Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘The Danger Is Still There’ ― As Omicron Lurks, Native Americans Are Wary of Boosters
Federal data shows that vaccination rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives were some of the highest in the nation, but tribes say resistance has slowed efforts to boost members.
Watch: One City’s Effort to Raise Vaccination Rates Among Black Residents
In Hartford, Connecticut, public health leaders engage barbers and faith leaders to combat vaccine skepticism in the Black community.
Watch: No Extra Resources for Children Orphaned by Covid
Grieving children face grave risks to their well-being, both in the short and long term. But there is no concerted government effort to help the estimated 140,000 children who have lost a parent in the pandemic.
In Maine, Vaccine Mandate for EMTs Stresses Small-Town Ambulance Crews
The covid vaccination rate for first responders in the state is more than 95%. But it’s lower in more rural areas, where ambulance crews can’t function if even just a few people quit.
I Got a ‘Mild’ Breakthrough Case. Here’s What I Wish I’d Known.
I was miserable for five days, am fully recovered a month later and have learned even more about what we do and don’t know about covid now.
Covid-Overwhelmed Hospitals Postpone Cancer Care and Other Treatment
Patients with advanced cancer and heart disease are among those who have had to have surgeries and other treatments delayed and rescheduled as a high number of critically ill, unvaccinated covid patients strain the medical system.
Déjà Vu? Consumers Scramble for Covid Tests in Hard-Hit Areas
As the nation confronts the delta variant, many consumers are again facing delays getting tested. The problem appears most acute in the South and Midwest, where new infections are growing the fastest.
Watch: More Long-Covid Cases Seen in Kids
While covid is generally mild in children, doctors report a growing number of long-haul covid symptoms and MIS-C cases, particularly among Black and Latino children.
Federal Speech Rulings May Embolden Health Care Workers to Call Out Safety Issues
Policies mandating company approval before talking publicly about conditions in hospitals have been a source of conflict over the past year, as physicians, nurses and other health workers have been disciplined for speaking or posting about what they view as dangerous covid-19 safety precautions. The appeals court’s decision could mean that hospitals — and other employers — will need to revise their policies.
Most Inmates Have Had Their Covid Shots — But Their Guards Likely Haven’t
Hesitancy about the vaccines among prison staffers has led to a striking disparity: Inmates are better protected than corrections officials.
An Anti-Vaccine Film Targeted to Black Americans Spreads False Information
A new movie produced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine group tries to capitalize on the covid-19 pandemic, the racial justice movement and renewed interest in the history of medical racism.
For Kurdish Americans in Nashville, a Beloved Leader’s Death Prompts Vaccine Push
Some immigrant groups are closing the ethnic gap on COVID-19 shots. For many Kurdish Americans, their fears about vaccination are entangled with their experiences in refugee camps after fleeing Iraq.
Covid ‘Doesn’t Discriminate by Age’: Serious Cases on the Rise in Younger Adults
With older adults vaccinated, doctors say a growing share of their covid patients are in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, as more contagious variants circulate among people who remain unvaccinated.
Mysterious Ailment, Mysterious Relief: Vaccines Help Some Covid Long Haulers
Scientists who study the post-illness syndrome are taking a close look at patients’ reports of this unexpected benefit of the vaccine.
‘It Didn’t Really Stick With Me’: Understanding the Rural Shrug Over Covid and Vaccines
Fort Scott, Kansas, was hit hard by the pandemic, and it no longer has a hospital. But residents remain skeptical about the impact of the coronavirus.
Dramatic Drop in Common Viruses Raises Question: Masks Forever?
Hospitalizations are down 62% for childhood respiratory illnesses, a study shows. Masking and social distancing are keeping a variety of viruses in check this flu season.
Doctors Debate Use of Blood Thinners to Prevent Clots in Women After C-Sections
One group of maternal health experts in 2016 urged doctors to give all women heparin shots after C-sections, barring specific medical risks for individual patients. But many physicians disagree, questioning whether wide use of the drug is effective, worth the cost and safe, since it carries the risk of bleeding.
A Year Into the Pandemic, Three Huge Losses in One Family
The Aldaco family of Phoenix suffered more than most in this year of unfathomable losses. Three brothers perished in the pandemic: Jose in July, Heriberto in December and Gonzalo in February.
Journalists Dissect Covid Vaccines and Variants
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Accidentally Trashed, Thawed or Expired: Reports of Covid Vaccine Spoilage
As the speed of covid vaccinations picks up, so do the reports of doses going to waste. Health officials are trying to rein in waste without slowing down vaccinations.
