The Biden administration has asked Congress to allocate $22.5 billion more for pandemic relief. But the funding is stalled and the effects are already being felt.
Category: NPR
Even with risky survival rate, shortages of ECMO machines cost lives, study finds
For COVID patients, ECMO is a last-ditch respiratory treatment in which only about half survive. Yet a new small study suggests many lives would still have been saved if there had been more machines.
The FDA is expected to authorize 2nd boosters for people 50 and up
People aged 50 and over could soon be eligible for a second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID vaccine booster. The administration wants to offer the shots as immunity from the first booster is waning.
States pass laws to guarantee rights to visit patients, even during a pandemic
During the pandemic, nursing homes and hospitals often banned visitors, often for months. Although restrictions have eased, some states are passing “right to visit” laws for future pandemics.
Former nurse found guilty in accidental injection death of 75-year-old patient
RaDonda Vaught’s conviction could lead to years in prison. It’s a rare case of a medical mistake being deemed a crime, and many worry it will have a chilling effect on the entire nursing profession.
The COVID fund for the uninsured is shutting down, which will likely drive spread
Congress failed to approve billions in new funding to fight COVID-19. Among threatened program cuts are free treatments for COVID patients who are uninsured.
The case of the $489,000 air ambulance ride
Diagnosed with aggressive leukemia on a Western trip, a young man thought his insurance would cover an air ambulance ride home to North Carolina. Instead, he got stuck with an astronomical bill.
Evidence grows that vaccines lower the risk of getting long COVID
Though findings are preliminary, many studies suggest that vaccinated people have good protection against the condition, although just how much is still up for debate.
In nurse’s trial, witness says hospital bears ‘heavy’ responsibility for patient death
Nashville nurse RaDonda Vaught is on trial for reckless homicide for giving the wrong medication to a patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Idaho prepares to ban most abortions in the state as governor signs Texas-style law
Barring legal challenges, Idaho’s law is scheduled to take effect in about a month. It bans most abortions after about six weeks and allows health care providers to be sued.
