Latest KFF Health News Stories
Senate Approves Bill To Remove Mask Requirement On Planes, Transit
Eight Democrats joined with nearly all the Republicans to support the measure sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, but the bill’s fate in the House is uncertain. News outlets also explore some of the questions about setting up President Joe Biden’s ARPA-H, an agency designed to push biomedical advances forward more quickly, and a Senate committee’s effort to establish an independent panel to to probe the U.S. response to the pandemic.
‘Stealth’ Omicron Subvariant Now Up To 25% Of New US Cases
The number is an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is up from around 10% of cases a week ago. Meanwhile, experts are worried about the next covid variant, which might not be mild like omicron or BA.2.
Pfizer Applies For FDA OK Of Second Covid Booster For People 65 And Older
Pfizer and BioNTech applied to the FDA for emergency use authorization of another booster dose of its covid vaccine for older Americans, citing data from two Israeli studies.
White House Offensive Details Cuts In Spending Without More Covid Funds
Republicans on Capitol Hill say they are reluctant to spend more money unless they get more details about how past funding has been spent. But administration officials say new money is needed to keep key strategies for fighting covid in place.
Vice President’s Husband Tests Positive For Covid
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff says, “My symptoms are mild and I’m grateful to be both vaccinated and boosted.” Vice President Kamala Harris has tested negative so far. Earlier in the day before Emhoff’s positive test, Harris attended an event with President Joe Biden and other Democratic lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
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Opinion writers examine these covid related topics.
Covid Surging In Places Never Hard Hit Or Had It Controlled
American Samoa was one of the final few places on the planet that largely avoided covid but is now experiencing rapid rises in infections. Elsewhere, China is reacting to new surges with strict lockdowns — including an entire province. And as restrictions fall in Europe, cases go up.
Homelessness Soaring In Biggest Arizona County
Maricopa County saw homelessness figures jump 35% over two years, with a housing crisis and the pandemic blamed. Failures in Arizona’s privatized prison care are also reported. Plus: care failures in a North Carolina nursing home during a storm, a bill to shield lethal injection drug providers in Idaho, and more.
Hailey Bieber’s Brain-Clot Event Focuses Attention On Strokes
NPR reports on the “stroke-like” event suffered by Bieber over the weekend, and how it’s drawing attention to how even young people can experience strokes. Separately, Texas’ Attorney General is determined to press anti-trans cases; transgender Oklahomans sue over birth certificate rules, and more.
Staff Shortages, Worker Mental Health Top Patient Safety Report
2022’s ECRI Top Ten Patient Safety Concerns report highlights how the pandemic has impacted health system operations. Alzheimer’s care is also at risk by staffing shortages. In OhioDirectTrust, Atrium Health, the end of the “SPAC frenzy,” executive movements at Amazon, Providence are also in the health care business news.
Fentanyl Drives Steep Jump In Texas Overdose Deaths
Between April 2020 and April 2021, the U.S. experienced a nearly 30% jump in overdose deaths compared to a year before, according to data from the CDC. Overdose spikes in South Florida are also blamed on fentanyl. Media outlets cover other opioid news across the country.
Prescription Drug Prices Stubbornly Refuse To Drop
A report in Stat highlights the drug industry’s reactions to a 2019 Senate Finance Committee investigation over high drug pricing, and how “nothing” has changed since. Old medicine drop boxes, board compensation at Arrowhead, a failure for a melanoma drug and more are also in the news.
Mississippi Senate May Revive Push For Longer Postpartum Medicaid Care
Mississippi’s lieutenant governor says that efforts to increase Medicaid coverage from 2 months to 12 for people who just gave birth may not be dead afterall. The measure had overwhelmingly passed the state Senate, but House leaders refused to bring it to a floor vote last week. Other Medicaid news reports on the likely loss of coverage for many Americans when the covid emergency declaration lapses.
‘Politics At Its Worst’: Ky.’s Rush To End Pandemic Will Also Slash Food Stamps
Individuals will see about a 41% cut in monthly SNAP benefits after the state General Assembly’s recent decision to call an early end to the public health emergency for covid-19. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear blasted the legislation, saying it will “take food off the tables of more than a half-million Kentuckians, most of them struggling seniors and struggling children.”
Heads Of Pfizer, Moderna Disagree On Who Needs A Fourth Shot
On Sunday, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said everyone needs a second booster “right now.” But on Monday, Moderna President Stephen Hoge said a fourth shot is probably only needed now for the immunocompromised.
Serious Covid Cases Linked To Depression, Anxiety Risks Later
Patients whose covid infections kept them bedridden for a week or more are at an increased risk for anxiety and depression over a year later, finds a new study — among the first research to look at long-term mental health implications. Other mental health matters across the country are also reported.
Sewage Shows Covid Rising In Many Cities Across US
From March 1 to March 10, more than a third of the CDC’s wastewater sample sites showed an increase from the Feb. 1 to Feb. 10 period, when the wave of omicron-variant cases was fading rapidly, Bloomberg reported.
Republican Lawmakers Sue CDC Over US Air Mask Mandate
A group of congressional Republicans filed suit against the CDC, challenging the federal mask requirements on commercial flights as “illegal.” Elsewhere, a similar requirement in the United Kingdom ends this Friday.
