NBC News: Biden Observes Memorial Day At Arlington Cemetery With Calls For Empathy, Unity
President Joe Biden paid tribute to the men and women who gave their lives in service to their country during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, speaking in deeply personal terms about overcoming loss and the importance of upholding democratic values at home and abroad. In addressing the sacrifice made by military families who have lost a loved one, Biden spoke at length about his personal experience of losing his son Beau Biden, a veteran of the Iraq war, who died of brain cancer six years ago Sunday. (Pettypiece, 5/31)

The Washington Post: Public Swarms Arlington National Cemetery On Memorial Day For The First Time Since The Pandemic 
On Monday, families gathered mask-free beside graves, spread out blankets, and placed mementos and flowers beside them. A group of women sang Tibetan chants beside a grave. Families chatted as small children played around them. Some people just stood and bowed their heads. ... A cemetery spokesperson said about 10,000 people were expected to have visited by the end of the day. That is fewer than the 18,000 to 20,000 who typically come on Memorial Day. But a year ago, just 4,149 people, mostly family members, came for the holiday. (Bahrampour and Linskey, 5/31)

Fox News: Americans Unmask, Gather, Remember Over Memorial Day Weekend As Sense Of Normalcy Returns 
Memorial Day Weekend services looked a bit different this year than they did in 2020 as Americans — more than half of which have received the COVID-19 vaccine — gathered to remember fallen heroes. President Biden attended a memorial service in Delaware on Sunday as he remembered his late son, Beau Biden, who served in the Iraq War and died of brain cancer on May 30, 2015. (Conklin, 5/31)

AP: A Nation Slowly Emerging From Pandemic Honors Memorial Day
A nation slowly emerging from social distancing measures imposed by the coronavirus pandemic honored generations of U.S. veterans killed in the line of duty on a Memorial Day observed without the severe pandemic restrictions that affected the day of tribute just a year ago. Memorial Day parades and events were held in localities large and small across the country Monday, many resuming after being canceled last year as the pandemic hit with full force. (Anderson, 6/1)

Travel and crowds grew over the holiday weekend —

The New York Times: Air Travel Hits A Pandemic Peak, But More Passengers Are Resisting Mask Mandates.
Memorial Day weekend is typically the start of the busy summer travel season, but this year it represents something more: the end of one of the roughest chapters in U.S. airline history. Passenger traffic has been climbing for much of this year and hit a pandemic peak on Friday, when more than 1.95 million passengers passed through security checkpoints in the nation’s airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration. That level was last reached in early March 2020, as the coronavirus was just beginning its devastating spread across the United States. (Cramer, Levenson, Chokshi and Kannapell, 5/31)

Reuters: Americans Hit The Road On Memorial Day Holiday, A Year After Pandemic Slammed Travel
A year after Memorial Day weekend travel was depressed by fears of the spreading virus, Americans took to the skies and roads. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said 7.1 million people were screened at U.S. airport checkpoints from Thursday through Sunday. Friday was the highest single travel day since March 2020, when COVID-19 slashed air travel demand, as 1.96 million people were screened. (Szekely, 5/31)

AP: Indianapolis 500 Welcomes 135,000 Fans In Global Benchmark
The largest crowd in the world for a sports event showed up in joyous force on Sunday, 135,000 of them packing the stands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was only 40% of capacity — that was the figure deemed safe in the pandemic — but it felt like a full house nonetheless. (Gelston, 5/30)

AP: Charlotte Brings Normal To NASCAR Cup Series Going Forward
Slowly but surely in a sport built on speed, NASCAR is regaining its pre-pandemic ways. That was evident at Charlotte where the weekend routine looked like it did before the COVID-19 pandemic called for protective masks and contact tracing. There was a familiar feel to qualifying on Saturday. And then there was the crowd, some 50,000 or so who filled the track. “It’s just nice to actually qualify the way we used to qualify and have people around,” driver Ryan Newman said. (Iacobelli, 5/31)

Stat: The Name Game For Coronavirus Variants Just Got A Little Easier 
Do you have trouble keeping the names Covid-19 variants straight, and struggle to distinguish B.1.1.7 from B.1.351 or B.1.617.2? The World Health Organization wants to help. On Monday, it announced a new naming system it devised for so-called variants of interest and variants of concern, the forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with important mutations. (Branswell, 5/31)

USA Today: WHO Renames COVID Variants With Greek Letter Names To Avoid Stigma
In a release. WHO said that while scientific names have advantages, they can be difficult to say and are prone to misreporting. "As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory," WHO said. It's also often wrong. Where a disease or virus is first discovered isn't usually where it actually first emerged. (Weise, 5/31)

In related news about variants —

NPR: Vietnam Detects New Highly Transmissible Coronavirus Variant
Vietnam has detected a new coronavirus variant that is highly transmissible and has features of two other strains. "Vietnam has uncovered a new COVID-19 variant combining characteristics of the two existing variants first found in India and the U.K.," Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said, according to Reuters. "That the new one is an Indian variant with mutations that originally belong to the U.K. variant is very dangerous." The announcement came on Saturday as the country is dealing with a recent spike of infections that started in May. (Davis, 5/29)

San Francisco Chronicle: Hope Builds That COVID Vaccine Boosters Won't Be Needed For A Year - Or Much Longer
Scientists are increasingly confident that vaccines provide long-lasting protection against the coronavirus and that boosters will not be necessary for at least a year, perhaps much longer. The vaccines are holding up well against all coronavirus variants so far. That means boosters probably won’t be needed anytime soon to protect against variants. Even more promising, it suggests that unlike influenza, the coronavirus may not require seasonal shots to keep up with mutations. (Allday, 5/31)

And more people push for an investigation into the origin of the virus —

The Washington Post: Understanding The Origin Of Covid-19 Is The Only Way To Prevent Future Pandemics, Scientist Says 
A prominent scientist on Sunday added his voice to the growing number of experts calling for a full investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus, saying the future of public health is at stake. “There’s going to be covid-26 and covid-32 unless we fully understand the origins of covid-19,” Peter Hotez, a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine and a leading expert on the virus, said Sunday on NBC News’s “Meet The Press.” He said coming to firm conclusions about how the virus emerged was “absolutely essential” in preventing future pandemics. (Zeitchik, 5/30)

Politico: Rep. McCaul: Covid Origin 'Worst Cover-Up In Human History' 
Texas Rep. Mike McCaul on Sunday said it was "more likely than not" that the coronavirus originated from a lab accident, calling it the "worst cover-up in human history." Bipartisan support has grown for a congressional probe into whether the virus originated in a Chinese lab following a Wall Street Journal report that three scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology had been hospitalized in November 2019 with symptoms consistent with the virus. (Parthasarathy, 5/30)

KHN: KHN Journalist Combs For Clues On Covid’s Origins 
California Healthline editor Arthur Allen discussed the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus on KPBS’ “Midday Edition” on Wednesday. ... Senior Colorado correspondent Markian Hawryluk discussed Colorado’s efforts to reduce prescription drug costs on KUNC’s “Colorado Edition” on Tuesday. (5/29)

AP: NY Lifts Statewide Virus Curfew For Indoor Bars, Eateries
Bars and restaurants no longer have to close at midnight across New York state, as its coronavirus curfew for indoor dining ended Monday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last month that the restriction would be lifted. With that, establishments can return to the closing times that their liquor licenses or other regulations allow. A similar pandemic curfew for outdoor dining ended May 17, although some local governments have their own closing-time rules for outdoor tables. (5/31)

Houston Chronicle: Bill Fails, Leaving Gov. Abbott With Near-Complete Control Of Texas Pandemic Response
The state Legislature won’t curtail Gov. Greg Abbott’s pandemic powers, after members of the House and the Senate failed to hash out their differences over it. The measure, House Bill 3, was priority legislation in the lower chamber, and variations of the bill had passed both the House and the Senate. But representatives appointed to find a compromise missed a key deadline late Saturday to release new bill text, killing the measure. (Harris, 5/30)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio's COVID-19 Health Orders End After Tuesday, But Some Remain
Starting Wednesday, there is no state order requiring nonvaccinated adults to wear face coverings indoors or bars and restaurants to space out tables. State-set restrictions have waned in recent months: first in February with the elimination of the curfew and most recently with exemptions for fully vaccinated people. The mask order has been in place since July 23, 2020. DeWine announced May 12 the orders would come off in three weeks, despite not yet meeting his goal of 50 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the previous two weeks. A few days later, DeWine halted enforcement of the mask mandate at retail businesses. (Borchardt, 5/31)

In other updates about the spread of covid —

San Francisco Chronicle: Northern California Counties Once Spared By COVID-19 Now Seeing Cases Surge
As the coronavirus pandemic wanes across California, a handful of counties along the northernmost edge of the state that were spared the worst of last year’s surge are now seeing an alarming rise in cases driven by the spread of variants and deep-rooted resistance to vaccines. With the state’s June 15 target for reopening in view, that could be cause for concern. “Right now, Shasta County is a red tier county in a sea of orange and yellow counties,” said Kerri Schuette, program manager of the county’s public health department, referring to California’s color-coded assessment of risk levels. “We still have a very high case rate.” (Vaziri, 5/30)

Fox News: Nearly Half Of COVID-19 Patients Experience Functional Decline After Hospital Stay
A study of COVID-19 survivors found that up to 45% of those who were hospitalized for the virus experienced a significant functional decline after being discharged. Researchers said the findings highlight the need for rehabilitation in this patient population post-release. The study, which was conducted by Michigan Medicine and published in the journal PM&R, included data from charts of 300 adult patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 between March and April of 2020. Researchers found that among patients who experienced functional decline, 80% were referred for additional therapy post-discharge, while nearly 20% of all patients lost so much ability that they were no longer able to live independently upon release. (Hein, 5/29)

KHN: Little-Known Illnesses Turning Up In Covid Long-Haulers 
The day Dr. Elizabeth Dawson was diagnosed with covid-19 in October, she awoke feeling as if she had a bad hangover. Four months later she tested negative for the virus, but her symptoms have only worsened. Dawson is among what one doctor called “waves and waves” of “long-haul” covid patients who remain sick long after retesting negative for the virus. A significant percentage are suffering from syndromes that few doctors understand or treat. In fact, a yearlong wait to see a specialist for these syndromes was common even before the ranks of patients were swelled by post-covid newcomers. For some, the consequences are life altering. (Loose, 6/1)

CIDRAP: Children Have More Complications With COVID Than With Flu, Study Finds
Hospitalization, hypoxemia, pneumonia, and other complications were found more in children who contracted COVID-19 than in those who had seasonal flu, according to a study today in Pediatrics. The researchers drew from databases in France, Germany, Spain, South Korea, and the United States to analyze data on 242,158 youth (18 years and younger) diagnosed as having COVID-19 from January to June 2020, 4.0% of whom were hospitalized. They then compared 30-day outcomes, including hospitalization, death, pneumonia, and multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), with 2,084,180 children who had the flu during the 2017-18 season. (5/28)

Also —

Axios: How We'll Memorialize The Toll Of The Coronavirus Pandemic 
A pandemic that has killed 3.5 million people globally — and perhaps far more — is beginning to be publicly memorialized. COVID-19 is a global pandemic, but the experience of it has been fractured by where people live, their race, their age, where they work and what their politics are — creating a challenge for those tasked with memorializing it. Last week, officials from New York's Department of Sanitation unveiled what they said is the city's first permanent memorial to victims of COVID-19: a statue dedicated to the nine sanitation workers lost to the virus last year. (Walsh and Snyder, 5/29)

The New York Times: The Pandemic In The U.S. Has Vastly Improved. For These Families, The Worst Has Just Begun.
After more than a year of pandemic restrictions, many Americans are leaving their masks behind, making summer travel plans and joyously reuniting with family and friends. As more are vaccinated and new infections plummet, there is a sense that the worst of the pandemic is over in the United States. But for people like Michele Preissler, 60, the worst has just begun. (Mervosh, 5/31)

PBS NewsHour: 5 Tips From Mental Health Experts On Transitioning Out Of COVID Restrictions
With vaccines widely available and case numbers dropping, cities around the U.S. are dropping restrictions and focusing on “getting back to normal” for the summer. But for many — after more than a year in isolation — “normal” feels scary. Experts say we need to talk more about what transitioning to a more open society will be like — and what our new normal will be like. Here are some tips on how exactly to do that, from Riana Elyse Anderson, a psychologist at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, and psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold, from the Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis. (Partridge, 5/31)

CNN: Covid-19 Infection Leaves Big Medical Bills For Some Survivors
"My job is to go out and sing, and entertain these residents in the senior living facilities. And I need to be able to hear the frequencies, and I lost those during my infection with Covid." A battle with Covid-19 left singer Irena Schulz with pain in her ears and hearing loss, jeopardizing her job performing for elderly and dementia patients if she could no longer hear the music. "I have been suffering from severe depression because I can't hear. And then I had this ringing in my ears that is just -- it's deafening. I didn't really want to wake up in the morning. I just was that depressed," Schulz told CNN's Elizabeth Cohen in an interview. (Enriquez, 5/31)

The New York Times: How Dogs Are On The Covid-19 Front Lines 
Bobby was a good boy. So was Bravo. Angel was a good girl, and when she sat, furry hindquarters sliding a little on the tile floor, she raised a paw for emphasis, as if to say, It’s this cotton ball that my keen nose has identified, the one that smells like Covid-19. The three Labradors, operating out of a university clinic in Bangkok, are part of a global corps of dogs being trained to sniff out Covid-19 in people. Preliminary studies, conducted in multiple countries, suggest that their detection rate may surpass that of the rapid antigen testing often used in airports and other public places. (Beech, 5/31)

USA Today: US Companies Can Mandate Vaccinations, Federal Agency Says
U.S. companies can mandate that employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced in a Friday statement. Federal EEO laws do not prevent employers from requiring that all employees physically entering a workplace be vaccinated as long as employers comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws, according to the statement. Employers may also offer incentives to employees to get vaccinated, "as long as the incentives are not coercive," the statement said. (Fernando, 5/29)

Politico: Federal Gov’t Says Employers Can Offer Vaccine Incentives
Employers can offer incentives to their employees to get the coronavirus vaccine without running afoul of federal anti-discrimination law, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said on Friday. In an update of its Covid-19 guidance, the agency said employers may offer incentives to employees who provide documentation of receiving the Covid-19 vaccine outside of work, because requesting proof of vaccination "is not a disability-related inquiry" or an "unlawful request" under federal anti-discrimination laws. (Rainey, 5/28)

In related news about vaccine mandates —

Houston Chronicle: Methodist Hospital Employees Sue Over Vaccine Requirement, Citing Violation Of Nuremberg Code
A group of Houston Methodist Hospital employees are suing the hospital over its recent decision to require workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Montgomery County District Court, 117 Methodist employees allege the rule violates their rights under the Nuremberg Code, a set of medical ethics standards that were created in response to Nazi atrocities during World War II. They allege that, because the three major vaccines have only been approved for “emergency use” by the Federal Drug Administration, they should not be required to take them in order to work for the healthcare provider. (Downen, 5/28)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Lawmakers Reluctant To Share Vaccine Status With Mask Standoff Looming
Both Maine lawmakers’ reluctance to respond to a survey on vaccinations and a standoff over a mask mandate threatening to upend State House business have underscored ongoing political tension around COVID-19 policies. Gov. Janet Mills’ decision to lift Maine’s mask mandate on May 24 followed guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most indoor spaces. But Democratic legislative leaders kept a State House mandate in effect ahead of a Wednesday return to the Capitol for the first time in over a year. (Andrews and Piper, 6/1)

NBC News: Cruise Lines And Florida Gov. DeSantis Square Off Over Vaccine Passports
Florida, which is by far the biggest embarkation point for cruises in the U.S., is home to the headquarters and key infrastructure of several major cruise lines, including Norwegian, whose CEO said the Miami-based company might have to pull its ships out of the state because of the vaccine passport prohibitions. (Seitz-Wald, 5/31)

Politico: Foster And Migrant Kids Shut Out From Covid Vaccinations 
Nearly a half-million foster children in the U.S. and unaccompanied migrant teens at the southern border could be prevented from receiving coronavirus vaccines because of federal and state consent laws that require a parent or guardian’s approval. Regulators authorized emergency use of one Covid-19 shot in kids as young as 12 this month, accelerating the Biden administration’s broad immunization plans and school reopening plans. But that created unintended consequences for at-risk children: Because the vaccine, from Pfizer, has not received full regulatory approval, it has a murky status compared to the battery of routine vaccinations recommended by federal agencies. That means kids in many states can only receive it with a parent or guardian’s consent — a hurdle that’s impossible to meet for many children separated from their biological parents. (Owermohle, 5/30)

NPR: No Masks Needed At Summer Camp For Vaccinated Campers And Staff, CDC Says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised earlier guidelines regarding mask use and vaccinations at summer camps. The updated guidelines, released Friday, now say that at camps where everyone has been fully vaccinated, campers can sing, play sports and weave baskets mask-free – except where required by local law. "In a camp setting where everybody is fully vaccinated, there's no need for masking, there's no need for distancing. There's no need for screening, testing," said Cmdr. Erin Sauber-Schatz, lead of the CDC's Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force, which wrote the guidance. (Huang and Neel, 5/28)

In other updates on the vaccine rollout —

Axios: Tennessee Hat Store's "Not Vaccinated" Star Of David Patches Spark Protest 
Manufacturer Stetson announced Saturday it's pulling its products from a store in Nashville, Tennessee, which advertised the sale of "not vaccinated" Star of David patches for $5. Protesters rallied outside Hatwrks Saturday, displaying signs with messages including "The Holocaust is not a marketing op." (Falconer, 5/30)

Bay Area News Group: Despite Vaccine Incentive Program, No Stampede To Get Shots
A steady trickle of traffic flowed into Bay Area vaccination sites on Friday, a day after the state’s announcement of financial incentives to get jabbed. But trying to find a person for whom the promise of $50 and a chance at more than a million dollars had pushed them over the edge to get a shot was on par with hunting for a unicorn. Most people at the sites — including the volunteers — hadn’t even heard of the $116.5 million program, which Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled to great fanfare Thursday as part of a growing trend of vaccine giveaways to nudge more hesitant Americans to get a COVID-19 shot. Named “Vax for the Win,” California’s program will provide $50 cash or grocery cards to the next two million Californians who get vaccinated and will enter all vaccinated residents into drawings for cash prizes of $50,000 and $1.5 million. (Selig, 5/28)

Axios: COVID Vaccine Incentives: The States Offering Rewards To Get Vaccinated 
From $1 million cash prizes to a free dinner with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, states and cities are offering incentives as part of their efforts to boost vaccination rates. U.S. daily administered doses fell dramatically in late April and May, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. About 51.2% of adults in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated, while nearly 62.4% have received at least one dose of a vaccine. (Knutson, 5/30)

AP: Mobile Vaccination Units Hit Tiny US Towns To Boost Immunity
Pick-up truck drivers motor up to a white trailer in a parking lot on Fallon Paiute-Shoshone land in Nevada’s high desert and within a few moments they’re handed forms to sign, jabbed with coronavirus vaccine and sent on their way. The pop-up clinic 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of Reno is one of 28 locations in the state where the Federal Emergency Management Agency has dispatched mobile vaccination units to ensure people in far-flung rural areas and one stop-light towns can get inoculated. (Sonner and Metz, 5/31)

KHN: Mississippi’s Black Communities Turned Around Their Covid Rates. Next Up: Make Strides On Vaccines. 
At its first pop-up vaccination event on April 10, the Northeast Mississippi Coalition Against Covid 19 gave shots to nearly 40 people in Shannon, a town where roughly 60% of some 1,800 residents are African American. Though a fraction of the doses typically given out at large mass vaccination sites, the event was a success, say organizers — a coalition of health care providers and elected officials. Held outdoors, it allowed for a physically distant, communal atmosphere that many have missed over the past year. (Gibson Morris, 5/30)

Crain's New York Business: Armed With Its New Covid Lab, Mount Sinai Vies For City Vaccination Contract
Having expanded its Covid-19 testing lab, Mount Sinai is gunning for a contract that would provide testing services to the city's schools, it announced Tuesday. Earlier this year the health system established the Mount Sinai Covid Lab with Hell's Kitchen–based Pershing Square Foundation, a not-for-profit organization tackling social issues, as part of a pilot program to provide saliva-based testing for charter schools. The foundation provided $500,000 to launch that program, said Dr. David Reich, president of Mount Sinai Hospital. (Sim, 5/31)

Houston Chronicle: Second-Generation COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial Starts At Baylor College Of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine investigators are recruiting volunteers for a multicenter Phase 1 clinical trial to examine the safety, tolerability and immune response for different doses of a two-part, investigational COVID-19 vaccine regimen. “Gritstone Oncology’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been designed to broaden the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with the goal of generating immune responses to provide protection against emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2,” said Dr. Jennifer Whitaker, assistant professor of medicine and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine and principal investigator of Baylor’s trial site. (5/29)

Axios: Biden Administration Sides With States In Canadian Drug Import Lawsuit 
The Biden administration filed a motion in federal court on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit looking to prevent the import of Canadian prescription drugs, which have lower prices because the country limits how much drugmakers can charge. By moving to toss the U.S. drug companies' lawsuit, the White House is siding with Florida and New Mexico, states that are applying to import Canadian prescriptions, Politico reports. (Gonzalez, 5/29)

KHN: Biden Administration Signals It’s In No Rush To Allow Canadian Drug Imports 
The Biden administration said Friday it has no timeline on whether it will allow states to import drugs from Canada, an effort that was approved under President Donald Trump as a key strategy to control costs. Six states have passed laws to start such programs, and Florida, Colorado and New Mexico are the furthest along in plans to get federal approval. (Galewitz, 5/28)

In updates on Biden's proposed budget plan —

NPR: Biden's Budget Removes A Longstanding Ban On Abortion Funding
President Biden's budget proposal fulfills a campaign promise to remove a longstanding ban on federal funding for most abortions known as the Hyde Amendment. The budget plan, released late last week, would drop the policy which has restricted funding for abortion through federal programs such as Medicaid. The rule, in effect since 1980, includes exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or to save a pregnant woman's life. Biden has been under pressure from progressive Democrats to reverse Hyde, which reproductive rights groups say disproportionately harms low-income women and people of color. (McCammon, 5/31)

Axios: Biden Budget Overturns Decades-Old Ban On Federal Funds For Abortions 
President Biden’s proposed 2022 budget lifts a decades-old ban on federal funding for most abortions. Presidential budgets rarely survive intact even with broad support within the party, but they are a reflection of a given administration’s priorities. Many Republicans and some Democrats will push to keep the amendment, named after the late Republican Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois. It became law in 1976 and has been renewed every year since. But House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has said this is one of her priorities. (5/29)

Modern Healthcare: Biden Budget Boosts Funds For Health, Pandemic Preparedness
President Joe Biden's proposed budget requests a 23% funding increase for HHS and urges Congress to take action on high drug costs while expanding and improving health coverage. The fiscal 2022 budget plan reiterates Biden's calls on Congress to pass legislation allowing the federal government to negotiate for lower prices on drugs covered by Medicare, reducing deductibles in ACA plans, improving Medicare benefits to include dental, hearing and vision, creating a public option, lowering the Medicare eligibility age and closing the Medicaid coverage gap in non-expansion states. (Hellmann, 5/28)

Politico: New Attention On Abortion Pill Dispensing Amid Challenge To Roe V. Wade
The Supreme Court’s decision to take a Mississippi case that poses a direct challenge to Roe. v. Wade has raised the stakes for the Biden administration’s newly launched review of restrictions on abortion pills, which could dramatically expand access to the procedure. A ruling for Mississippi, which is petitioning for the right to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, would allow states to implement restrictions farther-reaching than any seen in decades, abortion-rights advocates say. Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma and South Carolina moved this year to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with similar limits pending in several other Republican-led states. (Ollstein, 5/31)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Legislature Extends Medicaid Coverage For New Moms
The Texas Legislature passed on Friday a bill that would ensure mothers on Medicaid have health coverage for six months postpartum — a measure intended to reduce the state’s maternal mortality rate, and offer a lifeline to moms grappling with postpartum depression or other health complications in the half-year after giving birth. The bill would add an extra four months of health insurance for low-income women, who now get Medicaid coverage from pregnancy until two months after delivery. (Najmabadi, 5/28)

Fox 4 Kansas City: Three Moms Sue Missouri Over Medicaid Expansion
Three single moms are suing the state of Missouri after the governor decided not to expand Medicaid. But the lawsuit could impact thousands of Missourians. After the General Assembly voted not to fund Medicaid expansion earlier this month, Gov. Mike Parson said there was no way the state could expand. In less than three weeks, the lawsuit will be in front of the judge who will rule if Missouri has to cover those making less than $18,000 a year. (Manley, 5/28)

Forbes: South Dakota Is Medicaid Expansion’s Next Red State Target
South Dakota is the next Republican-leaning state to be targeted for Medicaid expansion by a group that has already put together a half dozen other successful ballot campaigns to extend healthcare coverage to poor Americans. The Fairness Project, working with Medicaid expansion supporters in South Dakota, says more than 40,000 people would gain healthcare coverage and the state could save tens of millions of dollars thanks to funding in the American Rescue Plan Act. (Japsen, 6/1)

Politico: Democrats Plot Medicaid Expansion Backdoor In Red States Refusing Program 
Democratic lawmakers are rallying around an effort to extend health insurance in states that have refused to expand Medicaid, believing they have a limited window to help millions who’ve been unable to get coverage because of intractable GOP opposition to the Obamacare program. Democrats had hoped that President Joe Biden’s election, along with the promise of new federal cash from the recent Covid relief package for states to expand Medicaid, would move at least some of the dozen remaining holdout states. But there’s little indication those states are budging, which is energizing a push among Democratic lawmakers for a new federal program guaranteeing coverage for low-income adults long shut out of Medicaid expansion. (Roubein and Luthi, 5/29)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma Medicaid: How To Apply, Eligibility And What's Changing
Oklahomans eligible for health coverage through Medicaid expansion can begin applying for benefits Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know about who’s eligible and how to apply. Last year, Oklahoma voters passed State Question 802, which expanded Medicaid eligibility to include many low-income adults. Oklahoma’s Medicaid program, called SoonerCare, has covered children, pregnant women, elderly adults and disabled people. Under the expanded eligibility guidelines, over 200,000 more people will be eligible for coverage, according to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which oversees the program. (Branham, 6/1)

CNBC: Covid Is Driving An Exodus Among Health-Care Workers
For Audra Williams, intensive care unit (ICU) nursing was her “passion.” And for almost eight years, it was her career, leading her to work across four U.S. states including, most recently, New York. But when the coronavirus pandemic broke out last year, and when New York City turned into the virus’ global epicenter at one point, she was faced with a difficult decision: Should she leave behind the job she loves for the sake of her own health? (Gilchrist, 5/30)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Has A Nursing Shortage. This University Is A Offering Tuition-Free Program To Help
Aiming to better meet a critical nursing shortage in Louisiana, Chamberlain University, the largest nursing school in the country, is teaming up with LCMC Health to offer a tuition-free nursing program. The "Called-to-Care Scholars Program" is open to applicants nationwide, but will address health care workforce shortages in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, where LCMC Health has six hospitals, officials announced this week. Based in Chicago, Chamberlain has a campus in Jefferson. (Hasselle, 5/29)

Modern Healthcare: Primary Care Providers Face New Challenges, New Competitors
Primary care providers during the pandemic are facing an increased number of challenges that are opening opportunities for competitors. But experts say patients need to be wary of what those competitors offer. The pandemic led the way for virtual care to become more mainstream in the U.S. and that threatened primary care providers who practice in smaller facilities and were buffeted by closures in 2020. Smaller practices did not make the transition to telehealth prior to the pandemic and therefore did not have the infrastructure to provide virtual care. (Devereaux, 5/31)

Stat: New Pediatricians See Fewer Routine Cases, But Many Mental Health Crises
In his first month as a pediatric intern at the University of California San Francisco, Alexander Hartman saw his first patient with an eating disorder. The same night, he saw a dozen more. His first rotation of his first year of residency was in the general pediatrics ward, and on nights, Hartman and the other interns covered the adolescent service, seeing teens starting from puberty. One night in June 2020, there were around a dozen patients in the ward, all with eating disorders. It was double the usual caseload. (Gaffney, 6/1)

Noticias Telemundo: Home Caretakers Are Among The Worst-Paid Workers In The U.S. 
Home caretakers and personal aides, who are overwhelmingly Latinas and Black women, are among the worst-paid workers in the U.S., even as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the value of their care. Most home health aides have no benefits, like Medicaid, and earn $10 to $13 an hour on average, which they say barely covers the cost of traveling to and from their house calls. (Franco, 5/29)

Modern Healthcare: N.Y. Public Hospital Board Chair Resigns, Citing Need For Reform
The chair of the board that manages Nassau University Medical Center has resigned, echoing concerns about the hospital's viability. In recent years, the hospital has been in a state of financial decline, its total operating revenue dropping from around $607,000 in 2018 to $509,000 in 2021. Currently, Nassau University Medical Center has an operating deficit of $116.2 million. Robert Detor, who has chaired Nassau Health Care Corp., or NuHealth, since January 2020, resigned on Friday after notifying Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and stating his issues with the center's governance and lack of reforms. (Devereaux, 5/28)

KHN: Behind The Byline: Finding A ‘Superstar’ To Interview 
Senior correspondent Jenny Gold started her yearlong project with a question: How will covid shape the next generation of doctors? In June 2020, more than 30,000 new doctors graduated from medical school and started their training on the front lines of the pandemic. Dr. Paloma Marin-Nevarez — a woman from Los Angeles whom Gold describes as thoughtful and outgoing — stood out from the beginning. She was about to start her residency in Fresno, California, a city in the state’s agricultural Central Valley that had become a hot spot for covid infections. (Gold, 6/1)

In other health care industry news —

The Courier-Journal: Baptist Health Louisville Closes Hospital's Inpatient Psychiatric Unit
Baptist Health Louisville made the "difficult decision" to permanently close Saturday its inpatient psychiatric care unit, meaning patients needing intensive mental health care must now move to other community programs. Baptist spokeswoman Julie Garrison told The Courier Journal the 22-bed inpatient psychiatric unit, also referred to internally as the Crisis Management Unit, "is no longer staffed" as of Saturday. A lower daily patient count and the need for space for more critical care and cardiac-monitored beds drove part of the decision to close the inpatient psychiatric unit, according to Baptist. (Kobin, 5/29)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Home Price Per Bed Climbs Nearly 22% In First Quarter
The total price per bed for nursing homes jumped nearly 22% during the first quarter of 2021, increasing after four straight years of year-over-year losses, according to a new housing survey by JLL Valuation Advisory, a professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. The average price per bed rose to $90,700 during the first quarter, which is the second-highest annual price point for nursing homes on record, according to the report. Gains are largely attributed to government stimulus funds, including about $4.9 billion sent to nursing homes from HHS and $100 billion sent to qualified healthcare providers from the CARES Act, which helped operators maintain cash flows, the report said. (Christ, 5/28)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Bill On Lower-Cost Health Plans Passes Assembly, Returns To Senate To Concur
Lawmakers completed votes Sunday establishing publicly managed private health insurance options for lower-income individuals and helping laid-off gaming and travel workers get pre-pandemic jobs back as the session’s signature effort, a mining tax increase to fund education, got an easy ride through committee on the second-to-last day of the session. The health plan bill, Senate Bill 420, passed the Assembly on a party line vote, 26-15, and heads back to the Senate for concurrence on an amendment. The bill makes Nevada the second state, after Washington, to set up a coverage plan for lower-income individuals at rates below other plans offered on its health exchange. (Dentzer, 5/30)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Health Insurance Is On Sale At A Steep Discount Thanks To The Latest COVID-19 Relief Law
The federal government is running a big sale on health insurance. The American Rescue Plan Act, the latest effort out of Washington to lift the economy out of the COVID-19 doldrums, boosted subsidies, making it cheaper for more people to buy plans on Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces. “The savings are huge,” said Joanna Rosenhein, a specialist at the nonprofit Pennsylvania Health Access Network who helps people buy insurance. “We see people saving hundreds of dollars a month. Some people are now paying zero dollars per month, whereas before they were $100 or more.” (Brubaker, 5/28)

Stat: STAT Creates Fellowship Named For Reporter Sharon Begley
STAT on Tuesday opened applications for a new early-career science journalism fellowship named in memory of acclaimed reporter Sharon Begley, who was beloved by the legions of younger journalists she mentored in her four-decade career. The annual nine-month fellowship, offered jointly with MIT’s Knight Science Journalism program, aims to help improve the diversity of science journalism. (Joseph, 6/1)

Axios: FDA Approves Amgen Drug That Targets Lung Cancer With Specific Mutation 
The Food and Drug Administration approved Amgen's Lumakras drug as the first treatment for adult patients with a common form of lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer with a specific mutation in a gene known as KRAS has been considered to be resistant to any sort of drug treatment, per the FDA. Lumakras was able to shrink the tumors of between 36% and 58% of patients studied. (Gonzalez, 5/29)

Fox News: Diabetes Vaccine Shows Promise For Some Patients In Early Trial
In a small, early study, a vaccine for type 1 diabetes helped preserve the body's natural production of insulin, at least in a subset of newly diagnosed patients. In patients with type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that's necessary for cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. These patients need lifelong insulin injections to stay alive. And because so many hidden factors inside the body can affect how much insulin a person needs, people who are insulin-dependent often have high and low blood sugar. High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, damages the organs over the long term, while low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can lead to seizures or death in the short term. (Saplakoglu, 5/29)

The Washington Post: Alzheimer’s Drug Aducanumab Sparks Emotional Battle As FDA Nears Deadline On Whether To Approve 
When Phil Gutis was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease at 54, he immediately enrolled in a clinical trial for an experimental drug but had little hope of being helped. Over time, though, he started feeling better, his brain less cloudy. “There was just a fogginess I remember having a couple of years ago that I don’t really feel I have now,” said Gutis, who has received monthly infusions of a medication called aducanumab for five years, except for a short interruption. (McGinley, 5/31)

The New York Times: A Vaccine Side Effect Leaves Women Wondering: Why Isn’t The Pill Safer? 
Last month, as the Food and Drug Administration paused use of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine to evaluate the risk of blood clots in women under 50, many scientists noted that clots associated with birth control pills were much more common. The comparison was intended to reassure women of the vaccine’s safety. Instead, it has stoked anger in some quarters — not about the pause, but about the fact that most contraceptives available to women are hundreds of times riskier, and yet safer alternatives are not in sight. (Mandavilli, 5/30)

Reuters: EU To Decide On Astrazeneca's $39 Bln Alexion Deal By July 5 
EU antitrust regulators will decide by July 5 whether to clear Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) $39 billion bid for U.S.-based Alexion (ALXN.O), a European Commission filing showed on Tuesday. AstraZeneca sought EU approval on Monday for the deal, its largest ever in a bet on rare-disease immunology and to boost its business, which includes a fast-growing cancer medicines unit and a major COVID-19 vaccine. (6/1)

In updates on the opioid trial in West Virginia —

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Email Shows Drug Firm Employees Applauded Customers’ Shift To Illicit Drugs
An email released Friday in the federal trial pitting Huntington and Cabell County against three drug distributors showed McKesson Corp. employees cheering trends that showed Appalachians were shifting away from opioid pills to illicit drugs in 2012. The email was sent among McKesson employees — first by Tracy Jonas, director of regulatory processes, who shared a February 2012 article that said the DEA was seeing a sharp drop in oxycodone sales in Florida. “We are showing trends in other states where the addicts are moving to heroin and Meth. Ohio and Ky. for instance. I spoke to Jeff Conners of the DEA and he called it ‘Whack a Mole,’” Dave Gustin, a director of regulatory affairs, responded. (Hessler, 5/28)

Stat: Researchers Claim They Have Sequenced The Entirety Of The Human Genome
An international team of scientists says it has sequenced the entirety of the human genome, including parts that were missed in the sequencing of the first human genome two decades ago. The claim, if confirmed, surpasses the achievement laid out by leaders from the Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics on the White House lawn in 2000, when they announced the sequencing of the first draft human genome. That historic draft, and subsequent human DNA sequences, have all missed about 8% of the genome. (Herper, 6/1)

The New York Times: Two New Laws Restrict Police Use Of DNA Search Method
New laws in Maryland and Montana are the first in the nation to restrict law enforcement’s use of genetic genealogy, the DNA matching technique that in 2018 identified the Golden State Killer, in an effort to ensure the genetic privacy of the accused and their relatives. (Huges, 5/31)

Philadelphia Inquirer: These Penn Scientists Discovered How The Brain Engages In Imagination
While undergoing MRI brain scans at the University of Pennsylvania, two dozen volunteers were asked to picture themselves in a variety of pleasant and not-so-pleasant scenarios. Winning the lottery. Sitting on the beach on a sunny day. Watching their houses burn down. Though imaginary, these ruminations yielded a very real response on the brain scans. When neuroscientists analyzed the details, they could identify specific regions that “lit up” when the volunteers used their imaginations. In effect, it was an electronic rendering of what helps makes us human: our ability to hope, plan, and dream. (Avril, 6/1)

NPR: Scientists Studying Cannabis Now Have Access To More Plants For Their Research
Since 1968, U.S. researchers have been allowed to use cannabis from only one domestic source: a facility based at the University of Mississippi, through a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). That changed earlier this month, when the Drug Enforcement Administration announced it's in the process of registering several additional American companies to produce cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. It's a move that promises to accelerate understanding of the plant's health effects and possible therapies for treating conditions — chronic pain, the side effects of chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis and mental illness, among many others — that are yet to be well studied. (Stone, 5/30)

Fox News: Number Of Smokers Soars To 1.1B Worldwide, Study Says
A new study suggests there were a record 1.1 billion smokers worldwide in 2019, and nearly 8 million related deaths. Researchers warn progress against the prevalence of smoking tobacco use has slowed in the last 10 years in many countries, and population growth is resulting in an increasing number of smokers. "Countries have a clear and urgent opportunity to pass strong, evidence-based policies to accelerate reductions in the prevalence of smoking and reap massive health benefits for their citizens," study authors wrote. (Rivas, 5/29)

In other public health news —

Los Angeles Times: O.C. Health Officials Impose Quarantine — On Toxic Mussels
Officials with the Orange County Health Care Agency, the body tasked with oversight of public health programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, on Thursday announced a different kind of quarantine would be imposed through October: on mussels for human consumption. Through Oct. 31, residents across California are being warned not to eat mussels and other potentially toxic shellfish collected by sports harvesters from coastal waters. The reason? Harmful marine biotoxins produced by some species of microscopic algae can be absorbed by the digestive systems of mussels, clams, oysters and scallops. The consumption of affected mollusks puts humans at risk of paralytic shellfish poisoning. (Cardine, 5/28)

Bloomberg: Sunscreen With Leukemia-Causing Benzene Is Latest Summer Worry
Four decades ago, the U.S. government used rarely deployed emergency powers to reduce workers’ exposure to benzene, a chemical linked to a five-fold increased risk of potentially deadly leukemia. After a landmark study in 1977 highlighted its health risks, employers and manufacturers were forced to limit the industrial compound in their workplaces. Yet just within the past few months, elevated levels of benzene have appeared in some hand sanitizers, and on Tuesday, an analysis by an independent testing lab revealed its presence in some sunscreens and after-sun skin soothers. (Edney, 5/28)

Fox News: Tick Bites On The Rise: How To Stay Safe As You Head Outdoors
Tick bites are on the rise in the U.S. with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that the majority of cases typically occur in the warmer months. The agency's tracker showed 169 bites reported this week, an increase of nearly 70 from the week prior. Over the last several years, the week ahead has seen a peak number of tick bites. Most bites are usually reported in children ages 0-9. (Hein, 5/29)

The New York Times: More Than A Third Of Heat Deaths Are Tied To Climate Change, Study Says 
More than a third of heat-related deaths in many parts of the world can be attributed to the extra warming associated with climate change, according to a new study that makes a case for taking strong action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to protect public health. (Schwartz, 5/31)

CNN: Falling Out Of Shape Can Take Mere Weeks, Researchers Say
Getting in shape isn't easy. But after all that hard work, how long do we actually maintain it? Turns out that even the great effort we put into training, taking a bit of time off can mean that we become "unfit" much faster than it took us to actually get in shape. To understand how the body becomes "unfit," we first need to understand how we become fit. The key to becoming fitter -- whether that's improving cardiovascular fitness or muscular strength -- is to exceed "habitual load." This means doing more than our body is used to. The stress that this has on our body makes us adapt and become more tolerant, leading to higher fitness levels. (Gordon and Roberts, 5/31)

Also —

CNN: Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open, Citing Her Mental Health 
Tennis star Naomi Osaka said Monday she is withdrawing from the French Open after refusing to speak to the media at the grand slam. The four-time major winner posted a statement on Twitter saying she was pulling out so that "everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris," adding that she would "take some time away from the court." Osaka revealed she had "suffered long bouts of depression" since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2018. (Morse, 5/31)

Dallas Morning News: ‘It’s An Obligation For All Of Us To Listen’: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott On Dealing With Depression, Loss Of His Brother
When the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in early 2020, it had profound effects on Americans in many different ways. Even Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott wasn’t immune. Like many others last year, Prescott’s normal daily life was uprooted by the pandemic. He was forced to socially distance and spend more time alone than before, which contributed to struggles with depression and anxiety. And on top of all that, his brother, Jace Prescott, died at 31 years old in April 2020. (5/31)

Los Angeles Times: Teachers Not Trained For Students' COVID Mental Health Trauma
Before the pandemic, Jessica Bibbs-Fox’s eighth-graders would parade into her classroom bursting with energy. “Settle down,” she’d playfully shout over the clamor of voices. Now, Room 18 at Kelly Elementary is eerily quiet. Her 14 pupils are cordoned off by plexiglass shields. She pleads with them to participate during a math lesson — to say something, anything. The 20 students she teaches on Zoom are just as withdrawn. They turn in work sporadically, if at all. Every single student in her homeroom class has an F. (Newberry, 5/31)

Noticias Telemundo: Racism May Be Breaking Latinos’ Hearts 
Feeling stigmatized, threatened or discriminated against correlates with structural heart abnormalities in Latinos, according to a preliminary study. Experts increasingly recognize the negative effects of discrimination on physical wellbeing, and the American Medical Association has identified racism as a public health threat. (Franco, 5/29)

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer: Kemp Order Bans GA School Districts From Mandating Masks 
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a new executive order Friday that eliminates most of Georgia’s remaining COVID-19 but doesn’t outright ban schools from having mask requirements. The order, which takes effect May 31 and lasts through June 15, leaves limited guidelines for long-term care facilities, schools and school districts. (Wooten, 5/28)

Salt Lake Tribune: As COVID-19 Slows, STDs Are Spiking In Utah
The coronavirus pandemic may have masked a spike in sexually transmitted infections in Utah, where they had already been on the rise for years, health experts say. Statewide, the rates of positive tests for STIs dropped at the beginning of 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread and the state went into an initial lockdown. But by December, when the escalating number of new coronavirus cases was setting and breaking records and COVID-19 patients were filling ICU beds, the rate of STIs also rose — to their highest levels in years. (Alberty, 5/28)

AP/Clarion-Ledger: Mental Health Services In Mississippi: DOJ Pushes For Expansion
The Department of Justice says a federal judge should order Mississippi to expand community-based mental health services. Department attorneys filed documents with an expansion plan as part of the long-running litigation between the federal government and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported. The Justice Department wants U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves to appoint an external monitor to ensure Mississippi complies with court-ordered remediation. (5/28)

Health News Florida: Florida Supreme Court To Weigh In On Major Tobacco Case 
Nearly 15 years after a Florida Supreme Court decision unleashed thousands of lawsuits against the tobacco industry, justices next week will consider a case that could make it harder to successfully sue cigarette makers. The court will hear arguments in a case that focuses on a major issue involving allegations that the tobacco industry conspired to conceal information about smoking. But more broadly, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA are seeking to use the case to convince justices to reconsider the underlying 2006 decision that spurred the torrent of litigation. (Saunders, 5/31)

The Boston Globe: As Contaminated Water Concerns Grow, Massachusetts Towns Urge The State To Stop Spraying Pesticides In Their Communities
After announcing that the town’s water supply contained elevated levels of the toxic chemicals known as PFAS, selectmen at a recent virtual meeting in Pepperell turned to another thorny subject: Should the town try to opt out of state-mandated aerial and roadside spraying of pesticides? The issues, in significant ways, were connected. To reduce the spread of eastern equine encephalitis and other mosquito-borne diseases, the state has sprayed millions of acres in recent years with a pesticide found to contain significant amounts of PFAS. The PFAS leached into the pesticide from its packaging. (Abel, 5/31)

Axios: The Unique Microbial Profiles Of Our Major Cities 
A team of researchers has collected an atlas of unique microorganisms found in the world's subways. While each city has its own unique microbial profile, they possess a distinct urban microbiome that reminds us that we share space not just with our fellow commuters, but vast numbers of bacteria and viruses. (Walsh, 5/29)

North Carolina Health News: Dix Park Opens All Faiths Chapel On Grounds 
The former Dorothea Dix Hospital campus is on its way to becoming a destination park for people from Raleigh and across North Carolina, principals said at a recent ribbon-cutting for its extensively renovated chapel. Remarks at the reopening ceremony for the imposing mid-century modern Greg Poole Jr. All Faiths Chapel came from dignitaries including Janet Cowell, CEO of the nonprofit Dix Park Conservancy; Art Ross, pastor emeritus of White Memorial Presbyterian Church; and Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. (Goldsmith, 6/1)

Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage Is Again Considering Changing Where Homeless Shelters Are Allowed In The City — And Adding A License Requirement
The Anchorage Assembly is again considering a change to its land use code that would expand where homeless shelters could be located in the city, after shelving a similar, controversial ordinance last summer. This time, the proposed ordinance is paired with another ordinance that city officials say would better regulate homeless shelters by adding a licensing requirement. (Goodykoontz, 5/31)

AP: Chinese City Locks Down 2 Areas As Cluster Grows
China’s southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou has imposed lockdowns on two neighborhoods after an additional 11 cases of COVID-19 were detected in the city. The surrounding province of Guangdong has already required anyone wishing to travel to other parts of China produce a negative test for the virus taken within the previous 72 hours. (6/1)

Reuters: China Reports First Human Case Of H10N3 Bird Flu 
A 41-year-old man in China's eastern province of Jiangsu has been confirmed as the first human case of infection with the H10N3 strain of bird flu, China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday. The man, a resident of the city of Zhenjiang, was hospitalised on April 28 after developing a fever and other symptoms, the NHC said in a statement. ... H10N3 is a low pathogenic, or relatively less severe, strain of the virus in poultry and the risk of it spreading on a large scale was very low, the NHC added. (6/1)

The New York Times: U.S. Mask Companies Struggle To Compete With China 
Mask mandates have eased, a welcome milestone in the battle against Covid-19. But for the two dozen domestic companies that jumped into the mask-making business last year, the good news comes with a downside: a calamitous drop in sales. Some of the slackening demand is tied to the loosening of masking guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but industry experts say a bigger factor has been the return of inexpensive protective gear from China that began flooding the American market earlier this year. (Jacobs, 5/29)

In other developments from China —

NPR: China Will Now Permit Married Couples To Have Up To 3 Children
China will now allow married couples to have up to three children as the country attempts to halt a declining birthrate. The policy is a dramatic change for a country which, less than a decade ago, still performed forced abortions and sterilizations of women who had more than one child. The new three child limit raises the previous ceiling of two children. It is a recognition from the country's top leaders that China will need to undertake drastic measures to counter a rapidly aging society. (Feng, 5/31)

The Wall Street Journal: Does China’s Baby Bust Mean A Global Inflation Boom? 
China will allow couples to have three children and will invest more in education and child care, after decades of restricting most families to one or two children. The change is welcome, but the limited success of many other countries trying to boost births with financial incentives—and the lackluster response to a similar policy change in 2015—mean it is probably too late to head off the worst of China’s demographic crisis. The effects of the great Chinese baby bust will percolate to nearly every corner of the global economy. One of the biggest effects could be on something that is very much already on companies’ minds these days: inflation. (Taplin, 6/1)

The New York Times: For China’s Single Mothers, A Road To Recognition Paved With False Starts 
For a few glorious weeks, Zou Xiaoqi, a single mother in Shanghai, felt accepted by her government. After giving birth in 2017, Ms. Zou, a financial worker, went to court to challenge Shanghai’s policy of giving maternity benefits to married women only. She had little success, losing a lawsuit and two appeals. Then, earlier this year, the city suddenly dropped its marriage requirement. In March, a jubilant Ms. Zou received a benefits check in her bank account. (Wang, 5/31)

The New York Times: Peru Says Its True Covid Death Toll Is Almost Triple Its Official Count
Peru said its Covid-19 death toll is almost three times as high as it had officially counted until now, making it one of the hardest-hit nations during the pandemic relative to its population. In a report released on Monday — which combined deaths from multiple databases and reclassified fatalities — the government said that 180,764 people died from Covid-19 through May 22, almost triple the official death toll of about 68,000. The new figure would mean that more people have died in Peru relative to its population than Hungary and the Czech Republic, the countries with the highest official death tolls per person, according to a New York Times database. (Martinez, 5/31)

The Washington Post: Doctors Prepare To Ration Care As Covid Surge Leaves Malaysia In ’Total Lockdown’
Coronavirus cases are soaring. Hospitals are growing crowded. And officials are warning that doctors may soon have to decide who lives. While India’s covid-19 crisis is far from over, the number of new coronavirus infections per million people in Malaysia has overtaken that of the more populous South Asian country. Malaysia, with its roughly 32 million people, now registers more new cases per capita than any medium- or large-sized country in Asia, according to Our World in Data, which tracks publicly available figures. (Miller, 5/31)

Reuters: Long Lines And Confusion As Venezuela Begins COVID-19 Vaccination 
Hundreds of senior citizens and health workers stood in long lines on Monday to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as part of Venezuela's inoculation campaign, which has been held up by payment problems and political disputes. The government of President Nicolas Maduro for months said it was unable to pay for vaccines due to U.S. sanctions, but last month announced it had come up with the funds to enter the global COVAX program. The campaign that officially began over the weekend is using vaccines provided by Russia and China. Reuters data shows that only 1.1% of the population has received at least one vaccine shot so far. (5/31)

In other covid news from around the globe —

AP: Australian Court Upholds Ban On Most International Travel
An Australian court on Tuesday rejected a challenge to the federal government’s draconian power to prevent most citizens from leaving the country so that they don’t bring COVID-19 home. Australia is alone among developed democracies in preventing its citizens and permanent residents from leaving the country except in “exceptional circumstances” where they can demonstrate a “compelling reason.” (McGuirk, 6/1)

Politico: Commission Proposes Plan To Avoid EU Travel Chaos 
The European Commission Monday set out a plan to streamline travel policies across the EU ahead of the summer season. Under an agreement struck earlier this month, EU-wide COVID certificates — proving whether travelers got a test, vaccine or are immune following an infection — are set to be rolled out in July. But the deal leaves it up to individual governments whether to impose additional measures, such as quarantines or tests, and the Commission wants to avoid chaos caused by diverging policies. (Cokelaere, 5/31)

CIDRAP: No COVID-19 Cases Found After Well-Controlled Indoor Concert 
No attendees at an indoor concert that employed rapid COVID-19 lateral-flow screening, N95 respirators, and a well-ventilated venue tested positive for COVID-19 in the next 8 days, showing no increased virus transmission risk associated with the event, according to preliminary findings from a randomized, controlled trial published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. A team led by researchers from the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital (GTPUH) in Barcelona, Spain, compared the coronavirus infection rate in 465 concert-goers aged 18 to 59 who were screened for COVID-19 and fever before entry and wore an N95 respirator throughout the event with 495 participants who were screened and then asked to go home. No concert-goers or 58 staff members tested positive 8 days after the event, compared with 2 in the control group. (Van Beusekom, 5/28)

Also —

AP: Protesters Slam Choice Of Syria For Board Of UN Health Body
Dozens of medical workers in rebel-held northwest Syria on Monday protested a decision to grant President Bashar Assad’s government a seat on the executive board of the World Health Organization. They said Assad is responsible for bombing hospitals and clinics across the war-ravaged country. The decision to give Syria a seat came a decade into the country’s devastating civil war that has left untold numbers of civilians — including many health care workers — dead and injured. (Mroue, 6/1)

NBC News: A Memorial Day Appeal To Congress: Help Service Members With Toxic Burn Pit Exposure
Thirty years after Operation Desert Storm and nearly 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, Congress may be on the verge of delivering Veterans Affairs disability and health care benefits to thousands of veterans who were sickened by exposure to burn pit toxins while serving in combat zones. ... It’s time for the federal government to acknowledge and help treat those who suffered from this exposure while serving their country. (Gen. David Petraeus, Dr. David J. Shulkin and Jeremy Butler, 5/30)

Los Angeles Times: How The VA Has Illegally Denied Healthcare To Thousands Of Veterans 
A veteran with a fever and hacking cough that suggest a possible coronavirus infection tries to make a doctor’s appointment, only to be turned away by a receptionist who personally decides the would-be patient can’t see a physician. A former service member and sexual assault survivor at risk of suicide is denied access to mental health services by a bureaucratic gatekeeper stationed at the therapist’s front desk. These are two of thousands of examples of veterans seeking the Veterans Affairs healthcare they’re legally entitled to — and being wrongly refused it. This is due to a pervasive misunderstanding, and misapplication, of the rules regarding other-than-honorable discharges. (Dana Montalto, 5/31)

The New York Times: Ketamine As A Depression Treatment Saved Me 
The summer I was 26 years old, I moved into my parents’ home in the Chicago suburbs because I could no longer care for myself. I had been severely depressed for most of my life, but that summer five years ago, even the most mundane tasks became insurmountable. I spent days on the couch where I rarely spoke, my mind so dull I struggled to form words. I lay awake at night thinking, I can’t go on like this. Some people experience episodic depression, but since the onset of my illness in early childhood, I sank far and fast and never truly surfaced. By age 10, I found myself overcome with inexplicable dread, so ill at ease I could hardly sit through a television show. By the time I was a teenager, I awoke every morning to an immutable sadness and sobbed on my bedroom floor. Though I was once an excellent student, I struggled to make it through class. Finally, at age 16, I dropped out of high school. (Zoe Boyer, 5/30)

Stat: If The FDA Approves Aducanumab, I Won't Prescribe It 
Most visits to the memory center where I care for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease end in disappointment. “Are there any new treatments, Dr. Karlawish?” patients or family members hopefully ask. I shake my head and say, “No.” I’ve been saying that for the past 18 years. (Jason Karlawish, 5/30)

Modesto Bee: One Solution To Lengthy Health Care Waits In Central Valley 
What is the longest you have had to wait to see your doctor? Not being able to see your doctor when you need to is a serious problem in California, especially in the Central Valley. In the Health Affairs academic journal, a March 2016 survey of Californians found that 30% could not find a doctor to see them, 35% met resistance because the doctors they found were not taking new patients, 44% found a doctor’s office that did not accept their insurance type, and 67% were unable to find available appointments. Those with the highest likelihood to report problems with access to care were younger, female, Hispanic, low income, and in fair or poor health. (Robin Fredeking, 5/28)

Scientific American: As The Pandemic Wanes, Sexually Transmitted Infections Are Likely To Rise 
It’s been over 100 years since the “Spanish” flu pandemic stifled our sex lives to the extent that we’ve experienced during COVID-19. As a sexual health physician and researcher, I can attest to seeing empty waiting rooms for months as people kept their social and sexual distance, their desire squelched by fear of contagion. ... As a consequence of our collective abstinence (plus a national shortage of testing kits), rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S. plummeted in the second quarter of 2020, after previously reaching record highs in 2019. (Ina Park, 5/31)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Members Fared Well During Pandemic, Humana Bold Goal Finds
For those of us in healthcare, we are humbled by the opportunity to partner with patients to help them solve complex and highly personal challenges. Watching the pandemic unfold, we experienced greater urgency to accelerate our efforts to connect people to resources that would alleviate their daily well-being concerns. At Humana, where our goal is to make it easier for people and communities to achieve their best health, it was a call to action; we rallied to create solutions with our community and business partners. Our newly released Bold Goal Progress Report details the results from those efforts and shows Humana Medicare Advantage Members maintained their overall health over the course of 2020 and throughout the 2020 pandemic. (Dr. William Shrank, 5/28)

Stat: Covid-19 Vaccines Poorly Protective In Those With Organ Transplants 
"When can we go back to Starbucks?” My brother, Anmol, asks me that question every time I’m home for a visit. It’s our tradition. When I’m home, the two of us go to a nearby Starbucks. Anmol doesn’t know a venti from a grande or a mocha from a hot chocolate, so I order whatever I think he’ll like and something for me. As we sit inside the cozy cafe, he nurses his drink and tells me what time the recycling truck came by the house, how many paper bags he’s added to his collection, what random person’s birthday is coming up, and much, more more. (Hemal N. Sampat, 6/1)

CNN: The Big Problem With 'Herd Immunity' 
The United States reached a significant milestone this week: More than 50% of adults have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. This Memorial Day marks a threshold moment in the pandemic — and we should anticipate better days as the nation starts reopening. Most states have lifted mask mandates and capacity restrictions in response to rising vaccination rates, falling case counts and guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that deemed it safe for the majority of fully vaccinated people to take off their masks in most outdoor or indoor settings. But in Mississippi, only 35% of adults are fully vaccinated. In Alabama, it's 37%. In Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming, they're all at or under 43%. (Richard E. Besser, 5/31)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Vaccine Distribution Failed Older Black Americans. Here's Why
COVID-19 causes disproportionately higher mortality rates in senior citizens and in the Black population. When combined, these two factors mean that older, Black Americans are arguably the most vulnerable group in America to the virus. And yet plans for distributing vaccine information and administering shots often failed to take into consideration how low-income older Black adults get their information. Regular mail, for example, is a far more reliable way to reach this demographic than the internet. (Cindy Cox-Roman and Karyne Jones, 6/1)

CNN: India's Covid-19 Crisis: Why I'm Grateful I Lost My Parents Before The Current Surge 
On December 11, 2020, I found myself in an ambulance, rushing my father from a government hospital to a private one, in search of a state-of-the-art ventilator in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata. The day before, my mother had breathed her last. I lost both my parents to the coronavirus in a span of 10 days. I am still grieving six months later but I am also grateful that Covid-19 found my family last year, and not now. Here's why. (Pallabi Munsi, 6/1)

The Washington Post: Why We Are Calling For A New Commitment To Vaccine Equity And Defeating The Pandemic 
It has become abundantly clear that there will be no broad-based recovery from the covid-19 pandemic without an end to the health crisis. Access to vaccination is key to both. There has been impressive progress on vaccinations, with unprecedented achievements from scientists and public and private financing that has supported vaccine research, development and manufacturing scale-up. But a dangerous gap persists between richer and poorer nations. (Kristalina Georgieva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, David Malpass and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, 5/31)

Houston Chronicle: During The Great Unmasking, Take Off The Psychological Masks As Well
For millions of Americans, the next six months are going to be great. The power that COVID had over our lives is shrinking, and the power we have over our own lives is growing. The image that comes to mind is recess. We’ve been stuck emotionally indoors for over a year. Now we get to sprint down the hallway and burst into the playground of life. People in large parts of the world will still be enduring the ravages of the pandemic, but those of us fortunate enough to be in countries where vaccines are plentiful will be moving from absence to presence, from restraint to release, from distance to communion. Even things that didn’t seem fun are going to be fun. Not being able to get the bartender’s attention because the bar is packed — that will be fun! I’m a Mets fan, but going to Yankees games will be fun! (As long as they lose.) Going to age-inappropriate concerts will be fun! I don’t care if Generation Zers don’t want to sit next to some damn boomer at their Cardi B concert. I’m going anyway. (David Brooks, 6/1)