Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Path Forward Will Likely Be Difficult But Some Experts See Rays Of Hope Along The Way
The New York Times talks with more than 20 experts in public health, medicine, epidemiology and history who shared their thoughts on the future of the country during in-depth interviews. In other news on lessons learned from the pandemic: how denial is a tricky force to overcome, how doctors’ iron-clad medical beliefs may need to shift, how the AIDS pandemic can inform treatment, and more.
When a community can actually be fully tested, officials are finding extremely high numbers of asymptomatic cases. The results suggest that far more people have had the virus than the official numbers show. But does that mean they have immunity? The science is still dicey on that question.
The study will be a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study, unlike the research being done on the fly treating severely ill patients. The decision was announced as emerging data show people who are taking hydroxychloroquine are still becoming infected with the virus. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s tendency to tout possible cures in the early stages of testing is upending pharma’s traditional PR machine. And Reuters offers an overview of where we stand on drug and vaccines.
Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin helped President Donald Trumps secure the presidency in 2016. How will outbreaks in those states change political dynamics as November creeps closer? In other election news: voting rights, third parties and fundraising totals.
While some protesters grabbed national attention, polls show that the majority of Americans are in favor of stay-at-home orders until they can be lifted safely. Meanwhile, experts say that even if state-ordered restrictions are loosened, Americans’ fear may keep them at home anyway. And a look at lessons learned from past pandemics.
President Donald Trump has found success with his rage-against-the-government messaging and as Americans lose faith in his ability to handle the crisis, he’s falling back into that mode. Meanwhile, the governors who he’s going to rhetorical war with have far higher poll numbers than then president.
The antibody tests are crucial to reopening the country, but they come with many of the same flaws as the early virus tests. Complicating matters, the FDA approved a wide range of tests to get them to the marketplace faster. But that means there’s a whole lot of inaccurate tests out there. Meanwhile, viral testing hiccups and shortages continue.
How The Trump Presidency’s Most Ingrained Characteristics Caused Early Missteps Exacerbating Crisis
A distrust of the federal bureaucracy, internal White House personality conflicts, lack of a formal policymaking process and President Donald Trump’s own insistence on controlling the public message hampered the country’s response to the growing crisis. In other administration news: the flawed tests continue to haunt the CDC; fact-checks of the president’s claims; warnings from Americans working with WHO; and more.
Trump To Invoke War Powers To Boost Nasal Swab Production Levels By 20 Million A Month
President Donald Trump’s delayed action after weeks of reported shortages drew questions about why he didn’t act sooner. But Trump defended the decision, saying states have enough resources already. Meanwhile, state and lab officials say testing disarray and shortages are prolonging the national crisis.
Governors across the country pushed back against President Donald Trump’s claims that the country had the capacity to complete more testing but that the states weren’t utilizing their resources properly. “We are fighting a biological war,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said. “We have been asked as governors to fight that war without the supplies we need.”
Democrats and Republicans have been at an impasse at how to supplement the fund to help small businesses, which was depleted last week. The new bill proposes an additional $300 billion for that fund.
Delays in guidance from the Trump administration about how to pay for COVID-19 care have patients and hospitals worried about being on the hook for potentially massive costs. Meanwhile, workers who lost jobs because of the pandemic struggle to find affordable coverage.
U.S. Death Toll Tops 40,000 As Officials Struggle To Pinpoint Fatality Rates
In the United States, the COVID-19 fatality rate has steadily ticked upward, from about 1.35 percent in late March to nearly 5 percent after New York City added in “probable” deaths. However, those rates aren’t necessarily representative of reality as testing failures undermine efforts to count mild and asymptomatic cases.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Although Congress has focused much attention on air ambulance bills, the cost of normal ground emergency transportation is a more wide-spread issue. In other health industry news: ambulatory surgery centers, Medicare payments for inpatient rehab, and fees for a cancer center.
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
‘Mistaken Reporting Occurred’: China Revises Wuhan Death Toll Upwards By 50%
State-run television announced that the Chinese government revised the Wuhan death toll to 3,869. The number of confirmed cases was also increased by 325, bringing the total for the city to 50,333 — approximately 60% of mainland China’s reported infections. The report said that several medical institutions failed to report their numbers in a timely matter.
Doctors Call On HHS To Help Address Racial Disparities In Treatment Of Coronavirus Patients
Research has found that black Americans have a disproportionately higher risk of contracting and dying of COVID-19, which is a reflection of broader disparities in the health system that have just been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
