Kentucky's weekly Covid-19 case numbers and positive-test rate are on the decline, offering hope for the weeks to come

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 got a hopeful Covid-19 report from Gov. Andy Beshear at his weekly pandemic press conference, with the state's weekly coronavirus case numbers and positive-test rate...

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Research suggests local journalists quote local experts, not Fauci, when discussing pandemic health guidelines

Rural journalists are charged with keeping readers informed about the coronavirus pandemic, but widespread skepticism of government-endorsed public-health measures makes it difficult (as rural Minnesota publisher-editor Reed Anfinson can attest). Soon-to-be-published research suggests a solid approach to making public-health information seem more trustworthy to readers: Quote local sources such as doctors or health department administrators instead...

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Flu cases are declining in Kentucky, but season runs until May, and CDC says there's still time and reasons to get vaccinated

State Dept. for Public Health map, adapted by Ky. Health News; to enlarge, click on it. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Influenza cases in Kentucky have slowly declined for five straight weeks, similar to what is going on in the rest of the nation.  The latest weekly report from the state Department...

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Legislature sends Beshear a bill to ban any 'zero visitor' policies in nursing homes other facilities, a legacy of the pandemic

State Sen. Julie Raque Adams (Legislative photo) By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A bill to guarantee an essential caregiver's right visit a resident at long-term care facilities, assisted-living communities and state-owned mental health hospitals has passed unanimously through both chambers of the General Assembly...

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Pope Francis sees an "infodemic," says access to accurate information about the coronavirus and vaccines is a human right

Pope Francis (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images) Pope Francis said Friday that an “infodemic” is spreading, defining it as “a distortion of reality based on fear, falsified or invented news.” The head of the Roman Catholic Church said information based on scientific facts is a human right, and urged Catholic journalists...

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Coronavirus cases remain high in Kentucky, but other measures of the pandemic, including Covid-19 hospitalizations, decline

Kentucky Health News graph; click it to enlarge. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Coronavirus cases remain at near-record highs in Kentucky, but Covid-19 hospitalizations and the seven-day positive-test and infection rates appear to be in a slight decline.  Kentucky reported 15,822 new coronavirus cases...

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Pandemic numbers seem to be nearing peak in Ky., but Beshear advises caution, warning that hospitals could still be overrun

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Covid-19 can cause psychological problems; UK case is an example, and also of surgery that can prevent epileptic seizures

From left: Sally Mathias, M.D.; Aleina Milligan; her sister Kelly Milligan, the patient; Farhan Mirza, M.D., and Timothy Ainger, Ph.D. (University of Kentucky photo by Pete Comparoni) By Hillary Smith University of Kentucky Aleina and Kelly Milligan of Columbia are more than sisters; they are truly best friends. For...

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Virus infection rate stalls, but new-case average hits a new high and Covid-19 hospitalizations jump 4% in one day, nearing record

Regions in red are using over 80% of ICU beds. (State table, adapted by Ky. Health News; click to enlarge) By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Covid-19 hospitalizations in Kentucky jumped 4 percent from Tuesday to Wednesday, to nearly 2,500, as the state seemed likely to set a new record this week for residents hospitalized...

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7-day average for Covid-19 cases a record; Ky. rate is No. 2 in nation; surge causing more hospitals to limit elective procedures

NYT chart shows states with top 7-day rates of new coronavirus cases Tuesday; click on it to enlarge. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The Omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to surge in Kentucky, with Tuesday setting a record for the highest seven-day rolling average, and the acceleration of hospital...

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Pandemic still set records but may be nearing its crest in Ky.; short-staffed hospitals struggle to keep up; better masks urged

State Dept. for Public Health graph, adapted by Ky. Health News; for a larger version, click on it. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As hope mounts that the Omicron-variant surge will soon crest in Kentucky, hospitals in the state remain strained and a workforce that is struggling to stay healthy, prompting...

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UnitedHealthcare, nation's largest insurance company, posts record profit for an insurer; growth comes mainly from taxpayers

NEWS ANALYSIS by Wendell Potter Just days after a Commonwealth Fund report showed that American families are sending health insurance companies more and more of their income every year even as their deductibles skyrocket, the country’s biggest insurer reported massive 2021 profits and told investors to expect even higher profits in 2022. UnitedHealth on Wednesday reported 2021 profits of $24 billion on revenue of $287.6 billion. Executives told...

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CBO report issues report Yarmuth requested on health-care costs

Yarmuth (WBKO image) The Congressional Budget Office has issued a report requested by Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth of Louisville on the major drivers of increases in health-care spending and the variation in health-care prices and costs. It is stull working on a study Yarmuth sought of mechanisms to hold down growth...

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Study: Covid-19 shots don't affect fertility, but the disease might

Vaccines for the coronavirus don't affect the fertility of men or women, but the virus "could cause short-term fertility problems in men," Robert Preidt reports for HealthDay News. The study debunks a fear that has been an obstacle to vaccination for some people who want to have children. "Many reproductive-aged individuals have cited concerns about fertility as a reason for remaining unvaccinated," said lead study author Amelia Wesselink,...

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It's too early for school boards to lift mask mandates, but they need to plan for it, former FDA commissioner Gottlieb says

Dept. for Public Health map, adapted by Ky. Health News, shows most counties have 7-day infection rates above 200 per 100,000 residents; almost all are above 100. (For a larger version, click on it.) Pediatrician Horace Hambrick attended the Jan. 10 meeting of the Scott County school board to ask it to keep...

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Ky. again breaks record for new Covid-19 cases, over 16,000; new studies show robust protection against virus if boosted

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky hit another daily record for new coronavirus cases, surging beyond the last record by more than 1,000 cases. It also has a new record high positivity rate, with nearly one in three Kentuckians testing positive for the virus.  Kentucky  reported 16,130 new cases of the virus Friday, beating its previous record of 14,896 on Saturday, Jan. 15 by 1,234 cases. Of today's cases, 25% are in people...

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Senate floor leader says he has little respect for Beshear, who 'does not know how to govern' and 'hates the legislature'

By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Gov. Andy Beshear "does not know how to govern," the majority floor leader of the state Senate said at Kentucky newspapers' annual convention Friday. "This guy hates the legislature, wants to run the government like a monarchy," Republican Sen. Damon Thayer of Georgetown said of the Democratic...

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House sends Senate a budget bill with many provisions dealing with health issues, several with less than Beshear proposed

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The state House of Representatives passed a two-year state budget Thursday that includes a number of provisions for health, including many that were in Gov. Andy Beshear's budget proposal, but with some variations in amounts and sources of money.  And the House budget has no money for retention and recruitment of nurses, nor the governor's plan to use $400 million in federal relief money to reward "essential...

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Pandemic keeps growing in Ky., but Beshear sees a peak in 10-14 days; Harlan County ball games called 'super-spreader events'

The governor used this graph to show that very few fully vaccinated Kentuckians under 60 have died of Covid-19 since the Omicron variant began raising numbers in July. (Screenshot; click to enlarge)  By Al CrossKentucky Health News Kentucky reported its second-highest daily number of new coronavirus cases Thursday,...

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Governor says more legislators need to wear masks

By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Saying he believes the General Assembly is having "a major outbreak" of coronavirus cases, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that legislators need to take more preventive precautions. ”“I think everybody should be wearing a mask, Beshear said in response to a question at a press conference. “I think a ton of legislators have had Covid in the last week or so, based on the numbers of folks that are voting remotely,...

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