Latest KFF Health News Stories
Testing missteps have plagued the United States’ response to the outbreak from the start. The FDA is trying to boost capacity by allowing labs to develop their owns, but supply shortages still threaten any progress made. Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed frustration that there hasn’t been more testing done worldwide. “You cannot fight a fire blindfolded,” he said. “And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected,”
As part of the transition of power, aides from the Obama administration prepped President Donald Trump’s advisers on different crises they could face in the upcoming years. One of those was a flu pandemic. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s current response to the coronavirus outbreak shows all the cracks that have been glimpsed over the past few years.
President Donald Trump surprised some governors who were looking to the federal government for help. Fears over a lack of ventilators, respirators and ICU beds has dominated the conversation about the outbreak and is what has public health experts most concerned. New York serves as a grim example: the state could be short by as many as 15,783 ventilators a week at the peak of the crisis. Meanwhile, hospitals rush to cancel elective surgeries to try to brace for the surge of patients likely headed their way.
In Face Of Coronavirus, Many Hospitals Cancel On-Site Training For Nursing And Med Students
Hospitals and nursing homes say they are acting to protect students and patients, but nursing educators worry the pipeline of new nurses could be slowed at a time when they may be needed most. Some doctors in training have also seen their clinical rotations canceled.
Many Schools Have Closed ― But Not All. What Parents Need To Know About That Tough Call.
Closing K-12 schools is part of a broad strategy to limit public interactions and slow the spread of COVID-19 cases. But the decision is far from easy, with conflicting science about how effective such closures are weighed against the massive disruption to families’ lives.
Ships, Planes, Trains, Scooters All Need A Virus Wipe. But What Does A ‘Deep Clean’ Mean?
There is no universal protocol for a “deep clean” in trying to eradicate the novel coronavirus. Industries are tailoring sanitation efforts in accordance with what makes sense for them.
News from around the world focuses on the global impact of the coronavirus.
The presidential primary season is in full swing, but the coronavirus outbreak might put a damper on voting. While Ohio postpones its Tuesday primary, other states move forward. How those voting proceeds could be a test for the fall. Meanwhile, some lawmakers call for expanded mail-in voting.
‘We’re Calling The Recession’: Economy Expected To Crumple Under Weight Of Global Pandemic
As the world takes drastic measures to limit the public health toll the virus is going to take, experts say the writing is on the wall: a recession is headed our way. Unprecedented commercial shutdowns are in place and businesses struggle to stay afloat. Meanwhile, Amazon plans to hire 100,000 workers, highlighting the complex way the outbreak impacts the global economy.
As The Nation Grinds To A Halt, Some Wonder If Toll The Shutdown Is Taking Is Worth It
Closures sweep the country as governors take drastic measures to try to flatten the curve in their states. But there’s some fear that this is an overreaction that will end up hurting more people in the end, because of how these shutdowns affect vulnerable populations. Meanwhile, media outlets cover just how extensively the closures run.
Because we’ve never dealt with this particular coronavirus before, even public health experts are stumped on some of the big questions that the world is asking. In other news: the death rate may be lower than previously estimated; a generational divide is splintering the response to the virus; and a look at past pandemics may offer ideas on how to fight this one.
President Donald Trump had been playing down the crisis, so his change in attitude was notable as he spoke Monday about recommendations intended to help curb the spread of the virus. Among that guidance is limiting social gatherings to 10 people or less. “If everyone makes this change or these critical changes and sacrifices now,” Trump said, “we will rally together as one nation, and we will defeat the virus, and we’re going to have a big celebration all together.” Trump stopped short of calling for a national lockdown, and some health experts are frustrated that the president didn’t go further.
Trump Official Insists Allowing Patients To ‘Own’ Their Medical Data Will Do More Good Than Harm
STAT interviews Don Rucker about the new interoperability rule that would allow patients to download their medical data — a situation critics say opens up major privacy issues. Other news on health information technology looks at recent data breaches affecting 1.4 million people.
Biden’s statement leaves out context about how countries decided on which test they’d use to identify the presence of the coronavirus.
Daunting New Report From Advocates Puts Alzheimer’s Projections For 2050 At 14 Million Older Adults
About half of those people will be 85 or older, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. There is no way to stop or slow the disease, the most common form of dementia. Other public health news reports on on breast cancer, anesthesia, antibiotics, and weight loss.
Modern Healthcare takes a look at where the Affordable Care Act stands 10 years after it was passed, where patients are still slipping through the cracks, and what’s coming on the horizon.
Listen: How Coronavirus Looms Over Prisons
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined WAMU’s “1A” show to talk about the unique threats coronavirus is putting on those who are behind bars and those who guard them.
To Stop Coronavirus In Its Tracks, Here’s Your Guide To 5 Degrees Of Separation
If someone tells you, “I’d love to go to dinner, but I’m socially distancing,” don’t be offended. It’s likely they are trying to do a good deed for public health.
Ex cazador de virus federal dice que no hay que esperar que el gérmen toque a la puerta
El proyecto para descubrir virus zoonóticos creció bajo los presidentes George W. Bush y Barack Obama, pero la administración Trump optó por cerrarlo.
Estos científicos crearon rápido una prueba eficaz mientras el coronavirus se acercaba
Los doctores Keith Jerome y Alex Greninger, de la Universidad de Washington, han supervisado la implementación de más de 4,000 pruebas de pacientes de todo el país.