Latest KFF Health News Stories
New Moms, Other Parents Cope With Pandemic’s Mental Health Challenges
A Canadian study has found a 30% increase in the number of postpartum mothers who sought mental health treatment nine months into the pandemic. Meanwhile, parents of newborns are confused about how to handle visitors right now, and some people are using color-coded bracelets to inform others of their physical boundaries.
J&J Covid Vaccines Left Unused And Unwanted
An estimated 10 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine are just sitting there. Other covid-related news includes a vaccine trial for children ages 5-11 and how states try other techniques to get people vaccinated, like a marijuana joint for a shot.
WHO Expert: 80% Vaccination Level Needed To Prevent A Variant From Taking Over
“High levels of vaccination coverage are the way out of this pandemic,” said Dr. Michael Ryan, emergencies chief at the World Health Organization. In India, covid patients suffering from the delta variant have experienced hearing loss, severe gastric upsets and blood clots leading to gangrene, symptoms not typically seen in covid patients.
Critics Question Strength Of Evidence Behind Aduhelm’s Fast-Tracked Approval
Some disease experts are criticizing the standards used by the FDA in its accelerated review of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s disease treatment. News outlets also look at what that means for future drug approvals.
More Money Provided To Soften The Economic Toll Of Covid
Expanded federal child care tax credits of up to $300 a month are available for the last half of the year. In other news, Oakland, California, experiments with a guaranteed income program, and Hawaii extends its eviction moratorium.
House Panel Assails Fisher-Price For Ignoring Sleeper’s Risks To Infants
A report by the Committee on Oversight and Reform suggests ongoing problems with the U.S. consumer product safety system in which companies can sell such items with voluntary safety standards and called for reforms in federal safeguards.
FDA OKs First New Alzheimer’s Drug In Nearly 20 Years In Hotly Debated Move
Biogen’s Aduhelm was granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration but the company will have to conduct a new, large clinical trial to confirm the treatment’s benefit, and the FDA reserves the right to rescind its decision.
Medicare, Insurers Face Hefty Costs From Drug Price Set At $56,000 A Year
The wholesale price tag set by Biogen for Aduhelm exceeded Wall Street estimates. The drugmaker’s CEO defended the cost as “fair,” but told CNBC that it would not be raised for at least four years. News outlets report on the thorny issue of who will pay.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these Covid issues.
Viewpoints: Can We Slow Down The Aging Process?; US Mental Health Care Needs Serious Overhaul
Editorial pages tackle these public health issues.
Metro Atlanta Seeing Off-Season Surge Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus In Kids
Usually RSV cases tick upward in winter months, but this year there is a growing number of cases in Atlanta ahead of summer. Separately a South Georgia detention center has failed to track consent for women suffering unwanted medical procedures. Other state news comes from Texas, West Virginia, Oklahoma and California.
US Sharing 750,000 Vaccines With Taiwan, 1 Million With Mexico
The decision to send supplies to Taiwan is diplomatically problematic for China. Doses sent to Mexico are destined for resort areas and places on the border. Meanwhile, the U.K. is urging for a commitment to vaccinate the whole world by the end of 2022.
South China Province Locks Down As Delta Covid Variant Surges
In other news, Fiji is seeing a record number of covid cases, and the surge is blamed on people sharing the drink kava; India’s falling case load prompts cautious unlocking; and Thailand is using locally-made AstraZeneca vaccines but supplies are limited.
Private Equity Companies Set To Buy Medical Supply Maker Medline
The $30 billion deal will enable the medical supply maker and distributor to expand its range and international efforts. Meanwhile the Food and Drug Administration has approved the first weight-loss drug since 2014 — Wegovy is a version of a diabetes drug.
Baby Glider Recalled After 4 Deaths; iPhone12 May Impede Cardiac Implants
Other public health news is on the flu, campus suicides, cosmetic surgery and more.
Under New Policy, UnitedHealthcare Can Retroactively Deny ED Claims
The American College of Emergency Physicians, which is suing Anthem over a similar policy, said they believe the policy is illegal but declined to comment on whether they would take legal action.
New Jersey Gave Covid Hazard Pay To Ineligible Nursing Home Managers
Eight out of nine senior managers of veterans nursing homes earned too much to get the hazard pay, but received it anyway. Separately, Texas Children’s Hospital is giving a 2% pay raise and an extra week’s vacation to its entire staff for their pandemic work.
Trump Slams Fauci As ‘Not A Great Doctor, But A Hell Of A Promoter’
At North Carolina’s GOP convention on Saturday, the former president criticized the infectious-disease expert as a “radical masker” and also bragged about his administration’s role in developing the covid vaccine.
Study Shows Mask-Wearing Halves Risk Of Getting Covid
A poll by Axios showed that people who wore masks “all the time” were less than half as likely to test positive for covid than people who never used masks. Separately a CDC official says the U.S. health care system is not ready for the next pandemic.