COVID

Biden will make Paxlovid, a highly effective COVID drug, available to more pharmacies

9:48am April 26, 2022

The antiviral pill is available to patients older than 12 who have tested positive for COVID and are at risk for developing a severe case of the disease.

A health care worker prepares the current COVID vaccine booster shots from Moderna in February. The company says a bivalent vaccine that combines the original strain with the omicron strain is the lead candidate for a fall vaccination campaign.

Moderna says its new 'bivalent' vaccine shows promise against COVID variants

12:02pm April 19, 2022

by Rob Stein

The company says this version targets both the original coronavirus and the beta variant, and appears to provide broader and longer-lasting protection against different strains, including omicron.

Mark Marston slides a higher-quality air filter back into an upgraded HVAC system in Portland, Maine. The new system can bring in about 30% more outside air.

Health & Safety

Better ventilation would create a healthier workplace — but companies have to invest

5:24am April 19, 2022

by Liz Szabo

The research is clear that air exchange and filtration curb the spread of COVID and other diseases, but upgrading systems is expensive, and there is little federal authority over indoor air quality.

A sign requiring masks as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus is taped on a storefront in Philadelphia on Feb. 16.

Philadelphia to reinstate its mask mandate after a rise in COVID cases

8:10pm April 11, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

The city will require masks in schools, businesses, government buildings and restaurants starting April 18.

Pieter Van Ry, director of the South Platte Renew wastewater treatment facility in Englewood, Colo., stands surrounded by solid-waste separators.

Colorado is moving toward statewide coverage of wastewater surveillance

5:11am April 06, 2022

by John Daley - Colorado Public Radio

With 60% of the state's population already covered by wastewater testing, Colorado is aiming to be a sentinel of coming contagion — not just of COVID surges, but of other types of diseases, too.

The Food and Drug Administration will meet with outside advisers to talk about the next steps in formulating a COVID-19 vaccination plan.

Another booster? A vaccine for omicron? Here's what could be next for COVID vaccines

9:54pm April 04, 2022

by Rob Stein

Federal health officials are convening with outside advisers April 6 to talk about a vaccine plan, whether that's another booster in the fall, an omicron shot or one that targets more than one strain.

Queue Listen Now

Stacey Whitford applied for Medicaid for herself and her son in December. He needed the coverage for hearing aids, and they waited for months as Missouri officials processed thousands of applications.

A staffing crisis is causing a monthslong wait for Medicaid, and it could get worse

5:00am April 04, 2022

The pandemic has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, and as Biden's COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends, low-income people could find it even harder to get coverage.

Keris Myrick, right, who has schizophrenia, with her father, Dr. Howard Myrick.

COVID and schizophrenia: Why this deadly mix can deepen understanding of the brain

1:26pm March 25, 2022

by April Dembosky

People with schizophrenia are three times as likely to die from the virus, giving scientists an opportunity to study the potential relationship between the immune system and mental illness.

Steve Wilhite, inventor of the GIF file format, poses in 2013 at the Webby Awards in New York City. That year, the Webby Awards honored Wilhite with a lifetime achievement award. He played a GIF as his acceptance speech, which iterated the pronunciation a

Arts

Beloved creator of the GIF dies following complications from COVID, wife confirms

10:02pm March 23, 2022

by Halisia Hubbard

Steve Wilhite, the creator of the GIF, died at age 74 due to complications from COVID-19.

Reeny Pereira had been a licensed nurse in Maryland for years. But when she moved to Pennsylvania, that state wouldn't recognize her license. Pereira had to wait five months for a new Pennsylvania license.

Health & Safety

Nurses are frustrated by months-long delays to get licensed in some states

5:00am March 23, 2022

by Brett Sholtis

Nurses trying to practice in Pennsylvania have some of the longest waiting times in the nation. After wading endlessly through red tape, some have given up and left, worsening the staffing shortage.