Latest KFF Health News Stories
President Donald Trump has put the onus on the states to acquire their own ventilators and other medical supplies, promising to act as backup as needed. But now, the administration is seizing some of those orders and relying on a distribution strategy that governors say just creates more confusion. Meanwhile, desperate states turn to each other for help, with those who haven’t been hit hard yet sending equipment to hot spots. In other news: a look at how New York’s ventilators stockpile was depleted years before the outbreak; the way Trump’s use of the national stockpile differs from past administrations; hospitals plead for more federal coordination to get supplies; and more.
White House Trade Adviser Issued Stark Warning To Trump In Late January, New Memo Reveals
The warning from Peter Navarro is just the latest to show that officials throughout the administration were trying to direct President Donald Trump’s attention to the growing threat of the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, Trump and his advisers are bracing for the worst week yet as the outbreak could reach its peak in some hot spots. In other news from the administration: spats between top advisers, espionage efforts during a pandemic and a VA records project put on hold.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Nursing Homes Have Thousands Of Ventilators That Hospitals Desperately Need
The prospect raises a grim dilemma: Should doctors take people off life support in order to save COVID-19 patients who might recover?
Cancer Patients Face Treatment Delays And Uncertainty As Coronavirus Cripples Hospitals
As hospitals across the country are forced to delay or cancel certain medical procedures in response to the surge in patients with COVID-19, those hard choices are disrupting care for some people with serious illnesses.
Inside Meals On Wheels’ Struggle To Keep Older Americans Fed During A Pandemic
Its older volunteers are staying home and its clients, mostly age 75 and up, are more vulnerable than ever.
Dispatch From A Country Doctor: Seeing Patients Differently In The Time Of Coronavirus
Emergency rule changes by the federal government and some insurers have made telemedicine a useful tool.
Opinion writers focus on issues like leadership, medical care, elections, protective gear for workers and more.
After COVID-19: Doctors Ponder Best Advice As Patients Recover From Coronavirus
Doctors are making decisions about a patient’s recovery with an incomplete understanding of the disease caused by the coronavirus. Although federal officials have issued general guidelines, physicians said they can’t offer recovered patients who aren’t retested any guarantees about whether they could transmit the virus.
Second Time Around? Health Care Issues Trump Might Tackle If Reelected
KHN’s Julie Rovner examines what health care issues the administration might encounter if President Donald Trump wins in November.
Young People Weigh Pain Of Job Loss Against Risks Of Virus
Young adults are being hit hard in the COVID-19 economy, but many have mixed feelings about losing jobs that might otherwise put them in harm’s way in the midst of the pandemic.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Failed Search For Alzheimer’s Drugs: Hypothesis About Amyloid Plaques Likely Reason Why
A new understanding of the disease is emerging, researchers and advocates say, and that treatment will have to be individualized instead of relying on a single drug. Industry news is also on cancer treatments.
A Disproportionate Number Of African-Americans Are Dying, But The U.S. Has Been Silent On Race Data
“COVID is just unmasking the deep disinvestment in our communities, the historical injustices and the impact of residential segregation,” said Dr. Camara Jones, a family physician. Jones said the outbreak reflects similar outcomes for African-Americans in terms of disproportionately high rates of maternal death, low levels of access to medical care and higher rates of asthma. But without data, any efforts to address the disparities are undermined.
In The Era Of Coronavirus, Scientists Are The New Rock Stars
After a long period of popular backlash against experts and expertise, people are turning to scientists for hope. Dr. Anthony Fauci’s rise in popularity is just one example of many around the world. In other science and innovation news: a look at how one patient survived, the mysterious heart damage that comes with the disease, and the hope hidden in survivors’ blood.
Consejos médicos para los pacientes que se recuperan de COVID-19
Como en tantos otros aspectos de este nuevo coronavirus, determinar cuándo un paciente se ha recuperado sigue siendo terreno incierto. Hay directrices, pero la información sobre la enfermedad es limitada.
No solo los pulmones: pacientes con COVID-19 también sufren misterioso daño cardíaco
A medida que llegan nuevos datos de China e Italia, así como del estado de Washington y Nueva York, más cardiólogos comienzan a creer que el coronavirus puede infectar el músculo cardíaco.
Media outlets report on news from Massachusetts, California, District of Columbia, New York, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, Kansas and New Jersey, as well.
Tech Companies Team Up With Health Groups For Pandemic Response Hackathons
Technology companies come together to focus on solutions to a wide range of problems created by the pandemic, Modern Healthcare reports. Last weekend, several thousand developers met over Zoom and via Slack at a Datavant event that touched on public health information-sharing, epidemiology, keeping health workers safe and social impact. More tech news looks at Quil’s efforts to help patients find trustworthy information, the lowering of telemedicine barriers, and timely funding for digital startups.
China and Italy continue to cope with the fallout from massive coronavirus outbreaks, while experts look to Germany to examine how that nation has, so far, avoided one.