Latest KFF Health News Stories
Meet The First Person In The US To Get COVID Vaccine
Sandra Lindsay is a nurse and director of patient services in the Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s ICU. After receiving the historic shot, she told CNN: “I trust science. What I don’t trust is getting Covid-19, because I don’t know how it will affect me and the people around me.”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘Relieved’: First Shots Administered To Health Care Workers
As soon as Pfizer’s vaccine landed at health care centers, inoculations started. Health care workers describe their experience.
Viewpoints: Lessons On Reopening Schools, Staying Home To Celebrate, Learning From Lockdowns
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on these public health issues and others.
New Record For Fatal Drug Overdoses
Virginia reports highest number of opioid deaths. Ohio consider decriminalizing small amounts of drugs. Other health news from New Mexico and Maine.
Wisconsin Warns Against Eating Holiday ‘Cannibal Sandwiches’
Health officials warn that traditional raw beef sandwiches (served with raw onions) pose a threat of food poisoning. Other news dwindling resources for people with developmental difficulties, and celebrity COVID deaths.
With Moderna Vaccine OK Expected Soon, HHS Buys 100M More Doses
The latest purchase doubles the amount of Moderna’s vaccine that will be available to the U.S. by June 2021. In treatment news, an arthritis medication is shown to help people with COVID-19.
What Happens When An Urban Hospital Closes
Chicago’s Mercy Hospital, one of the few left on the city’s South Side, is scheduled to close. Racial health disparities are expected to worsen.
First Child Death From Flu Reported
The CDC reports the flu season’s first child death though, in general, flu outbreaks are limited. A study questions the belief that public transportation plays a big role in virus transmission. And researchers develop a scratch-and-sniff card to test for COVID.
Groups Sue HHS Over Changes To Medicare 340B Drug Discount Program
They say the plan to tie drug payments to foreign prices would cause financial hardship for providers, reduce patient access and reduce pay rates from other payers, Modern Healthcare reports.
‘Long COVID’ May Be Caused By ‘Friendly Fire,’ Yale Study Finds
Patients had large numbers of misguided antibodies in their blood that targeted the organs, tissues and the immune system itself, rather than fighting off the invading virus, a Yale University study finds.
Jill Biden At Center Of Flap Over Who Gets To Be Called ‘Doctor’
An opinion column in the Wall Street Journal chided her for attaching “Dr.” to her name because she has a doctorate degree that is not an M.D. In a tweet, Biden’s spokesperson called the piece a “disgusting and sexist attack.”
Congress Continues To Reach For Accord On Stimulus
Congress has this week to reach an agreement on economic relief to people and businesses affected by the COVID pandemic. Splitting the measure into two parts is thought to be a way to make a deal.
Car Booster Seats Not Safe, Congressional Committee Says
A House subcommittee found evidence that makers misled buyers about the safety of the devices.
Trump Says His Staff Won’t Get Vaccine First
“Unless specifically necessary,” he tweeted Sunday night after news broke that White House staffers were scheduled to be vaccinated early.
‘Useless And Unfortunate’: Final-Hour White House Pressure On FDA Reported
Despite a reported threat from the White House chief of staff to his job, FDA chief Stephen Hahn says that COVID-19 vaccine review and approval was based entirely on science. Operation Warp Speed’s Moncef Slaoui said that if such a call happened, it was counterproductive to convincing Americans to get the shot.
Deaths Near 300,000 As Hospitalizations Hit Record High
Some overwhelmed hospitals are hoping to begin vaccinating health care workers today as hospitalizations double from five weeks ago. In Florida, the governor rejects calls for a mask order.
Biden Plans Vaccine Messaging Campaign
President-elect Joe Biden plans a messaging campaign to encourage vaccinations partly because the Trump administration has stumbled with its advertising campaign.
How Will We Know Who Has Been Vaccinated?
Vaccination certificates, apps and color-coded masks are among the tools proposed to track who has been inoculated for COVID-19.
