Kaiser Health
States Pull Back on Covid Data Even Amid Delta Surge
Public health experts are voicing concern about the pullback of covid information, with one official calling the trend "not good for government and the public" because it gives the appearance of governments "hiding stuff."
Microbiome Startups Promise to Improve Your Gut Health, but Is the Science Solid?
Viome's troubles provide a cautionary tale for consumers in the wild west of microbiome startups, which have been alternately hailed for health breakthroughs and indicted for fraud.
Hot Spots Where Covid Vaccination Lags Push Experimental Antibody Treatment
"It's a backwards strategy," says Dr. Christian Ramers. "It's so much better to prevent a disease than to use an expensive, cumbersome and difficult-to-use therapy."
Pandemic Unveils Growing Suicide Crisis for Communities of Color
Interviews with a dozen suicide researchers, data collected from states across the country and a review of decades of research revealed that suicide is a growing crisis for communities of color.
'We Sent a Terrible Message': Scientists Say Biden Jumped the Gun With Vaccine Booster Plan
The Biden administration's plans to make COVID-19 booster shots available next month has drawn a collective scream of protest from the scientific community.
Federal Vaccine Program Hasn't Helped Those Whose Lives Were Altered by Covid Shot
The options are slim for people who suffer rare life-altering injuries after a covid shot — a problem whose significance has grown as states and the federal government increasingly ponder vaccination mandates.
Do Healthy, Fully Vaccinated People Need a Booster? 7 Questions Answered
So what do we know about whether healthy, fully vaccinated people should get a booster? Here are answers to seven key questions.
'Tainted' Blood: Covid Skeptics Request Blood Transfusions From Unvaccinated Donors
The nation's roiling tensions over vaccination against COVID-19 have spilled into an unexpected arena: lifesaving blood transfusions.
Pfizer CEO to Public: Just Trust Us on the Covid Booster
Pfizer announced its global phase 3 trial on a third dose in mid-July. That trial's completion date is in 2022. Phase 3 results generally are required before regulatory approval.
Déjà Vu? Consumers Scramble for Covid Tests in Hard-Hit Areas
As the nation confronts its latest and worsening surge of covid cases, consumers are again facing delays getting tested, many turning to social media to complain.
Don't Want a Vaccine? Be Prepared to Pay More for Insurance
In 2020, before covid vaccines, most major private insurers waived patient payments — from coinsurance to deductibles — for covid treatment. But many if not most have allowed that policy to lapse.
Unraveling the Mysterious Mutations That Make Delta the Most Transmissible Covid Virus Yet
Delta has kept some of the most successful mutations found in earlier variants, but also contains new genetic changes that enable it to spread twice as fast.
Patients and Providers Feel the Growing Pains of Pandemic-Driven Telemedicine
Cost and demand are affecting both patients and providers as more people turn to telemedicine for their healthcare needs.
A Chilling Cure: Facing Killer Heat, ERs Use Body Bags to Save Lives
Doctors in the Pacific Northwest have resorted to a grim but practical tool to save lives: human body bags filled with ice and water.
Analysis: Necessary or Not, Covid Booster Shots Are Probably on the Horizon
Ultimately, the question of whether a booster is needed is unlikely to determine the FDA's decision. If recent history is predictive, booster shots will be here before long.
Hospital 'Trauma Centers' Charge Enormous Fees to Treat Minor Injuries and Send People Home
Tens of thousands of times a year, hospitals charge enormously expensive trauma alert fees for injuries so minor the patient is never admitted.
Red State, Blue State, Twin Outbreak: Behind Wyoming and Colorado's COVID Spikes
"Small rises in cases in rural areas can have devastating consequences because, chances are, there's fewer health care resources in those places in order to save lives," says epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo.
Delta Variant Surges in Colorado as the Bands Play On
The highly transmissible Delta variant, first detected in India, is now the dominant covid strain in the United States. Colorado is among the states with the highest proportion.
As Covid Vaccinations Slow, Parts of the US Remain Far Behind 70% Goal
July Fourth was not the celebration President Joe Biden had hoped for, as far as protecting more Americans with a coronavirus vaccine.
New Research Finds J&J Vaccine Has Muscle Against Covid's Delta Variant
Data released by Johnson & Johnson showed that the vaccine remains highly protective against the delta variant and immunity may be long-lasting.