Global Health

Turkey Is Among The Countries Dealing With A Spike In COVID-19 Cases

7:29am August 31, 2020

by Durrie Bouscaren

Officially the country reports more than 268,000 cases and more than 6,300 deaths. But some doctors doubt the government's statistics, and say they're overwhelmed by the number of sick people.

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Andiswa Gebashe, left, and Nicoline Du Toit are the sign language interpreters for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's pandemic briefings — and have become unlikely celebrities.

Health & Safety

How Two Sign Language Interpreters Became Unlikely Pandemic Stars

9:09am August 30, 2020

by Ryan Lenora Brown

They interpret for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in his coronavirus briefings. Their expressive signing has made them celebrities — and brought attention to South African Sign Language.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and Adm. Brett P. Giroir, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health, testified before Congress in June on the status of the pandemic. Fauci is just one of the public

OPINION: Public Health Leaders Deserve More Respect

7:00am August 30, 2020

by Angela Hart

This pandemic is like war, and federal, state and local health officers are leading the U.S. response. Yet unlike war heroes, who are lionized, they are facing unprecedented attacks and death threats.

This Bornean horseshoe bat and other bat species can harbor coronaviruses. The nonprofit group EcoHealth Alliance had its NIH research money cut for a project in China on bats and coronaviruses this spring — but just got a new multimillion dollar grant

Group Whose NIH Grant For Virus Research Was Revoked Just Got A New Grant

11:11am August 29, 2020

by Maria Godoy

EcoHealth Alliance is one of 11 recipients of funds to set up the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases. But the grant won't let them revisit earlier research on bats and coronavirus.

A worker disinfects the inside of a bus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Transit agencies are taking new steps to reduce the risks for riders during the pandemic.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQ: Is It Safe To Get On The Bus (Or Subway)?

5:08pm August 28, 2020

by Pranav Baskar

Mass transportation ridership plummeted when COVID-19 struck. Now people are beginning to return. What are the risks they face — and how can they reduce them?

Several influenza vaccines have been made in the form of a nasal spray, instead of an injection. The sprays confer two kinds of immunity to the recipient but can be difficult technologically to make.

What A Nasal Spray Vaccine Against COVID-19 Might Do Even Better Than A Shot

12:15pm August 28, 2020

by Joe Palca

A vaccine against the coronavirus needs to keep people from getting very sick and dying. But preventing the spread of the disease is also important, and vaccines delivered by nasal spray may do that.

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An urgent care worker wears personal protective equipment in drive-up testing for the coronavirus in the Los Angeles area. Leading public health scientists tell journalist Alexis Madrigal that widespread at-home testing could help contain the virus.

Health & Safety

'Radical' Coronavirus Testing Plan Could Offer A 'Return To Normal,' Journalist Says

8:34pm August 27, 2020

by Terry Gross

Atlantic journalist Alexis Madrigal says millions of at-home saliva tests for the coronavirus could be the key to a safe reopening — even if they are less accurate than the traditional PCR tests.

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FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn (left), Vice President Mike Pence, and Dr. Ella Grach, CEO of Wake Research, at the NC Biotechnology Center in July, where Phase 3 trials for a coronavirus vaccine candidate are underway.

COVID-19 Vaccine May Pit Science Against Politics

3:58pm August 27, 2020

by Joe Palca

New vaccines usually take years to get the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. But the Trump administration suggests the FDA may greenlight a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year.

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Devotees prepare to immerse in an artificial pond an idol of elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh in Mumbai, India, Aug. 23. India's coronavirus caseload topped 3 million that day, with the country leading the world in new daily infections.

Hindus Work Around Coronavirus To Celebrate God Ganesh, Remover Of Obstacles

3:34pm August 27, 2020

Mumbai officials get creative to allow devotees to celebrate the elephant-headed god safely, even as virus cases surge in other parts of India.

People wait for a flu vaccine in May in Manaus, Brazil. The flu season had a surprisingly low count of influenza cases in the Southern Hemisphere, and researchers are trying to figure out the role coronavirus precautions might have played.

From Southern Hemisphere, Hints That U.S. May Be Spared Flu On Top Of COVID-19

7:11pm August 26, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

So far this year, flu infections are way down in the Southern Hemisphere. Scientists want to know why — and what it means for the Northern Hemisphere as their flu season looms.