Latest KFF Health News Stories
Single Shot Of Pfizer Vaccine Cuts Hospitalization Risks, UK Study Finds
One dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine significantly reduced infections among elderly and health care workers, according to a preliminary analysis of data from the UK rollout.
Teachers At Maskless Schools Can Play ‘Central Role’ In Spread: CDC Study
A study of schools in Georgia where masks aren’t worn and physical distancing is not followed shows that teachers can be key drivers behind community clusters of covid infections.
A ‘Grim, Heartbreaking Milestone’: Biden Mourns Half-Million Dead From Covid
President Joe Biden led a somber ceremony at the White House, expressing grief for the 500,000 Americans who have died since last February’s first known covid-19 fatality: “As we acknowledge the scale of this mass death in America, remember each person and the life they lived.”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
England Moves Ahead Of Schedule On Vaccines
The country plans to give many more people protection by waiting to give second doses until 12 weeks later. Pfizer says it doesn’t have data to back the delay, but the country expects to end its lockdown. News reports focus on France, Australia, Tanzania, China, Russia and Norway, as well.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Federal Court Blocks South Carolina ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Law
A similar effort in Ohio never took effect but many women thought abortion had been banned. Health news is also from Maryland, Maine, Georgia, and Nevada, as well.
About-Face On Contact Tracing: Airlines To Collect Passenger Data
The efforts will allow health officials to more quickly warn passengers about exposure to covid. News reports look at vision problems surfacing in children, an “unconscionable” decision in Texas to export N95 masks and more.
Telehealth-Related Fraud Has Spiked, Government Watchdog Warns
The federal Office of Inspector General estimates that there were $4.5 billion worth of telehealth-related fraud losses in fiscal year 2020, the largest of any category and a record for Medicare fraud, Stat reports.
Vaccine Trials Skewed Toward Whites For At Least A Decade, Study Finds
Federal data showed that 78% of all participants in clinical trials dating to 2011 were white, while Latino Americans accounted for 12% and Black Americans 11%. In related news about health and racism, the FDA has issued an alert about the “limitations” of pulse oximeters.
Relief Bill Faces Crucial Next Weeks In Divided Congress
Congressional lawmakers return to work after a recess with President Joe Biden’s covid stimulus plan at the top of their agenda.
Truckers Who Deliver Covid Shots Say They Should Be At Top Of List, Too
But the scenario is logistically complicated for America’s 550,000 for-hire long-haul truck drivers. “A driver can’t just pull an 18-wheeler into a CVS parking lot, get the shot, and by the way come back three weeks later to get the second shot,” said Dan Horvath of the American Trucking Associations.
Pfizer Now Says Covid Vaccine Doesn’t Have To Be Kept Ultra-Cold
Pfizer said Friday that it submitted data to the FDA showing its vaccine is stable when stored between minus 13 degrees and 5 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures common for pharmaceutical freezers and refrigerators, The Hill reports.
Vaccination Access Is Key Part Of Debate Over Reopening Schools
The White House stance that vaccinations of all teachers are not a prerequisite for in-person learning puts the Biden administration at odds with some teachers unions.
About A Third Of Texans Still Have Unsafe Drinking Water Issues
The state is trying to distribute millions of bottles of water and bring in extra plumbers to fix broken pipes from an arctic blast that has left nearly 60 people dead in the region.
Feds Digging Out From Vaccine Setbacks Created By Winter Weather
The Biden administration predicts that shipping of covid vaccine doses should be back on track nationally by the middle of this week and that it will still exceed its 100-million-shots-in-first-100-days goal.
Is The Winter Surge Over? Covid Infections And Deaths Are Slowing
The coronavirus infection rate has plummeted to levels not seen since the fall, with a seven-day rolling average under 65,000, The Washington Post reports. Despite the encouraging news, the pandemic continues to take a crushing toll on young adults’ mental health.
Prepare Yourself For Another Year Of Masking, Fauci Predicts
“A significant degree of normality” should return by the fall, Dr. Anthony Fauci says, but Americans will need to continue taking precautions like wearing masks for some time into 2022.
First US Case Confirmed Of Coronavirus Transmitted Through Organ Transplant
The incident appears to be isolated — the only confirmed case among nearly 40,000 transplants in 2020. But it has led to calls for more thorough testing of lung transplant donors.
US Nears Harrowing Moment Of Pandemic: 500,000 Americans Dead
President Joe Biden will commemorate the tragic milestone during a memorial ceremony as the nation struggles to fathom covid’s toll.
