The New York Times: Storm Forces Closure Of Vaccination Sites Across U.S. 
The winter storm stretching across much of the country is disrupting the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. Clinics have closed and shipments have been stalled as snow and ice grounded flights and made highways dangerously slick. The cancellations are just the latest hurdle in the U.S. vaccine rollout, which has been accelerating despite difficulties, delays and confusion: An average of about 1.7 million people are getting a shot daily, according to a New York Times database. Several states, including New York and California, have expanded eligibility despite a limited supply. (Rojas, 2/16)

NPR: Millions Without Power In Texas, Northern Mexico As Blackouts And Bitter Cold Continue 
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced late Monday that the Texas National Guard was being deployed to help get people to heating centers. He said state agencies are sending additional resources and personnel to help local officials clear roadways and to assist essential workers. "The state has also deployed resources to assist Texans without power and to help essential workers continue to carry out their jobs," Abbott said in a statement. "In the meantime, I encourage all Texans to continue to stay off the roads, and conserve energy as state agencies work with private providers to restore power as quickly as possible." (Diaz, 2/16)

The Washington Post: Power Outages Leave Millions Of Texans Without Heat Overnight As Temperatures Plummet 
After below-freezing temperatures knocked out power to their Houston apartment, Jael Sanchez and Randy Castillo began to feel like they were living at the end of the world. With no heat and no working stove, the couple and their 11-year-old daughter hunkered down in a makeshift bedroom fort made from nearly a dozen blankets, and did their best to heat cans of soup over an outdoor grill in the snow. One neighbor lit a trash fire; another used a car to ram open the electronic gates that typically control who can enter and exit the complex. “Eight hours into Houston not having power, and we were already having an apocalypse here,” Castillo joked shortly before midnight on Tuesday. (Farzan, 2/16)

Texas, Florida and other states in the storm's path rush to save or distribute vaccines —

ABC News: Texas Officials Scramble To Administer 5,000 COVID Vaccines After Power Loss 
Health officials in Texas scrambled to administer over 5,000 vaccine doses before they expired after the harsh winter storm hitting the state knocked out the power of the freezers storing the vaccines. Harris County public health officials said that their facility that stored the Moderna vaccine lost power early Monday morning and a backup generator also failed. The freezers that kept 8,430 vaccine doses at their containment temperature were among the affected equipment, they said. (Pezenik and Pereira, 2/15)

Houston Chronicle: Harris County Hustles To Distribute 8,400 COVID-19 Vaccines After Freezer Loses Power
Harris County public health officials hustled to distribute thousands of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine after the facility storing them lost power Monday when record-cold temperatures strained the power grid, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. Harris County Public Health distributed the doses to Rice University, the county jail and Houston Methodist, Ben Taub and Lyndon B. Johnson hospitals. The public health department made the decision to offer vaccines to places where there were lots of people already congregated and had the medical staff to distribute the vaccine, Hidalgo said. (Despart and Barned-Smith, 2/15)

Tallahassee Democrat: Winter Storm Closes Airports And Delays Vaccine Deliveries To Florida
A winter storm with icy roads, power outages and dangerous low temperatures has snarled traffic from coast to coast — and will delay shipments of coronavirus vaccines to Florida. Jared Moskowitz, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said the state has been alerted the massive weather system will delay the Monday-Tuesday shipment of vaccines. (Call, 2/15)

Fox43.Com (Hershey, Pa.): Pharmacies Prepare Generators In Case Of Winter Weather-Related Power Outages 
In light of the snow and freezing rain expected tonight, pharmacies are preparing contingency plans to keep the COVID-19 vaccine properly frozen in case of power outages. ... Hershey Pharmacy in Derry Township has backup generators it can transport to its three locations. “We don’t have the luxury of being down in a snow storm or a power outage,” said Chadd Blannet, the pharmacy’s director of marketing. “We have centrally located generators that we then dole out to each store so we can power up all of our emergency operation systems and now these freezers, so we’re ready to go without missing a beat.” (2/15)

CNN: Governors Tell Biden In Letter Some Covid Vaccine Efforts Are Creating Confusion And Inefficiency 
A bipartisan group of governors expressed concern Monday at the Biden administration's vaccine rollout, writing in a letter to the White House that better coordination is needed between the federal government and states on distributing doses to prevent confusion and duplicative efforts. (Liptak and Murray, 2/15)

In other national news —

Bloomberg: Nursing Home Vaccine Push Heads For Completion, A Month Behind Schedule
A U.S. program to vaccinate nursing home residents and staff is moving slowly toward completion in the coming weeks, with the goal of wrapping up the effort by late next month. The federally run program contracted with major pharmacy chains around the U.S. Launched in December, it was meant to speed vaccines to the most vulnerable people in the U.S. But disruptions over the winter holidays and the challenge of going from facility to facility vaccinating older people have added at least a month to the timeline. (Armstrong, 2/12)

The Hill: Pentagon Approves 20 Additional COVID-19 Vaccination Teams 
The Pentagon has approved 20 more military teams, a combined total of 4,700 service members, to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administer COVID-19 vaccines across the country. Following last week’s approval of five such teams, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized an additional 20 to support FEMA at vaccination mega-sites and smaller locations, top Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Friday. (Mitchell, 2/12)

The Hill: Pfizer Exec 'Confident' In Ability To Deliver 2 Billion Coronavirus Vaccine Doses This Year 
An executive at Pfizer said he and the company are “confident” in its ability to deliver 2 billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year in an interview with the Associated Press published Sunday. “Right now, we can potentially deliver approximately 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021,” Mike McDermott, the president of global supply at Pfizer, told the AP. (Coleman, 2/14)

The Hill: Sanofi CEO: Vaccine Candidate Will Not Be Ready In 2021
Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said that a COVID-19 vaccine candidate that the company is developing will not be ready in 2021. “This vaccine will not be ready this year, but it could be of use at a later stage all the more if the fight against variants was to continue,” Reuters reported Hudson told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. (Williams, 2/13)

Fox News: Oxford-AstraZeneca Testing COVID-19 Vaccine In Children As Young As 6
The University of Oxford has launched a trial to study the safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in children as young as 6. The study, which Oxford University said is the first of its kind, will involve 300 volunteers, 240 of which will receive the vaccine while the 60 others will receive a meningitis shot. The university said the 60 who will receive the meningitis shot will serve as the control, and that the jab is safe in children but also is expected to produce similar reactions such a sore arm. (Hein, 2/15)

In updates on side effects and anaphylaxis —

The New York Times: As Millions Get Covid Vaccine Shots, F.D.A. Struggles With Safety Monitoring 
More than 35 million Americans have received Covid vaccines, but the much-touted system the government designed to monitor any dangerous reactions won’t be capable of analyzing safety data for weeks or months, according to numerous federal health officials. For now, federal regulators are counting on a patchwork of existing programs that they acknowledge are inadequate because of small sample size, missing critical data or other problems. (Kaplan, 2/12)

CIDRAP: CDC Data: COVID Vaccine-Related Anaphylaxis In Less Than 4 Per Million
Pfizer/BioNTech's and Moderna's mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been associated with 4.7 cases of anaphylaxis per million doses and 2.5 cases per million, respectively, according to data published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists in JAMA late last week. Sixty-six total cases have occurred in the United States through Jan 18, 2021, making the cumulative frequency 3.8 cases per million doses. No known deaths have been reported. (2/15)

In other news about vaccine development —

CIDRAP: Study Shows Strong 1-Dose Immune Response With Pfizer Vaccine
A single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was immunogenic in 92% of recipients, with no difference in immunogenic response between men and women but a decreasing response among older recipients, researchers from Israel's Bar-Ilan University reported yesterday in Eurosurveillance. The research also showed that, among those with previous evidence of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the immune response to a single dose was significantly stronger. (2/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Symptomatic Covid-19 Cases Dropped 94% With Pfizer Vaccine, Israeli Data Show
The latest data from Israel shows a 94% drop in symptomatic Covid-19 infections among 600,000 people who received two doses of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s vaccine, offering important new insights for other countries as they roll out their own campaigns. The vaccinated group was also 92% less likely to develop severe illness from the disease, according to a study by Clalit, Israel’s largest healthcare provider. Clalit compared 600,000 people who got the shots with a group of the same size who didn’t in what was Israel’s largest vaccine study to date. (Lieber, 2/15)

KHN and PolitiFact: Can Pfizer And Moderna End The Pandemic By Sharing Their Vaccine Designs? It’s Not That Simple
Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna earned praise for creating highly effective covid-19 vaccines in record time. But are they inadvertently hurting the public by not sharing their technology with other pharmaceutical companies to help speed up vaccine manufacturing and distribution? That’s what one post circulating on social media claims. “The vaccine shortage doesn’t need to exist,” reads an image of a tweet shared thousands of times on Facebook. “Pfizer and Moderna could share their design with dozens of other pharma companies who stand ready to produce their vaccines and end the pandemic.” (Putterman, 2/15)

The New York Times: New Yorkers Rush To Get Vaccine After Eligibility Expands 
The first of millions of New Yorkers with chronic health conditions lined up to receive the Covid-19 vaccine at sites around the city on Monday, a day after people inundated a state website and call center when they became eligible for the shot. Four million people with conditions like hypertension and obesity can now receive the vaccine in the state, despite a shortage in supply. (Slotnik, 2/15)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pennsylvania Is Limiting Who Administers The COVID-19 Vaccine. Doctors' Groups Say That's A Mistake
Physician groups say they are “deeply troubled” that the Pennsylvania Department of Health plans to remove primary care providers from the list of those permitted to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. “This is a time when we need all hands on deck so we can get the majority of people vaccinated as quickly as we can,” Tracey Conti, a physician and president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians, said Saturday night. “When it comes to vaccine distribution, it’s not one size fits all,” she said. “This move may make it more difficult by reducing access and increasing disparity among our most vulnerable citizens.” (Laker, 2/13)

Boston Globe: State Rebuffed Funeral Workers’ Requests For Vaccine Doses, But Offered Them To Office Of The Chief Medical Examiner Staff
The Baker administration came under fire Sunday for offering vaccination appointments to staff at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner last month — after rebuffing calls from lawmakers and other officials asking the state to provide shots to funeral home workers. The vaccination appointments for medical examiner staff, which were described in a pair of January e-mails obtained by the Globe, came from Lisa Riccobene, the agency’s chief administrative officer. “THIS IS YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY,” Riccobene wrote in an e-mail sent to medical examiner staff on Jan. 19, the second of the two messages reviewed by the Globe. “Once you are given a date and time you must keep the appointment because it will not be rescheduled.” (Hilliard and Stout, 2/14)

Boston Globe: Hospitals Denounce State’s Decision To Shut-Off Vaccine Supply
Hospital leaders and physicians expressed dismay on Friday at the Baker administration’s decision to halt vaccine distribution to hospitals and primary care offices, saying it could undercut efforts to reach minority communities and reluctant patients. But the state’s top health official said that hospitals were scheduling more vaccine appointments than the state could meet with the current level of supplies. “We all need to understand that we have a limited supply,” said Marylou Sudders, secretary of health and human services. (Freyer, Pan and Lazar, 2/12)

KHN: Family Caregivers, Routinely Left Off Vaccine Lists, Worry What Would Happen ‘If I Get Sick’ 
Robin Davidson entered the lobby of Houston Methodist Hospital, where her 89-year-old father, Joe, was being treated for a flare-up of congestive heart failure. Before her stretched a line of people waiting to get covid-19 vaccines. “It was agonizing to know that I couldn’t get in that line,” said Davidson, 50, who is devoted to her father and usually cares for him full time. “If I get sick, what would happen to him?” (Graham, 2/16)

KHN: Anti-Immigrant Vitriol Complicates Vaccine Rollout In Southern States 
In eastern Tennessee, doctors have seen firsthand how a hard-line immigration policy can affect the health and well-being of a community. In 2018, federal agents raided a meatpacking plant in Morristown, a manufacturing hub in the Tennessee Valley, and detained nearly 100 workers they suspected of being in the country illegally. In the weeks that followed, scores of immigrant families who had found work in the meat-processing plants dotting broader Hamblen County scrambled to find sanctuary in churches — and scrupulously avoided seeking medical care. (Varney, 2/16)

KHN: Vaccines Go Mobile To Keep Seniors From Slipping Through The Cracks 
A mobile “strike team” is bringing vaccines to some of Northern California’s most vulnerable residents along with a message: This is how you avoid dying from covid-19.So far, that message has been met with both nervous acceptance and outbursts of joy from a population that has been ravaged by the disease. One 68-year-old pastor, who lives in a racially diverse, low-income senior housing complex, rolled down his sleeve after his shot and said he wants to live to see 70 — just to spite the government. (Bluth, 2/16)

KHN: In Search Of The Shot 
Too little covid vaccine and too great a demand: That’s what KHN readers from around the country detail in their often exasperating quest to snag a shot, although they are often clearly eligible under their local guidelines and priority system. Public health officials say the supply is growing and will meet demand in several months, but, for now, readers’ experiences show how access is limited. Some savvy readers report no problem getting in line for the vaccine, but others say that balky application processes and lack of information have stymied their efforts. Their unedited reports are a good snapshot of the mixed situation around the country. (2/12)

Also —

The Hill: Kansas Says It's Working To Fix Vaccine Reporting Issues 
Kansas officials say they are working to fix issues with the system that reports its vaccination data to the federal government. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) said glitches within the state's reporting system, Kansas WebIZ, were largely responsible for making it appear as though 100,000 doses of the vaccine had not been used even though they had, the Associated Press reported. (Lonas, 2/15)

The Hill: New Jersey Officials Blame Microsoft Glitches For Vaccine Scheduling Issues 
New Jersey officials are blaming Microsoft systems that were supposed to help vaccination efforts for allegedly glitching over the past five weeks, hindering the ability for a smooth vaccination rollout in the state. The state’s Microsoft system for running the vaccination rollout has had issues daily from booking appointments to losing registrations, state government officials told Bloomberg News. (Lonas, 2/12)

Los Angeles Times: Dodger Stadium COVID Vaccine Site To Reopen For 2nd Doses 
Dodger Stadium and several other COVID-19 vaccination sites that were shuttered last week due to shortages are set to reopen Tuesday, though continuing supply problems mean the vast majority of shots administered will be second doses, Los Angeles officials said. People vaccinated in mid-January were automatically slotted into appointments for most of the city’s anticipated weekly supply of 54,000 Moderna doses and 4,000 Pfizer doses, a prioritization that the city said complied with directives by county and federal health officials. (Ryan, 2/15)

The Washington Post: Virus Variant First Detected In The U.K. Has Been Deadlier, Study Confirms 
Scientists had already determined that the variant of the novel coronavirus first detected in the fall in the United Kingdom — known as B.1.1.7. because of its molecular makeup — was probably 30 to 70 percent more transmissible than the typical version of the virus causing covid-19. They also knew, based on preliminary data, that the variant appeared to be relatively more deadly for the growing number of people catching it. U.K. scientists now say the variant is probably 30 to 70 percent more deadly, based on a follow-up study by the government released Friday that assessed a larger sample size of covid-19 patients and also found a higher rate of hospitalization. (Berger, 2/13)

The New York Times: U.K. Virus Variant Is Probably Deadlier, Scientists Say 
The reasons for an elevated death rate are not entirely clear. Some evidence suggests that people infected with the variant may have higher viral loads, a feature that could not only make the virus more contagious but also potentially undermine the effectiveness of certain treatments. But scientists are also trying to understand how much of the increased risk of death may stem from the propensity of the variant to spread very easily through settings like nursing homes, where people are already vulnerable. (Mueller and Zimmer, 2/13)

More variants are identified —

The New York Times: 7 Virus Variants Found In U.S. Carrying The Same Mutation
As Americans anxiously watch variants first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa spread in the United States, scientists are finding a number of new variants that originated here. More concerning, many of these variants seem to be evolving in the same direction — potentially becoming contagious threats of their own. In a study posted on Sunday, a team of researchers reported seven growing lineages of the novel coronavirus, spotted in states across the country. All of them have evolved a mutation in the same genetic letter. (Zimmer, 2/14)

CIDRAP: New COVID Variant With 5 Mutations Identified In California 
A new SARS-CoV-2 variant, CAL.20C, has been detected in southern California amid a surge in local infections and is spreading through and beyond the United States, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC) in Los Angeles analyzed COVID-19 strains before and after the surge in cases in southern California in October 2020. Before October, most coronavirus strains there originated from the 20C clade (group of viruses evolved from the same ancestor), which emerged in New York via Europe in the early stages of the pandemic. (Van Beusekom, 2/12)

In related news about the variants —

Fox News: New York Confirms South African Coronavirus Variant Case
New York has confirmed a case of the South African coronavirus variant in a patient who was transferred to a city hospital from Connecticut. In a press conference held Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that at this time, there is no evidence of further spread pertaining to the case. He made the announcement moments before revealing that the city would begin a phased re-opening of overnight subway service starting next Monday. The variants have been causing some concern among experts, particularly pertaining to vaccine efficacy. Several studies have found that the South Africa variant impacts vaccines' ability to produce antibodies, although not enough to consider the jab useless. (Hein, 2/15)

AP: COVID-19 Shots Might Be Tweaked If Variants Get Worse
The makers of COVID-19 vaccines are figuring out how to tweak their recipes against worrisome virus mutations — and regulators are looking to flu as a blueprint if and when the shots need an update. “It’s not really something you can sort of flip a switch, do overnight,” cautioned Richard Webby, who directs a World Health Organization flu center from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (Neergaard, 2/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: 'The Problem Is Tomorrow's Variants': Renowned Bay Area Epidemiologist Predicts Prolonged Pandemic
It will take years, not months, to gain the upper hand in the coronavirus pandemic — and it will require thinking well beyond our borders, says Dr. Larry Brilliant. The 76-year-old Bay Area epidemiologist, who has worked to eradicate smallpox, polio and co-founded the Seva Foundation in Berkeley to combat blindness, has a unique perspective on the subject. For years, Brilliant warned of a pandemic on the scale of the one we are living through. He even served as the senior technical adviser on the 2011 motion picture “Contagion,” filmed partly at the San Francisco 49ers old stadium, Candlestick Park — during which time he presciently predicted that epidemiologists would become rock stars and stadiums would become mass vaccination sites. (Vaziri, 2/15)

The Washington Post: U.S. Seven-Day Average Of Daily New Cases Drops Below 90,000 — First Time Since Early November
The numbers of newly reported coronavirus infections in the United States continued their steep drop with only around 56,000 new cases reported on Monday, though that number is likely artificially low due to the U.S. holiday. However the seven-day average, considered a more reliable measure, has dipped below 90,000 a day for the first time since early November. Scientists have been split about the reasons for the drop, citing increased vaccinations, decreased testing and the seasonal patterns of these kinds of viruses which see a decline in transmission rates as the winter goes on. (Schemm, Cunningham and Dupree, 2/16)

Fox News: Amid Coronavirus Variants, US Isn't 'Out Of Woods' Yet, Warns Expert: 'There Are More Surprises To Come'
Despite the recent dip in national virus cases, Andy Slavitt, the White House COVID-19 response team’s senior adviser, said Monday that the B.1.1.7 variant will likely fuel the next wave of case growth as the country pushes on with vaccinations. "Unfortunately we can’t predict the future and we know that this virus has been nothing but full of surprises for us since its come and I think there are more surprises to come," Slavitt told MSNBC. "But I don’t think we are anywhere close [to] out of the woods. I don't expect that we are going to be seeing just smooth sailing from here," he added, in part. (Rivas, 2/15)

The Washington Post: Why Are Coronavirus Cases Dropping In The U.S.? Experts Point To Four Reasons. 
The rate of newly recorded infections is plummeting from coast to coast and the worst surge yet is finally relenting. But scientists are split on why, exactly, it is happening. Some point to the quickening pace of coronavirus vaccine administration, some say it’s because of the natural seasonal ebb of respiratory viruses and others chalk it up to social distancing measures. And every explanation is appended with two significant caveats: The country is still in a bad place, continuing to notch more than 90,000 new cases every day, and recent progress could still be imperiled, either by new fast-spreading virus variants or by relaxed social distancing measures. (Thebault, 2/14)

In other news about covid cases —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: In Spite Of Months In COVID Lockdown, Ga. Senior Care Homes Report Highest Deaths, Cases In January
The Rosemont at Stone Mountain had 22 COVID-positive residents in October when inspectors discovered a lapse at the nursing home: It did not have a qualified infection prevention expert on staff. A month later, dozens more tested positive, state reports show. (Teegardin, 2/13)

AP: 3 Sailors Have COVID On US Ship That Saw Outbreak Last Year
Three sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for COVID-19, the Navy said Monday, less than a year after a massive outbreak on the ship sidelined it in Guam for nearly two months. The Navy said the three sailors have not had any symptoms, and they and others who were exposed to them are currently isolated on the aircraft carrier, which is conducting operations in the Pacific. They tested positive Sunday. (Baldor, 2/16)

North Carolina Health News: Prisons Contribute To COVID Racial Disparities 
One in five people who have been in North Carolina’s prisons since March have tested positive for COVID-19, matching the national average for prison infections. One in four prison staff members have tested positive, according to data from the N.C. Department of Public Safety, which oversees state prisons. (Wilkie, 2/15)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Safari Park Gorillas Recover From Coronavirus 
Gorillas at San Diego Zoo Safari Park have recovered from a bout of the coronavirus and are ready for visitors, zoo officials announced Saturday. The eight-member troop had been out of view to visitors after contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus in January. During that time, they received care from experts in both human and veterinary medicine. (Brennan, 2/13)

In misinformation news —

AP: The Superspreaders Behind Top COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories
As the coronavirus spread across the globe, so too did speculation about its origins. Perhaps the virus escaped from a lab. Maybe it was engineered as a bioweapon. Legitimate questions about the virus created perfect conditions for conspiracy theories. In the absence of knowledge, guesswork and propaganda flourished. ... The Associated Press collaborated with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab on a nine-month investigation to identify the people and organizations behind some of the most viral misinformation about the origins of the coronavirus. (Klepper, Amiri and Dupuy, 2/15)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Rebukes Flutist Over Social Posts Pushing Conspiracy Theories On Vaccines, Election 
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra issued a public rebuke over the weekend to its principal flutist over her social media posts that push conspiracy theories about topics such as the coronavirus and election fraud. (Prudente, 2/16)

Stat: 1 In 4 People Unable To Get A Covid-19 Test When They Wanted One 
As the U.S. struggles to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly a quarter of Americans say they wanted to get tested for the coronavirus but were unable to do so, according to the latest survey from STAT and The Harris Poll. (Silverman, 2/15)

The Wall Street Journal: The U.S. Bought Rapid Covid-19 Tests To Help Control The Virus. Now Many Are Unused. 
The U.S. government distributed millions of fast-acting tests for diagnosing coronavirus infections at the end of last year to help tamp down outbreaks in nursing homes and prisons and allow schools to reopen. But some states haven’t used many of the tests, due to logistical hurdles and accuracy concerns, squandering a valuable tool for managing the pandemic. The first batches, shipped to states in September, are approaching their six-month expiration dates. (Abbott and Krouse, 2/15)

In news about masks —

AP: Hospitals Still Ration Medical N95 Masks As Stockpiles Swell
Mike Bowen’s warehouse outside Fort Worth, Texas, was piled high with cases of medical-grade N95 face masks. His company, Prestige Ameritech, can churn out 1 million masks every four days, but he doesn’t have orders for nearly that many. So he recently got approval from the government to export them. “I’m drowning in these respirators,” Bowen said. On the same day 1,000 miles north, Mary Turner, a COVID-19 intensive care nurse at a hospital outside Minneapolis, strapped on the one disposable N-95 respirator allotted for her entire shift. (Dearen, Linderman and Mendoza, 2/16)

The Hill: Hospitals Face Severe Shortages As Pandemic Grinds Forward 
Hospitals around the country say their supplies of crucial medical supplies including personal protective equipment (PPE) are lower than ever as demand for different items has soared to an all-time high. (Bowden, 2/14)

The Hill: Montana Governor Lifts State Mask Mandate 
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) lifted the state's mask mandate Friday, fulfilling a campaign pledge, after he said the state has made significant progress vaccinating the most vulnerable against COVID-19. Gianforte has been a vocal opponent to the mask mandate, which was signed into law by his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, in July. (Weixel, 2/12)

The Washington Post: CDC Defends School Guidelines As Advocates Say They Make It Too Hard To Reopen 
For months, President Biden has been urging schools to reopen, and promised that guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would help them do so safely. ... But the much-anticipated guidelines released Friday were, in fact, more measured than some expected, with full in-person schooling recommended only when levels of community transmission are quite low, a standard that almost no place in the U.S. meets today. ... Advocates for reopening schools were dismayed. (Meckler, 2/14)

CNN: CDC Director Says 'We Have Work To Do' When It Comes To Reopening Schools Safely
The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday emphasized the need for masking and other mitigation measures in order to reopen schools safely, saying "we have work to do" as teachers, students and parents continue to struggle with Covid-19's impact on education. "We have work to do, especially when the country remains in the red zone of high community transmission. As that transmission comes down we'll be able to relax some of these measures, but the real point is to make sure that the science is consistent with our guidance, which is consistent to say until we can ensure that we have all those measures happening that there would -- schools wouldn't be safe," Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" when pressed about why schools across the country haven't reopened. (Duster and Thomas, 2/14)

The Hechinger Report: Stimulus Funds Help, But Will They Be Enough For Schools?
The long-term costs of making up for learning losses over the next few years are expected to far exceed the expenses that schools have already incurred. Have governments spent enough money to meet the unexpected and very steep costs of the last year? How much money would it take to cover those costs, finally reopen every school and then compensate for the tremendous learning losses? And if we don’t invest enough now, what could that mean for the public school system long term? Experts — and history — suggest that school districts need much more than what federal and state governments have provided so far. (Gilman, 2/12)

In related school news from Florida, California and Maryland —

NBC 6 South Florida: DeSantis Blasts CDC School Reopening Guidelines, As FIU Brings Staff Back To Campus 
On the same day employees of Florida International University were asked to come back to campus, the governor of Florida took aim at the health and safety protocols the university is consulting as the basis for bringing its staff back. ... “What the CDC put out, 5:00 on a Friday afternoon -- I wonder why they would do it then -- was quite frankly a disgrace. It would require, if you actually follow that, closing 90% of schools in the United States. We are open, we remain open, and we are not turning back,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis, without explaining or detailing which part of the guidelines were objectionable. (Odzer, 2/15)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. School District To Open Vaccination Site For Staff
Los Angeles County elementary school campuses are cleared to fully reopen for the first time in nearly a year because of dropping coronavirus rates, health officials confirmed Monday night. County Supervisor Janice Hahn tweeted out the news before the official confirmation, with a celebratory tweet in the late afternoon: “L.A. County has officially reached the State’s threshold for reopening elementary schools. Starting tomorrow, schools can reopen” if they have submitted and posted the necessary paperwork with county and state officials. (Blume, 2/15)

The Baltimore Sun: With Maryland Schools Planning To Reopen, Teacher Unions Say Classrooms Aren’t Safe Enough Yet From Coronavirus 
As many Maryland school districts prepare to return to classrooms for the first time in nearly a year, local teachers unions are staring down a deadline with a decision: How hard should they push back against reopening plans they believe put their health and lives in danger? (Bowie, 2/15)

AP: New Enrollment Window Opens For Health Insurance Shoppers
Health insurance shoppers stuck in a bad plan or unable to find coverage have a new option for help. A sign-up window opened Monday for government insurance markets and runs through May 15 in most states. It’s available for people who don’t have coverage through work, and it is expected to make finding a plan less of a hassle for those who lost a job. (Murphy, 2/15)

KHN: The ACA Marketplace Is Open Again For Insurance Sign-Ups. Here’s What You Need To Know. 
For people who’ve been without health insurance during the pandemic, relief is in sight. In January, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to open up the federal health insurance marketplace for three months as of Monday so uninsured people can buy a plan and those who want to change their marketplace coverage can do so. (Andrews, 2/16)

CNN: Obamacare Open Enrollment 2021: Here's What To Know 
Uninsured Americans who want to buy Affordable Care Act coverage have another three months to do so, thanks to an executive order President Joe Biden signed last month. The federal Obamacare exchange, healthcare.gov, reopened Monday for a special enrollment period that runs until May 15. Most states that operate their own marketplaces are also doing the same or are extending their sign-up season for several more weeks. (Luhby, 2/15)

In related news about medical bills —

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: Viral TikTok Video Serves Up Recipe To ‘Crush’ Medical Debt 
Jared Walker, who runs a nonprofit that helps people pay medical bills, posted a TikTok video explaining the recipe to “crush” hospital bills via charity care policies. “What that means is that if you make under a certain amount of money, the hospital legally has to forgive your medical bills,” Walker said in the video. The video has been viewed more than 10 million times. Walker’s organization, Dollar For, had already helped wipe out millions in medical bills before he posted that video. (Weissmann, 2/15)

Stat: During Covid-19 Pandemic, Overdose Deaths Reached New Heights 
Among the unrelenting death statistics flowing from the CDC last month, one grim non-Covid-19 statistic stood out: 81,003 deaths. That’s the number of people who died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending last June: a 20% increase and the highest number of fatal overdoses ever recorded in the U.S. in a single year. (McFarling, 2/16)

USA Today: COVID Pandemic Sends More People To ER For Drug Overdoses
Many Americans stayed away from the emergency room when the nation went under lockdown for fear of contracting COVID-19 at the hospital. While this led to an overall decline in emergency department visits, a recent study shows weekly trips to the ER for drug overdoses were higher in 2020 than in 2019. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied more than 180 million ER visits from Dec. 30, 2018, to Oct. 10, 2020, and found that weekly counts of all drug overdoses were up to 45% higher in 2020 than in 2019, according to the study published Feb. 3 in the peer-reviewed JAMA Psychiatry. Opioid overdoses, specifically, increased about 29% compared with before the pandemic. (Rodriguez, 2/15)

In other news about America's drug epidemic —

AP: Doctors Who Say No To Opioid Use Face Threats From Patients
One patient threatened to shoot Dr. Terry Hunt if physical therapy didn’t relieve his pain as effectively as opioids did. Another harassed his staff, then roamed a hospital searching for Hunt after being told he would be weaned off painkillers he had used inappropriately. Hunt was unharmed, but shaken enough to ask the central Illinois hospital system where he worked to dismiss both patients. So when he heard about Tuesday’s attack at a medical clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota, that left one person dead and four injured, “the first thing I assumed is that it was something to do with pain medication,” said Hunt, who now works for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a Mayo Clinic Health System facility in Red Wing, Minnesota. (Webber, 2/14)

NPR: As Addiction Deaths Surge, Profit-Driven Rehab Industry Faces 'Severe Ethical Crisis'
As the nation's addiction crisis deepened, Tamara Beetham, who studies health policy at Yale University, set out to answer a simple question: What happens when people try to get help? Her first step was to create a kind of undercover identity — a 26-year-old, using heroin daily. Using this fictional persona, her research team called more than 600 residential treatment centers all over the country. "We'd kind of call and say, I'm looking to, you know, start treatment and kind of go from there," Beetham said. For people suffering addiction, this can be a life-or-death moment. Studies show that getting high-quality medical care can make a huge difference, leading to long-term recovery and a healthier life. So what Beetham's team found was troubling. (Mann, 2/15)

CIDRAP: Zinc, Vitamin C Show No Effect For COVID-19 In Small Study 
Consuming high doses of zinc and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was not associated with improvement in COVID-19 infections, according to a small study published today in JAMA Network Open. In a 214-person, open-label experiment with COVID outpatients in Ohio and Florida, those who received one or both supplements had similar symptom-reduction periods as those who received standard of care. (McLernon, 2/12)

CIDRAP: Early Anticoagulant Use Tied To Fewer Deaths In VA Patients With COVID-19
COVID-19 patients given preventive anticoagulants, or blood thinners, within 24 hours of hospitalization may have a greater chance of survival than those who don't receive them, suggests a large observational US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study published yesterday in BMJ.A team led by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine mined the electronic health records of 4,297 VA patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from Mar 1 to Jul 31, 2020. (2/12)

In other science and research news —

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Tulane Launches Three New Research Centers To Combat Coronavirus, Future Infectious Disease
To better arm doctors with life-saving information about coronavirus -- and future infectious diseases that will threaten the world -- Tulane University has launched three new complex research centers. Called the Research Centers of Excellence, the initiative will focus on convergence research, or that which "deeply integrates investigators from different schools, backgrounds and expertise," according to Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, Tulane's vice president for research. "It's obvious that a pandemic can totally change the world as we are experiencing now," Piedimonte said. "At the same time, we know for a fact there are going to be more pandemics in the future. The only way to prepare ourselves is with more breakthrough research, new technology and revolutionary ideas to protect ourselves against the future COVIDs." (Hasselle, 2/16)

Stat: The Search For New Covid Drugs — And A Researcher's Reason For Optimism
David Fajgenbaum is a physician and scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. He is best known for his personal battle against Castleman Disease, which nearly killed him before he discovered a treatment that saved his life. Now, however, Fajgenbaum’s research lab at Penn is now working to catalog and analyze drugs that might prove effective against Covid-19. (Feuerstein, Tirrell and Garde, 2/15)

Bloomberg: Bristol-Myers, Sanofi Must Pay $834 Million Over Plavix
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Sanofi were ordered to pay the state of Hawaii more than $834 million for illegally marketing their blockbuster blood-thinning drug Plavix in a manner that put some users’ lives at risk. Judge Dean Ochiai in Honolulu concluded Monday the drugmakers misleadingly marketed Plavix and failed to properly warn consumers in the state about its health risks. The companies produce the medicine as part of a joint venture. The $834 million was awarded as a civil penalty for Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi’s violation of Hawaii’s consumer-protection laws through their improper Plavix marketing campaigns. Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors’ lawyers showed the companies didn’t properly disclose the blood thinner was ineffective for as many as 30% of users in the state, the judge said. (Feeley, 2/15)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —

Stat: Denali Study Of Hunter Syndrome Drug Leaves Experts Encouraged
A preliminary study of a medicine developed by Denali Therapeutics to treat Hunter syndrome, a rare genetic disease, has left outside experts encouraged by its potential. The study, details of which were released Friday, included just five patients, and the experts said much more testing would be needed. (Herper, 2/12)

Albuquerque Journal: ‘Digital Head’ Helps Diagnose Traumatic Brain Injuries
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are developing a computer modeling software that can simulate the brain and how it reacts to trauma. The model includes several unique factors that reveal what is happening to the brain at the cellular level and also pinpoint where injury has occurred. Knowing this can help alert medical professionals and identify the root cause of cognitive impairments a person may suffer, especially for an unconscious victim. While computer models of the brain are not new, Los Alamos’ digital head takes into account a patient’s specific brain anatomy – a factor that is important in accurately determining the location of brain injury. Previous models have treated the brain as one solid object, rather than a complex organ made up of many different parts, and those models are restricted to the anatomy of an average adult. (Daphalapurkar, 2/14)

Stat: The Unconventional, Demanding Culture That Drives Flagship Pioneering
Not long ago, the name Flagship Pioneering was as likely to elicit an eye roll as a nod of approval. The decades-old venture capital firm had built its reputation with access to billions of dollars and world-class scientists. But it was also famous for pouring money into companies with vague and impossibly ambitious goals. Few had yet proven their worth. (Sheridan, 2/16)

USA Today: Michael Jordan Donates $10 Million For New Medical Medical Clinics
Basketball legend Michael Jordan has donated $10 million to help open two new medical clinics in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Jordan's donation to Novant Health will improve access to affordable healthcare in his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina, according to a Novant Health press release. The two new clinics are slated to open in early 2022. The release did not state where the clinics will be located. Jordan previously partnered with Novant Health to open two Michael Jordan Family Clinics in Charlotte. Those clinics offered comprehensive primary care, including behavioral health and social support services, to the area’s most vulnerable communities, according to the release. (Dill, 2/15)

In other health care industry news —

AP: South Carolina Considers Breaking Up Public Health Agency
South Carolina’s public health workers have been tasked with keeping the state safe for 143 years, ever since lawmakers created a health board in 1878 after a yellow fever outbreak killed 20,000 Americans. Now, as the coronavirus pandemic surges, legislators are trying to break their agency apart. As in most states, South Carolina’s public health agency was underfunded and overworked long before it had to sustain an exhausting defense against a virus humans had never seen before. (Liu, 2/15)

Crain's Chicago Business: Pritzker, Local Officials Blast Mercy's Plan To Shutter Without State Approval
A group of elected officials, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, is condemning Mercy Hospital & Medical Center owner Trinity Health for moving to shutter the South Side facility without approval from the state. “As elected officials and advocates for our communities, we begged Trinity to work with us and our community partners to save Mercy Hospital and to continue to provide much-needed health care to underserved Black, Brown, Asian and white communities on Chicago’s South Side,” according to the statement, signed by 13 elected officials. (Goldberg, 2/12)

Modern Healthcare: Florida Healthy Kids Says Third-Party Breach Exposed Data On 3.5 Million
More than 3 million people who applied or enrolled for coverage from health insurer Florida Healthy Kids Corp. may have had data exposed in a seven-year long breach. The breach, which Florida Healthy Kids said took place at the company that previously hosted its website, affected an estimated 3.5 million people, according to a report that Florida Healthy Kids submitted to HHS' Office for Civil Rights in January. The HHS agency publicly posted the report to its online database of healthcare data breaches in an update Friday. That's a sizeable breach to be reported in the first month of 2021. The largest healthcare data breach reported in all of 2020 compromised data on nearly 1.3 million patients. (Kim Cohen, 2/12)

Also —

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Pushes More Healthcare CFOs Into Employee Benefits Planning
It takes a village to design employee benefits—or, at least the entire executive team, says OhioHealth Chief Financial Officer Mike Browning. Every year, OhioHealth’s human resources department surveys its 35,000 employees about their health insurance needs. After reviewing responses, HR staff try to match employee needs with plans available in the market. From there, Browning looks over the proposals, taking a strategic eye of what will keep the Columbus, Ohio-based healthcare system competitive. He crunches the numbers to see how employees’ salaries fit in. Of course, in the end, the CEO needs to weigh in on the benefits offered. (Tepper, 2/13)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Apps Becoming More Patient-Friendly
As smartphones have become tightly intertwined into so many Americans’ lives, hospital executives have realized that to play a central role in their patients’ health, they need to meet them where they are—via their phone. Having an app to engage patients is “table stakes,” said Tom Kiesau, leader of the digital transformation unit at the Chartis Group. But while most health system app strategies historically have centered around the electronic health record’s patient-specific patient portal, a growing number of systems have wanted to offer more customized apps. (Kim Cohen, 2/13)

Stat: Soaring Mental Health Unicorns Race To Meet Employer Needs 
Companies scrambling to provide employees with expanded mental health care options are propping up a booming market for digitally minded startups racing to address their needs. Two of the largest, Lyra Health and Modern Health, have both raised a mountain of funding and doubled their customers over the past year. (Aguilar, 2/16)

USA Today: Cheese Warning: CDC Says Listeria Outbreak Could Be Tied To Queso
A listeria outbreak possibly linked to fresh and soft cheeses has sickened seven people in four states, according to federal health officials. In an investigation notice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said officials were investigating a multistate outbreak of listeria monocytogenes infections linked to soft cheeses, which are made from pasteurized milk. The CDC says a specific type or brand hasn’t been identified but says people at higher risk for severe listeria illnesses shouldn’t eat queso fresco, queso blanco and queso panela until the agency learns more. A recall hasn't been announced. (Tyko, 2/15)

CNN: Kids Are Going Without Dental Care During The Pandemic 
Children are missing out on preventative dental care including teeth cleaning and checkups during the pandemic, according to a new survey. Covid-19 is a barrier to getting kids the dental care they need, said a third of parents responding to the survey released by C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. (Smith, 2/15)

In updates on flu and colds —

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Flu Cases Have All But Disappeared, Likely Due To COVID-19 Precautions
Wisconsin had 1,215 hospitalizations from flu and 26 deaths by this point last year. This year?Just 11 flu hospitalizations and no deaths. At a time when the nation is weary from a year of pandemic, when U.S. deaths from COVID-19 are still averaging well over 2,000 a day, the lack of influenza hospitalizations and fatalities has been a welcome relief. Hospital workers have not had to divert staff from treating patients with COVID-19 to treat others with severe influenza. "I think it is surprising. We didn't think we'd see quite the absence of flu that we've seen," said Nasia Safdar, director of infection control at UW Health in Madison. "Obviously we are very happy about it." (Johnson, 2/12)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Sees Little Flu This Season As Researchers Wonder If Flu Vaccine Staves Off COVID-19 
February is typically the cruelest month for the flu with thousands of infections, hundreds hospitalized and some dying in Maryland. Not this year. (Cohn, 2/16)

Consumer Reports: Why You Can Get A Cold Even While Masking And Taking Other Covid-19 Precautions 
Even people taking a vast array of precautions to stay safe from covid-19 might find themselves battling a more familiar foe: the common cold. During a winter where the slightest cough can prompt a panicked trip to a coronavirus testing site, it’s important to understand how both of these infections work — and why you might find yourself with one even if you are relatively protected from the other. (2/15)

In other public health news —

CIDRAP: Non-COVID Kids' Hospital Cases Nearly Halved Early In Pandemic 
US pediatric non–COVID-19 hospitalizations fell up to 45.4% amid the pandemic and related lockdowns compared with previous years, a study published late last week in JAMA Network Open finds. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of the Pediatric Health Information Systems database of 5,424,688 admissions of 3,372,839 children to 49 hospitals from Jan 1, 2010, to Jun 30, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 2/15)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Educator Leads Candid Conversations About Sexual Health With Women Of Color 
Vanessa Geffrard, who has degrees in community health and public health, opened her Edmondson Village rowhouse for women to have courageous conversations after she noticed reluctance among friends from her inner circle and professional life to speak openly about sex. (Garcia, 2/15)

NPR: What's In Tattoo Ink? Scientists Explore Safety Of 2 Pigments After EU Ban
Tattoo artists in Europe are fighting a new ban on two commonly-used green and blue pigments, saying that losing these ink ingredients would be a disaster for their industry and their art. Meanwhile, in the United States, where about a third of Americans have a tattoo, tattoo ink is almost completely unregulated and there's little known about what's in tattoo ink. Some artists here say the European restrictions don't make any sense. (Greenfieldboyce, 2/13)

The New York Times: Cuomo Accepts Some Blame In Nursing Home Scandal But Denies Cover-Up
Admitting a degree of fault for the first time, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday that his administration’s lack of transparency about the scope of coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes in New York was a mistake. By failing to answer questions from state lawmakers, the public and the news media, Mr. Cuomo acknowledged, the state created a void that was “filled with skepticism, and cynicism, and conspiracy theories which furthered the confusion.” But he stopped short of a full apology for his handling of information about the death toll in the state’s nursing homes, an issue that has engulfed his administration in recent weeks. (McKinley, 2/15)

South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Jared Moskowitz, Florida’s Top Crisis Manager Who Led Pandemic Response, Is Resigning
Jared Moskowitz, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management who has overseen the pandemic response, including rolling out the vaccine distribution and ensuring masks get to front-line workers, is resigning. ... “It’s been a tremendous honor to have the job,” Moskowitz said, adding that his staff who is “underpaid and underappreciated” have also dedicated their lives to the state response and continue to “burn the midnight oil.” He said the trauma of what has happened in Florida for a year now haunts him. (Huriash and Erblat, 2/15)

Anchorage Daily News: ‘Uncharted Territory’: Cheers, Deep Frustration As Alaska Loses State COVID-19 Emergency Declaration
Alaska on Sunday became one of two states in the United States without a formal COVID-19 public health disaster declaration and the only state without any disaster-related provisions, at least right now. The physically isolated and medically fragile state is also seeing a sharp reduction in coronavirus cases. But without the declaration, everything from hospital coronavirus treatment units to space for large vaccination clinics is in limbo, observers say. In place since March, it provided legal backing for state health orders, as well as flexibilities to respond to the virus and deliver vaccine to Alaskans. “Alaska is definitely in uncharted territory here,” said Emily Ford, government relations director with Providence Alaska Medical Center, the state’s largest hospital in Anchorage. (Hollander, 2/16)

North Carolina Health News: Congressional Group Probe Meatpacking Plant COVID Outbreaks
A congressional subcommittee is investigating multiple coronavirus outbreaks at meat and poultry processing plants in North Carolina and throughout the country. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis announced Feb. 1 that it is seeking internal documents from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and three of the nation’s largest meatpackers — Smithfield Foods, Tyson Foods and JBS USA. All three companies have plants in North Carolina. (Barnes, 2/12)

KHN: S.D. Governor Gives State High Marks In Handling The Pandemic. Are They Deserved?
Covid-19 has pushed states to adopt unique approaches to protect their residents, but few have garnered as much scrutiny as South Dakota. Its governor, Kristi Noem, refused to enact a mask mandate or close any businesses. She argued these precautions were a matter of personal choice, even at large gatherings, such as a July 3 political event at Mount Rushmore and the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis that was connected to covid cases in Minnesota and other nearby states. She sees success in the approach. (Heredia Rodriguez, 2/12)

Also —

Oklahoman: Teams Work To Help OKC's Homeless Find Shelter From The Cold
Street outreach teams have been urging homeless individuals to seek shelter in the wake of winter storms that have brought freezing temperatures to the metro area. The teams’ messaging seems to be working, said Dan Straughan, executive director of the Oklahoma City Homeless Alliance. Monday, he said, outreach teams have been distributing flyers with a list of shelters and warming station locations. They were also sharing information about frostbite and hypothermia. Straughan said, most of all, team members are telling people that the current winter storms are vastly different from storms many of the homeless may have experienced in the past. (Hinton, 2/16)

AP: Fauci Wins $1 Million Israeli Prize For 'Defending Science'
Dr. Anthony Fauci has won the $1 million Dan David Prize for “defending science” and advocating for vaccines now being administered worldwide to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Israel-based Dan David Foundation on Monday named President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser as the winner of one of three prizes. It said he had earned the recognition over a lifetime of leadership on HIV research and AIDS relief, as well as his advocacy for the vaccines against COVID-19. (Kellman, 2/15)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn Immunotherapy Pioneer Carl June Shares Prize From Israeli Foundation That Also Honors Fauci
In the 1980s, Israeli immunologist Zelig Eshhar took a giant step toward finding the Holy Grail of cancer treatment: a way to make the immune system attack when its own bodily tissue turns malignant. But it wasn’t until almost two decades later that his American colleagues, Carl June and Steven A. Rosenberg, figured out how to make that attack so potent that it would eradicate advanced, recurrent blood cancers. On Monday, the three pioneers of “chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy” — CAR T cells — shared a $1 million prize awarded by the Dan David Foundation, headquartered at Tel Aviv University. It annually bestows awards in three categories — past, present and future — to honor “outstanding contributions that expand knowledge of the past, enrich society in the present, and promise to improve the future of the world.” (McCullough, 2/15)

In news about China and covid —

The Hill: Biden Team Calls On China To Provide All Data On COVID-19 Outbreak 
The White House is calling on China to release all the data it has pertaining to the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak amid reports the Chinese government has refused to turn over key information to World Health Organization (WHO) investigators. (Easley, 2/13)

The Hill: WHO Investigator Says China Refused To Hand Over Key Data On Early COVID-19 Cases 
World Health Organization investigators are saying that China refused to hand over key data on early coronavirus cases during their four-week long investigation of the origins of the virus in China. The investigators said Chinese authorities would not let them look at data from 174 coronavirus cases in the country from December 2019 to study the origins of the virus, The Wall Street Journal reported. (Lonas, 2/13)

The Hill: WHO Wuhan Probe Finds Signs Original Outbreak More Widespread Than Previously Thought: Report 
The coronavirus was already spreading widely throughout Wuhan, China, by December of 2019 and had already mutated into more than a dozen strains before the end of that year, World Health Organization (WHO) investigators said Monday. (Bowden, 2/15)

In other global developments —

The Hill: WHO Grants Emergency Authorization For AstraZeneca Vaccine 
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said that it has approved two versions of a vaccine produced by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and would begin distributing them through the WHO's COVAX program. In an emailed statement, the WHO said that the approval of the AstraZeneca version would allow for more countries that have yet to obtain access to the vaccine to do so. (Bowden, 2/15)

The Washington Post: North Korea Tried To Steal Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Technology, South Says 
North Korea tried to hack into the servers of U.S. drugmaker Pfizer to steal coronavirus vaccine technology, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing the country's intelligence officials. Yonhap said lawmakers had been informed of the allegation by the National Intelligence Service at a regular closed-door hearing of the National Assembly’s intelligence committee. It was not clear when the hack occurred or if it was successful, and a Pfizer representative said she was not immediately able to comment. (Denyer, 2/16)

Reuters: Man Pleads Guilty To Breaking Quarantine To Meet Up With Fiancee
A British man pleaded guilty on Monday to breaking Singapore's strict coronavirus rules by sneaking out of his hotel room to meet his fiancée while he was undergoing two weeks of mandatory quarantine. Nigel Skea, 52, faces six months in prison for leaving his room three times on Sept. 21 last year, one of which was to meet Singaporean partner Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai, who was not in quarantine but had booked a room in the same hotel. (2/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Ebola Returns To West Africa As Region Battles Covid-19 
Health officials in Guinea are rushing to contain the first outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease in the region since 2016, days after authorities detected new cases of the hemorrhagic fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo, testing a continent that is already battling the coronavirus pandemic. Guinea was one of the three most-affected countries during the 2014-2016 epidemic. The current outbreak began in late January, but was only identified as the Ebola virus on Sunday, health officials said, suggesting it may have spread substantially in the intervening weeks. (Bariyo, 2/15)

Stat: I Need To Be At Peace With The Vaccine And Let My Body Do The Work 
I normally arrive at the hospital thinking about protecting my patients. Today it was all about protecting me. Getting the Covid-19 vaccine had been a hope that sustained me through many of these last months of caring for patients hospitalized with Covid-19. I was looking forward to getting vaccinated, marking the beginning of the end of my worry about my own health in relation to this pandemic. I would be moving on. (Sharon Ostfeld-Johns, 2/16)

The New York Post: Vaccines Will End The Pandemic — Whether Fauci Likes It Or Not
Repeat after me: Vaccines will end the pandemic. This bears repeating, as some elites seem bent on prolonging restrictions for a long time, perhaps indefinitely. If they have their way, we will wear masks for years, continue to socially distance and never get back to our regular lives. The sane among us need to make sure none of this transpires. (Karol Marcowicz, 2/15)

The Washington Post: Stop Stressing So Much About Who’s Getting Vaccinated. Just Vaccinate People — Quickly.
On Dec. 29, 2020, around 6:45 p.m., a nurse in Humble, Tex., slid a needle into a vial of the Moderna vaccine and administered what would be the last shot of the night at a vaccination event the county health department had organized for emergency workers and other eligible people. With the event winding down, it was unlikely anyone else would show up. In six hours, 10 precious doses of vaccine would expire. Hassan Gokal, the medical director of the county’s covid-19 response, says he was determined they would not go to waste. (Megan McArdle, 2/14)

Bloomberg: Covid-19 Vaccine Production Needs Help From The G-7
A scramble for Covid-19 vaccines has broken out among some of the world’s wealthiest nations. This is understandable — but too narrow a focus on their own needs is shortsighted as well as ethically wrong. Letting the pandemic rage on in poorer parts of the world will imperil their own efforts to end the emergency. Self-interest aligns with what should be a moral imperative. Increasing the supply of vaccines for everybody needs to be given a much higher priority. The European Union recently took a controversial step to secure doses for its citizens, restricting the export of vaccines until its own orders have been met. But the rich world in general has done what it can to corner scarce supplies. More than half of the 12.5 billion doses planned for delivery this year are spoken for, mostly by developed nations. Canada has bought enough to vaccinate its population five times over. Poor nations can hope to inoculate only a fraction of their populations this year. If current trends hold, many won’t complete their vaccinations until 2024. (2/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Who Are The Covid Investigators?
The world needs to learn all it can about the origins of the novel coronarvirus, and the World Health Organization has been investigating. But there’s increasing reason to question the effort due to China’s lack of cooperation and conflicts of interest on the WHO team. (2/15)

Stat: A Monument Can Help America Heal From The Covid-19 Pandemic 
In the 56 weeks since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the United States, more than 475,000 Americans have died from the virus — an average of 50 deaths every hour. In the weeks ahead, thousands more will be added to this tragic toll. We are staggered by our individual losses, buckling under the weight of collective grief. And while this pain is shared, we have by necessity often suffered alone. (Andrew Peterson, Jason Karlawish and Emily Largent, 2/14)

The Hill: Supporting Employees During COVID Protects The Bottom Line 
Last year, organizations had to dust off their crisis plans amidst one of the most unexpected years the world has ever experienced. For some companies, this meant shutting down dozens of offices, but it also meant watching thousands of new pop-up workplaces at their employee homes emerge practically overnight. Quick, reactive decisions were necessary but those executive decisions made in the best interest of employees were the ones that ensured the future of their businesses. (DJ Paoni, 2/15)

Stat: Women Need To Be Equally Represented In NIH Study Sections 
For U.S. researchers, the room where it happens — “it” being decisions about funding — is National Institutes of Health study sections. These are the committees charged with reviewing applications for NIH grants and recommending which ones should be funded. Despite decades of progress by women scientists, women are still underrepresented in study sections. (Anna Volerman, Vineet Arora and Valerie Press, 2/15)

Miami Herald: Vincent Toranzo Appointed To Biden-Harris COVID Task Force 
The young ones — they’re making a difference. We’re specifically speaking of Vincent Toranzo, a high school student from Broward County. On Wednesday, Toranzo, 18 and a senior at Pembroke Pines Charter School, was one of only12 people from across the country named to the influential Biden-Harris Administration COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, the White House announced. Very impressive. Most of the other 11 members are professionals, CEOs and public health experts who run social service agencies, work with the elderly and children, LGBTQ+ and Native American communities. (2/11)