Latest KFF Health News Stories
States Say $631M From Feds For Testing, Contact Tracing Efforts Is Woefully Inadequate
For contact tracing alone, a recent report estimated 100,000 additional contact tracers are needed to keep the virus in check. That effort would require an estimated $3.6 billion in national emergency funding, as a starting point. And those figures don’t account for what states also need for testing programs, health officials say. In other news: a saliva-based test, the need for real-time reporting, nerves at the drive-thru line, contact tracing on a tribal reservation and more.
Gilead spokesperson Amy Flood said the company believes “the post included inappropriate characterization of the study” because it was stopped early due to the fact that it had too few patients. The experimental drug remdesivir has been viewed as a frontrunner in the race to find a successful treatment for COVID-19.
Notably Missing From Shutdown Protests That Polls Find Are Unpopular: Prominent Republicans
Some high-ranking Republicans have been watching the protests warily and reiterating their own decisions to shelter in place. But as the protests grab national attention, some in the GOP reckon with how a movement that most Americans disagree with will impact the elections. But other state Republican lawmakers are joining the protest efforts. Meanwhile, more polls find that a majority of the country think strict restrictions are worth it.
Georgia’s Health Officials, Medical Advisers Blindsided By Governor’s Decision To Reopen
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) set his state on an aggressive path toward reopening that starts today, despite a barrage of criticism that the decision to lift restrictions is premature. Meanwhile, states that haven’t been hit has hard as some of the hot spots start considering how to reopen.
When To Reopen States Is The Latest Decision To Become Politicized In Highly Divided Country
There’s a political divide over who is pushing states to reopen and who is keeping stay-at-home orders in place. President Donald Trump’s own messaging has been mixed. While he has pushed for a quick return to normalcy, he also criticized the Georgia governor’s aggressive plan to reopen as “too soon.”
DOJ Cracks Down On Treatment Scams: ‘It’s A Perfect Ecosystem For A Fraudster To Operate In’
In a moment where people want to believe there’s a magic pill to cure COVID-19, scammers are flourishing. Other news from the Trump administration looks at the coronavirus being used as a possible bioweapon and and increase in violent extremism.
Pompeo Hints That Decision To Cut Off WHO Funding Could Be Permanent
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the World Health Organization, which President Donald Trump targeted in recent weeks, needs a “structural fix” for its “shortcomings” before the U.S. would consider resuming funding. Critics of the Trump administration say the president is unfairly scapegoating the global organization as a way to shift blame from his administration’s early missteps. Meanwhile, the United States’ response to the pandemic may have undermined its position as a global leader.
Some outside experts are concerned that administration scientists must tip-toe around President Donald Trump as they offer their medical expert advice to the American people. Claims from one federal official that he was ousted because he pushed back against Trump’s favored treatment did nothing to ease those worrying impressions.
Trump Touts Research That Virus Is Effected By Sunlight, Floats Dangerous Disinfectant Suggestion
“The whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute, that’s pretty powerful,” President Donald Trump said in a press briefing where he also offered a suggestion that disinfectant could be injected into the body to fight the virus. Scientists knock down the idea as dangerous and potentially fatal. Other news reports on the public’s opinion of information delivered by the president.
U.S. Death Toll Tops 50,000 As California Records Deadliest Day Of Pandemic
As of Friday morning the U.S. crossed the grim 50,000 death mark, though many experts think that’s an undercount. On California’s worst day of the pandemic so far, COVID-19 became Los Angeles County’s leading cause of death.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Born Into A Pandemic: Virus Complicates Births For Moms And Babies
COVID-19 is changing medical care, not only for vulnerable elders but also for pregnant women and their babies entering the world.
Vaping, Opioid Addiction Accelerate Coronavirus Risks, Says NIDA Director
Dr. Nora Volkow, who heads the National Institute on Drug Abuse, details how emerging science points to added challenges for these patient populations and the public health system.
Seniors With COVID-19 Show Unusual Symptoms, Doctors Say
Older bodies respond to infection in different ways. Seniors may sleep more or stop eating. They may be confused or dizzy. They might simply collapse.
Anti-Vaccine Activists Latch Onto Coronavirus To Bolster Their Movement
Activists failed to convince state legislators that diseases like measles aren’t serious enough to require vaccination. Now they’re joining with conservatives and other anti-lockdown demonstrators who contend the coronavirus isn’t dangerous enough to justify staying home.
Médicos dicen que los adultos mayores con COVID-19 presentan síntomas inusuales
Los adultos mayores, el grupo de edad de alto riesgo de sufrir complicaciones graves o morir por esta condición, podrían no mostrar ninguno de estos síntomas.
Abbott’s Fast COVID Test Poses Safety Issues, Lab Workers Say
HHS said this test would “save personal protective equipment.” But Abbott’s very design ― devised for mobile testing — means those working with specimens need even more protection, experts warn.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Whom Do We Trust For COVID Info?
The messaging from the White House coronavirus press briefings is becoming more confusing as President Donald Trump and his science advisers appear to not see eye to eye. Meanwhile, Congress is ready to approve more money to address both the health and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the virus is taking an almost unimaginable toll on the nation’s nursing homes and putting strain on patients and health care providers with non-COVID ailments. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.