Category: states

Scam Alert: Things a COVID Contact Tracer Wouldn’t Say

Criminals are finding ways to reap gains under the guise of this public health intervention.

COVID Plans Put to Test as Firefighters Crowd Camps for Peak Wildfire Season

Thousands of firefighters from across the U.S. have converged on the West as the wildfire season enters its peak. The inherently dangerous job now carries the additional risk of COVID-19 transmission, and fire managers are adapting their plans for crowded fire camps in the hope of preventing outbreaks that could sideline crews and weaken the nation’s firefighting infrastructure.

Democratic Convention, Night 2: Defending the ACA and Attacking Trump on Pandemic

Democrats continued the virtual extravaganza. Health care was a hot topic.

COVID Testing Choke Points

A case study of COVID-19 testing in Sacramento, California, shows that bottlenecks in the testing supply chain this summer limited people’s access to tests and dramatically delayed results. Similar scenarios played out in communities across the country.

As Georgia Reopened, Officials Knew of Severe Shortage of PPE for Health Workers

State officials said they urgently needed millions more masks and gowns, internal emails show. At least 80 Georgia health workers have died from COVID-19, including after the state reopened its economy.

GOP Senate Ad Misrepresents Mont. Governor’s Stance on Rural Hospitals, Public Option

The race between Steve Bullock and Steve Daines reflects a trend in campaigns nationwide. Republicans often paint Democrats as left of the general public and health care has often been one of the issues the GOP highlights in that effort. In this case, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is leaping to conclusions with its claims.

‘Pennie’-Pinching States Take Over Obamacare Exchanges From Feds

Pennsylvania and New Jersey are leaving the federal marketplace this fall to save money and will start their own insurance exchanges. Kentucky, New Mexico, Virginia and Maine are looking to join them in 2021 or beyond.

With COVID Vaccine Trial, Rural Oregon Clinic Steps Onto World Stage

A small allergy clinic in Medford, Oregon, might seem an unlikely place to recruit hundreds of volunteers to test the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19. But its steward has a record of leading hundreds of clinical trials.

PPE Shortage Could Last Years Without Strategic Plan, Experts Warn

The rolling shortages of personal protective gear continue even in hospitals, as buyers look directly for manufacturers — often through a maze of companies that have sprung up overnight.

‘Is This When I Drop Dead?’ Two Doctors Report From the COVID Front Lines

Two emergency room doctors, one in New York and the other in Houston, discuss their cities’ coronavirus outbreaks — and responses.