• Paul Mango, the deputy chief of staff for policy for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the federal government will pay for COVID-19 vaccines and their distribution and that the Trump administration is collaborating with commercial insurers to offer the vaccines for free and without a copay. Mango said the federal government and the health care industry would partner to distribute the vaccines, with distributor contracts being announced in the near future. (The Wall Street Journal)

• The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has started manufacturing a strain of COVID-19 for use in human clinical trials that would intentionally infect healthy volunteers for vaccine research. NIAID said the work is preliminary and is not intended to replace Phase 3 vaccine trials currently being conducted in the United States. (Reuters)

• A research survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found an increase in anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse among young adults and Black and Latino people of all ages as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The survey, conducted among nearly 5,400 people in late June, found that about 63 percent of adults ages 18-24 had symptoms of anxiety or depression related to the pandemic and that about 1 in 4 had started or increased substance abuse of alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs. (The New York Times)

• The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that it had detected the presence of the potential deadly toxin 1-propanol, which can affect the nervous system, in some hand sanitizers. The FDA’s announcement comes after weeks of warnings about sanitizers containing methanol, which can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested. (The Hill)

Covid-19 surges back into nursing homes in coronavirus hot spots
Lenny Bernstein, The Washington Post

The novel coronavirus is surging back into U.S. nursing homes, where it killed tens of thousands at the start of the pandemic and now once again threatens some of the people most vulnerable to covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.

CDC director warns of ‘worst fall’ in history if people don’t follow COVID-19 guidelines
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill

If Americans don’t follow coronavirus prevention measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, the country could be in for its “worst fall” in history, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Thursday.

As COVID-19 cases rise in U.S., precious plasma donations lag
Nick Brown, Reuters

The coalition’s struggle is not unique. Across the United States, home to the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak, demand is soaring for COVID-19 convalescent plasma, known as CCP, to keep sick patients alive. But the number of willing donors isn’t keeping pace, according to interviews Reuters conducted with more than 25 regional hospitals, blood centers and other blood industry players across the country.

You Probably Won’t Catch the Coronavirus From Frozen Food
Katherine J. Wu, The New York Times

Amid a flurry of concern over reports that frozen chicken wings imported to China from Brazil had tested positive for the coronavirus, experts said on Thursday that the likelihood of catching the virus from food — especially frozen, packaged food — is exceedingly low.

Pharmacy to pay $3.5 million to resolve U.S. claims it helped Teva pay kickbacks
Nate Raymond, Reuters

A Florida-based specialty pharmacy will pay $3.5 million to resolve allegations it served as a conduit for a Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd subsidiary to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

Behavioral health patients spur 57% of commercial healthcare spending
Shelby Livingston, Modern Healthcare

Employers and other commercial payers spend little on behavioral health treatment, even though people with behavioral health conditions tend to have higher healthcare costs than those who don’t, according to a new study.

Health providers’ scramble for staff and supplies reveals sharp disparities
Tucker Doherty, Politico

Doctors, nurses and caregivers at smaller and poorer hospitals and medical facilities across the country are still struggling to obtain the protective gear, personnel and resources they need to fight the coronavirus despite President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions that the problems are solved.

Rural hospitals’ broad experience helps in COVID-19 fight
Ginger Christ, Modern Healthcare

A study by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, the Urban Institute and Athenahealth found that nurse practitioners in primary care clinics in rural environments have more autonomy than those in urban settings.

CareOne Nursing Homes Said They Could Safely Take More COVID-19 Patients. But Death Rates Soared.
Sean Campbell et al., ProPublica

Of the 363 nursing homes in New Jersey, two of the three CareOne facilities that received transfers from Hanover — facilities in Morristown and Parsippany — have had among the highest death rates. At the Morristown facility, where 45 residents died, there has been one death for every four beds in the facility.

NIH chief addresses concerns about speed of COVID-19 vaccine development
Reid Wilson, The Hill

The director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said despite the images conjured up by Operation Warp Speed — the Trump administration’s effort to get a COVID-19 vaccine to market as quickly as possible — the federal government is taking all the necessary safety precautions.

U.S. recruits scientists abroad for COVID-19 vaccine trials, pledges access to supply
Marisa Taylor, Reuters

The Trump administration’s coronavirus vaccine project is recruiting scientists in South Africa and Latin America to help test possible vaccines in U.S.- backed clinical trials, pledging to ease their countries’ access to any successful products, Reuters has learned.

Russian doctors wary of rapidly approved COVID-19 vaccine, survey shows
Alexander Marrow, Reuters

A majority of Russian doctors would not feel comfortable being injected with Russia’s new COVID-19 vaccine due to the lack of sufficient data about it and its super-fast approval, a survey of more than 3,000 medical professionals showed on Friday.

Johnson & Johnson invests in Thirty Madison, signaling the resilience of pharma’s interest in health tech
Rebecca Robbins, Stat News

Late last year, several high-profile partnerships between big pharma companies and health tech startups fell apart — raising questions about whether culture clash and financial pressures would doom such alliances. But in the months since, pharma’s interest in businesses trying to rethink how people get their medications has proved resilient. 

Fundraising database breach affects 657,000 at Maine health system
Jessica Kim Cohen, Modern Healthcare

Hundreds of thousands of people who sought care at or donated to Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health may have had personal data exposed in a massive breach at Blackbaud, the software company that hosts the health system foundation’s fundraising databases.

COVID Data Failures Create Pressure for Public Health System Overhaul
Harris Meyer, Kaiser Health News

There are signs the COVID-19 pandemic has created momentum to modernize the nation’s creaky, fragmented public health data system, in which nearly 3,000 local, state and federal health departments set their own reporting rules and vary greatly in their ability to send and receive data electronically.

‘Marching-In’ on Remdesivir: Wrong, Pointless and Bad for Patients
Peter Kolchinsky, Morning Consult

A coalition of state attorneys general has asked for the Department of Health and Human Services to let other companies manufacture and sell Gilead’s COVID-19 treatment remdesivir, in order to expand supply and reduce the drug’s cost. These AGs misunderstand the drug’s manufacturing process, ignore the economics behind its development, and demonstrate ignorance of the disease itself.

Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24–30, 2020
Mark É. Czeisler et al., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

During June 24–30, 2020, U.S. adults reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19. Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation.

Kamala Harris has a history of healthcare merger crackdowns
Rachel Cohrs and Tara Bannow, Modern Healthcare

Newly tapped Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris’ history of cracking down on hospital mergers as California’s attorney general indicate a Biden administration could set a new precedent for the healthcare industry.