Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
In Texas, Individual Freedoms Clash With Efforts To Slow The Surge Of COVID Cases
In Houston, now a hot spot for COVID cases, not everyone agrees on how to deal with the pandemic.
Analysis: How A COVID-19 Vaccine Could Cost Americans Dearly
The United States is the only developed nation unable to balance cost, efficacy and social good in setting prices.
COVID Cuts A Lethal Path Through San Quentin’s Death Row
Executions have been on hold in California since 2006, stalled by a series of legal challenges. But COVID-19 is proving a lethal presence on San Quentin’s death row.
COVID-Tracking Apps Proliferate, But Will They Really Help?
Public health authorities had hoped digital technology would supplement the work of contact tracers seeking to control the spread of COVID-19. But technical uncertainties and public health failures have dimmed the apps’ potential.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic topics and others.
China Issues Bubonic Plague Health Alert; One Australian City Locked Down Again
Global developments related to the coronavirus pandemic and other public health issues are reported from China, Australia, Canada, India, the UK, Saudi Arabia, France, Amsterdam, Chile, South Korea and other nations.
‘Needs To Happen Immediately’: Judges Press California Governor To Reduce Prison Populations
Over the weekend, four prisoners died at San Quentin, where there have been more than 1,500 confirmed infections. Other California news focuses on ICE detention facilities, rising hospitalizations, the Assembly’s recess and closures of more businesses, among other things.
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.