Tag: March

KHN:
Struggling To Survive, The First Rural Hospitals Line Up For New Federal Lifeline 

Just off the historic U.S. Route 66 in eastern New Mexico, a 10-bed hospital has for decades provided emergency care for a steady flow of people injured in car crashes and ranching accidents. It also has served as a close-to-home option for the occasional overnight patient, usually older residents with pneumonia or heart trouble. It’s the only hospital for the more than 4,500 people living on a swath of 3,000 square miles of high plains and lakes east of Albuquerque. (Tribble, 3/6)

KHN:
Despite Pharma Claims, Illicit Drug Shipments To US Aren’t Full Of Opioids. It’s Generic Viagra.

For years, the FDA has defended its efforts to intercept prescription drugs coming from abroad by mail as necessary to keep out dangerous opioids, including fentanyl. The pharmaceutical industry frequently cites such concerns in its battle to stymie numerous proposals in Washington to allow Americans to buy drugs from Canada and other countries where prices are almost always much lower. (Galewitz, 3/6)

KHN:
Virtual Or In Person: Which Kind Of Doctor’s Visit Is Better, And When It Matters 

When the covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020 and emptied doctors’ offices nationwide, telemedicine was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Patients and their physicians turned to virtual visits by video or phone rather than risk meeting face-to-face. During the early months of the pandemic, telehealth visits for care exploded. (Andrews, 3/6)

KHN:
Journalists Discuss Insulin Prices, Gun Violence, Distracted Driving, And More 

Midwest KHN correspondent Bram Sable-Smith discussed the Eli Lilly news on insulin prices on “PBS NewsHour” and insulin prices on Slate’s “What Next” on March 1. … KHN contributor Andy Miller discussed Georgia’s legislative wrap-up including Medicaid work requirements on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Lawmakers” on Feb. 28. He also discussed health care for foster children on WUGA’s “The Georgia Health Report” on Feb. 3. (3/4)

The Washington Post:
Diabetes And Obesity Rising In Young Americans, Study Finds

Diabetes and obesity are rising among young adults in the United States, an alarming development that puts them at higher risk for heart disease, according to a study of 13,000 people between 20 and 44 years old. The authors of the study, published Sunday in a major medical journal, warn the trends could have major public health implications: a rising generation dying prematurely of heart attacks, strokes and other complications. And Black and Hispanic people, particularly Mexican Americans, would bear the brunt. (Nirappil, 3/5)

NPR:
Diabetes And Obesity Are On The Rise In Young Adults, A Study Says

The prevalence of diabetes climbed from 3{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to 4.1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}; obesity shot up from 32.7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to 40.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, based on the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Sunday, which uses data from 2009 to 2020. (Bowman, 3/6)

Stat:
The Obesity Revolution: New Weight Loss Drugs Change The Narrative

A two-part message is permeating the halls of medicine and the fabric of society, sliding into medical school lectures, pediatricians’ offices, happy hours and social feeds: Obesity is a chronic biological disease — and it’s treatable with a new class of medications. (Chen and Herper, 3/5)

ABC News:
Eating Disorder Experts Are Worried About Ozempic

The popularity around weight loss drugs like Ozempic is worrying eating disorder experts, who say the conversation risks making recovery harder and could put others at risk of developing disorders. “My fear is that there is now a belief that anyone can and should achieve a certain body shape and size with the help of these medications, so there’s going to be an even greater drive towards a certain body type,” said Tracy Richmond, director of the eating disorder program at Boston Children’s Hospital. (Wetsman, 3/6)

AP:
Can’t Take Statins? New Pill Cuts Cholesterol, Heart Attacks 

In a major study, a different kind of cholesterol-lowering drug named Nexletol reduced the risk of heart attacks and some other cardiovascular problems in people who can’t tolerate statins, researchers reported Saturday. Doctors already prescribe the drug, known chemically as bempedoic acid, to be used together with a statin to help certain high-risk patients further lower their cholesterol. The new study tested Nexletol without the statin combination — and offers the first evidence that it also reduces the risk of cholesterol-caused health problems. (Neergaard, 3/4)

USA Today:
Is There An Alternative To Statins For High Cholesterol? Bempedoic Acid Just Passed A Key Test

More than a quarter of Americans over 40 take medications to lower their cholesterol, most of them statins. But not everyone can tolerate statins or wants to. Now a new study confirms that bempedoic acid, approved in 2020, not only lowers cholesterol, but also reduces the risk for heart attack and stroke. (Weintraub, 3/4)

Stat:
After Its Drug Was Shown To Prevent Heart Attacks, What’s Next For Esperion?

On Saturday a new study showed that Nexletol, the cholesterol-lowering medicine made by Esperion Therapeutics, prevented heart attacks among people who cannot or will not take potent cholesterol-lowering statins. The question now is whether those benefits are going to be enough to make sales of Nexletol take off. They have been basically dead in the water since the oral medicine was approved three years ago. (Herper, 3/6)

CNN:
‘Keto-Like’ Diet May Be Associated With Heart Disease, According To New Research

A low-carb, high-fat “keto-like” diet may be linked to higher levels of “bad” cholesterol and double the risk of cardiovascular events such as blocked arteries, heart attacks and strokes, according to new research. “Our study found that regular consumption of a self-reported diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat was associated with increased levels of LDL cholesterol – or “bad” cholesterol – and a higher risk of heart disease,” lead study author Dr. Iulia Iatan with the Healthy Heart Program Prevention Clinic, St. Paul’s Hospital and University of British Columbia’s Centre for Heart Lung Innovation in Vancouver, Canada, said in a news release. (Hassan and LaMotte, 3/6)

The New York Times:
New Treatment Could Help Fix The Heart’s ‘Forgotten Valve’ 

For the first time, patients with damaged tricuspid valves in their hearts might have a safe treatment that actually helps. More than 1 million mostly older Americans have seriously leaking tricuspids, a valve on the right side of the heart that lets deoxygenated blood flow between the right atrium and the right ventricle. When the valve leaks, blood flows backward. As a result, fluid accumulates in vital organs while legs and feet get swollen. The eventual outcome is heart failure. (Kolata, 3/4)

The New York Times:
Lesion Removed During Biden’s Physical Was Cancerous 

President Biden had a cancerous lesion removed from his chest during his physical last month, the president’s doctor said Friday. The existence of the lesion was included in the summary of Mr. Biden’s physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in mid-February. On Friday, Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor, the president’s longtime physician, said a biopsy confirmed that it was basal cell carcinoma, a common and relatively unaggressive form of skin cancer. (Rogers, 3/3)

Stat:
What Is Basal Cell Carcinoma, The Skin Cancer Biden Just Had 

Just over two weeks ago, President Biden had skin cancer, but today, he doesn’t. According to a White House physician’s memo on Friday, doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center removed a lesion off his chest on Feb. 16, treated the area around the tumor site, and that was that. The president’s cancer might be cause for more concern were it not for the type: basal cell carcinoma. (Chen and Cohrs, 3/3)

The Hill:
Ronny Jackson Jabs Biden Over Cancerous Lesion Removal 

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who was a White House doctor during the Obama and Trump administrations, jabbed President Biden on Sunday when asked about his cancerous lesion removal earlier this week. (Sforza, 3/5)

Los Angeles Times:
California To End Mask, Vaccine Rules For Healthcare Workers

With the COVID-19 state of emergency a thing of the past, California health officials on Friday unveiled plans to relax guidance on masking in high-risk settings and to end vaccination requirements for healthcare workers. (Money, 3/3)

AP:
Washington, Oregon To End Health Care Settings Mask Mandate

Washington and Oregon will soon drop mask requirements in health care settings, state health officials said Friday, moving to lift the last major masking requirements meant to curb the spread of COVID-19. Mandates in both states will end on April 3, meaning health care workers, patients and visitors will no longer be required to wear a mask in facilities including hospitals, urgent care centers and dental and doctors’ offices. Washington’s mask requirements in correctional facilities will also end April 3. (3/3)

The Boston Globe:
Five People Are Dead At A South Yarmouth Nursing Home After A COVID-19 Outbreak

Five residents of a South Yarmouth nursing home died in recent days following an outbreak of COVID-19, which also caused more than 90 additional cases among residents and staff. The state Department of Public Health has ordered Pittsfield-based Integritus Healthcare, which operates Windsor Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in South Yarmouth, to cease admissions of new residents while officials respond to the outbreak. (Hilliard, 3/4)

CIDRAP:
Cardiovascular Risks Of Long COVID Persist For At Least 1 Year, Study Suggests 

One year after COVID-19 infection, US adults with lingering symptoms were at elevated risk for cardiovascular conditions such as ischemic stroke and blood clots in the lungs, according to a nationwide study published today in JAMA Health Forum. (Van Beusekom, 3/3)

San Francisco Chronicle:
All Pandemic Origin Theories Remain Viable, Says WHO

Officials from the World Health Organization on Friday said that all COVID-19 origin theories remain viable despite recent U.S. reports promoting the idea that the deadly virus originated in a lab in Wuhan, China. “If any country has information about the origins of the pandemic, it is essential for that information to be shared with WHO and the international scientific community,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press briefing. (Vaziri, 3/3)

AP:
Utah Governor Says He Plans To Sign Abortion Clinic Ban 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday that he plans to sign a measure that would effectively ban abortion clinics from operating in the state, meaning hospitals will soon be the only places where they can be provided in the state. After passing through the state Senate on Thursday with minor amendments, it returned to the Utah House of Representatives Friday morning, where it was approved and then sent to the governor for final approval. The move comes less than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, returning the power to regulate abortions to states. (Metz, 3/4)

AP:
The Implications Of Walgreens’ Decision On Abortion Pills 

Rite Aid Corp. said it was “monitoring the latest federal, state, legal and regulatory developments” and would keep evaluating its policies. The Associated Press also sought comment from CVS Health Corp., retail giant Walmart and the grocery chain Kroger. Some independent pharmacists would like to become certified to dispense the pills, said Andrea Pivarunas, a spokeswoman for the National Community Pharmacists Association. She added that this would be a “personal business decision,” based partly on state laws. The association has no specifics on how many will do it. (Murphy, 3/3)

The Boston Globe:
House Approves $1 Million Public Education Campaign On The Dangers Of Crisis Pregnancy Centers

The Massachusetts Legislature is trying, once again, to create a state-funded public education campaign about crisis pregnancy centers, antiabortion facilities accused of posing as reproductive health care clinics. Former governor Charlie Baker vetoed an identical proposal last November. (Mohammed, 3/5)

The Wall Street Journal:
Judith Heumann, Disability-Rights Activist, Dies At 75

Judith Heumann, a renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of people with disabilities, has died. She was 75 years old. Ms. Heumann died Saturday in Washington, D.C., according to a statement from her family. Over decades of activism, Ms. Heumann played a role in developing national disability-rights legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. She was also involved in the passage of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. (Otis, 3/5)  

The Hill:
Biden Remembers Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann As ‘Rolling Warrior’

President Biden on Sunday remembered disability rights activist Judith Heumann, who passed away on Saturday at 75, as a “trailblazer” and a “rolling warrior.” … “Judy Heumann was a trailblazer – a rolling warrior – for disability rights in America. After her school principal said she couldn’t enter Kindergarten because she was using a wheelchair, Judy dedicated the rest of her life to fighting for the inherent dignity of people with disabilities,” Biden said in a statement. (Sforza, 3/5)

AP:
Another Mississippi Hospital Will Stop Delivering Babies

A hospital on the Mississippi Gulf Coast will suspend labor and delivery services April 1 because of a shortage of obstetricians, further decreasing health care access in a state that has seen other hospitals shut down birthing centers or intensive care for newborn babies. Singing River Gulfport said in its announcement Thursday that hospital leaders hope the suspension of services will be temporary, WXXV-TV reported. (3/3)

Stat:
Novant Hospital Merger In North Carolina Raises Antitrust Concerns

Hospital systems are turning to cross-market mergers to satiate their thirst for growth and avoid antitrust heat. But hospitals are also still signing other lower-profile deals, which experts believe inevitably lead to higher insurance premiums and create more medical bill stress for people in those communities. “Smaller mergers just don’t get the attention they deserve because they affect fewer people,” said Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University who studies hospital consolidation. (Herman, 3/6)

Modern Healthcare:
4 Takeaways From Health Systems’ 2022 Earnings Reports

Labor shortages, rising expenses and poor performance in the financial markets led to a money-losing year many in the industry would like to forget. “When you look back at 2022, for a sizable portion for the sector, it’s going to go down again as really one of, if not the worst, operating income years ever,” said Kevin Holloran, senior director at Fitch Ratings. “Some people got better as the year went on … but not everybody.” (Hudson, 3/3) 

AP:
Nevada Crash Is 3rd Fatal One Tied To Air Medical Service 

The company that owns the medical transport aircraft that crashed in northern Nevada last week, killing all five people aboard, has been tied to two other fatal crashes in the last four years. A review of records shows that with the latest crash, 11 people total have now died on planes owned and operated by Guardian Flight, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported Friday. The company is also now facing its fourth National Transportation Safety Board probe since 2018, said Bruce Landsberg, NTSB vice chairman. (3/3)

Stat:
Eli Lilly Will Avoid Big Medicaid Rebates After It Cut Insulin Prices

Eli Lilly would’ve had to pay Medicaid about $150 for each vial of insulin used in the program if it hadn’t dramatically cut the list prices for some of its older products this week. The company was about to run into a Medicaid penalty for hiking the price of its drugs faster than the rate of inflation. Now that it plans to lower the list price of the insulin Humalog 70{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, it won’t trigger that penalty. Lilly also is lowering the price of Lispro, a biosimilar of Humalog, to $25 a vial. (Wilkerson, 3/6)

Stat:
MRNA Vaccine For HPV-Associated Cancers Shows Promise In Mice

The HPV vaccine is a slam dunk in preventing the vast majority of cancers related to the infection — namely tumors of the head and neck, anus, penis, vagina, and cervix. But that’s only for people who got shots early enough to prevent HPV infection. Everyone else must hope for other vaccines that scientists are developing to treat existing HPV-associated cancer. A new study on that front offers some promising, if early, results in mice. (Chen, 3/3)

The Colorado Sun:
Colorado Psychologists Eligible To Prescribe Medications Under New Law

Psychologists in Colorado will be allowed to write prescriptions if they’re willing to obtain an additional two-year degree, under a new law signed Friday by Gov. Jared Polis. The measure is intended to increase access to mental health care in Colorado, which has a severe shortage of mental health professionals. Psychiatrists, who are medical doctors, fought the legislation. (Brown, 3/3)

The Washington Post:
Florida Bills Would Ban Gender Studies, Limit Trans Pronouns, Erode Tenure 

Florida legislators have proposed a spate of new laws that would reshape K-12 and higher education in the state, from requiring teachers to use pronouns matching children’s sex as assigned at birth to establishing a universal school choice voucher program. The half-dozen bills, filed by a cast of GOP state representatives and senators, come shortly before the launch of Florida’s legislative session Tuesday. Other proposals in the mix include eliminating college majors in gender studies, nixing diversity efforts at universities and job protections for tenured faculty, strengthening parents’ ability to veto K-12 class materials and extending a ban on teaching about gender and sexuality — from third grade up to eighth grade. (Natanson, Rozsa and Svrluga, 3/5)

The Washington Post:
In Calif. Speech That Draws Protests, DeSantis Stokes Fight Over Pandemic 

As he moves toward entering the 2024 presidential race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a pilgrimage to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Sunday, where the Republican accused leaders in blue states such as California of being “lockdown politicians” and charged that the nation’s coronavirus crisis created “a great test in governing philosophies.” (Reston, 3/5)

AP:
How Common Is Transgender Treatment Regret, Detransitioning? 

In updated treatment guidelines issued last year, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health said evidence of later regret is scant, but that patients should be told about the possibility during psychological counseling. Dutch research from several years ago found no evidence of regret in transgender adults who had comprehensive psychological evaluations in childhood before undergoing puberty blockers and hormone treatment. (Tanner, 3/5)

AP:
Legionnaires’ Disease Found In 2 Past Las Vegas Hotel Guests

Las Vegas area health officials say Legionnaires’ disease was found in two people who stayed at the same hotel in recent months. The Southern Nevada Health District announced Friday it is looking into two cases reported in guests who stayed at The Orleans Hotel & Casino a few miles west of the Strip. One guest visited there in January. The other in December. The hotel is informing current and past guests going back to Dec. 16 of possible exposure. (3/3)

NBC News:
Norovirus Is Spiking: Symptoms To Watch For And How To Prevent It

Norovirus appears to be at a 12-month high, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of norovirus tests coming back positive, averaged over three weeks, was around 17{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} as of the end of last week. That’s the highest it has been at any time in the last year. (Varinsky and Ede-Osifo, 3/9)

AP:
Officials: Person Dies After Brain-Eating Amoeba Infection

A person in southwest Florida has died after being infected with an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba, health officials said. The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County confirmed the death Thursday. The agency had previously issued an alert last month, warning residents about the Naegleria fowleri infection. (3/3)

Fox News:
Florida Residents Warned About Tap Water After Man Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba

Nearly a quarter million Floridians are being warned to avoid washing their face with tap water after a man died from a brain-eating amoeba in February. The advice, which applies to the nearly 200,000 residents of Charlotte County, comes after a county resident died on February 20. (Vacchiano, 3/3)

Connecticut Public:
Warming Northeast Winters Benefit Deer Ticks, Raising Health Concerns

Every year, deer ticks bite thousands of people in the Northeast. And as winters in the region become more mild, adult deer ticks are becoming more active at a time when they’re normally dormant — causing a bigger public health risk. “It’s becoming a year-round, check-yourself-for-ticks situation,” said Dr. Toni Lyn Morelli with the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. (Savitt, 3/4)

USA Today:
Cronobacter Sakazakii Infections Can Be Deadly For Babies, CDC Warns

Following an infant death linked to a contaminated breast pump last year, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are continuing to warn parents about rare infections caused by Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria. In a report published on Friday, the CDC notes that C. sakazakii infections can cause severe illness and death in newborns. (Grantham-Philips, 3/3)

The Washington Post:
Regular Laxative Use Correlated With Higher Dementia Risk In U.K. Study 

Regular laxative use may be correlated with dementia, according to research published in the journal Neurology in February. The study looked at a cohort of 502,229 British adults participating in UK Biobank, a long-term initiative that gathered extensive genetic and health information from 40- to 69-year-olds in England, Wales and Scotland between 2006 and 2010. The participants had no history of dementia. Researchers compared those who reported no regular laxative use with those who said they used laxatives most days of the week for the past four weeks in surveys. (Blakemore, 3/4)

CBS News:
FDA Warns Of False Negative Results For Food Allergies After Skin Test Recall

All skin tests doctors commonly use to check for food allergies can provide false negative results, the Food and Drug Administration has concluded — meaning people with potentially life-threatening allergies could mistakenly be told they are not at risk. The tests will now be required to include a warning urging doctors to consider double-checking the test with more accurate approaches. (Tin, 3/3)

The Washington Post:
FDA Is Redefining ‘Healthy,’ And The Food Industry Is Pushing Back 

The Consumer Brands Association, which represents 1,700 major food companies from General Mills to Pepsi, wrote a 54-page comment to the FDA in which it stated the proposed rule was overly restrictive and would result in a framework that would automatically disqualify a vast majority of packaged foods. (Reiley, 3/5)

CIDRAP:
CDC Warns Of Risk To Travelers From Chikungunya Outbreak In Paraguay

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to clinicians and public health officials warning that US travelers could be affected by a growing chikungunya outbreak in Paraguay. Since the chikungunya outbreak began in October 2022, the Ministry of Health in Paraguay has reported 71,748 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne alphavirus, with 29,362 of those cases being probable or confirmed. Most cases have been reported in the capital district of Asuncion and the neighboring Central department. Further increases in case counts are expected. (Dall, 3/3)

KHN:
Biden Promises To Fight GOP On ‘Gutting’ Medicaid. Budget Talks Seem Like Another Story. 

Most lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats alike — have declared the marquee safety-net programs of Medicare and Social Security off-limits for cuts as a divided Washington heads for a showdown over the national debt and government spending. Health programs for lower-income Americans, though, have gotten no such bipartisan assurances. More than 20 million people gained Medicaid coverage in the past three years after Congress expanded access to the entitlement program during the covid-19 pandemic, swelling Medicaid’s population by about 30{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}. But enrollment will fall starting in April, when the pandemic-era changes end and states begin cutting coverage for Americans who are no longer eligible. (McAuliff, 3/1)

KHN:
Idaho Dropped Thousands From Medicaid In The Pandemic’s First Years

During the first two years of the covid-19 pandemic, while the federal government was trying to prevent people on Medicaid from losing health coverage, Idaho dropped nearly 10,000 people from the safety-net program. Federal law generally banned states from dropping people, and federal officials said Idaho acted improperly. Idaho officials, however, said they didn’t think they did anything wrong. (Pradhan, 3/1)

KHN:
Listen To The Latest ‘KHN Health Minute’

On this week’s KHN Health Minute, hear about how Twitter users are shaping insulin policy and how covid vaccines may protect your heart. (2/28)

The New York Times:
Low-Income Families Brace For End Of Extra Food Stamp Benefits

Tens of millions of low-income families are set to lose additional food stamp benefits on Wednesday after the expiration of a pandemic-era policy that had increased the amount they received, leaving food banks bracing for a surge in demand and some advocates predicting a rise in hunger nationwide. For nearly three years of the pandemic, emergency legislation enacted by Congress sought to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus, allowing all participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to receive the maximum monthly benefit, regardless of income. The extra cash, along with other economic assistance programs, helped keep food insecurity at bay and cut poverty rates to a record low. (Qiu, 2/28)

USA Today:
Extra SNAP Benefits Are Ending. Here’s What You Can Do To Offset The Loss

Check your eligibility. Surprisingly, about 8 million Americans are eligible for some SNAP benefits but may not even know, said Zareena Meyn, executive director at mRelief, a nonprofit with a free platform where people can enter basic information to see if they qualify for SNAP and if so, sign up. (Lee, 2/28)

The Hill:
SNAP Cuts Could Lead To ‘Hunger Cliff,’ Experts Fear 

Navigating a post-COVID America on pre-COVID-level SNAP benefits might be more of a struggle for others, like the elderly and the chronically ill. Especially now that inflation has caused food prices to balloon by nearly 10 percent since last year, according to the Department of Agriculture. Anti-hunger advocates fear the newly reduced SNAP benefits will drive millions of people to a “hunger cliff” and deeper into poverty as they search for ways to pay for food. (O’Connell-Domenech, 2/28)

Stateline:
States Strive To Help SNAP Recipients Cope With Lower Benefits

States, community groups and food banks are scrambling to help families cope and gear up for an expected wave of food hardship. “People are scared. They’re anxious. This is a devastating change,” Karla Maraccini, director of the Food and Energy Assistance Division of the Colorado Department of Human Services, told Stateline. “We want to make sure nobody is caught off guard in March.” (Mercer, 2/28)

AP:
Biden Warns Of ‘MAGA’ Republicans’ Desire To Cut Spending 

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said GOP lawmakers could put millions of people’s health care at risk, honing his message ahead of the release of his budget plan next week as Republicans push for him to negotiate over spending levels. The Democratic president spoke at a recreation center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His remarks were part of a broader effort this week to contrast his administration’s priorities with those of Republicans who have yet to spell out their budget cuts. Using past proposals, Biden said the GOP could try to slash Medicaid and Obamacare benefits, as well as Social Security and Medicare. “What are they going to cut? That’s the big question,” Biden said Tuesday. “For millions of Americans, health care hangs in the balance.” (Long and Boak, 3/1)

CBS News:
FDA Acts To Restrict Illicit Import Of Xylazine, Animal Tranquilizer Linked To Overdose Deaths

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that it was taking action to restrict unlawful importing of the veterinary drug xylazine, which has been “increasingly found” in the nation’s illicit drug supply. (Breen, 2/28)

The Washington Post:
FDA To Restrict Imports Of An Animal Sedative, Xylazine, Tied To Overdoses 

The drug, known as “tranq” on the street, has alarmed public health experts, law enforcement officers and lawmakers already struggling to control an opioid crisis that is killing thousands each month. In recent years, the impact of xylazine has been particularly acute in Philadelphia, where the drug has been discovered in an overwhelming number of street opioid samples and as of 2019, in 31 percent of all victims of unintentional fatal overdoses in which fentanyl or heroin were detected. (Ovalle, 2/28)

AP:
FDA Panel Narrowly Backs Pfizer RSV Vaccine For Older Adults

Federal health advisers on Tuesday narrowly backed an experimental vaccine from Pfizer that could soon become the first shot to protect older adults against the respiratory illness known as RSV. The Food and Drug Administration panel voted 7-4 on two separate questions of whether Pfizer’s data showed the vaccine was safe and effective against the respiratory virus for people 60 and older. One panelist abstained from voting. The recommendation is non-binding and the FDA will make its own decision on the vaccine in the coming months. (Perrone, 2/28)

Bloomberg:
Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine Wins US Panel’s Backing For Safety In Older People

As it did with its messenger RNA Covid-19 vaccine, Pfizer gained the coveted spot of being first to pass a key barrier to the US market for a lung illness that affects thousand of people each year. Pfizer has been vying with the UK’s GSK Plc over what is estimated to become a $10 billion RSV market. GSK will face its own advisory committee hearing on Wednesday for what infectious disease specialists call the last big respiratory virus without a vaccine. (Cattan, 2/28)

Reuters:
Pfizer Gets FDA Panel’s Backing In RSV Vaccine Race

GSK, which is another forerunner in a crowded race to develop the first RSV vaccine, will face scrutiny from a panel of experts to the FDA on Wednesday. Companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Inc and Merck are also looming on the horizon. (Mandowara and Esunny, 2/28)

Reuters:
Novavax Raises Doubts About Ability To Remain In Business, Shares Fall 

COVID-19 vaccine maker Novavax Inc on Tuesday raised doubts about its ability to remain in business and announced plans to slash spending as it works to prepare for a fall vaccination campaign, and its shares plunged more than 25{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}. The company said there is significant uncertainty around its 2023 revenue, funding from the U.S. government, and pending arbitration with global vaccine alliance Gavi. But its cash flow forecast indicates it has sufficient capital to fund operations over the next year. (Erman, 2/28)

AP:
Troops Who Refused COVID Vaccine Still May Face Discipline

The military services are still reviewing possible discipline of troops who refused the order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, defense officials told Congress on Tuesday, and they provided few details on how many of those who were forced out of the military would like to return. Lawmakers expressed frustration with the news, questioning why service members should still face discipline since the vaccine requirement had been rescinded. (Baldor, 2/28)

Billings Gazette:
Bill To Prevent MRNA Vaccine Recipients From Donating Blood Is Killed

The House Human Services committee has killed a bill that would have made it illegal to donate blood or tissue if the donor had received any mRNA vaccines or treatments. The bill called for perpetrators who knowingly collect and distribute blood or tissue “containing gene-altering proteins” or other “isolates introduced by mRNA or DNA vaccines” or chemotherapies, to face a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine up to $500. (Schabacker, 2/28)

CIDRAP:
81{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} Of Toilet Samples From US-Bound Planes Had Omicron RNA 

Two new studies from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlight new findings about air travel amid COVID-19, with one showing that 81{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of wastewater samples from airplane restrooms had SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant genetic material in fall 2022, and the other suggesting that predeparture testing of international travelers was tied to a 52{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} lower positivity rate at arrival in the United States. (Van Beusekom, 2/28)

Stat:
Covid Monitoring Gave Essential Workers Little Data To Protect Health

At the peak of the pandemic, essential workers faced rampant tech-based surveillance, from overhead infrared thermometers to wearables that tracked their proximity to one another. These technologies forced employees to adjust the way they worked and sometimes made their workplaces less safe. They also didn’t offer workers clear and accurate information that would help them protect their health, according to a new report by the nonprofit Data & Society. (Castillo, 3/1)

CIDRAP:
COVID-Related Brain Changes May Lead To Long-Term Fatigue

Structural changes in the brain may explain the persistent fatigue and neuropsychiatric complications associated with long COVID, finds an observational study published yesterday in eClinicalMedicine. (Van Beusekom, 2/28)

The Wall Street Journal:
FBI Director Says Covid Pandemic Likely Caused By Chinese Lab Leak 

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that the Covid pandemic was probably the result of a laboratory leak in China, providing the first public confirmation of the bureau’s classified judgment of how the virus that led to the deaths of nearly seven million people worldwide first emerged. “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” Mr. Wray told Fox News. “Here you are talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab.”  (Gordon and Strobel, 2/28)

Politico:
GOP Divided On How To Respond To ‘Lab Leak’ Report 

Congressional Republicans are anxious to use new Covid-19 lab leak reports to lash out at the ruling Chinese Communist Party and paint President Joe Biden’s administration as soft on Beijing. But they have reached little consensus on how exactly to do that. (Ollstein and Bade, 2/28)

The Hill:
Birx: US Not Doing Enough To Prevent Another Pandemic Like COVID

Deborah Birx, a physician who served as former President Trump’s coronavirus response coordinator, said on Tuesday that the U.S. isn’t doing enough to prevent another pandemic like COVID-19.“To me, what’s really important as we went through this after SARS, and the World Health Organization’s developed treaties, we spent literally hundreds of millions of dollars on saying we were ready and we would prevent the next pandemic and it happened,” Birx said on “CNN This Morning.” “So let’s be very clear that what we have done today has failed. And I worry that we haven’t put the new things in place that will keep us and protect us from the next pandemic,” she added. (Mueller, 2/28)

CIDRAP:
US Reports New H5N1 Avian Flu Detections In Mammals 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) added 10 more H5N1 avian flu detections in mammals to its running list, which adds reports from four states and includes five different species. Seven of the detections were in Colorado, where the virus was found in three mountain lions, a bobcat, two red fox, and a black bear. Kansas and Oregon both reported detections in striped skunks, and North Carolina reported a detection in a black bear. (Schnirring, 2/28)

Axios:
Lawmakers Warn Biden On Feds Aiding Anti-Abortion Investigations

Democrats in Congress are warning the Biden administration that federal agencies could be indirectly aiding state and local law enforcement investigations that could result in the prosecution of abortion providers and patients. (Gonzalez, 2/28)

AP:
Mississippi Could Renew Initiatives But Ban Them On Abortion

Mississippi residents might get back the ability to enact public policy through statewide ballot initiatives, but people would be banned from using the process to change abortion laws. Republican lawmakers advanced a proposal Tuesday that would strip voters of their ability to launch abortion measures under a revived ballot initiative process. (Goldberg, 3/1)

Des Moines Register:
Why An Iowa Abortion Ban Likely Won’t Pass The Legislature This Year

Twenty House Republicans have introduced a bill that would state that life begins at conception and ban all abortions in Iowa. But legislative leaders say they don’t expect to advance the measure this year as they wait on the outcome of a state Supreme Court case. (Gruber-Miller, 2/28)

NPR:
3 Abortion Bans In Texas Leave Doctors ‘Talking In Code’ To Pregnant Patients

The first amendment of the constitution protects free speech, explains Elizabeth Sepper, professor of law at University of Texas at Austin. “Physicians have independent speech rights, to speak to their patients openly,” she says. “Physicians should not be scared to say the ‘a-word.’” Nevertheless, that seems to be what’s happening. Many doctors in Texas who treat pregnant patients are extremely scared, especially of language in one of the state’s abortion bans that allows people to take civil action against anyone who “aids or abets” abortion. (Simmons-Duffin, 3/1)

Axios:
Post-Roe, Prosecutors Can Seek Unprotected Reproductive Health Data

The increasing criminalization of abortion in the U.S. is exposing major gaps in the legal protection of health information, as more health data ends up in the hands of patients rather than doctors. (Gold and Gonzalez, 3/1)

AP:
Mississippi House Panel OKs Longer Medicaid After Births

A Mississippi House committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would provide women with a full year of Medicaid coverage after giving birth, just days after Republican Gov. Tate Reeves voiced his support for the measure. The bill passed the House Medicaid Committee on a voice vote, with some opposition. (Pettus, 2/28)

Oklahoman:
Oklahoma House Votes To Ban Insurance For Transgender Care

House Republicans approved a bill Tuesday banning insurance coverage for transgender health care, one of many proposals this year seeking to limit gender transition procedures. House Bill 2177 now moves to the state Senate after the House passed the measure with an 80-18 vote. All 18 votes against were by Democratic members. (Felder, 2/28)

AP:
North Carolina Senate Backs Legalizing Pot For Medical Use

The North Carolina Senate voted on Tuesday to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes, giving strong bipartisan support for the second year in a row to an idea that its supporters say would give relief to those with debilitating or life-ending illnesses. … The proposal is almost identical to a bill the Senate passed last June by a similar margin, which then stalled in the House. (Robertson, 2/28)

AP:
West Virginia Senate Enhances Drug Penalties To Felony 

West Virginia’s Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make it a felony to possess fentanyl and some other illegal drugs in the opioid-ravaged state. The bill passed on a 32-1 vote and now goes before the House of Delegates. The regular session ends March 11. (Raby, 2/28)

The Washington Post:
Woman Dies After Begging Knoxville Police For Medical Help, Video Shows

Over the course of at least seven minutes, Lisa Edwards repeatedly asked the Knoxville, Tenn., police officers surrounding her for her inhaler. The 60-year-old was arrested the morning of Feb. 5 on trespassing charges after she refused to leave the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center that Sunday when she was discharged. While officers were trying to take her into custody, she told them, “I can’t breathe,” according to body-camera footage. As Edwards continued her pleas for help that morning, one officer called them “an act.” (Somasundaram, 2/28)

Bank Info Security:
Healthcare Most Hit By Ransomware Last Year, FBI Finds

Healthcare and public health bore the brunt of ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure sectors launched during the last year, says the FBI. The FBI’s Internet Complaint Center last year received 870 complaints that “indicated organizations belonging to a critical infrastructure sector were victims of a ransomware attack,” said David Scott, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, speaking at the Futurescot conference Monday in Glasgow, Scotland. Critical manufacturing and the government, including schools, followed healthcare as the most-attacked sectors, IC3 data shows. (Schwartz, 2/27)

Modern Healthcare:
Mayo Clinic’s 2022 Profits Plummet By More Than 50{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}

Rising wage and supply costs, in addition to poor performance in the financial markets, sent Mayo Clinic’s profit plummeting by more than half in 2022. The Rochester, Minnesota-based nonprofit reported $2.2 billion in net income for 2022, a 58.4{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} drop from $5.3 billion in 2021. Operating income dropped 50.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to $595 million, the system said Monday. (Hudson, 2/28)

Modern Healthcare:
Walmart, CareSource Health Disparities Program Planned

Walmart and the health insurer CareSource have forged a partnership to conduct risk screenings and provide wellness services to customers at select retail locations in Ohio, the companies announced Tuesday. The three-year arrangement will focus on improving outcomes among CareSource’s Medicare, Medicaid and health insurance exchange policyholders who have conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. (Hartnett, 2/28)

USA Today:
Community Health Centers Can Fill America’s Primary Care Gap: Report

Nearly a third of Americans lack access to primary care, according to a new report. More than 100 million people in the United States don’t have a primary care provider, and about a quarter of those are children, according to the report, “Closing the Primary Care Gap,” released Monday by the National Association of Community Health Centers. (Hassanein, 2/28)

CNN:
11 Minutes Of Aerobics Daily Lowers Disease Risk, Study Says

When you can’t fit your entire workout into a busy day, do you think there’s no point in doing anything at all? You should rethink that mindset. Just 11 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic activity per day could lower your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease or premature death, a large new study has found. Aerobic activities include walking, dancing, running, jogging, cycling and swimming. You can gauge the intensity level of an activity by your heart rate and how hard you’re breathing as you move. (Rogers, 2/28)

The Washington Post:
Even Mild Concussions Can Affect Memory And Cognition Years Later 

Experiencing three or more concussions, even mild ones, can lead to cognitive problems decades later, according to research published in the Journal of Neurotrauma. But just one moderate to severe concussion — or traumatic brain injury (TBI), in medical terms — was found to have a long-term impact on brain function, including but not limited to memory issues. (Searing, 2/28)

The Washington Post:
How Does The Brain Age Across The Lifespan? A New Study Offers Clues

An international team of researchers collected brain scan data from multiple studies representing 101,457 brains at all stages of life. The youngest scan in the study came from a 16-week-old fetus; the oldest was from a 100-year-old. Across this large data set, some striking milestones emerged. (Gilbert, 2/28)

WUFT:
A Specialized Ambulance For Stroke Patients Is On The Way At UF Health

Every 40 seconds, someone has a stroke in the U.S. Every three and a half minutes, someone dies from a stroke. Strokes are leading causes of long-term disability. These statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are exactly why officials at UF Health Shands Hospital are forming specialized stroke ambulances. (Barrera and Weinstein, 2/28)

KHN:
‘The Danger Is Still There’ ― As Omicron Lurks, Native Americans Are Wary Of Boosters 

When covid-19 vaccines first became available, Native Americans acted swiftly and with determination to get their shots — as though they had everything to lose. Covid hospitalization and death rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives had skyrocketed past those of non-Hispanic whites. Leveraging established systems like the Indian Health Service and tribal organizations, Native Americans urgently administered vaccines. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed they achieved the highest vaccination rates of any race or ethnicity. (Pradhan, 3/31)

KHN:
Tennessee Offers To Expand Dental Schools As Medicaid Coverage Stretches Need 

More than 600,000 additional Medicaid patients in Tennessee may soon be covered with comprehensive dental benefits under a proposal by Republican Gov. Bill Lee. But the state, one of the last to extend dental coverage to adults, is also trying to make sure those Medicaid enrollees can find dentists willing to treat them. Along with $75 million to extend Medicaid dental benefits to adults, Tennessee is considering $94 million to help its two dental schools expand. About a third of the money would help pay off the student loans of graduates who agree to work in high-need areas, with the idea that they would treat more Medicaid patients. (Farmer, 3/31)

KHN:
Despite Doctors’ Concerns, Pharmacists Get More Leeway To Offer Treatment With Testing

When Reyna or Justin Ansley or one of their three kids feels sick and needs to be tested for strep throat or flu, there’s a good chance they’ll head to their local pharmacy in Hemingford or Alliance, Nebraska. Dave Randolph, the proprietor of both locations of Dave’s Pharmacy, can do a rapid test, give them medicine if they need it, and send them on their way. “I’m a cattle rancher,” said Reyna Ansley, whose family lives about 15 miles outside Hemingford. “You don’t necessarily have the time to drive to the doctor and sit in the waiting room. It’s really quicker through Dave.” (Andrews, 3/31)

KHN:
Pandemic Funding Is Running Out For Community Health Workers 

As a community health worker, 46-year-old Christina Scott is a professional red-tape cutter, hand-holder, shoulder to cry on, and personal safety net, all wrapped into one. She works in an office in the shadow of the steel mill that employed her grandfather in this shrinking city in the Greater St. Louis area. Gone with many of the steel jobs is some of the area’s stability — almost a fifth of Granite City’s residents live in poverty, far higher than the national average. (Weber, 3/31)

CIDRAP:
White House Launches ‘One-Stop’ Website For COVID-19 Needs 

President Joe Biden today announced the launch of covid.gov, a new one-stop shop for finding COVID-19 vaccines, masks, tests, and treatments by county on an easy-to-use website. “We are in a new moment in this pandemic, it does not mean it’s over, it means it no longer controls our lives,” Biden said, before announcing he was getting his second booster dose of vaccine later this afternoon. “Thanks to the foundation we have laid, America has the tools to fight the virus.” (Soucheray, 3/30)

NPR:
A New Federal Website Aims To Solve A Key COVID Problem: Where To Get Antiviral Pills

The search for COVID vaccines, tests and treatments could get easier Wednesday with the White House launch of COVID.gov, a website meant to be a one-stop shop for everything from free high quality masks to antiviral pills. “We could not have done this six or eight months ago because we didn’t have all the tools we have now,” said White House COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients in an interview with NPR. With the website launch, the White House is following through on a promise President Biden made in his State of the Union address. In that speech he announced a test-to-treat program “so people can get tested at a pharmacy, and if they’re positive, receive antiviral pills on the spot at no cost.” (Keith, 3/30)

NBC News:
Many People Eligible For Second Booster Shot Don’t Need To Race, Experts Say

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a second Covid-19 booster shot for people ages 50 and older, but several public health experts said younger, healthier members of that group don’t necessarily need a fourth shot as soon as they become eligible. “This is one of those where I don’t think anyone needs to race,” Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NBC’s “TODAY” show on Wednesday. “This is one of those things where people should think thoughtfully.” (Li, 3/30)

CNBC:
Biden Warns U.S. Won’t Have Enough Covid Vaccine Shots Without Aid From Congress

President Joe Biden warned Wednesday that the U.S. will not have enough Covid vaccine shots this fall to ensure free and easy access for all Americans if Congress fails to pass the $22.5 billion in additional funding the administration has requested. Biden said the U.S. has enough supply to ensure people eligible for fourth shots have access to them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week recommended an additional Pfizer or Moderna dose for people ages 50 and older, as well as certain younger individuals who have compromised immune systems. Biden, 79, received his fourth dose on live television after his remarks. (Kimball, 3/30)

The Hill:
Senators Shrinking Size Of COVID Deal Amid Disagreements

A group of senators negotiating a potential deal for new coronavirus relief is preparing to scale back the overall size of the package amid a disagreement over how to pay for it, sources told The Hill.  The bipartisan group has been negotiating for days over how to revive the $15.6 billion in coronavirus aid that got stripped out of a government funding bill earlier this month, with senators indicating earlier Wednesday that they agreed on the size of a potential deal. (Carney, 3/30)

The Hill:
Senators Trade Offers In Scramble For Coronavirus Deal 

Senators are swapping offers as they scramble to try to get a deal on coronavirus relief before they leave for a two-week break in a matter of days. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) met Wednesday with Sens. Mitt Romney (Utah), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Richard Burr (N.C.) and Roy Blunt (Mo.), who are negotiating for Republicans. He then met for a second time with members of the group and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the chairwoman of the Senate Health Committee, on Wednesday night. (Carney, 3/31)

Politico:
The Next Phase Of Covid Depends On The Senate 

Here’s a scary thought: America’s ability to face the pandemic’s next phase may depend on a handful of senators. The talks between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) entered their most urgent stage yet on Wednesday, as the two spearhead an effort to allocate $15.6 billion to fight the pandemic. The Democratic leader and Republican centrist convened a larger group on Wednesday afternoon to see if there is a real chance at a bipartisan bill before the April 9 congressional recess; the meeting broke without a deal but a vow to keep talking. (Everett and Levine, 3/30)

Politico:
Private Concerns Mount About Biden’s New Covid Czar 

When President Joe Biden tapped Ashish Jha as the new leader of his coronavirus response, he hailed the well-known public health expert as the “perfect person” to steer the nation through the next phase of the pandemic. Not everyone is as convinced as Biden. In the weeks since Jha’s announcement, administration officials’ surprise over the selection has given way to skepticism, with some privately questioning how an academic well known for his television commentary will manage a complex operation that touches every part of the federal bureaucracy. (Cancryn, 3/30)

CNN:
Biden Administration Plans To End Pandemic Border Restrictions In May, Sources Say 

The Biden administration is planning to end Trump-era pandemic restrictions on the US-Mexico border by May 23 that have largely blocked migrants from entering the US, according to three US officials. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is finalizing its assessment of the public health authority, known as Title 42, according to CDC spokeswoman Kathleen Conley, and is expected to announce a decision this week on whether to repeal, modify or extend the authority. The Biden administration has been under mounting pressure from Democrats and immigrant advocates to end the public health authority, which critics say was never justified by science and puts migrants in harm’s way. (Alvarez, Collins, Liptak and Goodman, 3/30)

NPR:
CDC Drops Risk Advisory For Cruise Ship Travel, 2 Years Into The COVID Pandemic

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has lifted its risk advisory for cruise ship travel Wednesday following two years of issuing warnings to travelers about the possibility of contracting COVID-19 onboard a cruise. In an update posted online, the agency removed its “Cruise Ship Travel Health Notice,” a notice that recommended individuals against traveling onboard cruise ships. Three months ago, the CDC increased its travel warnings for cruises to Level 4 — the highest level — following investigations of ships that had COVID outbreaks. While the CDC has lifted its travel health notice, officials say it’s up to the passengers to determine their own health risks before going onboard a cruise ship. (Franklin, 3/30)

The New York Times:
Ivermectin Does Not Reduce Risk Of Covid Hospitalization, Large Study Finds 

The anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, which has surged in popularity as an alternative treatment for Covid-19 despite a lack of strong research to back it up, showed no sign of alleviating the disease, according to results of a large clinical trial published on Wednesday. The study, which compared more than 1,300 people infected with the coronavirus in Brazil who received either ivermectin or a placebo, effectively ruled out the drug as a treatment for Covid, the study’s authors said. “There’s really no sign of any benefit,” said Dr. David Boulware, an infectious-disease expert at the University of Minnesota. (Zimmer, 3/30)

Bloomberg:
Ivermectin Failed To Cut Covid Hospitalizations In Large Study

Scientists in Brazil who followed more than 1,300 patients assigned to take either the drug or a placebo for three days also found that ivermectin treatment didn’t help with a number of other health measures such as viral clearance after a week, speed of recovery or risk of death. The study results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Fourcade, 3/31)

The New York Times:
Covid Vaccines Did Not Protect Adolescents As Effectively During The Omicron Surge 

In yet another twist to the debate over how best to protect children against the coronavirus, researchers reported on Wednesday that Covid vaccines conferred diminished protection against hospitalization among children 12 and older during the latest Omicron surge. Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization held steady in children aged 5 to 11 years, however, and among adolescents ages 12 to 18 years, two doses of the vaccine remained highly protective against critical illness requiring life support. (Mandavilli, 3/30)

Bloomberg:
Omicron More Severe For Unvaccinated Children Than Other Strains

The omicron variant of Covid-19 has been linked to more hospitalizations, severe complications and deaths of young children than previous waves of the virus, suggesting the highly contagious strain may not be as mild as initially thought, according to a Hong Kong-based study. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong and Princess Margaret Hospital reviewed child hospitalizations during different stages of the pandemic. They found that cases were far more severe in the omicron wave that continues to sweep through the city in its worst outbreak of the pandemic. (Lew, 3/31)

Houston Chronicle:
Houston Sees Rise In BA.2, COVID Omicron Subvariant Expected To Become Dominant Here

Houston is seeing an uptick in the number of BA.2 cases, with genome sequencing and wastewater testing picking up higher levels this week compared to last week. The more contagious omicron subvariant was identified in 24 percent of patients who were sequenced at Houston Methodist, a jump from the 1 to 3 percent previously reported. BA.2 was also detected at six wastewater treatment plants on March 21 — the most recent day for which data is available — after the Houston Health Department last week said it had not been detected at any plants. (Gill, 3/30)

Des Moines Register:
COVID-19 Cases Keep Falling In Iowa, But Hospitalizations Rise Over Previous Week

The number of people hospitalized in Iowa with COVID-19 rose for the first time in ten weeks, but remained low, according to data released Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Last week, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 fell below 100 for just the second time since the pandemic ramped up in 2020. It remained below 100 this week, but increased slightly, from 67 to 74. The number of people requiring intensive care for COVID-19 complications also rose this week, from 11 to 15. Both numbers are much lower than they’ve been for most of the pandemic. (Webber, 3/30)

Bangor Daily News:
A More Contagious Version Of Omicron Is Rising Quickly In Maine

A more contagious strain of the omicron variant is growing more prevalent in Maine after improvements in the state’s case and hospitalization numbers have largely stalled out. The BA.2 variant — sometimes referred to as “stealth omicron” — was first identified in Maine in late February. It is estimated to be roughly 30 percent more contagious than the original omicron variant that emerged last fall, and has been cited as a major contributor to rising virus rates in much of Europe. (Piper, 3/31)

Modern Healthcare:
Hospital COVID-19 Mortality Rates Double For Native Americans

American Indian and Alaska Native populations experienced in-hospital COVID-19 mortality rates two to three times higher than all other races, as well as some of the top COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality rates in the U.S. overall, a new study found. Despite having proportionally lower comorbidity risk scores than Black and white patients, American Indian and Alaska Native patients were more likely to die in the hospital due to COVID-19 than Black or white patients at every level of comorbidity risk, according to a JAMA Network Open report on Wednesday. (Devereaux, 3/30)

AP:
Missouri Governor Declares `The COVID-19 Crisis Is Over’ 

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday declared “the COVID-19 crisis is over,” announcing that the state will soon begin handling the coronavirus like influenza and other ongoing diseases that occasionally flare up. Parson said the state will officially start treating the coronavirus as an endemic on Friday. One result is that the public will receive less frequent updates about the number of deaths, hospitalizations and cases attributed to COVID-19.“The COVID-19 crisis is over in the state of Missouri, and we are moving on,” the Republican governor said at a Capitol news conference, a little over two years since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. (Lieb, 3/30)

AP:
Arizona Governor Ends 2-Year-Old Virus State Of Emergency 

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday ended the state of emergency he declared at the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than two years ago. The formal end of the statewide emergency came as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations dip to levels not seen since summer 2020. But deaths are falling at a slower pace. (Christie, 3/30)

AP:
Indiana Dropping County COVID-19 Risk Map From Website 

Indiana health officials are dropping the state’s color-coded map that rated each county’s risk of COVID-19 spread in favor of relying on a different federal rating system. That is one of the significant changes that the Indiana Department of Health announced Wednesday for its online dashboard tracking COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths across the state. The agency has been updating the dashboard each weekday but will switch to Monday, Wednesday and Friday updates. (3/30)

AP:
Los Angeles Ends Its Business Vaccine Verification Mandate 

The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to end its mandate for many indoor businesses and operators of large outdoor events to verify that customers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, joining a wave of big U.S. cities that have relaxed the restriction. The measure by council President Nury Martinez received enough votes to pass as an urgent measure so it can take effect quickly after it receives the mayor’s signature and is published by the city clerk. (Antczak, 3/30)

AP:
Kansas Won’t Enforce Vaccine Rule For Nursing Home Workers

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s says Kansas won’t enforce a federal mandate that nursing home workers get vaccinated against COVID-19, acknowledging Wednesday that it conflicts with an anti-mandate state law she signed four months ago. Nursing home workers must still get vaccines, but the federal government will charge Kansas nearly $349,000 a year to have federal teams survey nursing homes for compliance. (Hanna, 3/31)

The Wall Street Journal:
Boston Will Limit Protesting Near Officials’ Homes After Picketing Over Covid Rules 

The Boston City Council voted to limit picketing at private residences after officials faced protests at homes over pandemic-related rules. The council, whose members are all Democrats, voted 9 to 4 in favor of an ordinance banning targeted residential picketing from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. It was filed by Mayor Michelle Wu, who has had loud early-morning protesters outside her duplex since early January, when she announced a vaccine mandate for city employees. (Levitz, 3/30)

AP:
End Of COVID May Bring Major Turbulence For US Health Care 

When the end of the COVID-19 pandemic comes, it could create major disruptions for a cumbersome U.S. health care system made more generous, flexible and up-to-date technologically through a raft of temporary emergency measures. Winding down those policies could begin as early as the summer. That could force an estimated 15 million Medicaid recipients to find new sources of coverage, require congressional action to preserve broad telehealth access for Medicare enrollees, and scramble special COVID-19 rules and payment policies for hospitals, doctors and insurers. There are also questions about how emergency use approvals for COVID-19 treatments will be handled. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 3/31)

AP:
FDA Panel Narrowly Sides Against Experimental ALS Drug 

Federal health advisers on Wednesday narrowly ruled against an experimental drug for the debilitating illness known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a potential setback for patient groups who have lobbied for the medication’s approval. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted 6-4 that a single study from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals failed to establish the drug’s effectiveness in treating the deadly neurodegenerative disease ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (Perrone, 3/30)

The Boston Globe:
FDA Advisory Vote Casts Pall Over The Future Of Amylyx’s Experimental ALS Drug

An independent panel of neurologists that advises the US Food and Drug Administration voted 6 to 4 Wednesday against recommending the agency approve a Cambridge company’s experimental therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The drug, produced by Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, slowed progression of the disease by 25 percent and improved survival a median of 4.8 months compared with placebo, according the the company. In what many described a difficult decision, a narrow majority of panel members were not convinced that Amylyx’s small clinical trial, which involved 137 ALS patients, proved the drug’s effectiveness. (Cross, 3/30)

San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital Faces Potential Closure After Patient Overdoses Trigger State Review

Federal regulators have threatened to pull critical funding from San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital after two patients overdosed at the facility last year, a dramatic measure that could force the hospital to shut down. Officials with San Francisco’s health department, which runs Laguna Honda, said Wednesday that the hospital had fallen out of regulatory compliance, putting its funding from Medicare and Medicaid in jeopardy. Laguna Honda, one of the largest skilled nursing facilities in the country, is run by the city and cares for more than 700 patients, including people with dementia, drug addiction and other complex medical needs, who live on the hospital’s campus. (Swan, 3/30)

Des Moines Register:
University Of Iowa’s Delayed OT For Health Care Workers Ruled Illegal

The University of Iowa owes damages to as many as 11,000 current and former health care workers for delays in paying overtime and other compensation, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. It’s not clear how much the university will owe the workers, some of them highly paid, but an attorney representing them said the amount could be substantial. Representatives of the Iowa Board of Regents and University of Iowa Health Care declined to comment on the decision. (Morris, 3/30)

Modern Healthcare:
Hospitals Hike Prices For Evaluation And Management Services

Hospital charges for services like emergency department visits and initial hospital care continue to grow faster than other types of care, according to a new study. Hospitals boosted their median charges for evaluation and management services by 7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} and related negotiated rates rose 5{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, according to FAIR Health’s analysis of November 2020 to November 2021 high-frequency claims from their database of more than 36 billion claims. Hospital E/M charges and negotiated rates—excluding facility fees—increased the most over that span out of the six categories FAIR Health studied: office E/M services; non-E/M services like psychiatric care, dialysis and immunizations; radiology; surgery; and pathology and laboratory. (Kacik, 3/30)

Modern Healthcare:
Anthem Fined $5M By Georgia Insurance Commissioner

The Georgia insurance commissioner is hitting Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield with a $5 million fine—the largest in agency history— over claims processing errors. Anthem failed to comply with state laws on a number of occasions between 2015 and 2021, insurance commissioner John King (R) announced Tuesday. Those included improper claims settlement practices, violations of the state Prompt Payment Act, a lack of timely responses to consumer complaints, inaccurate provider directories and provider contract loading delays, according to the regulator. (Devereaux, 3/30)

AP:
Nurses: Guilty Verdict For Dosing Mistake Could Cost Lives 

The moment nurse RaDonda Vaught realized she had given a patient the wrong medication, she rushed to the doctors working to revive 75-year-old Charlene Murphey and told them what she had done. Within hours, she made a full report of her mistake to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Murphey died the next day, on Dec. 27, 2017. On Friday, a jury found Vaught guilty of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect. (Loller, 3/30)

CNN:
Abortion Providers Ask Idaho Supreme Court To Block State’s New 6-Week Ban 

Abortion providers are asking the Idaho Supreme Court to strike down the state’s new six-week abortion ban which mimics a controversial Texas law. The providers said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that the Idaho law violates several provisions of the state constitution. They’re asking the state Supreme Court to intervene before April 22, when the law goes into effect. The law poses a “massive liability threat” to providers that is “so significant that the few remaining abortion providers in Idaho would have to cease the majority of abortions,” Rebecca Gibron, the interim CEO of the Planned Parenthood affiliate bringing the lawsuit, told reporters Wednesday. (Sneed, 3/30)

NBC News:
Planned Parenthood Sues To Block Idaho’s Six-Week Abortion Ban

In the petition, health care providers urged the state Supreme Court to block the policy from taking effect, calling it an “unprecedented power grab by the Idaho Legislature” that would wreak “havoc on this State’s constitutional norms and the lives of its citizens.” The law bans abortion once cardiac activity is detected — usually around six weeks of pregnancy — except in cases of rape and incest. It also allows family members of fetuses to sue doctors for a minimum of $20,000 within four years of abortions. The bill, which was signed into law last week, is scheduled to take effect April 22. (Atkins, 3/30)

AP:
Arizona Governor Signs Bills Limiting Abortion, Trans Rights

Arizona’s Republican governor signed a series of bills Wednesday targeting abortion and transgender rights, joining a growing list of GOP-led states pursuing a conservative social agenda. The measures signed by Gov. Doug Ducey will outlaw abortion after 15 weeks if the U.S. Supreme Court allows it, prohibit gender confirmation surgery for minors and ban transgender girls from playing on girls and women’s sports teams. (Christie and Cooper, 3/30)

The Boston Globe:
Amid National Erosion Of Access, Abortion Rights Group Endorses Healey In Mass. Governor’s Race 

National abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America endorsed Maura Healey for governor Wednesday, citing her record championing reproductive freedoms in Massachusetts and across the country, and her leadership as cochair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association. The high-profile endorsement comes as the US Supreme Court is poised to decide a case that directly challenges Roe v. Wade, setting the nation up for a potential undoing of the landmark abortion law by the conservative-majority bench, a key reason why NARAL is endorsing candidates months ahead of primary elections. (Gross, 3/30)

AP:
Feds: 9 Charged With Blocking DC Reproductive Health Clinic 

Nine people were charged with federal civil rights offenses after they traveled to the nation’s capital and then blocked access to a reproductive health center and streamed it on Facebook, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The charges include violations of a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or the FACE Act, which prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services. The law also prohibits damaging property at abortion clinics and other reproductive health centers. (Balsamo, 3/30)

AP:
Insurance Deal Spurs Georgia Mental Health Bill To Passage 

Georgia lawmakers passed sweeping changes to the state’s flagging mental health care system Wednesday after reaching Senate-House agreement on language aimed at forcing health insurers to pay for mental health and substance abuse treatment. House Bill 1013 flew to final passage with a 54-0 vote in the Senate and a 166-0 vote in the House, then was headed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature or veto. (Amy, 3/30)

AP:
Walz Signs ALS Bill By Senator With The Disease 

Gov. Tim Walz signed a $25 million bill to fund research into ALS that was authored by a veteran state senator from the Iron Range who has the neurological disease. Sen. David Tomassoni, 69, of Chisholm, took up the cause after disclosing last year that he had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. His case has progressed rapidly, forcing him to participate in most Senate business remotely this session. Tomassoni said through a computerized speech synthesizer that the Democratic governor and legislative leaders from both parties told him after his diagnosis that they would support whatever he wanted for funding. (Karnowski, 3/30)

AP:
WVa Governor Vetoes Health Department Split, Seeks Review

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have split the massive Department of Health and Human Resources into separate agencies, saying he first wants a review of its “issues, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies.” “I am committed to making the DHHR better, but we cannot afford to play politics when people’s lives hang in the balance,” Justice said in a statement. “We need to be certain before we act.” (Raby, 3/30)

AP:
West Virginia Reaches $26M Settlement With Opioid Maker Endo

West Virginia will receive $26 million in a settlement with the opioid maker Endo Health Solutions for the company’s role in perpetuating the state’s drug epidemic, the attorney general’s office said Wednesday. The announcement comes less than a week before the state is set to go to trial on Monday against three opioid manufacturers: Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Allergan. (Willingham, 3/30)

Stat:
CVS, Teva, And Allergan Reach Deal With Florida Over The Opioid Crisis 

On the eve of a trial, the state of Florida has reached a settlement with a major pharmacy chain and two drug manufacturers over their roles in fomenting the opioid crisis that has gripped the United States for more than two decades. CVS Health will pay $484 million, and Allergan —a unit of AbbVie — agreed to pay $134 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the state. In addition, Teva Pharmaceuticals will pay $195 million, and also provide $84 million worth of its generic version of Narcan, a nasal spray that is used to treat opioid overdoses in emergencies. (Silverman, 3/30)

AP:
Patient Assault Draws New Probe Of Montana Psych Hospital 

Federal investigators visited Montana’s state psychiatric hospital for an inspection following an assault that reportedly left a patient with severe injuries. The inspection by officials from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was reported by the Montana State News Bureau. It comes amid staffing shortages and other problems that resulted in patient deaths and have put the hospital in Warm Springs in jeopardy of losing its federal reimbursement. The female victim of last week’s assault by another patient was life-flighted to a Missoula hospital, the news outlet reported. (3/30)

The Washington Post:
Bruce Willis Stepping Away From Acting After Aphasia Diagnosis 

Aphasia is classified as an “acquired neurogenic language disorder” that often occurs after a stroke or a brain injury, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, affecting the comprehension and expression of written and spoken language. While speech and language therapy can help those suffering from aphasia recover their language skills, it is “usually a relatively slow process,” and although “most people make significant progress, few people regain full pre-injury communication levels. ”It is unclear what brought on Willis’s aphasia or whether the “Die Hard” actor is suffering from any other impairments. (Andrews, 3/30)

Los Angeles Times:
Concerns About Bruce Willis’ Declining Cognitive State Swirled Around Sets In Recent Years

Just days before Bruce Willis was scheduled to turn up on the set of one of his latest action films, the director of the project sent out an urgent request: Make the movie star’s part smaller. “It looks like we need to knock down Bruce’s page count by about 5 pages,” Mike Burns, the director of “Out of Death,” wrote in a June 2020 email to the film’s screenwriter. “We also need to abbreviate his dialogue a bit so that there are no monologues, etc.” (James and Kaufman, 3/30)

San Francisco Chronicle:
Bong Smoke Is Worse Than Secondhand Tobacco Smoke, UC Berkeley Study Finds

Turns out that the lasting stink of bong water spilled onto the carpet is not the only danger to smoking marijuana through a tall tube cooled by water at its base. A study conducted at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and published by the journal JAMA Network Open on Wednesday declared that secondhand cannabis smoke released during bong hits contains fine particulate matter at a concentration dangerously higher than that released by secondhand tobacco smoke. (Whiting, 3/30)

Stat:
Obesity Can Turn Helpful Drug Into Harmful One, Mouse Study Shows 

Researchers have long known that obesity rewires the immune system. Now a new study suggests these effects can be so profound they could turn a drug meant to treat a common inflammatory disease into one that makes things worse. Scientists discovered that mice with atopic dermatitis, a painful and itchy skin rash often triggered by an allergic reaction, were worse off if they were obese. A closer look at their immune responses led to a surprise finding: Different immune cell types drove the disease in obese versus lean mice. That caused a standard treatment to exacerbate symptoms in heavier animals, but adding another drug that made the immune response of the obese mice resemble those of lean animals made the treatment regimen work again. (Wosen, 3/30)

AP:
WHO: COVID Deaths Jump By 40{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, But Cases Falling Globally 

The number of people killed by the coronavirus surged by more than 40{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} last week, likely due to changes in how COVID-19 deaths were reported across the Americas and by newly adjusted figures from India, according to a World Health Organization report released Wednesday. In its latest weekly report on the pandemic, the U.N. health agency said the number of new coronavirus cases fell everywhere, including in WHO’s Western Pacific region, where they had been rising since December. (3/30)

AP:
St. Jude Accepts 2nd Group Of Ukrainian Cancer Patients

A second group of Ukrainian children with cancer has arrived for treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee after they fled with their families from the war in their home country, the hospital said. Four children ages 6 to 17 and their 11 family members arrived at the Memphis hospital Monday after a flight on a chartered medical transport airplane departing from Poland, St. Jude said in a news release late Tuesday. (Sainz, 3/30)

AP:
UN Report: Nearly Half Of All Pregnancies Are Unintended 

The U.N. Population Fund says new research shows that nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide — 121 million annually — are unintended, which it calls “a neglected crisis.” In its annual State of World Population Report 2022 released Wednesday, the fund said over 60{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of unintended pregnancies end in abortion and an estimated 45{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of abortions are unsafe, causing 5{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to 13{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of maternal deaths. (Lederer, 3/31)

AP:
UK Maternity Scandal Review Finds 200 Avoidable Baby Deaths 

A review into a scandal-hit British hospital group concluded Wednesday that persistent failures in maternity care contributed to the avoidable deaths of more than 200 babies over two decades. The review began in 2018 after two families that had lost their babies in the care of Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust in western England campaigned for an inquiry. (Lawless, 3/30)

AP:
The Wanted Singer Tom Parker Dies Of Brain Tumor At 33 

Tom Parker, a member of British-Irish boy band The Wanted, has died after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He was 33. The band announced that Parker died Wednesday, “surrounded by his family and his band mates.” Parker announced his diagnosis in October 2020, and underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. (3/30)