The New York Times: New At-Home Covid Test Gets Green Light From F.D.A.
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued an emergency authorization for the country’s first coronavirus test that can run from start to finish at home without the need for a prescription. People as young as 2 years old are cleared to use the test, which takes just 15 to 20 minutes to deliver a result. Unlike many similar products, which are only supposed to be used by people with symptoms of Covid-19, this test is authorized for people with or without symptoms. (Wu, 12/15)

The Washington Post: FDA Authorizes First Rapid, Over-The-Counter Home Coronavirus Test 
The FDA allowed the test under an emergency use authorization. The newly approved home test will cost about $30, and the first batches will be shipped out the first week of January, according to Ellume. “It’s a big deal, and a huge step for efforts to take back control from the virus,” said Mara G. Aspinall, a biomedical diagnostics professor at Arizona State University. (Wan, 12/15)

NPR: FDA Authorizes Coronavirus Test You Can Take At Home Without Prescription
The test kit includes a special swab that enables users to collect a sample from just inside their nose. Because it can be used on adults and children as young as 2 years old, the swab comes with a special adapter that shortens the length when swabbing youngsters. Users add a few drops of liquid to the sample and place it into a small plastic device that looks like a home pregnancy test. Results are wirelessly transmitted to a smartphone app within about 15 minutes. (Stein, 12/15)

The Hill: FDA Approves First Over-The-Counter COVID-19 Test That Delivers Near-Instant Results 
Clinical data revealed that Ellume’s tests identified 96 percent of positive samples as infected, and 100 percent of corresponding negative samples among symptomatic patients, and correctly identified 91 percent of positive samples and 96 percent of negative samples among asymptomatic patients. The test is fast, with an estimated wait time of 20 minutes, and sends results via a proprietary smartphone app. The company anticipates three million tests will be produced by January. (Kelley, 12/15)

AP: Hopeful Sign: Midwestern States See Drop In New Virus Cases
After a punishing fall that left hospitals struggling, some Midwestern states are seeing a decline in new coronavirus cases. But the signs of improvement are offset by the virus’s accelerating spread on both coasts: In California, officials scrambled to distribute body bags and deploy mobile morgues as infections rose at an alarming rate. States including Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska have seen decreases in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 over the past couple of weeks. All, however, are still experiencing an alarming number of deaths and hospitalizations because of the earlier surge of cases. (Geller, 12/16)

Stat: Joy For Covid Vaccines Coincides With New Levels Of Death, Hospitalizations
The vaccines — the elixirs that will help drag this pandemic to a close — had finally arrived. There they were on Monday, being readied for health care workers in New York, Colorado, Ohio, Texas, and beyond, each rolled-up sleeve marking an initial step in curbing Covid-19. And yet, even as the images of trucks, planes and unpacked boxes offered a triumphant respite for a public desperate for hope, the bad news kept knocking. (Joseph, 12/15)

Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘It’s Not Over Yet’: Pa. Hospitalizations And Deaths Keep Climbing As Vaccines Arrive In N.J. And Delaware
New Jersey and Delaware joined the list of states to administer their first coronavirus vaccinations Tuesday, as Pennsylvania officials worked to ensure the coming winter storm wouldn’t significantly disrupt the delivery of tens of thousands of doses statewide. The excitement over the vaccine, however, couldn’t slow the surge: Pennsylvania reported its highest single-day death toll from COVID-19 since May and said nearly 6,300 virus patients were hospitalized across the commonwealth, twice the total from the same point last month. With the United States reaching a record number of hospitalizations, the state was ranking fourth-highest per capita among all states, according to the COVID Tracking Project. (McDaniel, Laughlin and Silverman, 12/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Orders 5,000 Body Bags As COVID Deaths Surge
The number of Californians dying of COVID-19 has increased so rapidly that the state ordered 5,000 additional body bags to help hospitals cope with the surge, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Newsom said the need to prepare for the possibility of thousands of additional deaths shows the severity of the worst surge of the pandemic. California has averaged 163 deaths a day over the past week, compared with 41 deaths a day a month ago. “That should be sobering,” Newsom said during a news conference in Sacramento County. “This is not the flu. This is not something to be trifled with. This is a deadly disease.” (Gardiner, 12/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Among Nursing Homes Hit By Covid-19, Veterans Homes Struggled The Most 
During the pandemic, one of the worst places to be was in a nursing home. Among nursing homes, one of the worst places to be was a state-run facility for retired servicemen and women. Of the nation’s 150 such homes, thousands of residents have caught the virus. Hundreds have died. Family and staff members tell of miscommunication and neglect. (Koh, 12/14)

And many ask: When will the USA achieve herd immunity? —

NPR: Fauci Predicts U.S. Could See Signs Of Herd Immunity By Late March Or Early April
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's senior official for infectious diseases, predicts the United States could begin to achieve early stages of herd immunity against the deadly coronavirus by late spring or summer. And if that happens, Fauci anticipates, "we could really turn this thing around" toward the end of 2021. In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday on Morning Edition, NPR's Rachel Martin asked Fauci how many Americans need to receive the vaccine to have an impact on the number of COVID-19 infections. "I would say 50% would have to get vaccinated before you start to see an impact," Fauci said. "But I would say 75 to 85% would have to get vaccinated if you want to have that blanket of herd immunity." (Booker, 12/15)

KHN: Trump’s Wrong. 15% ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Not On Par With Strength Of A Vaccine 
During a Dec. 8 press conference about Operation Warp Speed, President Donald Trump likened the spread of the coronavirus throughout the population — which experts agree bestows some immunity on the people who became ill — to having a COVID-19 vaccine. “You develop immunity over a period of time, and I hear we’re close to 15%. I’m hearing that, and that is terrific. That’s a very powerful vaccine in itself,” said Trump, who was responding to a reporter’s question about what his message to the American people was as the holidays approach and levels of COVID cases in the U.S. continue to rise. (Knight, 12/15)

Also —

KHN and PolitiFact: Lie Of The Year: The Downplay And Denial Of The Coronavirus 
A Florida taxi driver and his wife had seen enough conspiracy theories online to believe the virus was overblown, maybe even a hoax. So no masks for them. Then they got sick. She died. A college lecturer had trouble refilling her lupus drug after the president promoted it as a treatment for the new disease. A hospital nurse broke down when an ICU patient insisted his illness was nothing worse than the flu, oblivious to the silence in beds next door.   Lies infected America in 2020. The very worst were not just damaging, but deadly.  (Funke and Sanders, 12/16)

Health workers celebrated in the South —

Houston Chronicle: Registered Nurse Gets 'Momentous' First Houston-Area Vaccine At Memorial Hermann
Robert Luckey, a COVID ICU registered nurse at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, got the region’s first coronavirus vaccine today. “It’s momentous for this country,” he said of both the vaccination being developed and of being the first in the region to receive it. “This is honestly the light at the end of the tunnel.” Staff applauded as the vaccine was injected into Luckey’s upper left arm. (Dellinger, 12/15)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: As Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Roll Out Across Louisiana, Here's Why Distribution Could Be Challenging
Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the New Orleans health director who has guided the pandemic response for City Hall, briefly closed her eyes as needle sunk into skin Tuesday at University Medical Center. As she received her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, she said, she was thinking of the people already lost to the disease. “Just sort of saying a prayer for them and feeling like this can prevent more,” said Avegno, who has watched three surges hit her hometown and kill more than 1,800 people in the region. (Woodruff, 12/15)

Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi's Top Health Officials Take COVID-19 Vaccine, Discuss State Distribution
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers were among the first in the state to receive a recently approved COVID-19 vaccine, receiving the shots during a news conference Monday. Dobbs, Byers and other health officials were given pharmaceutical company Pfizer's vaccine, which already is being distributed to hundreds of providers across the state. (Rowe, 12/15)

And along the East Coast —

Savannah Morning News: Chatham Nurses Who Cared For COVID Patients First To Get Vaccine.
In a parking lot near the one in which she organized the area's first drive-through COVID testing site more than eight months earlier, Chatham County Nurse Manager Tammi Brown received the COVID vaccine on Tuesday. "We're just thrilled that the vaccine is here," Brown said before a ceremony at the Chatham County Health Department attended by Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Commissioner of Health Dr. Kathleen Toomey. "And we're thrilled to be a part of it. Especially so early in the process." (Landers, 12/15)

North Carolina Health News: COVID Vaccines Are Here. What Do You Need To Know? 
At Atrium Health in Charlotte, the first person to get the new COVID vaccine was medical director of infection prevention, Katie Passaretti. At UNC Health in Chapel Hill, it was the nurse manager of the medical intensive care unit. At Cape Fear Valley Health, it was a nurse in the inpatient COVID-19 unit. (Hoban and Blythe, 12/16)

AP: Virginia's Healthcare Workers Start Receiving Vaccinations
Healthcare workers in Virginia started receiving the state’s first doses of a coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, kicking off what is likely to be a months long process of inoculating people from the potentially deadly disease. The Ballad Health system broadcast live video of registered nurse Emily Boucher getting her first shot in an area of southwestern Virginia. “I will never stop trying to convince everyone about the reality of COVID-19,” Boucher said before pulling up her left sleeve at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon. (12/15)

The Washington Post: His Staff Cleans Covid-19 Hospital Rooms. He Got The Vaccine To Build Trust In The Shot.
Roy Dunlap told his family his plans as they sat down to a dinner of salmon, greens and white rice. “I’m going to take the vaccine tomorrow,” the director of environmental services at Howard University Hospital said. His 17-year-old son’s eyes bulged and he raised his eyebrows to the heavens, as he typically does when his father says something out of the ordinary. Then the teenager looked at his mother. “What do you mean?” Dunlap remembers his wife saying. “Your family needs you. Let somebody else take it.” But Dunlap had already made up his mind to get the coronavirus vaccine. He thought about the number of people who have died of covid-19, including one of the cleaning workers he supervised at the hospital. (Fadulu, 12/15)

Courier-Journal: 'A Great Moment': First Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Reaching Health Workers Around Kentucky
One day after becoming the first person at his Bowling Green hospital to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. William Moss said his arm was sore but his spirits were high. "It was a great moment, the fact that we are starting to reverse this process and hopefully get our society back where it used to be," the emergency room physician at the Medical Center said Tuesday. As for his sore arm, Moss said it's no worse than if he'd had a flu shot, adding: "Tetanus shots are the worst, and it was better than that." (Yetter, 12/15)

Reuters: U.S. COVID-19 Immunization Rollout Expands As Officials Avow Vaccine's Safety 
The United States expanded its rollout of the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine to hundreds of additional distribution centers on Tuesday, inoculating thousands more healthcare workers in a mass immunization expected to reach the general public in the coming months. ... At University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, emergency room nurse Maritza Beniquez on Tuesday became the first person in that state to receive the vaccine in one of numerous such made-for-TV moments playing out across the country. “I couldn’t wait for this moment to hit New Jersey. I couldn’t wait for it to hit the U.S.,” Beniquez said as she was vaccinated with Governor Phil Murphy looking on. (Munoz, 12/15)

Boston Globe: ‘A Great Day, A Great Place’: Boston Medical Center Staff Celebrate The Arrival Of A Coronavirus Vaccine
Medical professionals working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic have dealt with a taxing year — from treating an overwhelming number of patients desperately ill with a new virus at once to facing uncertainty about personal protective equipment supplies. So when Boston Medical Center received one of the first nationwide shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine early Monday morning, it was a reason to celebrate. For the first time in months — and on the same day the nation surpassed 300,000 deaths from the virus — hope was on the horizon. (Larson, 12/15)

Bangor Daily News: She’s One Of The Few In The State To Get A Vaccine Dose, But She’s Not Ready To Take Her Mask Off
Veteran marathon runner and doctor Christine Hein is used to the stress that comes with a fast-paced life. It is the norm for her as an emergency physician and chief wellness officer at Maine Medical Center in Portland — working for eight hours to treat patients suffering from strokes or severe injuries in the emergency department for an overnight shift, before shifting gears to teach classes or complete administrative work. The coronavirus pandemic kicked things into a higher gear, requiring more vigilance and an acute awareness of how vulnerable health care workers are. That is why when Hein became the sixth person at the Portland hospital — and likely the state of Maine — to get a first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine Tuesday morning, she allowed herself to feel the first tendrils of hope that the pandemic could have an end date. But she does not see herself relaxing any time soon. (Andrews, 12/16)

Cheers continued in the Midwest and West —

Des Moines Register: 'Feels Like A Beginning To The End': First Coronavirus Vaccinations Begin In Iowa
The COVID-19 vaccine didn’t feel any different from any of the other shots University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics registered dietitian Sarah Davis has received over the years. A quick needle stick, and no pain, she said immediately after her shot Monday morning. The only difference between this shot and her others was that the faces of intensive care unit patients for whom she’s cared were flashing through her head. “It’s been a rough six months,” she said. “(The vaccine) just feels like a beginning to the end of all this. A light at the end of the tunnel.” (Coltrain, 12/14)

AP: VA Hospital Nurse Is First To Receive COVID-19 Shot In MN
A nurse on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center was the first in Minnesota to receive a COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday. Thera Witte, who works in a coronavirus unit at the hospital, said she feels honored to be the first and did not hesitate to volunteer. “I’m feeling hopeful that this is the beginning of the end” of the pandemic, Witte said after receiving the first of two Pfizer doses. She will be vaccinated again in three weeks. (12/15)

The Oklahoman: 'A Historic Day': First COVID-19 Vaccines Administered In Oklahoma
It’s unusual for a vaccination to end with a round of applause, but for Hannah White, the first Oklahoman to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, that’s exactly what happened. White, 31, a registered nurse who works in the emergency room at the Integris Baptist Medical Center, received Oklahoma’s first COVID-19 vaccine Monday in front of dozens of reporters, medical professionals and state and local officials. “Hopefully, this is the start of something better,” she said, holding back tears. After registered nurse Erica Arrocha administered the vaccine, the two nurses, who are colleagues, embraced. (Forman, 12/15)

AP: 'I Feel Hope': Nurse Among 1st To Get Vaccine In Washington
With a quick, painless shot in the arm, health care workers in Washington began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, marking a turning point 10 months after the state confronted the first U.S. outbreak of the virus. “For the first time in a while, I feel hope,” Harborview Medical Center COVID-19 intensive care nurse Amy Fry said after becoming the first worker there to be vaccinated. “It’s been a long, exhausting road.” (Johnson, 12/16)

Anchorage Daily News: ‘The Beginning Of The End Of The Suffering’: COVID-19 Vaccinations Administered To Frontline Health Workers
David Donahue, a respiratory therapist at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, sat next to nurse Emily Schubert on Tuesday morning and rolled up his sleeve. This week marks a historic turning point in Alaska’s battle with COVID-19 as some of the state’s first vaccines were administered to frontline healthcare workers. “The hopes and dreams are that we see enough people get the vaccine that the spread backs off,” Donahue said. (Krakow and Lester, 12/15)

USA Today: COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Report Cases Of Brief Facial Paralysis. That's Not As Scary As It Sounds
Americans are increasingly concerned about vaccine safety after four people in Pfizer-BioNTech trials and three people in the Moderna trials developed Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles. While it may sound scary, experts say Bell’s palsy is more common and less severe than people think. Bell’s palsy, also known as peripheral facial nerve palsy, can occur at any age, according to the Mayo Clinic. The exact causes are unknown, but it’s believed to be the result of swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of the face, or a reaction after a viral infection. (Rodriguez, 12/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteers Note Occasional Harsh Side Effects 
Jocelyn Edwards wasn’t sure she got Moderna Inc.’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine or a placebo when she received her first of two doses in August. Hours after the second shot, she said she was sure it was the genuine article. “I woke up around midnight freezing,” said the 68-year-old retired nurse. “For the next 24 hours I had intense chills, serious neck pain, headache, all my joints were aching.” She had a fever that peaked at 102.4 and poured out so much sweat that she lost 3 pounds, she said. The following day she woke up and felt fine. (Winkler, 12/16)

Also —

The Washington Post: British Officials Identify Coronavirus Mutations, But Significance Remains Unclear
As vaccines are rolling out, the coronavirus is on the move as well, not merely spreading but also mutating, and possibly becoming more transmissible. There is no evidence that these changes are making the virus deadlier, but new research has provided evidence that the virus is not a static target of vaccines and will need to be watched closely to see how it responds to therapeutic interventions and the human immune system. The issue of mutations sparked headlines across the United Kingdom after a top government official, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, stood in the House of Commons on Monday and announced that more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in southeast England show a suite of genetic mutations that might be driving the surge in that region. (Booth and Achenbach, 12/15)

Fox News: Azar Warns Key COVID-19 Treatments 'Not Getting Used Enough' Amid Spike In Cases, Hospitalizations
A variant of coronavirus that has been reported in the United Kingdom is not expected to impact the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told "The Story" Tuesday. "We have seen many different what one might call 'strains' of COVID-19," Azar told host Martha MacCallum. "But here's what is really important for viewers to know as we now have these vaccines coming, these vaccines don’t appear to be impacted by some of these modifications." British officials confirmed Monday that a “new variant” of COVID-19 had been discovered after infecting close to 1,000 people in the south of England. (Halon, 12/15)

Los Angeles Times: National Commission Urges COVID-19 Vaccine For Prisons
With cases of COVID-19 continuing to spread through prisons, guards and inmates should be among the first to receive vaccinations against the virus that causes the illness, a national commission recommended Monday. The vaccine recommendation by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, whose members include former U.S. Attys. Gen. Loretta Lynch and Albert Gonzales, was the main takeaway in a set of findings released by the panel. The group also called for an increase in the number of prisoners released during the pandemic and for some incoming inmates to be diverted from prisons in order to slow the spread of the disease. (Winton, 12/15)

Indianapolis Star: ACLU Says Vulnerable Communities Should Have Priority COVID Vaccine
In a letter sent to Gov. Eric Holcomb Tuesday, the ACLU says that some communities are in "dire need of protection from COVID-19" and should be immunized as soon as possible. COVID-19 has disproportionately affected a number of vulnerable communities, including those in long-term care facilities, prisons, jails and immigrant detention as well as communities of color, the letter states. (Rudavsky, 12/15)

Houston Chronicle: Cy-Fair ISD, Fort Bend Officials Ask Texas To Give Teachers COVID Vaccine Priority
Some Houston-area officials have joined a growing chorus of education leaders and elected representatives this week in calling on the state to put educators closer to the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccines. Fort Bend County Judge KP George and Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, sent a letter to Gov. Abbott asking that teachers be among the first to get the vaccines, noting that as more students return to classrooms for in-person instruction, the risk of exposing teachers to the virus also rises. (Webb, 12/15)

Boston Globe: Eventually, Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Required For Most
The first shots against the coronavirus made their way into the arms of eager front line health care workers nationwide this week, providing a glimmer of hope for a post-pandemic world. But once those volunteers are all vaccinated, some workers who are less excited about the vaccine could face mandates to receive it anyway, public health and legal experts say. For now, doses of the newly authorized Pfizer vaccine are in short supply and have not yet been approved for use in children or pregnant women, meaning any potential mandates are likely still months or more away. But while President-elect Joe Biden has said he doesn’t support a vaccine mandate, in the future, private businesses, schools, and perhaps even states and localities could require the shots for those who don’t qualify for religious or medical exemptions. (Goodwin, 12/15)

In other vaccine news —

AP: Civil Air Patrol Helps Distribute Vaccine In South Dakota
The South Dakota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is assisting the state Department of Health in delivering the first allocation of coronavirus vaccines. The Civil Air Patrol said it’s flying the Pfizer vaccine to smaller communities in South Dakota with its fleet of single-engine Cessna aircraft, flown by its volunteer pilots and crews. Other volunteer members will assist with mission planning and logistical support, the patrol said. (12/15)

The New York Times: U.S. And Pfizer Are Negotiating Deal For More Vaccine Doses Next Year
The Trump administration is negotiating a deal to use its power to free up supplies of raw materials to help Pfizer produce tens of millions of additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for Americans in the first half of next year, people familiar with the situation said. Should an agreement be struck, it could at least partially remedy a looming shortage that the administration itself arguably helped create by not pre-ordering more doses of the vaccine Pfizer developed with its German partner, BioNTech. Pfizer agreed this summer to provide the United States with 100 million doses by the end of March, enough to inoculate 50 million people since its vaccine requires two shots. (LaFraniere, Thomas and Weiland, 12/16)

Politico: McEnany: White House In Talks With Pfizer For Additional Vaccine Doses 
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday the Trump administration is attempting to secure an additional run of coronavirus vaccinations from Pfizer. The United States has already committed to purchasing 100 million doses — enough to vaccinate 50 million people — from the company, which has begun sending out its first tranche of vaccines after the Food and Drug administration authorized its use late last week. The first batch has already gone out to designated sites throughout the country and the shots have started being administered. (Niedzwiadek, 12/15)

In related news —

Modern Healthcare: Traffic Crashes Indiana COVID Vaccine Sign-Up Site
A state website where Indiana healthcare workers sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine temporarily crashed Monday after being overwhelmed with traffic. The vaccination enrollment website crashed before the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the state, according to Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR, which first reported the news. "Due to a large amount of traffic, the site is currently down," reads a message from the state health department Monday morning and obtained by WTHR. "Check back this afternoon." (Kim Cohen, 12/15)

The Oklahoman: Hospital Official Expects Demand To Grow Among Oklahoma Hospital Staff For COVID-19 Vaccine
Lawanna Halstead, vice president for quality and clinical initiatives at the Oklahoma Hospital Association, said she expects the demand among hospital employees to grow as more health care workers get vaccinated. “What I’m hearing from hospitals, as far as people saying they are going to take (the vaccine) and want to actually make an appointment to have it done, is between 30-45%,” Halstead said in a virtual news conference. Those figures are based on informal reports from Oklahoma hospitals, she said. Halstead said she expects many hospitals will mount in-house campaigns to educate their workers on the vaccines and encourage more employees to get vaccinated. (Forman, 12/15)

The Hill: Nursing, Doctor And Hospital Groups Urge Health Workers To Take COVID-19 Vaccine 
Nursing, doctor and hospital groups are urging all health professionals to take the coronavirus vaccine and share their experience with others as a way to convince as many people as possible to get vaccinated. In an open letter published Tuesday, the American Nurses Association, the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association said health professionals must "push for high rates of vaccination within the U.S. population if we hope to overcome this virus." (Weixel, 12/15)

Stat: What Does Success Look Like For The Covid-19 Vaccine Effort? 
Administration of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine officially began on Monday. It was a joyous kickoff to a massive, arduous effort to vaccinate over 100 million Americans. But how will we know if the vaccination effort is actually going according to plan? (Florko, 12/15)

The Hill: Poll Finds Increasing Number Of Americans, Including Black People, Would Take COVID Vaccine 
Americans are increasingly willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine, especially Black and Hispanic Americans, according to a new poll released Tuesday. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 71 percent of Americans are willing to take a free and safe COVID-19 vaccine, an increase of eight percent from three months ago. (Hellmann, 12/15)

NPR: Biden, Pence Make Preparations To Get COVID-19 Vaccine
High-ranking officials, including President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President Pence, are making preparations to get the COVID-19 vaccine, hoping to instill trust and confidence in the vaccine ahead of its widespread distribution as the death toll climbs to new heights. Biden, who is set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, said Tuesday it was recommended he get the vaccine "sooner than later" by infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who will become the Democrat's chief medical adviser. "I want to just make sure we do it by the numbers. When I do it, you'll have notice, and we'll do it publicly," Biden said. (Wise, 12/15)

The Hill: Pence Says He Will Receive Coronavirus Vaccine 'In The Days Ahead' 
Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that he looks forward to receiving the coronavirus vaccine “in the days ahead” as officials work to build public confidence in the product. Pence made the remarks Tuesday afternoon during a roundtable discussion on Operation Warp Speed with other officials in Indiana. (Chalfant, 12/15)

The Hill: Fauci Says Trump, Biden Should Be Vaccinated Immediately 
The nation's leading infectious disease doctor on Tuesday said it is imperative both President Trump and President-elect Joe Biden receive doses of the coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible. "For security reasons, I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can," Anthony Fauci said in an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America." (Mastrangelo, 12/15)

The Hill: Lawmakers Grapple With Implementing COVID-19 Vaccine On Capitol Hill 
Members of Congress are grappling with the question of whether they should be prioritized for receiving a coronavirus vaccine as the first doses begin to be distributed to health care workers across the country. Lawmakers are wary of appearing to privilege themselves over their constituents, a factor that also made congressional leaders slow to implement a testing regime in the Capitol. (Marcos, 12/15)

And the government wonders: How do you keep COVID out of the White House? —

Stat: Misting The White House Won’t Kill Covid-19, Experts Say
The federal government is putting $29,000 in taxpayer funds toward a type of cleaning that many experts advise against: misting a disinfectant all over the White House. A Virginia-based contractor will spray a disinfectant mist throughout the East and West Wings before President-elect Biden moves in, according to a federal contract first reported by TMZ and Politico. The same contractor has done the same procedure for the Navy, including at a weapons station in Virginia. (Sheridan, 12/16)

AP: Biden's Challenge: Creating A COVID-19-Free White House
Three blocks from the White House, office space for more than 500 Biden transition staffers sits mostly idle. The government is shipping out laptops so staffers can work from home. President-elect Joe Biden, surrounded by just a handful of aides in Delaware, is using Zoom to oversee his plans to assume power. But Biden soon will be entering a no-Zoom zone at the White House — just one sign of the challenges his new administration will face when it moves to Washington in the midst of a pandemic. (Miller and Madhani, 12/16)

CNN: Supreme Court Backs Religious Groups Against Covid-19 Restrictions In Colorado And New Jersey 
The Supreme Court on Tuesday again sided with religious groups in Colorado and New Jersey that argued that the states' covid-related restrictions on worship services violated religious liberty rights, the latest in a string of rulings against pandemic guidelines in recent weeks. In unsigned orders, the justices wiped away lower court opinions in challenges that went in favor of the states: one brought by the Rev. Kevin Robinson and Rabbi Yisrael A. Knopfler in New Jersey and the other brought by a small Colorado church. (de Vogue, 12/15)

Las Vegas Review Journal: Nevada Church COVID Restrictions Reversed By Court
A Las Vegas church expects to invite nearly 200 people to services this week and Sunday, after a federal appeals court overturned Gov. Steve Sisolak’s statewide limits on gatherings at houses of worship. “This is a victory for churches in Nevada,” said the Rev. Jimmy Morales, senior pastor at Calvary Chapel Lone Mountain. “We’re excited that churches in Nevada have been set free to worship God freely.” (Ferrara, 12/15)

In news about abortion —

AP: Justices Asked Again To Reinstate Rule For Abortion Pill
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court a second time to reinstate a rule that women must pick up an abortion pill in person during the COVID-19 pandemic. The request to the high court Tuesday comes just over a month before President Donald Trump leaves office. The rule has been on hold since July because of the pandemic and the new administration could suspend it during the public health emergency after Joe Biden takes office in January. (Sherman, 12/15)

Bloomberg: U.S. Asks High Court To Halt Mail Delivery Of Abortion Pills
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a requirement that women visit a medical facility to obtain abortion-inducing pills, seeking to lift a lower-court order that has allowed delivery by mail during the pandemic. The filing Tuesday renews a request the court temporarily rejected in October, when it was shorthanded after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Supreme Court now has a stronger conservative majority with Justice Amy Coney Barrett having filled Ginsburg’s seat. (Stohr, 12/15)

AP: Massachusetts House Seeks To Overturn Baker's Abortion Steps
Massachusetts House lawmakers are planning to meet Wednesday to overturn Gov. Charlie Baker’s efforts to roll back some of their actions aimed at expanding access to abortion in the state. The Legislature’s measure — which was included in its version of the state budget — would let women obtain an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases of “fatal fetal anomalies.” Current state law allows abortions after 24 weeks only to preserve the life or health of the mother. (LeBlanc, 12/15)

Bloomberg: Trump’s $200 Medicare Drug Cards Expected To Be Mailed Jan. 1
The Trump administration expects to begin sending $200 prescription drug discount cards to seniors by Jan. 1, a campaign promise to seniors that President Donald Trump was unable to fulfill before losing re-election, a person familiar with the matter said. A White House official described the time line for distributing the cards to Medicare beneficiaries, asking not to be identified discussing internal planning. Politico reported late Monday that an obscure industry panel that advises the Internal Revenue Service on administering benefit cards abruptly dropped its opposition to the drug cards. (Sink, 12/15)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Wants To Boost Interoperability For Medicaid And CHIP
HHS wants to make it easier for beneficiaries covered by Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program or individual market plans to access and share their health information and speed up prior authorization for such plans, according to a proposed rule on Monday. The proposal would require covered payers to follow specific implementation guidelines for application programming interfaces that increase access to patient health information and provider directories. It would also mandate that impacted payers force third-party app developers to agree to specific privacy requirements to access patient data and notify CMS about patient data requests every quarter. The proposal would apply to state Medicaid and CHIP fee-for-service programs, Medicaid managed care plans, CHIP managed care entities and qualified health plans available through federal marketplaces. (Brady, 12/15)

Georgia Health News: Georgia Reports Much Less Medicaid Data To The Feds Than It Used To 
Nine years ago, Georgia reported ample data to the feds on the health care quality of its Medicaid and PeachCare programs. In fact, a federal report at that time praised Georgia’s “proactive role in designing its data systems to support quality measurement.” (Grapevine, 12/15)

In other news about aging —

Stateline: US Population Grew Larger, Older, More Diverse In Past Decades
The U.S. population grew to about 332.6 million people in 2020, a 7.7% increase from 2010, and trended older and more diverse, the U.S. Census Bureau said today. The estimates, based on data such as birth and Medicare records, come in advance of actual counts from the 2020 census, which will be released at a still-unspecified time after pandemic-related delays. The numbers released today barely reflect the effects of the pandemic because they are based on data from April 1, 2020. (Henderson, 12/15)

Bloomberg: Trump Sits Out Debut Of Covid-19 Vaccine That He Long Championed
The first shipments of a coronavirus vaccine created by Pfizer Inc. and German company BioNTech SE arrived on Monday, with front-line health-care workers receiving injections on live television to mark the occasion. The rollout coincides with the U.S. setting records for daily cases, daily deaths and hospitalizations. The president has had little to say about any of it, beyond a single congratulatory tweet buried among a stream of false assertions and conspiracy theories about the election he lost. He has not made a public appearance since Saturday, when he attended the Army-Navy football game at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. (Wingrove, 12/16)

Politico: Trump-Biden Divide Hampers Covid Vaccine Trust-Building Effort 
Donald Trump wants credit for a pandemic-defeating vaccine, but is aggrieved Joe Biden won’t give it to him. Biden wants help promoting the vaccine to wary Americans, but isn’t expected to ask Trump to assist. The result is that even though the country’s two most high-profile leaders both claim to want the same thing — enough vaccinations to eradicate the pandemic — hyperpartisan divisions are preventing them from helping each other achieve that goal. (Kumar, Ollstein and McGraw, 12/15)

The Washington Post: How The ‘Deep State’ Scientists Vilified By Trump Helped Him Deliver An Unprecedented Achievement
In fact, the lightning-fast development of two leading coronavirus vaccines happened both because of and despite Trump — perhaps the most anti-science president in modern history, who has previously flirted with anti-vaccine views and savaged those who cited scientific evidence to press for basic public health measures in response to the pandemic. (Abutaleb, McGinley and Johnson, 12/14)

In other news from the Trump administration —

CNN: Melania Trump Breaks Children's Hospital Rules By Taking Her Mask Off To Read To Patients 
First lady Melania Trump broke stated mask policy at Children's National Hospital Tuesday when she removed her mask to read a holiday book to children. Trump, who has visited children at the hospital each year during her time as first lady, continued the tradition despite the coronavirus pandemic and record cases in Washington, DC. (Klein, 12/15)

The Washington Post: Hundreds Of Invitees Skip Mike Pompeo’s Indoor Holiday Party At State Department 
Only a tiny fraction of the more than 900 guests invited to an indoor holiday party hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife Susan showed up on Tuesday following an outcry from public health officials and U.S. lawmakers warning that the reception bore all the hallmarks of a superspreader event, said two U.S. officials familiar with the event. Pompeo, whose name was on the invitation and who was scheduled to speak at the event, canceled his speech and tapped a substitute speaker, said the two officials. The event was dedicated to the family members of diplomats serving overseas in dangerous postings that require them to leave their spouses and children behind, such as in Iraq or Afghanistan. (Hudson, 12/15)

CNN: Hill Leaders Near Deal On Long-Awaited Covid Relief Plan 
Congressional leaders in both parties expressed growing confidence Tuesday evening that Washington will be able to cut a last-ditch deal to provide relief to Americans hit hard by the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic after setting aside months of partisan finger-pointing and bickering. Democrats and Republicans sounded upbeat following the conclusion of in-person talks on Tuesday between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy. (Foran, Raju, Barrett and Wilson, 12/15)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

The Hill: Pelosi Warns Lawmakers They'll Be Barred From Speaking On House Floor Without A Mask 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday announced an expansion of the House floor mask requirement which will now preclude lawmakers from removing them while speaking before the cameras during the pandemic. During a brief House pro forma session, Pelosi said while presiding over the chamber that lawmakers will be denied speaking time if they are not wearing a mask going forward. (Marcos, 12/15)

AP: 4th Ga. Republican Representative Tests Positive
U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk has tested positive for COVID-19. That makes him the fourth Republican representative from Georgia to contract the virus. Loudermilk said in a statement Tuesday that he’s quarantining at home and experiencing mild symptoms, but hopes to resume legislative duties soon. (12/15)

AP: Illinois Board Rejects Plan To Close A Chicago Hospital
A state board rejected a plan Tuesday to close a Chicago hospital after pleas from the community to keep the doors open. Trinity Health wants to close Mercy Hospital in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, saying the site is losing money as well as patients. It has proposed to open an outpatient clinic about two miles away. (12/15)

In insurance industry news —

Houston Chronicle: 65,000 Blue Cross Patients To Lose In-Network Access At CHI St. Luke's On Wednesday
Roughly 65,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas members will lose in-network access to CHI's Texas locations, including its flagship Baylor-St. Luke’s Medical Center, by the end of Wednesday as negotiations stall in a dispute over health care costs. The hospital network and insurer announced in October that they would part ways. CHI St. Luke’s CEO Doug Lawson said at the time that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, along with another insurance carrier, Molina, were paying the hospital system "significantly" less than its competitors for the same services. (Wu, 12/15)

Modern Healthcare: Insurers, Providers Prepare For COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Costs
While the federal government is covering the cost of the COVID-19 vaccine for consumers during the public health emergency, some insurers may be left to foot the bill for providers' time administering the shot. Although several insurers have said their members won't be charged for the vaccine or its administration, some providers expect to shoulder some costs as well. "We greatly appreciate that the federal government is covering the cost of the vaccine, and the administration fee will be covered by individuals' health insurance, so the residents and staff will not have to pay," the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living said in an emailed statement. (Christ and Tepper, 12/15)

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: Shopping For Health Insurance? Here’s How One Family Tried To Pick A Plan
When host Dan Weissmann and his wife set out to pick a health insurance plan for next year, they realized that keeping the plan they have means paying $200 a month more. But would a “cheaper” plan cost them more in the long run?  It depends. And the COVID pandemic makes their choice a lot more complicated. After trying to puzzle it out, Weissmann debriefs with Karen Pollitz, a health insurance expert at KFF, who knows about the angst of medical bills from personal experience. (Weissmann, 12/16)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Study: 1 In 5 Patients Report Discrimination When Getting Healthcare
New research has found more than one in five adults say they experienced discrimination when receiving healthcare, with such occurrences more common among racial and ethnic minorities, lower income, and less healthy patients. Racial discrimination was the most common type reported among patients included in a study published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. A higher proportion of Black and Brown patients, as well as adults with other non-white racial and ethnic identities, reported experiencing discrimination in their interpersonal encounters with healthcare staff compared to white respondents. (Ross Johnson, 12/15)

Stat: For Some Rare Disease Patients, PPE Shortages Pose A Continued Threat
When the coronavirus sent cities across the United States into shutdown in March, Laura Bonnell realized that her family’s supply of masks and disinfectant wipes was quickly running out. “We didn’t have any N95 masks and we only had about 20 disposable masks,” said Bonnell, whose two daughters have cystic fibrosis, a rare genetic condition that makes infections easier to catch and harder to get rid of by producing a thick, sticky mucus that traps germs in the lungs. (Goshua, 12/16)

The Baltimore Sun: During Early Coronavirus Lockdown, Black Suicides Spiked, Johns Hopkins Study Finds — And Now Experts Worry About Winter 
During the early months of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, experts and doctors worried about the mental health toll of so many losses, from isolation to layoffs and deaths. Some predicted there might be an increase in suicides. Now, in what is believed to be one of the first studies of its kind, Johns Hopkins researchers who examined deaths across Maryland have found evidence of a rise in suicides — and also of the inequities between Blacks and whites. (Turner, 12/16)

The Hill: Civil Rights Groups Work To Convince Black Communities To Get Vaccine 
One of the largest hurdles associated with the coronavirus pandemic — the creation of a viable vaccine — has been scaled as the first Americans received the injection on Monday. But the nation now faces the sizable challenge of convincing the majority of the country — especially minority communities — to get the inoculation. (Johnson, 12/15)

In other public health news related to the coronavirus —

The New York Times: Santa Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Photo Session With 50 Children 
A Georgia couple who dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus for an outdoor photo session that was attended by about 50 children last week learned that they had tested positive for the coronavirus three days after the event, the county’s top elected official said on Tuesday. The event was on Thursday and was part of an annual Christmas parade and tree-lighting ceremony in Ludowici, Ga., about 235 miles southeast of Atlanta, said Robert D. Parker, the chairman of the Long County board of commissioners. (Vigdor, 12/15)

The Washington Post: FTC And State Consumer Agencies Are Cracking Down On Pandemic Scammers 
If the devastation of losing your job because of the coronavirus pandemic isn’t enough, imagine being conned by scammers capitalizing on the spread of covid-19 and your desperation to generate some income. Income-based scams have increased significantly because of the pandemic. In the first nine months of 2020, people looking for ways to earn money were cheated out of $150 million, according to new data from the Federal Trade Commission. (Singletary, 12/15)

The New York Times: Tom Cruise Erupts At ‘Mission: Impossible’ Crew Over Covid-19 Breach
The actor Tom Cruise recently erupted at crew members on the set of “Mission: Impossible 7” over a breach of Covid-19 protocols in an apparent effort to prevent further disruptions to a film whose production has already been delayed by the pandemic. “We are creating thousands of jobs,” Mr. Cruise, the star of the film, can be heard saying in a leaked audio clip that is littered with expletives. “I don’t ever want to see it again! Ever! And if you don’t do it, you’re fired!” (Ives, 12/16)

CNN: Canceling Plans Is A Difficult But Necessary Decision This Holiday Season 
No Christmas Eve dinners with lots of loved ones, community holiday celebrations or trips to visit extended family: In any other year so many canceled plans would be unusual, but the rising Covid-19 case numbers have ensured that many people will have a socially distanced holiday season. (Marples, 12/16)

KHN: How To Pull Off A COVID-Era Music Festival 
As the pandemic took hold and well-grooved music festivals canceled their mainstream events, Krista Selico saw an opening. She had been organizing the Helix Festival as an opportunity to give artists in the urban music community a chance to redefine the genre for themselves, as well as choose more racially diverse headliners. The industry’s destination festivals had excluded many diverse performers and types of music, she said, adding: “Urban music is so much more than what we hear on the radio.” (Giles, 12/16)

Also —

The Hill: FDA Funding Study Around Blood Donations From Gay Men: Report 
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is funding a study around blood donations by gay or bisexual men. ABC News reported on Tuesday that the study, Assessing Donor Variability and New Concepts in Eligibility (Advance), is underway, and aims evaluate whether donor deferral criteria can be based on individual risks assessment. The study aims to present data to the FDA by late 2021. The study could lead to the complete removal of restrictions around donations by gay or bisexual men, according to the news outlet. (Williams, 12/15)

Bloomberg: Younger People In Indonesia Get Covid Vaccines First In Unusual Rollout
Indonesia plans to vaccinate its young working-age population against the coronavirus before the elderly, in contrast to much of the world that’s planning on putting its vulnerable older people first in line. Southeast Asia’s first country to receive delivery of Covid-19 vaccines will focus on inoculating those between 18 to 59 years of age, starting with those working on the front lines of the pandemic such as health workers, the police, and the military. The U.K. started the Western world’s earliest vaccination program with a 91-year-old woman last week, in line with most other countries. (Aditya and Ho, 12/15)

Stat: One-Quarter Of The World May Not Get A Covid-19 Vaccine Until 2022
As wealthy governments race to lock in supplies of Covid-19 vaccines, nearly a quarter of the world’s population — mostly in low and middle-income countries — will not have access to a shot until 2022, according to a new analysis. As of mid-November, high income countries, including the European Union bloc, reserved 51% of nearly 7.5 billion doses of different Covid-19 vaccines, although these countries comprise just 14% of the world’s population. Meanwhile, only six of the 13 manufacturers working on Covid-19 vaccine candidates have reached agreements to sell their shots to low and middle-income countries. (Silverman, 12/15)

CNN: International Rescue Committee: The World's Most Vulnerable Face Conflict, Covid-19 And Climate Change In 2021, Report Says 
Optimism about 2021 is emerging in wealthier corners of the world, with both the United States and the United Kingdom beginning Covid-19 vaccinations and other nations close behind. But for many countries, the long tail of the pandemic could make next year even more devastating than 2020. (Pozzebon and Rahim, 12/16)

Politico: Africa Visit By EU Officials Set Off Coronavirus Super-Spreader Fears 
A visit to Addis Ababa in October by a high-level delegation including EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was designed to showcase a donation of 7.5 tons of coronavirus testing kits. Instead, it ended up setting off fears of a super-spreader event at the African Union headquarters and among top Ethiopian officials. (Herszenhorn and Barigazzi, 12/16)

Stat: All Emergency Physicians Should Have The Right To Due Process 
Your doctor should be your biggest advocate, doing what Ming Lin, an emergency medicine physician in Washington state, did at the peak of the Covid-19 surge in March: advocating for safer conditions in the emergency department where he worked, more testing for Covid-19, and better personal protective equipment and triage processes to keep patients and staff safe. Instead he was fired. (Gregory Jasani and James Maloy, 12/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Vaccines Vs. Lockdowns 
Our near-standard approach ended up being successful beyond early hopes, no question. But a clinical lookback won’t automatically conclude it was the best approach under the circumstances. Consider the overarching political problem. At the current moment, the U.S. public is facing the biggest surge yet even as many things are converging that should be making the virus easier to live with: faster testing, better treatments, vaccines, the spread of natural immunity through infection. More integrated political thinking might have seen a value in sacrificing some of our testing protocols so Americans could see vaccinations taking place on TV sooner, giving them a sense that voluntary social-distancing was being rewarded with a fast-approaching permanent fix. (Holman W. Jenkins Jr., 12/15)

Columbus Dispatch: America's Health-Care Heroes Need Reinforcements
Front-line health care workers were the first to receive the newly approved Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Monday, and that was as it should be. In a holiday season marred by a rising tide of COVID, the giving and sacrifices of medical staff in intensive care units across the country never stop. Most Americans can't see this generosity. It unfolds amid a sense of isolation — despite a teeming number of patients — where every ICU door is shut, every room has negative airflow, and every nurse or doctor is encased in a respirator or mask, face shield, gown and gloves so they appear as astronauts tending the untouchable and unembraceable. Those fighting for their next breath. "Am I gonna die?" a terrified woman in an Illinois intensive care unit asked nurse Luisa Alog Penepacker, according to accounts gathered by The Washington Post. The nurse struggled to find the words.  "Not on my watch," she finally responded.  (12/16)

Stat: A Strong Stimulus Bill Can Avert Enduring Damage To Millions 
The rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine across the U.S. that began this week suggests that dramatic disruptions to daily life may come to an end within the next year. Even as Americans anticipate a return to a post-Covid-19 world, it is important to recognize that the nature of these disruptions has been dramatically different for people across the U.S. While some wish to safely dine in restaurants and watch movies in theaters, millions of families are struggling to make rent and car payments and suffering from prolonged unemployment. (Will Raderman, Elizabeth Pancotti and Julia Raifman, 12/15)

The Hill: Global Funding Must Be In The Next COVID-19 Emergency Supplemental 
Urgently needed COVID-19 relief funding appears to be gaining traction in Congress, with an appropriate focus on protecting U.S. families, health care workers, local governments and businesses. It is in America’s interest that this legislation also include $20 billion to address the serious damage COVID-19 is doing globally. (Thomas J. Coates, 12/15)

Stat: Unaffordable Prescription Drugs: The Real Legacy Of Hatch-Waxman 
How is it possible to have a prescription drug price crisis when 90% of prescriptions are filled with generic drugs that cost, on average, $1 a day? The answer: The remaining 10% of prescriptions have an average cost of $20 a day and account for 80% of all prescription drug spending. (Alfred Engelberg, 12/16)

Los Angeles Times: Cannabis Has Downsides. We Need To Acknowledge Them 
There was a time in my life, in the not-so-distant past, when cannabis was immensely important to me.Not because I used it — I’ve tried it but don’t like the way it makes me feel — but because voters in California were being asked whether pot should be legal for adult recreational use. I took it upon myself to try to fully understand the upsides and downsides of Proposition 64, the 2016 ballot initiative, so I could help readers make informed decisions. The No. 1 worry I heard then was the effect that legalization would have on children. In fact, my position is the same as the one voters embraced when they overwhelmingly approved legalization: No one under the age of 21 should use marijuana. Nor should children be bombarded with cannabis ads. (Robin Abcarian, 12/16)

Boston Globe: Abortion-Rights Bill Deserves Passage — Again 
Days after Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed as the newest justice on the US Supreme Court, the leaders of the Massachusetts House and Senate released a rare joint statement pledging to “remove barriers to women’s reproductive health options and protect the concepts enshrined in Roe v. Wade.” And so they did, passing a budget amendment codifying and expanding protections for abortion rights in Massachusetts — something that’s especially critical given fears that the court’s conservative majority could overturn the 1973 ruling. Now state lawmakers should finish that work by overturning Governor Charlie Baker’s recent proposed amendments to portions of that legislation. (12/15)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: COVID-19’s Disproportionate Harms Challenge Us To Address The Inequities
MIAMI -- As we pass the gruesome milestone of 300,000 American deaths from COVID-19, scant attention has been paid to another grim aspect of the pandemic: it's grossly disparate impact on minorities. When we chance to hear about it, we attribute the phenomenon to the usual suspect: inadequate health care among communities where low wages, unemployment, and the constriction of opportunity are rampant. In doing so, we conveniently overlook the most repugnant theme in our history. (Jay Sterling Silver, 12/16)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Leaders Must See Racism As A Public Health Crisis 
What do the American Medical Association, Ventura County and Sacramento County have in common? All three recently voted to declare racism a public health crisis. They join a growing list of states, counties, cities and organizations that recognize the pervasive and systemic threat racism poses to the health, safety and well-being of our communities. In July, we joined with nearly 200 organizations to ask Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare racism a public health crisis. He has yet to do so, but our broad and diverse coalition is continuing this urgent campaign. You need look no further than the news to see the disproportionate impact COVID-19 is having on our Black communities, Indigenous communities and communities of color. (Flojuane Cofer and Kiran Savage-Sangwan, 12/15)

Houston Chronicle: How To Win Black, Latino Trust In Vaccine
Robert Luckey, the first person in the Houston region to get the coronavirus vaccine, is a registered nurse at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and is assigned to the hospital’s COVID-19 unit. He is also Black. Why does that matter? Because the image of Luckey rolling up the sleeve of his blue scrubs to get the shot may help convince folks in Black and Latino communities that the much-anticipated vaccines are safe. Experience with a public health system that has often failed and abused people of color has sown a deep mistrust in those communities, even as COVID-19 ravages entire Black and Latino families and leaves others grappling with the economic fallout. (10/16)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Trump Could Boost The Pro-Vaccination Campaign. But He Can't Be Bothered.
At long last, medical centers across the country this week began vaccinating priority personnel and initiating the process of liberating the nation from this coronavirus scourge. Anti-vax skeptics abound, as they do with all vaccines, even though this vaccination campaign should have been different. High levels of participation are essential to ensure the virus goes into remission and breaks a 10-month chain of death and economic destruction. The biggest impediment to that effort is the very science-averse movement that President Donald Trump cultivated during the presidential campaign. Instead of being a champion of the very medical science that saved his life after he was infected, Trump instead championed stubborn ignorance couched as a defense of freedom. (10/16)

Boston Globe: Power, Privilege, And The COVID-19 Vaccine 
Who gets to jump to the head of the COVID-19 vaccine line? President Trump delayed initial plans, first disclosed by The New York Times, to fast-track distribution of the vaccine to most White House staff members, “unless necessary.” The scent of privilege for someone other than himself was too strong — even for a president whose cronies have shamelessly benefitted from COVID-19 treatments unavailable to others. But already there are other vaccine line-cutters, and their identity shows exactly whose work is valued by society. For example, congressional leaders who have yet to come up with a COVID-19 relief package for the country will be offered the vaccine before grocery workers who stock the shelves so the rest of us can eat. (Joan Vennochi, 12/14)

Fox News: Despite Vaccine, COVID Rages On — Keep Taking Precautions, As My Dr. Husband Battles Pandemic
My husband is one of the many dedicated health care workers who are soldiers in the war on COVID-19 — an enemy that has killed more than 300,000 people in the U.S. and more than 1.6 million around the world this year.We are all thankful that the first vaccine against the deadly disease has now received an emergency use authorization in the U.S. and has been approved in a few other countries as well. Vaccinations began Monday in some American cities. But make no mistake: the COVID-19 pandemic is raging in the U.S. and around the world, hospitals are filling up, and people will keep getting sick and dying for months to come before the vast majority of us are vaccinated. The nightmare facing our health care professionals continues. (Leslie Marshall, 12/15)

Los Angeles Times: Don’t Want To Tell Your Customers To Mask Up? Try Using Artificial Intelligence
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, plenty of evidence has emerged that wearing face masks cuts down on disease transmission and saves lives. Yet even in cities and states that have mandated mask use, compliance in the United States has been ... unenthusiastic. And good luck finding a law enforcement officer eager to enforce those mandates. So here’s an idea: Why not enlist the help of artificial intelligence to nudge people to mask up? (Jon Healey, 12/15)

CNN: Too Many Quarantinis -- A Risk, Especially For Seniors
Traditional holiday gatherings are off the table. Across the country, families and friends are staying home and gathering online to protect themselves and others from Covid-19, starting with vulnerable older adults. Overindulgence of food and drink is somewhat expected during any holiday season, but these are not normal times -- and losing track of how many quarantinis you've had seems easier these days. While excessive drinking is a problem at all ages, heavy alcohol use is especially a concern at older ages, and never more so than during the pandemic. (Esteban Calvo, Katherine M. Keyes and Alvaro Castillo-Carniglia, 12/15)