Latest KFF Health News Stories
Covid Boosters Show Promise In Israel Outbreak; WHO Calls For Booster Delay
Israel is experiencing a dramatic surge in delta covid cases, but data show the use of booster shots is beginning to turn the tide. Meanwhile the World Health Organization has called for countries to delay booster shots in order to give nations with low vaccine rates a chance to inoculate more of their populations.
Study Hints Breakthrough Covid May Be Less Infectious
A new study says roughly 67% of patients with breakthrough covid cases had positive nasal swabs, compared to nearly 85% of unvaccinated patients. Separately, a different study reports on how covid may be at its most infectious in a two-to-three-day window around presenting symptoms.
California Wildfire Smoke Closes Reno Schools, Prompts Las Vegas Air Alert
Smoke from giant wildfires is creating hazardous air quality. The Reno-Tahoe area is badly hit, with schools, beaches and flights impacted. Las Vegas issued a smoke-driven air quality warning for today, with recommendations to limit outdoor exertions and keep windows closed.
Delta Surge May Be Nearing Peak, But More Daily Deaths Are Expected
Bloomberg and CNBC report on predictions for the U.S. covid surge, with cautious optimism about the peak in delta covid cases. But deaths may soon climb above 1,000 per day. Separately, reports say preventable covid hospitalizations have already cost $2.3 billion just for June and July.
Stalemate Amid House Democrats Holds Up Key $3.5T Budget Vote
After hours of late-night negotiations with a group of centrist Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi abandoned plans for a vote that would advance Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget plan. Talks resume this morning.
Purdue Pushes For Opioid Settlement; Six States Pass On $26B J&J Deal
The role and financial responsibility of drugmakers in the national painkiller epidemic continues to be litigated in court. And two senators raise conflict of interest concerns over the FDA’s contracts with McKinsey and Co., which also consulted for “wide range of actors in the opioid industry.”
NYC, New Jersey Requiring All Educators To Get Covid Shots
New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said all Department of Education employees must get at least one shot by Sept. 27. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, set an Oct. 18 date for all state workers and teachers to get vaccinated, but staff can opt for weekly testing instead.
Mississippi, Kentucky Feel The Heat Over Resistance To Mask Mandates
In a letter Friday, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, pleaded with Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, to issue a mask mandate for the state, which is buckling under a surge in covid cases. In Kentucky, Florida and Utah, Republican leaders continue their march to prevent mask mandates.
Covid Surges Keep Kids From School; Just 1 In 3 Adolescents Are Vaccinated
News outlets report thousands of schoolchildren tested positive in Georgia, Indianapolis and New Orleans, and Fox reports federal data show only one third of 12- to 15-year-olds are fully vaccinated. A study reported by CIDRAP, however, shows three in four 14- to 24-year-olds would consider a shot.
Pentagon Says Vaccine Will Be Mandatory For All US Troops
The exact deadline for receiving a shot is still being worked out. In a memo this month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he’d seek the president’s approval to make the vaccine mandatory no later than mid-September or immediately upon FDA licensure, “whichever comes first.”
Got The Pfizer Shot? No You Didn’t — You’re Vaxxed With ‘Comirnaty’
News outlets offer a glimpse on how corporate giants settle on strange names for drugs. How do such names get picked? Meanwhile, Twitter users stay true to their own brand, greeting Comirnaty with mockery.
In Major Scientific Feat, Pfizer Is First To Win FDA Approval Of Covid Vaccine
Since it was first authorized for emergency use in December, Pfizer and BioNTech’s shot has been administered to hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Its full approval by the FDA comes with the hope that it will encourage vaccine-hesitant Americans to finally get the jab.
Biden Says ‘Mountains’ Of Clinical Data Reviewed, Urges ‘Get Your Shot Now’
The president ratcheted up the pressure on companies to enact vaccination mandates. “If you’re a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that. Require it,” he said.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these covid and vaccine issues.
Viewpoints: Ideas For Dealing With Alzheimer’s; ME/CFS Guidelines Due For Update
Editorial pages examine these public health topics.
A Scientific Mystery: Why Are Some People ‘Resistant’ To Covid?
It’s still poorly understood how SARS-CoV-2 attacks our bodies, and its effects on people vary widely. As Stat reports, a few lucky people seem to have hit the “biological lottery” with genes that are resistant to the virus no matter how much they are exposed to it.
Kentucky Supreme Court Clears Way To Cancel Governor’s Emergency Powers
The ruling on Saturday overrode an earlier decision that had blocked Republican-backed legislation targeting Gov. Andy Beshear, and now lawmakers can move on his anti-covid restrictions. Tampa, Houston, Nebraska, Baltimore, Maryland are also in the news.
New Zealand’s Covid Outbreak Grows; China Again Hits Zero Cases
In other news, Latin American nations are offering boosters; the U.K. has launched a surveillance program to measure antibodies in people with covid; Lebanese hospitals have run out of everything; India approves the world’s first DNA-based coronavirus vaccine; and more.
Pandemic Didn’t Worsen Uninsurance Rate, Report Finds
Axios reports around 11% of American adults were uninsured in April 2021, similar to rates measured in March 2019 — despite layoffs, business closures and other pandemic changes. Health effects of climate change, maternal health, suicide risk levels and more are also in the news.