Latest Morning Briefing Stories
The Gender Vaccine Gap: More Women Than Men Are Getting Covid Shots
A KHN examination of state vaccine statistics shows that more women than men have gotten covid vaccines. Experts cite demographic realities of those who were part of the initial rollout but also women’s greater likelihood to seek preventive health care.
Colleges and Universities Plan for Normal-ish Campus Life in the Fall
Universities need full dorms and dining halls to make back some of the estimated $183 billion in losses they’ve suffered over a year of remote education. The hope is widespread vaccination will keep covid chaos to a minimum.
Journalists Dive Deep Into Roots of Vaccine Distrust in Prisons and Covid’s Toll on Public Health
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Battle Brews Over Neutral Zone Where Border-Crossing Parties Rendezvous, Risking Infection
Peace Arch Park on the U.S.-Canadian border has become a rare place where families and friends on either side of the border can see one another in person. But it raises questions on covid safety as the two countries handle the pandemic differently.
Analysis: How the US Invested in the War on Terrorism at the Cost of Public Health
After 9/11, as our defenses against international and bioterrorism hardened, our defenses against infectious diseases shrank. By the time a deadly virus arrived on our shores last year, nearly two-thirds of Americans were living in counties that spend more than twice as much on policing as they spend on public health.
‘Press 1 for English’: Vaccination Sign-Ups Prove Daunting for Speakers of Other Languages
In Virginia, if you called 1-877-VAX-IN-VA to register for a vaccine and wanted help in a language other than English or Spanish, the system might hang up on you.
The Hype Has Faded, but Don’t Count Out Convalescent Plasma in Covid Battle
The once-promising therapy that infuses blood plasma from recovered covid-19 patients into newly infected people, theoretically to boost immunity, has suffered setbacks. But some proponents say it’s too early to abandon the treatment.
El caso de la donación de vacunas contra covid estadounidenses al extranjero
Expertos felicitan las acciones de la administración Biden con las vacunas de covid, pero creen que en los próximos meses debería haber un enfoque global para que el mundo esté innmunizado.
The Case for Donating US Covid Vaccines Overseas
For now, there’s not enough vaccine for the U.S., but that could change within a few months. Vaccinating other nations will be key to stopping the pandemic – and keeping it away from our shores.
Landmark Covid Relief Law Pumps More Than $100 Billion Into Public Health
The law provides money to enhance coronavirus testing and contact tracing, support federal efforts on vaccine distribution and hire more public health workers. But advocates worry support will wane when the pandemic is over.
Altruistas ayudan a desconocidos a conseguir citas para vacunarse contra covid
A lo largo del país, los grupos de voluntarios están siendo vitales para expandir la vacunación entre personas de bajos ingresos, discapacitadas y aisladas.
Vaccine Altruists Find Appointments for Those Who Can’t
An army of volunteers help people who otherwise would have had difficulty securing a covid vaccination because of cumbersome computer or telephone registration systems.
Biden’s Criticism of Trump Team’s Vaccine Contracts Is a Stretch
Under the Trump administration, the U.S. had agreed to buy at least 1 billion doses of covid vaccine, enough to vaccinate 550 million people. Those agreements, though, applied to vaccines that were authorized as well as those still in development. And the Biden team had the advantage of 20/20, experts say.
Coronavirus Deranges the Immune System in Complex and Deadly Ways
Researchers are testing treatments to overcome autoimmune reactions that begin when the body’s defenses respond to the coronavirus.
Have a Case of a Covid Variant? No One Is Going to Tell You
As experts race to get an approved test for covid variants, officials are severely restricted from sharing information about the cases. That makes it harder to protect others.
Religiosos enferman de covid mientras confortan a enfermos y moribundos
Esta labor espiritual es la clave del trabajo de los capellanes de los hospitales, pero puede exponerlos a la propagación de virus en el aire o, a veces, a través del tacto.
Covid Strikes Clergy as They Comfort Pandemic’s Sick and Dying
Spiritual leaders risk their own lives and health to tend to covid’s victims and their loved ones.
To Vaccinate Veterans, Health Care Workers Must Cross Mountains, Plains and Tundra
Veterans Affairs officials are flying COVID-19 vaccines to remote locations in Montana and Alaska to quickly inoculate rural veterans before the drugs expire.
Prominent Scientists Call on CDC to Better Protect Workers From Covid
The academics insist that more workers should get top-rated N95 masks, the best defense against airborne coronavirus particles.
As Pandemic Surged, Contact Tracing Struggled; Biden Looks to Boost It
Reaching people who may have been in contact with covid patients has helped cut the number of infections, but these tracing efforts become less effective as the number of cases grows.
