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Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health who was responsible for leading the state's early response to the coronavirus outbreak, is reportedly considering a run for U.S. Senate. Cleveland.com reported Tuesday that Acton, a Democrat, is considering running to succeed Sen. Rob Portman (R), who announced on Monday he would not be seeking reelection in 2022. (Choi, 1/26)

A COVID-19 outbreak at the Trident Seafoods plant in the tiny, remote community of Akutan now encompasses 135 workers including several sick enough to require medevacs to Anchorage. The plant, North America’s largest, right now has about 700 workers quarantined on an island in the Bering Sea with the nearest hospital hundreds of miles away. Trident is taking the unusual step of stockpiling medical supplies including ventilators in case weather grounds air ambulances. Two COVID-positive workers were sick enough to get flown Monday to Anchorage for hospitalization, according to state health officials. Another worker with breathing problems was medevaced earlier. (Hollander, 1/26)

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said Tuesday that politicians staying in tune with the needs of their constituents’ communities is a key to effectively tackling issues like the COVID-19 pandemic. “While the federal government with the pandemic is playing a coordinating role, it’s really on the ground in states and in cities where it’s playing out,” Polis said at The Hill’s “Listening to America” event. (Gans, 1/26)

Two people were found dead in a medical office in Austin, Texas, late Tuesday after a hostage standoff that lasted more than five hours, according to the police and local news reports. It was not immediately clear how many people had been held hostage or who had taken them captive. ... Several news outlets identified the medical office as a branch of the Childrens Medical Group. (Ives, 1/27)

Sharnese Ransom works to protect adults with disabilities from neglect and abuse, both in her Raleigh neighborhood and when running the statewide group that represents North Carolina’s frontline troops against abuse of aging adults. The 2020 arrival of the pandemic has made it tougher on both settings. In fact, the state’s most influential groups on aging issues are pressuring Gov. Roy Cooper to include $7 million for Adult Protective Services in his budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. (Goldsmith, 1/27)