Latest KFF Health News Stories
US Diplomats In Vienna Struck By Havana Syndrome-Like Illness
Over 20 U.S. diplomatic staff members in Vienna have reported incidents so far, echoing the mystery brain symptoms suffered in Havana recently. Separately, medical shortages are hitting Mexico, and The Guardian reports on medical staff shortages in poorer nations from the pandemic and migration.
Chemical Leak At Six Flags Water Park In Texas Sends 31 To Hospitals
Other public health news is on an increase in alcohol-related liver disease, the benefits of tarantula venom, how Black Americans are handling the pandemic and more.
Overdose Deaths Are Soaring; Rhode Island Tries Legalized Injection Sites
Reports say overdose deaths in Arkansas rose by 40% in 2020. Data reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer show 1 in 12 local adults had a family member or friend who overdosed in 2020. Rhode Island has decided to combat the problem with medical staff-supervised legal injection facilities.
Cleveland Clinic Promoted Aduhelm On Social Media, Then Backtracked
Axios reports though Cleveland Clinic was the first of several major medical centers to say it won’t administer the controversial Alzheimer’s drug, it had previously been promoting it on social media. Stat covers the complex matter of approval standards at the FDA as Aduhelm’s approval continues to rankle.
Texas Resident With Monkeypox Had Recently Returned From Africa
The patient is hospitalized, and public health officials say there is little cause for alarm. Although they are tracing the patient’s contacts to check for spread of the virus, they said mask requirements on the airplane have kept the risks low.
Hospitals To Get $103 Million In Covid Funds To Tackle Worker Burnout
HHS says the money will go to hospitals in rural and underserved communities. In other news, a report on the high number of data breaches in the health industry this year, and hospitals are largely closing their retail pharmacies.
With Covid Cases Rising, Public Health Experts Plead For Vaccinations
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb make impassioned efforts to get large swaths of the country that have resisted vaccines to take the shots.
Senators Eye Drug Price Reform To Pay For Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
Earlier plans to cover the costs of the bill to restore the nation’s roads, bridges and other structures and transportation have hit a road block with some Republican groups, and senators trying to save the deal are now looking at an effort to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices for beneficiaries, which would save the federal government money.
Surgeon General Says Local Mask Mandates A Good Idea As Delta Surges
Separately, former Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said easing the CDC’s mask guidelines was “premature.” Meanwhile, Los Angeles County’s sheriff says he won’t enforce the new mask mandate there.
Covid Infections Rising Again In Every State
The number of new infections is rising in all 50 states, data out Sunday revealed. USA Today also reports the moving seven-day average increased every day over the past week. News outlets across the country cover the outbreaks and rising hospitalization numbers.
Vaccine Misinformation Spreading Like ‘Wildfire,’ Surgeon General Says
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said there’s a “proliferation” of misleading information online and called for companies to solve it. On Friday, President Biden alleged Facebook was “killing” people. But Facebook refuted those remarks Saturday, saying the “facts tell a very different story to the one promoted by the administration in recent days.”
In Win For CDC, Court Says Cruise Ship Guidelines Are Rules, Not Suggestions
A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court decision that had been in favor of the state of Florida’s position on covid controls for cruise ships.
Trump Claims People Distrust Biden’s Vaccine Rollout; Poll Shows Otherwise
The former president issued a statement Sunday saying that President Joe Biden is “way behind schedule” and “not doing well at all.” However, a new CBS News/YouGov poll found that 66% of Americans believe Biden is doing a “very good” or “somewhat good” job at managing the pandemic.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these public health issues and others.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on parenting, negligent doctors, Black women’s health, the FDA, Moderna’s next vaccines and more.
Parsing Policy: CDC’S Mask Guidance Is A Mess; France Is Kicking Our Butts
Opinion writers discuss the covid-19 pandemic.
Athletes, Hotels, Tokyo Hit With Covid Outbreaks A Week Before Olympics
News outlets report on covid cases among Olympic athletes, organizers, hotel staff and the general population of Tokyo–with the city hitting a six-month case rate high. The International Olympic Committee president, however, assures there’s “zero” risk of covid spread from the games.
With 12 Western States Burning, US Is On Highest Wildfire Alert
Reuters reports on one fire in Oregon, the biggest among blazes across the West, that has already displaced 2,000 residents. The New York Times reports on a study saying work injuries related to heat are vastly undercounted. Massachusetts, Minnesota and Iowa are also in the news.
US-Canada Border May Open In August — But For Fully-Vaxxed Only
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said fully vaccinated travelers from all nations may be welcomed from early September. Meanwhile, vaccine refusals drive a surge in Russia; Southeast Asia buckles under the delta variant; the U.K. has “scary” numbers of hospitalizations; and more.