Global Health

A law enforcement officer stands guard at the entrance of the Xinfadi market Saturday in Beijing. A fresh cluster of coronavirus cases linked to the market prompted officials to institute immediate and sweeping restrictions, including the market's closure

Beijing In 'Wartime Emergency Mode' Amid Fresh Cluster Of Coronavirus Cases

1:24pm June 13, 2020

The Chinese capital closed some markets, locked down parts of the city and banned outsiders from some neighborhoods after finding links between a massive wholesale market and a spate of new cases.

The pandemic is prompting a lot of questions about everyday life.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQs: Convertibles, Dishwashing, Dog's Paws, Bowling, Travel With Kids

5:54pm June 12, 2020

This week we tackle frequently asked questions — and some infrequently asked ones as well. And we also have advice on how to decide about possible testing if you attended a protest.

A woman in labor in the maternity ward at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. With lockdowns have come fears of even greater numbers of home births.

Health & Safety

Risks Of Home Birth Loom For Women In Rural Africa Amid Lockdowns

4:30pm June 12, 2020

by Patrick Adams

An inexpensive drug called misoprostol can prevent fatal hemorrhage. But experts say fears of its use for abortion have kept it out of the hands of the women who need it.

A COVID-19 patient lies in a hospital bed at Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital, in Bergamo, Italy, in April. Prosecutors are investigating whether regional or national authorities mismanaged the response to the coronavirus as it quickly spread through northern

Prosecutors Question Italy's Top Leaders Over Coronavirus Response

3:16pm June 12, 2020

by Sylvia Poggioli

Italy's prime minister, health and interior ministers faced hours of questioning in Rome as prosecutors opened an investigation into possible mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis.

Boys walk past shuttered businesses in the township of Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa, during the coronavirus lockdown. This recession is the first triggered solely by a pandemic, and low-income countries are particularly hard-hit.

World Bank: Recession Is The Deepest In Decades

1:58pm June 12, 2020

by Joanne Lu

The World Bank issues a report this week detailing the extent of the recession, the first caused solely by a pandemic. Its findings are sobering — but do offer a glimmer of hope.

A memorial pays tribute to Dr. Li Wenliang, who called attention to the coronavirus in China, on UCLA's campus in February in Westwood, Calif. The doctor's widow, Fu Xuejie, announced the birth of their boy on Friday.

'The Last Gift You Sent To Me': Coronavirus Whistleblower's Widow Gives Birth

12:42pm June 12, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

Fu Xuejie's announcement comes more than four months after Dr. Li Wenliang's death from COVID-19. The late Chinese doctor has been celebrated worldwide for his early warnings about the coronavirus.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (right) joins fellow Democrats from the House and Senate to propose new legislation to end excessive use of force by police.

Kente Cloth: From Royals To Graduation Ceremonies ... To Congress?

5:09pm June 11, 2020

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

When a group of Democratic legislators donned kente cloth at the unveiling of legislation aimed at police brutality, critics weighed in. Here's a look at kente cloth — and the controversy.

Health & Safety

How The Widespread Mask Use Could Slow The Coronavirus Pandemic

4:45pm June 11, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Dr. Atul Gawande, a staff writer for the New Yorker, about the efficacy of different face masks and why masks remain essential in dealing with the coronavirus.

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A vendor waters fresh greens for sale at a stall in a market in Abuja, Nigeria.

Why Forecasters Can't Make Up Their Mind About Africa And The Coronavirus

2:44pm June 10, 2020

by Eyder Peralta

Will the continent see a disastrous wave of cases? Or will it be spared the brunt of the pandemic? Different researchers have different theories.

Queue Listen Now

Debbie Sorensen, an infectious disease nurse with Salt Lake County Public Health Department in Salt Lake City, talks by phone with a woman who recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Sorensen is one of the county's 130 contact tracers aiming to slow

Health & Safety

When You Can't Quarantine At Home: COVID-19 Contact Tracers Aim To Help

6:00am June 10, 2020

by Andrew Becker

Public health experts say tracing the close contacts of people infected with the coronavirus and getting them all into quarantine is crucial to stopping the pandemic. That's easier said than done.