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Admitting a degree of fault for the first time, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday that his administration’s lack of transparency about the scope of coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes in New York was a mistake. By failing to answer questions from state lawmakers, the public and the news media, Mr. Cuomo acknowledged, the state created a void that was “filled with skepticism, and cynicism, and conspiracy theories which furthered the confusion.” But he stopped short of a full apology for his handling of information about the death toll in the state’s nursing homes, an issue that has engulfed his administration in recent weeks. (McKinley, 2/15)

Jared Moskowitz, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management who has overseen the pandemic response, including rolling out the vaccine distribution and ensuring masks get to front-line workers, is resigning. ... “It’s been a tremendous honor to have the job,” Moskowitz said, adding that his staff who is “underpaid and underappreciated” have also dedicated their lives to the state response and continue to “burn the midnight oil.” He said the trauma of what has happened in Florida for a year now haunts him. (Huriash and Erblat, 2/15)

Alaska on Sunday became one of two states in the United States without a formal COVID-19 public health disaster declaration and the only state without any disaster-related provisions, at least right now. The physically isolated and medically fragile state is also seeing a sharp reduction in coronavirus cases. But without the declaration, everything from hospital coronavirus treatment units to space for large vaccination clinics is in limbo, observers say. In place since March, it provided legal backing for state health orders, as well as flexibilities to respond to the virus and deliver vaccine to Alaskans. “Alaska is definitely in uncharted territory here,” said Emily Ford, government relations director with Providence Alaska Medical Center, the state’s largest hospital in Anchorage. (Hollander, 2/16)

A congressional subcommittee is investigating multiple coronavirus outbreaks at meat and poultry processing plants in North Carolina and throughout the country. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis announced Feb. 1 that it is seeking internal documents from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and three of the nation’s largest meatpackers — Smithfield Foods, Tyson Foods and JBS USA. All three companies have plants in North Carolina. (Barnes, 2/12)

KHN: S.D. Governor Gives State High Marks In Handling The Pandemic. Are They Deserved?

Covid-19 has pushed states to adopt unique approaches to protect their residents, but few have garnered as much scrutiny as South Dakota. Its governor, Kristi Noem, refused to enact a mask mandate or close any businesses. She argued these precautions were a matter of personal choice, even at large gatherings, such as a July 3 political event at Mount Rushmore and the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis that was connected to covid cases in Minnesota and other nearby states. She sees success in the approach. (Heredia Rodriguez, 2/12)

Street outreach teams have been urging homeless individuals to seek shelter in the wake of winter storms that have brought freezing temperatures to the metro area. The teams’ messaging seems to be working, said Dan Straughan, executive director of the Oklahoma City Homeless Alliance. Monday, he said, outreach teams have been distributing flyers with a list of shelters and warming station locations. They were also sharing information about frostbite and hypothermia. Straughan said, most of all, team members are telling people that the current winter storms are vastly different from storms many of the homeless may have experienced in the past. (Hinton, 2/16)