Ships, Planes, Trains, Scooters All Need A Virus Wipe. But What Does A ‘Deep Clean’ Mean?
By Victoria Knight Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
March 17, 2020
KFF Health News Original
There is no universal protocol for a “deep clean” in trying to eradicate the novel coronavirus. Industries are tailoring sanitation efforts in accordance with what makes sense for them.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Protests And The Pandemic
June 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The outrage over the death of an African American man, George Floyd, after he was restrained and knelt on by Minneapolis police officers has sparked national protests, including in places where the coronavirus is still spreading. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s attempt to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization could have ramifications for Americans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Mary Agnes Carey of KHN and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews Jonathan Oberlander, a University of North Carolina health policy professor and the editor of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, about articles examining the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of health inequity and structural racism.
Looking For Answers After Coronavirus Contact? Welcome To The Gray Zone
By Laura Ungar
March 13, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The COVID-19 outbreak has spawned confusion among health officials, doctors and the public, especially for people who fall into the gray area for testing and deciding whether they need to quarantine themselves. Where to turn for answers about isolation and quarantine varies by locale. All this means agencies are sometimes delaying needed advice and giving people incorrect information.
And Then There Were Two: Biden, Sanders Debate With Coronavirus On Everyone’s Mind
By Emmarie Huetteman
March 16, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The candidates talked about their views on how this public health crisis should be managed. Though they disagreed on many points, they shared disapproval of the Trump administration’s response.
Trust, Fear and Solidarity Will Determine the Success of a COVID Vaccine
By Arthur Allen
August 17, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Polio terrified Americans, and in 1955, when Jonas Salk’s vaccine became available, they snapped it up like candy. Sixty-five years later, COVID is the latest dread virus, but many undercurrents could inhibit its acceptance.
Open (Your Wallet) Wide: Dentists Charge Extra For Infection Control
By Phil Galewitz
June 3, 2020
KFF Health News Original
A growing number of dental offices across the country are now charging patients an “infection control fee” of $10 to $20 to pay for masks, face shields, gowns and air purifiers to help keep the offices free of the coronavirus.
Pence Leaves Out Key Details About Health Coverage Of Coronavirus Testing
By Julie Appleby
March 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The vice president’s remarks are more proof that health care is complicated.
In Texas, More People Are Losing Their Health Insurance as COVID Cases Climb
By Ashley Lopez, KUT
July 28, 2020
KFF Health News Original
During the pandemic, nearly 700,000 additional Texans have lost health insurance. The Lone Star State already had more uninsured people than any other. It has given people with COVID symptoms pause before seeking medical care.
Montana’s Tribal Nations Preserve COVID Restrictions To Preserve Their Cultures
By Kathleen McLaughlin
June 5, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Some of Montana’s Native American nations are holding firm on coronavirus protections even as the rest of Montana reopens. They’ve got more at stake, they say, in protecting their elders who preserve their endangered culture.
In Shutting Out Threat, Seniors In Continuing Care Communities Feel Shut In
By Judith Graham
April 14, 2020
KFF Health News Original
For older adults in retirement communities ― a population especially vulnerable to COVID-19 — striking a balance between reducing the risk of contracting the coronavirus and maintaining the quality of life is a new frontier.
Bat Populations May Harbor Coronavirus Similar to SARS-CoV-2
November 10, 2021
Morning Briefing
A newly published study says researchers back in 2010 found a close cousin to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Cambodian bats. A fascinating French study suggests that having lingering long covid symptoms may have led participants to believe that they had COVID-19, when they did not. Other diseases, anxiety, or deconditioning related to the pandemic could be the cause of the symptoms, the study said.
Must-Reads of the Week From Lauren Olsen
By Lauren Olsen
July 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Newsletter editor Lauren Olsen wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Centros de salud comunitarios enfrentan al coronavirus, bajo presión financiera
By Will Stone
March 27, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Alrededor de 29 millones de personas en el país dependen de estos centros, que ofrecen atención médica a pacientes de bajos ingresos y sin seguro. Millones de latinos utilizan estas clínicas.
Under Financial Strain, Community Health Centers Ramp Up Coronavirus Response
By Will Stone
March 27, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Many of the nation’s safety-net clinics for low-income patients are having to turn their model of care upside down overnight to deal with the realities of the pandemic — a challenge both financially and logistically. Federal funding is on the way.
When It Comes To The New Coronavirus, Just Who Is A ‘Close Contact’?
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
February 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Health officials stress that the new coronavirus devastating mainland China continues to pose minimal risk in the United States. The exception involves people who have had “close contact” with someone infected with the virus. So what exactly is close contact?
As Coronavirus Cases Grow, So Does Scrutiny Of Nursing Home Infection Plans
By Jordan Rau
March 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, calls on state and federal health inspectors to focus on how facilities keep infections from spreading, especially in areas that have reported coronavirus cases.
Men Spread Coronavirus More Easily Than Women Or Kids, Study Finds
December 6, 2021
Morning Briefing
The reason is based in biology: It’s because men have bigger lungs. Loud talkers and singers also spread the virus more readily, the study showed. Other news on covid’s spread is from Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, counties that voted for Donald Trump and more.
Without a Pandemic Safety Net, Immigrants Living Illegally in US Fall Through the Cracks
By LJ Dawson
March 9, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Many undocumented immigrants are essential workers at high risk of exposure to the virus — and the pandemic’s economic crash — with no direct access to federal financial lifelines available to U.S. citizens.
Can the US Keep Covid Variants in Check? Here’s What It Takes
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
January 28, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The U.S. has fumbled almost every step of its public health response in its battle against covid-19. Experts say that must change if we’re going to outflank the variants emerging as the virus continues to mutate.
