Stat: Senate Advances Califf’s FDA Nomination Toward Final Vote
In a dramatically close procedural vote Monday night, the Senate voted 49-45 to advance Robert Califf’s nomination to lead the Food and Drug Administration, virtually guaranteeing he will soon be confirmed as its commissioner. The Senate vote Monday night technically only limits debate on Califf’s confirmation; lawmakers will have to hold another formal floor vote on Califf’s confirmation before he assumes the agency’s top job. That vote is expected later this week. But the procedural vote, known as a cloture vote, generally signals how lawmakers will vote on the nomination itself. (Florko and Cohrs, 2/14)

Roll Call: Senate Sets Up Califf Confirmation Vote With Narrow Procedural Win 
Califf faced controversy throughout his nomination process from both parties. The former FDA commissioner had to cut deals with multiple lawmakers ahead of the floor vote, trading policy promises for votes. Several Senate Democrats opposed Califf’s nomination, due to his past ties to the pharmaceutical industry and handling of the opioid crisis when he led the FDA during the tail end of the Obama administration. Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut have all publicly said they’ll oppose Califf’s nomination in a final floor vote. (Cohen, 2/14)

The Hill: Biden's FDA Pick Clears Key Senate Hurdle
The final confirmation vote on Robert Califf, which could come as early as Tuesday, is expected to be even closer than the 49-45 vote to invoke cloture. Five Republicans joined with Democrats to invoke cloture and end debate: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Richard Burr (N.C.), Mitt Romney (Utah), and Roy Blunt (Mo.). ... Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) is absent after suffering a stroke, so if all Republicans who oppose Califf are present, Democrats will need one more vote in their favor to confirm. (Weixel, 2/14)

And the first lady is promoting the "cancer moonshot" —

Miami Herald: First Lady Jill Biden Will Visit Miami And Tampa This Week 
First lady Jill Biden will travel to Florida on Thursday for a pair of events in Tampa and Miami on Friday as the Biden administration ramps up its “Cancer Moonshot” program. The first lady’s office announced Monday that she will visit the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Miami in Opa-locka as part of her visit to the state. Exact details for the event will be announced in the coming days. Her Florida visit comes after the Biden administration relaunched the Cancer Moonshot. The program aims to reduce the death rate from cancer by 50% over 25 years. (Lowry, 2/14)

In news about the Trump administration —

AP: Dr. Deborah Birx, COVID Adviser Under Trump, Has A Book Deal 
Dr. Deborah Birx has a memoir coming out this spring that will focus on her contentious time as White House coronavirus task force coordinator in the administration of President Donald Trump. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Monday that Birx’s “Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of The Trump Administration, COVID-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late,” will be published April 26. (Italie, 2/14)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Cases Drop By 40% In US 
The COVID-19 surge caused by the Omicron variant continues to recede in the United States, with the nation reporting a 7-day average of 175,492 new daily cases, with 2,458 daily deaths, according to the Washington Post tracker. New daily cases fell 42% in the past week, deaths fell 6%, and hospitalizations fell 19%. (Soucheray, 2/14)

AP: Virus Hospitalizations And Cases Still Falling Across State
The number of virus hospitalizations and cases continues to decline sharply across Nebraska giving hospitals some relief. But hospital officials said Monday that their facilities remain busy with non-COVID-19 patients, and they are dealing with ongoing staff shortages and a backlog of procedures that were delayed during last month’s surge driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. (2/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area COVID Cases Stop Falling Just As California Prepares To Roll Back Mask Mandate
After falling sharply over the past few weeks, the rate of new daily coronavirus cases in the Bay Area appears to be leveling off just as California and local health officials prepare to pull back several COVID-19 safety measures, including indoor mask mandates. The Bay Area is averaging 86 new cases a day per 100,000 residents, compared to 60 cases a day last Monday — marking the first time since early January that the number has ticked up at the start of the week during the omicron phase of the pandmic. San Francisco, San Mateo, Napa, and Solano are among the counties that are reporting the greatest new increases in cases. Statewide, the average is hovering around 65 daily cases per 100,000 residents, down slightly from 71 last week. (Vaziri, 2/14)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Will Report Inflated COVID-19 Counts This Week While Clearing Huge Backlog
Maine will use an automated system to power through a massive backlog of positive COVID-19 cases in a step that will correct long-flawed counts but lead to artificially inflated counts this week, state officials said Monday. The improved system for counting tests comes while several key metrics indicate the virus has begun to recede here after surging to record levels in January. But COVID-19 hospitalizations, one statistic used to measure the incidence of severe disease, still remained higher as of Monday than they were any time prior to November 2021. (Piper, 2/14)

In other news about covid and its treatment —

The Baltimore Sun: Two May Be Better Than One Drug To Treat COVID-19, University Of Maryland Study Finds 
Drug combinations, rather than any single antiviral medication, may be the key to effective treatment of COVID-19, new research suggests. The study found that when an experimental drug called brequinar was given with either of two medications that already had federal authorization — remdesivir or molnupiravir — it inhibited the growth of the virus in human lung cells and in mice. The findings, published Feb. 7 in the journal Nature, will have to be checked in human trials. But researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine found the mixtures to be far more potent and more likely to keep infections from becoming severe enough to require hospitalizations. (Cohn, 2/14)

CIDRAP: Scientists Propose Cause Of Symptoms, Treatment For Long COVID-19
Two studies to be presented at upcoming professional society meetings suggest that some long COVID-19 symptoms may be related to the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the vagus nerve and that the use of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP)—which increases blood flow—can improve some of those symptoms, respectively. Long COVID may affect up to 15% of those who survive their infections, causing symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and cognitive problems that linger for months. Neither study has been peer-reviewed, and the second one comes with the added caveat that it was conducted by an EECP provider. (Van Beusekom, 2/14)

The Washington Post: How An Unvaccinated Pregnant Mom Survived Covid, Three Strokes And A Heart Attack
Chris Crouch had had low expectations for online dating. He was a police officer in his 30s, almost a year out from a painful divorce, and, he said, the women he had met had been “playing games” in ways that left him dispirited. Then he met her. Diana Garcia Martinez was 24 and a busy single mom whose sister had set up her profile without her knowing. She was intelligent, empathetic and upfront, and by the third date, he was in love. “It was just a feeling. … I felt like I knew her my whole life,” he recalled explaining to his cousin Gilbert, knowing it was a cliche but also true. (Cha, 2/14)

In testing news —

AP: State Making 1.5 Million Free COVID-19 Test Kits Available
The North Dakota Department of Health said Monday it will make more than 1.5 million free at-home COVID-19 test kits available statewide. The kits will supplement the ongoing federal program that is making free tests available. The kits are being distributed statewide and will be available for pickup beginning Tuesday. (2/14)

AP: Insider Q&A: NIH Official On Testing For Infectiousness 
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic the U.S. is still grappling with its coronavirus tests: how to improve them and how to make more of them. Dr. Bruce Tromberg of the National Institutes of Health is the top government scientist tasked with solving the nation’s testing woes. He’s in charge of $1.5 billion in congressional funding provided to scale up testing under the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, or RadX, initiative. ... Tromberg says infectiousness is a complicated scientific question that goes beyond any single test result. His conversation with The Associated Press has been edited for length and clarity. (Perrone, 2/14)

The New York Times: N.Y.C. Fires 1,430 Workers Over Vaccine Mandate 
New York City fired 1,430 city workers on Friday for failing to comply with its vaccine mandate, a figure that represent less than 1 percent of the city’s work force, but likely the nation’s largest mass termination of municipal employees in response to a Covid vaccine mandate. Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday that 1,428 workers, who had already been on unpaid leave for months, were sent termination notices after they failed to receive a first dose of the vaccine. Two newer hires, who faced more stringent requirements, were also fired for failing to receive two vaccine doses. Nearly 4,000 city workers had faced a deadline of Friday to comply with the vaccine mandate. (Fitzsimmons, 2/14)

In other news about vaccine mandates —

The Washington Post: D.C. To Drop Coronavirus Vaccine Requirement To Enter Businesses 
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said Monday she is dropping the city’s requirement that people show proof of coronavirus vaccination before entering many businesses in the city, as coronavirus transmission continues to trend downward throughout the region. The District’s requirement for residents to show proof of vaccination to enter most businesses — announced in December — will cease Tuesday, said Bowser (D). She also said she’s allowing the city’s mandate to wear masks in all indoor public spaces to be lifted starting March 1. Bowser had rescinded the indoor masking mandate in November before the surging omicron variant spurred her to bring it back. (Brice-Saddler and Elwood, 2/14)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia's COVID-19 Vaccine And Mask Mandates Could Soon End Under New City Rules
Philadelphia’s vaccine mandate for indoor dining could end this week, according to sources familiar with new rules outlining the process coming as soon as Wednesday from the city health department. And if cases continue to decline, the mask mandate could also lift some time later. The benchmarks would create a novel system where restrictions could ease when overall illness falls and be reimposed in the event of a COVID-19 resurgence. The effect could ease the bite on hotels and restaurants, which have lost significant business during the pandemic, while also protecting people’s health and reducing the burden of illness on hospitals and caregivers. (Laughlin, 2/15)

AP: South Dakota Senate Passes Noem's Vaccine Mandate Bill
South Dakota Senate Republicans gave hearty support on Monday to Gov. Kristi Noem’s proposal to allow employees to gain exemptions from their employer’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates, passing it with the two-thirds majority required if it is to be enacted immediately. The bill drew just four “nay” votes in the 35-member Senate, sending it to the House. The proposal would allow employees to receive an exemption to their employer’s vaccine requirement by citing either a medical exemption certified by a medical professional, any religious grounds for refusal or a test showing antibodies against COVID-19 in the last six months. (Groves, 2/14)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri House Advances Bills Limiting Vaccine Mandates
The Republican-led Missouri House on Monday advanced two bills dictating the limits of COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The bills, sponsored by Rep. Bill Hardwick, R-Waynesville, and Rep. David Evans, R-West Plains, slightly shift the lines around mandates, generally loosening who can impose a mandate and who can claim an exemption. Federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates on large private employers and federal employees have been halted by the courts. A federal mandate on health care employers has been upheld, with a first-dose requirement effective Monday in Missouri. Evans’ bill, he said, was adapted to follow and clarify existing federal laws regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates. (Zokovitch, 2/14)

AP: Unvaccinated Medical Workers Turn To Religious Exemptions 
When nurse Julia Buffo was told by her Montana hospital that she had to be vaccinated against COVID-19, she responded by filling out paperwork declaring that the shots run afoul of her religious beliefs. She cited various Old and New Testament verses including a passage from Revelation that vaccine opponents often quote to liken the shots to the “Mark of the Beast.” She told her managers that God is the “ultimate guardian of health” and that accepting the vaccine would make her “complicit with evil.” (Hollingsworth, 2/14)

And more news about the choices health workers are making —

Axios: Health Workers Weighing Their Options 
Some of America's health care workers appear to be considering their job options outside the industry, according to a new Axios/Morning Consult survey. Health care workers aren't immune from the trends driving the Great Resignation across the U.S. workforce. Those caring for COVID-19 patients are more likely than other health care workers to report that they've been thinking about heading to another industry. (Reed, 2/15)

The Boston Globe: Clinicians Are Leaving Their Jobs At Mental Health Centers Amid Rising Demand, Survey Finds
The professionals who provide care at community mental health clinics around the state are leaving their positions faster than they can be replaced, worsening access just as the stresses of the pandemic have intensified the need among their mainly lower-income patients, according to a survey released Tuesday. The survey, conducted by the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, found that for every 13 clinicians who leave these outpatient facilities, only 10 can be found to replace them. As a result fewer patients are getting care than before the pandemic, while many more are seeking it. The 37 clinics that responded to the survey had nearly 14,000 people on waiting lists. (Freyer, 2/15)

Stat: Private Equity Firms Cash In On The Travel Nursing Business
As the U.S. health system buckles under the weight of the Covid-19 pandemic, private equity firms are cashing in. Some of their investments center on nurse staffing agencies, a little-known cluster of companies that helps send free-floating nurses to help hospitals when they’re short-staffed or otherwise in need of extra help. Hospitals have relied on the agencies like never before during the pandemic, as wave after wave of hospitalizations strained nurses, who face a crushing burden of sick patients and the possibility that they will fall ill themselves. (Cohrs, 2/15)

AP: Nurses, Techs And U Of Vermont Medical Center Reach Pay Deal 
The nurses and technical employees and the University of Vermont Medical Center have reached an agreement to increase wages, the hospital announced Monday. The Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals voted to accept a wage proposal in advance of the nurses’ contract expiring this summer, the hospital said. (2/14)

In related news —

Crain's Cleveland Business: Making Mental Health A Top Priority Is Growing Trend For Employers, Employees
Roughly two years of a pandemic have forced mental health needs front and center for many employers. Faced with new or different challenges, many employees are more aware of their own mental health needs, and as they spoke up, employers, too, have developed a stronger awareness of the importance of addressing those needs, said Patty Starr, president and CEO of Health Action Council (HAC), a nonprofit coalition representing midsize to large employers that aims to enhance human and economic health. (Coutré, 2/14)

Bloomberg: Workers Are Healthier, Safer, And Log Fewer Sick Days Despite Covid
The omicron wave of Covid-19 put less of a dent in U.S. employment growth than most forecasters expected, but it did keep a lot of workers home. The 2.3% of employed Americans not at work because they were ill for the entire mid-January jobs survey reference week was the highest such percentage since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started keeping track in 1976, and by far the highest in recent years. Still, it wasn’t that much higher than the 2% recorded in January 1978, during an outbreak of a highly contagious but not very dangerous influenza strain that came to be known as “Russian flu.” From the looks of the accompanying chart, missing work because of illness was probably even more common before the mid-1970s. (Fox, 2/14)

Inside Higher Ed: Colleges Follow States On Lifting Mask Mandates
In response to mask mandates that have been lifted or will be in the near future, colleges point to a broad mix of pandemic precautions already in place: many have required students and employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, while others—their hands tied by state laws barring vaccine mandates—have strongly encouraged immunization against the coronavirus. Additionally, many will continue regular testing for unvaccinated students and employees, alongside other measures. But some in the health field worry that despite other precautions, the masks are coming off too soon.“I think it’s premature to remove the mask requirement at this point in time,” said Gerri Taylor, co-chair of the American College Health Association’s COVID-19 task force. (Moody, 2/15)

KRNV: UNR Students Walk Out To Protest End Of Campus Mask Mandate 
UNR students and some faculty walked out Monday to protest the end of the Nevada mask mandate. About 50 students marched from the north end of campus down to the quad, calling on President Brian Sandoval to reinstate the mask requirement on campus. (Margiott, 2/14)

The New York Times: Masks Come Off In More States, But Not Everyone Is Grinning 
New York’s governor said on Wednesday that she was ending the state’s indoor masking rules. The governor of Massachusetts announced that face coverings would soon become optional in schools. And by day’s end, the governors of Illinois, Rhode Island and Washington said that they, too, would loosen coronavirus rules. The moves, which came rapid fire, one after another, mean that many of the Covid-19 restrictions that have divided Americans will soon be eliminated in places where politicians have long championed sweeping virus precautions. (Smith and Hubler, 2/9)

CNN: Should Parents Be Worried If Their Child's School No Longer Requires Masks? An Expert Weighs In 
Oregon's health department and the governors of Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey have announced when their states will end the school mask mandate. Leaders in other states, cities and counties are also considering when to end required masking as well. The White House is also reported to be discussing an off-ramp for pandemic restrictions, although the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet updated its guidance on masking in schools. Should parents and caregivers be worried if their child's school is no longer going to require masks? What steps can they take if they want to continue reducing their children's risk of contracting Covid-19? How can families weigh the risk of going to school and extracurricular activities? What about kids younger than 5, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated? (Hetter, 2/9)

In related news about mask-wearing in California and Georgia —

Los Angeles Times: California School Mask Mandate Will Stay Through Feb. 28
California will keep its indoor mask mandate for K-12 schools in place at least through the end of the month, the state’s top health official said Monday, even as it moves this week to relax face covering rules in other settings. While other states have announced plans to relax their requirements in the near future, California will reassess conditions Feb. 28 to see whether the promising trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s health and human services secretary. (Money, 2/14)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Kemp Urges Georgia Lawmakers To Address Mask Mandates In Schools
Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday revealed details about legislation he backs to bring an end to mask requirements in Georgia schools. Kemp said it’s time that parents decide whether to send their kids to school wearing them, as the COVID-19 pandemic approaches the end of a second year of disrupting schools in the state. “This isn’t going to just end and be gone forever,” he said. “We’re going to have to deal with this but we’ve got tools to deal with it now. This isn’t saying that parents can’t make the decision to mask their kids. It’s just giving parents an opt out.” (Tagami, 2/14)

Axios: Many Americans Knowingly Disagree With Scientists About Coronavirus Vaccines 
A third of Americans who believe coronavirus vaccine misinformation are aware that they're in disagreement with scientists and medical experts, according to a new survey by The COVID States Project. This suggests that educating people on the science behind vaccines won't be sufficient to change many minds. The survey found that 16% of Americans believe inaccurate information about the vaccines, and nearly half say they're unsure whether at least one vaccine misinformation statement is true. As of January, around 5% of survey respondents said they believe the COVID vaccines contain microchips, 7% said they use aborted fetal cells, 8% think that they can alter human DNA, and 10% said the vaccines can cause infertility. (Owens, 2/15)

KHN: Medical Boards Pressured To Let It Slide When Doctors Spread Covid Misinformation 
Tennessee’s Board of Medical Examiners unanimously adopted in September a statement that said doctors spreading covid misinformation — such as suggesting that vaccines contain microchips — could jeopardize their license to practice. “I’m very glad that we’re taking this step,” Dr. Stephen Loyd, the panel’s vice president, said at the time. “If you’re spreading this willful misinformation, for me it’s going to be really hard to do anything other than put you on probation or take your license for a year. There has to be a message sent for this. It’s not OK.” (Farmer, 2/15)

In updates on vaccine development —

CIDRAP: Mix-N-Match COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters May Result In Fewer Infections
People who received a different brand of COVID-19 vaccine booster than they did in the primary series had lower rates of infection than those who received the same brand, according to a study in Singapore published late last week in JAMA. The study also found that participants who received a booster of any vaccine brand after the primary Pfizer/BioNTech series had lower rates of severe COVID-19 than did their unboosted peers. In a similar study earlier last week, US scientists writing in the New England Journal of Medicine found better booster protection only among those who initially received the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine. (2/14)

The Washington Post: Vaccine Scientists Have Been Chasing Variants. Now, They’re Seeking A Universal Coronavirus Vaccine
Volunteers are rolling up their sleeves to receive shots of experimental vaccines tailored to beat the omicron variant — just as the winter coronavirus surge begins to relent. By the time scientists know whether those rebooted vaccines are effective and safe, omicron is expected to be in the rearview mirror. Already, mask mandates are easing. People are beginning to talk about normalcy. (Johnson, 2/14)

CNBC: Pfizer Director Dr. Scott Gottlieb: Shots For Kids Under 5 Delayed Due To Low Covid Cases In Trial
The Food and Drug Administration’s plan to fast-track Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for children under 5 years old was delayed because of a “low number of cases overall in the clinical trial,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Monday. “Most kids are not getting symptomatic Covid,” said the current Pfizer board member and former head of the FDA. “One case in one direction or another can tip the perception of the vaccine’s overall effectiveness.” “The FDA wanted to take the time for this data set to effectively settle down,” Gottlieb said on “Squawk Box.” (Hur, 2/14)

Also —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Las Vegas Teen Relearning To Walk After Rare Vaccine Reaction
Emma Burkey, who suffered a devastating brain injury after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, spends most of her waking hours trying to get better. The 19-year-old Las Vegan spends five hours or more most days undergoing therapy to relearn to walk and to improve fine motor skills in her hands, function lost after a series of strokes caused by a blood clot in her brain. Burkey has come a long way. When she first came out of a medically induced coma, she could not speak, move or even blink her eyes. (Hynes, 2/14)

The Atlantic: The COVID Strategy America Hasn’t Really Tried
This is why, even though America’s vaccination and booster rates look better in the older groups compared with the young, they are still too low. As a result, deaths in the United States are still too high. The unvaccinated elderly have been dying at incredibly high rates, but even the vaccinated and unboosted elderly are still dying of COVID at four times the rate of unvaccinated adults under 49. A booster cuts that risk dramatically. This is based on detailed CDC data in early December, which are the latest available. Age continues to be the driver of COVID’s brutal math with Omicron, though: In 2022 so far, three-quarters of COVID deaths in America have been in people 65 and older, 93 percent in people 50 and older. (Zhang, 2/14)

Los Angeles Times: San Francisco Police Misused Rape Victims' DNA, D.A. Says 
San Francisco’s district attorney said Monday that police used a database with DNA collected from victims of rape and sexual assault to connect some of them to crimes. Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin said the San Francisco Police Department crime lab had been using the database to “attempt to subsequently incriminate” victims of rape and sexual assault, a practice he called “legally and ethically wrong.” The district attorney called for an immediate end to the alleged practice, committed to working with police to address the allegations and urged changes to local and state laws, according to a statement by Boudin’s office. (Yee, 2/14)

NBC News: San Francisco Police Used Rape Victim Database To Identify Suspects, Prosecutor Says
The San Francisco Police Department is accused of using DNA from sexual assault victims to identify possible crime suspects in a practice that the city’s district attorney called “legally and ethically wrong.” San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said in a statement Monday that his office had demanded an immediate end to the alleged practice, which he said “treats victims like evidence, not human beings.” (Stelloh, 2/14)

In news about the environment and health —

The Washington Post: Megadrought In Southwest North America Worst In 1,200 Years 
The extreme heat and dry conditions of the past few years pushed what was already an epic, decades-long drought in the American West into a historic disaster that bears the unmistakable fingerprints of climate change. The long-running drought, which has persisted since 2000, can now be considered the driest 22-year period of the past 1,200 years, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. (Leonard, 2/14)

AP: Fox Tests Positive For Rabies; 1st New Mexico Case This Year
A fox from Catron County near Reserve has tested positive for rabies. New Mexico Department of Health officials announced Monday. They said it’s the first positive fox rabies case in New Mexico so far this year. The fox was submitted to the state public health laboratory in Albuquerque for testing after it bit a person last Friday. Authorities said the unidentified victim is receiving treatment. They said rabies is a deadly viral disease that can be prevented, but not cured. (2/14)

Bloomberg: Bird Flu Spreads To Kentucky And Virginia After Discovery Last Week
A strain of influenza deadly to chickens and other fowl has spread to poultry flocks in Kentucky and Virginia, less than a week after an outbreak in Indiana prompted some countries to limit shipments from the state. Mexico is among countries that have banned or limited poultry imports from Indiana after the virus was detected there, and the wider spread raises the possibility of additional curbs. The U.S. Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a statement Monday that tests show the virus present in a flock of commercial broiler chickens in Fulton County, Kentucky, and a backyard flock of mixed species birds in Fauquier County, Virginia. (Dorning, 2/14)

In other public health news —

Press Association: Screen Time For Kids: Most 5-Year-Olds Spend Too Much Time Online, Survey Shows
The majority of children aged five and younger are not meeting screen-time guidelines, new worldwide analysis suggests. According to the study, only a quarter of children under two, and one in three aged two to five, are meeting international recommendations, highlighting the need for additional public health initiatives aimed at promoting healthy device use. On average, global guidelines suggest infants younger than two avoid screen time altogether, while children aged two to five years spend no more than an hour a day in front of a screen. (2/14)

The Boston Globe: ‘Everything’s Going Up’: Seniors Struggle With The Prices Of Food, Fuel, And Medicine
The last time prices rose this fast, today’s seniors were in their prime and drawing paychecks. Now they’re older, retired, and feeling the crunch in a world where everything suddenly costs more. Higher rents and heating bills and steeper gas and prescription drug prices are pinching almost everyone. But older folks on fixed incomes are being squeezed hardest. Lately, seniors make up nearly half — more than in the past — of those stopping by a food pantry on Mission Hill run by Action for Boston Community Development, an antipoverty group, on the three days each week it distributes chicken, fruit, cereal, and other provisions. (Weisman, 2/14)

AP: Georgia State Official Is Accused Of Faking Pregnancies 
A state official is accused of faking multiple pregnancies and using at least one of those ruses to get out of work and be paid for the time off. A Fulton County grand jury indicted Robin Folsom, former director of external affairs for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, on three felony counts of making false statements. She’s also charged with one count of identity fraud, also a felony. Folsom, 43, had supervised the agency’s marketing and media communications. (2/14)

Crain's Cleveland Business: MetroHealth Program Launched In The Pandemic Puts Hospital In The Home
In the past nearly two years, MetroHealth has treated more than 900 patients through its "Hospital in the Home" program, which aims to provide high-touch care for patients where they're most comfortable, with the support of technology. Envisioned long before the pandemic and formalized during the crisis, the program has proven to be an effective new way to deliver care for patients who are interested in that model and in cases when providers deem it appropriate. (Coutré, 2/14)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Mayo, UnitedHealthcare Dispute Could Set Tone For All Medicare Advantage Negotiations
A contract dispute between the nation's largest Medicare Advantage insurer and a storied health system could provide a glimpse into the future of rate negotiations. Mayo Clinic will no longer schedule appointments for out-of-network patients, aside from those who show up in the Rochester, Minnesota provider's emergency room, where federal law requires its physicians to care for them, regardless of their health insurance. The health system has long had this policy in place, but only recently began to actually turn away patients to preserve its capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, said spokesperson Karl Oestreich. Medicare Advantage enrollees will be the most impacted since Mayo serves more Medicare beneficiaries than any other plan type, he said. (Tepper, 2/14)

Modern Healthcare: SEC Private Fund Rules Could Affect Health System Investors, Fund Managers
Health systems could get more insight into how the private equity funds they invest in are performing under a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposal. The SEC wants to beef up the regulation of private fund advisers, those who put investors' money into private equity funds, hedge funds or venture capital funds. For the many health systems that have placed money in those areas, the changes would mean more transparency. For systems large enough to have in-house venture or private equity funds with outside investors, it would mean adhering to more rules as fund advisers. (Bannow, 2/14)

Axios: PriorAuthNow Nets $25M Financing 
PriorAuthNow, a health tech startup focused on streamlining treatment approvals, raised $25 million in fresh funds led by Insight Partners, the company's executives tell Axios exclusively. Even as telehealth gains steam and virtual care tools proliferate, traditional channels still dominate health care delivery. Many aspects of those channels desperately need innovation, and prior authorizations (PAs) are just one example, industry sources tell Axios. (Brodwin, 2/14)

Also —

KHN: This Doctor Thought She Could Navigate US Health Care. Then Her Autistic Son Needed Help
Alexander Roodman was packing up his room, preparing for a gap year before college, when I met him at his family’s Washington, D.C., townhouse. The room was a typical teenage disaster zone, with clothes and books strewn everywhere. Then, Alex picked up an origami sculpture that rippled with dozens of ridges and depressions. “It’s kind of a repetitive pattern,” he said. “First, you make the diagonal folds and these lateral folds to cut the paper in half.” It’s pretty complicated. Alex, a slim teenager with long black hair and penetrating eyes, is gifted with the focus for this. But the way his brain works can be a challenge. (Levey, 2/15)

AP: New Mexico May Legalize Test Strips To Detect Fentanyl 
New Mexico lawmakers are poised to legalize test strips that can detect the presence of the potent opiate fentanyl and potentially help avoid deadly overdoses. The Democrat-sponsored bill from legislators in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos would lift restrictions on public access to devices that can test for drug impurities. It also gives state health health officials new authority to intervene and prevent the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis through intravenous drug use. (Lee, 2/14)

In reproductive health news from Maryland, Texas, and Maine —

The Washington Post: Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones Seeks State Constitutional Right To Abortion
Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones wants voters to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, pushing a measure that could be on the ballot this fall. Flanked by female lawmakers and Planned Parenthood of Maryland leaders, Jones (D-Baltimore County) launched the effort Monday against a backdrop of mounting challenges to the landmark Roe v. Wade case. (Cox, 2/14)

The New York Times: Abortion Opponents Hear A ‘Heartbeat.’ Most Experts Hear Something Else
The Texas law banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy is based on a singular premise disputed by many medical experts: that once an ultrasound detects electrical cardiac activity in an embryo, its heart is beating and a live birth is on the way. At this very early stage of a pregnancy, however, the embryo is the size of a pomegranate seed and has only a primitive tube of cardiac cells that emit electric pulses and pump blood. (Rabin, 2/14)

AP: Bills Would Lower Drug Prices, Expand Contraceptive Coverage 
A pair of bills in the Maine Legislature would require state-regulated health care plans to cover all prescription contraceptives while linking prescription drugs rates to lower costs paid in Canada. Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, and Sen. Ned Claxton, D-Auburn, discussed the bills on Monday, a day before the proposals were to be considered by the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee. (2/14)

In news from New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, and Missouri —

NBC News: State Takes Over New Jersey Nursing Home Where 17 Bodies Were Stacked In A Morgue
The state of New Jersey has suspended new admissions at a nursing home where 17 bodies were found stacked in a morgue in 2020, citing the results of recent inspections in which staff members allegedly failed to do CPR or call 911 for unresponsive patients or provide lifesaving medicine for Covid patients. According to state officials, 16 residents at the facility have died from Covid since September. (Strickler, 2/14)

North Carolina Health News: Do You Need An ID To Buy Syringes In North Carolina? 
It’s early evening in mid-December when a middle aged man walks up to the pharmacy counter at a Walgreens in Asheville. He asks to buy a bag of syringes. The pharmacy technician walks to grab them from a shelf toward the back. When the tech returns to the register, he asks the customer for his ID. The man doesn’t have one. I’m sorry, the tech says, I can’t sell them to you without an ID. The man stares at him blankly. He asks again for the syringes. The store’s pharmacist chimes in, repeating what the tech said. (Donnelly-DeRoven, 2/15)

Columbus Dispatch: Housing In Columbus: Grant To Fix Mold, Other Health Issues In Homes
The city of Columbus has received $2 million in federal funds to make housing safer from health hazards in city neighborhoods. The money will go toward supporting projects for 155 homes in those neighborhoods through additions to homes that need more space, completing safe units, and educating occupants, owners, contractors, and others about healthy housing practices. That includes repairs to Columbus homes that will help families with young children, seniors, and disabled residents to be able to afford to stay in their homes. (Ferenchik, 2/14)

Kansas City Star: Missouri Is The Fifth-Most Stressed State In The United States
Is everybody okay? Do we all need to take a collective vibe check? Find someone you’re close to and hug them tight. A lot is going on in the world, and its impact reflects on Missourians. The state is the fifth-most stressed state in the United States, according to a study by William Russell, an international insurance company. The study also found that the U.S. is the third-most stressed country in the world, ranking below South Korea and Chile. Missouri finished with a stress score of 6.08 on a scale of 10. If you’re wondering about our friends on the other side of Kansas City, Kansas finished 12th with a score of 5.48. (Hernandez, 2/15)

In news from Utah, Idaho, and the Navajo Nation —

Stateline: Utah's Tougher DUI Law Cut Deaths, Study Finds
Utah’s lower blood alcohol level standard for drivers has resulted in decreased traffic deaths and improved road safety, a new federal study has found. In 2019, Utah became the first and only state to make it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of .05% or higher. All other states and the District of Columbia use a .08% standard. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that Utah’s fatal crash rate dropped by nearly 20% in 2019, compared with 2016. (Bergal, 2/14)

The Hill: Idaho Lawmakers To Consider Bill To Keep Source Of Lethal Injections Secret 
A bill that would hide the source of lethal injection drugs was introduced in the Idaho state legislature on Monday, with the lawmaker behind it saying that "woke" anti-death penalty activists have shamed lethal drug makers. As Boise State Public Radio reported, state Rep. Greg Chaney (R) argued on Monday that anti-capital punishment groups have concentrated a tactic to "leverage woke, cancel culture to shame providers of lethal injection drugs away from providing those drugs for executions for states." (Choi, 2/14)

KHN: ‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 3: Uranium Mining Left Navajo Land And People In Need Of Healing
Episode 3 is an exploration of the forces that brought uranium mining to the Navajo Nation, the harmful consequences, and the fight for compensation that continues today. (2/15)

Reuters: Turk Sets Unenviable COVID Record By Testing Positive For 14 Straight Months
When Muzaffer Kayasan first caught COVID-19, he thought he was destined to die since he was already suffering from leukemia. Fourteen months and 78 straight positive tests later, he is still alive - and still battling to shake off the infection. Kayasan, 56, has Turkey's longest recorded continuous COVID-19 infection, doctors say, possibly due to a weakened immune system from the cancer. Despite being in and out of hospital since November 2020, his spirits have been high. (Dikmen, 2/14)

In other global covid news —

USA Today: CDC: US Travelers Should Avoid 135+ Destinations Due To COVID
Federal health officials are warning U.S. travelers to avoid more than 135 destinations as of Monday due to COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved South Korea, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Comoros, Saint Pierre and Miquelon and French Polynesia to its level 4 COVID-19 risk category Monday due to “very high” levels of the virus. Larger countries are considered to have very high COVID-19 levels when they report more than 500 cases of new cases per 100,000 people over the past 28 days. (Shulz, 2/14)

Bloomberg: Canada Protest: Ontario To Drop Covid Vaccine Passport Requirements On March 1
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Canada’s largest province will drop many of its pandemic-fighting measures next month as cases and hospitalizations decline.  Proof-of-vaccination requirements and capacity limits in indoor public settings are among the measures that will be dropped as of March 1 if the health-system continues to improve, Ford said Monday. Masking requirements will remain in place, the province said. (Orland, 2/14)

Axios: Hong Kong "Overwhelmed" By COVID Surge 
Daily coronavirus cases in Hong Kong have increased by about 20 times over the past two weeks, overwhelming the city's hospitals and forcing its government to change its response strategy, Reuters reports. Hong Kong's government said Sunday that it would roll back its policy of hospitalizing all people who test positive for the virus and would instead prioritize hospital beds for children, older people and other individuals with serious infections, according to the New York Times. (Knutson, 2/14)

In celebrity news —

AP: Prince Charles' Wife Camilla Tests Positive For COVID-19 
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for COVID-19 four days after her husband Prince Charles was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus, the couple’s office said Monday. Clarence House said Camilla was self-isolating. Charles has been isolating since he tested positive on Thursday, but Camilla had continued with public engagements while taking daily tests. Both Charles, 73, and 74-year-old Camilla are triple-vaccinated. ... Charles is believed to have met with his mother Queen Elizabeth II early last week when both were at Windsor Castle. Buckingham Palace hasn’t said whether the 95-year-old queen has tested positive, though it said last week she wasn’t displaying symptoms. (2/14)

Bloomberg: Is Novak Djokovic Anti Vaccine? He's Willing To Sacrifice Trophies To Avoid Shot
Novak Djokovic has made it clear: He will not get a Covid vaccine. The world’s top tennis player said he’s willing to sacrifice trophies and skip Wimbledon in order to avoid a Covid-19 shot. At stake, he said, was freedom of choice. “The principles of decision-making on my body are more important than any title, or anything else,” Djokovic said in an interview with BBC journalist Amol Rajan. Djokovic is at the heart of a contentious global debate over vaccine mandates. Last month, the 20-time Grand Slam winner was deported from Australia after a protracted dispute over his vaccine status. (Schultz, 2/15)

USA Today: Russian Kamila Valieva Says Her Positive Drug Test Was Due To Grandfather's Medication
Attorneys for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva argued that the banned substance trimetazidine entered her system through a medication that her grandfather takes, a member of the International Olympic Committee confirmed Tuesday. In a scrum with reporters after the IOC's daily press briefing, a reporter asked IOC member Denis Oswald if the IOC was aware of the explanation that Valieva, 15, offered to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency in an appeal hearing earlier this month. "I was not in this hearing," Oswald said. "Her argument was this contamination which happened with a product her grandfather was taking." (Schad, 2/15)

Stat: Controlled Studies Ease Worries Of Widespread Long Covid In Kids 
Uncertainty about the effect of Covid-19 on children is gradually being replaced by reassuring news. First, severe complications from Covid-19 are extremely rare in those under age 18. In Connecticut and Massachusetts, the states where we practice medicine, far fewer than 1% of those under age 18 diagnosed Covid have needed to be hospitalized, and that number is declining. Vaccines have proven immensely effective against the virus, in children and teens as well as in adults. This is grounds for relief, and even celebration. (Shelli Farhadian and Shira Doron, 2/14)

The CT Mirror: We Have To Learn To Live With COVID
The COVID pandemic is entering its third year and a political consensus is now forming – we have to live with this virus.  In spite of confusing and conflicting policies by our public officials, COVID has followed basic epidemiological trends of past pandemics – the bubonic plague, small pox, the influenza epidemic of 1918 and tuberculosis outbreaks. There is nothing new here. (Joseph Bentivegna MD, 2/15)

Stat: 'I Trust My Drug Dealer More Than I Trust This Vaccine' 
A patient who has taught me a lot about how to best care for people who use drugs floored me one afternoon while she was in the clinic when I asked her thoughts on getting vaccinated against Covid-19. “I know this sounds crazy,” she said, casting her gaze to the floor, “but I trust my drug dealer more than I trust this vaccine.” I was stunned. Curious how anyone could trust putting something from the current fentanyl-contaminated heroin supply in their arm over a highly vetted vaccine, I had to ask, “What makes you trust your dealer?” (Nicholaus Christian, 2/15)

Bloomberg: Vaccine Makers Must Help The World Prepare For The Next Pandemic 
A South African biotech company has recreated small quantities of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. Its achievement, done in partnership with the World Health Organization, is part of a broader plan to help low- and middle-income countries become less reliant on U.S. and European drug makers, which have been slow to send their vaccines. (Lisa Jarvis, 2/14)

Chicago Tribune: The Mask Debate Has Created A Toxic Political Situation That Is Scaring Off Teachers 
We face an educational reckoning if steps are not taken to address the teacher shortage in the United States. But how can we attract teachers when education has become so politicized? The debate rages on about mask wearing. Some school boards have had to conduct meetings virtually to avoid violent outbursts. Some board members have received death threats, and some school superintendents have been relieved of their jobs. Fights among parents over masks have become commonplace, and we have students walking out of schools to protest mask requirements. (Jerald McNair, 2/14)

Bloomberg: Mask Mandates: A Good Idea That Failed 
States across the U.S. have dropped their mask mandates this month, worrying Americans who think they're still needed and cheering people who are ready to go "back to normal." Both groups need to take a deep breath: Dropping mask mandates isn't the same thing as ignoring COVID-19. Masks have been the most visible part of America's pandemic response, but one of the least consequential. The fact that 500,000 people died during the omicron surge means it's time to change tactics, and focus on what went wrong that led to so many hospitalizations and deaths. (Faye Flam, 2/14)

Los Angeles Times: Don't Drop School Masking Mandates Too Soon 
It’s a relief to watch Omicron numbers fall off. California is lifting its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people Wednesday, but not for schools — at least, not yet. State officials will reassess the situation Feb. 28, Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of Health and Human Services, said Monday. (2/15)

The Atlantic: Why America Has So Few Doctors
By the time Elizabeth Erickson was a freshman at Davidson College in 2002, she knew she wanted to become a doctor. Because she understood that the earliest health interventions are among the most important, she set herself on a pediatrics track. After four years of premed classes, she went straight to medical school at Wake Forest University, which took another four years. Then came three years of residency at Duke University, plus one final year as chief resident. In 2014, she joined the faculty of Duke’s School of Medicine. Her dream was realized at the steep price of 12 consecutive years of learning and training, plus about $400,000 of debt. (Derek Thompson, 2/14)

The Washington Post: Biden’s ‘Cancer Moonshot’ Is Fine, But We Can Save Lives With Tools We Already Have 
Without any proposed new funding for his initiative “to end cancer as we know it,” President Biden walked into the White House’s East Room on Feb. 2 to inaugurate what his former science adviser, Eric Lander, called an “audacious” effort to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent within 25 years. While there are many admirable ideas in the president’s proposed plan, his reignited “moonshot” — downsized from an earlier campaign promise to “cure” cancer — was greeted with skepticism. With no new investment, critics noted, the moonshot is not ready for liftoff. (Edward Abrahams, 2/13)

Seattle Times: Stop Chronic Underfunding Of Services For People With Developmental Disabilities 
Washington state legislators have ignored for decades children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities, failing to provide critical services to live full and thriving lives many take for granted. Gov. Jay Inslee recognizes the problem and has a solution. In his proposed budget, the governor has prioritized funding to forecast how many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are requesting services from the Department of Social and Health Services, and how many people are eligible and need community and residential services. (Stacy Dym, 2/11)

The New York Times: Losing My Eyesight Helped Me See More Clearly 
After I woke up one morning several years ago with freakishly blurred vision, doctors figured out quickly what was wrong: I’d had a rare stroke of sorts. Overnight, it had ravaged the optic nerve behind my right eye. Worst-case scenario? The left eye would follow suit, leaving me blind. Best? Some improvement. Much adjustment. But I’d never see as clearly as before. (Frank Bruni, 2/15)

Stat: Creating A Digital Hippocratic Oath For The 21st Century 
“First, do no harm.” Those four words, and the Hippocratic oath of which they are a part, have served as an ethical guide for medical practitioners for centuries. While the oath itself has evolved over the years — a more modern one was coined by Dr. Louis Lasagna in 1964 — it hasn’t been updated since then and its application to modern health technology has stagnated. The oath is anchored in medical ethics with four broad principles: autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. Its goal is to protect the health and privacy of patients above all else. But it’s not 1964 anymore, and digital communications, social media, and the ease of person-to-person connections have dramatically changed how people shop, learn, work — and how medicine is practiced. (Ries Robinson and Aneesh Chopra, 2/15)