Category: COVID-19

Despite Pandemic Threat, Gubernatorial Hopefuls Avoid COVID Nitty-Gritty

As the pandemic continues to cast shadows on everyday life, some candidates for governor are talking about everything except the specifics of how they would manage COVID-19 into the future.

Can Ordinary COVID Patients Get the Trump Treatment? It’s OK to Ask

If you or a loved one has COVID-19, here’s what to consider before seeking experimental treatments.

Health Care Groups Dive Into Property Tax Ballot Fight, Eyeing Public Health Money

Health care leaders say Proposition 15, a ballot initiative that would raise property taxes for large-business owners, could help boost revenue for chronically underfunded public health departments.

Most Home Health Aides ‘Can’t Afford Not to Work’ — Even When Lacking PPE

Home health aides flattened the curve by keeping the most vulnerable patients — seniors, the disabled, the infirm — out of hospitals. But they’ve done it mostly at poverty wages and without overtime pay, hazard pay, sick leave or health insurance.

Musicians Improvise Masks for Wind Instruments to Keep the Band Together

Instrumentalists in ensembles, marching bands and other groups are getting creative with pantyhose, air filters, fabric and sewing machines to reduce the risk of COVID without silencing the music.

Majority of Voters Tilt Toward Biden as Health Issues Weigh Heavily

More than 50% of people said they favor Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s approach to an array of health issues.

No, the WHO Didn’t Change Its Lockdown Stance or ‘Admit’ Trump Was Right

The World Health Organization has been consistent throughout the pandemic in communicating that lockdowns should be employed only when COVID-19 cases are high — to give governments and health systems time to redouble efforts. Forced closures should not be the primary strategy to combat coronavirus transmission.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats May Lose on SCOTUS, But Hope to Win on ACA

Barring something unexpected, Democrats in the Senate appear to lack the votes to block the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. So, instead they used the high-profile confirmation hearings to hammer on Republicans for again putting the Affordable Care Act in peril. Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, about public health challenges in dealing with COVID-19.

Sleepless Nights, Hair Loss and Cracked Teeth: Pandemic Stress Takes Its Toll

Reports are on the rise regarding excruciating headaches, stomach upsets for weeks on end, sudden outbreaks of shingles and flare-ups of autoimmune disorders. A common thread among the complaints, one that has been months in the making, is chronic stress.

COVID Crackdowns at Work Have Saved Black and Latino Lives, LA Officials Say

Strict enforcement of coronavirus protocols at factories and shops where some of the worst outbreaks have occurred has reduced the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID deaths and illness, say public health officials. They want to expand the effort by creating workplace safety councils.