Category: NPR

Studies show children have lower rates of COVID-19 and have milder symptoms than adults. But there’s less information on how much kids spread the virus, which is key to safely reopen schools.

The first gene therapy for hemophilia could be approved by the FDA within six months, according to the drugmaker, raising hopes among families. But the drug’s price could be $3 million per patient.

People who lose their job-based health plan usually get 60 days to decide to continue it — and pay more — under federal rules. But a recent pandemic-related rule change allows more decision time.

The U.S. health care industry has begun reducing the use of high-risk opioid pain medications. But clinicians in many fields still prescribe large quantities of opioids, ignoring federal guidelines.

Preliminary evidence suggests the coronavirus can pass through the placenta, and pregnancy slightly raises a woman’s risk of a severe case of COVID-19. Medical experts urge calm and common sense.

NPR’s Sarah McCammon speaks with Dr. Nathaniel Smith, Arkansas’ outgoing health secretary, about coronavirus cases in his state and his new job at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Christine Montross says people with serious mental illnesses in the U.S. are far more likely to be incarcerated than to be treated in a psychiatric hospital. Her new book is Waiting for an Echo.

Companies that made hats, socks and teddy bears have started producing surgical masks to protect people from COVID-19. Some sellers exaggerate their standing with the Food and Drug Administration.

Gov. Brian Kemp is overruling directives in cities such as Atlanta and Savannah, insisting that the state’s less stringent guidelines take precedence.

NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with Dr. David J. De La Zerda, director of the medical intensive care unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital, about the surge in coronavirus patients at Florida’s hospitals.