Public Health

Surgeon General Nominee: Time to Rebuild Local Health Departments

"Because god forbid another pandemic comes our way in a few years."

  • By Bill Lucia

Ski Patrol Before Teachers? States Criticized Over Vaccine Timelines

State officials chose which groups are next in line for coronavirus vaccines. Now some are facing criticism over who they prioritized.

  • By Andrea Noble

Liaisons to Each State, Full National Guard Reimbursement Are Part of Biden's Virus Response Plan

On his second day in office, President Joe Biden outlined a wide-ranging coronavirus response strategy, shifting toward a more national approach than the Trump administration's.

  • By Bill Lucia

Dallas County Axes Plan to Prioritize Vaccinating Communities of Color After State Threatens to Slash Allocation

State officials told Dallas leadership the plan was "not acceptable," and threatened to cut the county's vaccine supply.

  • By Juan Pablo Garnham and Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune

Some Health Care Workers Refuse Covid Vaccine

One survey found 15% of health care workers who were offered a coronavirus vaccine didn't want it.

  • By Andrea Noble

With Fewer Resources, Rural America Tackles Vaccine Distribution

Rural clinics face unique challenges in connecting perishable vaccines with residents who often live miles away.

  • By Elizabeth Miller, Undark

The Pandemic is Hurting Child Care. Parents are Paying the Price.

About 700,000 parents left their jobs to care for their kids after child care centers closed, according to a recent analysis.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

America’s Most Reliable Pandemic Data Are Now at Risk

The Biden administration has to make a choice: Should it undo a vital system that Trump’s health department created?

  • By Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic

'The Internet Has Made Us Dumber,' and Other Lessons Government Officials Learned in 2020

State and local officials weigh in on what they're taking from—and leaving behind in—the dumpster fire that was last year.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

The Simple Reason West Virginia Leads the Nation in Vaccinating Nursing Home Residents

COMMENTARY | Other states were still far behind when West Virginia became the first state to finish round one of the two-dose vaccine series in nursing homes. What did the state do differently?

  • By Tinglong Dai, The Conversation

Biden Plan Would Direct $400 Billion to Vaccine, Public Health Initiatives

The president-elect’s $1.9 trillion plan includes funding for a national Covid-19 vaccination program, expanded testing capacity, and safety measures to help reopen schools.

  • By Andrea Noble

Customers Won't Wear a Mask? One State Says to Call the Police.

Updated guidance from the New Hampshire Attorney General's office instructs businesses to call local law enforcement for assistance if customers simply refuse to comply with a statewide mask mandate.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

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Jordan’s Story: Isolated, Anxious and Failing Online Classes, an 11-Year-Old Texas Boy Considered Suicide

Months of remote learning were hard on the Frisco ISD student. Like other schoolchildren across the state, he experienced mental health issues, in large part due to social isolation during the pandemic.

  • By Aliyya Swaby, The Texas Tribune

Interest Groups Lobby to Get Ahead in Vaccine Line

The lobbying to be in the "1B category" has been intense in many states. Advocates for older adults, teachers, restaurant workers, agricultural workers and others are pleading their cases.

  • By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

Random People Are Lining Up to Get Vaccinated in D.C. Grocery Stores

Pharmacies have started quietly offering leftover Covid-19 shots to anyone around. You can guess where this goes.

  • By Jacob Stern, The Atlantic

Many States Resist Adapting Worker Safety Rules to Pandemic

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued no new rules during the pandemic. And states with their own workplace safety agencies lack a strong benchmark to follow.

  • By Alex Brown, Stateline

States Plan for Large-Scale Coronavirus Vaccinations at Stadiums and Other Sites

As Covid-19 vaccines become available to broader segments of the public, states are establishing facilities where thousands of doses can be administered daily.

  • By Andrea Noble

An Urban Hospital on the Brink vs. the Officials Sworn to Save It

Officials fear that the facility's closure will limit hospital access for about 60,000 Chicago-area residents. Inner-city hospitals often struggle with lean Medicaid payment rates.

  • By Harris Meyer, Kaiser Health News

Covid-19 Response Shows How an Informal Rule of Law Plays a Supporting Role in Society

How important are informal rules in keeping us safe? And why do people alter their behavior to follow norms when they don’t expect disobedience to be punished by authorities?

  • By David Mednicoff, The Conversation

Delaying Second Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Will Make Supplies Last Longer but Comes With Risks

With the vaccine rollout underway, some experts support giving a single dose to as many people as possible. Others want to vaccinate according to the protocol used during clinical trials.

  • By Sanjay Mishra, The Conversation

Lawsuit: State Vaccination Program Should Prioritize Seniors

An 87-year-old Idaho man filed the suit, seeking to force the state to alter its Covid-19 vaccination program.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram