Medical Treatments

Hospitals may soon be at risk of losing a critical funding stream — Medicare funding — if they don't comply with new COVID-19 data reporting requirements.

Health & Safety

Trump Administration Plans Crackdown On Hospitals Failing To Report COVID-19 Data

12:43pm September 24, 2020

Draft documents obtained by NPR show that the federal government is preparing to enforce new data reporting requirements, threatening to withhold vital Medicare funding from noncompliant hospitals.

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Researchers in Miami hold syringes containing either a placebo or the candidate COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna. Their work is part of a phase three clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

Why Tens Of Thousands Of People Are Key To Testing A COVID-19 Vaccine

7:14am September 23, 2020

by Joe Palca

Volunteers getting the shot help determine if a candidate vaccine works. But what with social distancing and masks, scientists must discern if it's the shot or these other measures preventing illness.

CDC Discusses Plan For Distribution Of A Future Coronavirus Vaccine

4:24pm September 22, 2020

by Pien Huang

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussed on Tuesday who will get the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine when it is available.

Why Coronavirus Vaccine Trials Need Large Numbers Of Volunteers

4:24pm September 22, 2020

by Joe Palca

Over 100,000 people worldwide are taking part in coronavirus vaccine trials. NPR answers common questions, such as why so many people are needed and what it means to say a vaccine works.

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Nurse Kathe Olmstead (right) gives volunteer Melissa Harting an injection in a study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc.

Health & Safety

With Limited COVID-19 Vaccine Doses, Who Would Get Them First?

1:44pm September 22, 2020

by Pien Huang

A CDC advisory committee is debating this issue Tuesday. Half of U.S. adults could be considered high priority, yet the initial supply is likely to be only enough for 3% to 5% of the population.

Niticia Mpanga, a registered respiratory therapist, checks on an ICU patient at Oakbend Medical Center in Richmond, Texas. The mortality rates from COVID-19 in ICUs have been decreasing worldwide, doctors say, at least partly because of recent advances in

Advances In ICU Care Are Saving More Patients Who Have COVID-19

7:51am September 20, 2020

by Richard Harris

One thing that has improved a lot over the course of the pandemic is treatment of seriously ill COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. Here's one man's success story.

English coronavirus patients George Gilbert, 85, and his wife, Domneva Gilbert, 84, were part of a clinical trial that included Eli Lilly & Co.'s baricitinib.

Health & Safety

Experimental Medicines For COVID-19 Could Help Someday, But Home Runs Not Guaranteed

4:22pm September 18, 2020

by Richard Harris

Drugs are being tested that could reduce symptoms and save lives. But, given the way drugs are developed, it's unlikely that any single medicine will be anywhere as potent as a successful vaccine.

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The pandemic has left many people unable to get needed medical care, or to delay care for a serious problem, an NPR poll finds. Such delays have often wound up hurting people's health.

About 1 In 5 Households In U.S. Cities Miss Needed Medical Care During Pandemic

3:02pm September 17, 2020

by Patti Neighmond

Some people have skipped care because of finances or fear of the virus, doctors say. Others find medical practices closed to new patients. Many are suffering health consequences, an NPR poll finds.

Scientists used light to control the firing of specific cells to artificially create a rhythm in the brain that acted like the drug ketamine

Scientists Say A Mind-Bending Rhythm In The Brain Can Act Like Ketamine

8:09am September 17, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers were able to mimic the mind-altering effects of the drug ketamine by inducing a particular rhythm in one area of the brain.

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CDC Releases Plan For Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution

4:09pm September 16, 2020

by Sydney Lupkin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released plans for the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. The logistical challenges could be as daunting as the scientific ones.