Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘The Virus Is Not Done With Us’: Cases Start To Tick Back Up
President Joe Biden and health officials from his administration are warning Americans to not drop their guard again on covid-19, especially now that infections are starting to rise again after weeks of decline.
Florida Now Allows Anyone Who Is ‘Extremely Vulnerable’ To Get A Shot
The executive order, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed late Friday, specifies that people must be deemed “extremely vulnerable” by their physician. The order provided little information about how the process would work, but other states have asked people for a doctor’s note.
With 80% Of Adults Unvaccinated, US Expands Efforts To Get Shots In Arms
The good news is that the pace is picking up and more mass vaccination sites are opening to bump up the volume. But many sign-up hurdles remain.
When Will Kids Get The Shot? Most Likely in 2022, Fauci Says
“If you project realistically, when we will be able to get enough data to be able to say that elementary school children will be able to be vaccinated, I would think that would be, at the earliest, the end of the year, and very likely the first quarter of 2022,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said on “Meet the Press.”
Don’t Hold Out: Officials Voice Confidence In All Three Available Vaccines
“All three of them are really quite good, and people should take the one that’s most available to them,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said, of the three variations available from Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer.
J&J Starts Moving Out Newly Authorized Covid Vaccine
The first doses are set to arrive at vaccine sites for injections on Tuesday. Johnson & Johnson’s entire inventory of 3.9 million doses is being distributed; another tranche should be ready to deliver in a few weeks.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Perspectives: Resilience Or Ruin? Time Will Tell; Easy Does It On Double Masking
Opinion writers express views about how the pandemic will impact society and others issues, as well.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic topics and others.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to sit back and enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on covid, pregnancy, fluoroquinolones and mystery abdominal pain. Also, The New York Times examines the desperation in Venezuela after families there have lost access to birth control.
Israel Has Vaccinated Half Its Population; China OKs 2 New Vaccines
As countries rush to get doses into arms and develop new vaccines, the European Union considers a bloc-wide covid certificate and Queen Elizabeth tells the nation to get vaccinated.
Encouraged By Fewer Infections, Some Governors Ease Up On Restrictions
Meanwhile in North Dakota, the House of Representatives sent a bill to the Senate banning statewide mask mandates, and in Texas, where the vaccination rollout is still recovering from last week’s storm, the governor is considering lifting a statewide mask mandate.
FDA Advises Parents Against Feeding Infants Homemade Formula
Some children fed homemade formulas have been hospitalized with hypocalcemia (low calcium). Media outlets report on food safety, Beyond Meat heading to the Golden Arches and more.
Appeals Court Ruling Could Shake Up Pharmaceutical Patent Protections
Also in the news: legislative efforts to fight drug-resistant bacteria, discarded drugs, GSK’s rheumatoid arthritis drug and a new medicine for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
‘Upcoding’ Running Rampant In Medicare Billing, Report Suggests
The number of inpatient stays billed at the highest severity codes increased almost 20% from fiscal years 2014-19, the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Inspector General says, as reported by Modern Healthcare.
Levine Confirmation Hearing Featured Provocative Exchange On Transgender Surgery
Dr. Rachel Levine, President Joe Biden’s nominee as assistant HHS secretary, stands to be the first openly transgender federal official if confirmed. During the hearing, Sen. Rand Paul used his time to make provocative statements about transgender surgery.
Minimum Wage Hike Nixed From Relief Bill By Senate Parliamentarian
The decision dashed Democrats’ hopes to bump the hourly minimum wage up to $15 through the budget reconciliation process that they’re using to push through the coronavirus stimulus package. The measure will still be in the version that the House votes on today.
Teetering On Knife’s Edge Of Fourth Surge: How Do We Avoid It?
After six weeks of a dramatic decline, the number of new covid-19 infections are starting to plateau. Infectious disease experts and federal officials urge Americans to keep up precautions to avoid another spike.
Vaccine Hesitancy: Don’t Be Choosy, Fauci Says; Harris Visits DC Pharmacy
“This is a race … between the virus and getting vaccines into people,” infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on the “Today” show Thursday. Also Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared at a Giant Food grocery store in Washington, D.C.
Variants Drive Vaccine Developers To Explore Third Shots
Executives at Pfizer and Moderna say that they are investigating boosters to their respective two-shot regimes to increase efficacy against emerging virus variants.
