Category: NPR

U.S. Has Most Coronavirus Deaths In The World

More than 20,600 people have died from the virus as of early Sunday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Special Report: Coronavirus — The Week’s Best from NPR News

When will the worst of the pandemic pass? What’s next in the government response? What can you do for your mental well-being during the crisis? NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro has some answers.

‘Everything Broke Loose’: A Doctor And COVID-19 Survivor Recalls His Ordeal

“I didn’t know if each night I would deteriorate and have to go in the hospital, or whether I would survive the night,” says Michael Saag, an epidemiologist at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

What Would Contact Tracing For Coronavirus Look Like?

The CDC says reopening the U.S. economy during the coronavirus pandemic will require very aggressive contact tracing. WBUR health reporter Martha Bebinger talks about what that entails.

The Million Mask Challenge

Before the CDC suggested Americans wear cloth masks in public, people were busy sewing masks for first responders. Vanessa Fulton talks about the effort she helped to launch in the D.C. area.

COVID-19 Survivor Who’s Also An Epidemiologist Reflects On His Illness

“It felt a lot like Groundhog Day,” Dr. Michael Saag told NPR’s Scott Simon, describing daily recurrences of the symptoms. He also tried a controversial treatment that he said he now regrets.

Biden’s Health Play In A COVID-19 Economy: Lower Medicare’s Eligibility Age To 60

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden proposes letting 60-year-olds enroll in Medicare. He’d pay for the expansion out of general tax revenue, he says, not the Medicare fund.

COVID-19 Patients Given Unproven Drug In Texas Nursing Home, Garnering Criticism

A Texas doctor decided to give dozens of coronavirus patients at a nursing home a controversial, experimental medication, in some cases without telling their families first. He defends the decision.

Places Which Most Need Medical Equipment Often Forced To Buy On Open Market

The Trump administration has enlisted some of the biggest U.S. corporations to help boost the supply of medical equipment. But many of the supplies still aren’t going where they’re needed most.

New York Lung Doctors Rush To Spread Their Expertise To Other Physicians

Pulmonologists at some New York City hospitals are changing the ways they work to keep up with critically ill COVID-19 patients. They are changing who does what — and training lots of people.