Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Biden’s Contractor Mandate Hits Another Roadblock

Morning Briefing

On Monday, a federal judge in Missouri slapped a preliminary injunction on enforcement of the mandate in 10 states that collectively sued. Also, the NHL has stopped all games, and some say new NFL covid testing rules might become the norm for American society.

Move Over, Delta: Omicron Is Officially The Dominant Strain In The US

Morning Briefing

The variant was to blame for 73% of new covid infections last week. Meanwhile, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pleaded for in-person Christmas events to be canceled. “An event canceled is better than a life canceled,” he said.

The First Omicron-Linked US Death Was In Texas

Morning Briefing

The Houston Chronicle covers the inevitable news, with the death of a man in his 50s in Harris County. The paper also reports on a doubling of child covid hospitalizations over four days. Meanwhile, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio expects omicron to surge but peak in just a few weeks.

White House Escalates Covid Response With 500M Rapid Tests, Hospital Aid

Morning Briefing

The Biden administration announced a purchase of 500 million rapid covid tests and will start distributing them to the states next month. It will also deploy 1,000 military health workers to some overwhelmed hospitals. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden will ask tired Americans not to let down their guard this winter.

Kentucky Lawmaker Seeks To Boost Limits On Mailed Abortion Pill

Morning Briefing

In other news, a controversy simmers over a brief shut-off of fluoridation of Anchorage’s water supply; researchers in Utah are working on new ways to screen for breast cancer; a decline in infant mortality in Alabama; and Louisiana adds a new “autism” designator to driver’s licenses.

Israel Adds US, Canada To Covid Travel Ban List Over Omicron

Morning Briefing

Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey were also included in the decision, driven by surges in the omicron variant of covid. The Netherlands has entered a lockdown during an omicron spike, and covid hospitalizations have jumped in London.

More Health Data Companies Hacked In 2021 Than Since Records Began

Morning Briefing

More health care systems were breached by hackers than any year since 2010, but luckily fewer people’s data were affected than in serious attacks made in 2015. Medicare residency slots, more doctors considering retirement and details on Oracle’s plan to buy Cerner are also in the news.

Jurors Deliberate In Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes Case

Morning Briefing

In other pharmaceutical industry news, AbbVie has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate Alvotech, which is planning a biosimilar version of its Humira arthritis drug. And questions are raised over a popular I.V.F. test, which may not be effective for first-time patients.

Red Cross Signals Need For Blood Donors As Supplies Decline

Morning Briefing

Dallas Morning News reports that donated blood stocks and donor turnout are the lowest ahead of the holiday season in over a decade. Meanwhile, Proctor and Gamble is recalling dry conditioner and shampoos over benzene contamination, and a bill aims to warn parents over artificial food dyes.

Trump, Republicans Squeezed NIH Director To Back Unproven Covid Drugs

Morning Briefing

News outlets report on interviews with the outgoing director of the National Institutes Of Health Francis Collins. Collins admits President Donald Trump and other Republicans pressured him to endorse unproven covid drugs like hydroxychloroquine. But the story is complex when it comes to pressure to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci: CNN’s report says he did face such calls, but Fox News’ says Collins called such pressure “rumors.”

Omicron Threat Pushes Harvard Into Online Learning For Early January

Morning Briefing

Harvard University said Saturday it would implement remote learning for the first three weeks of 2022. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, said that unvaccinated students exposed to covid can remain in school subject to a testing regime.

Fauci Warns Of ‘Raging’ Omicron; NIH Director Warns Of Million-Case Days

Morning Briefing

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke to the press and said the new omicron covid variant was “raging around the world.” Outgoing National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins warned the U.S. could even see days where a million new cases were reported, unless people took covid more seriously.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Hit With Over 40 Covid Cases

Morning Briefing

The cruise ended in Miami on Saturday, with at least 44 people on board testing positive for covid. The New York Times reports on how surging covid is impacting holiday travel plans, and outgoing National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said travel for unvaccinated people was not “a great idea.”

Moderna Finds Third Vaccine Shot Boosts Protection Against Omicron

Morning Briefing

Preliminary lab data finds that a booster half dose of Moderna’s covid vaccine raises antibody levels against the variant by 37 times, the drugmaker said in a statement. The company is still moving forward with plans to develop a vaccine modified for omicron.

Pfizer Trials For Young Kids Miss Immunity Marks; More Testing Needed

Morning Briefing

Two shots of a low-dose Pfizer covid vaccine did not produce an adequate immune response in children ages 2 to 5 participating in a clinical trial. Pfizer and BioNTech say they will next test a third dose.