Category: COVID-19

Attendance Plummets at LA Covid Vaccination Events

Across Los Angeles County, few people are showing up at covid vaccination drives even though nearly 2 million residents remain unvaccinated.

How the Test-to-Treat Pillar of the US Covid Strategy Is Failing Patients

The federal “test-to-treat” program was designed to be a one-stop shop for people to get tested for covid and to receive treatment. But as covid cases rise again, many communities have no participating locations, and website bugs make it difficult to book an appointment at the biggest participant.

A Year In, Montana’s Rolled-Back Public Health Powers Leave Some Areas in Limbo

Montana lawmakers stripped authority from local health boards, leading to power struggles between cities and counties and leaving public health officers to wonder to whom they answer.

Biden Administration Announces Boost for Rural Health Care in Midterm Election Push

President Joe Biden’s Cabinet members are fanning out across the county to promote benefits coming to rural America from covid relief and infrastructure legislation.

When Symptoms Linger for Weeks, Is It Long Covid?

Patients with symptoms that last three to 12 weeks after an acute covid infection should adopt a “watchful waiting” approach to recovery, an expert says. Keep in contact with a primary care doctor and take it easy.

Colorado Moves Toward Statewide Coverage of Wastewater Surveillance

Colorado was among the first states to embrace wastewater testing to track the coronavirus, an important public heath intervention that can give early warning of outbreaks.

New Laws Let Visitors See Loved Ones in Health Care Facilities, Even in an Outbreak

To contain the spread of covid, hospitals and nursing homes barred visits. The separation and isolation took a toll on patients and families. Florida is one of the latest states to ensure access for visitors.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Finally, a Fix for the ‘Family Glitch’

week to announce a new policy for the Affordable Care Act that would make subsidies available to more families with unaffordable employer coverage. Meanwhile, Congress struggled to find a compromise for continued federal funding of covid-19 vaccines, testing, and treatments. Tami Luhby of CNN, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

A Shortfall of ECMO Treatment Cost Lives During the Delta Surge

About 50% of the covid-19 patients who got the last-ditch life support treatment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center died. Researchers wanted to know what happened to the many patients they had to turn away because ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machines and the specialized staffers needed were in short supply. The grim answer: 90% of those turned away perished.

Losing Sleep Over the Pandemic? Work Flexibility May Be a Boon for Night Owls’ Health

Many sleep scientists maintain that people who prefer to stay up late could improve their mental and physical health by synchronizing their natural sleep cycles with workday demands. The flexible work schedules that came with covid’s work-from-home trend, according to one new study, backs up this idea.