health care

Health & Safety

What Happens After Receiving A COVID-19 Vaccine?

11:18am December 20, 2020

Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Thomas Bollyky of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations about the implications of tracking people who get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Queue Listen Now

Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, greets a supporter with an elbow bump at a drive-through event to pick up yard signs last month in Alpharetta, Ga. Ossoff is in a runoff with Republican David Perdue, the incumbent, for the U.S.

In Georgia Runoffs, Dems Are Running Hard On Health Care. Republicans? Not So Much

7:00am December 19, 2020

by Sam Whitehead

The two Democratic challengers for the U.S. Senate believe focusing on health care during a pandemic will motivate voters for the Jan. 5 runoff. If both win, their party will control the U.S. Senate.

Medical residents and fellows protest the university's vaccine allocation process outside Stanford Hospital on Friday morning in Palo Alto, Calif.

Stanford Apologizes After Vaccine Allocation Leaves Out Nearly All Medical Residents

8:16pm December 18, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

Residents waged a protest on Friday, demanding to know why senior faculty were getting the vaccine before front-line workers who see COVID-19 patients. Stanford has agreed the plan was flawed.

"Pfizer is not having any production issues with our COVID-19 vaccine," CEO Albert Bourla says. But Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the company has had problems. Many states say their allocations for next week have been cut without an e

Pfizer Says Millions Of Vaccine Doses Are Ready, But States Say Shipments Were Cut

3:53pm December 18, 2020

by Bill Chappell

Pfizer is pushing back on the Trump administration's suggestion that the company is having trouble producing enough COVID-19 vaccine.

What Does Zero ICU Capacity Mean For Southern California?

3:49pm December 18, 2020

The current available capacity of intensive care unit beds in Southern California has dropped to 0%. NPR discusses what that means and what might happen next.

FDA Immunization Panel Assesses Moderna's Application For Its COVID-19 Vaccine

4:08pm December 17, 2020

by Joe Palca

An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration met on Thursday to review Moderna's application for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine. NPR discusses the latest.

Queue Listen Now

A health care worker prepares COVID-19 vaccine doses at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Wednesday in Portland, Ore. Hospitals across the U.S. began getting their first doses of Pfizer's vaccine this week.

Without Resources, Vaccine Rollout Could 'Fall At The Last Hurdle,' Journalist Warns

2:09pm December 17, 2020

by Terry Gross

Atlantic writer Ed Yong says the COVID-19 vaccination program will be the most complicated the U.S. has ever attempted: "It's going to be a slow process, and there are a lot of possible roadblocks."

Queue Listen Now

Health care workers have been throwing out the excess vaccine, fearing it would be against FDA rules to use it.

Some Vials Of COVID-19 Vaccine Contain Extra Doses, Expanding Supply

9:47pm December 16, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

"Given the public health emergency, FDA is advising that it is acceptable to use every full dose obtainable (the sixth, or possibly even a seventh) from each vial," the FDA said Wednesday.

An American flag with an image of a Native American on it in To'Hajiilee Indian Reservation in New Mexico. In California, a vaccine allocation committee is considering taking historical injustice into account in advance of a statewide rollout.

Health & Safety

California May Consider 'Historical Injustice' When Allocating COVID-19 Vaccine

1:25pm December 16, 2020

by April Dembosky

Could earlier access to the vaccine for some groups, like Native Americans, be a form of reparations for historical injustice?

Kimberly Conger, Sarah McSweeney's nurse at her group home, shows a photo of McSweeney on her phone. She says McSweeney was outgoing and fun: "She absolutely adored going into malls and getting her makeup done and getting her hair done."

As Hospitals Fear Being Overwhelmed By COVID-19, Do The Disabled Get The Same Access?

7:29pm December 14, 2020

by Joseph Shapiro

In an Oregon hospital, a disabled woman fought for her life as her friends and advocates pleaded for proper care. Her case raises the question: Are disabled lives equally valued during a pandemic?

Queue Listen Now