Lie of the Year: The Downplay and Denial of the Coronavirus
By Daniel Funke, PolitiFact and Katie Sanders, PolitiFact
It’s no worse than the flu, and other deadly disinformation about the coronavirus
Readers and Tweeters Defend Front-Line Nurses and Blind Us With Science
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Grief Grew Into A Mental Health Crisis And A $21,634 Hospital Bill
By Laura Ungar
She spent five days in the hospital undergoing psychiatric care. The bill she got is about the same price as a new Honda Civic.
Covid Cases Plummet 83% Among Nursing Home Staffers Despite Vaccine Hesitancy
By Melissa Bailey and Shoshana Dubnow
Federal records show a steep decline in staff covid cases since December, when health care workers at thousands of nursing homes began getting their shots. Still, many are reluctant to get vaccinated.
Comparing Death Tolls From Covid to Past Wars Is Fraught
By Will Stone and Carrie Feibel, NPR News
Covid-19 has now killed more Americans than World War II did. That fact helps some people put the viral death toll in perspective, while others find it offensive.
Hospitals’ Rocky Rollout of Covid Vaccine Sparks Questions of Fairness
By Phil Galewitz
The lack of a federal strategy on how distribution should work at the local level means that states, hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies are making decisions on their own about who gets vaccinated and when.
Signs of an ‘October Vaccine Surprise’ Alarm Career Scientists
By Liz Szabo and JoNel Aleccia
President Donald Trump has the legal power to authorize a COVID vaccine over the objections of the Food and Drug Administration and vaccine manufacturers. Such a move could further erode public trust in a vaccine and foist an unsafe shot on Americans.
Lifetime Experiences Help Older Adults Build Resilience to Pandemic Trauma
By Judith Graham
These seniors use coping strategies to keep them socially active yet safe from the coronavirus.
‘We’re Coming for You’: For Public Health Officials, a Year of Threats and Menace
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
Local health officials have become the face of government authority as they work to stem the pandemic. That has made them targets for chilling threats from some of the same militia groups that stormed the U.S. Capitol. Santa Cruz leaders are among those whose daily routines now incorporate security patrols, surveillance cameras and, in some cases, firearms.
Conspiracy Theories Aside, Here’s What Contact Tracers Really Do
By Julie Appleby
Recently, the idea has triggered a lot of conspiracy-theory talk. But it’s actually a tried-and-true public health tool being applied to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.