Latest KFF Health News Stories
Uber Requires Masks For Everyone; DeSantis Pardons All Floridians Who Broke Mask Rules
More news on mask requirements is from Maryland, New Mexico, California and Iowa.
Expired Pfizer Shots Administered To Almost 900 People New York
The New York State Health Department is recommending that people who were vaccinated at the former NFL Experience building in Times Square between June 5 to 10 get another shot.
Covid Variants A Growing Threat As Vaccinations Slow
The AP reports that vaccination drives have turned into a “slog” as incentives like prizes and cash fail to convince many Americans to get vaccinated. Separately, covid hotspots are reported across Missouri, with the delta variant blamed in particular.
CureVac Reports That Its Vaccine Falls Short Of Efficacy Benchmarks
Preliminary clinical trial data shows that the German vaccine manufacturer’s mRNA covid shot candidate is just 47% effective — comparatively low to that of Moderna and Pfizer.
US Buys More Moderna Vaccine, Planning Ahead For Kids’ Shots, Boosters
The Biden administration has procured another 200 million doses, Moderna announced. In other vaccination news: the CDC’s advisory panel looks into reports of heart inflammation.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Some Medicines Still Contain Toxic Ingredients; Extremism Is A Public Health Issue
Editorial writers delve into toxic ingredients in medicine, tackling extremism and Aduhelm.
Perspectives: Mainers Shouldn’t Have To Ration Their Medication
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Advocacy Group Urges Biden To Fire FDA Officials Over Alzheimer’s Drug
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Different Takes: Pandemic Is Far From Over; Young Children Still At Real Risk For Covid Infection
Opinion writers deal with these Covid related issues.
Some Maryland Health Insurance Plans Will Go Up, Some Down For 2022
The state’s dominant insurer, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, plans to raise certain plan rates by about 8%, but other insurers are looking to continue dropping their rates. Meanwhile, the ACLU has asked a judge to block Arkansas’ transgender youth treatment ban.
Myanmar Finds Variants; Pakistan Says It Will Cut Off Phones Of Unvaccinated
Myanmar has detected three new covid variants for the first time. Separately, millions of Pakistanis are at risk of losing cellphone service if they refuse vaccines. In other news, the Taj Mahal reopens, and Japan is set to decide on domestic Olympic spectators.
AMA Pushes Against Clinical Diagnosis Of ‘Excited Delirium’
The diagnosis too often leads to excessive police force and forced sedation, the American Medical Association contends. Lumbar surgery, Apple’s health care efforts, life science companies in Boston and the new job of former FDA chief Stephen Hahn are also in the news.
America Feels The Itch Of Record STD Infection Levels
In other news, a study suggests kids who eat more ultra-processed food are more likely to be overweight as adults; another study says blood sugar control among Americans has dropped; and New Orleans and Baton Rouge are hit by warnings of excessive ozone.
Biden Scrapping Trump Plan To Shift 340B Discounts on Insulin, Epi-Pens
The policy would have threatened to withhold grant funds from community health centers if they charged low-income patients more than what they paid for the life-saving injections. Other news is on the increasing price of Medicare drugs, incentives at skilled nursing facilities, Florida’s Medicaid budget and a program in Connecticut that will give “baby bonds” to new parents on Medicaid.
Toxic Chemicals In Many Cosmetics Targeted In Senate Bill
As a new study finds dangerous chemicals present in over half the mascaras, lipsticks and foundations sold in the U.S., Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced the No PFAS in Cosmetics Act.
Arizona Forbids University Mandates On Covid Vaccines, Tests And Masks
Gov. Doug Ducey’s executive order is aimed at students at public universities. In other news a Wisconsin bill forbids vaccine passports, San Francisco will require some workers to be vaccinated, and an appeal is filed in the Houston hospital vaccine case.
FDA Clears 25M Doses Of J&J Vaccine Produced At Troubled Plant
The Food and Drug Administration OKs an additional 15 million doses from the huge tranche of vaccine placed in quarantine due to possible contamination at Emergent BioSolutions’ Baltimore plant. Another 10 million had been allowed last week. Meanwhile, the White House announces that 1.35 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s have been sent for use in Mexico.
Covid Lab-Leak Theory Was Pushed By Trump Administration Officials
According to Politico, “senior” Trump administration officials were behind the hypothesis, despite a lack of intelligence supporting it. The Washington Post covers how the government then investigated the theory, and still has no “smoking gun.”
Study Adds To Theory That Covid Started Spreading In US By Christmas 2019
A new analysis by the National Institutes of Health finds nine possible covid-19 cases in late December 2019 — about a month earlier than the first official confirmed infection of Jan. 21, 2020. Some experts voiced skepticism about the study though.