COVID-19 knows no bounds, reaching the farthest ends of the Earth including Mount Everest.
Details: As the spring climbing season kicks off, officials warn the world's highest peak could serve as a setting for a "superspreader event" due to crowded camps filled with travelers and a steady rotation of locals assisting the climbing teams.
Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) said at a virtual Axios event Thursday the pandemic has "exacerbated" health disparities and revealed "our systemic disinvestment" in addressing them.
Why it matters: In the U.S., people of color are more likely to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, suffer serious illness, become hospitalized because of COVID and die from it. They are also are more likely to be without health insurance.
More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, some 3 in 10 health care professionals say they've considered leaving the profession, citing burnout and stress, a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll out Thursday indicates.
Why it matters: Studies throughout the pandemic have indicated rising rates of depression and trauma among health care workers, group that is no longer seeing the same public displays of gratitude as during the onset of the pandemic.
U.S. production of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine may be in big trouble, at least for now.
Why it matters: The U.S. likely has enough other vaccines to give a shot to every adult who wants one. But much of the rest of the world is desperate for vaccines, and manufacturing setbacks could impact the timing and amount of doses the U.S. can export.
Although it's extremely rare for vaccinated people to contract the coronavirus, two new reports illustrate why it's important to get vaccinated, even if the high-risk people around you already have been.
Driving the news: An unvaccinated worker at a Kentucky nursing home caused "breakthrough" infections among vaccinated staff and residents, according to a CDC analysis.
The U.S. is pumping out coronavirus vaccines by the millions, but the coronavirus isn’t slowing down.
The big picture: This spring has seen a surge in vaccinations but almost no change in the coronavirus’ spread, leaving the U.S. with an outbreak that’s still too big.
India's health ministry confirmed 314,835 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the total tally to nearly 16 million infections.
Why it matters: It's the highest number of coronavirus cases reported in a single day anywhere in the world, eclipsing the previous record of 307,581 cases set in the U.S. on Jan. 8, AP notes.
President Biden on Wednesday called on all employers to provide workers paid time off to get vaccinated or recover from COVID side effects, and said he'll include a paid tax credit for small businesses that do so.
Why it matters: The Biden administration sees workplaces as highly influential in making shots more convenient for working adults who are in high-risk industries.
The Baltimore Emergent BioSolutions manufacturing plant that ruined 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine had multiple procedural failures, including unsanitary conditions near sensitive manufacturing areas, the Food and Drug Administration stated in a report Wednesday
Why it matters: The FDA faulted Emergent for failing to thoroughly review the incident, which halted the potential production and shipment tens of millions of Johnson & Johnson doses this month.
The U.S. will probably run out of adults who are enthusiastic about getting vaccinated within the next two to four weeks, according to a KFF analysis published yesterday.
Between the lines: Vaccine hesitancy is rapidly approaching as our main impediment to herd immunity.
The University of Virginia Health System said this week it will cancel decades of court judgments and liens over unpaid medical bills from low-income patients.
The big picture: The decision would likely benefit tens of thousands of families and would make UVA Health's collection policy way more lenient than those of many other hospital systems, Kaiser Health News reports.
Tech-enabled insurance provider Oscar Health just launched its tech platform for payers and providers, called +Oscar, but the company still faces some steep hurdles.
Driving the news: +Oscar is a standalone business that expands on previous partnerships. The company is selling it to everyone from other payers looking to improve their consumer experiences to medical groups looking to jump into value-based care arrangements.
Most uninsured Americans are already eligible for Medicaid or subsidized Affordable Care Act coverage.
Why it matters: One path to universal health coverage would involve signing millions of Americans up for insurance that's already available to them, and some states are pursuing that goal.
Hawaii will from next month allow residents who've been fully inoculated against COVID-19 to bypass the state's pre-travel tests and quarantine for inter-island flights.
Why it matters: Hawaii is the second U.S. state to launch a "vaccination verification" scheme after New York, AP notes. Many businesses view such "vaccine passports" as key to returning to normal, but some Republican governors have taken steps to block them.
