Amid Covid Booster Debate, West Virginia to Check Immunity of Vaccinated Nursing Home Residents
The state says it will look at the levels of disease-fighting antibodies among nursing home residents vaccinated against covid, which could help indicate whether they need a booster shot.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Hot Covid Summer
The summer that promised to let Americans resume a relatively normal life is turning into another summer of anxiety and face masks, as the delta variant drives covid caseloads up in all 50 states. Meanwhile, the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 35, and the Missouri Supreme Court orders the state to expand Medicaid after all. Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Samantha Young, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 episode about an Olympic-level athlete with an Olympic-size medical bill.
Unraveling the Mysterious Mutations That Make Delta the Most Transmissible Covid Virus Yet
Scientists are trying to piece together why the delta variant so readily infects unvaccinated Americans, spewing 1,000 times more virus particles.
Delta ha mantenido algunas de las mutaciones m谩s exitosas encontradas en variantes anteriores, pero tambi茅n contiene nuevos cambios gen茅ticos que le permiten propagarse dos veces m谩s r谩pido.
Want Fries With That Vaccine? Even at a Fast-Food Restaurant, Pop-Up Clinics See Slow Traffic
At a pop-up vaccine clinic in a McDonald鈥檚 parking lot in the city of San Bernardino, fewer than two dozen people agreed to get a shot, offering a snapshot of the faltering vaccination effort.
Readers and Tweeters Connect the Dots on Topics From Vaccine Development to Long Covid
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Big Leagues Balk at Endorsing Vaccination
The major sports leagues are struggling to vaccinate enough of their players to protect the clubhouse and locker room, and few stars have stepped forward to pitch vaccination to teammates or fans. WNBA players are an exception, with a 99% vaccination rate and high-profile ads urging the public to get vaccinated.
Wildfire Smoke Drives People in Low-Vaccinated Areas Indoors, Raising Outbreak Fears
Unvaccinated Westerners are flocking to movie theaters, malls and other indoor spaces to beat the smoke and heat. Health officials worry that may fuel covid outbreaks.
Analysis: Necessary or Not, Covid Booster Shots Are Probably on the Horizon
In today鈥檚 pharmaceutical universe, a simple 鈥渟afe and effective鈥 determination by the Food and Drug Administration to approve a drug can be manipulated to sell products of questionable value. And drugmakers can profit handsomely.
The Delta Variant Thrives in a State of Political and Public Health Discord
At the center of the nation鈥檚 delta variant outbreak, public health efforts are mired in a political turf war.
Novavax鈥檚 Effort to Vaccinate the World, From Zero to Not Quite Warp Speed
Novavax is a vaccine company that, despite $2 billion in new federal and international funding, still hasn’t come through with a licensed covid vaccine. It hopes it can still help to fight the global covid scourge, but will it deliver?
Grab Your Mask and Notepad, We鈥檙e Headed Back to California’s State Capitol
After being mostly closed to the public and the press for more than a year, California鈥檚 state Capitol is open again 鈥 masks, temperature checks, covid outbreaks and all.
F煤tbol, banderas y diversi贸n: estrategias creativas para vacunar a los latinos en Colorado
Colorado, y la mayor parte de la naci贸n, han entrado ahora en una nueva fase que involucra el uso de personas influyentes y de confianza en la comunidad para persuadir a los que todav铆a dudan.
F煤tbol, Flags and Fun: Getting Creative to Reach Unvaccinated Latinos in Colorado
A vaccine clinic came to an international soccer tournament in Denver recently. It was an attempt to reach Latino Coloradans, whose vaccination rates trail those of non-Hispanic whites.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Here Comes Reconciliation
Democrats in Congress reached a tentative agreement to press ahead on a partisan bill that would dramatically expand health benefits for people on Medicare, those who buy their own insurance and individuals who have been shut out of coverage in states that didn鈥檛 expand Medicaid. Meanwhile, controversy continues to rage over whether vaccinated Americans will need a booster to protect against covid-19 variants, and who will pay for a new drug to treat Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Rae Ellen Bichell, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 episode about a mother and daughter who fought an enormous emergency room bill.
Red State, Blue State, Twin Outbreak: Behind Wyoming and Colorado鈥檚 Anomalous Covid Spikes
Statistics show that Colorado residents are much more likely than Wyoming residents to be vaccinated against covid. Yet both Wyoming and Colorado were among the top 12 states with the highest covid case rates at the beginning of July. A closer look at a pair of similarly sized counties in those states helps explain why.
Most Inmates Have Had Their Covid Shots 鈥 But Their Guards Likely Haven鈥檛
Hesitancy about the vaccines among prison staffers has led to a striking disparity: Inmates are better protected than corrections officials.
Mientras baja la vacunaci贸n contra covid, partes de EE.UU. est谩n lejos de la meta del 70%
El 4 de julio no fue la celebraci贸n que esperaba el presidente Joe Biden. La naci贸n no alcanz贸 el objetivo de la Casa Blanca de dar al menos una primera dosis de la vacuna contra covid al 70% de los adultos para el D铆a de la Independencia.
California鈥檚 Highest Covid Infection Rates Shift to Rural Counties
As vaccination rates rise across the state, the overall numbers of covid cases and deaths have plunged. But health officials are still reporting nearly 1,000 new cases and more than two dozen deaths a day. So, where does covid continue to simmer in California? And why?
As Covid Vaccinations Slow, Parts of the US Remain Far Behind 70% Goal
Vermont and Massachusetts lead the nation, with more than 70% of adults having had at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine. Southern states like Tennessee lag far behind.
