COVID
States forge ahead with COVID-19 booster shots for all adults
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are expected as soon as today, Friday, to expand access to COVID-19 booster shots to all American adults. But some states aren’t waiting for a green light from D.C. At least six states already have opened up eligibility for the boosters from Pfizer and Moderna beyond the categories specified by […]
Journalism in middle America got communities through the pandemic
By William Thomas Mari, Louisiana State University News of the pandemic’s devastating effect on journalism was conveyed by headlines across the nation telling of newsroom closures, layoffs and furloughs. Journalism was in trouble in 2020. In fact, it had been in trouble for a while. But how did so many local news organizations – especially […]
House GOP passes vaccine mandate ban after months of effort
After nearly six months of sustained efforts from anti-vaccination lawmakers and activists, Ohio House Republicans passed legislation Thursday prohibiting schools, colleges, and employers from requiring vaccination from employees and students. The legislation also extends a broad immunity for people and businesses against lawsuits alleging they negligently spread COVID-19. It passed with a nearly party line, […]
‘Money without oversight;’ lawmaker proposes giving nursing homes $300 million
State lawmakers are considering giving Ohio’s nursing homes $300 million in federal funds to recover from the pandemic with no requirements regarding caregiver pay or quality of care. The lump sum payment in House Bill 461 would come with no requirements that the funds go to raise notoriously low salaries of the caregiver workforce or […]
Lawmakers pass bill restricting pandemic shutdowns
State lawmakers passed legislation Tuesday that would block the governor from temporarily closing a business due to a pandemic or terrorism event so long as the business follows the safety precautions of still-operating businesses. The proposal comes in response to lockdowns ordered by governors and health departments around the U.S. in March of 2020 as […]
COVID-19 rises again in an undervaccinated Ohio
COVID-19 cases are once again ascendant in the 10th least vaccinated state in the nation. State data shows infection rates are climbing and the workloads are reupping at hospitals, where more than 2,700 Ohioans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. An analysis of state data shows that 11 months into the vaccine rollout, the ground is […]
The US was not prepared for a pandemic: Free market capitalism, deregulation may be to blame
By Elanah Uretsky, Brandeis University It’s unclear when the pandemic will come to an end. What may be an even more important question is whether the U.S. will be prepared for the next one. The past year and a half suggests that the answer may be no. As a medical anthropologist who has spent the […]
House committee chair presses state pharmacy board on ivermectin
An Ohio House committee chairman leaned into the director of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy Wednesday for his decision to echo a CDC warning against ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment. Ivermectin is a drug used as an antiparasitic in humans that conservative political and media figures have championed as a preventative and treatment for COVID-19. […]
Why are prices so high? Blame the supply chain, and that’s the reason inflation is here to stay
Consumer prices soared in October 2021 and are now up 6.2% from a year earlier – higher than most economists’ estimates and the fastest increase in more than three decades. At this point, that may be no surprise to most Americans, who are seeing higher prices while shopping for shoes and steaks, dining at restaurants […]
COVID harmed kids’ mental health — and schools are feeling it
This story originally appeared in Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts After more than 18 months of school closures and social isolation, the nation’s more than 50 million public school children are mostly back at their desks. But two months into the fall semester, teachers and students already are saying they need a break. The […]
How are Ohio cities spending their American Rescue Plan dollars?
When the American Rescue Plan was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last March, the U.S. Department of the Treasury wanted the cities who were getting part of the $1.9 trillion national relief package to submit their first project and expenditure reports to them by Oct. 31. Ohio cities got […]
House rep introduces latest vaccine mandate ban
An Ohio representative introduced the latest version of legislation Tuesday to prevent Ohio schools, private colleges, and employers from mandating vaccination. While the short title of the bill refers to COVID-19, the text of the legislation itself could include mandates for vaccinations against any disease. It states employers who require employees to receive a vaccine […]