Latest KFF Health News Stories
Vaccine Rollout Set To Meet Biden’s 200 Million Shot Goal
In other covid vaccine news, Louisiana and Maine see a slowdown in vaccine uptake, a Texas county closes its mass vaccination site since it has “accomplished its goals” and NPR reports on urban versus rural vaccine disparity for seniors.
Company That Spoiled J&J Vaccines Investigated For Trump Admin Ties
Meanwhile, reports say a $1.3 billion federal award from the Trump administration to a syringe manufacturer has resulted in no syringe production. Separately, Pfizer is urged to publish a report outlining its political donations and J&J’s sales growth is boosted by covid vaccines.
CDC Investigates Blood Clot Cases Ahead Of Decision On J&J Shot
The agency’s vaccine advisory panel is scheduled to convene again Friday. Meanwhile, medical experts weigh in on the potential risks and a new survey shows that vaccination confidence hasn’t taken much of a hit from the Johnson & Johnson suspension.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages weigh in on these public health matters.
Opinion writers tackles these Covid and vaccine issues.
Anti-Transgender Legal Moves Advance, Stumble
Louisiana’s governor indicated he will not back bills limiting transgender athletes or restrict trans minors seeking medical treatment. But Oklahoma’s House advanced a similar bill, while Texan lawmakers are pressured by big business to not make the same moves.
Home Injuries And Weight Gain In The Pandemic
More news is also reported on delayed health care and puberty body changes during the pandemic, as well as marijuana laws, driving safety and MRSA risk from dogs.
Health And Racism In Spotlight As Anti-Asian Hate Bill Nears
The Senate may pass an anti-Asian hate crime bill this week. The AP reports on how the covid pandemic and anti-Asian violence impacts schooling, and how Los Angeles’ older Korean-American residents experience fear now.
Boom Continues In Digital Health
The amount of investment flowing into digital health companies doubled from 2020 to $7.2 billion in the first quarter of this year. Women’s digital health startups were a major recipient. In other industry news, University of Virginia Health System, which for years has sued thousands of patients for unpaid bills, will cancel a massive backlog of court judgments and liens.
Texas GOP Criticizes Medicaid Change; Dems Say It Will Help Uninsured
Federal health officials say Friday’s decision to rescind the state’s waiver is part of an effort to push Texas towards expanding the program, The Washington Post said.
Opioid Addiction Trial Gets Underway
The long-anticipated trial of four drugmakers in California has begun; a judge may soon indicate how much it will cost the four companies involved to resolve their liability for the opioid crisis.
The CDC is looking into a few more reactions to the Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine, while the FDA halts production at an East Baltimore plant that earlier botched millions of vaccine doses. And the European Medicines Agency is preparing its report on the vaccine.
White House Aims To Shore Up Stockpile, Get Covid Supplies Where Still Needed
The Biden administration has been in talks with companies and lobbyists about ways to improve the nation’s emergency stockpile, Stat reports. And millions in relief aid funds are being released to help underserved communities get needed equipment and supplies to continue the covid fight. The federal government’s flawed early pandemic response is also in the news.
Biden Administration Weighs New Restrictions On Nicotine In Cigarettes
As part of its review of a possible ban on menthol cigarettes, the White House is also considering a new rule that would force tobacco companies to cut nicotine back to levels that are no longer addictive, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Vaccination Rates Rise, But So Do Covid Infections
The CDC reported a seven-day average covid case rate up 1% from the previous average figure, with the U.S. total now over 400,000 new cases per day. Some places, such as Florida, report better news though with hospitalizations for seniors falling fast.
Still More Universities Require Covid Vaccines
Yale has joined the ever-lengthening list of colleges that will require students get covid vaccines before fall terms. Meanwhile, Connecticut’s lawmakers act to remove a religious exemption rule that could impact mandatory vaccination efforts.
Walk-In Covid Vaccine Sites Roll Out In Some States
Detroit and Houston are two examples where vaccine supplies have met demand, and walk-up covid vaccine sites are opening up to encourage more uptake. Separately, the AP reports Arizona’s governor has ordered a statewide vaccine passport ban.
CDC: Focus On Airborne Covid Transmission, Not Surfaces
The chief of the CDC’s Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch said “putting on a show” to clean and disinfect “may be used to give people a sense of security that they are being protected from the virus.” In other covid research news, a new covid treatment shows promise — in hamsters.
At-Home Covid Test Kits Will Be In Stores Soon
Abbott Laboratories has shipped its BinaxNOW covid test kit to retail chains including Walgreens, Walmart and CVS. And in other covid testing news: Asian small-clawed otters in Georgia test positive for covid.
