First Edition: May 26, 2022

KHN:
Novavax Missed Its Global Moonshot But Is Angling To Win Over MRNA Defectors 

Novavax hitched its wagon to the global coronavirus pandemic. Before most Americans truly grasped the scope of the danger, the small Maryland biotech startup had secured $1.6 billion in U.S. funding for its covid vaccine. Its moonshot goal: delivering 2 billion shots to the world by mid-2021. Although the U.S. commitment eventually expanded to $1.8 billion, hardly any Novavax shots have found arms due to manufacturing issues, and most of the world has moved on. Novavax stock has plummeted from $290 a share in February 2021 to around $50 recently. (Allen and Tribble, 5/26)

KHN:
Watch: UVA Doctor Talks About The State Of The Pandemic And Health Equity

Just as covid-19 vaccines were rolling out, Dr. Taison Bell spoke with KHN about why Black Americans were getting vaccinated at lower rates than white Americans were. More than a year later, we checked in with Bell, an assistant professor of medicine and an intensive care unit doctor at the University of Virginia, about the state of the pandemic and changes that have occurred in the health equity conversation since then. (Norman, 5/26)

KHN:
Police Suspect Arson At Wyoming Site Of Clinic That Would Provide Abortions 

Police suspect arson was behind a fire that damaged a clinic under construction in Casper that would become Wyoming’s sole site for procedural abortions. A caller phoned 911 shortly before dawn Wednesday to report seeing someone with a gas can running away from the building near downtown Casper. Smoke billowed from the building’s windows by the time authorities arrived, Casper police said. (Zionts, 5/25)

KHN:
California Schools Try To Outrace Covid Outbreaks

A fourth-grade camping trip led to one outbreak, a high school prom to another. But even with covid cases rising as schools head into the final stretch of the academic year, most California districts have not moved toward reinstating mask mandates. That stance has left many parents confused and concerned as they witness or hear about covid outbreaks among students after field trips and proms. (Kreidler, 5/26)

The New York Times:
Oklahoma Governor Signs Bill That Bans Most Abortions 

The new law, which takes effect immediately, is the most restrictive abortion ban in the country. The law makes exceptions in cases where an abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest if they have been reported to law enforcement. (Vander Ploeg and Zernike, 5/25)

The 19th:
Oklahoma Becomes First State To Ban Almost All Abortion Access

The law, known as House Bill 4327, relies on civil lawsuits for enforcement, inspired by a six-week ban in Texas. Under the new law, anyone who “aids or abets” the provision of an abortion can be sued for up to $10,000. The ban targets abortions performed at any point in pregnancy after the egg has been fertilized. It has narrow exceptions if the abortion would save the pregnant person’s life, or if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest that was reported to police. (Most rapes are not reported to law enforcement.) The ban takes effect right away under an emergency provision. (Luthra, 5/25)

Bloomberg:
Oklahoma Abortion Ban Faces Challenge At State High Court

Abortion-rights advocates vowed to ask the Oklahoma Supreme Court to block the state’s near-total abortion ban within minutes of Governor Kevin Stitt signing the measure into law. State lawmakers, led by Republicans, pushed through the law making Oklahoma the first state to ban abortions while the landmark US Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade protecting a woman’s right to abortion still stands. The US Supreme Court appears set to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a copy of a draft opinion that was leaked to Politico. (Brubaker Calkins, 5/26)

Detroit Free Press:
Whitmer Issues Executive Directive On Abortion, Reproductive Health

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive directive Wednesday telling state agencies to not cooperate with any other state or authority attempting to prosecute anyone who obtains, provides or assists with obtaining an abortion or other forms of reproductive health care. The directive also calls on applicable agencies to increase protections for reproductive health care and take steps to raise awareness about availability of reproductive health care and forms of contraception. (Lobo, 5/25)

AP:
Police Suspect Arson In Fire At Wyoming Abortion Clinic Site 

An abortion clinic set to open next month in conservative Wyoming was damaged in a fire early Wednesday that police believe was deliberately set — possibly by someone seen running away from the building carrying what appeared to be a gas can and a bag. The blaze damaged the inside of the building under renovation to house the clinic in Casper, the second-biggest city in a state where opposition to abortion is widespread. (Gruver, 5/25)

AP:
Jill Biden, Murthy Welcome 2nd Mass Delivery Of Baby Formula

Jill Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy welcomed the delivery Wednesday of a second shipment of tens of thousands of pounds of baby formula that the Biden administration is importing from Europe to ease critical supply shortages in the U.S. The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children. … More deliveries are scheduled to arrive soon. The administration has cut the timeframe for deliveries to three days, down from up to four weeks, Murthy said.

The New York Times:
F.D.A. Chief Details ‘Shocking’ Conditions At Baby Formula Plant 

The Abbott Nutrition plant in Michigan that was shut down in February, sparking a widespread baby formula shortage crisis, had a leaking roof, water pooled on the floor and cracks in key production equipment that allowed bacteria to get in and persist, Dr. Robert Califf, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, told a House panel on Wednesday. He detailed “egregiously unsanitary” conditions in the Sturgis, Mich., plant to lawmakers during a hearing, but he also acknowledged that his agency’s response was too slow in addressing problems at the plant. (Jewett and Bogel-Burroughs, 5/25)

USA Today:
Baby Formula Shortage: FDA Chief Califf Admits Agency Was ‘Too Slow’

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf admitted Wednesday that the agency has been “too slow” in responding to the baby formula shortage, a crisis that has hospitalized malnourished infants, emptied store shelves, and driven desperate parents from store to store and across state lines in search of food for their babies. Califf and other FDA officials were excoriated as they testified before a frustrated panel of lawmakers on the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Democrats and Republicans were equally determined to get answers and prevent the shortage from happening again, they said. “Babies and children are suffering,” Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said in her opening remarks as chair of the committee. (Woodall, 5/25)

Politico:
Abbott, FDA Offer Conflicting Timelines For Reopening Shuttered Infant Formula Plant 

A senior official from the company at the center of the country’s infant formula shortages told lawmakers on Wednesday it can restart its now-shuttered plant as early as next week, disputing a timeline laid out just hours before by the head of the FDA. Christopher Calamari, who leads Abbott’s U.S. and Canada nutrition division, told lawmakers in sworn testimony Wednesday that the company hopes to reopen its now-shuttered plant in Sturgis, Mich. “the first week of June,” pending FDA approval. … But FDA Commissioner Robert Califf testified earlier in the day that the plant is still “several weeks” away from reopening, and suggested it could be further delayed if Abbott doesn’t meet certain requirements. (Lee, 5/25)

The Washington Post:
Whistleblower Report On Baby Formula Plant Didn’t Reach Top FDA Food Safety Official For Months 

When a whistleblower sent a 34-page report to the Food and Drug Administration in October alleging a host of unsanitary conditions at an Abbott infant formula factory, the top official in charge of food safety didn’t see it. In fact, Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response, didn’t learn about the complaint until four months later, according to Yiannas and others knowledgeable about the case. (Kindy and Reiley, 5/25)

NBC News:
Abbott Calls Texas School Shooting A Mental Health Issue But Cut State Spending For It

Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that the Uvalde school shooter had a “mental health challenge” and the state needed to “do a better job with mental health” — yet in April he slashed $211 million from the department that oversees mental health programs. In addition, Texas ranked last out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia for overall access to mental health care, according to the 2021 State of Mental Health in America report. (Hixenbaugh and Siemaszko, 5/25)

Bloomberg:
O’Rourke Disrupts Massacre Briefing As Abbott Hits Mental Health

Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate for governor of Texas, interrupted a press conference held by Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, who blamed Tuesday’s mass school shooting on a mental health crisis amid a national debate over gun control. As Abbott turned the microphone over to his lieutenant governor after delivering his remarks, O’Rourke approached the stage. A loud back-and-forth ensued, with Senator Ted Cruz telling O’Rourke several times to sit down and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick telling O’Rourke he was a disgrace. (Sherman, 5/25)

The New York Times:
Where Senate Republicans Stand On Gun Legislation 

The New York Times reached out on Wednesday to all 50 Republicans in the Senate to see whether they would support a pair of House-passed measures to strengthen background checks for gun buyers. Within hours of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Senate Democrats moved quickly to clear the way for possible votes on the two bills. The legislation would expand criminal background checks to would-be purchasers on the internet and at gun shows and give the F.B.I. more time to investigate gun buyers flagged by the instant background check system. (Cochrane, Leatherby, Parlapiano, Montague, Kavi, Cameron and Edmondson, 5/25)

CNN:
Supreme Court May Soon Loosen Gun Laws As Nation Reels From Massacres 

While the Supreme Court has been working behind closed doors on its first major Second Amendment opinion in more than a decade, three mass shootings have broken the country, including Tuesday’s massacre of 19 schoolchildren in Texas. Closed off from public view, the justices are penning opinions and dissents in a dispute that targets one concealed carry law in New York that is more than a century old. A narrow ruling could impact only a handful of states with similar laws, but a more expansive ruling could open a new chapter in constitutional challenges to gun safety laws across the country. (de Vogue, 5/25)

Axios:
Guns Have Become The Top Injury-Related Cause Of Death For U.S. Kids

Firearms were the leading cause of death for kids one and older for the first time in 2020, the most recent year for which CDC data is available. The firearm death rate among children is steadily rising, as more kids are involved in gun-related homicides like Tuesday’s mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, as well as suicides and accidents. Nearly two-thirds of the 4,368 U.S. children up to age 19 who were killed by guns in 2020 were homicide victims, per the CDC. Motor vehicle crashes, formerly the leading cause of death for kids one and older, killed nearly 4,000 children. (Owens, 5/26)

NBC News:
The Uvalde, Texas, School District Had An Extensive Safety Plan. 19 Children Were Killed Anyway.

School officials in Uvalde, Texas, promised to do everything they could to protect students from a mass shooting. Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District had doubled its security budget in recent years, according to public documents, in part to comply with state legislation passed in the wake of a 2018 school shooting in which eight students and two teachers were killed. The district adopted an array of security measures that included its own police force, threat assessment teams at each school, a threat reporting system, social media monitoring software, fences around schools and a requirement that teachers lock their classroom doors, according to the security plan posted on the district’s website. It happened anyway. (Khimm and Schuppe, 5/25)

The Boston Globe:
How Mass Shootings Traumatize Even Those Miles Away

“It’s not uncommon that folks feel shock, anxiety . . . based on a trauma that may occur far away and doesn’t have an immediate connection to their lives,” said Amanda Baker, director of the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital. “It can be very personal even if it’s a distant experience.” Mass shootings “add fuel to the fire” of the uncertainty and fear already rampant amid the pandemic, Baker said. It’s part of being human, added Dr. Christine Crawford, a psychiatrist at Boston Medical Center. “Your thoughts automatically go to the horror those kids experienced. Your mind goes to profound sadness and loss. And you place yourself in that parent’s shoes, and you think about how you would react and respond,” she said. (Freyer, 5/25)

NPR:
A Child Trauma Expert Explains How Parents Can Support Kids In Uvalde, Elsewhere

The shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, is deeply traumatic for survivors, their families, and the faculty and staff at the school. It also may be emotionally affecting other students across the country. American children regularly practice active-shooter drills and consider the possibility of a crisis in their own classrooms from a young age, making school shootings like the one in Uvalde very upsetting news for some, says Melissa Brymer, the director of terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. (Clark, 5/25)

The Washington Post:
CDC Monkeypox Warning Urges ‘Enhanced Precautions’ For Travel 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a monkeypox alert to travelers after cases were reported in North America, Europe and Australia. The Level 2 alert urged people traveling to “Practice Enhanced Precautions,” though the agency said the risk is low for the general public. Confirmed cases of the rare disease have been found in countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, England, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Israel. (Diller, 5/25)

CIDRAP:
Officials Confirm 226 Monkeypox Cases In 21 Countries 

According to the latest outbreak assessment from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) today, 12 countries in the European Union have reported at least one case of monkeypox, with Spain confirming 51 and Portugal 37—by far the most. The majority of the 118 European Union cases involve MSM, the ECDC said. (Soucheray, 5/25)

Stat:
Experts: Warning Signs Ahead Of Monkeypox Outbreak Went Unheeded

Monkeypox appears to have exploded out of nowhere in the past two weeks, spreading across Europe, the Americas, and other regions. But warning signs appear to have gone unheeded. An unusual and long-running outbreak in Nigeria should have served as notice that it was only a matter of time before this orthopoxvirus pushed its way to the center of the infectious diseases stage, experts say. (Branswell, 5/26)

CIDRAP:
Antiviral Drug May Limit Monkeypox Symptom Duration, Infectiousness 

A study on the use of antivirals in seven monkeypox patients in the United Kingdom suggests that the smallpox drug tecovirimat could shorten symptoms and contagiousness. … The authors cautioned that the sample size was very small but said the need for monkeypox treatments is urgent. (Van Beusekom, 5/25)

Bloomberg:
Monkeypox Latest: Roche Develops Tests To Help Scientists Track Cases

Roche Holding AG has developed three PCR test kits to help scientists trace the monkeypox virus, adding another diagnostic tool as public health authorities seek to contain the outbreak. One of the kits screens for monkeypox only, while two of them can detect other orthopoxviruses, a genus of viruses that includes smallpox as well as monkeypox. The tests will aid in tracing spread and will be available in most countries, Roche said in a statement on Wednesday. (Kresge, 5/25)

CNBC:
Covid And Monkeypox: CEPI Chief Outlines The Disease Differences

The sudden emergence of monkeypox in several countries around the world represents a concerning outbreak, the head of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations told CNBC on Thursday, but the virus does not represent the same kind of global threat as Covid-19. His comments come as international health authorities investigate the atypical spread of monkeypox, a rare viral disease typically confined to remote parts of Central and West Africa. “This is the first time that we have gathered again in Davos since the 2020 meeting and we find ourselves facing another dangerous disease threat,” CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (Meredith, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal:
Scientists, Mystified By Monkeypox Outbreak, Are Sequencing Genes To Learn About Origin

Disease detectives are uncovering clues to the origins of a monkeypox outbreak that has sickened more than 200 people, including the possibility that the cases lead back to a single infection. Researchers in countries including Portugal, Germany, Belgium and the U.S. have sequenced samples from confirmed cases and shared their findings online. Researchers from Portugal’s National Institute of Health said in a post on a virology research-sharing forum that similarities between the viral genomes from 10 cases detected there and one from a patient in the U.S. appear to suggest that the outbreak had a single origin. Philippe Selhorst, a medical virologist at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, said that a case sequenced there, who had recently travelled from Lisbon, was genetically linked to the Portugal cases. (Roland and Butini, 5/25)

CIDRAP:
CDC Reports 36 More Unexplained Hepatitis Cases In Kids, 216 Total

In an update on the unexplained hepatitis cases in children, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported 36 more potentially linked cases, raising the nation’s total to 216. So far, 38 states or jurisdictions—including Puerto Rico—have reported cases. The Utah Department of Health said on Twitter today that it has identified two Utah children younger than 10 who were treated for unexplained hepatitis and that the cases are reflected in CDC’s update today. Officials said the two children were hospitalized with serious liver disease and have both recovered. (5/25)

The Washington Post:
Coronavirus Vaccines May Not Prevent Many Symptoms Of Long Covid, Study Suggests

A large U.S. study looking at whether vaccination protects against long covid showed the shots have only a slight protective effect: Being vaccinated appeared to reduce the risk of lung and blood clot disorders, but did little to protect against most other symptoms. The new paper, published Wednesday in Nature Medicine, is part of a series of studies by the Department of Veterans Affairs on the impact of the coronavirus, and was based on 33,940 people who experienced breakthrough infections after vaccination. (Cha, 5/25)

CIDRAP:
MRI Shows Lung Abnormalities In Former COVID-19 Patients

A special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) found lung abnormalities in patients who had previously had COVID-19, even those who had not been hospitalized with the illness, according to a small UK study in Radiology. … The authors said these findings could help explain some of the mysteries of long COVID, and guide clinicians in developing appropriate treatment plans. (5/25)

Bloomberg:
Heart-Failure Drug Used To Treat Long Covid Symptoms

More than 200 symptoms can afflict those dealing with the aftereffects of Covid-19. An emerging approach to treating one of them—heart palpitations—highlights the successes scientists are having in addressing the symptoms, even if it may take years to understand how they’re caused. About 11% of coronavirus patients report experiencing palpitations or an increased heart rate, according to a meta-analysis of long-Covid studies published in the journal Scientific Reports in August. The symptoms are suggestive of a broader condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, which affects more than 24 million Americans—a number that’s growing because of Covid. POTS is more prevalent among women of childbearing age; often coincides with lightheadedness, brain fog, and gastric upset; and can eventually lead to chronic fatigue. (Gale, 5/25)

USA Today:
Rebound COVID After Paxlovid Calls For 5 Days Isolation, CDC Says

People who test positive for COVID-19 again after taking the drug Paxlovid should isolate for another five days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. There’s a chance they might be contagious if they have this rebound effect, said the CDC’s Dr. Lauri Hicks. This is the first time the CDC has issued guidance on what people should do if they test positive again a few days after testing negative for COVID-19. Although the guidance is specific to those taking Paxlovid, Hicks, chief medical officer of CDC’s COVID-19 response, said anyone who tests positive or feels poorly again should stay away from others. (Weintraub, 5/25)

The New York Times:
Some Universities And Schools In The U.S. Are Reimposing Indoor Mask Mandates

The University of Delaware cited rising new-case reports and hospitalizations both in its home state and across the nation when it announced its mask mandate would once again include all indoor spaces, effective Tuesday. President Biden, an alumnus, is scheduled to give a commencement address at the university on Saturday. Some public school systems have taken similar steps this week to reintroduce universal indoor masking, including two in Rhode Island, in Providence and Central Falls. Both are in a county that was recently classified as high risk, officials from each system said. (Petri, 5/26)

AP:
Louisiana Bill Blocking State, Local Vaccine Mandates Defeated 

Legislation that would have kept state or local governments from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry into public places or private businesses was narrowly defeated Wednesday by a state Senate Committee. (5/25)

AP:
Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney Tests Positive For COVID-19

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney said Wednesday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and planned to work through minor symptoms she said she was experiencing. … Cheney said in a statement that she was fully vaccinated and had also received a coronavirus booster. (5/25)

AP:
Gov. Inslee Tests Positive For COVID, Officials Urge Masking 

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Wednesday, the same day state health officials urged people to wear face mask indoors as case counts steadily rise. At a news conference the state’s public health leaders said they weren’t issuing mandates but “strongly recommending” masks be worn indoors in crowded or confined places. (5/25)

CIDRAP:
Global COVID-19 Cases Start To Drop Again 

After a week of stabilization, global COVID-19 cases are declining again, with downturns in two of four regions that have seen recent upticks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest weekly update on the pandemic. Part of the decline came from South Africa, which had experienced a spike involving the more transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants in late April. (Schnirring, 5/25)

Stat:
Hospitals Are Exploring A Way To Pay For Uninsured Covid-19 Care 

The federal health department shut down a program that paid hospitals and clinics for caring for uninsured Covid-19 patients, but some hospitals are now eyeing a backdoor option to get those costs paid for. Throughout much of the pandemic, the costs of testing, vaccinating, and treating uninsured patients were mostly funneled to a multi-billion-dollar program run by the Health Resources and Services Administration, but that program ran out of money and shut down in April. The program paid out more than $1 billion per month, which means its closure was a big hit for some facilities that serve large numbers of uninsured patients. (Cohrs, 5/26)

Modern Healthcare:
Physician Compensation Rebounded Slightly In 2021, Study Shows

Compensation among most physician specialties increased slightly in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to new data from the Medical Group Management Association. Compensation plateaued in 2020 as providers dealt with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and a decline in nonessential healthcare services. Those trends reversed for most specialists last year, the MGMA reports. Surgical specialists, who saw the one of the largest pay declines in 2020, experienced a median 4% compensation increase that raised median income to $517,501 last year, the study found. Median primary care physician compensation rose 2% to $286,525 in 2021. Doctors coming out of residency had median earnings that were 7%-10% greater in 2021 than in the prior year, the data show. (Christ, 5/25)

Stat:
Senate Panel Wants To Axe In-Person Requirement For Virtual Mental Health

A bipartisan group of senators working on mental health policy have proposed axing a requirement that would have restricted seniors’ access to services via telehealth, they announced Thursday. Congress made access to mental health services through telehealth for seniors permanent in 2020, but there was a catch — seniors had to have visited the same provider in-person within the previous six months. That requirement hasn’t technically gone into effect yet because emergency regulations are still in place due to the pandemic, but if it were implemented, it could dramatically limit seniors’ options for mental health services. (Cohrs, 5/26)

Stateline:
Medicaid Pregnancy Care Varies Widely By State

The pregnancy-related health care services provided under Medicaid vary significantly by state, a new survey has found. The differences matter greatly because Medicaid finances over 40% of births in the United States—more in some states—and two-thirds of births by Black and Alaskan Native people. In recent years, policymakers have paid increasing attention to the higher rates of maternal mortality among those groups. The Kaiser Family Foundation this month released the results of a survey of 41 states between June and October 2021 that shows which pregnancy-related services each state covers. The federal government requires all states to provide cost-free Medicaid coverage to pregnant women with incomes under 138% of the federal poverty line and for at least 60 days after delivery. States are free to broaden the benefits. (Ollove, 5/25)

North Carolina Health News:
NC Senate Republicans Float Medicaid Expansion Bill 

It finally happened. In a move that many health care advocates have been pushing for years, the state Senate introduced a bill on Wednesday that would expand the state’s Medicaid program to some half million-plus low-income North Carolinians. Until this point, Medicaid has been reserved mostly for children from low-income families along with a small number of parents in those families, poor seniors and people with disabilities. Since 2012, the possibility to sweep in many low-income workers has been on the table as a result of the Affordable Care Act, but Republican leaders in the state senate have been staunch opponents. (Hoban and Crumpler, 5/26)

AP:
19 Diagnosed With Legionnaires’ Disease In Bronx; 1 Death 

An outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in a Bronx neighborhood has sickened 19 people since the beginning of the month, with one person dying, city health officials said Wednesday. The Health Department said cooling towers in the borough’s Highbridge section had been tested for the presence of the bacteria Legionella which causes the disease, a form of pneumonia. The bacteria was found in four of the towers, which the department ordered to be disinfected. (5/25)

AP:
WVa Governor Being Treated For Possible Lyme Disease 

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday he is bring treated for possible Lyme disease after becoming ill following two events he attended in the northern part of the state. The Republican governor postponed his regularly scheduled COVID-19 briefings this week and said he has tested negative for the coronavirus. (5/25)

AP:
Edney Named Mississippi’s Next State Health Officer 

Mississippi’s next State Health Officer is Dr. Daniel P. Edney, who will replace Dr. Thomas Dobbs on Aug. 1.Dobbs is resigning from the post he’s held since 2018 at the end of July. Edney currently holds the position of Deputy State Health Officer and has been with the department since February 2021. The Mississippi State Board of Health announced Edney’s promotion on Wednesday. (5/25)

AP:
Lilly Plans New $2.1 Billion Manufacturing Sites In Indiana 

Eli Lilly and Company plans to invest $2.1 billion in two new Indiana manufacturing sites, a move that’s expected to create hundreds of new jobs in the Hoosier state, the company announced Wednesday. The new facilities will expand the Indianapolis-based company’s manufacturing network for active ingredients and new therapeutic drugs, including those used to treat diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s and cancer, Lily officials said during a news conference at the governor’s residence. (Smith, 5/25)

AP:
Tentative $161.5M Settlement Reached In WVa Opioid Trial 

Attorneys for the state of West Virginia and two remaining pharmaceutical manufacturers have reached a tentative $161.5 million settlement just as closing arguments were set to begin in a seven-week trial over the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday. Morrisey announced the development in court in the state’s lawsuit against Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., AbbVie’s Allergan and their family of companies. The judge agreed to put the trial on hold to give the parties the opportunity to work out a full settlement agreement in the upcoming weeks. (Raby, 5/25)

Fox News:
Bahamas Sandals Deaths: What To Know About Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, A Quiet Killer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidental carbon monoxide poisoning sends approximately 50,000 people in the United States to the emergency department each year. The CDC also said at least 430 people in the U.S. die from accidental CO poisoning each year.  (McGorry, 5/25)

AP:
Germany: Fake Doctor Gets Life In Prison For Patient Deaths

A German court on Wednesday sentenced a woman who posed as a doctor to life in prison for causing the deaths of several people she treated. Judges at the regional court in Kassel said the evidence showed the 51-year-old woman, whose name was not given in line with German privacy rules, used a forged license to obtain employment as an anesthesiologist. (5/25)