Latest KFF Health News Stories
Advocacy Groups Step Up Efforts To Free Health-Compromised Immigrants In Detention Centers
The lawyer for a Cuban asylum-seeker with breast cancer said exposure to COVID-19 could be deadly for his client. She was recently transferred to a detention center in Louisiana. News on how the pandemic is impacting immigrants comes out of Washington and Massachusetts, as well.
Media outlets report on efforts under way across the U.S. to contain the spread of the virus.
When the governors spoke with reporters, they urged the federal government to issue more uniform guidance. Other news is on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to close public schools and Saturday Night Live going dark.
Face masks, the kind that cover the nose and mouth, are synonymous with COVID-19. Manufacturers in China have ramped up efforts to make them, but suppliers say it won’t be enough for the near future and that that effectives ones are difficult to produce.
Hackers Capitalize On Coronavirus Chaos By Launching Particularly Aggressive Attack On HHS
The attack highlights the vulnerabilities federal and state agencies face as their attention is devoted to the coronavirus outbreak.
Experts say there’s likely far more unreported cases because of failures to properly test potential patients. On Monday, 18 people died from the virus bringing the nation’s total deaths to 85 so far. Meanwhile, media outlets offer a way to check which states have the most number of cases.
As Cases Climb In California, Bay Area’s Nearly 7M Residents Directed To Shelter In Place
Vital businesses like grocery stores, banks and pharmacies will remain open. Even as states across the country ramp up their efforts to slow the spread of the virus, the directive remains one of the most extreme. California was one of the early states hit with the outbreak, and has nearly 300 confirmed cases in the Bay Area alone. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking additional drastic steps, such as asking the elderly to stay at home, but has not ordered a state-wide lock down.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Traders who now rely heavily on algorithms are seeing the downside to computer-based decisions. Meanwhile, most experts say that it’s going to get much worse before it gets better.
The measure would still provide two weeks of sick leave to a wide swath of workers affected by the pandemic, but for the next 10 weeks, paid leave would be limited only to workers caring for a child whose school or day care had been shut. The fate of the bill had been uncertain, but following the change Senate Republicans seem to warm to the legislation. Meanwhile, Congress is already working on a “Phase 3” relief bill for industries impacted by the outbreak. And some lawmakers call for a universal basic income for Americans during the outbreak.
First Human Test Subjects Injected With Experimental Coronavirus Vaccine As Trial Kicks Off
On the first day of the trial, four healthy volunteers were given the test vaccine developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Moderna Inc. Meanwhile, other Pfizer is also working to co-develop a vaccine with a German company. Such rapid development is unprecedented, but experts warn that even if one works a vaccine will still not be broadly available for 12-18 months.
Testing missteps have plagued the United States’ response to the outbreak from the start. The FDA is trying to boost capacity by allowing labs to develop their owns, but supply shortages still threaten any progress made. Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed frustration that there hasn’t been more testing done worldwide. “You cannot fight a fire blindfolded,” he said. “And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected,”
As part of the transition of power, aides from the Obama administration prepped President Donald Trump’s advisers on different crises they could face in the upcoming years. One of those was a flu pandemic. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s current response to the coronavirus outbreak shows all the cracks that have been glimpsed over the past few years.
President Donald Trump surprised some governors who were looking to the federal government for help. Fears over a lack of ventilators, respirators and ICU beds has dominated the conversation about the outbreak and is what has public health experts most concerned. New York serves as a grim example: the state could be short by as many as 15,783 ventilators a week at the peak of the crisis. Meanwhile, hospitals rush to cancel elective surgeries to try to brace for the surge of patients likely headed their way.
News from around the world focuses on the global impact of the coronavirus.
The presidential primary season is in full swing, but the coronavirus outbreak might put a damper on voting. While Ohio postpones its Tuesday primary, other states move forward. How those voting proceeds could be a test for the fall. Meanwhile, some lawmakers call for expanded mail-in voting.
‘We’re Calling The Recession’: Economy Expected To Crumple Under Weight Of Global Pandemic
As the world takes drastic measures to limit the public health toll the virus is going to take, experts say the writing is on the wall: a recession is headed our way. Unprecedented commercial shutdowns are in place and businesses struggle to stay afloat. Meanwhile, Amazon plans to hire 100,000 workers, highlighting the complex way the outbreak impacts the global economy.
As The Nation Grinds To A Halt, Some Wonder If Toll The Shutdown Is Taking Is Worth It
Closures sweep the country as governors take drastic measures to try to flatten the curve in their states. But there’s some fear that this is an overreaction that will end up hurting more people in the end, because of how these shutdowns affect vulnerable populations. Meanwhile, media outlets cover just how extensively the closures run.
Because we’ve never dealt with this particular coronavirus before, even public health experts are stumped on some of the big questions that the world is asking. In other news: the death rate may be lower than previously estimated; a generational divide is splintering the response to the virus; and a look at past pandemics may offer ideas on how to fight this one.
