Axios

Delta Air Lines wants competitors to release their no-fly lists of banned passengers who have exhibited unruly behavior, CNBC reports.

Why it matters: Flight attendants and pilot labor unions have voiced their concerns about handling hostile passengers at unprecedented rates since the start of the pandemic.

A Superior Court judge on Thursday denied the request of the union representing 1,800 Massachusetts State Police troopers to delay the governor's state employee vaccine mandate, the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: State workers who aren't vaccinated in Massachusetts by Oct. 17 will face disciplinary action, including possible termination.

The White House said in new guidance Friday that it expects millions of federal contractors to be vaccinated against the coronavirus no later than Dec. 8.

Why it matters: Companies with federal contractors have been waiting for formal guidance from the White House before requiring those employees to get vaccinated, according to Reuters.

The House of Representatives on Friday passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would guarantee a person's right to an abortion, in a 218-211 vote.

Why it matters: The Supreme Court in December will consider a case on a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks, which could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that ruled a woman had the constitutional right to have an abortion.

Health care workers, teachers and day care workers are stuck in the crossfire between two government agencies that can't decide whether people with jobs that put them at high risk of COVID-19 exposure should get booster shots.

The big picture: Public health officials are divided on whether booster shots are necessary or ethical, and who should get them. While they duke it out, the public is likely to become increasingly confused.

Vaccinated Americans are more worried about contracting a COVID infection than unvaccinated Americans, according to new Harris polling that was conducted in consultation with the CDC and provided exclusively to Axios.

Why it matters: The science says that the unvaccinated have much more to fear, and are largely driving the current surge of hospitalizations and deaths.

Generic drug companies have asked Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to license their COVID-19 vaccine technology to help increase global production, but so far the vaccine makers have given them the cold shoulder.

Why it matters: Other companies are saying they have extra capacity to make more vaccines. Not using that extra capacity could prolong the pandemic throughout the world.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Thursday that Democrats "need to stabilize" Medicare before expanding the program, The Hill reports.

Why it matters: Progressives are hoping to expand Medicare through a broad social spending bill, which Democratic senators have urged Manchin to support. Manchin's vote is critical in passing any Democratic bill in the 50-50 Senate.

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel told the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung on Thursday he thinks the COVID-19 pandemic could be over in a year due to increases in vaccine production, per Reuters.

What he's saying: "If you look at the industry-wide expansion of production capacities over the past six months, enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this Earth can be vaccinated," Bancel said.

Abortion providers on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review their legal challenge to the Texas abortion ban on an expedited basis because of the "great harm the ban is causing."

Why it matters: The case is currently tied up in lower courts, but the law has already wrought damage in the 23 days since it was enacted, abortion-rights advocates say.

New York State health commissioner Howard Zucker resigned on Thursday following pressure for his role in withholding nursing home COVID-19 death numbers under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Why it matters: Zucker led New York's response to COVID-19 last year but came under fire for reportedly undercounting the death toll in nursing homes by as much as 50%.

A key panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus booster shots for people 65 years old and older, as well as those at high risk of severe COVID-19.

Driving the news: But in an unusual move, CDC director Rochelle Walensky late Thursday overruled part of the advisory committee's decision and said that workers in high-risk jobs should also be eligible for booster shots.

Now is a crucial time to lay the groundwork to quash future threats from pathogens, top science advisers in the U.S. and U.K. said this week.

Why it matters: Governments, industries and organizations are trying to bolster early warning systems, improve manufacturing supply chains for vaccines and treatments, and build infrastructure to be able to better contain future outbreaks — all while the current pandemic is still raging.

Devoted Health, a health insurance startup that focuses on Medicare Advantage plans, is raising up to $1.2 billion in new funding at around an $11.5 billion valuation, according to a Delaware stock authorization filing.

Why it matters: The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company serves around 40,000 seniors in four states, more than double from the first half of 2020, and wants to eventually become a nationwide provider.

U.S. Latinos are more likely to suffer from potentially preventable cancers than non-Hispanic whites, according to a report released Tuesday.

Why it matters: The report underlines how a lack of health care for Latinos blocks early detection of preventable cancers, such as stomach, liver and cervical cancer. It was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and members of his delegation that were in New York for the UN General Assembly were put in isolation after the country's health minister tested positive for coronavirus, according to the state health regulator.

Why it matters: Bolsonaro, who tested positive for COVID-19 back in July and has regularly railed against pandemic measures, has not been vaccinated against the virus.

We've all heard dire reports about the dearth of workers in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, but the situation continues to deteriorate — and the growing number of mask mandates, which are vital, could exacerbate the crisis.

Why it matters: Stalwarts of the care community could be forced to close if they can't find enough people to fill open positions or if current workers are forced into such onerous shifts that they can't take it anymore.

New coronavirus cases are continuing to decline, and some experts are cautiously optimistic that the virus will continue to wane even into the fall and winter.

The big picture: The next few months are highly uncertain, and some localized outbreaks are all but guaranteed. But the U.S. is at least moving in the right direction again.

Some hospitals are refusing to administer Biogen's new Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, but many freestanding infusion centers are offering it despite concerns about the drug's safety and lack of effectiveness.

Yes, but: Hardly any patients are receiving the drug, even with infusion centers eagerly advertising it. Just over 100 patients have actually gotten Aduhelm so far, way below Biogen's already-tempered forecasts, STAT reported.

Afghanistan's health system is "on the brink of collapse" due to international funding cuts since the Taliban took over the country, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday.

The big picture: Nine of Afghanistan's 37 COVID-19 hospitals have closed and "all aspects" of the country's pandemic response have declined, including testing and vaccination, per a statement from WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus following his visit to the capital, Kabul, where he met with Taliban leaders.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson was released from a Chicago rehabilitation hospital on Wednesday after receiving treatment for Parkinson's disease following a breakthrough COVID-19 case, per CBS News.

The big picture: Shirley Ryan AbilityLab had treated the civil rights leader for occupational and physical therapy after Jackson was transferred on Aug. 27 following a week in a hospital with COVID-19. Both he and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, were hospitalized with the virus in August.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed two laws that aim to protect the privacy of people seeking reproductive health care and enforce new safeguards against harassment of patients and providers.

Why it matters: The move comes in the wake of Texas' new abortion law, which bars abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and incentivizes people to sue individuals who help a pregnant person violate the ban.

American athletes looking to compete in the Winter Olympics in Beijing must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to updated guidelines posted on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) website.

Details: Employees, athletes and contractors must be vaccinated by Nov. 1 to use USOPC facilities or attend events hosted by the committee. On Dec. 1, the mandate extends "to all Team USA delegation members or hopefuls for future Games."