Medical Treatments

A public health nurse and National Guard medic interview a patient before taking a swab for COVID-19 testing at Gallatin High School on April 19. This was one of dozens of Tennessee sites where even patients without symptoms were welcomed to get a free te

Tennessee Government Pays The Labs Directly For The Coronavirus Tests

8:21pm May 07, 2020

by Blake Farmer

Only a few states have enough tests to ensure safe reopening. Most of those have a small population or have taken up unique approaches. The state of Tennessee has decided to pay for every single test.

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Health & Safety

Will Antibodies After COVID-19 Illness Prevent Reinfection?

7:15pm May 07, 2020

by Richard Harris

Scientists don't know whether people who have been exposed to the coronavirus will be immune for life, or if it can infect us again and again, like the common cold.

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Scientists Are Trying To Understand Whether People Can Be Immune To The Coronavirus

4:55pm May 07, 2020

by Richard Harris

Scientists are now trying to determine whether antibodies in the blood will protect people from contracting the coronavirus again. This question is crucial for the development of a vaccine.

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The serious inflammatory syndrome sending some children and teens to the hospital remains extremely uncommon, doctors say. But if your child spikes a high, persistent fever, and has severe abdominal pain with vomiting that doesn't make them feel better, c

Mystery Inflammatory Syndrome In Kids And Teens Likely Linked To COVID-19

10:21am May 07, 2020

by Maria Godoy

Doctors in the U.S. and Europe are reporting a small wave of cases of what looks like a "shock syndrome" in young people. They have low blood pressure, inflamed hearts and other serious symptoms.

Emergency room physicians are seeing a drop in admissions for heart attacks and strokes. They worry patients who have delayed care may be sicker when they finally arrive in emergency rooms.

Health & Safety

Eerie Emptiness Of ERs Worries Doctors: Where Are The Heart Attacks And Strokes?

6:36pm May 06, 2020

Is fear of the coronavirus causing ER avoidance? Doctors are seeing an alarming drop in cardiovascular emergency cases. They warn that delayed care can lead to brain damage or even death.

Physical and occupational therapists carry bags of personal protective equipment on their way to the room of a COVID-19 patient in a Stamford Hospital intensive care unit in Stamford, Conn., on April 24. This "prone team" turns over COVID-19 to help them

Health & Safety

Hospital ICUs Are Adapting To COVID-19 At 'Light Speed'

4:01pm May 05, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

With COVID-19 becoming a critical focus in hospital intensive care units, nurses, doctors and other caregivers have had to shift gears to protect staff and save patients.

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"If we can erase some of the stigma around [depression and suicide]," says podcast host John Moe, "that person can have at least a better shot at treatment and avoiding this kind of fate."

Humorist Lightens Depression's Darkness By Talking (And Laughing) About It

3:53pm May 05, 2020

by Terry Gross

Though John Moe's podcast, 'The Hilarious World of Depression' centers on mental illness, the conversations are funny. Humor "can bust me out" of a dark place, he says, the way platitudes never would.

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Malaria Consortium providing antimalarial pills in Burkina Faso.

Optimizing Your Pandemic Charity

6:58am May 05, 2020

by Darian Woods

Running the numbers on giving in the time of coronavirus

Health & Safety

Patients Who Recovered From COVID-19 Share Their Experiences Of Returning To Work

11:08pm May 04, 2020

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and Dr. Lucy McBride, a physician in Washington, D.C., about the challenges of ending isolation and returning to work.

Listener Questions About The Future Of The Coronavirus Vaccine

11:05pm May 04, 2020

by Joe Palca

NPR's science correspondent answers listener questions about the development of the coronavirus vaccines.