Sens. Rob PortmanRobert (Rob) Jones PortmanPortman, Whitehouse say COVID-19 is complicating opioid addiction fight Ohio businessman Mike Gibbons steps down from super PAC as he weighs Senate bid The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by TikTok – New video of riot unnerves many senators MORE (R-Ohio) and Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehousePortman, Whitehouse say COVID-19 is complicating opioid addiction fight The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by TikTok – New video of riot unnerves many senators Overnight Health Care: CDC study says double masking works | House Democrats propose multibillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package | Industry groups back ObamaCare reforms proposed by Democrats MORE (D-R.I.) said Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated efforts to win the fight against opioid and drug addiction.

Speaking at The Hill’s “COVID-19 & the Opioid Epidemic” event, Portman said the U.S. had the lowest overdose rate in decades as recently as 2018, but last year saw the worst overdose rate in U.S. history.

Portman said new legislation, a follow-up to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) that was signed into law by former President Obama in 2016, can help address that surge.

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Portman introduced CARA with Whitehouse in 2015. The measure takes a comprehensive approach to fighting the opioid epidemic.

“We have a new bill, CARA 2.0, to address some of these issues. … Telehealth needs to be expanded, and dealing with the isolation and despair people are feeling because we’re slipping again,” Portman told The Hill’s Steve Clemons.

CARA 2.0, which has bipartisan support, would increase the amount of funding authorized to support CARA’s programs and lay out new regulations to help the battle against opioid addiction.

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Whitehouse, who also spoke at the event sponsored by Indivior, said the challenge of treating individuals with addiction has been exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety protocols that have been put in place to keep people safe from the virus.

“It’s been a really tragic sidebar of COVID, and we’re going to have to work hard to get it back,” he said.

Whitehouse said Rhode Island was starting to get control of opioid deaths and cases were declining before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic reversed the trend. He said the pandemic has disrupted the organizations that conduct outreach to people in recovery, leading to a spike in deaths.

Whitehouse said there has been some delay in providing assistance to those suffering from opioid addiction in part because Americans are still moving away from the idea of blaming users for their addiction and not recognizing it as a medical condition.

He added that police officers and firefighters have increasingly begun carrying Naloxone, a narcotic overdose treatment, as part of their standard equipment, and the treatment has recently been more widely available in commercial settings.

“I think it’s getting better, but there’s continued room for improvement,” Whitehouse said.

FBI officials tweeted photos of a man they are trying to identify for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol on Twitter Thursday as the impeachment trial of former President TrumpDonald TrumpNRCC finance chair: Republicans who voted for Trump impeachment will not be penalized Blinken, UN head share first call after US rejoins Climate Accords, WHO GOP senators met with Trump’s impeachment team to talk strategy MORE stretched into its third day.

Photos of a white man wearing a yellow-brown jacket were released by the agency, with one picture appearing to show the man wielding a metal pole or object of some kind.

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The tweet from the FBI’s account noted that the individual pictured was suspected in involvement in “violence at the U.S. Capitol,” but no further information was included about what allegations the man faced specifically. His picture is one of more than 200 hosted on a gallery set up by the FBI’s Washington, D.C., bureau depicting individuals present during the Jan. 6 violence, during which several people died, including a Capitol Police officer. Dozens of other officers were injured.

The FBI has been regularly calling for information from the public in regards to the Jan. 6 riot. Its latest comes as Trump’s impeachment trial continues to resurface horrific images and video scenes from the bloody riot that overtook the Capitol, footage which left senators shaken after Tuesday and Wednesday’s proceedings, according to media reports.

Newly-unveiled video at the trial this week showed how some senators including Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck SchumerNewly released footage shows Schumer’s ‘near miss’ with Capitol rioters There’s more to repairing federal courts than Supreme Court expansion  Five things Biden should do to tackle the climate emergency MORE (D-N.Y.) and Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyThe Memo: Punish Trump or risk a repeat, warn Democrats FBI asks for help in identifying rioter amid impeachment trial The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Republicans privately discuss trial votes MORE (R-Utah) came within seconds of encountering rioters who had broken in to the building. 

Welcome to Wednesday’s Overnight Health Care. It’s been almost a year since many people started working remotely, yet some are still facing the occasional struggle transitioning to virtual life.

Follow us at @PeterSullivan4, @NateWeixel and @jessiehellmann

A new study from the CDC shows the importance of face masks fitting correctly, House Democrats unveiled their COVID relief bill, and there’s a new health industry coalition backing some familiar proposals to shore up the Affordable Care Act. 

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We’ll start with the CDC:

Double masking works, says CDC study

Masks can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, which is something health officials have been saying with some regularity since last April. 

But as a way to avoid infection from new variants, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered some new suggestions based on a new study. One is wearing a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask. The other involves looping and tucking to make a surgical-style mask fit tighter.

CDC researchers experimenting in a lab found that the better the fit of the mask, the better the protection it provides. 

The agency’s directions on forming a tight fit are a bit complicated, but knotting the ear loops of a surgical mask and tucking in the sides close to the face can reduce exposure to infectious aerosols by 95 percent. So can wearing two masks.

The agency also said that if a medical procedure mask is worn alone, using a “mask fitter” or wearing a sleeve made of sheer nylon hosiery over either a cloth or medical procedure mask also significantly improved the wearer’s protection.

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What’s changing: Essentially, nothing. “I want to be clear that these new scientific data released today do not change the specific recommendations about who should wear a mask or when they should wear one,” CDC director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyOvernight Health Care: CDC study says double masking works | House Democrats propose multibillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package | Industry groups back ObamaCare reforms proposed by Democrats Psaki defends White House’s definition of reopening schools amid criticism Double masking works, says CDC study MORE said. Updated guidance notes that double masking or wearing a tightly fitted surgical mask are two of the best ways to boost protection against exposure, but it doesn’t outright tell people to wear two masks. 

Not every mask is the same: The CDC said if people choose to wear two masks, the best bet is a cloth mask over a surgical-style mask. But without much explanation, CDC also said not to combine an N95-style respirator with any other type of mask, or wear two respirators. Also, the study was limited and results may vary. The experiments were conducted in a lab, not in a real-world setting, with just one type of medical procedure mask and one type of cloth mask.

Read more here.

 

House Democrats propose multibillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package

House Democrats proposed a multibillion-dollar COVID-19 relief bill that would boost investments in public health, vaccines, testing and health care services for the poor.

The proposal from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over health care, largely mirrors portions of the framework for a COVID-19 relief package and other proposals released by President BidenJoe BidenFormer Republican officials in talks to form center-right anti-Trump party: report Biden raises concerns with Xi in first call with Chinese leader as president Castro: Trump further incited the mob ‘against his own vice president’ MORE, with more funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and expansion of Medicaid to more groups of people.

“As new variants of the virus emerge, it is vital that Congress act quickly to provide relief to the American people and the resources and support needed to bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.).

The bill includes: 

• Incentives for states to expand Medicaid to more groups of people, including postpartum women, prisoners 30 days before release and more low-income adults.
• $8.5 billion for the CDC for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, promotion, administration and monitoring, including $1 billion for education campaigns that dispel concerns about the vaccine. 
• $5.2 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services to support the research, development, manufacturing and purchasing of vaccines, treatments and other medical products needed for the COVID response. 
• $46 billion for HHS to implement a national testing and contact tracing strategy and support those efforts at state and local levels.
• Billions of dollars to support the public health workforce, community health centers, and grant programs responding to substance abuse prevention, treatment and mental health issues.

Read more here.

 

Health care industry groups back ObamaCare reforms proposed by Democrats

Powerful interests in the health-care industry united behind a set of proposals Wednesday that they argued would achieve universal insurance coverage, an apparent endorsement of similar plans offered by congressional Democrats and President Biden to build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Groups representing health insurance plans, doctors, hospitals and businesses endorsed policies favored by Democrats that would expand financial assistance to consumers to cover premium costs for ACA plans and incentivize states to expand Medicaid to more low-income adults.

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Many of the proposals endorsed by the groups have already been included in COVID-19 relief bills released by House committees this week and House-passed legislation from last year to shore up the ACA.

Why it matters: These proposals would be beneficial to the health-care industry while others that are gaining steam among Democrats, like Medicare for All and a public option, are not. By endorsing policies the industry says would achieve “universal coverage,” they’re trying to steer the conversation away from other proposals they don’t support. 

Read more here.

 

Cuomo announces New York arenas, venues can reopen Feb. 23

New York Gov. Andrew CuomoAndrew CuomoOvernight Health Care: CDC study says double masking works | House Democrats propose multibillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package | Industry groups back ObamaCare reforms proposed by Democrats Cuomo announces New York arenas, venues can reopen Feb. 23 New state privacy initiatives turn up heat on Congress MORE (D) announced Wednesday that arenas and venues in the state will be allowed to reopen on Feb. 23 — including indoors — with strict coronavirus prevention guidelines in place for events, including rapid testing.

First up is the Barclays Center, which Cuomo said has been approved to reopen on Feb. 23 for the Brooklyn Nets home game against the Sacramento Kings. 

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He said the success of that game, and similar events in approved venues over the coming weeks, will help inform the reopening process for smaller venues in the future.

Face coverings will be mandated, and all staff and spectators will be required to receive a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of the event. Venues will also have a 10 percent capacity limit.

“While we continue to fight COVID on multiple fronts, we must also get this economy re-opened intelligently and in a balanced way,” Cuomo said in a statement. 

Reality: The pandemic is not over. Cases and hospitalizations are down compared to their peak, but experts are expecting a new wave as more contagious variants become the dominant strains. The CDC still recommends avoiding large crowds, and being indoors with people outside your household. Arenas and concert venues would fit both descriptions. Also, a negative test 72 hours beforehand does not necessarily mean that a person will still be negative the day of the event. 

Read more here. 

 

Two-thirds dissatisfied with vaccine rollout: Gallup 

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Two-thirds of Americans surveyed in a new Gallup poll expressed dissatisfaction with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.  

The survey determined that 66 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the vaccination distribution and administration process as responsibility for the initiative transferred to the Biden administration. More than one-fifth of participants — at 21 percent — said they were very dissatisfied.  

A total of 34 percent of Americans reported satisfaction with the vaccination rollout, with 4 percent saying they were very satisfied.

The pace of the vaccine rollout has sped up in recent weeks, but it’s been plagued with red tape, complicated signups and supply shortages.

Republicans were split on the issue, with 51 percent expressing dissatisfaction and 49 percent saying they were satisfied with the process. Majorities of Democrats and independents said they were dissatisfied with the process, at 79 percent and 63 percent, respectively. 

Read more here.

 

More mass vaccination sites opening

The Biden administration is partnering with Texas to help open new mass vaccination sites in Houston, Dallas and Arlington. White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff ZientsJeff ZientsOvernight Health Care: CDC study says double masking works | House Democrats propose multibillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package | Industry groups back ObamaCare reforms proposed by Democrats The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by TikTok – Day 1 goes to Dems as GOP fumes at Trump lawyers Overnight Health Care: White House to ship coronavirus vaccines directly to community health centers | WHO: ‘Unlikely’ that COVID-19 came from a lab | Uber and Walgreens to offer free rides to COVID vaccine sites MORE said those areas are some of the hardest hit by the pandemic. The sites are NRG Stadium in Houston, home of the Houston Texans, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where the Dallas Cowboys play, and Ferris Plaza Park in Dallas.

Together, these sites will be capable of administering more than 10,000 shots in arms a day, and will begin operating the week of Feb. 22.

Additionally, the administration will open two community vaccination centers in New York to help underserved communities. 

The sites, which will open the week of Feb. 24, will be located at York College in Queens and at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said at a press briefing. Each site will be able to administer 3,000 shots a day, which will come directly from the federal government.

The announcements follow the news from last week that the administration will be helping California open two mass vaccination sites in Oakland and Los Angeles. 

President Biden said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would help states open 100 such sites within his first 30 days.

 

Virtual Event Announcement:

Thursday 2/11 at 1:00 PM ET–COVID-19 & The Opioid Epidemic

In the shadow of the COVID-19 crisis, the opioid epidemic still rages across the nation. According to the AMA, more than “40 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality as well as ongoing concerns for those with a mental illness or substance use disorder.” Could increased access to medication for opioid use disorder be a turning point in this epidemic? How can we address disparities in treatment and get all Americans the help they need? Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseOvernight Health Care: CDC study says double masking works | House Democrats propose multibillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package | Industry groups back ObamaCare reforms proposed by Democrats The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by TikTok – Day 1 goes to Dems as GOP fumes at Trump lawyers Overnight Health Care: White House to ship coronavirus vaccines directly to community health centers | WHO: ‘Unlikely’ that COVID-19 came from a lab | Uber and Walgreens to offer free rides to COVID vaccine sites MORE (D-RI), Sen. Rob PortmanRobert (Rob) Jones PortmanGOP senators call Capitol riot videos ‘disturbing,’ ‘powerful,’ ‘graphic’ Overnight Health Care: CDC study says double masking works | House Democrats propose multibillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package | Industry groups back ObamaCare reforms proposed by Democrats Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel jumps into Senate race MORE (R-Ohio), and a panel of experts join The Hill’s Steve Clemons to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the opioid epidemic and the path to saving lives. RSVP today

 

What we’re reading

More Americans say they’re willing to take a Covid-19 vaccine, but supply issues remain (CNN.com)

As CDC weighs coronavirus testing requirement for domestic flights, industry voices fierce opposition (Washington Post)

How Merck, a vaccine titan, lost the Covid race (New York Times)

 

State by state

Three FEMA-run vaccination sites aimed at underserved Texans to open later this month, Abbott says (Texas Tribune) 

Wasted COVID vaccines in Massachusetts are a ‘missed opportunity,’ Baker says (CBS 4) 

White House looks at domestic travel restrictions as COVID mutation surges in Florida (Miami Herald) 

 

Op-eds in The Hill

To ramp up COVID vaccine distribution, empower the nation’s health students

Full COVID recovery requires raising the minimum wage 

The Navy’s top admiral called on the fleet Tuesday to come together to root out extremism in the ranks after two incidents where “symbols of hate and violence” were found aboard ships.

“Shipmates, I am certain the vast majority of men and women in the United States Navy serve with honor, character and integrity. But we cannot be under any illusions that extremist behaviors do not exist in our Navy,” Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, said in a message to the fleet.

“Just in the past few weeks, there have been two separate incidents where symbols of hate and violence were anonymously left in living areas aboard ships in our fleet,” he said. “The chain of command took both of those incidents seriously and immediately launched investigations, which are ongoing.”

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Gilday did not elaborate on the incidents, but a Navy official confirmed he was referencing recent incidents involving the discovery of a noose and hate speech graffiti.

Late last month, a Black sailor aboard the USS Lake Champlain guided missile cruiser found a noose above his bunk, sparking a Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) probe. A sailor later confessed and was removed from the ship, the Navy official confirmed.

The other incident involved hate speech graffiti discovered in a bathroom aboard the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier within the past week, the official said. NCIS is also investigating that incident.

The U.S. military has long struggled with rooting out extremist thinking from its ranks, but the issue has come to the forefront after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol carried by supporters of former President TrumpDonald TrumpSchoen says Trump team will be ‘very well prepared’ after criticism Iowa Republicans seek to cut funding for schools with 1619 Project in curriculum Capitol rioter seen smoking in Rotunda arrested MORE. 

Nearly 20 percent of people arrested in connection with the insurrection were found to have military histories, according to an analysis of court cases. 

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In the wake of the attack, Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinOvernight Defense: Pentagon pushes to root out extremism in ranks | Top admiral condemns extremism after noose, hate speech discovered Top admiral condemns extremism after noose, hate speech discovered Pentagon asks troops for help battling extremism in ranks MORE has made tackling extremism one of his top priorities. As part of that focus, he has ordered a rare military-wide “stand-down,” where commanders will pause regular activity for one day before April 6 to address the issue with their troops.

On Monday, Adm. John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, flew from his headquarters in Hawaii to San Diego to meet with crews from the USS Lake Champlain, USS Carl Vinson and others in the fleet for a stand-down, according to a Pacific Fleet news release.

“I have policies in the Pacific Fleet that we do not care what race you are, what creed you are, what god you pray to, what sexual orientation you are, or what gender you are,” Aquilino said in the release. “We are all sailors, we are all shipmates, and we are here to serve our nation and defend the Constitution. I owe you a safe place to work so that you can execute your mission and fulfill your oath.”

In his message to the fleet, Gilday said the stand-down will provide an opportunity to “listen, to learn and to improve,” telling sailors that “each of your voices matter.”

“We must better understand the scope of the problem, get after this issue, and eliminate conduct that is driven by extremist beliefs,” Gilday wrote. “No doubt, this is a leadership issue. We will own this.”

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The Navy also has a responsibility to educate sailors at all stages — when they are joining the Navy, when they are in and when they are preparing to leave — that “extremist behavior is unacceptable,” Gilday said.

“If we don’t eliminate extremist behaviors from our Navy, then racism, injustice, indignity, and disrespect will grow and continue to keep us from reaching our potential — an inclusive, respectful, professional fighting force that answers the nation’s call,” he said. “If we must first question the intentions of our shipmate standing the watch with us, now, and especially, when taking fire, we will fail when the nation needs us most in combat.”

Gilday also reminded the fleet of their oath to support and defend the Constitution “above all else.”

“Simply put, we must demand of each other that we treat everyone with dignity and respect,” he concluded. “That is how we will become a stronger Navy.”

Google announced Tuesday it is expanding its efforts around election security by providing free training to state and federal campaigns in all 50 states.

The company detailed the effort in a blog post, saying it will involve supporting nonpartisan virtual cybersecurity trainings for state and federal campaigns across the country and deploying a digital “help desk” to answer security-related questions for campaigns.

The new effort marks an expansion of Google’s work with the nonprofit group Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC), which provides free or low-cost security services to campaigns to help defend against malicious hackers. 

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“Keeping everyone safe online remains our top priority and we look forward to continuing our work in 2021 to make sure campaigns and elected officials around the world stay safe online,” Mark Risher, Google’s director of product management, identity and user security, wrote in the blog post. 

During the 2020 election cycle, Google worked with DDC to provide free two-factor authentication keys to more than 140 federal campaigns, along with promoting best cyber practices for campaign employees.

Google is not the only company to work with DDC, which counts many major security and tech groups as partners, including Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon Web Services and Cloudflare.

The effort to secure campaigns has been heightened since the 2016 presidential election, when Russian hackers launched a sophisticated interference effort involving hacking and disinformation efforts. These efforts included targeting emails of staffers on the campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonTanden seeks to defuse GOP tensions over tweets Google expands election security aid for federal, state campaigns What I learned in 19 weeks of working with progressive Democrats MORE. 

Concerns around campaign security were underlined last year when a Google threat researcher reported evidence of Chinese hackers targeting employees on the campaign of now President BidenJoe BidenPostal Service posts profits after surge in holiday deliveries Overnight Defense: Pentagon pushes to root out extremism in ranks | Top admiral condemns extremism after noose, hate speech discovered GOP senators send clear signal: Trump’s getting acquitted MORE and Iranian hackers targeting campaign staffers for former President TrumpDonald TrumpSchoen says Trump team will be ‘very well prepared’ after criticism Iowa Republicans seek to cut funding for schools with 1619 Project in curriculum Capitol rioter seen smoking in Rotunda arrested MORE.

Microsoft subsequently reported in September that it was seeing “increasing” cyberattacks from foreign adversaries directed at customers including the Biden and Trump campaigns. 

Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersOn The Money: What’s in Democrats’ .9 trillion relief package | Spotlight on the proposed stimulus checks | Tanden addresses criticism of GOP Tanden seeks to defuse GOP tensions over tweets Google expands election security aid for federal, state campaigns MORE (I-Vt.) also saw his presidential campaign targeted last year, telling reporters that he had been briefed on Russian interference efforts aimed at his campaign. 

A new weekly series from Impact Wrestling is premiering on AXS TV next week.

“Before The Impact” will debut on AXS TV at 7 p.m. Eastern time next Tuesday (February 16) and will air weekly in that time slot leading into new episodes of Impact. Before The Impact will be hosted by Nashville sportscaster Jon Burton and Impact Wrestling’s Gia Miller and Josh Mathews.

“BTI will feature in-depth previews of the biggest matches, exclusive interviews with IMPACT Wrestling stars, behind-the-scenes access you won’t see anywhere else and an exclusive match each week,” Mathews said in a press release.

Mathews will also serve as a senior producer for Before The Impact. Last month, Mathews departed the Impact commentary team and was promoted to senior producer for Impact Wrestling programming.

Team XXXL vs. The Decay will be the exclusive match on next Tuesday’s premiere episode of Before The Impact.

“BEFORE THE IMPACT will be IMPACT Wrestling’s version of a pregame show,” Impact Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore said. “Fans have been asking for more IMPACT action on AXS TV and we’re excited to debut a new show and format with BTI.”

It was noted that Before The Impact will also feature an “Iceman’s Intel” segment with “exclusive news on the pro-wrestling industry from insider George Iceman.”

“Impact in 60” also airs on AXS TV at 10 p.m. Eastern on Tuesdays and highlights past Impact Wrestling/TNA footage.