Health

The small study underscores the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In the first two full calendar weeks of August — the latest period for which figures are available — Kentucky saw a 110% increase in daily COVID hospital admissions, with an average of 28 patients per day.

The new booster is expected by the end of August, with shots becoming available in late September or October.

People who last got a COVID-19 vaccine in the fall of 2022 are starting to see waning protection.

Health officials warn legislators that the situation may not have hit bottom yet.

The timeline for moving the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines to doctors’ offices and pharmacies will be determined by the data and how effective they may be when compared with the current vaccines, said a federal health official.

Dr. Jasmine Travers, a gerontological nurse practitioner and college professor, offers some insights and potential solutions to nursing home staffing shortages.

The upcoming vaccine campaign comes at a higher cost to insurers and health practices, because the federal government is no longer footing the bill for COVID vaccines.

Kentucky’s certificate of need law makes it harder for freestanding birth centers to open in the state.

The federal rules requiring COVID-19 vaccinations in health care settings were lifted in early June.

The deadline to qualify for retroactive benefits dating to law’s enactment has been extended to Aug. 14.

The disease is transmitted in a tick bite. Scientists believe the lone star tick is the culprit.