Coronavirus (COVID-19)

This analysis uses CDC data to look at deaths from COVID-19 for adults 65 and older. The findings show that deaths for older adults doubled from April to July 2022 and stayed high in August, before dropping again in September.

KFF’s Kaiser Health News (KHN) and the radio program “This American Life” together have won a Loeb Award in the audio category for a deeply reported account of the threats and hate targeted at local public health officials during the covid-19 pandemic. KHN’s coverage of public health issues will remain…

Our latest Vaccine Monitor survey finds that half of the public has heard either “a lot” or “some” about the newly-available bivalent COVID-19 boosters, and a third (32%) say they’ve already gotten it or intend to do so “as soon as possible.” It also updates parents’ vaccine intentions for their children, including those under 5.

Nearly 1 in 5 Parents of Children Under 5 Say Their Child Has Gotten a Vaccine, up from 7% in July, Though Half Say They Will “Definitely Not” Get Their Child Vaccinated Less than a month after the Food and Drug Administration authorized new COVID-19 booster shots that target both…

Rates of self-reported long COVID are one-quarter to one-third higher among adults who are female, transgender, Hispanic, and without a high-school degree than among all adults, according to federal survey data. In this policy watch, we consider whether long COVID could exacerbate existing disparities in health and employment.

This is an updated analysis of COVID-19 cases and deaths by race/ethnicity that incorporates more recent data and age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates.

Adults who report having ever been told by a doctor they have a weakened or compromised immune system are more likely than others to say they are worried about serious COVID-19 illness, with many reporting continued mask wearing and other precautions as mask mandates and other pandemic-relate restrictions are lifted.

Emerging COVID-19 variants, like the Omicron subvariant BA.5 that has recently caused a surge in cases, may pose new risks to children and create challenges for the back-to-school season.
Children may also continue to face challenges due to the ongoing health, economic, and social consequences of the pandemic. This brief examines how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect children’s physical and mental health, considers what the findings mean for the upcoming back-to-school season, and explores recent policy responses.

Federal policymakers have taken several actions to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic on families and children by providing state fiscal relief, increased nutrition assistance, Medicaid funding, and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); however, some of this assistance has or will expire. This brief examines hardship across three metrics—difficulty paying for normal household expenses, food sufficiency, and uncertainty in paying for rent or mortgage payments for households with children and by income.

Long COVID has been described as our “next national health disaster” and the “pandemic after the pandemic,” but we know little about how many people are affected, how long it will last for those affected, and how it could change employment and health coverage landscapes. This policy watch reviews what we know and outlines key questions to watch for regarding employment and coverage outcomes. We continue to follow the research on who is most at risk of long COVID and whether there are interventions that can reduce its incidence, length, or severity.