Latest KFF Health News Stories
Politics Slows Flow of US Pandemic Relief Funds to Public Health Agencies
Congress has allocated trillions of dollars to ease the coronavirus crisis. A joint KHN and AP investigation finds that many communities with big outbreaks have spent little of that federal money on local public health departments for work such as testing and contact tracing.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic topics and others.
Opinion writers express views about school issues created by quarantines and collecting data on the pandemic.
State Cases On Rise In Parts Of Illinois, Wisconsin
Media outlets report on news from Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Nevada and Arizona.
How The World Is Faring: Lebanon Issues COVID Lockdown
Media outlets report on news from Lebanon, New Zealand, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, Jordan, France, Italy, Ireland, Brazil and elsewhere.
COVID-19’s Effect On The Nation’s Most Vulnerable Residents
Topics in the news include: homelessness; hunger; nursing homes; race; and bias against transgender and non-binary individuals.
New Mexico Leads Nation In Alcohol-Related Deaths
Also in the news: the University of New Hampshire offers help for avoiding opioid addiction; drug overdoses rise in Canada; and Massachusetts will destroy aging marijuana vapes.
Georgia Governor Backtracks On Mask Mandates
In other news from the states: Iowans and Californians struggle with power outages; a second person in Massachusetts has EEE; people are ignoring New York’s quarantine order; and more.
Confidence In Travel Still Weak
The travel industry struggles with wary customers and restaurant owners find themselves under scrutiny. As some customers refuse to wear masks or avoid large gatherings, the question is raised: Why denial is a coping mechanism for some people?
‘New Breed Of Summer Jobs’: No-Contact Lifeguarding And Working At COVID Testing Sites
Lifeguarding in the pandemic means contactless ocean rescues and lifeguards who carry hand sanitizer. And with traditional summer jobs like camp counselor positions gone, one local government is recruiting teens and young adults to help with virus testing coordination.
Evidence Emerging Of Lasting Immunity After COVID Infection
Several research projects find that the immune system stores information that helps fight off coronavirus again, even for people who only experienced mild symptoms. Meanwhile, drug trials for potential COVID treatments are taking longer than expected.
Summer’s Over: The Tans Will Fade But The Quarantine Will Last Two Weeks
Some families are changing end-of-summer vacation plans to avoid quarantining before the start of school. In other pandemic-school news: Massachusetts school officials reported dozens of families to social workers when kids missed remote learning, and parents with “no good choice” blame one another.
Several universities that brought students back to campus are reporting COVID-19 outbreaks.
CDC: Infection Rate Among Children Rose ‘Steadily’ From March To July
News on children includes new developments in the South Korean study about kids’ transmission of COVID-19 and an uptick in fast food consumption, while news on pregnancy includes the virus’ spread among pregnant Latina women and the stress of a pandemic on a growing baby.
Pharma’s Culture Clash And Financial Pressures
Financial news dominates reports from the pharmaceutical industry–mergers and initial public offerings.
Poll: 35% Of Americans Won’t Get COVID Vaccine
Hopes for defeating the coronavirus are pinned to an eventual vaccine, yet only 60% of Americans polled say they will get inoculated. Other vaccine news reports on “challenge” trials, more safety concerns and other development pipeline news.
PPE Supply Shortages: FDA Makes List Of What Might Run Out
Some rural hospitals and other health care groups struggle to keep key supplies in stock, and a nurses group warns new spikes could lead to early pandemic-like shortages. News is also on how some industries are adapting to the need for new supplies.
Testing Slows When Public Health Experts Say US Needs To Ramp Up
With coronavirus results delayed in many cases, some states say they are limiting the number of test conducted to give labs time to catch up. Other testing and contact tracing developments are also in the news.
Inconsistent ICD-10 Codes Could Hinder COVID Symptom Tracking
Health industry news covers disease codes, hospital volume, medical malpractice lawsuits, efforts to battle hunger, financial news and more.
Appeals Court: Trump Violated Law By Stopping ACA Subsidies For Low-Income Patients
The ACA established cost-sharing subsidies for individuals whose incomes were below 250% of the federal poverty level. Also, Pennsylvania is one of six states shifting in the next several years from the federal insurance exchange to run their own online marketplaces.