Latest KFF Health News Stories
Wanted: More Nurses, Techs, Tracers And PPE
From coast to coast, hospitals and health care workers are past their breaking points.
State Medicaid Programs Look Ahead To End Of Public Health Emergency
While the Jan. 20 expiration of the current public health emergency declared over COVID-19 is expected to be extended, states are already calling for guidance from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on what to expect next.
COVID-Relief Deal: Is There A Light At The End Of The Tunnel?
Both parties held talks Thursday. The new bill would not include stimulus checks but would include jobless aid.
National Guard’s Funding For COVID Relief Work Extended By Trump
President Donald Trump approved a request to extend federal funding through March. States must still pick up 25% of the costs, including Florida and Texas which had previously been exempt.
Power Of Presidency Will Be Rolled Out To Demonstrate Vaccine Confidence
Joe Biden joins the pledge by former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama to be publicly inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine. Other leaders like Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and former President Jimmy Carter also urge people to get vaccinated.
Biden Taps Murthy To Be Surgeon General, Fauci As Chief Medical Adviser
President-elect Joe Biden is rounding out the team of experts who will lead the next administration’s pandemic response. His hunt for an HHS secretary continues.
States and VA Department Work On Finalizing Vaccine Distribution Plans
States face a Friday deadline to submit requests for doses of the Pfizer vaccine and specify where they should be shipped, the AP reports.
Fauci Walks Back Comments Suggesting Hasty UK Vaccine Approval
Dr. Anthony Fauci told the BBC, “I have a great deal of confidence in what the UK does both scientifically and from a regulator standpoint,” and that he misspoke when saying the safety review process in the U.S. is more careful than in Britain.
Biden To Urge All Americans To Wear Masks For 100 Days
As soon as he takes office, President-elect Joe Biden plans to make that ask, stopping short of issuing a national mask mandate. Where he has the power to require face coverings, like in federal buildings, he will do so.
Report: Florida Officials Told To Not Discuss Virus In Public Before Election
Media reports are on reaction, even from religious groups, to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s call for a day of prayer, states where outbreaks are growing, rural areas getting hit hard and more.
Facebook To Tackle False Vaccine Claims Already Flooding Platform
The tech giant says it will begin to remove misinformation posted on Facebook about the “safety, efficacy, ingredients or side effects” of COVID-19 vaccines.
California Will Impose New Stay-At-Home Measures In Hard-Hit Regions
If ICU bed capacity falls below 15% in any one of five regions in the state, area business and recreational restrictions will go into effect. “The bottom line is, if we don’t act now, our hospital system will be overwhelmed,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said.
Another 212,000 New Cases Of COVID Reported In US
Thursday’s tally set another record for the number of infections confirmed in a single day. Meanwhile, in a single month, hospitalizations in the U.S. doubled. And the global death toll reaches 1.5 million people.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Perspectives: Pros, Cons Of Vaccine Rollout Plans; Time To Make Science Bipartisan Again
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
Viewpoints: Lessons On Supplying Support For Nation’s Worn-Out Care Givers
Editorial pages focus on a lack of policies — and in one instance, compassion — to protect a workforce that is predominately filled by women.
Russia Follows Britain In Starting Large-Scale Vaccinations
News reports are from Russia, China, England, France, Germany, Japan and South Africa.
Research Roundup: Coronavirus; CCHFV; CARB-X
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
San Francisco Bans Tobacco Smoking Inside Apartments
In coronavirus news, an Oklahoma school tries in-school quarantines, Vermont urges retesting for several hundred and Pennsylvania cites poor care in a veterans home.
Workplace Dangers: Amazon Protest Takes Place Outside Bezos’ Home
News reports are also on the NBA’s rising number of cases, surviving everything at 102, dangerous church services, helping others and more.
