Virus Behind Pneumonia-Like Illness In China Identified As Researchers Warily Watch For Signs Of An Outbreak
January 9, 2020
Morning Briefing
Researchers in China have “initially identified” the new virus, a coronavirus, as the pathogen behind a mysterious, pneumonia-like illness that has sickened 59 people in the city of Wuhan. It doesn’t appear to be spreading within humans rapidly, but scientists in the region are cautious even 17 years after the SARS outbreak.
Humans Lose Out To AI In Quickly Identifying An Outbreak, But What We Lack In Speed We Make Up For With Finesse
February 20, 2020
Morning Briefing
For now, AI disease-alert systems can still resemble car alarms — easily triggered and sometimes ignored. A network of medical sleuths must still do the hard work of sifting through rumors to piece together the fuller picture. In other news on the science behind the coronavirus outbreak: treatments, why the virus is lethal to a small few, “super spreading events,” vaccines, and more.
Hospitals That Want To Use Stimulus Funds For COVID-19 Patients Must Agree To No ‘Surprise’ Medical Bills
April 10, 2020
Morning Briefing
The stimulus bill includes $100 billion for the health care system to use to treat coronavirus patients, and the White House said hospitals that accept the grants will have to certify that they won’t try to collect more money than the patient would have otherwise owed if the medical attention had been provided in network. Meanwhile, lawmakers may use the next stimulus package to help address the broader issue of surprise medical bills. News outlets report on other insurance coverage and Medicaid developments, as well.
‘We’re Very Close’: WHO Teeters On Brink Of Deeming Outbreak A Pandemic, But Still Holds Back
March 10, 2020
Morning Briefing
For months, countries have been waiting for WHO to declare the coronavirus an outbreak, but the organization has refrained. “Unless we’re convinced it’s uncontrollable, why [would] we call it a pandemic?” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week. Many experts say that threshold has long been met. Meanwhile, Italy takes ever-more drastic steps to try to quell its outbreak.
The Fatality Rate Is Key To Addressing An Epidemic. But It’s Also Hard To Get An Accurate Count In Middle Of Crisis.
March 9, 2020
Morning Briefing
While WHO placed the coronavirus fatality rate at 3.4%, many experts think it’s much lower, closer to 1%. The problem is that it’s hard to get an accurate tally, especially with a virus like COVID-19 where many patients present with just a mild cough. In other news: a look at how the most severe cases in China were treated; the perils of touching your face; comparisons to the 1918 flu pandemic; and more.
Vaccine May Be Available In Limited Supply To Some Health Care Workers As Early As The Fall
March 24, 2020
Morning Briefing
Experts have consistently said it will likely take at least a year before any vaccine could be deployed widely, but Moderna officials said their version might be available under emergency-use authorization sooner than that. And after President Donald Trump touted the promising results of a malaria medication, there was a run on the drug and those who need it for reasons other than the coronavirus are facing shortages. Meanwhile, a man in Arizona died after taking the drug, highlighting the risk of promising miracle cures.
Trump Mulls Emergency Declaration As Travel Ban Is Panned By Public Health Experts As A Useless Distraction
March 13, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump has been hesitant to declare an emergency as it might contrast with his optimistic messaging in the early days of the crisis. Meanwhile, the travel ban he announced this week is criticized by public health experts. And, former Trump administration officials have been sounding the alarm even while their former colleagues project a rosy outlook. Media outlets also take a peek inside the White House’s slowly shifting views on the coronavirus outbreak.
All 50 States Have Confirmed Cases; U.S. Death Toll Surpasses 100
March 18, 2020
Morning Briefing
West Virginia was the last state to announce a confirmed case. According to the Johns Hopkins database, there are now 5,894 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, although many experts expect the actual number is far larger due to under-testing. The majority of people who have died were in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. The youngest were in their early or mid-50s. Meanwhile, researchers scramble to model an accurate prediction for the worst-case scenarios.
McConnell Vows Senate Will Work At ‘Warp Speed’ And Won’t Leave Washington Until Deal Is Passed
March 18, 2020
Morning Briefing
There’s reportedly a high-level of interest among Republicans to support the administration’s proposal to send checks to Americans to help stimulate the economy. The Senate will also take up, and expects to OK, a House-passed, $100 billion coronavirus stimulus bill referred to as “Phase 2.” Senate GOP aides said the bill could be through the chamber as early as Wednesday. Meanwhile, as industries scramble to get emergency money, Democrats try to stave off Congress writing business blank checks.
Gilead Bulks Up Operations In Case Its Promising Drug Proves Effective Against COVID-19
February 13, 2020
Morning Briefing
Gilead invented remdesivir several years ago and first developed it to treat Ebola. Although the treatment proved less effective than others in fighting Ebola, company researchers working with academic scientists found that remdesivir was effective in treating mice infected with another coronavirus. Meanwhile, other doctors and researchers are searching for existing drugs in hopes that they’ll land on one that’s effective against COVID-19.
How Do State, Local Health Departments Already Stretched To Capacity Accommodate A Pandemic?
February 28, 2020
Morning Briefing
The fragile state of the country’s public health defenses became clear this week as local and state officials brace for the coronavirus onslaught. “When it’s functioning properly, you’re not really sure what public health is doing. But then when there’s a crisis, you realize that it’s so important,” said Vit Kraushaar, the Southern Nevada Health District’s medical investigator. News focuses on how states are being impacted by the outbreak.
Public Health Experts’ Somber Tone Colliding With Trump’s Bombastic Style, Optimism Stoking Confusion All Around
March 6, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump has repeatedly misstated the number of Americans who have tested positive for the virus and claimed it would “miraculously” disappear in the spring, given a false timeline for the development of a vaccine, publicly questioned whether vaccinations for the flu could be used to treat the novel coronavirus and dismissed WHO’s death rate estimates. In a time when public faith in the government is critical to fighting panic and hysteria, experts worry the mixed messaging is doing anything but.
About Us
February 12, 2019
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KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with policy analysis and polling, KFF Health News is one of the three major operating programs at KFF. KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. KFF Health News reports on how the health […]
Worry Mounts For Health Workers On The Front Line As Outbreak Spreads
March 9, 2020
Morning Briefing
“It’s just not sustainable to think that every time a health care worker is exposed they have to be quarantined for 14 days. We’d run out of health care workers,” said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. But many are worried that the very people who will be working round-the-clock to help coronavirus patients are among the most vulnerable population for becoming infected. Experts are also worried about airport screeners.
Rush To Find Rooms, Care For Homeless: LA, Seattle Scramble To Protect Most Vulnerable
April 3, 2020
Morning Briefing
Advocates say relocating the nation’s estimated 560,000 homeless people to indoor shelters will connect them to health care services key to detecting and combating outbreaks. In Los Angeles, officials install hand-washing stations and try to spread the word about social distancing to people who are used to sharing. Other public health news is on easing blood-donation restrictions for gay men, disruptions in cancer treatments, primer on coronavirus vs. other ailments, mental health, and tracing how travelers quickly spread the virus, as well.
Death Toll In U.S. Rises To 11 Driven By Nursing Facility Outbreak; California Quarantines Cruise Ship After Passenger’s Death
March 5, 2020
Morning Briefing
California reported its first coronavirus death–a man who was elderly with underlying medical conditions and had been exposed to the illness while partaking in an international cruise. The case wasn’t discovered until the ship was back at sea. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency and won’t let the passengers disembark. The CDC is sending test kits out to the ship. Meanwhile, Washington reported another death tied to the outbreak in a Seattle-area nursing facility.
‘We Acted Like An Army’: How South Korea Mobilized Its Health Experts To Put Easy, Comprehensive Testing In Place
March 19, 2020
Morning Briefing
South Korea and the United States identified their first coronavirus patient on the same days. Weeks later, South Korea has managed to easily and quickly test hundreds of thousands of its citizens, giving it the ability to isolate positive cases. The United States is still floundering. Meanwhile, when asked why rich celebrities seem to have quick access to tests that normal Americans are still being denied, President Donald Trump shrugged off the concern. “Perhaps that’s been the story of life,” he said.
Urgent Health Challenges For 2020: WHO Cites Climate Change, Anti-Vaxxers As Deep Concerns Requiring Leaders To Work Together
January 15, 2020
Morning Briefing
“The list reflects a deep concern that leaders are not investing enough resources in core health priorities & systems, putting lives & economies in jeopardy,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted. Public health news is on China’s coronavirus, heart disease, exercise and health, weight loss, postpartum depression, X-ray protection, and home-care workers, as well.
Flattening The Curve And Social Distancing: Understanding The Drastic Measures That Experts Keep Talking About
March 11, 2020
Morning Briefing
Health experts have been vocal about how it is a make-it or break-it moment for America and that the outcome will rest on the country’s ability to “flatten the curve” of the spread of the disease by “social distancing.” What do those terms mean and what do they entail? Meanwhile, there’s a lot of comparison between the flu and the coronavirus, but they’re quite different illnesses. Scientists also take a look at the hardest-hit populations and how the fact that kids aren’t getting critically sick can help them better understand the virus.
Positive Signs Emerge From Patients Given Gilead’s Remdesivir, But Good News Muted By Limited Scope Of Trial
April 17, 2020
Morning Briefing
“The best news is that most of our patients have already been discharged, which is great. We’ve only had two patients perish,” said Kathleen Mullane, of the University of Chicago, in a video obtained by Stat. The antiviral had been singled out in the early days as one that might offer the most hope as a coronavirus treatment. But the trial does not include what’s known as a control group, so it will be difficult to say whether the drug is truly helping patients recover better. In other pharmaceutical news: the dangerous rush to approve hydroxychloroquine; a look at where all treatment studies stand; herbal remedies growing in popularity; and more.
