Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Dispelling Vaccine Misinformation and Myths in California’s Breadbasket

KFF Health News Original

Even though farmworkers are vulnerable to covid, many hesitate to get the vaccine, worried the shot could have severe side effects or signal their whereabouts to immigration officials. Immigrant advocates in the Coachella Valley and other farming regions are visiting workers to try to allay their fears.

Disipando información errónea y mitos sobre las vacunas en la región agrícola de California

KFF Health News Original

Aunque los trabajadores agrícolas son vulnerables al covid, muchos dudan en recibir la vacuna, preocupados de que pueda tener efectos secundarios graves o que pueda revelar su paradero a los funcionarios de inmigración.

100 Million Covid Shots in 100 Days Doesn’t Get Us Back to Normal

KFF Health News Original

President Joe Biden’s promise to reach this milestone is an important step forward in vaccine rollout. But it is only the beginning of the sweeping vaccination effort required.

Los casos prolongados de covid arrojan nueva luz sobre la fatiga crónica

KFF Health News Original

Se desconoce la causa de la fatiga crónica, pero múltiples estudios han encontrado que puede resultar de infecciones agudas por virus, desde la Gripe Española de 1918 hasta el Ébola.

Long-Haul Covid Cases Cast New Light on Chronic Fatigue Sufferers

KFF Health News Original

Both conditions are linked to viral infections in ways that are poorly understood. But the outpouring of sympathy — and research dollars — produced by “long covid” has given hope to those who struggled in the past to gain sympathy for their symptoms.

In Philadelphia, a Scandal Erupts Over Vaccination Startup Led by 22-Year-Old

KFF Health News Original

City officials gave coronavirus vaccines to Philly Fighting Covid, whose brash CEO had no health care experience. After a WHYY investigation, the city cut ties with the group over alleged mismanagement.

Head-Scratching Over Newsom’s Choice of Blue Shield to Lead Vaccination Push

KFF Health News Original

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s surprising choice of Blue Shield to lead the state’s covid vaccination effort raised questions about the role politics played in the decision — and whether the insurer is up to the task.

When Your Chance for a Covid Shot Comes, Don’t Worry About the Numbers

KFF Health News Original

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine that the FDA cleared Saturday was 66% effective overall in preventing moderate to severe covid, while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were more than 90% effective. But the numbers aren’t exactly comparable. And all three shots prevent hospitalization and death.

Tampa’s Mayor vs. a Covid-Era Super Bowl

KFF Health News Original

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor — an outspoken former cop — has clashed repeatedly with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has limited what local officials can do to confront the pandemic. But she reached an uneasy peace with the state and is convinced that safeguards instituted by the NFL will help keep crowds safe at the NFL championship game.

Food Guidelines Change but Fail to Take Cultures Into Account

KFF Health News Original

For decades, the federal government has tried to guide our eating habits. They once again revised recommendations, but they didn’t incorporate ethnic and cultural differences of the American diet. Here’s why.

Kids Already Coping With Mental Disorders Spiral as Pandemic Topples Vital Support Systems

KFF Health News Original

Many children with serious emotional or behavioral difficulties depend on schools for access to vital therapies. When schools and doctors’ offices stopped providing in-person services last spring, kids became untethered.

As Vaccine Rollout Expands, Black Americans Still Left Behind

KFF Health News Original

Covid vaccines are reaching more Americans, but Black residents are being vaccinated at dramatically lower rates in the 23 states where data is publicly available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to release national data next week.

Vaccination Chaos in California Fuels Push to Recall Gov. Newsom

KFF Health News Original

The growing public backlash over California’s messy vaccine rollout is putting immense pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom, a first-term Democrat facing a Republican-driven recall effort.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Long Road to Unwinding Trump Health Policies

KFF Health News Original

President Joe Biden signed a pair of health-related executive orders this week that would, among other things, reopen enrollment under the Affordable Care Act and start to reverse former President Donald Trump’s anti-abortion policies. Meanwhile, Congress remains bogged down with taking up the next round of covid-19 relief. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Shefali Luthra of The 19th 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.

Nuevos casos de Covid caen un 25% o más a medida que cambian conductas

KFF Health News Original

Expertos dicen que la caída puede estar relacionada con el creciente temor al virus después que alcanzara niveles récord, así como con la esperanza de vacunarse pronto.

¿Puede Estados Unidos controlar las nuevas mutaciones de covid?

KFF Health News Original

Cuando una mutación hace sonar las alarmas de salud pública, normalmente se debe a que se ha combinado con otras mutaciones y, en conjunto, ha cambiado la forma en que se comporta el virus.

Huge Gaps in Vaccine Data Make It Next to Impossible to Know Who Got the Shots

KFF Health News Original

Details about race, ethnicity and occupation are often missing as data collected nationally is scattered across scores of digital systems that don’t connect. And the CDC doesn’t require vaccinators to report occupations of recipients, even though the order in which people get shots largely depends on their job.