On March 13th, the Arizona House Health and Human Services Committee passed a Senate bill that would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees who complete religious exemption forms to opt-out of receiving vaccines, including COVID-19, influenza, or any vaccine authorized for emergency use under the US Food and Drug Administration. Senate Bill 1250 … Read more
Deanna Giolas is a San Francisco resident who lives with multiple chronic illnesses, and at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she found herself stuck in Australia. Three years later, Giolas reflects on her experiences during the pandemic as a person living with Type 1 Diabetes, ADHD, and anxiety, and what the end of the … Read more
While COVID-19 remains present in communities across the nation, Dr. Vincent Hsu, AdventHealth’s Infection Control Officer, expects the 2022-2023 flu season to be significant. “It’s a little hard to tell how long or how severe it’s going to be,” Hsu said. “In normal pre-pandemic, it could be suggested that if you have an earlier start … Read more
In this edition of “What They’re Watching,” Ingrid Ulrey, Regional Director of District 10 for the US Department of Health and Human Services, illustrates the importance of remaining vigilant on COVID-19 response efforts. “We really need to stay vigilant on the COVID response. It’s really critical that we all work together for high … Read more
Infection rates for both COVID-19 and monkeypox (MPV) are trending down, but Washington Department of Health (DOH) officials urge further vaccination uptake as the cold and flu season draws near. They discussed both viruses during a media briefing on Thursday. Washington had a 57.5 weekly COVID-19 case rate per 100,000 people from Oct. … Read more
Oregon health officials are preparing to acquire additional monkeypox vaccines as cases rise worldwide. Dr. Tim Menza, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Senior Health Advisor for the state’s monkeypox response team, gave an update on the virus’ (hMPXV) impact on the state and throughout the country Thursday. The US has seen a total of … Read more
A COVID-19 vaccine based on technology developed at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine in Seattle has been approved by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for use in individuals 18 years of age and older. The vaccine became the first clinical therapeutic approved for use in people to emerge … Read more
The number of COVID-19 cases in Washington are dropping, but health officials are concerned with the omicron subvariant’s recent activity. Washington State Department of Health (DOH) officials discussed the state’s COVID-19 cases during a press conference Wednesday. DOH Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said cases and hospitalizations continue to decline, but BA.2, … Read more
In case you missed it, registration is now open for our “5 Slides: Bending the Rx cost curve” virtual conversation. It will be an interactive conversation on a topic that continues to be top of mind for lawmakers and stakeholders. More details on the discussion are available below. In this edition of “5 Things We’re … Read more
The general election is right around the corner. With that in mind, State of Reform reached out to several health policy leaders in Virginia for a conversation on how the results might impact health policy in the state. More on that below. This edition of “5 Things We’re Watching” also features a Q&A with State … Read more