Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Lessons From Woodward’s New Book About Trump Wanting To Downplay COVID
Editorial pages focus on Bob Woodward’s new book “Rage” in which he reveals President Donald Trump lied by not wanting to create a panic.
News is from China, Vatican City, Austria and Indonesia.
Health Effects Of Wildfires Rattle Residents In San Francisco
California news is also on funding programs for homelessness and Halloween celebrations. News is from New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Indiana, Georgia and Texas, as well.
Research Roundup: COVID; Azithromycin; Flu; Fluoroquinolones; ASB; Chronic Wasting Disease
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
How Some Hospitals Are Finding Success With Their COVID Testing Labs
At NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Ill., being nimble was key to making the transition work, said Dr. Karen Kaul, chairwoman of the department of pathology and laboratory medicine.
Medical Residency Programs Should Include Climate Change’s Impact On Health, Doctors Say
Examples of a proposed change to curricula include the relationship between air quality and respiratory illness, and the mental health effects of losing your home during a hurricane.
Doctors’ Unconscious Racial Biases Trigger Maternal Health Crisis
Black women are dying in childbirth 2½ times more often than white women, according to federal statistics, and USA Today looks at the experiences of some African American women who felt they were not adequately treated. In other public health news, a doula who helps women in substance abuse recovery and some exercise advice.
Survey: Low Level Of Troubled People Have Sought Mental Health Treatment
But a high level of optimism was also found, Fox News reports. Public health news is on parental stress, workplace privacy, air travel safety, the duration of pandemics, police training and George Floyd’s medical records, as well.
Teachers In At Least 3 States Have Died Since Schools Reopened
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said schools need guidelines such as mandatory face coverings and strict social distancing rules to reopen safely, the AP reports.
Researchers Suggest Surprising Benefits Of Using Masks
In a paper published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers suggest that masks may be able to mitigate how severe an illness an individual gets if infected by coronavirus. Other researchers suggest that since masks hold off many pathogens, they may allow the immune system to work better if coronavirus attacks.
Vaping Falls Sharply Among Teens
CDC director Robert Redfield called the decline a “notable public health achievement.” But he cautioned: “Youth e-cigarette use remains an epidemic.”
Spring, Not Winter, Will Bring Second Wave Of COVID, Scientist Predicts
In related news, a new study among regions that experienced a second wave found a significantly lower death rate among all confirmed cases than in the first wave. And health experts in Spain say a resurgence in that nation holds valuable lessons.
Strain Of Swine Flu Has Potential To Become A Pandemic, WHO Warns
A small study suggested that 10% of Chinese swine workers had been exposed to the virus, the “G4” variant of H1N1 swine influenza.
Trio Of Galidesivir, Remdesivir, Favipiravir Could Treat COVID
The drugs are known as nucleoside polymerase inhibitors, or NUCs. According to scientists working on the study at the University of Florida, NUCs work by disrupting the viral replication process.
Verma Spent $3.5M On Image Consultants: Congressional Report
Congressional Democrats obtained invoices that detail expenses submitted by a consultant for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verma.
Distribution Of Vaccine: Complex Massive Rollout
If Pfizer’s vaccine is approved, deep freeze storage capacities are required — something many doctor’s offices go without. Other vaccine news is on FDA requirements and study participants, as well.
Postal Changes Led To ‘Significant’ Delays Of Medications, Senate Report Finds
Four pharmacies told senators that mail-order delivery of prescriptions drugs have been impacted by recent decisions made by U.S. Postal Service leaders.
Review Underway Into Neurological Illness Of Vaccine Trial Participant
With the AstraZeneca trial halted, scientists are now working to determine if the volunteer’s serious symptoms were caused by the experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
CDC To Halt Enhanced Health Screenings For International Travelers
The U.S. will also stop limiting international arrivals from certain countries to 15 designated airports.
Vaccine Safety Will Not Be Undercut By Politics, Administration Experts Pledge
Testifying in front of a Senate panel, NIH Director Francis Collins said that “science and science alone” will drive any decisions on a coronavirus vaccine. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said: “There’s been no politicization of the vaccine process whatsoever.”
