1. Daily COVID-19 stats, state-by-state:

• Positivity rates + new cases
• States where virus is spreading fastest, slowest
• Hospitalizations
• Deaths

2. UK variant may already be in US, Fauci says; air travel spikes despite health warnings — 6 COVID-19 updates  Full story

3. Congress passes COVID-19 relief, spending bill: Here's what hospitals should know  Full story

4. Lung Cancer Diagnoses Have Declined Due to COVID-19, Patient Education and Awareness Must Be Part of the Response. Click here to read more

5. Staff at hospitals in DC, Texas turn down COVID-19 vaccine  Full story

6. Philadelphia health system merger clears latest FTC challenge  Full story

7. 3 Must Reads 

• Does your health system have a digital engagement strategy that coincides with its transformation goals? Download this whitepaper to learn how Bon Secours Mercy Health formulated its digital backbone.
• Still calling your patients? Click here to find out why texting them will bring about better results for your practice.
• The fight against healthcare turnover — A 5-chapter guide to improve retention and staff hard-to-fill positions. Click here to read the guide.

8. South Carolina health system CEO to step down after 12 years  Full story

9. Mayo Clinic returns nearly half its federal COVID-19 aid  Full story

10. Retail settings in mad rush to hire, bring back pharmacists  Full story

11. A paper-based informed consent process can put your system at legal and financial risk. Click here to learn how one health system made it mobile.

12. CMS issues final rule to promote value-based purchasing of drugs  Full story

13. California health plan files for bankruptcy  Full story

14. How front-line providers are reshaping the pillars of patient safety. Click here to read the report.

15. Pfizer, Moderna testing COVID-19 vaccines against UK variant  Full story

16. Florida physician pleads guilty to $29M fraud  Full story