Global Health

Health & Safety

What Cake Baking Can Teach Us About Vaccine Production

5:06am May 28, 2021

The U.S. just backed calls by South Africa and India to waive intellectual property protection for COVID-19 vaccines, but that may not be enough to ramp up vaccine production.

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CDC Approach To Breakthrough Infections Sparks Concerns

8:14pm May 27, 2021

by Rob Stein

The CDC has decided to focus investigations of cases in which the COVID-19 vaccines fail on people who get hospitalized or die, but critics say that's short-sighted.

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A laboratory building at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, is seen on May 13, 2020.

Biden Asks U.S. Intel To Push For Stronger Conclusions On The Coronavirus' Origins

9:05pm May 26, 2021

by Alana Wise

The U.S. intelligence community is investigating the potential origins of the coronavirus, including the possibility that it emerged as a result of a lab accident in Wuhan, China.

The Search For Vaccination Proof That Works Better Than Paper Cards

4:17pm May 26, 2021

by David Schaper

As coronavirus restrictions are eased, how will travelers prove they've been vaccinated? Paper vaccination cards can be easily forged, damaged or lost and there's no universal digital passport yet.

Medical attendant Gurmesh Kumawat prepares to administer supplemental oxygen to a coronavirus patient in the emergency ward at the BDM Government Hospital in mid-May in Kotputli, India.

COVID-19 Has Pushed India's Junior Doctors To Their Limits

2:55pm May 26, 2021

by Lauren Frayer

They're treating as many as 200 patients a day. Many have seen more suffering than they expected in an entire career. A psychiatrist warns this will be "a generation of doctors who are traumatized."

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Taiwan Faces Uptick In Coronavirus Cases

4:44pm May 25, 2021

by John Ruwitch

Early in the pandemic, Taiwan was praised for handling COVID-19 exceptionally well. Now, Taiwan is struggling through its worst bout of coronavirus yet.

Rains have washed away the top layer of sand of shallow graves at a cremation ground on the banks of the Ganges River in Shringverpur, northwest of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Coronavirus testing is limited in parts of rural India, but some of the pe

In Rural India, Less COVID-19 Testing, More Fear — And A Few Ventilators For Millions

11:56am May 22, 2021

Hospitals are full. Testing is scant. Illiteracy is high. Most deaths are never registered. COVID-19's wrath in rural India is difficult to measure but public health experts are worried.

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Health & Safety

As International Travel Resumes, Here's How Important COVID-19 Testing Will Be

7:54am May 22, 2021

Ezekiel Emanuel, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, addresses the differences between PCR tests and rapid tests when it comes to getting tested before travel.

An older person receives their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Thika, Kenya. The vaccine's manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, announced this week that it will freeze all exports of the vaccine through the end of this year — leaving 20 mill

20 Million Africans Are Due For Their 2nd COVID Shot. But There's No Supply In Sight

5:24pm May 21, 2021

by Nurith Aizenman

African nations had been counting on Serum Institute of India for nearly all their COVID vaccines. Now the company says it won't be sending any more for months. And African officials are scrambling.

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Another Shortage Caused By The Pandemic: Blood Plasma

5:02pm May 21, 2021

by Keith Romer

The U.S. is one of five countries that allow companies to pay blood plasma donors, supplying 2/3 of the global need for it. Collection rates fell in the pandemic, threatening the health of recipients.

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