Latest KFF Health News Stories
A ‘Tsunami That Has Overwhelmed Us’: Italian Doctor Paints Grim Picture Of A Country Under Siege
Italian Dr. Daniele Macchini posted on social media about what’s happening on the front lines of Italian’s coronavirus response. Meanwhile, one clue about why Italy may be so affected is that the country has the second-oldest population in the world, and the outbreak has killed a disproportionately high number of people in their 80s and 90s.
China Ignored Global Norms To Halt Outbreak. Now Other Countries Are Considering Doing The Same.
World health leaders have said China’s authoritarian measures at the outset of the crisis bought the world time, and now as the country is starting to return to normalcy as the rest of the world is hit with more cases, countries are look at China’s playbook. Meanwhile, a health minister in the United Kingdom has confirmed she’s been infected, while virus clusters in South Korea raise new alarm.
The schools are shifting to online classes. But some question if students are safer back at home, if those destinations are in areas with major outbreaks.
White House To Meet With Big Tech To Discuss Best Ways To Fight Coronavirus
Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Twitter are expected to participate in the meeting. Meanwhile, hospitals and doctors are being urged to fast-track their telemedicine plans.
What If You Can’t Stay Home When You’re Sick?
All the public health experts out there are clamoring about people staying home from work if they’re sick. But that advice is not always easy to follow for all Americans. Meanwhile, other industries, especially the airlines, brace for the economic impact of the virus.
A very small study showed promising results with a drug that’s similar to the Sanofi and Regeneron drug, called Kevzara, that treats arthritis. Several patients in the study “got out of death’s bed and walked out of the hospital” after receiving Actemra, said a Regeneron scientist. The race for a treatment has sent pharma into a tizzy to be the first to strike on something that works. Meanwhile, other labs are working on creating an effective vaccine.
California and New York are two of the states that have seen the most cases. Officials in California say the “cat is out of the bag” when it comes to community spread, and it is focusing on mitigation strategies like canceling large events. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has created a one-mile containment zone to try to stop the spread in a community that was particularly hard hit.
One key chemical that is used to isolate the virus’ genetic material, or RNA, so that it can be tested is in dwindling supply. Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence promised there are more tests being made available to states, and HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the government is now working to create a reporting system to help “keep track of how many we’re testing.” Meanwhile, the American Medical Association promised to fast-track a proposal to create a billing code for the tests.
Immigration Rights Groups Call On ICE To Release Detainees At High-Risk Of Infection
The groups are focusing on high-risk detainees at a facility in Tacoma, Washington which is close to epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. ICE says it has not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the jail. Meanwhile, immigration courts have been ordered to take down coronavirus information from courtrooms and waiting areas.
The construction industry “culture is stoic, as is typical of male-dominated industries,” said Cal Beyer, director of risk management for Lakeside Industries in Seattle. Workers tend to be more at risk for suicide, self-medicating and substance abuse. More public health news is on HIV, AA’s effectiveness, ocean bacteria, life-saving CPR, morning fasts, mushroom recall, and the benefits of squatting vs. sitting.
Media outlets report on news in Washington, Massachusetts, New Jersey, District of Columbia, New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Louisiana.
Limited funding forced emergency preparedness officials to focus on other supplies needed for the Strategic National Stockpile. In response, the CDC loosens its recommendations on masks. Also, a union representing airport workers is requesting better masks and Amazon tries to battle counterfeit coronavirus products.
A test of CMS’s email crashed the system on Feb. 23, frustrating health officials just as they were trying to negotiate the first bloom of the coronavirus in the United States. Meanwhile, CDC Director Robert Redfield counters claims that closing the borders would help prevent the spread of the virus.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these topics surrounding the coronavirus.
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a statement that the decision was based on State Department travel advisories and other restrictions that have been enforced during the outbreak.
Health experts have been vocal about how it is a make-it or break-it moment for America and that the outcome will rest on the country’s ability to “flatten the curve” of the spread of the disease by “social distancing.” What do those terms mean and what do they entail? Meanwhile, there’s a lot of comparison between the flu and the coronavirus, but they’re quite different illnesses. Scientists also take a look at the hardest-hit populations and how the fact that kids aren’t getting critically sick can help them better understand the virus.
Out of the more than 1,000 cases in the country at least 28 people have died from the disease. Many experts predict those numbers will get exponentially worse once testing ramps up. Meanwhile, governors are scrambling to slow its inevitable spread and are having to reach out to a federal administration with whom they’ve been at odds.
‘I’m Not Concerned At All’: Trump Does Little To Change His Routine Amid Coronavirus Exposure Fears
Despite the fact that there is a chance President Donald Trump was exposed second-hand to a patient with coronavirus at CPAC, Trump seems to want to send a message to Americans that he’s not worried. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) remained adamant that she won’t close the Capitol, despite the higher risk lawmakers are facing because they travel so much. “We are the captains of the ship. We are the last to leave,” she said.
Campaigns Taking Large-Scale Measures To Curb Exposure, But Candidates Are Still Shaking Hands
Both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden canceled events as fears over an ever-spreading U.S. outbreak grow. Both candidates are in their 70s, a particularly hard-hit population with this particular virus, yet they are still interacting freely with the public.
