In Search of the Shot
Too little covid vaccine and too great a demand: That’s what KHN readers from around the country detail in their often exasperating quest to snag a shot, although they are often clearly eligible under their local guidelines and priority system. Public health officials say the supply is growing and will meet demand in several months, […]
Lessons From California Prison Where Covid ‘Spread Like Wildfire’
When news of the pandemic first reached the men incarcerated at Avenal State Prison in central California, inmate Ed Welker said the prevailing mood was panic. “We were like, ‘Yeah, it’s going to come in here and it’s going to spread like wildfire and we’re all going to get it,’” he said. “And that’s exactly […]
DeSantis Advances Questionable Link Between Lockdowns and Despair
The result of lockdowns “has been the destruction of millions of lives across America as well as increased deaths from suicide, substance abuse and despair without any corresponding benefit in covid mortality.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Feb. 2, 2021 For months, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has boasted about his state’s “open for business” strategy in […]
‘It Doesn’t Feel Worth It’: Covid Is Pushing New York’s EMTs to the Brink
In his 17 years as an emergency medical provider, Anthony Almojera thought he had seen it all. “Shootings, stabbings, people on fire, you name it,” he said. Then came covid-19. Before the pandemic, Almojera said it was normal to respond to one or two cardiac arrests calls a week; now he’s grown used to several […]
After Billions of Dollars and Dozens of Wartime Declarations, Why Are Vaccines Still in Short Supply?
The U.S. government has invested billions of dollars in manufacturing, used a wartime act dozens of times to boost supplies and yet there’s still not enough covid vaccine on the way to meet demand — or even the government’s own goals for national immunization. President Joe Biden, in remarks at the National Institutes of Health […]
It’s Time to Get Back to Normal? Not According to Science.
The science says “open the schools, stop wearing masks outside, and everyone at low risk should start living normal lives.” — Blog post by conservative talk show host Buck Sexton posted on Facebook, Feb. 8. A popular Facebook and blog post by conservative radio host Buck Sexton claims scientific research indicates life should return to […]
Calling All Vaccinators: Closing the Next Gap in Covid Supply and Demand
Beating back covid right now comes down to balancing supply and demand. With hopes pinned to vaccines, demand has far outstripped the supply of doses. But, as an increasing number of vaccine vials are shipped in coming weeks, the concern about shortages may well shift to human capital: the vaccinators themselves. “We need to mobilize […]
Organ Transplant Patient Dies After Receiving Covid-Infected Lungs
Doctors say a woman in Michigan contracted covid-19 and died last fall two months after receiving a tainted double-lung transplant from a donor who turned out to harbor the virus that causes the disease — despite showing no signs of illness and initially testing negative. Officials at the University of Michigan Medical School suggested it […]
The Do’s and Don’ts on Social Media for Vaccine Haves and Have-Nots
Posting about their day is a regular practice for Generations Y and Z, especially when they have something novel or exclusive to share. So, in the thick of a global pandemic, and with the shaky rollout of covid vaccines making them somewhat of a holy grail, it’s no surprise selfies featuring the coveted shot are […]
Countless Homebound Patients Still Wait for Covid Vaccine Despite Seniors’ Priority
Opening another front in the nation’s response to the pandemic, medical centers and other health organizations have begun sending doctors and nurses to apartment buildings and private homes to vaccinate homebound seniors. Boston Medical Center, which runs the oldest in-home medical service in the country, started doing this Feb. 1. Wake Forest Baptist Health, a […]