Latest KFF Health News Stories
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
The suit filed by Gilead Sciences on Friday is the latest twist between the drug company and the U.S. government over patent rights to research that led to the ground-breaking drug Truvada. Other pharmaceutical news reports on an experimental multiple sclerosis medication and bespoke cell therapy for lung cancer treatment.
Officials in California told ABC News they believe domestic violence is increasing but the abused are stuck at home with their abusers and can’t alert authorities. Other public health news is on sexual assaults of children, a shocking recovery after 32 days on a ventilator, hospitalization declines for acute conditions, travel risks, life-saving surgeries, curbside vaccinations for children and when to wear a mask, as well.
House Sidelined By Struggle To Adapt In Social-Distancing Era
Frustration is building amid House Democrats, with many increasingly convinced that Congress is functioning as a shadow of its former self. “We’re basically ill-prepared for the nature of this emergency,” said Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash). Meanwhile, lawmakers face increasing backlash from their constituents, who are struggling to get aid from the government. Meanwhile, experts say Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) plan for states to declare bankruptcy could lead to a prolonged depression.
Hard Science Thrust Back Into Political Conversations As Coronavirus Likely To Dominate 2020 Race
Scientific experts, like experts in general, have fared poorly in the populist atmosphere of the past decade in Europe and the United States. But the pandemic could shift the conversation when it comes to hard facts. In other news on the election, Joe Biden says he wants a much bigger stimulus, many Republicans at the county level favor mail-in-voting, and Republicans worry about President Donald Trump’s approval ratings.
Media outlets report on news from Oklahoma, California, Louisiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Indiana, as well.
News on the global pandemic is reported from Italy, Brazil, China, Colombia, Bangladesh, Romania, India, Pakistan, Ghana and South Africa.
In Las Vegas, A City Of Tourism And Leisure, The Economic Toll Has Been Devastating
In Las Vegas, one-third of the local economy depends on the leisure and hospitality industry, more than in any other major metropolitan area in the country. In other economic news, many Americans foresee their jobs coming back when pandemic tapers off, the outbreak exposes the wounds of the Great Recession, a political divide separates some essential workers and more.
Trump Touted His Administration’s Efforts To Secure PPE, But Health Workers Say It’s Far From Enough
“We had very little in our stockpile,” President Donald Trump said in a recent briefing. “Now we’re loaded up. And we also loaded up these hospitals.” Politico talks to health workers around the country to get their front-line take on the situation. In other health-worker news: weary first responders, legal immunity, workplace safety concerns and more.
Black Georgia Residents Fearful, Mistrustful Of Governor’s Decision To Reopen
Black Americans are being hit disproportionately hard by the pandemic, and some in Georgia see the states decision to reopen as potentially devastating. “For black folks, it’s like a setup: Are you trying to kill us?” said Demetrius Young, a city commissioner in Albany, the center of the state’s epidemic.
More than 50 older patients recovering from the coronavirus are being moved out of hospitals located near New York City into Sharon Health Care Center, which is located in a rural area and has a low number of cases compared to other areas in the state. Other nursing home news is from Rhode Island, New York, Utah, Washington, Massachusetts, California and Michigan, as well.
Autopsy Report Of First COVID-19 Death In U.S. Shows Woman Had Massive Heart Attack
The death of the Santa Clara, Calif., woman came three weeks before the deaths at the Washington nursing home, which were previously believed to be the first U.S. fatalities. Also, an ABC survey reports a spike in cardiac arrest calls in parts of NYC weeks before the pandemic hit. In other medical news, physicians are reexamining care practices, as well.
Doctors are learning more and more about the novel coronavirus every day. But many questions still remain unanswered.
Widely Available Heartburn Drug Being Tested In Patients Following Some Hopeful Results In China
New York hospitals are running a study on famotidine, the active ingredient in Pepcid, after it was observed that some patients in China taking the drug fared better than patients not taking the drug. While doctors say not to get excited by the early hints, they are eager to try anything that might help. Meanwhile, the FDA issues a warning against taking the much-touted malaria drug.
How Investors, Nations Are Placing Billion-Dollar Bets On Vaccines That Have Slim Chances Of Success
Vaccine development is an industry riddled with failures and requires methodical development. But as the world races toward a COVID-19 vaccine, that slow, cautious approach is getting tossed out the window, with some investors writing off billions of dollars as necessary collateral to speed up the usual process. Meanwhile, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb suggests that the recent departure of a federal vaccine official will set the country back.
What Happens To Rural Coronavirus Patients In Distress When Nearest Hospital Is 30 Minutes Away?
Americans living in rural areas are dying from COVID-19 because “there’s only so much one paramedic can do in the back of an ambulance,” and an epidemic of hospital closures already undermined the country’s health system long before the pandemic broke out. In other news, the differences between the aid and supplies rich and poor hospitals receive is made all the more startling by the outbreak. In other hospitals news: the costs of coronavirus care, extra precautions, homeless patients and more.
The Frustrating Chasm Between Farmers With Rotting Produce And Hungry Americans In Food-Bank Lines
“It’s not a lack of food, it’s that the food is in one place and the demand is somewhere else and they haven’t been able to connect the dots,” says Tom Vilsack, who served as agriculture secretary during the Obama administration. “You’ve got to galvanize people.” Critics say the Trump administration has failed to do so. Meanwhile, Tyson Foods warns that the supply chain is breaking down because of illnesses at meat plants.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
Public health experts and other leaders joined in a large, vocal outcry following President Donald Trump’s musings that injecting disinfectants might be a possible treatment for coronavirus, despite the fact that the idea is extremely dangerous. Poison control centers in a number of states have reported a rise in calls about exposure to household cleaners in the 18 hours directly following Trump’s comments.
Trump Dismisses Rumors That He Plans To Replace HHS Secretary Alex Azar Amid Pandemic
The Wall Street Journal and other outlets reported on Saturday that administration officials were discussing replacing HHS Secretary Alex Azar, whose drawn public criticism for his early missteps during the coronavirus outbreak. But President Donald Trump reached out to Azar himself to reassure him that wasn’t the case.
