Latest KFF Health News Stories
Different Takes: PPE’s Broken Pipeline; In-Person Instruction; Social Distancing Vs. Social Unrest
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and other health issues.
Problems Escalate At Crowded Rural Hospitals
Other news is on Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Ochsner Health, Methodist Le Bonheur, Tenet Healthcare Corp. and more.
Back To College After Thanksgiving? Not Without A Test, NC State Says
Although many universities require that students get tested for COVID before leaving campus for the long holiday weekend, some schools are also turning their attention to the post-holiday headache.
Mask Policy Tightens At Costco; NYC Parties Shut Down; Stockpiling Again?
If a medical condition prevents someone from wearing a mask, Costco now requires them to wear a face shield at its nearly 560 stores. News is on sheriffs breaking up parties; businesses taking measures to keep shelves full and more.
Rapid COVID-19 Testing Is Less Accurate Than Earlier Studies Indicated
In related news, airport screening effectiveness, algorithm-aided tracking and more.
Doctors, Nurses At Their Breaking Points
Many physicians — stressed, burned out or worried about catching COVID — are leaving their jobs or retiring early. In North Dakota, nurses fret about catching COVID after the state decided to allow asymptomatic hospital employees to stay on the job.
Antibiotic Use In Children Younger Than 2 Linked To Ongoing Illnesses
Problems range from allergies to obesity in later life, according to the study in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The authors stressed the findings show association, not causation and more research about safe dosing is critical. News is on the use of kickbacks, heart failure drugs, and more.
On Lawmakers’ Plates: COVID Testing, Leadership Elections And A Side Of Lame Duck
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently announced the addition of up to 2,000 weekly COVID-19 tests for current members and staff.
800,000 People Sign Up For Insurance During First Week of ACA Enrollment
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services noted that New Jersey and Pennsylvania have set up their own state-run exchanges for the 2021 coverage year.
Biden Coronavirus Task Force To Meet With Vaccine Makers This Week
The Trump administration’s refusal to ascertain the election results bars the Biden transition team from getting crucial information about vaccine distribution plans from government officials. While calling on the White House to stop stalling, Biden officials will meet with Pfizer and other vaccine makers.
Poll Workers Contract COVID But Hard To Know If Voters Were Source
Because of the rapid viral spread across the U.S., in-person voting and poll workers who tested positive for COVID-19 since Election Day can not be definitively linked, AP reports.
Biden Advisers: Potential Lockdowns Would Look Different Than Spring’s
Biden’s coronavirus task force co-chair Vivek Murthy said the nation needs a “national alert system” to “help states and localities determine when to dial up and down their restrictions,” as well as “adequate resources for them to put these restrictions in place.”
Alarm Mounts Over Trump’s Inaction In Face Of Deadly COVID Surge
Health officials and President-elect Joe Biden criticize President Donald Trump’s stonewalling of any transition steps while also leaving state governors on their own to deal with the COVID spike. The stakes are high: an estimated 13 million Americans could contract coronavirus before Inauguration Day at the current pace.
CDC Steps Up Pandemic Guidance While White House Is Distracted
The public health agency — which has often been at odds with the White House over coronavirus messaging — has recently begun to issue more assertive bulletins, though skipping news conferences to explain them. Other CDC news relates to cruises and Thanksgiving.
Oregon, New Mexico Issue Near-Lockdowns, North Dakota Begins Mask Mandate
As COVID rates soar, many states impose new restrictions, while some others resist them.
A Week, A Million New COVID Cases: Surge Pushes US Past 11 Million Total
The uncontrolled outbreak is also pushing hospitalizations to record levels of more than 69,000 Sunday.
‘We Need To Take Some Action’: Restrictions Ordered In Michigan, Washington
Schools, restaurants, recreational activities and group gatherings will all be impacted as the two states take more aggressive steps to try to curtail the latest virus surge.
20M Americans Could Get Vaccine Next Month, Warp Speed Chief Says
After that, about 25 million to 30 million people each month could be vaccinated, Moncef Slaoui said. And a scientist who helped develop Pfizer’s vaccine predicts that life could return to “normal” by next winter as long as there was a high COVID vaccination rate before next fall.
‘As Good As It Gets’: Moderna Vaccine Nearly 95% Effective
Moderna’s Phase 3 study involved 30,000 volunteers. The news comes a week after Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine was more than 90% effective; both of the vaccines use the same technology based on a molecule known as mRNA.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.