CDC

Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies before a House panel on Sept. 25, 2019. In an NPR interview, she says the nation has more work to do to get ready for a future pandemic.

The CDC's No. 2 Official Says The U.S. Isn't Ready For Another Pandemic

1:48pm June 04, 2021

The United States wasn't ready for the pandemic "and we have a lot of work to do to get better prepared for the next one," says Dr. Anne Schuchat, who is retiring after 33 years at the agency.

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A chicken looks for food with her chicks June 3, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning people to refrain from snuggling with backyard poultry, citing concerns about spreading salmonella.

Don't Kiss Your Chickens, The CDC Says In A Salmonella Warning

2:34pm May 22, 2021

by Catherine Whelan

A surge in salmonella cases around the country prompts a warning for backyard chicken owners from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC's early coronavirus test was poorly designed, and it also came with problematic instructions, NPR has learned.

Early CDC Coronavirus Test Came With Inconsistent Instructions And Cost The U.S. Weeks

6:37pm May 21, 2021

by Dina Temple-Raston

An internal CDC report obtained by NPR shows the CDC's original coronavirus test kits didn't just have a fundamental design flaw, but instructions sent to labs to run the test were problematic, too.

Darren Ford (left) reacts to the new mask guideline while presenting his vaccine card at Liberty Theatre on May 14 in Camas, Wash. Gov. Jay Inslee announced last Thursday that the statewide mask mandate would no longer apply to fully vaccinated adults.

Even With The No-Mask Guidance, Some Pockets Of The U.S. Aren't Ready To Let Go

7:19am May 19, 2021

by Will Stone

Many Americans are still making sense of new CDC guidance that vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks in most indoor settings.

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Nicole McGrew, wearing a mask by the designer N'omose Couture, says she'll require customers to mask up in her store for a short time longer.

Health & Safety

As Mask Mandates Disappear, Business Owners Make And Enforce Their Own Rules

9:59am May 18, 2021

by Andrea Hsu

The CDC's new guidance that it's safe for fully vaccinated people to go without masks, even indoors, has led to a confusing situation for businesses, which now have to decide what to do on their own.

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Health & Safety

Opinion: Let Us Now Praise Masks

2:32pm May 15, 2021

by Scott Simon

With new CDC guidelines saying those vaccinated against COVID-19 can ditch face masks except for certain situations, NPR's Scott Simon ponders how masks have become a symbol for this age.

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After the CDC shifted this week to less restrictive mask guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, some leaders in the public health world felt blindsided. While some people rejoiced, others say they feel the change has come too

Confused By CDC's Latest Mask Guidance? Here's What We've Learned

8:41pm May 14, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shifted its stance this week on the need to wear masks if you're vaccinated. What's that mean for kids? For travel? For work? Experts weigh in.

A woman walks past posters explaining mask requirements at Grand Central Terminal train station in New York City on Wednesday. Rules requiring masks on transit are unchanged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated mask guidance for ful

Here's What Is (And Isn't) Changed By The New CDC Mask Guidance

10:13pm May 13, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

Some parts of public life in the U.S. still operate according to restrictive rules, and that includes planes, trains and buses.

President Biden arrives with Vice President Harris to discuss the CDC's new mask guidance in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday.

Fully Vaccinated People Can Stop Wearing Masks Indoors And Outdoors, CDC Says

5:49pm May 13, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

Biden says, "Today is a great day for America and our long battle with coronavirus. ... It's been made possible by the extraordinary success we've had in vaccinating so many Americans so quickly."

The headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Health & Safety

Poll Finds Public Health Has A Trust Problem

1:10pm May 13, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

A new Harvard poll shows that only half of Americans trust the CDC — other health agencies were rated even lower. During a pandemic, trust is critical to the success of a public health response.

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