Stat: CDC: Fully Vaccinated Americans Can Be Together Indoors, Unmasked
People who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can now spend time together indoors and unmasked, according to new Biden administration guidance. Fully immunized Americans can also visit with low-risk individuals from other households even if they haven’t yet received a vaccine. And if vaccinated individuals are exposed to Covid-19, there’s no need to either quarantine or get tested for the disease, according to new recommendations released Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Facher, 3/8)

NPR: CDC Guidelines List Activities Safe For Vaccinated People
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance for vaccinated people, giving the green light to resume some pre-pandemic activities and relax precautions that have been in place. Specifically, the new guidance says, people who are fully vaccinated can visit indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks or social distancing. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they have gotten the second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines (or two weeks after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine). (Aubrey and Treisman, 3/8)

NBC News: CDC Releases New Covid Guidelines For Fully Vaccinated People
The new guidelines do not, however, suggest that fully vaccinated people can go back to life as it was in 2019. In public or around others who are vulnerable to Covid-19 complications, mitigation measures should remain in line with the status quo, the CDC said. Keep up with hand-washing. Wear masks in public places, and continue to adhere to physical distancing guidelines. Avoid crowded areas. Seek out Covid-19 testing if symptoms develop. (Edwards, 3/8)

CBS News: Here's What The CDC Says Fully Vaccinated People Can Do
Fully vaccinated people, according to the CDC, can do the following: visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without masks or physical distancing; visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing; and skip quarantine and testing guidelines following a known exposure, if they're asymptomatic. (Bayer, Tin and Watson, 3/8)

ABC News: Fully Vaccinated Individuals Can Socialize Without Masks, Distancing In Some Cases, CDC Says 
"If you and a friend or you and a family member are both vaccinated, you can have dinner together," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said, without wearing masks and without distancing. "You can visit your grandparents, if you have been vaccinated and they have been too," she said in a White House briefing. (Ebbs, 3/8)

The Wall Street Journal: CDC Says Fully Vaccinated People Can Gather Privately Without Masks 
A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of the two-shot vaccines made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE as well as by Moderna Inc., or two weeks after getting the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the CDC. (Abbott, 3/8)

Also —

NBC News: New CDC Guidelines Have Grandparents Turning Family Reunion Dreams Into Action
Little Juliette Berkhemer is a just few months away from finding out the truth about her grandparents — they don't actually live in her mother's cellphone. And for that, Juliette, a 14-month-old toddler from Jersey City, New Jersey, can thank the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which Monday gave grandparents who have already been vaccinated against Covid-19 the green light to be reunited with loved ones they've had to keep away from because of the pandemic. For almost as long as Juliette has been alive, her only contact with her grandma and grandpa in Houston has been in FaceTime chats, said her mother, Becca Hoffman. (Siemaszko, 3/8)

CNN: US Coronavirus: A Safer Future Is Just Months Away. But Americans Shouldn't Give Up On Safety Measures Yet, Former CDC Director Says 
A safer future is just a few months away, but it's crucial that Americans keep practicing Covid-19 safety precautions and heeding health officials' advice as the country works to vaccinate more people, one expert told CNN on Monday. "We're not done yet, Covid isn't done with us. The variants are still a risk," Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. "You don't declare victory in the third quarter." (Maxouris, 3/9)

ABC News: CDC Not Endorsing Travel For Vaccinated Individuals, Saying It Risks A Surge In Cases 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Monday defended her agency's decision not to endorse travel for vaccinated Americans, saying that, even as the CDC says they can socially gather without masks, increasing travel would add to the number of COVID-19 cases and pose a risk to the majority of the country not yet vaccinated. Walensky said the agency's guidance has not changed, saying that travel has increased COVID-19 cases and that, even though people who are vaccinated are less likely to become seriously ill, CDC doesn't have enough data yet to know if they can transmit the virus to others. (Ebbs, 3/8)

Politico: CDC Cuts Travel Advice From Guidelines For Vaccinated People 
An earlier draft of the guidelines included a travel section but senior health officials decided not to release that portion of the recommendations at this time, one senior administration official told POLITICO. Advice on whether vaccinated people need to quarantine after exposure to someone with Covid-19 also sparked debate at a White House meeting Friday, one day after the guidelines were originally set for release. (Banco, Cancryn and Owermohle, 3/8)

In more travel news —

AP: Airline Industry Pushes US To Standardize Health Papers
Leading airline and business groups are asking the Biden administration to develop temporary credentials that would let travelers show they have been tested and vaccinated for COVID-19, a step that the airline industry believes will help revive travel. Various groups and countries are working on developing so-called vaccine passports aimed at allowing more travel. But airlines fear that a smattering of regional credentials will cause confusion and none will be widely accepted. (Koenig, 3/9)

Bloomberg: Airlines And Travel Groups Urge U.S. To Develop Virus Passport
U.S. airlines, joined by travel groups and labor, urged the Biden administration to take the lead in developing standards for temporary Covid-19 health credentials that would help reopen global travel by documenting vaccinations and test results. The U.S. “must be a leader” in efforts already underway in other regions to implement such travel passports, groups including Airlines for America said in a letter Monday to Jeffrey Zients, the head of President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 recovery team. It’s essential for the government to partner with carriers and the travel industry “to quickly develop” standards, they said. (Schlangenstein, 3/8)

Axios: The Many Barriers To Effective Coronavirus Vaccine Passports 
Vaccine passports could become available soon to help people resume their lives — but they face numerous scientific, social and political barriers to being accepted. Reliable and accessible proof of vaccine-induced protection from the novel coronavirus could speed international travel and economic reopening, but obstacles to its wide-scale adoption are so great it may never fully arrive. (Walsh, 3/6)

CNBC: Covid-19: How To Travel In 2021
Just because flights are more affordable and vaccines will be more widely available doesn’t mean travel is going to feel normal, says Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonary and critical care medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. “Travel can happen now,” he says, “if it’s allowed and if the [case] numbers look OK. If you’re vaccinated, it buys you a sense of self security, but you still have to practice proper hygiene interventions.” This means it’s important to socially distance, wear a mask, and wash your hands often. (Shrikant, 3/6)

The Washington Post: Pfizer Vaccine Neutralizes Brazil Variant As Experts Warn Of Rapid Spread
The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine appears to be highly effective against a more contagious variant of the virus first discovered in Brazil, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, raising hopes that ongoing vaccination efforts will help curb the variant’s spread. The study, conducted by Pfizer scientists and researchers at the University of Texas, comes as public health experts warn that the more transmissible variants could drive yet another surge in covid-19 cases, particularly as restrictions are lifted across the United States. (Cunningham, 3/9)

Bloomberg: Pfizer-BioNTech Covid Shot Neutralizes Brazilian Strain In Lab
The study tested serum samples taken from people either two or four weeks after they had received their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. That was pitted against viruses that had been engineered to have mutations from the three virus lineages. (Loh, 3/9)

Reuters: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Neutralizes Brazil Variant In Lab Study 
In previously published studies, Pfizer had found that its vaccine neutralized other more contagious variants first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa, although the South African variant may reduce protective antibodies elicited by the vaccine. Pfizer has said it believes its current vaccine is highly likely to still protect against the South African variant. However, the drugmaker is planning to test a third booster dose of their vaccine as well as a version retooled specifically to combat the variant in order to better understand the immune response. (Erman, 3/8)

In other news about Pfizer —

FiercePharma: Pfizer's McPherson Plant, Filling COVID-19 Vaccine, Dinged For Repeat Offenses Last January: Report 
Pfizer has tapped its McPherson, Kansas, manufacturing plant for fill-finish work as it hustles to double its weekly COVID-19 vaccine output in the U.S. But the facility has a history of problems—and found itself in the FDA's crosshairs as recently as last January. Pfizer’s McPherson plant was dinged by FDA inspectors for quality and cleanliness issues during a visit in late 2019 and early 2020, according to an inspection report obtained by Bloomberg via the Freedom of Information Act. (Kansteiner, 3/5)

Crain's Chicago Business: Moderna Vaccine Deal With Baxter For COVID Shot Production
Baxter International and Moderna have entered into an agreement to help increase COVID-19 vaccine production, the companies announced today. The Deerfield-based medical products company will fill vials with Moderna’s vaccine and supply packaging for approximately 60 million to 90 million U.S. doses this year, the companies said in a statement. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “This additional production will help us continue to scale up our manufacturing capacity in the United States,” Juan Andres, Moderna’s chief technical operations and quality officer, said in the statement. (Goldberg, 3/8)

In news about side effects from the Moderna vaccine —

The New York Times: Women Report Worse Side Effects After A Covid Vaccine 
On the morning that Shelly Kendeffy received her second dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, she felt fine. By afternoon, she noticed a sore arm and body aches, and by evening, it felt like the flu. “My teeth were chattering, but I was sweating — like soaked, but frozen,” said Ms. Kendeffy, 44, a medical technician in State College, Pa. (Moyer, 3/8)

The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette: West Liberty Cancels School Due To COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects 
The West Liberty School District canceled classes Monday after several teachers reported experiencing side effects after receiving a second Moderna COVID-19 vaccination over the weekend. On Saturday, district staff received the second dose of the vaccine at a special clinic. When the district checked in with teachers Sunday, 64 percent reported having some kind of side effect and 28 percent thought the side effects made them feel too poorly to go to work. (Hotle, 3/8)

And President Biden will meet with the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck —

The Baltimore Sun: President Biden Cancels Visit To Baltimore’s Emergent BioSolutions Plant 
The White House has canceled President Joe Biden’s planned visit Wednesday to Emergent BioSolutions’ plant in East Baltimore. It would have been the Democrat’s first visit to Baltimore as chief executive. Instead, the White House said in a scheduling plan, the president will host an event at the White House that day with the CEOs of two of the drug companies—Johnson & Johnson and Merck — who had been scheduled to participate in the Baltimore event. (Baker, 3/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: State Health Officials Confirm Report Of Vaccine Under-Dosing At Oakland Coliseum
California public health officials on Monday said that people who received a coronavirus vaccine at the Oakland Coliseum on Feb. 28 and March 1 likely received less than what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for a single dose — confirming what a TV station reported last week. The California Department of Public Health on Monday notified people who received a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on March 1 about the findings, which were determined with the help from CDC vaccine experts. (Flores, 3/8)

In updates on vaccine eligibility and access —

Salt Lake Tribune: Demand Surges For COVID-19 Vaccination Appointments, As Some 700,000 Utahns Become Eligible
The hottest ticket in Utah this week is an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination, now that another 700,000 Utahns are eligible for their first jab. Monday was the first official day for Utahns 50 and older to sign up for the vaccinations, under new eligibility rules announced Thursday by Gov. Spencer Cox. The governor also added people 16 and older with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and a body mass index of 30 or higher — a level considered “obese” — to the list of those eligible for the vaccines. People rushed to fill the appointment slots as they went up on websites for county health departments, pharmacies and health companies. (Means, 3/8)

Anchorage Daily News: With Thousands Of Vaccine Appointments Still Open Statewide, Health Officials Say They’re Concerned Some Alaskans Haven’t Realized They’re Eligible For A Shot
Less than a week after Alaska significantly broadened its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to include a huge chunk of the state’s population, appointment uptake has slowed: At least four thousand appointments remained open statewide by Monday afternoon. State health officials say they are concerned that part of the reason for the excess of unfilled appointments was that many newly eligible Alaskans had not realized they could now get a shot. “I was working at (the emergency department) this weekend, and asking patients if they got vaccinated,” said Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer. “And so many people just didn’t know they were eligible and that it was their turn to get vaccinated.” (Berman, 3/8)

KHN: In Alabama, South Carolina And Louisiana, CVS Vaccine Appointments Go Unfilled
Last week, as covid vaccine appointment slots were snapped up within an hour at CVS stores in 20 states, slots remained open all day at CVS pharmacies in Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana. The dozens of open appointment slots in the three Southern states stood in sharp contrast to the availability in states such as Delaware, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, where appointments generally were gone by midmorning or earlier. CVS and other retailers typically post appointment slots around 7 a.m. for the next day. (Galewitz, 3/9)

Dayton Daily News: Ohioans 50 And Older Eligible For Vaccine Starting Thursday
Ohioans with type 2 diabetes and end-stage renal disease and those 50 and older will be eligible starting Thursday to receive the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Mike DeWine announced. (Spicker, 3/8)

Tampa Bay Times: DeSantis: Coronavirus Vaccine To Be Offered To Floridians 60 And Older Next Week
Any Floridian 60 and older will be eligible for a coronavirus vaccination starting March 15, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday. DeSantis said Florida could afford to offer the vaccine more broadly because of what he called “softening” demand among seniors. (Wilson, 3/8)

Oklahoman: 'Vast Majority' Of Oklahomans Eligible For COVID Vaccine Starting Tuesday
The “vast majority” of Oklahomans will be eligible for a vaccine beginning Tuesday, state health officials announced Monday. Oklahomans in Phase 3 of the state’s vaccination plan — which includes essential workers, teachers, staff and students in educational settings outside pre-K through 12th grade — are being added to the list of those allowed to sign up for a vaccine. That adds over 2 million people to the list of those eligible, according to the state’s estimate. “This is big. This is a big step,” deputy commissioner of health Keith Reed said Monday. “This means that we are bringing on the vast majority of Oklahomans." (Branham, 3/9)

The Wall Street Journal: As Covid-19 Vaccine Eligibility Expands, Interest Could Wane 
The first months of vaccine distribution have largely been targeted at populations that have shown the most willingness to receive it. Distribution plans differ from state to state, but most gave priority to older Americans in the early phases of the rollout. But as eligibility expands to encompass younger age groups, a continuing Census Bureau survey suggests uptake may slow. The data come from a survey conducted by the Census Bureau and developed in concert with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics. The latest release gauged responses from nearly 80,000 adults between Feb. 3 and Feb. 15. (Yeip, 3/8)

Axios: Colorado To Focus On Equity In COVID Vaccine Distribution 
Colorado is shifting the focus of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution to equity now that supply is increasing. The new approach is designed to reach racial minorities hit hard by the coronavirus and rural areas with less access to care. (Frank, 3/8)

Axios: Minnesota Moves To Tackle Equity In COVID Vaccine Distribution 
Minnesota is now releasing COVID-19 vaccination data by race and ethnicity — and there's work to be done to achieve equity in distribution. While COVID-19 has sickened and killed people of color at higher rates than whites, early data shows members of many of those demographic groups aren't getting as much access to vaccinations. (Van Oot and Halter, 3/8)

Also —

San Francisco Chronicle: Santa Clara County Refuses To Participate In California's Blue Shield-Managed Vaccine Distribution
The Bay Area’s largest county will not participate in the statewide coronavirus vaccine distribution system managed by Blue Shield of California. Santa Clara County executive Jeff Smith said Monday that the county does not plan to sign the agreement with Blue Shield because the county has already set up its own vaccine appointment system and vaccination sites that work well. Blue Shield, he said, would add another layer of bureaucracy to the process and no apparent benefits. He called MyTurn, the state’s vaccine appointment system, an “inferior appointments and data collection system” compared to the county’s existing vaccine IT system. (Ho, 3/8)

Boston Globe: In Surprise Move, Baker Administration Sets High Insurance Payments For Vaccinations
As they prepared to roll out COVID-19 vaccines across Massachusetts, the Baker administration in December made a little-noticed decision about how much it would pay hospitals, health centers, pharmacies, and other providers for putting shots in arms of people covered by the state’s Medicaid program. The administration initially said that program, MassHealth, would pay about $45 per vaccination, equal to the national Medicare rate for providers set by the federal government. But a month later, Governor Charlie Baker’s administration sweetened the pot, agreeing to pay providers twice the national Medicare rate. And it required private health plans to pay at least that amount. (Dayal McCluskey, 3/8)

Axios: Aryo's Electric Food Truck Is Reborn As A Mobile Vaccine Unit 
The maker of a compact electric truck originally marketed for food service is focusing on a new, more urgent purpose: a mobile vaccine unit. COVID-19 vaccine distribution is a logistical challenge in many communities, with people waiting in snaking lines of cars — and some lacking transportation altogether. Ayro's "electric vaccine vehicle" aims to address those challenges by setting up mobile stations to bring vaccines to the people. (Muller, 3/9)

The New York Times: All U.S. States Are Now Offering Vaccines To Teachers 
As of Monday, all K-12 educators nationwide are officially eligible to be vaccinated against Covid-19, though the situation is more straightforward in some states than others. President Biden had urged states last week to make vaccinating teachers a priority, with a goal of “every educator, school staff member, child-care worker to receive at least one shot by the end of the month of March.” Mr. Biden said all teachers should be able to get vaccinated starting March 8. (3/9)

In other news about who's lining up for the vaccine —

Axios: Many Vulnerable Americans Have Received The Coronavirus Vaccine
More than two-thirds of Americans 75 and older have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, as have more than half of those 65-74, per CDC data. Any future surge in cases almost certainly wouldn't be as deadly as previous waves, because older people are the most likely to die from the virus. (Owens, 3/9)

The New York Times: Some Elderly African Americans Are Hesitant About The Covid Vaccine 
Flossie West was not at all interested in taking the coronavirus vaccine. Carla Brown, the nurse overseeing her care, was determined to change her mind. Ms. West, 73, has ovarian cancer, congestive heart failure and breathing difficulties — conditions that place her at grave risk should she contract the virus. As it is, Covid-19 has killed far too many of her neighbors in Mid-City, a low-rise, predominantly Black community that sprawls to the east of the Louisiana state capital. (Jacobs, 3/6)

The Washington Post: Meet The GOP Voters Who Could Decide Whether The U.S. Reaches Herd Immunity
Margaret, an 80-year-old retiree who lives outside Tulsa, has spent the past year living in fear of the coronavirus. She’s constantly worn masks, toted hand sanitizer and used drive-throughs to run her errands. Her age and preexisting health conditions — including heart failure, diabetes and blood clots — put her at elevated risk if she gets sick. But unlike many at-risk Americans seeking safety and an end to the pandemic, Margaret refuses to get a coronavirus vaccine. “There’s too many unanswered questions,” said Margaret, who agreed to be interviewed only if her last name was withheld because of concerns she might be harassed. (Diamond, 3/8)

Houston Chronicle: Nearly Half Of Houston Businesses Plan To Require Employees To Get Vaccinated, PNC Survey Shows
Small and medium-sized business owners in Houston said they strongly support vaccinations to protect against COVID-19 and plan to encourage their employees to get the shots, according to a survey of small business owners. Three-quarters of Houston businesses plan to encourage or require their workforce to vaccinate, according to the survey by the bank PNC, which recently entered the Houston market. More than four in 10 plan to require employees to get vaccinated, more than three in 10 will provide assistance or education about vaccination and two in 10 plan to provide incentives to vaccinate. (Carballo, 3/8)

Also —

CBS News: 12-Year-Old Helps More Than 1,600 People Get Vaccines After Building A Website To Help Seniors
Twelve-year-old Sam Keusch knows how difficult the pandemic has been on seniors. Many older people, like his grandparents, haven't seen their families in months — and now there's a struggle to find vaccines. So the seventh grader from Scarsdale, New York, found a way to help others who might not be as tech savvy book appointments online. Keusch told CBS News he first saw his dad helping his grandparents and neighbors book appointments. "I was already thinking of a Bar Mitzvah project, and I thought that it couldn't be that hard. So I decided to help them out," he said. (O'Kane, 3/8)

Axios: High BMI And Obesity Are Severe Risk Factors For COVID-19, CDC Says 
About 78% of people who were hospitalized, placed on a ventilator or died from COVID-19 were overweight or obese, a new report from the CDC shows. The findings show risk of severe COVID-19 illness rises sharply with elevated body mass index, especially for people younger than 65. (Fernandez, 3/9)

The New York Times: Severe Obesity Raises Risk Of Covid-19 Hospitalization And Death, Study Finds
Over the past year, many scientific teams around the world have reported that obese people who contract the coronavirus are especially likely to become dangerously ill. Now, a large new study, of nearly 150,000 adults at more than 200 hospitals across the United States, paints a more detailed picture of the connection between weight and Covid-19 outcomes. (Anthes, 3/8)

CIDRAP: Intellectual Disability, Obesity Tied To COVID-19 Hospitalization, Death 
Intellectual disability is second only to old age as a risk factor for COVID-19 death, and obesity is linked to coronavirus-related hospitalization and death, two new studies find. The first study, led by researchers from Jefferson Health in Philadelphia and published late last week as a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst, involved analyzing the medical records of 558,672 US COVID-19 patients from January 2019 to November 2020. (Van Beusekom, 3/8)

In other research updates about the coronavirus —

The New York Times: Many ‘Long Covid’ Patients Had No Symptoms From Their Initial Infection 
Many people who experience long-term symptoms from the coronavirus did not feel sick at all when they were initially infected, according to a new study that adds compelling information to the increasingly important issue of the lasting health impact of Covid-19. The study, one of the first to focus exclusively on people who never needed to be hospitalized when they were infected, analyzed electronic medical records of 1,407 people in California who tested positive for the coronavirus. More than 60 days after their infection, 27 percent, or 382 people, were struggling with post-Covid symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, cough or abdominal pain. (Belluck, 3/8)

Genomeweb: CRISPR Screens Identify Host Factors Required For SARS-CoV-2 Infection
By performing genome-wide functional genetic screens, researchers in Belgium have identified host factors that are required for SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as others that are shared by various coronaviruses. These factors could be used to develop drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection or even outbreaks of future zoonotic coronaviruses. In a study published on Monday in Nature Genetics, researchers at KU Leuven described their use of genetic screens of SARS-CoV-2 and human coronavirus (HCoV) 229E, which can cause mild upper respiratory illnesses. These screens uncovered virus-specific as well as shared host factors, including TMEM41B and PI3K type 3. The researchers also found that SARS-CoV-2 requires the lysosomal protein TMEM106B to infect human cell lines and primary lung cells. (Rizk, 3/8)

CNBC: WHO Scientist Warns World Is At 'Very Risky' Stage As Covid Cases Rise
The world needs to ramp up efforts to combat Covid-19 — and countries must not let their guard down, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist warned Monday as coronavirus cases around the world surge. “We’re at a very risky period,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan of the World Health Organization. “We need to double down, this is not the period to let up.” (Ng, 3/8)

In updates on covid variants —

Bloomberg: Variant’s Spread In Florida Shows Threat To U.S. Covid Recovery
A highly infectious Covid-19 variant is circulating widely in Florida, prompting concern that a resurgence of the virus is possible in the state and beyond, even as cases and hospitalizations drop dramatically. In Florida, as elsewhere in the U.S., Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths have dropped significantly from recent highs, helped by progress in the vaccination campaign. But conditions aren’t improving quite as quickly in the Sunshine State, at least in certain key categories. The per-capita rate of Covid-19 patients currently in Florida hospitals is now about 25% above the national average. And new patients are arriving at its hospital emergency departments at slightly higher rates than the rest of the country. (Levin, 3/8)

Houston Chronicle: More Contagious COVID Variant 'Actively Spreading' In Houston, Health Officials Find
A more contagious variant of the coronavirus is spreading in Houston and the city’s positivity rate crept up last week, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Monday, two days before all state COVID-19 restrictions are lifted across Texas. Last month, city officials who sample sewage for traces of the virus detected the B.1.1.7 variant at 31 of the city’s 39 wastewater treatment plants, up from 21 plants earlier in the month. A study published last Wednesday estimated the variant, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom, is 43 to 90 percent more infectious than previous variants. (Scherer and McGuinness, 3/8)

CIDRAP: Higher Viral RNA Load, Duration Noted With COVID-19 B117 Variant
The COVID-19 variant B117 first identified in the United Kingdom produces higher RNA loads than other strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and its RNA persists for longer, according to a study published last week by the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. The researchers collected nasopharyngeal swabs from December 2020, when B117 was first announced, through February 2021 in Italy's Abruzzo region. Across 313 B117-infected individuals and 2,344 people infected with other COVID-19 strains, viral load was estimated by using threshold cycle (Ct) values that detected the N protein encoding gene and the S gene. Only those with Ct values of 20 or less were considered for the study (the lower the Ct value, the more easily the test was able to detect viral RNA in the sample). (3/8)

Also —

Axios: COVID Tracking Project Officially Ends Daily Updates 
The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer group of data analysts, researchers, and journalists brought together by The Atlantic, published its final daily update on Monday — the first anniversary of its founding. The project quickly became a vital resource for news media, academic researchers, and everyday Americans to track COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the absence of reliable and public data from the federal government. (Rummier, 3/8)

Axios: Axios-Ipsos Poll: One Year Of COVID And How It Has Changed America 
A year after the coronavirus abruptly shut down much of the country, Americans are watching for a clear signal of when the pandemic will be over — and most won't be ready to ditch the masks and social distancing until they get it, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. The poll found that more Americans are expecting the outbreak to be over sooner rather than later, as vaccinations ramp up throughout the country — but that very few are ready to end the precautions that have upended their lives. (Nather, 3/9)

AP: Spring-Break Partying Falls Victim To COVID-19 Crisis
Goodbye, sunshine. Hello, study sessions. Colleges around the U.S. are scaling back spring break or canceling it entirely to discourage partying that could spread the virus and raise infection rates back on campus. Texas A&M University opted for a three-day weekend instead of a whole week off. The University of Alabama and the University of Wisconsin-Madison also did away with spring break but are giving students a day off later in the semester. (Hollingsworth, Kennedy and Yoganathan, 3/8)

CBS News: "The Perfect Storm": Doctor Warns Spring Break Could Usher In Another COVID-19 Surge
While the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine rollout has seen milestones in recent weeks as inoculations steadily increase, the pandemic is not over yet. Doctors and public health officials are warning Americans — particularly young adults gearing up for spring break — to slow down and think responsibly. "It's kind of like the perfect storm — you're going to have a mix of alcohol, young kids and a potentially deadly virus that don't all mix well," Dr. Ron Elfenbien said on CBSN Monday. "Kids are going to be kids. They want to go out and party and have a good time and drink and fraternize and associate with each other and be in close proximity with each other. Obviously the problem with that is we are in the middle of a global pandemic." (Elkind, 3/8)

In related news about covid restrictions —

Fox News: Wyoming Gov. Gordon Lifts Mask Mandate, Rolls Back Coronavirus Restrictions 
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon announced on Monday that the state would be lifting its state-wide mask mandate as well as some other Covid-19 economic restrictions. The new order lifting restrictions will allow a number of business categories — including bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters — to "resume normal operations" on March 16.Gordon, a Republican, cited the "declining number of active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations" in Wyoming as well as the state’s "significant success" in a vaccine rollout as reasons behind the easing of restrictions. (Keene, 3/8)

CNBC: Gov. Ned Lamont Defends Easing Covid Restrictions In Connecticut
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday defended his plans to ease Covid restrictions in the state starting next week, telling CNBC he believes a decline in new infections and the distribution of vaccines support such a move. “We have the vast majority of our population most at risk has now been vaccinated. That’s 65 and above, and the majority of the people 55 and above,” Lamont said on “Squawk on the Street.” “That’s where all the fatalities, that’s where 98% of the hospitalizations were taking place, so we feel pretty confident that March 19 is a good date that we can continue reopening. (Stankiewicz, 3/8)

CBS News: Workers Worry For Their Safety As More States Lift Mask Mandates 
Leo Carney worries that bigger crowds and maskless diners could endanger workers at the Biloxi, Mississippi, seafood restaurant where he manages the kitchen. Maribel Cornejo, who earns $9.85 an hour as a McDonald's cook in Houston, can't afford to get sick and frets co-workers will become more lax about wearing masks, even though the fast food company requires them. On Wednesday, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas will allow businesses to operate at 100% capacity and is lifting the statewide mask mandate. In response to the governor's decision, industry workers in the state, such as grocery store workers and restaurant workers, plan to gather outside of the State Capitol on Monday at a rally organized by the Texas Service Industry Coalition, a group aimed at organizing restaurant workers and others for better wages and work conditions. (3/8)

The Washington Post: A Mexican Restaurant In Texas Kept Its Mask Rule. People Threatened To Call ICE On The Staff.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit and restaurant owners faced difficult decisions, the Richards family that owns Picos, a Mexican restaurant in Houston, quickly adapted to continue sharing their Latin cuisine — from selling to-go margarita kits to stationing a mariachi band at the curbside pickup. This week, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Tuesday that he would rescind the statewide mask mandate while the vast majority of residents remain unvaccinated, the tough choice to enforce public health guidance fell to business owners, and Picos announced it would continue requiring masks. But, after such a challenging year, the reaction to their decision was disheartening, co-owner Monica Richards said: Several people sent hateful messages through social media and called the restaurant, threatening to report staffers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Kornfield, 3/6)

KOB 4 (Albuquerque): Student Musicians, Music Educators Frustrated Over State Restrictions 
As student athletes across the state return to the practice fields, student musicians are still forced to remain on the sidelines. Katie Divett, drum major and senior at Sandia High School, said music activities have been part of her life for years. “I've been doing bands since I was in sixth grade, so middle school.  I've done marching band, symphonic band and jazz,” she said. “Sports aren't the only ones with important scholarships this year. We have marching band scholarships, too,” Divett said. (Wang, 3/6)

The Hill: Biden To Sign COVID-19 Relief 'As Soon As I Can Get It'
President Biden said Monday he intends to sign the American Rescue Plan into law "as soon as I can get it," with the massive coronavirus relief and stimulus bill poised for final passage in Congress by mid-week. Biden made the comments to reporters during a visit to a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center where veterans were receiving vaccine doses. (Samuels, 3/8)

Roll Call: Final Coronavirus Vote May Be Delayed As House Waits On Senate 'Paper'
House action on the revised $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package may slip a day as the chamber waits on the Senate to send its amended version of the budget reconciliation measure back. Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Monday that the House vote on the Senate-amended bill could still occur Tuesday as originally planned if the Senate finalizes the text in time, but that it would be "Wednesday morning at the latest." (McPherson, 3/8)

The Hill: Frustrated Progressives On Relief Package: 'We'll Take The Win'
Liberals in the House on Monday rallied behind the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that the Democratic-controlled Congress is set to send to President Biden’s desk this week, despite some frustration over changes made by the Senate to appease key centrists. House progressives signaled that they will still back the legislation following amendments adopted by the Senate to restrict income eligibility for stimulus checks and keep weekly unemployment insurance payments at $300, while ensuring that the first $10,200 of jobless benefits aren’t subject to taxes. (Marcos, 3/9)

In related news on the covid-relief legislation —

AP: COVID Bill To Deliver Big Health Insurance Savings For Many
Several million people stand to save hundreds of dollars in health insurance costs, or more, under the Democratic coronavirus relief legislation on track to pass Congress. Winners include those covered by “Obamacare” or just now signing up, self-employed people who buy their own insurance and don’t currently get federal help, laid-off workers struggling to retain employer coverage, and most anyone collecting unemployment. Also, potentially many more could benefit if about a dozen states accept a Medicaid deal in the legislation. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 3/9)

KHN: Pandemic Aid Package Includes Relief From High Premiums 
As President Joe Biden’s pandemic relief package steams through Congress, Democrats have hitched a ride for a top health care priority: strengthening the Affordable Care Act with some of the most significant changes to insurance affordability in more than a decade. The bill would spend $34 billion to help Americans who buy insurance on the marketplaces created by the ACA through 2022, when the benefits would expire. The Senate sent its relief package, one of the largest in congressional history, back to the House where it could come up as early as Tuesday. It is expected to pass and then go to Biden for his signature. (Huetteman, 3/9)

Stat: With Manchin’s Ear, West Virginia Hospitals Secured Billions In Covid Relief
West Virginia University Health System doesn’t have the name recognition of the Mayo Clinic or Massachusetts General Hospital. It doesn’t have the lobbying firepower in Washington, either. But this year, unexpectedly, the hospital chain and others in the state are part of the reason that rural hospitals across the country will get a last-minute cash influx of more than $8 billion from Congress in the Covid-19 package that represents President Biden’s first major legislative push. (Cohrs, 3/9)

CBS News: Kamala Harris Announces $250 Million In Funding To Help Address COVID Response Inequities
Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday announced that the Biden administration will invest $250 million in federal grants to community organizations that work to address gaps in the response to COVID-19. In remarks to the National League of Cities, Harris announced the funding, which is targeted at organizations that are encouraging underserved and minority populations to get COVID-19 vaccinations and adopt safety practices to help them avoid contracting the virus. (Perry, 3/8)

Stat: Two Drug Makers Withdraw Bladder Cancer Indications
For the second time in less than a month, a drug maker has pulled an indication for a medicine after a follow-up clinical trial failed to meet its primary goal. And the moves come as part of a U.S. regulatory review of so-called accelerated approvals, a controversial strategy that has been used to hasten availability of treatments for serious conditions. (Silverman, 3/8)

In other pharmaceutical and research news —

Stat: With Data Looming, Rubius Therapeutics Seeks To Shed Its Bumbling Image
Rubius Therapeutics is the can’t-do-anything-right biotech spinout from the high-profile venture capital firm Flagship Pioneering. Moderna — Flagship’s runaway success story — it is not. But an opportunity for Rubius to improve its bumbling reputation — and continue a recent recovery in its stock price — looms. The company is preparing to disclose the first clinical data from an effort to transform red blood cells into cancer-fighting drugs. (Feuerstein, 3/9)

The Washington Post: Can Some Drugs Delay Aging? Scientists Focus On Those That Target Frailty And Age-Related Disease. 
In fall 2014, about two dozen geroscientists — researchers who study the confluence of aging, biology and disease — gathered in a remote 15th-century Spanish castle-turned-luxury hotel in the province of Toledo to discuss turning a provocative idea into reality: a study in humans showing that a drug could put the brakes on aging. In recent years, many experts in the aging field have come to believe that certain medications acting at the cellular and metabolic level can slow aging by staving off its most striking effects — frailty and ­age-related diseases, for example — and extend healthy life in doing so. Now they are setting out to prove it. (Cimons, 3/6)

CNN: Why Are Whales Much More Cancer-Resistant Than Humans? The Answer Is In Their Genes, New Study Suggests 
Cancer should be a near certainty for whales, the longest-living and largest mammals there are -- but scientists are finding that cetaceans are excellent at protecting themselves against the deadly disease. Just how do they do that? It could all come down to good genes, according to a new study published by The Royal Society. (Giuliani-Hoffman, 3/5)

Orlando Sentinel: Disney Cruise Passengers Sue, Claim They Caught The Coronavirus On Ships
Disney Cruise Line is facing four federal lawsuits from Utah and Arizona tourists who claim they contracted the coronavirus while on board the Disney Fantasy ship last March, just before the cruise business docked during the pandemic. The tourists said they contracted the virus while on board and began feeling sick, according to the four lawsuits filed March 2 in federal court’s Orlando division that each seek unspecified damages. (Russon, 3/8)

In other public health news —

AP: COVID-19 Claims 15 People In Life Of One Milwaukee Woman
The first person Kimberly Montgomery lost to COVID-19 was her aunt. She had trouble breathing, so her daughter dropped her off at the emergency room. It was the last time her daughter saw her alive. Then, one after another, 14 other people in Montgomery’s world — family members, friends, friends who were like family — succumbed to the same disease. (Antlfinger, 3/8)

ABC News: Daughter Takes Job At Nursing Home To See Dad During Pandemic 
A Minnesota woman took a job in a nursing home facility so she can be close to her father amid COVID-19. Lisa Racine is a part-time food nutrition assistant at the Good Samaritan Society in Stillwater, Minnesota, where her dad, Harold Racine, 87, is a resident. (Pelletiere, 3/8)

KHN: Ouch! Needle-Phobic People Scarred By So Many Images Of Covid Shots
Each night it’s the same. Story after story on the TV news is about the covid vaccination effort, and they are all illustrated with footage of needles sinking into exposed upper arms. Could those visuals, ostensibly making this all seem routine, backfire? (Appleby, 3/9)

KHN: Without A Pandemic Safety Net, Immigrants Living In US Illegally Fall Through The Cracks 
Ana’s 9-year-old son was the first in the family to come down with symptoms that looked like covid-19 last March. Soon after, the 37-year-old unauthorized immigrant and three of her other children, including a daughter with asthma, struggled to breathe. For the next three weeks, the family fought the illness in isolation — Ana clutching the top of door frames to catch her breath — while friends and neighbors left food on the porch of their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ana and her children never took tests to confirm they caught the coronavirus, but the pressure in her lungs, the fever, the headache and the loss of smell and taste convinced her it couldn’t be anything else. (Dawson, 3/9)

KHN: Behind The Byline: Reporting Road Trip 
KHN has never been busier ― and health coverage has never been more vital. The Behind The Byline series on YouTube and Instagram TV offers an insider’s view. ... In December, KHN correspondent Aneri Pattani hit the road to report from inside a nursing home that had been largely locked down for months. Such access is something many journalists had not been able to secure throughout the pandemic. This video is about her journey, and what it took to keep a high-risk, older population safe while reporting. (Pattani, 3/9)

Axios: New York City High Schools To Reopen For In-Person Learning On March 22 
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that New York City's 488 public high schools will reopen for some in-person classes on March 22, after months of distance learning. It's a key pandemic milestone for the biggest public school system in the country, which is made up largely of low-income and minority students, according to the New York Times. (Perano, 3/8)

Los Angeles Times: LA School Reopening: Secondary Schools Could Get Ok In Days
Middle and high schools throughout Los Angeles County could be eligible to open within days, with L.A. Unified aiming for a late April reopening of its secondary campuses, marking a major turning point in the pandemic that has forced the closure of California schools for nearly a year. However, several sticking points still could lead to further delays in the nation’s second-largest school district, including the time it would take to get teachers and school staff fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the ability of the district and its teachers union to reach an agreement about school day schedules and working conditions. (Blume, 3/8)

In other news from the states —

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Birth-Control Access Bill Gets OK In House
The Arkansas House of Representatives approved legislation Monday that would allow pharmacists to dispense birth-control pills without a prescription, reviving a debate that died two years ago in the state Senate. House Bill 1069, by Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Clarksville, was passed in an 88-2 vote, with four members voting present. The bill is similar to legislation run by Pilkington in 2019 to amend the practice of pharmacy in state law to include the dispensing of oral contraceptives without a doctor's prescription. Both bills would limit pharmacists to dispensing no more than six months' worth of pills before requiring the woman to visit a doctor. Only women over 18 would be able to get a prescription for birth control from a pharmacist. (Moritz, 3/9)

Albuquerque Journal: House OKs Health Insurance Tax Boost
The state House approved legislation Monday that would raise a state health insurance tax and dedicate about $115 million in new annual revenue to programs aimed at making health care more affordable. The increased tax would essentially replace a federal fee that was repealed. The House amended the proposal Monday to call for the increased state tax to be phased out if the federal fee is ever reimposed. Rep. Deborah Armstrong, an Albuquerque Democrat and sponsor of the bill, said the new tax could help fund subsidies that make insurance more affordable for uninsured New Mexicans and pay for new programs to help small businesses offer insurance. (McKay, 3/8)

AP: Hawaii Health Department Launches Mental Health Hotline
The Hawaii Department of Health has launched a new mental health crisis counseling hotline to provide residents support during the coronavirus pandemic. The new program is called “Ku Makani – The Hawaii Resiliency Project,” and offers counseling, education and information for people experiencing mental health crises during the pandemic, Hawaii News Now reported Saturday. (3/8)

AP: North Dakota Has 4th New Health Officer Since Start Of Virus
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on Monday appointed his fourth state health officer since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Nizar Wehbi is the deputy director of the Center for Health Policy and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is scheduled to take over as leader of the North Dakota Department of Health on May 1. (MacPherson, 3/8)

Axios: Cuomo Publisher Halts Book Promotion Amid Probe Of COVID-19 In Nursing Homes 
Crown Publishing Group has "paused active support" of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's book on leadership lessons from the pandemic and has "no plans to reprint or reissue in paperback," citing a federal investigation into Cuomo's handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes, the New York Times reports. The embattled governor, who is simultaneously facing several allegations of sexual harassment, was heavily criticized for his decision to publish a book last October about his response to the coronavirus, as the pandemic was still raging. (3/9)

In nursing home news —

Modern Healthcare: Florida Didn't Ensure Abuse And Neglect Reporting In Nursing Homes
A federal watchdog found that Florida didn't make sure that nursing homes were reporting or looking into allegations of potential abuse or neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries. After reviewing 104 hospital claims for 2016 emergency department visits of Medicaid nursing home residents, HHS' Office of Inspector General found that nursing facilities failed to report at least 15 incidents associated with potential abuse or neglect because nursing facility officials and state officials "did not have the same understanding about what incidents must be reported," according to the report. Another seven cases didn't have enough information filed to determine if the incident should have been reported. (Christ, 3/8)

NBC News: America Now Knows That Nursing Homes Are Broken. Does Anyone Care Enough To Fix Them?
The pandemic turned nursing homes into a death trap for more than 170,000 long-term care residents and staff members who have lost their lives to Covid-19. But the virus also revealed how America’s system for long-term care is fundamentally broken in ways that will continue to harm vulnerable residents and workers, long after the pandemic has faded away. (Khimm, 3/7)

Stat: Drug Makers Urge Biden To Reject Proposal To Waive Covid-19 Patent Rights
More than two dozen of the largest pharmaceutical companies are urging President Biden to reject a proposal before the World Trade Organization to temporarily waive patent rights in order to widen access to Covid-19 medical products to mostly low-income countries. In a March 5 letter, the drug makers argue that, contrary to assertions, intellectual property is not a barrier to ensuring that vaccines and therapies become available on a global basis. Along with their trade groups, the companies also maintained that eliminating intellectual property protection to allow other manufacturers to make certain products would not speed production or access. (Silverman, 3/8)

In other global developments —

The Hill: Swiss Biopharma Company To Produce Russian Sputnik Vaccine In Italy
A Swiss biotech company will manufacture Russia's "Sputnik V" COVID-19 vaccine in facilities across Italy, the firm announced Monday. Bloomberg News reported that Adienne Pharma & Biotech announced a deal with Russia's sovereign wealth fund, the RDIF, to begin production near Milan. The company aims to have several million doses manufactured by the end of 2021, pending Italian regulatory approval. (Bowden, 3/8)

NBC News: Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad Tests Positive For Covid-19
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife have tested positive for Covid-19, the Syrian presidency said in a statement Monday. The president and his wife, Asma al-Assad, were tested for the coronavirus after they felt "mild symptoms," according to the statement, which confirmed that the test came back positive. (Smith and Omar, 3/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Pope Francis Defends Iraq Trip Despite Covid-19 Risks 
Pope Francis responded to public-health concerns about his trip to Iraq by saying he had considered the dangers, but ultimately trusted in God to protect Iraqis. Several events during the pope’s visit to Iraq, which included a Mass with 10,000 people in a soccer stadium, drew crowds of people with widespread flouting of rules on social-distancing and mask-wearing. Apart from the Mass, some gatherings formed as Iraqis tried to get a glimpse of the pontiff. (Rocca, 3/8)

Also —

NBC News: Meghan's Candor On Race And Mental Health Hits Home For Black Women, Experts Say
The candor Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, displayed while discussing suicidal ideation during Sunday night’s interview with Oprah Winfrey helped open the door for conversations about race and mental health, experts say. Meghan revealed that she struggled with thoughts of self-harm and sought help amid tabloid headlines that she and her husband, Prince Harry, described as “character assassination.” The couple both expressed that the pressure of royal life had a harmful effect on their mental health, ultimately leading to them stepping back from their duties as senior members of the monarchy. (Madani, 3/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: What Facebook Is Doing To Combat Vaccine Hesitancy
We all want an end to the pandemic, and we will get there by working together as a community. When critics of Facebook highlight COVID-19 misinformation on our platform, they sometimes ignore the broader trends of how communities are responding to the pandemic, as well as the critical positive role Facebook and other platforms can play — in partnership with health experts — in increasing behaviors like mask wearing or vaccinations. In the Bay Area, 95% of people now report they are wearing a mask in public; like most parts of the country, this is up dramatically from this time last year, in part due to a massive, collaborative public health education campaign from health experts and others, including on Facebook, to encourage mask wearing. And, more than 85% of people intend to get the vaccine. (Kang-Xing Jin, 3/8)

The Washington Post: The CDC Is Missing A Critical Opportunity To Get Americans Vaccinated 
After much delay, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued interim guidance on Monday for what fully vaccinated people can do. While some guidance is better than no guidance, the guidelines are too timid and too limited, and they fail to tie reopening guidance with vaccination status. As a result, the CDC missed a critical opportunity to incentivize Americans to be vaccinated. The guidelines provide little information that members of the Biden administration have not already conveyed. Anthony S. Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser on covid-19, has been saying for weeks that vaccinated people can visit one another indoors without masks. He and others have said that it’s probably fine for vaccinated grandparents to see their grandchildren. The CDC was more explicit on this front, clarifying that a fully vaccinated household can visit an unvaccinated family so long as those unvaccinated are not at high-risk for severe outcomes from covid-19. If they are, they should see one another outdoors, with masking and distancing. (Leana S. Wen, 3/8)

Stat: Barriers Keep Many Primary Care Practices From Vaccinating Seniors 
When news first broke in mid-December 2020 that the FDA had issued an emergency use authorization for a Covid-19 vaccine that was astonishingly effective, providers and staff at my clinic asked me in eager anticipation, “Will we be vaccinating seniors in our practice? ”My answer, as the administrator of the practice, was simple and unequivocal, “Absolutely. ”We had just witnessed the fastest vaccine development process in history, thanks to the ingenuity and perseverance of countless scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs worldwide. Making the fruits of their labor available to the patients of our practice, TotalCare Walk-In Clinic in Chino, Calif., was the least we could do. Opportunity knocked on Dec. 28, 2020, in an email from the San Bernardino County Medical Society on behalf of the county public health department, asking to sign up our practice as an independent vaccine administration site. I replied within minutes, excited to play an active role in helping end the worst pandemic in modern history. (Lynn Wang, 3/9)

Houston Chronicle: Holding Off On Vaccine Just Got More Dangerous In Texas
If Dolly Parton hadn’t already qualified for American sainthood, she stands an even better shot now that she’s made vaccination against COVID-19 fashionable, fun and even poetic. “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine,” the 75-year-old country singer and song-writing genius sang last week to the tune of her classic song “Jolene” as she waited, perfectly attired in a blouse cutaway at the shoulders, to receive the Moderna vaccine she helped fund. “I’m begging of you, please don’t hesitate.” (3/9)

The New York Times: Covid’s Future, Trauma’s Long Shadow And California’s Lessons 
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris’s pioneering work on how childhood trauma shapes adult outcomes led to her being named the first surgeon general of California. That was in 2019. And then, of course, the novel coronavirus hit. The job of California’s surgeon general in 2020 was not what it was in 2019. But in some ways, Burke Harris’s expertise was more necessary than ever. This conversation on my podcast, “The Ezra Klein Show,” is about the growing evidence that difficult experiences we face as children reverberate in our lives decades later. It’s profound research that should reshape how we think about social insurance, public morality and criminal justice. But it’s also a conversation about what the coronavirus has done to children — whether this year will be a trauma that marks a generation, and remakes their lives. How has it changed socialization for toddlers — like my 2-year-old son? What has it meant for children who can’t go to school, who watched their parents lose work or who had family members die alone in a hospital? How do we help them? How do we even understand what they’ve gone through, particularly when they can’t tell us? (Ezra Klein, 3/9)

Dallas Morning News: More Kids Are Going To The ER For Their Mental Health, But Schools Are Stepping Up
The pandemic has taken a toll on our collective mental health. For many students, the school year has been emotionally scarring. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave us a snapshot of the problem in a study published in the fall. Researchers found that pediatric mental health visits to the emergency room last year increased by 24% from 2019 among kids ages 5 to 11 and 31% among children ages 12 to 17. While hospitals are where children tend to end up in an emergency, schools are often what stands between them and a full-blown crisis. We applaud school districts that made the choice to invest in student mental health years ago; those investments are needed now more than ever. (3/9)

Los Angeles Times: Congress Wants To Make Health Insurance Affordable — For Some 
One of the many lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is that a health insurance system that relies on employer-sponsored policies is poorly equipped to handle a disease-induced recession. Millions of Americans lost their coverage when the economy plunged, taking their jobs (and badly needed health benefits) with it. Fortunately, Americans under 65 had a double-layered safety net: Medicaid to cover people with little or no income, and the state Obamacare exchanges to offer private insurance policies to the rest of the uninsured. The 2010 Affordable Care Act created the exchanges to serve people not eligible for coverage by a large group health plan, with income-based subsidies for Americans earning up to four times the federal poverty level. (3/9)

Chicago Tribune: Mercy Hospital’s Survival Is Crucial To The Pregnant Women It Serves
As physicians who specialize in obstetrics and gynecology in Chicago, we often hear, “What a happy profession!” We smile and nod, thinking, “well, it is … until it isn’t. ”The death of a woman during pregnancy or within months of having a baby is tragic. In Illinois, the risk of death or severe complications in pregnancy is increasing and is greater for Black and brown women, who are six times more likely than white women to die of a pregnancy-related condition. They will not survive to see their infant’s first steps. (Maura Quinlan and Mia Layne, 3/8)

Kansas City Star: Don’t Let Missouri Lawmakers Cheat Sick Veterans Out Of Justice For Asbestos Exposure
Between 1999 and 2017, more than 4,700 Missourians died of diseases triggered by asbestos exposure, according to a recent analysis of federal mortality data by the nonprofit EWG Action Fund. Asbestos took their lives and devastated their families, who not only lost loved ones but also struggled to pay the huge costs of medical treatment. In Jefferson City, state lawmakers are considering three bills that would erect a series of almost insurmountable roadblocks to prevent those who already do or could one day suffer from getting the compensation they are due. These bills would strip asbestos victims and their families of constitutional protections meant to hold asbestos companies accountable. (Eric D. Sullivan, 3/7)