pandemic

A government employee in the Honduras unpacks some of the 8,000 COVID-19 diagnostic testing kits donated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Organization for Migration.

U.S. Mulls Controversial Foreign Aid Shake-up

10:54am June 17, 2020

by Jason Beaubien

The administration wants to channel more funds through the State Department in an effort to target emerging diseases. Critics say that could have dire impacts on the children of the world.

Education

Broadband Gaps In Rural NC Raise Equity Concerns

1:24pm June 16, 2020

by Keri Brown

Schools across the state are planning ahead for the possibility of continued remote learning.

Suchart Prasomsu, 53, leads a rescue team of 30 volunteers in Bangkok, using his Harley to get to car crashes and crime scenes. Since the start of the pandemic, they've also been called on to try and keep people from killing themselves.

Health & Safety

The Cost Of Thailand's Coronavirus Success: Despair ... And Suicide

10:34am June 16, 2020

by Aurora Almendral

Thailand's lockdown has kept the number of cases low. But the economic toll has led to a mental health crisis.

My niece, Nisime, in her hiding place — my parents' closet. She is my muse during the quarantine days. April 3, 2020. Tbilisi, Georgia

GLOBAL PHOTOS: How Lockdown Has Changed My Life

11:27am June 14, 2020

by The Everyday Projects

We asked photographers to show us how their world has been altered by the pandemic. Their pictures show the many things that are lost for the moment — as well as new ways to find comfort and joy.

Table showing richest and poorest countries by gross national income

Pandemic Perspective: What The 20 Poorest And Richest Countries Spend On Health Care

4:22pm June 13, 2020

A rich country might spend $5,000 or more on health care per person. A poor country might spend as little as $19 per person. How will that affect responses to the novel coronavirus?

The pandemic is prompting a lot of questions about everyday life.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQs: Convertibles, Dishwashing, Dog's Paws, Bowling, Travel With Kids

5:54pm June 12, 2020

This week we tackle frequently asked questions — and some infrequently asked ones as well. And we also have advice on how to decide about possible testing if you attended a protest.

A woman in labor in the maternity ward at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. With lockdowns have come fears of even greater numbers of home births.

Health & Safety

Risks Of Home Birth Loom For Women In Rural Africa Amid Lockdowns

4:30pm June 12, 2020

by Patrick Adams

An inexpensive drug called misoprostol can prevent fatal hemorrhage. But experts say fears of its use for abortion have kept it out of the hands of the women who need it.

Boys walk past shuttered businesses in the township of Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa, during the coronavirus lockdown. This recession is the first triggered solely by a pandemic, and low-income countries are particularly hard-hit.

World Bank: Recession Is The Deepest In Decades

1:58pm June 12, 2020

by Joanne Lu

The World Bank issues a report this week detailing the extent of the recession, the first caused solely by a pandemic. Its findings are sobering — but do offer a glimmer of hope.

Ashley Robinson, 37, is a clinical supervisor in the emergency room at New Orleans East Hospital.

National

Dear Class Of 2020: Graduation Messages From Frontline Workers

5:00am June 12, 2020

by Barry Gordemer

NPR asked essential workers — who normally would not be asked speak at a commencement ceremony — to offer insight forged by the simple act of showing up every day and doing what needs to be done.

Queue Listen Now

Nothing Like SARS: Researchers Warn The Coronavirus Will Not Fade Away Anytime Soon

4:13pm June 11, 2020

by Pien Huang

There was early hope that the coronavirus could be contained and eliminated. But researchers now believe the virus is likely to be a continuing threat until a vaccine is developed.

Queue Listen Now