Latest KFF Health News Stories
Covid Shots Hit Target: 1 In 4 US Adults Fully Vaccinated
In other news, nearly 90% of college students say they will get vaccinated, as a growing list of universities say they’ll mandate covid vaccines before the fall. Also, researchers work to understand covid vaccine side effects.
Evidence Of Another Covid Surge Abounds
More young adults are suffering severe covid cases.
J&J Covid Vaccine Shortage Will Hit Rollout Efforts Next Week
Even as states expand covid vaccine eligibility — including to Pennsylvania’s prisoners — the recent manufacturing error in a Johnson & Johnson plant will dramatically affect rollouts, with 85% fewer doses of this vaccine being sent out next week.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages weigh in on these public health issues.
Different Takes: People Are Tired Of Pandemic Rules; Are Vaccine Passports Ethical?
Opinion writers tackle these vaccine issues.
Perspectives: How PBMs Are Aiding Fight For Prescription-Drug Affordability
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Florida Lawmakers Take Aim At PBMs
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
AstraZeneca Trial For Children Suspended
The University of Oxford has paused its small clinical trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine in children over concerns about blood clotting. Also, life expectancy has dropped in Europe.
California Sets June 15 Full-Reopening Date, With Vaccine Supply Caveats
Among other news reports from across the states, the ACLU is suing South Carolina’s governor over a mandate to “immediately expedite” workers’ return to the office, and Arkansas’ state legislature enacts a gender-affirming health care ban for transgender children.
Drowning Worries Cause Amazon Baby Bath Seat Recall
In other news, Will.i.am is launching a high-tech anti-covid mask in partnership with Honeywell; baseball reopens with dramatically different safety restrictions in different states; and YouTube Kids faces government criticism over ads and data gathering.
Other health care industry news is on workers killed by covid, worn out by covid and politicized by covid.
Drug Company Admits Using Fake Data
Fibrogen used false data for its anemia pill. In other news, a lot of money is sloshing around the drug and medical device industries.
Skin-Color Cells Cause Higher Pain Tolerance In Redheads
In other research news, a new study says giving HPV vaccines during pregnancy isn’t dangerous, and doubts are raised about certain liver cancer treatments.
First Trachea Transplant Considered A Success
Doctors at New York’s Mount Sinai hospital replace a woman’s trachea that had been damaged by severe asthma.
Trump And Biden Officials Knew of J&J Contractor’s Problems
Problems with Emergent BioSolutions, the Johnson & Johnson contractor that botched 145 million doses of its vaccine, were known to officials of both administrations. The federal government was also funding the company. In other news, the Biden administration wants to send $9,000 for funeral expenses to every family who lost someone to covid.
Opposition Rises Against Covid Vaccine Passports
From the WHO to New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, officials are stating their opposition to the idea of mandating proof of covid vaccination status. Texas and Utah have gone further and moved to actually ban vaccine passports.
Open Eligibility For Covid Vaccines: How’s It Going?
As you might expect: crowds. But in some places, supply exceeds demand.
Trials Start On Army-Developed Covid Vaccine
A war on covid? The U.S. Army has started limited human trials of its own covid vaccine, hoping it will combat virus variants. Elsewhere, states report expanding vaccine rollout plans, but some places encounter bumps in the process, and vaccine shopping becomes a thing.
Most Children Who Developed MIS-C Initially Had Few Signs Of Covid
The study of children who developed the serious inflammatory illness included almost 1,800 cases reported to the CDC from March 2020 through mid-January.
