Phil Galewitz

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pgalewitz@kff.org
@philgalewitz

Vermont to Give Minority Residents Vaccine Priority

KFF Health News Original

Covid cases have disproportionately affected the state’s Black residents, so officials are moving them to the front of the line for vaccinations before the state expands eligibility to all adults.

‘Painless’ Glucose Monitors Pushed Despite Little Evidence They Help Most Diabetes Patients

KFF Health News Original

The numbers of people wearing these monitors are soaring as prices have fallen and device-makers promote them to doctors and patients. But few studies show the devices lead to better outcomes for the nearly 25 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes who don’t inject insulin to regulate their blood sugar.

In Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana, CVS Vaccine Appointments Go Unfilled

KFF Health News Original

Dozens of open appointment slots in the three Southern states last week stood in sharp contrast to states such as Delaware, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, where spots generally were claimed by midmorning or earlier.

Tampa’s Mayor vs. a Covid-Era Super Bowl

KFF Health News Original

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor — an outspoken former cop — has clashed repeatedly with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has limited what local officials can do to confront the pandemic. But she reached an uneasy peace with the state and is convinced that safeguards instituted by the NFL will help keep crowds safe at the NFL championship game.

Geography Is Destiny: Dentists’ Access to Covid Shots Depends on Where They Live

KFF Health News Original

A handful of states are making dentists a lower priority than other health professionals for inoculations, even though they have their hands in people’s mouths and are exposed to aerosols that spray germs in their faces.

Hospitals’ Rocky Rollout of Covid Vaccine Sparks Questions of Fairness

KFF Health News Original

The lack of a federal strategy on how distribution should work at the local level means that states, hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies are making decisions on their own about who gets vaccinated and when.

Farmworkers, Firefighters and Flight Attendants Jockey for Vaccine Priority

KFF Health News Original

Everyone — from toilet paper manufacturers to patient advocates — is lobbying state advisory boards, arguing their members are essential, vulnerable or both — and, thus, most deserving of an early vaccine.