Category: COVID-19

California’s Vaccine Appointment Website Has Glitches. No Surprise?

Experts give poor usability ratings to My Turn, the new statewide sign-up app for covid vaccination. But with so many problems plaguing the vaccination effort, it seems unreasonable to have expected this one to work perfectly.

Firefighters — ‘Health Care Providers on a Truck’ — Signal Pandemic Burnout

Grappling with stagnant pay and a lack of personal protective equipment, firefighters are even more frustrated to find they are lower down the vaccine priority list than health care workers despite serving on the front lines of the medical system.

One School District’s Struggle Over Public Health, Parents and Politics

California officials have been leery of reopening schools without tight protocols, a position favored by teachers unions that has met growing flak from local officials and parents. In Roseville, a suburb of Sacramento, the struggle has come to a head.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Good and Not-So-Good News on Covid

The FDA authorized the emergency use of a one-shot vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson, which could help accelerate the pace of vaccinations to prevent covid-19. But after a dramatic decline, case numbers are again rising, and several states are rolling back public health mitigation efforts. Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Jordan Rau about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode.

Kaiser Permanente, Big Player in California Vaccine Effort, Has Had Trouble Vaccinating Own Members

Older patients in several states where the California-based managed care giant operates complain they’ve had difficulty scheduling appointments and spotty communication from the health system. Some report it’s getting better, though.

Accidentally Trashed, Thawed or Expired: Reports of Covid Vaccine Spoilage

As the speed of covid vaccinations picks up, so do the reports of doses going to waste. Health officials are trying to rein in waste without slowing down vaccinations.

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.

Reopening of Long-Term Care Facilities Is ‘an Absolute Necessity for Our Well-Being’

Relatives and advocates are calling for federal authorities to relax restrictions in long-term care institutions and grant special status to “essential caregivers” — family members or friends who provide critically important hands-on care — so they have the opportunity to tend to relatives in need.

Children’s Hospitals Grapple With Young Covid ‘Long Haulers’

Pediatric hospitals are creating clinics for the increasing number of children reporting lingering covid symptoms similar to those that plague some adults long after they have recovered.

In California, Caregivers of People With Disabilities Are Being Turned Away at COVID Vaccine Sites

Parents and caregivers of people with disabilities in California are supposed to be near the front of the line for the covid-19 vaccine. But some are hitting roadblocks at vaccination sites.