The Columbian

Health Wire

Relatives of Luis Enrique Rodriguez, who died of COVID-19, visit where he was buried on a hill at the El Pajonal de Cogua Natural Reserve, in Cogua, north of Bogota, Colombia, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Rodriguez died May 14, 2021. Relatives bury the ashes of their loved ones who died of coronavirus and plant a tree in their memory.

COVID-19’s global death toll tops 5 million in under 2 years

November 1, 2021, 8:48am Health

The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 5 million on Monday, less than two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems. Read story

Stressed out in Seattle: We’re the most anxious major metro in the U.S., new census data shows

November 1, 2021, 8:06am Health

Here in Seattle, we take a lot of pride in our status as the coffee capital of the nation. But starting tomorrow, you might want to consider switching to decaf. Read story

Rocks with the names of people that were victims of the coronavirus pandemic. In Washington, more than a thousand children lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19.

Report: More than 1,000 kids have lost a caregiver to COVID-19 in Washington

November 1, 2021, 6:05am Health Free

More than 140,000 children in the United States have lost a parent or grandparent to COVID-19. In Washington, researchers estimate 1,428 children have suffered such a loss. Read story

FILE - Misoprostol drug, the most common abortion pill, sits on a gynecological table at Casa Fusa, a health center that advises women on reproductive issues and performs legal abortions in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Misoprostol empties the uterus by causing cramping and bleeding. The drugs are approved for use by the FDA up to 10 weeks of gestation. (AP Photo/Victor R.

Abortion pills available by mail in Washington, but access isn’t equitable

November 1, 2021, 6:02am Health

In April, the Biden administration reversed a Trump-era requirement that made it impossible for doctors to remotely prescribe mifepristone, one of two drugs commonly used in medication abortion. The decision made abortion care accessible in the same way other forms of health care have been since March 2020, when clinicians… Read story

Maria Vega, a member of Montana's Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribes, was jailed in 2015 after a suicide attempt. Vega is now part of a group of tribal members, academics and policy experts proposing alternatives to the policy of jailing people who try to kill themselves. The policy was created in 2010 because of a lack of mental health resources on the reservation.

Montana tribes want to stop jailing people for suicide attempts but lack a safer alternative

October 31, 2021, 2:45pm Health

When Maria Vega was a senior in high school in 2015, she found the body of one of her closest friends, who had died by suicide. A few days later, devastated by the loss, Vega tried to take her own life. Read story

Willed Body Program donor’s remains are eventually cremated. Families have the option of having the remains returned to them or buried at no cost in the WSU-owned plot at Greenwood Cemetery in Palouse.

‘The bare minimum’: Body donation programs at Washington universities contend with shortages

October 31, 2021, 2:45pm Health

In the past, Eastern Washington University has turned to Washington State University and the University of Washington for cadavers to use with its physical therapy program., SPOKANE — In the past, Eastern Washington University has turned to Washington State University and the University of Washington for cadavers to use with… Read story

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a rotating cast of traveling nurses has helped keep intensive care units fully staffed.

Worn-out nurses hit the road for better pay, stressing hospital budgets — and morale

October 31, 2021, 6:00am Business

In parts of the country where COVID-19 continues to fill hospitals, a rotating cast of traveling nurses helps keep intensive care units fully staffed. Hospitals have to pay handsomely to get that temporary help, and those higher wages are tempting some staff nurses to hit the road, too. Read story

School nurse deficit deepens as states seek relief

October 31, 2021, 6:00am Health

Last year was a nightmare for nearly everyone in health care. But for school nurses, 2021 has been worse. Read story

FILE - This October 2021, photo provided by Pfizer shows kid-size doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Puurs, Belgium. The U.S. moved a step closer to expanding vaccinations for millions more children as a panel of government advisers on Tuesday, Oct. 26, endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer's shots for 5- to 11-year-olds.

FDA paves way for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations in young kids

October 29, 2021, 1:39pm Health

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday paved the way for children ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. Read story