Latest KFF Health News Stories
Well-Intentioned Scientists Race To Find Cures, But Rush For Answers Could Backfire
Researchers may be duplicating each other’s efforts and working at cross-purposes in the chaotic scientific blitz taking place all over the globe. Meanwhile, Fox News hosts, who touted the malaria drug as a COVID-19 treatment, now go silent after scientific evidence shows it might not live up to the hype.
As doctors continue to gain battlefield experience fighting the virus, extremely strange symptoms keep emerging. One of the latest is that doctors are seeing clots across multiple organs, but especially in the lungs. The symptoms present so frequently that some doctors now recommend most COVID-19 patients receive blood thinners.
A study finds that 88% of 320 COVID-19 patients on ventilators who were tracked in New York died. One other surprising finding from the research shows that 70% of the patients sick enough to be admitted to the hospital did not have a fever.
Azar’s Early Stumbles Over Pandemic Severity, Testing Access Have Effectively Sidelined Him In Fight
Media outlets take a look at HHS Secretary Alex Azar’s early role in the pandemic efforts, and how his missteps still haunt him. Meanwhile, Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is still in charge of the emergency-response supply chain despite his lack of experience and outcries from states about how poorly it’s being run. And the rest of the world watches in saddened disbelief as America, once looked at as a global leader, crumbles beneath the weight of the virus.
Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, claims that his ousting is due to his comments about hydroxychloroquine, a drug that President Donald Trump touted prematurely as a “game changer.” Democrats have called for an investigation into Bright’s removal, as some experts worry his removal is part of a bigger trend of retaliation against scientists who don’t fall in line.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar Azar declined to specify how much money would be allotted to help hospitals providing uncompensated care for COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, CMS warns that COVID-19 treatment could cause Medicare reserves to run out and Medicaid waivers are approved to help deal with costs.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has taken the most aggressive stance toward reopening his state, and even President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for the country to start returning to normalcy, said “I think it’s too soon.” Kemp’s decision is being met with both skepticism and praise in his state.
Well-Financed Campaign Is At Heart Of Protests That Appear At First Glance To Be Grassroot Movements
A network of right-leaning individuals and groups, aided by nimble online outfits, are helping incubate the fervor erupting in state capitals across the country. Meanwhile, despite the attention the protests have garnered, polls consistently show that most Americans favor caution when it comes to stay-at-home orders.
States barreling toward reopening are weighing the economic devastation against the number of expected deaths that public experts project if social distancing measures are lifted right now. While some Southern and Midwest states are already releasing plans to do just that, others, like California, are doubling down now that new data shows the virus has likely spread far more than once believed.
Why Is America’s Testing System Still Not Running At Full Throttle?
Politico examines the reasons why, despite national outcry over the lack of testing, the U.S. government still can’t meet the surging demand. The FDA did say, however, that states should get a boost this week after it approved at-home tests. Meanwhile, state officials start building contact tracing networks, which experts say are needed in addition to increased testing if states want to reopen.
U.S. Deaths Increased Tenfold This Month. What’s In Store For May?
Five top epidemiological models vary in severity of what the country can expect in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, after two California deaths in early February are confirmed to have been caused by COVID-19, scientists and leaders adjust to the new evidence that the virus has likely been in the U.S. for longer than they had thought. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ordered state medical examiners and coroners to review autopsies dating back to December.
President Donald Trump mused that the coronavirus might go away in the summer and then not come back again in the fall. When he asked Dr. Deborah Birx to corroborate the claims, she demurred. Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, when he took the mic, didn’t mince words: “There will be coronavirus in the fall.”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
Research Roundup: Daily Aspirin; Sepsis And Antibiotics; 9/11 Responders’ Cancer; And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Dems Want Formal Coronavirus Protections For Workers As States Start To Ease Shut-Down Restrictions
So far, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has kept a low profile in the pandemic, leaving it up to employers to keep workers safe. But Democrats say that’s not going to cut it.
Nursing Home Testing Setback: Massachusetts Pauses Program As Inconsistent Results Surface
Nursing home news is from Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, California, and Maine, as well.
Hospitals’ Operating Margins Plummet In Hint Of Prolonged Financial Decline From Battling COVID-19
“We anticipate April will be significantly worse, and at this point, no one knows how long hospitals will continue on their current path,” said James Blake, author of a new report analyzing hospital revenue.
Media outlets report on news from Rhode Island, Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts, California, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada.
VA, Defense Department Open Access To Joint Information Exchange
The longterm goal is to create a single record that follows a patient from the start of military service through to veteran care. More news on technology comes from HHS’ decision to delay enforcement of data exchange rules and concerns about potential telemedicine fraud.
