Latest KFF Health News Stories
Saliva Tests Offer Safer Experience For Workers, Less Painful One For Patients
Experts are excited for the roll out of saliva tests for COVID-19 that are quicker, less painful and safer. Studies also show that the saliva test often yielded a stronger signal than the swab, suggesting that it is more sensitive and could yield fewer false-negative results. Other testing news comes out of the states as well.
Azar Has Been Embroiled In Controversy Over Personal Feuds. Now The Spotlight Is Even Harsher.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar was already on thin ice before the pandemic started because of the messy and public feud between him and CMS administrator Seema Verma. Now he’s under intense scrutiny, and despite the fact that President Donald Trump vouched for the quality of his work, many believe he could have a target on his back.
Though Trump Has Pivoted His Messaging To Rebuilding Economy There’s Still No Clear Path Forward
President Donald Trump wants the economy up and booming by the third quarter, but public health experts say that the war against the invisible enemy is going to be filled with set-backs that will undermine Trump’s goals. In other news on the administration’s response: some warn that Trump could face backlash for his optimistic tone, Jared Kushner calls Trump’s efforts a “success story,” Trump’s disinfectant comments throw a wrench in Facebook’s pledge to curb misinformation and the White House pushes U.S. intelligence agencies to look for links between the virus and Chinese labs.
Trump’s Stay-At-Home Guidelines Will Quietly Expire Today, And He Doesn’t Plan To Extend Them
President Donald Trump is letting states take the reins on determining stay-at-home orders instead of extending federal guidance, a move that worries some public health officials. Meanwhile, Trump underscored his messaging that the country should reopen by announcing that he intends to travel to Arizona after weeks of staying put in the White House.
Gilead Drug Study Offers Promising Results Though Fauci Acknowledges It’s Not A ‘Knockout’ Punch
Dr. Anthony Fauci struck an optimistic tone about the results of the NIH study of Gilead’s remdesivir, touting the findings that it cut down hospitalization times for coronavirus patients. But the effect on mortality rates wasn’t statistically significant. Still, hopes rose on the news that there might be some treatment to help fight the virus.
U.S. Death Total Climbs Past 60,000 With An Average Increase Of 2,000 A Day
Most experts believe that due to undercounting the real death toll is higher than the 60,000 deaths officially reported.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Big Pharma Needs To Hit Its Stride On A Vaccine, Treatments; Lessons On The Lysol Moment
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Free Clinics Try To Fill Gaps As COVID Sweeps Away Job-Based Insurance
The volunteer medical providers at the Tree of Life Free Clinic in Tupelo, Mississippi, give crucial health care to the uninsured in the best of times, drawing crowds who line up for hours. Amid the current COVID pandemic, clinic staffers were advised to close. Instead, they chose to adapt — even without critical N95 masks to protect themselves — as the economic crisis intensifies the need for free care.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: If Insurer Bills You For COVID Testing, Talk — And Maybe Tweet — It Out
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires private insurers to pay for certain services related to coronavirus testing at no cost to the patient. But gaps in the protections expose patients to unexpected medical bills.
As Coronavirus Strikes, Crucial Data In Electronic Health Records Hard To Harvest
The U.S. government spent $36 billion computerizing health records, yet they’re of limited help in the COVID-19 crisis.
Fear Of Coronavirus Propels Some Smokers To Quit
Increasing evidence suggests people who smoke are more likely to become severely ill and die from COVID-19 than nonsmokers. Some people are using that as inspiration to quit.
El miedo al coronavirus motiva a fumadores a dejar el hábito
Los primeros estudios sugieren que los fumadores que desarrollan COVID-19 tienen 14 veces más probabilidades de necesitar un tratamiento intensivo en comparación con los no fumadores.
Trump Says N95 Masks Can Be Sterilized For Reuse. Only In A Pinch, Experts Warn.
Repurposing one N95 mask 20 times is not the same as having 20 new ones.
Research Roundup: Upward Mobility And Mental Health; Aspirin And Cancer; And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Gilead Reports ‘Positive Data’ From Drug Trial Of Experimental Coronavirus Treatment
Gilead announced Wednesday that its closely watched drug trial of remdesivir, conducted by NIH, shows that at least 50% of patients treated with a 5-day dosage improved, and more than half were discharged from the hospital within two weeks.
Media outlets report on outbreak news from New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, Ohio, Nevada, Texas, and Tennessee.
A medical director says one of the nation’s largest outbreaks in a Tennessee prison where 583 inmates have been sickened might have come from the staff. While some states have responsibly updated websites daily about outbreaks in prisons, others provide very little information, according to a WBUR story putting the national infection tally at 15,000 inmates and jail staff with 130 deaths.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Global outbreak news is reported from Sweden, Greece, South Korea, the Netherlands, China, Niger, Japan and South Africa.