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A monoclonal antibody treatment for Covid-19 developed by Regeneron saved lives among hospitalized patients who had not mounted their own immune response, a finding that could dramatically change the way that doctors will use the therapy, researchers in the United Kingdom announced Wednesday. The new data mark the first time that a medicine that works by fighting the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been shown to reduce mortality. Other treatments, such as the steroid dexamethasone, have been shown to save lives by tamping down the immune system’s overactive response to the virus. (Herper, 6/16)

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s antibody cocktail reduced the risk of death by 20% among hospitalized Covid-19 patients who don’t have a natural antibody response of their own, according to a large study by University of Oxford researchers. The results suggest there would be six fewer deaths over 28 days for every 100 patients given the company’s casirivimab and imdevimab combination of monoclonal antibodies. Patients who got the cocktail also spent four days fewer in the hospital on average, and had less of a need for a ventilator. (Gemmell, Langreth and Chen, 6/16)

Royal Caribbean postponed the inaugural sailing of its cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas after eight vaccinated crew members tested positive for Covid-19, the company's CEO said. The positive tests come as major cruises lines are finally starting to set sail for the first time since the pandemic halted their movements. The eight positive cases were identified during routine testing, Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley said in a statement posted on Facebook. (Elamroussi, 6/16)

From January to August 2020, 17% more US assisted living residents died compared with the same months in 2019, and excess deaths hit 24% in the hardest-hit states, according to a JAMA Network Open research letter yesterday. (6/15)

Amazon has made its FDA-cleared Covid-19 test available to consumers online, alongside a consumer diagnostics website where people can view their results. The consumer diagnostics website, AmazonDx.com, was previously only available to Amazon employees. As of Tuesday, however, it appears any customer can sign into the site using the same login information they use to access the shopping portion of the tech giant’s website. (Brodwin, 6/15)

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he will begin phasing out the executive authority he has been granted during the coronavirus pandemic after creating, amending and extending about 400 orders since March 2020. The Democrat told The Denver Post that he’s now ready to let go of his unprecedented authority. (6/15)

Next month, Marylanders will no longer have to wear masks in any settings, including schools, camps and child care facilities, except where required by local rules, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday. Hogan said Maryland will lift its COVID-19 state of emergency, which the Republican governor had declared in March 2020 and extended throughout the pandemic. The move ends the rest of the state’s mask mandate and several other pandemic-related orders as of July 1. (Campbell, 6/16)

Valerie Molina anxiously searched the desert sky, scanning the horizon for any clouds dark with rain. But all was blue and bright. Today, the weather wasn’t going to be on her side. It was March 20, 2020, and Guadalupe, over which Molina presides as mayor, was preparing for what should have been the third of six Friday ceremonies in the run-up to Easter. (Molteni, 6/16)

KHN: Collecting FEMA Funeral Money Takes Some Tenacity — And Help

As a funeral director at Ingold Funeral and Cremation in Fontana, California, Jessica Rodriguez helps families say goodbye to their loved ones. “We serve predominantly Latino families, most of them second- and third-generation” residents, said Rodriguez. “We do have quite a few that are first-generation, that don’t speak any English.” Most are unaware of a federal program that offers up to $9,000, she said. And even when they know about the aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the process is daunting and the bureaucracy confusing. The lack of English skills hinders some families of people who died of covid from receiving reimbursement from FEMA for funeral expenses, so her office offers them help in Spanish. (de Marco, 6/16)