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Authorities this week seized from a warehouse in Texas more than $600,000 worth of counterfeit N95 surgical masks intended for hospital workers on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted the shipment of 100,090 fake 3M N95 surgical masks Monday at Ysleta Cargo Facility, according to a press statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The masks were reportedly in transit from El Paso to a hospital on the East Coast. (Gstalter, 12/10) 

The shipment that arrived at the San Diego International Airport from Mexico was labeled as “plastic card.” Instead, the the two parcels held 251 illicit COVID-19 testing kits, authorities said this week. The Dec. 1 seizure at the Port of San Diego is part of a larger trend seen at border crossings and commercial ports, as the black market rises to profit off the demand for testing. (Davis, 12/10)

New Mexico on Thursday suspended all nonessential surgeries and activated “crisis care” standards, a move that clears the way for a system of rationing amid a coronavirus surge that has overwhelmed the state’s capacities. Under the twin orders by the state’s health department, elective surgeries will be banned until Jan. 4. Health-care providers, meanwhile, will be permitted to begin implementation of a statewide plan for stretching the state’s increasingly scarce health-care resources. The system ultimately could allow doctors to determine which patients receive care, depending on who is likeliest to survive. (Witte, 12/10)

A health center in Canton will be the first in the country to receive mobile hospital rooms to help patients with COVID-19, according to a health official. Four units are set to arrive Friday to G.A. Carmichael Family Health Center to be assembled into one pod structure that will be used for patients getting tested for the coronavirus, said Dr. James Coleman, the health center's chief executive. The sterile, mobile hospital rooms will improve efficiency in separating patients with preexisting conditions from those who potentially have the coronavirus. (Szymanowska, 12/10)

Florida state police released body camera videos Thursday afternoon showing officers waiting before they entered the home of a former state data scientist and the testy confrontation that followed when she exited -- providing new context about a controversial police raid that has attracted national attention this week. Officers were serving a search warrant Monday morning at the home of Rebekah Jones, a coronavirus data scientist who was fired from the state and has accused Florida officials of covering up the extent of the pandemic. (Tolan and Devine, 12/10)

On Nov. 25, one Twitter user wondered why the state issued guidance for people who socialize with other households after Gov. Scott issued a ban on multi-household gatherings. "Multi-family gatherings are prohibited right now," the Vermont Health Department replied. "However, we know that some people might not follow this mandate & we want to ensure we are keeping the community safe. If people decide to break the rule, we are asking them to quarantine." Anne Sosin, program director at the Dartmouth Center for Global Health Equity, outlined Vermont's messaging tactics in a Dec. 9 tweet thread. She framed different strategies, like communicating with empathy and putting data into perspective, as strengths in Vermont's technique. (Syed, 12/10)