| Good morning, welcome to The Health 202. Since last Thursday, the number of verified attacks on health care in Ukraine increased from 43 incidents to 64 incidents. Today's edition: Advocates are pushing the Biden administration to use its executive powers to lower the cost of some drugs. Health data breaches rise amid the pandemic. But first … | Now BA.2 is marching across the United States |  CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said BA.2 could become the predominant strain in the United States in the coming weeks. (Shawn Thew/pool/EPA-EFE) | | | Senior Biden officials are closely monitoring the spread of an omicron subvariant, as the BA.2 strain represents a growing number of the country's coronavirus cases. They're also using its spread as a plea to Congress for more coronavirus aid, with a White House official — who spoke on the condition of anonymity — saying the strain adds to the urgency for lawmakers to quickly cut a deal. In recent weeks, the country has entered a new phase of the pandemic. Americans have begun returning to their normal lives and would likely be reluctant to readopt mitigation measures if the virus begins surging here, like it has in Western Europe. But there are still plenty of unanswered questions around the more transmissible strain. Here's what we know, and what we don't, according to federal health officials and multiple experts. | | The prevalence of BA.2 is increasing. | | | | | | | 1,000 Americans slip from mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease every day. There's no time to waste. Medicare must cover FDA-approved treatments now. | | | |  | | | | | BA.2 accounts for roughly 35 percent of coronavirus infections nationally, which is up from 22 percent the week prior, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | - The subvariant has reached levels above 50 percent in some areas of New England, particularly where there have been a small uptick in cases and hospitalizations, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a press briefing yesterday.
- But BA.2 may account for as much as 70 percent of new infections in parts of the United States, our colleague Joel Achenbach reports, citing estimates from the genomics company Helix.
| | The subvariant could become the country's dominant coronavirus strain. That's per Walensky, who said that federal officials "do anticipate over the weeks that we may see it become the predominant variant here as it has already in the Northeast." BA.2 seems more infectious, but not more severe. The original omicron variant was more contagious than previous strains of the virus. But BA.2 appears to have an even greater transmissibility, federal officials and health experts say. But the good news is that it doesn't seem to make people sicker, and isn't more likely to evade immune protection. | | Case numbers are low. But will that stick? Since January, cases have dropped precipitously. But disease experts can't say for sure whether or when another wave would materialize, as Joel notes. That's in part because there are so many variables at play, including human behavior. | - "There will be an increase in cases," said Stephanie Navarro Silvera, a public health professor at Montclair State University. "I don't think it will be a broad increase in cases, like we saw with omicron, but I think that it's going to hit more vulnerable populations."
- Over the past week, there's been a "small increase" in coronavirus cases in New York City and in the state — a dynamic the administration is watching closely, Walensky said.
| | Let's say cases do pick up. How will state and local officials respond? Statewide mask mandates are basically gone. Cities ditched vaccine requirements. And many people have started to go about their daily lives. The Biden administration has cautioned state and local officials, as well as the general public, to be flexible in the event such measures are needed again. But still, Anthony Fauci — Biden's chief medical adviser — conceded that it could be tough to convince Americans to go back to some form of mitigation. | - "Whenever you relax restrictions, how much the public's going to accept it if and when you start walking it back, I think we don't really have a sense yet. It may vary by region," said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
| | In light of BA.2, will Congress allocate more funding? The prospects are still murky. But in press briefings and on Capitol Hill, the administration is pleading its case. For instance: According to a White House official, three top officials briefed Senate Democrats yesterday: Shalanda Young, White House budget office director; Jeff Zients, coronavirus response coordinator; and Xavier Becerra, the Health and Human Services secretary. Republicans have demanded that lawmakers find a way to pay for any new funding and questioned whether the need for more pandemic-related aid is really there. | | |  | Readers help us | | | The Post is looking to speak with families with a child currently struggling with suicide. Your story can help us understand this difficult issue. We recognize this is a sensitive topic and respect your privacy. We won't publish any part of your response without contacting you first and getting your permission. Here's how to share your story with us. | | |  | Agency alert | | Advocates pressure HHS to use executive action to lower drug costs |  Advocacy groups are pushing the Biden administration to use its executive powers to lower the cost of some drugs. (Alex Brandon/AP) | | | The Make Meds Affordable campaign — comprised of progressive and grass-roots groups — is pushing the Biden administration to use its executive authority to lower the cost of six medicines. This comes as Democrats' broader drug pricing package has been stalled on Capitol Hill for months. | | In a new road map released today, the campaign points to two potential pathways. One is so-called march-in rights, where the government would step in and license certain patent rights to another manufacturer. Another would let the federal government authorize generic competition for reasonable compensation. | - In a letter to Becerra, the campaign focused on six drugs, including Xtandi, the prostate cancer drug; Paxlovid, the coronavirus-fighting pills; and insulin.
- "By exercising your executive authority, you can help lower drug prices, improve the lives of millions of Americans, and move towards eliminating the epidemics of our time," the groups — such as Public Citizen, Social Security Works and People's Action — wrote.
| Health data breaches skyrocket during pandemic | | Nearly 50 million Americans had their protected health information breached in 2021, a threefold increase in just three years, according to a Politico analysis of HHS data. What Politico found: | - More than 1 in 10 residents in about half of states and D.C. reported having their sensitive health data accessed without authorization.
- Hacking was the mode of choice for most cybercriminals and accounted for 75 percent of all breaches in 2021, up from 35 percent in 2016.
| | Experts said the swell in digital breaches is attributable to several factors. This includes the digitization of the health-care industry, the country's shift to remote work amid the pandemic and more reporting of attacks. The results are costly: Data breaches cost health-care organizations more than any other industry, in part because some feel forced to shell out ransom dollars because a disruption in service could threaten patients' lives. | Meanwhile, an IRS probe revealed fraud related to coronavirus stimulus funds | | An investigation by the Internal Revenue Service released Wednesday uncovered roughly $1.8 billion in fraudulent activities related to coronavirus stimulus funds — including fake loans, credits and payments meant for American families and small businesses. | - The agency said it has investigated 660 tax and money laundering schemes, and detailed several wire fraud cases where people submitted false information to receive money from the government.
| | |  | Reproductive wars | | Idaho copies Texas's abortion law | | Some Republican-led states want to copy Texas' unique way of banning nearly all abortions. The latest: On Wednesday, Idaho became the first state to enact a law modeled after Texas, which bans abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detected and charges private citizens to enforce the law. The Idaho measure goes into effect in 30 days, but court challenges are expected. Yet … Gov. Brad Little (R), who signed off on the bill, expressed reservations. "While I support the pro-life policy in this legislation, I fear the novel civil enforcement mechanism will in short order be proven both unconstitutional and unwise," he wrote in a letter to Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R), according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, blue states are moving to protect abortion rights. The latest: Democrats in Colorado's state legislature sent Gov. Jared Polis (D) a bill Wednesday to codify the right to abortion and contraceptives in state law, the Colorado Sun reports. | - The measure, which Polis has said he will sign into law, was introduced in direct response to the Supreme Court's consideration of a Mississippi law that could undermine Roe v. Wade's nearly half-century-old protections.
- Because the bill only changes state law, Republicans would still be able to introduce legislation to limit abortion access — but abortion rights groups are considering whether to pursue a constitutional amendment to settle the issue for good.
| | Colorado state Sen. Julie Gonzales (D), debating the Reproductive Health Equity Act on the Senate floor: |  | | | | | |  | In other health news | | - On the move: Kirsten Allen will leave her role as national press secretary for coronavirus response at HHS to serve as Vice President Harris's new press secretary, CNN reports.
- The U.S. Capitol will reopen Monday for guided tours for the first time since it shuttered its doors to the public two years ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press reports.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she supports the reelection bid of the last antiabortion House Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar, in a Texas primary runoff race against liberal candidate Jessica Cisneros in May, our colleague Mariana Alfaro reports.
| | |  | Health reads | | By Carolyn Y. Johnson l The Washington Post ● Read more » | | | | | |  | Sugar rush | | | Thanks for reading! See y'all tomorrow. | |
