Global Health

A pop-up bakery in the town of Shoubak, Jordan, offers traditional Ramadan dessert known as qatayef a day before the start of the holy month.

Charity Gains New Importance For Muslims Observing Ramadan Amid Economic Shutdowns

1:18pm April 24, 2020

by Jane Arraf

Giving to the poor is an essential part of the holy month, which began Friday, and with so many people thrown out of work, observers say it's particularly needed now.

What It Would Take To Lower The Number Of COVID-19 Patients And Flatten The Curve

11:35am April 24, 2020

by Pien Huang

Countries worldwide are aiming to prevent a sharp peak in COVID-19 patients. An NPR global health correspondent takes listener questions on flattening the curve and the future of the pandemic.

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A vendor wearing protective masks and gloves serves a customer at a market in Rome on April 16.

In Italy, 'Suspended Shopping' Helps Those Facing Economic Hardship During Pandemic

11:11am April 24, 2020

by Sylvia Poggioli

La spesa sospesa means paying in advance for someone who can't afford it — an act of charity in which donors don't show off and recipients don't have to show gratitude.

A pathologist holds a vial from a COVID-19 test kit. Various bottlenecks in the U.S. that have constrained widespread testing for the coronavirus were problems in February and persist today.

Why The Warning That Coronavirus Was On The Move In U.S. Cities Came So Late

10:38am April 24, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

U.S. health officials said equipping six cities with extra testing would pick up under-the-radar viral spread. But an NPR investigation finds conflicts and shortages caused painful delays.

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A fatigued health care worker takes a moment outside the Brooklyn Hospital Center in April. Many hospital workers these days have to cope with horrific tragedies playing out multiple times on a single, 12-hour shift.

Health & Safety

Trauma On The Pandemic's Front Line Leaves Health Workers Reeling

7:49pm April 23, 2020

by Yuki Noguchi

Hospital workers face stresses right now that can compare to fighting a war, and recent research suggests medical staff could be among the hardest hit by the mental health effects of the pandemic.

Relatives mourn at the site of a mass burial at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery, in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on Tuesday. The cemetery is carrying out burials in common graves due to the large number of deaths from COVID-19 disease, according t

'Living Through A Nightmare': Brazil's Manaus Digs A Mass Grave As Deaths Mount

4:38pm April 23, 2020

by Philip Reeves

Cemeteries and hospitals are overwhelmed by a surge in fatalities, most of which are not registered in official COVID-19 statistics because of a lack of testing and bureaucratic delays.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology (above) has been the focus of the lab accident theory. Scientists interviewed by NPR said that all evidence points to the pandemic not being the result of a lab accident.

Virus Researchers Cast Doubt On Theory Of Coronavirus Lab Accident

2:41pm April 23, 2020

The Trump administration is investigating the theory that the virus leaked from a lab. Scientists who work with viruses say that's virtually impossible and point to transmission from an animal.

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Dozens of worshippers pray outside the Haidari Mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

Pakistan Calls Off Limits On Mosque Attendance In Time For Ramadan

1:59pm April 23, 2020

The clampdown on public gatherings was openly defied by clerics and worshippers. Now the government has changed the rules as the holy month is about to begin.

Iranians shop at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on Monday. This week officials allowed major shopping areas to reopen, prompting a warning from Tehran's coronavirus task force.

Iran Hopes Slowing Rise Of COVID-19 Cases Means The Worst Is Over

1:03pm April 23, 2020

by Peter Kenyon

Iranian officials say new coronavirus case numbers and deaths are lower than before, but they urge for an end to sanctions under these hard circumstances.

Indian policemen stand guard on a deserted road in New Delhi as India remains under lockdown over the coronavirus.

Blamed For Coronavirus Outbreak, Muslims In India Come Under Attack

11:30am April 23, 2020

by Lauren Frayer

In India, Muslims have been accused of deliberately spreading the virus. Many say they have faced increased discrimination, harassment and attacks.

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