Medical Treatments

A recent push, backed by the American Medical Association, has encouraged teaching medical students about health risks tied to a warming planet.

Medical Residents Learn To Treat The Growing Health Hazards Of Climate Change

5:01am October 12, 2020

by Martha Bebinger

From heat-related illness to mosquito-borne infections, physicians are seeing the effects of a warming planet in the exam room. There's a growing push to teach doctors-in-training how to respond.

Frank Fahland, 61, is one of hundreds of Libby, Mont., residents who has an asbestos-related disease. That makes them potentially more vulnerable to complications from COVID-19.

COVID-19 Stalks A Montana Town Already Grappling With Asbestos Disease

2:50pm October 11, 2020

by Nate Hegyi

In Libby, Mont., an estimated 1 in 10 have an asbestos-related illness, after decades of pollution from a now-shuttered mine. With lungs already scarred, many fear contracting the coronavirus.

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A volunteer received an injection as part of a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine at Research Centers of America in Hollywood, Fla. Studies of vaccines backed by Operation Warp Speed have enrolled tens of thousands of people in a matter of months.

Health & Safety

Call For Administration's COVID-19 Vaccine Contracts To Be Disclosed

11:39am October 10, 2020

by Sydney Lupkin

Members of Congress and advocacy groups say Operation Warp Speed should release its contracts with vaccine makers after NPR reporting found the terms of many aren't public.

Grey reef sharks, seen in Fiji, are among the top species of sharks fished for their liver oil.

A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half A Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn

11:18am October 10, 2020

by Emma Bowman

The use of an immune-system stimulant harvested from shark liver oil in the development of some coronavirus vaccines has animal conservationists pressing for alternatives.

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Whistleblower On How Political Pressure Affects Safety Of Coronavirus Vaccines

4:11pm October 09, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Rick Bright, former Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority director, about his whistleblower complaint on political pressure over the coronavirus.

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A Marine is posted Thursday outside the West Wing of the White House, signifying the president is in the Oval Office. President Trump's physician said that he could return to public engagements as soon as Saturday.

Health & Safety

'Reckless': Doctors Question Trump Resuming Activities So Quickly

4:07pm October 09, 2020

by Rob Stein

Trump's physician said Trump could resume "public engagements" as soon as Saturday. But experts say that may be too soon, both for his own health and the safety of those around him.

An Eli Lilly researcher tests possible COVID-19 antibodies in a company laboratory in Indianapolis.

Health & Safety

Trump Touts Antibody Treatments For COVID-19, But Evidence Is Incomplete

11:04pm October 08, 2020

by Richard Harris

Medical researchers have high hopes that the kind of treatment the president received could end up being an important element in the fight against the pandemic. But clinical trials continue.

Dexamethasone is a low-cost, anti-inflammatory drug that has been shown to reduce the risk of death in patients with COVID-19.

Trump Was Treated With Steroids: How These Drugs Are Used For COVID-19 Patients

9:19pm October 08, 2020

by Rhitu Chatterjee

The drug dexamethasone is a cheap, widely available steroid. But how long should COVID-19 patients take it, and what are the side effects?

Could COVID-19 Be Treated By Drug Trump Is Touting?

3:55pm October 08, 2020

by Richard Harris

President Trump continues to tout an experimental treatment he received for COVID-19. NPR discusses if the drug is safe and whether there is enough of it to distribute across the U.S.

Operation Warp Speed's Moncef Slaoui, seen here at the White House in May, says clinical trials of experimental COVID-19 vaccines will soon reveal if they work. Meanwhile, manufacture of the vaccines is picking up speed.

Health & Safety

Latest COVID-19 Vaccine Timetable Doesn't Include Election Day

5:50pm October 07, 2020

by Joe Palca

Large-scale safety and efficacy trials of experimental vaccines in tens of thousands of volunteers are underway. Answers about the trials are likely to come late this year.