Latest KFF Health News Stories
Unwelcome Realization In New York: Despite Gradual Reopening, Things Won’t Go Back To Normal Soon
New York City restaurants in particular have been hard hit by the lack of workers and the residents who are moving out. News outlets also report on the impact of the pandemic on housing, the courts and commuting in New York.
As COVID-19 cases spike in states like Texas and Arizona, local leaders stress the importance of wearing masks in public. But those pleas have been met with mixed reactions. Other news on the mask habits of men, police officer and office workers is reported.
Recent Outbreaks Hearken Back To Early Days When Virus Was Silently Brewing At Large Gatherings
The big surges were centered around things like choir practices and weddings in the early days. But after the nation shut down, it was places like nursing homes and detention facilities where social distancing was near impossible that bore the brunt of the pandemic. Now as people flood back into bars, strip clubs and casinos, the patterns from March have returned. In other public health news: safely using a public bathroom, the challenge facing movie theaters, new rules for schools, and more.
LGBTQ Advocates Sue To Block New Trump Administration Rule
The rule aims to remove “sex discrimination” protections for transgender people from laws that govern health care.
Police, Regardless Of Race, Have Implicit Bias Against Black People, Studies Have Found
Some advocates suggest that the police department should reflect the racial makeup of the community it’s supposed to be serving. But studies have shown that the race of a police officer doesn’t fully negate the implicit bias toward Black people. In other news on racism and disparities: protests call for more action on police reform, doctors discuss bias in the medical field, Latinos demand an apology from the Florida governor, and more.
Patchwork Of Glitchy, Little-Used Contact Tracing Apps Hobbles Efforts To Safely Reopen
Contact tracing is viewed as crucial to safely reopening, but the apps that have been rolled out to aid those efforts aren’t proving to be effective. Certainly none of them are ready for a major rollout, experts say. In other news on reopening: restaurant safety measures, work place changes, child care and playgrounds.
Experimental Sickle-Cell Treatment So Far A Success; Psychedelics Could Help PTSD
In other health news: cancer screenings; tick populations; anorexia; and more.
Sanofi Moves Up Target For Its COVID-19 Vaccine; Gilead Doubles Estimate Of Remdesivir Production
News on the development of coronavirus vaccine and treatment is reported.
The public health experts who have in many places become the face of the state or local response to the pandemic are becoming targets of public frustration to the point of receiving death threats. “They’re becoming villainized for their guidance. In normal times, they’re very trusted members of their community,” said Lori Tremmel Freeman, the chief executive of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
Amid Pandemic Slowdown, Companies Rethink Mergers
In other health industry news: AI integration; a suspected whistleblower at GlaxoSmithKline; and more.
The White House is expected to file legal briefs this week asking the Supreme Court to put an end to the Affordable Care Act. But some Republicans are now wondering if that’s the most political savvy move during a pandemic. Meanwhile, Democrats want to expand subsidies and Medicaid incentives. In other news, lawmakers push for more information on federal aid distribution.
Long Lines, Flood Of Mail-In Ballots Expected In New York, Kentucky Primaries
Concerns are especially high for Louisville, Kentucky, a city of 600,000 residents where there will be only one in-person polling place due to the pandemic. In other election news, the University of Michigan withdraws from holding a presidential debate in the fall and Vice President Mike Pence as well as other Trump campaign aides are revealed to vote by mail.
Black Americans Four Times More Likely To Be Hospitalized Confirming Long-Standing Disparity Issues
The latest report showing that Black Americans are disproportionately affected by the pandemic comes from CMS. The agency’s administrator, Seema Verma, said the numbers show the need to value-based care, rather than fee-for-service models that don’t focus on quality of care for patients.
FDA Issues Warning About Methanol Found In Hand Sanitizers From Mexican Company
Exposure to methanol-based hand sanitizer can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, nervous system damage and even death, the FDA warns.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, CDC Director Robert Redfield and other top health officials from the administration will go in front of House Energy and Commerce Committee lawmakers. Some of the questions to expect: are the recent surges related to increased testing?; has anyone advised against President Donald Trump’s rallies; and what is the U.S. game plan for drug treatments?
Health Care Workers Excluded From Trump’s New Restrictions For H1-B Visas
The Trump administration has been using the COVID pandemic to expand restrictions on immigration. The new ban expands earlier limits, adding work visas that many companies use, especially in the technology sector, landscaping services and the forestry industry. It excludes health care workers though.
White House Weighs Overhauling CDC As COVID Cases Surge Ahead Of Election
Advisers to President Donald Trump are eyeing the federal bureaucracy for scapegoat candidates to deflect any electoral blame for mishandling the pandemic response, Politico reports. In other news on the election: the president focuses on defending his own physical and mental health to the public; Trump continues to point the finger of blame at governors; and more.
Even As White House Staff Downplays Testing Remarks, Trump Doubles Down On Messaging
President Donald Trump said Monday the United States has done “too good a job” on testing for cases of COVID-19 even as his staff tried to frame his controversial remarks from the Tulsa rally as a joke. The president also received criticism for the racially loaded terminology he’s used when referring to COVID-19.
‘It Is Snowballing’: Public Health Experts Alarmed By Dramatic Surges As States Continue To Reopen
States seem to be doing little to course correct even as hospitalizations and deaths rise. “There are a lot of people out there saying they are done with this virus. Well, the virus isn’t done with us,” said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), one state leader who is taking measures to try to curb the upward curve.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
