Category: COVID-19

Geography Is Destiny: Dentists’ Access to Covid Shots Depends on Where They Live

A handful of states are making dentists a lower priority than other health professionals for inoculations, even though they have their hands in people’s mouths and are exposed to aerosols that spray germs in their faces.

5 Reasons to Wear a Mask Even After You’re Vaccinated

Vaccination, face coverings and physical distancing are essential parts of a team effort against the coronavirus.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: On Capitol Hill, Actions Have Consequences

Several large business groups, including health industry organizations, are cutting off contributions to Republicans who voted against the certification of Joe Biden’s election even after riots shut down the Capitol on Jan. 6. Meanwhile, the outgoing Trump administration not only approved a Medicaid block grant for Tennessee, but also made it difficult for the incoming Biden administration to undo. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Victoria Knight about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode.

In Search of a Baby, I Got Covid Instead

As the pandemic raged, I made dozens of visits to a fertility clinic. Did I catch covid on one of those visits? I’ll never know, but the guilt is still there.

Delicate Covid Vaccines Slow Rollout — Leading to Shots Given Out of Turn or, Worse, Wasted

“Let rest. Do not shake. Do not refreeze.” Moderna’s vaccine comes with complicated instructions. And both available vaccines are good for only six hours once the vial is open. So at day’s end, health workers are left to either throw out precious doses or get shots into any arm that’s available.

California Counties ‘Flying the Plane as We Build It’ in a Plodding Vaccine Rollout

In California, the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history is run largely by the same overworked and underfunded local health departments tasked with covid-19 testing and contact tracing. It’s a daunting undertaking as the pandemic continues to surge.

Vaccination Disarray Leaves Seniors Confused About When They Can Get a Shot

As covid cases and deaths soar, it’s difficult to get up-to-date, reliable information about inoculations, and many older adults don’t know where to turn for help. Navigating Aging columnist Judith Graham answers questions from several readers.

Are You Old Enough to Get Vaccinated? In Tennessee, They’re Using the Honor System

In most Tennessean counties, residents currently eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine are health care workers, long-term care residents and people 75 and older. But don’t expect strict enforcement.

Feeling Left Out: Private Practice Doctors, Patients Wonder When It’s Their Turn for Vaccine

Doctors say some patients, and even medical staff members, don’t know where to go to be vaccinated against covid-19.

Hospitals’ Rocky Rollout of Covid Vaccine Sparks Questions of Fairness

The lack of a federal strategy on how distribution should work at the local level means that states, hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies are making decisions on their own about who gets vaccinated and when.