Two Years In, Covid Leaves Montana Public Health Officials Feeling ‘Watched’
Visit Yellowstone Public Radio or Montana Public Radio for a transcript of the episode. After covid-19 arrived in Park County, Montana, the local health officer, Dr. Laurel Desnick, became the face of pandemic measures and the focus of attention as never before. She’s been whispered about at the grocery store, yelled at on her way […]
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Congress Shelves Covid Funding for Now
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on PRX. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Click here for a transcript of the episode. Congress is moving toward completion of its annual spending bills for the fiscal year that started last October, but […]
The CDC’s New Guidelines on Covid Risk and Masking Send Confounding Signals
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month unveiled updated covid-19 guidelines that relaxed masking recommendations, some people no doubt sighed in relief and thought it was about time. People have become increasingly comfortable being out shopping, attending live events, or meeting up with friends at restaurants. And many are ready to cast […]
One California University Has Unified Town and Gown to Fight Covid. Why Haven’t Others?
Once a week, Lori Janich drives down the street from her office and partakes in an ongoing success story. Phone in hand to confirm her appointment, she strolls into the massive Activities and Recreation Center on the University of California-Davis campus, reaches a covid-19 testing station, swirls water in her mouth, spits into a tube, […]
The NFL Has Been Using an Unproven Measure to Get Players With Covid Back on the Field Fast
Two months before the Super Bowl, the omicron surge was decimating NFL rosters as players tested positive for covid-19. In mid-December, the NFL postponed a game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks because the Rams, who would go on to win the Super Bowl, had 29 players out with covid. The number […]
Patients Divided Over Alzheimer’s Drug: Is It a ‘Risk I’m Willing to Take’ or Just a ‘Magic Pill’?
If you listen to the nation’s largest Alzheimer’s disease advocacy organizations, you might think everyone living with Alzheimer’s wants unfettered access to Aduhelm, a controversial new treatment. But you’d be wrong. Opinions about Aduhelm (also known as aducanumab) in the dementia community are diverse, ranging from “we want the government to cover this drug” to […]
Watch: California’s Top Health Adviser on Learning to Live With Covid
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dr. Mark Ghaly, head of California’s massive Health and Human Services Agency, continues to wear a mask in grocery stores and will dine outside — but not indoors — at restaurants even as California, like much of the nation, has lifted its mask mandate and many other pandemic restrictions. This was among […]
Charts Paint a Grim Picture 2 Years Into the Coronavirus Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is now stretching into its third year, a grim milestone that calls for another look at the human toll of covid-19, and the unsteady progress in containing it. The charts below tell various aspects of the story, from the deadly force of the disease and its disparate impact to the signs of […]
California Governor’s Big Promises on Drug Prices Are Slow to Materialize
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When Gov. Gavin Newsom took office in 2019, he promised to lower prescription drug costs for all Californians. But now, as Newsom nears the end of his first term, his ambitious ideas — such as requiring California to make its own insulin and forging drug partnerships across state lines — have failed […]
$35 Insulin Cap Is Welcome, Popular, and Bipartisan. But Congress May Not Pass It Anyway.
[UPDATED at 11:15 a.m. ET] Democrats in the Senate are primed this month to make their first attempt at salvaging one of the most popular elements of President Joe Biden’s stalled Build Back Better plan — the proposal to cap insulin costs at $35 a month. It might not go well. That’s true even though […]