Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says President Trump has been “clear” in calling for the public to “wear face coverings when you can’t social distance.” The official messaging from the White House has been clear. The president’s statements have been anything but.
At the White House, the Health and Human Services secretary left the misleading impression that the FDA’s decision to revoke its emergency use authorization of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for COVID-19 “removes a potential barrier” and makes it easier to access the drugs. The FDA’s action does the opposite.
Federal officials have provided confusing and sometimes contradictory statements about the number and availability of tests to diagnose new coronavirus infections. We’ll explain how testing works, what happened with the CDC’s coronavirus test and what’s known about how many tests are available in the U.S.
The Trump administration announced a new policy that will soon forbid the sale of some, but not all, flavored vapes. We explain the new policy and review the scientific evidence on whether e-cigarettes are likely to have a positive or negative impact on public health.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has described a new policy as “unleashing our Medicare Advantage plans to negotiate discounting on $12 billion of drugs.” Some patient advocacy groups have described the policy as one that “could erect barriers to care for cancer” and put “insurers in control of treatment decisions.” We’ll explain what the new policy entails.