NBC News: 600,000 Children, Ages 12-15, Have Received Their First Covid-19 Vaccine Dose
At least 600,000 children, ages 12 to 15, have received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccination, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a media briefing Tuesday. The count comes just over a week after the Food and Drug Administration greenlighted it for emergency use in this age group, a total of 17 million in the U.S. — though many major pharmacies and hospitals did not start administering the shots until last Thursday, after the CDC also signed off on it. (Edwards, 5/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Shots For Teens Can Hit Legal Snags And Parental Pushback
A 16-year-old in South Carolina can get a Covid-19 vaccine without a parent’s permission. A 17-year-old in New York can’t. In Oregon, anyone 15 or older can, but not if a pharmacist is the one giving a shot. With children aged 12 to 15 newly able to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, the patchwork of state laws that govern whether minors can receive the shots without their parents’ permission brings a new wrinkle to inoculation efforts. And vaccine providers—from family doctors to drugstores—are sorting out how to navigate situations in which children want the shot but their parents say no. The situation is creating consternation for some as the U.S. aims to speed its vaccination campaign. (Terlep, 5/19)

AP: Biden Adviser Makes Personal Appeal To Young To Get Shots
A top White House aide made his pitch for young people to get vaccinated personal on Tuesday, sharing the struggles his son has experienced since contracting COVID-19 last fall. Andy Slavitt, President Joe Biden’s senior adviser for the coronavirus, revealed during a White House briefing that one of his sons came down with the virus late last year and continues to suffer lingering side effects. He used it to appeal to younger Americans to roll up their sleeves, even if they feel they’re at relatively lower risk than older Americans to serious consequences from the virus. (Miller, 5/18)

CNN: Uneven Vaccination Rates Across The US Linked To Covid-19 Case Trends, Worry Experts 
Tuesday was a "landmark day," as the United States reached a new Covid-19 vaccine milestone: 60% of adults have now received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to the US Centers and Disease Control and Prevention. But vaccination rates across the United States are uneven -- a worrisome trend that could obstruct efforts to end the Covid-19 pandemic. Rates range from more than 78% of adults in Vermont with at least one vaccine to less than 45% of adults in Mississippi. (McPhillips and Cohen, 5/19)

In other news on vaccination rates —

CIDRAP: Disparities In US COVID Vaccine Distribution Spotlighted
Two studies today describe US COVID-19 vaccination disparities, one evaluating vaccine allocation plans aimed at reducing distribution differences, and the other revealing urban versus rural inequities. The first study, led by University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia researchers and published in Nature Medicine, involved analysis of COVID-19 vaccine allocation plans provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) 64 jurisdictions, which consist of 50 states, five large cities, eight territories, and Washington, DC. (Van Beusekom, 5/18)

The Hill: State Vaccine Rates Fall Along Red, Blue Divide
The U.S. vaccine map looks a lot like a map of how states vote in presidential elections, with most blue states vaccinating at levels well above the national average and GOP states bringing up the rear. The politics of COVID-19 have been partisan from almost the onset of the pandemic, and polls consistently show that Republicans, particularly men, are more hesitant than Democrats to get vaccinated. The deep-blue state of Vermont has the highest share of its population with at least one vaccine dose, at 65 percent, according to data compiled by The New York Times, followed by Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Connecticut. (Weixel, Sullivan and Coleman, 5/18)

Axios: The Social Predictors Of Coronavirus Vaccination Rates 
Where you live, how educated you are, whether you have health insurance and whether you have access to the internet are all correlated with how likely you are to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. None of these factors has anything to do directly with an individual's risk. Instead, this emphasizes, yet again, the powerful role played by social determinants of health. (Owens, 5/19)

Reuters: U.S. Will Donate Substantial Portion Of Vaccines Through COVAX -U.S. Official
The United States will donate a significant number of COVID-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization's COVAX scheme for distributing doses to poorer countries, the U.S. global coordinator on COVID Gayle Smith told a news conference. U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Monday that his administration will send by the end of June a total of 20 million doses of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE , Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, on top of 60 million AstraZeneca Plc doses he had already planned to give to other countries. (5/19)

CBS News: U.S. Lags Behind Russia And China In Sending COVID-19 Vaccines To Struggling Nations In Need
While about 37% of Americans are fully vaccinated, many nations struggle to get vaccines and have turned to other world powers like China and Russia to secure doses. President Biden on Monday announced the U.S. will send 20 million doses of federally authorized COVID-19 vaccines to other countries. That's in addition to the 60 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine the Biden administration committed to be sent to other nations by July. America ordered enough vaccines to vaccinate its population twice, while many other countries are still struggling to secure them. A United Nations program backed by the U.S. has so far delivered fewer than 70 million coronavirus vaccine doses worldwide when billions are needed. (5/18)

The Hill: G20 Leaders Commit To 'Patent-Pooling' For COVID-19 Vaccines: Report
Leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) are expected to commit to "patent-pooling" for COVID-19 vaccines, bucking the World Health Organization’s call for a waiver on patent rights, Reuters reports. According to a draft document seen by the news outlet, the leaders will back “voluntary licensing” of vaccine patents. The news outlet reported that it was the result of a compromise among experts from the various nations. A patent pool would allow drugmakers to voluntarily share licenses for manufacturing their products. (Williams, 5/18)

Other news on covid vaccines—

The Hill: Study Shows Nearly 100 Percent Develop COVID-19 Antibodies After Second Shot
A new study from the United Kingdom found that nearly 100 percent of people develop COVID-19 antibodies after receiving their second shot of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. “We found that 96.42% of Virus Watch participants were antibody positive 28-34 days after a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This increased to 99.08% 7-14 days after a second vaccine dose,” the study found. The study comes as the U.K. has been spacing the first and second dose of the coronavirus vaccine further apart in order to get more people vaccinated. (Lonas, 5/18)

The Oregonian: Is It A HIPAA Violation If A Business Asks For Proof Of Your COVID Vaccination? What The Experts Are Saying
Some businesses are lifting face mask requirements for customers who are vaccinated against COVID-19, raising questions about medical privacy. Since 1996, part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has required that some patients’ health information be protected. But many legal experts say non-health care businesses don’t violate HIPAA if they ask for proof of a COVID-19 vaccine, multiple news outlets reported. Here’s what to know about the law and what to expect at stores. (5/18)

The Washington Post: Millions Of Immunocompromised Americans May Not Be Fully Protected By Covid Vaccines
Hoffman, 39, is fully vaccinated and eager to rejoin the world. But as a kidney transplant patient, she is hesitant to participate for fear of becoming infected. “Risk is very different for people in my situation,” she said. “I am 100 percent acting like I am not immunized.” The state worker is among millions of immunocompromised Americans, about 3 to 4 percent of the U.S. population, for whom the shots may not work fully, or at all, and who are unsure of their place in a country that is increasingly opening up. Emerging research shows that 15 to 80 percent of those with certain conditions, such as specific blood cancers or who have had organ transplants, are generating few antibodies. (Eunjung Cha, 5/18)

The Oregonian: COVID-19 Vaccine Myth: The Truth About The False Claim Of ‘Virus Shedding’ 
There are various false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines floating around. One that appears to have gained some traction is the notion that people who have been vaccinated “shed” the novel coronavirus’ spike protein, causing women in proximity to the vaccinated person to suffer miscarriages or even become infertile. This myth apparently evolved from another false claim, which is that the COVID-19 vaccines home in on syncytin-1, a protein necessary for placental formation. As a result, goes this false belief, the vaccines can cause irregular periods in women or, far worse, upend women’s reproduction abilities and even make them infertile. (Perry, 5/18)

Stat: How The Covid Pandemic Ends: Scientists Look To The Past To See The Future
We’re approaching the year-and-a-half mark of the globe’s collective experience with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Covid-19 pandemic it has triggered. At this point, it’s fair to assume people the world over are asking themselves the same two questions: How will this end? And when? (Branswell, 5/19)

NBC News: Back To Normal? Psychologists Warn The Pandemic Could Have Lasting Effects
“I’m very concerned about the effects being long-term,” said Luana Marques, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. “Given that — consistently, globally — you’ve seen the levels of depression and anxiety high since last March, that tells me that we’re going to see an increasing prevalence of mental health [problems] globally.” Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, conversations surrounding public health have primarily focused on protecting people’s physical health. As a deadly virus spread across the globe, strategies were developed to contain its spread. (Benson, 5/18)

AP: 'City In Transition': New York Vies To Turn Page On Pandemic
More than a year after coronavirus shutdowns sent “the city that never sleeps” into a fitful slumber, New York could be wide awake again this summer. Starting Wednesday, vaccinated New Yorkers can shed their masks in most situations, and restaurants, stores, gyms and many other businesses can go back to full capacity if they check vaccination cards or apps for proof that all patrons have been inoculated. (Peltz, 5/19)

On the latest U.S. covid stats —

USA Today: Hospitals May Be Overcounting How Many Kids Are Admitted For COVID-19 In The US, Study Finds
A new study found health care providers may be overcounting the number of kids hospitalized for COVID-19, overestimating the small impact the disease has on children. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine analyzed COVID-19 data from Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford from May 10, 2020, to Feb. 10. During the nine-month period, 117 patients under the age of 18 either tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at the hospital or were hospitalized for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. (Rodriguez, 5/19)

CNN: Average Covid-19 Cases Are Lowest They've Been In Nearly A Year. Vaccines Can Push Them Even Lower, Officials Say 
Covid-19 vaccines have proven a tremendous ally in America's battle against the virus. "For the first time since the pandemic began, Covid cases are down in all 50 states," White House senior Covid-19 adviser Andy Slavitt said in a Tuesday briefing. "We are winning the war on the virus, and we need you to help us finish the job." His comments come as state leaders and public health officials express optimism about the country's Covid-19 trends and where we could be by summertime. (Maxouris, 5/19)

Axios: Several States Report Zero COVID Deaths For The First Time In Months 
Over the weekend, Texas reported reaching the milestone of zero deaths from COVID-19 for the first time since March 2020. Arizona, Minnesota, and Massachusetts also recently reported COVID death-free days for the first time in months. Other states also posted positive COVID metrics at the top of the week while COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. fell to their lowest in nearly 14 months, Reuters reported. (Reed, 5/18)

And where did it all begin? —

KHN: To The Bat Cave: In Search Of Covid’s Origins, Scientists Reignite Polarizing Debate On Wuhan ‘Lab Leak’
Once dismissed as a conspiracy theory, the idea that the covid virus escaped from a Chinese lab is gaining high-profile attention. As it does, reputations of renowned scientists are at risk — and so is their personal safety. At the center of the storm is Peter Daszak, whose EcoHealth Alliance has worked directly with Chinese coronavirus scientists for years. The scientist has been pilloried by Republicans and lost National Institutes of Health funding for his work. He gets floods of threats, including hate mail with suspicious powders. In a rare interview, he conceded that he can’t disprove that the deadly covid-19 virus resulted from a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology — though he doesn’t believe it. (Allen, 5/19)

The Texas Tribune: No Texas Mask Mandate In Public Schools, Gov. Greg Abbott Says
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that public schools can no longer require masks on their campuses starting June 5. The decision was part of a new executive order that bans government entities in Texas — like cities and counties — from mandating masks in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Starting Friday, any government entity that tries to impose a mask mandate can face a fine of up to $1,000, according to the order. The order exempts state supported living centers, government-owned or -operated hospitals, Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities, Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities, and county and municipal jails. (Svitek, 5/18)

Politico: Texas Governor Bans Schools, Local Governments From Requiring Masks
Under the order, governments or officials trying to institute a mask mandate could face fines up to $1,000 starting Friday. The order doesn’t go into effect for schools until after June 4, and “state-supported living centers,” government-owned or run hospitals, prisons and jails are exempt from the ban. Abbott’s move is the latest among similar state bans on local mask mandates, following orders from Republican governors this month in Florida and South Carolina. According to the Florida Department of Education, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ May 3 order does not apply to public schools — just local governments — while South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s May 11 order applies to both schools and local governments. DeSantis’ order also suspended local pandemic restrictions. (Leonard, 5/18)

The Oregonian: Oregonians Can Go Maskless Outside, Must Show Proof Of Vaccination To Forgo Masks Indoors, State Says
Oregon will allow people to go maskless outside but will require them to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — and be able to prove it — to forgo masks in most public indoor settings. That’s according to new guidance released by the Oregon Health Authority on Tuesday. (Goldberg, 5/18)

More on CDC's masking guidelines —

The Guardian: Fauci Says New Mask Guidance ‘Not A Mandate To Take Masks Off’
The top infectious diseases expert in the US, Anthony Fauci, has said the new federal guidance on mask-wearing is “not a mandate to take your mask off”, amid continuing confusion about last week’s mask announcement. In an interview with the Pod Save America podcast, Fauci said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted mask restrictions for fully vaccinated people last week to assure vaccinated people about the effectiveness of vaccines. (Holpuch, 5/18)

The Hill: CDC Back Under Scrutiny After New Mask Guidance
When President Biden took office, he vowed to empower the scientists and medical officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the revered agency saw its morale and credibility sink under former President Trump. The CDC has made significant strides to restore its reputation in the first few months of the Biden administration, according to experts who work closely with it, but the agency has had a rocky few weeks that has put a spotlight on its leadership and its relationship with the White House. (Samuels and Weixel, 5/19)

NPR: Even With The No-Mask Guidance, Some Pockets Of The U.S. Aren't Ready To Let Go
Lifting mask mandates represents a monumental step toward a pre-pandemic public life and confidence in the United States' vaccine-driven offensive against the coronavirus, but the move is not being met with enthusiasm everywhere. "I would have preferred to wait," says Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Public Health — Seattle & King County, which serves more than 2 million people in the Seattle metro area. (Stone, 5/19)

How business is responding —

CNN: Target, Home Depot, CVS And Other Stores Drop Face Mask Requirements
More stores announced this week they are easing their mask requirements, joining a growing number of top chains changing their policies in the wake of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated guidance on masks. These retailers' new policies vary slightly from each other, but all represent a shift from their previous policies that required shoppers to wear masks across stores. Each of the retailers said they will continue to require masks at stores where local or state ordinances require facial coverings. (Meyersohn, 5/18)

Politico: Unions Fume Over CDC Mask Decision That May Derail Stronger Workplace Covid Rules
“It’s a Public Health 101 failure,” said David Michaels, an epidemiologist who led Occupational Safety and Health Administration during the Obama administration who is now a professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health. “By giving advice to vaccinated people, but ignoring the fact that many or most people in many settings will not be vaccinated, the CDC is causing confusion and setting back our efforts to stop this pandemic.” The White House is in the last stages of finalizing emergency Covid-19 workplace safety rules from OSHA, which unions, management-side attorneys and workplace safety experts broadly expected to include a mask mandate — until the administration’s latest changes to its guidelines last week. (Rainey, 5/19)

The Intercept: Mississippi’s Only Abortion Clinic And The Fight For The Future Of Roe V. Wade
Shannon Brewer was not ready for the news that came out of the U.S. Supreme Court Monday morning. The justices had decided to accept an appeal from Mississippi that seeks to enforce a ban on abortion after 15 weeks gestation — the first outright ban that the high court has considered since Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion in 1973. “All morning I’ve been thinking about what this means for our patients and what this means for women,” Brewer said. “I can honestly say today that it really has, for a lack of better words, pissed me off.” Brewer lives in Jackson, Mississippi, and is the longtime director of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the state’s only remaining abortion clinic, which is commonly referred to as the Pink House because of its bright exterior paint job. The clinic serves pregnant people from all over Mississippi as well as those who come from across state lines. The clinic is always busy. There are nearly 600,000 women of child-bearing age in Mississippi and about half of the residents who seek abortion care are forced to travel out of state for access. (Smith, 5/19)

The Hill: Abortion Rights Groups Warn Of Imminent Crackdown If Roe V. Wade Overturned
Abortion rights advocates are warning that dozens of states, particularly in the South and Midwest, are likely to enact severe restrictions and even outright bans on the procedure if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade. ... If the justices were to sharply undercut Roe next term, advocates say, it would have a cascading effect at the state level, where anti-abortion activists have been carefully preparing for just such a contingency amid the Supreme Court’s conservative shift over recent years.  (Kruzel, 5/19)

Roll Call: Could Supreme Court Supercharge Midterms With Abortion Ruling?
If redistricting hadn’t complicated the midterm elections enough, a Supreme Court decision on one of the country’s most polarizing issues has the potential to supercharge the fight for the House and Senate. This week, the Supreme Court announced it would hear a challenge to a new Mississippi law — Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — that would ban abortion, with limited exceptions, after 15 weeks. The case is widely viewed as having the potential to reverse the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. (Gonzales, 5/19)

NBC News: The Supreme Court Is Eyeing Roe V. Wade's End With This Mississippi Abortion Ban Case
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear oral arguments in a Mississippi abortion case — Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — that would completely ban the procedure at 15 weeks after the start of a woman's last period before conception, with no exceptions for victims of sexual assault. Advocates and activists on both sides of the abortion divide have said this is a signal that the court is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade — but we've heard that so many times before. Unfortunately, this time they are right. (Robin Marty, 5/18)

The New York Times: How Abortion Views Are Different
Americans’ views on abortion are sufficiently complex that both sides in the debate are able to point to survey data that suggests majority opinion is on their side — and then to argue that the data friendly to their own side is the “right” data. These competing claims can be confusing. But when you dig into the data, you discover there are some clear patterns and objective truths. Here are five. (Leonhardt, 5/19)

AP: Americans Urged To Get Colon Cancer Screening Earlier
Americans should start getting screened for colon cancer earlier -- at age 45 instead of waiting until they’re 50, according to guidelines released Tuesday. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said it’s time for the change because colorectal cancer increasingly is appearing in younger adults. Colorectal cancer is one of the nation’s leading cancer killers, claiming about 50,000 lives a year. Overall, cases and deaths have inched down in recent years, thanks in part to screening tests that can spot tumors early -- or even prevent them by removing precancerous growths. (5/18)

NPR: Colorectal Cancer Screening Should Start At Age 45, Experts Recommend
Starting routine screening five years earlier could prevent more deaths from colorectal cancer, which is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded. "Far too many people in the U.S. are not receiving this lifesaving preventive service," Dr. Michael Barry, the task force's vice chairperson, said in a statement. "We hope that this new recommendation to screen people ages 45 to 49, coupled with our long-standing recommendation to screen people 50 to 75, will prevent more people from dying from colorectal cancer." (Stein, 5/18)

In other public health and research news —

Stat: Google Debuts An AI-Powered App To Analyze Skin Conditions
Google on Tuesday debuted an artificial intelligence-powered dermatology tool that analyzes a user’s photos, asks a series of questions, and produces a list of possible causes. Although the tool, an app called “dermatology assist,” remains in the pilot stages in the U.S., Google has received approval from European regulators to market it as a low-risk medical device, enabling the tech giant to release it to some consumers as part of Google search later this year. (Brodwin, 5/18)

CIDRAP: Fewer Drug-Resistant Microbes Found In Organic Meat
A new study examining antibiotic-resistant bacterial contamination in retail meat samples indicate that how the meat is produced matters. But how the meat is processed also matters. The study, published last week in Environmental Health Perspectives, found that retail meat samples from producers certified as organic by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had a significantly lower prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) than meat raised conventionally. (Dall, 5/18)

CIDRAP: Bamlanivimab Cuts Hospitalization, Deaths In High-Risk COVID Outpatients
Fewer high-risk outpatients with mild or moderate COVID-19 needed hospitalization or died within 28 days when given bamlanivimab soon after infection compared with their matched peers, finds an observational study yesterday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. University of Pittsburgh researchers compared the outcomes of 232 COVID-19 outpatients given the monoclonal antibody (mAb) from Dec 9, 2020, to Mar 3, 2021, with those of 1,160 coronavirus patients of similar age and health status who didn't receive the drug. (5/18)

The Hill: Lawmakers Press AbbVie CEO On Increased US Prices Of Two Drugs
A group of mostly Democratic House lawmakers pressed drugmaker AbbVie’s CEO on Tuesday over the increased prices of anti-inflammatory drug Humira and cancer drug Imbruvica in the U.S. in the years since they first became available.  AbbVie's Richard Gonzalez faced tough questions from the Oversight and Reform Committee, with Democrats accusing the company of taking advantage of patients and the health care system to charge more for medicine and bring in billions of dollars for revenue and executive bonuses.  (Coleman, 5/18)

Stat: Democrats Call On FTC To Investigate AbbVie’s Humira Pricing Strategy
Three powerful Democrats wrote to the Federal Trade Commission Tuesday urging them to investigate whether drug maker AbbVie violated the law in trying to keep cheaper versions of its blockbuster drug Humira off the market. The surprise announcement came in the first minutes of a Tuesday hearing held by the House Oversight Committee investigating the company’s pricing practices. AbbVie’s CEO Richard Gonzalez is testifying. (Florko, 5/18)

The Washington Post: House Passes Bill To Combat Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans
The House on Tuesday passed legislation to aggressively investigate hate crimes, especially those targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, that have increased during the coronavirus pandemic. The vote was 364 to 62; all the votes in opposition came from Republicans. The legislation heads to President Biden for his signature. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) introduced the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act in March after attacks against Asian Americans increased after the coronavirus emerged in China. Just five days after Hirono introduced the legislation, eight people were killed — including six women of Asian descent — in a mass shooting at three Atlanta-area spas. (Scott, 5/18)

Politico: House Republicans Stage Rebellion Over Mask Rules
A group of House Republicans revolted over their chamber's mask rules on Tuesday, the latest sign of tensions boiling over as Congress wrestles with how and when to return to pre-pandemic routines. Around a dozen Republicans refused to wear masks during the evening vote series and strategically stood at the well of the chamber, which appears on the C-SPAN cameras, and seemed to encourage other members to join in. (Zanona, 5/18)

Axios: States Reconsidering Governors' Waning COVID-19 Powers 
Governors are seeing their pandemic-related broad reach and executive powers wane as the public health emergency subsides and the necessity for restrictions and emergency action ends. Governors took on outsize roles from Maine to California as much of the burden fell to the states. In some, their powers are about to revert to the norm. In others, their expanded reach is triggering a re-examination of whether they should have such authority in the future. (Mucha, 5/18)

Other health moves by states legislatures —

Axios: Tennessee Becomes Second State To Pass Bill Limiting Medical Care For Trans Minors 
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a bill into law Tuesday that includes an amendment to keep health care providers from prescribing hormone treatment for transgender minors who haven't yet hit puberty, according to the state's General Assembly. Tennessee is now the second state to pass legislation that aims to restrict transition-related or gender-affirming care for trans minors, as a record number of state bills targeting trans youth have been introduced across the U.S. (Rummier, 5/18)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Lawmakers Consider Higher Education Construction Funding
Texas public university leaders are crossing their fingers that the Legislature will pass a bill this year that would open up billions of dollars of funding for construction of new and existing campus buildings. Many of the projects named in the bill would add health care education and research infrastructure as the state continues to face a shortage of physicians and nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials say the pandemic has exacerbated the needs for these construction projects that will expand public health education. (McGee, 5/18)

Stateline: Mississippi Ruling Jeopardizes Pot Medicaid Voting Ballot Measures
A rollback of Mississippi’s voter-approved medical marijuana program continues a trend of ballot initiatives coming under attack in states across the country.The Mississippi Supreme Court last week struck down the cannabis program approved by voters in November. The ruling also went further: It could dismantle the process by which voters can amend the state’s constitution. After voters in several conservative-leaning states passed progressive ballot initiatives in November, Republican lawmakers in many of those states have attempted to limit the ballot initiative process for future elections by adding new hurdles to the signature-gathering and voting processes. (Vasilogambros, 5/18)

The CT Mirror: Bill Declaring Racism A Public Health Crisis In CT Wins Approval In Senate
The state Senate voted Tuesday to declare racism a public health crisis and convene a panel to study the effect of racism on health care. The declaration was part of an omnibus bill that also calls for better data collection on race and ethnicity in health care, requires hospitals to conduct implicit bias training for employees who provide direct care to pregnant or postpartum women, mandates that the public health commissioner study the development of a recruitment and retention program for state health care workers who are people of color, and directs the health department to explore whether to create a certification process for doulas. (Carlesso, 5/18)

Frontline and NPR: Hospitals Serving The Poor Struggled During COVID. Wealthy Hospitals Made Millions.
This past year, the nation's more than 300 safety-net hospitals found themselves on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, which disproportionately affected the communities that safety-net hospitals are most likely to serve. They took on a greater share of the patient burden, even as other hospitals emerged from the pandemic with huge profits, an investigation by NPR and the PBS series Frontline has found, further widening the gap between wealthy hospitals and hospitals like LAC + USC. "Our costs went way up, and revenue went down," says Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer at LAC + USC. "Unlike a private hospital, we don't make money from our [operating rooms]. Medicaid and Medicare do not reimburse at a level where if you say, if we do more things, I'm going to make more money."(Sullivan and Jingnan, 5/18)

Frontline, NPR and Investigative Reporting Workshop: Why Safety-Net Hospitals May Be "On The Brink Of A Precipice"
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black, Latino, Indigenous and other communities of color in the U.S. has put a spotlight on longstanding and systemic disparities in American society. ... “I think we’re on the brink of a precipice,” Dr. Bruce Siegel, who represents more than 300 safety-net hospitals around the country, as president and CEO of the trade group America’s Essential Hospitals, says in the above excerpt from The Healthcare Divide. “Even before the pandemic, many of these [safety-net] hospitals were losing money, and the pandemic is only going to make that worse.” (Taddonio, 5/18)

Frontline: What Is A Safety-Net Hospital And Why Is It So Hard To Define?
Safety-net hospitals face a number of longstanding challenges thrown into the spotlight by COVID-19, from competition with wealthier hospitals to uneven government support. But another challenge is even more basic: No universal definition of a safety-net hospital exists.Because there’s no single definition for these institutions — the subject of The Healthcare Divide, a joint investigation between FRONTLINE and NPR premiering May 18 on PBS — the number of U.S. safety nets is also fluid. America’s Essential Hospitals, a trade group composed primarily of urban facilities with high levels of Medicaid and uninsured patients, counts 300 members. Other definitions put the number much higher. (Moura, 5/18)

Stat: Some Drug Makers Could Be 'Highly' Susceptible To Ransomware Attacks
The latest high-profile incident of a ransomware attack caused one of the biggest gas and fuel suppliers in the U.S. to close its East Coast pipeline for several days, a worrisome reminder that each industry remains vulnerable to cyberattacks. And not surprisingly, pharmaceutical companies also are easy targets, according to a new analysis. (Silverman, 5/18)

In other health industry news —

Boston Globe: Atlas Venture Launches Another Biotech To Tackle Vision Loss
Call it “Quest for Sight: The Sequel. ”In September, the Swiss drug giant Novartis paid $150 million for a Cambridge startup that had developed a pair of potential gene therapies to restore vision to people with blindness stemming from genetic diseases. It was a sizable return for the biotech, which had used roughly half of the $21 million in venture capital it had raised after its founding about 17 months earlier by Atlas Venture. (Saltzman, 5/18)

KHN: Racism Derails Black Men’s Health, Even As Education Levels Rise
More education typically leads to better health, yet Black men in the U.S. are not getting the same benefit as other groups, research suggests. The reasons for the gap are vexing, experts said, but may provide an important window into unique challenges faced by Black men as they try to gain not only good health but also an equal footing in the U.S. (Anderson, 5/19)

KHN: Why Your Dentist Might Seem Pushy
In 1993, Dr. David Silber, a dentist now practicing in Plano, Texas, was fired from the first dental clinic he worked for. He’d been assigned to a patient another dentist had scheduled for a crown preparation — a metal or porcelain cap for a broken or decayed tooth. However, Silber found nothing wrong with the tooth, so he sent the patient home. He was fired later the same day. “Never send a patient away who’s willing to pay the clinic money,” he was told. (Austin, 5/19)

The Oregonian: Tense Hospital Scene After Shooting Increases Alarm Over Portland’s Gun Violence ‘Crisis’ 
A flood of Portland police cars responded late Monday to break up a report of a gang fight at the doors to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center’s emergency department, where four people with gunshot wounds had just arrived. The scene was reminiscent of scenarios two decades ago when officers, street outreach workers and pastors routinely headed to the hospital to cool tensions between rival gangs. Those days are back, say police, former gang members and community leaders. (Bernstein, 5/18)

Stat: As Teladoc Bolsters Mental Health Business, Competitors Make Their Case
If Teladoc, the bigfoot of virtual care, comes poking around your turf, you’d better be ready. For several billion-dollar mental health startups, that moment came last week, when the company announced a retooled, expansive offering for employers and health plans, trampling into a crowded market. (Aguilar, 5/19)

NPR: Researchers Worry Facebook Is Muddying Platform's Link To Depression
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers' biggest fear as a parent isn't gun violence, or drunk driving, or anything related to the pandemic. It's social media. And specifically, the new sense of "brokenness" she hears about in children in her district, and nationwide. Teen depression and suicide rates have been rising for over a decade, and she sees social apps as a major reason. (Parks, 5/18)

KPBS: Flush With Aid, Most Districts Aren’t Spending On Mental Health Resources
In April, a San Marcos High School student died by suicide and now mental health professionals are urging San Marcos and other districts to invest in counseling and other services with the influx of cash they’re getting from the state and federal government. For now, there’s no indication they are. Voice of San Diego found that schools leaders are relying on mental health and social-emotional training from the County Office of Education and are working with local community groups, but not spending more money on crisis counseling despite receiving millions of dollars in coronavirus relief funding. (Jimenez, 5/18)

The Baltimore Sun: Johns Hopkins University To Begin Sending Mental Health Providers On Security Calls 
The Johns Hopkins University plans in the fall to begin sending trained mental health providers on calls to campus security from students and staff who may be having a crisis. The move is similar to pilot programs recently announced in Baltimore city and county, and reflects a movement around the country to better tend to the mental health needs of the community and avoid unnecessary police involvement. (Cohn, 5/18)

inewsource: COVID-19 Testing Waiver At Donovan Prison Called Deceptive, Inappropriate
Medical staff at Donovan state prison in San Diego have been asking inmates who decline COVID-19 testing to waive the prison of any liability for their illness or death — a move a medical expert viewed as unethical and a law professor said may be unconstitutional. A copy of the waiver form, obtained by inewsource, describes the risks of refusing COVID-19 testing and says the corrections department is “free of any responsibility” for complications resulting from the virus. Inmates who decline testing can sign their name alongside the name of a witness. (Plummer and Castellano, 5/18)

Georgia Health News: A Widening War Against Lead In West Atlanta 
In a well-kept west Atlanta yard Saturday, two women held up small pieces of a rock-like material they had spotted on the ground. It wasn’t rock, the two agreed: It was slag. Rosario Hernandez and Eri Saikawa know plenty about west Atlanta’s deposits of slag. The stuff is a byproduct of smelting, and many years ago people used it to fill in low-lying areas in the neighborhood. In this west Atlanta community of high unemployment and child poverty, the slag typically is evidence of lead — a powerful neurotoxin that’s especially harmful to children. (Miller, 5/18)

North Carolina Health News: Seniors Faced Voting Access Barrier During Pandemic 
Last year, for the first time since 1948, Marlene Silva’s father, 92, wasn’t able to vote in a presidential election... One element was the COVID-protective banishment of family members from long-term care facilities starting in March of 2020. Adding to that a felony-level state penalty for staff who help residents vote, and the diminished role of county-appointed teams designed for the same purpose, yet another casualty of the pandemic. (Goldsmith, 5/19)

AP: West Virginia Nutrition Program To Offer Benefits Boost
West Virginia women and children who participate in a nutrition program will receive a temporary benefit boost this summer for the purchase of additional fruits and vegetables, state health officials said. The Women, Infants and Children program will increase the benefit amount to $35 per month for each eligible participant from July through September. The current benefit is $9 per child, $11 for pregnant or postpartum women and $16.50 for mothers who breastfeed, the Bureau for Public Health’s office of nutrition services said in a statement. (5/19)

The Oregonian: Enchanted Forest Delays Reopening After ‘Threats And Comments’ About Mask Requirements 
On Monday afternoon, Enchanted Forest announced on social media that it would finally be reopening to the public, after the coronavirus pandemic, financial woes and an ice storm all devastated the beloved Oregon amusement park over the last year. But as word of their reopening plans got out, some fans responded with threats and angry comments, and owners walked back the reopening plan Tuesday morning. (Hale, 5/18)

The New York Times: Virginia Doctor Gets 59 Years For Unneeded Surgery And Improper Sterilizations
A Virginia obstetrician and gynecologist was sentenced Tuesday to 59 years in prison after being convicted on federal charges of performing medically unnecessary surgeries including hysterectomies and improper sterilizations on scores of patients over nearly a decade, prosecutors said. In November 2020, a federal jury also convicted the doctor, Javaid Perwaiz, of Chesapeake, of 52 counts of health care fraud and false statements for procedures he performed from 2010 through 2019, according to the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. (Paybarah, 5/18)

Reuters: Indian Data Hints At Runaway Virus Spread As Daily Deaths Hit Record
Nearly two-thirds of people tested in India have shown exposure to the novel coronavirus, a chain of private laboratories said on Wednesday, indicating a runaway spread of the virus as the daily death toll rose to a record 4,529. India reported 267,334 new daily infections on Wednesday, taking its tally to 25.5 million, with a death toll of 283,248, health ministry data showed. For months, nowhere in the world has been hit harder than India by the pandemic, as a new variant discovered there fuelled a surge of up to more than 400,000 new infections a day. (Mishra and Mehta, 5/19)

The New York Times: India Records The Pandemic’s Highest Daily Death Toll For A Single Country.
Many experts believe the true number of deaths and infections in India, a country of 1.4 billion people, is even higher, and evidence has emerged across the country of large numbers of people dying from Covid who have not been officially counted. (Mashal, 5/19)

NBC News: Covid Variant From India: How Contagious Is The New Variant?
The B.1.617 variant is one of the factors driving the current crisis in India and neighboring Nepal. It may also be linked to recently rising cases among unvaccinated people in the United Kingdom. The variant is believed more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, but as yet there’s no clear evidence it causes more severe disease or more deaths. The same public health measures — masks and social distancing — can prevent the spread of the virus variant, experts say. And while it might have some impact on the vaccines, its mutations will likely not be enough to weaken protection against serious illness, research suggests. (Syal, 5/18)

Reuters: Indian Variant's Transmissibility Edge Might Be Smaller Than Feared, UK Expert Says
"There's... a glimmer of hope from the recent data that, whilst this variant does still appear to have a significant growth advantage, the magnitude of that advantage seems to have dropped a little bit with the most recent data," Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, told BBC radio. Ferguson, who is member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said that it was tricky to immediately determine by how much how the B.1.617.2 outcompetes the Kent variant, and more data was needed. (5/19)

Reuters: India Unlikely To Resume Sizable COVID-19 Vaccine Exports Until October
India is unlikely to resume major exports of COVID-19 vaccines until at least October as it diverts shots for domestic use, three government sources said, a longer-than-expected delay set to worsen supply shortages from the global COVAX initiative. The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker producing the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) vaccine, responded by saying that it hoped to restart deliveries to COVAX and other countries by the end of this year. (Arora, Das and Jain, 5/18)

In neighbor nations —

The Wall Street Journal: Steep Covid-19 Rise In Nepal Mirrors India’s Surge
With all six ventilators at a hospital in central Nepal already being used by Covid-19 patients on Sunday, doctors asked the son of Lal Bahadur Thakur to try to find one somewhere else, as his father gasped for breath. As India’s Covid-19 surge has swept into Nepal, hospitals are reporting an overwhelming number of severe cases and similar shortages of beds, oxygen and ventilators. Much like what happened in India, cases have risen faster here than during any previous outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, quickly overwhelming a healthcare system with fewer resources than its much larger neighbor to the south. (Pokharel, 5/18)

AP: Singapore Chides Indian Politician For False Virus Claims
Singapore criticized an Indian politician on Wednesday for making unfounded claims on social media that a new COVID-19 variant in Singapore was particularly harmful to children and could cause a fresh surge of infections in India. Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned India’s high commissioner over the comments made by Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, India’s capital territory. Kejriwal called for a halt in air traffic between the two nations because of the new “Singapore variant.” It was unclear why he made such a call because Singapore has already banned flights from India over the high number of cases there. (5/19)

The New York Times: Airstrike Damages Gaza's Only Covid-19 Testing Lab, Officials Say
Since Covid-19 first emerged in the blockaded Gaza Strip, a shortage of medical supplies has allowed authorities to administer only a relatively tiny number of coronavirus tests. Now, the sole laboratory in Gaza that processes test results has become temporarily inoperable after an Israeli airstrike nearby on Monday, officials in Gaza said. The strike, which targeted a separate building in Gaza City, sent shrapnel and debris flying across the street, damaging the lab and the administrative offices of the Hamas-run Health Ministry, said Dr. Majdi Dhair, director of the ministry’s preventive medicine department. (Rasgon, 5/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Gaza Doctors Say Hospitals Overwhelmed With Casualties From Israeli Airstrikes
Palestinian public-health authorities say doctors are struggling to treat hundreds of people injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza as medical supplies run short in hospitals on the verge of collapse. Public hospitals have canceled nonemergency surgeries and transferred Covid-19 patients to private clinics to free up resources to treat trauma cases. Even so, at Al-Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza, patients often endure long waits for treatment or must share scarce beds, doctors said. (Abdulrahim and Harouda, 5/18)

AP: IOC Offers Tokyo Medical Help Amid Call For Cancellation
Confronted in Japan with some of the strongest medical-community opposition yet to the Tokyo Olympics, IOC President Thomas Bach offered Wednesday to have added medical personnel available to help out when the games open in just over nine weeks. Bach gave few details, speaking remotely at the opening of three days of meetings between the International Olympic Committee and local organizers. He said the help would come from various national Olympic committees and be available in the Olympic village and sports venues. (Wade, 5/19)

CNN: IOC Chief Says Olympics Will Be Held Safely Despite Japan's Covid Surge 
Less than 10 weeks out from the postponed start to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, organizers have promised athletes they are doing everything they can to ensure the Games take place safely. Japan is struggling with a renewed outbreak of coronavirus, with only about 1% of the population vaccinated -- renewing calls for the Olympics to be canceled. Speaking at a meeting of the coordination committee Wednesday, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Japanese and Tokyo 2020 officials would make the right decision on managing the situation, and the risks had been managed well so far. (Walsh, 5/19)

Reuters: Under Pressure EU Presents WTO Plan To Boost Vaccine Output
The European Union put forward a plan on Wednesday it believes will help boost production and availability of COVID-19 vaccines more effectively than a proposed waiver of patent rights now backed by the United States. Under pressure from developing countries to agree to waiving intellectual property (IP) rights for vaccines and treatments, the EU plan will focus on export restrictions, pledges from vaccine developers and use of existing World Trade Organization rules. (Blenkinsop, 5/19)

CNBC: UAE, Bahrain Offer Third Sinopharm Shots Amid Vaccine Efficacy Worries
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are offering a booster shot of the Chinese-developed Sinopharm vaccine to residents and citizens who have already had two doses, the countries’ medical authorities said. “An additional supportive dose of Sinopharm is now available to people who have received the vaccine previously and who have now completed more than six months since the second dose,” the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority tweeted Tuesday evening. (Turak, 5/19)

AP: Irish Health System Struggling To Recover From Cyberattack
Ireland’s health system struggled to restore computers and treat patients Tuesday, four days after it shut down its entire information technology system in response to a ransomware attack. Thousands of diagnostic appointments, cancer treatment clinics and surgeries have been canceled or delayed since Friday’s cyberattack. Authorities said hundreds of people were assigned to get crippled systems back online, but it could be weeks before the public health service will return to normal. (Hui, Kirka and Bajak, 5/18)

Becker's Hospital Review: Amazon Pharmacy Launches New Prescription Services
Amazon Pharmacy has launched two new prescription services, the company said in a May 11 blog post. The first feature, the Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit, allows Prime members to search for their medications and compare costs at Amazon Pharmacy and more than 60,000 other retail pharmacies. ... The second new feature allows Amazon Pharmacy customers to check their insurance co-pay before ordering their medication. (Anderson, 5/13)

Greenwich Time: Uber Expands Home Delivery Of Prescriptions Into Connecticut
Uber, the company that started out as a ride-sharing service and later expanded into the home delivery of meals, has gotten into the business of delivering many prescription medicines and is expanding into Fairfield and New Haven counties. Company officials announced the expansion into Connecticut this week after having completed a successful pilot program in three Texas cities. Uber had also launched the service in six cities around the country as well as in Orange County, California. (Turmelle, 5/18)

AP: Gianforte Signs 2 Bills To Reduce Prescription Drug Costs
Beginning this fall, all Montana physicians will be able to dispense medications they prescribe to patients, not just those whose offices are at least 10 miles (about 16 kilometers) away from a pharmacy. The catalyst for passing the legislation was a June 2020 lawsuit by the Institute for Justice challenging the constitutionality of the ban along with an acknowledgement by the chair of the Montana Pharmacy Association that the organization had previously opposed similar legislation to protect its own business model. (Hanson, 5/13)

2 Houston: New Subscription Service Can Help You Save Thousands On Prescription Drugs
In the ever-increasing struggle to find reasonable prescription drug prices, a new Texas company is helping consumers save money on the meds they need most. ScriptCo, based in Waco, was founded by Zack Zeller and Mark McCormick, to offer consumers discounted prices on prescription drugs. Why? Because they grew tired of consumers paying ridiculously huge price variations for the same medications. (Roberson, 5/17)

Truthout: Pharma Breaks Lobbying Record Defending High Drug Prices And Vaccine Patents
The pharmaceutical industry spent a record $92 million lobbying the federal government during the first three months of 2021, putting Big Pharma on track to break its annual spending record for a second year in a row. The intense lobbying comes as countries across the world are demanding access to COVID vaccine technology and many Democrats are pushing to expand Medicare and lower prescription drug prices. Big Pharma’s lobbying expenditures represent a 6.3 percent increase in spending over the first quarter of 2020, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Drug companies would go on to collectively spend more money on lobbying in 2020 than ever before. Meanwhile, the COVID pandemic spread across the globe, and the United States and other wealthy nations poured billions of dollars into vaccine development and distribution through deals and partnerships with private pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. (Ludwig, 5/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Elizabeth Warren Tells The Truth: She Admits The Patent Vaccine Waiver Is About Stealing All Pharma IP
Progressives are promoting President Biden’s waiver of U.S. Covid vaccine patents as necessary to save lives. So full marks for candor to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who last week explained the real goal: set a precedent that erodes all pharmaceutical intellectual property protections in the U.S. and around the world. “Special [IP] protections for drug companies are an even bigger issue than COVID-19 alone,” the Massachusetts Senator said at a Senate Finance hearing with U.S. Trade Rep Katherine Tai on Wednesday. “I think it’s time now for our trade negotiators to take leadership and actively set rules that lower drug costs for American families.” What special protections? Drug makers receive less IP protection than other businesses under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, which allow low-income countries to force drug makers to license patents during emergencies. But progressives believe IP protections shouldn’t exist at all for drugs and that their makers shouldn’t be rewarded for years of risky investment and innovation. (5/16)

Piscataquis Observer: Don’t Be Fooled By Big Pharma When It Comes To Lowering Drug Prices  
Hardly six months have gone by since Election Day, but corporate interests are once again flooding our TV screens with misleading, negative political ads. This time it’s the pharmaceutical companies and their allies, who are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to warn you about a “socialist drug takeover” or American drugs “marching straight through Beijing.” In the ads, a dark and ominous voice tells you there’s a dangerous plan to seize the drug market and that you should call on me, your congressman in the 2nd District, to oppose it. (U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, 5/16)

The Gazette: Secretive Pharmacy Middlemen Drive Up Iowans’ Drug Costs 
Iowa’s U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley again is turning his attention to exorbitant pharmaceutical prices. Grassley this year has filed a series of bipartisan bills meant to give Americans access to cheaper drugs. He’s calling special attention to an industry of secretive middlemen in the pharmacy business. Grassley and his fellow Republicans are firmly opposed to price-setting regulations, but they see a role for the federal government to play in ensuring transparency in the industry. Market forces are conspicuously absent in the health care industry, which conservative reformers say leads to higher prices and worse outcomes. (5/18)

The CT Mirror: Treating What Makes People Sick
Several years ago, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Commission on Social Determinants of Health (SDH) put out a publication with a title that asked a poignant question: “Why treat people’s illnesses without changing what makes them sick in the first place?” There have been multiple times over the years when I have asked myself the same question — sometimes several times a day. Here are two hypothetical patients, Melvin and Mildred whose hospital course can illustrate why disparate health outcomes among our patients make many clinicians ask that same question the WHO asked above. (Sosena Kebede MD, 5/19)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Keeps Dropping Eligible Kids From Medicaid. The Senate Must Fix That
When Dr. Tamisha Jones meets with patients at the Legacy Fifth Ward health clinic, she usually sees parents with what she calls “the look.” That look of weary realization when the struggles they faced to take time off from work and get to their kid’s medical appointment on time, hit one more obstacle. That look when they’re told that their child’s Medicaid coverage has lapsed and that doctor’s visit may have to wait. (5/19)

NBC News: The Supreme Court Is Eyeing Roe V. Wade's End With This Mississippi Abortion Ban Case
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear oral arguments in a Mississippi abortion case — Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — that would completely ban the procedure at 15 weeks after the start of a woman's last period before conception, with no exceptions for victims of sexual assault. Advocates and activists on both sides of the abortion divide have said this is a signal that the court is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade — but we've heard that so many times before. Unfortunately, this time they are right. (Robin Marty, 5/18)

Stat: Doctors Should Talk About Race And Racism With Their Patients 
“Why do Black lives matter?” a patient asked me. “Why can’t all lives matter?” It was just a few weeks into my residency, and I hadn’t been expecting a patient to ask me that question. I certainly wasn’t trained to respond to it even though I, along with many of my colleagues, wore Black Lives Matter pins. The patient, who identified as white, looked at me, an Asian American physician, with curiosity. “Was it even my place to answer?” I thought then. (Minali Nigam, 5/19)

USA Today: Bribing Americans To Get The COVID Vaccine Is Not The Solution
When questioned about his impressive liquor intake, Winston Churchill once slyly remarked, “I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me. ”In 2021, Churchill’s boast has rang true for many Americans who have used alcohol as a key to unlock the world outside their homes. Communities around the country have begun offering spirits – brewed or distilled – as an incentive for people to receive their COVID-19 vaccination shots. (Christian Schneider, 5/19)

Scientific American: Why Monoclonal Antibody COVID Therapies Have Not Lived Up To Expectations 
Over the past year, the successful development of highly effective vaccines to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection has moved forward at a rapid pace—but the use of treatments for patients sickened by the virus has lagged. A number of barriers have stood in the way of using the drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, including logistical challenges and the emergence of new viral variants that are resistant to some of these antibodies. Although they are not a cure for COVID, monoclonals can serve as an effective therapeutic option that can prevent a patient with mild or moderate disease from becoming sicker and ending up in the hospital. (Carlos del Rio, 5/18)

Stat: What's Needed To Turn The IP Waiver Into Covid-19 Vaccines 
The Biden administration’s announcement to support an intellectual property (IP) waiver for Covid-19 vaccines was a monumental step toward improving the access to them in low- and middle-income countries. But without further action, it will be little more than a symbol. (Parsa Erfani, Lawrence O. Gostin and Vanessa Kerry, 5/19)

The Baltimore Sun: CDC Has Done Terrible Job In Its COVID Communications, The Latest When It Comes To Masks 
You can’t blame the messenger for not being clear if the message is a mishmash. And last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered such a messed-up message about unmasking that its director still has not been able to clean it up. As a result, many of us are more confused than ever about masks, and we have a right to be angry about that. (David Zurawik, 5/18)

The Washington Post: Should We Keep Wearing Masks? Dr. Leana S. Wen Answers Your Questions About The Latest CDC Guidance. 
What does the new CDC mask guidance mean for you? Washington Post contributing columnist Dr. Leana S. Wen answered reader questions on the coronavirus and masks on Tuesday, May 18. Read the chat transcript below. (Leana S. Wen, 5/18)

The New York Times: Pandemic Status: Almost ‘Normal,’ But Not OK 
As soon as I see the name on my phone, it all comes back to me. I remember the nights we spent outside his hospital room, adjusting his ventilator settings. I remember the anxious call to his family when he started to bleed into his lungs, and we did not know if he would make it. I can still picture the guide to Islamic end-of-life rituals that his nurses passed from shift to shift, the way it grew dog-eared and tattered. Somehow, my patient survived Covid-19. He saw his son off to college. He was even able to return to work part-time as the manager of the liquor store near his home. In a way, his life is back to normal. But he is still haunted by the delirious hallucinations that make him feel as if he’s still in the intensive care unit. They’re his only memories of the experience. (Daniela J. Lamas, 5/19)

CNN: Why My Family Is Still Isolating 
We thought they got off the island. When we launched into our 533-page copy of "The Swiss Family Robinson" with our then 5- and 7-year-olds at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, my husband and I assumed that the Robinsons, shipwrecked on a remote desert island, would eventually rejoin humanity. I'll save you a year's worth of reading -- they don't. Not in our edition, at least. (Apparently, there are happier versions of the much-altered 1812 novel in which some of the children do -- but not the one we spent 13 months reading to our children.) And it got me wondering -- will we? (Laurie Rich Salerno, 5/17)

CNN: Is Pandemic Purgatory Worse Than Lockdown? How To End The Languishing 
I recently went to pick up a gift card for a friend at a restaurant and came across an unseemly sight. The joint was packed to the rim with people, unmasked, clinking glasses, exchanging friendly banter and acting like pandemic was a word reserved for horror or psychological thriller streaming movie recommendations. It was the first time that indoor capacity for dining and bars was lifted in my area following the low rates of Covid-19. "We've been busy now that everyone is getting vaccinated," the bartender told me, as I waited anxiously, still donning my apocalyptic space suit and double layer masks. (Allison Hope, 4/19)