Medical Treatments

A procedure room at Planned Parenthood in Meridian, Idaho, one of the few clinics in the state to offer abortions. Access to abortion is about to become even less available in the state as a six-week ban became law.

Idaho prepares to ban most abortions in the state as governor signs Texas-style law

4:08pm March 23, 2022

by Sarah McCammon

Barring legal challenges, Idaho's law is scheduled to take effect in about a month. It bans most abortions after about six weeks and allows health care providers to be sued.

A kidney donor Michael Wingard is being prepared by medical professionals for kidney extraction surgery in an operation room in Houston Methodist Hospital on March 1, 2022 in Houston, Texas.

Health & Safety

10 strangers come together for a life-changing kidney swap

10:34pm March 19, 2022

With all its complexities, a chain of this size is hard to pull off. This one was postponed three times. But with many waiting for a kidney, it's a critical opportunity to save some lives.

Health & Safety

Donors and recipients in 10-person kidney donation chain meet in an emotional reveal

5:21pm March 19, 2022

by Scott Simon

In the second part of our report from Houston Methodist Hospital, we check in with the 10-person kidney donation chain. This week, donors and recipients meet in an emotional reveal.

The U.S. omicron outbreak has dramatically slowed, cutting wait times for tests. But health officials worry a new uptick in cases fueled by the BA.2 variant could be on the way.

U.K. COVID cases are rising. Health officials are watching to see if the U.S. is next

5:00am March 19, 2022

The rise of the more infectious BA.2 variant in the U.S. — plus signals in the sewage — also point to a possible uptick in cases, and have health officials on alert.

Being vaccinated reduces the chances of long COVID, the latest research shows

4:22pm March 18, 2022

by Will Stone

Many who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are worried an infection may lead to long COVID. The latest research shows that can happen, but the chance is much lower among those who're vaccinated.

Treatments like monoclonal antibody infusions and antiviral pills can prevent a case of COVID-19 from becoming life-threatening. But many of the available drugs are not being used.

Health & Safety

Lifesaving COVID drugs are sitting unused on pharmacy shelves, HHS data shows

3:54pm March 18, 2022

by Pien Huang

States and health providers report they've dispensed less than half their supply from the government, raising fears that the drugs may go to waste while people who could benefit get sicker.

A Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is prepared during a pop-up vaccine clinic at Cristo Rey Church in East Austin last summer.

Moderna seeks approval for a 2nd COVID-19 booster shot for adults

11:59am March 18, 2022

by Ayana Archie

If approved, this would be the second booster shot Moderna has issued for people ages 18 and up.

The U.S. has shipped 500 million COVID vaccine doses globally, but there's work ahead

4:29pm March 17, 2022

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with acting coordinator for Global COVID-19 Response and Health Security, Mary Beth Goodman, about the U.S. shipping 500 million COVID vaccine doses to more than 100 countries.

It may be time to refocus the goal of vaccinating 70% of every country, advocates say

4:40pm March 11, 2022

by Nurith Aizenman

Two years after the World Health Organization declared the COVID outbreak a pandemic, the vaccination rate in poor countries remains well below global targets. But do those targets still make sense?

Amy Bloom and Brian Ameche married in 2007. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2019.

After an Alzheimer's diagnosis, her husband asked for help to die with dignity

1:20pm March 08, 2022

by Terry Gross

Novelist Amy Bloom talks about how, at her husband's insistence, she traveled with him to Zurich so he could legally terminate his life. Her new memoir is In Love.

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