Latest KFF Health News Stories
Although the record-breaking number of unemployment claims for last week–6.6. million–were a stark reality check, there’s many who remain uncounted. Some have lost jobs or income did not initially qualify for benefits, and others, encountering state unemployment offices that were overwhelmed by the deluge of claimants, were unsuccessful in filing.
HHS Waives HIPPA Privacy Rules On Data In Order To Speed Communication About Infected Patients
“The CDC, CMS, and state and local health departments need quick access to COVID-19 related health data to fight this pandemic,” said Roger Severino, director of HHS Office For Civil Rights. Other news on technology looks at how tech giants are seeking “opportunistic” changes.
As unemployment surges, Medicaid will likely see a reflective wave of new enrollees. But hefty investments into the program will be needed to absorb those extra costs. “You definitely see in the data that as unemployment goes up, the Medicaid rolls go up,” said Josh Bivens, of the Economic Policy Institute. “That’s good, and it’s supposed to happen: It’s a safety net. But this is a quick enough shock that it could be a huge financial burden on Medicaid systems across the states.”
Doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists are leaving their states to help Tulane Medical Center and other Louisiana hospitals, but red tape is slowing the relief effort. “I literally could have arranged a trip to West Africa and been in a hospital over there in the time that it’s taken me to do this in the United States,” said Dr. James Pettey, an orthopedic surgeon from Kentucky. Media outlets report on news from California, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia and District of Columbia, as well.
Rush To Find Rooms, Care For Homeless: LA, Seattle Scramble To Protect Most Vulnerable
Advocates say relocating the nation’s estimated 560,000 homeless people to indoor shelters will connect them to health care services key to detecting and combating outbreaks. In Los Angeles, officials install hand-washing stations and try to spread the word about social distancing to people who are used to sharing. Other public health news is on easing blood-donation restrictions for gay men, disruptions in cancer treatments, primer on coronavirus vs. other ailments, mental health, and tracing how travelers quickly spread the virus, as well.
Getting goods to consumers is a complicated process that is impacting truck drivers around the world. In some states, there’s no place open to find a meal or spend the night. In other countries, long wait times at borders and public system changes delay deliveries. But one things clear: fewer drivers on the roads makes some trips faster. News on the supply chain is also on delays in shipments of fruits, controversial hiring of seasonal workers, infected Amazon facilities and an oversupply of milk, as well.
While there’s no approved treatment for the coronavirus, patients are still receiving medication to ease some of the symptoms, such as medications used to keep airways open. With the surge in demand, those drugs could be the next fronts of the shortages war.
New York state and New York City in particular have emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak in the country. The sharp rise in demand for medical equipment to deal with the crisis has forced state officials to pay about 15 times the usual price for some things. Meanwhile, state lawmakers want to protect doctors who are on the front lines of the pandemic from criminal suits.
A Deep Dive Into The Novel Coronavirus
The New York Times unravels the “bad news wrapped up in protein” to show what’s going on at a cellular level. In other science and innovation news: a glossary of terms, what exponential really means, smoking and its link to the virus, and more.
Democratic National Convention Postponed In Biggest Disruption Yet To The 2020 Elections
The presidential nominating convention, which was pushed from July to August, is expected to draw as many as 50,000 people. Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden had called for the gathering to be postponed. Meanwhile, Wisconsin moves ahead with its primary next Tuesday, angering some voters in the state.
Pinprick Blood Test To Identify Antibodies In Patients Approved By FDA
The blood tests are important for a variety of reasons, including the fact that those with antibodies might be able to act as the first wave of people to re-start the economy. In other treatment news: an unproven stem cell therapy gets the green light, an oral antiviral spray shows promise to protect health workers, experts warn there’s no “magic pill” to cure the virus, and the man behind a cocktail of drugs that’s been criticized as giving Americans false hope.
Amid sweeping efforts to get Americans to stay at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Google will offer the government a report of how foot traffic has increased or declined to six types of destinations: homes, workplaces, retail and recreation establishments, parks, grocery stores and pharmacies, and transit stations. In other news on social distancing measures: Dr. Anthony Fauci wants every state to institute a stay-at-home order; public compliance soars; projections show where the next hotspots may emerge; places that defy state orders mapped; historical data reveals cities that social distance emerge stronger economically in the long run; and more.
After Much Debate, White House Will Recommend Americans Wear Cloth Masks If They Go Out In Public
The CDC will emphasize that people should be using cloth masks instead of medical-grade gear so that the guidance doesn’t exacerbate the shortage for health care workers. Dr. Deborah Birx, of the White House task force, warned that Americans shouldn’t let the masks give them a false sense of security–washing hands and staying 6 feet apart are still the best ways to be protected against the virus.
Aircraft Carrier Commander Fired Over His ‘Firestorm’ Memo That Raised Outbreak Infection Alarms
Navy officials say that Captain Brett Crozier demonstrated “poor judgment” when copying 20-30 people on his letter warning of the health dangers to the USS Theodore Roosevelt after 100 people aboard tested positive. The memo was subsequently leaked to the public
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), will oversee the record-breaking $2.2 trillion stimulus package, the other two bills that were already passed, and any legislation that comes next.
Right now, places that are served by IHS and other rural communities don’t have the labs set up to test with the traditional, slower nasal swabs. So they are the priority for access to the quick coronavirus tests. Meanwhile, mandates for states to report data doesn’t paint the full picture of the virus outbreak yet, rather it just reveals the holes where no data is available.
Amid booming demand for protective masks for health care workers, first responders and the general public manufacturers just aren’t able to produce enough. And the issue of liability proved to be a roadblock in the early days of the outbreak, with companies hesitant to re-purpose industrial masks to make up for the shortages. Meanwhile, authorities seize hundreds of thousands of masks as part of a price-gouging investigation. And a Boston Hospital acquires a mammoth “game-changing” machine that can sterilize up to 80,000 N95 respirator masks a day.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warns that his state will run out of ventilators in six days. President Donald Trump and his administration are taking steps to ease those shortages–like invoking the Defense Production Act to help secure supplies for manufacturers–governors say they are falling fall short of the massive need. Meanwhile, ventilators aren’t a cure-all for virus patients: the survival rate for those who have to go on one may be as low as 20%.
CDC Warned Security Leaders About Threat Of A Mysterious Pathogen On Jan. 2. What Happened Next?
Behind the scenes, the National Security Council worked around the clock to try to understand the novel coronavirus after the CDC’s Dr. Robert Redfield tipped the members off in early January. Meanwhile, the Trump administration had ended a pandemic detection program two months before the outbreak started in China. And mixed messages and shifting leadership from President Donald Trump and within the White House and Defense Department sow confusion.
The United States has become the epicenter of the epidemic as this country surges toward 250,000 confirmed cases.
