Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Scale Up Production Of Safer Masks, Provide Them To Every Household
Stat authors insist the country can’t wait for the rollout of vaccinations and call for policy that produces and provides effective masks for every American. Opinion pages express views on other pandemic topics and one questions the mental fitness of President Donald Trump.
England Embarks On New Plan To Stretch Vaccines During Winter Surge
News reports are on plans in other nations to consider England’s approach, Japan declaring a state of emergency in Tokyo, Australia moving up its vaccine program, the European Union’s greenlighting of Moderna’s vaccine and more.
Arizona Becomes World’s Hot Spot, But Governor Resists Restrictions
The state has the worst diagnosis rate with 1 in every 119 residents testing positive in the past week. News is also from North Carolina, Illinois, California and New York.
Dozens Who Went To Church’s Christmas Eve Services Test Positive
The pastor of the church in Woburn, Massachusetts, said he told health authorities within a day of hearing about cases. News is also on a “tidal wave” of homelessness, declining birthrates and more.
Major Losses Recorded In Women’s Health Care Jobs
Limitations on safe and affordable child care during the pandemic, a study says, is the likely cause. News is on the death of a pioneering Black public health nurse and more.
Walgreens Sells Drug Wholesale Business To AmerisourceBergen
Walgreens says the $6.5 billion deal allows it to focus on its retail stores, which like other drugstore chains, has suffered since the start of the pandemic.
Florida Rollout: Long Lines Forming Overnight; Shots For Rich Donors Probed
News about the distribution is also reported from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Virginia.
‘We Should Have Done Better’ On Vaccine Distribution, Fauci Says
Despite the delays, CVS says it’s on track to finish giving the first of three rounds of covid shots in nursing homes across the nation by Jan. 25. And the Department of Health and Human Services says it will give $22 billion to states by Jan. 19 for covid containment and vaccination rollouts.
CDC Calls Allergic Reactions To Vaccine ‘Exceedingly Rare’; 29 Reported In US
Cases of anaphylaxis occurred with both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. While the rate of allergic reactions is higher than for the flu shot, the CDC says its rare and encourages Americans to get inoculated.
Early Blood Plasma Therapy May Hinder Risk Of Severe Covid: Study
A clinical trial finds that convalescent plasma can keep patients from becoming severely sick from covid if given within a few days of the onset of illness.
As Variant Spreads In US, Scientists Try To Keep Up With Virus Mutations
The CDC confirms more than 50 U.S. cases of the more-contagious strain of the coronavirus, first identified in the United Kingdom, and warns that more will be infected by it over the next weeks. And The New York Times reports that the U.S. lacks a large-scale, nationwide system for identifying future mutations.
Warp Speed Adviser’s Role Reduced In Biden Administration
Moncef Slaoui will act as a consultant for four to six weeks, the transition team said Wednesday.
Assault Raises Fears Of Superspreader Event Amid Record Covid Deaths
Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., says lawmakers were held in an area with 300-400 people, some who refused to wear masks. On Wednesday, two more Republicans in the House of Representatives announced that they had tested positive for covid, including one who had voted in person hours earlier.
Police Response Slammed: ‘When Black Folks Are Protesting … They (Are) Shot With Rubber Bullets’
Many civil rights activists say law enforcement showed more restraint and used significantly less force against white protesters at the U.S. Capitol than they have against Black protesters at past events that were far less violent or disruptive.
Biden’s Health Agenda, Nominees Get Big Boost As Dems Win Senate Control
Securing the two Georgia Senate runoffs sets up narrow Democratic control of both chambers of Congress. News outlets examine the implications for the Biden administration’s planned health care policies.
Biden Presidency Confirmed After Deadly Day On Capitol Hill
As a mob of Trump supporters breached the Capitol complex, most of the nation watched in horror at the violent and chaotic efforts to overturn an election. Four people died and officers were injured. News outlets report on the mental toll of those events and the contested post-election weeks.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Research Roundup: Covid; Clarithromycin; Outpatient Antibiotics
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and other public health topics.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
