Latest KFF Health News Stories
As shootings increase in places like Atlanta, Chicago and New York City, local and state officials work to respond to multiple public health emergencies, including gun violence and the coronavirus crisis.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Maine and Florida.
After Reopening Of Public Spaces, Florida Education Official Orders Schools To Follow
“All school boards and charter school governing boards must open brick and mortar schools in August at least five days per week for all students,” state Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said — although some leeway was given to local jurisdictions as infections rise. New York and New Jersey schools are in the news, as well.
Food insecurity has surged over the last three months across all demographics, but has disproportionately impacted Black and Hispanic households with children. And other news stories on how racial and income disparities impact health care cover evictions and homelessness; period poverty; immigrant caregivers; child care challenges; and the potential for tech companies to try to close the gap.
Trodelvy Boosts Survival Rate For Women With ‘Triple-Negative’ Breast Cancer, Study Shows
In other pharmaceutical news: Jonathan Sackler, co-owner of Purdue Pharma, dies at 65 of cancer; J&J lowers the price of a tuberculosis drug; the EPA approves Lysol to fight COVID-19; and more.
Recent Surges Adding New Stress To COVID Testing Capacity
News outlets report that testing sites in areas such as New Orleans or Sacramento County in California, where COVID-19 case counts are on the rise, are running out of the needed supplies amidst skyrocketing demand. And as case counts increase rapidly, contact tracers efforts become more difficult.
AIDS Advocates, Worried About Falling Behind During Pandemic, Call For Redoubling Response
“While tackling COVID-19 is a global priority, we must not turn our backs on the 38 million people living with HIV and the millions more at risk of infection,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday at the International AIDS Conference. Public health news is on diabetes, strokes and zoonotic diseases, also.
Trump’s Opposition To Masks Muddles Public Health Messages And His Re-Election Campaign
To wear a mask or not to? It’s a debate that marks the federal response as well as efforts at the state and local level to curb the spread of COVID-19. It is also a question that ignites deep political passions and personal reactions.
Minimizing The Risks Of Aerosols: Experts Offer Guideline On Avoiding Exposure To The Pathogen
The virus does not travel long distances or remain viable outdoors, experts say, but evidence suggests it can traverse the length of a room and, remain viable for perhaps three hours. Public health news is on unsafe hospitals, patient bills, stimulus fraud, vulnerable patients, blood types, masks, health care workers and the challenges being faced by the sports’ world.
Older People Refusing To Take COVID Precautions, ‘Troubling’ Study Finds
Many seniors are having difficulty adjusting to their “new normal.” Meanwhile, some adults have moved to a new home to reduce their risk of catching the coronavirus or to be closer to family.
McConnell Signals Senate Interest In Fifth Coronavirus Relief Bill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hinted that such a package could include provisions such as direct stimulus payments to Americans as well as liability protections for businesses.
Younger People Criticized For Thinking They’re ‘Invincible’ As Their Cases Rise
Also, The New York Times takes a look at why Broadway star Nick Cordero’s death underscores the many unknowns about COVID-19 — including how it could affect young, healthy people.
New Rule For Foreign Students Could Force Colleges To Reopen Despite Risks
The Trump administration said Monday that international students will be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools offer classes entirely online this fall.
Who Got Small-Business Relief Loans? Trump Donors, Elite Schools, Planned Parenthood Are On The List
The Trump administration has revealed some of the companies that received Paycheck Protection Program aid intended to help small businesses survive the pandemic and retain jobs.
As nursing homes report coronavirus cases and deaths, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website is supposed to release the data. But there are gaps in the stats. “The biggest thing that needs to be taken away … is in its current form, it is really leaving consumers in the dark,” Sam Brooks, project manager for Consumer Voice, said of the website.
Fauci’s Take On U.S. Coronavirus Outbreak: ‘Really Not Good’
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health’s infectious disease expert, said Monday that the need for public health practices to curb the virus’s spread should not be considered at odds with efforts to reopen the nation’s economy.
As the coronavirus outbreak spins “out of control,” according to some medical professionals, 10 states report daily records for confirmed cases. Only six days into July, nearly 300,000 Americans tested positive for the virus. In June, 820,000 cases were tallied.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘Please Tell Me My Life Is Worth A LITTLE Of Your Discomfort,’ Nurse Pleads
Health care workers on the front lines of the COVID crisis have spent exhausting months working and self-quarantining off-duty to keep from infecting others, including their families. Encountering people who indignantly refuse face coverings can feel like a slap in the face.
COVID Catch-22: They Got A Big ER Bill Because Hospitals Couldn’t Test For Virus
Americans who had coronavirus symptoms in March and April are getting big hospital bills — because they were not sick enough to get then-scarce COVID tests. Some insurers say they are trying to correct these bills, but patients may have to put up a fight.