Swamped by thousands of calls a day, contact tracing programs have been forced to adapt. Even though they can’t call everyone, experts say it’s too early to give up on this pillar of disease control.
Category: NPR
Inside an Oregon hospital, here’s what it takes to provide care through the chaos
Salem Health in Oregon is a major hospital, but the omicron onslaught has strained the staff like never before. Still, they show up. For the patients, and for each other. And some see signs of hope.
Why remdesivir, a highly effective treatment, is a last resort for providers
The antiviral infusion was just revived as an early treatment for COVID patients. But the drug is relatively expensive and hard to administer, relegating it what some are calling “stopgap” status.
For rural hospitals, the surge of COVID patients can have deadly consequences
The omicron surge has clogged up the health care system, from the ICU to the ER. The consequences are huge for smaller hospitals and, in some cases, it has led to irreparable harm.
Canadian officials weigh how they can respond to the truck protests
Huge protests involving trucks and other large vehicles have been disrupting life in Ottawa and other Canadian cities. The protesters are calling for an end to COVID-19 public health mandates.
There’s a critical shortage of nursing home staff
With the omicron variant causing a surge of COVID-19 infections in assisted living facilities, more staff are having to stay at home, making the jobs of those still working a lot harder.
Judge halts Virginia governor’s opt-out school mask order — for now
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order that sought to allow parents to opt out of classroom mask mandates was one of the first actions he took after his inauguration Jan. 15.
Nurses can earn much more as traveling nurses. But the job comes at another cost
A nurse who left her hospital job for much higher wages as a traveling nurse found the lifestyle hard on her family. But permanent jobs but those don’t pay much better than they did pre-pandemic.
Therapists say a new law requiring upfront cost estimates could discourage patients
Some mental health providers object to the new requirement, which is part of the No Surprises Act. They say giving detailed cost estimates could discourage patients from getting care.
Hospitals ask Biden administration to help lower the soaring cost of travel nurses
It’s now been a year since the American Hospital Association alleged price gouging and asked the White House to investigate and act. Bidding wars among states have only escalated.
