Latest KFF Health News Stories
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
After decades of frustrating failures to find the cause of the brain-wasting disease, some researchers are turning to a microbial response in the brain, according to Stat. Their findings appear to support the role of viruses in the disease. Public health news is on fat discrimination, as well.
Many Americans Recognizing Symptoms Of COVID In Mysteriously Bad Illnesses They Had In Fall
Americans share stories about bouts with flu that were worse than they’d ever experienced before. Now they’re wondering if it was really the novel coronavirus. In other public health news: the toll on people with disabilities, the gender gap in providing home-school lessons, churches plan to gather once more, providing alcohol for those quarantining and struggling with addictions and more.
Media outlets report on news from Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Georgia, Montana, California, Texas and Massachusetts.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said a letter from concerned Democrats was misleading and that he decided to implement a pandemic plan on Feb. 1.
First Detainee Dies In ICE Facility Where Advocates Say Healthy, Sick Immigrants Are Living Together
ICE said in a statement that the health of detainees is “one of the agency’s highest priorities.” Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejia died in the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, which has seen the most infections, reporting 200 this week. Mejia took part in a hunger strike to protest conditions.
National Stockpile Was Never Intended To Be Panacea, Though It Didn’t Help That It Was Depleted
The stockpile wasn’t founded to be a bottomless pit, but rather to offer relief as part of a broader supply chain response. President Donald Trump blames his predecessor for not restocking the supply following the Swine Flu scare, but when pressed why he didn’t do so in his three-plus years in office, Trump said: “Well, I’ll be honest with you, I (had) a lot of things going on.”
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
News on the global pandemic is reported out of Germany, South Korea, Brazil, Great Britain, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and Italy.
‘Devastating’ Toll: Nursing Homes Turn To Federal Government For $10B In Relief Funds
The coronavirus death toll exceeds 11,000 in nursing homes, which say the requested money would be used for protective equipment, hazard pay and lost revenue. News on the industry also reports on liability protections, a behind-the-scenes look at how infection spread in Maryland facilities, a lawsuit in Arizona to reveal data, a Massachusetts law shielding facilities, one family’s struggle for information, higher wages promised in Illinois and Louisiana’s changing efforts to name facilities with outbreaks, as well.
Masks Becoming A Visual Short-Hand In Coronavirus Culture Wars A La Trump’s Red Hats
Masks are becoming just the latest way for Americans to signal what side of the political divide they sit. The tensions between those who want to keep restrictions in place and those who want to reopen are flaring into outright violence, and experts say it is only going to get worse as time goes on. In other news on masks: TSA’s stockpile, a farmer honored for his inspirational donation, California’s mask deal that fell apart and more.
Canvassing Is Basic Building Block Of Campaigns. What Happens When Knocking On Doors Isn’t Safe?
The pandemic will likely alter the election landscape far more than just in terms of how people vote. It’s also going to hamstring campaigns that rely on the old standard of knocking on doors. Meanwhile, candidates tout their COVID relief efforts.
For the seventh-straight week, more than 3 million jobless claims were filed, bringing the total number of Americans out of work during the coronavirus outbreak to over 33 million. Yet some economists see evidence that the U.S. labor losses are nearing the bottom of the curve. And many laid-off workers are optimistic that they can return to their pre-pandemic jobs, according to a new survey.
Democrats See Pandemic As Once-In-Lifetime Chance To Build Public Support For Big Government
“The American people need their government,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said recently. “They need their government to act strongly, boldly and wisely.” Meanwhile, lawmakers are barreling toward a stalemate over the next relief legislation, with Democrats wanting to protect workers and Republicans pushing for corporate liability protections. But whatever else makes it into the package, small cities and counties say it needs to include help for them.
UnitedHealth To Offer Modest Relief For Plan Members With $1.5B Worth Of Premium Credits
Insurers are weathering the pandemic better than expected, since their costs for elective procedures plummeted. “People are hurting right now,” said UnitedHealth CEO David Wichmann when announcing the insurance company’s decision.
Experts Dump Cold Water On Theory That Coronavirus Mutated To Become More Powerful, Contagious
A preliminary study that was not peer-reviewed grabbed global attention this week in which researchers posited that there is a new, more deadly strain of the coronavirus circulating. Experts say there’s little evidence that’s the case. Scientists are trying to track down exactly how long the virus has been circulating in the human population, though.
The viruses that are turning into pandemics may have always lived deep in the wildnerness, but nature’s built-in defense mechanisms — like biodiversity — kept them at bay. That’s no longer the case. In other scientific news on the virus: evidence mounts that virus isn’t as infectious in outside areas; Amazon throws its weight behind COVID-19 research; llamas may emerge as heroes in the fight against the virus; and more.
Moderna Gets Green Light From FDA To Start Phase 2 Trial For Potential COVID-19 Vaccine
Moderna, as well as other companies in the race, is ramping up manufacturing ahead of approval so that it can rapidly distribute doses if their candidate proves effective against the virus and safe for humans. In other news: a look inside a vaccine trial, Americans sound off on getting the vaccine once its available, a stand-out scientists in the global race, and more.
Gilead Has A Reputation Of Charging Through The Nose For Breakthrough Drugs. Will It For Remdesivir?
Gilead is being closely watched by lawmakers, investors and the rest of the country to see if it will choose a different path than its history suggests when it comes to pricing remdesivir–the only treatment so far that has been shown to cut hospitalization times for COVID-19 patients.
The Tale Of Two New Mexico Mayors Highlights The Growing Chasm In Shutdown Views
New Mexico Mayors Louie Bonaguidi and Martin “Modey” Hicks both had to shut down their towns. One was relieved by the governor’s decision, while the other was fighting mad. The two reactions reflect a growing divide as mayors, state officials and governors try to navigate their constituents out of lock down. Meanwhile, related news includes how many states that are taking steps to reopen don’t meet White House guidelines for doing so, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo weighs in on the risks of opening too early.
