�������ýҕ�l

Some towns in upstate New York opposed to mask mandates and other public health measures put in place during the pandemic are considering voting with their feet and switching counties. The Buffalo News reported representatives from Marilla, Wales, Holland and Grand Island were among a group that met last week to discuss leaving Erie County for Wyoming or Niagara counties. (2/6)

Courts around the country are weighing how to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent mixed guidance on the federal government’s power to impose Covid-19 vaccine mandates, as judges consider whether the Biden administration can enforce such requirements on groups including government contractors and federal workers. (Gershman, 2/6)

Nevada is one of nine states that still require people to wear a mask in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status, according to a new report by AARP. The other states that require masks indoors are California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington. With disease transmission still rampant in the state, Gov. Steve Sisolak’s medical advisory team has not discussed with either the governor’s office or the state health division about possibly ending or easing the mandate, epidemiologist Brian Labus, a member of the team, said Friday. (Hynes, 2/5)

A recent controversial Johns Hopkins meta-analysis reignites a discussion about the adverse consequences of lockdowns after finding they had no significant mortality benefit during the first wave of the 2020 pandemic in the United States and Europe, according to a recent report. "We find no evidence that lockdowns, school closures, border closures and limiting gatherings have had a noticeable effect on COVID-19 mortality," said the authors of the study, which is not peer-reviewed and reflects the authors' views, not necessarily those of the university.  The study authors, however, did find closing nonessential businesses reduced COVID-19 mortality by 10.6%, which is likely most related to the closure of bars. (Sudhakar, 2/5)

About 100 protesters gathered outside Brigham and Women’s Hospital Sunday afternoon in support of a Massachusetts man whose family has said he was dropped from its heart transplant waitlist because he hasn’t been vaccinated for COVID-19. David Ferguson Jr., who is known as D.J., has been hospitalized since November, according to an online fund-raiser. His mother, Tracey Ferguson, has said he has been suffering complications from atrial fibrillation and deteriorating heart failure and has been treated at hospitals around Boston. Brigham and Women’s Hospital has told Ferguson that he was ineligible for a transplant because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, according to his family. Ferguson’s father, David, told WBZ last month that vaccination against COVID-19 went against his son’s “basic principles. He doesn’t believe in it.” (Brinker and Hilliard, 2/6)

The tweet from Stacey Abrams seemed innocuous enough, promoting her appearance at a Decatur school honoring Black History Month. But the pictures under the now-deleted post are what triggered a Republican backlash that could factor into the November race for governor. Abrams visited Glennwood Elementary School on Friday to talk about her new children’s book and speak with faculty and staff. The school’s principal tweeted her thanks — along with images of Abrams, without a mask, posing with students and faculty. Abrams amplified the message on social media. Within hours, Republicans had bombarded both the principal and Abrams with attacks criticizing the Democratic candidate. Not long after the principal deleted her tweet, Abrams did the same. (Bluestein, 2/6)

Wearing any kind of mask indoors is associated with significantly better protection from the coronavirus, with high-quality N95 and KN95 masks providing the best chance of avoiding infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. In indoor public settings, surgical masks reduce the chances of testing positive by 66 percent, the CDC estimated. Top-of-the-line N95 and KN95 masks, the tightfitting face coverings often worn by health-care workers, cut the odds of infection by 83 percent, the health agency said. (Bernstein and Sellers, 2/4)

KHN: Ready For Another Pandemic Malady? It’s Called ‘Decision Fatigue’ 

Most all of us have felt the exhaustion of pandemic-era decision-making. Should I travel to see an elderly relative? Can I see my friends and, if so, is inside OK? Mask or no mask? Test or no test? What day? Which brand? Is it safe to send my child to day care? Questions that once felt trivial have come to bear the moral weight of a life-or-death choice. So it might help to know (as you’re tossing and turning over whether to cancel your non-refundable vacation) that your struggle has a name: decision fatigue. (Gold, 2/7)