Frankfort paper names local health agency Newsmaker of Year

Franklin County Health Department staff pose for a photo taken by Deputy Director Brittany Parker. The pandemic has been very hard on local health departments, which in many if not most cases haven't received the respect and recognition they deserve for bearing the extra workload and putting up with coronavirus skeptics...

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With positive-test rate a record and new cases a near-record, Beshear says Kentucky is in a surge from Omicron; cities lead

Demand for coronavirus tests was apparent Monday at a site in Lexington. (Photo by Ryan Hermens, Lexington Herald-Leader) By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross Kentucky Health News After two days of high case numbers and a record-setting positive-test rate, Gov. Andy Beshear says Kentucky is in an Omicron-variant surge.  "Folks,...

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With Omicron, more effective masks should be worn, experts say

Chart from ShopMasks.com; click on it to elnarge. "With another coronavirus variant racing across the U.S., once again health authorities are urging people to mask up indoors. Yes, you’ve heard it all before," Maria Godoy reports for NPR. "But given how contagious Omicron is, experts say, it’s seriously time to upgrade...

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Kentucky has had a high death rate from Covid-19 since vaccines became widely available; relatively low vaccination rate is a reason

New York Times graph, adapted by Kentucky Health News to highlight the state Centers for Disease Control graph, adapted by Ky. Health News Since vaccines for Covid-19 became widely available in April, Kentucky's death rate from the disease is fourth in the nation, partly due to its relatively low vaccination...

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With few 5-to-11-year-olds vaccinated against Covid-19, public-health officials say kids will have to get sick to motivate parents

By Sarah Baird, The Goldenrod Over the summer — during that fleeting window of time before the Delta variant hit when we believed Covid-19 might be evaporating into a gauzy nightmare of a memory — I interviewed a woman for a story who had lied about her 11-year-old son’s age in order to receive the Covid vaccine, which was...

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Health reporter writes 'Five things about Omicron that I want my friends and family to know'

Dan Diamond, a health reporter for The Washington Post, recently posted a Facebook thread about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. It went viral, so he turned it into a story for the newspaper. He makes five points: For the unvaccinated, Omicron might not be mild: "Reports of it being 'milder' appear mostly based on the...

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At-home pill for Covid-19 is approved but supply is limited; Kentucky’s positive-test rate nears 10%

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The good news about the pandemic Wednesday was that the first antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 was granted emergency-use authorization. The bad news was that initially the supply will be limited at a time when demand is expected to soar.  The Washington Post reports, "The Pfizer pill regimen could help meet some of that demand, but it is estimated there will be enough medication through the end of the...

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Experts urge respect, plain facts when talking to rural, conservative coronavirus vaccine skeptics

Rural Va. couple Everett and Kristin Jiles got Covid-19 in July, but only Kristin was vaccinated. After Everett had a much harder time recovering, the conservative Christian couple became crusaders for vaccination. Here, they talk about their story (AAMC video). "Many people in rural and conservative areas remain frustratingly resistant to vaccination, challenging public health officials to come up with more convincing — and sensitive — approaches...

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Health-insurance companies' group makes 27 grants of up to $25,000 each to improve vaccination rates in Kentucky

The Clinton County News got a grant for four-color ads spotlighting offices with 100% vaccination. The Kentucky Association of Health Plans, which represents companies offering health insurance in Kentucky, has awarded 27 grants aimed at increasing acceptance of vaccines, especially those for Covid-19. The grants...

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Biden to get free, at-home Covid-19 test to Americans in January; In Ky. Covid-19 metrics are high, but stable

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As health officials predict a "national surge" in Omicron cases, President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced plans to distribute a half-billion free, at-home Covid-19 tests and provide more help for strained hospitals. Biden assured Americans that despite this latest surge of variant, the nation is more prepared that it was last March.  "This is not March of 2020," he said. "Two hundred million people are...

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As highly contagious Omicron variant becomes dominant in U.S., Beshear says Ky. cases will rise and he will watch hospitalizations

Ky. Dept. for Public Health graph, adapted by Ky. Health News; click on it to enlarge. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Cases of the coronavirus cases and the share of Kentuckians testing positive for it remain on high plateaus, but Gov. Andy Beshear warns that these numbers will go up because of the highly...

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Nations with mask policies had fewer Covid-19 deaths early on

Photo by David J. Phillip, Associated Press Mask policies in various countries have been shown to reduce deaths from Covid-19, regardless of the role of vaccines. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine looked at 44 countries in Asia and Europe to see how mask policies enacted at the beginning...

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Flu cases in Ky. more than double in a week; health officials encourage everyone 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine

Dept. for Public Health map shows flu cases by county; for a larger version, click on it. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As influenza cases in Kentucky more than doubled in one week, health officials said it's not too late to get your flu vaccination. Flu season typically peaks in February, but runs through...

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Rep. Andy Barr writes about bill, named for his late wife, to spur research into the heart ailment that killed her in June 2020

The late Carol Barr with her husband and daughters Eleanor and Mary Clay. By U.S. Rep. Andy Barr Though every holiday season without my wife Carol will be difficult, this year I am comforted by the fact that her legacy will be enshrined through the Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy (CAROL)...

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Every Covid-19 indicator in Kentucky is up; hospital cases rose 52% in last month; but vaccinations are outpacing new cases

Ky. Health News graph (virus cases based on initial, unadjusted reports); click on it to enlarge. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As every metric used to measure the coronavirus in Kentucky kept rising over the weekend, the good news is that the number of Kentuckians getting newly vaccinated was much more...

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Aleria Companies and bankrupt Trinity HealthShare told to pay $4.7 million in Lexington class-action lawsuit that is still going on

"A purported health care cost-sharing company . . . has lost a class-action lawsuit resulting in a nearly $4.7 million judgment" in U.S. District Court at Lexington, reports Jeremy Chisenhall of the Lexington Herald-Leader.  After representatives of The Aliera Companies "failed to appear in court multiple times, according to records, Senior Judge Joseph M. Hood "declared that the company should have been subjected to Kentucky insurance...

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Legislature will again be asked to let local governments pass tobacco-regulation ordinances, aimed at preventing youth use

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky lawmakers can expect another bill to be filed in January to give local governments the ability to regulate tobacco products, touted as a another tool in the box to limit young people's use of the products, advocates said on a training webinar Wednesday.  The Foundation for...

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