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.
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.
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.
Analysis: Necessary or Not, Covid Booster Shots Are Probably on the Horizon
In today’s pharmaceutical universe, a simple “safe and effective” 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’s delta variant outbreak, public health efforts are mired in a political turf war.
Novavax’s Effort to Vaccinate the World, From Zero to Not Quite Warp Speed
Novavax is a vaccine company that has never licensed a vaccine. It hopes it can still help to fight the global covid scourge, but can it get doses made worldwide?
Fútbol, 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.
Grab Your Mask and Notepad, We’re Headed Back to the Capitol
After being mostly closed to the public and the press for more than a year, California’s state Capitol is open again — masks, temperature checks, covid outbreaks and all.
Fútbol, banderas y diversión: estrategias creativas para vacunar a los latinos en Colorado
Colorado, y la mayor parte de la nación, 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 todavía dudan.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: 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’t 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’s disease. Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Rae Ellen Bichell, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a mother and daughter who fought an enormous emergency room bill.