Global Health

A 19-year-old woman talks with nurse Valeria Zafisoa at a traveling contraception clinic in eastern Madagascar run by the British nonprofit group Marie Stopes International.

A Biden Promise About Overseas Abortion Funding Could Prove Difficult To Implement

7:51am December 03, 2020

by Nurith Aizenman

It's part of an ongoing back-and-forth: Republican presidents ban U.S. funds for foreign aid groups that 'promote' abortion, Democratic presidents revoke the ban. This time things could be different.

A Portland, Ore., resident wears a respirator to protect himself from wildfire smoke as he jogs in downtown in September 2020.

'We Don't Have To Live This Way': Doctors Call For Climate Action

6:31pm December 02, 2020

by Rebecca Hersher

Heat waves, air pollution and extreme weather are making people sick and, increasingly, killing people. A key report by global physicians says fossil fuels are to blame.

U.K. Authorizes Coronavirus Vaccine

5:43pm December 02, 2020

by Frank Langfitt

The U.K. is the first Western country to authorize experimental use of a major coronavirus vaccine. The U.K. health minister says the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be available next week.

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A woman wears a mask as she walks by Pfizer's world headquarters in New York last month.

EU Could Approve Pfizer, BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine In December

5:55pm December 01, 2020

by Reese Oxner

If approved, the vaccine could be distributed before the end of the year, BioNTech says.

Yehiya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, pictured in 2017, is in stable condition, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Gaza's Hamas Leader Gets Coronavirus As Palestinian Territories' Cases Surge

1:29pm December 01, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

Yehiya Sinwar has tested positive for the coronavirus as infections reach record levels in the Palestinian territories.

A new study that analyzed blood donations from December 2019 to early January helped show that the coronavirus infected people in the U.S. earlier than previously thought.

Coronavirus Was In U.S. Weeks Earlier Than Previously Known, Study Says

10:27am December 01, 2020

by Jaclyn Diaz

The discovery, uncovered after analyzing blood donations from nine states, strengthens evidence that the coronavirus was quietly spreading around the world before health officials were aware.

Canadian Minister of Health Patty Hajdu, pictured in 2016, announced a new rule in response to a U.S. plan to import drugs from Canada.

Canada Blocks Export Of Medications In Short Supply In Response To Trump Plan

8:06pm November 29, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

The move comes just days before a U.S. rule was set to go into effect allowing for bulk importation of drugs from Canada. Trump promised it would lower costs and be a "game changer" for seniors.

North Korean State Commission of Quality Management staff in protective gear carries a disinfectant spray can as personnel check the health of travelers and inspect goods delivered via the borders at the Pyongyang Airport in North Korea, on Feb. 1.

North Korea Executed Coronavirus Rule-Breaker, Says South Korean Intelligence

3:41pm November 27, 2020

by Anthony Kuhn

South Korean lawmakers say intelligence officials briefed them on the North's tough pandemic rules, including a Pyongyang lockdown and an execution of an official caught breaking restrictions.

A healthcare worker processes people in line at a United Memorial Medical Center COVID-19 testing site on Nov. 19, in Houston. Texas is rushing thousands of additional medical staff to overworked hospitals as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients i

Health & Safety

Government Model Suggests U.S. COVID-19 Cases Could Be Approaching 100 Million

4:39pm November 26, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

Government scientists estimate that the true number of coronavirus infections is eight times the reported number of 12.5 million, meaning "most of the country remains at risk," the team reports.

Health & Safety

Results Of Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Questioned After AstraZeneca Admits A Mistake

3:59pm November 26, 2020

by Joe Palca

After admitting the preliminary results of the clinical trial were a mistake, AstraZeneca is now facing many questions about the coronavirus vaccine it has developed with the University of Oxford.

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