The Washington Post: British Regulators Issue Allergy Warning Over Pfizer Vaccine 
The day after the U.K.'s mass vaccination campaign began, Britain’s medical regulatory agency warned that “any person with a history of significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food” should not receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The announcement came after two health-care workers reacted adversely to the shot. (Armus, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Two In U.K. Suffer Allergic Reaction To Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine 
Two of the first people vaccinated in the U.K. on Tuesday with the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE shot responded adversely to the injection, the country’s National Health Service said, prompting the regulator to issue new guidance warning those with a history of significant allergic reactions against having the inoculation. “Both are recovering well,” said Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS. (Sugden, 12/9)

CBS News: U.K. Warns Against Giving Pfizer Vaccine To People Prone To Severe Allergic Reactions 
NHS England said in a statement that both of the medical workers who experienced anaphylactoid reactions to the Pfizer vaccine had a "strong past history of allergic reactions," and that both had recovered after treatment. "As is common with new vaccines the MHRA (U.K. drug regulator) have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday," NHS national Medical Director for England, Professor Stephen Powis, said in the statement. (Reals, 12/9)

BBC News: Allergy Warning Over New Jab 
Dr June Raine, head of the MHRA, said it was only right to take this step now that "we've had this experience". Reactions like this are uncommon, but do happen with other vaccines, including the annual flu jab.Several thousand people were vaccinated on Tuesday in hospital clinics on the first day of the UK rollout of the new Covid jab. (Triggle and Schraer, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Countdown To America’s First Coronavirus Vaccine: What To Watch This Critical Week
For a nation ravaged by the pandemic, this week marks a pivotal moment — the final push by federal regulators to clear the first experimental coronavirus vaccine for a besieged populace. If all goes as expected over the next few days, the Food and Drug Administration could give emergency authorization to the vaccine as early as week’s end, triggering the start of an unprecedented effort to inoculate enough Americans to confer individual immunity and eventually stop the virus’s spread. That next chapter, however, is filled with herculean challenges, including ramping up production to tens of millions of doses, shipping them in specially designed boxes packed with dry ice to keep them ultracold and vaccinating people in every corner of the United States. (McGinley, 12/7)

AP: Pfizer Vaccine Moves Closer To Getting The OK In The US
U.S. regulators Tuesday released their first scientific evaluation of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and confirmed it offers strong protection, setting the stage for the government to green light the biggest vaccination effort in the nation’s history. The analysis by Food and Drug Administration scientists comes ahead of a Thursday meeting where the agency’s independent advisers will debate if the evidence is strong enough to recommend vaccinating millions of Americans. A final FDA decision and the first shots could follow within just days. They are among a whirlwind of developments that are expected to make multiple vaccines available by early next year, in the U.S. and beyond. (Neergaard and Perrone, 12/8)

NPR: FDA Head Stephen Hahn On What's Next For Pfizer Vaccine In Fast-Moving Process
The Food and Drug Administration has found that there are "no specific safety concerns" that would stop the agency from approving the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use. Career scientists at the FDA analyzed the data from the ongoing Pfizer trial to form their own conclusions about its safety and efficacy. Stephen Hahn, who heads the FDA, says the public analysis is a "very, very important part of our promise to the American people that we won't cut corners in how we assess the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine." (Chang, 12/8)

In related news —

The New York Times: Simple Shot Opens New Front In Britain's Coronavirus Fight
It was a simple thing. A swipe with an alcohol pad, a tiny needle prick in the upper arm and the application of a small Band-Aid. But the health care workers receiving a new coronavirus vaccine here on Tuesday, among the first in Britain, know it’s more than that. “I’m excited for the world, really,” said Dr. Chris Hingston. “I just feel very lucky that we’re making this first step back toward normality.” (Specia, 12/8)

The New York Times: Here’s Why Vaccinated People Still Need To Wear A Mask
The new Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna seem to be remarkably good at preventing serious illness. But it’s unclear how well they will curb the spread of the coronavirus. That’s because the Pfizer and Moderna trials tracked only how many vaccinated people became sick with Covid-19. That leaves open the possibility that some vaccinated people get infected without developing symptoms, and could then silently transmit the virus — especially if they come in close contact with others or stop wearing masks. (Mandavillil, 12/8)

KHN: What Seniors Can Expect When COVID Vaccines Begin To Roll Out 
Vaccines that protect against COVID-19 are on the way. What should older adults expect? The first candidates, from Pfizer and Moderna, could arrive before Christmas, according to Alex Azar, who heads the Department of Health and Human Services. (Graham, 12/9)

KHN: It’s Time To Scare People About COVID 
I still remember exactly where I was sitting decades ago, during the short film shown in class: For a few painful minutes, we watched a woman talking mechanically, raspily through a hole in her throat, pausing occasionally to gasp for air. The public service message: This is what can happen if you smoke. I had nightmares about that ad, which today would most likely be tagged with a trigger warning or deemed unsuitable for children. But it was supremely effective: I never started smoking and doubt that few if any of my horrified classmates did either. (Rosenthal, 12/9)

CNN: US Coronavirus: Officials Aiming To Have Covid-19 Vaccine Administered Within 96 Hours Of Authorization 
Covid-19 vaccines will be distributed to vulnerable populations within days of an emergency use authorization (EUA), an official said, as the US wrestles with an all-time high of daily new cases. "We will start to have shots in arms within 96 hours of EUA," Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, said Tuesday. "That's what I believe with all my heart." (Holcombe, 12/9)

USA Today: Operation Warp Speed: What We Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Five percent of all produced COVID-19 vaccine will be held back for emergencies and states will have the option of trading vials within the government's ordering system to get the kind they want. Those are just a few of the details we're learning about how the vaccine will move around the nation as distribution comes closer, potentially as early as Friday or Saturday. Paul Ostrowski, who leads supply, production and distribution for the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, walked USA TODAY through the process. (Weise, 12/8)

Politico: U.S. Could Face Months Of Vaccine Shortages Amid Global Competition 
The United States could be heading for a vaccine cliff this spring, with shortages forcing hundreds of millions of Americans to wait for shots amid intense global competition for limited doses. The Trump administration has bought 100 million doses each of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, but the U.S. is unlikely to get additional doses anytime soon because of strong international demand. And both vaccines require two doses per person, effectively halving the already scarce supply. (Owermohle, 12/8)

Bloomberg: With Freezers In Tow, U.S. Employers Rush To Fill Vaccine Void
As U.S. health authorities near emergency approvals for the first Covid-19 vaccines, companies are taking some of the first concrete steps to prepare for the unprecedented and complex task of distributing hundreds of millions of doses to the American workforce. Ford Motor Co. has procured deep-freezers to store vaccines at some of its factories. Sanderson Farms Inc., a top poultry producer, will administer vaccines to employees at health clinics erected at its facilities, and the CEO pledges to get inoculated on video to encourage workers to do the same. Activision Blizzard Inc. plans to cover vaccination costs for employees and their immediate families. Several industries are lobbying to get their workers near the front of the line after the first doses go to health-care workers and nursing home residents. (Beene and Hirtzer, 12/9)

Also —

The Hill: Pentagon Draft List Prioritizes Medical Personnel, Senior Leaders In Vaccine Rollout: Report 
The Pentagon has a draft list of the first groups set to receive a coronavirus vaccine, with health care workers in the lead, followed by and top Pentagon leaders and military units, CNN reported. The Department of Defense (DOD) has released few details on when a COVID-19 vaccine would be distributed among service members. (Mitchell, 12/8)

Stateline: Health Care Workers Can Decline A COVID-19 Shot For Now
Millions of health care workers are slated to receive the first batch of potentially lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this month. But not all of them want to be first in line. Only one-third of a panel of 13,000 nurses said they would voluntarily take a vaccine, another third said they wouldn’t and the rest said they were unsure, according to a late October survey by the American Nurses Association. (Vestal, 12/8)

Boston Globe: CVS, Walgreens Hiring Thousands Of Workers In Advance Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
To prepare for the nationwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Rhode Island-based CVS Health Corp. and Illinois-based Walgreens are hiring workers by the thousands. In an e-mail to some customers over the weekend, CVS said it is “urgently” looking to bolster its workforce so it can distribute vaccines to the public when they are available. A page on its website details the hiring push for what it calls the “COVID-19 Vaccine Support Team,” comprised of pharmacists, nurses and pharmacy technicians that will help administer “millions of vaccines in 2021. (Gardizy, 12/8)

The Washington Post: Here’s Were Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Could Go Ahead Of More Doses For United States 
The European Union and Japan have both staked claim to an even larger portion of Pfizer doses than the United States has, and Americans will have to wait as those countries receive shares of their initial orders while supplies remain limited. But as a wealthy country with a large number of orders in place and good cold storage infrastructure, the United States is still near the top of the global vaccine pecking order, while some poor countries could have to wait until 2024 to offer vaccines to their entire populations, according to one study. (Rauhala, 12/8)

Stat: AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Has Moderate Efficacy, Data Show
The Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca appears to have moderate efficacy in preventing symptomatic illness, and may significantly reduce hospitalization from the disease, data from four clinical trials of the vaccine reveal. The highly anticipated publication of the data, released Tuesday in The Lancet, also point to some signals that deserve further exploration — the possibility of protection after a single dose and the suggestion that at least one dosing regimen may have led to a decrease the number of asymptomatic infections. (Branswell and Herper, 12/8)

The Hill: AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Safe And Effective, Studies Suggest 
AstraZeneca and Oxford first announced the efficacy results of their vaccine late last month. The findings later came under scrutiny after the company acknowledged that members of a sub-group of trial participants were originally mistakenly given a half dose followed by a full dose. The admission, along with a relatively small test group compared to other studies, drew questions among experts on the accuracy of the findings. (Williams, 12/8)

AP: Studies Suggest AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Safe, Effective
New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55 — a key concern for a vaccine that health officials hope to rely on around the world because of its low cost, availability and ease of use. Still, experts say the vaccine seems likely to be approved, despite some confusion in the results and lower levels of protection than what some other vaccine candidates have shown. (Marchione, 12/8)

The New York Times: AstraZeneca Missteps Undermined U.S. Faith In Coronavirus Vaccine 
On the afternoon of Sept. 8, AstraZeneca officials had a conference call with the Food and Drug Administration. The discussion covered important ground: What would AstraZeneca need to do to win the F.D.A.’s blessing for the coronavirus vaccine it was developing with the University of Oxford? But the AstraZeneca representatives neglected to mention a crucial development: Two days earlier, the company had quietly halted trials of its vaccine around the world, including a late-stage study in the United States. It acted after a participant in Britain fell ill. (Robbins, LaFraniere, Weiland Kirkpatrick and Mueller, 12/8)

Bloomberg: China State-Backed Covid Vaccine Has 86% Efficacy, UAE Says
With an 86% efficacy rate, the vaccine would almost meet the high bar set by Western front-runners, but those companies have disclosed more detail. It’s part of President Xi Jinping’s promise to make any Chinese shot a “global public good” as part of the effort to rehabilitate the Asian country’s image after the pandemic emerged from its city of Wuhan. (12/9)

AP: Morocco To Use Chinese Vaccine To Kick Off Mass Vaccinations
Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on a Chinese vaccine that has not yet completed advanced trials to prove it is safe and effective. On Tuesday, King Mohammed VI instructed the government to make the vaccine free, according to a Royal Palace statement. (El Barakah, 12/8)

In other vaccine developments around the globe —

The Washington Post: First Doses Of Pfizer Vaccine Arrive In Israel; Netanyahu Says He’ll Get The First Shot
Israel received its first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in front of the just-landed DHL plane, pledging to be the first inoculated as soon as the drug is approved by American regulators. The initial shipment from Brussels included thousands of doses of the vaccine expected to get a final greenlight from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in coming days. Up to 4 million doses are expected in Israel by the end of the month, according to media reports. (Hendrix and Rubin, 12/9)

AP: India Says It May Approve Vaccine In Weeks, Outlines Plan
India’s Health Ministry has announced that some COVID-19 vaccines are likely to receive licenses in the next few weeks and outlined an initial plan to immunize 300 million people. Health officials said Tuesday that three vaccine companies have applied for early approval for emergency use in India: Serum Institute of India, which has been licensed to manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine, Pfizer Inc., and Indian manufacturer Bharat Biotech. (Ghosal, 12/9)

AP: Iran Says US Sanctions Hinder Access To COVID-19 Vaccines
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that U.S. sanctions are making it difficult for Iran to purchase medicine and health supplies from abroad, including COVID-19 vaccines needed to contain the worst outbreak in the Middle East. President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed crippling sanctions on Iran’s banking sector and its vital oil and gas industry since unilaterally withdrawing the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. (12/9)

Reuters: While Seeking Credit For Vaccine, Trump Says He May Invoke Defense Production Act
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would invoke the Defense Production Act if needed to ensure Americans are first in line for domestically produced coronavirus vaccines at a summit designed to give him and his team credit for speedy vaccine development. Trump made his remarks just before signing an executive order intended to ensure that priority access for COVID-19 vaccines procured by the U.S. government is given to the American people before assisting other nations. (Mason, 12/8)

Politico: ‘I Literally Don’t Know’: Operation Warp Speed Scientist Can’t Explain Trump’s Vaccine Order
The chief scientist of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed was unable to explain President Donald Trump’s latest executive order Tuesday, which aims to prioritize shipment of the coronavirus vaccine to Americans over other countries. Moncef Slaoui, who Trump tapped in May to head up the administration’s efforts to hasten vaccine development, appeared puzzled when asked to clarify the president’s order during an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Frankly, I don’t know, and frankly, I’m staying out of this. I can’t comment,” Slaoui said. “I literally don’t know.” (Forgey, 12/8)

Stat: Trump Takes Vaccine Victory Lap At White House Summit 
President Trump on Tuesday took a victory lap at a White House “Summit” meant to celebrate his administration’s remarkable sprint to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, using the event to claim credit for the effort and deride the experts who initially expressed skepticism at the government’s hyper-aggressive timetable. (Facher, 12/8)

Politico: On Eve Of U.S. Vaccine Approval, Trump Cranks Up The Politics 
President Donald Trump on Tuesday gathered people at the White House to celebrate the "miracle" of a coronavirus vaccine. But the vaccine makers declined to attend. An introductory video tossed some of Trump’s own government scientists under the bus. And the man Trump tapped to help speed vaccine development spent the morning distancing himself from the executive order Trump signed at the event. (Niedzwiadek, 12/8)

Also —

The Hill: Trump Officials Passed On 'Multiple' Offers To Buy More Pfizer Vaccine, Gottlieb Says 
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, now a member of the Pfizer board of directors, said Tuesday that the pharmaceutical giant offered the Trump administration the chance to buy additional doses of its coronavirus vaccine multiple times, but that officials turned down the offers. The comments from Gottlieb confirm a report in The New York Times, which on Monday revealed that additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine, beyond the 100 million already purchased, may not be available in the U.S. until June because they were committed to other countries after the Trump administration passed on them. (Sullivan, 12/8)

The Washington Post: Here’s Where Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Could Go Ahead Of More Doses For United States
Given the Trump administration’s big promises on vaccines, the prospect of limited supply and long waits in the United States will lead to questions about where those doses are going. Here is what we know so far. (Rauhala, 12/8)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Brags Of Vaccines, But Will He Promote The Shots?
Even as President Trump claims credit for the rapid development of vaccines against COVID-19, it remains unclear whether he will take the vaccine and how hard he’ll work to persuade skeptical followers to get immunized, particularly after he leaves office. Other former presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — have publicly committed to taking the vaccine, which may be shipped out to medical centers and nursing homes as soon as this weekend. So have President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. (Levey and Megerian, 12/8)

The Hill: Biden, Trump Offer Dueling Outlooks On Coronavirus Pandemic 
President Trump's and President-elect Joe Biden's starkly different outlooks on the coronavirus pandemic were on display in real time on Tuesday, underscoring the distrust and problems that have hindered the country’s pandemic response for months. (Samuels, 12/8)

The New York Times: Two Presidents, Two Messages, One Killer Virus
One president all but declared victory over the pandemic, hailing new vaccines as a “medical miracle” and congratulating himself for doing what “nobody has ever seen before.” The next president declared the pandemic deadlier than ever, calling it a “mass casualty” event that is leaving “a gaping hole” in America with more misery to come. “We’re here to discuss a monumental national achievement,” President Trump boasted on one screen. “From the instant the coronavirus invaded our shores, we raced into action.” “We’re in a very dark winter,” President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said minutes later in his own speech on another screen. “Things may well get worse before they get better.” (Baker, 12/8)

The Washington Post: In Competing Events, Trump And Biden Offer Conflicting Messages On The Pandemic — And Illustrate An Ongoing Fight For Attention 
The nation’s top infectious-disease expert was a notable no-show at President Trump’s coronavirus vaccine summit at the White House on Tuesday. Anthony S. Fauci told colleagues that he had a scheduling conflict, so he wasn’t seated among the government health officials in the Southcourt Auditorium. Which made it all the more jarring when he popped up via video message on the jumbo screen at a health-related event with President-elect Joe Biden in Wilmington, Del., at the same time. (Nakamura, 12/8)

In other news about the presidential transition —

The Hill: Operation Warp Speed Officials Will Meet With Biden Transition On Thursday 
President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team will meet with officials representing the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed coronavirus vaccine program on Thursday, according to the initiative's chief adviser Moncef Slaoui. “We have a meeting planned on Thursday. We look forward to, you know, sharing all the information and working together,” Slaoui said on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. (Chalfant, 12/8)

The Hill: Vaccine Distribution, Regulatory Rollbacks Top 2021 Health Agenda 
Health care battles in Washington are going to take a new turn next year with the arrival of a Democratic president and the departure of President Trump. President-elect Joe Biden has vowed the federal government will take a far larger role on COVID-19 than the Trump administration, which mostly left the response to individual states. Biden is also likely to take unilateral action to shore up ObamaCare and undo regulations issued by Trump, and there might even be some room for bipartisan action on health care. (Hellmann, 12/7)

AP: US Virus Deaths Hit Record Levels With The Holidays Ahead
Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to more than 2,200 a day on average, matching the frightening peak reached last April, and cases per day have eclipsed 200,000 on average for the first time on record, with the crisis all but certain to get worse because of the fallout from Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Virtually every state is reporting surges just as a vaccine appears days away from getting the go-ahead in the U.S. “What we do now literally will be a matter of life and death for many of our citizens,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday as he extended restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, including a ban on indoor dining and drinking at restaurants and bars. (Pane and La Corte, 12/8)

The Hill: First Signs Of Thanksgiving COVID-19 Wave Emerge
The first signs of a post-Thanksgiving surge in coronavirus cases are beginning to show up in data released by states across the country in a troubling prelude of what may become the deadliest month of the pandemic so far. Those hints of an uptick in case counts come as the country faces an already substantial wave of infections that began in the Upper Midwest and spread to every corner of the map as summer turned to fall and the weather cooled. (Wilson, 12/8)

In updates from Indiana, California, Massachusetts and Ohio —

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Only State That Passes 1,000 Cases Per Million Last Week
Indiana continues to be one of the nation’s COVID-19 hot spots by many measures. In the week following Thanksgiving, Indiana was the only state that had more than 1,000 new cases a day per million people, according to the COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization run by The Atlantic. The website puts Indiana at an average of 1,025 new cases per day, more than any other state, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. South Dakota was not far behind with 984 new cases per day per million people in that time frame. (Rudavsky, 12/8)

Los Angeles Times: ‘Thanksgiving Bump’ Sends California To Record 35,400 Coronavirus Cases, 219 Deaths
California on Tuesday shattered single-day records of coronavirus cases and deaths — 35,400 new infections, and 219 fatalities — by far the worst tallies of the entire pandemic.Tuesday’s death toll edged out the previous single-day high for California, which was recorded on July 31, when 214 deaths were recorded , according to The Times’ independent county-by-county tally of cases. And Tuesday’s case count just eclipsed Monday’s record-breaking tally, 34,490 cases, which itself was stratospherically higher than any prior case count. (Money and Lin II, 12/8)

Politico: California Judge Says L.A. Officials 'Arbitrarily' Set Outdoor Dining Ban
A judge on Tuesday dealt a rebuke to Los Angeles County public health officials racing to control Covid-19's spread, blocking an indefinite ban on outdoor dining announced late last month. "By failing to weigh the benefits of an outdoor dining restriction against its costs, the County acted arbitrarily and its decision lacks a rational relationship to a legitimate end," wrote Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant in a tentative ruling issued Tuesday to a legal challenge from the California Restaurant Association. (Murphy and Colliver, 12/8)

NPR: Massachusetts Reimposes Coronavirus Restrictions
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is reimposing statewide coronavirus restrictions following an increase in infections and hospitalizations. Starting Sunday, residents will revert to Step 1 of Phase 3 of the reopening plan, a news release from Baker's office said. The rollback will require indoor performance venues and certain "high-contact indoor recreational businesses" to shut down. Most others will operate at 40% capacity. This includes retail shops, arcades, museums, offices and places of worship. (Jones, 12/8)

KHN: With Pandemic Surging, Ohio Gov. DeWine Dials Back His Aggressive Response
Eric Shanteau didn’t know he was about to create a viral pandemic meme when he made a cutout of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s head with two fingers pointing at his eyes, photographed the smiling visage in various strategic, comedic locations around the Toledo suburb of Maumee, and then posted the images online. He also didn’t know that the Republican governor was that day in mid-November visiting Toledo after announcing new coronavirus restrictions to counter an alarming surge in the state’s infection rates. (McAuliff, 12/9)

Fox News: Biden’s 3-Part Plan To Tackle The Coronavirus: Masks, Vaccinations, Opening Schools
President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a three-part plan to combat the coronavirus pandemic in the first 100 days of his administration. Biden, speaking in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., as he formally unveiled his team of top health officials, emphasized “masking, vaccinations, opening schools. These are the three key goals for my first 100 days.” And the president-elect stressed, “I’m absolutely convinced that in 100 days we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better.” (Steinhauser, 12/8)

CNN: Biden Details Plan To Combat Coronavirus Pandemic In First 100 Days
The plan, announced as he introduced the team he has designed to get the pandemic under control, would aim to get at least 100 million Americans vaccinated in his initial 100 days in office, his pledge to sign a face mask mandate on his first day in office and efforts to get kids back to school safely. Biden's plan came the same day that Trump signed a largely symbolic executive order aimed at prioritizing the shipment of the coronavirus vaccine to Americans before other nations. "My first 100 days won't end the Covid-19 virus. I can't promise that," Biden said at an event in Wilmington, Delaware. "But we did not get in this mess quickly, we're not going to get out of it quickly, it's going to take some time. But I'm absolutely convinced that in 100 days we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better." (Sullivan, 12/8)

AP: Biden Vows To Reopen Most Schools After 1st 100 Days On Job
While still a candidate, Biden released a plan in July for resuming in-person classroom instruction during the pandemic that promised to send Congress an emergency funding package to help schools reopen with a price tag worth up to $30 billion. That plan said final decisions on reopening schools would fall to state and local officials but nonetheless promised to enlist federal agencies to establish “basic, objective criteria” for doing so. Those included districts securing necessary funding to reconfigure classrooms for better social distancing, procuring protective equipment and devising plans to accommodate at-risk teachers and students. (Weissert, 12/8)

In other news about the Biden transition —

FierceHealthcare: Healthcare Organizations Urge Biden's HHS Nominee Becerra To Hit Ground Running On COVID-19 Response 
While California Attorney General Xavier Becerra—reportedly President-elect Joe Biden's pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—is best known on the national landscape for his work defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health industry leaders say he'll have to prioritize the pandemic above all else in the role. In a statement, Rick Pollack, president of the American Hospital Association (AHA), commended Becerra for his efforts to lead the defense of the ACA against a legal challenge from red states and the Trump administration. But the most critical priority remains the pandemic response, he said. (Minemyer, 12/7)

Roll Call: Inauguration Planning The Latest Thing To Enter The Controversy Zone
A meeting of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies turned sour Tuesday, when Republican leaders on the typically uncontroversial panel rejected a resolution that would assert that Joe Biden is president-elect. ... The rejected proposal would have prompted the JCCIC to announce that they are preparing for the inauguration of Biden and Harris, in coordination with the Biden Presidential Inaugural Committee and public health experts. (Tully-McManus and McPherson, 12/8)

The Washington Post: $600 Stimulus Checks Could Be Included In Economic Relief Package Based On White House Demand 
The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed an economic relief package that would offer far skimpier federal unemployment benefits than what has been proposed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, adding an element of uncertainty into the fragile stimulus negotiations, according to two people familiar with the matter. Instead, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has proposed that lawmakers approve another stimulus check worth $600 per person and $600 per child, the people familiar with the plan said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share details of private deliberations. (Stein and DeBonis, 12/8)

Politico: Confusion Grips Capitol Amid Flurry Of Stimulus Plans 
No one seems to know what’s going on with coronavirus relief anymore. In the span of an afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested dropping discussions on the two biggest sticking points. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin offered a new proposal to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A bipartisan group of senators is still working to finalize language on a $908 billion package. And President Donald Trump endorsed new stimulus checks. (Levine and Everett, 12/8)

The Hill: McCarthy Says He And McConnell Back $600 Stimulus Checks 
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly told the White House on Tuesday that they would support including $600 stimulus checks in a coronavirus relief package. McCarthy told Axios that he and McConnell would back the amount, which is being sought by the White House as part of its proposed $916 billion package. The stimulus checks were not included in the package McConnell laid out last week. (Axelrod, 12/8)

The Hill: Democratic Senators Push For $1,200 Direct Payments In New Coronavirus Relief Package 
A group of Democratic senators led by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are pressing colleagues to include $1,200 direct payments in a new COVID-19 relief package and say a $908 billion compromise proposal endorsed by moderates doesn’t go far enough. “Please join us in demanding that any new COVID-relief proposal includes a $1,200 direct payment to adults and $500 to their children,” the senators wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter dated Dec. 8. (Bolton, 12/8)

In related news —

The Washington Post: Stimulus Negotiations Hinge On Debate Over Liability Shield 
One of the thorniest issues facing the bipartisan stimulus negotiations is the insistence by Senate Republicans that businesses and other entities have sweeping immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits. Many Democrats have refused to agree to such language, saying it could imperil workers. But now both sides are attempting to craft a compromise on the “liability shield,” worried that the prolonged impasse could derail the broader spending bill at a time when the economy appears to be softening. (Rosenberg, Stein and DeBonis, 12/8)

Modern Healthcare: McConnell Backs Down On 'Red Line' Of COVID-19 Liability Protections
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday indicated a willingness to abandon liability protections for businesses and healthcare providers to get a COVID-19 relief bill passed by the end of the year. McConnell had called an enhanced liability shield a "red line" for months during failed negotiations. He said he would be willing to push negotiations on liability protections and funding for state and local governments to next year if that's what it took to get relief passed this year. (Cohrs, 12/8)

In other news about COVID's economic toll —

Roll Call: As Congress Talks, Businesses Try GoFundMe To Survive COVID-19
After selling just three drinks on a Sunday in October, Patti Brett worried they might be her last. For more than 40 years, Doobies Bar has been a communal living room for Philadelphia’s Grad Hospital neighborhood, a place to chat with friends and play board games over beers. Brett started working there before her mother bought it in 1978. Doobies’ meaning to the community is evident on its walls, lined with David Bowie memorabilia given to Brett, arguably the city’s biggest fan of the Thin White Duke. But after outlasting the hospital that gave the neighborhood its name, Brett’s bar may now succumb to the coronavirus pandemic. With bills piling up, she turned to the crowdfunding site GoFundMe to solicit donations. “I’m asking for your help because I don’t know what else to do,” she wrote. (Saksa, 12/8)

Houston Chronicle: Vaccinations, Social Distancing Will Be Essential To Economic Recovery. It Could Mean 17k Jobs In Houston
The Houston economy will struggle through the first six months of 2021 as companies continue to lay off workers before picking up momentum in the second half of year and beginning to add jobs, according to a new forecast. The region is forecast to gain between 35,000 and 52,000 jobs next year but barely make a dent in the more than 200,000 jobs the region has lost so far during the pandemic, according to Patrick Jankowski, an economist at the Greater Houston Partnership, a business-financed economic development group. (Carballo, 12/9)

The Hill: Bipartisan Fix For 'Surprise' Medical Bills Hits Roadblock
A broad bipartisan effort to pass legislation protecting patients from massive “surprise” medical bills is now on life support as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) digs in on a separate proposal. Democratic and Republican leaders of three committees in the House and Senate have been pushing for months to pass their measure, which would prevent Americans from unexpectedly getting hit with medical bills for thousands of dollars for common scenarios like treatment from a doctor outside their insurance network when they require emergency care. (Sullivan, 12/8)

The Hill: GOP Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Eliminate Federal Prescribing Requirements 
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation on Tuesday aimed at eliminating federal prescribing requirements. Biggs said that the health care industry has been “operating under the nanny-state,” citing the coronavirus pandemic as an area where he feels patients should have more control over their drug choices. (Brufke, 12/8)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

The New York Times: A Senate Hearing Promoted Unproven Drugs And Dubious Claims About The Coronavirus
Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, spent much of this year promoting investigations into Hunter Biden, trying fruitlessly to show corruption on the part of Joseph R. Biden Jr. Now Mr. Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is more focused on another narrative sympathetic to President Trump if not to established science: that the reaction to the coronavirus pandemic has been overblown and that public health officials have been too quick to come to conclusions about the best ways to deal with it. (Quiu, 12/8)

Modern Healthcare: Cybersecurity Flaw Discovered In 100+ GE Medical Devices
A cybersecurity vulnerability discovered in more than 100 medical devices from GE Healthcare could compromise patient data, cybersecurity company CyberMDX said Tuesday. It's the latest example of how medical devices—increasingly connected to the internet or internal hospital networks—could provide another window for hackers targeting healthcare. The flaw discovered by CyberMDX's research team affects 104 types of radiological devices including CT scanners, X-ray machines and ultrasound devices, across product lines like GE Healthcare's Innova, Optima, Brivo, Definium, Precision, Discovery, Seno, Revolution, Odyssey, PETtrace, Ventri and Xeleris, according to CyberMDX. (Kim Cohen, 12/8)

In other health care industry developments —

Modern Healthcare: Federal Judge Tosses Regulators' Bid To Block Jefferson-Einstein Deal
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday that looked to block the Jefferson Health and Albert Einstein Healthcare Network merger, poking holes in regulators' argument that it would stifle competition and lead to price increases. The Federal Trade Commission and the Pennsylvania Attorney General sued to block the deal that would add three acute-care hospitals and a rehab hospital to Jefferson's 14-hospital network, noting that the combined entity would control at least 60% of the acute-care market around North Philadelphia. But federal and state regulators failed to prove that insurers wouldn't be able to find viable substitutes for the merged system and thus would have to submit to higher reimbursement rate mandates, U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Pappert wrote. (Kacik, 12/8)

Modern Healthcare: Care New England CEO Swiftly Rebuffs StoneBridge Buyout Offer
Care New England's CEO appeared to reject a turnaround firm's $550 million buyout offer Tuesday, saying that its ongoing merger talks bar discussion with other would-be suitors. The Providence, R.I.-based health system is the second to swiftly rebuff StoneBridge Healthcare's advances. Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, Tenn. responded to the turnaround firm's offer in August by declaring itself "not for sale." (Bannow, 12/8)

FierceHealthcare: Cleveland Clinic Makes Deal With Sisters Of Charity To Acquire Mercy Medical Center
Cleveland Clinic signed an agreement with Sisters of Charity Health System to fully acquire Mercy Medical Center, a hospital based in southeastern Ohio. The transaction, announced Tuesday (PDF), the terms of which were not disclosed, is expected to be finalized by Feb. 1. It comes as Cleveland Clinic continues to battle lower patient volumes caused by the pandemic.  (King, 12/8)

Becker's Hospital Review: Advocate Aurora To Give $66M In Employee Bonuses
Advocate Aurora Health, with headquarters in Milwaukee and Downers Grove, Ill., will be giving about $66 million in bonuses to employees before the year's end. The health system's president and CEO, Jim Skogsbergh, announced the bonuses in a staff video memo shared with Becker's Dec. 8. In the video, Mr. Skogsbergh said the bonuses aren't based on financial or quality performance, "because frankly, this is a year that we're off on almost all of our numbers, as are most healthcare organizations who have invested so heavily in their workforce despite the devastating financial impact of COVID-19." Rather, he said the bonuses are for hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Haefner, 12/8)

Modern Healthcare: Private Equity Investment In Healthcare Was Strong Through Q3 But May Fade In Q4
Investments into biotechnology and healthcare technology companies drove private equity and venture capital funding in healthcare past the $60 billion mark in the first three quarters of 2020, according to a new report. Healthcare companies raised a collective $22.44 billion across 732 private equity and venture capital deals in 2020's most recent quarter, representing the third-highest funding total and highest deal total in a single quarter since 2016, according to the report from S&P Global Market Intelligence, indicating "strong investor interest in the industry amid the uncertain COVID-19 situation." (Kim Cohen, 12/8)

Idaho Statesman: Amid Protests At Meeting, CDH Board Members’ Homes, COVID Health Order Vote Postponed
The Central District Health Board of Health meeting Tuesday night to discuss and vote on a public health order dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic was adjourned shortly after it started because of the danger posed by protesters at the CDH facility and at some board members’ places of residence. Moments after a tearful Commissioner Diana Lachiondo left the virtual meeting to head to her house — where her son was home alone and anti-mask, anti-health measure protesters had reportedly gathered — CDH Director Russ Duke interrupted a doctor’s statements on the toll of the coronavirus to tell the board and people watching that Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee had requested that the meeting be ended for safety reasons. (Brown, Keyser and Harding, 12/8)

AP: Salem Nurse Who Mocked COVID-19 Rules To Stop Practicing
A nurse at Salem Health who on social media flouted Oregon’s COVID-19 restrictions last month has agreed to stop working for the healthcare provider. KOIN-TV reported Tuesday that Ashley Grames received an Interim Consent Order for her departure effective Dec. 8, according to state records. (12/8)

AP: Pediatrician's License Suspended In Oregon Over Vaccines
The Oregon Medical Board has suspended the license of Portland Dr. Paul Thomas, citing multiple cases in which he allegedly failed to adequately vaccinate patients, including one involving a child who contracted tetanus and required hospitalization. According to last week’s order, the medical board can temporarily suspend a medical license without a hearing when it has evidence that a doctor’s continued practice constitutes an immediate danger to the public, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. (12/9)

In other news —

Albuquerque Journal: Physicians Outline ‘Objective’ Standards For Rationing Care In NM
A patient’s chance of survival – not age, occupation or ability to pay – will guide the rationing of medical treatment as New Mexico prepares to invoke crisis standards of care in its hospitals. In an online briefing Tuesday, hospital and health care leaders said the rationing of care isn’t yet necessary, but they are bracing for the possibility because of a dramatic increase in COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization. (McKay, 12/8)

The New York Times: McKinsey Issues A Rare Apology For Its Role In OxyContin Sales 
Facing mounting pressure about its role in the opioid crisis, McKinsey has taken the unusual step of acknowledging that its work with Purdue Pharma fell short of its standards and vowed a full internal review of its actions, including the possible destruction of documents. Criticism of the world’s most prestigious consulting firm has intensified since The New York Times reported last month that McKinsey had discussed ways for Purdue to “turbocharge” sales of its drug OxyContin, proposing that it pay distributors rebates for overdoses linked to the pills they sold. Lawmakers — both Democrats and Republicans — have called for McKinsey to be investigated, and a prominent physician employed by the firm said executives who knew of this work should resign. (Bogdanich and Forsythe, 12/8)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Stat: HHS Urged To Investigate The FDA's Handling Of Biogen Alzheimer's Drug
A federal watchdog is being asked to investigate the Food and Drug Administration for an “inappropriate collaboration” with Biogen (BIIB) in readying an application for regulatory approval to market aducanumab, its controversial Alzheimer’s treatment. (Silverman, 12/9)

The Oklahoman: Oklahoma AG Wants 20 Times More Money In Johnson & Johnson Opioid Case
The Oklahoma Supreme Court was asked Monday to order Johnson & Johnson to make a $9.3 billion payment to the state to address the deadly opioid crisis. "Nothing less than the fate of Oklahoma hangs in the balance," attorneys for the state told justices in an appeal brief. Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman last year ordered the pharmaceutical giant to pay $465 million to the state to combat the crisis. The state had sought more than $17 billion at trial. (Clay, 12/9)

Stat: Shift To Remote Cancer Clinical Trials Will Likely Outlast The Pandemic 
The coronavirus pandemic has presented an extreme challenge for cancer clinical trials, with many shutting down completely in the spring and others struggling to recruit patients too afraid of Covid-19 to risk entering hospitals or clinics. But researchers say there’s been an unexpected silver lining: The many innovations they rapidly ushered into place to make it safer and easier to access clinical trials are working so well for both patients and researchers, they may stay in place long after the epidemic ends. (McFarling, 12/9)

CNBC: Even ‘Cruises To Nowhere’ Can’t Escape The Coronavirus
Unlike airlines and hotels, cruise ships are having a hard time getting business restarted this year. Now even one so-called “cruise to nowhere” has found itself curtailed. Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas passenger cruise ship cut short its four-day itinerary on Wednesday, returning to Singapore a day early after an 83-year-old male passenger tested positive for Covid-19. (Buchanan Pitrelli, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Ohio State’s Game Against Michigan Is Canceled 
For the first time in 103 years, it appears Ohio State and Michigan will not play each other in football in a given autumn, a loud effect of the coronavirus pandemic. Michigan announced Tuesday that it could not field a team for Saturday’s game. The announcement came just moments after Ohio State Coach Ryan Day, isolated lately amid his own mild bout with the virus, told reporters he remained hopeful while avoiding the dreaded thought of a cancellation. The cancellation became Ohio State’s third of the season, after previous scratchings in November of games against Maryland and Illinois. (Culpepper, 12/8)

The New York Times: 18 Days After Giving Birth, Woman Dies From Covid-19 
Erika Becerra was eight months pregnant when she learned she had tested positive for the coronavirus. Almost immediately after she got the result, her body began aching, she developed a fever and she felt tightness in her chest. When she began having trouble breathing, her husband called for an ambulance. Three days later, on Nov. 15, she gave birth in a Detroit hospital to a healthy boy, Diego. She never got to hold him, her brother told KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. Ms. Becerra’s health declined so rapidly that doctors put her on a ventilator, which she remained on for 18 days. Ms. Becerra, 33, who had no known health problems before she became ill, died on Thursday. (Cramer, 12/8)

Also —

CNN: Therapists, Patients Embrace Outdoor Therapy In Covid-19 Pandemic 
Therapy looks a lot different these days for Alexandra Talty. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Southampton, New York-based writer attended a few sessions with different therapists in person. Once the pandemic hit, however, she decided she didn't want to be inside a confined space with someone who could possibly be a vector for the virus. (Villano, 12/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Can We Make Our Sex Lives Fun Again? 
How’s your sex life? If it leaves something to be desired, you’re not alone. People have been having less sex—with a partner or solo—since the pandemic began, according to a longitudinal study called “Sex and Relationships in the Time of Covid-19” conducted by researchers at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. And the more stressed, disconnected or lonely a person has felt, the greater the negative impact on his or her sex life has been. (Bernstein, 12/8)

CNN: Reduce Stress During The Holidays With These Fitness Strategies 
As the holiday season ramps up, daily schedules can easily fill with the demands of the season, like shopping, cooking, wrapping and planning. To avoid overload, it's all too easy to shift self-care priorities — like regular exercise — to the bottom of the list. Skipping workouts, however, can actually make it more difficult for our bodies and minds to deal with added holiday stressors. (Santas, 12/9)

Stat: Grief In The Covid Era Will Weigh On The American Psyche For Years To Come
The rituals of grief and mourning are as old as time: the swift Jewish burial and seven days of sitting shiva to honor the dead; the Muslim washing and three-sheeted shrouding of a body; the solemn Mass of Christian Burial with Holy Communion and the promise of an afterlife. All these — and other rites of faith and community across the globe — have been brutally curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, with effects on the mental and physical health of those left behind that have yet to be grasped. (Purdum, 12/9)

CNN: Here Are The US States That Don't Require Face Masks 
While health officials agree face masks help prevent the spread of Covid-19, state and local governments have varied widely on implementation of mask rules. Now, President-elect Joe Biden wants to change that. Biden's office has released plans that his administration intends to implement in the beginning of his term, and one is a national mask mandate "by working with governors and mayors." (Asmelash, McNabb and Watts, 12/8)

The Hill: Taylor Swift Offers Message For Those Who 'Don't Care' About Following Pandemic Restrictions 
Taylor Swift has a message for those who refuse to adhere to coronavirus guidelines: Think of the essential workers. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the pop star discussed the impact the coronavirus outbreak has had on her and the creation of her newest album, "Folklore." The singer said that she's been troubled witnessing mask-less groups gathering at bars on Lower Broadway in Nashville, her hometown, as the pandemic rages on. (Polus, 12/8)

CNN: Ohio Covid: 500 People Showed Up For A Concert That Defied Local Virus Restrictions, Authorities Say 
A nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, was temporarily shut down and is accused of public health violations because up to 500 people attended a concert headlined by R&B singer Trey Songz over the weekend, authorities said. Plainclothes officers with the Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU), a division of Ohio's Department of Public Safety, went to Aftermath nightclub on Saturday and found large numbers of non-socially distanced and maskless people on the dance floor and stage area, according to a statement released on Sunday by the agency. (Moshtaghian and Jackson, 12/8)

AP: Underground Southern California Party Ends In 158 Arrests
An empty house in the high desert. An Instagram ad touting exotic dancers. A stay-at-home order. It proved to be a dangerous combination in the city of Palmdale on Saturday night, as sheriff’s deputies swarmed the home and busted the illegal party there, arresting nearly 160 people — between the ages of 16 and 22 and many not wearing masks — who could ultimately be part of a coronavirus “super-spreader event” amid surging cases statewide. (12/9)

In other news from Nevada, Colorado, Mississippi and New York —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID Disease Investigators Changing Tracing As Cases Overwhelm
Overwhelmed disease investigators should curtail the information they collect from Nevadans with COVID-19, state officials recommended Tuesday. Identifying an infected person’s close contacts and where they believe they caught the disease should be done only “if time and case volume permits,” according to a new Nevada Department of Health and Human Services memo sent to local health authorities. (Scott Davidson, 12/8)

AP: Colorado First Gentleman Discharged From COVID Hospital Stay
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ longtime partner, first gentleman Marlon Reis, was discharged from a hospital Tuesday after undergoing treatment for the coronavirus. Reis was hospitalized over the weekend as a precaution after experiencing shortness of breath and a worsening cough after he was diagnosed on Nov. 28. The governor also was diagnosed with COVID-19 but has not experienced severe symptoms. He has been working from home in quarantine. (12/8)

The Washington Post: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves Planned Several Holiday Parties Despite His Own Executive Orders
On Monday, Gov. Tate Reeves (R) warned Mississippians that they will soon face stricter guidelines to help curb surging coronavirus infections and urged them to skip large gatherings. “Please be extra cautious and mindful during this time,” Reeves said on Twitter, adding that his executive order would be amended later in the week. ... But state lawmakers received a different message. Mississippi Today reported on Monday that the governor’s office has sent state and district officials invitations to at least three different holiday parties at the governor’s mansion in the coming days, despite widespread bans on large get-togethers in the state. (Peiser, 12/9)

The New York Times: What New York City’s Sewers Reveal About The Virus
New York City’s sewers, whose lore has spawned films, children’s books and fantastical tales of alligator infestation, have now seized a role in the pandemic: Scientists are tracking outbreaks by monitoring the smelly, gray effluent that flows through underground pipes in hopes of identifying coronavirus clusters days before they appear through patient testing. The undertaking, which has ramped up in recent weeks, has mirrored efforts across the country to surveil waterways for viral components, flushed down toilets by infected Americans who are excreting it in feces, even when asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. (Kilgannon, 12/8)

In other news about abortion and marijuana use —

Anchorage Daily News: After Ruling Dunleavy’s Abortion-Related Court Veto Illegal, Judge Orders State To Pay Up By Jan. 1
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Jennifer Henderson has ordered Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration to pay the Alaska Court System $334,700 before Jan. 1, a consequence of Henderson’s October ruling that it was illegal for Gov. Mike Dunleavy to veto some court system funding in response to judges’ rulings on abortion. The state may appeal Henderson’s payment order. In 2019 and again this year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed $334,700 from the Alaska Court System’s budget. The governor opposes abortion, and state courts have repeatedly ruled against laws that attempt to restrict state Medicaid payments for abortion services. In both vetoes, the governor said the amount equaled the cost paid by the state for abortion services required by those rulings. (Brooks, 12/8)

KHN: As More Red States Legalize Marijuana, Some Officials Try To Nip It In The Bud
With his state reeling amid one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the nation, the last thing South Dakota Speaker of the House Steven Haugaard wants to be dealing with during the upcoming legislative session is marijuana. But the state’s voters haven’t left the Republican much choice. This fall, South Dakota became the first state in the U.S. to legalize both medical marijuana and recreational marijuana in the same election. Haugaard, who long opposed any form of marijuana legalization, now must participate in the creation of a medical marijuana program. (Franz, 12/9)

Healthline: Amazon Pharmacy Boasts Big Discounts For Meds, But Isn’t The Best Deal
Amazon’s blue delivery vans have quickly become ubiquitous around the nation, delivering everything to people’s doors, from essential daily items to live insects. Now, the world’s largest online retailer run by the world’s richest man is getting even further into the U.S. healthcare market by offering to send prescription drugs to its customers’ doors. In announcing the new venture on Nov. 17, Amazon said in a statement that customers can purchase prescription medications with or without insurance. (Krans, 12/4)

Also —

Vox: Joe Biden’s Prescription Drug Prices Agenda, Explained 
Just as Joe Biden prepares to take over the presidency, the pharmaceutical industry is having its best political moment in years. Numerous Covid-19 vaccines are on the verge of approval, promising an (eventual) end to the pandemic that has upended every American’s life for the last nine months. Reducing prescription drug costs has long been a top priority for voters. But given the prospect of a divided government, the other health care issues likely to dominate the Biden administration’s attention, and pharma’s renewed political clout, lobbyists and health care experts are skeptical there will be significant action to rein in drug costs over the next few years. (Scott, 12/7)

USA Today: Fact Check: Facebook Post Touting Decreasing Drug Prices Under Trump Is Misleading
A Facebook post comparing President Donald Trump’s record on prescription drug price increases to the eight years under former President Barack Obama went viral during the weeks leading up to and following the presidential election. The Oct. 16 post from Facebook user Krystal Roberts claims that prescription drug prices averaged a 3.6% year-over-year increase during the eight years preceding Trump’s inauguration. (Richardon, 12/4)

Holland (Mich.) Sentinel: With New Drug Pricing Order, Trump Flirts With Socialism 
President Trump’s recent executive order on drug prices gets almost everything right — except the solution. It’s true, as the order says, that “Americans pay more per capita for prescription drugs than residents of any other developed country.” And it’s unjust that Americans disproportionately “finance much of the biopharmaceutical innovation that the world depends on.” (Merrill Matthews, 12/4)

Indy Star: Precision Medicine Can Cut Prescription Drug Deaths
The number of lives lost in recent years to overdoses involving prescription opioids averages nearly 15,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Conversely, people might be shocked to learn, close to 128,000 Americans die annually as a result of taking medications as they were prescribed. (Brad Bostic, 12/3)

The Hill: We Must Act On Lowering Cost Of Prescription Drugs 
According to a November 2019 Gallup poll, approximately 58 million Americans were unable to pay for prescribed medicine in the last 12 months. And, at least 34 million people know of at least one friend or family member in the last five years who died after not receiving medical treatment, due to their inability to pay for it. Thousands of seniors die each year prematurely because they cannot afford their medications, with that number projected to hit 112,000 by 2030. Prescription drug prices are literally killing Americans. (Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., 12/2)

The Washington Post: American History Is About Outcomes. Will We Pass The Covid-19 Test? 
The vaccine is coming, but the crisis is already here. History’s account of Americans in this pandemic will focus on what we do starting now. Our lack of leadership has been depressing. But we’ve learned enough through these past nine months to make up for absent leadership by exercising citizenship. Wear a mask in public places and keep a safe distance from others. Wash your hands and use sanitizer frequently. Stay close to home this year and keep your holiday gatherings small. Monitor yourself for symptoms and get tested at the earliest signs. Quarantine if you’re sick. It’s not Normandy. It’s not Gettysburg. But this is what history demands today. There is just enough time — just barely — left for us to pass the test. (David Von Drehle, 12/8)

Bloomberg: Which Covid-19 Rules Are Useless? Too Many Of Them 
A clutter of unhelpful pandemic rules is wearing people down. One-way systems in stores, outdoor mask mandates, ceaselessly cleaning groceries and packages — should these things be our top priorities for limiting the spread of Covid-19? Harvard’s Joseph Allen is an associate professor of exposure assessment science and one of the world’s experts on why some indoor spaces are worse than others for spreading viruses. Like other experts, he agrees that poorly ventilated indoor sites are the prime spreading ground for SARS-CoV-2. So the longer people spend in any indoor space with other people, the greater the risk they pose to themselves and others. (Faye Flam, 12/6)

Stat: To Defeat Covid-19, We Must Acknowledge The Fear It Engenders 
My career as a hospital epidemiologist has been based on science and evidence, which I believed to be the touchstones of my work. But Covid-19 has taught me that fear — gut-wrenching, all-consuming fear, like the fear of dying from a horrific respiratory virus — can be much more powerful than science. (Shira Doron, 12/9)

The New York Times: Pandemic Fatigue, Meet Pandemic Anger
Over the weekend, I received a text message from a good friend that made me angry. “I wanna treat myself to a Christmas dinner,” he wrote. “Where should I go?” I wanted to respond that I needed to double-check which restaurants would be open for Christmas on whatever planet he was living on. My friend had no reason not to know about the dreaded winter virus surge, I felt, and had every ability to avoid risky activities like being unmasked at a crowded restaurant. (Spencer Bokat-Lindell, 12/8)

CNN: How Biden Can Use 'Covid Diplomacy' To Rein In North Korea's Nuclear Program
Five hours. That's how long the man standing behind the anesthesia screen at North Korea's top university hospital had been squeezing the football-sized balloon, every three seconds, to push oxygen into the lungs of the patient. Even at Pyongyang Medical College, ventilators are rare. (Kee B. Park and Katharine H.S. Moon, 12/9)

Stat: If Technology Causes Mental Health Issues, Can It Also Be A Therapy? 
The must-see Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” released early this year, draws attention to the link between heavy smartphone use and mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. But there’s a paradox brewing, because the latest solutions for mental health ask people to spend more time on their phones. (Payal Marathe and Ravi N. Shah, 12/8)

The Hill: America Is Subsidizing Europe's Socialist Medicine — With Higher Drug Prices Here 
President Trump finalized a “most favored nation” (MFN), or “best price,” prescription drug-pricing rule on Nov. 20. The goal of the MFN concept is to deliver fair prices to Americans without diminishing drug company profits. While there is controversy as to whether the final rule genuinely implements the concept, the MFN approach should be followed. Opponents of the rule should improve it, not oppose it. (Red Jahncke, 12/8)

The Hill: Seniors' Pattern Of Out-Of-Pocket Co-Pays Says Much About US Healthcare 
The Supreme Court is currently debating whether or not the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. Whether the court does or does not overturn the law, affordability will be an issue for many Americans, even those with health insurance. The problem: copayments. (Tal Gross, 12/7)

USA Today: COVID Vaccine Allocation: Prioritize High-Risk People, Not Just Speed
Government agencies worldwide are starting to authorize new vaccines against the novel coronavirus. Now the hard work of distributing this scarce resource begins.In the United States, several groups of experts have recommended that Americans at highest risk get vaccinated first. But late last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that vaccine shipments would be divided among states based simply on the size of their adult populations. In short, the more adults, the more vaccine. (Eric Schneider, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Two Scenarios Could Derail Trust In The Vaccines. Here’s How We Must Prepare For Them. 
On Thursday, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration is likely to recommend emergency use authorization for the first covid-19 vaccine. A second vaccine could be authorized next week, and millions of Americans could be vaccinated by the end of December. This triumph of science can’t come soon enough. But there are two scenarios that could substantially derail vaccine efforts — unless we prepare for them now. (Leana S. Wen, 12/8)

Bloomberg: FDA’s Slowness On A Pfizer Covid Vaccine Isn’t The Issue 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s meeting to evaluate whether the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should be authorized for emergency use is scheduled for Thursday, but it’s already controversial. The meeting comes three weeks after Pfizer submitted its data, and some critics have suggested that this delay has cost lives. A similar issue is likely to arise with other vaccines. How hard is the FDA is working, really? That question is the focus of the debate, which defines the options as either granting an immediate emergency use authorization, known as an EUA, or waiting. (Tyler Cowen, 12/8)

The Wall Street Journal: The Best Herd Immunity Money Can Buy
How much would the government have to pay you to take the Covid-19 vaccine? For most of us, it’s a silly question. Recent polls show that around 60% of Americans plan to get vaccinated as soon as possible and need no monetary incentive to do so. The problem is that a 60% vaccination rate may not do the trick. Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week that to keep the virus from finding new hosts, social distancing should continue until 75% to 80% of the population is vaccinated. (Jason L. Riley, 12/8)

Stat: Make Covid-19 Vaccination An Option For Pregnant, Lactating Health Workers
On Thursday, the FDA will review the near-term fate of the Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine. It is likely that the FDA will grant emergency use authorization for the vaccine, just as its British regulatory counterpart, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), did last week. The FDA should part company with the MHRA, however, when it comes to use of the vaccine by pregnant and lactating people. (Carleigh Krubiner, Ruth R. Faden and Ruth A. Karron, 12/9)

CNN: What Matters: Yes, There's A Vaccine, But Not Enough To Go Around 
In the United Kingdom, people are getting Pfizer's Covid vaccine. The idea that we've officially entered the vaccine stage of this thing in the Western Hemisphere actually made me do a fist pump this morning. This is huge. The process looks very organized in the UK, where they're converting sports stadiums to vaccine delivery locations for the masses. That is in part because in the UK they have the National Health Service, which means structure for everyone, ultimately, to get stuck. (Prime Minister Boris Johnson is waiting for his place in line, he said today.) (Zachary B. Wolf, 12/9)

The New York Times: Stop The Coronavirus Outbreak At Brooklyn’s Federal Jail
Last week, at least 55 inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons data. Many months into this pandemic, the Federal Defenders of New York, a legal advocacy group, said officials at the jail aren’t following basic public health guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus, to care for sick inmates or to protect those who are most vulnerable. After case counts at the jail held steady for months this fall, they are now rising. (12/8)