The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response awarded $21 million to 13 healthcare facilities to help fight against special pathogens, like COVID-19.
Category: Public Health
CDC eyes oral polio vaccine not used in 20 years to halt New York outbreak
The CDC is considering the use of a novel oral polio vaccine that uses a live virus strain to stop an outbreak in New York, agency officials told CNBC in an Oct. 21 report. The vaccine has not been used in more than two decades.
‘Escape variants’ account for 16% of US COVID-19 cases: 10 updates
Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — dubbed ‘escape variants’ for their immune evasiveness — are gaining prevalence and now account for more than 16 percent of all COVID-19 cases confirmed in the U.S., according to the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker…
More than 1,600 people hospitalized for flu last week: 7 FluView notes
For the week ending Oct. 15, 1,674 patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza were admitted to a hospital, according to the CDC’s latest FluView report.
CDC’s push for quicker public health messaging faces obstacles
The CDC’s new plan to accelerate its response to health threats and simplify public messaging is already facing roadblocks, Politico reported Oct. 21
COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in New York as BQ.1 spreads
Health experts are carefully watching COVID-19 trends in New York amid signs the nation will face a winter surge. The state has seen an increase in hospitalizations over the last month.
Drivers in Decline: A Shortage of Volunteers Complicates Access to Care in Rural America
Public transit is already insufficient in rural areas, leaving residents with few options as they travel greater distances to access health care. But older residents who depend on volunteer drivers to get them to appointments face another challenge: The number of those volunteers is declining.
Awaiting Voters’ Decision on Abortion, When Medicine and Politics Collide
As Michigan and several other states await voters’ verdicts on ballot measures about abortion, the providers, patients, and activists on both sides strategize their next steps.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Biden Hits the Road to Sell Democrats’ Record
With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, President Joe Biden has taken to the road to convince voters that he and congressional Democrats have delivered for them during two years in power. Among the health issues highlighted by the administration this week are pandemic preparedness and the availability of over-the-counter hearing aids. The president also promised to sign a bill codifying the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade if Democrats maintain control of the House and Senate — even though it’s a long shot that there will be enough votes for that. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Black Death survivors likely passed down gene that raises autoimmune disease risk: study
People who survived the bubonic plague in parts of Europe had mutations in their genes that likely offered protection against the disease, but those same mutations passed down to survivors’ descendants may increase the risk of autoimmune disease, resea…
