CNN reports that a review of diet data from three studies published in Circulation: Heart Failure determined that drinking one or more cups of black coffee every day could cut the risk of heart failure. Self-reported dietary information from the original Framingham Heart Study was analyzed, and compared with data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and the Cardiovascular Health Study. The three studies detailed dietary information on more than 21,000 adult Americans. The review found the risk of heart failure over time decreased between 5 percent and 12 percent for each cup of coffee consumed each day in the Framingham Heart and the Cardiovascular Health studies, compared with people who did not drink coffee. Heart failure risk held steady for drinking no coffee or one cup a day in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, but people who drank two or more cups of black coffee a day saw their risk decline by about 30 percent. "Coffee and caffeine are often considered by the general population to be 'bad' for the heart because people associate them with palpitations, high blood pressure, etc.," noted the University of Colorado School of Medicine's David Kao. "The consistent relationship between increasing caffeine consumption and decreasing heart failure risk turns that assumption on its head."

Medical professionals speculate that the rapid emergence of COVID-19 variants means people will need to receive regular vaccinations against new strains, which may even become as commonplace as an annual flu shot, reports 9News . "Moderna just came and said that they have data now that their immunity lasts for at least a year, which is good news," said Mark Johnson with Jefferson County Public Health in Colorado. "I would not be surprised if Pfizer doesn't last at least as long since they both are very similar. So that's a good thing that at least we will have the ability to have yearly vaccinations instead of having to have them every six months or so." However, Johnson suggested many older Americans may need biannual rather than annual shots, to ensure they do not sicken. He noted that the immune systems in older people are less effective than those in younger people, which is likely to make additional shots necessary.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate's Special Committee on Aging, has repeated her calls for the inclusion of $1.4 billion in funding for Older Americans Act (OAA) programs in the next coronavirus relief package, states the Oswega County Today . This includes $750 million in funding for the OAA Nutrition Services and $480 million to support providers' efforts to vaccinate seniors. While previous relief packages included support for OAA programs, the ongoing pandemic coupled with the health and economic disparities for low-income older men and women requires additional resources to meet the unprecedented need, she urges.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that the race to vaccinate older Americans for COVID-19 is accelerating, with more than a third of people 65 and older having received their first shot in states that have provided data. An Associated Press study of information from 27 states where data is available indicates that many other states are laggards. The segment of vaccines given to those 65 years and older varies, accounting for about three-quarters of all first-dose shots in Florida and more than two-thirds in North Carolina. On the lower end are states like Oregon, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Nebraska, and Maryland, with 20 percent or less of the 65-and-older population receiving doses. "We can do better," said University of Washington in Seattle Professor Ali Mokdad. "I can't wait for the day when all those who want the vaccine can get the vaccine. The system we have in place is working. We have to keep pushing for more vaccine." Mokdad said data is still insufficient to determine whether vaccination is reducing infections and deaths in that age group, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation intends to investigate that in the coming weeks.

WBAL-TV reports that two state agencies in Maryland are collaborating with private organizations to bring COVID-19 vaccination clinics to senior living communities. Officials at the Maryland Departments of Health and Aging said making it easier for older Marylanders to receive vaccines, including more than 7,000 residents 65 or older, is a priority. The departments are bringing shots to independent and assistant living communities that are not registered in the federal pharmacy partnership initiative, through private partners like MedStar Health. MedStar Health teams will start vaccinating residents this week at Leisure World in Silver Spring and at Baltimore City's Epiphany House and Gallagher Mansion.

A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found fewer prediabetic older adults exhibit progression of their disease, according to Physician's Weekly . The researchers examined data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study to detect 3,412 older adults average age, 75.6 without diabetes. Over a 6.5-year follow-up, there were 156 incident total diabetes cases and 434 deaths. Forty-four percent of subjects fulfilled prediabetes criteria using glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels of 5.7 to 6.4 percent, while 59 percent met impaired fasting glucose (IFG) criteria; 73 percent met the HbA1c or IFG criteria, while 29 percent met both criteria. Nine percent of those with HbA1c-defined prediabetes at baseline progressed to diabetes, 13 percent regressed to normoglycemia, and 19 percent died. Eight percent of participants with IFG-defined prediabetes at baseline developed diabetes, 44 percent reverted to normoglycemia, and 16 percent died. Among those with HbA1c levels lower than 5.7 percent at baseline, 17 percent progressed to HbA1c-defined prediabetes and 3 percent developed diabetes. Eight percent of those with fasting glucose levels lower than 100 mg/dL at baseline progressed to IFG-defined prediabetes and 3 percent developed diabetes. "In this community-based cohort study of older adults, the prevalence of prediabetes was high; however, during the study period, regression to normoglycemia or death was more frequent than progression to diabetes," the authors concluded. "These findings suggest that prediabetes may not be a robust diagnostic entity in older age."

WBUR reports that Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker's administration this week began allowing anyone who accompanies an eligible senior to one of the state's mass COVID-19 vaccination sites to receive a shot themselves. State Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said this policy — which permits trusted family, friends, neighbors, or caregivers to get inoculated along with vulnerable seniors — was crafted after consultation with councils on aging and other senior advocates. Companions of people who are at least 75 years old also will be offered vaccinations at community health centers, and they may have access at clinics operated by local health departments as well — albeit at their discretion. "They are allowed, but can make their own decision on whether to offer that," said Maddie Ribble at the Massachusetts Public Health Association. She added that local health departments do not anticipate receiving additional vaccine doses for companions. Not all vaccination sites will offer shots to seniors' companions, so people should consider calling their community clinic or hospital to confirm before setting up appointments.

Thousands of pharmacies that began administering COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 11 have vowed to make sure all 1 million doses they receive from the federal government make it into someone's arm, reports the Wall Street Journal . The locations could find themselves with surplus supply at the end of each day, however, if there are no-shows for scheduled appointments or if vials contain more doses than anticipated. So that none of the vaccine is wasted, CVS Health, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, and regional grocery stores with pharmacy operations, such as Giant Eagle, Publix, Stop & Shop, and Albertsons, are building wait lists or offering leftover doses to their own employees. With rules varying from state to state, though, they may have to work with local health officials to maintain compliance with vaccine eligibility criteria — although most jurisdictions would rather see extra doses go to someone who may not be in a priority group rather than go to no one at all.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated guidance on its website to indicate that people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to quarantine if exposed to the coronavirus, reports NBC News . The agency said quarantining is unnecessary for fully vaccinated people within three months of having received their last shots, provided they do not develop any symptoms. "Fully vaccinated" means that at least two weeks have passed since a person has received the second shot of a two-dose vaccine or one shot of a single-dose vaccine. The CDC said the risk that fully vaccinated people could spread the virus to others is "still uncertain," but "vaccination has been demonstrated to prevent symptomatic COVID-19." The updated guidance lines up with these earlier recommendations.

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Biden said in a speech at the U.S. National Institutes of Health that the United States had made agreements to purchase 200 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses, following a vow in January to raise the number of shots available for Americans. He said the U.S. signed contracts with Pfizer and Moderna requiring each drugmaker to supply another 100 million doses. This will bring the total number of doses ordered by the U.S. from both companies to 600 million from 400 million. The purchases would provide enough doses to vaccinate 300 million Americans in a two-dose regimen, covering all those currently eligible to receive the vaccine. It will take months for most of the American public to get vaccinated, but Biden said the companies agreed to expedite deliveries, and sufficient doses would be available to vaccinate 300 million by the end of July. The White House announced this week that it was boosting the number of doses being sent to states, tribes, and territories to 11 million per week, a 28 percent increase since Biden took office.