Category: NPR

Here’s what it will take for medical facilities across the nation to handle the coming surge of COVID-19 patients.

The virus pandemic comes at a vulnerable time for the Britain’s overburdened public health care system.

There is no universal protocol defining “deep clean” as industries work to eradicate the coronavirus. Instead they are tailoring sanitation efforts in accordance with what makes sense for them.

New research indicates that insurers are covering far fewer drugs than they did a decade ago. The reduction in options can interrupt care and leave people with hard choices at the pharmacy counter.

Public health experts are trying to figure out if U.S. hospitals are ready for a possible surge of COVID-19 cases. When there are more serious cases than a hospital can handle, more patients die.

The U. S. has an $8 billion stockpile of emergency medical supplies that is the envy of the world. But the vast collection will be of only limited use in the fight against the new coronavirus.

Small-town hospitals are under-equipped to deal with the coronavirus, and administrators warn it’s a misperception that people in isolated rural areas are safer from exposure.

In severe cases of COVID-19, as lungs become inflamed, membranes that transfer oxygen into the blood can become blocked. Some hospitalized patients need mechanical breathing support to recover.

From school closures to event cancellations, the disruptions are real — and vital. It’s all to slow the spread of coronavirus, so hospitals don’t get so overwhelmed that they can’t treat the sickest.

NPR’s Ailsa Chang speaks with Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. They discuss how the U.S. health care system is preparing for the coronavirus pandemic.