Category: NPR

To Help Farmworkers Get COVID-19 Tests And Vaccine, Build Trust And A Safety Net

Getting COVID-19 tests and vaccine to essential workers on commercial farms and in meatpacking plants requires more than a pop-up clinic miles away. A positive test can be financially devastating.

CDC Panel Endorses Johnson & Johnson’s One-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to endorse the emergency use of a single dose of a vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson. A study showed it was 66% effective in the U.S.

People With A BMI Over 30 Now Qualify For A COVID-19 Vaccine In Some States

Obesity now qualifies patients for a COVID-19 vaccine in some states. NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks with writer Emma Specter on why people should get the vaccine, though BMI is a faulty indicator of health.

College Tuition Sparked A Mental Health Crisis. Then The Hefty Hospital Bill Arrived

A student sought counseling help after panicking over a tuition bill. A weeklong stay in a psychiatric hospital followed — along with a $3,413 bill. The hospital soft-pedaled its charity care policy.

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine May Soon Be Available In The U.S.

Another COVID-19 vaccine may soon be available. The Food and Drug Administration has conducted an evaluation of the application from Johnson & Johnson for emergency use authorization for its vaccine.

One Medical Faces Accusations Of Giving COVID-19 Vaccines To Ineligible People

The concierge healthcare provider One Medical has been allowing ineligible people to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to documents leaked to NPR. The company denies this claim.

Biden’s Straight-Talking CDC Director Has Long Used Data To Save Lives

Dr. Rochelle Walensky says scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were “muzzled” and “diminished” by the Trump team, especially during the pandemic. She aims to fix that.

‘It’s a Minefield’: Biden’s Pick For Health Secretary Faces Abortion Politics

As California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra fought Trump-era restrictions on reproductive health. If confirmed, he’ll navigate an even more difficult legal and political landscape.

Vitamin C Apparently Not Useful For Sepsis After All

A seemingly easy and cheap treatment for a deadly disease has failed in a major study. Vitamin C is apparently not useful for sepsis after all. That’s a lesson for similar COIVD-19 treatments.

What Does The ‘War’ Over Obamacare Reveal About Our Governing Bodies?

In his new book, The Ten Year War, Jonathan Cohn looks at the intense debate surrounding the Affordable Care Act, the compromises of the law itself, and the ongoing fight for universal health care.