• Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), chair of the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus, wrote in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield, and shared with a media outlet, that Trump officials “tolerated” and “in some cases aided” efforts to “alter or block” 13 or more scientific reports on COVID-19 during the spring and summer months as the virus raged across the country. Clyburn, who subpoenaed Azar and Redfield to produce “full and unredacted” documents to the panel by Dec. 30, released dozens of new documents yesterday, revealing how appointees including former science adviser Paul Alexander and HHS spokesman Michael Caputo worked to undermine the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, which are written by career scientists and historically have been free of political intervention. (Politico)

• The $900 billion coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress last night includes about $20 billion to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for procuring COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, almost $9 billion to the CDC and states for vaccine distribution, $3 billion to be set aside for the national stockpile and $300 million included as part of the overall vaccine funding designated specifically for high-risk areas and communities of color. The stimulus package, which is expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump, also includes $22.4 billion to states for testing, tracing and coronavirus mitigation programs, with $2.5 billion delivered as grants for rural areas and communities of color. (The Wall Street Journal)

• National Institutes of Health officials are scrambling to construct a study looking into a handful of cases of people suffering severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reactions to Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, with the agency hoping to identify the vaccine element believed to be responsible for the incidents, known as anaphylaxis. The NIH study would recruit participants with a history of serious allergic reactions and administer the vaccine doses under close clinical supervision, according to Daniel Rotrosen, director of the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, with the agency hoping to find answers within weeks. (The Washington Post)

• White House officials are debating whether to require travelers from the United Kingdom, where a new variant of the coronavirus has been discovered, to produce proof of a negative COVID-19 test before entering the United States, according to two administration officials. The plan, which was discussed during a coronavirus task force meeting yesterday and could be presented to Trump today, the officials said, would require U.K. travelers to offer proof of a negative test taken within 48 to 72 hours of their arriving in the United States. (CNN)

Joe Biden Receives Covid-19 Vaccine in Public to Reassure Its Safety
Ken Thomas, The Wall Street Journal

President-elect Joe Biden received the Covid-19 vaccine Monday in a televised appearance from a Delaware hospital in which he encouraged the public to get vaccinated. “There’s nothing to worry about,” he said.

Pfizer and Moderna are testing their vaccines against UK coronavirus variant
Eric Levenson and Elizabeth Cohen, CNN

Pfizer and Moderna are testing their coronavirus vaccines to see if they work against the new mutated version of the virus that’s recently been found in the United Kingdom and other countries, according to company statements.

A surge of state aid for vaccinations may already be too late
Brianna Ehley et al., Politico

Congress late Monday approved nearly $9 billion in its year-end stimulus package to help states distribute and administer coronavirus vaccines, but overstretched local health departments say the money is coming months too late.

The U.K. Coronavirus Variant: What We Know
Carl Zimmer and Benedict Carey, The New York Times

A newly identified variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appears to be more contagious than established ones. Here’s what scientists know.

‘I think this is already in the U.S.,’ Dr. Scott Gottlieb says of new U.K. Covid strain
Emily DeCiccio, CNBC

Former FDA chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned that the highly contagious, new mutation of Covid-19 found in the United Kingdom “is already in the U.S.” as more than 40 countries ban travel to and from the U.K. for 48 hours or more. 

UK coronavirus variant may be more able to infect children: scientists
Kate Kelland, Reuters

A new variant of the coronavirus spreading rapidly in Britain carries mutations that could mean children are as susceptible to becoming infected with it as adults – unlike previous strains, scientists said on Monday.

U.S. loses one life every 33 seconds to COVID-19 in deadliest week so far
Lisa Shumaker, Reuters

In the United States last week, someone died from COVID-19 every 33 seconds. The disease claimed more than 18,000 lives in the seven days ended Dec. 20, up 6.7% from the prior week to hit another record high, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county reports.

Fifty million people in U.S. to have first COVID-19 shot by end January – Azar
Michael Erman and Manas Mishra, Reuters

About 50 million people in the United States will have had the first of two COVID-19 shots needed for immunization by the end of January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Monday.

Covid-19 Deaths to Reverse U.S. Life-Expectancy Gains
Janet Adamy, The Wall Street Journal

U.S. life expectancy inched up last year but in 2020 could decline by the largest amount since World War II, as Covid-19 becomes the nation’s third-leading cause of death.

Should People Who Have Had Covid-19 Wait to Get a Vaccine?
Sarah Toy and Daniela Hernandez, The Wall Street Journal

As the first Covid-19 vaccine doses roll out across the country, a question has emerged among scientists and public-health experts: Should people who have already had the virus consider deferring vaccination?

Hiring Frenzy for Pharmacists as Covid-19 Vaccines Roll Out
Sharon Terlep and Jaewon Kang, The Wall Street Journal

The nation’s drugstores and groceries are racing to hire thousands of pharmacists and technicians to administer Covid-19 vaccines to the masses.

Long-Haul Covid Patients Put Hope in Experimental Drugs
Sumathi Reddy, The Wall Street Journal

Many Covid long-haulers, as they are known, are young and were previously healthy, and weren’t hospitalized for their initial infection. But months later, many are experiencing life-altering symptoms including brain fog, extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, often making normal daily activities nearly impossible.

Why Americans are numb to the staggering coronavirus death toll
William Wan and Brittany Shammas, The Washington Post

Death is now everywhere and yet nowhere in America. We track its progress in daily bar graphs. We note its latest victims among celebrities and acquaintances. Yet, in many parts of America, we carry on — debating holiday plans, the necessity of mask mandates, how seriously to take the virus, whether it’s all a hoax.

Inside the First Chaotic Days of the Effort to Vaccinate America
Rachana Pradhan et al., Kaiser Health News

Within just a few days, the logistical barriers of the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech were laid bare. Many officials now hang their hopes on Moderna, whose vaccine comes in containers of 100 doses, doesn’t require deep freezing and is good for 30 days from the time it’s shipped.

Fauci, Azar to receive COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill

Top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and other Trump administration health officials will receive the coronavirus vaccine Tuesday.

Monoclonal antibodies may have helped Donald Trump recover from COVID-19, but many others aren’t getting them
Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY

President Donald Trump, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani all received monoclonal antibodies when they were treated for COVID-19.

How COVID-19 Hollowed Out a Generation of Young Black Men
Akilah Johnson and Nina Martin, ProPublica

They were pillars of their communities and families, and they are not replaceable. To understand why COVID-19 killed so many young Black men, you need to know the legend of John Henry.

CMS approves rule to encourage value-based drug pricing
Michael Brady, Modern Healthcare

CMS approved its plan to make it easier for private insurers, state Medicaid programs and prescription drug manufacturers to create value-based payment arrangements tied to clinical outcomes.

Oscar Health gearing up to go public
Paige Minemyer, Fierce Healthcare

Oscar Health has taken the first step toward potentially going public in 2021. The startup health insurer filed a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A potential initial public offering will undergo an SEC review.

How powerful health providers tamed a ‘surprise’ billing threat
Susannah Luthi and Rachel Roubein, Politico

Powerful hospital and physician groups that tied up Congress for nearly two years on how to end “surprise” medical bills saw their efforts pay off with the compromise lawmakers inserted in the giant year-end spending package.

An investment firm snapped up nursing homes during the pandemic. Employees say care suffered.
Rebecca Tan and Rachel Chason, The Washington Post

An investment firm has bought more than 20 nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic, leading to disruptions at multiple facilities that weakened care for vulnerable residents amid the worst health crisis in generations, interviews and documents show.

Mayo returns almost half of its COVID-19 relief grants
Tara Bannow, Modern Healthcare

The Rochester, Minn.-based health system said it has returned $156 million of its $338 million worth of Provider Relief Fund grants, effective Dec. 21. The money was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act.

Agios to Sell Cancer Portfolio to Servier for $1.8 Billion
Emma Court, Bloomberg

Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it agreed to sell its portfolio of oncology drugs to Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC for $1.8 billion in a move that will increase the biotechnology company’s focus on treatments for genetic diseases.

Health tech’s newest unicorn is running toward Medicaid patients long marginalized in medicine
Casey Ross, Stat News

It has become a business imperative in American medicine to marginalize patients on Medicaid. Their health problems can be costly and complicated — often, the product of other structural barriers that stand in the way of good health — and lower government reimbursement means doctors typically lose money on their care.

A Message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices:

Nearly 25 million Americans 65+ and people with disabilities choose Medicare Advantage for better services, better access to care, and better value. The program continues to deliver stable, affordable health care and peace of mind during the COVID-19 crisis. Visit MedicareChoices.org to learn more.

Rolling Out the Covid Vaccine Is a Huge IT Challenge
Joram Borenstein and Rebecca Weintraub, Harvard Business Review

As the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines gets underway in the United States, the country is confronting a major IT challenge: how to track distribution of the vaccines and determine who receives them. This is crucial to ensure individuals get the recommended number of doses, that guidelines determining who is next in line are followed, and that enough of the U.S. population — at least 60% to 70% — is vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.

REGN-COV2, a Neutralizing Antibody Cocktail, in Outpatients with Covid-19
David M. Weinreich et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

In this ongoing, double-blind, phase 1–3 trial involving nonhospitalized patients with Covid-19, we investigated two fully human, neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein, used in a combined cocktail (REGN-COV2) to reduce the risk of the emergence of treatment-resistant mutant virus.

Pandemic relief bill delivers $4.25 billion for mental health services
William Wan, The Washington Post

The funding is the largest amount behavioral health groups have gotten in a spending bill. Advocates say more is needed to address historic levels of depression, substance abuse.

About 74 percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight, according to the CDC
Linda Searing, The Washington Post

About 74 percent of adults in the United States are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes nearly 43 percent who are obese, meaning they have a body mass index (BMI) — a measurement of body fatness based on weight and height — of 30 or higher. An additional 31 percent are considered overweight, with a BMI of 25 to 29.9.