Medical Treatments

Vizient, a group purchasing organization that negotiates lower prices with drug manufacturers, sent recommendations that the Food and Drug Administration expand access to drugs heavily used with ventilator patients.

U.S. May Get More Ventilators But Run Out Of Medicine For COVID-19 Patients

5:16pm April 04, 2020

by Melissa Block

There have been dramatic spikes in demand for sedatives, pain medications, paralytics and other drugs that are crucial for patients who are on ventilators.

Health & Safety

Listener Questions About COVID-19 Testing

9:50pm April 02, 2020

by Rob Stein

Emergency physician Dr. Tsion Firew and NPR science correspondent Rob Stein answer listener questions about getting tested for COVID-19, and how those tests are processed.

Two days before Christine Rayburn was scheduled to have a cancerous tumor removed, the hospital cancelled the surgery, part of a wave of cancellations of "elective" surgeries during the coronavirus pandemic. But Rayburn's surgeon fought back, and got the

Health & Safety

As Coronavirus Strains Hospitals, Cancer Patients Face Treatment Delays, Uncertainty

9:31pm April 02, 2020

by Will Stone

As hospitals are forced to delay or cancel certain medical procedures so they can focus resources on treatment of COVID-19, it's disrupting ongoing care for people with other serious illnesses.

A ventilator can help patients unable to breathe on their own, but the experience of COVID-19 patients has been sobering for doctors.

Health & Safety

Ventilators Are No Panacea For Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

6:58pm April 02, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

Ventilators can be lifesaving for some critically ill patients, but they're no panacea. The experience so far with COVID-19 is that the majority of patients put on ventilators don't survive.

Queue Listen Now

Where Vaccines To Prevent COVID-19 Stand

4:13pm April 02, 2020

by Joe Palca

More than two dozen vaccines for COVID-19 are underdevelopment, and at least three have begun human tests. Here's what's being tried, and why it's now possible to develop candidates in record time.

Queue Listen Now

Many Who Need A Coronavirus Test Still Can't Get One, Despite Presidential Claims

4:13pm April 02, 2020

by Kirk Siegler

President Trump continues to falsely state that everyone who needs a COVID-19 test can get one. Health care providers and those who have been possibly sickened by the disease tell a different story.

Queue Listen Now

A sign on the M8 motorway last week in Glasgow, Scotland.

Health & Safety

The Science Behind A 14-Day Quarantine After Possible COVID-19 Exposure

6:38pm April 01, 2020

What's behind the "14 days of self-quarantine" guidance after exposure to someone with COVID-19 or after travel from a place with a high number of cases? Think of yourself as a potential incubator.

Health & Safety

Swab Manufacturer Works To Meet 'Overwhelming' Demand

6:28pm April 01, 2020

by Ailsa Chang

Maine-based Puritan Medical Products is one of only two companies that manufacture the type of swabs needed to test for the coronavirus. As testing ramps up, a huge demand has only grown.

Queue Listen Now

A worker cleans an area along the Las Vegas Strip that's now devoid of the usual crowds, with casinos and many other business shuttered.

Fighting COVID-19 Is Like 'Whack-A-Mole,' Says Writer Who Warned Of A Pandemic

5:26pm April 01, 2020

by Terry Gross

Atlantic writer Ed Yong warned of a global pandemic two years ago. He says scientists are still working to understand how COVID-19 travels through air — and whether more of us should be wearing masks.

Queue Listen Now