Latest KFF Health News Stories
Controversy Over Dismissed Naval Captain Offers Window Into Administration’s Crisis Priorities
Captain Brett Crozier raised health concerns about the sailors on his aircraft carrier. After his memo to senior officers went public, he was relieved of duty, and acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly berated Crozier in a speech to the crew as being “too naïve or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this.” Modly later apologized, but the controversy created a furor within the Navy, and may be illustrative of the Trump administration’s response to the outbreak.
Rapid testing kits are starting to reach hard-hit areas, but the surging demand means results are still being held up. Meanwhile coroners worry that a lack of testing means that COVID-19 death totals won’t represent what’s actually happening. Other tracking developments are reported out of California, Wisconsin and Georgia.
President Donald Trump’s interest in the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine alarms some scientists who say that peddling false hope in the midst of a pandemic is dangerous and that the drug’s side effects can be severe. Others, however, are taking their cue from Trump and prescribing the medication.
Wisconsin’s Chaotic Back-And-Forth Over Delaying Primary Could Be Sign Of Things To Come In November
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, tried to delay today’s primary, but was overruled by the state’s Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority. The state stands as a first test case in what both national parties expect to be a protracted fight over changing voter rules to contend with the pandemic. Meanwhile, voters and poll workers fear for their health.
The model that the White House has been relying on for number of cases and deaths was just updated to slightly more optimistic totals for the first wave of the outbreak. But other models contradict that outlook. Why is modeling so hard? Scientists have to take a number of unpredictable and unknowable factors into account. Still, they say, “it’s much better than shooting from the hip.” Meanwhile, the number of deaths in the U.S. surpasses 10,000.
New York’s monumental efforts to flatten the curve may be paying off as the first signs of hope emerge from this week’s infection numbers. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo warns against getting reckless or complacent. “Some suggest basically the curve goes up and then drops precipitously,” Cuomo said. “Some suggest a slight pause at the top. Some suggest there’s a longer pause at the top, which is effectively a plateau effect, or again the straight up and straight down precipitous drop, which is the peak effect. No one can tell you which will occur.”
President Donald Trump has put the onus on the states to acquire their own ventilators and other medical supplies, promising to act as backup as needed. But now, the administration is seizing some of those orders and relying on a distribution strategy that governors say just creates more confusion. Meanwhile, desperate states turn to each other for help, with those who haven’t been hit hard yet sending equipment to hot spots. In other news: a look at how New York’s ventilators stockpile was depleted years before the outbreak; the way Trump’s use of the national stockpile differs from past administrations; hospitals plead for more federal coordination to get supplies; and more.
White House Trade Adviser Issued Stark Warning To Trump In Late January, New Memo Reveals
The warning from Peter Navarro is just the latest to show that officials throughout the administration were trying to direct President Donald Trump’s attention to the growing threat of the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, Trump and his advisers are bracing for the worst week yet as the outbreak could reach its peak in some hot spots. In other news from the administration: spats between top advisers, espionage efforts during a pandemic and a VA records project put on hold.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers focus on issues like leadership, medical care, elections, protective gear for workers and more.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Failed Search For Alzheimer’s Drugs: Hypothesis About Amyloid Plaques Likely Reason Why
A new understanding of the disease is emerging, researchers and advocates say, and that treatment will have to be individualized instead of relying on a single drug. Industry news is also on cancer treatments.
A Disproportionate Number Of African-Americans Are Dying, But The U.S. Has Been Silent On Race Data
“COVID is just unmasking the deep disinvestment in our communities, the historical injustices and the impact of residential segregation,” said Dr. Camara Jones, a family physician. Jones said the outbreak reflects similar outcomes for African-Americans in terms of disproportionately high rates of maternal death, low levels of access to medical care and higher rates of asthma. But without data, any efforts to address the disparities are undermined.
In The Era Of Coronavirus, Scientists Are The New Rock Stars
After a long period of popular backlash against experts and expertise, people are turning to scientists for hope. Dr. Anthony Fauci’s rise in popularity is just one example of many around the world. In other science and innovation news: a look at how one patient survived, the mysterious heart damage that comes with the disease, and the hope hidden in survivors’ blood.
Media outlets report on news from Massachusetts, California, District of Columbia, New York, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, Kansas and New Jersey, as well.
Tech Companies Team Up With Health Groups For Pandemic Response Hackathons
Technology companies come together to focus on solutions to a wide range of problems created by the pandemic, Modern Healthcare reports. Last weekend, several thousand developers met over Zoom and via Slack at a Datavant event that touched on public health information-sharing, epidemiology, keeping health workers safe and social impact. More tech news looks at Quil’s efforts to help patients find trustworthy information, the lowering of telemedicine barriers, and timely funding for digital startups.
China and Italy continue to cope with the fallout from massive coronavirus outbreaks, while experts look to Germany to examine how that nation has, so far, avoided one.
Southern States Late To Social Distancing Dealt With Strained Health Resources Even Before Pandemic
Experts worry that states in the South that only recently issued stay-at-home orders will be hit hard next. With rural hospital and health systems already stretched thin, it could be especially devastating. Hospital news comes out of California, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan, as well.
Panel Of California Judges Rules Against Mass Release Of State Inmates, For Now
News is on how the prison systems in California, Alabama, Louisiana, Wisconsin and Massachusetts are handling the virus outbreak crisis.
First Pandemic Since Health Law Was Instituted Will Put It Through The Wringer
A pandemic-created recession is expected to test the health law like it’s never been tested before. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s decision not to create a special enrollment session surprised even his own advisers.
