Political Divide Igniting Smoldering Anger Over Masks In Schools, Vaccines
Even as some low-vaccinated states run out of hospital beds, some Republican leaders are battling any sort of covid-related mandate.
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Even as some low-vaccinated states run out of hospital beds, some Republican leaders are battling any sort of covid-related mandate.
Federal projections show overdose deaths leaped 31% between January 2020 and January 2021, with the total for 2020 a record 95,000 victims. Separate reports cover the worry that low supplies of the overdose antidote drug Naloxone will result in unnecessary deaths from opioid abuse.
Aetna Virtual Primary Care, the new service, available under self-funded employer plans, gives access to telemedicine and in-person care. Meanwhile, a cyberattack cost Scripps Health $113 million, and Apple aims to expand its digital health initiative, sharing more data from devices with doctors.
A 50-bed field hospital will open and the state will get federal aid in the form of medical professionals, combating low staff numbers and a shortage of space. Surges are also reported in Iowa, New Orleans and Los Angeles County. Meanwhile, Florida settles a disagreement over its case count.
On Feb. 26, 2020 -- the early days of the looming global health emergency -- Kelley Paul bought stock in Gilead, maker of the antiviral drug remdesivir that went on to get authorization as a covid treatment. Sen. Rand Paul just disclosed his family's financial interest, 16 months later than required in what his office says was a paperwork mistake.
He and the state attorney general filed a petition to halt a judge's order requiring face masks inside schools and businesses. Meanwhile, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona confirmed he had spoken to Abbott and relayed his concerns about the state’s covid policies as hospitalizations spike.
The U.S. education secretary's stance has sharpened; Miguel Cardona previously urged teachers to get covid shots voluntarily. In Tennessee, protesters threatened people at a school board meeting after it reinstated a mask mandate for some students. "You can leave freely, but we will find you," one man said.
More schools are layering in safety requirements for the fall semester. Stanford University announced that it will require all students to test for covid every week, regardless of vaccination status. And administrators requiring vaccinations are on the lookout for fake cards.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected as soon as Thursday to expand its emergency use authorization to allow a third dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for people who are immunocompromised.
But the coronavirus poses a big risk to a healthy pregnancy, other research found. So in the face of the surging delta variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that pregnant women get the shot. Only about 23% in the U.S. have received at least one dose to date.
While data on exactly how many patients are affected is not forthcoming, the European Union has said it's investigating erythema multiforme, glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome links to Pfizer's and Moderna's covid shots. Fierce Pharma reports "few" people are affected, Reuters says "a small number."
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The unconstitutional laws include banning telemedicine consults between doctors and people seeking abortions. In other news, another prolonged heat wave is predicted to hit the Pacific Northwest; heat death data is hard to find; "forever" chemicals at military sites; and more.
The U.K.'s daily case count slipped to 23,510 on Tuesday, but 146 new deaths was the highest since March 12. Meanwhile, data from the U.K. suggests that delta covid can be "held in check" with the right tactics. Separately, anti-vaccine protesters tried -- and failed -- to storm the BBC's offices.
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN's Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
A study in JAMA Psychiatry notes that roughly twice as many Muslims in a survey reported a suicide attempt compared other religious groups--religious discrimination and community stigma are blamed. In other public health news, nearly 60,000 pounds of chicken products are recalled over salmonella.
The newly introduced legislation also includes efforts to improve infection control and bolster health care inspections. The AP reports, meanwhile, on efforts among hospital physicians to unionize at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital amid the upheaval in staffing amid the pandemic.
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