First Edition: Oct. 4, 2021
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
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Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
The Supreme Court says that Brett Kavanaugh — who is not experiencing symptoms and is fully vaccinated — was tested as part of its protocols. The court's fall term is scheduled to start on Monday.
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week's selections include stories on covid, abortion, dementia, chemotherapy, broken bones and more.
Opinion writers examine these covid and vaccine topics.
Editorial pages tackle these public health issues.
A study published in the Lancet says official figures didn’t represent 55.5% of the true total deaths from police violence that occurred over four decades. Meanwhile, USA Today notes police kill more people in Oklahoma than any other state. News outlets report on other health and race issues.
Politico reports on moves to help improve conservatorship laws which have led to "exploitation" of "many" Californians, including Britney Spears. Meanwhile, NBC News covers efforts to block "dozens" of bills targeting trans people that have been considered by Texas lawmakers.
News outlets note "Fortress Australia" is coming to an end in November as the nation reopens its mostly closed border to international travelers. Australia also approved China's Sinovac covid shot. China, the E.U., flu vaccines, asthma drugmaker Vectura and more are also in the news.
Modern Healthcare covers news about incorrect use of hospital emergency services and the huge costs incurred each year. Also in the news, a potential Kaiser Permanente strike; the struggle to train new nursing staff; medical AI company Dascena; ransomware attacks and more.
Pandemic-related school closures are reported to have led to a dramatic drop in teenagers using vape or e-cigarette products, but the CDC still needed to issue a warning after reports that 2 million teens have vaped in 2021. Seasonal affective disorder, food stamps, a sunscreen recall and more are also in the news.
Meanwhile, during a two-month program, the Drug Enforcement Agency has seized enough fentanyl-related drugs to kill more than 700,000 people. Axios reports that the covid pandemic worsened the opioid problem in the U.S. Also, California tries a novel pay-to-avoid-drugs program.
Arkansas' Supreme Court said the state wasn't allowed to enforce a school mask mandate ban, but in New York City teachers have gone to the U.S. Supreme Court to block a vaccine mandate for staff. Meanwhile in Michigan, health departments rescinded school mask rules over budget cut threats.
Axios and other news outlets report on a new analysis that mapped 395 protein systems in 13 cancer types, focusing on data from studies on head and neck squamous cell cancers and breast cancers. The information could help them find new treatments.
How many people have been infected? No one knows for sure. How many breakthrough infections are there? The government tracks only some of them. Still, daily infections appear to be easing in some regions as the U.S. approaches 700,000 covid deaths.
In California, major hospital systems reported that the health care worker mandate had boosted their vaccination rates to 90% or higher. At Tyson Foods, their vaccinations have jumped from less than half its workforce on Aug. 3 to 91% compliance nearly two months later.
Axios reports on issues regulators are having with data on booster shots for Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's covid shots, complicating the process of deciding who gets boosters. The Boston Globe reports that J&J vaccine recipients are feeling "left out" in the current booster rollout.
The Health Resources and Services Administration pulled back a rule proposed by the Trump administration that would have required community health clinics to pass savings from reduced 340B pricing on insulin and Epi-Pens directly to patients instead of reinvesting in local services.
The legal challenges over state laws in both states restricting abortion procedures play out in court. And U.S. lawmakers tell their personal stories during a House hearing on the subject.
Lab studies of the oral drug, molnupiravir, show promise in fighting known covid variants. Phase III studies of the drug will end in November. Separately, a University of Houston professor has developed a covid vaccine that can be taken nasally. Monoclonal antibodies are also back in the news.
Ahead of greater consumer protections against unexpected out-of-network charges taking effect on Jan. 1, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an interim rule Thursday that outlines an arbitration process that will settle disagreements between insurers and providers over costs. The Biden administration's approach is favored by the insurance industry.
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