Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Do-It-Yourself Contact Tracing Is a ‘Last Resort’ in Communities Besieged by Covid
Covid-19 cases are spreading so fast that they’re outpacing the contact-tracing capacities of some local health departments. Faced with mounting caseloads, those departments are asking people who test positive for the coronavirus to do their own contact tracing.
As the Vulnerable Wait, Some Political Leaders’ Spouses Get Covid Vaccines
Spouses of governors and federal leaders are getting early access to scarce doses of covid-19 vaccines. Some officials have argued their inoculation sets an example for the public and shows the vaccines to be safe and effective. But critics say those doses should go to more vulnerable people first.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Georgia Turns the Senate Blue
Democratic victories in two runoff elections in Georgia will give Democrats control of the Senate starting Jan. 20, which means they will be in charge of both houses of Congress and the White House for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, covid continues to run rampant while vaccine distribution lags. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
San Francisco Wrestles With Drug Approach as Death and Chaos Engulf Tenderloin
Covid-19, distrust of police and cheap narcotics have turned parts of the wealthy city into cesspools of filth and drug overdose. City officials and residents profoundly disagree on what needs to be done.
In Los Angeles and Beyond, Oxygen Is the Latest Covid Bottleneck
The oxygen delivery infrastructure is crumbling under pressure in Los Angeles and other covid hot spots, jeopardizing patients’ access to precious air and limiting hospital turnover.
Listen: How Operation Warp Speed Became a Slow Walk
KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal discusses the bottlenecks in distributing covid vaccines on NPR’s “On My Mind” podcast with host Diane Rehm.
Black Women Find Healing (But Sometimes Racism, Too) in the Outdoors
A Colorado woman formed an adventure group to encourage other Black women to enjoy the outdoors, and now it has chapters across the U.S. and Canada. Yet many Black adventure seekers say they often face racism when partaking in healthy outdoor activities.
La pandemia de covid-19 está devastando a los profesionales de salud de color
Las personas de color representan aproximadamente el 65% de las muertes en los casos en los que hay datos registrados de raza y etnia.
Eureka! Two Vaccines Work — But What About the Also-Rans in the Pharma Arms Race?
How two effective vaccines on the market make it so much harder to quickly test any competing vaccines.
Covid ‘Decimated Our Staff’ as the Pandemic Ravages Health Workers of Color
Covid-19 has taken an outsize toll on Black and Hispanic Americans — and those disparities extend to medical workers.
La creciente invasión de entornos naturales a medida que aumenta la población mundial hace que la pregunta sea cuándo ocurrirá otra pandemia mortal, no si ocurrirá.
As long as humans encroach on nature, pandemics are inevitable — making it important to concentrate resources in areas where people and wildlife are linked.
‘Last Responders’ Brace for Surge in Covid Deaths Across US
In some parts of the country, the surge in covid cases is overwhelming coroners, morgues, funeral homes and religious leaders. It has required ingenuity and even changed the rituals of honoring the dead.
Live Free or Die if You Must, Say Colorado Urbanites — But Not in My Hospital
In a fracas between a largely rural county and neighboring cities, class and politics are just as relevant as the coronavirus. People are getting “stupid and mean,” as one mayor put it.
In Fast-Moving Pandemic, Health Officials Try to Change Minds at Warp Speed
It typically takes years of persuasion to change habits in the name of health safety. Local officials who are stuck with the responsibility of enforcing statewide pandemic-related mandates are trying to transform behavior fast.
Analysis: Some Said the Vaccine Rollout Would Be a ‘Nightmare.’ They Were Right.
There are already signs that the distribution of the COVID vaccines will be messy, confusing and chaotic.
More Than 2,900 Health Care Workers Died This Year — And the Government Barely Kept Track
The National Academy of Sciences cites journalists’ “Lost on the Frontline” project in a push to expand federal tracking of worker fatalities.
As the Terror of COVID Struck, Health Care Workers Struggled to Survive. Thousands Lost the Fight.
At least 2,900 health workers have died since the pandemic began. Many were minorities with the highest levels of patient contact.
Retiree Living the RV Dream Fights $12,387 Nightmare Lab Fee
A gynecologist in Carlsbad, New Mexico, tested the 60-year-old grandmother for various sexually transmitted infections without her knowledge. Her share of the lab fee was more than $3,000.
COVID Vaccines Appear Safe and Effective, but Key Questions Remain
The federal government expects vaccinations to be available to everyone who wants them by summer — though glitches are inevitable. If enough of us get vaccinated, we could wave goodbye to the pandemic in 2021.
