Category: Vaccines

Readers and Tweeters Shed Light on Vaccine Trials and Bias in Health Care

Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Analysis: Winter Is Coming for Bars. Here’s How to Save Them. And Us.

To stop the coronavirus, we need to stop super-spreader events.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Trump vs. COVID

President Donald Trump is one of at least two dozen people tied to the White House who have tested positive for COVID-19. Negotiations on the next round of COVID relief are off again — maybe. And the FDA and CDC continue to fight for scientific credibility. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Erin Mershon of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog about what the Supreme Court might do with the latest case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

In Debate, Pence and Harris Offer Conflicting Views of Nation’s Reality

During this, the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2020 election season, the two candidates clashed over the coronavirus and other health care issues, as well as a range of other topics.

5 Things to Know About a COVID Vaccine: It Won’t Be a ‘Magic Wand’

Approval of a vaccine will be an important step in defeating COVID-19. But it won’t immediately end the pandemic.

These Secret Safety Panels Will Pick the COVID Vaccine Winners

Data and safety monitoring boards work under a cloak of secrecy meant to prevent undue influence by stakeholders, such as companies or the government. In the Trump era, some worry the anonymity could actually invite it.

COVID Vaccine Trials Move at Warp Speed, But Recruiting Black Volunteers Takes Time

The National Institutes of Health has suggested minorities should be overrepresented in COVID-19 vaccine trials — perhaps at rates that are double their percentage of the U.S. population. But efforts to recruit patients from racial minority groups are just beginning, while some trials have already advanced to phase 3.

NIH and FDA Examine Serious Side Effect That Surfaced in COVID Vaccine Trial

Regulators in the United Kingdom allowed the AstraZeneca vaccine trial to resume, but U.S. regulators continue to investigate.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Politics of Science

Republicans have all but abandoned the Affordable Care Act as a campaign cudgel, judging from their national convention, at least. Meanwhile, career scientists at the federal government’s preeminent health agencies — the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health — are all coming under increasing political pressure as the pandemic drags on. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Elizabeth Lawrence about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment.

Most Adults Wary of Taking Any Vaccine Approved Before the Election

About 60% of poll respondents are worried that federal regulators will rush to allow a vaccine because of political pressure. Opposition to getting a vaccine that might be authorized before the November election is strongest among Republicans.