Latest KFF Health News Stories
Military, Government Mask Mandates Increase But Tensions Remain
All military personnel must now wear masks when working indoors or outside. Meanwhile, battles over face coverings continue in the Wisconsin and Iowa state legislatures.
Search For CMS Chief Narrows; CDC Director Faces Morale Challenges
News outlets report on the ongoing Biden administration transition at federal health agencies.
FDA Prepares To Escalate Covid Strategies To Counter Variants
More booster shots of vaccine as well as additional testing and treatment drug capacity will be needed if the spread of new coronavirus strains picks up, as experts worry will happen. The FDA will release new guidance in the coming weeks to respond.
Trump Rule Change For ‘Vaccine Court’ May End Help For Shoulder Injuries
More than 2,200 Americans since 2017 have filed shoulder-injury claims to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, USA Today reports. But a rule change signed last month by then-HHS Secretary Alex Azar would remove shoulder injuries from the program, known as vaccine court.
It’s A Bird … It’s A Plane! … It’s The Covid Vaccine?
Drone delivery service Zipline, which is based in San Francisco, will begin transporting the vaccine in April in all of the markets where it currently operates.
J&J Submits Single-Shot Vaccine To FDA For Emergency Use Review
An advisory panel is expected to vote on Feb. 26 on whether the Food and Drug Administration should authorize Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose covid vaccine.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Safer, Faster, Stronger: Tokyo Officials Map Out Plans For Olympics
The playbook isn’t finished, but efforts are intensifying to ensure the Summer Olympics will go on in Japan after last year’s postponement. News reports are from Canada, England and India, as well.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Several States Start To Reopen Health Insurance Marketplaces
Plans in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are central to President Joe Biden’s covid-relief strategy and aim to help people who lost their jobs after the original enrollment periods.
Apple Watch Can Monitor Symptoms Of Parkinson’s Disease
The tracking is relevant because it also might signal when people slip on taking medication aimed at controlling tremors, the research says. News is also on food safety, pay for essential workers, mental health and more.
Surging Oxygen Demands Could Lead To Nationwide Crunch
Stat and NPR look at the supply-chain issues that have created shortages and forced some rationing in California and could spread to other parts of the country.
Ford Awaits FDA Approval For Its Clear, N95 Masks For The Hearing-Impaired
The low-cost, reusable respirators could also help people who depend on facial expressions to better do their jobs, like teachers.
Merck Knew About Suicides Linked To Propecia But Didn’t Update Label, Unsealed Documents Show
Internal records were made public in late January after a 2019 Reuters motion to unseal 11 documents. A 2011 update of the popular anti-baldness treatment’s label didn’t include a warning about suicidal behavior even though the FDA had by then received reports of 10 suicides. Since 2011, the FDA has received reports of another 100 deaths linked to the drug.
Who’s Next In America’s Vaccine Lineup? Perhaps Novavax
While the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could receive emergency use authorization this month, Novavax is not far behind, with possible government authorization as early as April.
Biden Open To Stimulus Check Limits; House Vote Paves Path For Big Bill
President Joe Biden signaled that he is willing to negotiate on who receives relief aid, but that the amount of the checks is firm at $1,400. Meanwhile, House Democrats pushed through a budget resolution that would allow for the package to pass along party lines via reconciliation.
Judge Pauses Texas’ Plans To Oust Planned Parenthood From Medicaid
A temporary restraining order until a Feb. 17 hearing was issued against Texas’ plans to kick Planned Parenthood out of its Medicaid program. The state had told patients they had until yesterday to find a new health care provider.
Identity Theft Warning: Don’t Show Off Your Vaccination Card Or Post It Online
“It’s got your date of birth and your first and last name,” Sandra Guile of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus told “Good Morning America.” “With that information, there are some unsavory individuals out there that [will] try to open up credit cards, buy cell phones, go shopping.”
In Baltimore, Where Shots Are Scarce, Only Second Doses Being Given Out
The city’s sole vaccination site inoculated just 250 people with second doses Wednesday. In Ohio, nursing home residents are being revaccinated after Walgreens discovered it didn’t keep the shots at the correct temperature.
