Category: states

If the Unvaccinated Want to Work, They Face a Series of Hurdles

As employers create safety protocols for workers who refuse vaccination, we ask experts if they really work. Or is the point to pressure employees into getting a shot?

Covid Politics and Fatigue Work Against Contact-Tracing Foot Soldiers

Local health officials find themselves once again behind the covid curve as the delta variant drives their case counts. With resources already stretched, along with the politicization of covid-19, county and state health departments in places like Missouri and Texas are making tough calls on whom to trace.

To Stoke Rural Vaccination Rates, Trusted Farmers Are Asked to Spread Word

Rural health experts are calling on trusted agricultural leaders — like farmers and ranchers — to use their understanding of science and nudge vaccine-hesitant neighbors to roll up their sleeves for a covid shot. But some farmers say they doubt they can change anyone’s mind.

Science Shows Mask-Wearing Is Largely Safe for Children

Scientists have found little evidence that the kind of masks worn by students negatively affect oxygen or carbon dioxide levels.

Have Vaccines, Will Travel: On the Road With a Covid Entrepreneur

While many businesses scaled back at the height of the pandemic, one Montana man used covid-19 to open his own mobile pharmacy. He’s now bringing covid shots to Montana’s vaccine deserts while filling his wallet. But he cannot fill all the vaccination gaps.

Have Vaccines, Will Travel: On the Road With a Covid Entrepreneur

While many businesses scaled back at the height of the pandemic, one Montana man used covid-19 to open his own mobile pharmacy. He’s now bringing covid shots to Montana’s vaccine deserts while filling his wallet. But he cannot fill all the vaccination gaps.

The Newest Disease Detection Tool for Covid and Beyond: Poop

Hundreds of college campuses, cities and counties around California and the U.S. are exploring sewers for the newest data stream to track covid and other infectious diseases.

In Rural America, Twisting Arms to Take a Covid Vaccine First Takes Trust

In communities across the country, the Cooperative Extension System, the same organization that supports 4-H clubs nationally, is tapping its roots in rural communities to promote vaccines. But its approach to getting people vaccinated in many communities, including Cairo, Illinois, must be nuanced.

‘I Don’t Want to Risk My Life for a Paycheck’: Immunosuppressed People Grapple With Returning to Work

Millions of Americans with weakened immune systems are weighing a return to workplaces as the delta variant of covid surges and while awaiting guidance about additional vaccine shots.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Senate Acts

The U.S. Senate worked well into its scheduled August recess to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget blueprint that outlines a much larger bill — covering key health priorities — to be written this fall. Meanwhile, the latest surge of covid is making both employers and schools rethink their opening plans. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Yasmeen Abutaleb of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.