Vaccines

You Don’t Have to Suffer to Benefit From Covid Vaccination — But Some Prefer It

KFF Health News Original

In the times of smallpox, vaccination was accompanied by blood, sweat, fire and brimstone. Nowadays, a slight fever may make you feel as if you’ve earned the reward of immunity from covid. But you’re protected even without a nasty reaction to the vaccine.

Evaluating President Joe Biden’s First 100 Days in Office

KFF Health News Original

Presidential historians say that Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office — a somewhat arbitrary but frequently cited milestone — have included an above-average number of major accomplishments.

Only One Vaccine Is OK’d for Older Teens. It’s Also the Hardest to Manage in Rural America.

KFF Health News Original

Of the three covid vaccines the U.S. government has authorized, only one is available to 16- and 17-year-olds: the Pfizer shot. It’s also the most complicated to manage in rural settings, with their small, dispersed populations. That forces some teens and their families to travel long distances for a dose — or go without.

Michigan’s Outbreak Worries Scientists. Will Conservative Outposts Keep Pandemic Rolling?

KFF Health News Original

The covid outbreak in Michigan stands out on the U.S. contagion map, but odds are it will be repeated elsewhere. How vaccine hesitancy, relaxed restrictions and a coronavirus variant combined to create the worst outbreak in the country.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Picking Up the Pace of Undoing Trump Policies

KFF Health News Original

The Biden administration has started to speed efforts to reverse health policies forged under Donald Trump. Most recently, the administration overturned a ban on fetal tissue research and canceled a last-minute extension of a Medicaid waiver for Texas. That latter move may delay the Senate confirmation of President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) seeks to fight back. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

California and Texas Took Different Routes to Vaccination. Who’s Ahead?

KFF Health News Original

California stresses equity for minority groups. Texas is all about personal choice and liberty. Both are struggling to vaccinate Latinos and contending with vaccine hesitancy among conservative communities.

The Shock and Reality of Catching Covid After Being Vaccinated

KFF Health News Original

At least 5,800 people have fallen ill or tested positive for covid two weeks or more after being fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. “I now tell everyone, including my colleagues, not to let their guard down.”

Misterioso remedio: vacunas ayudan a enfermos de covid de largo plazo

KFF Health News Original

Es posible que las vacunas eliminen restos del virus o sus fragmentos, que interrumpan una respuesta autoinmune perjudicial o que, de alguna otra manera, “restablezcan” el sistema inmunitario.

Cuatro respuestas sobre el freno a la vacuna contra covid de Johnson & Johnson

KFF Health News Original

Expertos en salud se preguntan si el freno a la vacuna de J&J a causa de seis casos de mujeres que desarrollaron coágulos luego de recibirla puede impactar negativamente en los esfuerzos de inmunización.

Brecha de género contra covid: se vacunan más mujeres que hombres

KFF Health News Original

Porque representan gran parte de la fuerza laboral en atención médica y educación, porque viven más o porque son más proactivas, las mujeres tienen tasas más altas de vacunación contra covid.