health care

A Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine vial and syringe. An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine be administered to children ages 12 to 15.

CDC Says Kids As Young As 12 Should Get The Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

8:39pm May 12, 2021

The White House has been urging family doctors to encourage vaccination of adolescents and the CDC director said "providers may begin vaccinating them right away."

Amit Sonawane, 35, an engineer at a district health office, gets his first vaccine dose in Palghar, India.

Will COVID-19 Vaccines Still Work Against The Variant From India?

7:40pm May 12, 2021

by Michaeleen Doucleff

A coronavirus variant is spreading quickly in India, causing a massive surge in cases. Scientists are rushing to see if vaccines will be effective against this variant. So far, the news is hopeful.

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The Biden administration says the government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care. In this 2017 photo, Equality March for Unity and Pride participants march past the White House in Washington.

U.S. Will Protect Gay And Transgender People Against Discrimination In Health Care

5:05pm May 10, 2021

The announcement, which effectively reverses a Trump-era rule, springs from last summer's landmark Supreme Court decision banning employment discrimination against LGBTQ people.

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Alex Gibney's new documentary on HBO is called The Crime of the Century. It details the role of the medical system in creating the opioid crisis.

Opioid Crisis: Filmmaker Details The Medical System's 'Crime Of The Century'

11:26am May 10, 2021

Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney investigated the opioid crisis. He says it was created by pharmaceutical companies, distributors, pharmacists and doctors, all looking to profit.

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While many people are still waiting to be fully vaccinated, medical experts are now thinking about booster shots.

You're Fully Vaccinated! But Do You Need A Booster Shot?

6:41pm May 06, 2021

by Brianna Scott

It's been six months since the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the U.S. But now there are questions about booster shots. Share yours with us and we'll get experts to answer them.

Residents of Chicago's majority- Black Englewood neighborhood (shown above in 2014) have a life expectancy that's about 30 years shorter than residents of the mostly white Streeterville neighborhood.

How Systemic Racism Continues To Determine Black Health And Wealth In Chicago

5:50pm May 06, 2021

by Terry Gross

There is a 30-year gap in the life expectancies of some Black and white Chicagoans. Journalist Linda Villarosa talks about the link between racism and health outcomes and tells her own family's story.

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Matthew Carnes prepares to change diapers for his newborn daughter, Evelina Carnes, as his wife, Breanna Llamas, keeps watch in the postpartum unit at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., in March. The U.S. has reported another reco

U.S. Birthrate Fell By 4% In 2020, Hitting Another Record Low

12:27pm May 05, 2021

by Bill Chappell

For the sixth year in a row, the number of U.S. births fell in 2020, reaching the lowest level since 1979. The fertility rate remains "below replacement" — the level needed to compensate for deaths.

Syringes filled with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are shown in April at the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center in Miami.

Pfizer Says FDA Will Soon Authorize COVID-19 Vaccine For 12-15 Age Group

2:28pm May 04, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The company said in late March that clinical trials showed the vaccine elicits "100% efficacy and robust antibody responses" in adolescents.

Sumaya Muhamed and her mother, Suad Abdulla, tout the latter's second vaccine dose at the Salahadeen Center in Nashville, Tenn. After weeks of affectionate cajoling and patient explanation, Muhamed convinced her mother to get the shot.

For Kurdish Americans In Nashville, A Beloved Leader's Death Prompts Vaccine Push

1:33pm May 04, 2021

by Blake Farmer

Some immigrant groups are closing the ethnic gap on COVID-19 shots. For many Kurdish Americans, their fears about vaccination are entangled with their experiences in refugee camps after fleeing Iraq.

Around a third of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after several months of a concerted push to immunize the country.

U.S. Vaccinations May Be Reaching A Tipping Point In Fight Against Virus, Experts Say

6:29pm April 30, 2021

by Rob Stein

New coronavirus cases are at their lowest level since October. Some health experts think the vaccination campaign deserves credit for tamping down the U.S. outbreak. But will the downturn last?