Medical Treatments

President Biden inspects COVID-19 vaccine freezers at a Pfizer plant in Kalamazoo, Mich., with White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Feb. 19.

Health & Safety

Moderna And Pfizer On Track To Hit Vaccine Production Goals

5:30pm March 11, 2021

by Sydney Lupkin

Pfizer and Moderna each agreed to supply 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. by the end of March. With just under three weeks left, both companies have their work cut out for them.

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Moderna And Pfizer Will Need To Double Production To Hit U.S. Vaccination Target

4:15pm March 11, 2021

by Sydney Lupkin

To hit their U.S. target of 220 million shots by the end of March, Moderna and Pfizer will need to double the number of doses they're currently delivering each week.

Safety Concerns Spark Suspension Of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccinations In Denmark

4:15pm March 11, 2021

by Joe Palca

Denmark has temporarily suspended giving people the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in order to investigate whether some potentially serious medical conditions are related to the vaccine.

A health care worker at a drive-through site in Greenville, Miss., administers a COVID-19 vaccine shot in January. Mississippi was one of the first states to add a body mass index of 30 or more (a rough gauge of obesity) to its current list of qualifying

Health & Safety

High Obesity Rates In Southern States Magnify COVID-19's Threat

5:00am March 11, 2021

by Sarah Varney

In the U.S. South — home to nine of the nation's 12 heaviest states — obesity is playing a role not only in COVID-19 outcomes but in the calculus of the vaccination rollout.

Health & Safety

Even Sweeter 16: Why Age Now Qualifies Alaskans For A COVID-19 Vaccine

1:49am March 11, 2021

On Tuesday, Alaska opened COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone in the state older than 16. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Alaska's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink about the state's decision to do so.

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Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic antibiotics were frequently prescribed to seriously ill patients, even though the disease is caused by a virus.

Health & Safety

Antibiotic Use Ran High In Early Days Of COVID-19, Despite Viral Cause

4:54pm March 10, 2021

by Richard Harris

Many doctors have used antibiotics to treat COVID-19 patients, but that's largely unnecessary — and could even promote drug-resistant germs.

Health & Safety

Twice As Many White Alabamans Are Getting COVID-19 Vaccinations Than Black Alabamans

4:23pm March 10, 2021

NPR's Ari Shaprio talks with Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson about how twice as many white Alabamans are getting COVID-19 vaccinations as Black Alabamans. Birmingham is a case in point.

Melissa Cruz elevates her arm after donating COVID-19 convalescent plasma in April 2020 as phlebotomist Jenee Wilson shuts down the collection equipment at Bloodworks Northwest in Seattle.

Health & Safety

Convalescent Plasma Strikes Out As COVID-19 Treatment

10:08am March 10, 2021

by Richard Harris

Infusing blood plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 into sick patients looks good on paper. But studies of the treatment haven't found benefits.

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Lawsuit Argues 'Ticking Time Bomb' Could Invalidate Thousands Of Health Rules

4:53pm March 09, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

In its final days, the Trump administration created a rule that could eliminate thousands of regulations created by the Department of Health and Human Services. A lawsuit is challenging the rule.

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Katie Engelhart details the right-to-die movement in her new book, The Inevitable. She says that many patients in the U.S. are forced to act alone, without telling friends and family, because they fear their loved ones will be prosecuted after the fact.

Inside The Fight For The Right To Die: Logistical And Ethical Challenges

3:46pm March 09, 2021

by Terry Gross

Katie Engelhart explores the complexity of physician-assisted death in the book The Inevitable. She says patients seeking to end their own lives sometimes resort to veterinary drugs from overseas.

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