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The Biden administration is slowly shifting millions of Covid-19 treatments to private insurers and drugmakers, starting [this] week. The transition to commercial payers and providers will begin Nov. 1 but last through at least December as providers dole out existing stock, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra wrote in a letter issued Friday. That includes Pfizer’s Paxlovid, which the government will stop ordering on Dec 15, and Merck’s Lagevrio, which will be open for provider orders through Nov. 10. (Owermohle, 10/27)

The uninsured, and those with Medicare or Medicaid coverage, will be able to get Paxlovid at no cost until the end of 2024. Pfizer is also setting up a patient-assistance program for uninsured and underinsured people, and it will run a co-pay savings program for those with private insurance. (Reed, 10/30)

A new Covid variant has become dominant in the U.S., but relatively few people have thus far gotten the new shots that could offer some protection against it. The variant, called HV.1, replaced EG.5 as the country's most prevalent this week, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The two variants are genetically similar versions of omicron. (Bendix, 10/27)

Of the two main severity indicators, hospitalizations last week declined by 0.2%, with some counties in the moderate range—especially in Montana—and a few counties listed as high, mainly in the central part of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its weekly data updates. (Schnirring, 10/27)

[In the study,] COVID-19 survivors who were bedridden for at least 7 days had the highest prevalence of symptoms, while those never bedridden had similar rates to uninfected participants. A higher prevalence was also noted in those hospitalized for their infections 2 to 22 months after diagnosis. (Van Beusekom, 10/27)

In February 2021, residents over 65 became eligible for the COVID vaccine. But for seniors with mobility issues, getting to appointments presented a challenge. Officials in Vernon recognized the barrier and set out to address it. They struck a deal with Uber to give free rides to seniors who needed them. The program was the one of the first of its kind in the country, and a national campaign President Joe Biden rolled out months later closely mimicked the model. (Golvala, 10/27)

Whether it begins next week, next year, or next decade, another pandemic is on its way. ... But scientists can at least make an educated guess about what might catalyze the next Big One. Three main families of viruses, more than most others, keep scientists up at night: flu viruses, coronaviruses, and paramyxoviruses, in descending order of threat. Together, those groups make up “the trifecta of respiratory death,” Sara Cherry, a virologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told me. (Wu, 10/29)