Medical Treatments

CDC Advisers Review The Pfizer Vaccine's Benefits And Risks

5:00pm August 30, 2021

by Pien Huang

An advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is meeting Monday to consider whether any changes are needed to its existing recommendations for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Testing your antibody levels to get a sense of your COVID-19 protection may be tempting, especially as you wait for a booster shot. But scientists say these widely available tests can't tell you the full story, at least not yet.

Health & Safety

Antibody Tests Should Not Be Your Go-To For Checking COVID Immunity

1:59pm August 28, 2021

by Will Stone

Worries about waning immunity and talk of COVID booster shots has some Americans checking their antibody levels to see if they're protected. But scientists warn blood tests don't tell the full story.

Those Against The COVID Vaccine Lost A Key Argument With The Pfizer Shot's Approval

5:01pm August 27, 2021

by Debbie Elliott

Now that the federal government has approved the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, will that be enough to sway those who have resisted getting the shot?

Ely Bair had two medically necessary jaw surgeries. For the first, in 2018, his share of the bill was $3,000. For the second, in 2019 after a job change, he was billed $27,000, even though he had the same insurance carrier.

Same Hospital And Insurer, But The Bill For His 2nd Jaw Procedure Was $24,000 More

12:17pm August 27, 2021

by Phil Galewitz

To realign the man's jaw and ease his chronic pain and high blood pressure, he would need two operations, the surgeon said. Both procedures went well, but the patient was shocked by the second bill.

Students head to class this month in Thornton, Colo. Infectious disease experts say the decline in vaccination rates against childhood diseases during the pandemic has increased the potential for outbreaks of diseases once largely vanquished in the United

Health & Safety

Many Kids Have Missed Routine Vaccines, Worrying Doctors As School Starts

3:42pm August 26, 2021

by Yuki Noguchi

The pandemic has meant many kids have put off doctor visits and recommended shots. Experts worry that means some pockets of the U.S. are now more vulnerable to outbreaks of measles and meningitis.

Then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (left) and President Donald Trump listen as Moncef Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed speaks about the crash program to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in the White House Rose Garden in May 2020.

Health & Safety

The U.S. Paid Billions To Get Enough COVID Vaccines Last Fall. What Went Wrong?

4:39pm August 25, 2021

by Sydney Lupkin

Immediately after the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's vaccine, the company delivered fewer doses than its government contract projected. Federal officials say they didn't know why.

Artificial intelligence brain by particle form.

In 'Dopamine Nation,' Overabundance Keeps Us Craving More

2:34pm August 25, 2021

by Terry Gross

Psychiatrist Anna Lembke's new book explores the brain's connection between pleasure and pain. It also helps explain addictions — not just to drugs and alcohol, but also to food, sex and smartphones.

Queue Listen Now

A Palestinian medic administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine during an inoculation campaign at a medical center in Gaza City on Aug. 23.

Health & Safety

Why Pfizer's FDA Approval Matters And What It Means For Vaccine Mandates

6:01pm August 24, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

The FDA announced the Pfizer vaccine is the first in the U.S. that is now fully approved. Here's what that means for vaccine mandates and convincing vaccine-hesitant people to get vaccinated.

Dr. Thomas Dobbs and other Mississippi state health officials are urging residents not to take ivermectin formulated for livestock as a way to treat or prevent COVID-19.

Health & Safety

Mississippi Is Pleading With People To Stop Using A Livestock Drug To Treat COVID-19

5:06pm August 23, 2021

by Wynne Davis

In a state with the nation's second lowest rate of vaccination against the coronavirus, a jump in the number of calls to poison control has prompted warnings about ingesting the drug ivermectin.

The FDA Has Approved Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine

4:41pm August 23, 2021

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration has given full approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, offering the nation's vaccination campaign a badly needed boost.