Category: NPR

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason why Black Americans might hesitate on the COVID-19 vaccine. But many say it’s current racism in health care and Tuskegee is used as an excuse.

For the second year, undergraduates in New York City are mostly sticking to campus. But there is plenty of gossip about classmates exploiting loopholes to get vaccinated in order to travel or party.

Military medics who are normally deployed to combat zones are now on a feel-good mission at home. They are helping to administer COVID-19 vaccinations at a dozen sites across the country.

Calling themselves the “Vax’n 8,” a group of doctors in Vacaville, Calif., recorded a cover of “My Shot” from the musical Hamilton to promote vaccine confidence.

Surveys show that support for COVID-19 vaccines is rising among Black and Latinx populations, now that tens of millions of Americans have safely received the shots.

If we want life to get back to normal in the U.S., public health experts say we can’t just rely on COVID-19 vaccines. Other tools like contact tracing and care coordination are crucial too.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn says he’s in favor of acquiring Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, noting that new infections in Germany are rising at a “very clearly exponential rate.”

In many states, there are racial disparities in who has received a COVID-19 vaccine. A public health advocate says lack of health care access is a bigger impediment than a hesitancy to get vaccinated.

Researchers have quantified the price paid for fast-spreading COVID-19 infections. Patients who might have survived otherwise perished in crowded ICUs.

The CDC still advises against nonessential travel, but many infectious disease experts say a trip to the beach or a family vacation can be done pretty safely if you do it right.