Kaiser Health News

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Organ Transplant Patient Dies After Receiving Covid-Infected Lungs

This lung transplant case may be the first proven of COVID-19 in the U.S. in which the virus was transmitted via an organ transplant.

Feb 22, 2021

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FRITZ LIEDTKE/OHSU

Can Pfizer and Moderna End the Pandemic by Sharing Their Vaccine Designs? It’s Not that Simple

Social media posts say that Pfizer and Moderna are inadvertently hurting the public by not sharing their technology with other pharmaceutical companies to help speed up the manufacturing process and distribution.

Feb 15, 2021

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Lack of Covid Data on People with Intellectual Disabilities ‘Comes With a Body Count’

Early studies have shown that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a higher likelihood of dying from the virus than those without disabilities, likely because of a higher prevalence of preexisting conditions.

Feb 12, 2021

As Drug Prices Keep Rising, State Lawmakers Propose Tough New Bills to Curb Them

The measures would impose taxes on increases in the price of drugs that don’t reflect improved clinical value and set the rates paid by state-run and commercial health plans to a benchmark based on prices in Canada.

Feb 12, 2021

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Fake 3M masks have flooded into the United States from China./Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Health Workers and Hospitals Grapple With Millions of Counterfeit N95 Masks

Copies of the N95 masks, which are prized for their ability to filter out 95% of particles, have flooded the country, including 1.9 million that were distributed to 40 hospitals in Washington state.

Feb 11, 2021

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PHOTO BY ADAM JAIME ON UNSPLASH

Pandemic-Fueled Alcohol Abuse Creates Wave of Hospitalizations for Liver Disease

Alcoholism-related liver disease was a growing problem before the pandemic, with 15 million people diagnosed nationwide, but it's continued to get worse with some hospital admissions up dramatically.

Feb 10, 2021

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NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

With Demand Far Exceeding Supply, It Matters That People Are Jumping the Vaccine Line

The Biden administration’s much-needed national strategy to end the covid-19 pandemic includes plans to remedy the chaotic vaccination effort with “more people, more places, more supply.”

Feb 3, 2021

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NATALIA MERZLYAKOVA/FOTOLIA

4 Vital Health Issues — Not Tied to COVID — That Congress Addressed in Massive Spending Bill

Late last month Congress passed a nearly 5,600-page legislative package that included $900 billion for urgent pandemic relief, a ban on surprise medical bills and other non-COVID health care issues.

Jan 28, 2021

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Vaccine is delivered to Oregon Health & Science University. | OHSU

Why Even Presidential Pressure Might Not Get More Vaccine to Market Faster

Forcing companies to gear up production won’t provide much-needed doses anytime soon because expanding production lines takes time and establishing lines in repurposed facilities can take months.

Jan 26, 2021

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Oregon Health & Science University ICU nurse Ansu Drammeh is vaccinated by dental resident Ryan Thrower. | FRITZ LIEDTKE/OHSU

Biden’s Covid Challenge: 100 Million Vaccinations in the First 100 Days. It Won’t Be Easy.

Now, during a once-in-a-century pandemic, President Joe Biden has promised to provide 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations in his first 100 days in office.

Jan 20, 2021