Latest KFF Health News Stories
Global news is from Russia, Mexico, China, Germany, South Korea, and India.
To no one’s surprise, the coronavirus is racing through colleges that called students back to campus. Some schools suspend party goers. At other universities, students take matters into their own hands.
Study: Fake Cures, Poor Medical Advice Spread On Social Media
Postings pose significant risk to the consumer, according to researchers at the University Of California medical school. Public health news on the pandemic is on over-night camps, hair salons, homeless essential workers, and more
Experts Weigh In On How To Protect Your Lungs From Wildfire Smoke
Learn to understand the Air Quality Index and check it throughout the day, health experts say. Other public health news includes a study on opioid-related deaths and health problems near a dumping ground.
3 New Studies Link Obesity With Higher COVID Risk
And other science news explains how aerosol transmission of the virus may heighten your risk at home and while traveling.
FDA Gives Go-Ahead For Fluidigm’s COVID-19 ‘Spit Test’
People can collect their own samples, which removes the need for health care workers to put themselves at risk. Other news about testing as well.
Big Fight Looms Over Small Firm’s Drug For Rare Neuromuscular Disorder
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals is trying to block Jacobus Pharmaceuticals, a family-run company, from selling a rival drug that treats Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS). Also: a look inside a Chinese vaccine manufacturer and a deeper dive into President Donald Trump’s war on the FDA.
Data Breaches At Hospitals Are Increasing
And it’s not just hospitals. A medical supplier got hit recently. In other industry news, where the hot money is going.
A ‘Functional Cure’ For HIV? 64 People In Genome Study Suppressed Infection Without Drugs
The study, published in the journal Nature, also offers hope that some infected people might be able to stop taking antiretroviral therapy.
Trump Administration Wants Limits Reimposed On Medication Abortions
A group of doctors won an injunction to have restrictions on Mifeprex relaxed during the pandemic. Making in-office visits to doctors exposed patients to risk, they said.
Justice Investigates Nursing Home Deaths
The Department of Justice is asking for data from four governors–all Democrats– New York’s Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey’s Phil Murphy, Pennsylvania’s Tom Wolf and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer.
CMS Extends Deadline To Update Self-Referral Law
Because of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services are still “working through the complexity of the issues raised by comments received on the proposed rule,” they said Wednesday.
Wisconsin Unrest, ‘Right To Try,’ Personal Health Stories Also In Spotlight At GOP Convention
Health care policy issues are interwoven in some of the key talking points of convention speakers.
White House Might Take Executive Action On COVID Relief Bill
Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Politico he doubts there will be a deal with Congress, adding that the administration might take matters into its own hands to prevent furloughs in the airline industry.
Judge: Virus Fears A Reason For Mail-In Ballot
A Tennessee judge says election officials must tell citizens that the risk of COVID is a valid reason for requesting an absentee ballot.
Low-Cost, Rapid Nasal Swab Test Gets Emergency OK From FDA
It’s the first such quick test to get FDA authorization that does not require specialty lab equipment like traditional tests. Abbot Laboratories will sell the 15-minute test for $5.
Pence Vows End-Of-Year Vaccine In Speech, Then Greets Maskless Supporters
During his keynote speech on the third night of the Republican National Convention, Vice President Mike Pence said, “I’m proud to report that we’re on track to have the world’s first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year.” He also praised health care workers.
A Ferocious Hurricane Made Worse With COVID
COVID-19 makes evacuating and protecting people much harder as category-4 Hurricane Laura slams into the Gulf States.
The Vaccine Race: Who Gets One First?; Novavax, Moderna Report Progress
The CDC proposes guidelines for who in the U.S. will have first access to a COVID-19 vaccine — once one is approved. Meanwhile, Novavax is reportedly eyeing December to apply for authorization of its vaccine candidate, while Moderna shows promising trial results in older adults.
Public Health Experts Appalled By Testing Change, Question Scientific Basis
The shifting guidance will confuse Americans and result in less testing, public health experts worry — as they also raise alarms about the scientific reasoning driving the CDC’s abrupt change. In related news, Dr. Anthony Fauci was not in the room when the deliberation happened.