Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Devastating Everything’: Meatpacking Cities Feel Outrage Over Stay-Open Orders
“We were failed by people who put profit margins and greed before people, predominantly brown people, predominantly immigrants, predominantly people who live in lower socioeconomic quarters,” said Jonathan Griede of Waterloo, Iowa, the location of a Tyson Foods pork processing plant. Other news on essential worker safety reports on Amazon, bus drivers, FedEx, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai and BMW, as well.
The New York Times features health care workers from around the globe talking about their experiences on the front lines. In other provider news: profiling health worker deaths, protective gear and safety, staff at nursing homes and the toll on morgue workers.
COVID Response?: 15 Children Hospitalized In New York With Dangerous Inflammatory Syndrome
No children have died of the syndrome, which causes inflammation in the walls of the arteries and can limit blood flow to the heart, but some have been placed on ventilators or given blood pressure support. Similar cases have been reported in California and several European nations. Other news on treating children reports on how medical workers should protect themselves when caring for a group of patients portrayed as less vulnerable than older patients.
In isolated cases, heated debates over masks and social distancing turned violent–and even fatal–in recent days as tensions escalate across the country.
History Repeating Itself: How This 2020 Pandemic Looks Startlingly Similar To 1918 Flu
More than 100 years of scientific and medical advances have done little to change how the world responds to a pandemic. Meanwhile, a new study looks at how the 1918 outbreak helped lead to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany — one example of the ways such a crisis can dramatically change humanity’s trajectory.
The negotiations over the next relief package are likely to be anything but smooth. Republicans are pushing for liability protections for businesses in the next round of talks, a “red line” for them that Democrats reject. But Democrats hope to put the pressure on the Senate with a new bill this week. In other news from Capitol Hill: health benefits, burial funds, aid for providers and more.
Senators Return To Capitol In Masks: ‘This Will Be One Of The Strangest Sessions In Modern History’
Democrats were wary about returning to the Capitol, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) defended his decision. “We are going to show up for work like the essential workers that we are,” McConnell said. “Our bosses are the American people, and they’re counting on us to keep on serving.”
With Great Potential For Profit Comes Great Responsibility: Will Gilead Emerge A Hero Or Villain?
Gilead has a well-documented history of charging high prices for lifesaving therapies. But beneath the bright shine of the global spotlight — with millions of lives possibly in the balance — the company could help shift the narrative around the drug industry.
Even New York and California — two of the states hit hardest by the virus — are talking about their plans to lift restrictions. Many other states are moving at a faster clip. But, as public health experts have warned all along, it’s not just like flipping a light switch.
FDA To Crack Down On Inaccurate Antibody Tests That Have Flooded The Market
The agency originally relaxed its review standards at the beginning of the pandemic, but scientists have been calling for officials to step back in. A recent study found that only three out of 14 antibody tests deliver consistently reliable results, and even the best have flaws.
Unpacking The Circumstantial Evidence That Novel Coronavirus May Have Escaped From A Lab In China
NBC News looks at the facts about why some think the outbreak may have started with a worker accidentally infected at either the Wuhan Institute of Virology or the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The bats that carry the family of coronaviruses linked to the new strain aren’t found within 100 miles of Wuhan — but they were studied in both labs. Dr. Anthony Fauci dismissed any talk about the origins, saying that even if it was an accident from a lab, the virus still exists in the wild so the conversation is not worth having.
Trump Becomes Biggest Cheerleader For Governors Bucking White House’s Reopening Guidelines
President Donald Trump is championing governors who are lifting restrictions even though their states haven’t met the White House’s own guidelines for doing so. Public health experts warn that a push to reopen too soon could lead to a devastating surge of deaths in the coming weeks and months. “There’s this mindset that it’s like running a show and you’ve got to keep people tuned in,” a former administration official told Politico. “Viewers will get tired of another season of coronavirus.”
The officials driving the Trump administration’s coronavirus response have expanded testing and helped revamp medical supply chains. “I think the administration is at a C now because they’re at least meeting the needs in a pandemic,” said a former Trump administration official. “But they’re not an A or B yet because we’re not getting ahead of the problem.” In other news from the administration: a top FEMA leader to depart and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticizes the White House for not allowing task force members to testify in front of Congress.
U.S. Conspicuously Absent As World Leaders Pledge $8 Billion To Help Fund Vaccine Efforts
In a show of international solidarity, global leaders met online to announce their nations’ contribution — small or large — to fund vaccine and COVID-19 treatment development. For Romania, it was $200,000. For Canada, $850 million. The United States did not participate.
Internal Trump Administration Model Projects Deaths Nearly Doubling As States Relax Restrictions
The country could see as many as 3,000 deaths a day by June 1, the report suggests. Another prominent model also revised the projected deaths to 135,000 by early August. Scientists say the new numbers are reflective of Americans’ inability to properly practice social distancing.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
The Hidden Health Workers: It’s Not Just Those In ERs Who Are Struggling To Cope With Pandemic
People like those who work suicide hotlines and other crisis call centers are trying to keep their heads above the water as the pandemic sweeps the country. In other news on essential workers: staff cuts, personal protective gear, hazard pay and more.
Shuttered Science Labs Struggle To Save Research, Find Ways To Support Younger Researchers
A Stat reporter talks to laboratory staff members about the challenges they faced when told they needed to quickly shut down experiments because of COVID-19. Public health news is on additional terrorism threats, losing a decade of life, more food insecurity, fewer cancer screenings, rampant ageism, understanding the public heath scenario, warnings about dextromethorphan, compounded stress for therapists, coping with medical emergencies, and a silver lining about pollution, as well.
