Use Our Content This story can be republished for free (details). Thousands of protesters thronged the streets in recent days to express their anger over the killing of an African American man, George Floyd, in police custody in Minneapolis. The mostly peaceful rallies have turned violent at times, with police using batons, tear gas and …
Weekly Health Quiz: Coronavirus, Hugs and Global Spread
1 of 7 True or false? Worldwide, the number of new cases of coronavirus is growing faster than ever. True False 2 of 7 The number of daily reported cases of coronavirus worldwide now exceeds: 1,000 10,000 100,000 1 million 3 of 7 After the United States, this country now has the highest number of …
COVID-19 Overwhelms Border ICUs
Use Our Content This story can be republished for free (details). CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Even as most California hospitals have avoided an incapacitating surge in coronavirus patients, some facilities near the Mexican border have been overwhelmed. They include El Centro Regional Medical Center in Imperial County and Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista in San …
When Cleaning Is the Only Option
I used to be afraid of cleaning toilets. As a teenager, it was my job to clean the upstairs bathroom while my two younger brothers were outside helping our father mow the lawn, pull weed and trim the bushes. My parents were Portuguese immigrants whose core belief system was rooted in a culture with patriarchal …
Montana’s Tribal Nations Preserve COVID Restrictions To Preserve Their Cultures
Use Our Content This story can be republished for free (details). As Montana plows forward with its reopening, including throwing open the doors to tourism on June 1, the outlook is starkly different for members of the state’s Native American nations, which have approached the coronavirus with greater caution and stricter controls. For members of …
My Quarantine Boyfriend Lost Everything (but Found Me)
I met my quarantine boyfriend in early March, right before everything went down in New York City. Or possibly I met him years earlier when our children attended the same preschool, where they enjoyed playing near but not quite with each other, as toddlers do. Sometimes I lingered at pickup with his then-wife so the …
Doctors Heavily Overprescribed Antibiotics Early in the Pandemic
The desperately ill patients who deluged the emergency room at Detroit Medical Center in March and April exhibited the telltale symptoms of the coronavirus: high fevers and infection-riddled lungs that left them gasping for air. With few treatment options, doctors turned to a familiar intervention: broad-spectrum antibiotics, the shot-in-the-dark medications often used against bacterial infections …
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Protests And The Pandemic
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. Following the death of George Floyd while in custody in Minneapolis, protests have mushroomed around the U.S. to decry police violence, raising concerns among public health officials about the potential for further spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the economic toll of the continuing pandemic is …
Efforts To Curb Congenital Syphilis Falter In COVID’s Shadow
Use Our Content This story can be republished for free (details). U.S. public health officials are closer to identifying a road map for curbing the rising rates of syphilis infections in newborn babies, but with so many resources diverted to stopping the spread of COVID-19, many fear the rate of deadly infections will only get …
White Person to White Person? You’re Doing It Wrong
I ran into a friend in the lobby of our building. (I thought we were friends, anyway.) She is black; I am white. And protests over racist policing have been raging in our city. First, I made sure her teenage son was safe. I was worried after seeing news reports. (He’s fine.) Then I told …
Judges Try To Balance Legal Rights And Courtroom Health
It’s tough getting people to report for jury duty in normal times. It’s even harder during a pandemic. The kidnapping and rape trial of Kenneth Weathersby Jr. opened Feb. 24 in Vallejo, California, but three weeks later two jurors refused to show up after the state ordered people to stay home. Then the state’s chief …
Newsom Likes To ‘Go Big’ But Doesn’t Always Deliver
Gavin Newsom knew it was a political gamble when, as the newly elected mayor of San Francisco, he promised to eradicate chronic homelessness. “I recognize that I’m setting myself up. I’m not naive to that,” he told his hometown newspaper in 2003 as he embarked on a campaign to sell his controversial plan. It hinged …
In Hard-Hit Areas, COVID’s Ripple Effects Strain Mental Health Care Systems
In late March, Marcell’s girlfriend took him to the emergency room at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, about 11 miles south of Detroit. “I had [acute] paranoia and depression off the roof,” said Marcell, 46, who asked to be identified only by his first name because he wanted to maintain confidentiality about some aspects of his …
How to Hug During a Pandemic
Of the many things we miss from our pre-pandemic lives, hugging may top the list. We asked scientists who study airborne viruses to teach us the safest way to hug.
The Pandemic Is Stressing Your Body in New Ways
Tingling feet, digestive troubles, skin issues and more may be caused by some of the stress and life changes that the coronavirus has brought.
Have a Teenager Joining a Protest? Talk About Safety First.
For teens and young adults who join demonstrations, experts suggest measures that can reduce the potential for harm.
Policías usan balas de goma que pueden matar, cegar o mutilar de por vida
SOBRE NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL Noticias en español es una sección de Kaiser Health News que contiene traducciones de artículos de gran interés para la comunidad hispanohablante, y contenido original enfocado en la población hispana que vive en los Estados Unidos. En ciudades de todo el país, los departamentos de policía han tratado de frenar los …
Contact Tracing Could Be Much Easier — but There Are Tradeoffs
The handshake came first. Then the high-five, fist bump and more recently, the elbow touch. Canadian researchers are now working on a new greeting, the CanShake. It is not a mere salutation. The CanShake — which involves people shaking their phones at each other upon meeting to transmit contact information — is one of many …
How to Normalize the College Search Process for Juniors
Carly Ross, an 11th-grader at Evanston Township High School outside of Chicago, had planned to take the ACT for the first time in April after completing a 10-week prep course over the winter. When the April test date was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, she signed up for one in June. Last week, the …
A Beacon of Possibility for Your Time Indoors
Welcome. I was talking to my colleague Kim Severson a few days ago about the strange rhythms of our lives before the coronavirus came, weeks cut up by work trips, a lot of nights away from home. “Do you miss hotel life?” she asked. I thought about it for a minute before responding, “I do, …
What’s the Future of Group Exercise Classes?
During 24 days in February and March, 112 people were infected with the Covid-19 virus in South Korea after participating in or associating with participants in Zumba classes, according to a sobering new epidemiological study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases. The study, which traces the start of the illness cluster back to a one-day instructor …
Hype Collides With Science As FDA Tries To Rein In ‘Wild West’ of COVID Blood Tests
“Save your business while saving lives,” reads the website of Because Health, a Seattle tech startup selling two types of tests to employers willing to pay $350 a pop to learn whether their workers have been infected with COVID-19. The “Workplace Health” plan includes not only nasal swab tests to detect infection, but also blood …
ICUs Become A ‘Delirium Factory’ For COVID Patients
This story also ran on CNN. This story can be republished for free (details). Doctors are fighting not only to save lives from COVID-19, but also to protect patients’ brains. Although COVID-19 is best known for damaging the lungs, it also increases the risk of life-threatening brain injuries — from mental confusion to hallucinations, seizures, …
E-Bikes Are Having Their Moment. They Deserve It.
Many of us are entering a new stage of pandemic grief: adaptation. We are asking ourselves: How do we live with this new reality? For many Americans, part of the solution has been to buy an electric bike. The battery-powered two-wheelers have become a compelling alternative for commuters who are being discouraged from taking public …
Open (Your Wallet) Wide: Dentists Charge Extra For Infection Control
This story also ran on NBC News. This story can be republished for free (details). After nearly two months at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Erica Schoenradt was making plans in May to see her dentist for a checkup. Then she received a notice from Swish Dental that the cost of her next visit …