Latest KFF Health News Stories
States Say $631M From Feds For Testing, Contact Tracing Efforts Is Woefully Inadequate
For contact tracing alone, a recent report estimated 100,000 additional contact tracers are needed to keep the virus in check. That effort would require an estimated $3.6 billion in national emergency funding, as a starting point. And those figures don’t account for what states also need for testing programs, health officials say. In other news: a saliva-based test, the need for real-time reporting, nerves at the drive-thru line, contact tracing on a tribal reservation and more.
Gilead spokesperson Amy Flood said the company believes “the post included inappropriate characterization of the study” because it was stopped early due to the fact that it had too few patients. The experimental drug remdesivir has been viewed as a frontrunner in the race to find a successful treatment for COVID-19.
Notably Missing From Shutdown Protests That Polls Find Are Unpopular: Prominent Republicans
Some high-ranking Republicans have been watching the protests warily and reiterating their own decisions to shelter in place. But as the protests grab national attention, some in the GOP reckon with how a movement that most Americans disagree with will impact the elections. But other state Republican lawmakers are joining the protest efforts. Meanwhile, more polls find that a majority of the country think strict restrictions are worth it.
Georgia’s Health Officials, Medical Advisers Blindsided By Governor’s Decision To Reopen
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) set his state on an aggressive path toward reopening that starts today, despite a barrage of criticism that the decision to lift restrictions is premature. Meanwhile, states that haven’t been hit has hard as some of the hot spots start considering how to reopen.
When To Reopen States Is The Latest Decision To Become Politicized In Highly Divided Country
There’s a political divide over who is pushing states to reopen and who is keeping stay-at-home orders in place. President Donald Trump’s own messaging has been mixed. While he has pushed for a quick return to normalcy, he also criticized the Georgia governor’s aggressive plan to reopen as “too soon.”
DOJ Cracks Down On Treatment Scams: ‘It’s A Perfect Ecosystem For A Fraudster To Operate In’
In a moment where people want to believe there’s a magic pill to cure COVID-19, scammers are flourishing. Other news from the Trump administration looks at the coronavirus being used as a possible bioweapon and and increase in violent extremism.
Pompeo Hints That Decision To Cut Off WHO Funding Could Be Permanent
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the World Health Organization, which President Donald Trump targeted in recent weeks, needs a “structural fix” for its “shortcomings” before the U.S. would consider resuming funding. Critics of the Trump administration say the president is unfairly scapegoating the global organization as a way to shift blame from his administration’s early missteps. Meanwhile, the United States’ response to the pandemic may have undermined its position as a global leader.
Some outside experts are concerned that administration scientists must tip-toe around President Donald Trump as they offer their medical expert advice to the American people. Claims from one federal official that he was ousted because he pushed back against Trump’s favored treatment did nothing to ease those worrying impressions.
Trump Touts Research That Virus Is Effected By Sunlight, Floats Dangerous Disinfectant Suggestion
“The whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute, that’s pretty powerful,” President Donald Trump said in a press briefing where he also offered a suggestion that disinfectant could be injected into the body to fight the virus. Scientists knock down the idea as dangerous and potentially fatal. Other news reports on the public’s opinion of information delivered by the president.
U.S. Death Toll Tops 50,000 As California Records Deadliest Day Of Pandemic
As of Friday morning the U.S. crossed the grim 50,000 death mark, though many experts think that’s an undercount. On California’s worst day of the pandemic so far, COVID-19 became Los Angeles County’s leading cause of death.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Treatment Experts Question Penalties For Opioid Overdose Victims Breaking Stay-At-Home Orders
Among those being cited by police for violating the Ohio governor’s orders are those struggling with addiction. They aren’t being jailed, but are facing fines and the possibility of jail time. “It’s such a shame that we’re there and ladling on charges to someone who’s really in a health crisis,” said one addiction expert. Other news on the opioid crisis is in online counseling services.
Nearly Half Of Primary Care Physicians Expect Pay Cuts This Month
Many health systems report revenue declines of 40% to 50%, and even pay for front-line workers is expected to be cut in some places. In other health care worker news: returning to work after being sick, doctors being sent to help Native American reservations, tracking worker deaths and more.
Global news is from Kenya, India, Colombia, Iraq, China, North Korea, and France.
Opening up for surgeries will be a welcome decision for anxious patients who waited weeks for procedures that are important. But hospitals are still trying to figure out the best way to keep patients safe amid the pandemic.
‘Great Worry’: Health Experts See Drop In Vaccinations As Parents Cancel Well-Child Checkups
“We know our vaccine rates were already tenuous, so any additional hit to that is a great worry,” said Dr. Elizabeth Meade, a pediatrician in Washington. The doses states distribute vaccines for federally funded programs have also dropped since the pandemic started. Public health news is on choosing to die at home, risky health conditions, a ”virus of fear” keeping sick people away from hospitals, problems from leaders forgoing masks, fashion designers making masks, felines testing positive, climate change’s role in the pandemic and parents dealing with online schooling, as well.
“It’s easy to be wise after the event,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in defense of the agency’s slow acknowledgment that it was facing shortages.
Democrats Have Been Playing Hard-Ball And Securing Wins In The Process. Can They Keep It Up?
The House blocked the Senate’s no-strings $250 billion package for the small business fund and got a measure nearly double that with extra money for hospitals systems and expanded testing. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been adamant that he’s not going to just pass another stimulus package just because the Democrats want it. Meanwhile, banks say the supplemental funds for the small businesses will be used up quickly.
