Latest KFF Health News Stories
CDC Head Expects Covid To Be Seasonal Like Flu
Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she anticipates covid being s seasonal virus, and spread more during the colder months. In other pandemic news: half of the people in Houston who died of covid had diabetes, and that it may be causing more diabetes cases among younger people who had covid.
Mild Covid Can Cause Brain Damage, Study Finds
The shrinkage of brain matter was equivalent in size to at least one extra year of aging and as much as a decade. However, “it is possible that it is reversible,” said the lead author of the study, Gwenaëlle Douaud of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford.
Defying CDC And Science, Florida Says Healthy Kids Shouldn’t Get Vaxxed
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo didn’t say when the new guidance from the state’s department of health would become official and provided few details. But health experts immediately criticized the plan as needlessly putting millions of children in harm’s way.
FDA Clears Way For Sale Of Gene-Edited Beef
The Food and Drug Administration says it found no safety issues with meat from genetically altered cattle. The CRISPR-edited beef could hit the markets in two years, the FDA estimates.
EPA Proposes Tougher Truck Emission Standards To Combat Health Issues
The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft rule that would kick in by 2027 and impact large vehicles like tractor-trailer trucks and buses that emit toxic pollutants. Other environmental health stories report on asthma, extreme heat, tainted water, and more.
Exposure To Lead In Gas As Kids Dulled IQ In Half Of US Adults: Study
Over 170 million people born in the U.S. before 1996 — when the country banned leaded gas — were exposed to harmful levels of lead during their developmental years, a new study estimates. And that resulted in an average per-person drop in IQ of 2.6 points.
Editorial writers delve into these public health topics.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Perspectives: As School Mask Rules Change, Here Come The Bullies Again
Opinion writers weigh in on mask-wearing and also abortion.
Food Supplies Threatened In Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine
AP reports that the invasion is threatening food supply chains to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Reuters reports on Chinese plans for aid supplies to Ukraine. Separately, Hong Kong’s covid death rate is the highest in the world, and China’s daily case rate is higher than it’s been since the pandemic began.
Medical Examiners in Mass. Often Use Photos, Not Bodies, To Do Autopsies
Nearly 1,200 times last fiscal year — or roughly 1 in 7 cases — a medical examiner did not examine a body in person before identifying a cause of death, The Boston Globe reported. That nearly doubled the number of so-called chart reviews from the previous year, the newspaper said. It’s all part of an effort to work faster and reduce a backlog of cases.
Investors Push Unilever To Better Report Its Foods’ Nutritional Values
In other news, a study has shown that a weekly short muscle-strengthening exercise session could add years to your lifespan. And a report details the increased risks pregnant people will experience due to climate change — including exposure to extreme temperatures.
New Bill Would Fund Mental Health Staff In Schools
The plan by Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) would cover 90% of mental health service costs to children enrolled in Medicaid. Other reports say firearms killed 12.6 million Americans between 2009 and 2018. Suicides in Kansas and mental health responses to 911 calls are also in the news.
Addiction Doctors Want Patients To Keep Easy Access To Telehealth
Temporary pandemic emergency changes have made addiction care via telehealth easier, and Medill News Service reports that there’s pressure to maintain this type of access. Also: Amazon and Teladoc, a data breach at Ascension Michigan, a rapid test for African swine fever, and more.
$55M Fine Levied On LA County Health Plan For Delayed Treatments
L.A. Care, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan, is under fire for delaying care for lots of poor and at-risk members. Meanwhile, Microsoft is nearing a purchase of AI and speech recognition firm Nuance; the nursing home industry is pressing for staff agency regulations; and more.
Health Care Employment Soared In February
Hiring rose across nearly all sectors by around 63,500 jobs last month. Media outlets, on the other hand, cover the ongoing health worker shortage, including difficulties in finding therapists. Medical supply shortages of different types are also reported.
California Omicron Deaths Surprisingly High Among Vaccinated Patients
An analysis by the Bay Area News Group of the four deadliest weeks of the delta and omicron surges finds that three times more vaccinated people died in the state during the omicron peak than during delta’s heyday. And public health officials in Philadelphia are concerned that vaccination efforts are not reaching enough children.
Second Day Of Mandate Protests Will Continue Today On Capital Beltway
The plan comes after a demonstration Sunday, where the “People’s Convoy” looped the Beltway twice. In other news, the Georgia Senate on Friday passed legislation that would ban any state, local agency or school from requiring anyone to get a covid vaccination.
Patient Returns Home After Being Hospitalized For 550 Days Due To Covid
A Roswell, New Mexico, man received a police escort back home after spending over 1.5 years in the hospital after a covid diagnosis — much of it on a ventilator. Other virus news reports on animal transmission, variants, and more.
‘We’re Not Going To Normal 2019’: Experts Offer Roadmap For Next Covid Steps
A group of public health experts released a report for pandemic-weary Americans suggesting the next course. While advocating for treating covid like other high-risk respiratory illnesses, they outline scenarios for how that shift could play out. Other news outlets take stock after two years of the coronavirus.
