Category: Public Health

The discrepancies behind recent COVID-19 hospitalization, death data

Holiday disruptions are likely behind discrepancies in COVID-19 data that have emerged in the last few weeks, according to health experts. The nation’s daily average for hospitalizations has fallen by about 15 percent over the last two weeks, data from…

St. Louis Children's hospital saw 50% rise in patients with gun injuries amid pandemic

In the first two years of the pandemic, St. Louis Children’s Hospital saw the average number of children and teens needing treatment for gunshot wounds increase by 50 percent, St. Louis Public Radio reported Jan. 18. 

HHS' oversight of pathogen research is lacking, report finds

HHS does not have a strong framework in place to adequately monitor research involving potential pandemic pathogens, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a Jan. 18 report. 

Hybrid immunity offers one year of protection against COVID-19 recurrence: Study

Hybrid immunity, the combination of COVID-19 recovery and immunization, provides up to 12 months of protection against severe reinfection or hospitalization, according to a study published in The Lancet on Jan. 18. 

Readers and Tweeters Diagnose Greed and Chronic Pain Within US Health Care System

KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

'Tripledemic' has peaked, CDC data suggests

The weekly rate of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus peaked in early December, new CDC data shows. 

What Older Americans Need to Know About Taking Paxlovid

Covid-19 continues to hit seniors with disproportionate severity. Experts say Paxlovid is an effective therapy that is being underprescribed for people 65 and older.

Numbers Don’t Lie. Biden Kept His Promise on Improving Obamacare.

KHN has teamed up with our partners at PolitiFact to monitor 100 key promises made by Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign — including those surrounding the Affordable Care Act.

Proportion of Americans delaying medical care over cost hits a high: Gallup

Thirty-eight percent of Americans said they put off medical treatment in 2022 because of the cost, according to a Gallup poll published Jan. 17. This marks a 12 percentage point increase from those who said the same a year earlier, and the highest sinc…

COVID-19 admissions dip as XBB.1.5 spreads 

Although the highly transmissible omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is gaining prevalence nationwide, COVID-19 cases are flat and hospitalizations have dipped. The data suggests the U.S. will see more of a COVID-19 “bump” this winter versus a full-fledged sur…