Latest KFF Health News Stories
Pfizer Says Its Antiviral Pill Drastically Cuts Severe Covid Risks
According to Pfizer study data, the pill — when paired with an HIV drug — cut the risk of hospitalization or death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults exposed to the virus. The only approved covid therapies are intravenous, so an easy-to-administer pill would be a big step forward in treating covid.
A Single Gene May Double Risk Of Developing Severe Covid, Scientists Find
University of Oxford researchers say the gene may explain why different ethnic groups seem to be more susceptible to severe infections. Covid, meanwhile, is reported at higher rates in 24 states as the winter weather arrives. Covid in schools, ivermectin and more are also in the news.
Emergent BioSolutions Withdraws From Troubled Vax-Making Effort
Emergent operates a facility in Baltimore that hit the headlines this year after manufacturing issues saw millions of Johnson & Johnson covid shots destroyed. It has now ended its contract with a federal program run by HHS for infectious disease response. Media outlets cover other vaccine news.
Businesses Must Rush To Implement Mandates During Holiday Season
Some private-sector leaders expressed worry over the Jan. 4 deadline. But other measures in the federal rules are considered wins for employers, including that there’s an exemption for remote workers and that companies will not be on the hook for testing costs.
Republicans Follow Through With Pledge To Challenge Mandate In Court
A lawsuit, filed by Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee, takes issue with the requirements for federal contractors. Governors in Florida, South Carolina and other states also say they will push back against “federal overreach.”
Anticipated Details Released On OSHA Vaccine Rules That Kick In By Jan. 4
How will unvaccinated employees be impacted by the sweeping federal mandates? Those working on site for companies with more than 100 workers must wear masks in enclosed spaces with coworkers, and get weekly covid tests starting Jan. 4. And there is no testing opt-out for health workers at facilities that take Medicare or Medicaid funds. News outlets round up all the new rules.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Why Did The Public Opinion Of Health Workers Change?; Exploring Havana Syndrome
Editorial writers delve into these public health issues.
Different Takes: US Nurses Need Our Help; Will Vaccinating Young Kids End The Pandemic?
Opinion writers examine these covid and vaccine topics.
Research Roundup: Covid; Alzheimer’s; C. Diff; Guillain-Barré Syndrome; More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Nursing Program Enrollments Grew 6% In 2020, Despite Covid
The rise over 2019’s figures for enrollment in U.S. nursing programs was reported alongside data from Temple University in Pennsylvania, which has seen applications up 15% this fall. Nursing shortages and reports on life as a nurse during the pandemic are also in the news.
Psychedelics, Including Magic Mushrooms, Decriminalized In Detroit
Detroit voters passed a proposal yesterday, 61% to 39%, to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi. Stateline reports that Oregon’s moves to decriminalize drugs are spurring progressive lawmakers elsewhere to follow its example. Cancer-causing pollution in Houston is among other news.
American Psychological Association Apologizes For Perpetuating Racism
The APA issued a statement last week admitting it played a role in perpetuating structural racism and apologized that psychology, as a whole field, had harmed people of color for decades. Also: Chicago’s Mercy Hospital, a rural health grant in Nevada, Walmart’s health ambitions and more.
Adults Under 60 Should Get Hepatitis B Vaccine, CDC Panel Recommends
Tens of millions of people, mainly in the 30 to 59 age group, may be advised to get hepatitis B shots (with people below 30 largely covered, after a 1991 decision to vaccinate kids). Separately, scientists uncover why some people have Alzheimer’s-risk brain chemistry, but no dementia.
118,000 More Oklahomans Have Health Insurance After Medicaid Expansion
Expansion of the program took effect at the beginning of July. Nearly 60% of the people approved for benefits through expansion are female, the state said Wednesday.
Britain Is First Country To Approve Molnupiravir, A Pill That Treats Covid
The approval comes amid surging covid infections in the U.K. Elsewhere around the globe, Thursday saw the highest number of new covid cases in Germany since the pandemic’s outbreak, the AP reports, and China is also reported to be locking down Beijing as an outbreak continues.
Scientists Find Covid Can Easily Reach Brain Via Nose, Affect Inner Ear Cells
New research has identified that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can easily reach a person’s brain after being inhaled through the nose, and then “lurk” there, possibly causing long-term neurological problems. The virus can also infect inner ear cells, potentially affecting hearing and balance.
Bad Election Day Spurs Democrats On Spending Bills, But Divides Remain
Worried that this week’s election results are a harbinger of midterm elections to come, Democrats say they will move forward on companion spending bills with renewed urgency. But thorny issues like drug pricing could still throw a wrench in those plans. Politico rounds up what’s made the cut so far, and what still needs to be hashed out.
No Veterans Benefits Guarantee For Military Vaccine Holdouts
The Pentagon is leaving the decision to local commanders about less-than-honorable discharges for troops dismissed over covid vaccines, The Military Times reports. As the Air Force and Space Force deadlines pass, the vast majority are now vaccinated — though over 7,500 service members are seeking exemptions.
Biden: Parents Should Get Their Kids Vaccinated, Shots Approval Is A ‘Relief’
President Joe Biden said newly-approved covid shots for kids ages 5 to 11 were safe, effective and that parents should get their kids vaccinated. Maine’s public health director also pleaded for parents to get their kids the jabs, and Trump’s former surgeon general pointed out the benefits.
