Latest KFF Health News Stories
Ukraine’s President Tests Positive; Denmark Shelves Plans To Slaughter Mink
News is from Ukraine, Denmark, Mexico, Canada, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Ireland.
Nevada Sets Criteria For Confirming COVID Deaths, Probable Deaths
Media outlets report on news from Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and other states, as well.
Several Maine Hospitals Cited For COVID Violations
Employees at a handful of hospitals didn’t wear face coverings or eye protection, according to regulators who visited the hospitals between June and September, the Bangor Daily News reports. One of the hospitals cited, Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast, is currently coping with a coronavirus outbreak among staffers.
‘Little Ticking Time Bombs?’: Experts Worry About College Students’ Thanksgiving Travels
In a couple of weeks, hundreds of thousands of students will return home with few required to test for the virus beforehand. News is on where to get a test before traveling and more.
Brazil Halts Sinovac Trial After ‘Severe Adverse Event’
Brazilian media reported that one volunteer had died but that the death was unrelated to trials of China’s Sinovac vaccine, the Wall Street Journal said. In other news: Another study has found that hydroxychloroquine doesn’t help hospitalized COVID patients.
Injection Helps Women Avoid HIV Infection
A study shows cabotegravir was 89% more effective at preventing HIV infection than Truvada pills, although both reduce that risk.
Trump Could Still Put Stamp On Medicare, Medicaid In Final Days
Modern Healthcare identifies six critical ways in which the Trump administration could shape future government health care policy before Joe Biden takes office.
CMS Loosens Medicaid Managed Care Requirements
A final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services relaxes Obama-era regulations on Medicaid managed care providers.
Future Of Health Law Hinges On Today’s Supreme Court Arguments
Republican state officials and the Trump administration will argue that the justices should overturn the entire Affordable Care Act, which could upend health insurance coverage for 23 million Americans.
‘A Mask Is Not A Political Statement’: Biden Pushes More Mandates
While the president-elect called news of Pfizer’s vaccine efficacy a “cause for hope,” Joe Biden says Americans can not relax efforts to combat viral spread and implores more to mask up and keep social distancing.
First Antibody Treatment Gets FDA Emergency Approval
Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab is similar to the treatment President Trump received and may possibly keep people at high risk out of the hospital.
Biden Focuses First Transition Work On Pandemic’s Looming ‘Dark Winter’
President-elect Joe Biden named members of his coronavirus task force and pleaded with Americans to mask up: “We could save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. Not Democratic or Republican lives, American lives.”
Dire Records: 100,000 US Cases For Seven Straight Days; 59,000 In Hospital
And even as the U.S. passes the 10 million case mark since the beginning of the pandemic, the national testing system is still spotty with tests sitting unused.
Pfizer’s Successful COVID Vaccine Might Be Available Next Month
But the vaccine’s complex and super-cold storage requirements — it needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius (-94 F) or below — are an obstacle for even the most sophisticated hospitals in the United States and may affect when and where it is available in rural or poor areas.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Different Takes: Party Outside Even When It’s Cold; Worry Less About Reinfection
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health and mental health issues.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Air Force Teams Deploy To El Paso; NYC Relies On Testing, Tracing
News is from Texas, New York, Maryland, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Utah, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Utah Governor Issues Statewide Mask Mandate ‘For The Foreseeable Future’
After resisting for months, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued the mask mandate on Sunday, alongside other new restrictions aimed at batting back the state’s recent rise in COVID-19 infections. “These changes are not shutting down our economy, but are absolutely necessary to save lives and hospital capacity,” Herbert said.
Alabama Teachers’ Group Says Doctors Are Ignoring Quarantine Guidelines
The Alabama Education Association said doctors are writing notes allowing students to return to class too early. News is on bringing back retired workers to help in Indiana hospitals, telehealth, health care jobs reports, and more.
