are getting close to that with a combination of having had a lot of cases of COVID, which also provides you with some immunity, plus the vaccines," Collins told NBC host Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press." (Salo, 4/26)

Axios: COVID-19 Vaccines: 73% Of Unvaccinated Americans Say They Won't Take J&J Shot 
About 3 in 4 unvaccinated adult Americans are unwilling to get the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, a Washington Post-ABC News poll out Monday indicates. Less than half of all U.S. adults polled said they thought the J&J shot — which presents fewer logistical challenges than the more temperature-controlled, two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — is safe. (Rummier, 4/26)

In other updates on the vaccine rollout —

CNN: West Virginia Giving People Under 35 $100 Savings Bonds For Getting Vaccinated 
West Virginia will give $100 savings bonds to residents ages 16 to 35 who get vaccinated against Covid, Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday. "Every single one of our young people -- we're going to give a $100 savings bond to every single one that steps up and takes their vaccines," Justice, a Republican, said at a news conference. (Lobosco and Smith, 4/26)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia To Close State-Run COVID Vaccine Centers By May 21, As Demand Falls
The state of Georgia on Monday said it expects to close its eight mass vaccination sites before Memorial Day as demand has waned at the temporary facilities and as more COVID-19 vaccines are available through private providers. The state-run facilities, which are scattered across Georgia, helped rapidly expand access to COVID-19 vaccines. To-date more than 300,000 doses, or about 5% of all doses, have been distributed through them. (Scott Trubey, 4/26)

Houston Chronicle: After COVID Vaccine 'Hunger Games,' Providers Say Houston Demand Has Crashed
Two months ago, lines for COVID-19 vaccines wrapped around clinic sites. Those who could take off a morning or afternoon mid-week drove across county lines for a shot. Workers rushed to retail pharmacies in hopes of catching extra doses at the end of the day. These days, hospitals and public health sites are desperate to fill their vaccine schedules. Demand has come crashing down across Texas. At the NRG Park vaccine clinic run jointly between the county and FEMA, public health staff can administer as many as 6,000 doses a day, yet last week the number of doses administered at the site dipped below 3,000 a day. (Wu, 4/26)

The Washington Post: D.C. To Ease Restrictions, Change Vaccine Sign-Ups As Cases Slowly Fall In Region 
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser confirmed Monday that the city will ease some coronavirus-related restrictions in May and said the District is transitioning away from its preregistration system in favor of “high-capacity” walk-up vaccination sites. With more than 237,000 residents now at least partially vaccinated, the city on Saturday will begin using 11 vaccination sites that don’t require an appointment, Bowser said. Hours and locations of the walk-up sites will be posted on VaccineFinder.org. Residents still can schedule appointments directly with city pharmacies, clinics and health-care providers, but D.C. will only accept preregistrations through its portal until Wednesday. (Brice-Saddler and Cox, 4/26)

Philadelphia Inquirer: N.J. Relaxes Crowd Restrictions As COVID-19 Cases Drop, Vaccinations Rise; Providers Resume Johnson & Johnson Shots
More people will be allowed at some indoor and outdoor gatherings in New Jersey next month, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday, saying he would increase crowd-size limits thanks to dropping coronavirus case numbers and a steady pace of vaccinations. Meanwhile, vaccine providers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey were resuming the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which will allow them to accelerate efforts to reach vulnerable populations. At the same time, they are assessing whether the 11-day pause on the shot has exacerbated public hesitancy about getting immunized. (McDaniel, McCarthy and Steele, 4/26)

Capital & Main: Why California's Undocumented Immigrants Remain Vaccine-Resistant 
As it became apparent over the past weeks that the supply of COVID-19 vaccine wouldn’t be a significant issue in California much longer, the challenge to the state’s vast network of rural and community clinics seemed clear. Job one for health workers was to allay concern about the safety of the vaccine itself, especially among immigrant populations that might be wary of receiving a shot. That remains a challenge. “It is slow going and a lot of work,” Dr. Melissa Marshall, CEO of five CommuniCare clinics in Yolo County, told Capital & Main on Friday. “Many are hesitant due to fears of vaccine side effects.” (Kreidler, 4/26)

In updates on vaccine development and side effects —

Axios: Sanofi To Manufacture 200 Million Moderna COVID Vaccines In U.S. 
Sanofi announced Monday it will manufacture up to 200 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at its site in Ridgefield, New Jersey, from September. The agreement between Sanofi and Moderna should not only boost the U.S. coronavirus vaccine rollout, it should also help global efforts as the doses will likely be exported. (Falconer, 4/26)

CNN: What Women Should Know About The Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine 
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration lifted the pause on the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine on Friday. The agencies previously had decided to pause administration of the vaccine due to cases of an extremely rare blood clotting disorder found in six women between the ages of 18 and 49 who had gotten the shot. The initial pause was intended to inform health care providers about this rare disorder and its treatment, and to see if other cases would emerge. (Hetter, 4/27)

WUSF Public Media: USF Will Study Allergic Reactions To COVID-19 Vaccines 
The University of South Florida is participating in a clinical trial to determine whether people with a history of severe allergies are at greater risk for allergic reactions to the Moderna or Pfizer coronavirus vaccines. As of Tuesday, 132,321,628 people have received at least one dose of either vaccine in the United States. Of those who received the Pfizer shot, 10 to 12 people per million experienced anaphylaxis. With Moderna, that number fell to less than 3 per million. (Wentz, 4/26)

CNN: Biden Will Announce New CDC Mask Guidance Tuesday, Sources Say 
President Joe Biden is expected to announce Tuesday that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for wearing masks outdoors, three people familiar with the expected announcement said. Ahead of his first address to Congress on Wednesday, the President will give remarks on the state of the pandemic on Tuesday. The three people familiar with the expected announcement said Biden will announce new CDC guidance on whether vaccinated people need to wear masks outdoors, though the final language of the expected announcement is still unclear. (Collins and Sullivan, 4/26)

Bloomberg: Vaccinated Americans May Get Clearance to Not Wear Masks Outdoors
A growing call for health officials to relax rules about outdoor mask wearing could soon lead to one of the most significant changes in virus guidelines since the U.S. first told Americans to don face coverings to curb the spread of Covid-19. Outdoor mask wearing has been the subject of controversy in recent weeks. There’s evidence that vaccines not only prevent illness, but also viral transmission. And with the U.S. averaging 2.74 million vaccine doses daily -- with a total of 231 million given out overall -- even some public health experts are calling for less strict guidelines as warmer weather arrives. (Brown, 4/26)

In other mask news —

CNN: Alaska Airlines Bans State Lawmaker For Her 'Continued Refusal To Comply' With Mask Mandate 
An Alaska state lawmaker who had called flight attendants "mask bullies" and clashed with airline employees on video over mask rules is now banned from Alaska Airlines for her "continued refusal to comply" with the mask policy, the airline said in a statement. The restriction on Republican state Sen. Lora Reinbold will make her job more difficult: Alaska Airlines operates the only regular flights between her home north of Anchorage and the state capital in Juneau. (Bradner and Silverman, 4/26)

KFVS: Face Masks No Longer Required Outside Or At Small Events In Ky.
On Monday, Governor Andy Beshear announced that starting on April 27, the statewide mask mandate will no longer be in effect when Kentuckians are outside at events or venues with 1,000 people or fewer. “What this means is at events like the Kentucky Derby, you still have to wear a mask, but if you’re at a backyard barbeque, your community pool or an outdoor wedding, you’re not required to wear a mask,” said Gov. Beshear. “We hope this is a relief for people, and remember, the state will be able to lift even more restrictions once the 2.5 million vaccine Team Kentucky Vaccination Challenge is reached.” (4/26)

The Daily Beast: Tucker Carlson Tells Fox Viewers To Call The Cops If They See Kids Wearing Masks Outdoors
Raging against face masks on Monday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson told his viewers they should openly harass anyone they see wearing masks outside and go so far as to call the police or social services on the parents of any children with masks on. Carlson, who was a proponent of mask-wearing to help stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic as recently as last March, has since become a fierce critic of face masks and other COVID-19 restrictions, guidelines, and mitigation efforts. (Baragona, 4/26)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson Disputes Scientific Consensus On Effectiveness Of Masks
 Despite broad scientific consensus, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson cast doubt Monday on whether masks prevent the spread of COVID-19, saying he thought there would have been fewer infections and deaths if they worked. The Republican from Oshkosh said he supports wearing masks but expressed skepticism about their effectiveness. (Marley and Beck, 4/26)

The Washington Post: Vaccinated? Great. You Should Still Wear A Mask When Gathering In Public, Experts Say. 
More than 94 million Americans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Despite so many invigorated immune systems, the populace still needs to keep wearing masks, public health specialists say. The country is not yet so protected it can forgo face coverings. Case counts have spiked in some hot spots. Meanwhile, it’s clearer than ever that masks protect wearers as well as those nearby. (Guarino, 4/26)

Also —

Voice of America: Peru Begins Requiring Double Masks 
Peru is now mandating that people wear two face masks in places where crowding is possible like commercial buildings. The regulation, aimed at slowing a deadly second wave of the virus, began Monday, and was first reported in Peru's national newspaper, El Peruano.  (4/27)

The Washington Post: Thai Prime Minister Fined $190 For Not Wearing Mask In Covid-19 Meeting 
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was fined 6,000 baht ($190) for not wearing a mask at an emergency government meeting on Monday, according to local officials in Bangkok. “The prime minister agreed to pay the fine,” Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang wrote on Facebook on Monday, explaining that he had visited Prayuth with several senior police officers several hours after photographs of the Thai leader attending the event without a mask spread online. (Taylor, 4/26)

Politico: Biden Administration Advances Emergency Covid Workplace Safety Rules After Weeks Of Delay 
The Biden administration is advancing emergency workplace safety rules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus after weeks of delay and growing pressure from Democrats and safety advocates. The Labor Department sent the safety standards to the Office of Management and Budget for review Monday night, according to a DOL spokesperson, the first step before they are released publicly and go into effect. (Rainey, 4/26)

In related news about workplace restrictions —

The Wall Street Journal: Want That Job Offer? A Covid-19 Vaccine Is Now Required. 
At the New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park, a recent job posting for a sommelier lists a string of necessary skills, including exceptional wine knowledge and an ability to lift 50 pounds. The last requirement on the list: a Covid-19 vaccination. As the U.S. job market heats up, positions operating machines in Louisville, Ky., working in offices in Houston and waiting on diners in Manhattan now require that candidates be vaccinated—or be willing to get their Covid-19 shot within 30 days of hire. (Cutter, 4/26)

USA Today: Lawmakers In Over 40 States Seek To Ban COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements
As the federal government works to make COVID-19 vaccines available to all Americans, lawmakers in more than 40 states have introduced legislation that would forbid mandates requiring people get vaccinated. Often advanced by vaccine skeptics and sponsored by Republicans, most seek to prohibit businesses from requiring employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or limit school and daycare vaccination entry requirements. (Weise and Lange, 4/27)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Investing Millions In Staff COVID-19 Vaccine Bonuses
A staff petition at Houston Methodist denouncing the healthcare system's move to "take this basic American right away" by threatening to fire staff who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine has attracted the support of more than 4,150 signatories, reflecting thin line payers and providers walk when thinking of how to promote vaccination among employees. "Many employees are scared that they lose their job or be forced to inject the vaccine into their body against their will to keep their jobs and feed their family," the petition reads. "We just want the power to choose for ourselves and not take this basic American right away from us!" (Tepper, 4/26)

The New York Times: Florida Private School Bars Vaccinated Teachers From Student Contact 
A private school in the fashionable Design District of Miami sent its faculty and staff a letter last week about getting vaccinated against Covid-19. But unlike institutions that have encouraged and even facilitated vaccination for teachers, the school, Centner Academy, did the opposite: One of its co-founders, Leila Centner, informed employees “with a very heavy heart” that if they chose to get a shot, they would have to stay away from students. In an example of how misinformation threatens the nation’s effort to vaccinate enough Americans to get the coronavirus under control, Ms. Centner, who has frequently shared anti-vaccine posts on Facebook, claimed in the letter that “reports have surfaced recently of non-vaccinated people being negatively impacted by interacting with people who have been vaccinated.” (Mazzei, 4/26)

KHOU.com: Houston Methodist employees have until June 7 to get COVID-19 vaccine or they're fired
Some employees at Houston Methodist are upset over the hospital’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccine rule, saying they want more time. As of Friday, the hospital said 89 percent of employees have been vaccinated, and they’re telling everyone else they must get the vaccine by June 7 in order to keep their jobs. (Bludau, 4/23)

KHOU.com: Nurse Willing To Be Fired Instead Of Following Houston Methodist's COVID Vaccine Requirements 
Drive-thru and walk-up COVID-19 sites are now accepting anyone 16 years old and up. Houston-area cities and counties are doing everything they can to get residents vaccinated. But even with vaccination sites open until 9 p.m. Houston Methodist Hospital registered nurse Jennifer Bridges is just not ready to get a shot, even if it means losing her job. ... Bridges plans to fight off getting the vaccine until the deadline about six weeks away. “I think our rights as human begins are more important than keeping that job,” Bridges said. (Correa, 4/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: First-Grader Dies Of COVID-19 Complications In Minnesota
A first-grader with no underlying health conditions has died from complications due to COVID-19, according to a statement from the Minnesota Department of Health. “It is simply heartbreaking to hear that COVID-19 has taken the life of someone so young,” Gov. Tim Walz said in the statement Monday afternoon. The child was a first-grader at Park Side Elementary School, Marshall Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Williams told CNN in an email. “I recognize this is scary and concerning for many,” he wrote in a letter to parents, urging them to observe their children for signs of infection. “This sadly reinforces that the pandemic is not over and the precautions that we are taking are not just for our own safety, but for all Minnesotans — including our youngest students who are not yet eligible for the vaccine,” Heather Mueller, the state’s education commissioner, said in a statement. (Vaziri, Beamish and Fracassa, 4/26)

CBS News: COVID-19 Outbreak Hits Pennsylvania School As Kids Fuel New Cases 
A suburb of Philadelphia has seen an alarming coronavirus outbreak among children and several fully vaccinated adults. Eight second-graders and two fully vaccinated family members from Penn Valley Elementary School are in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 — all are connected to a single classroom. "Since we've been open in September, this is the first time we saw this many cases in a single classroom," said Amy Buckman, the director of school and community relations for the Lower Merion School District. (Battiste, 4/26)

Bangor Daily News: COVID-19 Outbreaks Are Spiking Again At Maine Nursing Homes
COVID-19 outbreaks at Maine long-term care facilities are on the rise again this month after declining through much of the winter. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has opened 12 outbreak investigations at long-term care facilities across the state this month, from York to Aroostook counties. That’s more than the number it opened in February and March combined. Those April outbreaks — 10 of which are ongoing — have infected more than 90 residents and staff members, with staff members making up a majority of cases. Nobody in those outbreaks has died. (Marino Jr., 4/27)

The Oregonian: Gov. Kate Brown Expected To Move 14 Counties To ‘Extreme Risk,’ Shutter Indoor Dining In Multnomah And Clackamas Counties 
Oregon’s fourth surge in COVID-19 infections reached new levels Monday, with the number of hospitalized patients soaring past 300 statewide -- a threshold that’s expected to move 14 of 36 counties into the state’s “extreme risk” category and trigger a list of more restrictive measures on business, social and religious life. Multnomah and Clackamas likely will be among the counties Gov. Kate Brown will say must by Friday shutter indoor dining at restaurants and bars, as well as limit gyms, movie theaters, bowling alleys and swimming pools to a maximum of six patrons indoors. Religious institutions will be asked to set an indoor capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is smaller, although those restrictions are not mandatory. (Green, 4/26)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s Coronavirus Percentage Rate Continues To Climb Slightly
The percentage rate of coronavirus cases continues to see a slight uptick throughout the state, as reported by health officials on Sunday. On Wednesday, the state saw a surge in COVID-19 cases, with 590 tallied — the most in a single day since April 6, when 611 were reported. A week ago, the seven-day average was 3.6%. For the past week, which ended Sunday, the seven-day average was 6.1%. While only 281 new cases were reported on Sunday, the percentage rate is 6.86% — higher than the seven-day average. (Gonzalez, 4/25)

Detroit Free Press: Inside The Third Surge At Sparrow: A Lansing Hospital In Overflow
Jeanne Bishop and Kathleen Marble are huddled together over their laptop and notes, quietly trying to figure out where they’re going to put all the kids and infants coming into Sparrow Hospital with COVID-19. It’s Tuesday, April 20, and the 8 a.m. incident command meeting has just wrapped. Now the real work begins. “We haven't really seen it in the population until last week,” says Marble, the nursing director for pediatric services at the Lansing hospital. Her eyes are tired, and she’s pushed her glasses on top of her head. “And now, our numbers are going up now in both (pediatric) ICU and pediatrics.” The youngest infant they’ve admitted is just  2 months old. (Wells, 4/26)

AP: Rural Humboldt County Sees COVID-19 Spike Linked To Church
Humboldt County in rural Northern California is seeing a spike in COVID-19 infections that health officials say is linked to superspreader events, including one linked to a Pentecostal church.COVID-19 infections in the county, known for its beautiful landscapes and booming marijuana fields, had been declining for weeks but last week officials recorded 130 cases. In comparison, the county recorded 45 cases in the week of April 5. (4/27)

In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —

CNN: Handwashing Falls To Pre-Covid Levels Despite Pandemic, Study Finds 
It's the pandemic mantra: Wash your hands -- often. Do it with lots of soapy bubbles, scrubbing for a full 20 seconds (or the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice). Rinse, dry and repeat as often as possible. And we did. A June 2020 study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found Americans said they were lathering up twice as often as they did in 2019. (LaMotte, 4/26)

STAT: Could Enhanced COVID Tests Help U.S. Track Virus Variants?
Genomic sequencing is one of the best defenses against potentially deadlier or more transmissible variants of the coronavirus. It’s also expensive, slow, and currently almost nonexistent in the United States. So some epidemiologists are advocating for an easier, cheaper, and faster way to help track variants’ paths through the country: a souped-up version of widely available COVID-19 diagnostic tests that can flag samples with any problematic genetic tweaks. (Renault, 4/26)

Stat: What's Next For Diagnostic Labs, A 'Bright Spot" During Covid-19? 
As U.S. diagnostic labs began confronting the Covid-19 pandemic in early March 2020, they faced monumental challenges to quickly build laboratory capacity. That included ramping up staffing and finding sources for the equipment and supplies needed to handle an unpredictable surge in the volume of Covid-19 testing. (White, 4/26)

CIDRAP: Studies Detail Likely COVID-19 Aerosol Spread In Vans, Car
Two new studies suggest infectious COVID-19 aerosols can travel in passenger cars and vans. The first study, from Clinical Infectious Diseases, found that two Cleveland-area van drivers traveling to a hospital 2 hours away most likely spread COVID-19 to their passengers. SARS-CoV-2 strains between infected passengers and their respective drivers were closely related, and in a simulation using fluorescent microspheres, airflow transported both small and larger droplets greater than 3 meters from the front to the back of the van. (4/26)

CIDRAP: Higher Stroke Risk Linked To Asymptomatic COVID-19 In Younger Men
Men under 50 recovering from asymptomatic COVID have double the likelihood of acute ischemic strokes (AIS) compared with men of the same age without COVID infection, according to a study last week in JAMA Network Open. Eighteen South Asian men were treated in Singapore for AIS a median of 54.5 days after their initial COVID-19 diagnosis. Twelve (67.7%) had no known pre-existing risk factors. While AIS is a known neurologic complication from symptomatic COVID-19, none of these men experienced respiratory symptoms during their infection. (4/26)

Bloomberg: Israel Examines Heart Inflammation Cases After Pfizer Shot
Israel is examining dozens of cases where people experienced heart inflammation after receiving Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s coronavirus vaccine. Health officials are investigating whether the cases are connected with the shot which has been administered to more than 5 million people, Corona Commissioner Nachman Ash said Sunday in an interview with Radio 103FM. The government identified 62 incidents of inflammation of the heart muscle, or heart-muscle membrane, Channel 12 reported last week, citing a health ministry study. (Odenheimer, 4/26)

In other covid research news —

CNN: Is It Safe To Go To Playgrounds In A Pandemic? A Guide 
Playgrounds seem like -- and in many cases are -- a relatively safe pandemic activity, but there are factors that can complicate the issue. Playgrounds are "a great opportunity to get families together and be outside and enjoy, but do so in a safe way," said Dr. Ada Stewart, a family physician with Cooperative Health in Columbia, South Carolina, and the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Safety precautions are also important because the Covid-19 vaccines currently aren't authorized for children under 16. (Rogers, 4/27)

CNN: Is It Safe To Go To Basketball Games And More In A Pandemic? A Guide 
As more of the population gets Covid-19 vaccines, you may be wondering whether the time to trade your couch for a stadium seat is finally here. The factors that made pre-pandemic sporting events fun -- excited people crowding together, cheering, talking, eating, drinking and sometimes doing all of these things indoors -- make games potentially problematic now. (Rogers, 4/26)

Stat: The Lessons The World Can Learn From Epidemics That Were Contained
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage, a new report urges the world not to allow itself to be taken down this road again. The report, called Epidemics That Didn’t Happen, makes the case for improved pandemic preparedness by highlighting infectious diseases outbreaks that the world was able to contain. (Branswell, 4/27)

AP: COVID Treatment Has Improved, But Many Wish For An Easy Pill
If Priscila Medina had gotten COVID-19 a year ago, she would have had no treatments proven safe and effective to try. But when the 30-year-old nurse arrived at a Long Island hospital last month, so short of breath she could barely talk, doctors knew just what to do. They quickly arranged for her to get a novel drug that supplies virus-blocking antibodies, and “by the next day I was able to get up and move around,” she said. After two days, “I really started turning the corner. I was showering, eating, playing with my son.” (Marchione, 4/26)

Scientific American: COVID Has Created A Perfect Storm For Fringe Science 
The explosion of disinformation about COVID has been a defining aspect of the pandemic. Alongside the virus itself, we’ve been shadowed by what the World Health Organization has called an infodemic. This is widely known, of course, but much less discussed is the role of ostensible “experts” in perpetuating dangerous fictions. Since the dawn of the crisis, a disconcerting number of eminently qualified scientists and physicians have propagated falsehoods across social media, elevating themselves to the status of gurus in order to lend a veneer of seeming scientific legitimacy to empty, dangerous claims. And these bogus claims, like their pathological namesake, have gone uncontrollably viral. (David Robert Grimes, 4/26)

NPR: USDA Moves To Feed Millions Of Children Over The Summer
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new effort Monday to feed millions of children this summer, when free school meals traditionally reach just a small minority of the kids who rely on them the rest of the year. The move expands what's known as the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, or P-EBT, program into the summer months, and USDA estimates it will reach more than 30 million children. "If children and children's learning and children's health is a priority for us in this country, then we need to fund our priorities," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a Monday interview with NPR's All Things Considered. "I think it's an important day." (Turner, 4/26)

ABC News: Biden Administration Expands USDA Summer Food Program To Feed Over 30M School Kids 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new effort on Monday that will feed more than 30 million children over the summer by expanding the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits funded by President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan. Low-income families struggle to put nutritious food on the table during the summer months when school is out of session, so these programs have acted as a lifeline for some families. (McCarthy, 4/26)

NBC News: Biden Administration To Launch Largest Summer Food Program In U.S. History
It is the latest push by the White House to address widespread hunger and food insecurity in the U.S., one the agency said it believes is the largest summer food program in the country's history. "Congress, through the American Rescue Plan, expanded this program to operate during the summer, which I think was just highly responsive to what we need right now," said Stacy Dean, the deputy under secretary of agriculture for food, nutrition and consumer services. "We know that summer hunger is a problem in normal years, but obviously this year, with heightened food hardship as a result of the pandemic, we're happy to deploy the program this summer." (McCausland, 4/26)

In related news —

KTSM 9 News: 11-Year-Old El Paso Boy Receives Grant To Help End Child Hunger 
Zion Hernandez is in fifth grade and is working to end hunger for kids in El Paso. He spends his free time packing food boxes for families in need but recently received a grant to further his efforts. “A lot of kids are hungry right now, and we feed them, and so we kind of take it as our job to do it,” said Zion Hernandez. Hernandez was awarded the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Youth Grant through Youth Service America. (Kapp, 4/25)

FOX13 News Memphis: Mid-South Food Bank Offering Vaccinations At Two Mobile Food Pantries 
The Mid-South Food Bank will partner with the Memphis Housing Authority, Girl Scouts of America, and First Pharmacy to provide COVID-19 vaccinations during two Mobile Pantry distributions, a release said. (4/26)

WDAM: College Food Pantries Keep Students Focused On Class, Not Food
Some college students have more to think about these days than just taking exams and making good grades. Some have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. To ease that concern, some colleges and universities in the Pine Belt have established food pantries that offer quality food for free. (Herrington, 4/22)

In other news from the Biden administration —

KHN: Evaluating President Joe Biden’s First 100 Days In Office 
In the first 100 days, new presidents try to turn campaign promises into quick legislative victories, defuse lingering crises, set themselves apart from their predecessor and set a leadership tone for the next four years — all while avoiding blunders that could destroy their momentum. So how is President Joe Biden doing as he approaches this mark? Not bad, experts say, given the scale of the crisis he’s tackling and the political opposition he faces in Congress. (Jacobson, 4/27)

The Washington Post: Biden's First Joint Address To Congress: A Historic Backdrop And Sparse Crowd
The address marks the conclusion of the first chapter of Biden’s presidency, one that he has sought to enter with a burst of activity meant to reshape the country’s politics and its place in the world. It will also be yet another vivid collision between the rituals of democracy and the pandemic that continues to grip much of American life. Members and senators won’t be allowed to bring guests. Biden is expected to have few, if any, guests aside from first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff. Those in the chamber will be spread out, with some members on the House floor and others seated in the gallery. (Viser, 4/24)

CBS News: Biden's First Address To Congress Is Invite-Only 
Only invited members of Congress will be allowed to attend President Biden's address to a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday, and the event "will be invitation-only for a limited number of members of Congress," according to a memo from acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett. Any members who have not received an invite from their congressional leadership "will not be permitted in the Capitol after 5 p.m.," according to the memo obtained by CBS News. The sergeant at arms noted the event is restricted due to COVID-19, although it's unclear exactly how many members, and which ones, will be allowed in the Capitol. (Watson, 4/24)

USA Today: Chief Justice John Roberts To Represent Supreme Court At Biden Speech To Congress
A spokeswoman for the nation’s highest court confirmed Monday that only Chief Justice John Roberts will attend the address. Roberts, spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg said, was the only one of the nine justices invited due to COVID-19 social distancing protocols. (Fritze and Hernandez, 4/26)

AP: What's In Biden's Speech To Congress? Lawmakers Race To Add Priorities
Ahead of President Joe Biden’s address to Congress on Wednesday, lawmakers are intensifying the push to make sure key priorities are included in the next phase of his massive infrastructure reinvestment program, the American Families Plan. Biden is expected to unveil parts of the proposal this week, focusing on so-called human infrastructure — child care, health care, education and other core aspects of the household architecture that undergird everyday life for countless Americans. It would be paid for by hiking taxes on very high-income households, in keeping with the president’s vow not to raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 a year. (Mascaro and Boak, 4/27)

Stat: Drug Pricing DéJà Vu: Now It’s Democrats Struggling To Unite On The Issue 
It’s the eve of a major speech by the president, and it’s anyone’s guess what he will say about drug pricing. Swirling rumors have roiled the pharmaceutical industry and Congress over the past week. Top leaders in Congress have no idea what the White House actually supports. Sound familiar? (Cohrs, 4/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Prescription-Drug Price Cuts Set To Be Left Out Of White House Proposal 
The White House isn’t expected to include a measure aimed at lowering the price of prescription drugs in its coming antipoverty package, according to people familiar with the matter, in an omission likely to disappoint top Democrats on Capitol Hill. President Biden will detail the roughly $1.8 trillion proposal during a speech to Congress later this week, rolling out another major spending plan weeks after he released a $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan. While officials are still finalizing the plan, it is set to include funding for child care, universal prekindergarten and tuition-free community college, among other measures. (Duehren and Peterson, 4/26)

CNBC: House Democrat Richard Neal Unveils Sweeping Benefits, Tax Credits For Families
The Democrat in command of the House’s key tax-writing committee will on Tuesday unveil a list of priorities aimed at providing sweeping new benefits to working parents and families. Rep. Richard Neal, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and gatekeeper of new tax legislation, will outline investments in what Democrats are calling “human capital.” (Franck, 4/27)

Stateline: Adoptees Press States For Access To Original Birth Certificates
Peggy Klappenberger of Crownsville, Maryland, has a little game she plays with her two teenage sons. Every time she drives by the hospital where they were born, she points to the window of the room where their birth took place. She makes a point of telling them, over and over, that they are seeing the building where they came into the world. It may seem like a harmless quirk, but there’s a reason it’s so important to her: Klappenberger doesn’t know the name of the hospital where she was born. She doesn’t know her original name, either. (Povich, 4/26)

11alive.com: 2-Year-Old Gets New Heart At Children's After Being Abandoned By Biological Parents In China
Two-year-old Rynli Harris is all smiles after receiving a gift of life with a new heart, months ahead of schedule at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Hospital officials are also grinning ear-to-ear because it was their 400th transplant. “We were told that we might wait up to a year and we were terrified we might not make it to that,” said Tamara Harris, Rynli’s mother. “There’s not words for hearing your child can live and that somebody would, in the midst of the most unbearable grief and pain, would choose life and what that would mean for our daughter.” (Braverman, 4/26)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: UHS Returning CARES Act Grants Received In Q1
For-profit Universal Health Services said Monday it plans to give back the COVID-19 stimulus grants it received in the first quarter of 2021. The King of Prussia, Pa.-based acute-care and behavioral health provider said it will return all $188 million in grants recorded during the quarter ended March 31. The grants were part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act's Provider Relief Fund. UHS said it has begun coordinating the return—expected to take place in the second quarter—using a portion of its cash and cash equivalents held on deposit. (Bannow, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: Study: Quality Declines When Hospitals Have Trouble Borrowing
Hospital quality drops off when hospitals have trouble borrowing money, researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of South Carolina reported on Monday. In the first paper to directly study the effects of a credit crunch on hospital quality, researchers found that hospitals tend to deliver lower-quality care and worse patient outcomes when they respond to tightening credit by making up the difference through increased patient revenue. (Brady, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: Tripathi: Hospitals Should Be Preparing To Share Unstructured Data
Hospitals need to start preparing to share and use unstructured patient data as the next phase of information-blocking regulations from HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology go into effect next year, the Biden administration's top health information-technology official said at an event Monday. The first phase of requirements from a landmark data-sharing rule from ONC went into effect April 5, under which healthcare providers, health information exchanges and certain software developers must share patient data with one another and with patients as requested, unless they meet an exception outlined in the rule. (Kim Cohen, 4/26)

KHN: Pandemic Imperiled Non-English Speakers More Than Others
In March 2020, just weeks into the covid-19 pandemic, the incident command center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston was scrambling to understand this deadly new disease. It appeared to be killing more Black and brown patients than whites. For Latinos, there was an additional warning sign: language. Patients who didn’t speak much, or any, English had a 35% greater chance of death. Clinicians who couldn’t communicate clearly with patients in the hospital’s covid units noticed it was affecting outcomes. (Bebinger, 4/27)

KHN: Big Investors Push Nursing Homes To Upgrade Care And Working Conditions 
Nursing homes and long-term care facilities, where 182,000 Americans perished during the covid pandemic, have taken heat from government regulators, residents and their families. Now the industry is hearing it from an unexpected source: their investors. Investors who own large shares of nursing home companies now are demanding that the operators improve staff working conditions and the quality of care. (Meyer, 4/27)

Bloomberg: Biogen To Make Experimental ALS Drug Available To Dying Patients
Biogen Inc. said it will make an experimental medicine for Lou Gehrig’s disease available to some people who are dying of the incurable illness starting in July, following months of pressure from patients who had no other treatment options. The drug, known as tofersen, will be offered to the most rapidly progressing patients after researchers complete a key study this summer, the company said in a statement posted on its website. Tofersen hasn’t been reviewed or approved by regulators in any country. It will be given on a compassionate-use basis after everyone who was given a placebo during the clinical trial has been offered the medicine, Biogen said. (Fay Cortez and LaVito, 4/26)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Stat: Pharma's Reputation Among Patient Groups Is Climbing
Thanks to the rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines, nearly two-thirds of patient advocacy groups believe the pharmaceutical industry was effective at tackling the pandemic, boosting its reputation last year to the highest level in a decade. But at the same time, a majority of the groups also found that, other than research and development, drug makers were lacking in most other areas of operation. (Silverman, 4/26)

Stat: Microbiome Therapeutics Drugs Still Face A Wave Of Challenges
Even as drug makers are poised to introduce actual medicines to change a person’s microbiome and make them healthier, there’s a lot we don’t know about the billions of organisms that live inside us. We don’t know all their names, let alone everything they’re capable of doing. In a deep new report, STAT examines what we do know about this field — the science powering this new array of therapies, the companies already charging toward new drug applications, and, critically, the many challenges still to come. (Sheridan, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: Employers, Payers Seek Transparent Pharmacy Benefit Models
More employers and healthcare payers are carving out their pharmacy benefit management as they seek more transparency, business groups said. Health plans typically administer pharmacy benefit services internally or contract pharmacy benefit managers, which negotiate rebates and discounts with drug manufacturers and pocket an undisclosed share. More employers and payers are contracting directly with PBMs, increasingly working with more transparent managers that pass all the drug rebates and discounts to employers and payers for a set fee. (Kacik, 4/26)

Stat: Bristol Myers Squibb Fights An 'Unreasonable' Australian Law Over Patents
Two big drug makers are challenging a provision in Australian patent law that they argue is “unreasonable,” and the outcome could determine the extent to which the pharmaceutical industry continues to find the Australian market attractive. In a recent complaint, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) and Ono Pharmaceutical (OPHLY) maintain that existing law unfairly restricts the ability of a company to win a five-year patent extension for a product and, moreover, is out of step with the prevailing standards in many other countries. (Silverman, 4/26)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: U.S.' Population Growth Lowest Since '30s At 7.4%
U.S. population growth has slowed to the lowest rate since the Great Depression, the Census Bureau said Monday, as Americans continued their march to the South and West and one-time engines of growth, New York and California, lost political influence. Altogether, the U.S. population rose to 331,449,281 last year, the Census Bureau said, a 7.4% increase that was the second-slowest ever. Experts say that pace reflects the combination of an aging population, slowing immigration and the scars of the Great Recession more than a decade ago, which led many young adults to delay marriage and families. (4/27)

In other public health news —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Real Water Linked To More Hepatitis Cases
The Southern Nevada Health District has linked at least six additional cases of severe liver disease to the Las Vegas-based Real Water brand alkaline water, the district announced Monday. Those six probable cases of acute non-viral hepatitis make for a total of 11, the district said in a news release. A 12th case “meets the clinical criteria” but remains under investigation. All 12 cases resulted in hospitalization; the patients have since been released. None was so ill as to need a liver transplant, the district said. (Hynes and Ferrara, 4/26)

Fox News: VA's Implant Tests Could Help Paralyzed Veterans To Walk Again
Medical professionals at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Virginia are using the latest technology to try to turn paralyzed service members into "cyborgs" – an electrical implant in the spine is designed to stimulate the body's sensorimotor networks, allowing the vets to walk again. Dr. Ashraf Gorgey, chief of spinal cord injury research at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, said a study will try to see if epidural stimulators can help paralyzed vets improve motor activity and operate their cardiovascular and bladder functions. (Miles, 4/26)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Some Find Agoraphobia Is Worse After A Year Of Staying Home: Relearning How To Enjoy Life
While reluctance to break free of the dispiriting, yearlong safety protocols is Greek to some, it’s very real for people who suffer from agoraphobia and lament returning to the workplace or resuming other rhythms of normal life. Clinicians are gearing up for what they are calling FOGO (fear of going out), a post-pandemic syndrome likely to impact those with preexisting anxiety issues. FOGO is the antithesis of another, more familiar acronym — FOMO, or fear of missing out. (Chatelain, 4/27)

The Washington Post: College Graduation Ceremony Safety: Virtual And In-Person 
College graduation-day ceremonies have never felt so up in the air. Last year, the vast majority of schools held only virtual graduations, so students knew they wouldn’t be able to walk across a stage to cheers from their families. But this year, with just weeks to go, some schools are still determining whether they will be able to hold an in-person commencement. And if they can, who will be able to attend? And where will it be held? And what will it look like? (Heim, Andersona nd Strauss, 4/26)

The New York Times: Crohn’s Disease Is On The Rise 
Crohn’s disease was first described in 1932 by Dr. Burrill B. Crohn and colleagues and is one of two chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis is the other) that have no specific cause. Together, they afflict about three million people in the United States. Crohn’s in adults starts on average at age 30, with peak incidence between ages 20 and 30 and a second peak around age 50. The disease tends to run in families, but the genetic risk is not large. One in 10 to one in four patients have a close family member who is affected, and only half of identical twin pairs get it. (Brody, 4/26)

Georgia Health News: Autism In The Pandemic: How People Cope 
Michael Goodroe isn’t the type who worries easily or is quickly scared. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, “I was a little sad,” he says as he sits down in his parents’ Roswell bungalow, his hands neatly folded on the large wooden dining room table. “Because I felt that the life I knew was over, that I wouldn’t be able to be with my friends and other family members anymore.” (Ridderbusch, 4/26)

The Washington Post: You Can Get The Abortion Pill By Mail For Now, The FDA Ruled. But It’s Still An Ongoing Legal Battle. 
Last week, Jamie Phifer, a Seattle-based family physician, did something she has done regularly for the past decade: She had an appointment with a patient seeking an abortion. But this appointment was different from many of the others that came before, because it was virtual. The woman was in another state, sitting in her car in her driveway, while her kids were inside on virtual school, Phifer said. The two spoke by video call. About 36 hours later, abortion pills arrived at the woman’s doorstep. (McShane, 4/26)

CNN: Call For New Approach To End Silence Over Miscarriage 
Miscarriages are common. Some 23 million pregnancies worldwide end in miscarriage every year -- that's 15% of all pregnancies or 44 each minute, according to new estimates published in The Lancet medical journal on Monday. However, existing care and support for women and couples is "inconsistent and poorly organized" and amounts to little more than patients being told to "just try again," said the authors of three new studies on the causes, treatment and scale of miscarriage around the world. A new system is needed to ensure miscarriages are better recognized by health care practitioners and women are given the physical and mental health support they need, the researchers said. (Hunt, 4/26)

CNN: Oklahoma Governor Signs Near-Total Abortion Ban Into Law 
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a near-total abortion ban and two other abortion restrictions into law on Monday, sending a sweeping message that the state-level fight over access to the procedure is far from over. The Sooner State became the second state this year to enact a so-called heartbeat ban -- a law barring most abortions at the onset of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy and before many people know they are pregnant. (Kelly, 4/26)

Billings Gazette: Gianforte Signs Bills Restricting Access To Abortions
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte on Monday signed three bills to limit access to abortion in the state. The bills Gianforte signed ban abortions after 20 weeks gestational age, require a woman be informed of the option to view an ultrasound before an abortion and require informed consent before a drug-induced abortion. Gianforte is the state’s first Republican governor in 16 years and campaigned on an agenda that included limiting access to abortions in the state. Legislation similar to the bills Gianforte signed into law Monday have advanced in past sessions but were vetoed by past Democratic governors. (Michels, 4/26)

In news about policies for transgender people —

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio To Allow Birth Certificate Gender Marker Changes For Transgender People
Transgender people born in Ohio will soon be able to change the gender on their birth certificates. The Ohio Department of Health will not appeal a December court decision requiring the agency to accept requests from transgender people to reflect a gender different from the one assigned at birth, according to a Thursday court filing. The department is working on a process for people to request the change and expects to have it in place by June 1. The agency is also "updating its communications on this issue to reflect compliance with the Court’s December 16, 2020 Order," according to the filing. (Borchardt, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: AMA Urges Governors To Stop Bills Barring Care For Trans Youth
In a letter to the National Governor's Association, the American Medical Association urged opposition to state legislation barring physicians from providing transgender minors with care related to their transition. "We believe it is harmful for any state to legislatively dictate that certain transition related services are never appropriate," wrote AMA CEO and Executive Vice President Dr. James Madara. (Gellman, 4/26)

In other news from the states —

CBS News: Mississippi Prisons End Contract With Controversial Food Provider
A company accused of serving rotten and spoiled meals to inmates in Mississippi is no longer providing food in the state's correctional facilities. The state began a new, three-year deal with the company Merchants Foodservice on March 1 to provide meals to 15 prisons, youth centers and other facilities across the state, according to an agreement signed by Burl Cain, the state's prison commissioner. The deal ends the state's five-year, multimillion-dollar relationship with the company Aramark. (Carissimo, 4/26)

AP: House Passes Bill Allowing Cameras In Nursing Home Rooms
The Connecticut House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly passed legislation that will let residents of nursing homes install cameras in their rooms, allowing them to be monitored virtually by their families. While the issue had been raised in previous legislative sessions, it took on new life this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a visitation ban at nursing homes across the state to prevent the spread of disease. (4/27)

CIDRAP: Measles Infects 2 Children In Connecticut Household
Connecticut's Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently reported two measles cases in a Fairfield County household, the first of which was linked to international travel. State officials reported the first case on Apr 9, which involved a child who wasn't yet vaccinated against measles and contracted the infection during international travel. On Apr 23, it reported a second case in a child from the household. The CDPH said it is working with local partners to identify contacts and implement control measures and that the cases mark the state's first measles reports since 2019. (4/26)

AP: Maine Eyes Creation Of COVID-19 Memorial
Maine might create a memorial for victims of COVID-19 in its state capital city. Democratic Sen. Ben Chipman has introduced a proposal that would lead to the creation of the memorial on the grounds of the Maine State House. The proposal would direct the Legislative Council to fund and design the memorial, the Maine Legislature Senate Majority Office said on Monday. (4/27)

The Baltimore Sun: 3 Maryland Families For Years Criticized David Fowler’s Rulings As Medical Examiner. Then Came Derek Chauvin’s Trial. 
For years, the families of Anton Black, Karreem Ali and Tyrone West have tried to get someone — anyone — to listen. They filed lawsuits, held vigils and investigated, all in hopes of making people take another look at former Maryland Chief Medical Examiner David Fowler’s conclusion that police weren’t responsible for their loved ones’ deaths. Earlier this month, Fowler testified that the Minnesota police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes had nothing to do with Floyd’s death. (Jackson and Tkacik, 4/27)

Reuters: Medical Supplies Flow Into India As COVID-19 Deaths Near 200,000 
Vital medical supplies poured into India on Tuesday as hospitals starved of oxygen supplies and beds turned away coronavirus patients, while a surge in infections pushed the death toll towards 200,000.Supplies from Britain, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, arrived in Delhi, said Reuters partner ANI, while France is sending oxygen generators able to provide 250 patients with a year's supply of the gas, its embassy said. (Jain, Jamkhandikar and Miglani, 4/27)

Bay Area News Group: Coronavirus-Ravaged India To Receive Help From California
California is sending “life-saving oxygen equipment” to India to help the country contend with a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday. As early as Tuesday, the state will ship out 440 oxygen cylinders, 275 oxygen concentrators, 240 oxygen regulators, 210 pulse oximeters and one deployable oxygen concentrator system, or DOCs, the governor’s press office said in a statement. (Green, 4/26)

Reuters: Gilead To Ship 450,000 Remdesivir Vials To India As COVID-19 Cases Surge 
Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD.O) said on Monday it will give India at least 450,000 vials of its antiviral drug remdesivir and help boost production, as the world's second-most populous country reels from surging coronavirus cases. Remdesivir is approved in India for restricted emergency use to treat severe COVID-19 cases, but hospitals are facing supply shortages due to indiscriminate use and the drug is being sold at over 10 times its listed price in the black market. (4/27)

ABC News: How To Help India Amid COVID-19 Surge That's Devastating The Country 
As India faces an overwhelming surge of record-breaking COVID-19 cases and deaths, humanitarian organizations are offering ways to help the country in dire need of resources. Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), a global humanitarian agency that helps in delivering emergency relief, has been working with its India chapter to provide on-the-ground resources during the crisis. (Yamada, 4/26)

In other global developments —

AP: Philippines Weighs Extending Lockdown As COVID Cases Top 1M
Coronavirus infections surged past 1 million in the Philippines on Monday as officials assess whether to extend a monthlong lockdown in the Manila region amid a grim spike in cases or relax it to fight a recession, joblessness and hunger. The Department of Health reported 8,929 new infections on Monday, bringing the country’s total to 1,006,428, including 16,853 deaths. The totals are the second highest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. (Gomez and Favila, 4/27)

Bloomberg: UNICEF To Take 1.3 Million Covid Shots From Congo Over Planning
The United Nations Children’s Fund will take 1.3 million doses from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s delivery of 1.7 million doses and redistribute them to other African countries to avoid their expiration. The vaccines donated by the Covax facility will expire on June 24, Susie Villeneuve, UNICEF’s Regional Adviser for Health Systems Strengthening, West and Central Africa, said at a conference in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, which she joined by video call. (Dontoh, 4/26)

Politico: Brussels Concedes Coronavirus Travel Rules Could Crumble
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is keen to help Americans with their holiday plans — but she's playing catch-up with EU governments who are already doing their own thing.A number of EU countries are breaking away from jointly adopted guidelines on pandemic travel, as some capitals rush to reopen for summer tourists. ... At the Commission’s regular daily news conference on Monday, officials acknowledged that the EU’s travel rules were merely a recommendation that national capitals could ignore, and were also under no obligation to notify Brussels of any deviations. And they acknowledged that von der Leyen’s comments were premature, given that a discussion over changing the rules for external visitors has just gotten underway — and that it’s not yet clear the epidemiological situation justifies adding the U.S. to the list of countries from which nonessential travel to the EU is permissible. (Herszenhorn and Barigazzi, 4/26)

The Washington Post: New Human Rights Watch Report Says Israel Is Committing The Crime Of Apartheid 
Israeli authorities are “committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution,” according to a major new 213-page report released Tuesday by global advocacy group Human Rights Watch. The organization argued that, in terms framed by existing international law, overarching Israeli policy toward Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem constituted an agenda to both maintain Jewish Israeli domination and systematically oppress Palestinians. (Tharoor, 4/27)

Stat: Vaccinations Are Plateauing. Don't Blame It On 'Resistance' 
The signs are clear: The U.S. vaccine rollout is plateauing. A remarkable 230 million shots have been given in a few short months, fully vaccinating about 95 million Americans as I write this. The next 100 million shots will be harder. News reports are chronicling a slowdown in appointments across the nation. The number of daily doses administered is down from the peak of 4.6 million on April 10 to about 3 million today. By now, this historic effort has captured the vaccine-hungry individuals who are eager, well-resourced, technologically savvy, and excited to get vaccinated. But as fewer people sign up to get their shots, a dominant narrative is emerging: It’s because of hesitancy — too many people don’t want to get the vaccine. Some even call this vaccine resistance. (Stefanie Friedhoff, 4/27)

Los Angeles Times: Vaccine Passports Are Needed To Achieve Herd Immunity 
To hear some people tell it, vaccine passports are just another effort by Democrats, progressives and Satan to take away your freedom, just like when they told you to wear a mask and made you shut down your business. In a hyperventilating Wall Street Journal op-ed a couple of weeks ago, two medical school professors lit viciously into the idea of vaccine passports, calling them, among other things, “a coercive scheme to encourage vaccination. ”But vaccine passports aren’t coercive. And as for encouraging vaccination, would that be such a bad thing? (Nicholas Goldberg, 4/27)

Bloomberg: Medical Oxygen Is Key to Covid Fight. It Used to Be Feared.
The desperate scenes playing out in India may foreshadow a dangerous new phase of the pandemic where people die in droves, not of the disease so much as a lack of proper medical care. The situation could get a lot worse thanks to a sudden shortage of medical oxygen in the country. Oxygen is one of most straightforward and proactive ways of treating the disease, which causes hypoxia. When patients begin gasping for air, a steady supply of concentrated oxygen does wonders. It may seem like an obvious treatment in hindsight, yet it took nearly two centuries to overcome strange theories, outright quackery and trench warfare in the medical community and beyond. (Stephen Mihm, 4/26)

The Washington Post: Preserving Intellectual Property Barriers To Covid-19 Vaccines Is Morally Wrong And Foolish 
New covid-19 variants are spreading quickly. An outbreak anywhere could lead to a more deadly or infectious strain hopping around the globe. So why, after three months of making great progress on domestic vaccination, has President Biden not ended a self-defeating policy from the Trump administration that hinders a global initiative to increase access to covid-19 vaccines and treatments? More than 100 countries support a temporary waiver of some World Trade Organization rules that guarantee pharmaceutical firms monopoly control over how much medicine is produced, yet the United States remains opposed. (Joseph E. Stiglitz and Lori Wallach, 4/26)

Chicago Tribune: Helping Jail Inmates Kick An Opioid Addiction Helps Us All 
When Ron Hain was elected sheriff of Kane County in 2018, the county jail had a problem. Inmates who had been released kept dying of drug overdoses — 15 that year. Shortly after taking office, he implemented a new program to provide voluntary drug treatment to inmates who were using heroin and other opioids. Last year, he says, only one released inmate died of a drug overdose. The key here was “medication-assisted treatment,” which gives addicted inmates access to buprenorphine — an opioid used to relieve the misery of withdrawal while curbing cravings for heroin. This may sound like merely substituting one opioid habit for another. But to public health and addiction experts, it’s a way to get drug users to give up dangerous illicit substances, help them straighten out their lives and break the cycles of crime that land them back in jail. (4/26)

Stat: End Fracking Exemptions, A Threat To Maternal And Public Health 
The adoption of safe, clean, renewable energy is an essential element for sustaining the U.S. economy and maintaining the health of its citizens. There are many paths to these goals. Hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, is not one of them. To protect communities across the country today — from the Santa Maria Basin in California to the Appalachian Mountains in northern New York — as well as future generations, the country must rapidly phase out harmful fracking. (Chelsea Clinton, Terry McGovern and Micaela Martinez, 4/26)

Stat: More Pharma Companies Should Become Certified B Corps 
The gradual global shift towards sustainability, with an increased focus on climate change and environmental impact, is an essential movement. I’m concerned that few companies in the pharmaceutical industry have made substantial efforts to join the drive to achieve social, economic, and environmental progress and prosperity. The development and production of drugs requires a significant amount of natural, human, and economic resources, representing myriad risks to the environment and the sustainability of the industry. But there are ways to mitigate these risks and turn that work into opportunities. (Giacomo Chiesi, 4/27)