COVID-19

People holding placards and shouting slogans protest Sunday in Madrid against the mandatory use of face masks and other measures adopted by the Spanish government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

'We Can't Live Like Zombies': Protesters In Spain Decry COVID-19 Mask Mandate

6:25pm August 17, 2020

by Scott Neuman

Demonstrators gathered in Madrid on Sunday to protest expanded requirements aimed at combating the disease, which has seen a sharp uptick in recent weeks.

"COVID is the world's new normal," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, in announcing a delay in national elections.

New Zealand Postpones Elections As It Scrambles To Contain New Coronavirus Outbreak

12:25pm August 17, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said elections would be delayed from Sept. 19 to Oct. 17. After 102 days without community spread, a new COVID-19 cluster in Auckland has grown to 58 cases.

Mayra Ramirez received a double lung transplant after COVID-19 caused irreversible damage to her lungs.

Health & Safety

'She Was So Sick': From COVID-19 Diagnosis To A Double Lung Transplant

11:42am August 17, 2020

by Christine Herman

After six weeks on a ventilator, she was dying of COVID-19. But doctors took a gamble and gave Mayra Ramirez a double lung transplant. Now she shares what it's like to come back from the brink.

Workers remove debris from a hospital that was heavily damaged in last week's explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut.

World News

'Corona, Cancer And A Blast': Beirut's Hospitals Struggling After Port Explosion

7:57am August 15, 2020

by Christianna Silva

Saint George Hospital University Medical Center is located about a mile from the blast site. Doctors there say the facility was decimated by last week's explosion, calling the scene "an apocalypse."

Queue Listen Now

Classical music concert with a sheet music in the foreground

Opinion: COVID-19 Cannot Stop The Hum Of A Church Choir

7:57am August 15, 2020

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon muses about a choir that had to stop singing because of the pandemic...so now they hum.

Queue Listen Now

Air conditioners on a building. Scientists say there has been too little research into the role of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in the spread of the coronavirus.

Can Air Conditioners Spread COVID-19?

5:00am August 15, 2020

by Jessica Craig

People are worried that the virus could be spread by air conditioning systems. Here's what researchers do — and don't yet — know.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrives for a press conference Friday in Wellington. A new coronavirus outbreak has grown to 30 cases, and Ardern predicts of the cluster, "It will grow before it slows."

New Zealand Investigates A Mystery: Where Did Its New Cases Come From?

6:37pm August 14, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

The hunt is on to find the source of the coronavirus outbreak, now at 30 cases. The country is working to understand how the virus slipped through its defenses.

A fan wears a neck gaiter as he watches the Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the San Francisco Giants last week.

How Should I Cover My Face? A Deeper Look Into Neck Gaiters And Face Shields

4:41pm August 14, 2020

by Pranav Baskar

Experts look into a new study that claims wearing a neck gaiter may be worse than no mask at all. And they discuss other face coverings such as goggles and plastic face shields.

A man smokes in the street in Madrid on Friday after Spain's health minister announced curbs on smoking outdoors in an effort to contain a resurgence of COVID-19.

Spain Cracks Down On Outdoor Drinking, Smoking In Renewed Push Against COVID-19

1:40pm August 14, 2020

by Scott Neuman

Spanish authorities announced the new measures as they confront a new wave of COVID-19 after tamping down the disease months ago.

A pedestrian walks by Saks Fifth Avenue as New York City continues relaxing more restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Midsummer Shopping In Recovery Mode: July Retail Sales Rise 1.2%

9:07am August 14, 2020

by Alina Selyukh

People particularly stocked up on electronics and appliances, took more trips with stops at gas stations, and cautiously went out to eat as more stores and restaurants reopened.