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FDA approves first-ever RSV vaccine for people 60 and older
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS People 60 and older now have access to the first approved vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus. The vaccine, developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is called Arexvy and was approved May 3 by the Food and Drug Administration. “Today’s approval of the first RSV vaccine is an important public-health achievement to prevent…
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Annual overdose deaths fell for first time in four years
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS For the first year since 2018, Kentucky saw a drop in drug overdose deaths last year. Provisional data gathered by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center shows that 2,127 Kentuckians died of overdose in 2022, 5% less than the 2021 figure of 2,257. “I think it’s important that…
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FDA approves new booster, recommends a second booster for some
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The best way to protect yourself from severe illness, hospitalization and death from Covid-19 is to get vaccinated and boosted. This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a second Omicron booster, also referred to as the bivalent Covid-19 vaccine, for immunocompromised people and people over the age…
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Beshear says ‘it’s time’ to end U.S. COVID emergency, set May 11, but notes expiring programs; estimated 260,000 to lose Medicaid
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Gov. Andy Beshear agreed with President Biden’s decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, a decision that will bring an end to several programs that were put in place to help people during the worst of the pandemic. “I think it’s time,” Beshear said at…
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Calls up 26% since 988 launched in July
BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS In the six months since the new, easy-to-remember 988 suicide and crisis lifeline launched, calls have increased 26%, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. Beshear said at his regular weekly news conference that the “mental health version of 911” is designed to connect people in a mental health emergency with someone…
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The number of Kentucky counties with high and medium COVID-19 risk on the federal risk map made a big jump this week
BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS COVID-19 cases in Kentucky appear to be on a rough plateau overall, but the number of counties with high and medium risk of transmission on the weekly federal risk map made a big jump Thursday afternoon. The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention risk map, which looks at both…
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COVID-19 cases took a big jump last week
BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The number of Kentuckians with COVID-19 nearly doubled last week over the prior week, but fewer people were hospitalized with it. The state Department for Public Health reported 6,746 new cases last week, or 963 per day. That’s an 89 percent increase over the prior week, when the state reported…
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Youth suicide rates are higher where mental-health providers are scarce, study of all U.S. counties says
All but three in Kentucky rated short BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Counties that have shortages of mental-health providers tend to have seen their rates of youth suicide increase in recent years, a study has found. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that after adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, counties with a mental-health…
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Don’t forget to turn your clock back one hour Nov. 5-6
Sleep experts say standard time is the better one for health and safety BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS It’s almost time to “fall back” one hour into standard time, which sleep specialists say is better for our health because it more closely matches our body’s internal clock. Standard time officially begins on Sunday, Nov. 6. …
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Enrollment for subsidized health insurance begins Nov. 1 on Kynect; ‘family glitch’ fix makes plans available to many more
BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Open enrollment for federally subsidized health insurance plans starts Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15 for coverage that begins Jan. 1. Kentuckians can sign up for a qualified health plan on the state-based marketplace, Kynect, at Kynect.ky.gov. On the site, Kentuckians can compare options, apply for coverage and complete…
Tag: Melissa Patrick
