Treatments

Delays, snags hampered HHS pandemic relief efforts to vulnerable groups CIDRAP

A new US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows that the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS's) distribution of federal pandemic relief funds to support communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19 was hampered by delayed state acceptance of the funds and resource problems.

Only 1% of immune-impaired US adults have gotten the recommended 5 COVID vaccine doses CIDRAP

Only 41% of US adults with impaired immune systems, who are at high risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes, have received four doses of mRNA vaccine, and less than 1% had received the recommended five doses as of August, according to a study published late last week in JAMA Network Open.

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U.S. FDA proposes shift to annual COVID vaccine strategy The U.S. health regulator on Monday proposed the use of one dose of the latest updated COVID-19 shot annually for most people, similar to the influenza immunization campaign, as it moves to simplify the country's vaccination strategy. Reuters Reuters

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Currently, people in the United States need to first get two doses of the original COVID vaccine spaced a few weeks apart, followed by a booster a few months later. ...

Pandemic funding eased medical debt for many Americans The number of Americans who had trouble paying their medical bills dropped precipitously between 2019 and 2021, and funds from the American Rescue Plan and other pandemic relief programs may have been a reason why. UPI

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