The Hill: CDC Report Says Masks Now Protect Wearer As Well As The Public 
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said masks not only protect the general public from COVID-19, but also protect the mask wearer. In its strongest endorsement to date about the effectiveness of masks, the CDC said "adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns, especially if combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene, and adequate ventilation." (Weixel, 11/10)

NBC News: 'Two-Way Street': CDC Report Says Masks Protect Wearers And Everyone Else
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, agreed that it is increasingly clear that the benefit of wearing masks is a "two-way street." "Recent data has now shown that as a matter of fact, there's also the added benefit to protect you from droplets and virus that's coming your way," Fauci said Tuesday on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports." "You protect others," he said. "Their masks protect you. And your mask also protects you." (Edwards, 11/10)

CNN: CDC Now Says Masks Protect Wearers From Covid-19 
Cloth masks act as "source control" to block virus particles exhaled by the wearer and provide "filtration for personal protection" by blocking incoming infectious droplets from others, the CDC said in its new guidance. The new guidance cites a number of studies showing that masks reduce the risk of transmitting or catching the virus by more than 70% in various instances. One study revealed mutual mask-use helped prevent two infected hair stylists from transmitting the virus to 67 clients who were later interviewed. Another followed infected people who spent more than 10 hours on flights without infecting other passengers when masks were used. (Mascarenhas, 11/10)

In other news about PPE —

AP: Do Masks With Antiviral Coating Offer More Protection?
Do masks with antiviral coating offer more protection? It’s an intriguing idea, but there haven’t been enough rigorous independent studies to establish whether antiviral masks are better at protecting wearers or preventing the spread of the virus. Their specifics vary, but many antiviral masks are supposed to be made or coated with materials that have extra virus-fighting properties, such as copper. (11/10)

Modern Healthcare: Many Surgical Gowns From Foreign, Nontraditional Suppliers Fail U.S. Standards
The patient safety organization ECRI found half of the disposable gowns health systems purchased from international or non-traditional suppliers during the COVID-19 pandemic don't meet standards of protection. (Castellucci, 11/10)

The Hill: HHS Secretary Anticipating 'General Vaccination' Programs By Spring 
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said early Tuesday that a COVID-19 vaccine could be widely available to the general public by the spring of 2021. In an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, Azar said that Pfizer, which announced Monday that late-stage clinical trial data showed its vaccine candidate to be 90 percent effective, will be delivering 20 million doses each month starting at the end of November. (Castronuovo, 11/10)

Boston Globe: Dr. Fauci Says COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Widely Available By April
The nation’s top infectious disease expert said Tuesday the Pfizer vaccine, which is reportedly more than 90% effective, could be available to everyone by April 2021. Dr. Anthony Fauci explained in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN that vaccinations have to go through a “tried and true” process of prioritization. (Bowker, 11/10)

The Hill: Fauci Says He Trusts Pfizer, Will Take Vaccine If FDA Approves It 
Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that he has confidence in Pfizer's work on a coronavirus vaccine and would not hesitate to take it if it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, hailed as “impressive” Pfizer’s results announced Monday that its vaccine is over 90 percent effective. (Sullivan, 11/10)

NPR: 'The Vaccine Is On Its Way, Folks,' Fauci Says As Brooklyn Names Him A COVID-19 Hero 
Dr. Anthony Fauci was recognized as a hero on Tuesday by the New York City borough of Brooklyn, where he was born and raised. As he accepted the honor, Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, shared his optimism that a COVID-19 vaccine is close. "The vaccine is on its way, folks, so hang in there, hang tough. We're going to get over this together," Fauci said via video link, speaking to a crowd gathered outside Brooklyn Borough Hall. (Chappell, 11/10)

In other vaccine news —

CNN: 1 In 5 Children Have Vaccine-Wary Parents, May Affect Future Immunization Campaigns 
One in five children in the United States had a "vaccine hesitant" parent last year, according to new research from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parental concerns over vaccine safety have contributed to several major outbreaks of preventable diseases in the US and other countries in recent years. The 2019 measles outbreak in the US -- the largest number of cases in 27 years -- was largely driven by parents in New York and Washington state who failed to follow childhood vaccine guidelines. (LaMotte, 11/10)

The New York Times: The Husband-And-Wife Team Behind The Leading Vaccine To Solve Covid-19 
Two years ago, Dr. Ugur Sahin took the stage at a conference in Berlin and made a bold prediction. Speaking to a roomful of infectious disease experts, he said his company might be able to use its so-called messenger RNA technology to rapidly develop a vaccine in the event of a global pandemic. At the time, Dr. Sahin and his company, BioNTech, were little known outside the small world of European biotechnology start-ups. BioNTech, which Dr. Sahin founded with his wife, Dr. Özlem Türeci, was mostly focused on cancer treatments. It had never brought a product to market. Covid-19 did not yet exist. But his words proved prophetic. (Gelles, 11/10)

Boston Globe: Inside The Quest For A COVID-19 Vaccine
Pfizer, a 171-year-old Fortune 500 powerhouse, has made a billion-dollar bet on that dream. So has a brash, young rival just 23 miles away in Cambridge. Moderna, a 10-year-old biotech company with billions in market valuation but no approved products, is racing forward with a vaccine of its own. Its new sprawling drug-making facility in Norwood is hiring workers at a fast clip in the hopes of making history — and a lot of money. (Saltzman and Garde, 11/10)

Stat and Boston Globe: The Story Of MRNA: From A Loose Idea To A Tool That May Help Curb Covid
The liquid that many hope could help end the Covid-19 pandemic is stored in a nondescript metal tank in a manufacturing complex owned by Pfizer, one of the world’s biggest drug companies. There is nothing remarkable about the container, which could fit in a walk-in closet, except that its contents could end up in the world’s first authorized Covid-19 vaccine. (Garde and Saltzman, 11/10)

Bloomberg: Deep-Freeze Hurdle Makes Pfizer’s Vaccine One For The Rich
When Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine rolls off production lines, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co. will be waiting to distribute it through a complex and costly system of deep-freeze airport warehouses, refrigerated vehicles and inoculation points across China. After they reach vaccination centers, the shots must be thawed from -70 degrees celsius and injected within five days, if not they go bad. (11/10)

Stat: Rural Hospitals Can't Afford Freezers To Store A Covid-19 Vaccine 
Large urban hospitals across the U.S. are rushing to buy expensive ultra-cold freezers to store what’s likely to be the first approved Covid-19 vaccine. But most rural hospitals can’t afford these high-end units, meaning health workers and residents in those communities may have difficulty getting the shots. (Goldhill, 11/11)

CNN: Pfizer's Ultra-Cold Vaccine, A 'Very Complex' Distribution Plan, And An Exploding Head Emoji 
As Molly Howell, a state health official in North Dakota, watched a webinar on how to distribute what's expected to be the first Covid-19 vaccine, her head began to spin. "How are we going to do this?" she texted a colleague who was also on the webinar. Her colleague responded with an exploding head emoji. (Cohen, Bonifield and Jenkins, 11/10)

Stateline: Vaccine Trial Raises Hopes But Distribution Will Challenge States
States have worked vigorously for months on their COVID-19 vaccine plans but still face a long list of substantial uncertainties, even as hopes rise that the first vaccines could receive federal approval before the end of the year. Despite the unknowns and the enormity of the task ahead — vaccinating a population of 330 million — state public health officials feel more confident in working with the federal government on vaccines than other matters such as testing, contact tracing and the production and distribution of medical supplies. On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden announced his pandemic response task force, and Pfizer announced that its vaccine candidate has shown in an early analysis to be more than 90% effective. (Ollove, 11/10)

Also —

KHN: Five Important Questions About Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine 
Pfizer’s announcement on Monday that its COVID-19 shot appears to keep nine in 10 people from getting the disease sent its stock price rocketing. Many news reports described the vaccine as if it were our deliverance from the pandemic, even though few details were released. There was certainly something to crow about: Pfizer’s vaccine consists of genetic material called mRNA encased in tiny particles that shuttle it into our cells. From there, it stimulates the immune system to make antibodies that protect against the virus. A similar strategy is employed in other leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates. If mRNA vaccines can protect against COVID-19 and, presumably, other infectious diseases, it will be a momentous piece of news. (Allen, 11/11)

Fox News: Coronavirus Vaccine Education Will Be Key To Distribution Success, Doctor Says
News that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine candidate showed 90% efficacy in phase 3 clinical trial was applauded by infectious disease experts on Monday — but getting both the medical community and the public to receive the vaccine, should it be authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will rely heavily on vaccine education, one doctor told Fox News. (Farber, 11/10)

AP: EU To Buy Up To 300 Million Doses Of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine
The European Commission will sign a deal to secure up to 300 million doses of the experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU’s executive arm, said the commission will authorize the deal on Wednesday after “working tirelessly to secure doses of potential vaccines” in recent months. (11/10)

The Washington Post: Trump Officials Promise Fair Distribution Of New Covid-19 Antibody Drug, But Limited Supply And Logistical Problems Loom 
Trump administration officials Tuesday promised to fairly and swiftly distribute the first covid-19 treatment that helps to protect people with mild illness from developing severe symptoms. But the drug’s extremely limited supply and logistical difficulties in administering it could restrict how many people get access to it. The Eli Lilly & Co. drug is similar to an experimental treatment President Trump received when he was infected with the novel coronavirus. It is a laboratory-brewed antibody that imitates the immune system’s attack on the virus. (Wan, 11/10)

The Hill: Health Officials To Begin Distribution Of Eli Lilly Antibody Drug This Week
The federal government will begin distributing Eli Lilly's coronavirus antibody treatment this week, but supplies will be limited and getting the drug into infected patients will be a challenge, officials said. The drug itself is administered through an IV infusion that takes more than an hour and requires another hour of observation afterward, officials said. (Weixel, 11/10)

Also —

Stat: For Eli Lilly's Covid-19 Treatment, A Dosing Discrepancy Causes Confusion
Some clinicians are confused about the best dosing for Eli Lilly’s new Covid-19 treatment, which the Food and Drug Administration approved for emergency use on Monday. The drug is a monoclonal antibody, a lab-concocted version of what our bodies produce to fight off the new coronavirus. (Boodman, 11/10)

Fox News: Lilly’s Antibody IV Infusions For Coronavirus Patients To Present ‘Unique Challenges,’ Top Officials Say
While Eli Lilly’s investigational monoclonal antibody drug, bamlanivimab, just received FDA emergency approval to treat mild coronavirus patients, top officials voiced concerns over its challenging IV infusion process. “We anticipate that initially, there will be challenges for the health care system in administering IV infusions to infected patients,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, therapeutics lead for Operation Warp Speed, told reporters over a call on Tuesday. (Rivas, 11/10)

Stat: FDA Requires Lilly To Address Quality Control At Plant Making Covid-19 Drug
The Food and Drug Administration is requiring Eli Lilly (LLY) to hire consultants to test batches and vet quality-testing data at a manufacturing plant where its Covid-19 antibody treatment is being made, a mandate that comes after the agency found quality control problems during two separate inspections over the past year. (Silverman, 11/10)

Center For Public Integrity: 42 States Are Now In The Red Zone For Coronavirus Cases, White House Says
All but eight states are now in the red zone for COVID-19 cases, the White House coronavirus task force said in new reports issued Tuesday. The Dakotas and Wisconsin again this week led the nation in cases per capita, with Iowa claiming the fourth slot. The reports, which are not made public by the Trump administration, are sent to governors weekly. The Center for Public Integrity is collecting and publishing them. (Essley White, 11/10)

AP: Texas Becomes 1st State To Surpass 1 Million Covid-19 Cases
Texas health officials say new cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 have hit a new peak. According to the Johns Hopkins website, the state recorded 1,010,364 cases early Wednesday with 19,337 deaths since the pandemic began in early March. Texas recorded 10,865 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, setting a new daily record that surpassed by 74 cases an old mark set July 15, state officials said. (11/11)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Cases Hit Another Record High 
The U.S. set another single-day record for coronavirus cases, as the total number of new infections topped 136,000, while hospitalizations due to Covid-19 were at their highest level since the pandemic began. The total number of confirmed cases in the country surpassed 10.2 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the virus spread widely across the country. (Wen, 11/11)

The Hill: US Sets New Record For COVID-19 Hospitalizations At More Than 60,000 
The United States on Tuesday set a new record for coronavirus hospitalizations, with around 62,000 people currently in the hospital with the virus, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The country also set another record for new coronavirus cases, with more than 130,000 in a single day, as case counts continue to climb. (Sullivan, 11/10)

NPR: As Coronavirus Hospitalizations Surge, Which States Are Getting Hit The Worst?
Throughout the U.S., hospitals and health care workers are tracking the skyrocketing number of new coronavirus cases in their communities and bracing for a flood of patients to come in the wake of those infections. Already, seriously ill COVID-19 patients are starting to fill up hospital beds at unsustainable rates. (Ston, 11/10)

Also —

USA Today: COVID-19 Cases Are Rising And This Winter Will Be Worse, Experts Say
Between the cold weather, lax behaviors and the holidays, December and January will be the worst months the United States has seen so far in the COVID-19 pandemic, public health experts said this week.  ... Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir warned Americans on Monday to remain vigilant in the coming weeks. "Our nation is in a critical phase of the pandemic," Giroir said. (Weintraub and Alltucker, 11/10)

The Washington Post: With Coronavirus Cases Spiking Nationwide, All Signs Point To A Harrowing Autumn 
This is the dismal reality America faces as the coronavirus continues its unchecked surge around the country: In North Dakota, health-care workers with asymptomatic cases of the coronavirus will be allowed to keep working as the number of infected patients outstrips the staff members needed to care for them, the governor said this week. In multiple states, hospital leaders warned that the current spike is straining resources and sidelining the very staffers needed to face growing numbers of sick people. From Maryland to Iowa, local officials have pleaded for tighter restrictions that might help slow the virus’s accelerating spread. (Dennis, Dupree and Iati, 11/10)

The Atlantic: The Worst Day of the Pandemic Since May
The new hospitalization record underscores that we’ve entered the worst period for the pandemic since the original outbreak in the Northeast. Although the number of detected cases was much lower back then because of test shortages, the large number of hospitalizations (and deaths) indicate that there were many more times the number of infections than our then-embryonic and broken testing system could confirm. In the following months, some commentators, including government advisers, have played down the large case counts by saying tests were detecting people who weren’t actually sick—or if they were sick, only mildly sick. (Madrigal and Kissane, 11/10)

Modern Healthcare: Supreme Court Justices Seem Unlikely To Strike Down Full ACA
Supreme Court justices on Tuesday during oral arguments appeared unlikely to strike down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. The full nine-member court heard extended oral arguments from four attorneys representing parties in California v. Texas, a case brought by GOP attorneys general and supported by the Trump administration challenging the entire ACA. The justices focused on issues including whether challengers had legal standing and whether the entire law would have to fall if the zeroed-out individual mandate were found unconstitutional. (Cohrs, 11/10)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Appears Ready To Uphold Affordable Care Act Over Latest Challenge From Trump, GOP
Two key members of the court — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh — said plainly during two hours of teleconferenced arguments that Congress’s decision in 2017 to zero-out the penalty for not buying health insurance did not indicate a desire to kill the entire law. With that, the latest effort to derail President Barack Obama’s landmark domestic achievement seemed likely to meet the fate of past endeavors. President Trump and Republicans have never summoned the votes to repeal the measure — even when in control of Congress and the White House. And the court has been unwilling to do the work for them. (Barnes, Marimow, Goldstein and Winfield Cunningham, 11/10)

AP: 'Obamacare' Likely To Survive, High Court Arguments Indicate
But at least one of those Trump appointees, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, seemed likely to vote to leave the bulk of the law intact, even if he were to find the law’s now-toothless mandate that everyone obtain health insurance to be unconstitutional. “It does seem fairly clear that the proper remedy would be to sever the mandate provision and leave the rest of the act in place,” Kavanaugh said. (Sherman, 11/10)

NPR: Supreme Court Appears Likely To Uphold Obamacare
But when the lawyers seeking to have the whole law struck down began to argue, they ran into real pushback, and not just from the court's liberals. Addressing Texas Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins, [Chief Justice John] Roberts said, "I think it's hard for you to argue that Congress intended the entire act to fall if the mandate were struck down when the same Congress that lowered the penalty to zero did not even try to repeal the rest of the act." And with a jab at congressional Republicans, Roberts added, "I think, frankly, that they wanted the court to do that. But that's not our job." (Totenberg, 11/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Justices Question GOP States’ Case Against ACA 
California and a coalition of liberal-trending states, joined by the Democratic-controlled House, defended the law, arguing that a mandate without a penalty makes carrying insurance a personal choice rather than a legal command, but that even if the mandate is unconstitutional, the balance of the 1,000-page law, including provisions protecting Americans with pre-existing conditions, should stand. “It’s hard for you to argue that Congress intended the entire act to fall if the mandate were struck down when the same Congress that lowered the penalty to zero did not even try to repeal the rest of the act,” Chief Justice John Roberts told Texas’s lawyer, Kyle Hawkins, the state solicitor general. (Bravin, 11/10)

Politico: 5 Key Moments From The Latest SCOTUS Obamacare Showdown 
Perhaps the most startling remarks at Tuesday’s arguments came from Chief Justice John Roberts, who seemed to be complaining that he was bamboozled by Obamacare advocates back in 2012 when they argued that the mandate that individuals buy health insurance was critical to the functioning of the law. Roberts drew the ire of conservatives in that closely watched, politically sensitive case by aligning with the court’s liberal wing, which then stood at four justices, to preserve the provision. “Eight years ago, those defending the mandate emphasized that it was the key to the whole act,” Roberts recalled. “Everything turned on getting money from people forced to buy insurance to cover all the other shortfalls in the expansion of healthcare.” “But now the representation is that, oh, no, everything’s fine without it. Why the bait and switch?” the chief said. (Gerstein, 11/10)

In related news —

KHN: California Stands To Lose Big If US Supreme Court Cancels Obamacare
Of any state, California has the most to lose if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the Affordable Care Act. Health care coverage for millions of people is at stake, as are billions in federal dollars. Yet Democratic California leaders don’t have a plan to preserve the broad range of health care programs the state has adopted since it aggressively implemented Obamacare — including initiatives that go far beyond the federal health care law. (Hart, 11/11)

KHN: Listen: The ACA In Court Again
Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KHN, participated in a discussion on KQED’s “Forum” about the arguments before the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a case that is challenging whether the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. (11/10)

Politico: Biden Pledges Americans Won't Lose Health Coverage During Pandemic 
President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday that his advisers are making contingencies so Americans don't have to worry about losing health coverage or protections for preexisting conditions during the pandemic, but did not specify what his administration would do if the Supreme Court strikes down Obamacare. Speaking just hours after the Court heard oral arguments on a Republican-backed challenge to the Affordable Care Act, Biden called the attempt to scrap the law "cruel," and said that his incoming administration will make sure millions of people don’t have to spend the months between now and when the Court issues its ruling in limbo, not knowing the status of their coverage. (Miranda Ollstein, 11/10)

The Washington Post: Biden Presses To Expand Health Insurance On Uncertain Congressional Terrain 
President-elect Joe Biden intends to make the case that the coronavirus pandemic and the Affordable Care Act’s uncertain future drive home the importance of helping more Americans gain health insurance and the care they need. The likelihood that the incoming president can persuade Congress to build upon the ACA — a core pledge during his campaign — depends in large part on whether Republicans or Democrats end up controlling a narrowly divided Senate. (Goldstein and Werner, 11/10)

Sky News: Joe Biden Tells Supporters 'Nothing's Going To Stop Us'
Mr. Biden said the Trump Administration's efforts to repeal the 10-year-old law, popularly known as Obamacare, would "rip" healthcare away "in the middle of the worst pandemic in a century", leaving millions of people who have pre-existing conditions without coverage. Nevertheless he promised a "dramatic expansion" of healthcare provision and said his team is "fleshing out the details" on a plan to provide universal and cheaper care "as soon as humanly possible". (11/10)

BBC: Biden Defends Obamacare As Top Court Hears Case
"This case represents the latest attempt by the far-right ideologues to do what they have repeatedly failed to do for a long time," Mr. Biden said in a speech where he addressed the Supreme Court case that opened with oral arguments on Tuesday. ... "Now, in the middle of a deadly pandemic that has affected more than 10 million Americans....these ideologues are once again trying to strip health coverage away from the American people." (11/10)

In other health care news from President-elect Joe Biden —

KHN: Biden Plan To Lower Medicare Eligibility Age To 60 Faces Hostility From Hospitals
Of his many plans to expand insurance coverage, President-elect Joe Biden’s simplest strategy is lowering the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 60.But the plan is sure to face long odds, even if the Democrats can snag control of the Senate in January by winning two runoff elections in Georgia. (Galewitz, 11/11)

The Hill: Biden Coronavirus Adviser 'Concerned' About Military Planning To Distribute Vaccine 
A public health expert whom President-elect Biden named to his coronavirus advisory board said Tuesday that he is “concerned” about military plans to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. “We have to understand that Operation Warp Speed has been a remarkable effort in terms of bringing vaccines forward. I give them great credit for that. But there still are huge challenges in how to distribute it,” Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said on “CBS This Morning.” (Budryk, 11/10)

Fox News: Biden Coronavirus Adviser Wants US To Distribute Vaccine Globally Before It's Available To All Americans
Oncologist Dr. Zeke Emanuel, one of 10 advisory board members named to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus task force, has pushed the U.S. and other countries to not hoard a coronavirus vaccine. Emanuel, who served as a key architect of the Affordable Care Act under the Obama administration, co-authored a paper in September in which he encouraged officials to follow the "Fair Priority Model," which calls for a "fair international distribution of vaccine," rather than what he and his co-authors characterized as "vaccine nationalism." (Halon, 11/10)

Bloomberg: Biden Draws Sharp Trump Contrast With Trio Atop His Virus Panel
Joe Biden’s panel of coronavirus advisers will be led by two veterans of fierce political fights in the past, and one seen as a rising star in addressing the inequities of the health-care system. All three -- David Kessler, Vivek Murthy, and Marcella Nunez-Smith -- are physicians with well-established resumes. Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration chief, and Murthy, a former surgeon general, together have served under four presidents. And while Nunez-Smith is less known in political circles, her role in creating a leading program to promote health equity will hearten those concerned about Covid’s impact on communities of color. (Tozzi and Fay Cortez, 11/10)

In other updates on Joe Biden's transition team —

AP: Biden Vows To 'Get Right To Work' Despite Trump Resistance
Vowing “to get right to work,” President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday shrugged off President Donald Trump’s fierce refusal to accept the election outcome as “inconsequential,” even as Democrats elsewhere warned that the Republican president’s actions were dangerous. ... The measured comments come as Biden prepares to confront dueling national crises that actively threaten the health, safety and economic security of millions of Americans irrespective of the political debate. Coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths are surging, the economy faces the prospect of long-term damage, and the nation’s political and cultural divides may be worsening. (People and Weissert, 11/10)

The Washington Post: These Are The Experts Who Will Lead Biden’s Transition At Federal Agencies
Even as the Trump administration blocks his access to the government, President-elect Joe Biden forged ahead Tuesday with a key milestone in the transition of power, naming teams that will begin gathering information about federal operations. These are some officials who will have prominent roles in the effort and the agency they will work with. (Rein, 11/10)

The Hill: N.C. Health Secretary Addresses Reports She's Being Considered For Top Biden Administration Post 
North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, an Obama administration alumna, said Tuesday that she was flattered to be considered for a top health position in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration, but is currently focused on helping the state deal with the coronavirus pandemic. (Williams, 11/10)

AP: 28 Election Employees In 1 Missouri County Have Coronavirus
Twenty-eight employees of the election board in one of Missouri’s largest counties have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks, and a director believes they most likely got infected from voters, though local health officials aren’t convinced. The Jackson County Election Board’s Republican director, Tammy Brown, said Tuesday that eight full-time and 20 part-time employees tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in the past 2 1/2 weeks. Most are doing well and recovering at home, but two part-time workers are hospitalized, including one in intensive care, Brown said. (Salter, 11/10)

Newsweek: 28 Election Workers In Missouri's Second-Largest County Test Positive For COVID As State Reports Over 4,200 Cases
[Many people] would've passed through the board's main office or the absentee voting office in the days leading up to the November 3 election to pick up or drop off their ballot. "We had thousands and thousands of voters through there every day," Brown said. "People who requested mail-in and absentee ballots were walking in their applications and then walking in their ballots also." (Grzeszczak, 11/10)

CBS Sacramento: Yolo County CA Election Worker Tests Positive For COVID-19 
A Yolo County election worker tested positive for COVID-19 Monday, county officials confirmed. The staff member worked with elections staff and some election observers but had minimal exposure to poll workers, according to a release from the county. Officials said the staff member had limited exposure to voter centers or Yolo County voters. (Smith, 11/10)

Observer-Reporter: Poll Workers At Franklin West Precinct Infected With COVID-19
Four out of five poll workers at the Franklin West precinct have tested positive for COVID-19, but the Greene County Elections Office is declining to release information to voters, citing medical privacy laws. (Jones, 11/11)

CBS Minnesota: Election Judge In Cloquet Tests Positive For COVID
An election judge in Minnesota has tested positive for COVID-19. Officials in Cloquet say that the judge was working at Ward 1’s polling location on Election Day, which is at Journey Church. (11/10)

In other news about mail-in voting and voter safety —

Politico: Postal Service Continues To Receive Thousands Of Ballots 
Thousands of ballots continued to stream into U.S. Postal Service facilities Monday, according to newly filed court documents, too late in many states to be counted, even if postmarked by Election Day. According to the new data, compiled as part of a lawsuit to monitor mail voting, ballots arriving Monday included hundreds meant for closely fought contests in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona, where President-elect Joe Biden has held small but significant leads. Those ballots include: 121 in Atlanta, 293 in Philadelphia, 109 in Central Pennsylvania, 171 in Central Arizona and 83 in Detroit. (Cheney, 11/10)

The Washington Post: Postal Worker Admits Fabricating Pennsylvania Ballot Tampering Claims, Officials Say
A Pennsylvania postal worker whose claims have been cited by top Republicans as potential evidence of widespread voting irregularities admitted to U.S. Postal Service investigators that he fabricated the allegations, according to three officials briefed on the investigation and a statement from a House congressional committee. (Boburg and Bogage, 11/10)

The Hill: Senate Panel Recommends $96 Billion For Health Department 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would get $96 billion under a draft funding bill released Tuesday by the Senate Appropriations Committee, an increase of $2 billion from last year. The fiscal 2021 draft spending bill funds several programs intended to prepare the country for public health threats and emergencies like COVID-19. Public health experts argue Congress has underfunded their efforts for decades. (Hellmann, 11/10)

In updates on COVID's economic toll —

The Hill: McConnell Pushing For 'Highly Targeted' COVID-19 Relief Deal 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he believes Congress needs to pass a "highly targeted" coronavirus relief deal, similar to the roughly $500 billion GOP bill that was blocked earlier this year. McConnell's comments underscore that the price tag remains the biggest hurdle for any potential deal, with a dispute regarding the size of a package looming over any hopes of clinching a deal before the end of the year. (Carney, 11/10)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Job Openings Are Rising Closer To Prepandemic Levels 
The number of job openings in the U.S. has climbed since the spring and is now nearly back to the levels before the coronavirus pandemic hit the labor market, a sign of continued economic improvement despite a surge in infections and fading fiscal support. There were 10.8 million job openings posted on online sites across the U.S. so far this month, on average, up from 6 million at the low point in May, after the pandemic triggered widespread business closures and other restrictions on activity, according to data from job-search site ZipRecruiter. (Guilford, 11/10)

In updates on the Georgia runoff for U.S. Senate —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Health Care Center Stage For Senate Runoffs
Look for the issue of health care to be at the center of the two crucial U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia on Jan. 5. That’s because of the near-crisis state of health insurance coverage in the state. An analysis of census data by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Georgia ranked 47th out of 50 states for coverage in 2019, with 13.4% of its population between ages 19 and 64, or 1.38 million working-age Georgians, uninsured. (Murphy, 11/11)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: An Early Poll Of Georgia’s Twin Senate Runoffs Shows Tight Races
A poll conducted by a Republican-leaning national firm shows neither political party with a clear advantage in the twin January runoffs that are likely to decide control of the U.S. Senate. The poll showed Kelly Loeffler at 49% of the vote compared to Democrat Raphael Warnock’s 48% showing – within the margin of error of 2.6 percentage points. About 3% were undecided. (Bluestein, 11/11)

FiveThirtyEight: Georgia’s Runoffs Will Determine Control Of The Senate. Here’s What We Know So Far.  
So how did one state with fewer than five million voters throw the entire race for control of the Senate into overtime? Georgia has an unusual requirement that candidates must receive a majority of the vote to win an election, and if no one does so, the top two finishers advance to a runoff. We were expecting this to happen in Georgia’s special election for Senate, in which 20 candidates were on the ballot. ... But it also happened in Georgia’s regularly scheduled Senate election: Returns currently show Republican Sen. David Perdue at 49.7 percent of the vote and Democrat Jon Ossoff at 48.0 percent. (Rakich and Skelley, 11/11)

AP: South Dakota Including NICU Beds In Hospital Availability
South Dakota health officials acknowledged Tuesday that they include intensive care unit beds designed for infants in their total count of hospital beds available in the state — a key metric that the governor has used to defend her handling of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 hospitalizations reached 607 on Tuesday, marking a new high for the fifth day in a row. The Department of Health reported that about 37% of general-care hospital beds and 32% of ICU beds are available. (11/10)

The New York Times: As Hospitalizations Soar, El Paso Brings In New Mobile Morgues
Coronavirus patients filled beds on one floor. Then two. Then the University Medical Center, a teaching hospital in El Paso, set up tents to care for patients in a parking lot. A downtown convention center became a field hospital. To free up even more space, the state began airlifting dozens of intensive care patients to other cities. Local leaders clashed over what to do to quell the spiraling coronavirus crisis. The top county official ordered a lockdown and curfew. But the mayor disagreed, and the police said they would not enforce it. Then the state attorney general weighed in — a lockdown was unnecessary and illegal, he said. And the patients kept coming. (Goodman, 11/10)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Aurora Pauses COVID-19 Community Testing To Focus On 'Bedside' Care
Aurora Health Care announced Tuesday that it was temporarily closing all its community testing sites to focus on "bedside" care as Wisconsin's spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue." We are pausing drive-thru and walk-up COVID-19 community testing at Sinai, Green Bay and Kenosha in order to redirect staffing resources where they’re needed most — providing patient care at the bedside," Aurora said in a statement. (Spicuzza and Carson, 11/10)

In other health industry news —

Crain's Detroit Business: Detroit Medical Center Laying Off Staff, Selling MedPost Urgent Cares
The Detroit Medical Center is going through another round of layoffs as parent company Tenet Healthcare Corp. of Dallas also begins the process to close or sell its remaining four MedPost urgent care centers in Southeast Michigan. Four knowledgeable DMC sources tell Crain's that several hundred employees have been laid off with more expected by the end of the year, including managers in multiple departments, nearly 100 newly hired nurses at Children's Hospital of Michigan and employed physicians at Tenet Physician Resources. (Greene, 11/10)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Tower Health Considers Selling Philadelphia-Area Hospitals
Tower Health, buckling under a massive debt load and huge losses over the last two years, will consider selling all six Philadelphia-area hospitals that the Berks County nonprofit has acquired since 2017, Tower officials told municipal bond investors Tuesday.“ We as a board will consider any and all strategic options,” with “a very strong preference, if not an obsession, to preserve the mothership, Reading Hospital,” Tower’s chairman Tom Work told investors on a conference call. (Brubaker, 11/10)

NPR: How A Minneapolis Clinic Is Narrowing Racial Gaps In Health
North Minneapolis, one of the most racially diverse neighborhoods in Minnesota, was already dealing with high coronavirus infection and death rates when George Floyd was killed by police outside a corner store just 3 miles away. His death on May 25 sparked deeper conversations all across the U.S. about the ways racial inequality plays out, including when it comes to health. Nationally, Black people are at least twice as likely to die from heart disease, from COVID-19 or in childbirth, compared with white people, and north Minneapolis mirrors those trends. Nearly two-thirds of Latinos in the area who get tested for the coronavirus test positive — that's a rate nearly 10 times higher than the state's rate overall. (Noguchi, 11/11)

Modern Healthcare: Delayed Care, Public Options And Lower Interest Rates Lead To A Mixed Insurer Outlook At Fitch
The unprecedented events of 2020 portend both good and not-so-good things for the future of the health insurance industry, a new Fitch Ratings report finds. First, the good. Fitch's authors wrote that the COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on the importance of having health insurance for businesses, institutions and individuals alike. Going forward, that should solidify demand for basic and supplemental health coverage, Fitch said. (Bannow, 11/10)

In obituaries —

NBC News: Dr. Juan Fitz, A 'Hero Of Emergency Medicine,' Dies Of Covid-19 In Texas
When Dr. Juan Fitz, an emergency medicine physician in Lubbock, Texas, caught the coronavirus, he viewed it like he did everything else: as an opportunity to help others. Fitz, 67, “lived and breathed emergency medicine,” said Dr. Michael Chamales, the medical director of the Covenant Health Emergency Departments in Lubbock and a fellow ER physician who worked with Fitz for 15 years. (Chuck, 11/11)

The Hill: One In Five Coronavirus Patients Develop Mental Illness Within 90 Days 
New research suggests that people who have survived COVID-19 infections are at a greater risk of developing mental illness. This data, published in The Lancet Psychiatry Journal, indicates that 20 percent of observed COVID-19 patients are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety, depression, or insomnia within 90 days after being diagnosed. (Kelley, 11/10)

Fox News: 9% Of Hospitalized Coronavirus Patients Readmitted Within 2 Months Of Discharge: CDC Report
A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that looked at hospitalized coronavirus patients found that up to 9% were readmitted within two months of discharge. The likelihood of readmission increased for patients over age 65, those with chronic conditions, those who were discharged to a nursing facility or home health care, and those who had been hospitalized within three months prior to a coronavirus-related hospitalization. (Hein, 11/10)

In other COVID science and research news —

Fox News: Melatonin Eyed As Possible Coronavirus Treatment, Study Suggests
Melatonin could possibly have more use than just aiding in a good night’s sleep. A new study from the Cleveland Clinic suggests the hormone could be a possible treatment option for those infected with the novel coronavirus. In an analysis of patient data from the Cleveland Clinic's COVID-19 registry, researchers found that melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle, was “associated with a nearly 30% reduced likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 after adjusting for age, race, smoking history and various disease comorbidities,” according to a news release accompanying the study published in the journal PLOS Biology. (Farber, 11/10)

CIDRAP: Preemie Tests Negative After Drinking COVID-19–Infected Breast Milk
A preterm baby girl delivered via emergency cesarean delivery at 32 weeks remained healthy despite drinking SARS-CoV-2–infected breast milk from her mother, a case report today in Pediatrics notes. The infant was born at 1.6 kilograms (3 pounds, 9 ounces). During her first 3 days of life, she was largely on noninvasive mechanical ventilation and given donor human or expressed breast milk. The mother occasionally visited the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) wearing a facemask and gown. (11/10)

The New York Times: New Type Of Test May Better Discern Immunity To The Coronavirus 
A new type of test can detect a person’s immune response to the coronavirus better than a widely used antibody test, according to research released on Tuesday. The test, if authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, would be the first commercial product to detect the response of a T cell — a type of immune cell — to the virus. Antibodies have dominated the conversation on immunity since the start of the pandemic, but scientists believe that T cells may be just as important in preventing reinfection. (Mandavilli, 11/10)

The New York Times: Covid-19 Threatens People With Intellectual And Developmental Challenges
People with intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders are three times more likely to die if they have Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, compared with others with the diagnosis, according to a large analysis of insurance claims data. The finding raises complex questions about how to allocate new vaccines as they become available in limited supplies. The drug maker Pfizer announced this week that its experimental vaccine is performing well in clinical trials. (Rabin, 11/10)

The Washington Post: As Hope Fades For A Second Stimulus Payment This Year, Scammers Target People Still Waiting For Financial Relief
Yes, the IRS is still trying to distribute pandemic relief money to millions of Americans. But, no, that text about a second stimulus payment is not real. As if the federal stimulus effort in response to the covid-19 pandemic weren’t tumultuous enough, scammers are trying to steal people’s money or financial information by sending fraudulent text messages. (Singletary, 11/10)

MYNorthWest: Nationwide Phone Scam Sends Texts About Fake COVID-19 Stimulus Payment
Keep an eye on your incoming text messages for a COVID-19-related phone scam. This latest scam involves con artists posing as the IRS and trying to trick people into thinking they’re getting another COVID-19 stimulus payment so that they’ll hand over their bank account information. (Jennings, 11/5)

Lexington Herald Leader: Scam Targets Phones With Bogus COVID-19 Research Texts: BBB 
Beware of bogus messages about clinical trials during the coronavirus pandemic, officials warn. The fake messages sent through text, email or social media claim recipients may be eligible to help researchers study COVID-19, the Better Business Bureau said last week in a news release. (Jasper, 11/9)

AARP: Coronavirus Scams - Beware Fake Claims, Phony Websites
Coronavirus scams are spreading nearly as fast as the virus itself. As of Nov. 9, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had logged aboiut 246,500 consumer complaints related to COVID-19 and stimulus payments, two-thirds of them involving fraud or identity theft. Victims have reported losing $180.7 million, with a median loss of $320. Fraudsters are using the full suite of scam tools — phishing emails and texts, bogus social media posts, robocalls, impostor schemes and more — and closely following the headlines, adapting their messages and tactics as new medical and economic issues arise. (Waggoner and Markowitz, 11/10)

The Washington Post: Tourists Are Buying Fake Covid-19 Test Results On The Black Market To Travel 
With global coronavirus cases rising, many countries are now requiring negative coronavirus test results for entry, but getting a test in time can be difficult for travelers. So it may have been only a matter of time before a black-market option emerged: counterfeit test results. The practice of forging or purchasing fake results has surfaced in destinations around the world, with instances of manipulated negatives in Brazil, France and the United Kingdom. (McMahon, 11/10)

TechRepublic: Dark Web: Underground Forums Remain A Hotbed Of COVID-19 Scams
Fake COVID-19 cures, counterfeit travel documents and scam call services are amongst the services being traded on the dark web, as cyber criminals continue to look for ways of exploiting the 2020 health crisis. Cybercrime has been a persistent issue throughout 2020 as uncertainties around the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shift to remote working have opened up new ways for crooks to cash in on the situation. (Hughes, 11/10)

And Ohio is warning physicians about an extortion scam involving medical licenses —

LegalReader: State Medical Board Warns Physicians Of Online Coronavirus Scammers
The State Medical Board of Ohio is warning physicians about an extortion scam involving the suspension of medical licenses.  The scam is not exclusive to clinicians practicing in the state and several others have issued similar warnings.  According to the Ohio Medical Board’s press release, “scammers who claim to be from the U.S. Department of Justice call or fax prescribers, telling them they are being investigated for drug trafficking and their license has been suspended.”  In order to resolve the issue, they are telling call recipients they can paid fines over the phone. (Teller, 11/10)

The Hill: CDC Issues New Guidance For Thanksgiving Gatherings 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week released updated recommendations for Thanksgiving as many Americans weigh how they will celebrate the family-focused holiday amid the coronavirus pandemic. In guidance published Monday, the CDC said virtual gatherings or enjoying the holiday with members of your own household are the safest options this year. In-person gatherings with individuals from other households, including college students returning home from campus, are higher-risk options. (Choi, 11/10)

The Washington Post: No Live Audience For National Christmas Tree Lighting, Park Service Says 
No live audience will be invited this year to watch the lighting of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, the National Park Service said this week, citing public health concerns over covid-19. However, as with may other events that have been closed to live audiences this year, the ceremony will be available virtually, the park service said. It invited viewing Dec. 3 at thenationaltree.org. (Weil, 11/11)

In other public health news —

ABC News: COVID 'Super-Spreader' Wedding That Infected 34 Costs Country Club Its Liquor License 
On its website, the North Fork Country Club boasts about being the setting of "peace and relaxation, tranquility and togetherness." But New York state health officials said it was also the backdrop of a COVID-19 "super-spreader" wedding, at which dozens were infected and more than 100 others were forced to quarantine. (Hutchinson, 11/10)

Stat: Restaurants And Gyms Were Spring ‘Superspreader’ Sites 
Using cellphone data from 1 in 3 Americans, researchers have identified the indoor public places most responsible for the spread of Covid-19 in the spring, and they argue that sharply limiting the occupancy of these locales — chiefly restaurants, gyms, cafes, hotels, and houses of worship — could control the raging pandemic without resorting to lockdowns. (Cooney, 11/10)

AP: Star-Studded Benefit Concert To Honor Nurses On Thanksgiving
Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan will be among the entertainers honoring nurses in a star-studded benefit virtual concert on Thanksgiving. Nurse Heroes announced Tuesday that the concert called Nurse Heroes Live will stream on the organization’s YouTube and Facebook along with LiveXLive on Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. EST. The benefit will provide money for a variety of programs including scholarships for nurses and their children. (11/10)

GMA: Grocery Stores To Implement Product Limits As New Buying Patterns Emerge Amid Pandemic Surge
As COVID-19 infections increase in the U.S. experts predict that shoppers will start to stock up on a variety of products that could prompt another round of shortages in stores in the coming months. "We absolutely are starting to see shortages again," Mike Brackett, founder and CEO of Centricity Incorporated, told "Good Morning America." (McCarthy, 11/10)

AP: No. 1 Alabama-LSU, No. 5 Texas A&M-Tennessee Postponed
No. 1 Alabama at LSU and No. 5 Texas A&M at Tennessee will not be played Saturday because of COVID-19 issues, raising the number of Southeastern Conference games postponed this week to three. The SEC said Tuesday that the Aggies and Volunteers will be rescheduled for Dec. 12, but the Crimson Tide’s game against the defending national champion Tigers is in danger of not being played at all after COVID-19 cases in LSU’s program. (Russo, 11/10)

Also —

AP: Mental Health Workers To Take Lead In Some NYC 911 Calls
Mental health workers will replace police officers in responding to some 911 calls next year in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. The test program, to be rolled out in two neighborhoods, will give mental health professionals the lead role when someone calls 911 because a family member is in crisis, officials said. (11/10)

The New York Times: David Toole, Disabled Dancer With Grace In His Hands, Dies At 56 
David Toole was 26 when he found relief from his postal work in Britain in an unexpected way: as a novice dancer at a workshop, where he showed intuitive grace and athleticism while performing on his hands. His legs had been amputated in childhood. “In warm-ups, he was shy, quite quiet,” Charlotte Darbyshire, who also danced at the workshop, said in a phone interview, recalling the workshop in Leeds, in northern England, in 1991. “But very quickly, he discarded his wheelchair, and was more comfortable on his hands. We were stunned, really. He was an incredible mover, with great balance and a natural gift for performance.” (Sandomir, 11/10)

The Hill: Philadelphia Health Officials Mull 'Complete Lockdown' 
Philadelphia officials say “a complete lockdown” is among possible options for the city as coronavirus cases continue to rise. Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley noted Tuesday that in addition to 3,400 new cases of the virus in Pennsylvania, the virus has sharply risen in the city in recent days. “Everything is on the table, right down to a complete lockdown to very targeted restrictions,” Farley said. (Budryk, 11/10)

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Vermont Suspends COVID Travel Map, Requires Quarantines
Anyone coming into Vermont for nonessential travel will need to quarantine, a shift prompted by COVID-19 activity in the Northeast. Gov. Phil Scott announced the change during his news conference Tuesday. "If you don't need to travel right now, don't," the governor said. The Agency of Commerce and Community Development typically updates its travel map weekly to reflect the virus's activity in neighboring states. Vermont did not require incomers from counties marked green to quarantine. (Syed, 11/10)

AP: Gov. Evers Advises People To Stay Home As Coronavirus Surges
Gov. Tony Evers renewed his pleas Tuesday for people to stay home to avoid the coronavirus in an unusual prime-time speech hours after the state set new records for infections and deaths. The governor announced he was advising people to stay in their houses and businesses to allow people to work remotely, require masks and limit the number of people in stores and offices. He said projections show that if nothing changes deaths could double to 5,000 by January. (Richmond, 11/10)

The Hill: NC Reduces Indoor Gathering Limit To 10 To Curb Coronavirus Spread 
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed an executive order Tuesday to reduce the number of people who can gather indoors to 10 people, down from 25, in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The change comes as the state reported an increase in infections, adding 2,582 new cases since Monday, bringing its cumulative total to 297,442 cases. (Williams, 11/10)

The Salt Lake Tribune: Iron County Sheriff Says He Won’t Enforce Statewide COVID-19 Mandates 
Gov. Gary Herbert has called on everyone in Utah to wear masks, socially distance in public and limit casual gatherings to the people they live with, otherwise they could face penalties. But at least one county won’t be helping the governor enforce his emergency order. “We don’t really believe that this is entirely the right solution,” said Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter. “If our store owners and citizens wish to follow those mandates, that’s their choice. But health care is a personal decision and shouldn’t be a government mandate.” (Larsen, 11/10)

The Oklahoman: Doctors Make Impassioned Plea For Oklahomans To Wear Masks
A group of Oklahoma City doctors and hospital leaders are begging Oklahomans to wear masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19. At a news conference outside the University of Oklahoma Medical Center on Tuesday, local doctors pleaded with the public to wear masks as the state continues to see a surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. (Forman, 11/11)

Also —

Lexington Herald Leader: KY Blood Center: Need For Blood Donors Is Critical 
The Kentucky Blood Center says it “has been battling a critically low blood supply since early summer,” and the organization has put out an “urgent plea” for people to donate blood. Through the end of the year, blood donors will be able to receive free COVID-19 antibody testing. People who test positive for coronavirus antibodies might be asked if they would be willing to donate plasma for critically ill patients who are fighting the virus. (Ward, 11/10)

Burlington Free Press: Vermont Added Millions To The Hazard Pay Fund For Frontline Workers
Vermont's COVID hazard pay pot just got larger — by $8 million. Employers of essential workers who qualify have until Friday, Nov. 13, to apply for state payments of between $1,200 to $2,000 for each worker. Employers must apply on behalf of their employees and former employees. Eligible former employees should expect to receive applications by email or mail over the next week that need to be completed and returned. (Barton, 11/10)

In other news from the states —

Anchorage Daily News: Most Of Alaska’s Women Veterans Don’t Use VA Services. A New Project Aims To Fix That. 
Alaska has one of the highest numbers of women veterans per capita in the country, but fewer than a third access services from Veterans Affairs. Many women in the state don’t realize they’re eligible for VA services, said Vanessa Meade, who helped spearhead a new project, Operation Mary Louise, that will connect women veterans with one another and provide resources. (Williams, 11/10)

NPR: Meat Manufacturer Sues New Mexico After Plant Ordered To Close Due To COVID-19 
A meat manufacturer is suing New Mexico, saying the state violated an executive order from President Trump by ordering a plant to temporarily close. Health officials ordered Stampede Meat to close its Sunland Park, N.M., plant last week after six employees tested positive for the coronavirus in a five-day period in late October. A state directive calls for businesses to be shut down for 14 days if four or more employees test positive within a 14-day period. (Oxner, 11/11)

AP: Governor-Elect Gianforte Names COVID-19 Task Force
A week after winning the race to become Montana’s next governor, Republican Greg Gianforte unveiled a 21-member coronavirus task force that will help him manage the COVID-19 crisis. The team includes healthcare experts, business owners, school administrators, law enforcement and local and tribal leaders. (11/10)

In news on nursing homes and long-term care facilities —

Des Moines Register: More Than 100 Long-Term Care Facilities Have COVID-19 Outbreaks As Iowa's Coronavirus Cases Surge
More than 100 long-term care facilities in Iowa have COVID-19 outbreaks as the coronavirus rages across the state. On Tuesday, the state was reporting 102 COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities. A long-term care facility is considered to have an outbreak if three or more residents or staff members have tested positive. (11/10)

Crain's Detroit Business: Nursing Homes Ask For Additional Liability Protection To Open COVID-19 Only Units
Nursing homes in Michigan are pursuing legislation or an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that would give them additional liability protection when treating COVID-19 patients, especially those homes that operate or plan to open special coronavirus units. Whitmer has signed several executive orders and bills that have granted businesses some general liability protection, but nursing home operators say more is needed. House Bill 6159, the Pandemic Health Care Immunity Act, addressed the initial wave of the virus from March through July 15 and excluded gross negligence or criminal conduct. (Greene, 11/10)

Kaiser Health News: Nursing Homes Still See Dangerously Long Waits For Covid-19 Test Results 
Nursing homes are still taking days to get back Covid-19 test results as many shun the Trump administration's central strategy to limit the spread of the virus among old and sick Americans. (Pradhan, Rau and Webber, 11/11)

Reuters: Russia Says Its Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Is 92% Effective 
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to interim trial results, the country’s sovereign wealth fund said on Wednesday, as Moscow rushes to keep pace with Western drugmakers in the race for a shot. The initial results are only the second to be published from a late-stage human trial in the global effort to produce vaccines that could halt a pandemic that has killed more than 1.2 million people and ravaged the world economy. (Ivanova, 11/11)

Bloomberg: Russia Says Tests Prove Its Covid-19 Vaccine Over 90% Effective
The developer of Russia’s flagship vaccine against Covid-19 said it shows a 92% efficacy rate in preventing infections, as the country pushes for a top slot in the fight against the coronavirus after a rival product by Pfizer Inc. reported a similar breakthrough. The preliminary Phase 3 findings are based on results from 20,000 volunteers who were given the first dose, including more than 16,000 who also received a second injection, its developers Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund said in an announcement on Twitter Wednesday. (Meyer and Kravchenko, 11/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Russian Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout Plans Hit Production Speed Bumps 
Russia’s plan to roll out its coronavirus vaccine to the wider population is progressing at a slower pace than expected as policy makers encounter challenges in ramping up production. Russia in August became the first country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, called Sputnik V, despite skepticism in the West over the speed with which it was developed and the fact that trials were still ongoing. Moscow has since registered a second vaccine and authorities say a third could be approved next month. (Kantchev, 11/10)

Reuters: Turkey Interested In Producing Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine: Russian Health Ministry
Turkey is interested in producing Russia’s first coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, at domestic facilities, Russia’s health ministry said on Wednesday after a phone call between the countries’ health ministers. Russia is already testing two vaccines against the virus and is on the cusp of registering a third. It is rolling out its Sputnik V vaccine for domestic use despite the fact that late-stage trials have not yet finished. (11/11)

AP: US: WHO Not Sharing Enough Info About China Virus Probe
A senior U.S. government official complained Tuesday that the World Health Organization has not shared enough information about its planned mission to China to investigate the animal origins of the coronavirus. Garrett Grisby of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services griped that the criteria for WHO’s China mission had not been shared with other nations. He spoke during a weeklong meeting of the U.H. health agency’s member countries. (Keaten and Cheng, 11/11)

AP: Recordings Reveal WHO's Analysis Of Pandemic In Private
As the coronavirus explodes again, the World Health Organization finds itself both under intense pressure to reform and holding out hope that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will reverse a decision by Washington to leave the health agency. With its annual meeting underway this week, WHO has been sharply criticized for not taking a stronger and more vocal role in handling the pandemic. For example, in private internal meetings in the early days of the virus, top scientists described some countries’ approaches as “an unfortunate laboratory to study the virus” and a “macabre” opportunity to see what worked, recordings obtained by The Associated Press show. Yet in public, the U.N. health agency lauded governments for their responses. (Cheng, 11/11)

In other global developments —

AP: As Virus Spikes, Europe Runs Low On ICU Beds, Hospital Staff
Intensive care is the last line of defense for severely ill coronavirus patients and Europe is running out — of beds and the doctors and nurses to staff them. In country after country, the intensive care burden of COVID-19 patients is nearing and sometimes surpassing levels seen at last spring’s peak. Health officials, many advocating a return to stricter lockdowns, warn that adding beds will do no good because there aren’t enough doctors and nurses trained to staff them. (Hinnant, 11/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Brazil’s Medical Experts Worry Politics Is Hampering Covid-19 Vaccine Progress 
Brazil’s decision to suspend trials of an advanced Chinese coronavirus vaccine has raised fears among doctors that politics will delay immunization efforts against a disease that has already claimed the lives of more than 160,000 Brazilians. Anvisa, the country’s health authority, halted clinical trials Monday of the CoronaVac vaccine, citing a “severe adverse event” that occurred on Oct. 29. Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, who has opposed the Chinese vaccine, took to Facebook to celebrate the move, calling it “another win for Jair Bolsonaro.” (Pearson and Magalhaes, 11/10)

The Washington Post: The U.S. Has Absolutely No Control Over The Coronavirus. China Is On Top Of The Tiniest Risks.
In the United States, as the pandemic rages, an increasingly pressing worry has been airborne transmission — which appears to be the key to large super-spreading events. Meanwhile, transmission from surfaces has been played down by experts, who have emphasized that this route is not thought to be a common way the virus spreads. But in China, where cases are increasingly rare and the government has adopted a no-tolerance policy for new infections, a growing emphasis has been placed on identifying less likely sources of infection. (Mooney and Shih, 11/10)

AP: Frantic Search After Medicines Vanish From Lebanon Shelves
Drugs for everything from diabetes and blood pressure to anti-depressants and fever pills used in COVID-19 treatment have disappeared from shelves around Lebanon. Officials and pharmacists say the shortage was exacerbated by panic buying and hoarding after the Central Bank governor said that with foreign reserves running low, the government won’t be able to keep up subsidies, including on drugs. (El Deeb, 11/11)

Bloomberg: Election 2020: What’s Ahead Under President Joe Biden, Industry By Industry 
Biden would seek to strengthen and cement the Affordable Care Act, expanding access to health insurance to even more Americans and helping them afford their medications. He has said he plans to address the high prices Americans pay for prescription drugs with proposals that include allowing the government’s Medicare program to negotiate costs, letting patients import drugs from abroad and linking price hikes to inflation. (Miller and Grenier, 11/7)

Forbes: What A Biden Win Means To Health Care
We will have a Biden administration more inclined to promote and expand the insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act as well as controlling prescription drug prices through regulation. But as for Congressional action, it is much more likely we will be facing gridlock––even if Democrats eke out a tiny Senate majority. (Robert Laszewski, 11/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Election 2020: What Biden’s Win Means For Key Industries And Business Issues 
Pharmaceutical companies are bracing for renewed efforts by Mr. Biden to lower the costs of prescription drugs, including giving the federal government more say in what it pays for the medicines, according to analysts and economists, which could hurt industry sales. Yet large pharmaceutical companies don’t anticipate Democratic policy proposals to pose greater threats to their profit models than those of Mr. Trump, who moved to increase the importing of drugs from abroad and peg prices Medicare pays for unspecified drugs to the rates other countries pay. (11/8)

USA Today: Joe Biden And Your Budget: How Will He Impact Taxes, Health Care, More
Americans could further cut down on their out-of-pocket costs because a Biden administration says it will lower the price of prescriptions by negotiating drug prices. However, "most of Biden’s health care plan would require legislation, so passing any of it would require Democrats to control the Senate as well as the House,'' Oxford Economics says. "In the absence of legislation, we expect Biden to reverse Trump’s executive actions that have curtailed the ACA." (Jones, 11/9)

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19, ACA Would Dominate Biden's Early Regulatory Agenda
Biden, like Trump, has attacked the high cost of prescription drugs. During the campaign, he proposed allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, regulating the launch prices of drugs without competition, limiting drug-price increases to the rate of inflation, and allowing personal drug importation. How high those actions sit on Biden's agenda remain to be seen, especially as COVID-19 and an economic recovery stay center stage. It's even hazier whether Biden would carry out Trump's transparency agenda. (Brady and Cohrs, 11/6)

MarketWatch: Biden’s Plan To Boost Social Security And Medicare Already Looks Wobbly 
President-elect Joe Biden won’t take office for another 10 weeks, but it looks like one of his biggest ideas to help retirees is already in trouble. Biden and his fellow Democrats were sure that if he won the White House, that Democrats would also flip the Senate. They also assumed that the Democrats would gain seats in the House of Representatives, adding to the majority they’ve held since January 2019. (Paul Brandus, 11/10)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Legislation Faces Dim Chances With Divided Congress
Court challenges could keep the presidential race up in the air for weeks. But no matter who eventually occupies the White House, the next president will face a divided Congress, which makes passing major healthcare legislation an unlikely prospect over the next two years. Many reform advocates pinned their hopes on a simple fix for the constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act in California v. Texas, which will be heard by the Supreme Court on Nov. 10. A Democratic Congress under a Joe Biden presidency could render the case moot by passing a $1 tax for failing to buy health insurance. Or it could restore the original individual mandate. But the mixed election results eliminate those options. (Merrill Goozner, 11/7)

The Forward: 5 Progressive Trump Achievements For Biden To Build On 
Another Trump achievement that Democrats should support was the administration’s aggressive push to get generic drugs to market, where they could compete with more expensive brand-name drugs and drive down prices. Since 2017, the Food and Drug Administration approved more than 1,600 generic-drug applications – one third more than it did in the previous two years under President Obama (and Vice President Biden). (Batya Ungar-Sargon, 11/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Misjudgment On ObamaCare
Well, that didn’t go well. At least not for the state of Texas and the Trump Administration as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in their challenge to ObamaCare. A majority of Justices signaled that they didn’t buy the argument that the entire law should be cashiered because Congress zeroed out the tax for not having health insurance. Chief Justice John Roberts saved ObamaCare in 2012 by defining the mandate to buy health insurance as a tax. But in 2017 Congress eliminated the tax while preserving the rest of the law—though the mandate itself remains on the books without a penalty. Texas Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins argued that the entire law should go down because the mandate is no longer a tax, but he ran into a judicial buzzsaw. (11/10)

NBC News: Supreme Court May Uphold Obamacare. But Congress Put Health Care At Risk.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could determine the fate of the Affordable Care Act. The latest challenge to the legality of the ACA, which comes via Texas, confronts two main legal questions. First, is the so-called individual mandate, which requires most Americans to purchase health insurance, legal? And second, if it is not, should the entire ACA be declared invalid? (Jessica Levinson, 11/11)

The Washington Post: A Supreme Court That Still Backs Obamacare Won’t Endorse Trump’s Cockamamie Coup
There was something soothing about listening to two hours of Supreme Court arguments Tuesday, as the justices distinguished the “hortatory” from the merely “precatory” and traded hypotheticals about lawn-mowing, tree-planting and war bonds. Despite the Trump administration’s best efforts to sow chaos and inject instability into the country, we’re somehow still operating, more or less, under the rule of law. In this particular case, the Trump administration was asking the justices to strike down all of the Affordable Care Act — eliminating protections for those with preexisting conditions, stripping tens of millions of people of health insurance in the middle of a pandemic, creating a crisis in the health-care sector and instigating yet another financial catastrophe for states. But the Supreme Court — even with three Trump appointees — was having none of it. (Dana Milbank, 11/10)

CNN: The GOP Is Pitifully Out Of Step With America On Obamacare
On Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case, mounted by Republicans and backed by the Trump administration, that is attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. (Jill Filipovic, 11/10)

The Hill: Being A Woman Is A Preexisting Condition? Here's What Is At Stake For Health Care 
We’ve set our clocks back an hour. But in the next few weeks, we might be setting our country back by many years. I’m talking about our health care, which is under attack right now. We are grappling with a pandemic that has claimed 238,000 American lives and infected 10 million. But as you read this, the Trump administration is working to overturn the Affordable Care Act and argued their case before the Supreme Court today. (Rep. Linda T. Sanchez, 11/10)

Stat: How To Spot Good Results From Covid-19 Vaccine Trials 
Monday marked the first announcement of preliminary results of Phase 3 trials of Covid-19 vaccines, and we expect many more to follow. These results are long awaited: Mass vaccination will give us the most promising path out of the pandemic — but only if people trust the results enough to get the vaccine. A well-informed public is among the most crucial elements of a successful vaccination program. (Mark Siedner and Paul E. Sax, 11/10)

USA Today: For COVID-19, Vaccine Offers Light At The End Of A Dark Winter
The next few months in the United States are going to be excruciating: Thousands of Americans will die each week from COVID-19, even as a vaccine begins to get rolled out. During this agonizing period, says Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s public health school, “We all need to keep two seemingly contradictory facts in mind: 1. We are entering the hardest days of the pandemic. The next two months will see a lot of infections and deaths. 2. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Today, that light got a bit brighter.” (11/10)

The Wall Street Journal: It’s Biden’s Virus Now
When the records are plumbed, we will likely find that world leaders received the same advice: An easily transmitted, flu-like virus is not stoppable at a realistic cost in most geographies. We need to find non-magical ways to spare ourselves. The rational priorities were always: Protect the most vulnerable, drill the public on safety protocols, build up the hospitals to receive the wave, and push for a vaccine. That will be the Biden plan too. (Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., 11/10)

NBC News: Covid Vaccine Distribution Is Undermined By Trump Playing Politics With Transfer Of Power
The safe, timely and equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines to the American people will be an undertaking akin to landing a spacecraft on an asteroid. For every day — even every hour — of delay, lives will be lost, people will suffer and economic misery will continue. Sulking in electoral defeat, the Trump administration is willfully prolonging the agony. (Olivia Troye, 11/10)

USA Today: COVID-19 Thanksgiving: In-Person Family Meals Are Dangerous. Skip Them.
Excited to see her children and grandchildren, an 80-year-old grandmother traveled halfway across California to visit, eagerly planning all the meals she would cook and share. The family enjoyed elaborate curries and stews, stories and laughs; two weeks later, that woman ended up as a patient in my hospital struggling to breathe. What began as a cough amongst the family ended up as a life-threatening COVID-19 infection for the grandmother. With Thanksgiving and the winter holidays fast approaching, I fear that our hospitals across the nation will be filled with more avoidable stories like this. This year for the holidays, we all need to settle for virtual family gatherings, rather than in-person get-togethers. (Thomas K. Lew, 11/11)

USA Today: College Football Playoff Should Mitigate COVID-19 Risk With Bubble
The College Football Playoff has held firm that no matter what develops over the next six weeks or so, its semifinals will take place on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California, and New Orleans, just as they would in a normal year. The winners of those games will then play in Miami 10 days later for the national championship. But as COVID-19 cases rise exponentially around the country, a winter surge that is presenting even greater challenges to the college football season than we’ve seen at any point, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the CFP is taking a massive risk here. It’s time to start talking about a bubble. (Dan Wolken, 11/10)

Stat: Is Low Mask Wearing In Rural Areas Due To Poor Health Messaging? 
As the U.S. heads toward a third peak in the pandemic, rural counties are among the areas most severely affected by Covid-19. While their absolute numbers of cases are still relatively small compared with large cities, case rates and death rates are growing fastest in rural counties. (Nickolas D. Zaller and George Pro, 11/11)

Stat: A Hidden Success In The Covid-19 Mess: The Internet 
Here is my working definition of a public health expert: someone who is constantly frustrated that people will not act on clear health advice in the interests of their own health. (Joshua Gans, 11/11)