The worse your case of Covid-19, the worse the 'brain fog' you are likely to suffer; disease has effect even in mild cases

Chart by The Economist shows levels of "brain fog" at different levels of Covid-19 seriousness. Covid-19 is a new disease that is not fully understood, but new research by American and British scientists shows it causes problems with memory and concentration, often known as “brain fog,” even in mild cases. The researchers...

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Covid-19 hospital, intensive-care and ventilator cases keep setting new records; positive-test rate also jumps to new high

State Dept. for Public Health map, adapted by Kentucky Health News; to enlarge, click on it. By Melissa PatrickKentucky Health News The metrics to measure the coronavirus pandemic continue to worsen, with Covid-19 hospitalizations and use of intensive-care units and ventilators at all-time highs.  "The...

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If you know someone who's taking, or thinking about taking, horse de-wormer to fight Covid-19, please pass this along to them

Cartoon by Nick Anderson Demand is surging nationwide for ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug typically used for livestock, based on unsubstantiated claims that it can help Covid-19 patients. How bad is it? A Las Vegas-area feed store is requiring customers to show a picture of themselves with their horse before they...

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Every metric to measure the pandemic in Kentucky is worse, and cases in children are rising; vaccination is up, but less than cases

State Dept. for Public Health graph, adapted by Ky. Health News; for a larger version, click on it. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky reported more Covid-19 cases last week than in any other week during the pandemic, 29,456, and Gov. Andy Beshear said at this point the state is in "exponential growth,"...

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McConnell keeps urging shots, but avoids comment on others' work and won't repeat that he has 'total' confidence in Fauci

McConnell spoke at the University of Kentucky as Dr. Mark Newman, head of the hospital, listened.  By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross Kentucky Health News At an event to announce a renewed four-year grant for the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Kentucky, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell...

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Coronavirus burning through low-vaccinated Breathitt County; 'It's like they're blind ... I don't understand,' local health official says

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Eastern Kentucky couple's deeply held resistance to coronavirus vaccines illustrate difficulty of getting enough people immunized

Kentucky Health News One reason many Kentuckians are resistant to coronavirus vaccination is people like Josh Stacy. “I feel there is more to it than just getting a shot,” Stacy told Brandon Roberts of Spectrum News. “The government doesn’t do anything with your best benefit in mind.” Stacy's feelings about government...

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Massie leads 'Freedom Rally' that includes man who says his wife, a UK hospital worker, will quit her job rather than get a shot

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, left, and state Rep. Josh Calloway spoke at the rally. (Courier Journal photo by Scott Utterback) Opponents of restrictions to fight the coronavirus pandemic, led by Fourth District U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, rallied at the state Capitol Saturday. The "Freedom Rally" crowd included one man who...

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Stivers sees legislature returning mask-policy power to school districts, perhaps with guidelines based on status of pandemic

Sen. Robert Stivers (Image from WKYT-TV) By Al CrossKentucky Health News The Kentucky General Assembly may well let local school officials decide mask policy, rather than follow a state school-board regulation, Senate President Robert Stivers said in an interview broadcast Sunday. Asked if the legislature would shift...

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Most Kentucky faith communities still meet in person, many without requiring masks, and vaccination is a touchy subject

The Rev. Carol Harston leads Highland Baptist in Louisville in communion. (Photos by Bill Campbell) By Bruce Maples and Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As the state and nation endure another surge of coronavirus cases, how are Kentucky houses of worship dealing with the pandemic? Has their approach changed from...

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Isolation, closures and lethal drug supply likely contributed to the big increase in drug overdose deaths in Kentucky last year

The 49% increase in drug-overdose deaths in Kentucky in 2020 included a big jump among young people, Jasmine Demers reports for the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.  Her object example is Isabell Slusher, 24, who came close to being one of those overdoses. She said she started using heroin when she was 18. Last year, she was forced into isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic, and isolation is a dangerous place to be for...

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More than half of state's acute-care hospitals report critical staff shortages; 7-day average of new coronavirus cases sets a record

By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross Kentucky Health News Before celebrating the third and final batch of winners of the state's lottery for the vaccinated, Gov. Andy Beshear gave yet another grim pandemic report, saying 50 of the state's 96 acute-care hospitals report critical staff shortages. "It's worse from a hospitalization...

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State has second highest number of new cases; 1/3 of hospitals critically short of staff; Beshear says Ky. in 'uncharted territory'

Screenshot of KHN-adapted New York Times map; for interactive version, with local data, click here. By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross Kentucky Health News As Kentucky hospitals struggle with enough beds and staff to care for Covid-19 patients, and the state recorded its second most coronavirus cases in one day,...

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Morehead hospital is so desperate for staff that it may put coronavirus-positive nurses back to work, in its Covid-19 units

Drs. Adam Howard and William Melahn (St. Claire photo) St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead is so desperate for staff that it may bring back to work nurses who have tested positive for the coronavirus, and assign them to care for patients with Covid-19, Dr. William Melahn, the hospital's chief medical officer,...

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Today: 65 deaths, 2nd worst day of pandemic; 4,849 new cases, third highest; hospital and positive-test numbers hit new highs

State Department for Public Health table, adapted by Kentucky Health News; for a larger version, click on it. Some hospitals have staffing shortages, so not all beds are available. By Al Cross Kentucky Health News A huge spike in Covid-19 deaths was just one of the fast-worsening numbers of the coronavirus pandemic...

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Early exposure to tobacco smoke may speed the aging process

Early exposure to tobacco smoke, firsthand and secondhand, may make your body age more quickly, a European study suggests. The study in the journal Environment International builds on earlier findings that environmental factors during pregnancy and early childhood can change a child’s metabolism and physiology, sometimes in irreversible ways.   Researchers with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found that smoking during pregnancy...

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UofL Health-Jewish Hospital team is second in U.S. to implant a new type of artificial heart; Indiana man 'doing well' after 5 days

The University of Louisville announced Wednesday that UofL Health-Jewish Hospital had implanted a new type of artificial heart in a Southern Indiana man, making it the second U.S. hospital to implant the French-made device. Mark Slaughter, M.D. (University of Louisville photo) The heart was implanted Aug. 20 by a...

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In southeastern Kentucky's Covid-19 hotspot, health-care providers try to fight misinformation without confrontation

By Jamie Lucke Kentucky Health News Martin Huff of WYGE Christian Radio in London says he never shied from vaccines before. He gets an annual flu shot and has been vaccinated against shingles. Martin and Joyce Huff (Photo provided) Covid-19 was different. “There was so much propaganda and talk, you didn’t know what...

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