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Californiaās death count for the first five months of the pandemic was 13% higher than average for the same period during the prior three years. Subtract the deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 and experts say that still leaves scores of āexcessā deaths among people of color that likely were mistakenly excluded from the coronavirus death tally.
A KHN review found more than 20 states either donāt count or have incomplete data on the use of COVID-19 antigen tests, leaving the public in the dark about the true scope of the pandemic.
The county, a hotbed of coronavirus infection in California, has seen a steady reduction in positive test results, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths over the past few weeks. But officials are concerned about public behavior over the Labor Day holiday weekend and wary of relaxing strictures too soon.
Older Blacks are perishing quietly, out of sight, victims of the pandemic and a lifetime of racism and its attendant adverse health effects.
Rural hospitals were already struggling before the coronavirus emerged. Now, the loss of revenue from patients who are afraid to come to the emergency room, postponing doctorās appointments and delaying elective surgeries is adding to the pressure.
In a series of July U.S. Census Bureau surveys, nearly half of California adult respondents reported levels of anxiety and gloom typically associated with diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder, a stunning figure that rose through the summer alongside the menacing spread of the coronavirus.
A case study of COVID-19 testing in Sacramento, California, shows that bottlenecks in the testing supply chain this summer limited peopleās access to tests and dramatically delayed results. Similar scenarios played out in communities across the country.
Around the country, Medicaid enrollment is up as people who have lost jobs during the pandemic seek health insurance. Expanding eligibility for Missouriās program, which could help thousands of recently unemployed residents, will be on the ballot Tuesday.
Newly released employment data underscores the lingering toll the pandemic has taken on a range of outpatient services in California and across the U.S., from pediatric and family medical practices to dental offices, medical labs and home health care.
State officials had projected that 2 million Californians would join Medi-Cal, the stateās health insurance program for low-income people, by July because of the economic devastation wrought by COVID-19. Yet enrollment has barely budged, and why is unclear.
Although younger people are hospitalized and die less frequently than their elders when infected with COVID-19, their cases are harder to trace. As a result, the virus is spreading uncontrollably throughout much of Southern California. Even hospital staffs are affected by community spread.
Under ordinary circumstances, these phases of vaccine development can take years to complete. But now, during the age of coronavirus, the timeline is being shortened. Here's an inventory of where things stand.
Some experts say the United States is arguably still in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and history tells us that the 1918 influenza pandemic came in at least three waves. But thatās not necessarily a template for how the coronavirus pandemic will play out, because the coronavirus doesnāt have the same degree of seasonality that influenza does.
Counting deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic is easier said than done. Without widespread testing, officials must sort through presumed COVID deaths and those who died with infections rather than from them. Then there are the indirect deaths of people who died from circumstances created by the pandemic.
In 470,000 American homes spread across every state, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 may not be as easy as turning on a faucet. They donāt have showers or toilets or, in some cases, even water piped into their homes. Nearly a million U.S. homes donāt have complete kitchens and millions more are overcrowded, making it much tougher for people to shelter in place and avoid infection.
Federal officials have known for nearly a decade which counties are most likely to suffer devastation ā both in loss of lives and jobs ā in a pandemic.
A Kaiser Health News analysis shows that counties with ICUs average one ICU bed for every 1,300 older residents, those most at risk for needing hospitalization.
More nursing homes have been faulted for failing to follow practices designed to prevent and control infections than for any other type of error. Such lapses have become matters of heightened concern with the spread of the coronavirus this spring, especially as the virus is a bigger threat to the elderly.
California has one of the lowest rates of new lung cancer cases in the country, attributed largely to its aggressive anti-tobacco policies. But gaps in the stateās health care system mean that people who are diagnosed with the disease, or at a high risk of getting it, often fall through the cracks.
More than 450 cyclists died in traffic accidents in California from 2016 through 2018, marking the highest three-year death rate in 25 years. Among the factors at play: more cars on roads, distracted driving and a pronounced consumer shift toward SUVs.
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