USA Today: Baby Aspirin No Longer Recommended To Prevent First Heart Attack
People over the age of 60 should no longer consider taking a daily low-dose or baby aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, according to a draft recommendation issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Tuesday. The announcement marks a change in the 2016 Task Force guidance that recommended aspirin therapy in certain men and women to lower cardiovascular risk. But more recent evidence suggests it also could cause harm, including bleeding in the stomach, intestines, and brain – a risk that increases with age and can be life-threatening. (Rodriguez, 10/12)

The New York Times: Aspirin Use To Prevent 1st Heart Attack Or Stroke Should Be Curtailed, U.S. Panel Says
The task force includes 16 experts in disease prevention and evidence-based medicine who periodically evaluate screening tests and preventive treatments. Members are appointed by the director of the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, but the group is independent and its recommendations often help shape U.S. medical practice. The guidelines, which are not yet final, have the potential to affect tens of millions of adults who are at high risk for cardiovascular disease, which continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, even in the age of Covid. The panel will accept public comments on its recommendations until Nov. 8, and its draft guidance is usually adopted sometime after the comment period ends. (Rabin, 10/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Older Adults Shouldn’t Start Taking Aspirin In Effort To Prevent First Heart Attack, Panel Says
The guidance doesn’t apply to people who are already taking daily aspirin after a previous heart attack or stroke or because they have a stent in an artery. Those who are taking daily aspirin and have questions should talk with their healthcare provider, the task force said. (Abbott, 10/12)

AP: Advice Shifting On Aspirin Use For Preventing Heart Attacks
For the first time, the panel said there may be a small benefit for adults in their 40s who have no bleeding risks. For those in their 50s, the panel softened advice and said evidence of benefit is less clear. The recommendations are meant for people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity or other conditions that increase their chances for a heart attack or stroke. Regardless of age, adults should talk with their doctors about stopping or starting aspirin to make sure it’s the right choice for them, said task force member Dr. John Wong, a primary-care expert at Tufts Medical Center. (Tanner, 10/12)

Also —

The Boston Globe: Doctor: New Recommendations Curtailing Low-Dose Aspirin Use Follow Science, Make A ‘Tremendous Amount Of Sense’
The surprising new recommendations from an influential health guidelines group on daily low-dose aspirin regimens reflect the latest science and “make a tremendous amount of sense,” according to a Boston Medical Center expert. “I think we’re in a really important and interesting time in science, where we’re continuing to let the data guide us to improve the health of populations,” Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett, vice chair of family medicine at the hospital, said, noting that the public had seen with the COVID-19 pandemic how science evolves rather than staying static. (Finucane, 10/12)

Axios: Doctors' Challenge With Aspirin Guidance: It's Hard To Know Who's Taking It 
In a reversal, new draft guidance warns adults who do not have a history of heart disease or stroke should not take baby aspirin. But millions of patients may have been taking the blood-thinner without their knowledge. With heart disease as the top killer in the U.S., persistent recommendations from doctors portrayed a blanket statement to the public that middle-aged people should be taking baby, or low-dose, aspirin. (Fernandez, 10/13)

The Hill: FDA Authorizes An E-Cigarette For First Time, Citing Benefit For Smokers 
Federal health regulators Tuesday for the first time authorized the legal marketing of an electronic cigarette, saying the product from RJ Reynolds could help addicted adult smokers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the company's refillable Vuse Solo closed device and tobacco-flavored e-liquid pods could benefit addicted adult smokers who switch by reducing their exposure to harmful chemicals. (Weixel, 10/12)

Bloomberg: BAT’s Vuse Gets FDA Nod Amid Broad Review Of E-Cigarettes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized British American Tobacco Plc’s e-cigarette Vuse and its tobacco-flavored pods, the first major e-cigarette products cleared in a sweeping review of whether millions of cigarette alternatives have a public-health benefit. Vuse is the first vape-type product from a major company to win FDA backing to continue U.S. sales, with the agency saying it can help users reduce exposure to harmful chemicals. The FDA is working through millions of applications -- including some from BAT competitors such as Juul Labs Inc. While the products under review have already been sold in the U.S., the companies need the FDA’s approval to keep marketing them. A denial by the agency would mean companies could face enforcement action if they try to continue sales. (Kary, 10/12)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Authorizes E-Cigarettes To Stay On U.S. Market For The First Time 
“The authorized products’ aerosols are significantly less toxic than combusted cigarettes based on available data,” the F.D.A. said in a statement announcing the decision. The statement concluded, “The F.D.A. determined that the potential benefit to smokers who switch completely or significantly reduce their cigarette use, would outweigh the risk to youth.” (Richtel and Kaplan, 10/12)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Authorizes Tobacco-Flavored Vuse E-Cigarette, Rejects Its Fruity Versions 
In an effort to curb youth vaping, the FDA last year temporarily halted the sale of sweet and fruity e-cigarette refill cartridges. Manufacturers were allowed to submit those products for the agency’s permission to resume their sales. The FDA rejected five flavors Reynolds had submitted under the Vuse Solo brand, the company said. The agency said it is still reviewing Vuse Solo’s menthol refill pods. Before the federal flavor restrictions took effect last year, the company sold Solo refills in flavors such as melon, chai, mint and berry. The FDA hasn’t yet ruled on the company’s most popular model, Vuse Alto, or two other Vuse devices. (Maloney, 10/12)

USA Today: Vaccinated Tourists Can Cross US Land Borders In Early November
Starting next month, the United States will allow fully vaccinated foreign nationals to cross its land borders for non-essential purposes such as tourism or visiting friends and family. The change would allow foreign tourists to enter the U.S. through land or ferry ports for the first time since March 2020. Government officials have not yet announced a date for the policy change but said it will take place in "early November," in tandem with the country's updated international air travel system. (Schulz, 10/12)

Axios: Biden To Reopen Canada, Mexico Border To Fully Vaccinated Travelers 
Officials will implement land border vaccine requirements in two phases, an administration official told reporters on a Tuesday evening call. Early next month, non-essential travelers from Mexico and Canada who provide proof of full vaccination will be allowed into the U.S. at land ports of entry. Unvaccinated people will not be allowed into the U.S. for non-essential reasons like tourism and visiting friends and family. Air travel restrictions will also be lifted in early November, as was announced last month. In early January, everyone crossing U.S. land borders will be required to be fully vaccinated — whether coming for essential or non-essential reasons. (Kight, 10/13)

Politico: U.S. To Reopen Land, Ferry Borders Next Month To Vaccinated Travelers From Canada And Mexico 
The Biden administration has been under intense pressure for months to remove travel restrictions for nonessential, fully vaccinated travelers at land ports of entry. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), one of the most outspoken lawmakers pushing for the U.S. to reopen its land border with Canada, first broke the news about the northern frontier with his own statement earlier Tuesday evening. “Strong vaccination rates in Canada made the continued border shutdown absurd and unjustifiable,” said Higgins, who co-chairs both the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group and the Northern Border Caucus. “For months now we’ve heard from businesses that are suffering and families distraught over the separation imposed by the continued border shutdown.” (Blatchford, 10/12)

AP: US To Reopen Land Borders In November For Fully Vaccinated
Both Mexico and Canada have pressed the U.S. for months to ease restrictions on travel that have separated families and curtailed leisure trips since the onset of the pandemic. The latest move follows last month’s announcement that the U.S. will end country-based travel bans for air travel, and instead require vaccination for foreign nationals seeking to enter by plane. Both policies will take effect in early November, the officials said. They did not specify a particular date. The new rules only apply to legal entry to the U.S. Officials cautioned that those seeking to enter illegally will still be subject to expulsion under so-called Title 42 authority, first invoked by former President Donald Trump, that has drawn criticism from immigration advocates for swiftly removing migrants before they can seek asylum. One of the officials said the U.S. was continuing the policy because cramped conditions in border patrol facilities pose a COVID-19 threat. (Miller, 10/13)

CNN: Covid-19 Cases May Be Going Down In Much Of The Country, But For Children They Are Still Exceptionally High
Covid-19 cases are declining in the US, but the optimistic outlook needs to be tempered by the still-high rate of infections, especially in children. The number of new cases in children remains "exceptionally high," with 148,222 cases reported in the week ending October 7, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics published Monday. Children represented nearly a quarter of weekly reported Covid-19 cases, the AAP said. Nationally, Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been decreasing, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over the last week, an average of 87,676 people reported infections and 1,559 people died of Covid-19 a day, according to JHU data. (Holcombe, 10/13)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Surpasses 3,000 COVID-19 Deaths As More Young Patients Succumb To The Virus
More than 3,000 Utahns have now died from the coronavirus, with young patients now succumbing to COVID-19 at a faster rate than even before a vaccine was available. On Tuesday, the Utah Department of Health reported 31 more deaths over the past four days, bringing the total to 3,025 since the pandemic began. The state no longer reports COVID-19 numbers on weekends or holidays, and it did not specify on which day Utah reached the 3,000 deaths mark. About 100 of the last 1,000 Utahns to die from the virus were under age 45 — more than double the share of deaths before February. Of the 31 deaths reported Tuesday, four were under the age of 45, and 10 were under the age of 65. (Alberty and Pierce, 10/12)

Capital & Main: Rural Clinics And Hospitals Bear The Brunt Of COVID Misinformation
The trendline in California is undeniable: Rural areas with vaccination rates well below the state average are bearing the brunt of COVID-19’s delta strain. In those regions, death rates are vastly outpacing those in urban settings. Nationally, rural areas are currently experiencing twice the death rate of urban areas. While the first wave of the pandemic in early 2020 mostly missed the more lightly populated areas of the country, the dark script has flipped in the fall of 2021. At a time when rates of vaccination increasingly determine COVID-related outcomes, only 46% of rural residents were fully vaccinated as of mid-August. That compared with 60% of urban residents, according to researchers at Syracuse University. (Kreidler, 10/12 )

In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —

Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage Assembly Passes New, Revised Emergency Ordinance Requiring Masks
Late Tuesday night, the Anchorage Assembly passed a new, revised emergency ordinance, effective immediately, requiring people to wear masks in public spaces in the city. The emergency ordinance was laid on the table during Tuesday evening’s regular Assembly meeting by members Pete Petersen and Meg Zaletel. It passed on a 9-1 vote. Assembly member Crystal Kennedy voted against it. Assembly member Jamie Allard, who called into the meeting, voted against it during an initial 9-2 vote, but due to a procedural error members voted again and Allard did not participate. At least nine Assembly members needed to vote in favor of the emergency ordinance for it to pass, and a public hearing was not required. (Goodykoontz, 10/12)

The Mercury News: COVID: Contra Costa Supervisors Catch Flak For Declaring Misinformation About Virus, Vaccines A ‘Public Health Crisis’
Misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines developed to protect against it constitutes a “public health crisis,” the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors declared Tuesday, drawing a backlash from numerous residents. In a statement they unanimously passed, the supervisors asserted the vaccines have met rigorous scientific standards and skepticism about the danger posed by COVID-19 has “created a culture of mistrust” that undermines health officials’ efforts to bring the pandemic to an end. Supervisor John Gioia, who introduced the statement with Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, invoked a quote commonly attributed to late New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, not their own facts.” (Mukherjee, 10/12)

AP: Nebraska Lt. Gov. Mike Foley Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Nebraska Lt. Gov. Mike Foley has tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesman confirmed Tuesday. Spokesman Justin Pinkerman said in an email that Foley has mild symptoms and is self-isolating as he recovers, but he didn’t answer questions about when the lieutenant governor was tested or whether he has been vaccinated. (Schulte, 10/12)

North Carolina Health News: Their Father Survived 9/11, But Could Not Beat COVID 
Muhammad Siddiqui died at Wake Forest Baptist hospital in May 2020. The 59-year-old had one of the first severe COVID-19 cases at the hospital. His family say they believe that care provided to him in the early stages of the pandemic helped inform health care workers and hospitals as they learned about COVID-19 and established guidelines and protocol for treating patients. That is one of the many legacies Siddiqui left behind, according to his family. (Jallow, 10/13)

Also —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Ivermectin Tough For Veterinary Clinic To Find Amid Pandemic
People using a drug intended for animals to prevent or treat COVID-19 are not only potentially putting their own health at risk, they are also creating surging demand for the common medicine veterinarians need to care for sick horses, livestock and some small animals. Ivermectin is a drug made for both people and animals to treat various parasitic ailments, but comes in different formulations for animals and people. However, misinformation on social media, podcasts and talk radio related to use of the drug to treat COVID has led some people to seek out the animal product where it can be bought in stores without a doctor’s prescription. (Ross, 10/12)

NBC News: The Covid Vaccine Doesn’t Cause Infertility, But The Disease Might
Worries that the Covid-19 vaccine could cause infertility are among the reasons people give for avoiding vaccination. While there’s no evidence any of the Covid vaccines cause problems with fertility, becoming severely ill from the disease has the potential to do so, reproduction experts say, making vaccination all the more important. “There is evidence to suggest that infection with SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to impact both male fertility, female fertility, and certainly the health of a pregnancy of someone infected,” said Dr. Jennifer Kawwass, a reproductive endocrinologist and associate professor at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. “And there is simultaneously no evidence that the vaccine has any negative impact on male or female fertility.” (Hickok, 10/12)

ABC News: Infants Of COVID-Positive Mothers Have High Rates Of Health Complications, Study Finds 
Infants born to mothers with COVID-19 are significantly more likely to experience health problems, such as difficulty breathing, compared to infants born to mothers without COVID-19, according to a new study published Monday. The study, published in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal And Neonatal Medicine, adds a new layer onto the growing body of research showing the potential complications COVID-19 can cause for both pregnant people and babies. (Kindelan, 10/12)

In other covid research —

WUSF 89.7: Florida Is Part Of Federal Project To Track COVID Trends By Analyzing Sewage 
Florida will soon have a new tool in monitoring coronavirus cases. The state is part of a new national program that will help communities track and predict COVID-19 cases through sewage. Florida received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the project. The results will provide communities and large facilities with information about coronavirus caseloads, said Amy Kirby, program lead for the CDC's wastewater surveillance program. (LeFever, 10/12)

NPR: What The Latest COVID Research Says About Breakthrough Cases And Transmission
Conventional wisdom says that if you're vaccinated and you get a breakthrough infection with the coronavirus, you can transmit that infection to someone else and make that person sick. But new evidence suggests that even though that may happen on occasion, breakthrough infections might not represent the threat to others that scientists originally thought. Ross Kedl, an immunologist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, will point out to anyone who cares to listen that basic immunology suggests the virus of a vaccinated person who gets infected will be different from the virus of an infected unvaccinated person. (Palca, 10/12)

The Washington Post: Covid And Cancer: A Dangerous Combination, Especially For People Of Color 
Oncologist Kashyap Patel brandishes test results he’s eager to share with his patient, Tamaki Caldwell, showing that her advanced ovarian cancer, once the size of tennis balls, is in remission. Smiling, she says, “I’m going to frame this.” It’s a rare bright moment for Caldwell, 53, who knows she is in the fight of her life, one made significantly more arduous by the coronavirus pandemic. She started having abdominal pain last year — “it was like grab and release, grab and release” — but she didn’t see a doctor for months because of concerns about the pandemic and because she was taking care of her grandmother, who had covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. (McGinley, 10/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: 'COVID Is Never Going To Go Away,' California Scientist Says, Even As Case Numbers Improve
“We are becoming numb to these numbers,” state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said during a roundtable with other medical experts Tuesday. But she said that if California was still using the color-coded reopening blueprint it retired in June, most counties would fall into the worst tier: “We are in what would have been deep purple in the past.” Dr. Kristian Andersen, an immunology expert with Scripps Research who also spoke on the panel, said people are too eager to lift precautions and declare victory against the virus. “It’s really important that we change our mind-set,” he said. “COVID is never going to go away.” (Vaziri, 10/12)

AP: Next On FDA's Agenda: Booster Shots Of Moderna, J&J Vaccines
On Thursday and Friday, the Food and Drug Administration convenes its independent advisers for the first stage in the process of deciding whether extra doses of the two vaccines should be dispensed and, if so, who should get them and when. The final go-ahead is not expected for at least another week. After the FDA advisers give their recommendation, the agency itself will make a decision on whether to authorize boosters. Then next week, a panel convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will offer more specifics on who should get them. Its decision is subject to approval by the CDC director. (Neergaard and Perrone, 10/12 )

Stat: FDA Scientists Neutral On Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine Booster 
Food and Drug Administration scientists did not take a clear position as to whether the agency should authorize booster doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in documents released Tuesday. Posted ahead of a two-day meeting convened by the FDA on booster shots of both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the documents laid out the case for authorizing Moderna’s proposed booster — a half dose of the existing vaccine — but also noted that data so far make it unclear that the third dose is needed. (Herper, 10/12)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Staff Says Moderna Did Not Meet All Criteria For COVID-19 Boosters 
Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that Moderna Inc. had not met all of the agency's criteria to support use of booster doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, possibly because the efficacy of the shot's first two doses has remained strong. FDA staff said in documents that data for Moderna's vaccine showed that a booster does increase protective antibodies, but the difference in antibody levels before and after the shot was not wide enough, particularly in those whose levels had remained high. (Erman and Steenhuysen, 10/13)

CNN: Moderna Urges FDA To Authorize A Half-Size Booster Dose Of Its Covid-19 Vaccine For Some Adults 
Moderna is urging the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize a half-size booster of its Covid-19 vaccine, according to a briefing document posted Tuesday, ahead of a key meeting of the agency's vaccine advisers. The company is asking for authorization for a 50-microgram booster dose -- half the size of the 100-microgram doses used in the primary series of the two-dose vaccine. The company says halving the dose increases protection against the coronavirus while helping the worldwide Covid-19 vaccine supply. (Gumbrecht, 10/12)

In news about the Johnson & Johnson shot —

Axios: Mix-And-Match Boosting For Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine — NIH Data 
Data collected by the National Institutes of Health show that people who received a shot of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine have a stronger neutralizing antibody response if they receive an mRNA shot instead of a second J&J one, according to a person who has seen the data. J&J has asked the FDA to authorize a second shot of its own vaccine, which could make any attempt to authorize mix-and-matching vaccines confusing for the public. (Owens, 10/12)

In other news on the vaccine rollout —

Axios: Low Vaccination Rates Exacerbate America's Caregiving Crisis 
American families shouldered an enormous burden caring for family members even before the pandemic, and a shortage of professional caregivers now is only likely to make that burden heavier. Nursing homes and other long-term care settings have seen a staff exodus both during and after the pandemic, especially when they've imposed vaccine mandates — poking new holes in a system that was already full of them. (Reed, 10/13)

The New York Times: Covid Has Killed Hundreds Of Police Officers. Many Still Resist Vaccines
Over the last year and a half, a majority of the roughly 40 police officers who patrol Baker, La., a suburb of Baton Rouge, tested positive for the coronavirus. All of them recovered and went back to work — until Lt. DeMarcus Dunn got sick. Lieutenant Dunn, a 36-year-old shift supervisor who coached youth sports and once chased down someone who fled the police station after being arrested, died from Covid-19 on Aug. 13. His wedding had been scheduled for the next day. (Smith, 10/12)

AP: NHL Commissioner Bettman Says Just 4 Players Unvaccinated
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league has only four unvaccinated players as it opens up the 2021-22 season. Bettman was in attendance for the regular-season opener between the back to back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. “Everybody banding together to do the right thing,” Bettman said. “Maybe that’s why hockey is the ultimate team sport.” (10/13)

Bloomberg: NYC's Covid Vaccine Mandate Isn't Biased Against Black And Hispanic New Yorkers, Judge Rules
Federal judges issued three different decisions on New York state and city requirements for Covid-19 vaccinations, upholding the status quo as the contentious issue winds it way through the court system. New York City’s program requiring proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms and clubs can continue, a judge in Brooklyn ruled Tuesday, rejecting a claim of racial bias. A judge in Manhattan once again rejected the argument by a group of New York City teachers and other staff who are seeking exemptions for vaccination requirements for school staff on religious or medical grounds. A third judge reiterated that state health authorities can’t enforce a mandate on health care workers without a religious exception. (Van Voris, 10/12)

AP: Religious Vaccine Exemption Stays For NY Health Care Workers
New York health care workers will be able to seek religious exemptions from a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate as a lawsuit challenging the requirement proceeds, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. Judge David Hurd in Utica had issued a temporary restraining order a month ago after 17 doctors, nurses and other health professionals claimed in a lawsuit that their rights would be violated with a vaccine mandate that disallowed religious exemptions. Hurd’s preliminary injunction Tuesday means New York will continue to be barred from enforcing any requirement that employers deny religious exemptions. And the state cannot revoke exemptions already granted. (Hill, 10/12)

In more news from New York —

The Wall Street Journal: The Nets Ban Kyrie Irving Until He Gets Vaccinated 
Kyrie Irving won’t play or practice for the Brooklyn Nets this season until he gets vaccinated, the team said Tuesday, a move that will increase the pressure on the NBA superstar in what has quickly become one of the world’s most consequential Covid-19 workplace standoffs. Irving is currently ineligible to play home games for the Nets, the heavy favorites to win the championship in the NBA season that begins next week, under a New York City order that requires proof of vaccination to enter an indoor sports arena like the Barclays Center. (Cohen, 10/12)

In other news about vaccine mandates across the U.S. —

NBC News: Major Hospital Systems In Ohio Requiring Covid Vaccinations For Organ Transplants
The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, two of the largest health care systems in Ohio, are requiring Covid-19 vaccinations for solid organ transplants. The recently announced mandates will apply to patients and living donors prior to the procedures, according to statements from the health care providers. Patients on a waiting list for organ transplantation from a deceased donor have until Nov. 1 to become vaccinated, or they will be considered “inactive on the waiting list,” the Cleveland Clinic said in a statement Monday. (Planas, 10/12)

NBC News: Florida Fines County $3.5 Million For Requiring Proof Of Vaccination
The Florida Health Department fined a county government over $3.5 million Tuesday for violating the state's ban on vaccination passports — the first time the state has punished a locality for defying the ban. The Health Department said in a statement that officials in Leon County, where Tallahassee, the state capital, is located, violated state law when they mandated in late July that the county's 700 employees provide proof of vaccination no later than Oct. 1. Then, on Oct. 4, county officials fired 14 employees for failing to comply with the requirement. (Clark, 10/12)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Reports 72% Of Employees Responded To Vaccine Mandate
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said 72% of Milwaukee County employees responded to the county's COVID-19 vaccine mandate by either showing proof of vaccination or proper documentation for an exemption. Crowley issued an administrative order to all county staff on Sept. 2 informing them they had until Oct. 1 to provide documentation. At Tuesday's COVID-19 briefing, Crowley said of the approximately 4,060 employees that work for the county, a little more than 1,000 employees have not provided documentation. (Bentley, 10/12)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Nursing Home Trade Group Warns Of Mass Layoffs If Philadelphia's Vaccine Deadline Stands
Philadelphia on Tuesday rebuffed a request by a nursing home trade group for an extension of a Friday deadline to have all staff at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19. The Pennsylvania Health Care Association warned acting Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole in a letter that the city’s 47 nursing homes will have to dismiss as many as 2,400 workers to comply with the city’s vaccine mandate for long-term care facilities. Federal data show that in September the city’s nursing homes employed nearly 9,000. The health department said there was still time for those workers to get at least one shot before Friday. (Brubaker, 10/12)

NPR: A Wisconsin Brewery Is Helping Parents Sue School Districts That Don't Require Masks
Parents whose children have been infected with the coronavirus in Wisconsin have an unlikely ally: a brewery and its super PAC. Filing lawsuits in both of Wisconsin's federal court districts, the parents are suing school districts for rescinding mask requirements and flouting other federal and state health guidance. They're backed by the Minocqua Brewing Company of Minocqua, Wis., which sells what it calls "progressive beer" — and whose owner is using its political action committee to help fund the legal fight. One of the lawsuits says that by axing safety protocols, school board officials "threw students into a Covid-19 'snake pit.' " (Chappell, 10/12)

Axios: PE Firms Avoid Mandating Vaccines For Portfolio Companies 
Private equity firms are sitting on the sidelines when it comes to vaccine mandates for portfolio companies, despite often requiring shots for their own employees. Private equity employs around 7% of all American workers, and is represented in almost every industry and geography, which means that PE vax mandates could have a significant impact on public health. (Primack, 10/12)

Bloomberg: IBM, American Air, Southwest Snub Abbott and Back Biden on Shots
International Business Machines Corp., American Airlines Group Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. will follow President Joe Biden’s mandate requiring that employees be vaccinated against Covid-19, defying an order from the Texas governor blocking such actions. The decisions Tuesday set up an immediate challenge to Republican Governor Greg Abbott by three of the state’s largest employers. Companies with business operations in Texas have been caught between Abbott’s decree and a White House measure that says federal contractors must require the shots. (Schlangenstein, 10/12)

New York Post: Southwest CEO Gary Kelly Blames Biden For Vaccine Mandate
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly says he’s against making his employees take the COVID-19 vaccine, but President Biden has forced his hand with the federal mandate. “I’ve never been in favor of corporations imposing that kind of a mandate. I’m not in favor of that, never have been,” Kelly told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Tuesday regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. (Crane, 10/12)

NPR: United Airlines Must Delay Its Vaccine Mandate For Workers Seeking An Exemption
A federal judge in Texas ordered United Airlines to temporarily halt its plan to put unvaccinated employees on unpaid leave if they have requested an exemption from the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. United Airlines announced Aug. 6 that the Chicago-based airline was requiring all 67,000 of its U.S.-based employees to be vaccinated. At the time, the airline said about 90% of pilots and 80% of flight attendants had already been vaccinated. But for the small portion of employees that refused to get a coronavirus vaccine and requested either a medical or religious exemption from United, the company said it would place those workers on unpaid leave. (Diaz, 10/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Southwest Pilots Warn Fatigue, Frustration Could Fuel Further Outages 
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which represents Southwest’s 9,000 pilots, has blamed the airline’s management and what it describes as poor planning for the trouble. The union raised alarms over the summer that pilots were being stretched thin by frequent reassignments that have led to longer work days and extended trips. Without changes, problems like this weekend’s could crop up again, union president Capt. Casey Murray said in an interview Monday. (Sider and Calfas, 10/12)

And the Biden administration responds to Texas' attempts to block the mandates —

Bloomberg: Biden Admin. Slams Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's Ban On Covid Vaccine Mandates
The White House criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s order banning businesses and other entities from enforcing Covid-19 vaccine mandates even as the Biden administration encourages employers to adopt them. The move fits “a familiar pattern that we’ve seen of putting politics ahead of health,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. She added later: “It’s not based on what is in the interest of the people you are governing. ”Abbott, a Republican, signed an order Monday banning vaccine mandates for workers and for consumers in his state. The order argued that the Biden administration is “bullying” private entities to implement vaccine mandates “in another instance of federal overreach,” setting up a showdown between his state and the federal government. (Epstein, 10/12)

Dallas Morning News: Psaki Mocks ‘Renowned Travel Expert’ Ted Cruz For Blaming Southwest Woes On Pending Vaccine Mandate
The White House mocked Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday over his claim that a federal vaccine mandate that hasn’t taken effect yet caused thousands of Southwest Airlines flight cancellations this weekend. “I know world renowned business travel and health expert Senator Ted Cruz has made that point,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, alluding to his widely ridiculed trip to Cancun as millions of Texans remained in cold homes without electricity after a winter storm. Dallas-based Southwest has blamed bad weather on Friday for a cascade of operational problems that prompted it to cancel more than 2,000 flights. Other airlines had no such problems. (Gillman, 10/12)

In related news —

The Washington Post: Texas Ban On Vaccine Mandates Sharpens Battle Lines
The nationwide fight over coronavirus vaccine mandates gained intensity this week as top Republicans and their conservative allies escalated attacks on public health strategies aimed at curbing the pandemic, drawing corporate America into the center of a burgeoning cultural and political clash. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) sought to ban covid-related mandates in the country’s second-largest state, while Republicans seized on flight disruptions at Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, saying they were caused by employees protesting mandates. That assertion was disputed by company and union officials. (Linskey, Nirappil and Duncan, 10/12)

AP: Texas Order Reflects Growing GOP Vaccine Mandates Hostility
With the governor of Texas leading the charge, conservative Republicans in several states are moving to block or undercut President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for private employers before the regulations are even issued. The growing battle over what some see as overreach by the federal government is firing up a segment of the Republican Party base, even though many large employers have already decided on their own to require their workers to get the shot. The dustup will almost certainly end up in court since GOP attorneys general in nearly half of the states have vowed to sue once the rule is unveiled. (Whitehurst, 10/12)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Healthcare Institutions Weigh Effects Of Gov. Abbott's Order On COVID Vaccine Mandates
Houston hospitals and healthcare institutions that require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine are still reviewing the implications of Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent executive order, stating that “no entity” can mandate vaccines in the state. Houston Methodist Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, the first two Houston-area medical institutions to implement such requirements, say the order will have no immediate effect because their workforce is fully vaccinated. (Gill, 10/12)

Also —

Bloomberg: Vaccines Could Have Spared 22,000 Lives In Texas And Florida
More than 22,000 lives could have been spared in Texas and Florida, states where governors have spoken out against mask and vaccine mandates, if they had vaccinated three-quarters of their adult populations. If 74% of Texans and Floridians had been vaccinated by the end of August, they could have collectively had 95,000 fewer hospitalizations and 22,000 fewer deaths, a study published Oct. 8 in the scientific journal Lancet found. If this rate had been reached by the end of July, as in Massachusetts and Connecticut, Texas and Florida could have seen 650,000 fewer hospitalizations each. The two states had vaccinated less than 60% of their adult population by the time the study was conducted. (Saraiva, 10/12)

Politico: Military Archbishop Says Catholic Troops Can Refuse Covid Vaccines On Religious Grounds
The archbishop of the U.S. military said on Tuesday that Catholic troops could refuse the mandated Covid vaccine on religious grounds. “No one should be forced to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience,” Timothy Broglio, archbishop for the military services, said in a statement. (Ward, 10/12)

Roll Call: Pentagon Civilian Vaccine Mandate Is A Massive Logistical Lift 
The Pentagon has begun the monumental task of fully vaccinating hundreds of thousands of civilian employees against the coronavirus with just weeks to meet its self-imposed deadline of Nov. 22. But as of yet, it has no system to verify who's gotten the jab. There are 763,000 civil servants at the Defense Department, and just 42 percent of them, or just under 319,000, are fully vaccinated, according to the Pentagon’s public data. (Satter, 10/7)

In related news —

Fox News: Biden Employer Vaccine Mandate A Step Closer To Reality As OSHA Submits Rule Text To OMB For Review
President Biden’s vaccine mandate for large businesses came one step closer to reality on Tuesday after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) submitted the initial text of an emergency vaccine rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review. Last month, the president announced businesses with more than 100 employees will be required to mandate coronavirus vaccines or administer weekly tests. Employers are also required to pay employees for time off to get vaccinated and recover from side effects. The rule will take effect once the OMB finishes its review and it’s published in the federal register. (Stimson, 10/13)

Fox News: COVID-19 Rapid Test National Shortage Mobilizes White House, Leaves Experts Cautiously Optimistic
Last week’s White House report reiterated President Biden’s employer mandate that businesses with 100 or more employees require every worker to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or tested weekly. The requirement impacts more than 80 million workers in the private sector. Jeffrey Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, summarized in last week’s press briefing that, "We are on track to quadruple the supply of rapid, at-home tests available to Americans by December to more than 200 million a month and to increase the number of places Americans can access free testing in the United States to 30,000 community-based locations." (Sudhakar, 10/12)

CNBC: Pelosi Signals Democrats Could Trim Biden Build Back Better Plan
Democrats could slash entire pieces of President Joe Biden’s economic plan to push it through Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday. Party leaders have acknowledged they will likely have to cut $1 trillion or more from their $3.5 trillion social safety net and climate proposal. Trying to pass legislation with a razor-thin majority and no Republican votes, Democrats have to appease centrists who have called for a smaller bill. (Pramuk, 10/12)

Roll Call: Pelosi: Budget Decisions Needed ‘In The Next Few Days’ To Hit Deadline
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that Democrats need to make crucial decisions “in the next few days” about how to cut their $3.5 trillion partisan tax and spending budget reconciliation package if they’re going to meet a self-imposed end-of-month deadline. That seems like a tall order, however, considering Democrats have not made a single decision about what social spending or climate programs they would cut to drop the price tag closer to the approximately $2 trillion level President Joe Biden thinks moderate and progressive Democrats in the narrowly divided Congress can all support. (McPherson, 10/12)

NBC News: Pelosi 'Disappointed' Democrats Are Shrinking $3.5 Trillion Social Safety Net Bill
Pelosi stressed that the final package, despite the lower cost, will still be “transformative” and “will produce results.” The speaker said that members of her caucus have told her that they still want to include all of the original programs such as universal pre-K, home health care, the child tax credit and tuition-free community college. She suggested that in order to keep all of those proposals in the measure, Democrats would have to pare back the number of years of guaranteed funding. (Shabad, 10/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Democrats Debate Eligibility For Reconciliation Bill’s New Social Programs 
Choosing which Americans should be eligible for benefits in a proposed expansion of the social-safety net is one of the main challenges vexing Democrats, who are attempting to slim down their healthcare, education, child-care and climate bill in the coming weeks. The debate over whether to provide the benefits to low-income Americans only or a broader swath of the public comes as Democrats work to unite their progressives and centrist wings around a revised package. So-called means-testing is one of several methods Democrats are considering for reducing the price tag of the $3.5 trillion proposal, along with potentially dropping some programs altogether or reducing the number of years funded. (Duehren, 10/12)

Roll Call: Concerns Grow Over Home Health Care As Democrats Debate Funding
Advocates are concerned that a proposed boost to Medicaid and home health care for the elderly and disabled in Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget bill will be pared back so much that it wouldn’t deliver on its promise to increase jobs and wages. The topline funding number for home- and community-based services has wavered between $150 billion over 10 years and President Joe Biden’s initial request of $400 billion over eight years. The House bill currently would set the 10-year spending level at $190 billion, lower than what advocates view as sufficient. (Clason, 10/13)

Also —

NBC News: House Passes Short-Term Debt Limit Hike, Pushing High-Stakes Deadline To December
The House voted Tuesday to pass a short-term increase in the debt ceiling to enable the Treasury to continue borrowing money to pay the bills for two months, setting up another round of fighting about the limit. The House voted 219-206 on partisan lines. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill, which moved forward Thursday after narrowly clearing the 60-vote threshold and passing the Senate. (Kapur, 10/12)

Politico: Divided Supreme Court Considers Who Can Defend Abortion Restrictions 
A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday weighed which state officials can defend abortion bans in court — a procedural question with implications that extend beyond reproductive health in states where the governor and attorney general hail from opposing parties. The arguments marked the first abortion case to be argued in full before the court's 6-3 conservative majority and centered on whether Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron could defend his state’s ban on some forms of abortion after two courts found it unconstitutional and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear refused to defend it further. (Ollstein, 10/12)

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Leans Toward Letting Kentucky Official Defend Abortion Law
The dispute highlighted the sometimes-messy conflicts that arise when a governor and a state's top legal officer differ in political views or party, leading to disagreements on whether to defend certain state laws in court. Conservative and liberal justices asked questions that indicated sympathy toward ensuring that Cameron, as attorney general, retains the power to act even after a governor of a different political party takes office. (Chung, 10/12)

In news about Texas' abortion law —

Independent: Texas Governor Questioned Whether He Would Outlaw Birth Control Or Emergency Contraception In Undercover Video
An “undercover” reporter pressed Texas Governor Greg Abbott over whether he would outlaw emergency contraception and birth control medication following his approval of the nation’s most-restrictive abortion law. Lauren Windsor, executive director of political advocacy organisation American Family Voices and a reporter for web series The Undercurrent, presented herself as a “huge fan” of the governor during an event on 11 October and asked “what more can be done.” “Can you do something about morning after pills and birth control, because I think it’s destroying the fabric of our society, giving women incentives to be promiscuous,” Ms Windsor asked the governor. (Woodward, 10/12)

The Washington Post: Court Filings In Texas Abortion Ban Appeal Show Women's Desperation
Clinics in Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas are seeing an influx of patients from Texas fleeing the nation’s most restrictive abortion law, which bars the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy and remains in effect despite multiple court challenges and an acknowledgment by the Supreme Court that there are “serious questions” about its constitutionality. Texans now account for the majority of patients at one Oklahoma clinic, where staff are working long hours to handle the out-of-state demand. Other patients, including teenagers and undocumented immigrants, say financial and child-care constraints limit their ability to leave Texas to terminate their pregnancies. (Marimow, 10/12)

USA Today: Abortion: New Texas Law Puts Extra Burdens On Trans, Nonbinary People
The summer before Emmett Schelling's senior year of high school, he was sexually assaulted. Schelling, who was 17 years old, found out in November of his senior year he was pregnant, around the time he was going to sign a letter of intent for college. Schelling, executive director of the Transgender Education Network of Texas, is a parent as a result. Though he did not seek an abortion, the decision to become a parent was deeply personal, especially as a trans man in Texas, Schelling told USA TODAY. Schelling's story highlights how the battle over abortion rights in the Lone Star State often excludes the experiences of trans men and nonbinary people – communities that face extra burdens when it comes to reproductive care. (Quarshie, 10/12)

In other news about abortion —

Komu.Com: New Regulations For Missouri's Abortion Clinics Take Effect Wednesday
Governor Mike Parson's emergency regulations take effect Wednesday, which calls for increased inspections on abortion providers from public health officials. Regulations include: Abortion providers to perform pelvic exams on a patient 72 hours before the abortion if medically necessary. Providers must report a failed abortion to a pathology lab within 24 hours of a failed abortion. Health care facilities must make sure all their surgical tools are sterilized. Physicians are required to participate in yearly fire drill. Health departments must report rule violations to the Medicaid Audit and Compliance Unit, which decides the allotted amount of money a facility gets from Medicaid. (Caile, 10/13)

Slate: The Mississippi Abortion Case Threatens Birth Control And Sexual Rights.
The constitutional right to abortion is under concerted attack by a deeply conservative Supreme Court. Last month, the Supreme Court permitted Texas’ ban on abortion at six weeks to go into effect in a one-paragraph ruling decided without full briefing and oral argument, stripping inhabitants of the Lone Star State of constitutional rights enjoyed in the rest of the country. On Dec. 1, the court will consider the constitutionality of Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In Dobbs, Mississippi is urging the Supreme Court to overrule Roe v. Wade and take away from millions of Americans the fundamental right to control their bodies, choose whether and when to start a family, determine their life course, and participate as equals in American life. (Gans, 10/12)

10tv.Com: New Legislation Could Lead To Abortion Ban In London Community
The discussion about abortion rights continues to heat up in Ohio. A new piece of legislation was heard Tuesday during a Public Safety Committee Meeting in London, located in Madison County. If the new legislation passes, it could outlaw abortions in London. Councilmember Anthony Smith, who's sponsoring the ordinance, says it would make the city a "sanctuary city for the unborn." “Cities are adopting the legislation. It's getting more teeth,” said Smith. When asked for an interview, Smith declined. To Michael W. Norman, who was at the meeting, outlawing abortions in London is simply taking away a woman's right of free will. (Solomon, 10/12)

FiveThirtyEight: Why Abortion May Now Motivate Democrats More Than Republicans
Abortion has long motivated Republicans as a political issue. But following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in early September not to block Texas’s new law banning most abortions once an ultrasound can detect cardiac activity, usually about six weeks into a pregnancy, many have argued that Democrats may become more motivated by reproductive rights. As one Republican pollster recently told the Associated Press, “It is going to be a very motivating issue for women who haven’t typically been single-issue pro-choice voters.” Tracking data from The Economist/YouGov seems to support this viewpoint. In each weekly survey since February, respondents were asked about the importance of abortion, and as we see in the chart below, the issue has become increasingly more important to Democrats and less important to Republicans ever since. (Tesler, 10/13)

Modern Healthcare: Best Buy Continues Healthcare Push With Current Health Acquisition
Best Buy on Tuesday said it plans to acquire Current Health, a technology startup that develops tools for at-home healthcare. The acquisition supports the consumer electronics retailer's ongoing push into the at-home healthcare market. "The future of consumer technology is directly connected to the future of healthcare," said Deborah Di Sanzo, president of Best Buy Health, in a news release. "By combining Current Health's remote care management platform with our existing health products and services, we can create a holistic care ecosystem." (Kim Cohen, 10/12)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: AmeriHealth Caritas Enters ACA Exchange As Medicaid Redeterminations Loom
Medicare and Medicaid managed-care provider AmeriHealth Caritas will enter the Affordable Care Act exchange market in 2022, the Philadelphia-based insurer said Tuesday. AmeriHealth, which covers 5 million lives across 13 states and the District of Columbia, will debut six different ACA health plans at various levels across 25 North Carolina counties during open enrollment this year, which runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15. The company said it plans to model its exchange plans on its Medicaid offerings, which place a strong focus on the social determinants of health that affect a patient along with AmeriHealth's care management and wellness programs. AmeriHealth, which was unable to comment by deadline, has recently invested in these models. (Tepper, 10/12)

Modern Healthcare: Olympus Says U.S. IT Systems Hit By Possible Cyberattack
Medical technology company Olympus has taken down some of its information-technology systems as it investigates a possible cyberattack, the company said Tuesday. Olympus in an online notice said the company detected "suspicious activity" on its IT systems in the Americas, which includes Canada, Latin America and the U.S., over the weekend. Olympus did not share details of the suspicious behavior but said the company has deployed a response team of forensics experts to investigate the possible cyberattack. As part of the effort to contain the problem, Olympus suspended the affected Canada, Latin America and U.S. IT systems and notified "relevant external partners," though it didn't specify who those partners included. (Kim Cohen, 10/12)

USA Today: Illinois VA Nursing Home Didn't Follow Federal Guidelines To Contain COVID-19. 11 Residents Died
Leaders and staff at a federal veterans’ nursing home in Illinois mismanaged a coronavirus outbreak that killed 11 residents in fall 2020, well after employees had been put on notice about the danger the pandemic posed to its elderly population, a government investigation found. A staff member exposed at home was denied a test and told to just wear a mask while finishing a shift caring for residents. The employee tested positive the next day. Testing was inconsistent, even after the virus started to spread within the Veterans Affairs complex in Danville, in a rural part of the state near the Indiana border. Isolation of exposed individuals – even those who tested positive – was haphazard. (Slack, 10/12)

WUFT: A Mobile Dental Unit Is Providing Care For Underserved Communities In Marion County 
The Langley Mobile Dental Unit is a federally funded mobile van that offers free dental services to Marion County residents. The mobile dental unit has served hundreds of patients in the five years it’s been running, according to operations director Paul Quinn. He said some patients are uninsured. Others are homeless, low-income or migrant workers. Still, more are patients with mental illness or battling drug addiction. For all these Marion County patients, in different situations, the Langley Mobile Dental Unit is a godsend. (Ewing, Ocasio and Dergins, 10/12)

KHN: Health Industry Wields Power In California’s High-Stakes Battle To Lower Health Care Costs
Gavin Newsom put California’s health care industry on notice when he was a candidate for governor, vowing in 2018 to go after the insurance companies, doctors and hospitals that leave many Californians struggling with enormous medical bills and rising insurance premiums. He pledged to lead California’s single-payer movement, a high-stakes liberal dream that would eliminate private health insurance and slash how much providers are paid. The tough rhetoric continued after he was elected, when Newsom told insurers to “do their damn job” to improve mental health treatment or face fines, and he vowed to cut the health care industry’s soaring revenues. (Hart and Young, 10/13)

In corporate news —

Modern Healthcare: BCBS CEOs Received Bigger Raises In 2020 Than Execs At For-Profit Insurers, Report Says
The CEOs of Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurers received larger compensation increases in 2020 compared with their for-profit counterparts, a recent report found. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota CEO Craig Samitt's 109% year-over-year increase represented the biggest pay bump to $3.3 million in 2020, according to an AIS Health analysis of CEO compensation at the 42 largest insurers by commercial enrollment. A BCBS Minnesota spokesperson noted that Samitt retired in May and declined to comment on his compensation. (Tepper, 10/12)

Florida Times-Union: Mayo Clinic Jacksonville Expands With Emergency Services, Hotel, Restaurant And More 
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville is undergoing a $460 million-plus building boom to expand its internationally respected medical care and improve services for patients, their families, researchers and hospital personnel. The recently announced $70 million Hilton hotel to be built on the Southside medical center campus is the newest among six major projects in various stages at the medical center. Five others either are in the design phase, under construction or recently completed at the medical center, Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic communications manager, told the Florida Times-Union. (Stepzinski, 10/12)

Stat: Big Health Scores A Deal To Bring Its Digital Therapeutics To An Entire Country
Part of the allure of software-based medical treatments is the possibility of reaching people in need at scale. And there’s no scale as compelling as absolutely everyone. Scotland’s National Health Service today announced that all adults in the country will have easy access to products from digital therapeutics developer Big Health. Roughly 5 million people will be eligible for access to Sleepio, the company’s product to treat insomnia with CBT, and Daylight, which is indicated for anxiety. (Aguilar, 10/13)

Stat: CRISPR Therapeutics’ Off-The-Shelf CAR-T Drug Shows More Remissions
More of the cancer patients who received CRISPR Therapeutics’ experimental, off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy showed complete remissions compared to the drug’s initial study results, according to a company update Tuesday. Some of the remissions are lasting six months or more, an important measure of durability. In the CRISPR Therapeutics study, which remains preliminary, 24 adult patients with advanced B-cell lymphoma were injected with escalating doses of CTX110. Fourteen patients, or 58%, responded to treatment. Nine patients, or 38%, had complete responses, meaning tumor cells were no longer detectable. (Feuerstein, 10/12)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —

Modern Healthcare: FDA Approves First Smartwatch For Both Blood Oxygen And ECG Monitoring
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday signed off on a new smartwatch that includes a blood oxygen monitor and electrocardiogram sensor to track the wearer's vitals, the first device to receive simultaneous approval. Created by the health technology company Withings, the ScanWatch can record ECG and SpO2 measurements, detect sleeping irregularities and document physical activity. "[ScanWatch] is our most ambitious medical watch to date and has the potential to benefit millions of people," said Mathieu Letombe, CEO of Withings, in a news release. (Devereaux, 10/12)

WLRN 91.3 FM: Why Does A Miami Mask-Maker Have Millions Of Them Waiting For Buyers? 
Luis Arguello is mad about masks. He isn't angry about wearing masks. He's disappointed the market for American-made surgical masks has not materialized like he thought it would just 10 months ago. Arguello is the president of medical products maker DemeTech, based in Miami Lakes. "We rolled the dice with no clients, no buyers. I said, 'Let's see what happens,'" Arguello said in December 2020. The bet has not worked out. (Hudson, 10/12)

And in updates on the Theranos trial —

CNBC: Safeway Ex-CEO: We Did 'At Least 100 Hours' Of Diligence On Theranos
Former Safeway CEO Steve Burd said on Tuesday that his company knew it was taking a risk by partnering with blood-testing start-up Theranos, and he acknowledged that a deal would have been good for the grocery chain’s stock price. On his second day testifying in the criminal fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, Burd told jurors that Safeway ran a thorough independent investigation into the company’s claims about its technology before signing an agreement in 2010. (Khorram, 10/12)

CBS News: Baby Cereal Sold Only At Walmart Recalled For Too Much Arsenic 
Certain Parent's Choice Rice Baby Cereal sold only at Walmart is being recalled after random tests found "above guidance" levels of naturally occurring inorganic arsenic, a toxin connected to impaired cognitive development for those exposed in early childhood. The product was distributed nationally through Walmart's stores and online, with the retailer pulling the recalled cereal from store shelves, according to a notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Gibson, 10/12)

In other public health news —

NBC News: Many Breast Cancer Patients Are Using Marijuana And Not Telling Their Doctors
Many breast cancer patients use cannabis to ease the symptoms of the disease and its treatments, but few tell their doctors, a new survey finds. In an online anonymous survey of more than 600 adults with a breast cancer diagnosis, 42 percent reported using some form of cannabis for relief of symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, pain, insomnia, anxiety and stress, according to the report published Tuesday in Cancer. (Carroll, 10/12)

Fox News: Men With Higher Testosterone Likely To Have More Than One Sexual Partner At A Time: Study
Men with higher levels of testosterone are more likely to have more than one sexual partner at the same time, researchers say. According to a recent study published in The Journal of Sex Research, testosterone in women has been linked with "solo sex" or same-sex relationships. The team – from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UCL, University of Manchester and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) – used data from the third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles to examine associations between testosterone levels and sexual function and behavior. (Musto, 10/12)

AP: Fewer In US Turn To Food Banks, But Millions Still In Need
Hunger and food insecurity across the United States have dropped measurably over the past six months, but the need remains far above pre-pandemic levels. And specialists in hunger issues warn that the situation for millions of families remains extremely fragile. An Associated Press review of bulk distribution numbers from hundreds of food banks across the country revealed a clear downward trend in the amount of food handed out across the country, starting in the spring as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout took hold and closed sectors of the economy began to reopen. (Khalil, 10/12)

PBS NewsHour: Why Millions Of Americans Feel They Must Choose Between Caring For Loved Ones And Work
Bias against caregivers working outside the home has existed for decades, and it is in particular “one of the most powerful drivers of discrimination against women in the work force,” said Liz Morris, the deputy director of the Center for Worklife Law at University of California-Hastings. Data shows that employers may write off female caregivers as being less committed to their jobs. As a result, Morris said, they are “less likely to be hired, less likely to be promoted, and they’re paid less.”. As a result, Morris said, female caregivers are “less likely to be hired, less likely to be promoted, and they’re paid less.” (Santhanam, 10/12)

KHN: Reluctant Localities Are Being Dragged Into Court To Fix Sidewalks For People With Disabilities 
From her Baltimore dining room, Susan Goodlaxson can see her neighbor gardening across the street. But while other neighbors stop to chat, Goodlaxson just watches from the window. She uses a wheelchair, and there isn’t a single curb ramp on her block. If the 66-year-old wanted to join, she’d have to jump her wheelchair down the 7½-inch curb and risk a fall. Ditto if she wanted to wheel over to the library, a trip that would require riding in the street to avoid rampless curbs and broken sidewalks. “I don’t feel like it’s asking too much to be able to move your wheelchair around the city,” she said. (O'Hagan, 10/13)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Approves Colorado's Plan To Require Coverage Of Gender-Affirming Care
Colorado's marketplace health plans must cover a wide range gender-affirming services for transgender individuals beginning Jan. 1, 2023, the federal government announced Tuesday. It's the first time the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has signed off on such a requirement. The cost of related medical treatments can add up to more than $100,000, according to some accounts. "I am proud to stand with Colorado to remove barriers that have historically made it difficult for transgender people to access health coverage and medical care," Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department Xavier Becerra said in a statement. (Hellmann, 10/12)

In news from Montana, Texas, Wisconsin and North Carolina —

Billings Gazette: Montana Faces An Emergency Blood Shortage, 1,000 More Donations Needed Per Week
A nationwide blood shortage is being felt locally as Montana’s primary blood supplier is calling for 1,000 more donations per week to ease the effects. Nationally, 10,000 more donations are needed each week, according to the American Red Cross, which is seeing post-summer donations drop to its lowest levels in six years. Donations and drives at Montana blood supplier Vitalant have been declining over the last few weeks as COVID-19 precautions force cancellation of blood drives. Donations normally dip in the summer as vacation season takes off and school is out of session. Fall blood drives on high school and college campuses usually replenish blood banks and provide about 20 to 25% of blood supplies. (Schabacker, 10/12)

Houston Chronicle: Prompted By Abbott Primary Challenger, Texas Agency Removed Webpage With Suicide Hotline, Other Resources For LGBTQ Youth
In late August, one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s primary challengers, Don Huffines, accused Texas’ child welfare agency of “promoting transgender sexual policies to Texas youth” under a section of its website titled “Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation.” “These are not Texas values, these are not Republican Party values, but these are obviously Greg Abbott’s values,” Huffines said in a widely circulated video on Twitter. The webpage published by the Department of Family and Protective Services linked to a suicide prevention hotline and other resources “dedicated to helping empower and celebrate” young LGBTQ people. (Scherer, 10/12)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eau Claire Shuts Down Half Its Wells For PFAS Contamination
Eau Claire has shut down half its 16 drinking water wells after "forever chemicals" were found to be migrating into new wells. Lane Berg, Eau Claire's utilities manager, said the migration was found after the city shut down four wells in July and weekly testing confirmed the movement. Though half the city's wells are closed, water supply has not been affected at this point. "We're able to provide the necessary water for the city," Berg said. "There's no bottled water." The city closed down the first of its wells due to PFAS contamination after testing found levels of the chemicals higher than the recommended level of 20 parts per trillion by the state Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Health Services. The wells with elevated levels showed results ranging from 21 to 70 parts per trillion.(Schulte, 10/12)

Fox News: UNC Chapel Hill Cancels Classes Amid Suicide Fears, Mental Health Crisis
The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill announced that Tuesday classes would be canceled for its 30,000 graduate and undergraduate students after campus police investigated a possible suicide and what they believe was an attempted suicide over the weekend. In a letter to the university, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said that the school was in the middle of a mental health crisis, noting that college-aged students "carry an increased risk of suicide." "This crisis has directly impacted members of our community – especially with the passing of two students on campus in the past month. As chancellor, a professor and a parent, my heart breaks for all those whose suffering goes unnoticed," he wrote. (Musto, 10/12)

CNN: China To Test Thousands Of Wuhan Blood Samples In Covid-19 Probe 
China is preparing to test tens of thousands of blood bank samples from the city of Wuhan as part of a probe into the origins of Covid-19, according to a Chinese official. The move comes amid increasing calls for transparency over the emergence of the virus. The store of up to 200,000 samples, including those from the closing months of 2019 were pinpointed in February this year by the World Health Organization's panel of investigators as a possible source of key information that could help determine when and where the virus first crossed into humans. (Walsh, 10/12)

The New York Times: W.H.O. Will Announce New Team To Study Coronavirus Origins
The position is unpaid. The world’s scientists and internet sleuths will scrutinize every move. Completing the first assignment with the available tools, and to everyone’s satisfaction, will be nearly impossible. Despite those considerable obstacles, more than 700 people have applied for spots on a new committee charged with breathing life into the World Health Organization’s stalled inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. (Mueller, 10/12)

In other global developments —

The Wall Street Journal: Havana Syndrome Hits At Least Five U.S. Families Connected To Embassy In Colombia
At least five American families connected to the bustling U.S. Embassy in Colombia have been afflicted with the mysterious neurological ailment known as Havana Syndrome, in the latest attack against American diplomatic installations, people familiar with the matter said. In emails to embassy personnel, sent by Ambassador Philip Goldberg and others and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the State Department vowed to address the issue “seriously, with objectivity and with sensitivity,” as they work to determine the scope of the afflictions in one of the U.S.’s most important diplomatic outposts. (Salama and Forero, 10/12)

The Hill: Poll: 83 Percent Support Government Negotiating Drug Prices
A large majority of the public favors allowing the government to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, according to a new poll that comes as a legislative battle plays out on the issue. The poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that 83 percent of the public favors allowing the government to negotiate lower drug prices, for people both on Medicare and those in private insurance plans. (Sullivan, 10/12)

Politico: Dems Fear Sinema's Still Not There On A Prescription Drug Plan 
Joe Biden has a problem, and a tight time frame to fix it.The deadline to reach an agreement on the president's social spending package hits in a matter of weeks and Democrats have yet to bridge their differences over one of the most important components: How aggressively to take on drug prices. “There's not 50 votes for anything yet," said Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), a pharmaceutical industry ally who is pitching House and Senate centrists on a narrower plan than the one party leaders were counting on to fund planned expansions of Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare and home health care. (Ollstein and Barron-Lopez, 10/9)

Fierce Healthcare: Startup Aims To Be A 'No-Compromises' PBM, But The Market May Need Convincing
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have long been controversial in U.S. healthcare. Prescription drug spending is one of the fastest-growing in the sector, with rising list prices of drugs being linked to rising rebates from PBMs. The Drug Channels Institute estimates that three major pharmacy benefit managers — Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and OptumRx — control nearly 80% of prescription drug benefit transactions in the U.S. Meanwhile, PBMs profit off of rebates and discounts, failing to pass on an estimated $120 billion back to consumers, according to research from Dr. Robert Goldberg of the Center of Medicine in the Public Interest. (Gliadkovskaya, 10/6)

Undark: When Doctors Are Also Pharmacists
Sometime around 2007 or 2008, Samantha Jefferies came to her brother Trent with a request: Could he help figure out an easier way for doctors to sell prescription drugs to their patients? Typically, when doctors want their patients to take a drug, they write a prescription, and a pharmacist — generally at a local, unaffiliated pharmacy elsewhere in a patient’s community — dispenses the medication. But in the 1980s, a rising number of physicians in the United States began bypassing pharmacies and selling certain drugs directly to their patients. The practice, often called physician dispensing, is largely prohibited in many high-income countries, including Australia and Germany, but it’s currently legal in 45 U.S. states, and the practice appears to be growing. Samantha Jefferies works in health care management in southern California. After reading an article about how this kind of in-office dispensing can generate new revenue for medical practices, she reached out to her brother for his thoughts. (Schulson, 10/11)

Colorado Sun: Rising Drug Prices Hurt Rural, Minority Coloradans Most Of All
Colorado’s two U.S. senators, John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, are in a unique position to hold Big Pharma accountable, and lead the way to reduce prescription drug prices. As a physician who has worked at Clinica Tepeyac, a well-regarded private healthcare facility that provides free or low-cost healthcare to the Latino community in Denver, as well as a number of rural hospitals in Colorado, I see firsthand what the predatory practices of Big Pharma have done in the real world. (Dr. Joseph Ramharack, 10/9)

Statesman Journal: Oregonians Deserve Help From Congress To Preserve Access To Pharmaceuticals
Last week, we learned that Merck’s five-day course of molnupiravir for COVID-19 cut the risk of hospitalization of the clinical trial participants with moderate or mild symptoms in half. The drug costs $17.74 to produce, but Merck is charging the U.S. government, who paid for the drug’s development, $712 for the same amount of medicine, or more than 40 times the price. As we all know, many of us are unable to afford the prescription drugs we need to stay healthy. (Deb Patterson, 10/8)

The Post and Courier: Here's How Policymakers Can Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable
When Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, he made reining in prescription drug prices a core promise of his candidacy. Since then, drug pricing has been at the top of the to-do list for every U.S. president. Nearly 30 years later, Washington still hasn’t answered the question of how to keep prescription drug prices low for people who need them. This is due in part to a fundamental flaw in the marketplace, known as “pay-for-delay.” Pay-for-delay agreements keep prices high by keeping generic drugmakers out of the marketplace. It’s time for Congress and regulators to lower prices, welcome more competition and remove the barriers that protect big drugmakers at the expense of patients. (Lou Kennedy, 10/8)

AZ Mirror: The High Cost Of Prescription Drugs Almost Bankrupted My Family. Will Sinema Help Us?
I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in 2007. At just 42, the rapid onset of my symptoms left me bedridden. Everyday felt like a physical battle and the pain and exhaustion I felt was immeasurable. It took six months of trial and error to find the medication that works for my type of RA. But that one drug costs up to $1,000 a month. This drug helps ease my symptoms and it’s my only hope for relief: I have no choice but to pay the price the pharmaceutical company sets even if it has nearly bankrupted me. (Laurie Wagner, 10/7)

Orlando Sentinel: Rep. Murphy, Please Vote To Lower Prescription Costs
In September, Rep. Stephanie Murphy voted against allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of prescription medications in the Ways and Means Committee, but she still has a chance to do the right thing when the bill comes to the House floor. Giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices will end the broken system that allows Big Pharma to set sky-high prices while people from all walks of life are struggling to afford their medications. (Evelyn Rivera, 10/7)

The Tennessean: Organ Donation Can Bring Meaning To Grieving Families' Darkest Hours
The call can come at any hour on any day, but the message is always the same. A tragedy has occurred — car accident, massive stroke, suicide — and despite heroic efforts, the emergency medical team cannot save a person’s life. After comprehensive testing and evaluation by the hospital staff, the patient is declared brain dead. By this time, we have arrived onsite to help guide their family through end-of-life decisions. (Wes Patten, 10/12)

Stat: Apply HIPAA To Help Facebook Transform Mental Health For Good 
Facebook and other social media companies have accurate information about the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of millions of individuals. What these companies know is often more than what user’s therapists know. If therapists and other health care professionals must guard what they know about a patient’s mental health as protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Facebook and other social media companies should, too. (Param Kulkarni, 10/13)

Modern Healthcare: Leadership Course Corrections: We Need To Listen, Learn And Be Humble 
As a leader, sometimes you want an opportunity for a do-over. Recently, I sought to reverse a decision I made in 2017 when we removed non-diet sodas from Intermountain Healthcare facilities. Intermountain implemented changes to its eating environments including replacing sugar-sweetened soda in cafeterias, cafés, vending and staff lounges. One of the initial aims in getting rid of non-diet soda was to encourage a dialogue about the role of organizations in promoting healthy behaviors, and that is what happened. But it also spawned an underground economy in our facilities for those wanting sugar-sweetened soda, with local vendors offering to deliver it to our hospitals and clinics. Any many of our caregivers took full advantage of that offering. (Dr. Marc Harrison, 10/12)

Los Angeles Daily News: Put The Brakes On Deeply Flawed Medi-Cal Rx Rollout 
In just three months, a change is coming in California that could negatively impact the health of more than a third of the state’s residents – the 14 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries. On January 1, 2022, all Medi-Cal pharmacy benefits will transition away from health plans into a fee-for-service model implemented by a private, for-profit company. (John Baackes and Jarrod McNaughton, 10/11)

Stat: Public Health Needs Fewer Medical Doctors And More DrPHs 
The Covid-19 lockdown began in Massachusetts the week I submitted my dissertation to become a doctor of public health (DrPH). When I had gone back to school in Boston three years before, after working as a policy analyst at the National Institutes of Health, I could never have imagined graduating during a health crisis like this. I had studied pandemics, of course, but only as history lessons. Suddenly I — like everyone around the globe — was living through one. (Eric Coles, 10/13)

The New York Times: On Masks And Covid, I Found Common Sense In Germany 
You see it everywhere here in Germany, day in and day out: People taking the subway or bus or train put masks on as they prepare to board. And when they arrive at their stop or station and disembark, nearly all of them take the mask off, almost in unison. For someone who arrived here after spending the first year and a quarter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, it is a remarkable sight: a communal, matter-of-fact approach to mitigation, turning what has become such an intensely charged symbol for Americans into a mere practicality. (Alex MacGillis, 10/12)

USA Today: Patients Afraid Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Are Running Out Of Reasons
A man recently brought his elderly mother to my hospital – she was very ill with sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection. It took significant effort to save her life, involving ventilators, large IVs in the neck and extended rounds of powerful antibiotics. Her son told us she had been suffering with a bad urinary tract infection for a week before coming. It was easily treatable at that point, but because he waited, it spread to the blood. He said he was afraid to bring her into the hospital earlier, because he feared we would force the COVID-19 vaccination on her. (Dr. Thomas K. Lew, 10/13)

Dallas Morning News: Your Personal Feelings About The COVID Vaccine Do Not Constitute A Religious Exemption
If the goal of policymakers was to warm the public to the COVID vaccines, it is hard to imagine a worse strategy than insulting the vaccine-resistant population while forcing mandates onto their employers. I know a lot of people who have made the journey from outright resistance to hesitancy to ambivalence to grudgingly (or not so grudgingly) getting the shot. I am always glad to share my own vaccinated status as a persuasive factor, free of side effects and replete with maskless benefits. I have also had plenty of conversations with those who show no intent of making that journey. (Mark Davis, 10/13)

Los Angeles Times: A Gaping Hole In Newsom California School Vaccine 'Mandate'
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s supposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students and staff in California public schools had some obvious holes from the start. And the gap between “mandate” and “do what you want” grows wider with time, to the extent that it’s unclear the new requirement will accomplish anything. To begin with, under Newsom’s mandate students would not be required to get a shot until the school term after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to a vaccine for their age group. Yet kids 16 and older have that approval now for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; why not begin the process for them at this moment? It makes little sense to wait. Put parents on notice now that the mandates will be coming as soon full FDA approval is in place. (10/12)

The Washington Post: Oral Covid Treatment Would Be Big Progress. But Vaccines Remain Key
On the road to normalcy, the world must assemble a mixed toolbox for combating the pandemic. The most powerful instruments are the vaccines that protect against infection. But others include therapies that can tamp down sickness and save lives. The application for an emergency-use authorization for a new oral antiviral drug is a welcome sign that these additional tools are coming. (10/12)