Most Home Health Aides ‘Can’t Afford Not to Work’ — Even When Lacking PPE

Home health aides flattened the curve by keeping the most vulnerable patients — seniors, the disabled, the infirm — out of hospitals. But they’ve done it mostly at poverty wages and without overtime pay, hazard pay, sick leave or health insurance.

No, the WHO Didn’t Change Its Lockdown Stance or ‘Admit’ Trump Was Right

The World Health Organization has been consistent throughout the pandemic in communicating that lockdowns should be employed only when COVID-19 cases are high — to give governments and health systems time to redouble efforts. Forced closures should not be the primary strategy to combat coronavirus transmission.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats May Lose on SCOTUS, But Hope to Win on ACA

Barring something unexpected, Democrats in the Senate appear to lack the votes to block the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. So, instead they used the high-profile confirmation hearings to hammer on Republicans for again putting the Affordable Care Act in peril. Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, about public health challenges in dealing with COVID-19.

Sleepless Nights, Hair Loss and Cracked Teeth: Pandemic Stress Takes Its Toll

Reports are on the rise regarding excruciating headaches, stomach upsets for weeks on end, sudden outbreaks of shingles and flare-ups of autoimmune disorders. A common thread among the complaints, one that has been months in the making, is chronic stress.

COVID Crackdowns at Work Have Saved Black and Latino Lives, LA Officials Say

Strict enforcement of coronavirus protocols at factories and shops where some of the worst outbreaks have occurred has reduced the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID deaths and illness, say public health officials. They want to expand the effort by creating workplace safety councils.

Making Money Off Masks, COVID-Spawned Chain Store Aims to Become Obsolete

A new chain of stores is spreading in malls across America, just like the disease that is giving it business. COVID-19 Essentials is selling masks and all the gear needed to stay safe — and the owner can’t wait to go out of business.

‘No Mercy’ Chapter 3: Patchwork of Urgent Care Frays After a Rural Hospital Closes

Fort Scott, Kansas, went without an ER for 18 days, after the local hospital shut down. Documenting local trauma during that “dark period” helped investigative reporter Sarah Jane Tribble unravel some of the complications that come after a rural hospital closes.

Black Doctors Work to Make Coronavirus Testing More Equitable

The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium has increased access to coronavirus testing in the Philadelphia region, testing more than 10,000 people. The group’s mobile unit and pop-up testing sites also offer patients an opportunity to connect with African American health care providers.

New Moms Behind Bars Get Help From Someone Who’s Been There

Nina Porter of Indiana spent most of her adulthood behind bars, even raising an infant daughter in prison. Now out of prison, she’s drawing on her struggles to create a program that helps other moms get by in a sometimes unwelcoming post-prison world.

With Senate Control at Stake, Trump and COVID Haunt Ernst’s Fight to Keep Her Seat

In less than six years, Sen. Joni Ernst has gone from being a rising star in the Republican Party to running neck and neck against a political newcomer. A poll last month showed more than 1 in 3 Iowa voters think Ernst’s relationship to President Donald Trump is “too close,”  and her comments about the coronavirus death toll sparked a backlash.