Latest KFF Health News Stories
Media outlets take a look at the global response to the coronavirus outbreak.
As witnessed in a Washington state facility that’s seen the majority of U.S. deaths, nursing homes are particularly vulnerable already to viruses. In particular, the coronavirus has an outsized effect on older patients. Experts, health staff, and loved ones are all worried about what that can mean for nursing homes across the country. Meanwhile, Washington state officials are considering taking over the facility at the center of the Seattle-area outbreak.
“We’re making every effort to get them off the ship as safely and quickly as possible,” said Dr. John Redd of HHS. Passengers have been quarantined after a previous traveler who had disembarked the ship later died from the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the State Department warns against taking cruises, a blanket advisory that shocked some experts.
Series Of Glitches And Missed Opportunities Led To Disastrous Test Kit Shortage, Experts Say
The problems started in early February, at a CDC laboratory in Atlanta, and didn’t improve from there. The Trump administration is fielding increasingly strident criticism about the missteps that experts say exacerbated the outbreak in the U.S. Meanwhile, Stanford University creates a coronavirus test in which results only take 24 hours to process.
A look at how states are working to contain the outbreak as their cases numbers climb.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Surging Health Care Worker Quarantines Raise Concerns As Coronavirus Spreads
The number of U.S. health care workers who have been ordered to self-quarantine because of potential exposure to the new coronavirus is rising at an exponential pace. Many experts say something has to change.
Around The Corner: 3D Housing Designed For The Homeless And Needy Seniors
As homelessness among older adults increases, a movement is afoot to use a powerful 3D printer to construct affordable and durable housing.
Pence Leaves Out Key Details About Health Coverage Of Coronavirus Testing
The vice president’s remarks are more proof that health care is complicated.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
En la línea de batalla, socorristas se preparan para el coronavirus, y para protegerse
En Seattle, al jueves 5 de marzo, 27 bomberos y tres policías estaban en cuarentena. Doce mostraban síntomas parecidos a la gripe. A otros dos los sacaron del aislamiento.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
Editorial writers focus on issues surrounding the spread of coronavirus.
Longer Looks: Abortion, Coronavirus And Medicare For All
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Colorado, Connecticut, Missouri, Virginia, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
As moderates coalesce around former Vice President Joe Biden a brighter spotlight falls onto his health plan. Because “Medicare for All” has dominated the Democratic race so far, the details of the moderates plans have been largely skated over in favor of simply calling it the moderate alternative. But there are still many questions to be sorted out.
What If Those Face Masks Everyone Is Hoarding Don’t Work? Can The Companies Be Held Liable?
There are two types of face masks and only one kind is protected against liability suits. Companies are asking Congress to protect them as the country faces a mask shortage.
For the rich, the threat of a pandemic might just mean a vacation in their isolated Hampton houses or Idaho cabin retreats. Meanwhile, stocks tumbled as global cases surged and economists look at the way the outbreak could affect the U.S. economy even more than China’s. In other economic news: price-gouging, airlines, working from home, and more.
Thirteen countries, with a total of nearly 291 million students, have closed schools nationwide because of the coronavirus, most notably in China. But it’s unclear what role children play in the spread of the coronavirus, and some question if the closures are necessary.
The Grand Princess is being held off the coast of San Francisco after a previous passenger became California’s first coronavirus death. The situation brings back memories of the disaster that followed aboard another quarantined ship off the coast of Japan in the early days of the outbreak.