Here’s our recap of the past week in the coronavirus pandemic from our tracking, policy analysis, polling, and journalism.
The coronavirus pandemic is impacting the well-being of Americans beyond the seven million-plus cases in the country. Four in ten adults have said they or a family member have skipped or postponed medical or dental care in the past six months and more than half of adults have reported that their mental health has been negatively affected. A new analysis finds that one in four older adults reported anxiety or depression in August — up from one in ten in 2018.
At the same moment, health coverage is in middle of a political debate, as the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on a case that could invalidate the Affordable Care Act — including its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. A new Policy Watch post discusses the rise in people reporting symptoms consistent with a diagnosable anxiety or depressive disorder and how the pandemic could lead to mental illnesses being among the most common pre-existing conditions.
Here are the latest coronavirus stats from KFF’s tracking resources:
Global Cases and Deaths: Total cases worldwide surpassed 36 million this week – with an increase of approximately 2.2 million new confirmed cases in the past seven days. There were nearly 39,000 new confirmed deaths worldwide and the total confirmed deaths is over 1 million.
U.S. Cases and Deaths: Total confirmed cases in the U.S. surpassed 7.6 million this week. There was an approximate increase of 328,100 confirmed cases between October 2 and October 8. Approximately 5,000 confirmed deaths in the past week brought the total in the United States to approximately 212,800.
State Reports of Long-Term Care Facility Cases and Deaths Related to COVID-19 (Includes Washington D.C.) as of 10/8
- Data Reporting Status: 47 states are reporting COVID-19 data in long-term care facilities
- Long-term care facilities with known cases: 20,720 (across 47 states)
- Cases in long-term care facilities: 537,446 (across 46 states)
- Deaths in long-term care facilities: 84,136 (in 47 states)
- Long-term care facility cases as a share of total state cases: 8% (across 46 states)
- Long-term care facility deaths as a share of total state deaths: 40% (across 47 states)
State Social Distancing Actions (includes Washington D.C.) that went into effect this week:
Extensions: CO, DE, DC, ID, LA, MD, MI, RI, SC
Rollbacks: MA, WA
New Restrictions: NY, WI
The latest KFF COVID-19 resources:
- Lower Flu Vaccination Rates Among Black, Hispanic, and Low-Income Seniors Suggest Challenges for COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts (Issue Brief)
- Updated: At-Home SARS-CoV-2 Testing: What Are the Options? (Interactive)
- Updated: Medicaid Emergency Authority Tracker: Approved State Actions to Address COVID-19 (Issue Brief)
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Tracker – Updated as of October 9 (Interactive)
- State Data and Policy Actions to Address Coronavirus (Interactive)
- U.N. SG Guterres Calls For More Investment In Universal Health Coverage, Urges Nations To Draw Lessons From COVID-19 Pandemic (KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report)
- Mental Illness May Soon Be the Most Common Pre-Existing Conditions (Policy Watch Post)
- One in Four Older Adults Report Anxiety or Depression Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic (Issue Brief)
- Limitations of the Program for Uninsured COVID-19 Patients Raise Concerns (Policy Watch Post)
- Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments for COVID-19 Revenue Loss: More Time to Repay (Issue Brief)
The latest KHN COVID-19 stories:
- Refuge in the Storm? ACA’s Role as Safety Net Is Tested by COVID Recession (KHN, Fortune)
- Distrusting Trump, States Plan to Vet COVID Vaccines Themselves. Bad Idea, Say Experts. (KHN, NBC)
- Inside the Flawed White House Testing Scheme That Did Not Protect Trump (KHN)
- 5 Things to Know About a COVID Vaccine: It Won’t Be a ‘Magic Wand’ (KHN)
- Hard Lives Made Harder by COVID: Homeless Endure a ‘Slow-Moving Train Wreck’ (CHL, Los Angeles Times)
- Not Pandemic-Proof: Insulin Copay Caps Fall Short, Fueling Underground Exchanges (KHN, CNN)
- Campus Dorm Resident Assistants Adjust to a New Role: COVID Cop (KHN, US News)
- One School, Two Choices: A Study in Classroom vs. Distance Learning (KHN, Los Angeles Times)
- Lifetime Experiences Help Older Adults Build Resilience to Pandemic Trauma (KHN, CNN)
- Easier-to-Use Coronavirus Saliva Tests Start to Catch On (KHN, Los Angeles Times)
- Analysis: ‘Don’t Be Afraid of COVID’? Not Buying It, Unless Businesses Do Job Right (KHN, Fortune)
- Lost on the Frontline: Explore the Database (KHN, The Guardian)
- As Trump Touts His ‘Great’ COVID Drugs, the Pharma Cash Flows to Biden, Not Him (KHN)
- Pandemic Erects Barriers for Prized Bloc of Voters in Nursing Homes, Senior Facilities (KHN, Los Angeles Times)
- KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Trump vs. COVID (KHN)
- Young Doctor Succumbs to COVID, One of the South’s Many Health Workers Lost (KHN, The Guardian)