Latest KFF Health News Stories
Med Students ‘Feel Very Behind’ Because of COVID-Induced Disruptions in Training
The pandemic has led medical schools to cancel many of the rotations in hospitals and clinics that students perform to see a broad mix of patients with a diverse mix of problems.
COVID + Influenza: This Is a Good Year to Get a Flu Shot, Experts Advise
A robust sign-up for flu shots could help head off a nightmare scenario in the coming winter of hospitals stuffed with both COVID-19 patients and those suffering from severe effects of influenza. Plus, no one knows how flu and COVID might interact if a patient got both.
How to Weigh Evacuation Options With Both Wildfires and COVID at Your Door
As the twin disasters of COVID-19 and fire season sweep through California, thousands of residents are weighing difficult options, pitting risk against risk as they decide where to evacuate. Amid a virulent pandemic, where can you safely relocate?
Drug Overdose Deaths Showed a One-Year Decline in 2018. But There’s More to the Story.
The statistic is accurate but experts say other factors make it difficult to say indicators to think about that make it hard to say it’s a “huge win.”
LA Hospital Seeks Vaccine Trial Participants Among Its Own High-Risk Patients
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center serves patients who are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus: They are essential workers, have chronic diseases and are members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. When the safety-net hospital kicks off enrollment for its COVID-19 vaccine trial Wednesday, it will look to those patients to participate.
Republican Convention, Day 1: A Campaign-Style Trump Speech and More
Republicans kicked off the first day of their convention with a wide-ranging speech by President Donald Trump in Charlotte, North Carolina.
They Pledged to Donate Rights to Their COVID Vaccine, Then Sold Them to Pharma
Advocates of cheap and widely available vaccines thought the pandemic might change business as usual. They were wrong.
Analysis: You’ve Checked for Fever. Now, What’s Your Risk Tolerance?
Getting out of our bunkers doesn’t mean throwing caution to the wind.
Trump Is Sending Fast, Cheap COVID Tests to Nursing Homes — But There’s a Hitch
Experts say the administration’s approach with antigen tests could add cost and risk for the most vulnerable patients.
One College’s Pop-Up COVID Test: Stop and ‘Smell the Roses’ (Or the Coffee)
Forget those thermometers. Researchers, finding a surer link between the loss of the sense of smell and a coronavirus infection, suggest the symptom may be an easy and less expensive method for screening.
Deadly Mix: How Bars Are Fueling COVID-19 Outbreaks
In some states, bars and taverns have brought legal challenges to the coronavirus restrictions that have slowed sales and business.
Swab, Spit, Stay Home? College Coronavirus Testing Plans Are All Over the Map
2020 will be a year like no other on college campuses, as every institution makes its own rules. Some have no plans to routinely test students for the coronavirus; others aim to test every student and staff member twice a week.
Scam Alert: Things a COVID Contact Tracer Wouldn’t Say
Criminals are finding ways to reap gains under the guise of this public health intervention.
COVID Plans Put to Test as Firefighters Crowd Camps for Peak Wildfire Season
Thousands of firefighters from across the U.S. have converged on the West as the wildfire season enters its peak. The inherently dangerous job now carries the additional risk of COVID-19 transmission, and fire managers are adapting their plans for crowded fire camps in the hope of preventing outbreaks that could sideline crews and weaken the nation’s firefighting infrastructure.
Trust, Fear and Solidarity Will Determine the Success of a COVID Vaccine
Polio terrified Americans, and in 1955, when Jonas Salk’s vaccine became available, they snapped it up like candy. Sixty-five years later, COVID is the latest dread virus, but many undercurrents could inhibit its acceptance.
PPE Shortage Could Last Years Without Strategic Plan, Experts Warn
The rolling shortages of personal protective gear continue even in hospitals, as buyers look directly for manufacturers — often through a maze of companies that have sprung up overnight.
‘Is This When I Drop Dead?’ Two Doctors Report From the COVID Front Lines
Two emergency room doctors, one in New York and the other in Houston, discuss their cities’ coronavirus outbreaks — and responses.
COVID Data Failures Create Pressure for Public Health System Overhaul
Poor information-sharing between hospitals and public health agencies has hurt the response to the pandemic. Some health care systems and IT companies are making inroads, but an overhaul would cost billions.
Back to Life: COVID Lung Transplant Survivor Tells Her Story
The first known coronavirus patient in the U.S. to undergo a double lung transplant is now strong enough to share the story of her ordeal.
Contact Tracers in Massachusetts Might Order Milk or Help With Rent. Here’s Why.
Massachusetts offers support and resources for people isolating because of COVID-19 — helping them make choices that keep everyone safe. Experts say that is work that more states need to fund.
