Latest KFF Health News Stories
U.S. Hits Grim Milestone As Total Coronavirus Cases Surpass 2 Million
There’s been an uptick in cases in many counties as states reopen.
Research Roundup: Global Health Systems; Rural Hospitals; And Early Intervention In Palliative Care
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Researchers Hope To Get A Snapshot Of How Response Efforts Are Going By Utilizing Location Data
Privacy concerns remain as researchers try to best figure out how to use location data to determine the success of shutdown measures. In other technology news: contact tracing, data collection, telehealth and more.
Appeals Court Overturns Order To Release Vulnerable Inmates From Hard-Hit Ohio Prison
Judge Julia Gibbons wrote in the split decision that the Bureau Of Prisons took actions to mitigate problems at the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution, where more than a quarter of the inmates tested positive. News on prisons is on the largest outbreak at a privately-run ICE facility, as well.
Data Shows CMS Star Ratings Don’t Always Correlate With COVID Infections, Deaths
Errors in data entry and staff cases impact the early figures, according to a Modern Healthcare analysis. News on nursing homes is on some facilities requesting residents turn over their stimulus checks, declining health conditions reported by absent family members, and charges of an inflated death count, as well.
HHS Commits To New Round Of Financial Help For Safety-Net Hospitals Amid Distribution Outcry
Experts and hospitals had criticized the Trump administration for not focusing on the most vulnerable and needy areas when distributing the funds to help providers weather the pandemic. In other hospital news: a battle over visitors, safer hospital designs, alternative care, and more.
Trump Seems To Have Put Pandemic In Rear View Even As U.S. Death Toll Hovers Around 1,000 A Day
Top advisers say the outbreak is well in hand, but President Donald Trump has remained mostly quiet about the outbreak in recent weeks even as cases continue to rise in previous cold spots across the country.
Experts have long said an alcoholic drink or two a day was OK for your health. But in a major change, the American Cancer Society now advises people to completely cut drinking out of their diets. In other health news, a new look at fertility and preventing Alzheimer’s.
FCC Seeks $225 Million Fine, Its Largest Ever, For Alleged Robocall Insurance Scammers
The Federal Communications Commission has accused two Texas men, John Spiller and Jakob Mears, of trying to sell consumers fake health insurance plans from major carriers such as Aetna and Cigna.
Global pandemic developments are reported out of Brazil, Peru, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, France, Poland, South Korea, India, China and other nations.
Media outlets report on news from North Carolina, New York, California, Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin.
Emergency Physicians Give Thumbs Up To Performing CPR On Strangers, But Slight Risk Exists
“Given a 1% mortality for Covid-19, approximately 1 rescuer might die in 10,000 bystander CPR events,” the researchers wrote. “By comparison, bystander CPR saves more than 300 additional lives among 10,000 patients with (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest).” Public health news on new workplace rules, social distancing during jury service, designing safer buildings, working remotely, charting risks, safe singing and substance use disorders, as well.
Without Mandatory Safety Rules, Cases Among Farm Workers Likely To Start Spiking
Advocates for agricultural workers, who are predominantly low-income, say not enough farming operations have taken steps to protect their work forces, warning that fruit and vegetable pickers could trigger COVID-19 contagions in rural areas. Other food industry news is also on fast-rising prices and shortages.
Dentist Visits Can Be Litmus Tests For When Consumers Feel Confident About Reopening
The dental industry has weathered an exaggerated version of the pandemic’s economic impact, but its rebound could be an early indicator about the state of the recovery. Other news on the economic toll of the virus focuses on the next stimulus package, a potential second round of shutdowns, eviction worries and more.
Scientific Round-Up: Vitamin D Link To Severe Outcomes, Mask Wearing, Immunosuppressed Patients
Media outlets dive into scientific discoveries around the coronavirus.
Early Remdesivir Injections Helped Prevent Lung Damage In Trial With Macaques
Macaque monkeys that received remdesivir did not show signs of respiratory disease and had reduced damage to the lungs, according to the study authors.
It’s Rare A Vaccine Is Developed In Five Years. Can The World Really Pull It Off In One?
The New York Times talks with experts about how realistic the expedited vaccine development process really is. “Most people don’t realize that successfully inventing and developing any new drug or vaccine is quantifiably among the hardest things that human beings try to do,” George Yancopoulos, co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, tells The New York Times. Media outlets also look at where the vaccine front-runners stand.
Democratic Lawmakers Call For Probe Into Federal Distribution Of Personal Protective Gear
The Trump administration touted “Project Airbridge” — which was created to distribute personal protective equipment to health care workers and first responders at the start of the pandemic — as a massive success. But those on the front lines counter those claims. In other preparedness news: the VA says it doesn’t have enough masks for a second wave and relief workers struggle to equip global health providers with safety gear.
