Latest Morning Briefing Stories

As Coronavirus Patients Skew Younger, Tracing Task Seems All But Impossible

KFF Health News Original

Although younger people are hospitalized and die less frequently than their elders when infected with COVID-19, their cases are harder to trace. As a result, the virus is spreading uncontrollably throughout much of Southern California. Even hospital staffs are affected by community spread.

California School Districts Grope for Sensible Reopening Plans

KFF Health News Original

Some districts want to bring everyone back to the classroom and some are planning distance-only learning, while most others are settling on one of a variety of options in the middle. Whatever their leanings, they all face vast, troubling uncertainty.

You Can See Friends and Relatives During the Pandemic Surge — But Do It Carefully

KFF Health News Original

Even as most U.S. states and authorities reimpose many of the restrictions they had prematurely lifted, public health experts say you can still have a safe social life — just not the one you were used to before the pandemic hit.

COVID-Tracking Apps Proliferate, But Will They Really Help?

KFF Health News Original

Public health authorities had hoped digital technology would supplement the work of contact tracers seeking to control the spread of COVID-19. But technical uncertainties and public health failures have dimmed the apps’ potential.

‘Please Tell Me My Life Is Worth A LITTLE Of Your Discomfort,’ Nurse Pleads

KFF Health News Original

Health care workers on the front lines of the COVID crisis have spent exhausting months working and self-quarantining off-duty to keep from infecting others, including their families. Encountering people who indignantly refuse face coverings can feel like a slap in the face.

‘I Couldn’t Let Her Be Alone’: A Peaceful Death Amid the COVID Scourge

KFF Health News Original

For three years, staffers at UCLA Health have been quietly fulfilling final wishes for dying patients in the intensive care unit. Amid the isolating forces of the pandemic, their work has become all the more meaningful.

‘More Than Physical Health’: Gym Helps 91-Year-Old Battle Isolation

KFF Health News Original

For Art Ballard, the local gym was like his second home. The 91-year-old former jeweler relied on his near-daily workouts to stay healthy and for social interaction. But when California instituted its stay-at-home order, Ballard’s physical health suffered. So did his mental health.

Officials Seek To Shift Resources Away From Policing To Address Black ‘Public Health Crisis’

KFF Health News Original

Local governments around the country are declaring racism a public health crisis. That could be lip service, or it might lead to shifting resources from policing to health care, housing and other services, experts say.

As COVID Cases Spike, California Shifts Its Strategy

KFF Health News Original

Public health officials have been alarmed by the increase in COVID-19 cases linked to family gatherings and socializing. While Gov. Gavin Newsom is defending the state’s reopening, local health officials worry the situation could get worse this summer.

California Lawmakers Block Health Care Cuts

KFF Health News Original

State legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom have hammered out an agreement on a budget that rejects Newsom’s proposed cuts to health care services for older and low-income people.