Latest KFF Health News Stories
Trump Attributes COVID Death Toll To ‘Blue States’ In Defense Of His Response
While defending his administration’s handling of the pandemic in comparison to other nations, President Donald Trump said: “If you take the blue states out we’re at a level that I don’t think anybody in the world would be at.”
Trump Counters Testimony Of His CDC Director On Vaccines, Masks
CDC Director Robert Redfield told senators Wednesday that a coronavirus vaccine would not be widely available until the next summer or fall and that masks are an effective tool to combat spread. At a press conference hours later, President Donald Trump contradicted both of those statements, calling Redfield “confused.”
CDC Releases Plan To Distribute Free COVID Vaccines To All Americans
The draft plan for starting to deliver a coronavirus vaccine within 24 hours of any federal approval was unveiled by the CDC. The agency says it will need $6 billion from Congress to execute the ambitious proposal.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Students’ Mass Migration Back to College Gets a Failing Grade
Epidemiologists and disease modelers tried to predict what would happen when students moved back to campus. Although some universities listened to their advice, that didn’t stop outbreaks from happening.
Urban Hospitals of Last Resort Cling to Life in Time of COVID
Rural hospitals have been closing at a quickening pace in recent years, but a number of inner-city hospitals now face a similar fate. Experts fear that the economic damage inflicted by the COVID pandemic is helping push some of these urban hospitals over the edge at the very time their services are most needed.
Black Women Turn to Midwives to Avoid COVID and ‘Feel Cared For’
Midwifery was a tradition among slaves from Africa, but in more recent decades, pregnant Black women have generally shunned the approach. Now, home births and midwives are making a comeback in the Black community.
Es difícil decir si es COVID, síntomas por inhalar humo… o la gripe que ya llega
Por los incendios en California, pacientes llegan a los centros de salud con síntomas similares a los de COVID. Y hay que seguir los protocolos.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Viewpoints: Normal? Life Might Not Return There For A While; Pros, Cons Of A Rushed Vaccine
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
AstraZeneca Hiked Prices On Its Biggest Drugs By As Much As 6% This Year
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
NY Can Tax Drugmakers Under Opioid Stewardship Act, Appeals Court Rules
Since New York passed its law, two other states – Delaware and Minnesota – enacted similar measures, and other states are considering the approach, Stat reports.
Nursing Home Visits Might Soon Resume In Georgia
Other places in the news include Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Illinois, the District of Columbia, Texas, Oklahoma and the Navajo Nation.
COVID Cases Stack Up In Germany After American Woman’s Bar Crawl
Other nations in the news include India, France and the United Kingdom.
US And Other Nations Struggle With The Ups And Downs Of Vaccine Prep
In America, researchers are trying to recruit more Black and Latino volunteers for vaccine trials. Other countries in the news include Russia, China, Poland, Germany and South Korea.
Testing Cost Varies Widely; Phone App Might Aid Tracing
The Journal Of General Internal Medicine reports less than 10% of tests cost insurers more than $306, but some bills were as high as $14,750. News is on fast turnarounds for employers, rapid antigen tests, the UK’s shortage of tests during a second wave and more.
Indoor Maine Wedding Is Linked To Seven Deaths
Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said, “The virus favors gatherings.” Other COVID news is on loneliness, herd immunity, flu season and more.
Health Philanthropist Bill Gates Sr., Father Of Microsoft Founder, Dies At 94
As co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he helped direct billions in grants for projects that included children’s vaccines; clean water in developing countries; bed netting to reduce mosquito-borne malaria; the promotion of contraceptives and single-use syringes; and more. Upon his death, the family announced that Gates Sr. had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
‘Especially Tragic’: LGBTQ Advocates Push Back Against Texas Curriculum
The board, expected to make a final decision in November, rejected mandates requiring students to learn about the differences between gender identity and sexual orientation as well as a proposal to teach middle schoolers about consent. Public health news is on eye exams, COVID among LSU football players, quarantine at NYU, online learning in Northern Virginia, and more.
‘People Will Die’: Biden Campaign Lashes Out At Trump’s Maskless Rallies
In other news: Democratic nominee Joe Biden calls the president “a fool” for insinuating that he’s on drugs; his wife, Jill, discusses health care at an event in Michigan; and more. Also, for the first time in its 175-year history, Scientific American makes a presidential endorsement—for Joe Biden.