Arthur Allen

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aallen@kff.org
@ArthurAllen202

¿Ponerse el refuerzo ahora o esperar? Muchos se preguntan cómo navegar la próxima ola de covid

KFF Health News Original

Aproximadamente el 70% de los estadounidenses de 50 años o más que recibieron una primera vacuna de refuerzo contra covid, y casi la misma cantidad de personas de 65 años o más, no han recibido un segundo, según datos de los CDC.

Boost Now or Wait? Many Wonder How Best to Ride Out Covid’s Next Wave

KFF Health News Original

As the country faces a rise in new infections driven by the omicron BA.5 subvariant of the coronavirus, about 70% of people 50 and older who got a first covid-19 booster shot haven’t received the recommended second one, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many undervaccinated Americans have lost interest, and others aren’t sure whether to get boosted again now or wait for vaccines reformulated to target newer strains of the virus.

Why Cheap, Older Drugs That Might Treat Covid Never Get Out of the Lab

KFF Health News Original

The hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin fiascoes have soured many doctors on repurposing drugs for covid. A few inexpensive old drugs may be as good as some of the new antivirals, but they face complex obstacles to get to patients.

Why Black and Hispanic Seniors Are Left With a Less Powerful Flu Vaccine

KFF Health News Original

Federal health officials haven’t taken a clear position on whether a high-dose influenza vaccine — on the market since 2010 — is the best choice for people 65 and older. Many in that group already opt for the costlier enhanced shot. Those who get the standard vaccine are disproportionately members of ethnic and racial minorities.

Pfizer CEO Pushes Yearly Shots for Covid. Not So Fast, Experts Say.

KFF Health News Original

A corporate CEO’s call for a fourth mRNA shot struck those closely watching the pandemic as self-serving. It creates public pressure for a fourth dose of vaccine before government experts have time to assess the evidence and settle on the best course forward.

How LA, Calling the Shots on School Vaccine Mandates, Can Lead the Way on Covid Rules

KFF Health News Original

In the middle of a measles outbreak in 1977, the Los Angeles school system required students to be inoculated or stay out of class. Other school systems followed the practice. Will it work again now that the county is insisting that teens have their shots against covid?

Stranded by the Pandemic, He Had Only Travel Insurance. It Left Him With a $38,000 Bill.

KFF Health News Original

Although it’s possible to buy travel insurance that provides some health coverage, the devil is in the fine print. Obama-era laws that prevent refusal of payment for preexisting conditions don’t apply to travel insurance.

How Fauci and the NIH Got Ahead of the FDA and CDC in Backing Boosters

KFF Health News Original

With real-time data streaming in from highly specialized researchers in the U.S. and abroad, NIH scientists became convinced that boosting the covid-19 vaccine was needed to save lives, prompting the president to announce a plan with a Sept. 20 start date. Scientists at the regulatory agencies weren’t yet convinced. A meeting Friday will determine what happens next. Here’s the story from behind the scenes.

Federal Vaccine Program Hasn’t Helped Those Whose Lives Were Altered by Covid Shot

KFF Health News Original

A national vaccine court has paid out billions to families who could prove their kids were injured by vaccines. But there’s only a skeletal program for the rare victims of covid vaccination, raising concerns as the pressure for mandated shots grows.

Viaje a la cueva de los murciélagos: mientras buscan el origen de covid, científicos reavivan el debate sobre la “fuga de laboratorio” de Wuhan

KFF Health News Original

La idea de que el virus que causa covid escapó de un laboratorio chino, una teoría que en su momento se consideró conspirativa, está cobrando fuerza. Al mismo tiempo, peligra la reputación de renombrados científicos, al igual que su seguridad personal.