Category: Public Health

Politics and Pandemic Fatigue Doom California’s Covid Vaccine Mandates

Even in deep-blue California, Democratic lawmakers pulled their proposed covid vaccine requirements before they had a vote. The lawmakers blamed the ebbs and flows of the coronavirus, the public’s short attention span, and opposition from public safety unions.

Misinformation on COVID-19 shots and pregnancy still widespread

Pregnancy-related misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine is still highly prevalent in the U.S., according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey published May 27.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Private Equity Is Everywhere in Health Care. Really.

Private equity companies are the house-flippers of the investment world, and they’ve found their way into many areas of our lives — including your local gastroenterologist’s office.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A(nother) Very Sad Week

Two mass shootings in two weeks — one at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 fourth graders and two teachers — have reignited the “guns-as-public-health-problem” debate. But political consensus seems as far away as ever. Meanwhile, the FDA is in the congressional hot seat over its handling of the infant formula shortage. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Richard Baron, head of the American Board of Internal Medicine, about how doctors should discipline colleagues who spread medical misinformation.

2 new findings on treating long COVID-19 symptoms

Vaccination protection from long COVID-19 and the use of a popular heart failure drug to treat symptoms have been the focus of two recent publications.

216 unusual hepatitis cases under review in US

The CDC is investigating 216 reports of unusual hepatitis cases among children in the U.S. as of May 25. 

226 monkeypox cases reported in 21 countries: 6 updates

Officials in 21 countries have confirmed 226 cases of monkeypox, according to a May 25 report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. 

California Schools Try to Outrace Covid Outbreaks

A covid outbreak on a field trip. Another at prom. Yet administrators are reluctant to expose their schools to legal challenges by again requiring masks for students and staffers. That leaves parents fretful and confused.

10 states projected to see largest COVID-19 case jumps by Memorial Day

South Carolina will see the greatest increase in its COVID-19 case rate of any U.S. state by Memorial Day, according to forecasts from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. 

As ‘Trigger Law’ Looms, New Clinic Preps to Provide Abortions in Conservative Bastion

A Wyoming clinic slated to open this summer would be the only one in the state to provide procedural abortions and the closest option for some people in surrounding states. But its fate is uncertain now that the Supreme Court looks poised to strike down Roe v. Wade.