Latest KFF Health News Stories
Putting A Dollar Value On A Life May Seem Callous But It’s Common Practice In The Government
When the government issues regulations it tends to consider the financial cost versus the human lives that could be impacted. For example in 1972, a member of a Nixon administration task force on regulating the auto industry valued a life’s worth at $885,000 in today’s dollars; in 1998 debate over safety bars on trucks, the Department of Transportation’s value of a life reached $2.5 million. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump tries to strike an optimistic tone, even as cases and deaths climb. And Americans struggle to adjust to this strange period of time.
U.S. Will Issue Public Warning Accusing Chinese Hackers Of Trying To Steal Vaccine Research Data
The alert, from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, will likely increase tensions between the two countries already inflamed by the outbreak. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing opposes all forms of cyberattack and cracks down on them.
Top Administration Health Officials Will Finally Face Congressional Questioning–Virtually
On Tuesday, Drs. Anthony Fauci, Robert Redfield, Stephen Hahn and Brett Giroir will be grilled by the Senate’s main health committee. One missing voice, however, will be the administration’s top health care official, HHS Secretary Alex Azar.
White House Scrambles To Contain Spread Of Virus Within Its Own Walls After 2 Staffers Test Positive
One of President Donald Trump’s military valets and Katie Miller, the spokeswoman for Vice President Mike Pence and a wife of a top Trump adviser, both tested positive. White House staffers say it’s “scary to go to work” in the small, crowded building now. Meanwhile, three top health officials announced they’ll self-quarantine based on exposure risk to those cases.
U.S. Death Total Climbs Toward 80,000 As States Begin To Reopen
A popular model once again adjusted its death total projections higher because more states are lifting their social distancing restrictions. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation now says the country can expect at least 137,184 deaths through early August.
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In Brooklyn, the police arrested 40 people for social-distancing violations from March 17 through May 4. Of those arrested, 35 people were black, four were Hispanic and one was white. Meanwhile, low-income workers are having to take responsibility for enforcing social distancing, even as videos emerge of violent confrontations over the issue. And businesses try to imagine what the new normal will look like as the country slowly reopens.
Could Decades-Old UV Light Technology Be Deployed In Stores, Restaurants To Zap Virus?
Ultraviolet light mangles the genetic material in pathogens preventing them from reproducing. Installing commercial-grade lights would be expensive for stores, but it could help keep them sanitized even beyond the current pandemic. In other news: Frontier will test consumers’ temperatures, summer might not offer relief from virus, what you need to know about the mutations, and more.
Having antibodies is not the same as having immunity to the virus, but still scientists are hopeful about the results.
Lungs Might Be The Main Battlefield, But Coronavirus Attacks The Body Like Its A World War
As more research continues to emerge on how patients are affected by the virus, the scope of the damage that’s done on the body is crystallizing. The virus goes after not only the lungs, but the heart, kidneys, skin and other organs. In other scientific news: virus found in semen, blood thinners show promise in treating severe patients, racial disparities found outside the U.S., and more.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Iowa, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia, Louisiana and Nevada.
“The industry behind mass incarceration is bigger than many appreciate,” said Bianca Tylek, of the New York-based advocacy group Worth Rises. “They exploit and abuse people with devastating consequences.” Meanwhile, two youths in a LA juvenile detention facility test positive for COVID-19.
Legislative Sessions Bring State Lawmakers Back Into Play In Ongoing Power Struggle Over Reopening
There’s been a lot of focus on the tensions between governors and President Donald Trump. But with state legislatures gaveling in, governors are now going to have to deal with their state lawmakers, as well. In other news, The Washington Post takes a look at the crisis experts who have been preparing for this moment their whole lives. And Americans remain resistant to reopening despite the attention being given to lock-down protests.
Another Study Finds No Benefit From Malaria Drug That Was So Often Touted As ‘Game Changer’
For a while, President Donald Trump and others talked about hydroxychloroquine like it was going to be a magic cure. But more extensive testing has dashed hopes that it can help in the fight against the coronavirus. Meanwhile, states now have to decide what to do with all the pills they ordered.
Many Hospitals Are Struggling To Absorb Financial Losses From Non-Coronavirus Patients
In an odd twist to the pandemic, hospitals are actually struggling financially as beds that would have been taken by non-COVID patients sit empty. Health care workers are bearing the brunt of the distress, having their hours and pay cut. In other hospital and costs news: price disclosures, CARES grants, and unused field hospitals.
Doctors Growing Frustrated By Trump Administration’s Lack Of Transparency In Distributing Remdesivir
Faulty lines of communication within the Trump administration are hampering efforts to distribute remdesivir — a drug that has been shown to cut hospitalization stays for patients. About 25 hospitals have been approved to receive the drug, but doctors say it’s not clear how the government — through its contractor, AmerisourceBergen — is making those decisions.
Democrats Putting Finishing Touches On Next Relief Package That Is ‘Rooseveltian’ In Scope
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are going big with their next relief package that will focus on individuals, localities and testing efforts. But the legislation is likely to face fierce opposition by Republicans who want to be more cautious in this next phase.
