Latest KFF Health News Stories
Wanted: Plasma From Recovered COVID Patients
Scientists are also working on treatments for COVID “long-haulers,” people who have long-term medical conditions.
California Faces Dire Health Worker Shortage, Opens Field Hospitals
The coronavirus pandemic is worsening in California as well as most other parts of the U.S., with ICUs filling up, more and more kids contracting the virus and people with other conditions falling through the cracks.
The omnibus stimulus bill now heads to the president’s desk for signing. And tucked into that bill is a section on surprise medical bills.
Travelers From UK To US May Face New Rules Due To Virus Variant Worries
The Trump administration is considering requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test for all passengers coming from the UK as the world contends with the last thing it needs: a mutation of the coronavirus that spreads even more easily.
Will Approved Vaccines Protect Against New Coronavirus Mutation?
The makers of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will test them against the newly emerged variant and voice confidence about the effectiveness.
America’s Leaders Get Vaccinated
Joe Biden got the shot yesterday. Anthony Fauci gets it today. Even Republicans who spoke out against public health measures rushed to get it. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), says she won’t because it is “shameful” that politicians get it before people on the front lines.
Pfizer Vaccine Approved For Use In EU
Residents in the 27 nations that make up the European Union now have access to their first coronavirus vaccine. Shots are expected to begin next week.
First Moderna Shots Given; BioNTech Aims To Ramp Up 2021 Production
As vaccines are administered as quickly as they can be shipped, manufacturers work to increase capacity while state and hospital officials figure out how to dole out limited supplies.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Health Officials Fear Pandemic-Related Suicide Spike Among Native Youth
Recent deaths on a small Native American reservation in Montana have underlined the heightened risks for Indigenous youths and how suicide prevention programs are struggling to operate during the pandemic.
Análisis: expertos desestimaron al coronavirus, hasta que fue demasiado tarde
Muchos de los principales especialistas en enfermedades infecciosas subestimaron el veloz brote en sus primeras semanas y meses, asumiendo que Estados Unidos, otra vez, saldría ileso.
Editorial writers focus on these pandemic topics and others.
Busy Airports: People Head Home For Holidays Despite Warnings
Staying put is a top priority, the CDC says. After that, it advises getting a COVID-19 test a few days before travel, and another a few days after travel, while reducing nonessential activities.
Amazon Closes New Jersey Facility; Montana Expected To Lift Mask Mandate
Media outlets report on news from New Jersey, Montana, Texas and Missouri.
EU Regulators Gear Up To Approve Vaccine; Trucks Move Doses Into Place
Members of the 27-nation bloc could start to be vaccinated Dec. 27 once approval is given for Pfizer’s vaccine. Other global news is on WHO’s agreement to obtain 2 billion doses and missteps by France’s Emmanuel Macron.
How COVID Changed Drug Treatments
It was easier for some patients to get drugs in the pandemic. In other news, documents show how Sacklers removed cash from Purdue.
HHS Wants To Change HIPAA Rules
The proposed rule shifts are designed to give patients more control over their health data and make it easier for clinicians to share patient data with other providers and insurers, Modern Healthcare reports. Early responses to the changes have been positive.
‘Agonizing Decisions’: Stressed Hospital Workers Told To Make Rationing Plans
Many intensive care units are already over capacity, Bloomberg reports. News is on protective gear shortages hospitals continue to face, as well.
‘Midsummer Or Early Fall’: Murthy Offers ‘Realistic’ Timeline For Vaccine
Dr. Vivek Murthy, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for surgeon general, said widespread inoculations for those who aren’t in the high-risk categories are likely to arrive later than the Trump administration has predicted.
COVID Has Infected 1 In 5 US Inmates, And That May Be An Undercount
That’s compared to 1 in 20 Americans who have had COVID in the general American population. The Marshall Project and The Associated Press also report in their series on the role prisoner transfers have played on the crisis.